Spotlight on BIM! Meet our Modeling Masterminds.

It’s that time of year … we gather around family tables, share meals and toasts with loved ones, and attend holiday gatherings where the inevitable, “so, what do you do?” is extended.

For the talented members of our building information modeling (BIM) team, it’s a question not easily answered. The simple answer, or their title alone, doesn’t come close to capturing the value they really deliver to our team and our clients. Some of these roles didn’t exist in years past! And in recent years, their roles have changed and evolved in parallel with the industry and technologies.

The BIM team makes the work of engineers easier, streamlining day-to-day tasks, improving collaboration methods, and leveraging technologies for our projects and partners. While it’s common for architecture and engineering firms to have in-house BIM roles, Coughlin Porter Lundeen’s team goes far beyond the standard.

Coughlin Porter Lundeen benefits from a group with unique skills and interests. Beyond standard modeling, the group studies emerging trends, adapts them via custom solutions and programs, and leads sessions to teach our staff and partners how to use them. Their roles are incredibly important to each project, and often begin well before designs start taking shape.

To hear firsthand what’s happening in the BIM space, we’re checking in with some of our BIM technology stars: BIM Manager Colin Cox, Technology Specialist Joel Hills, BIM Manager Reed Harvey, and BIM Coordinator Matt Marvin.

COLIN COX, BIM Manager
Colin has been in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) world for more than 30 years. Now our Civil BIM Manager, he advances our 3D modeling capabilities and improves design quality and clash detection. Known in the office for his jokes and relaxed demeanor, he naturally puts project teams at ease and likes to say he’s saving the world one drawing at a time.

Can you give us some Civil BIM basics? What do you and your team do?
I manage a team of BIM Technicians and BIM Designers, our work extends from very early in the design process through to construction completion. My role covers everything from onboarding new employees (teaching them the basics of utility modeling, grading, drawing packages), and responding to design needs from the architect and other consultants.

What is something that other consultants might not realize about civil engineers’ work in Civil 3D?
Civil 3D isn’t programmed like Revit, another common 3D modeling software in architecture and engineering. Civil 3D is actually based off of an entirely different system (that was bought by the same company that owns Revit). Since project teams use both and the two programs don’t like to talk to each other, we strive to make our models more what we call “Revit-friendly” to benefit our coordination efforts.

What technology or change have you been able to implement?
Traditionally the coordination between civil site models and the AEC-related model has been a significant challenge. Civil is beholden to Survey State Plane Coordinates, while AEC models are based on Revit-building coordinates. That’s where Shared Coordinates come in. Shared Coordinates is a BIM modeling technology used to organize site and building models in the same digital space. Essentially, it creates a master map using geolocation. A detailed coordinate system is established from which a full project team bases its design models, and models are populated within the system where they’re contextualized with precise coordinates that factor in local topographies, survey files and property line geometries. We have been using Shared Coordinates since 2018.

(You can learn more about Shared Coordinates via our article: “Continued Learning: Our Client Presentation Roadshow.”)

What does this mean for the project teams?
We have seen a direct benefit in our level of coordination, especially with site teams like landscape and survey through to the building team models. This is where having structural engineers in-house really comes in handy because they understand what we need, how we need it, and why. For example, our structural team can provide zones of influence to footing families for our models in early clash detection (as seen to the left).

When structural is at another firm, it’s tough to determine and rely on their information as designs can evolve quickly.

Why does it matter to have this model exist from the start?
By establishing rapport with project teams, and implementing Shared Coordinates, our civil team strives to a higher standard of service. These efforts ensure model coordination is correct from the beginning of the project. We enjoy master planning because civil engineering plays a major role in determining the best uses of land. It helps us provide better models, and results in less reworking and inefficiencies later. And inches matter at this stage! Sometimes the changes result in more usable space for developers, while still answering community needs and safety standards. That’s really satisfying to see.

JOEL HILLS, Technology Specialist
Joel began his journey with AutoCAD in 1987 (using AutoCAD version 2.5!), and now brings nearly 37 years of CAD experience to the table. A gamer, maker, and constant learner, Joel excels at spotting patterns in our processes and using the right technology, code, or program to optimize them. When he’s not streamlining our work, you can find him reading the Dungeon Crawler Carl series or deep in code at a weekend Hackathon.

Tell us about your work! How do you support both the structural and civil groups?
When I first started, my focus was helping the structural department transition from AutoCAD, a 2D drafting program, to Revit, a 3D modeling software. Now, I’ve transitioned to the civil team. Over many years, civil engineers and technicians here have built a detailed library of customizations, which have made project designs more tailored and efficient. However, as coding and software evolve, many of these customizations need updates and standardization to align with current practices. I’ve been revising and optimizing this past work, ensuring we can continue to benefit from the impressive solutions the firm has developed over its 30 years of experience.

We know you love exploring programs. What are you working on now?
I also support the civil team by creating new customizations using AutoLISP and working with specialized programs like AutoTurn, which helps civil engineers analyze turning radii and other transportation needs. One of the things I enjoy most is exploring new tools. I was a beta tester for Revit back in its early days around 1999-2000, and while it was exciting, it was also challenging to use back then. It’s rewarding to see how much it has improved and how enjoyable it is to use now that the software has evolved.

