Two Cities, One Conversation: The Future of Digital Design
It’s not every day that you go from the basement of a Camden pub to the London HQ of a global architecture firm within 24 hours. But that’s exactly what our colleague Aaron Perry did, joining two radically different events that shared one clear theme: the industry is ready for a digital shift.
First up: BIM in the Pub
Hosted by the ArchiTech Network, this event felt more like an energetic jam session than your typical networking event. The format was Pecha Kucha: fast, visual, informal, and the vibe was just as dynamic. A room full of designers, technologists and curious thinkers, all eager to share, question and challenge.
What stood out? The openness. Presenters were refreshingly honest about what’s working, what’s not, and what’s still a work in progress.
One interesting observation: most platforms shown that evening started upstream in the process, focusing on feasibility and early design. But only one began with modelling as its core.
That was us.
At Qonic, we believe modelling is the backbone of any digital delivery. When you start with an accurate 3D model, everything else becomes easier: coordination, quantities, automation. That foundation matters.
The next morning: KPF Tech Week
Less than 24 hours later, Aaron was back at KPF London for Tech Week, a place he first visited nearly 14 years ago. This time, the spotlight was on shared experience. KPF Tech Week brought together designers, BIM managers, and digital thinkers from across the global practice to exchange ideas, workflows, and emerging tools.
It wasn’t about big reveals, but real conversations.
How are we actually using technology?
What’s improving design quality?
Where can we go next?
One thing that really stood out was the way juniors and senior leaders engaged equally. The culture of learning and sharing was evident, and credit goes to Martin Wilding and his team for building that environment. It was less about tools in isolation, and more about how digital thinking is becoming embedded in the design process itself.
Two very different events, one clear message
Across both events, the same question kept coming up: how can we design better, together?
Some are starting at the very beginning. Others are pushing innovation deep into delivery. At Qonic, we’re proud to be building a platform that supports both. We start with modelling, but we’re thinking far beyond it—because real progress in our industry will come from connecting the dots. From design freedom to data-rich execution. From solo work to seamless collaboration.
From start-ups in a basement to global studios, we’ll keep listening, building and pushing the industry forward—one model at a time.