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The biannual meeting of the Joint Committee of the American
Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of
America (AIA/AGC) took place in Memphis on June 25, 2005.
The meeting, cochaired by Joe Jarboe, AGC, and Gene Hopkins, FAIA,
was intended to facilitate communication and problem solving
between the disciplines on key topics of interest to members of
both groups. The agenda for the meeting included roundtable
discussions of regional economic trends, key industry issues,
documents, reports, political action, and opportunities for ongoing
and future collaboration.
Of the key issues discussed, building information modeling (BIM)
was emphasized. Committee members from both groups shared
preliminary discussions of how BIM is affecting the design and
construction industries. They agreed that BIM is much more than the
evolution of technology. Rather, it is “practice
integration” that will affect all aspects of the business,
art, and science of our industry, particularly as the distinction
between design and construction has decreased. The technology
exists now; major practice issues including roles and
responsibilities of our two groups need to be defined, however.
Several AIA/AGC members also serve on the AIA Integrated Practice
Strategies Work Group (IPSWG) and contributed some initial ideas
from this group. The joint committee agreed that multiple
stakeholders must be included in the discussion—initially
including architects, contractors, and owners. Then, collaborative
stakeholders such as engineers and public agencies and officials
will also need to be heard. In addition, these groups must
illustrate the value of this evolving practice strategy to the
general public as it can enhance the environment and protect our
health, safety, and welfare.
This issue will remain on the agenda for the next AIA/AGC meeting
in January 2006. Meanwhile, the AIA members of this committee are
developing a short survey on how and where AIA members are
currently using BIM. This survey will be released shortly, and we
hope you will take a few minutes and respond. The results of the
survey will inform the continuing discussion at the next
meeting.
Other industry issues discussed included green
building/sustainability, project delivery systems, globalization,
alliances, material shortages, and transition to the CSI
MasterFormat 04.
2005-2006 AIA members of the AIA/AGC Joint Committee include Eugene
Hopkins, FAIA (cochair); Douglas Steidl, FAIA, MRAIC; Kate
Schwennsen, FAIA; Roy Abernathy, AIA; Peter Arsenault, AIA, LEED
AP; Phillip Bernstein, FAIA, LEED AP; Bradley Buchanan, FAIA; Susan
Hensey, AIA; Amy Yurko, AIA; and Norman Koonce, FAIA. Soren
Simonsen, AIA, attended the meeting in place of Roy Abernathy.
Helene Combs Dreiling, FAIA, Hon. SDA (team vice president, AIA
Community) participates and coordinates committee activities;
however, Andrea S. Rutledge, SDA (managing director for Alliances)
attended this meeting in her place.
The AIA/AGC Joint Committee continues to work toward the
group’s fundamental goals of enhancing interdisciplinary
interface, monitoring current legislative issues, and providing
events and education that advance interdisciplinary
relations.
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