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Facility Management Minutes Episode 1: Deke Smith

In these videos, we discuss facility management career paths, the development of CAD and BIM standards, facility lifecycles, facilities management software, GIS, total cost of ownership (TCO), the future of the facility management industry and more.

Our first guest in this series is Deke Smith, FAIA Emeritus, FbSI. Now considered a global expert in building information modeling data standards and business practices, Deke began his career at the Army Research Lab (ARL) where he became the Deputy CIO. While at ARL, Deke helped establish the first CAD layering standards that enabled CAD data to be consistently developed and shared across many Army installations. Later at (DISDI), Deke worked with Brian Cullis to broaden and expand this approach to encompass all geospatial data at the Department of Defense.

Deke worked for years with buildingSMART International helping to develop and promote the use of building information modeling standards around the world. Most recently, Deke was co-chair of the APPA Total Cost of Ownership standard development committee helping to develop parts one and two of the national standard. Throughout his career, Deke's vision, patience, and persistence have helped to establish a strong foundation for many of the information standards and business processes we use today.

Watch the full episode to learn about:

  • Information Needs per Facilities Lifecycle Phase
  • National CAD & BIM Standards
  • Standards-Based Approaches Across the World
  • Total Cost of Ownership Explained, Application & Measurement
  • Key Measurements for TCO and the Importance of Work Orders
  • The Future of the Facility Management Industry