175: ‘Realtime Decision Making’, with Ian Keough and Keith Fine
A conversation with Ian Keough and Keith Fine.
Ian Keough and Keith Fine join the podcast to talk about how SLAM Collaborative and Hypar are working together to change the healthcare design process from early programming to fabrication. SLAM brings practical architectural experience and the vision while Hypar provides powerful design automation tools. Keith explains how they're making healthcare space planning faster and more efficient, while Ian talks about how their software has adapted to meet real architectural needs. Their work demonstrates how architects and software developers can work together to create better building design tools. This conversation covers the story of how Hypar 2.0 has come to be.
Watch this episode on YouTube
Episode Links
Connect with the Guests
Books and Philosophies
Nicholas Carr’s The Shallows: What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains
- Amazon Link
- Explores how technology affects cognitive abilities, relevant to real-time decision-making in AEC workflows.
Matthew Crawford’s Shop Class as Soulcraft
- Amazon Link
- A deep dive into craftsmanship, which resonates with the evolving role of architects in maintaining control over project outcomes.
AI Tools and Emerging Technologies
Hypar: AI-Driven Generative Design Platform
- Hypar Official Website
- The innovative platform at the core of this episode, enabling flexible, intelligent design workflows.
Dynamo for Computational Design
- Dynamo Official Website
- A crucial tool for automation and generative design within BIM environments.
Enscape for Real-Time Visualization
- Enscape Official Website
- Used in SLAM Collaborative’s workflow for immersive client interactions and real-time decision-making.
Building Design and Prefabrication
The SLAM Collaborative
StudIO: Prefabrication and Modular Construction Solutions
- StudIO Official Website
- A parametric framing and prefab design tool referenced in the episode
Autodesk Revit for BIM Management
- Revit Official Website
- The industry-standard BIM software, heavily integrated with Hypar’s workflows.
Modular and Prefabrication Resources
- Modular Building Institute
- Insights into how modular construction is evolving in healthcare and beyond.
Visualization & Decision-Making Tools
Grasshopper for Rhino – Algorithmic Design
- Grasshopper Official Website
- A generative design tool referenced in the discussion about automation.
PowerBI for Data-Driven Decision Making
- Power BI Official Website
- A potential tool for real-time analytics in project workflows.
Psychology and Personal Development
Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking, Fast and Slow
- Amazon Link
- A book on cognitive biases that ties into real-time decision-making challenges in design and software adoption.
Carol Dweck’s Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
- Amazon Link
- A book on the growth mindset, relevant to architects and software developers pushing industry boundaries.
Related Podcast Episodes
- TRXL 003: ‘A Local Maxima’, with Ian Keough
- TRXL 048: ‘How it Started; How it’s Going’, with Ian Keough and Clifton Harness
About Ian Keough:
Ian's early work at Buro Happold identified a need for mobile applications to leverage BIM data. His software goBIM was acquired by Vela systems for their Vela Field product, which later became Autodesk's BIM 360 Field. His open-source visual programming language Dynamo has a worldwide community and now ships with Revit. He co-founded Hypar with Anthony Hauck in 2018 with a vision to deliver the worlds building expertise to everyone, instantly.
About Keith Fine:
Keith is a Principal at SLAM and serves as the Management lead for the Los Angeles Studio as well as the National Director of Innovation for the firm. Keith combines his unique experiences including construction, technical architect, and leadership with his passion for design and innovation forming a very broad and unique perspective. Keith engages challenge with a strong team-building focus that leverages the very best from those around him. Through these networked relationships and exposures, Keith has a unique skill in understanding the interconnected nature of seemingly disparate technologies and strategies and cultivating the development of new and innovative solutions. He holds a Masters of Architecture from Tulane University and is a member of the California Council of the American Institute of Architects, on the Steering committee for the Innovation Design Consortium and a Technology Leader in the AIA LFRT.
