#IPD: Integrated Project Delivery, an Introduction

I might be talking soon oftern about Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) so I thought I'd attach some introductory documents in case you are interested in following up the discussion
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If you read the Summary of my Master Thesis published here a few months back, you might remember the topic of the Thesis was focused on BIM, but the fact that I ended up chosing that topic was a consequence of a thorough analysis of literature that indicated this was a relevant topic.

Part of the same literature that led me to study BIM in detail also pointed at "a need for better integration of project teams and collaboration between all parties". BIM is being regarded as one of the tools to enable this needed better integration (we could discuss here if BIM is a tool or a process, if you've been here for a while you might know that I see much more as a process than just as a tool, but we can discuss this point later on on another post).

The main improvement potential for better project outcomes though will not come just from implementing BIM, but also from implementing better collaboration among project stakeholders. There are two main lines of thought about this collaboration. One is the one followed by the Lean Construction Institute and their approach to Lean Project Delivery. The other, and the reason of this introductory post is the Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) paradigm.

We are trying at work to adapt part of the IPD approach to the Spanish Market to reach better project outcomes, improve the atmosphere of collaboration and increase client's satisfaction. We are still in the beginning and have no completed project to show resuts yet, but we are doing our best to adapt this approach to the way things can be done right here.

As an Introduction to IPD for those who know nothing about it there is this document from the American Institute of Architects that I think is a very good read to start.

Integrated Project Delivery: A Guide

I'll share here whatever I can of our journey trying to create Integrated Project Teams for Projects in Spain and Catalonia. I already took part in a sort of Integrated Project Team when I worked in Germany, so hope I can bring my little bit to this challenge. Anyone else has worked under IPD agreements? Any thoughts you'd like to share?
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Architecture Software Acronyms

What do all these acronyms stand for? CAD, CAM, BIM, IPD, CAE, AEC...Not so long ago, a friend of mine started publishing in his blog a list of Acronyms related to the Business Intelligence field. For a long time I wanted to do something similar, so finally that pushed my laziness away and here comes the list.
Since this website deals with Architecture related software, I'll try to list all those acronyms related to this topic, or at list the ones that I am acquainted with. The list might get updated as new abbreviations develop or I get to know them. Here is the list:

• CAD: Computer Aided Design. Sometimes also referred as CADD (for Computer aided Design and Drafting). The most basic one (and the one that gives name to this website). Although originally understood for 2D drafting with a computer, nowadays is also used to refer to 3d Design. Most of the big names in CAD software deliver products with strong 3D modelling capabilities. The Almighty AutoCAD is the industry most widely spread CAD package in the construction industry.
  
• CAM: Computer Aided Manufacturing. Originally Computer Aided Machining. Is the use of computers (and designs generally prooduced with CAD systems), to streamline the production of goods.
  
• CAE: Computer Aided Engineering. Although in many countries the functions of CAE software are performed by Engineers and not by Architects, in some places like Spain, the Architect still plays the main role in this field, specially on Building Structural Analysis. The tasks accomplished with this software are analysis, simulation, design, diagnosis of built solutions (and thus, of buildings) and many others. The software range might go from CAD/CAM software to Structural analysis programs, Heating and AC system calculators, etc.
• AEC: Architecture Engineering and Construction. The explanation is kind of obvious, software or any tool related to these 3 fields. The abbreviation is used by many BIM software to name some of the tools such as the AEC Polygons.
• BIM: Building Information Modelling. This is were the industry seems to be strongly moving to. BIM means not only building a 3D modell of a building, but also adding to these model all sorts of real life properties, such as materials, plumbing, structure, etc. It is in certain way like building in a computer a complete model previous to the construction of the real thing. ArchiCAD is known to be the first BIM software (released in 1987), other big names on BIM are Revit by Autodesk, Allplan by Nemetschek or Bentley Architecture (the BIM version of Microstation).
  
• IPD: Integrated Project Delivery. Not very extensively explained, seems to be a step forward from BIM. A way to not only build a model that has all the information of a project, but also to create an interconnection between Architects, Owners and Constructors (and all providers involved in the process) to minimize costs and maximize building efficiency. In this video, you can see a brief (and a bit stressing) introduction to IPD.
• CGI: Computer Generated Imagery. A wide meaning of this would be any image you produced using the computer (kinda obvious eh!). The use of the term refers mostly to 3D imagery and animations produced using any of the softwares explained above (and many others)
  

There are other 3 letter Acronyms related to architecture like GMP (Guaranteed Maximum Price) and others, but I am not going to explain them here since they have few to do with Architecture related Software

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