This course addresses the principles of building information modeling. The course also develops the key concepts of BIM and their relationship to digital design, detailing, and construction. Students will learn how to efficiently manage projects through BIM by developing, coordinating and communicating design intend as well as to convey data necessary for further building analysis such as materials take off, MEP, and structures.

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is revolutionizing design processes through the construction industry, and security is no exception. Just as Computer Aided Design (CAD) represented a sea change in how drawings are produced and shared, BIM, with 3D modeling capabilities, will deliver an equivalent or greater impact to the industry. This course presents a basic grounding in the technology and its benefits, potential applications in security, and likely implementation issues. Widespread adoption of 3D modeling enabled complex geometries and spatial relations to be tested, refined, and documented; gradually digital design moves beyond being a representational tool and is starting to have an impact on the design process and methodology. Iterative and non-linear design workflows are now much more flexible due to the evolving programs architects are adopting, with the concept of parametric simultaneously enabling precision with constraints while allowing for ambiguity and adaptability with outcome. Rather than designing “dead” geometry, we are constructing “live“ relationships and constraints that make a design adaptable and flexible. A design is no longer simply described through geometry, but rather defined through relationships of components in mathematical terms.