The Knowledge Cafe is an education and consulting studio which provides software technology education to students and professionals in the architecture, engineering, design and construction industries.
The Knowledge Café is an education and consulting studio which provides software technology education to students and professionals in the architecture, design and construction industries. We are also a consulting firm for end users who are part of a company’s facilities group that wish to utilize BIM as part of their facility management. Our Mission Statement: The Knowledge Café provides an interactive, collaborative learning environment where modern learning meets modern technology.
Our goal is to have a healthy, successful company that is known for its approachability, honesty, integrity, and keen ability to help those in the architecture, construction and design industries become more productive and efficient in their project documentation. In our first year of business we would like to average 10 students a month. This estimate is a conservative, yet achievable quantity of students. We will also provide follow-up, “over-the-shoulder” consulting to help establish a firm footing of the program within a company’s culture. Ideally in addition to our classes, our long term goal is for companies to use The Knowledge Café as part of their orientation program for new hires.
The Knowledge Café will provide a relaxed teaching environment that encourages open conversation and discussion. Classes will be small, informal, yet structured. A maximum of ten students per class will ensure a collaborative and individualized learning experience. Our classes will be marketed towards firms who wish to switch from AutoCad to Revit as well as professionals and students who desire to take their skills to the next level with the software products of the future.
To understand the importance of the software program Revit and the desperate need for The Knowledge Cafe, it is imperative to understand how design documentation has changed over time and the effect the troubled economy has had on the architecture industry and the professionals involved. Over time, design has been documented using a multitude of various media. Ancient cultures utilized hand drawings on natural materials such as wooden boards and papyrus to guide the building process. As civilization progressed, drafting tables, engineering pencils and the slide rule became the tools of the trade. More recently, CAD, Computer Aided Drafting, was instituted as the answer for design documentation. Today, the industry is now moving to BIM, which is an acronym for Building Information Modeling. Revit is a part of BIM which assists in the process of Building Information Modeling.
With each new development in the method of design documentation, the goals were the same: increasing accuracy and efficiency. So how is Revit different from AutoCad? The key to understanding the difference is the “I” in Building Information Modeling. Buildings developed in AutoCad are composed of a series of lines and text that relay information to assist contractors in their effort to construct a structure. The floor plans, elevations, ceiling plans, details, etc., are separate entities. As best stated by C.C. Sullivan’s article for Smart Planet entitled “The Future of Construction: Meet BIM (or else)”, “Unlike plain-vanilla CAD, BIM software creates a three-dimensional (3D) model full of smart objects embedded with information. BIM makes it easier to integrate architecture with engineering work, avoid “clashes” of building elements, instantly output lists of materials and labor, and automate valuable tasks like simulating the effects of sunlight an interior space.” As the efficiency of BIM and Revit become more evident, we are seeing a major shift in the industry. A new analysis from McGraw-Hill Construction, The Business Value of BIM in North America*, shows that BIM adoption in that region expanded from 17 percent in 2007 to 71 percent in 2012, “demonstrating impressive growth despite the recent economic pressures.” “Keith Howells of the big engineering firm Mott Macdonald, equated BIM with the Excel spreadsheet, warning, “If you’re not using BIM in five years time, you’ll probably be out of business.”” Major construction companies, building owners and even governments are beginning to demand projects that are developed in Revit. Architecture firms, Engineers and students are scrambling to learn this program. There is a gap in the number of professionals who are trained on the software. This education gap can be filled by The Knowledge Café.
Revit is not a new program. The first release of Revit was in April of 2000. The program was purchased by AutoDesk in 2002. Forward thinking firms began dabbling with the program during this time and soon it became the topic of discussion in the industry. Many companies began training a small group of employees within their firm to use the software. Improper training and lack of understanding of the new workflow required for Revit initially led to overbudget projects and the product failure within firms. In 2008, the economic down turn slowed the spread of the program with companies who were unwilling or unable to invest in new technology. Thousands of architects, designers and engineers were laid off and were never fully able to grasp the new technology. Many local and regional universities were slow to adopt BIM and to this day are not offering Revit classes. For those who gave up or didn’t believe in the shift to Revit, finding a job in the architecture or engineering industry can be a challenge. Companies prefer professionals who have been trained or have experience with this program. Even professionals who are well established in their careers, who have not drafted in years, find themselves at the bottom of the resume stack if they do not have Revit experience. We are at a pivotal point in an industry shift. The Knowledge Café is perfectly poised to assist in the education of a sea of professionals who need this training to maintain currency in their field.
At the Knowledge Café our experiences are our greatest asset. Scott Schuette was one of those early, apprehensive, pioneers of Revit. Scott was involved in the implementation of Revit in two different firms and assisted fellow co-workers in their efforts to learn the product. In 2009, Scott officially began his teaching career with one of the AutoDesk Resellers in town. It was in this position that Scott found his passion and natural gift as a teacher. In 2010, Maryville University and Ranken Technology both called to offer Scott teaching positions. Students in both schools have benefitted from Scott’s easy going, individualized teaching style. As a result, former students have consistently requested Scott to teach classes at their firms. Thus, The Knowledge Café was born.
At the Knowledge Café we are passionate about helping fellow professionals maintain currency with software in their respective fields. We know the programs. As former users, we have experienced the challenges of learning the program and the joy of seeing what the software can do once it is mastered. We are professional, knowledgeable, and approachable. We believe the best learning environment, is clean-lined, filled with natural light, and a sense of humor. We believe Knowledge should be shared amongst a few friends in the casual, comfortable way one might enjoy a cup of coffee and a pastry in quaint café.
The Knowledge Café provides an interactive, collaborative learning environment where modern learning meets modern technology.
Revit Training and AutoCad Training
