Michael Korda, in his brilliant and entertaining memoir, Another Life, tells the story of his first day of work at a publishing house.
Upon arriving at work he notices a bronze plaque on his desk bearing these words:
“Give the reader a break.”
It was the publisher’s view that their job was to make things as easy and clear for the reader as possible.
And they wanted him to know that.
It is in this spirit that I provided what I hope will be helpful guideposts throughout the text of my book.
I did this to help the reader find their way around what can be treacherous territory in a book that concerns itself largely with technology.
I wish more technology – and architecture – books would give the reader a break.
In organizing my book, BIM and Integrated Design (John Wiley & Sons, 2011,) I divided the information into roughly three parts: a triptych of sorts.
I find that organizing a book into parts helps with wayfinding – providing the reader with a much-needed big-picture view of the content they’re about to delve into.
So here’s a bit more detail – part by part – about what you’ll find in the book.
Part I: BIM AS THOUGH PEOPLE MATTERED
In Part I of BIM and Integrated Design, you will uncover mistaken beliefs surrounding BIM and the social co-benefits of BIM.
Here you will explore the most commonly encountered obstacles to successful collaboration, as well as the challenges this technology and process create for individuals and organizations in their labor toward a comprehensive, successful BIM adoption and implementation.
You will discover the social impacts and implications of working in BIM on individuals and firms, and how to overcome real and perceived barriers to its use.
Read these chapters to discover proven strategies for managing the disruptive change brought about by BIM, how to assess your team’s progress, and how to own not only the software but also the process.
You will learn about the recent proliferation of BIM-related professional titles and roles, the current state of transition of the industry from CAD to BIM, and what the real distinctions are between BIM- and CAD-, and IT-related roles, including distinctions between BIM managers, CAD managers and IT managers.
In this part,
- you will read about a design firm that struggled with adopting BIM, only to find itself growing through the recent downturn due in large part to its attitudes and approach to BIM; and
- how firms have successfully implemented BIM, from the varying perspectives of a consultant with extensive experience working in BIM with designers, a clinical and organizational psychologist who works with design and construction professionals who are contending with constant change, and a firm owner who has strategically and successfully worked with BIM since the application’s inception.
Part II: LEADING INTEGRATED DESIGN
In Part II of BIM and Integrated Design, the focus is on working alone and with others in BIM; obstacles to successful BIM collaboration and how to overcome them; and why collaboration is the way forward for our profession and industry.
Read these chapters to familiarize yourself with challenges to BIM collaboration including interoperability, workflow, firm culture, education, technological challenges, working in teams, communication, trust, BIM etiquette, one model versus multiple models, cost, and issues concerning responsibility, insurance, and liability.
Learn about the one critical skill set design professionals need to master if they are to survive the current professional, economic, social, and technological challenges, as well as strategies for making collaboration work.
Read these chapters to better understand why owners and design and construction professionals have been slow to adopt integrated design and how we can rectify this situation.
A brief but incisive overview of integrated design is offered to help you promote the process to owners and your team, and learn how BIM and integrated design together help design professionals achieve their ultimate goals: well-designed, high-performing buildings that deliver value to owners while benefitting all involved, including future generations.
In this part,
- learn how a major architecture firm’s chief information officer is contending with near-constant change brought about by BIM;
- learn from a major constructor regarding their experiences working on more than one hundred integrated BIM projects; and
- hear from the author of the industry’s first integrated project delivery (IPD) case studies on where IPD is headed.
Part III: LEADING and LEARNING
In this last part of BIM and Integrated Design, you’ll learn how BIM changes not only the technology, process, and delivery but also the leadership playing field; how to shift into the mindset essential to lead the BIM and integrated design process in turbulent times; and how to become a more effective leader no matter where you find yourself in the organization or on the project team.
You’ll discover how the introduction of BIM into the workforce has significant education, recruitment, and training implications, and review the most effective ways to learn BIM.
A brief overview of three approaches to the topic of BIM and the master builder is offered, including arguments in favor of and against the return of the architect in the master builder role, and an argument for the composite master builder or master builder team.
In these chapters, you’ll
- meet an architect and BIM manager who successfully made the transition from pencil to CAD to BIM of the greatest complexity; glean several significant insights from a regional director in the Office of Project Delivery at the General Services Administration (GSA); and
- hear from two educators—one a designer and an ethnographer of design and technology who brings a background in architecture, computing, and anthropology to the study of human-machine-environment interaction; and the other an educator and industry technology strategist with firsthand experience working in integrated design on a significant IPD project, who shares his perceptions of what is on the horizon for professionals, organizations, and the AEC industry as it concerns BIM and integrated design.
Hopefully you now have a better sense of what the book is about and how it is organized.
If you have any questions about the book, please let me know by leaving a comment and I’ll try to answer them. Thanks!
BIM + Integrated Design 
