VIRTUAL Prague Research & Teaching Conference
Abstract
Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become the mandated form of practice for the Architecture, Engineering, Construction, and Operations (AECO) industries. Its Bi-directional associativity and embedded relationships have transformed design and construction. A BIM project resembles a real-life project, ensuring full coordination among all building components and eliminating clashes. This streamlined transformation has not happened in filmmaking, where the representation of architecture remains largely very abstract and fragmented. Films depend on planning sets, props, and spatial arrangements to accurately support the narrative and aesthetic goals. This fragmented process relies on less formalized uses of various tools, from manual and CAD representations to physical scale and digital models. The premise for this paper comes from ARCH 294 Film and Architecture, a course taught at the American university in Dubai. BIM was used to reverse-engineer scenes from Metropolis (1927), Playtime (1967), and Bladerunner (1982) to gain a better and deeper insight into the architectural context of these films. The assignment required students to analyze the period’s architectural style accuracy, cultural significance, symbolism, spatial relationships, class and power dynamics, and utopias vs. dystopias by virtually building reverse-engineered scenes from each case study as BIM projects. The students concluded how using BIM would have altered the planning of the scenes. The findings of this academic exercise reveal that BIM can also be leveraged in film planning and production to elevate and enhance artistic storytelling. It can ensure visual accuracy of sets and locations, enable precise planning of camera angles and movements, and improve collaboration among everyone.
Alex Albani is an architect, CAD/BIM specialist, and educator with over 22 years of international experience. He began his career teaching computer applications in architecture at UC Berkeley, then moved on to shape global retail design and construction standards while driving technology transformations at Gap Inc., Louis Vuitton, and Mexx. He later joined the American University in Dubai to integrate BIM into academia and is currently a Professor of Architecture. He is a certified Revit for Architectural Design professional and an Autodesk Certified Instructor.