Building the next-gen AEC pipeline

Building on my last post about being able to watch the NXT BLD & DEV presentations on demand, the Future AEC Software Specification is one of the more impressive outcomes of the recent NXT DEV conference, which was specifically addressed in the presentation provided by Aaron Perry of AHMM.

Here’s the mission statement for the Specification:

Our aim is to set out an open-source specification for future design tools that facilitate good design and construction, by enabling creative practice and supporting the production of construction-ready data.

This specification envisages an ecosystem of tools, for use by large firms and single practitioners alike, with a choice of modular applications each with specific functions, overlaid on a unifying “data framework” to enable efficient collaboration with design, construction and supply chain partners.

As architects, engineers and contractors, we do not profess to have all the expertise needed to enable this ecosystem, but we do know what we need to do our work, and so we are looking to engage with the software community to deliver the best solution.

Coming together and taking a step back to survey the whole of the current situation and reanalyzing what we need as far as our tools go is necessary, but it doesn’t happen often in an industry that is so focused on delivering one project, then the next, and then the next, and so on. I hope this specification gains momentum so it can grow toward meaningful change to modernize our collective potential impact on the world, which relies heavily upon our tech pipeline.