Architect Tim Blatner played a central role in the BIMStorm BIG BIM Bang by using real data from a California Community College athletic facility project for CostaMesa College. This short piece describes some of his work.

1. BIMStorm BIG BIM Bang - One Perspective: Many Software Programs
Blatner Architectural Services delves deep into web-based BIM and GIS capabilities
December 19, 2011 - Oak Park, Illinois
Starting with real program data for a MiraCosta College athletic training facility, Blatner Architectural
Services designed four schemes for a 58,000 square foot building in the BIMStorm® BIG BIM Bang. A
BIMStorm® is a web-based workshop intended to teach professionals about the ability of Building
Information Models and Geographic Information Systems to dramatically increase building industry
productivity with open source software
Timothy Blatner, AIA, founder of Blatner Architectural Services, Oak Park, Illinois, says, “Data
generated in California, modeled into preliminary designs in the Midwest, sent through BIM web
servers and commented on by the College’s consultant back in California and then processed and
analyzed further in Canada and various East coast locations, was developed in a collaborative and
holistic manner to create presentations of
meaningful information in a way that allows
stakeholders to make their critical decisions.”
This is Blatner's fourth BIMStorm® and he feels
it has been highly beneficial to have real owners
with real projects be involved on such an active
level. “BIMStorm® LAX was a great
demonstration of the shear amount of work that
can be done with web-based BIM in one day.
BIMStorm® San Diego allowed us to redesign
the urban plan of the east side of downtown San
Diego in the course of a weekend. BIMStorm®
Haiti evolved into a research project, gathering
and web-sharing post-disaster maps, news,
shelter options, and technical resources,” says
Blatner.
Massing model of one scheme on Google Earth (above)
FUSION Data Starting Point Marked up print out of one scheme (below)
Blatner noted that he started his latest BIMStorm process by obtaining
program data from Onuma System that originated from the Foundation for
California Community College's unified database named FUSION. He
designed simple massing models based on this data and “landed” them in
Google Earth. His decision on site placement took into account campus
GIS data on existing utilities that became available as information layers in
the ONUMA System during the exercise.

2. Blatner’s initial electronic plans were printed, marked up, scanned and returned to him to show what
changes the school’s master planner, HMC Architects, recommended. With this feedback from those
involved with the real project, he made adjustments and designed additional schemes. Then his
building information models were ready to be shared in public web-based folders, from which they
were taken by others and entered into multiple different interactive software programs for further
modeling and analysis. Revit, Ecotech, Vico, Vasari and the GTX Sync from Gehry Technologies were
among the programs that Blatner's schemes were run through.
“Meaningful and comparative wind analysis, solar analysis, site planning, constructability assessment,
lighting studies, cost estimating, envelope analysis and other professional services were generated in a
short time from a very limited, but meaningful set of information,” Blatner says.
“Assembling massing models alone is not
impressive. But when you can create
multiple viable iterations faster with real
data behind them, you can analyze them
and make critical directional decisions
earlier in the design process. These
decisions are made sooner, and based on
more meaningful and comparative
information that affect short-term costs and
duration of construction, but also long-
term operational issues such as energy
consumption and expenditures. There is
greater value to what is possible today,”
Blatner says. “You are able to add more
value with fewer people in a shorter
amount of time with this collaborative and
holistic approach.”
GTX Synch was used to show a simple rendering
Blatner spent about 70 hours of his own time from the observation of the third BIMStorm® BIG BIM
Bang webinar on November 22, 2011, including participation in the fourth webinar on November 28,
until he finished interacting with other professionals consultants regarding his schemes. More than five
other firms, including Gehry Technologies, Balfour Beatty Construction, Vico Software, Lam Partners,
PV Energy Solutions and Halsall Associates, provided services during the highly focused period
between November 29 and December 8.
The designs and analysis results from this brief exercise were featured in a presentation at the
BIMStorm® booth at the ecobuild® america 2011/ National BIM Conference® in Washington D.C. on
December 8. A final presentation of results from this collaborative design, construction management
and facilities analysis effort are being scheduled for the early weeks of February 2012.
Find more information at www.BIMStorm.com/WAS
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