V&A and Time

I've always had this strange dream. To design virtual environments that could transform your world, take you somewhere special and ultimately change your perception of what is real and what is not.

My thesis and strong design theory background allowed me to explore the way spatial mapping, analysis and digital manipulation could create such beautiful moments in time, a virtual artistic memory of those processes.

You can imagine then, that when the opportunity to submit the images I felt so closely connected to arose, I literally jumped at the opportunity.

Not only did it reinforce that true ideas, beautifully rich imagery and bespoke processes are individual but it has allowed me to search deeper and acknowledge how important these types of projects are to me.

The link to the blog is located here:

http://www.vam.ac.uk/b/blog/news-learning-department/digital-design-challenge-2013

Thank you to the V&A for reminding me of what it is that truly inspires me and how to reignite a very strong and important part of my process as an architect to date.

Generational workplace behaviours, new processes and shifts in technology

A culture has now formed in the world that is obsessed with the delivery and speed of information and data.

This will continue to develop at rapid speed and we therefore need to address how this will continue to affect our industries and relationships. These patterns will develop and must be acknowledged and addressed. Mark Zuckerberg changed life for us. Generation X leaders and workers will dominate our workforce in the coming years and we must acknowledge how this will alter the way we currently interact and deal with business, as well as how we embrace shifts in technology? What is clear is that it is definitely in need of a fresh approach or we are at risk of making similar mistakes as our Baby Boomer counterparts. We are a generation who require a good balance of work/life culture, a workplace that glorifies collaboration, innovative entrepreneurship, and an expectation of full-time workplace enjoyment and flexibility. If we don't get it - we want out. In short, we want to make a million dollars while working from a coffee shop, in trainers, with our friends and in on our own flexible time.

 

When considering the future needs of the workplace and our workplace culture we need to seriously take these things into consideration. To grow the right people and right mentality, and to keep those employees loyal it is absolutely necessary to ensure the above areas are addressed. I recently attended an innovation session where some of the audience were from varied backgrounds and generations. The approach toward collaborative processes, workplace changes and approaches to business were all quite varied and different. I extrapolated that this was due to the fact we all, not only were born from differing generations, but were also filtered through varying industries and business models. Those that follow these processes are part of a majority - my stance was different. I spoke of personalising approaches to collaboration, enhancing and promoting innovative solutions and encouraging younger industry professionals to discuss their thoughts and passion. I managed to convince a few about the idea of this 'personalisation' approach but it was only a discussion and one that didn't go further on that evening.  

 

 

It leads onto the whole debate about changed culture and our industry when it comes to BIM. It's not really all that difficult to imagine an industry that actually embraces change. Look at fashion, the automotive industry and even small design hubs. For whatever reason the traditional processes in building and construction are slower to progress and change. I have dealt with a huge variety of professionals across the industry, from C level to graduate. We can't all work in offices like Google but we do need to ensure we have the right mix of 'separate-togetherness' or we run the risk of scaring young employees away from the profession. This is not a concern for Generation X leaders, we understand it, acknowledge it and ensure it occurs in our workplace lives.

 

In many ways we just need to get on with it! We need to be working through the process and understand that there may be shifts in workflow and technique on all levels as we are at such a pivotal stage in the development of these new processes in the UK. We should be encouraging changed approach in both technical abilities and theoretical implementation. We also need to ensure, and as I mentioned above, we focus on the concept of 'personalisation'. This theory and approach I have found successful in training and management, as well as collaboration on projects and with teams, as it ensures the person remains aware of their set of responsibilities that are bespoke to them as an individual. It is also interesting to see how this filters through larger organisations. It must be pushed heavily from the top down for it to succeed. Strong leaders hire managing team members who vary in skills and personalities and who can ensure their incentive follows the message from the top.

 

 

 

The future needs of our industry are varied - this is clear. BIM is only one part of this developmental process and the industry is still in a state of flux when it comes to understanding the realistic nature of what level 2 BIM actually means. Ultimately it should be an understanding that technological changes will continue to evolve at rapid speed and what the Gen X leaders must do is ensure they embrace these changes, draw together those willing to learn and change, and then ultimately get ready for the next challenge that awaits them.

