Tocci’s Take on the BIMForum

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Pierce Reynoldson and Kristen Tomilson delivering speech at 2011 BIMForum conference in Chicago

Pierce Reynoldson and Kristen Tomilson deliver a presentation at Tocci

Upon returning to Woburn after BIMForum, VDC Project Coordinator Pierce Reynoldson and Project Manager Kristen Tomlinson delivered a presentation detailing the team’s takeaways from the three days of presentations, new product pitches, and discussion.

Pierce and Kristen refer to two key ideas that set the tone for the whole conference.

First, in his address, Christof Spieler argued that “design is not an intent; it’s a finished product,” meaning that designers need to think differently about what they deliver. This means getting over embedded assumptions, like the habit of relegating interstitial spaces, like the ceiling plenum, to the margins of design.

Another historical bit: the primacy of drawings. Spieler asserted to the crowd, “Documentation is a catalyst, not a product.” He asked why, in an increasingly digital workflow, drawing production continues to drive schedule.

Bringing construction input earlier on in the design process necessitates a fundamental overhaul of what designers deliver and how they deliver it. The next step is a radical transformation of the design/construction process.

Second, keynote speaker James Timberlake gave a fascinating presentation defining the hurdles faced by today’s architecture firms, from the banal (covering software/hardware expenses) to the philosophical (reorganizing his office to accommodate the different range of skills and knowledge engendered and required by an integrated office).

Just getting the technology and the people is only the start. The next step is a radical transformation of the architectural office…remind you of anyone?