The Custom Residential Architects Network (CRAN), a Knowledge Community of The American Institute of Architects, will hold its 8th annual symposium on September 19-23 at the Depot Renaissance Minneapolis Hotel in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The four-day symposium, open to all AIA and non-AIA members, will bring together custom residential architects from across the country to learn, share, and discuss relevant topics in the field of residential architecture.I’ll be at the symposium, both as a member of the CRAN Advisory Group and as a speaker. My talk is titled “Elevating the Art of BIM for Residential Design & Practice“. Catchy, right? If you missed my talk in Las Vegas at the 2015 GRAPHISOFT North America BIM Conference or the one I gave at ArchiCON in Brisbane a few months later, you’re in luck. I’ll be covering similar topics in Minneapolis-though from a more BIM-agnostic point of view, and with many more months of knowledge and writing to draw upon. I’m really excited to push even deeper into the mystical intersection of BIM and Art.

I’ve promised Rob Jackson of Bond Bryan Architects that I’d include (and explain) this image of me taking a photograph of a painting that I honestly just love. It’s one of those pieces of art that you see and it just haunts you with its awesomeness and beauty. Well it’s haunting me. It’s actually one of three pieces of art that Rob and I saw while sightseeing in Brisbane that I think is super applicable to how we can all push BIM to the limits and really expand the artistic possibilities of both our chosen media (BIM) and the products of our work (the built environment). I’ll try to share my thoughts on each of the three works of art in the coming months. I think those blog posts will help frame my talk in September.

The AIA CRAN Symposium is going to be an awesome event. Check out the list of Speakers. It’s an impressive group that I am super honored and humbled to be a part of. This event is all that much more special to me because it’s also a homecoming of sorts. I haven’t been back to Minnesota since I moved away in June of 2013. I am super excited to see all my Minnesota friends and visit my old haunts. Plus for my fellow ARCHICAD users, we’ll do some sort of special ARCHICAD event while I’m in town.

For more details, info on all the speakers (including me), and all the buttons to register, click here.

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