Richard L. Bowen & Associates — a 60-person multidisciplinary firm based in Cleveland, Ohio — moved its sprawling library frustratingly organized on File Explorer to AVAIL’s content management system (CMS) in 2023. The resulting library of reusable technical content is now intuitive, clean, and easy to search. Learn more about the firm’s journey with AVAIL below.
Jump to
- From File Explorer Frustration to Organized and Intuitive
- The Evolution of a Smarter Library
- The Power of Search
File Explorer Frustration to Organized and Intuitive
Before the firm started to organize technical content on AVAIL’s content management system (CMS), Richard L. Bowen & Associates’ network files on File Explorer was “a bit of the wild west,” BIM Administrator Jason Stipanovich admits. The multidisciplinary architecture and engineering firm’s library was huge, and no one knew what was in it. As Jason started to dig in, it became clear that a tool was needed to help organize it.
After vetting their CMS options, the Bowen team landed on AVAIL. “The interface is so clean,” Jason says. “I find it very intuitive to use.”
Jason and the Bowen team enjoy AVAIL’s easy-to-understand filtering functionality and how simple it is to load content into the CMS. “AVAIL has been a really good fit for us,” he says.
Most Creative: Show Your Cards Contest Winner
The coolest, most exciting, and inspirational design of our 2026 submissions, Bowen’s Channel Cards design wowed the Show Your Cards Contest expert panel.
Explore winners
The Evolution to a Smarter Library
Starting Point
Every firm’s AVAIL environment is different, and many firms find that once they gain access to AVAIL’s organizational tools, they iterate through new, improved ways to organize their content. Such was the case with Bowen.
“We built up the AVAIL Channels similar to how we had the library organized, but that never felt quite right,” Jason says. “It felt like the Channels weren’t very intuitive for people to search through.”
For Jason, starting by organizing the firm’s AVAIL library as it was on File Explorer was an easy way to bring the content his colleagues needed into AVAIL’s searchable CMS. It was also a necessary first step in his own organization process.
Now with the high-quality content previews in AVAIL, he was able to see what content was actually in the library and start to cull things out. This ultimately led to a successful round of cleanup, especially of Bowen’s Revit families.
“Before, it just seemed insurmountable,” Jason says. To see what was there, he’d have to open up every single Revit family. “Now it’s a much more organized environment,” Jason says. “That along with Channel Cards and the more nifty organization tools has spurred more interest around the office in giving feedback” — which has been a big help with Jason’s BIM management workflow.
Feedback Boost
“People expect the BIM Specialists to lead everything that involves BIM and Revit,” Jason says. The reality is that the users who are in the trenches building out the projects hold the best knowledge. “They need to provide feedback for me,” Jason says. “I don’t know what I don’t know.” Getting this necessary feedback from designers, engineers, and architects gave Jason the boost he needed to push this project forward.
“I don't feel anymore like I have this looming task, doing this huge, massive organization effort,” Jason says. Improving organization feels like a natural workflow for the Bowen team now.
Crafting Cohesion
Taking the user feedback to heart, Jason was able to dial in on consistency across the CMS. Creatively utilizing a range of AI and traditional design tools, Bowen’s AVAIL environment now boasts about 25 AVAIL Channel Cards (16:9 cards that visually aid end-users in the AVAIL platform to find what they need faster) that are all aligned strategically and feel cohesive.
“After having Channel Cards that tried to be more graphically informative, I decided the best thing is to focus people’s attention on the category name,” Jason says of his Channel Card strategy. Graphics were a nice accompaniment, but Jason felt the category names were what needed to pop the most in the design. “When you are searching for a family, that is what they have in the front of their brain,” he says of Bowen’s users.
The resulting Channel Cards design — brought to life through prompting of both ChatGPT and Microsoft Copilot — led to Bowen’s victory at AVAIL’s 2026 Show Your Cards Contest.
Customizing AVAIL with AI
The Bowen team used new tools to design their AVAIL Channel Cards
Watch webinar
The Power of Search
Searchability is the biggest benefit Bowen has experienced using AVAIL.
Before onboarding to the AVAIL CMS, the primary method to get a Revit family or another piece of content into a model was to dig it out of a past project — “which is incredibly inefficient and wrought with all kinds of other issues and danger,” Jason says.
Now with AVAIL, users are willing to look and search for a Revit family because it is easy to do so instead of searching online sources or past projects. “All of that snowballs into better organization and better ability to manage the content,” Jason says.
Interested in what AVAIL’s content management solution could bring your firm? Connect with Sales Director Will Rouse for a demo or to learn more.
Lines Not Dots: Connect All Project Information With AVAIL
About BOWEN
Founded in 1959, Richard L. Bowen & Associates is a full-service, multi-disciplined firm based in Cleveland, Ohio. Composed of about 60 people, the 100-percent employee-owned firm offers architectural design, interior design, and engineering services and specializes in transportation, civic, commercial development, and retail projects.
Learn more about Bowen
ABOUT AVAIL
Founded in 2016 as a solution for architecture and engineering firms to find the information they need faster, AVAIL creates software for the global architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry. AVAIL’s content management system (CMS) platform and Revit, AutoCAD, and Civil 3D application tools help designers and engineers take control of their intricate network of files in one visual, streamlined solution. AVAIL’s customers include industry leaders Gensler, Perkins&Will, IMEG, LEO A DALY, and Populous.
Learn more about AVAIL
