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Is BIM the tool and the method building designers have long avoided?  The AIA TAP FASTER FORWARD conference 2011 presented the idea of BIM, the process, the intelligence, and the potential.  In addition, I attended the Autodesk University last week with the focus of BIM; the process, the potential and how the user can best utilize the software for the strongest impacts.  The communication my prevail from the client, to the architect, to the engineers, to the contractor, the construction team, and so on.  This communication has the potential to control the lifespan of the design/construction. 

Through my experience and attendance to the two conferences as mentioned above, communication is the root of successful BIM projects leading into successful efficient collaboration.  A space cannot be designed without walls (the architect) or without lights (MEP) or without the strength to hold up the roof (structure).   To design a space, all three elements must be present and in relationship.  Maybe this collaboration should have been the first answer for sustainable design?  Quantity take-offs, quality control, cost estimates and facilities management are a few highlights of creating a BIM project. 

Could this BIM process and tool answer several current dilemmas in the building industry?  Could BIM eliminate the need to review codes? Could BIM ensure energy efficient systems based on location, program, and construction type?  Could BIM solidify structural strength and update for maintenance? Could BIM allow design to evolve, take away liability, and let 21st century creation happen?  The future holds the answers, but who leads this evolution? Do the architects? The owners? Construction?  Who should lead this change?