Autodesk University Speaker Wrap Up

I am so very excited to be a part of Autodesk University this year. It's the one event annually that brings together a global audience on all things innovative and aims at developing relationships across a global network. I found myself extremely lucky to be selected this year and here is a small summary of my thoughts on what the event entails and how I hope to evolve the exposure of the BIM2050 team and the UK government incentive on the drive for BIM.

http://bimcrunch.com/features/item/661-autodesk-university-%E2%80%93-the-speakers-rebecca-de-cicco-david-miller-architects

Level 2 'Live' Workshop

Its been a busy time of late. A new role, links to the task group and 2050 and trying to change the world all in the space of three weeks. All the talk at the moment is focused on a high level theoretical guide to implementing BIM it was time to make it a little more real and ascertain what other industry leaders were dissecting when it came to real life workflow. Hence a group of industry leaders came together to give feedback on 'Level 2 BIM' at The Department for Business, Innovation & Skills Conference Centre in Westminster.

'Practical Implications of Implementing Level 2 BIM' as Richard Lane (BIM Training Development Officer – UK BIM Task Group) titled it, asked myself and Casey Rutland to gather a small group of construction professionals to provide 'real-world' feedback on PAS1192:2 and the CIC suite of BIM docs.

The result of this was to aim to provide in depth thoughts into the Government Department responsible for authoring and disseminating these documents.

The below is a summary of the event.

Practical Implications of Implementing Level 2 BIM​​BIS, 1 Victoria Street. 7 August 2013

ATTENDEES

Richard Lane​​BIM Task Group​ (Organiser & Session Facilitator)​​

Graeme Tappenden​BIM Task Group​

Casey Rutland​​Arup Associates​(Organiser)​Arch.​​​​

Rebecca De Cicco​DMA (Organiser)​​Arch.

 

Daniel Walsh​​BIM Academy​​​Arch/Client

Bethan Onions​​Arup​​​​Legal

Richard Bates​​Davis Langdon Aecom​​QS

Dave Monswhite​Turner & Townsend​​QS

Duncan Reed​​Tekla (formerly Balfour Beatty)​Contractor

Chris Barker​​Balfour Beatty​​​Contractor

Clare Reinhold​​BDP ​​​​M&E

Paul Hill​​Arup​​​​PM

James Middling​​Mott Macdonald​​Structural

Mark Eggleton​​AWE​​​​Client

 

BACKGROUND

The session was organised to collect feedback from a multi-disciplinary group to increase engagement with industry at a practical working level and inform further work within the BIM Task Group.

The feedback was based on 'live' project experience in addition to building on the feedback from simulated and theoretical activities such as theBIM4Real event.

OBJECTIVES OF THE SESSION

1.

To discuss the practical implications of implementing Level 2 BIM; focussing specifically on the document set.

2.

To collect recommendations on improvements to the available information including:

•

Training Needs

•

Explanatory / Supplementary Documents

•

Possible revisions to the core documents

•

Further investigation / research

SCOPE

1.

UK-specific (recognising that many participants have international responsibilities)

2.

Focussed on the following documents:

•

PAS91:2013 (specifically BIM PQQs)

•

PAS1192-2:2013 (further information availablehere)

•

CIC BIM Protocol

•

Employer Information Requirements (EIR)

•

Pre & Post-Contract BIM Execution Plan (BEP)

•

Scope of Services for Information Management

3.

Due to time constraints the following documents were not discussed

•

Digital Plan of Work (dPOW) (Login to Task Group Labs required)

•

Professional Service Indemnity Insurance Guidance

•

RIBA Plan of Work & Guide

SUMMARY

Key Conclusions

•

It is a significant step forward having a set of standards and documents backed by the Government Construction Strategy

•

While the level of understanding and application of level 2 BIM with the session participants is generally higher than the industry as a whole, there was still a high degree of uncertainty and inconsistent interpretation of the information available

•

Successful Level 2 BIM implementation relies on a (BIM) skilled client and/or client representative.Guidance should be created to aid the up-skilling of clients.

