Convergence

CHAPTER 6CONCEPTION AND CONSTRUCTION

This convergence brings both opportunity and concern for design and construction. —Blaine Brownell¹

BIM Forum Chicago in 2011 focused on how BIM is shifting when the design phase ends and construction begins. The conference addressed questions such as: Are clients willing to pay for additional early design effort by nondesigners? Where does traditional design leave off and spatial coordination begin? When does spatial coordination morph into design? How can contractors and designers find common ground for design and coordination? As the BIM Forum Chair and Tocci Building Co. CEO John Tocci, Sr., clarified, “This is NOT the contractors coming to take over scope earlier. This is to, hopefully, help us work better together.”²

WHEN DOES DESIGN END AND CONSTRUCTION BEGIN?

Robert Yori of SOM spoke at the BIM Forum in 2011 and sees where convergence in the industry is heading. “The best example is the level of conversation that you see at BIMForum, and how it’s been formed over the years. There’s a convergence there. Increase in specialization has gotten a bit segmented, but overall, BIMForum is a good example of why that dialogue needs to be maintained. It’s great for providing a conduit, a thread of continuity, in the era of increasing specialization.”³ Yori continues: “If you take a look at their mission statement and the way they are organized, it’s clear. Such a spread of disciplines are represented—designers, engineers, construction managers, ...