Articles by Megan Schires

Recent studies note the lack of growth in productivity and innovation in the construction fields. Quickly falling behind other sectors, this stagnation often leads to projects that are over-budget or over-schedule (or both). Part of this inefficiency could be combated by more effective coordination among the architects and various consultants during the design phase. Currently, an estimated 30% of project time is spent in coordination tasks within the team. A new Integrated Design tool aims to make collaboration more seamless, with the end result of more efficient communication and ultimately better buildings. 

The technology used in smartphone facial recognition or digital car keys has the potential to revolutionize the way people access and move through buildings. Many common aspects of building access systems today seem outdated in comparison to technological advances in other parts of our lives: PIN pads, security badges, key cards, even physical locks and keys. However, the technology already exists with the potential to make building access simultaneously more seamless and more secure.

The A’ Design Award is an international award whose aim is to provide designers, architects, and innovators from all architecture and design fields with a competitive platform to showcase their work and products to a global audience. Among the design world’s many awards, the A’ Design Award stands out for its exceptional scale and breadth; over the eleven years the Award has been given, more than 12,000 awards have been bestowed across 110 categories and 180 nationalities. This year’s edition is now open for entries; designers can register their submissions here.

In the last few decades, architecture and interior design have experienced a dramatic shift in the workflows that professionals consider standard. Hand-drafting is long gone; for many it’s nostalgic, and many more embrace the power incumbent to digital drafting tools. Some take it even further with BIM, embracing the process to lead their businesses into lasting success.

Eastlake Studio is a Chicago-based interior design and architecture firm that has been operational for 33 years. They specialize in corporate office design, producing state-of-the-art workspaces for their clients. Principal Christina Brown says Eastlake has always been driven by the advent of technology — “We really were one of the first architecture firms to be using computers,” she said, offering proof: one can see two Eastlake founders on a 1991 cover of Mac Chicago, a well-respected publication for Mac users.

The Rheingold, a new building in Brooklyn’s Bushwick neighborhood, is one of the most expansive multi-family developments in Brooklyn to date.

I’m passionate about light and, after spending many years studying and analyzing cinematic lighting techniques, I’ve developed an inspirational approach to lighting in CGI for architects, designers, and visualizers. The scene showcased is one of my original concepts: The Writer’s House. This open, light-filled space has been designed to capture the imagination of the occupant — and you, the viewer. Set in the middle of a woodland or forest, the setting allows us to play with the atmospheric fog outdoors as well as the natural and artificial lighting in our scene.

In my opinion, Light Mix is ideal for architectural visualization and allows you to make lighting decisions quickly and efficiently. Light Mix will save you time in production and allow you to be more creative as an artist. It is not just about changing intensity and color; it is about bringing your creative ideas to life. So let’s take a look at how we can quickly and easily achieve multiple lighting looks from one single render in V-Ray 5 for 3ds Max. 

Architects don’t make buildings. Architects make drawings of buildings. But of course, someone has to make the building. The construction industry is one of the largest economic sectors and we all interact with the built environment on a daily basis, but the actual work of getting a building from drawing to structure has barely evolved over the decades. While the rest of the world has moved into Industry 4.0, the construction sector has not kept pace. Architecture has begun to embrace some digitalization. After all, not many of us work with mylar on drafting tables anymore. So with the architecture industry’s everlasting link to the construction industry, will the latter pick up some new technological tricks by association? And when it does, how will that change the role of the architect?

Large construction projects can often take 20 percent more time than scheduled and when they are finished, as many as 80 percent end up over-budget. Construction is one of the lowest profit-margin industries in today’s economy. In the past 75 years, productivity has increased by up to 1,500 percent in the manufacturing, retail, and agriculture fields. Over that same time period, productivity in construction remained almost the same.The emerging field of Construction Technology, or ConTech, aims to change that, to bring construction into the 21st century.

It’s never too early to enter for a chance to showcase your work to a global audience; enter your design now for an A’ Design Award. The international competition was “born out of the desire to underline the best designs and well-designed products” of designers, architects, and innovators from all design fields. Among other design competitions and awards, the A’ Design Award stands out for its exceptional scale with over 100 design categories.

Steni BIM elements take the tedious manual labor out of designing and detailing panelized facade systems and are available for both Revit and Archicad.

Since the moment the first all-glass building was proposed by Mies van der Rohe, architects have sought the perfect façade. A well-designed façade system is often the difference between a mediocre and a spectacular design impression. Budget, aesthetic, and performance constraints require careful balancing. While every project is different, developing a decision-making framework greatly simplifies the process.