Get on the Collaboration Bus. Or Quit. I don’t care which.
 The Generation Y Architect
In February 2012, during a session at the AIA Minnesota Leadership Forum, I discovered that I am a stereotype. Painfully so. I am Generation Y. In a room with fifteen Generation X architects, I was the oddball. It happened again when I was at the AIA Minnesota Board Retreat eight months later. It was a room of fifty architects. We had to order a list of 7 ways the AIA could focus its efforts. The 7 ways could be broken down into two groups. This wasn’t intentional, but to my eyes it was obvious. Four of the options were very Gen X / Baby Boomer issues. The other three were typical Gen Y mantras (sharing, collaboration, openness). Unfortunately I don’t have the list nor do I remember what all seven points are. And I’ve contacted everyone I know who was in the room with me. No one seems to have the list either. Anyways… I looked around (snooped) at how everyone else had ordered their lists. My numbers 1, 2, and 3 were EVERYONE else’s 5, 6, and 7. The order might have been shuffled, but they ALL put my top three as their bottom three. And this of course meant that their top three were things that I thought were a waste of the AIA’s time, money, and effort.
What was the difference? Age? Nope. Generation. Yup. There were plenty of other people in the room who were close to my age, but I’d wager anything that no one else was born in or after 1981.
I’m different, but I’m not unique
Since realizing how stereotypical I am of this up and coming generation, I see it everywhere. And I’m proud of it. And excited. Born in January of 1981, I always assumed that I was the end of Generation X. I have two older brothers and they fit that generation very well (having both been born in the mid-70s). How wrong I was. I’m the Vanguard. And I don’t think I’m even a fully formed version of what’s coming. Those rushing up behind me. Shit. Get with the picture or just go and retire.
A Generation Y storm is brewing
I saw a great comment on LinkedIn:
“From what I’ve seen in the industry, Architects, Engineers, Contractors and Owners are not ready to accept the business/legal implications of IPD. Everyone still wants the perceived safety net of having someone else to blame when “something is forgotten”. The problem is one of human nature, not just technology. Perhaps the Gen-X’ers and Millenials will have less aversion of “shared legal culpability” in a business environment.”
I think most of Gen X is going to be just as nervous. Not all of them of course, but as a trend, yes. And definitely the older half or two-thirds of their generation.
The Signs are Everywhere
I’m not claiming ownership of collaboration. My generation didn’t invent it. But for Generation Y collaboration is non-negotiable. It’s what we do. I read great posts like this one from Dimond Architects and think two things. Initially I shout Yes! I’m on board. Let’s work together; let’s team up; let’s focus on what we do best and create some amazing Architecture. And then I also get a bit confused. Do people really need convincing of this? Are there people who feel possessive and afraid to share? Well I’m just being facetious. Of course there are. But the future doesn’t belong to them.
So take a moment and read the proposition by Dimond Architects director Ian Dimond. Are you comfortable with that proposed future? For me and most of the upcoming architects, it’s not a matter of do we agree or not. It’s how do we make this happen. Because we’re on board. You coming?
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Phil Allsopp, RIBA, FRSA
Collaboration and multi-disciplinary working IS the only way to go. I’m a baby boomer and since working on BIM systems – software as well as industrialized construction systems – in the UK in the late 1970s (OXSYS BDS and GDS), IPD for me has been the only way I can conceive of designing, retrofitting and building human habitats.
I still know of people of my own age who barely know where the “on” switch is on their laptops or who think that computer aided design has something to do with 2D line drawing a la Autocad and similar automated drafting clones.
IPD is exactly what the aerospace industry uses for designing and building aircraft. Its long past due that architects treated the design and construction of human habitats in a similar fashion. Lockheed, for example, would never think about building an aircraft from some sketchy schematics, sending those drawings out to a bid, selecting the low cost submission and then hoping the plane would fly. But for some reason dealing with built environments is regarded as something deserving of less attention, less simulation, less engineering and less performance.
I’m 100% on board with BIM and IDP as is my company. We couldn’t imagine working in a fragmented environment where the resulting built form is a result of guesswork and luck.
Jared Banks
Agreed! Thanks for the comment. And while I bring up the generational issues because I think the coming one will be eager for this change, it’s perhaps more appropriate to see this as an issue of 20th century companies and 21st century employees.
Chris Ehly
Hopefully, Gen-Y can help solve my most burning questions:
Y doesn’t the model not match the CD’s?
Y do you get 2yrs to create your model, and I only get 2 months to fix it?
Y can’t I get an updated model from (insert famous AEC firm here) after CDs are issued, and 10,000 RFI’s have been answered to fix the inherent busts in the original model?
Y am I still modeling structure, ceilings, and walls to accurately depict what isn’t reflected in your model?
Y is my Mechanical Room smaller than your office?
