Posts by:
Let me ask you a question, if you were to take a roadtrip, would you leave without looking at a map? I’m a planner, so personally, before even packing my suitcase, I’ve spent hours planning my route. If I’m taking a drive through the country I’ll make sure I know where there are areas I can’t get fuel and have a tentative schedule for where I’ll take breaks or grab a bite to eat.
If you have taken a look in the news this week, you’ll notice record temperatures around the world. This is the first in a series of blogs that we will be writing to offer ideas on how your organization can leverage the power of BIM in order to play a part in reducing the impact we as humans have on our environment.
When we talk about climate change in our daily lives, we usually talk about pollution sources such as the cars we drive, or from burning fossil fuels to power our homes and businesses. As construction professionals however, we often forget that our industry is also a contributor. Estimates suggest that, the construction sector contributes to 23% of air pollution, 40% of drinking water pollution, and 50% of landfill wastes. Our role as professionals related to construction and as humans who share space with others and with nature as well, is to make the most out of each of the resources we use in our projects. The question is, how can we accomplish this?
When people think of construction they imagine workers, beams, heavy equipment and, above all of those things, materials. Concrete, lime, even wood and iron might appear in their minds. However, most of the time they picture material wastes, the leftovers if you will. The real question is, where can you make a difference, and how to get started?
Well, the BIM World Tour’s presence in New York is still giving us much to talk about. But this time let’s talk about the weather.
Walking the streets of New York under the rain is quite a unique experience. Yes, we are aware that rain is not an uncommon phenomenon, but stick with us here. The way the water hits the pavement produces a melody that merges with the honks, the pedestrian’s babbling, and the advertisements that give voice to buildings.
Each week, on our BIM 🌎 Tour blog, we share stories from our travels. Our favorite pieces of content are those where we meet with other BIM professionals in person and share their love of the built world. Our conversation is always different, but has several key ingredients, the most important being food and drinks.
We operate in many markets at Voyansi, with clients in LATAM, North America, Australia, the middle east, and now the EU. This gives our team an opportunity to compare and contrast the maturity of BIM across the globe. Our observation, in many countries, even our home of Argentina, BIM remains an enigma. That is not terribly surprising. After all, the digital camera was invented in 1975, but only in the last decade or so has the technology become prevalent. If you are one of the key stakeholders, or even a decision-maker leading your companies digital strategy, you understand this better than most. If you are ready to get started implementing BIM, you are on the precipice of becoming a pioneer in your business.
Let's start with a quick exercise: think about a workplace that represents multiple challenges. Darkness, a small space, a dangerous/irregular terrain, or even a lack of communication with the outside world. All of these places are often the main obstacles we have to face at the time of working on specific projects.
Now let's create a solution. Of course, the best alternative would be to work in that space minimizing the risks and optimizing the use of resources. This way, the project could be carried on while drastically reducing the risks both for the employees and the equipment. How can you achieve this? Hololens and reality capture technology.
We know you couldn’t wait to hear more about the BIM World Tour 2021. So, good news! The team is back on track and today it’s time to visit the Rockefeller Center.
Manhattan’s heart is the Diamond District. Within it, the Fifth and Sixth Avenues surround one of the world’s most expensive and massive building complexes. We feel tiny while walking between these concrete giants, but there’s a sense of opportunity and wonder that fills the air around us.
Santiago Calatrava, the architect in charge of designing the World Trade Center station’s entrance had an immense job requiring expertise and creativity. One bad decision could make everything go south. After a lot of thought, he came up with his final design for the project. He sought to design a structure that resembled a bird taking flight from a children’s hand. The end result: A unique and imposing structure that captures every pedestrian’s gaze: The Oculus.
You might have seen it in films, tv shows and many architecture-related websites and social media accounts. If you are lucky, you might have the opportunity to visit it in person just like we did during our BIM World Tour after grabbing a bite at the Chelsea Market.
Continuing on our post from last week about the reuse of space & the NY high line, we stopped for lunch at the world-famous Chelsea Market: an exciting place for both tourists and locals. Situated in Chelsea, a New York neighborhood in Manhattan with a rich cultural history dating back to the 1800s. The Chelsea Market offers various interesting cultural, culinary, and social activities for both tourists and locals. After a long walk on the High Line, it was time for lunch, and also to check out one of NYC’s most expensive real estate transactions in history.
Some people are still not aware of how BIM could make an enormous and positive difference in their professional careers, which means they are unaware of its capabilities and the role it’s going to play in the recent future.
Studying architecture is synonymous with using different software tools to design and plan. Students often render several versions of their projects so that they can see what they would actually look like once they’ve been built. However, despite all the innovations that this software has, many architects are letting go of traditional practices to focus their efforts on BIM.
Generally speaking, the buildings that impress people all around the world are architectural wonders that couldn’t be constructed without leveraging BIM. Why? There are many stakeholders involved in the complex design and build efforts of new structures. This presents many challenges for architects who are still often using tools that don’t bring to the table all of what BIM has to offer.
Reinventing spaces does not only require resources, but also tons of creativity: Where you see an old railroad, others visualize the possibility of a park, hotel, or even a culinary voyage. There are no limits when it comes to revitalization of spaces (both old and new), and the High Line park is the perfect example of this.
Making robust, rusty and old rails coexist with nature is, in and of itself, a huge task since there are many things that could go wrong: It might not be aesthetically pleasing, nor a good deal in economic terms if not correctly planned. But if the team working on that renovation is up to the task, the results can end up being game-changing in a completely urban context.
It’s critically important to be able to put yourself in someone else’s shoes when having a conversation. A few years back when I was young in my career, I remember responding in a way I felt was extremely polite: “Yes Sir.” The dour look on my colleague’s face suggested I had made an error. Turns out, while this is pretty common where I’m from in Texas, it's less so in central England. The true implication of my statement was that he was old. A grave mistake coming from a 23-year-old recent college graduate just getting started in life.
