Drama Over Farnsworth House

Bridges will play famed German architect Mies van der Rohe while Gyllenhaal will reunite with Bridges as Chicago nephrologist Dr. Edith Farnsworth.

The Farnsworth House, now an architectural museum, is considered a type of “child” between the architect and his doctor client, the net result of a turbulent relationship that ended in dual lawsuits between client and architect.

The Bridges-Gyllenhaal film is unconfirmed by any other sources, but Showbiz 411’s Roger Friedman reported the project which has since been widely reported now by many architecture outlets.

01 – The Farnsworth House by architect Mies van der Rohe. (image: cc by-SA 2.0, Wikipedia Commons)

Mies and Farnsworth are widely reported to have had at least a minor romance, according to Mies’ 1980 biographer based on shared information by Farnsworth’s sister. While it is hard to imagine a movie like this one without the affair, there is no shortage of dramatic material in the cost-overrun project itself—the alleged basis for disappointment and lawsuit.

Budget Overrun Leads to Anger

Mies was responsible for both design and construction, with an estimated and approved budget of $58,400.USD. The overrun was $15,600 and due to spiked commodity costs related to the Korean War. In the end, the project’s $70,000 total cost for a 1,500 SF (mostly) weekend house would be, according to Wikipedia, $648,000 in 2012 dollars. (or $432 /sf. in today’s cost—actually quite normative for custom residential construction)

And Then Use and Happiness, Perhaps?

While I won’t spoil the outcome of the dual lawsuits and Mies van der Rohe and Dr. Farnsworth’s legal battle, the result of the suit on their relationship was that the two never spoke to each ever again. And perhaps for a good reason for Mies, whose reputation suffered irreparable damage.

02 – Another view of the Farnsworth House. Mies taking a cigarette break on the steps with workmen. (image: via Tweedland )

Dr. Farnsworth continued to use the house as her weekend retreat for the next 21 years and often hosted architectural notables. The house is now listed on the National Register and designated a National Historic Landmark by the United States Department of the Interior.

A major Hollywood film focused on this story would undoubtedly bring attention and focus on several related fronts well concerned for here at Architosh. Both modern architecture, Mies, the actual Farnsworth House, and the role of architects in society will all gain exposure and discussion from this film project if it reaches fruition.

Let’s hope it does.

The post Architecture, Affairs and Cost Overruns—Jeff Bridges to Star as Mies in Farnsworth House Story appeared first on Architosh.

What They Say

In a piece interviewing nine leaders in digital practice, Wanda Lau, writing for Architect captures notable input from Nicholas Cameron, AIA, of Perkins+Will, Phil Bernstein, FAIA, of Yale and formerly Autodesk, Paul Audsley of NBBJ, and Shane Burger of Woods Bagot, among others.

Perkins+Will’s Cameron makes note of MR (mixed reality), AKA, augmented reality, where digital and actual physical environments merge, noting that the advantage of VR technology is that the “client can physically be in a location.” He notes that Perkins+Will’s 2017 resolution is to train as many people as possible in visual scripting tools like Grasshopper for Rhino and Dynamo Studio.

01 – This polyhedron model is wired-up to an Arduino board. The board has a light which lights up in reaction to tension forces in a wire connecting two joints. Bernstein says Arduion boards can be used to create bespoke digital monitoring devices for buidlings.

Bernstein noted the importance of reality capture technology, using scanning, digital photography and drones to create models of existing conditions. In a nod to Autodesk, he cited Recap 360 for reality capture and Insight 360 for energy evaluation. His own resolutions for 2017 focused on IoT in his own home and learning how to build Arduino-based devices. Architosh just wrote about Arduino devices last week. The goal he says with Arduino is to create bespoke digital monitoring devices for infrastructure in buildings.

NBBJ’s Audlsey cites the importance of firms fully leveraging BIM to transform their business process and the importance of “elevating digital leadership and training in effective project workflows.” He too noted sensor networks (which Arduino boards can participate) and included digitally-enhanced rapid prototyping.

Shane Burger of Woods Bagot is extremely well known and regarded within the algorithmic and computation design communities (like SmartGeometry). He says straight away that architects should learn Rhino, Grasshopper and Grasshopper add-ons—like the Galapagos tool we wrote about earlier today.

