Samuel Mikhail, 4 Ideal Design
Virtual
ThursdayApril 9, 2026
9:00 am - 10:00 am ET
Credits LU | Elective TBD
Introductory
BIM is transforming how architects, lighting designers, and manufacturers collaborate and manage projects. This session will explore how digital practice management helps firms streamline workflows, improve coordination, and maintain strong BIM standards. Attendees will learn how to develop efficient BIM templates, train teams effectively, and integrate BIM into their lighting and architectural workflows. Through real-world examples, we’ll show how structured BIM implementation can reduce inefficiencies, enhance teamwork, and improve project outcomes.
Learning Objectives
- Identify key components of a high-performing digital practice and evaluate their firm’s current standards, tools, and workflows against industry best practices
- Understand the role of BIM templates, Revit families, and custom workflows in streamlining multidisciplinary design coordination and documentation across lighting, interiors, and architecture
- Develop a roadmap for staff development through targeted training, digital mentorship, and assessment frameworks that elevate firm-wide competency and consistency
- Apply practical digital project management strategies to improve model health, team communication, and consultant collaboration throughout the project lifecycle
Speaker
Samuel Mikhail
Educator
4 Ideal Design
Over the past decade, Sam has worked with more than 50 architecture, interior and lighting design firms, as well as construction companies, to implement BIM technologies. Sam began his career as an architect, and transitioned to the BIM consulting during the early days of architecture firms converting to Revit. At that time, the industry standard was day-long training sessions that had little to do with the specific requirements of a firm. This inefficiency in a business that should be all about efficiency frustrated him. He began to envision a more nimble model of BIM consultancy and co-founded 4 Ideal Design (4iD) in 2016.
Instead of offering clients a list of services, Sam tailored each engagement to the client, developing tools to assess firms’ processes and benchmark the proficiency of employees. “Creating customized proposals is what transformed us from BIM consultants to Digital Practice Managers,” says Sam. “We don’t just create standards, do training and get out. We also mentor, evaluate, refine, and update the systems as the technology and team evolve. We help you invest in the longevity of what you have created.”
He is a passionate educator with 12 years of teaching experience. He has developed courses for undergraduate, graduate, and continuing education programs that revolve around software implementation for architects, interior and lighting designers. He’s a seasoned faculty member of The New York School of Interior Design and the winner of NYSID’s Distinguished Faculty Award (2024). He is the Program Director of NYSID’s Master of Professional Studies in Digital Practice Management, the first program of its kind, which prepares professionals to lead digital practice in firms. He is also a lighting designer who understands the profound value of lighting, and the challenges lighting design firms face.