Innovation in Practise - AIA TAP Award Case Study

The RAIC has conferred only one Award of Excellence for practice innovation since it introduced the Archtectural Innovation category in 2001.

• 2003 - Dunlop Architects Inc. (now Stantec) - Dunlop Project Information of Best Practices Database. No documentation about the submission was published - if it was, nothing is currently online.

The AIA established a TAP Award for innovation using bIm in 2005. Among the firms awarded recognition for innovative practise is Kirksey Architecture of Houston Texas. They received an award last year for inspriational product delivery on a design/build project. The design team used bIm to collaborate with the builder/owner and all members of the project team.

A presentation by the architects describing this project was broadcast live over the web two weeks ago and is now viewable on-line the Graphisoft web site.

While you are there, be sure to have a look at the Orcutt/Winslow Partnership Presentation as well. The presentation outlines their working methods and highlights how this firm manages to achieve a company wide buy-in to the process.

Both these firms claim to have as much as 75% of working drawings in place coming out of design development. No small boast.

Roles & Responsibilities in The New CAD

Building Information Modeling is a process. It relies on brains and vision more than any one piece of software. A firm engaged in the transition to BIM will find a transformation of roles and responsibilities as a consequence. CAD operators will evolve into technologists; or knowledge capture specialists or object creators. The IT specialist will not look at the network in the same way any more.

Have a look at the following link: On Land Environment Info

James Murray is a long time ArchiCAD user and an architect who supports the BIM systems at Rill & Decker, Architects PC, an architectural firm in Bethesda, Maryland. At Rill and Decker the pace of change appears to have required a new strategy replacing both the traditional notion of the CAD Standards Manual and the traditional (?) notion of the office intranet.

If you are an ArchiCAD user you are certain to find useful information at On Land. I dare say, if you're engaged in the practise of residential architecture you're likely to find something here, too.