It is no longer if, just when...

In the past few weeks, I have had the pleasure of visiting many architectural practices in Europe and across the United States. The trends in both parts of the world are remarkably similar. Companies are moving to model-based design and production at a speed never witnessed before in the architectural profession.

For existing ArchiCAD users, you are probably wondering what all the fuss is and why are people just starting to learn what you all had the courage to do, some of you as much as 20 years ago! In Mestre, Italy, I recently met one of the very first users of ArchiCAD in the world. He still fondly, and with a deep sense of ownership, calls ArchiCAD "Radar", its original name.

There are three things to consider in looking at this trend toward modeling: History; Why Now and the Blockers.

History - the movement to model-based design has a long history. The first industry to move was the process and power industry in the 80's. Next came the electronics design automation segment, although it wasn't called model-based design at that time. Then came manufacturing on a broad scale during the 90's. Why did it happen in this order?

For process and power, if you were fabricating the components of a plant in one part of the world and assembling the plant in another part of the world, you had to get it right. You could not afford to discover interferences while you were building. You could also not afford to inaccurately calculate the quantity of material required. The delays to re-order and rework would incur huge costs and delays.

For the electronics industry it was all about simulation, synthesis and analysis. Knowing that a board or a chip would actually function properly before the costly prototyping and final manufacturing phases would save electronics manufacturers tremendous amounts of time and money.

For the manufacturing industry, it was not just proper fit that was the driving force; it was using the model for more than geometric design. New applications became available for analyzing the model for structural integrity, motion and for proper plastic flow in molded parts. Generating machine tool paths from very complex geometry was also eased with the adoption of the model-based approach. Communicating with suppliers became unambiguously clear.

Why now - for the building industry? I believe that the answer is the modeling benefits of proper fit and accurate cost, which were achieved in the process and plant industry, and the analysis and simulation which were realized in the electronics and manufacturing industries. It is all coming together now in terms of readily available applications which check interferences, accurately drive cost estimates from the model, analyze the building model for energy efficiency, structural integrity, and even for safety considerations in this post 9/11 era. There is one more thing. In the very litigious building industry, mistakes can cause a firm to be on the wrong end of a legal case. Model-based design has been proven to reduce mistakes, especially in the process of constant change. Whether this actually keeps firms out of court or not, it certainly helps partners sleep a little bit better at night.

What are the blockers? For many of you, the notion of designing using a model-based environment was something that happened many years ago. You were the exception, not the rule. Surely, by 2004, you could have been forgiven for thinking that you would be in the midst of widespread adoption of this approach? Well, it is not even close. It is remarkable to me how many companies - big and small - are still wringing their hands wondering how they are going to enter the world of model-based design Change agent, catalyst, reformer, adventurer and risk taker are just some of the words that come to mind to describe your role in leading your firm into model-based design and its attendant work processes. So why is it that you could do it and most of the rest of the world still has not? Here are my top 3 reasons:

1. Inertia - When you are comfortable with what you know, change is very, very hard. There are a hundred things that could go wrong with any change in process and so people are fearful to make the move. Sometimes it takes more courage than firms seem to be able to muster.
2. Top down - If there is not a commitment from the very top of an organization, even if it my favorite 5-person architectural firm of Rushton Chartock in Fairfax, California, nothing is going to happen. A partner needs to declare it is important and that it has to happen.
3. Rock star - to effect any change, it always takes a committed soul to grasp the project. It requires someone who has a deep and unwavering belief in something, and relentlessly drives the organization to get it done. This rock star is the change agent who "gets it done".

Over and over again, companies that have changed their process to model-based design using ArchiCAD, tell me that the process helps them to be better architects and to be more confident they are proposing the best possible solution to their clients, They win more business. They save money by reducing production and coordination costs. And finally, they simply have more fun in their work!

So, I want to congratulate all of you rock stars out there who faced change with courage and attacked the status quo with delight. You are remarkable people and you are driving the future of your businesses and this industry.