This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Committee on the Environment and Technology in Architectural Practice .
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BIM is a powerful tool. How much do you have to invest to make it work for you? We spent about the cost of two really good laptops on this training. (Three came from out of town.) We trained six people in a 5 day customized class designed by our reseller, specific to our niche, mostly architectural and part mechanical. After the recession is (officially) over, we still have one outstanding designer using it. I don't think I would approach it in the same way if I had to do it over again, but I like being ahead of the curve which this training in 2008 put us. We have great capability even though in our niche no manufacturers have produced any families. We have to build our own.
Now we are looking at another technology to add to our practice: BUILDING MONITORING. I have posted a presentation on this on Environment, TAP and Small Practitioners. After working for three years, the inventor of this software that uses Opto22 hardware, has updated it to be web-based. Using a programmable logic controller, sensors and the software that has robust analysis built in, it is now possible to instrument a building for the cost of a really good laptop in a few days.
SO WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL? Every architect and engineer in the country can now provide a consulting service to their current or past clients that can be sold on a subscription basis. The model of the business plan comes from satellite TV: low or no money down, monthly consulting fees for as long as you can show the benefits of building instrumentation and monitoring:
1. The Owner saves more than they pay, usually several times the fee.
2. Inconvenient or disastrous equipment failures and downtimes are avoided.
3. Operator error is identified.
4. Energy is managed as any other resource.
5. Improves accountability for utility costs.
6. Verifies Vendors claims for Capital Improvements.
7. Identifies waste in real time, while it is occuring and can be stopped.
8. Avoids equipment failure by identifying short-cylcling or other damaging equipment situations.
9. Works like a continuous energy audit and fulltime energy manager 24/7.
10. Identifies incorrect equipment sizing.
So you are still not impressed? Start working the numbers. What would your clients pay you to save them 10 to 50% of their annual utility costs? What is it worth to them to avoid a shutdown during a critical manufacturing process? What if they were about to purchase many thousands of dollars of compressors that they did not need but had never had the data to tell what their real needs were? What if your clients never had to guess about a lot of things because they had the information
After you figure one clients' needs, you can soon look at the subscription service. What does it mean to have 50 or a 100 units in the field?
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Richard C Scott AIA, Owner
AQUATIC EXCELLENCE
AUSTIN, TEXAS
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