Archinect - News

The too-smart city

2013-05-22T20:01:00-04:00

We’re already building the metropolis of the future—green, wired, even helpful. Now critics are starting to ask whether we’ll really want to live there.

SOM and CASE launch AEC-APPS, crowdsourced resource for sharing tech architecture tools

2013-04-15T19:11:00-04:00

AEC-APPS is the first Web-based library of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) applications built by and for digital tool users and toolmakers, who share a common interest in the evolution of innovative technologies. Conceived, designed, and maintained by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill and CASE to lead the industry toward a model of collaborative knowledge and technology exchange, AEC-APPS connects tools, from snippets of code to established software platforms, and people, from educators and students to practitioners and hobbyists. Part WikipediaTM, part GitHubTM, AEC-APPS is a not-for-profit online community that fosters knowledge sharing and problem solving across disciplines, software platforms, geographic locations, and experience levels.

“Innovation in digital tools is changing the nature of practice, and it’s being driven by many players in different parts of the AEC industry, but they are not often aware of one another’s efforts,” notes SOM’s Technical Director N...

130 years later, modern software helps complete Gaudi's architectural masterpiece

2013-03-11T15:26:00-04:00

Using advanced aeronautical design software, Mark Burry and other architects have been able to reverse engineer Gaudi's models from leftover shards. Today, Burry is among a group of architects leading construction on the church's central tower, which, when completed, will stand 566 feet above the ground, making it the tallest church on Earth. But the fact that they had to use 21st century software to realize a 19th century vision stands as testament to Gaudi's avant garde design language.

Sustainable Holiday Home by Tjep | Isolée

2013-03-07T13:05:00-05:00

Frank Tjepkema of Dutch design studio Tjep. has designed an ecologically friendly getaway home to be self-sufficient in remote areas. Called Isolée, the small house embraces and uses technology to be as energy efficient as possible.

Sky is far from limit in NASA architecture project

2013-02-26T14:42:00-05:00

A new partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration brings an out-of-this-world opportunity for Cal Poly Pomona architecture students. Over the past months, students have been constructing a massive 30 foot structure in the parking lot of the Interim Design Center. [...] The scenario given by NASA was to build a vertical habitat facility for four astronauts that can go into deep space for 60 days.

3D printing for the masses with 3Doodler pen

2013-02-21T13:12:00-05:00

The idea behind the 3Doodler is that it takes the core functionality of a 3D printer, essentially an extruder and a heat source, and jams it into a pen-shaped handheld device. Loaded with either ABS or PLA plastic, common feedstock for traditional 3D printers, the 3Doodler "prints" plastic objects by letting you draw them in freehand in three-dimensional space.

With a funding goal of $30,000, the 3Doodler Kickstarter project has already raked in almost 1.2 million dollars from over 13,000 backers. And you're definitely not too late to get in on the funding party—the project has 31 more days to go.

What are your immediate thoughts of architectural applications for the 3Doodler? Let us know in the comment section below.

Ten Top Images on Archinect's "Installations" Pinterest Board

2013-02-15T09:00:00-05:00

In case you haven't checked out Archinect's Pinterest boards in a while, we have compiled ten recently pinned images from outstanding projects on various Archinect Firm and People profiles.

Today's top images (in no particular order) are from the board Installations.

↑ Emmy's After Party Flowers in Beverly Hills, CA by Lawrence Griffin

↑ The Irrational City | Common Ground | Biennale Di Venezia 2012 in Venice, Italy by Paolo Cesaretti and Antonella Dedini in collaboration with Kostantia Manthou (Photo: Simone Simone)

↑ Fantastic Trailer in Bloomfield Hills, MI by Cheryl Baxter

↑ Pipe Light installation in São Paulo, Brazil by Triptyque Architects in collaboration with Marc Roca Bravo (Photo: Triptyque Architects)

↑ Droplet Chandelier in Wujin, China by Ballistic Architecture Machine

↑ Grid (h)ome pavillon in Rome, Italy by COdesignLab, UniNa, Selve del Balzo, InArch, Casa dell'Architettura (team member: Silvia Piccione)

↑ HEX Wall - Installatio...