•

Guidance documents should sit alongside all key BIM documents, supported by completed examples and use-cases where possible

•

Provide detailed feedback to document owners / authors and identify if there is a formal process & schedule for review and revision

•

Identify the most efficient way to capture the expertise /guidance the BIM Task Group is providing to central government clients so that this can be reused in a scalable way with other clients

•

Identify the most effective way to coordinate communications and upskilling of the industry with the Institutions and other industry groups

•

Provide an ongoing mechanism of sharing lessons-learned (i.e. what worked and what didn't, with supporting rationale etc.) on projects where Level 2 BIM has been used

General Comments

•

Documents seem to work best with a single linear process. More clarity is needed on how to use the documents in other situations e.g. early stage engagement where the scope and approach for the project are not clearly defined

•

Document set appears to be aimed at (and will likely work well with) a large, skilled client employing a contractor-led consortium.

•

It was suggest that the Institutions provide role-specific guidance level 2 BIM, ideally coordinating to ensure broad consistency

 

PAS91:2013

•

Some redundancy between the scope of the PQQs and EIRs

•

Many participants are preparing, or have already prepared, standard answers

•

"The way the questions are phrased works well if youproduce information but not so well for other roles" e.g. QS. PM with no design responsibility. Particularly where the client extends the standard question set significantly.

•

Cynicism regarding the responses in the short-term (are suppliers exaggerating their experiences?). Recognition that the questions will have more value in the longer term.

•

The questions rely on the Client's ability to assess the responses appropriately

•

"The PQQs have value when they are asked consistently and marked consistently, problems occur when the client goes 'off-piste'"

•

Clients should exercise caution arbitrarily excluding suppliers based on BIM capability in the short-term. There was concern that trying to assess the subjective nature of the responses may lead clients to excluding suppliers who are capable.

•

"Many clients request Level 2 BIM without a full understanding of what it is or that it replaces a responsibility on them (it is not just something the supply-chain does)"

•

Many clients "don't know what they don't know" (described as 'unconscious incompetence'). The key is to develop strategies to transition them to 'conscious incompetence' (they know what they don't know) which creates motivation to research information or contract the appropriate expertise

•

Recommend creation of client guidance documentation

Employers Information Requirements (EIRs)

•

Would it be possible to publish an example completed EIR document e.g. from Cookham Wood?

•

Do the MoJ have any 'Lessons Learned' from the creation of the EIR document?

•

Often information requirements will emerge during the project, is there a mechanism for updating the requirement without incurring change requests.

•

Critical role for the client advisor / representative

•

Considerable discussion on novation. Guidance needed.

•

Concern over generic model vs. specified model. Part of the benefit of BIM is in the simulation of the asset butthis can't be done with a generic model. Once specified products then can restrict competition.

•

Concerns were raised regarding European Procurement(competition) law and:

o

Client standardisation

o

Inferred supplier preference based on space allowed for certain components

o

Level of Detail / Definition supplied beyond client needs e.g. to test compliance with high level M&E performance requirements, reusing design elements from previous schemes etc.

It was acknowledged that these problems exist today but are increased by the formal information exchange and the intent to gain greater certainty earlier in a project (removing assumptions and de-risking a project)

•

Could guidance be prepared for the application of the documents with different procurement arrangements?

•

How should EIRs be handled on a large, multi-year project, where the use of information (and associated information need) will likely change over time?

•

Should the EIR cover the entire scope of a project or just the current contract?

•

Serious questions were raised as to whether clients would have enough information available at the early stages of a project to be able to write clear EIRs

 

 

Level of Definition, Development and Detail

•

Is there more work involved in stripping out extra 'detail' over and above what the customer requires at each stage?(Going against the principle of BIM reducing / eliminating rework) E.g. if an architect has included finishes etc. to create visualisation or if M&E plant has been modelled to verify performance. Alternatively, could the additional detail be provided with a statement that the information can only be relied upon for use at the level of detail originally requested  

•

Some participants expressed a preference for the AIA E202 document over the LOD guidance in PAS1192-2:2013 Table 20.

•

The group generally felt that the LOD terminology was confusing i.e. Level of Detail / Definition / Development etc.

