The new San Francisco Federal Building, commissioning under the aegis of the
Design Excellence Program of the General Services Administration, is currently under
construction. When completed in 2006, this 600,000 s.f. fl agship offi ce building will
house fi ve different agencies of the federal government. Among other innovative
technologies, the building deploys an integrated custom window wall to regulate
internal comfort standards through natural ventilation, thermal mass storage, and both
passive and active sunshading.

On Feb 1, the College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of Minnesota hosted a BIM Symposium under its "Continuing Professional Studies" program. The focus of the Symposium was on addressing the opportunities and challenges related to implementing BIM in the office, as well as the educational challenges presented by BIM in the design studio. I was invited to deliver the keynote address at the Symposium, and other featured speakers included representatives from the leading AEC firms of KieranTimberlake, NBBJ, and Mortenson Construction. The Symposium concluded with a panel discussion and Q/A session, in which the four presenters were joined by representatives from the local firms of Ellerbe Becket, BWBR Architects, and HGA. The Symposium was very well attended by local industry professionals, and the presentations, panel discussion, as well as the questions from the audience made for a very stimulating discussion. This month's issue of "Building the Future" captures the highlights of this Symposium and discusses some of the main issues that emerged.

The Building Information Model (BIM) for e-Lab represents that status of the building during and at
the end of schematic design for a proposed new laboratory building on a steep site at the Lawrence
Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) in Berkeley, CA (Fig. 1). The design includes unique facilities for
buildings related research, such as two physically rotating laboratories, ten areas of “replaceable” façade
systems, wet labs, completely naturally lit and ventilated offices, public display areas, and more. The
building itself is designed to be a “living laboratory” for study of energy efficiency and sustainability by
providing measured data during its operation and use.
Figure

Lincoln Square Synagogue (LSS), located in an area of Lincoln Square, is a new 52,000 SF ground-up synagogue and community center. This design incorporates an undulating façade of five glass ribbons and was inspired by symbolic reference and inspirational imagery. The building aims to incorporate historic spiritual forms and materials interpreted in a modern vernacular.

As the construction industry evolves and economic conditions tighten, project requirements continue to become more challenging while costs of labor and materials are on the rise. Whether it is a difficult construction timeline, budget restrictions, innovative design techniques, or a restrictive work site, the project team must continuously find ways to build faster, cheaper, and better. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has emerged as an innovative technology that enables a collaborative construction process, while reducing construction costs, increasing productivity, and lowering project risk for the team members.