VIRTUAL: Applying Education

Abstract

“Complex” is a key-word I stress in my teaching about the evolution of Building Information Modeling (BIM) to my students. It is not just about how buildings were “simpler” as we go back decades or centuries in time, but how more “complex” buildings will continue to become. The means by which this complexity is represented is all in the form of practice. One could reasonably decipher that the manual and computer aided design (CAD) forms of practice matched the simplicity of building design and construction back in time. As of 2023, the pre-dominant form of practice is BIM, and it has come a long way from its initial premise in 1998 of “a change anywhere is a change everywhere”. BIM is no longer just 3D or even 4D (time) and 5D (cost). It has evolved in complexity to include new sub-specializations in 6D (sustainability), 7D (FM), 8D (safety), 9D (lean construction), and 10D (industrialization and optimization) which is relatively new and still evolving out of disruptive technologies such as AI, VR, generative design, and voice recognition technologies among others. This paper investigates 10D BIM implications on the present form of education and practice by exploring disruptive technologies which are right at the intersection of design and construction processes and tools. It proposes a framework to understanding 10D BIM as it is evolving. There is a shift happening. A new age is upon us. Disruptive technologies are profoundly influencing design processes and creating unprecedented opportunities and challenges. Three questions drive this investigation: To what extent is this shift change? How fundamental is it? And what plausible future scenarios are there for the present BIM form of education and practice? The methodology followed is based on introducing BIM students at the American University in Dubai to 10D disruptive technologies problems and gathering solution results to draw conclusions on future direction.