IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

The innovations proposed by digital technologies applied to architecture, engineering, and construction, are significantly changing some professional practices – particularly considering the potentialities offered by BIM (Building Information Modeling). However, until now, architecture and civil engineering undergraduate courses not necessarily incorporated BIM in their academic practices. This mismatch must be reversed so that Faculties can prepare professionals able to adequately explore the possibilities offered by digital technologies. This paper presents the results of a research project that aimed to implement a BIM Cell at the Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism of UFRJ-Brazil. BIM Cells are organized groups of professors and students from an educational institution, involved in proposing and developing a BIM implementation plan in one or more courses, with the aim of carrying out academic digital transformation actions. The methodology adopted included: publicizing the possibilities offered by BIM among professors; a survey of recent publications with the report of didactic experiences that successfully adopted BIM; and workshops relating these possibilities to specific content of the architecture undergraduate curricula. The last part of this research project include the elaboration of proposals to help professors interested in adopting BIM as a didactic strategy. Results include the implementation of a graduate class dedicated to BIM in architecture teaching and a book with a collection of strategies to be considered in architecture teaching. It should be noted that BIM implies not only a technical approach, but also the development of new skills to prepare architects to work collaboratively, developing integrated projects.