Ben Beaumont, BIM specialist with OzCAD, the Australian distributors for the Vectorworks range of software.
Who are you?
I am mostly an analytical person with a definite dose of creativity. I like to pull things apart to understand how they work…but I also like to find new ways to put things back together again. I’ve always been curious mechanically. I am a family man with two delightful teenagers. I love to watch them figure things out for themselves – it’s a nugget of gold when that happens.
What do you do
I run. I run for fitness and I run to clear my head. It leaves me feeling invigorated and ready for a day’s work. My father and I are restoring a vintage car. That is a lot of work, but incredibly rewarding. Doing a project like that with someone else is far greater than the sum of its parts. We are both doing it for each other and are motivated for that reason. It is a terrific way to spend time together. I love my work. I feel I have finally found my calling. It seems everything I’ve done up until this point has prepared me for my work. I have been an architect for many years, both for myself and for others. My work at OzCAD and with Vectorworks is a natural progression. I enjoy the technical side, but equally, I enjoy working with users. I find software fascinating. We spend our days looking at it and working with it…my approach has always been to pull it apart to try and get the most out of it.
What has been the scariest/courageous thing you’ve ever done?
I travelled a lot by myself when I was quite young. I look back now and understand how vulnerable I was. I flew back to California for an internship in 1994 and I remember how anxious I was on that plane. It worked out fine, but I was quite alone and still quite young. I’m grateful now for how the experience broadened my horizons.
Who do you admire and why?
I truly admire my wife. There’s someone that has come from adversity and simply eats up life. We are from opposite sides of the globe (literally), but we nurture our differences and are justly rewarded. I know we make a dynamic pair and I treasure that.
What is it about ArchiTeam that made you want to get involved?
I became aware of the good work ArchiTeam do early in my professional life. Later in private practice, I always felt a great sense of connection because they spoke my language and engaged in things that mattered to me. Before I joined OzCAD – I relied heavily on OzCAD for support. OzCAD were always incredibly quick to respond. Furthermore, they were always thoughtful and seemed to know exactly why I was trying to do what I wanted to do, not simply how to do something. Ultimately this attracted me to OzCAD. So, when it came to getting involved with professional organisations the shared values of OzCAD and ArchiTeam stood out as the logical choice.