Technicians Focus: Iulia Pavlicsek
At HTS, our team of technicians are integral to the practice, working alongside the structural and civil engineers. We understand that BIM is all about the process of digital design, from concept to completion and beyond.
BIM is a collaborative way of working underpinned by digital technologies, allowing for more efficient methods of designing, delivering and maintaining physical built assets throughout their entire lifecycle. Heyne Tillett Steel’s technicians use Autodesk Revit as their primary BIM authoring platform, and since HTS started in 2007, we have worked in a 3D environment on all of our projects. We use our models from the earliest stages of design and throughout the construction process.
From a design standpoint, the models primarily are used to create all of our technical drawings, but are also used for visualisations to help communicate our designs to our clients and the rest of the team.
We have undertaken a large number of projects to BIM level 2 principles, collaborating with architects, other consultants and clients alike, using open and interoperable formats to share data between teams. Data outputs for our models assist with clash detections, estimating, project phasing and facilities management.
We sat down with some of our technician’s, to explore their career paths and their roles within the team. Firstly Iulia Pavlicsek, who joined HTS in 2020 as an apprentice.
What inspired you to pursue a career as a technician?
I found that at school, Maths and art came naturally to me, they weren’t subjects that I found difficult. My career choices were between Engineering or Architecture and work experience in sixth form gave me a chance to see which one I preferred. I spent 2 weeks with an Engineering company and 1 week with an Architecture practice. The time I spent with the Engineers gave me an insight into civils, M&E and structural and out of them all, structural engineering interested me the most. After A levels, I decided to see how I could get into Engineering. I chose an apprenticeship because I was keen to get started on my career. I never felt like the university path would suit me as I’m more of a practical learner, therefore sitting through lectures/seminars wouldn’t have benefitted me as much as learning on the job.
Working as an apprentice has been a good introduction to engineering through draughting/technician work and through the process, I have decided that I want to be a Structural Engineer rather than a technician. At HTS, this is a first and I feel that going into Structural Engineering with my drafting and Revit skills, will make me a stronger and more versatile Engineer.
I have Engineering sessions once a week now, where I am learning more and more.
What does a normal day in your role?
When I started as an apprentice, I mainly shadowed my mentors and got to learn the basics of being a technician. Now I mainly work in Revit as an experienced apprentice, with mark-ups to work through independently. I joined in the pandemic, so my days consisted of lots of teams calls and asking plenty of questions but I learnt a lot. HTS were very accommodating and although it wasn’t a conventional job start, here I am.
What key skills have you learnt at HTS so far?
- Time management
- Revit
- Communication skills
- Confidence in talking to people of all levels
What software do you use?
Revit and sometimes AutoCAD as a secondary software.
24 Endell Street
91 Dean Street
Brent Cross South, Plot 19