A3: Group A Janet Tran

BIM and the Future

           I think that something that has always been and will continue to be a problem with the usage of Revit is the complexity of models out pacing available computing power. With so many disciplines involved in the design process from architect, electrical engineers, mechanical engineer, plumbers, telecommunications, security, to structural engineer, it becomes quite an extensive linked file. However, a potential emerging solution to this predication is cloud computing. Cloud computing is essentially just renting processing power and storage space on a virtual server at a remote datacenter, which can be accessed via the Internet. This will ultimately result in the need for more datacenters and will create a growing market for the construction of such commercial buildings. Companies such as Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Autodesk (itself) have already made this technology available.

            As Revit becomes more useful and beneficial to the owner and contractor, it has also become burdensome for designers. It is becoming a new industry standard to execute design utilizing Revit in order to prevent crashes and is especially useful for MEP coordination. However, it requires a certain learning curve where people will become less efficient documenting the design as it requires learning new software. Consequently, the already low designers fee will be squeezed even more tightly, while inexperienced employees transition. As Huw Roberts suggested it would become more important that employees not just be a good designer (engineer, architect, contractor, etc.), but also technologically literate. This could be problematic for unwilling-to-learn employees, as their old jobs start to shift toward new expectations and responsibilities. Furthermore, there have been liability claims against architects who willingly choose not to use Revit software because they did not want to pay for thousand dollars upgrades. Lawyers argue that designers are being negligent for using widely known Revit products that could help prevent design defects.

            Others forms of BIM software use in mechanical design are Trane TRACE 700, EQuest, Ecotect, etc. As Huw Roberts said in class professions are going to rely less on people’s knowledge and more on technology such as BIM. However, I would argue that only a qualified engineer, who also understands the fundamentals, would be able to analyze the output meaningfully. In essence, you need to understand the fundamentals to understand whether the results are even valid. It seems an over-reliance on software can pose future issues.  

References

[1] http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/item?siteID=123112&id=17136545

[2] http://constructionlawva.com/bim-and-revit-way-to-future/

[3] http://www.hetnationaalbimplatform.nl/files/pages/294_benefits-and-barriers-of-building-information-modelling.pdf

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