As many of you know, I umpire baseball games. Like masonry, I look at officiating as an art. To be a successful official, one needs to know the game's fundamentals, possess the knowledge of the rules, and understand how to execute the procedures. And like most masonry jobsites, the game field often has hundreds of experts offering comments on every made decision.
On a cold May Saturday afternoon, I was assigned to a double-doubleheader in an effort to help the high schools make up some missed contests. I had a different fellow umpire for each set of games. Both are great officials who can even make a 24-7 blowout on a blustery spring day a tolerable experience.
Both shared another quality. They were experienced construction union tradesmen. In the morning my partner was a mason, while in the evening I worked with a carpenter. Between games they updated me on how they were faring in the current economic times. The mason told me he had to give up his weekday afternoon game assignments because his work had migrated to downtown Chicago. The carpenter was a little less upbeat. He hadn't worked since December, and then asked me if I needed a replacement on any of my dates.
It's not surprising that the downturn's effect hasn't been equally spread. But I truly believe this downturn is very short-term. There are several real indicators that our industry will rebound faster than the housing market.
One source of my optimism centers on the industry's strengthening respect for the concept of Building Information Modeling. If you recall, we published several stories about this design approach last year.
In simple terms, BIM enables architects and designers to employ an interconnected computer design approach that focuses on the details. Product specifications are transferred directly into the design software. BIM then allows the designer to study the product's effect. Most experts believe BIM will reduce many of the causes for poor design.
Most product and material manufacturers have been actively pushing for this new approach. And it's something each mason contractor should know about.
The Construction Specifications Institute (CSI) may be the best source for information on this subject. CSI recently launched an AudioCast series focusing on BIM. CSI is producing the “bimWITS” series in conjunction with the buildingSMART Alliance. The programs will draw on the knowledge and “wits” of experts working with BIM.
“BIM is an evolving technology that is often vaguely defined and little understood throughout the industry,” said CSI Executive Director and CEO Walter Marlowe. “BIM is blurring the traditional lines among architecture, engineering, and construction disciplines, creating a new view of the built environment and its participants,” concluded Marlowe.
CSI's AudioCast series will feature national and international experts who will clearly explain how BIM affects the way they do their jobs to average practitioners. It will help every segment of the industry gain better insight into BIM, including architects, CAD operators, and product manufacturers. Each episode will address BIM best practices and will run between three and eight minutes.
