Chicago ALA-CSI BIM Accredited Educational Presentation

Association of Licensed Architects (ALA) and The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) of Chicago are hosting their 9th Annual Architecture Conference & Product Show on Tuesday, October 23, 2007 at Drury Lane, Oak Brook Terrace, Illinois.

The 2007 Conference Schedule kicks off with "GREEN BUILDINGS AND THE BOTTOM LINE - THE 'NEW REALITY' OF GREEN BUILDING" Featuring Keynote Speaker, Editor-in-Chief Robert Cassidy "Building Design + Construction"

I will be presenting a BIM educational session (1.5 LU) in the early afternoon, 1:30-3:00pm.

L2 - LESSONS LEARNED: HARNESSING THE MOMENTUM FROM THE BIM PROCESS - Daniel Hughes, ICE, IMAGINiT Technologies

Today's progressive architects, engineers, contractors and building owners are harnessing the momentum of a wave; defined as Building Information Modeling (BIM). This presentation reviews the specifics of how several regional, national, and global design firms, contractors, and owners are harnessing the momentum of the BIM process. They are choosing specific projects and strategically applying the BIM process to the design, engineering, construction and building management tasks. 1.5 LU

You can still register online for the conference and educational events.

See you there!

Revit Architecture Wish List

Revit Architecture Wish List?

Stop by AUGI's Revit Architecture Wish List webpage.

Use their submit your Revit Architecture wish / suggestions link to provide your ideas for improvements and added features for the next generations of Revit software.

The first AUGI Revit Architecture ballot is available for you to vote on new features and improvements. You'll need to be logged into AUGI to vote on the ballot.

Time is running out for your suggestions that can shape the future of Revit software. Stop by the Revit Wish List Forums for more ideas.

BIM and Sustainable Design Require Value-Based Business Model (Part 1 of 2)

How will we pay for these value-add process changes to our design firm?

A client asked this question two years ago when we provided a 12 month BIM-Revit implementation plan.

As a company they had identified the BIM and sustainable design processes as long-term value propositions for their firm.

Then again, value for whom?

So, how do we market this value?

How do we get paid for this value?

What's in it for me (us)?

As this is a common concern/question, I referred them to this article, Redesign Your Profits: Value-Based Fee Structure which was posted on the DesignIntelligence website.

Redesign Your Profits: Value-Based Fee Structure (Excerpt)
by Kyle V. Davy, AIA, and Susan L. Harris, Ph.D.

A brutal fact of reality for architecture and engineering firms is that prevailing pricing and compensation methods—setting fees on the basis of direct labor cost (whether selling hours on a time-and-materials or lump-sum basis)—provide only minimal profits for most firms.

They also reinforce client perceptions that engineering, architecture, and design services are simply commodities to be purchased on the basis of lowest cost.

The insufficient returns generated by these pricing methods starve firms of the resources they need to grow and foster a survival mentality in which many professionals are unwilling or unable to apply their unique expertise, dedication, and vision to the complex challenges that confront clients, communities, and society.

Value Redesigned: New Models for Professional Practice (Book) is published by Greenway Communications and can be found in the Greenway Communications bookstore or I have found it available on several bookstore websites.

This book and others have provided instrumental road maps to this firm’s success. Their creative staff synthesized these contents and has continued to create hybrid value-based process changes; specific to their organization.

In the next and final installment, we'll outline a few of those business and design process changes. Processes they implemented to create a value-based business model. We'll also give you another book that also played into their success.