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OGC Announces 3D Fusion Summit
posted May 29, 2009
The Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC's) 3-D Information Management Domain Working Group (3DIM WG) will hold a meeting at MIT in Cambridge, MA. According to an OGC press release the '3D Fusion Summit will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss the activities of this working group, the alliances that OGC has with other organizations concerned with Building Information Models, and the results of the recent AECOO-1 (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator) Phase 1 Testbed, a 9-month effort to increase interoperability among software used by architects, construction companies, cost estimators and building energy analysts.'
posted May 29, 2009
The Open Geospatial Consortium's (OGC's) 3-D Information Management Domain Working Group (3DIM WG) will hold a meeting at MIT in Cambridge, MA. According to an OGC press release the '3D Fusion Summit will provide an opportunity to learn about and discuss the activities of this working group, the alliances that OGC has with other organizations concerned with Building Information Models, and the results of the recent AECOO-1 (Architecture, Engineering, Construction, Owner and Operator) Phase 1 Testbed, a 9-month effort to increase interoperability among software used by architects, construction companies, cost estimators and building energy analysts.'
AECBytes Article on BIM Interoperability
posted May 12, 2009
There's a recently-posted article on BIM interoperability on AECBytes, 'Cracking the USACE BIM Code', that highlights interoperability challenges related to the US Army Corps of Engineers' adoption of BIM. Interestingly, the article addresses differences between interoperability issues in CAD software and BIM interoperability, pointing out several points of difficulty in the current generation of BIM software.
posted May 12, 2009
There's a recently-posted article on BIM interoperability on AECBytes, 'Cracking the USACE BIM Code', that highlights interoperability challenges related to the US Army Corps of Engineers' adoption of BIM. Interestingly, the article addresses differences between interoperability issues in CAD software and BIM interoperability, pointing out several points of difficulty in the current generation of BIM software.
Report on the 5th Building Connections Congress
posted April 19, 2009
The newest issue of Edges, the newsletter of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community, has an article summarizing the outcomes of the 5th Building Connections Congress, held November 17, 2008 at AIA headquarters in Washington, DC. The Building Connections Congress is an annual invitation-only event focusing on AEC interoperability, and along with the Building Connections web site is an initiative of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community. The Edges article includes an overview of the congress, and summaries of the presentations and panels. Another article in the same newsletter summarizes the accomplishments of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community during 2008, and lists planned events and goals for 2009.
posted April 19, 2009
The newest issue of Edges, the newsletter of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community, has an article summarizing the outcomes of the 5th Building Connections Congress, held November 17, 2008 at AIA headquarters in Washington, DC. The Building Connections Congress is an annual invitation-only event focusing on AEC interoperability, and along with the Building Connections web site is an initiative of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community. The Edges article includes an overview of the congress, and summaries of the presentations and panels. Another article in the same newsletter summarizes the accomplishments of the AIA Technology in Practice Knowledge Community during 2008, and lists planned events and goals for 2009.
Collaboration on Green Building Standards
posted April 08, 2009
According to a recent US Green Building Council press release, the USGBC has agreed to collaborate with Green Buildings ratings organizations in the UK and Australia to develop common metrics for assessing the carbon emissions of buildings. The green building rating standards involved in the agreement are the UK's BREEAM, the USGBC's LEED standard, and Australia's Green Star label. The aim is to provide consistency in the measurement of a building's carbon emissions, making it possible to compare buildings rated in terms of the different standards. There's a description of the agreement here.
posted April 08, 2009
According to a recent US Green Building Council press release, the USGBC has agreed to collaborate with Green Buildings ratings organizations in the UK and Australia to develop common metrics for assessing the carbon emissions of buildings. The green building rating standards involved in the agreement are the UK's BREEAM, the USGBC's LEED standard, and Australia's Green Star label. The aim is to provide consistency in the measurement of a building's carbon emissions, making it possible to compare buildings rated in terms of the different standards. There's a description of the agreement here.
