BI M for Sustainable Design:Results of an Industry Survey

Recently , growing environmental concerns and rising energy costs have tremendously
increased the demand of sustainable buildings. More and more, both public and private organizations are requiring architects, engineers and constructors to design and build with minimal environmental impact (Azhar and Brown, 2009).
The most effective decisions related to the sustainable design of a facility can be made in the early design and preconstruction stages. Traditional CAD planning environments typically do not have the capability of performing such analyses in early stages of design development. Building performance analyses are typically performed after the architectural design and construction documents have been produced. This lack of continuous analysis leads to an inefficient process of retroactively modifying the design to achieve a set of performance criteria (Schueter and Thessling, 2008).

To assess building performance in the early design and preconstruction phases, access to a comprehensive set of data regarding a building’s form, materials, context and technical systems are required. Because building information modeling (BIM) allows for multi-disciplinary information to be superimposed within one
model, it creates an opportunity for sustainability measures to be incorporated in the design process (Autodesk, 2008).

Research objectives and design

In order to evaluate the state-of-the-art and benefits of BIM-based sustainability analyses and design, a questionnaire survey was conducted. The target audience consisted of design and construction firms who use BIM technology and/or sustainable design/construction practices in most of their projects. These firms were identified through a published list of the top 100 green contractors as of 2009, members of the AGC BIMForum, members of the buildingSMART alliance™, and direct contacts made within the architecture and construction industries.
The questionnaire was launched on October 12, 2009, and closed on January 8, 2010. Of the 145 respondents, the majority worked for architecture (44 percent) and construction companies (34 percent), followed by design/build firms (16 percent) and BIM consultants (6 percent). It is important to note that the survey population was not selected using any statistical methods and hence the results should not be considered as statistically significant.
The questionnaire was designed based on a skip-logic method, in which the selection of the next question is based on the answer of the previous question. The skip-logic method prevents respondents from answering questions which they are not qualified to answer. The questionnaire
had two skip-logic questions. The first skip-logic question identified the survey respondents currently using BIM. Of the 145 respondents, 131 (90 percent) were using BIM technology in their projects; while 14 respondents (10 percent) were non-BIM users. No further questions were asked from the later group and the rest of the respondents were directed to the second skip-logic question which identified the respondents currently employing BIM-based sustainability analyses/design measures in their projects. Of these 131
respondents, 87 (66 percent) were using BIM-based sustainability practices; while 44 (34 percent) were not using BIM for this purpose.

http://www.wbdg.org/references/jbim.php

Are You Killing Your Productivity?

Whether the work week is made up of two hours or two hundred, all freelancers, entrepreneurs, business owners, experts have one common goal: squeeze every last ounce of productivity out of time spent working. After all, time is money, and maximizing productivity is something that typically translates directly into bigger profits. But even the most experienced veterans of work can unknowingly fall victim to productivity killers and undermine their earning potential, or worse – willingly and actively participate in killing their productivity. Here are six productivity killers you need to watch out for to ensure that you stay productive, stay on point, and maximize your potential.


1. Weak or Absent Goal Setting: Are your goals well thought out and clearly defined? If not, your productivity will take a hit. Specific projects, job-hunting strategies, bidding practices, and your long-term career plans all need clearly defined goals and milestones to maximize output. Otherwise, you’re spending valuable energy constantly re-evaluating where you stand, how far you’ve come, and where to go next, robbing yourself of not only work time, but also a clear map to success.

Some people prefer the ‘fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants’ method, but in the long run, this can be self-destructive. Yes, even with clear cut goals, there needs to be room built in for creative brainstorming and trouble shooting; two things that strive on the positive stress of winging it. However, using this model for an entire project, or worse, your entire career, can keep you in a constantly high-stress state causing burnout and health issues that will eventually sap productivity levels to nothing. Speaking of health...

2. Sacrificing Your Health: Health issues aren’t just a concern for providers who don’t set clear goals. Everyone can fall victim to this big productivity killer. Living the dream means setting your own hours and being your own boss, but the dark side translates to late hours, lack of much needed sleep, overworking, and other potential health issues. If you’re not sleeping enough, your productivity most likely will not maintain its optimal level.

And don’t forget diet and exercise. Long hours toiling over projects is hard on the body, so if you don’t make sure to eat well and exercise, it will show in your work. If you take the time out to take care of you, you’ll have more energy and sharper focus, making projects easier to complete in less time. This makes investing in your health very worthwhile for yourself as well as those you work with.

