Recently, I began a new position with Autodesk. I am now a Technical Consultant for the Building Solutions Division. What that really means, is that I am responsible for direct consulting at customer sites on Revit Building and Architectural Desktop. I’ll be doing a lot of traveling. That may translate into more posts to the blog, when I have some downtime. We’ll see…
To find out more of what Autodesk Consulting can do for your company, visit: www.autodesk.com/consulting
A short vacation breather, and a tip on modeling organic shapes.
So, I’ve been a bit behind in posting lately because I’m currently between jobs (really, actually BETWEEN jobs). More on that in another post. My wife and I decided to take a short trip to New York to celebrate our upcoming fifth wedding anniversary. Being in New York City for the week remembering the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, we didn’t know what to expect. Outside of the very public ceremonies, the mood was not very much different than other times that I’ve traveled there. I usually like to sit in Bryant Park for quiet reflecting. For those of you who might be wondering – that is where my profile photo was taken. Unfortunately, there were event tents set up over the entire park, so I quickly remembered an old favorite – Paley Park just a short walk up to 53rd. It’s a very small plaza, but quickly transports you from the city with the mesmerizing white noise of its crisp waterfall.
I’ve tried to go visit the Guggenheim many times over the years, but things have never worked out. It had either been closed for the addition, or just not the right day of the week – since they are open only five days per week. This time, of course, it is under exterior restoration and its signature spiral ramps are not visible behind the scaffolding. Still, this was very much worth the trip to see the Zaha Hadid exhibit. If you happen to be in the city prior to the end of the exhibit, October 25, I highly recommend seeing this. Sure, most high-profile architects will show off models, drawings and photos of finished works, but it is the extensive collection of concept paintings that she has created which are on display that make this a very special experience.
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Of late, her work has moved from the angular aesthetic to the more free-flowing ‘organic’ form as seen in the science center image above.
For more interesting links on this architect:
Design Museum – British Council: Design in Britian
Wikipedia
The Sky-scraper revitalized: Differentiation, Interface, Navigation – Patrik Schumacher
I promised a tip, so here it is:
Some of you might ask: How do I create organic shapes in Revit? Well, the answers are not really straightforward. It really depends on your skills as a 3D modeler, the types of forms you wish to create and what they are going to ultimately represent in the building design. I highly recommend you type NURBS in Revit help to get on the right path. NURBS (non-uniform rational B-splines) surfaces provide an infinite number of parameters for creating complex forms. You can create roofs and curtainwall systems directly from NURBS surfaces in Revit. Unfortunately, the best way to create NURBS is by using a third party application or Autodesk 3ds Max.
BIM, LEED and Sustainable Design
Those are not just buzzwords. Let’s just all accept that they are know part of the architectural and engineering lexicon. Are they part of your practice? These terms are rapidly becoming client requirements when doing work for United States Federal Government agencies such as the GSA (General Services Administration). Many state agencies such as the Massachusetts DCAM (Division of Capital Asset Management) are requiring a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) basic level of certification for large projects. Washington State just last year enacted legislation requiring a LEED Silver rating for all public projects – the third-highest possible in that system, after Platinum and Gold. In all, more than 15 states have enacted legislation requiring LEED and sustainable, high-performance buildings in some form, and other states are moving toward that goal.
Delivering a project meeting the criteria described above should not be taken lightly, and is not a task that can happen at the end of a project’s construction document delivery phase. Some foolishly work under the assumption that green design can be tacked on as a ‘feature’ without the thoughtful planning and coordination amongst multiple disciplines. And BIM is not just saving a 2D CAD file to a new format – it’s the process the project follows from pixels on the screen through to the construction process to the use / re-use and ultimate dismantling of the project – the whole building’s life-cycle needs to be designed and anticipated. Project managers need to pay very close attention when responding to an RFP as these terms can have severe impact on a firm’s ability to deliver on client requirements.
However, what can firms do to prepare to compete or continue to compete for this type of work? Do you really know what BIM is? It is such a wide-ranging term, but the one that matters in this case is the definition by the client, since they are the biggest stake holder with the most to gain from the successful delivery of on-time and on-budget projects.
The GSA defines BIM as: “3D parametric modeling software with an underlying database. Any changes made to the model or its documentation automatically update and coordinate everywhere.”
That is a very loaded statement. To help break it down a bit: This is really about managing information, and knowing that whatever changes occur in the design phase are computed, coordinated and applied – automatically. Does the software platform you use meet this stringent definition? Change it once, change it everywhere. Hmmm… sounds just like Revit to me. At the moment these organizations are only requiring deliverables during the schematic design phase, but it is required nonetheless. What better time to jump on board? Continue reading