•

There was some concern that Table 20 infers a connection between LOD and a project work stage. Where it may actually vary by project (and by discipline within a project) depending upon the key drivers critical to the stage and programme. It might also be useful for Table 20 to refer or link to separate documents that provide more detail for disciplines (i.e RIBA plan of work, BSRIA BG6 for MEP, CIC doc) to prevent table becoming too detailed

PAS1192-2:2013

•

Concern was expressed regarding the fact that all of the Figures in the document are subject to Copyright (owned by individuals). This may restrict the dissemination of BIM knowledge to the industry.

•

It was suggested that a 'Guide to PAS1192-2:2013' be prepared to provide more clarity and guidance, citing the value of the 'Guide to BS1192' as an example. i.e. "Plain Language explanations of the standard". It was felt that the current document was written by experts as a reference document for professionals experienced in its application, rather than a guide for the inexperienced.

•

Example 'Use Cases' may also aid the understanding of how to apply PAS1192-2:2013 in difference situations

•

Why are there two sets of definitions in the PAS; one at the front and one at the end, with duplication andinconsistencies between the two? E.g. 3.30 / A.77 – A.78

•

Should the term 'Plain Language Questions' (Figure 7) be explained in the definitions

•

It is unclear why the 'Employer Activities' row in Figure 20 is shown blank.

•

Could an interactive online version of the PAS be created similar to the new RIBA Plan of Work?

•

Link to the CIC Scope of Services was noted (although it is not referenced in Table 1)

•

Reference was made to value of the BSRIA Design Framework for Building Services BG6-2012

•

It was suggested that more clarity was needed around what can/should be produced at Stage 0 & 1, where there is little clarity around the solution and/or the procurement route

•

There was some conversation looking forward to the publication of PAS:1192-3.

BIM Execution Plan (BEP)

•

The Pre-Contract BIM Execution Plan caused some confusion. Some participants had interpreted it as 'Pre-Contractor Involvement' i.e. Design Team BEP. Where it is intended to be 'Pre-appointment', enabling the employer to determine if the requirements in the EIRs are achievable.

•

Questions were raised regarding the value of the pre-contract BEP and whether it is a duplication of effort with pre-qualification and other aspects of the tender process

•

Ultimately there was acceptance of the value to a client of having the tendering suppliers explain how they would address their EIRs and that the concern / confusion was principally in the name  of the document (pre-contract BEP),when it is really a tenderers 'Response to the Employers Information Requirements'

•

In a project where there are multiple professionalappointments, it was unclear when and where the Post-Contract BEP would be applied and if there might be multiple BEPs associated with each appointment

Design Visualisation

•

If a design visualisation is delivered to the client to communicate a designer's vision, is there a risk that it infers some element of the technical design at an early stage of the project and sets an expectation with the client? This is not new to BIM, but with model based design and contracted delivery of models to the client, is the risk higher? Is there clear separation between 'sales' tools and technical design?

•

Would a design visualisation be a contractual deliverable?

•

If a model was developed beyond the required level of detail, to support the creation of design visualisations, would this need to be stripped out by the designer before models are delivered to the client or contractor?

The Role of the Information Manager

•

Everyone understood that the Information Manager was a role rather than a person and that most, if not all, of the responsibilities defined were already undertaken by Designers and Contractors.

•

Some participants felt that there may need to be a reorganisation of existing roles and responsibilities to consolidate all of the information management responsibilities from a number of project team members down to one. Or could the role remain shared across a group of individuals with responsibility for elements of the role e.g. Design Manager, Document Controller, 4d Planning

•

It was unclear to the group how the role would be assigned; would the client specify their expectations or would it be down to one of the suppliers to 'volunteer'. This was specifically unclear in situations where a Designer and Contractor were both under contract.

•

Responsibility for the provision of the Common Data Environment (CDE) was also unclear. Should this be with the client and / or client rep or should this be provided by the Lead Designer / Main Contractor? Would ownership and potentially the CDE itself change over time e.g. during the transition from Design to Construction and then to the customer / FM contractor as part of maintaining the Asset Information model? Would there potentially be multiple CDEs?

•

Would the Information Manager role migrate from one individual or organisation to another over time e.g. Design Lead to Main Contractor

•

Are there Information Management responsibilities which exist before the appointment of a supply chain? Would the client be aware of, and responsible for these?