3. Freelance Style Faux Pas: Multi-tasking is a big buzzword and sets up many workers for a huge potential productivity trap. Some people thrive only while juggling a dozen or more projects at once. But what if you don’t?
Many freelancers and business owners feel pressured to juggle multiple projects as part of the lifestyle stereotype, but doing so is by no means a requirement and can actually destroy your productivity. It all depends on how you’re wired.
Multi-taskers need the heightened stimulation achieved by solving many unrelated problems at once. The downside is that motivation suffers when a multi-tasker is forced to concentrate on a single task. On the other hand, focused workers thrive on devoting all of their energy onto one specific task before moving onto the next, and juggling many can cause overload.
Both styles have their ups and downs. The trick to maximizing productivity is to know your style and work with it rather than try to be something you’re not. And for bonus productivity, build your team with a good mix of both styles to ensure everybody is performing at maximum productivity. Or if you’re a sole contractor, pair up with an opposite style freelancer to pick up or offload tasks to maximize both of your styles.
4. Playing the Victim: You lost the perfect deal, job, or contract you were sure was made for you. You’re crushed and can barely bring yourself to turn on the computer, let alone hunt down for more business opportunities. You mope around and do anything and everything you can think of to console yourself, except for the one thing that will actually cure you’re blues – land another deal. If you feed off rejection and let it sap time away from your end goals, you’re robbing yourself of time and money, starving your productivity in the process.
Rejection is hard, but unfortunately, it’s part of the business world. If rejection interferes with your productivity, a mindset shift is needed. Use the disappointment to fuel your productivity rather than hold you back, and you’ll not only increase your productivity, you’ll also decrease the impact rejection has on you in the future.

5. Time Bombs: Many freelancers and business owners thrive on pressure, but too much is never a good thing. Taking on too many projects, jobs, or business clients or grossly underestimating the time required to reach a deadline is a sure way to destroy your productivity.
A good rule of thumb is to always overestimate required time and underestimate the what you can handle. Otherwise, you run the risk of stretching yourself too thin and entering the space where pressure turns into panic. Next, productivity goes down the drain.
6. Senseless Acts of Procrastination: Most workers are guilty of these petty crimes, and justifications easily roll off the tongue – “Facebook and Twitter are good for networking…” “Checking email will only take thirty seconds…” Sound familiar?
A minute here and a few seconds there add up to a lot of wasted time that could be better spent. If you’re serious about increasing your productivity level, treat your work time sacred and log onto networking sites during ‘networking time’. And don’t think leaving it open in the background is acceptable. Why distract yourself with the temptation? (Check out this article "How To Ditch Distractions And Stay Focused When Working Online")
Some less obvious, but no less serious procrastination crime: Spell-checking and self editing several times as you go through rather than once at the end of the work session, grabbing that second (or third or fourth) cup of coffee, or the big one – taking phone calls. Let voicemail do its job – keep you distraction-free and raise your productivity – then return calls once your work time is up.

Then there's the professional procrastinator standbys: Refilling your stapler, fixing that squeak in your chair, de-fragmenting your computer, or having an uncontrollable need to clean everything around you immediately. If you find yourself doing these or any similar things, you’re participating in some serious procrastination and delivering a mortal blow to your productivity.

Don’t be your own worst enemy. Stay productive and make every working moment count.
Alex

May 27, 2010

ArchiCAD Rental offering makes BIM licensing flexible, affordable and risk-free

GRAPHISOFT announced a new flexible pricing program that offers architectural firms a variety of ways to acquire ArchiCAD building information modeling (BIM) software.

GRAPHISOFT now offers customers of any size – from sole practitioners to the largest international firms – several software licensing options that best meet their needs and budgets.
These include a new software rental program, called ArchiCAD Rental (ACR), that enables firms to rent BIM software licenses for as long as they need them. With the addition of ACR, customers can now choose from the following licensing options, including:

•ArchiCAD 13 Full License – For firms that want the investment protection and lower cost of ownership of full license subscriptions, including added benefits like new ArchiCAD releases, discounts, support, training and events.

•ArchiCAD Rental (ACR) – The full ArchiCAD 13 license for new and existing ArchiCAD users needing the flexibility of time-defined licensing, and the budget certainty that comes with a fixed fee.

ACR is a low-risk high reward alternative for coping with fluctuating workloads, and allows users to ramp-up or scale-down the number of BIM licenses temporarily depending on how many projects are currently in the works. Especially in our current economy, ACR is a manageable, affordable option to long-term commitments for potentially unused or underused BIM software licenses and a cost-effective hedge for avoiding the lost productivity and business risk of not having enough users equipped with the best design tools when needed.
ACR is ideal for new firms and start-ups demanding a best-in-class BIM solution and looking for a low-risk option to get started.
“ArchiCAD Rental program takes the risk out of investing in BIM,” said Steve Benford, managing director, GRAPHISOFT North America. “With the addition of rental we’ve got a price point that answers the unpredictability in the market today. We’re seeing a jump in enquiries about our BIM solutions so there’s no question the demand is out there. With these pricing options we’re even better equipped to match customer need with fees that make sense for their workflow and backlog.”
The ACR program lets customers choose a rental period that fits their needs:
•1 month

•3 months

•6 months

•1 year

The license is for a single, fully functional seat of ArchiCAD 13, GRAPHISOFT’s best-in-class BIM design and documentation workflow software, including ArchiCAD Teamwork, supporting documentation and user guides. There are no limits on the number of licenses a customer can rent. During the rental period, customers can upgrade their licenses to the latest ArchiCAD version and get technical support.

