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A sold-out audience of 350 attended AIA Technology in
Architectural Practices annual conference, Change the
World, presented with the support of the AIA Integrated
Project Delivery Discussion Group, the AIA Committee on the
Environment and the AIA Center for Building Science and Performance
May 13 14, 2008 in Boston.
Over 60 speakers shared their expertise and 5 bloggers provided
simultaneous commentary that has sparked an ongoing online
conversation. To view or download the presentations or engage in
the blog, please visit: http://www.aia.org/tap_2008_confscedule.
Content was organized into four tracks:
- Toward an Integrated Academic Curriculum and Lifelong
Professional Learning
- Building, Analysis and New Materials for Green Results
- Processes and Tools for a Sustainable Profession
- The BIM Value Proposition
Plenary sessions highlighted the knowledge facets of the event:
Prof. Chuck Eastman gave the opening Keynote Address, entitled
New Technologies for Designing and Constructing. Attorney
Chris Noble chaired a lunchtime panel that discussed Integrated
Project Delivery and particularly Project Alliances. A reception
Tuesday evening honored Chuck Eastman (Georgia Tech) and Paul
Teicholz (Stanford University, Emeritus), two academics who have
researched, taught and written about the evolution of computer
technologies for design and construction for four decades. They are
co-authors, with Kathleen Liston and Rafael Sacks, of the recently
published, must-read BIM Handbook : A Guide to Building
Information Modeling for Owners, Managers, Designers, Engineers,
and Contractors (John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2008, ISBN:
978-0-470-18528-5), the first comprehensive and authoritative book
on the subject.
On the second day, Kimon Onuma led attendees in an abbreviated
BIM Storm Eco, allowing them to experience first-hand a
web-enabled collaborative urban design charrette. At lunch, the
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)s Richard King, Director of
the Solar Decathlon, presented outstanding entries into recent
Solar Decathlon competitions (http://www.solardecathlon.org/), tying
together the conference themes of integrated curriculum, building
performance and sustainability. The Solar Decathlon, sponsored by
DOE, joins 20 college and university teams in a competition to
design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient
solar-powered house, which they erect on the Mall in Washington,
DC. 2007 Winner was the Technische Universtät Darmstadt (see
photo).

Calvin Kam, Ph.D., LEED AP, who served a Dean of the TAP Bloggers
for Change the World, wrapped up the conference with comments by
the bloggers, an Open Forum and discussion of the path forward for
the TAP KC.
The 4th Annual BIM Awards ceremony and reception immediately
followed. See related article on the 2008 BIM Awards in
this issue of EDGES.
TAP wishes to acknowledge and thank the sponsors who made Change
the World possible:
- Distinguished TAP 2008 Sponsor: Reed Construction Data
- Diamond Conference Sponsor: Bentley
- Gold Conference Sponsors:
American Institute of
Steel Construction (AISC)
Graphisoft
Newforma
Tekla Corporation
To read Lachmi Khemlanis review of Change the
World, please visit: http://www.aecbytes.com/newsletter/2008/issue_35.html
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