To further our BIM capabilities, Stancold were on the lookout for a Design Manager capable of strengthening the integration with main contractors and fully embracing modern 3D industry standards. Shaun, a highly experienced designer from Cardiff, joined us in July.
Shaun Gustard, CAD Designer, “retired from all things rugby related”.
It was a long chapter of my life. I had played rugby since I was 11 years old, at various competition levels. Clubs, the Welsh “Masters” Team, coached a long list of junior and senior teams. It lasted for 35 years until my body said no.
And you became sort of an advocate for safe rugby.
I’m open about my injury. Players take bumps on their heads – it comes with the nature of the sport. One day, it was just one too many, and my brain hasn’t been the same ever since. Sports are great for your body and mind when you know your limits and tread cautiously.
But you always had a backup plan…
I love rugby, but I knew I would eventually have to retire. My dad used to work in civil engineering, and I was helping him out from my early teenage years. I ended up in design, but I also have this hands-on background and an idea of how it fits together. The office team should make it easier for people on-site, not harder. And as we know, that’s not always the case in our industry!
When did you get into design?
It’s hard to point to a date, but I vividly remember the first time I fired up AutoCAD. That was 1992, over three decades ago now. I still like the old-school ways, pencil & paper and all. But we’ve come way too far for that.
BIM.
Indeed. My long-term plan is to use Revit as much as possible. Whether for visualisation purposes or full integration into main contractor builds, clients always come first, and they kept asking Stancold about BIM. These days, the designer’s job is not only to produce drawings for the sake of doing it for building control, LPCB or insurance. We’re here to optimise material use, minimise installation issues, lower the project’s carbon footprint and – most importantly for me – support the on-site crew to understand the big picture better.
You still sound like you’re coaching…
A rugby team, I know! Construction is also a team sport. Due to my health situation, I work from home most days, but I do my best to share this spirit with my colleagues whenever I’m in the office. We can only grow as people when we work on things together.