Benefits of Using Revit to Improve Building Performance

Applying Revit to design and develop a building deliver a plethora of economic, environmental, and societal benefits — that go far beyond the advantages of AutoCAD. Revit Architecture has the following benefits over AutoCAD:


◦Identify Ways to Reduce Field Cycle Time
◦On Time and On Budget Delivery
◦Short Turn Around Time (TAT)
◦Reduce the Amount of Waste on the Project
◦Increase on-site Renewable Opportunities
◦Detects Errors and Mitigate Risks
◦Increase the public's confidence in Stewardship
◦Increase Employee Productivity

•Why Does AutoCAD still Reign over the AEC Industry?

Despite the innovative features and flexibility offered by Revit, unfortunately, architectural designers still slipped into "AutoCAD habits" when using AutoCAD Architecture & AutoCAD MEP. AutoCAD reigns over the MEP industry greatly to which Revit could not manage a success so far. There are several reasons well put:

As explained by Dan Moes, Coordinator at DJM Cad & Coordination Services, "If you are a MEP contractor you will be using AutoCAD, AutoCAD MEP as it is like you will be using an add on program to build your 3D model. AutoCAD has the ability to attach add on programs which adds much greater detail to the model and allows you to do more with the information within the model.” The problem with using Revit in the MEP contracting field is the "add on" programs that will allow you to spool drawing, upload information into cutting tools. Revit is not equipped with this facility. So, Revit has become very popular with Architects and Engineers but not with MEP contractors.

There are few misconceptions about the Revit Architecture which choke off the idea of a firm when it considers the move to Revit Architecture. The most common misconceptions about Revit Architecture are: (i) Low Productivity during Transition; (ii) Too complicated for a small firm to implement; (iii) It only benefits owners; (iv)Disruption of the Existing Infrastructure; (v) Resistance to change to a new platform.

Unlike my colleagues, I have a special love for lawyers. Another day I asked them, if we are creating one 3d integrated model for the building project, completed by various consultants - i.e, the architect, constructor, engineers etc, who is the 'owner' of the document? Due to shared liabilities - whose insurer pays if there is an error?

Migrating to Revit from AutoCAD platform requires huge investment. It could be the biggest barrier to implementation of Revit in small firms.

There are several reasons which make firms to move on with AutoCAD instead of moving to Revit. The article mentions few of them.

Conclusion:

The very purpose of our article is not to glorify the Revit or denounce the AutoCAD, but rather to endorse a clear picture to the end users about Revit and AutoCAD. "AutoCAD is not really relied on for the most part in the architectural world", avers Ricardo Khan, Integrated Construction Manager, Mortenson Construction. "When contract document plans are shown at 1/8" scale, there is a lot of information that is inferred and not precise," shares Khan. On other side, lack of "add-on" program has choked off the MEP firms to REVITALIZE their process. There are many things in AutoCAD Architecture that are very similar to Revit, but there are far less commands to think about when creating Revit model. It is true that MEP portion is slow to jump into the Revit arena (due to lack of content), but in time it will catch up or "Maybe one day we will all be able to access a single generic file using whatever tool we like best...", predicts Mark Christopher Architect, LEED AP, President at Christopher and Kacur Architects, Inc. Only time would give the answer!

Earth’smart Green Office Seeks to Create Eco Hub in Sacramento

Studios Architecture has designed a new green office, meeting, and exhibition space that aspires to become a hub of sustainability in the Sacramento area. Dubbed the Earth’smart building, the center would be an ideal place for individuals to converge in order to discuss, plan and work towards increased sustainability in the fields of construction, public policy, industry, investment, design, and education.

The Earth’smart building consists of 5 stories built around a central atrium, and it houses a large exhibit hall, reception and event registration areas, and an indoor/outdoor cafe. Numerous offices, a research library, and conference rooms in cantilevered pods would also be available. On top of the building, a green roof and a lounge and cafe offers views of the capital underneath the shade of a photovoltaic array.

Daylight filters into the building through the glass facade, and natural ventilation is aided by the chimney effect in the central atrium. Storm water infiltrates through the exterior garden spaces, and inside a 5-story waterfall provides low-energy evaporative cooling to the spaces surrounding the atrium.

The design is still speculative at this point, but Studios Architecture is dedicated to making this multi-purpose building an example for sustainable construction in California’s capital city