MORE: Phil Berstein of Autodesk on the Changing Role of the 21st Century Architect—The Interview (Part 1) and (Part 2)

Burger goes further though. Architects should learn the basics of scripting or programming languages, like “Python or C# (pronounced “C sharp”), so you can automate and enhance your design process.” Interestingly, Burger says “skip AutoCAD and Trimble SketchUp: two-dimensional CAD is at its end-of-life.”

Full Story

Read the full story over at Architect magazine online here.

The post Technology to Master in Architecture in 2017—Architect Magazine’s Take appeared first on Architosh.

Traditional to Digital

Eric Lloyd Wright and his team have been using traditional methods by hand for many years, and illustrating by hand for many years.  I met a young man, Lucas Goettsche, who was hired by Eric Lloyd Wright a few years ago to help migrate his team of architects from traditional to digital methods. Lucas was a big part of this migration so I asked him a few questions that I felt might be an interesting read for those still considering going from traditional methods to digital, and why Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD fit the bill. This is an interview with Lucas Goettche with the blessing of Eric Lloyd Wright. (see image 01)

01 – Eric Lloyd Wright & Lucas Goettche. Image courtesy of Akiko Ashley. (Used with Permission)

AA (Akiko Ashley): How did Eric Lloyd Wright’s firm find you and decide to migrate to ArchiCAD?

LG (Lucas Goettche): The reason I was hired at Eric’s firm in 2003 was because they had heard of ArchiCAD, but were still doing all of their work by freehand drafting, nothing digital, and this was in 2003.  I was well adept to using ArchiCAD, beginning with version 8.1.  The initial idea was to transform the whole office into ArchiCAD users, but as the saying goes, it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks.  So, I did most of the modeling while teaching ArchiCAD.

AA: What projects were ArchiCAD used for?

LG: ArchiCAD was first used on the Wright Taggart Residence, and some restoration work on the Frank Loyd Wright Eaglefeather Project, among others.

02 – Skateboard House designed by Eric Lloyd Wright & Planners. Image courtesy of Akiko Ashley, used with permission, all rights reserved.

AA: What were some of the challenges of this “Skate-able” home?

LG: It is really amazing how ArchiCAD rolls out a new version with so many new tools like they understand what a designer really needs creatively.  But with version 9 it was still quite a challenge to model the curvilinear shapes needed for the Skate House (which now in ArchiCAD version 19 would be a breeze), but I was able to make it work, even before the morph tool was available.

Almost every surface, wall and roof was curved or incorporated some kind of skate-able transition; digitally modeling the structure was essential to the design in resolving all of the intersections.  The house incorporated an outdoor Skate Park, but also the roof structure incorporated skate-able pathways, and all the hallways on the interior were curved into the walls so one could skateboard through the entire house.  This was Eric’s and Pierre’s vision, and much of it was modeled using the mesh tool.  So particularly for this project, the use of ArchiCAD was extremely valuable, if not essential.  I don’t know of any other program we could have used to produce the Building Department approved set of plans we accomplished.

03 – Skateboard House model designed by Eric Lloyd Wright & Planners. Image courtesy of Akiko Ashley, used with permission, all rights reserved.

AA: Would you say that ArchiCAD was helpful to Eric Lloyd Wright’s firm?

LG: Definitely. Traditional methods are good for certain projects but ArchiCAD not only made this entire design come alive, but it allowed us improved dialogue with the design throughout schematic and design development allowing us to better understand the design that Eric envisioned and gave to us.

ArchiCAD gives “Skate House” life at Eric Lloyd Wright Architects & Planners

Eric Lloyd Wright comes from a long legacy of Architects, and when it was time to change the way they designed, Lucas Goettsche was there to help them take that step that is now a staple at Eric Lloyd Wright’s firm. Lucas, thanks for sharing this interesting story.

To learn more about Eric Lloyd Wright visit here. To learn more about Graphisoft’s ArchiCAD visit them online here. 

The post Featurette: Eric Lloyd Wright — Tradition to Digital appeared first on Architosh.

Transitional shelters

Constructed using bags filled with earth, this type of transitional shelter gives the beneficiaries involved an opportunity to work and earn an income — which could also stimulate the start of small business opportunities. Earth-bag house construction is an efficient way to solve the need for basic homes that can be built within a short period of time.

01 – Transitional shelter option / Earth-bag test using ARCHICAD. Size: 44m2/473 ft2.

Furthermore, the earth-bag house construction system does not require a deep knowledge of construction and can be built by the people who will live in them. Earth is the most fundamental element of earth-bag construction, with many types of earth available around the world. Simple and easy tests can be done manually to decide the methodology of construction using the earth-bag system. An optimal, packed earth to soil ratio is approximately 30% clay to 70% sand.