•

Should the cost of the CDE be a line-item on a project, so that the cost is recognised?

•

The group generally agreed with the scope and content of the document and were seeking supplementary guidance and great detail to support the document and how to transition current project roles to align with the scope of the Information Manager role

The Value of BIM to Clients

•

Ideally guidance for clients would start with the value of BIM, although it is difficult to make this generic as it will relate to their industry and organisation goals and priorities. Clients need to understand 'why' to do BIM before understanding 'how' to do BIM

•

Clients need to understand that the information supplied in a BIM project can be a strategic asset to their organisation

•

Suggestion that it would be beneficial for clients to consider their BIM strategy and goals at an organisational level first before exploring project-specific needs. This limits the number of external organisations that can help support clients as most are engaged specifically on projects. It was suggested that the big consulting groups e.g. KPMG, Deloitte etc. could be the most relevant organisations to support a more strategic exploration of BIM in an organisation

•

There was a suggestion to form a BIM4TransformationalChange group to bring together organisations and individuals focussed on BIM in the context of organisational strategy and transformation

•

Can the engagement methodology the BIM Task Group uses with central government departments be packaged in a way that it could be used by other clients?

•

One strategy to reach a broader base of clients is through the Procurement hubs e.g. Scape, leading with guidance on PAS91:2013

•

It was suggested that someone confirm if PAS91:2103 BIM PQQs will be included in the next GPS framework

 

BIM Crunch Article

Another gender piece from Neil and co-written from myself. I think the next step on this will be to compare women in senior C Level roles and see how the figures go.

Better late than never!

http://www.bimcrunch.com/component/k2/item/650-let’s-talk-about-sex

Women and Architecture and technology... Where are we?!

I was surprised to see some very interesting facts on the number of women in BIM related professions and having just returned from the event 'Meet the BIM experts' in Dublin I felt it relevant to share my thoughts on this.

I was the only female on the panel in Dublin but this was not a first. I was the only female Gunslinger in Boston last year and I've noticed only or two female speakers in events such as RTC in both Austrlia and Europe and indeed other construction related events also throughout the year.

The following article touches on some of these points well and again it concerns me that most women are leaving the field to find other more accepted and ultimately more encouraging roles. 

http://www.archdaily.com/371487/the-scott-brown-petition-and-women-s-role-in-architecture/

I am passionate about this topic. We are not here to rave feminist antics or try to change an already evolving industry. It is about acknowledging a different approach. Modern business's, communication methods, strengths and indeed flaws and based somewhat on gender and we need to ensure there is an open voice and idea out there still encouraging young and clever women to enter the industry. 

The facts are that as much as things are much smoother and more readily accepted for women in construction there is still a somewhat filtered undertone and this is what needs to change as we do. Please share.

A new chapter - Dublin and some BIM expertise

Having just returned from Dublin I saw it fit to make some announcements and wrap up what was an informative and well received event in regard to BIM. The conference was organised by Ralph Montague from ArcDox and sponsors included Autodesk, diatec, NBS and Faro. As usual it was a good mix of the usual suspects in BIM in the UK and was a great chance for us all to share our knowledge on an informal platform to those willing to learn.

Dublin is quite special. Not only because my good friend and honorary #UKBIMcrew member Dave Leyden lives there but because its a beautifully layered city of some fantastic monumental architectural gems as well as grounded and friendly people. Ill be returning in September for a TEDx event hosted there.

The conference began with a keynote from Autodesk evangelist and thought leader Dominic Thasarathar. He touched on many Interesting and relevant future concepts whilst pointed out four future topics, which I tend to agree with, in terms of how our industry will evolve and change. These were digital reality, infinite computing, digital realisation and crowd and social networking. I couldn't agree more that these areas are going to shape the way we work in future and are already beginning to affect how we communicate and interact. The only barrier I feel to these changes is how we embrace and acknowledge them as early as we possibly can in regard to the way Education and schooling are developing, not only in the UK but on a global level. 