What is something people might not realize about your role as a Technology Specialist?
One thing people might not realize is how much of my time is spent testing and evaluating alternatives that may never get implemented. For instance, many older customized solutions rely on outdated software, and I’m constantly identifying when something is no longer supported or viable. Once I find an issue, I create or find alternatives, rigorously testing them to see if they work within the larger system. This often involves extensive troubleshooting, rewriting code, and integrating new solutions—only to sometimes find they aren’t a good fit after all.

Much of my work also follows the philosophy of: “There has got to be a better way to do this!” This drives me to look at processes to find – or develop our own – more efficient methods. I’m frequently looking ahead, preparing for transitions when legacy systems can no longer keep up, and the real challenge lies in creating a solid plan for these transitions, ensuring that the change is as seamless and productive as possible.

We know you always have your eye on the next big thing! What’s on the horizon for BIM?
Colin and I often talk about where things are headed in the world of BIM, and right now, we’re really excited about the possibilities surrounding digital twins for private owners or even public cities like Seattle. These digital replicas of physical infrastructure could be game-changers for optimizing energy usage and managing long-term maintenance and operations. 3D modeling has so many untapped benefits that can continue to provide value long after a project is completed.

While 3D BIM modeling is incredibly powerful, it still needs to be paired with 2D drawings to communicate how to build what’s shown in the model. But looking ahead, we can envision a future where buildings and cities have complete 3D digital models that mirror their real-world infrastructure. Any changes made in the physical world could be reflected back into the digital twin in real time. It’s exciting to think that someday, city building code offices might only accept 3D models for review, referencing digital coordinates instead of traditional 2D plans!

REED HARVEY, BIM Manager
After growing up in Louisiana, Reed eventually decided to move to the Pacific Northwest and we’re glad to have him here! Now our Structural BIM Manager, Reed has spent more than 35 years in structural engineering. He’s journeyed from the original “drafting by hand,” through the introduction of computerized CAD drafting, and now, onto 3D modeling. Reed’s knowledge of building materials is as extensive as his library of vintage steel manuals. His concentration on establishing and maintaining drafting consistency has made him a valuable team asset.

You started drafting by hand and now you’re modeling in 3D. Tell us about that journey.
When I first started out, we would share drawings or floppy disk by mail. At times we would wait a few weeks before getting updates!

With advances in technology, everything is shared immediately, online. The biggest change now has been working in the cloud. The advantage is that all the project models are available in one location. Cloud-hosted models have exponentially increased our design efficiency. We used to wait a long time to receive design changes from the architects and other external consultants before we could refine our structure to match. Now, we can contribute to a digital model online that allows for much faster coordination and avoids rework.

When I started, we were always looking for ways to improve our structural designs and automate what we could – and that hasn’t changed. We have always adopted new tools as better and better options appear. I now spend a lot of time 3D modeling in Revit and helping other Revit users in the office enhance their skills. I always keep an eye on the ways we can improve and extend Revit’s capabilities too.

You’ve gotten to know Revit really well! Tell us more about what you’re seeing.
Revit came out around 2000 and now we’re working in Revit 2025 – just to give you an idea. Each year’s new version fully replaces the previous one and that’s by design.

Using 3D modeling helps with phasing, design, and construction – whether it is new or renovation. And in the end, construction is all either a new build or renovation of some kind. For example, when we make seismic evaluations or build a new addition connected to an existing school, there is a lot to get a handle on. We’re helping a team understand what an owner wants to do, how their buildings were built, the materials, and their current condition. Sometimes we need older technology to access archived building plans and information. This is why we still have an in-house microfiche machine! It lives in our plotter room and we can review old drawings with it. After we look at any existing drawings, we can 3D model what we need too if it’s required for a particular project.

MATT MARVIN, BIM Coordinator
Matt has worked with us for 18 years and counting. And we’re lucky he does. He has a mechanical engineering degree and is now our Structural BIM coordinator. When he’s not figuring out a tricky programming problem, he likes to follow space exploration and tech breakthroughs to see what exciting new capabilities are on the horizon.

We heard from someone (okay, it was Reed!) that you have a “wish list” of R&D items you get to tackle in your role. Can you tell us about it?
Sure, I spend about a third of my time customizing Revit and working out specific solutions for our structural work from my and others’ wish lists. Teams like ours need specialists to improve efficiency in Revit and make sure our standards are consistently applied across all projects. I help with that using the Revit API. The Revit API is a way to improve Revit’s capabilities: if you know an appropriate coding language well, you can further build out the program’s “out of the box” capabilities.

When I’m not customizing Revit or helping create internal training, I test out the newest version.

What does that process look like?
We check constantly to make sure engineers have what they need and can deliver our best modeling capabilities, something that is particularly important before the new yearly Revit version rolls out. I spend time checking how our 3D models will behave before we introduce a new version to everyone. Reed and I also keep our team training current and communicate any improvements we’ve made to all the other Revit users in the office.

Can you speak more to these Revit customizations and how they support engineers’ work?
Our Revit customizations help structural engineers save time and avoid errors that everyone – even really good engineers – are going to make sometimes.

For example, I created a custom coordination view that compares design versions and highlights all the changes – even the smallest ones – clearly. We used to compare design changes across different versions and given the complexity, it was tough and time consuming. My coordination view helps our structural engineers and technicians stay current on design changes that can be subtle between design versions. And occasionally I get to knock something off my wish list too!

We’re lucky to have these BIM professionals with us. They provide specialized support that helps our engineers and technicians continually improve their modeling skills, while also benefiting every project they touch!