Todd and I just returned from a great trip to Dallas in which we attended the Innovation Conference at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship. In addition to our time at the conference we were able to spend time connecting with friends from Strategic/ Acoustic Dimensions, as well as author Rex Miller. All of this has given me a mountain of thoughts on which to write. My hope was to release blogs during my time there but the pace and intensity of the time made that impossible, so I will do my best to do a series of articles over the coming weeks from my Dallas notebook.
The first thing I wanted to talk about was a very thought provoking morning spent with Craig Janssen and Cathy Hutchison from Strategic Dimensions. We have worked with them and their sister company Acoustic Dimensions in the past and their thoughts and direction as a business is closely aligned with ours, and we are working to partner with them on projects to add value for our clients. The specific topic of conversation that morning was on a process that they are developing known as “rapid prototyping.” Before I can explain this, however, it is necessary to take a big step back and offer some context. There are major shifts occurring in the construction industry. New technologies, new attitudes, and the exposure of the limitations of existing delivery models are placing significant pressures on the industry. One of the contributing factors in this shift is a technology known as Building Information Modeling (BIM). Essentially BIM is the construction of a 3-D virtual model of the building as the basis for construction documentation. Integration of all disciplines is done in model form. The work of the various design team partners (Structural, Mechanical, Architectural, AVL, etc.) are all brought together in a single virtual building that can be visualized and tested prior to construction. Fabrication and material databases can be developed directly from the model. Most importantly, the Owner can see and understand the impact of design decisions in real time.
Obviously this is having a major impact on the industry in a number of ways, but there are three elements in particular that I would like to raise as an introduction to our time with Strategic Dimensions. The AIA and the construction industry have been developing a new management and design delivery system in response to this which is known as Integrated Project Delivery (IPD). Within this model collaboration is key. The old system of silos of responsibility can no longer operate effectively in a world where everyone is working on the same virtual model. The working relationship must be much tighter than it currently is. Also, the old system of a slow evolution from general design to specific design found in the schematic design to design development to construction documentation is no longer relevant in a world that can develop and test detailed ideas on the fly. Many of the design decisions that are ignored early in the process can now be moved (and must be moved) into earlier phases of design. The third thing to understand is the need to leverage the power of the computer to automate as much of the standard non-creative work of the design professional as possible to free up time for innovation and creativity.
I apologize for that extraordinarily short and overly simplified explanation of a movement that is revolutionizing the industry, but it is a necessary foundation to understand the significance of rapid prototyping. For more information on the topic of IPD and BIM I would encourage you to explore http://www.aia.org/ipdg as a starting point.
Obviously this transition will take time, and in many respects the shift in technology is the easy part. The system of rapid prototyping that Strategic Dimensions has developed is built on the spirit of collaboration, the potential for rapid detailed design testing, and the leveraging of the power of the computer found in the IPD/ BID system of the future. I see it in many ways as a good first step in the transition to the new approach. Also Strategic Dimensions has built a number of computer driven tools similar to the programming tools that we have developed in our own office that build on our experience with space as it relates to function. Strategic Dimensions has also built a number of tools based on their significant experience as Acoustic Dimensions in the AVL world, and many of these tools can be found and used for free on their website: http://www.acousticdimensions.com/worship_innovation3.htm. It is a way of getting the standard calculations and rules of thumb out of the way so that time can be spent on the creative and innovative ideas.
Secondly, in the spirit of collaboration they bring the Owner, Architect, Structural Engineer, and possibly the Mechanical Engineer, together with themselves (with a significant knowledge of AVL and acoustics) to their office in Dallas for a collaborative design charrette. For a church, this charrete is focused primarily on interior spaces with significant collaborative needs such as the worship center, children’s theaters, fellowship mall, etc. Lighting catwalk, speaker locations, structural elements and material selections can largely be done and tested quickly. (Check out this link for an example of the collaboration necessary: http://www.acousticdimensions.com/tools/worship/worship_coordination.htm). Many of the decisions that were made in silos well into the construction documents phase are now made together collaboratively, and the Owner is able to visualize the impact of each decision. In the end of this process the design team has a fairly detailed model to work from as the project moves forward, and more importantly the Church has a virtual, realistic model that can be used for building excitement within their church community.
Visit this link to see examples of the type of models that have been developed with this approach. http://www.acousticdimensions.com/ADVisual2/ADV_portfolio.htm
