CAD for Principals Annouces Training

Chicago, IL. - May 3, 2000 -- Acting on widespread response to its recent publication calling for better technology for architecture and related professions, the CAD for Principals Council announced today the development of two programs to help mobilize design principals to take charge of the selection and implementation of technology in their firms. The council is preparing an executive training program to provide principals a comprehensive framework for evaluating technologies and applying them to the business goals of their firms. A second program launches three technology action committees focused on business requirements, best practices, and technical requirements.

Founded in late 1999 by principals from ten prominent U.S. design firms, the CAD for Principals Council examined work processes and CAD use in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) professions and published AEC Principals Speak Out on CAD: A Call to Action in April 2000. The report cited inadequate technologies and incomplete implementation strategies and urged principals in AEC firms to join an active campaign to require that computer-aided design (CAD) and related software tools meet their professional and business needs.

"Our analysis strikes a chord. Design principals across the United States and internationally have stepped forward supporting the conclusions of our report and offering to work on our committees. We are developing a technology training program for principals because even the most proficient users of technology have said that they must be better equipped to take charge of technology strategy for their firms and to develop the processes for implementing solutions that support their design and business goals," said Kristine Fallon, FAIA, President of Kristine Fallon Associates, Inc. in Chicago.

The executive training program, scheduled for release in July, will offer an overview of the information technology relevant to design and construction; provide a focus on computer-aided design products and how they can address the core competencies of architecture and engineering firms; highlight emerging approaches to integrating systems and sharing information with clients and across professional disciplines; and present tools and techniques for linking technology and business planning. With the unique perspective of equipping principals to evaluate technology and direct its management at their firms, the training will be delivered as a concise course to facilitate the development of strategies and processes, not as a class on using the design tools.

"The work of the profession has always been to identify the form that is inherent to a site and program, to devise a method of constructing it, and to convey this information to the construction industry. The computer has added a high level of precision to the design process, but it has not enhanced communication or the clarity of our documents. We need to know how to select and manage our computer tools so that they support our primary mission and we can spend our time discussing design rather than software," said John Hartray, FAIA, Principal at Nagle Hartray Danker Kagan McKay Architects Planners Ltd., in Chicago.

In April the council announced activities to continue its research into the quality of the technology available to the AEC professions and the processes for implementing effective technology strategies for design and construction. Launching committees to look at processes and recommend change for the industry the council prepared a structure for detailed study of the technology, best practices and business requirements for the AEC industry. Originally scheduled for start-up later this year, committee activities are planned for May and June in response to rapidly growing interest from design and construction principals.

Kenneth H. Stowe, P. E., the director of project services for the George B. H. Macomber Company headquartered in Boston is chairman of the CAD for Principals Best Practices Committee. "The winners in the new, integrated design and construction arena will use intelligent 3-dimensional CAD models in a streamlined process, linking the entire design and build team for the project life cycle. In the Best Practices Committee we will identify processes that work for design and construction firms that are looking for world-class performance and know that technology is an enabler. I am looking forward to working with committee members from across the country who want to be part of this historical turning point in the use of CAD. Their firms and their clients will be the winners," said Stowe.