In this feature article, Blake Gaudry, Senior Terminal Planner at Airbiz, talks about how his team uses SketchUp to communicate the airport planning and design solutions with their collaborators and stakeholders.
Airbiz is redefining the future of airports with cutting-edge planning and design solutions. As a global leader in aviation consultancy, we help airports run smarter, smoother, and more sustainably—enhancing operations and elevating the passenger experience. Headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, our influence spans over 230 airports worldwide; from iconic hubs like London’s Heathrow and Singapore’s Changi to major gateways across Australia, Japan, Canada, and Hong Kong.
Renowned as the trusted partner for aviation stakeholders, our team is a powerhouse of expertise. We bring together airport planners, sustainability advisors, business analysts, project facilitators, and creative strategists—all dedicated to shaping the airports of tomorrow. Whether it’s crafting complex terminal designs, conducting feasibility studies, optimising airside operations, or pioneering runway lighting solutions, we tailor each project to meet the distinct needs of our clients.
What truly sets Airbiz apart is our dynamic approach to communication. We transform complex data into visually compelling presentations, ensuring clarity, impact, and innovation at every stage.
I first discovered SketchUp during my architecture studies at university. After completing both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in architecture, I used SketchUp as a go-to tool for more traditional architectural design. But when I joined Airbiz, my approach to SketchUp evolved. Instead of just designing buildings, I started using it to shape the future of aviation spaces.
At Airbiz, our team doesn’t just design airports—we understand how they function, from behind-the-scenes operations to the passenger experience.
In my role, I regularly use SketchUp to communicate our planning strategies to clients visually. Using images, icons, and graphics, we simplify complex concepts into high-level visuals on a single page. This approach ensures that even non-experts can grasp the core ideas —SketchUp is invaluable in helping us achieve this clarity.
Blake Gaudry
Senior Terminal Planner, Airbiz
While we rely on CAD software and Revit for technical planning, SketchUp plays a crucial role in bringing our concepts to life. Once our strategy is in place, SketchUp helps us visualize key elements, especially for projects involving passenger flow simulations and operational enhancements. We’ve even integrated it with virtual reality to model airport security upgrades, making it easier for stakeholders to grasp complex design decisions—without drowning them in technical drawings.
At Airbiz, our team brings together a diverse mix of experts—engineers, data analysts, airport operations specialists, and architects like myself—all collaborating to shape the future of airport design. When it comes to terminal planning, SketchUp is our go-to software. Its intuitive interface and seamless integration with other tools make it an essential part of our workflow.
Our analytics and modeling team also relies on SketchUp for simulations, allowing different teams to work independently while easily sharing resources. Airbiz fosters a collaborative, cross-disciplinary environment, and SketchUp’s user-friendly nature—combined with a wealth of online tutorials—makes it easy for team members to learn and adapt quickly.
We primarily use SketchUp in the early project stages, where speed and efficiency are key. It enables us to rapidly create models, concepts, and spatial layouts. While we occasionally use Revit for detailed architectural collaborations, the precision it offers—down to window details and wall thickness—isn’t necessary at the concept stage. That’s why SketchUp remains our tool of choice for fast, flexible, and effective early-phase planning.
We use SketchUp extensively, sometimes up to 50% of the total project time. For some projects, we rely on SketchUp throughout the design process, creating 3D models from start to finish. Its intuitive design and seamless integration into our workflow enable all team members, regardless of their technical background, to quickly create and refine models, improving overall project efficiency.
Blake Gaudry,
Senior Terminal Planner, Airbiz
At Airbiz, our global team of around 60 professionals thrives on collaboration, with 10 to 15 regularly using SketchUp across various teams. While its primary role is visualization, SketchUp is a game-changer for collaboration, providing a shared visual reference that keeps everyone aligned on concepts and spatial layouts. By simplifying communication—both within our team and with clients—it eliminates the need for overly complex technical drawings.
Airport projects often involve multiple external partners, each using their preferred software. Architects might work in AutoCAD or Rhino for detailed designs, engineers rely on BIM-focused tools like Revit for structural and MEP planning, and airport operations specialists use specialized software to optimize passenger flow and airside efficiency.