Following the keynote was the first panel and the one I was involved in with how Revit and various technologies improves and changes design workflow and how we utilise the tools we have to deliver informed design processes. Here I felt the perfect opportunity to announce my next move in the BIM transfer season that has been shifting the industry over the past year or so. I was representing the CIC and BIM2050 and ensured the crowd understood where our group was headed and what we were doing to influence change in the UK and I formally announced my Role as Associate Director for David Miller Architects.

A session I found worthwhile was the embedding of BIM into the education within the Dublin Institute of Technology presented by Cormac Allan. With this presentation came the same question of why the Architectural Degrees in the varying institutions were not engaging in this process. I was led to an interesting video by Malachy Matthews by an Architectural Lecturer Peggy Deamer at the Yale BIM Symposium from 2011. The video touched on a few very interesting points and some of which I agree with - some i disagree with but worth watching. See link: http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=CWQkYb9OeLE&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DCWQkYb9OeLE

The day followed with a few more great presentations and discussions - some heated and some not so heated but we all gained something from the day and learnt from each other. Having returned and back in London before heading off again tomorrow (this time a BIM2050 meet in manchester) I have to acknowledge two valuable lessons:

 1. Always be honest and truthful and share what you know. The BIM community is amazing because we are all driven by passion and interest in the topic and its something very few people find in their lives and for that I am grateful.

 2. Do not drink Guinness ever again ;)

Till next time...

 

Guest Post by Keith Chan- Toward BIM Architecture

Keith joined KSS in 2012 as an architectural assistant for his year out in practice, after completing his RIBA Part I BSc degree at Welsh School of Architecture. Having spent his childhood in Hong Kong and grown up in the UK, he has developed interest in contextual architecture design.  Studying and working at the same time in pursuit of RIBA Part II, he has become analytical on how architectural education links to the construction industry and seek to explore the role of the architect nowadays. He is now gaining valuable experience with BIM and construction process, particularly through helping with co-ordination in sports and retail projects.'

 

TOWARD BIM ARCHITECTURE - Keith Chan

 

What I liked about my architecture school was the balance between ‘theory’ and ‘practice’, highlighting how interdisciplinary architecture can be, and how the industry is developing across the world, sparking students’ interests in the vernacular, place-making, fabrication and at the same time drags us back into the reality of what is going on in the industry.

 

BIM was mentioned in my Part I degree - Revit was taught to us basically, along with other powerful packages such as Ecotect, 3DStudioMax that we have all produced designs with. We were focusing on how powerful the programs can be and how they can be used as ‘Design Tools’ to help us design sustainably and analytically, at the same time exercising the more ‘traditional’ or ‘good-old’ drafting and sketching by hand. Still, we designed in our ‘architectural wonderland’ with limited constraints for our school projects.

 

One thing I have learnt a lot from working at KSS was how BIM aims to embrace the collaborative nature, across all parties of a project, across the same software platform, and the convenience of exchanging information and modeling. Still learning much about the trade, I came across the recently published NBS BIM report. I had a glance over the statistics and the ‘perceptions of BIM’ and general hesitation for practices adopting BIM caught my eye. Personally, as a fresh university graduate, instinctively I believe education can play a part, in particular at universities and vocational colleges. After all, new comers joining a firm can always bring new knowledge and skills.

 

When I say education, I do not only refer to the ‘skills’ element of using software, undoubtedly it would help increase user-confidence, but instead to teach by painting a comprehensive picture of BIM - nothing religious or brain-washing, just through a handful of sessions of role-playing seminars with case studies to discuss the general status quo, honest and hard facts of what works now and what needs improving, that may suffice for now. I believe that the awareness is the catalyst, university graduates in this job market are eager to make themselves more employable, with the availability of resources (Youtube & forums) on the web to pick up software skills in their own time, ‘BIM-thinking’ could easily be embedded within the new breeds for the industry.

 

Note that I didn’t specify ‘architecture schools’ in particular but ‘universities’. BIM is collaborative –picture a week-long design workshop in university, where students who are interested to join the construction industry, from faculties of engineering, architecture, business or management all gather and try to design a basic house using BIM. In fact, I can picture ‘heated debates’ and frustrated faces too, but that may be the point – to emphasise that it would only work when everybody is levelled, using the same language and set up a mutually understanding workflow/protocols. CAD and technical skills can be picked up quickly, but communication and co-ordination skills must be experienced and trained. ‘Is this BIM related?’ perhaps not necessarily, but at least it dissolves the potential ‘silo’ approach from different professions early on.