Peel-and-Stick Solar Panels: A World First

2013-01-09T19:31:00-05:00

Researchers at the Stanford School of Engineering have succeeded in developing the world’s first peel-and-stick thin-film solar cells. The idea will allow the cells to be applied to almost any surface, with successful tests having been conducted on paper, plastic and window glass. This opens up significant opportunities for alternative applications for solar technology, previously limited by traditional solar cells, which must be mounted on stiff, often heavy, fixed panels.

Out of the Factory, Into the Field: Robots Go to Work for Architects

2012-12-18T15:00:00-05:00

Brell-Cokcan and Braumann are co-founders of the Association for Robots in Architecture and organizers of the Rob|Arch 2012 conference, being held in Vienna on Dec. 17 and 18. Over this past weekend they ran a series of workshops in Vienna, Graz, Zürich, Rotterdam, and Stuttgart to expose architects and designers to the possibilities of utilizing this technology.

How is computing changing the architect’s job?

2012-07-02T13:18:00-04:00

“The form was reinvented to an extent,” says Yanni Loukissas, a postdoc in MIT’s Program in Science, Technology, and Society (STS). And while the question of exactly which design changes should be credited to Utzon or Arup’s firm has been a matter of some dispute, the building, Louskissas says, stands as “an example where the engineer was instrumental in reshaping the project.”

Bruce Munro Announces Largest Solar-Powered Field of Light for Ayers Rock, Australia in 2013!

2012-06-29T14:12:00-04:00

After a series of acclaimed installations around the world, Munro will be bringing his Fields of Light back to the project’s birthplace at Ayers Rock (Uluru) in the heart of the Australian red desert in 2013. The installation will be his largest to date, and it will be powered entirely by solar energy.

The Amazing Infrastructure That Powers IBM, Microsoft, And GE

2012-05-01T12:57:00-04:00

Stoll’s images capture vast and mind-meltingly valuable landscapes that are hidden in plain sight, housed in unassuming warehouses and suburban data centers all over the world.

10 Questions for Gehry Technologies CTO Dennis Shelden

2012-03-09T14:48:00-05:00

Gehry Technologies serves architects, engineers, builders and others with their design software and services, including 3D modeling and building information management. IDG News Service quizzed Chief Technology Officer Dennis Shelden on his priorities, challenges and insights.

Should architects design buildings as if they were Web apps?

2012-01-27T15:31:00-05:00

David Galbraith has embarked on a fascinating journey, exploring the notion that the flow of people and their interactions inside buildings, is similar in design to the flow of data and user interaction of Web apps. Could best practices in Web app design be applied to architectural design?

Also, check out Archinect's interview with David Galbraith.

TEDxJacksonHole - Nona Yehia & Jefferson Ellinger - New Architectures: Nature and Phenomena

2011-12-05T17:05:06-05:00

Nona Yehia and Jefferson Ellinger established the architectural firm, Ellinger/Yehia Design LLC in 2003 to investigate links between architecture, landscape and technology. In 2004, the firm opened an office in Jackson Hole, Wyoming to further explore these inter-relationships.
Architects, artists, scientists and designers throughout the ages have been inspired by the beauty and elegance in nature; studying, imitating and attempting to recreate natural systems has shaped life as we know it. Today, the question is how natural phenomena can become instrumental in the design of new architectures that radically redefine our built environment.

Frank Gehry gathers architectural leaders to form strategic alliance

2011-10-18T12:35:00-04:00

Gehry Technologies (GT), a global leader in applying technology to building industry challenges, today announced that Co-founder and Chairman, Frank Gehry, has brought together the world's most distinguished architects and designers to form a strategic alliance furthering his vision to transform the building industry and the practice of design. As part of today's announcement, this core group of renowned architects will also serve on Gehry Technologies' board of advisors.

