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Who We Are

The mission of the AIA Small Firm Exchange (SFx) is to advance the mutual interests of architects practicing in small firms. The objectives of the AIA SFx are three-fold:

1. Advocate the value of small firms, the national SFx, and local SFx groups, both within the AIA and to the public.

2. Curate and disseminate the most pertinent resources and information, from the AIA & elsewhere, that benefit small firms.

3. Inform the AIA of current issues facing small firms and areas in which current resources/information are lacking.

Approximately 75% of all firms within the AIA are small firms (less than 10 employees), which equates to 14,459 small firms within the organization.

~26.8% = sole practitioners = 5,173

~33.5% = 1-5 employees = 6,459

~14.7% = 5-10 employees = 2,827

For context, small firms share of staff is 16.0% and share of billings is 12.0%

We need to find ways to leverage that size for collaboration and influence, just like the individual large firms do.

   

  

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Blue Beam

  • 1.  Blue Beam

    Posted 21 days ago

    Do most architects here use Adobe Acrobat or BlueBeam to annotate drawings?

    I've been very frustrated with Adobe lately and wonder if its worth the $260.00 /yr for the Basics plan, and or the Core plan for $330/yr?



  • 2.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    I switched to BlueBeam a year ago for a project and prefer it to Adobe Acrobat. I agree with your thoughts on the cost of Adobe Acrobat but have not punted it yet. Adobe has a simpler signing feature for other PDF documents that I have not figured out exactly in BlueBeam...yet. If you use other features of the Adobe system then it might be worth keeping. BlueBeam was great for a project where each of the consultants could mark up a single set of documents (a project) and we could see in real time each person's comments. There is a little bit of a learning curve when if you have been using Adobe for a long time, but it is pretty easy. I would not go back to Adobe for annotating drawings!



    ------------------------------
    Mara Murdoch AIA
    Murdoch Architects
    Lutherville Timonium MD
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    I know our firm uses Bluebeam, and we've been using it for a while - It is super handy, and I feel like it's a bit more intuitive than Acrobat.



    ------------------------------
    Samantha Hite Assoc. AIA
    Butler Rosenbury and Partners
    Brookline MO
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    Hi Rosemarie,

    I use PDF XChange Editor Plus. It's a perpetual license for $72. I have Acrobat through my Adobe subscription but find the interface clunky.

    https://www.pdf-xchange.com/products


    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago
    I have been using Bluebeam since it came and never considering going back to Adobe acrobat. But always open to new software if more superior to Bluebeam.

    Daniel Guich


    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    We started using Bluebeam a year ago and never looked back.  We are a small firm, less than 5 people.  It is far and away one of the best decisions we've ever made WRT productivity.  Its versatile, easy to use, makes collaboration a snap.  We have the Core plan.  For us, having the ability to initiate sessions alone made the increased cost of the Core Plan worth it.  Hope this helps!



    ------------------------------
    Amy Gardner FAIA
    Gardner Architects LLC
    Washington DC
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 7.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    For .pdf work I use "PDF XChange".  Low cost, has all the functions I need.  I would suspect that Adobe has a few more whistles and bells but I get by.

    When I participate in group reviews of others' documents (value engineering studies, constructibility reviews) the facilitators give us access to Bluebeam and everyone's comments are compiled and sorted out there.  Much more functionality but, then again, as sole proprietor / sole employee I get by with simple pdf marking-up.



    ------------------------------
    Joel Niemi AIA
    Joel Niemi Architect
    Snohomish, WA
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 8.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 20 days ago

    Adobe is fine for basic mark ups. I prefer using Bluebeam Revu because this program allows annotation, sketching to scale, markups, file sharing, and many other tasks that adobe does not do. The bluebeam website has a lot of tutorials if you need more information. 



    ------------------------------
    Peter N. Baldwin AIA

    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 19 days ago

    Bluebeam is an amazing program, with so many specific tools for architects. It has changed the way our firm works, creating so many efficiencies and new ones discovered the more we work with it. It's worth every penny!



    ------------------------------
    Jason Hagopian AIA
    Neuvio Architects
    Fort Lauderdale FL
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 10.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 17 days ago
    Agree. I couldn't work without bluebeam.



    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 15 days ago
    I have been too busy to open BlueBeam, so if I attend to learning how to use it, it just may give me some time to spend actually enjoying this Sumer ???
    ⛩Peter F Smith
    petersmitharch@gmail.com


    Sent from my iPhone


    Original Message


  • 12.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 15 days ago

    Is Bluebeam a difficult software to adapt and use? Speaking from not being technologically inclined or have trouble changing systems ( mental breaks, etc)

     




    Original Message


  • 13.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 15 days ago

    Hi Jaclyn,

     

    Bluebeam is easy to use, but there is a small learning curb to get there. It is like a PDF drafting program. Lots of mark up tools that are more in line with an architects day to day.

     

    Regards,

     

    Daniel

    Daniel Guich, RA, NCARB, CDT, LEED ap

    Project Architect

    t +14155462901  m +14156839600 

    Discover stories that inform and inspire-written for our clients, with our clients, and by our clients.

    perkinswill.com/insights

     

     

     

     




    Original Message


  • 14.  RE: Blue Beam

    Posted 14 days ago

    We have both programs at our firm.  BlueBeam Revu is the better program, though there are 2 or 3 features in Adobe that are better.

    I recommend taking an initial training webinar on BlueBeam after you have been using if a few weeks.  You need to use it first to get a feel for it, but the beginners' class I took was extremely helpful and I learned about features that I did not know existing.



    ------------------------------
    Robert Smith AIA
    Talley & Smith Architecture, Inc.
    Shelby NC
    ------------------------------

    Original Message