Ensuring everyone works from a unified and accurate dataset is critical to the success of these projects, as it eliminates miscommunication and aligns all teams towards common goals. SketchUp’s interoperability plays a vital role by breaking down data silos and reducing inefficiencies.
Blake Gaudry
Senior Terminal Planner, Airbiz
SketchUp bridges these workflows by offering easily shareable, updatable 3D models that integrate seamlessly with other platforms. With so many moving parts in complex airport projects, this ability to collaborate smoothly and efficiently ensures everything stays on track.
Absolutely! We’ve worked on several large-scale design and build projects where we take detailed Revit models—commonly used by architects—and adapt them for use in SketchUp. Airport designs are especially complex, often involving massive, highly detailed Revit files that can be cumbersome to manage in their original form.
Our goal is to create a streamlined, high-level version of the architectural model that integrates seamlessly into our simulation and modeling software. To achieve this, we often strip back and simplify Revit models, import them into SketchUp, and refine them for our specific needs. SketchUp’s ability to handle and simplify large Revit files allows us to work more efficiently while preserving the critical design elements.
At this stage, we’re not concerned with intricate backend data or minute details like building systems and complex interiors. Instead, we focus on the core form of the building—essential for passenger flow simulations, data analytics, and design validation. This approach enables us to analyze key aspects of the design while leaving finer details for later project phases.
To ensure compatibility and the right level of detail, we use various file formats like DWG, DXF, and IFC. Plus, with our Studio subscription, we leverage the Revit Importer to bring Revit files directly into SketchUp, making cross-platform collaboration even smoother.
CleanUp is my go-to extension for keeping models lean, optimized, and efficient. It quickly removes unnecessary data, purging excess vertices, polylines, and components that build up during the modeling process. In my experience, other software struggles with handling overly detailed models, but CleanUp allows me to strip everything back to just the essential elements—ensuring smoother workflows and faster performance.
PlaceMaker is another game-changer, pulling in geographic data to create large-scale 3D massing models in no time. It’s incredibly useful for visualizing urban developments, allowing us to import roads, buildings, and site details with ease. This makes it an invaluable tool for tasks like noise contour analysis and block planning, helping us bring real-world context into our designs effortlessly.
One great example is a security upgrade project at a UK airport, where we used SketchUp to build a highly detailed 3D model. To make the design changes more accessible, we brought the model into virtual reality, allowing non-technical stakeholders—like airport management and security teams—to explore the space in an immersive way. This interactive approach helped them visualize how the new security measures would impact passenger flow and overall airport operations, ensuring alignment and informed decision-making.
In another instance, we integrated SketchUp models into CAST simulation software to analyze passenger movement throughout the airport. By importing simplified 3D models into CAST, we could simulate real-world scenarios using actual flight schedules and passenger data. This allowed us to test and refine our designs under different conditions, identifying potential bottlenecks and optimizing layouts before construction even began.
The insights gained from this analysis were crucial in understanding how proposed design changes would affect traffic flow. By combining detailed 3D modeling with advanced simulation tools, we created a more efficient, data-driven design process—resulting in smarter, more effective airport solutions
SketchUp stands out for its simplicity, intuitive interface, and strong community support, making it an excellent choice for quickly building models, concepts, and visualizations. Its real power lies in its ease of use and flexibility, especially in the early stages of project planning.
Before diving in, consider your team’s experience and available training resources. Unlike more complex software like Revit or Rhino, SketchUp has a much gentler learning curve, which is a major advantage—especially for teams with varying technical backgrounds. The ability to get new users up to speed quickly and seamlessly share models across platforms makes collaboration effortless.
If your priority is speed, efficiency, and smooth integration with other tools, SketchUp is a smart choice that can streamline your workflow and enhance your design process.
Ready to try SketchUp?
Start with a SketchUp trial and discover what you can create with our intuitive 3D modeling software. BuildingPoint Australia is the official SketchUp partner in Australia. #Buy SketchUp from SketchUp Australia.
The content of this article is based on the interview conducted by Mahenoor Khadeghat, posted on the Trimble SketchUp website dated 14 March, 2025.
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