Readers Weigh In on BIM, PEN, and Other Acronyms

In This Issue:

• Responses to the PEN Suggestion
• Other Suggestions for Alternatives to BIM
• Conclusions

In AECbytes Newsletter #5, I published several responses to my invitation to readers to share their views on the BIM acronym, and if they didn't like it, to suggest more appropriate and better-sounding alternatives. In a subsequent AECbytes Viewpoint article, Paul Seletsky, Director of Technology for Davis Brody Bond, took up this acronym suggestion call and made a strong case for referring to the "technological time-bomb that the architectural and engineering professionals are sitting on" as PEN (for Parametric-ENabled) rather than BIM (for Building Information Modeling). Several readers have written to us in response to both these articles; a select few reflecting the diversity of viewpoints is presented here.

Responses to the PEN Suggestion

Many readers wrote in to express their appreciation of the vision captured in Paul Seletsky's Viewpoint article. Some of these took to the PEN acronym and started using it right away. Others did not agree that PEN was a better acronym than BIM, but found the vision inspiring nevertheless. Both kinds of responses are presented here.

1. "It seems to me in order to work in a true PEN environment, more than just Architects/Engineers need to embrace the technology. Our suppliers will also need to adopt it and provide models of their products that we can place effortlessly into our designs as part of the design process. For example, in my field of residential design I would need windows, moldings, fixtures, roofing, etc., with product/statistical information embedded into the objects. This would allow for the creation of automatically generated sections, details, materials list, building efficiency ratings, cost breakdowns, etc. As a result the designer will not only be designing but would be building an actual working virtual model of the house or building as part of the design/build process. Indeed, Project Collaboration Managers (PCMs), as suggested in the article, would replace the designer/project manager in many companies." -- Brian L. Myers, Residential Designer
2. "I enjoyed the PEN article and am enthusiastic about the vision of a building model that can serve all of the design team functions as it describes. However, I do not think that PEN is better than BIM to describe object-based building design and construction software, since parametric design tools refer mainly to the geometry and its association to other objects in the design, e.g., door to wall, window to wall, etc. I still prefer BIM since a model can incorporate all of the data associated with an object including its parametric properties. Thus I think it is a more inclusive term. Whatever term is used, the goals and implications expressed in the article remain the same. -- Paul Teicholz, former director of CIFE, Stanford
3. "The article by Paul Seletsky has gotten a buzz around our office. There has been a good deal of interest in this type of work and curiosity in where BIM is going, but that article has inspired some lunchtime discussion. I still can't buy in on the acronym 'PEN' as it makes me think of the tool we are distancing ourselves from through technology, but the philosophy and vision is inspiring nevertheless." -- Mark Maddalina, Architectural Designer
4. "I agree that BIM is based on parametric technology. But I find that the term Parametric ENabled modeling (PEN) is limited, as it does not convey a very core concept of the future CAD system (whatever the name is): 3D object + information + workflow management. By workflow management, I am not only talking about a collaborative design process. I personally like the sound PEN makes, but it does not seem like a good substitute for BIM." -- Ghang Lee, Georgia Tech

Other Suggestions for Alternatives to BIM

I received some more suggestions from readers for alternatives to the BIM acronym, in response to AECbytes Newsletter #5:

1. "I agree that BIM is a poor acronym for something as exciting as this revolution in design technology. I had a suggestion of my own to pass along that I thought was interesting: 'Digital Design & Data Modeling' or a '3DM' system." -- Mark Maddalina, Architectural Designer
2. "For lack of a better word, we have been using the term CAAD for years at our research group, standing for Computer Aided Architectural Design. We feel it covers the topic perfectly: Computer Aided is clear; Architectural is logical in our viewpoint (we are a department of Architecture, at a university); and Design is so much more then Drafting & Modeling. But there could be other alternatives: Computer Aided Building Design; Building Objects Design; AEC Design, etc. CAD is a perfect acronym, although it might be colored too much already. Maybe it is better to stick with BIM and let the thoughts focus on the development of better tools, instead of looking for a better acronym. Although it could be that soon we'll have a new version of Revit, called AutoBIM, next to ArchiBIM, IntelliBIM, BIMWorks, AllBIM, BIMStation, etc!" -- Stefan Boeykens, K.U.Leuven dept. ASRO CAD-LAB, Belgium
   
