TT5: Keeping Knowledge
November 5, 2026
This weekly email shares my curated selection of interesting and useful topics on BIM, design, and technology. I aim to share useful information and a few laughs along the way. So, what did I find interesting this week? Read down to find out!
This week’s links start with a small personal project. I used Claude to turn photos of my bookshelves into a searchable catalog. Since it’s a personal tool, it can tolerate a few rough edges. But what happens when a firm starts relying on one? The second link discusses that. Links 3 and 4 look at who maintains those tools, how people’s roles change, and how firms pass along the knowledge behind their work. We’ll finish with the kind of architectural knowledge that has to make it onto the drawings. Alright, let’s get started!
#1: (Not So) Stupid Claude Tricks
I photographed my bookshelves, asked Claude to identify the books, and ended up with a searchable catalog of 587 titles. Claude couldn’t confidently match 74 of them to book records, so those still needed review. That’s manageable for my own shelves, and much less work than typing every title into a spreadsheet.
Click here to read the full article at ArchSmarter.
#2: Homebrewed Tools
AI makes it easier for someone in an AEC firm to build a tool for a problem they know well. AMC Bridge’s Igor Tsinman explains why a working prototype isn’t necessarily ready to touch live project data or become part of everyone’s workflow. Someone still needs to test it, secure it, and take responsibility for maintaining it.
Click here to read the full article at AEC Magazine.
#3: How AI is shaping roles in architecture firms
Mercedes Carriquiry argues that firms shouldn’t repeat a mistake from the BIM transition: give the new technology to specialists while leaving everyone else’s role unchanged. She makes the case for AI fluency across the firm, with people responsible for turning project lessons into knowledge and tools their colleagues can use.
Click here to read the full article on LinkedIn.
#4: Transferring Knowledge from Retiring Experts
What does a firm do when a longtime expert is about to leave? In this webinar, three AEC firms share approaches that include preserving years of specifications Q&A and interviewing retiring leaders. They’re using AI agents to help colleagues find and apply what was captured. The recording is 90 minutes, but the page has a useful chapter list.
Click here to watch the webinar at Knowledge Architecture.
#5: Architecture Is Only as Good as Its Details
David Louis Swartz writes about the experience behind a good architectural detail: understanding materials, construction sequence, tolerances, and what a contractor can actually build. He also argues for drawings clear enough to pass that understanding to the next person, rather than leaving them to guess what the architect meant.
Click here to read the full article on LinkedIn.
That’s all from me. I hope you’re having a great week.
Michael
