“The Next Dimension” – CG and the Architect’s Newspaper
CAD enters another dimension, with two new modeling approaches—building information modeling (BIM) and parametric modeling (PM)—that offer better design, analysis, and management capabilities. Are architects ready to make the leap? Clay Risen finds out. Joe MacDonald, an associate professor at the Harvard Design School teaching CATIA and principal of his own firm, Urban A&O in New York, used CATIA to design the Wave Workstation.
Despite significant changes wrought by computer-aided design (CAD), blueprints and drafting pencils still define much of the architectural practice—largely because software has yet to provide an easy, standardized way to translate complex renderings into practical plans. But that may be about to change. Along two different fronts, software has gone a long way in recent years toward merging design and execution: parametric modeling (PM), which tracks and integrates design parameters set by the user; and building information modeling (BIM), which integrates building schedules, databases, and budgeting software into 3-D modeling. And while the day when PM and BIM comprise the industry standard is a long way off, they are already redefining the cutting edge of the practice.
