I’ve recently returned from BIM Forum’s Minneapolis conference (coincidentally, I was there when Prince died…very surreal, and way off-topic). If you have never been to BIM Forum, I would suggest you go at least once. It is hosted by the Associated General Contractors of America. These are the guys and gals who are in the trenches bringing your designs to life. The conferences are held twice a year, the next one being in Atlanta in October.
The theme for the spring conference was “BIM & the Built Environment” and centered around the use of 3D scanning in construction projects. The conference started with a social at the Mill City Museum…an old flour mill that had endured explosions and fires. Pieces of the original structure are still standing, giving the ambiance of ancient ruins. Just the thing to give construction professionals something to visually dissect.
The rest of the conference included a nice variety of sessions including many case studies and demonstrations of the use of 3D scanning in some unique and challenging circumstances. There was a track on BIM Management, as well as sessions on contract documents, Levels of Development, and even a hands-on project session involving Legos. Surprisingly, the Lego session was very insightful into the BIM process, and how the responsibilities of each team member impact the entire project. Participants were given one hour to build a Lego house to certain criteria, including change orders, inspections and last minute deadline pushes. I’m pretty sure my 11-year-old could have finished it faster, but the point of the session was well taken.
Overall, the conference gave valuable information relevant to the construction industry as a whole, and insight into trending technology. Check out bimforum.org for more information.
