![]() |
HKS used its ARCHengine virtual environment to allow season ticket holders to see different views and angles of the $1 billion Cowboys stadium project. |
4. Architectural Visualization through Gaming Technology
ARCHengine was able to show different views
from different seats and allow potential season ticket holders to walk, or fly, through the stadium. Now, other visualization programs are following Carmichael's lead and using gaming engines to show architectural design.5. Free Online Design Tool for Energy Estimating and Evaluation
To help its 1,500-plus architects design energy-efficient buildings toward meeting AIA's 2030 Challenge, Perkins+Will in April launched an online energy estimating and evaluation tool for new construction and retrofit projects. The firm made the tool available to the public for free at http://2030e2.perkinswill.com.
The 2030 e2 Energy Estimating Tool allows users to set targets in four key areas—energy efficiency, on-site renewable energy, grid-supplied renewable energy, and green power offsets—and assess a building's design against the goals of the 2030 Challenge, which calls for an immediate 50% reduction in carbon emissions of buildings and carbon neutrality by 2030.
Plug in the project name, location, and start date, as well as key energy-related information such as regional fuel mix and baseline energy use for the area, and the tool automatically tracks progress toward 2030.
"The 2030 e2 Energy Estimating Tool allows designers to explore different percentages of these elements to achieve the 2030 goals," says Doug Pierce, AIA, LEED, senior associate in Perkins+Will's Minneapolis office and developer of the tool. "Additionally, the tool can be used over and over to confirm 2030 compliance throughout the life of the project."![]() |
This model, seen on the Web in the ICEvision viewer, allows full examination of the architect’s Revit model. The client used the viewer to “fly” up to his office window to see what his sightline would be like during a game. |
6. Easy AutoCAD and Revit File Sharing
![]() |
An example of how BIM virtual mockups work: The fi rst fi gure shows a point on a roof where a radius needed to intersect with a tangent. However, the meeting point left no room for construction workers to caulk or fl ash the joint. |
![]() |
The virtual mockup in the second figure shows how JE Dunn and its architect modeled a solution during the design stage that would permit worker access to the point of contention, thus saving a costly change order during construction. |
7. BIM Virtual Mockups Found to be Less Expensive than Physical Mockups
BD+C's Giants BIM adoption list
) is also using 3D models for constructability analysis, including field conditions. All information (even 2D CAD) that JE Dunn receives from their architects on big projects is put into a 3D model. From there, virtual mockups are created to make sure construction conditions, such as room for a ladder and a worker to flash or caulk a joint, are checked out and confirmed to be buildable (see example below).![]() |
With Double-Take data backup, Gould Evans’s main server is in constant contact with an SRO image server. Double-Take replicates and compresses the backup data to take up less space. |
8. Backup Software Saves Data, Money at Gould Evans
Gould Evans needed to trim the cost of its tape-only data storage and backup system. IT manager Chet LaBruyere wanted to improve the accessibility of the system to all 150 Gould Evans employees in the firm's five offices—Kansas City, Mo., Lawrence, Kan., Phoenix, Tampa, and San Francisco—and reduce the risk of data loss between them. After testing several systems, LaBruyere decided to go with Riverbed WAN technology and data replication software from Double-Take. This solution enabled Gould Evans to store all of its backed-up data on one SRO image server accessible to all offices. Double-Take's replication software is hardware agnostic, so it can back up work from Mac, LINUX, or Windows computers. The new system reduces backup labor from 36 human-hours a week to one or two human-hours a week and saves $55,250 a year, plus another $8,400 in annual savings in tape media. Double-Take's system has reduced the total amount of data on Gould Evans's servers by 52% while more than doubling their WAN's bandwidth capacity.
Related Stories
Sustainability | Mar 29, 2024
Demystifying carbon offsets vs direct reductions
Chris Forney, Principal, Brightworks Sustainability, and Rob Atkinson, Senior Project Manager, IA Interior Architects, share the misconceptions about carbon offsets and identify opportunities for realizing a carbon-neutral building portfolio.
Green | Mar 25, 2024
Zero-carbon multifamily development designed for transactive energy
Living EmPower House, which is set to be the first zero-carbon, replicable, and equitable multifamily development designed for transactive energy, recently was awarded a $9 million Next EPIC Grant Construction Loan from the State of California.
Sustainability | Mar 21, 2024
World’s first TRUE-certified building project completed in California
GENESIS Marina, an expansive laboratory and office campus in Brisbane, Calif., is the world’s first Total Resource Use and Efficiency (TRUE)-certified construction endeavor. The certification recognizes projects that achieve outstanding levels of resource efficiency through waste reduction, reuse, and recycling practices.
Legislation | Mar 21, 2024
Bill would mandate solar panels on public buildings in New York City
A recently introduced bill in the New York City Council would mandate solar panel installations on the roofs of all city-owned buildings. The legislation would require 100 MW of solar photovoltaic systems be installed on public buildings by the end of 2025.
Green | Mar 5, 2024
New York City’s Green Economy Action Plan aims for building decarbonization
New York City’s recently revealed Green Economy Action Plan includes the goals of the decarbonization of buildings and developing a renewable energy system. The ambitious plan includes enabling low-carbon alternatives in the transportation sector and boosting green industries, aiming to create more than 12,000 green economy apprenticeships by 2040.
Sustainability | Feb 26, 2024
GBBN's Inflation Reduction Act Calculator goes live
GBBN has publicly released its IRA Calculator, a tool that helps you understand funding opportunities in the IRA for sustainable design.
MFPRO+ News | Feb 15, 2024
Nine states pledge to transition to heat pumps for residential HVAC and water heating
Nine states have signed a joint agreement to accelerate the transition to residential building electrification by significantly expanding heat pump sales to meet heating, cooling, and water heating demand. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by directors of environmental agencies from California, Colorado, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
Codes | Feb 9, 2024
Illinois releases stretch energy code for building construction
Illinois is the latest jurisdiction to release a stretch energy code that provides standards for communities to mandate more efficient building construction. St. Louis, Mo., and a few states, including California, Colorado, and Massachusetts, currently have stretch codes in place.
Sustainability | Feb 7, 2024
9 states pledge to accelerate transition to clean residential buildings
States from coast to coast have signed a joint agreement to accelerate the transition to pollution-free residential buildings by significantly expanding heat pump sales to meet heating, cooling, and water heating demand in coming years.
Sustainability | Dec 22, 2023
WSP unveils scenario-planning online game
WSP has released a scenario-planning online game to help organizations achieve sustainable development goals while expanding awareness about climate change.