Tailor-made BIM for your organization

Marco Gorlani is Partner and Chief Digital Officer at DVArea and Director of Bimfactory, the department specialising in the implementation of Digital Information Management solutions, including digital assessments, digital implementation plans, BIM management, and asset digitisation. We spoke with him about BIM, exploring both the implementation approach and the ways in which we support organisations throughout their digital adoption and transformation journeys. We also discussed the future challenges related to the integration of BIM and artificial intelligence, as well as the main cultural, organisational, and operational barriers companies face when introducing these innovative tools and processes.

Marco, tell us a bit about your background and how you came to join DVArea.  

I hold a degree in Building Engineering, and my professional career began at an electrical engineering design firm, where I worked for approximately two years. It was a valuable experience because it gave me a highly technical and multidisciplinary approach to projects, allowing me to engage early on with the coordination of different disciplines.
Over time, however, I felt the need to return more directly to the world of construction and integrated design. During that period, I became acquainted with DVArea, a company that already demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and the BIM methodology – two aspects that immediately caught my attention.
I initially joined as an architectural designer and then progressively specialised in BIM. I worked first as a BIM Specialist, later as a BIM Coordinator, and for the past six years as a BIM Manager. It has been a very natural career path, evolving alongside the growth of the company and the increasing importance of digital processes within project delivery.

When you chose DVArea, what were your expectations? Did you already have a clear direction in mind, or did it develop over time?

When I joined DVArea, I already saw it as a company with a different vision compared to many others in the industry. There was a genuine commitment to investing in innovation and integrating BIM into design processes in a structured way – not merely as a modelling tool.
At first, my main goal was to grow as a designer within a dynamic and multidisciplinary environment. Then, through my daily work with BIM processes, I realised that this would become my primary professional focus.
My growth happened progressively: from modelling to coordination, and eventually to the strategic management of BIM and digital processes. In this sense, DVArea provided me with the opportunity to build a highly practical professional path, while accompanying the evolution of the industry over the past several years.

Looking back, how much of an impact has DVArea had on your professional growth? Has it given you something you might not have found elsewhere? If so, what?

It has had a tremendous impact on my professional journey. At DVArea, I have had the opportunity not only to work on projects, but above all to understand and explore in depth the processes behind design, information management, and multidisciplinary coordination.
I consider this fundamental, because BIM is not only about modelling, but about how people, data, and activities are integrated within a project.
Over the years, I have had the chance to work across multiple disciplines, engaging with design, coordination, construction supervision, process standardisation, and digital innovation. Most importantly, I was given the time and trust needed to grow professionally, also through mistakes, experimentation, and continuous exchange.
My personal growth has gone hand in hand with the growth of the company and the team. I believe that the contribution of the people I have worked with every day has been decisive: working within a multidisciplinary, innovation-driven team inevitably pushes you to evolve much more rapidly.

This year, you became Partner and Chief Digital Officer at DVArea, as well as Director of Bimfactory. Two roles, one vision. What is the common thread?

The common thread is the practical application of digital transformation to design and project delivery.
As Chief Digital Officer, my aim is to contribute to the digital evolution of the entire DVArea ecosystem – processes, standards, automation, data management, and information quality. As Director of Bimfactory, I extend this vision beyond the organisation through consulting services, BIM coordination, and strategic support for public and private clients.

In both roles, the focus remains the same: making processes clearer, more controllable, and more efficient, without compromising design quality.

Bimfactory is DVArea’s digital consulting department. Can you tell us more about what you do, who your services are aimed at, and what your contribution will be in defining the strategy?

Bimfactory is currently composed of professionals who work daily on BIM management, process digitalisation, and information coordination within projects.

We provide BIM consultancy for public bodies and private clients, supporting the definition of information requirements, standards, workflows, and implementation strategies. In addition, we undertake operational activities in BIM coordination and BIM management for complex projects, CAD services, Scan to BIM, and the internal BIM management of DVArea projects, from design through to construction supervision.
We also support companies throughout their digital transformation journeys, guiding them through every phase of change to ensure that innovation is introduced with timing, methods, and tools appropriate to the organisation’s context. Our goal is to turn digitalisation into a concrete growth opportunity, encouraging adoption by people and effectively integrating it into business processes.
A distinctive feature of our approach is that we work daily on both the consultancy and production sides. This enables us to propose highly practical and truly applicable solutions.
My strategic contribution will focus primarily on consolidating Bimfactory as an integrated innovation platform: not only providing traditional BIM support, but also developing advanced digital processes, automation, data management, and increasing integration with artificial intelligence tools.

Having five BIM managers in the same organization is not common in the industry. Practically speaking, what does it mean for a client to rely on a team with this structure?

It means having access to highly specialised expertise that is also well-coordinated.

In many cases, a BIM manager is an isolated figure expected to handle strategic, operational, and technical aspects simultaneously. Having a structured team instead enables projects to be managed with greater solidity, continuity, and control.
For the client, this results in more reliable processes, higher quality information management, more effective interdisciplinary coordination, and the ability to handle complex projects without relying on a single individual.
Moreover, working as a team enables us to remain continuously updated on regulations, technologies, and operational methodologies, directly transferring these developments into the projects we deliver.

Despite its recognized advantages, many companies still struggle to adopt BIM. What are the real barriers you encounter—cultural, organizational, economic—and how do you address them?

The barriers are often more organisational and cultural than technological.
Many companies still associate BIM solely with 3D modelling or see it as an additional cost, without considering the value it can provide in terms of control, error reduction, coordination, and information management.
There is also a significant issue related to processes: truly implementing BIM requires changing operational methods that have been established over many years, which demands time, training, and a clear vision.
We address this topic in a pragmatic manner. We always aim to develop sustainable pathways tailored to the client’s structure, avoiding overly theoretical or unnecessarily complex approaches. The assessment phase is essential to gain a thorough understanding of the organisation and to build a customised digital journey. The goal is not to “do BIM” as a label, but to introduce tools and processes that deliver tangible and measurable benefits.

The industry is evolving rapidly. AI, automation, new digital workflows. Where is Bimfactory heading, and what are you already building today?

The sector is undergoing rapid transformation, and I believe that in the coming years, value will no longer be tied solely to the ability to produce digital models, but above all to the intelligent management of data and processes.
At Bimfactory, we are already actively working on these areas. We are developing proprietary plugins and tools that leverage the potential of artificial intelligence, with the aim of automating repetitive tasks, improving model quality control, and making workflows increasingly efficient.
I believe the role of Bimfactory will evolve in this direction: not only in managing and coordinating traditional BIM, but also in integrating new digital tools that are emerging, including those related to AI.
Artificial intelligence will not replace technical and design expertise, but it will become a powerful accelerator. It will allow less time to be spent on low-value operational tasks and more time to be dedicated to design decisions, coordination, and the overall quality of the project.
The goal is therefore to build an increasingly advanced digital ecosystem where design, data, automation, and AI work together in an integrated way to support both the project and the people who develop it.