CMAA Conference Explores Status of BIM/VDC Tools

BIM, or Building Information Modeling, is “neither a novelty nor a passing fad,” says Judith Kunoff, CCM, AIA, LEED AP of Parsons Brinckerhoff, who organized and chaired a day-long conference on BIM and Virtual Design and Construction presented in December by CMAA.

Proof of that assertion was in the packed house that turned out for the nine-hour session.  Attendance was capped at 45 people to provide maximum value from the program of plenary sessions, breakouts and software demonstrations.  More than a dozen speakers took part, and the audience included architects, engineers, owners - with construction managers comprising the majority of attendees.

Kunoff explained that, “BIM is the way in which the design and construction community will conduct everyday business in the very near future.  The benefits that can be reaped from implementing four- and five-dimensional modeling processes are many, and can be recognized throughout the life cycle of the project; from conceptual design through construction documentation to facilities maintenance.  Twenty years ago CAD emerged and very shortly became standard operating procedure. We are at the next turning point of technology.”

BIM systems are built on easily accessible data storehouses that bring together critical information on cost, schedule, fabrication, maintenance, energy analyses, construction sequencing, and other aspects of a facility’s entire life cycle.  This tool can integrate all project data from pre-design through commissioning and facility maintenance.  It is increasingly being wielded by professional construction and program managers to help plan and run projects more effectively.

CMAA has formed an Emerging Technologies Committee to help its members identify and apply the most valuable of the new tools appearing in the marketplace.  This committee is chaired by Ms. Kunoff and continues to seek new members.  “BIM is not just about technology, it is about a network of systems,” says CMAA Executive Director Bruce D’Agostino, CAE.  "There is so much opportunity to make the whole way we do business better, faster, and more efficient. CMAA is pleased to be at the forefront of what will have tremendous impact our industry.”