Learning to Fly as You Jump Off the BIM Cliff

“Learning to fly by watching the birds was like learning magic by watching a magician.” So said Orville Wright. In transitioning to Building Information Modeling (BIM), the industry has learned by doing, from the successes to the missed opportunities. This class will examine best practices and project insights from CannonDesign’s Healthcare Group as the firm shifted from AutoCAD software to Revit software. Using large hospital projects as case studies, the class will explore strategies of keeping projects on track through complex multiphase, multiyear design and construction. In order to keep projects on track, the use of BIM has become a critical workflow. This transformation sparked conversation around the liability of sharing models. What can architects, owners, and contractors do differently from the start? By examining early decision-making, the BIM(s) can begin to address successful outcomes years before the start of construction. However, strategies may not turn out as planned and teams should evolve and adopt modeling decisions.