Graphisoft Envisions March 2004

Design imagery by Graphisoft Design Showcase Award Winner, Ádám Rendek,
DNM Architect, San Francisco, USA.

Welcome to the March edition of Graphisoft Envisions! As usual, we are featuring a combination of Graphisoft news, user tips and a high-profile ArchiCAD user. We announce the first winner of our Design Showcase Award, Ádám Rendek, and are pleased to award him a FujiFilm digital camera.

Those of you familiar with Kimon Onuma's work will know just how creative he is. Kimon is profiled in this month's edition and gives us his ArchiCAD insights, as well as showcasing a fantastic house design in the Los Angeles hills, which received offers from potential buyers - merely on the strength of some superbly convincing renderings!

Readers seeking user tips do not go short, as we are running several this month. With the Budapest snow falling outside, the profile of the Allgäu Arena, by German design firm, Sieber + Renn, seems very seasonal.

If you're in need of an early spring break, why not make the journey later this month to Cal Poly Pomona in California, USA, and take part in ArchiCAD University West! Building on the great success of ArchiCAD University Europe, ACU-West promises to be a fantastic combination of ArchiCAD tutorials & seminars and a great social event. There's also a review of the successful ArchiCAD University Winter School in Austria.

Andy Harvey

Editor

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On the Road with Dominic Gallello; The Transition Club

Many architectural firms are at a point where they know they need to change their delivery processes, but they don't know how. The Graphisoft "Transition Club" is all about helping companies to do this.

I continue to meet architects who can only be described as struggling with the thing that great companies do well - change. Metaphorically, they know they are not feeling well, but just can't bring themselves to go to the doctor. Typical symptoms are:

• "We can hardly keep up with the schedule required by the client."
• "Sometimes we really are not sure if we are proposing the best possible design to our clients."
• "Yes, it is crazy that we spend too much time on drawing production and coordination and not enough time on design!"
• "We try to communicate effectively, but waste so much time having to redline shop drawings, because the subcontractors did not understand what we were trying to communicate".
• "We are seeing our profits decline, because we have to spend so much time answering RFIs and changing orders."
• "We spend valuable time trying to ensure that plans match sections and elevations, and we don't always catch all the mistakes."
• "Building owners and construction companies are starting to ask for models instead of drawings, and we are not ready to respond."

The partners and managers in these firms are struggling with how to change the process and switch to an integrated delivery system. Why is change so hard? Several factors can add up to make things difficult. First, there is certainly great fear of the unknown. Every company running on tight margins fears transition downtime and missing project deadlines as a result. The second thing that people are always concerned about is, "What's in it for me?" If the benefits are not crystal clear, there is no reason to start or support a change. And finally, if you study history, you know that revolutions don't just happen; there is always a change agent acting on the need for improvement. Some firms just don't have this change agent on the staff and this makes it nearly impossible for anything to happen.

The Graphisoft Transition Club is a great cure for firms who are "not feeling so well". Graphisoft and our worldwide network of partners are running these Clubs to help many large and prestigious companies around the world undertake the transition from 2D documentation to integrated design modeling. The benefits can be dramatic... We have done this with virtually no financial risk to these firms. This new process is proven to help these companies win more business, focus on core competencies, quickly evaluate alternate design options, foster collaboration within the office, and improve coordination with outside consultants and contractors. Should your firm have an interest in making the "transition", e-mail me at dgallello@graphisoft.com.

Kimon Onuma - ArchiCAD Visionary - Profiled

Kimon was invited to give us his ArchiCAD insights. If you are familiar with his work, you will know how inspired his designs are. Here, Kimon outlines his commitment to ArchiCAD - and what our solution gives him that no other can:

Object Genome Project:
Custom Object Libraries to Describe Architectural Environments

Ten years ago, I was looking for a solution that combined 2D Drafting, 3D modeling and data into one package. When I saw what ArchiCAD could do, I realized right away that this was going to solve our needs. From then on, we were sharing data - not lines on a 2D CAD program. ArchiCAD allows us to integrate, expand, customize...

