Base4 Technology Manifesto

Welcome to the Base4 Technology Blog. As a new division of Base4 International, we have the freedom to examine the parts of our industry we admire the most and create a unique model based around our strengths.

The purpose of this post is to share some thoughts on how on we envision our business moving forward.  This post, will serve as a Manifesto of sorts for the way that we aspire to do business.

By the way, my name is Brad Gallagher. I lead the Base4 Technology Division. If you want to find out a little bit about my background, you can check out my LinkedIn profile. I am a person who cares deeply about working in partnership with others to create unique experiences through technology.

Base4 Technology is dedicated to creating spaces that don’t just utilize “technology for the sake of technology”. Our goal is to create an experience that meets specific user needs. This could be as simple as a conference room or as complex as a Theme Park. It doesn’t matter. Every facility deserves to be designed in a thoughtful manner that solves problems. Good design is always a good investment.

What does good design mean to us? There are great technology design firms out there and others that miss the mark. When we look at the firms we admire, there are several traits that stand out:

Mission Focused

Being mission focused means that we will always consider the goals of an organization and develop a plan of action, before jumping into design. Technology should accomplish organizational goals. In order for this to happen, there must be a vision and it must be understood.

Detail Oriented

Architects should not have to spend time correcting drawings that have not been reviewed and owners should not pay for a design that is 90% copy and paste.

Willing and Able to Follow Through

Consulting firms should not dump their problems on integrators to figure out or abandon their projects after bidding. Every project is different and not every client wants Construction Administration, but if these services are required, they should be more than just paper-pushing.


Aside from just adhering to high standards, every firm has its own culture. These are the things that will identify Base4 technology.

Our Team Mentality

Both in the projects that we serve and the industry as a whole. We believe to our core that teamwork is the way that progress is made.

Expansive Industry Experience

There is no substitute for experience. Whether it’s partners, team members, manufacturers, or end users, we seek the experience of those who have been there before.


Tech Geek meets Business Objectives

Technology is great, but it needs to serve a purpose. To the best of our ability, we want to quantify or at least qualify its impact.

No Marketing Hype

We believe that educated clients benefit everyone. Consumers are growing annoyed with hype based interruption marketing.

 


Additionally, I see some significant advantages that Base4 Technology will be able to bring to the market, based on the resources of Base4 International:

Coordinated Services – We can provide converged technology design for time and cost savings or even provide turnkey engineering, including structure and MEP.

Cross Timezone Workflow – Our project management workflow supports dividing work across multiple timezones for increased speed in fast-track delivery.

Engineering Resources – Particularly in the area of drafting and modeling, we have significant resources available.

Obviously, we don’t operate in a vacuum. There are all sorts of industry trends that will impact our ability to make good on the promises above. I see an alarming trend of technology design that doesn’t start with a unique approach based firmly on individual user needs. This is so common that I have coined a name for it. I call it “going straight for the list”. If you work in technology, as an integrator, manufacturer, designer, or rep, you have probably seen this yourself.

I have sat through so many RFP meetings where the client has barely expressed their current situation, before people start throwing around equipment models for their digital dose of Tylenol. The problem is not bad people, it’s just that as an industry, we haven’t caught up with the huge changes in technology and building…. and it’s not just us.  It’s our fellow engineers, architects, and project managers too.  Here are the large scale issues that I see:

  • Design and construction cycles keep getting shorter
  • Clients want a final project budget the day you are retained
  • BIM adoption is increasing and brining new challenges
  • Design Budgets are tight
  • There is an increasing undercurrent moving parts of the industry towards commoditization

These are major systematic challenges that cannot be solved by one person or company. I am a big believer in the concept that a rising tide lifts all boats. To this end, a major focus of this firm will be collaboration with other engineers, designers, and end-users to better define both current problems and overall requirements to design systems that are exceptional.

One of my other goals is to enlist a single client if we can’t bring value.  This means sometimes “going for the no” during initial discussions.  We will be producing some straightforward information regarding the process of selecting both technology and technology advisers.

I am not talking about marketing materials that will explain why we are better than the competition. Sometimes we are a good fit and sometimes we are not. By the way, this will include steering potential clients away from us and toward design / build solutions, in a few situations where this is appropriate.

Another firm belief of mine is that you need to know where you’re going in order to get there. That’s why everything moving forward will be centered around our Mission Statement:

We design technology in harmony with architecture, to create buildings that inspire collaboration, productivity, creativity, and branding, based on unique user needs and workflows.

If you are reading this and it resonates with you, be sure to sign up for our blog, so you can receive updates as new posts are created.  We will be posting content on a regular basis. Our intent is to help architects, owners/developers, and technology managers to implement technology in a way that serves their unique needs and the overall mission of their facility.

 

Photos in this post:

Coffee related by trophygeek CC 2.0

 

ost and create a unique model based around our strengths.

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