Crossing the Data-Driven Chasm
If data is more precious than oil, what will you do with it? Bill Allen of EvolveLAB has a few suggestions.
BIM has always generated massive amounts of data, but in the early years of adoption, people didn’t do much with it: a door schedule, a sheet index, a set of drawings. Then came Dynamo, and more became possible. And things are just getting started, according to Bill Allen. In the future, we’ll design in ways that are truly driven by data, using generative design to suggest solutions that solve for multiple variables at once and machine learning to interrogate those solutions and help you select what’s best. Welcome to a world where everything can be optimized, evolutionary problem solving is a standard tool, and data is more precious than oil.
About the speaker
Bill Allen is CEO and president of EvolveLAB, Disrupt Repeat, and On Point Scans. These firms synergistically help architects, engineers, and contractors optimize the built environment. He has over 15 years of experience managing technology for buildings in the AEC industry. He has been a keynote speaker and featured speaker at multiple events, and he led the most-watched Autodesk University talk ever, The Future of BIM Will Not Be BIM, and It's Coming Faster Than You Think. Bill has also co-founded The Bare Roots Foundation, a nonprofit organization that believes each human being deserves the right to basic needs including shelter, food, and clean drinking water.
Related learning
Want to dive deeper? Check out these AU sessions:
The Future of BIM Is Not BIM, and It’s Coming Faster Than You Think: The Sequel
At AU 2019, Bill Allen taught the sequel to his popular AU 2016 class. In it he explores many of the same topics in greater depth, giving special focus to how computational design and generative design can transform both our approach and the practices we follow.
Construction Future—Aggregating and Analyzing Data Using Forge and BI Platforms
How can you do more with your data? The team from Saipem, an international contractor for the oil and gas industry, uses the Forge platform to aggregate data from the models and their build sites, then analyzes it using Power BI. They walk you through the lessons learned and the benefits of applying what they call “a full BIM approach.”
Geometry Systems for AEC Generative Design: Codify Design Intents into the Machine
Learn how to approach design problems through the generative framework, including how to formulate problems and set model parameters. Then discover how Lorenzo Villaggi of Autodesk design consultancy The Living used Dynamo and Refinery in real-world projects, from logic for urban neighborhoods to massing strategies and building siting algorithms.