Architects are Lazy (plus ArchiCAD 17 news)
News of ArchiCAD 17
The shape and form of ArchiCAD 17 continue to be slowly revealed. I’m not sure if I’m just more aware this year or if more news is getting shared than in the past. Either way, here’s a very interesting article from Enigneering News-Record that talks about both EcoDesigner STAR and some time frames for the eventual release of ArchiCAD 17. I guess we can start tossing around the phrase “June 2013″. Also note that if you can’t wait until then to get your hands on ArchiCAD 17, start using EcoDesigner STAR beta. It sounds like Graphisoft will be asking individuals who are heavily exploring EcoDesigner STAR beta to join the larger ArchiCAD 17 beta tester group in the coming months. FYI, beta testing is fun.
Calling Architects Lazy
Here’s a snippet from the article (like I said it’s a great read):
Kennedy, who was the CEO and chief technology officer of GBS before Autodesk acquired it, is skeptical that architects will use the GRAPHISOFT energy-code-compliance-report tool. Energy analysis at that level of specificity, which requires inputting detailed data on such things as thermal and materials performance, would require a new workflow, he says.
Creating an engineering tool in an architect’s tool and hoping architects will create an engineering workflow is “aspirational,” he says. Kennedy thinks the tool will more likely be used by the energy code compliance person or energy engineer. Most architects “won’t take on the risk,” he predicts, “when they can hire an engineering consultant for a couple thousand dollars to produce the reports.”
So this is weird. I don’t disagree with Kennedy’s presumptions. But I don’t agree either. Will moving from BIM to BEM be a simple thing that everyone will do instantly? No. Is moving from BIM to BEM something we all need to do? Yes. Will it be hard? I’m sure it won’t be easy. Just like we made the switch from CAD to BIM (and can’t believe that there are people who still do it the old way), this is the next shift that we need to handle. Will we all be BEM proficient in 2013? Nope. 2014? Maybe, but probably not. 2015? Hopefully. At some point we’ll look at our fellow architects who aren’t doing Building Energy Modelling and think “really guys? get with the picture!”
What EcoDesigner STAR requires is a new workflow, but not a cataclysm; going from BIM to BEM will be an evolution. And it’s a paradigm shift we need to begin now. You don’t need to use every aspect of energy modeling today, but you need to be making baby steps where ever possible. You need to prove Kennedy wrong. Don’t be lazy or complacent.
If you haven’t been reading about my adventures with EcoDesigner STAR, head over to BIMEngine and check them out. Even if you’re not an ArchiCAD user, it’s worth gaining some insight. We need to develop new workflows and not be discouraged or convinced by naysayers. We need to evolve and absorb new design criteria. We can’t keep avoiding risk and paying someone else to do the work. If we do that we can just jump on the obsolescence train and ride it to oblivion.
“Innovation, interoperability and community are the things that will drive our industry forward. Without these we will simply stagnate.”
-Rob Jackson of Bond Bryan Architects
You know where this diagram comes from, right?
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