Critique: "Report on Integrated Practice - 8"

As BIM is understood and enabled processes adopted, a more collaborative approach to building design is possible.  The architect's consultants, as well as builder and appropriate subcontractors and fabricators, can be tightly integrated into the design process, assuring that effort is not wasted on non-viable design paths, and that the resulting building will perform as desired."

- Jim Bedrick & Tony Rinella, Report on Integrated Practice, 8

BIM offers a new level of opportunities for collaboration between various disciplines throughout the design process.  Likewise, the necessity for collaboration in the profession is ever-growing as project teams continue to grow well into the double-digits to accomplish medium to large projects.

Although BIM is envisioned to ease the collaborative efforts between many disciplines  it is important to note the implications collaboration will have on the role of the architect and the process itself.  The architect has often been regarded as the leader or coordinator in projects.  With BIM allowing for design collaboration, the architect's abilities to lead and communicate efficiently are critical.  With many minds and perspectives working on a design simultaneously, the architect must be able to guide the team towards a common and synchronized goal or risk disputes and discombobulation   

In a sense, these roles are the architect are nothing new.  However, with BIM allowing for simultaneous design, rather than linear processes, the methods in which the architect fulfills their role must adapt to these new parameters.