Advantages

Compared to tents, the earth-bag built house has many advantages without being a permanent construction; they can easily be dismantled and the materials can be re-purposed. “Providing cheap architecture for poor people has always been my dream,” said Anas Aljbain, architect and UNHCR shelter associate, “ArchiCAD has made my dream a reality.”

Design concept

Opened-to-Patio-blocks design takes environmental and social norms into consideration. The patio spaces in the heart of each block provide safe-to-play areas for children and a good ventilation and cooling system, along with the green areas.

02 – Shelter design in ARCHICAD. The transitional shelter consist of two rooms and a kitchenette. All rights reserved.

The WASH blocks are separate but with kitchenettes inside the houses. Each family will have one space that includes a toilet and bathroom. This design will reduce the significant cost of WASH infrastructure, making maintenance easier and insuring proper hygiene for users.

The benefit of this type of transitional shelter are many:

• Easy to learn and user-friendly – the simplicity of an earth-bag building makes them easy to build by unskilled people or communities;
• Strength – an earth-bag wall is extremely strong, owing to its thickness and weight, thus is considerably more resistant to high winds or other destructive forces (earthquakes, floods, etc.);
• Adaptable – it is easy to alter the position of wall openings during construction, or to dismantle an incorrectly placed wall and subsequently rebuild it with the very same material.
• Services – plumbing, electrical and other services can easily be fixed to the earth-bag wall.
• Safety – there are no piles of bricks on site that may be subject to theft, just the bags, which are easily secured, and a pile of earth, which has no value. Furthermore, the earth-bag house is highly fire-resistant, is bullet- and to a certain extent mortar-proof;
• Remote locations – as mainly the bags need to be transported to the site, an earth-bag building can be erected at remote site

Cost

He estimated the cost per square meter is 12,500 SYP (US$41). By attaching the houses side-by-side, each house (51 squaremeters/549 square feet including walls) will cost approximately US$1,850. The total cost per block is approximately US$ 13,000. The wash unit will cost an additional US$3,000.

03 – Shelter Construction. All rights reserved.

The size of a typical earth-bag shelter is 44 square meters (473 square feet) and can be built by seven people in approximately 2 weeks. For more information about the transitional shelter project in Syria, please visit http://www.graphisoft.com/users/bim-case-studies/transitional-shelters-designed-using-archicad.html.

About UNHCR

The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was established on December 14, 1950 by the United Nations General Assembly. The agency is mandated to lead and co-ordinate international action to protect refugees and resolve refugee problems worldwide. Its primary purpose is to safeguard the rights and well-being of refugees.

It strives to ensure that everyone can exercise the right to seek asylum and find safe refuge in another State, with the option to return home voluntarily, integrate locally or to resettle in a third country. It also has a mandate to help stateless people. Since 1950, the agency has helped tens of millions of people restart their lives. Today, a staff of more than 9,300 people in 123 countries continues to help and protect millions of refugees, returnees, internally displaced and stateless people.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution in 1984 with ARCHICAD®, the industry-first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as its revolutionary BIMcloud®, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, EcoDesigner™, the world’s first fully BIM-integrated “GREEN” design solution and BIMx®, the world’s leading mobile app for BIM visualization. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007.

The post Transitional Shelters in Syria Designed Using ArchiCAD appeared first on Architosh.

What was on hand was a brand new online product offering exclusively for AIA members called Insight for Architects.

Insight for Architects

Insight for Architects is an all-new online destination for architects. Developed specifically for AIA members, Insight for Architects is a web-based data and analytics application. Once logged in, Insight for Architects gives users instant access to projects across the United States with a vast array of business intelligence data behind it. The simple goal is to help architects find and win new business.

01 – The main dashboard initial view in Insight for Architects by AIA and CMD. The new data analytics tool offers architects insights into their markets so they can strategically plan business development to attain more work. Networking, relationship building and trends analysis are some of the ways AIA member architects can make use of Insight for Architects.

Inside architects find a clean dashboard user-interface with menu control items on the left, comprising the following areas: Snapshot, Forecast, Analyze, Leads, Track and Exports.

Snapshot gives you a quick glimpse of the total projects in the system, new projects, projects per state on a map overlay graphic, and the number of subscribed companies in the system. It also gives you the number of pre-design leads based on those led by Architect, Engineer or General Contractor (breakdown).

