Contract Magazine - November 2018 - 22

VIEWPOINT

Are you in sync?
Guy Messick on how new technologies are transforming
how we design interiors.
Over the last decade there has been a sea
change in possibilities in our approach to the
design and delivery of interiors projects. This
change is rooted in the concept of virtual
prototyping (VP)-the idea that each project is
constructed in virtual space. In this concept, the
3D model has a level of detail and data that
aligns with the scope and understanding of the
design at any point in time. VP is a more focused
view of building information modeling (BIM),
which has transformed the architecture,
engineering and construction universe, but does
not specifically speak to interiors in the detail
and language we require. The current standard
for the creation of VP projects is Autodesk Revit,
which when integrated with data connection
tools allows for a significantly expanded range
of tool sets, like virtual reality (VR), data mining
and collaborative integration. If the AEC industry
is going to get out of our silos, we need a new
paradigm and infrastructure.
Virtual reality
There is a general view in our industry that VR is
here, and while it's a nice way to view design, or
perhaps market our work, it isn't quite ready for everyday use. VR is here to stay, and in
fact, it can become a transformative tool in design and collaboration. New VR software,
like that from InsiteVR, enables teams to meet in the virtual prototype, from any location
through a VR headset or on your desktop. You can "see" others via avatars and speak
to them directly, add notes on the fly with speech to text annotations. There is more,
and a lot to unpack, but the bottom line is that both designers and clients have a
significantly richer experience when in VR-and this is multiplied when sharing the
experience with others.

Collaborative integration
Ok, so you have virtual prototypes and you can
extract drawings, schedules, VR, business
intelligence, etc., from them. How do you share
this with the project teams? How do teams
interact and coordinate with all of this
information? In short, the cloud, or other peoples'
computers. Right now, cloud-based apps allow
integration of things like project information,
design documents, and models, but instead of
versions being, well, wherever, they conform to
the Single Point of Truth concept. This means
that there is always an up-to-date version of
your program, standard chair selections, or
design for review and use by the entire team
where appropriate. Security is no longer an
afterthought and it is tightly wound into most of
the cloud offerings-but always check with any
service for compliance for you and your client's
needs. Web-based systems like the BIM 360
environment from Autodesk aim to connect
design and construction and give every member
of the project access to what they need, when
they need it.
The tools and workflows described above are not the distant future, they are being used
now globally. As our clients are introduced to these, they in turn integrate and have
come to expect their use. In some cases firms use one or two while others are finding
value in all of them, customized for their culture of design. For those firms adapting to
this new standard, there is no question that their capabilities in efficiency, communication,
and quality can be significantly improved. For those that do not engage, at some point
they will find themselves not only at a disadvantage in the marketplace but at risk,
because the client will already be ahead of them.

As an architect, technologist and thought leader, Guy Messick, AIA, Director
Data mining
Spreadsheets-they are everywhere, but do we ever really consume them after a glance of Design Intelligence, IA Interior Architects, focuses on understanding the
or initial creation? Sure, you can spend time making them perform, but connecting and connections between design and emerging technologies. Trained in the arts,
integrating them? Not so much. If you are creating your project with VP concepts, you design, and fine woodworking, he finds architecture to be the profession that
can begin connecting program, metrics, and design data, and sharing it from the model best unites these disciplines. Upon the adoption of digital technologies
to multiple systems. For example, you can connect a metrics spreadsheet with your in his design practice in 1989, capturing relevant information from the edge
Revit model and perform validation of program while you design and layout spaces. And environment and making it available for architecture, engineering, and
the best part is being able to communicate with the client to assist in making the right construction processes is Messick's passion.
decisions at the right time. You can do this by taking design and real estate data and
tell a story, and business intelligence tools like Microsoft's Power BI or Tableau are great
tools for the work.
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NOVEMBER 2018

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Contract Magazine - November 2018

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