AIA TAP BIM Award recipient: Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center by Fentress Architects and Mortenson Construction
Jason A. Knowles © Fentress Architects AIA TAP BIM Award recipient: Ralph L. Carr Colorado Judicial Center by Fentress Architects and Mortenson Construction

The perception of building information modeling (BIM) as merely an advanced graphics and documentation tool continues to fade to obsolescence. More and more, architects are working with professions in all building trades to leverage BIM’s evolving capabilities in project delivery and building operations, says RK Stewart, FAIA, who chaired the jury for the 2013 AIA Technology in Architectural Practice (TAP) BIM Awards program. “The evolution that we’ve seen has raised the bar to non-graphic uses” such as building modeling, construction estimating, and project scheduling, he says.

On March 18, the AIA announced the recipients of the ninth annual AIA TAP BIM Awards program, which highlights best practices in the utilization of BIM technology. “It’s a continuity of the information that surrounds the [building] design, construction, and operation that we’re trying to highlight as this new tool becomes more ubiquitous across the industry and not just the profession,” Stewart says.

Two winners and three honorable mentions (listed below) were named among the 16 submissions. The jury recognized projects in three of the six available award categories. The two award recipients were the “most well-rounded of the entries and hit on all aspects of the utilization of BIM to design, deliver, and operate the project—and included metrics that explained their story,” Stewart says. Meanwhile, the honorable mention recipients excelled in a particular aspect of BIM utilization.

The 2013 AIA TAP BIM Award and honorable mention recipients and their respective categories are:

The winners will be honored during the AIA National Convention in Denver on Jun. 19. The jurors, who came from a range of design and design-related professions, included: RK Stewart, the 2007 AIA president and current chairman of National Institute of Building Sciences board of directors; Harry McKinney, AIA, virtual design construction manager at Clancy & Theys Construction Co.; Tom Sawyer, senior editor at Engineering News-Record; Dennis Shelden, chief technology officer at Gehry Technologies; and Eric Teicholz, president and CEO at Graphic Systems.

Note: This article has been updated since first publication to include GLY Construction as an honorable mention recipient.