I'm not sure it's fair to give architects a single score.  Architectural practices have been quick to adopt technology when it impacts their business, such as for improving efficiency at the drawing production stage.  Very few now operate without CAD as a mainstream application.  Architects themselves, however, have been slow to take up CAD packages, because traditional CAD software doesn't really address their design needs.

Q. Design, document management and time/cost recording - which are mainstream software applications that no architectural practice should be without and which represent true cutting edge technology and why?

Over the last few years the issue of document management has become more important.  Architects want to design buildings, so anything that frees them up to concentrate on this, rather than on routine but vital administration, is key to their success.

The biggest risk to a project is having uncoordinated or incorrect information on site, but this can so easily happen when data is not managed properly.  So I think that a solution combining design and information management should be a priority.

Q. Much has been written and discussed about the merits of parametric building modelling over 2D or 3D geometric modelling. Is the take-up of parametric modelling gathering pace or are the benefits still not evident enough?

In my experience, it is definitely gathering pace.  Talking to architects about packages which use parametric change technology to coordinate changes throughout the entire project, I can see that they immediately recognise how the software can help them save both time and money.

Once architects see Autodesk Revit, they appreciate that it not only produces coordinated document sets, it also helps them to design and manage change within their design.  I think the benefits of this are very clear, especially an increase in productivity so that they have more time to concentrate on critical project issues and the real work of delivering the best possible quality designs.

The interesting thing is that Autodesk Revit is being taken up right across the board, among large and small practices alike.  Canny smaller companies are realising that, because of the savings and increase in productivity, it enables them to compete with the big firms on larger projects.

Q. The sharing of design data with fellow construction professionals through collaborative working practices is generally acknowledged as a desirable thing.  However, do differing data standards, system incompatibility, data accuracy fears or perceived confidentiality breaches all threaten to undermine a sharing infrastructure between architects and their fellow construction professionals?  Or are these just "excuse" obstacles that they must work to overcome?

I don't believe architects are making excuses as these are real issues, but they are not showstoppers if architects, engineers, contractors and the client get together at the beginning of a project and talk through any potential problems. It's really just a question of good housekeeping.  However, I think collaborative working is still an issue among professionals, but we at Autodesk are working hard to overcome this, for example by looking at the development of digital signatures.

Working with a solution such as Autodesk Buzzsaw, where all project documentation is kept on one secure internet location, can eliminate almost all these challenges.  This allows standardised project management, ensuring consistent documentation, common work processes and faster communication so that the whole process is streamlined and simplified.

Project managers can assign user access rights at different levels, depending on project needs and team members are automatically e-mailed when changes are made, so everybody is kept in touch with what is happening.

Q. What supplementary specialist systems should architects be purchasing to enhance core software functionality and deliver competitive gain?

Solutions such as Autodesk Revit will do pretty much everything needed for a typical project, including the production of drawings, schedules, photo-realistic rendering and walk throughs.  If advanced multi-media or animation presentations are required, then Autodesk's Discreet division has a range of solutions to help achieve professional presentations for special projects or clients.

By making full use of the technology that is available such as Building Information Modelling and collaborative working solutions such as Buzzsaw, architects can achieve competitive gain through higher quality work, combined with greater speed and productivity and subsequent lower costs.