Three Ways Automation Is Changing the Business of Architecture
Automation is coming to the business of architecture, and it’s not optional.
Here are three areas where automation is changing the business of architecture.
Image credit: Eduardo Lopez
The promise of design automation is that architects will be able to complete their deliverables more quickly.
Of course, that’s highly valuable—to both owners and architecture firms.
But what happens to your business model?
Here are three areas where automation is changing the business of architecture.
1. Design Automation Tools
There are different ways to automate the business. A new category of design tools that are collaborative and cloud-based design tools offer promising solutiosn to messy and time consuming workflows.
It can be hard to know what’s worth investing in. What’s real. What will help a firm optimize its processes rather than disrupting the business and potentially harming the company. At Skema, we are architects creating solutions for architects. Our approach is to partner with firms and guide them on a path that leverages the firm’s intellectual property by way of previous designs and standards.
2. Billing Model Shifts to Value-Based Pricing
One of the things I have found is that many large firms have anticipated this automation. They have dedicated technologists who are implementing custom solutions that improve their productivity.
They're not charging less even though they're spending fewer hours than before. They’ve been able to move away from time-based pricing and fee models that have defined the architecture industry for more than 100 years. Rather, these firms have moved to value-based pricing.
Transitioning to a value-based billing model is a big challenge. Architects, particularly midsize and smaller firms that aren’t yet automating major parts of their business, will have to adjust. And investing in new technologies is part of that adjustment. The question then becomes, what parts do I automate first, and what tools should I use?
3. Data-Driven Workflows for Real-Time Collaboration
For too long, architects have been working in file-based workflows. Collaboration has been in the form of Publish-Addendum-Revision cycles. A new type of workflow is needed. I see an accelerating effort toward data-driven workflows in the cloud.
Firms possess vast amounts of data. However, the challenge lies in effectively sharing this data internally and externally. The abundance of data in files, BIM models, and other sources creates an opportunity for architects to unlock valuable insights and streamline their workflows.
I believe every designer and architecture firm is going to face key decisions:
How will you move from file-based workflows to data-driven workflows?
What is your approach to open data?
How can you share your data in a way that enables real-time collaboration with other design professionals?
Leading Firms are Automating Now
The shift towards automation opens up immense opportunities for better outcomes — from productivity and collaboration to design. Knowledge-based expert design systems are accelerating the detail design phase.
AEC Magazine’s Martyn Day said:
“How much additional productivity can be driven through current BIM workflows? In a world where we reproduce buildings that are variations on themes, if we had smarter tools that understood the design intent, we could do less manual modelling.”
What steps are you taking now to embrace automation and prepare your firm to succeed in this new era?
Email us at info@skema.ai