Thoughts about BIM to date….

Because BIM allows so many drawings to be produced from the same source, it seems that it has allowed architects to create more drawings faster, and more detailed than before. There are possibilities for hybridized drawings, 2D + 3D, that were previously much harder to achieve. I think it allows for more clarity as well, making the drawings richer in information.

The design process becomes more cohesive from the beginning because the architects are able to see the totality of the model and the drawings all at once. This changes the design process radically because the plan is no longer the “baseline” from which the design process begins.

It is also evident that to make good use of BIM modeling tools the designer needs to have a good understanding of building construction, tectonics and such. The program is very detailed, which makes it too complicated for someone that has no understanding of construction. Yet it is also a great learning tool.

The use of new software always leads to new problem solving skills because the user is limited by the possibilities of the program. Yet this also gives the opportunity for the creative use of the software to overcome the challenges. Creative thinking often results from these hardships.

I think BIM will enhance investigation of design opportunities in digital medial because the kind of simultaneity that it allows (plan, section, 3d, perspectives, all in real time) can lead to new investigations. Form becomes more complex, and the ability to build such forms and geometries is more reachable to the architect when she uses this type of software.