FOUNDATION FRAMEWORK
Mark Norton , Digital Design Director at chapmanbdsp , reflects on the evolution of technology in planning and design over his 35-year career in the built environment sector . From the early adoption of Computer-Aided Design to the rise of Building Information Modelling ( BIM ) and Smart Building technologies , Norton shares insights into the transformative impact of digital advancements on efficiency , sustainability and innovation .
THE FUTURE OF PLANNING AND DESIGN TECHNOLOGY IN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT SECTOR
H aving started my career as a mechanical building services apprentice , I ’ ve seen a good degree of evolution over the last 35 years in terms of the technologies that support planning and design in the built environment sector . And in today ’ s rapidly evolving digital landscape efficiency , sustainability and innovation are paramount as advanced solutions have become not just a preference but a necessary function .
But first , let ’ s rewind the clock to the mid-1980s when I was an early adopter of Computer Aided Design . In this way , I was embracing the digital agenda from its inception . Back then , computers were quite limited within construction and I was keen to get on board so that set the pathway for me . For the next twenty years , the evolution of available technologies was steady but then from the year 2000 there was significant growth in the way technology was used : things started to develop . You could say that the drawing board was pretty much dead by the end of the last century !
During the Noughties , there was a big push in some of the software development , which was quite interesting . By this point , there was definitely more mainstream adoption or should I say an acceptance of technology , certainly from a drawing perspective . Then with the advent of BIM , ( Building Information Modelling ) entering the sector in a significant way around 2012 and
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