'Collaboration Strategies in the Age of BIM'
posted March 26, 2009
A recent AECBytes article addresses the relation between data standards and collaboration; the author is Viktor Varkonyi, a former R&D Officer at Graphisoft who was named as CEO of the company in January. The article outlines three approaches to interoperability - a common language, direct API interfaces between applications, and the creation of a single platform that meets all needs - and weighs each option in terms of project workflow and the implications for communication among all participants in the design process. The article focuses on Graphisoft's support for IFC-based data excahnge and project collaboration.
posted March 26, 2009
A recent AECBytes article addresses the relation between data standards and collaboration; the author is Viktor Varkonyi, a former R&D Officer at Graphisoft who was named as CEO of the company in January. The article outlines three approaches to interoperability - a common language, direct API interfaces between applications, and the creation of a single platform that meets all needs - and weighs each option in terms of project workflow and the implications for communication among all participants in the design process. The article focuses on Graphisoft's support for IFC-based data excahnge and project collaboration.
LEED 2009 Member Ballots Open
posted March 17, 2009
LEED 2009, the first major revision of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard since 2005, is scheduled for release (pdf 966k) in April 2009. On March 04, two sections of the standard were submitted for approval by USGBC members: LEED for Retail: New Construction 2009 and LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors 2009. The ballot period ends on April 1st; if approved, the standard will be released for market use in April. The changes in LEED 2009 are summarized here and here (pdf 163k).
posted March 17, 2009
LEED 2009, the first major revision of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standard since 2005, is scheduled for release (pdf 966k) in April 2009. On March 04, two sections of the standard were submitted for approval by USGBC members: LEED for Retail: New Construction 2009 and LEED for Retail: Commercial Interiors 2009. The ballot period ends on April 1st; if approved, the standard will be released for market use in April. The changes in LEED 2009 are summarized here and here (pdf 163k).
Economic Recovery Bill Contains Strong Support for Green Building
posted March 04, 2009
According to a recent press release of the U.S. Green Building Council, President Obama's Economic Recovery Bill "includes billions of dollars that may be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including those in federal facilities; states, localities, and tribal areas; schools; and housing". A detailed summary of the law is available on the House Appropriations web site.
posted March 04, 2009
According to a recent press release of the U.S. Green Building Council, President Obama's Economic Recovery Bill "includes billions of dollars that may be used for green building, retrofitting, energy efficiency and renewable energy projects, including those in federal facilities; states, localities, and tribal areas; schools; and housing". A detailed summary of the law is available on the House Appropriations web site.
Committee Resumes Work on Green Building Standard 189
posted February 01, 2009
According to an ASHRAE press release, the goal of Proposed Standard 189, 'Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings', is to "provide minimum requirements for the design of sustainable buildings to balance environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well-being, and community sensitivity." The standard is being designed for incorporation into building code. Work on the standard stopped temporarily when the committee charged with developing the standard was disbanded in October 2008; the new committee met for the first time on January 27, 2009. This standard is distinct from other existing Green Building Standards such as as LEED, which imposes more stringent requirements than Standard 189, and the ICC/NAHB National Green Building Standard which focuses on residential structures.
posted February 01, 2009
According to an ASHRAE press release, the goal of Proposed Standard 189, 'Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings', is to "provide minimum requirements for the design of sustainable buildings to balance environmental responsibility, resource efficiency, occupant comfort and well-being, and community sensitivity." The standard is being designed for incorporation into building code. Work on the standard stopped temporarily when the committee charged with developing the standard was disbanded in October 2008; the new committee met for the first time on January 27, 2009. This standard is distinct from other existing Green Building Standards such as as LEED, which imposes more stringent requirements than Standard 189, and the ICC/NAHB National Green Building Standard which focuses on residential structures.
NIST Releases Final WTC 7 Investigation Report
posted December 17, 2008
On December 3 NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) released the final version of their report on the tragic collapse of the World Trade Center building 7 in New York City. The draft report was released for public comment on August 21, 2008, and the final report includes all public comments received during the review period. The final report makes 30 recommendations for changes to international building code based on lessons learned from the WTC 7 disaster; these proposed changes are summarized here, and a detailed listing is provided here. The complete report is also available (PDF 10MB).
posted December 17, 2008
On December 3 NIST (the National Institute of Standards and Technology) released the final version of their report on the tragic collapse of the World Trade Center building 7 in New York City. The draft report was released for public comment on August 21, 2008, and the final report includes all public comments received during the review period. The final report makes 30 recommendations for changes to international building code based on lessons learned from the WTC 7 disaster; these proposed changes are summarized here, and a detailed listing is provided here. The complete report is also available (PDF 10MB).