ArchiCAD allows us to collaborate with other teams of like-minded professionals who work with the interoperable capabilities of ArchiCAD. We leverage the technology and the capabilities of software, such as ArchiCAD, combine it with our custom software and databases, and use this group of tools on all of our projects.

It's amazing and scary how conservative architects and the building industry are. The key thing is that a mindset shift needs to occur, and change such as this is not an easy one to accept.

BIM Bomb

A large portion of our work has been with the US Government. Government agencies have traditionally been the most averse to change. The way we handled it is that we delivered CAD files in the format they wanted, AutoCAD, DWG, DXF™, DGN, etc., but we used ArchiCAD as the "factory" to create those files. Recently, with more sophisticated clients we work with, like the U.S. Coast Guard, there has been a major shift to understanding the value of BIM, and ArchiCAD. The future looks more promising now than it did 10 years ago.

If building owners knew the amount of inefficiency and waste that is created using traditional CAD processes, they would demand a more intelligent way to work. We need to let owners know to expect more from our profession, which is the only way we will survive. The potential is there, we just need to grasp it.

Kimon goes into much greater depth in his fascinating profile. DO take the trouble to read the whole profile here.

Sieber + Renn, Germany, Allgäu Ski-Jumping Arena

"This is the most spectacular stadium in the world!" German RTL Sports reporter, Dieter Thoma, shouted enthusiastically at first sight of the new 23,000-capacity Allgäu ski-jumping arena.

Just fourteen months passed between the first design ideas and project completion. "With such high pressure on time," stresses Alfred Sieber, Partner at Sieber + Renn, "the way that ArchiCAD greatly optimizes workflow made it totally irreplaceable."

Because of the extremely challenging topography of the location, ArchiCAD's 3D functionality was vital to the success of the project. Using ArchiCAD, the 2D area plan was translated into a full 3D topographical model, enabling the project to be analyzed in the context of its environment and to clearly visualize design intents.

The new stadium project was successfully launched and is now one of the safest and most modern winter sports arenas in the world. Read the full story and see the great images here.

Graphisoft Design Showcase Award

Our congratulations go to Ádám Rendek of DNM Architect, San Francisco, USA, winner of the inaugural Graphisoft Design Showcase Award.

Project: Fields Residence, Oakland, CA

View of the dressing room & the master bathroom

Click on an image for a full-size version

Ádám Rendek
of DNM Architect

Ádám's entry won a very high class competition for our first Design Award. The result was very close and Ádám's work won, receiving this praise from our judges: '... dramatic lighting effects, a warm tone, beautiful wood textures and the ambience of the interiors impressed me'; 'These pictures do not only show me something, they take me there'. Praise indeed!

The Graphisoft Design Showcase is the new name of our design award. The old Rendering of the Month competition served us well, but we wish to raise the profile of our imagery award.

In addition to the great exposure on our website, Ádám's prize is a FujiFilm S3000 digital camera.

As mentioned in January's edition, the award-winning entry will take a very prominent place on the Graphisoft website, in addition to the large slot it will be given in Envisions. The award-winner's work will be fully credited. Click here for details.

We want you to send in your high quality renderings and images. To see if your work is of the desired quality, check out Ádám's images and the past winners in our showcase. If you think you can do as well as - or even better than these great designs, we'd love to hear from you!

Graphisoft Drives the Availability of GDL Electronic Product Catalogs

We have made our GDL Publishing software freely available on our website. This will principally benefit those architects and designers among you who wish to see a much greater availability of GDL product catalog objects to incorporate into your designs. GDL is acknowledged as the most versatile way of representing individual elements of a design, so a wider range of GDL objects will be to everyone's advantage.

