TWO DECADES OF BIM

 

I have been archiving some of our old Revit projects in the cloud. At times this has involved upgrading by as many as 15 versions. Lots of new features in that time. But I think it's interesting for us all to remember the journey and maybe take some inspiration from past solutions even if they a bit crude or naive by today's standards.

I was still a project architect when we worked on these golf villas. Quite a big Revit team and I felt a bit out of my depth half the time, but we got through it. Some of my team members from that era have blossomed into senior roles in the practice and it's been a pleasure to step back and let them run the show.

Interesting to jump into Google earth and pick up a few random images of the finished project. I would like to say I was proud of the architecture, but it would be more honest to say that it's come out better than I feared it might. Not that I played a major design role.

But it was kind of a "coming of age" project for me. Even in my late 50s I was eager to prove myself and learn new skills. It's not that I have stopped learning now, but at 72 it's more important to inspire others and to reflect on how to pass something forward.

 

Same project, golf course villas, fifteen years ago. Those were the days when I recorded a 70 hour week and sometimes left the office close to midnight. Spare a thought for all the millions around the world who leave their families behind in search of a better life.

I'm not an apologist for illegal immigration. I don't believe it does anyone any good. Indeed, I would far rather that Zimbabwe had not plunged into an abyss, even though I was able to relocate legally and count my time in Dubai as a positive experience.

In 2008 I was very excited about Mental Ray rendering, within Revit. This study is for proposed enhancements to the design in response to client comments. It's not meant to be a high end render, but all the same, there's a level of realism here that I was excited to explore.

The shot from Google Earth gives an idea of the size of the two communities we were working on at that stage. Seems like ancient history now.

 

 

15 years ago. The client wanted Andersen windows on this project. I wanted to demonstrate matching their, CAD details in Revit. They look OK at first glance, but looking a bit closer... I have to reconstruct the logic behind this.

Part of it was not wanting to stray too far from the standard Andersen detail, (which assumes a timber frame of course). Part of it was trying to maintain thermal insulation. But maybe I should have extended the concrete sill a bit further into the wall.

The lack of a dpc under the sill drove me crazy when I first got to Dubai. But you only need this if its going to be exposed to rain day-after-day in poor drying conditions. Even then, a well detailed stone sill did the job just fine in the UK a hundred years ago without inserting an impervious membrane.

Anyway they built it, either like this, or not. Mostly I share this because I gave up trying to do this kind of detail in Revit soon after (for the day job)

Thereafter, someone would be assigned to creating the typical details for a project, using 2d CAD. Sad in a way, but I understand the rationale. The guys with enough site experience to do the job well were not fluent in Revit , plus the library of standard details was mostly CAD.

 

 

Early morning walk. We had rain last week. You may have seen the dramatic photos of the lightning conductors on Burj Khalifa springing into action. I'm guessing that is connected to the beautiful cloud patterns that greeted me as I strolled forth.

I concluded my little exercise session with a visit to the corner shop for bits and bobs. Next door but one is an abandoned building site that never got past ground floor columns. It's the kind of anomaly that papers like the Guardian love to gloat over in their resentment at Dubai's success, and determination to end up on "the right side of history" in this cosmic game of musical chairs.

The world is full of extreme contrasts and inequalities. In my youth of course I had utopian visions, and loved to point the finger. I can safely leave that brand of foolishness to others now. Accept the way things are, imagine long, slow, unpredictable transitions, and hope that they continue to increase the range of opportunity available to most people.

PS notice the moon, floating high, top right, serenely constant throughout the human story.

 

 

 

This project was when I realised what a remarkable talent Lisandro Mendoza is. Going back 12 to 15 years he developed the Revit model with minimal assistance from me. No fuss, no drama, just quietly got on with the job.

I'm quite sure he will make his mark in New Zealand and whichever firm gives him a start will have a winner on their hands. I've only been to New Zealand once, but it's a very special place. A bold move that will pay off in many ways, no doubt.

Can't help reflecting on how many young architects have passed through the offices I worked in, both Zimbabwe and Dubai. It's always an enriching experience to interact with fresh young minds and to respond to their curiosity as honestly as possible.

Right now I have another group of interns doing basic Revit training. The preparation is quite demanding, if you want to do a good job. But it's worth the effort and I like to think that twenty or thirty years from now, when I am long gone, some of them will think back on the funny old guy with the white beard and pigtail and smile at the memory.

 

English wool production grew from subsistence levels in the early Saxon period to become a major export in medieval times. Raw wool from southern England and Wales was highest quality and in great demand across the channel where new technologies for spinning and weaving were boosting production. ("the pedal-loom with mechanised fulling and napping" Wikipedia)

Flemish merchants bought raw wool from England, processed it and sold finished textiles into the Mediterranean basin. Lavenham, Suffolk was one of the most prosperous wool towns in this boom and bust world. Enter religious dissent and persecution. Flemish protestants were driven out by Catholic rulers. Some of them settled in Colchester, not far from Lavenham, bringing their knowledge and technology.

The offshot is that Lavenham suffered rapid economic decline and was effectively frozen in time. No fun for those who saw their prosperity undercut, but a happy accident for lovers of "the way we build" like me. Credit to Andy Marshall 📸 for the photograph beneath my sketch, which prompted me to research a town I hadn't heard of before.

Human transitions are complex and unpredictable. Beware the simple narrative of three word slogans that undercut reflective thought "thanks" to new digital technologies.

Image created on a Samsung Note phone with the built-in stylus and SketchBook drawing software. Softening with Pixlr.