   
3. "As to what to label the latest round of software, why not CABM (Computer Aided Building Modeling)? That seems to cover the lot. In any case, the current state of CABM/BIM/CAD (your choice) software still leaves a great deal to be desired. For instance, it can't even write my specifications for me yet!" -- Robert Israel, Sydney AutoCAD User Group
   
   
4. "The search for a three letter word to describe the revolutionary way in which computers are being used to model buildings is clearly tied to the legacy of CAD, even though the essence of this new technology makes a decisive break from the CAD paradigm. Today, we have new ways of creating building representations, and the information built into these representations exceeds the implied meaning of lines projected onto a 2D surface. Every object can be imbibed with and described by parameters that inter-relate with other objects and their parameters. All this information is stored in a centralized database that can manage and negotiate changes, allowing for the creation of "live" models that are always in sync across multiple disciplines and can be analyzed, modified, and published on the fly. These tools that facilitate creating truly virtual models of a system can, and will, 'do it all.' This is Building Information Modeling on speed—this is Hypermodeling." -- Greg Demchak, Designer /Analyst

I also received some tongue-in-cheek responses, such as the ones below:

5. "How about DIM (design information modeling)? Seriously, as a building modeling application user for several years, while I think it has value, I hate being strapped to this awkward process. I miss designing rather than tweaking software problems and machines. I miss the graphite, pencil, eraser, and vellum because I used to spend more time thinking about design, not accuracy that computers are great with. God help us managing databases as well. Who pays for all this up front cost?" -- Scott Page, Designer
6. "Now I don't even know what I've been trying to study these last few years. The words CAD, CAE, CAM, AEC, BIM, and all those other acronyms have really got me mixed up. Somebody please settle this so I can at least put a name to what I am learning!" -- Richard Williams, Student

Conclusions

My personal take on the PEN acronym is that it certainly sounds better than BIM. However, I think it is not an adequate replacement for BIM for several reasons. One, it is as generic as CAD, whereas we need something specific to the building industry, similar to MCAD for the mechanical engineering industry or EDA for the computer chip design industry, as I pointed out in AECbytes Newsletter #5. Also, Parametric-ENabled as a phrase seems incomplete compared to Computer Aided Design or Building Information Modeling. And finally, PEN is too reflective of the era of manual drafting and doesn't seem an appropriate name for the potentially revolutionary nature of the exciting new technology, as one of the readers pointed out.

With regard to the other suggested alternatives, I like 3DM (Digital Design & Data Modeling) a lot, but again, it is not specific to building design. CABM (Computer Aided Building Modeling) indeed seems to cover it all, but sounds awkward. The problem with CAAD (Computer Aided Architectural Design) is that it does not cover all the disciplines related to building design and construction; besides, it sounds the same as CAD. I agree with the reader who questioned why we are getting stuck with a three letter acronym to replace CAD when the new technology is so different; however, I can't buy into the suggestion of 'hypermodeling' as it does not reference buildings in any way, which I think is important.

In conclusion, I think it is really tough to find a better acronym than BIM to replace CAD in the building industry, especially one that is agreeable to all. As some readers have suggested, perhaps the name is not so important. It would be nice, though, to have something that sounded better, particularly if we are going to be flooded with various products containing the name BIM, as a reader prognosticated!

But since it seems the acronym BIM is here to stay, those who don't like it should perhaps make their peace with it. Having devoted two articles to the acronym issue, AECbytes will also let the matter rest for now, and continue its investigation and analysis of what is possible with the new technologies that the acronym represents.

About the Author

Lachmi Khemlani is founder and editor of AECbytes. She has a Ph.D. in Architecture from UC Berkeley, specializing in intelligent building modeling, and consults and writes on AEC technology. She can be reached at lachmi@aecbytes.com.

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