BIM for Lighting

BIM for Lighting Seminar

IES LA Event, Proud Bird Restaurant

Los Angeles, CA

April 21, 2011

On April 21, 2011, the Illuminating Engineering Society (IES) conducted a seminar about Building Information Modeling (BIM). Lecturer Brian Stacy has extensive experience in lighting design and related systems for exterior and interior environments. He is the principal lighting designer for Arup NY and Arup SF, Lighting Leader for the Americas, and a LEED AP. His seminar was about the benefits of BIM both in regards to lighting and as a benefit to an entire project.

What are the traditional ways of embarking on a project? The traditional method is using a linear line of reasoning -- a straight line from A-Z. I would analogize this to a Kantanian causation model where A always leads to B, and B always leads to C. What happens if you start the same project as before, but then digress? You may want to jump from L to S to Z. You would still master the entire project, but minus unnecessary costs and in less time.

How BIM benefits the lighting professional is more technical than anticipated. Most manufacturers these days provide access to downloadable IES and BIM files. These files enable lighting designers and engineers to download the light fixtures to feed the project, including data and drawing. Brian emphasizes that BIM opens the door for each key participant to be intertwined with the project at each stage of the project process.

Success does not come without work. In BIM, a lot of work is accomplished upfront. Even before the aspired fabrication and construction stages, myriad adjustments will have been made. BIM is a great tool for thinkers and visionaries to mingle about every controllable variable that may affect the project before anything is physically built.

BIM streamlines the project by setting milestones and assigning roles. It helps establish ownership of the project and delineates who is in control at any given stage. I was astonished to hear that BIM comes with legal documentation to create ownership: Form AIA Document E 202-2008 currently is used as the Building Information Modeling Protocol standard contract. This document is the heart of every project -- it establishes protocol AND expedites the levels of development (LOD).

Brian presented several images created with BIM. The program was capable of putting shadows and shadings between buildings. This takes place during the programming stage. BIM even shows the daylight shadows and shadings in multiple adjacent buildings.

Brian discussed one project at some length to drive home the point about BIM: The Cellophane House -- an offsite fabricated dwelling commissioned by the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA), New York, NY. Link: http://www.kierantimberlake.com/featured_projects/cellophane_house_1.html#. It symbolizes the strengths of BIM: Optimization of costs, quality, and scheduling. BIM enables us to finally model a building and its performance (e.g. lighting) inside a computer system before putting the shovel in the ground.

BIM is what I call efficiency. More upfront work? More critical thinking? Less room for irreversible mistakes? I have positive thoughts about BIM from a technical stance. I have quarreled about the legal side aspects, however. Brian explained that BIM makes parties to a project liable, jointly and severally. When signing the aforementioned standard contract, the parties expressly waive all forms of liability against each other.

This is a neat idea; yet, culture is real and ideal: A court of Law and Equity entertains suits against responsible parties (e.g. Contractors A and B), not against a crowd of tangentially involved individuals (e.g. The BIM Group). Why would any court hold Contractor C liable for the wrongful death caused by Contractors A and B? Set aside the practical issues, why would Contractor C even want to agree to such a contractual arrangement?

I have mixed feelings about the subject matter discussed in this seminar. Apart from learning more about BIM, I was also intrigued by the information exchange between professionals from different fields during the seminar: Architects -- the master builder of models; Consultants -- model control developers; Builders -- advisers of models; Lighting Engineers and Designers -- visionaries; Product Manufacturers -- makers of products; Students -- the think tanks. I encourage each one of my fellow students to partake in such events. Now I am looking forward to taking BIM next term -- BIM is not like the mysterious MIB (Men in Black) anymore.

I almost forgot to mention one major downfall of this event: I did not win the raffle for a 1 Year free membership. Another tip: If the event takes place at this restaurant again, skip the cocktails unless you are fine with spending big on a glass of colored water called Margarita... c",)