Technology in Architectural Practice

With the apparently developing obsolescence of pcs, should we be worrying about our computer costs rising dramatically? Because the market is going to shrink? Thanks ------------------------------------------- Mike Mense FAIA Owner mmenseArchitects Anchorage AK -------------------------------------------

Technology evolves upward, not downward.  Obsolescence of mainframes wasn't brought on by more expensive computing, it was brought on by inexpensive PC's.  And mainframes didn't disappear, they became servers.  Likewise, there is no imminent demise of the PC.  It's just changing form: PC > laptop > tablet > ???.  Computing is progressively getting more powerful, less expensive, and smaller.  The same progression is apparent in design: Drafting > CAD > BIM.  For all of the hype espousing their differences, the top of the design chain - BIM - is still just a fancy pencil.

Don't mourn the death of the PC anymore than the end of the Model-T.  It's not dying, just evolving.

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Robert Warner Assoc. AIA
Hameister Architects, Inc.
Sheboygan WI
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Two trends that are helping the demise of PCs are cloud computing and Software-as-a-Service (SaaS). Both trends alleviate the need for better hardware in the devices used by you and me, hence the popularity of smart phones and tablets as computing devices and not just as phones or electronic books. SaaS programs are run on a cloud server somewhere, and all you need is a device, like a tablet, to interface with the remote server running your CAD or spreadsheet program. You don't need to install these programs on your device.

The end result is that you won't need a PC. Tablets of all sizes will be cheap and available. SaaS has a long way to go, though. I'm not sure how many architectural CAD programs are yet sold in this manner, where you essentially rent a license for a prescribed period and run it remotely on a cloud server. I suspect we will be using PCs for a few more years before SaaS becomes prevalent, affordable, and reliable (such as what happens if you are trying to work somewhere without good internet access).

When it comes to technology, the standard disclaimer applies: that's all subject to change if something new blows that stuff out of the water.

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Kris Weeks Assoc. AIA
Intern Architect
Caolo & Bieniek Associates, Inc.
Chicopee, MA
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We're seeing a shift towards spending on infrastructure for connectivity and ongoing software subscriptions (or SaaS as Kris points out).  We still see the need for workstation-grade desktop machines for most production work but there's a lot one can accomplish with a networked tablet or phone. 

We're not finding that the shift in costs structures yields any savings.  If anything the shift results in less control over ongoing business expenses as they relate to ongoing ISP connectivity and software subscription costs.  Most areas of the country don't enjoy robust competition between ISPs, and re-packaging of software into bundled subscriptions has resulted in increased costs.  We're not sensing that mainstream publishers that serve our industry face much in the way of competitive pressures to check their pricing structures. 

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John McGrann AIA
Baskervill
Richmond, VA
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