I would like to use this blog as a place to discuss the Agenda of Virtual Construction™, or as my friend, Jerry Laiserin, would put it…. BIM-4-Builders™. (I really like that, Jerry. I wish I had thought of it first.) Webster’s defines “Agenda” as a list of items of business to be considered and discussed at a meeting. It’s true that the BIM wave is sweeping over the AECO industry, and it’s also true that there is no shortage of items to be considered and discussed relative to the impact of BIM on the tasks, deliverables, interactions, and processes of building design and construction.

Topics to be discussed on The Agenda range from changing individual workproduct to overhauling project team processes in our industry. And here I say “our” industry because we’re all in this together: planners, architects, engineers, contractors, managers, subcontractors, owners, and the technology providers who serve them. Any one party who thinks they have all the answers simply doesn’t understand the complex fabric of technology, expertise, responsibility, risk, and economic reward (we hope) associated with creating the built environment.

With your participation, we’ll use this blogspace to tee up the facts, controversies, and unknowns that surround the undeniable movement called BIM. To be fair, I should state one bias that will pervade my thoughts and comments. You are welcome – in fact, encouraged – to add your comments on the broader spectrum, but I see most issues through the lens of the builder or the owner. My company is focused on the construction side of BIM, and as such I can’t help but color my opinions with the hues of a builder. So without apologizing for my own bias, I invite you to participate with me and the Vico Team in The Agenda.

BIM-4-Builders™ is a trademark of Jerry Laiserin, 2008. Virtual Construction™ is a trademark of Vico Software, Inc. As far as I know, no one has trademarked “BIM,” but Autodesk should have.