We write this post about BIM LABO’s outstanding achievements with heavy hearts. We were saddened to learn of the recent passing of Yuji Suzuki, a valued member of the Graphisoft community from Japan. We had already planned to post about BIM LABO’s outstanding achievements, when we heard of Mr. Suzuki’s sudden passing. This piece honors his immense contribution to our industry and the legacy he leaves behind. His written works and expertise will continue to inspire and educate generations to come.
Graphisoft Community brings together a diverse global community, engaging students from Brazil to Italy and architects and BIM professionals from Japan to the United States. Hundreds of you go online and share tips & tricks daily to help your peers’ professional growth. But what about publishing a book? Osaka-based BIM experts, BIM LABO, decided to help architects and future professionals in Japan learn BIM and Archicad with detailed guides. The initiative enabled new professionals to further contribute to developing the local building industry.
Meet BIM LABO
BIM LABO’s mission can be summed up with the words: “Know, Create, Nurture, and Develop.” BIM LABO was established in 2011 by volunteers in the Kansai region to " change the architectural design process.” At the time of its establishment, they were discussing the possibilities of BIM and developing concrete ways to introduce BIM from various perspectives.
Currently, they offer BIM consulting services and research new BIM possibilities, with a view to making BIM more mainstream. Other activities by the team include design simulation and application development.
Archicad books
BIM LABO published their first BIM book about Archicad in 2015, as an introduction to the program and the concept of BIM.
It was a book with nice Archicad screenshots and a detailed guide for those who had just started exploring this world. The book demonstrates the basics via one building developed in Archicad from scratch – illustrating how to model and fill a design with essential properties.
They didn’t stop with the basics, as two more books followed – “Introduction to BIM Design with Archicad [Basic and Construction Design].” Reading and practicing with both books can lead you to master Archicad and incorporate BIM into your practice. After the recent changes introduced in Archicad 26, BIM LABO updated and republished their first book from 2022.
If you are interested, you can check them out on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com.au/BIM-LABO/e/B08P54PX23/ref=aufs_dp_fta_dsk
BIM LABO recently published a digital version of their book as well. While learning online from videos is not uncommon in Japan, Japanese people still value the sense of security that a physical book can provide. Ordering books online or visiting a local bookstore remains very popular in Japan, as people here prefer to have their beloved books always at hand.
About the authors
Yuji Suzuki
Yuji Suzuki was a licensed (in the Japanese system, so-called first-class) structural architect from Kansai, Japan. He was involved in architectural (structural) design and developed numerous applications. As a member of the community in Japan, he actively participated in the world of Autocad, but also contributed to the world of Archicad. Until his untimely passing, in March 2023, he worked tirelessly to promote BIM and was president of Ad Design and BIM LABO, Inc.
BIM LABO
BIM LABO started as a professional group formed in 2011. Two years later, they became a company named “BIM LABO Inc.” Their primary business is consulting services for BIM design and implementation on actual projects. Recently, they have been focusing on computational design and automated design.
web: https://www.bimlabo.co.jp/
Pictured left to right: Yuji Suzuki, Kimiko Atarashi, Hiroki Hirose PhD
