SFCDI January 2020 | Abstracting Project-Specific Problems for Broader Application

On January 17th, 12:00 pm PST, SFCDI  welcomes Zach Soflin and Tom Svilans. This month’s meeting will be hosted at the AIA 130 Sutter St # 600, San Francisco, CA 94104.

Zach Soflin, AIA, has spent nearly a decade promoting and leading computational design and innovation initiatives in practice before founding Layer, an AEC start-up where he leads company operations and product development. He is a lecturer at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln where he teaches parametric modeling and its application in architecture. He speaks regularly about BIM and complex building data, including at BILT, APT International Conference, and AEC Tech Symposium.

BIM models excel at adding simple, textual data to building elements. But what about complex data (images, tasks, messaging, and complex parameters)? This presentation discusses how a 50-person architecture firm developed software in-house that allows designers to efficiently collect complex data in the field, access that data in their BIM model, and share that data across multiple platforms. The presentation will also demonstrate this software development process as an opportunity to think critically about what can be learned from the open-sourced, collaborative nature of the computer science industry.

 

The presentation will focus on a means of cataloging and accessing complex, unbounded project data using a custom application that interfaces with conventional BIM platforms.
Working on the interior renovation of the Nebraska State Capitol, the project team had a detailed BIM model, but no way to link complex project data (images, tasks, notes, complex parameters) to specific elements (ex: rooms, windows, doors). The project’s scale (more than 1,300 rooms), along with the multiplicity of data required (57 data points), necessitated an alternative to the traditional way of collecting and correlating data. The software, developed by one of the firm’s project architects, Zach Soflin, AIA, allowed users to collect complex project data in the field and immediately access it in the model. The application was also designed to create a knowledge sharing hub, creating closer collaboration and more transparency for project teams. At a higher level, the presentation will discuss lessons learned from the perspective of an architect leveraging tools from computer science industry and how AEC professionals can begin to apply the computer science industry’s systematic approach and open-sourced collaborative nature to the building profession.

Tom Svilans is an architectural designer and researcher based in Copenhagen, Denmark. His research focuses on the role of emerging technologies in revealing new modes of material practice and the performative nature of manufacturing. Tom is currently completing a PhD research project at CITA (Centre for IT and Architecture) in Copenhagen, as part of the EU-funded InnoChain training network. The project explores large-scale free-form timber construction in close collaboration with the digital research team Dsearch at White Arkitekter AB (SE) and the free-forms department of timber contractor Blumer Lehmann AG (CH).