BIM to the Future
March 26, 2009
Welcome, and thank you for taking time to visit the new blog for the Trespa Design Centre in New York. If you’re ever in SOHO on Greene Street, be sure to stop by for a visit.
This being the maiden voyage of the blog, I thought I would talk about an item that has been discussed a lot since I began working here in mid-February: Building Information Modeling, or BIM. Over the past month, there have been three separate presentations regarding BIM topics that I’ve been fortunate to be able to attend. The last one, “Stimulating Architecture – Building Smart with Less” I found particularly interesting.
The speaker, Kimon Onuma, FAIA, made some very valid and timely points about using BIM technology to jump-start the design phase by expediting most of the technical aspects of a building project. Also, he elaborated on a series of events called BIMStorms, which involve the collaboration of students from allied building disciplines to work together over the internet to create a scheme for a specific site. Think a junior development LAN party.
Being a recent [under] graduate in architecture, this concept got me thinking about how valuable events like this could be to different student groups to learn team-building and collaborative techniques, as well as time-management skills. As a designer myself, I remember many times in college when I wanted to skip the technical side of design and go straight for aesthetics. However, one tidbit I learned in one of my first design studios is that structure can BE the aesthetics. So, I don’t mean to imply that BIM is the cure-all for design and building, but does this represent a paradigm shift in how architecture is not only practiced, but taught as well?
If you have an opinion on the topic, I would appreciate hearing from you, especially on the following points:
What do you believe BIM represent to architecture and engineering both professionally and educationally?
How do you see education changing to integrate technology like BIM or events like BIMStorms?
Do you use BIM regularly in practice or recreation?
Please email all responses or questions to z.brewster@trespa.com