Y in the world do you willingly choose to wear pants that tight?
-Signed
Most every MEP sub’s 3D detailer.
Jared Banks
I have opinions on the first couple of questions, but I’m at a lose for the last one. I’ll never understand that. 🙂
Great questions by the way.
Jason Smith
Collaboration? We have to do this no matter how the the construction documents are created.
Having all the information in the one place makes it easier to communicate between all members of the team. You can physically see where your pipes of ducts can go.
I’m on board, and I was born in 74.
Mark Loomis
I’m encouraged by Phil’s comments, as a fellow baby boomer (December, 1961) I can attest to the fact that we aren’t all collabaphobic!
I noticed that his firm has offices in Phoenix, London and Prague. The European connection no doubt influences their progressive culture. I hate to say it, but the Europeans are way ahead of us Yanks with regard to BIM and computational design implementation!
I’d like to recommend a book that I found to be very inspirational for establishing a collaborative environment. The Idea Factory: Bell Labs and the Great Age of American Innovation by Jon Gertner.
It inspired a LinkedIn discussion about creating a computational design dream team that ended up being very interesting: http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Computational-Design-Dream-Team-2432125.S.201497050?qid=ccace78d-57d4-4971-9d82-6cdb6db1fd53&trk=group_items_see_more-0-b-ttl
The discussion focuses on collaboration in the context of computational design but it also touches upon aspects of BIM as well. I hope it adds to your discussion and sparks further insights from others.
Jared Banks
Mark, thanks for the book recommendation. I’ve come across that book before and it’s on my ‘to read’ list. I’ll have to move it up higher. Of course I also need to FIND more time to read… 🙂 I look forward to catching up on the LinkedIn discussion as well. Thanks much!
Tony Colburn
Wow, calling the ‘ol foggies out! I work more in the contractor world than design and engineering but can attest that the domain is slow to move forward. I don’t know if this is a generational issue or our field. My guess is the latter (I could go on and on how boomers and X’ers are leading the charge in the areas you reference in technology, science, and other technical fields).
But since you went there with generalizations :)…
Y’s sense of entitlement is baffling.
Y’s don’t really understand what it means to use the proverbial leather belt to keep the compressor running on a concrete pour through the night, and the next night, and the next…
Only Y’s will offer in an open company meeting to the CEO, “thanks for my raise this year”.
Signed “X and scared!” 😉
Jared Banks
Tony, thanks for your input.
Yeah this current generation has some things to come to terms with! But I think it’s a combination both of youth and a shift in this group’s views towards life/work/goals/etc. So if we can look past the “dumb kid” aspect there’s huge potential in the good that remains. And that’s the point I’m getting at. Since (theoretically) this younger set is eager for collaboration, there’s a huge power to be harnessed. It’s not that others aren’t, but since there’s a trend in Generation Y, let’s use it. Or more importantly (?) how can those in power (not us, yet) use this knowledge to all our advantage? If an anti-collaboration spirit is part of our industry, how can this new wave be used as a level to change that?
Also I’ve got some opinions on the sense of entitlement issue. But I’ll save that for another day.
Tony Colburn
I am not sure anymore how to accelerate the North American industry’s mentality but it is moving. Thanks to BIM in part (maybe a large part). I started working in the domain in the late 80’s and heavy into technical evangelism in the 90’s and it is still very common today to run into large organizations where acceptance to proven technologies from a decade ago are not understood, or in some cases known about. For example, automated estimating systems and 2D takeoff tools (true!). The buzz around BIM processes and technologies are disruptive on the beneficial side; the curve is going up. IMO collaboration will be helped as a succcessor to standards acceptance. Industry groups are driving this. They are pushing standardization, e.g. Fiatech, the buildingSmartalliance, CURT, gov’t, and as Phil and Mark address, the Europeans and manufacturing domain. It is tough to collaborate when the language is different. This is why we’re seeing so many building contractors grow internal modeling assets to re-model architect and engineering deliverables in a schema that is usable for integration and analysis.
Jared Banks
It reminds me of one of my favorite acronyms: FUD… Fear, Uncertainty, and Dread.
So many people default to that way too quickly. I’m having a conversation somewhere else about some crazy futuristic potentials of BIM and Augmented Reality. Everyone in the conversation is interested in this stuff and forward thinking, using BIM, etc. But most people just want to moan about how it won’t work or how it’s too risky or that there are security issues or that it’s just more unnecessary complexity or that blah blah blah. Much better to focus on how it could or might be, than complain about it just can’t be. Or how what we have now is good enough…
I guess of course it does come down to money and profit. Big companies are doing fine with what they have. Why change? Not a motto I live by.
Mark Loomis
Ours is not to question Y…only to do or die!
Sorry, I couldn’t help myself!