Technology in Architectural Practice

In response to Gordon McKenzie's reply to Ken Brogno, I firmly disagree with your opening comment.  I do believe that BIM, like the Rapidograph is a TOOL.  It is not an end all for the design of buildings.  

I was one of Revit's original beta testers.  I was in my late forties when we began working together.  Most of us stressed to the Revit team that the easier to operate, the quicker it will get into use. AutoCAD buys out Revit and I no longer recognize the program.

I now use ArchiCAD and find it much easier to learn and put into use.  

The idea that if the system is easy, then kids could be hired to do it is off-base.  Revit and ArchiCAD along with any other BIM platform require that the people using it are seasoned at putting buildings together.  The work flow can follow the traditional phases of programming, schematics, design development, etc.  In my mind this defeats some (not all) of the efficacy of the platform.  The more experience the architect or designer is, the more efficient the BIM platform becomes.

I am now in my late fifties.  I know that BIM is not just a production tool, it is a design tool.  AND I do believe that the programmers of BIM platforms need to work to make the system as easy as possible to produce the work.  

"Kids" coming out of college are finding employment opportunities few and far between.  Yes, its the economy.  But if it weren't most "kids" would be hired IF they had BIM skills.  I have met several recent graduates who have no BIM capability. They are still being used as draftsmen - when will they get the education to know how to construct buildings?  I am afraid that the harder the software is to use, the slower it will become a commonplace tool.  If the tools were easier to use and interoperability were not an issue, I could see a day when each employee will have his own licensed software, the employer provides the computer and we all go to work.  Remember the days when the employer provided a parallel bar, lead, pencils and erasers and you provided the rest of your drawing equipment??

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Greg Burke, AIA
President
Gregory John Burke ' ARCHITECT, PA
Vero Beach, Florida
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Every piece of software is a TOOL.  If we think the computer will do our work for us, then we'd be without jobs.  The intelligence of the tool is where the difference comes.  I can put a screw in with a hammer and it'll take awhile and probably not work well, or I can use a screwdriver.  Same with CAD vs. BIM.  BIM software is a smarter (and quicker) TOOL to express the building in our head so that someone else can build it.

As for Revit changing, I only saw Revit for the first time at release 5 or 6 (probably about 2004) and it was a good tool, but wasn't polished.  I got used to the interface, but it wasn't uniform, and it was more efficient to use shortcuts (when they were available).  Behind the $$$ of autodesk, the interface has been brought up to the most current "standard" (the ribbon you see everywhere now) but more importantly for people who actually use the software, the keyboard shortcuts are growing!  I can finally shortcut tools I could never shortcut before.  There is also a robust API for add-ons and extensions that provide even more power.  So, I have to disagree that change in this aspect is bad.  If anything, I've found that the new interface and features have made me much more efficient (even though I was hesitant to move initially).

As for the "kids", I'm one of them (1 year removed from my masters in architecture).  The schools don't emphasize actual construction, but some are starting to teach BIM which allows kids to start asking the right questions and looking for answers themselves.  But its a fundamental shift in architecture from CAD to BIM.  You're right, its not just a drafting tool, but a design tool.  The job of the low man on the totem pole to fix redlines is more or less gone when using a BIM system.  Sure, you could move a wall to this dimensions or layout a room to a sketch, but every modeling step requires making design decisions!  Which means young architecture interns have to be thrown into the fire and learn as they go, and be involved in the actual design process and understand what they are doing instead of just correcting a stack of redlines in CAD (which is a more passive learning opportunity).  I found my BIM (Revit) experience to allow me to dive right into projects on internships and get the most out of the experiences.  In alot of ways, Revit has been a huge architectural learning tool for me, making me ask construction questions and go searching for the knowledge I needed to be able to model accurately.

I think you'll see in the next few years, there are going to be more kids coming out with the technical software skills to help a firm move to BIM or use BIM better, just looking for the mentorship of someone with the real life building experience from years of being a registered architect.  I think its already started.  


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Jeremy Stroebel Assoc. AIA
BIM Manager
Meyer Najem Construction
Fishers IN
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