Dodge Discusses Construction Software for the Next Generation
Emily Pollock posted on June 29, 2018 | | 33 views
An example of generative design. The steps and processes are on display, as these programs generate the process in addition to an output. (Image courtesy of ArchSmarter.)
In all the excitement of an expo, it’s hard to know which trends have sticking power, and which are destined for the waste bin of history. So, in the midst of A’18, Engineering.com sat down with Steve Jones, senior director at Dodge Data and Analytics, to ask which trends in construction software he thought would drive future progress. Jones had both bad and good news for industry professionals: while he sees building information modeling (BIM) and generative designs as incredibly powerful forces for good, he thinks most professionals aren’t moving fast enough on them.
For the last hundred years, Dodge has been collecting information on construction projects across the United States, reporting on where the industry is as well as where they believe it’s going. Jones runs Dodge’s research groups, and his job is separating trends that have actual market value from what he calls “shiny objects.”
Jones bluntly said architects needed to start setting BIM requirements for the engineers they work with, or lose business. “Engineers using BIM is completely under your control,” Jones said. “You can mandate that engineers can use BIM if they want to work with…