Besides Frank Gehry himself, initial alliance and board members include: Zaha Hadid & Patrik Schumacher (Zaha Hadid Architects ), Greg Lynn, Moshe Safdie, Ben van Berkel (UNStudio), Wolf D. Prix (COOP HIMMELB(L)AU), David Rockwell (Rockwell Group), David Childs (SOM), Matthias Schuler (TRANSSOLAR Energietechnik), Richard Saul Wurman, Massimo Colomban (Permasteelisa.com Group), and Laurie Olin.

Steve Jobs Resigns as Apple CEO

2011-08-24T19:26:36-04:00

Apple Inc.'s ailing chief executive Steve Jobs is officially stepping down from the helm of the company, an historic shift that hands the reins to chief operating officer Tim Cook. The company said Mr. Jobs submitted his resignation to the board of directors on Wednesday and "strongly recommended" that the board name Mr. Cook as his successor.

We hate to see you leave, Steve.

Apologue's Tali Krakowsky To Speak On Experience Design At Eyeo Festival & PromaxBDA

2011-06-14T14:26:11-04:00

Tali Krakowsky, founder of experience design studio Apologue, will be speaking at the Eyeo Festival on June 27th and June 28th in Minneapolis, and at the 2011 PromaxBDA Conference on June 30th in NYC.

At the Eyeo Festival, Krakowsky will be moderating in two panels. On June 27th is a panel that wonders “WHY” and features Golan Levin, Natalie Jeremijenko, and Zach Lieberman. Why do we do what we do? Why should our spaces be infused with the digital? Why data? Why code? Why generative? Why collaborative? Why interactive? Why color? Why sound? Why touch? Why do frameworks have to be open? Why design?

June 28th will feature a panel called “Coding Spaces” with Emily Gobeille, Theo Watson and Jake Barton. Peep behind walls made of bits and bytes to unravel and contemplate the art and science of imagining, coding and building interactive environments. The panel will search for some general process ideas, tips, warnings, recommendations and insights into the making of these fascinatin...

Composer Ariel Blumenthal Creates Live 3D Score for H2Eau Dance Performance

2011-05-27T16:08:49-04:00

3D distribution of musical elements introduces a whole new way to experience music. The moving musical elements will redefine the relationship between music and dance allowing the two elements to share the same physical space and communicate with its architecture in the language of movement. The choreography is going to be based on delivering music through the dancers. We're changing the function of moving bodies from executing choreography only, to executing choreography and music.

From June 23rd – June 26th, PTERO Dance Theatre (Los Angeles) will be presenting a unique dance show, H2Eau, enhanced with live music, photography and film. Award-winning composer Ariel Blumenthal will create a 3D sonic score – treating music as an immersive, three-dimensional element in dialogue with architecture and choreography. Blumenthal is the writer/producer behind the innovative 3D music installations specially created for the Plaza Hotel in New York.

Drawing on his concept of interactive and 3D sonic environments for high-end physical spaces, Blumenthal will compose and perform two pieces for H2Eau. The first combines a 3D pre-recorded score with live performance on a wine glasses piano (of sounds generated by water). Blumenthal will perform and process acoustic elements in real time, while synched to the recorded score distributed 3-dimensionally in the space. The second piece will introduce music as a moving element. Using wireless technology, musical solo parts w...

Geek Pride Day: Why it’s OK to let your geek flag fly

2011-05-25T16:45:59-04:00

Today, May 25, is Geek Pride Day. And to commemorate the occasion, IT staffing services firm Modis commissioned an exhaustive study on practically every aspect of geekdom, aiming to highlight the value geeks bring to the workplace. Among the findings: 57 percent of Americans consider it a compliment to be called a geek, and 17 percent identify themselves as a geek. Younger generations are embracing the word at an even higher rate.

Happy Geek Pride Day everyone!