BIM and Integrated Design, by Randy Deutsch

BIM and integrated Design; Strategies for Architectural Practice has already received six “5-Star” reviews at Amazon.com. Read them all here.

Or you may read my Amazon review of Randy’s informative and inspiring book right here:

Even if you are only on the sidelines of the Building Information Modeling movement, Randy Deutsch’s new book, BIM and Integrated Design is well worth your time. Many building industry professionals, whether due to personal preference or to economic hindrance, have yet to commit to BIM. We aren’t all early adopters – the technological hope and hype that accompanies this revolution can be intimidating. Fortunately, the first portion of this book addresses a concept so compelling, I had to dig in; “Part 1 – BIM As Though People Mattered”.

Throughout the book Deutsch explores the social aspects of adopting and implementing BIM design strategies. More than merely buying software licenses, adaptation of BIM necessitates a clear understanding of your firm’s culture, what new rolls will be required and how the team will collaborate around the building model. While there are challenges inherent in the BIM transformation, Deutsch has addressed them in a complete manner using diagrams, anecdotes and a full range of practitioner interviews. BIM and Integrated Design provides a great education and actionable strategies for your firm.

Even though I’m a man at a distance, I now see that the heightened collaboration and shifting of rolls that BIM adoption requires are positives to be embraced rather than obstacles to be avoided. BIM and Integrated Design shows how architecture can be practiced now and in the future. For that purpose, I highly recommend this book.

I am not sure when I will be able to practice the strategies set forth in BIM and Integrated Design, but I was so enlightened by what I read that I integrated Building Information Modeling as a plot element in my November novel writing exercise (NaNoWriMo; The First of a Thousand Stories). Who knows, maybe Mr. Deutsch will read a draft of Rumors of War and be a story consultant – I want to get the BIM parts right!

Please consider BIM and Integrated Design; Strategies for Architectural Practice as a holiday gift for yourself, for your firm or for any architect who needs to understand the social aspects of adopting and implementing this technology. If you’ve read the book already, please leave a comment below.

Recently members of the ASLA (America Society of Landscape Architects) took to the street in dozens of cities and engaged in their own brand of meta-marketing. Please check out the great video of their informal interactions with citizens.

LINK TO VIDEO

The one-day event captured on this video is part of an ongoing web-based promotion by the ASLA. The centerpiece of the effort is a public site called Landscape Architecture. Your Environment. Designed. The public event was a traffic-boon. The result; “Traffic to the website skyrocketed during the more than 175 events taking place across the country on August 17.”

Traffic to the website skyrocketed during the more than 175 events taking place across the country

What is the “meta-marketing” aspect of this event? I’ll explain.

The people in this film aren’t likely to hire a landscape architect because of these encounters. (Such a response would be the goal of traditional marketing.) However, these folks are probably now more informed, more interested and more inquisitive about the profession.

Most of them will remember these designers and will recognize their value when they discover a new public park or plaza. Some of them may find themselves on a neighborhood homeowners’ association, or a church building committee, or a business planning board. One of them might then initiate a call to a local ASLA member to get input on their pending project. An informed, interested, inquisitive public is a the goal of meta-marketing.

On this video, a seed of value-awareness has been planted – that’s the nature of meta-marketing.

A special “thank you” Jim Lapides, Manager of Public Relations at ASLA for assistance on this post.

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As an architect and a man of faith, Ron knows his subject well and he presents it professionally and passionately. His primary audience is ministry leaders and their teams. The blog’s goal to “help readers understand the implications of Christian ministry for architecture and vice versa” is met in categories covering Concepts, Culture, Design and Cost.

A series of posts of particular interest is Seven Reasons Churches Build:

• Ministry
• Mechanisms
• Experience
• Demographics
• Finances
• Real Estate
• Growth

Any church designer or ministry leader would be wise to review these posts. As a man of similar interests and background (and as a fellow Bible-belt resident) I have an affinity for Ron’s work. I enjoy his insights and recommend his blog.

 However, (as a note to my readers) I believe that the ChurchThatMoves blog is instructional for any architectural blogger, even those who have never designed a church. Ron has studied and mastered his chosen field; he is out in front of his clients’ concerns and actively presents quality content to address a range of real world issues. He serves his clients – current and future – as a subject mater expert. In this, Ron’s blogging venture is an example we can all learn from.

(Ronald E. Geyer, AIA, NCIDQ is with the Greenville, South Carolina design firm, Graig Gaulden Davis, where he serves as Ministry and Cultural Studio Director. Connect with Ron at Twitter and LinkedIn.)

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Götz - Runner at the Start

Here I want to follow up with a few comments that clarify what exceptional contribution might mean. The first two quotes are from the e-mail distributed to the UPworld community at large:

“Collier has been a consistent contributor with not only a monthly blog, but often contributing additional articles for the UPworld readership.”

“Another distinction that sets Collier apart is that he routinely leaves comments and feedback for other bloggers, interacting with and encouraging fellow writers, which is an important aspect of the UPworld blogging community.”

These last two quotes are comments from other professionals (who are bloggers and promoters in their own right):

“Congratulations Collier! Thanks for all your perspectives and for championing NetGiving!”  D.G.

“You’ve done a lot of good for the profession… There’s a reason you’ve been so passionate and dedicated…” D.B.

Exceptional contribution within the blogging community involves such things as consistency, passion, and championing a cause – but in a special context. We’ve said before that meaningful blogging is much like a marathon – but in this light its more of a team run; a long-distance relay or a cross-country race. We run the race well when we assist each other. I believe that “exceptional contribution” in professional blogging comes in the form of “interacting with and encouraging fellow writers”.

Image via Wikipedia

What do you think? Please share your own examples – or those of others you’ve encountered – who run the race well.

In all honesty, there’s more to the story. In my post April 4th post, “What’s Going On?” I hinted at having lost my blogging momentum. I admitted that for all my good intentions, I wasn’t converting my long-held aspirations into meaningful blog content. Successful blogging, it seems is a marathon, not a sprint.

When I completed my March blog post for UPworld and submitted it, I notified Rebekah, the content coordinator, that it would be my final post. I was tired. I was running out of new ideas (the twenty-something post series on NetGiving wasn’t breaking any new ground).  There was seemingly no return on my blogging investment. I was finished!

So, here is Rebekah’s e-mailed reply:

“I guess this is a good time to tell you that I had chosen you as the 1st Quarter Exceptional Contributor to be announced in just days!”

Wow. That was the cool splash of water I needed. It was my second wind. I could indeed continue the race!

Fellow bloggers, how is your marathon going? Are you staggering, faltering? Let’s talk about the race and see what we can do together to keep on going!