Archinect - News

According to WeWork "Buildings equal Data"

2019-03-02T13:08:00-05:00

There are T-shirts floating around WeWork’s New York City headquarters that say “Buildings equal data.” The nano manifesto hints at a conviction that architecture should be shaped by a methodical study of how people utilize spaces instead of unique aesthetic signatures. More than that, correlating digital information with physical structures is good business—it has quickly become a core strategy for the eight-year-old, $47 billion company racing to expand its footprint globally.

Architects today are very familiar with data and its influence over design, construction, and feasibility. However, what else can data teach us? When you're a massive billion dollar company like WeWork, opportunities for turning data into teachable tools coincides well with the company's progressive ethos.

No 1 Poultry in London - WeWork interior; Image © WeWork

Say what you will about the company, regardless of your views their intentions of transforming the tools and perspectives of real estate, architecture, and design is reflective of the decisions they've made thus far. For WeWork, data isn't just a tool but an asset to the company's overall growth and success. "It’s hard to overstate how essential data is to WeWork’s operations. Specifically, architectural data. Nearly four years ago, the company underscored this dependency when it acquired Case, a BIM consultancy whose expertise WeWork relied on even in its early years (it was founded in 2010). With David Fano, Case’s co-foun...

Harnessing the power of geodesign to create better cities and spaces

2015-03-30T19:05:00-04:00

A major frustration across architecture and urban design professions is the Tower of Babel problem – translating data from a host of different resources into a coherent platform for designing and planning. In particular, learning how to wield geographic data is an essential part of any urban project. Accessing that information, through resources like GIS (Geographic Information Systems) is a first step for many designers, but translating it into a consistent and useful language is a whole other matter, let alone learning how to optimize its use for the many phases throughout a project’s design and implementation.

The practice of geodesign integrates site-specific data, by means of geographic and mapping technologies, into the design process. Leveraging geographic information about a site leads to stronger evidence-based designs, and can be used for making smarter 3D city models. ESRI , Inc. specializes in exactly such technologies, and is working to make them useful for all design pro...

The Anatomy of Emergency

2014-12-10T14:33:00-05:00

Of all the roles of government, emergency response may be the least controversial. When disaster hits, we expect our fire, police, and other public services to provide immediate relief. But as James McConnell, Assistant Commissioner for Strategic Data at the New York City Office of Emergency Management (OEM), reminds us, tactical effectiveness in a crisis requires more than boots on the ground, ready at a moment’s notice.