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As a first time presenter at the TAP Change The
World conference, I had the opportunity to experience both
Change the World and the 2008 AIA Convention in a
new way. Preparing the presentation, Sustainability + BIM = 3D
4D DN: A Case Study, and sharing our firm’s experience
was not only a resume-builder, it actually helped our firm look at
the project from a new perspective and gain feedback from our
peers.
The theme of Change the World, focusing on the
connection between BIM technology and high-performance, sustainable
building, was a good match for the project I was working on: the
Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield of Iowa headquarters project in Des
Moines. At the time the Call for Presentations was issued, our firm
was actively evaluating BIM and sustainability approaches for this
project. As a first time presenter, I immediately engaged a
co-presenter, Kevin Nordmeyer, AIA, LEED AP, who is our office
sustainability leader. He became a mentor who collaborated,
extended and improved the presentation and contributed his own
surprisingly powerful experiences using technology to aid a remote
African village with planning and design services via the internet.
I recommend that any first-time presenter look for a similar
collaborator.
Engaging our project team to develop the case study for
presentation contributed focus and energy to our design efforts. It
also created the opportunity to engage with the owner in a highly
collaborative way. Additional presentation-related exchanges among
project members elevated problem solving to a higher degree than
typical and provided a venue for creativity and critical thinking.
This was not only a benefit for the project and the presentation,
but impacted the entire office. The case study approach provided a
method for recording our thinking for further office review,
project development, ways forward, and especially lessons
learned.
The presentation itself was a great opportunity to share our work
with peers. Experiences that we had on the project were directly
shared with the audience. The presentation had an informal tone
which invited audience participation and discussion continually.
This was an effective way to engage a professional audience and get
feedback that was, in some cases, valuable to our project.
Throughout the presentation techniques were presented not simply as
snapshots or slides, but as demonstrations where possible and
effective. For example, a demonstration of a technology was
extrapolated to the headquarters project. The demo involved
real-time video conferencing and remote home automation of a home
in Iowa. Needless to say, speaking from Boston to Iowa during the
session was fun, it illustrated the idea effectively and everyone
in the room seemed to be actively engaged. This level of
interaction with the audience was intentional, successful and
hopefully helped to clearly communicate the idea of what is
possible by “We The People” -- the theme
of the 2008 AIA Convention.
The response to the presentation was exciting and rewarding. We
were able to solicit valuable responses to and validation of the
path we were on with the project. We made some great connections to
follow up on for additional development and feedback.
This opportunity to present was timely with the project. Engaging
our design team in preparing the presentation expanded our thinking
about the project. Looking at an in-house project as a case study
was valuable for the entire firm. Not only did our audience of
peers learn something from us, but we learned from their feedback.
This experience convinces me that the effort taken to propose,
prepare and deliver a session at a TAP or other AIA event is well
worth it.
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