Digital Twins: A Human Perspective

Kirk explores the connections between design, technology and how they create the world around us. He believes that technology expands the capabilities of those who leverage it, improving the built environment as a whole. As a Design Technology Manager, Kirk constantly examines and implements new tools and workflows to improve how NORR's integrated design teams deliver projects. Kirk is also the Executive Director of Digital Built - National Capital Region (dbNCR), facilitating the connections between the built environment and technology. As an Instructor at Algonquin College, he urges the next generation of professionals to continue advancing the industry. Kirk is also involved in the national BIM Community, sitting on the Education and Industry Engagement Think Tank of the Canada BIM Council.

Mr. McElravy has worked numerous years in the Geomatics Industry in Canada. He has held senior positions in the private sector, education and government. As a Director on the board of buildingSMART Canada he is overseeing the implementation of buildingSMART's Infrastructure Council Program. A program designed to engaged all levels of government, education and industry and drive the adoption of BIM and BIM standards in Canada.

Patrick Saavedra is the University Architect and Director, Planning, Architecture, Engineering and Design at York University. Patrick oversees 200 projects a year and several large capital projects as it relates to Planning, Urban Design, Architecture and BIM. Over his career, Patrick has been responsible for projects varying in scale and complexity in Toronto and internationally including Dubai, Trinidad, and Tobago, to New York and Washington DC metro area. Patrick is Architect, Urban Planner and Educator with over 25 years professional experience. He is dual trained and holds multiple degrees, a Bachelor of Architectural Science from Ryerson University, and professional degrees, a Master of Architecture and Master of Urban Planning both from the University of Michigan and has completed Design Studies at University of Copenhagen. With approx. 15 years overall teaching experience he was an adjunct professor at The Catholic University of America in Washington DC teaching in the graduate program at the School of Architecture focusing on the design of complex mixed-use hybrid projects. He currently teaches foreign trained architects at Ryerson University in a post-professional program. Patrick has been a guest critic at a number of architectural schools in the US and Canada and I is involved in a number of advisory roles as a member of The City of Toronto’s Public Art Commission, the City of Mississauga’s Urban Design Review Panel. In October of 2019 Patrick was recognized by his peers and was elevated to Fellow of the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada. He has presented at numerous AEC related events in Canada and the US. This past fall 2019 CanBIM recognized Patrick with the Professional Achievement Award for his significant contribution to the advancement of digital innovation in Canada.

Jonathan Murphy is the founder and Managing Director of GoGeomatics Canada, the most popular communications hub for the Canadian geomatics sector. Jon is the founder and chair of GeoIgnite - Canada's national geospatial conference.

He has created Canada’s largest geomatics networking group, with the goal of strengthening and empowering our geospatial community. Jon has had broad range of global experience in marketing and sales for geospatial businesses across a number of sectors and regions globally. He holds a bachelor's degree in Archaeology from the University of Calgary and advanced diplomas in GIS and geomatics from COGS. Jon is a Fellow of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society. In 2018 he joined the board of directors of the Geomatics Association of Nova Scotia (GANS).

Stephen Fai holds a professional BArch (Carleton) and a PhD in religious studies (Ottawa). He is an Associate Professor at the Azrieli School of Architecture and Urbanism where he teaches in the design studio and co-chairs the PhD program. He has taught courses on hand drawing and on various themes in the history and theory of architecture. Professor Fai served as the acting director of the School of Architecture (2002 - 2004), director (2004 - 2005), and associate director, graduate programs (2006 - 2010). His current research interests are at the intersection of architecture, image making, and hybrid technologies. He became the director of the Carleton Immersive Media Studio (CIMS) in 2007. Over the past decade, CIMS has developed five lines of inquiry that address the application of digital technologies in the context of architectural conservation and rehabilitation: digitization; building information modelling (BIM); simulation; digitally assisted fabrication; digitally assisted storytelling.