BIM Links
posted November 21, 2008
Two recent articles discuss BIM in the context of sustainability and green building. First, a thoughtful article by Louis Hecht (of OGC) in V1 Magazine addresses the "environmental costs of waste from the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) market", and the ways that BIM can be harnessed to address this problem. The author summarizes problems with existing standards such as IFC, and discusses the AECOO-1 Testbed as a first step toward interoperable building information. In a second short article in Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, the relation between BIM and LEED performance is discussed.
posted November 21, 2008
Two recent articles discuss BIM in the context of sustainability and green building. First, a thoughtful article by Louis Hecht (of OGC) in V1 Magazine addresses the "environmental costs of waste from the architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) market", and the ways that BIM can be harnessed to address this problem. The author summarizes problems with existing standards such as IFC, and discusses the AECOO-1 Testbed as a first step toward interoperable building information. In a second short article in Daily Commercial News and Construction Record, the relation between BIM and LEED performance is discussed.
BIM and Interoperability Links
posted November 14, 2008
AECbytes has a thoughtful article by Jim Bedrick on 'Organizing the Development of a Building Information Model' that describes current work on a Model Progression Specification for BIM. In another feature, AECbytes has a product review of VisionREZ, a BIM application customized for residential design. At AECCafe, Susan Smith has a discussion of the BIMStorm concept. In the blogosphere, there was a complaint about the practical value of the IFC, an announcement of Maya's new export-to-DWG feature, and an update of the Autodesk Seek website, an interface for finding BIM content.
posted November 14, 2008
AECbytes has a thoughtful article by Jim Bedrick on 'Organizing the Development of a Building Information Model' that describes current work on a Model Progression Specification for BIM. In another feature, AECbytes has a product review of VisionREZ, a BIM application customized for residential design. At AECCafe, Susan Smith has a discussion of the BIMStorm concept. In the blogosphere, there was a complaint about the practical value of the IFC, an announcement of Maya's new export-to-DWG feature, and an update of the Autodesk Seek website, an interface for finding BIM content.
Green Building Standards
posted November 07, 2008
In addition to the many national and international rating systems for green buildings, there are also an increasing number of local standards emerging. The state of California's Green Building Standard, adopted in July of this year, was the first state-wide standard of its kind; it is currently optional but will become mandatory in the near future. A post on the Womble Carlyle Construction Industry Blog points out a recent proposal for a "nutrition" label that would clearly communicate the performance of a home in terms of energy consumption, health, and cost of operation (whitepaper). Related news: the release of the ASHRAE Proposed Standard 189, 'Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings', may face delays due to the temporary disbanding last month of the committee that had been developing the new standard.
posted November 07, 2008
In addition to the many national and international rating systems for green buildings, there are also an increasing number of local standards emerging. The state of California's Green Building Standard, adopted in July of this year, was the first state-wide standard of its kind; it is currently optional but will become mandatory in the near future. A post on the Womble Carlyle Construction Industry Blog points out a recent proposal for a "nutrition" label that would clearly communicate the performance of a home in terms of energy consumption, health, and cost of operation (whitepaper). Related news: the release of the ASHRAE Proposed Standard 189, 'Standard for the Design of High-Performance Green Buildings Except Low-Rise Residential Buildings', may face delays due to the temporary disbanding last month of the committee that had been developing the new standard.
Articles on Solibri LLC
posted October 17, 2008
In an interview with Cadalyst, Jonathan Widney of Solibri LLC describes the functionality of the Solibri Model Checker and speculates about the near future of BIM. Another article describes the opening of Solibri's US office earlier this year.
posted October 17, 2008
In an interview with Cadalyst, Jonathan Widney of Solibri LLC describes the functionality of the Solibri Model Checker and speculates about the near future of BIM. Another article describes the opening of Solibri's US office earlier this year.
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