Knowledge Community News

2008 BIM Awards
TAP’s 2008 BIM Awards illustrate the innovation, experimentation and business results that advanced computational techniques are bringing to the practice of architecture and the art of building. Please click here to view the award recipients.

Upcoming TAP Activities

Building Connections
The remaining TAP activity for 2008 is Building Connections, an invitation-only Congress on Interoperability for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction and Real Estate industries, which will be held on December 8 in Washington, DC.
Please click here for more information about this event.

Planning for 2009 TAP events is already underway. If you have any suggestions, please send them to tap@aia.org.

Featured Articles

Full House for Change the World: Harnessing BIM Technology and Integrated Project Delivery for Sustainable Design

A sold-out audience of 350 attended AIA Technology in Architectural Practice’s annual conference, Change the World, presented with the support of the AIA Integrated Project Delivery Discussion Group, the AIA Committee on the Environment and the AIA Center for Building Science and Performance May 13 – 14, 2008 in Boston.

Over 60 speakers shared their expertise and 5 bloggers provided simultaneous commentary that has sparked an ongoing online conversation. To view or download the presentations or engage in the blog, please visit: http://www.aia.org/tap_2008_confscedule.
Please click here to continue.

Reflections of a First-Time TAP Conference Presenter
by Pete Evans, AIA

As a first time presenter at the TAP Change The World conference, I had the opportunity to experience both Change the World and the 2008 AIA Convention in a new way. Preparing the presentation, Sustainability + BIM = 3D 4D DN: A Case Study, and sharing our firm’s experience was not only a resume-builder, it actually helped our firm look at the project from a new perspective and gain feedback from our peers.

The theme of Change the World, focusing on the connection between BIM technology and high-performance, sustainable building, was a good match for the project I was working on: the Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa headquarters project in Des Moines. At the time the Call for Presentations was issued, our firm was actively evaluating BIM and sustainability approaches for this project. As a first time presenter, I immediately engaged a co-presenter, Kevin Nordmeyer, AIA, LEED AP, who is our office sustainability leader. He became a mentor who collaborated, extended and improved the presentation and contributed his own surprisingly powerful experiences using technology to aid a remote African village with planning and design services via the internet. I recommend that any first-time presenter look for a similar collaborator.
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Best Practices

Charles Matta Discusses GSA’s BIM Success
by Kristine Fallon, FAIA

The GSA Public Buildings Service swept the 2008 BIM Awards, winning in 4 categories: Creating Stellar Architecture Using BIM, Design/Delivery Process Innovation Using BIM, Outstanding Sustainable Design Using BIM and Support for Human Use and Innovative Program Requirements Using BIM.

Charles Matta, FAIA, Director of Federal Buildings and Modernizations, agreed to share with the TAP Knowledge Community GSA’s roadmap to BIM success. According to Matta, GSA’s Public Building Service focused on its business challenges first and researched how advanced software could contribute to meeting those challenges.

The initial impetus for a BIM program came in 2003 to ensure continued success of the Design Excellence Program: a confluence of designers pushing the envelope coincided with a volatile period in construction costs with the result that GSA was plagued with cost and schedule overruns. GSA analyzed the reasons for this situation and, rather than reining in the design firms, decided to tighten budget control through BIM technology. The continuation of the Design Excellence program, supported by BIM technology, is exemplified in this year’s Creating Stellar Architecture Using BIM award to the Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse in Eugene, Oregon, designed by Thom Mayne, FAIA, of Morphosis.
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Resources

Create an AIA Soloso Profile Today!
The AIA's excellent new content management and social networking site, Soloso, is only as powerful as its members, so log in and create your profile today! http://soloso.aia.org/eknowledge/index.htm

As a member, you have access to all of the in-depth content being continually uploaded, as well as the power to upload and share your own content. You can view other members' profiles, and use the site to market your own work as well. This is a great opportunity for all members!