Welcome to the ArcSmarter podcast, where we explore the intersection of architecture, engineering, construction, and technology. I'm your host, Michael Kilkelly. I'm an architect turned technologist with almost three decades of experience, both designing buildings and creating custom tools for the AEC industry.
So today, we're going to dive into a topic that's very close to my heart. I'm going to share with you my five compelling reasons why AEC professionals should learn to code. Now, I know some of you might be thinking, coding, that's not for me, I'm too busy, I'm not a tech person, or why should I bother when AI can do it for you, for me?
Stick around, because I'm going to address those concerns and hopefully give you some food for thought. Now, these five reasons aren't just theoretical, they're actually based on my years of experience in the industry. So whether you're on the fence about learning to code, or you're not sure if it's for you, I hope these insights will help you see the potential impact of learning to code and what it can do for your career.
So let's dive in with reason number one, increasing your efficiency through automation. Now, I know the immediate objection here, I'm too busy to learn to code, but hear me out. Automation is all about saving time in the long run by investing a little time up front. And let me share a personal story to illustrate this.
So back when I was working at Gary Partners in Los Angeles, we were designing a large mixed use project. And one of my roles was to package up all our drawings and models at the end of each deadline. Now this wasn't difficult work, but it was really tedious. So it could take up to eight hours to get everything ready.
And this was after already putting in a 70 hour week on the deadline. So while everyone else went out to celebrate, I was stuck back at the office, Packaging everything up now after one particularly grueling deadline. I got home at 3 a. m My eyes were red from staring at my screen and my head was pounding so I decided something needed to change that Monday I committed myself to learning to program.
I bought a book I did a lot of googling and I wrote some really awful scripts, but here's the thing they actually worked Now, I was motivated because I was the one who was going to benefit. No more late nights after we finished a deadline. Now, when the next deadline came around, I had reduced that eight hours of work to just one hour through automation.
And I had codified the process, and better yet, I could direct others to use the tools I had created. So this experience taught me that automation through coding Doesn't just save time, it can provide a better quality of life for you as well as a competitive edge, and it allows you to focus on the more fun, kind of high value work that really matters.
Alright, moving on to reason two, customizing and controlling your tools. Now, another objection I often hear is learning to code isn't relevant to my job, but here's the thing. Off the shelf software is designed for mass market, it's not designed for your unique workflows. So learning to code allows you to tailor your software to your specific needs.
Now let me share an example from one of my Revit Adin bootcamp students. This is an architect who designs homes for production home builders. And a single home design could have five to ten different options. So his firm has an elaborate set of naming standards to differentiate these options in the Revit models.
Managing the view and sheet naming when option changed used to require a lot of manual work, and because it was manual, it had a high potential for mistakes. So this student built a tool to easily rename elements in the Revit model when the options changed. And what used to be a tedious error prone process is now done through the click of a button.
And that's the power of customizing your tools through coding. It allows you to make your tools work with your workflows.
Our third reason is all about better problem solving. Now I often hear people say, hey, I'm not a tech person, but computational thinking isn't about being a tech wizard. It's about approaching problems in a structured way.
And it involves breaking down complex problems into smaller, more manageable chunks. So you can focus on the core elements while filtering out any unnecessary details. And all the while you're developing a step by step procedure to solve problems and automate processes. So I'm currently working on a project to rapidly reduce design and documentation time.
And it's an ambitious project, one that I'll hopefully talk about here on the podcast in the near future. So we're taking a computational approach. We're looking at each aspect of the process individually. So we've mapped out the workflows, we've identified all the subtasks, and we're reconsidering each task to see where we can save time.
You know, even saving a minute or 30 seconds adds up in the long run. So we're also applying parametric design principles so we can test multiple options for the design by changing out various parameters. Now, none of this, none of this at all would be possible without computational thinking. And taking this computational approach allows you to tackle complex design challenges from this new perspective.
And it can open up innovative solutions that you might not have seen otherwise.
Reason number four. Integrating and managing your data. Now I know some of you are thinking, Hey, I don't need to know how to program. I already know how to use Dynamo. And that's great. I'm a huge fan of Dynamo. I love using Dynamo.
But coding takes you a step further and it allows you to bridge the gap between different software systems. So here's an example. Another one of my Revit ad and Bootcamp students works for a company that uses an online application to track the production and shipping of their construction products.
They make panelized kind of wall systems. So they have a Dynamo script that reads exported data from the site into Revit, and they use it to color code elements in the model based on their production status. It's really cool. Now he's working on an add in that will connect directly with the production tracking app.
And by using the apps API, he can streamline the flow of production data directly into Revit, which is essentially going to cut out a whole middle step. So learning to program lets you work with different APIs so you can get applications to talk directly to each other. And this saves time and allows you to make better decisions because all that data is up to date.
Now in today's world of complex projects and big data, managing your data well is crucial. And I would argue that it's a skill that all AEC professionals need to be proficient at. And it's one that's greatly enhanced by having some programming know how.
Finally, reason number five. And that's future proofing your career.
So the big objection here is often, why should I learn to code when AI is going to do it for me? Here's the thing. Coding isn't just about writing scripts or writing programs. It's about understanding how technology works and how to leverage it effectively. As AEC professionals, we have a lot of specialized knowledge.
Now, if you supplement that with coding knowledge, You now have some serious superpowers. You can automate processes. You can connect different applications. You can develop custom tools and optimizations. You can build dashboards for visualization. There's really no limit to what you can do by combining your industry knowledge with programming skills. And we don't know exactly what the future holds for our industry. Other than project schedules are going to get shorter and shorter and building technology is going to get more and more complex. Now by acquiring some programming skills to compliment your industry skills, you can better adapt to technological changes.
You can take on more complex, more high value projects and better yet, you can remain competitive in an increasingly digital industry.
All right, so there you have it, five compelling reasons why you, the AEC professional, should learn to code. Now remember, learning to code, at least as I see it, isn't about becoming a full time programmer.
It's about adding a powerful tool to your toolkit, one that can help you work smarter and one that can open up new opportunities in your career. Remember, as our industry continues to evolve with advancements in AI, computational design, and smart building technologies, coding skills will become increasingly valuable.
By starting your coding journey now, you're not just keeping up with the industry, you're positioning yourself to be a leader. Thanks for tuning into this episode. I hope it's given you some food for thought and some inspiration to explore the world of coding at AEC. If you like this episode, be sure to subscribe.
Thanks and talk to you soon.