Analyze is where you get into the heart of the data. Users can quickly assess how many projects fit a certain project value, as well as look at projects by type (civil, medical, commercial, residential, etc) or other criteria, including project size and value.

Leads provides tabular views of project leads with bid dates listed. Once inside a Lead detail view, one can see notes, additional project details, project participants, prospective bidders and additional details about plan and spec data.

Value to Architects

The primary value to architects with Insight for Architects is that they can track both large and smaller trends, see where projects are developing and what sectors, and see who the participants are so they can network more affectively.

02 – A view of the graphical analyze dashboard (partial view) showing the CSI wheel lower left.

The system provides users with saved search results and filters for finding the type of data that interest them.

There is also the opportunity to convert Revit files into VIM (visual information modeling) whereby CMD converts Revit file data into VIM for free. At AIA Atlanta, I had the chance to try on a pair of VR goggles and try out the CMD VIM experience. Using gaming technology, I could walk around a BIM model and query any object I could see and highlight using the VR hardware to produce a popup info chart directly within the 3D virtualized space.

Insight for Architects is free to AIA members and accessible via the AIA website.

To learn more about CMD and Insight for Architects visit them online here. AIA Members can find the tool once logged into the AIA’s website.

The post AIA: Show Reports: AIA and CMD provide Insight for Architects appeared first on Architosh.

The national convention and exhibition for architects in the United States takes place May 13 – 16, 2015, and will be attended by hundreds of exhibitors on the show floor and thousands of architects and AEC professionals. Every year over a dozen information technology companies exhibit their latest and upcoming software and hardware technologies, attempting to woo design professionals to their IT workflow solutions and services.

The technology market for the AECO (architecture, engineering, construction and operations) industry continues to get stronger, with high-quality solutions and increased global competition.

01 – President Bill Clinton will deliver the keynote address at the AIA National Convention in Atlanta.

Imperative mandates impacting the future of the profession include the growing importance of big data, increased demand for true interoperability and open standards so all AEC professionals can truly work together, designing for a sustainable future, and designing for democracy and equality (for people and their data).

Architosh Coverage (Reports)

Architosh’s annual show coverage attempts to bring a sense of the conference to its readers and extensively cover the show’s exhibited information technology tools that architects should be aware of. Each year the focus narrows in on the hottest and most interesting new trends and developments making an impact on architectural practice both here in the United States in abroad.

4th Annual “BEST of SHOW” awards

This year we repeat our four-award honors in the following categories:

•  BEST of SHOW – Desktop Category — eligible products in the desktop software category must run on both Mac and Windows platforms and must be shipping within 3 months of the date of the show
• BEST of SHOW – Mobile Category — eligible products in the mobile software category must run on either Apple iOS or Google Android platforms and must be shipping within 3 months of the date of the show
• BEST of SHOW – BIM Category — eligible products must be BIM-centric and run on either desktop, mobile or the cloud via a web browser. They must be shipping within 3 months of the date of the show. Desktop products must meet requirements for BEST of SHOW Desktop above. Mobile products must meet BEST of SHOW for Mobile above.
• BEST of SHOW – Innovation Category — eligible products may be either software or hardware or any combination and must run on at least one of the following desktop and mobile platforms: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, Kindle. This product must be shipping within 3 months of the date of the show.

As usual, Runner-Ups will all be singled out and the same product can win in multiple categories.

BEST of SHOW Judgements and Announcement

The Architosh BEST of SHOW AIA National honors will be announced following the show in Atlanta via a press release and publication on Architosh. Winners will also join our past list of winners on our dedicated BEST of SHOW winners roster page here.

MORE: Perspectives on the 2014 Architosh BEST of SHOW awards at the AIA National

Architosh’s BEST of SHOW AIA National Awards will be illuminated in a feature article highlighting the decisions and thinking behind the choices made as measured against specific criteria. Architosh’s awards honors at AIA National are highly coveted and have been directly cited in the pages of corporate quarterly and end of year reports for publicly traded companies in the software AEC market in the US and abroad.

More than 210,000 visitors have reached the pages of Architosh in 2014 and Architosh’s BEST of SHOW articles were heavily read by thousands of dedicated Architosh readers around the world.

Like last year, BEST of SHOW winners will be honored with a digital plaque and will receive a promotions grant for Architosh to be used at their leisure.

The post Architosh to attend AIA National Atlanta—Award ‘BEST of SHOW’ honors for fourth year appeared first on Architosh.