 

Knowing that Norway or Finland has been using BIM throughout small and big scale projects – even taught in school; I’m intrigued to learn how and ‘why not’ for UK (more than the obvious and overused justification of ‘cultural difference’). If we still dwell in limbo, I fear (maybe a naive and distant nightmare) that sooner or later, local/global projects may one day be outsourced to other transnational design teams due to their more advanced BIM expertise, and ability to collaborate; UK local practices would lose out even more if we don’t march on, and young professionals start looking abroad to find work, some already have. Schools’ main concern was that there is no guarantee that practices graduates end up working uses/going to use BIM, and that the current school staffs are researchers/academics and external practicing tutors do not have enough time or right skills to teach.

 

For education to initiate, the industry must commit, and make institutes realize the importance of the trend, so that they feel obliged to also invest time and effort to educate the new generations. Future generations no longer simply judge the excellence of a project by its end product; they should also be able to celebrate the process of how it is conceived and built, how we used technology to improve efficiency throughout the build, in the midst of the economic and environmental difficulties of our time.

 

 

 

Libeskind and Moments

I attended the second Dream Builders session at the RIBA headquarters in London last night and I felt I needed to share a few thoughts on the process of his Architectural mindset and the way others interpret the way he designs buildings.

 

I have always been a huge fan of Libeskind's work and feel that he barely touched on his theoretical process last night in the way he designs buildings. This is a rare and unique gift. The BBC reporter Razia Iqbal questioned his approach on the process of design within his technique as highly emotive and reactionary,  but I feel that it this idea was somewhat lost in the presentation yesterday. I feel that the process of the movement of Deconstructivism that he created was also not discussed as much as it could have been and I feel that he has realised, through his years, that many of those who are filtered through a degree miss this highly thought out and theoretical approach. What dawned on me and what I never realised about Libeskind in the past, having read many of his essays, walked through his buildings and followed his incredibly successful career was that he is simply doing what he feels is the right thing to do. He is not governed by a school of Modernists who were about constructing monuments for self righteousness and fame, he believes in the spaces that ultimately give back to the people, that give back to life and humanity and in turn become engulfed in emotion and hisotrical context.

 

This was a beautiful realisation for me. I have recently been quite aware of a school of thought in the Construction Industry that promotes this self interest. That those involved in building do remove themselves from the actual fact that we as humans inhabite space differently and involve ourselves in differing ways amongst buildings and Architectural space. This is quite important in terms of how space connects to us as human beings and how we in turn feel when we encapsulate it. The discussion about entering the Jewish museum via an underground tunnel and up and into his deconstructivist space was more than just a reveal in Architectural glory, rather a moment of reflection and time and history that if not felt - you would not be human. I remember feeling that walking in there.

 

I also noted that these beautifully emotive buildings and his response to these devastating moments in history were not only about a mass ideal, rather Libeskind finds small moments of reflections, small snipets of light, of shadow, of reveal that not only occur on a large scale but touch this notion in his detail. This to me not only shows his great acknolwedgement and respect for two quite sacred sites in the world, but also his personal connection to them having been a victim of the devastation of WW2 and a migrant to the amazing city of New York.

 

Overall it was an emotional, beautifully rich and wonderful experience that I thoroughly enjoyed and will always respect the way Libeskind touches space and changes it.

 

Happiness IS

Not the day I expected. Never easy experiencing loss but even harder when you feel so connected to those who are going through the pain. I had a really horrible day but something beautiful came out of it that I had to share.

My personal nature, who I am and what I believe in was something I always felt was something everyone felt , something I believed as humans we all possessed but I was wrong in that assumption. We all connect to things differently - to people differently - to situations and life - but one thing I've worked out is that what I'm very good at is connecting to children in ways I've never realised before.

