IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

IT In The Building Industry - A U.S.
Industry Perspective
Dr. Vladimir Bazjanac
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Leader, IAI Technical Advisory Group

Prologue: If Today Were ...
If today were July 6, 1899
you would not have thisin your office

How would you do your job?
Would you have your current job?
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Industry Alliance for Interoperability

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Page 11IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Current information exchange• Four apparent rules that govern thecurrent information exchange in theU.S. building industry:
Formally record only what is required or
may be contested in the futurez Submit only what was requested
z Digest only what is immediately pertinentz Minimize cost (cash outlay) of theexchange
zLBNL• These rules will vanish with industrywide use of IT
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Recent developments and trends• Internet and WorldWideWeb• High-performance, low-cost hardware• Increase in productivity withprofessional CAD software• Increase in productivity with otherprofessional software• Non-professionals’ access toprofessional information• Customers’ increase in expectations
from the product
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IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Internet and WWW• Speedy access to information: one minute todownload a document that will take more than one
hour to read
• More information than can be readily
comprehended: complex documents that often
take more time to digest and absorb theinformation than the time available• Unknown and unmapped sources of information: it
may take longer to find the information than todigest it• Continuous and rapid change in information• Inexpensive distribution of information to multiple
destinations: ee-mail, lists, exploders, file transfer(ftp access)
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New hardware• HighHigh-performance, lowlow-cost
hardware• PCs that outperform
workstations of a few years ago
by orders of magnitude• Inexpensive memory: allows
efficient use of complex
software (without paging)• Cheap storage devices andlarge capacities: quick accessto much more information, easy
backback-up and archiving• LANs: connection of andaccess to multiple systems
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Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Productivity increase from CAD software

LBNL• Professional CAD software: allows a single individual to dowhat took 10 or more individuals only a few years ago• One change automatically includes adjustments to otheraffected information• Global changes/corrections in documents: change of one
instance results in changes of all instances• Incorporation of multiple documents into one: addition ofnotes, comments, references, dates, etc. to drawings• Master documents: documents that serve as the basis forother documents (no need to redraw or duplicate)• Multiplication, reduction and amplification of information:
global and conditional copying, zoomzoom-in, zoomzoom-out• Multiple views: rotation, isometric projections, 3D views• High resolution/high quality visualization: lighting effects,
incorporation of photographs and renderings• New critical job classifications: CAD operator, datadata-basemanager, communications officer
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Productivity increase from other software• Software that delivers technical answers ina fraction of time: quantitative support
information, engineering information ofvarious kind, cost data
• Simulation software: the simulation ofsystem performance, of overall building
performance, in section of time, overprolonged time

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Industry Alliance for Interoperability

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Page 44IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Open access to professional information• Easy access to information that in thepast was accessible only by those who
needed it• Mistreatment of professional
information: taken out of context,
misinterpreted, misrepresented• The “wrong information in wrong
hands” syndrome: unrealistic
expectations (cost, time, etc.)

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Customers’ increased expectation• Building viewed as an investment(concern with return on investment)• Increase in demand for value ofinvested money• Continuously changing building
program/brief and use• Shorter and shorter pay-off cycle• Diminishing concern with quality(declining willingness to pay for betterquality)• Increase in litigation

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Industry Alliance for Interoperability

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IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Blueprint for IT in the building industry• Interoperability for integrationof available information• Analysis and synthesis of enormously
large data bases: making use of allavailable/generated information• Distributed computing and data bases• New tools to aid communication
specific to the industry• Virtual buildings/environments• Project-based virtual enterprises
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Benefits to other industries: Shell
Findings from a Shell report thatassessed the use of IT in process
plant facilities:z Current approaches to theexchange and sharing of
information are very costly
z Good quality information plays arole to reduce costs and improvethe effectiveness of a facility
throughout its life
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Industry Alliance for Interoperability

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IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

The impact on economy• The 1994 Latham report challenged
the UK building industry to achieve a30% reduction of time and cost,
partially through the use of IT• 40% of the GNP in the U.S. involves
buildings in some way• A mere 15% reduction in the cost ofdesign, construction and operation ofbuildings amounts to 6% of the U.S.
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What is possible now• Evolve to “digital” ways
• Evolve in the ways you practice• On the verge of automatic importexport of building geometry throughIndustry Foundation Classes (IFC) ofthe International Alliance forInteroperability (IAI)

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Page 77IAI Organization and Processes
Presented in Dallas Jan. 23, 1996

Industry-wide goal

NOW
FUTUREEFFORTORERR TION
CURED

DESIGN

WORKINGDRAWINGS

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Industry Alliance for Interoperability

TIME

BID
GMP

CONSTRUCTION

LITIGATIONCONTINUEDSERVICES

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