I spent the afternoon chatting with two beautiful children, Both of whom had experienced a loss that week. They are 13 and 14 years old and I realised where it is my direction and passion lies. With children. We discussed technology, I learnt Barnaby spoke at BETT and that the lovely Grace was going to be a future Olympian swimmer. One beautiful moment of pure and utter fascination on what drives them - what they believe in - how they see their futures. These two wonderful young adults saw and understood what my take on technology and life was and were equally as passionate about.

I made two wonderful friends today. I could direct and encourage and almost mentor in a way their teachers couldn't. It reinforced the strong need for external career guidance outside of school. Resources in the community outside of schools and colleges where these kids can learn and grow into adults. It's almost like having a buddy - a friend and a career guide out there in the real world who they can still connect to. Amazingly beautiful experience came out of trauma today and with that I found myself incredibly humbled and inspired by a day I thought would end in sadness.

It allowed me to understand ultimately what Happiness is.

Influence and Social Media

The influence and effects on social media not only allow us to freely share ideas, but in turn promote a changed culture to business idea and innovation. I love the following info graphic because it proves how influential the following social media sites have become . 

http://dashburst.com/social-media-influence-infographic/

Coding and our kids

Great short film about how kids need to understand and learn how to code.

One to share.

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=nKIu9yen5nc&feature=player_embedded&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Ffeature%3Dplayer_embedded%26v%3DnKIu9yen5nc&gl=GB

Tekla and IFC

 

This post below is based on my findings in the community on Tekla and IFC and working through the issues via Revit. It is a great discussion on how others have experienced  the workflow, any issues or concerns and future ideas on how to collaborate and understand the process.

 

http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=3690870&item=176868478&type=member&commentID=119749803&trk=hb_ntf_COMMENTED_ON_GROUP_DISCUSSION_YOU_CREATED#commentID_119749803

Enjoy

 

 

Free Basic Revit Course by Alex Vysotskiy

Thank you Luke Johnson for finding and sharing this on your blog.

It's a beginners guide to Revit 2013 and if you can get around the accent it's quite a useful resource.

Enjoy.

http://whatrevitwants.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/free-basic-revit-course-by.html

What does the future look like? BIM2050 and embracing change.

Thanks to Stefan Mordue of the NBS for this fantastic article which outlines the BIM2050 launch, our main ideas and passion and how we see the future of the construction industry broadly when it comes to BIM. The article touches on not only how far we have come but where we see the future steering when it comes to the construction industry and outside influences.

Please read the following and comment as appropriate, it would be great to see and hear how we all feel about this change, how we envisage the future will pan out and in turn how this will affect our careers and the careers of those who will be entering the industry over the coming years.

http://www.thenbs.com/topics/BIM/articles/bim2050.asp

Thanks again Stefan.

Theory vs delivery

Interesting discussion last week on delivery vs theory and it is something that has been playing on my mind since. Delivery of a solution regardless of what that solution, is usually what allows the smoke to clear and the real actions to be implemented.

Regardless of what the end game is we need to stop talking about it and start doing it!! It's incredible lately because all I see are numerous power points and slides discussing ideas and no actual implementation of the idea. It's ok that most of us don't know everything - we can't and we shouldn't. We all have varying skills that align the conversation about BIM today and where we see it headed as well as where we feel we can influence change.

It's interesting that Mr Bernstein's recent article discusses that we are an industry slightly behind in our attempt to move forward and deliver a product with the use of technology and process change. I still believe whole heartedly that the psychology behind this change will only occur when there is no other option - when there is no choice. Yes in the US or Australia and even here in the UK there are varying organisations implementing an innovative approach but this is still quite scattered and ad hoc- it's not uniform: but should it be? I find it incredible that we can see benefits in utilising technology to help us to walk/see/hear but not to allow us to deliver more informed built asset and save us time and money.

This goes further when we look at the scattered nature of our education system around the world and the strong notion which embodies a fear of change due to the fact we lose something. Change is scary - its a human fact and I agree. Nobody likes it nor do we want to have to deal with something we don't understand. The problem is that now we have no choice and we must engage.

Change agents are important in the world because they don't actively do things of important because it will benefit others - it is done because they care and are passionate influencing the world and helping others.

My rant for a Sunday evening.

Until next time.