"The Construction industry is adopting product model-based data management processes from design to facility management. There is an increasing need for manufacturers' electronic product data in this process." Said Andras Haidekker, Director of Partner Development at Graphisoft. "To enable the design community to use more model-based product information, we have made access to our GDL Software at no charge." Read the full story here.

Using Bar Codes in Graphisoft ArchiFM's Asset Inventory Tool

ArchiFM includes a module which uses data from bar-coded asset inventories as part of its facility management system. ArchiFM goes beyond the usual bar-code management function of CAFM systems: the program features a comprehensive asset survey and inventory methodology to meet the asset management needs of national and multinational companies alike. Read the full, comprehensive article.

ArchiCAD Best Practices Competition

Graphisoft invites you to participate in launching our "HOW-TO" Best Practices Series. We are looking for innovative solutions from the ArchiCAD User Community which document the way you efficiently meet professional challenges.

Winning entries will be published on the Internet. Cash prizes, totalling over €5,000, will be awarded to the first, second and third-placed entries. Entry to the competition is free and open to all architects who use ArchiCAD. See the full competition details.

Graphisoft TechTip of the Month

Karl Ottenstein's tip on using SQL Queries within ArchiCAD wins the January TechTip award - congratulations!

Karl's tip is an example of using ArchiCAD's less-known capabilities, namely the SQL queries from inside the Calculate menu.

Demonstrating a way to extract all of the layer settings for every layer combination in order to document all of the layer combos in an external program such as Excel or Access, the whole tip can be seen here.

Our congratulations also go to T. Prokopchak, whose tip on creating gradient fills wins our December award.

This tip is an example of using ArchiCAD's known capabilities in a different way in order to create a gradient fill effect on the floor plan. Click here to see the steps to follow.

IRON Insights - ArchiCAD User Tip

JT Burk

This month's IRON tip is contributed
by the ubiquitous JT Burk:

Creating a Custom email Style for ArchiCAD Publisher

What better way of personalizing your communication with clients and others involved in a project than emblazoning your logo on your plans and correspondence! Read the whole tip, complete with crystal clear screenshots here.

ArchiCAD University - West, 25-27 March, 2004

Expanding on the very successful ArchiCAD University Europe, Visual Frontiers is hosting ArchiCAD University WEST. This 3-day, 2-night event will host some of ArchiCAD's most tenured practitioners on the campus of Cal Poly Pomona to bring you all the latest technologies and methodologies for using ArchiCAD. Graphisoft will be represented as well as some of the most popular 3rd party vendors. Attendees will be sure to have access to the most up-to-date ArchiCAD-related information possible. Full details can be found here, including the list of speakers - among them Kimon Onuma, profiled above.

ArchiCAD University Winter School Report

Attendees diligently taking part in the academic program!

ArchiCAD University Winter School 2004 took place in January and was a Great success! The hotel was full and delegates from many different countries took part. The snow conditions were perfect for most of the week and the academic program was enjoyed by all. Three people from Graphisoft went along and took part in all the events. Read on for a detailed report of the skiing and the academic program on the ArchiCAD University home page.

Upcoming Events

Country	Event	Date	Location	Info
Denmark	ArchiCAD 8.1 Seminars	March/April, 2004	Various towns countrywide	Details
Finland	ArchiCAD 8.1 Roadshow	March, 2004	Various towns countrywide	Full details
Germany	Light & Building	4/18 - 4/22 2004	Frankfurt Messegelände	Details
Hungary	Graphisoft CAD Studio Tondach Roadshow	to March 22	Various Cities	Details
U.S.	ACSA Convention& BIM Seminar	March 18	South Beach, Miami	Details
U.S.	ArchiCAD University West	March 25-27	Southern California	Details
U.S.	COFES 2004	April 1 - 4	Schottsdale Plaza Resort, AZ	Details
U.S.	AIA 2004	June 10 - 12	Chicago, IL	Details

Do you know of any ArchiCAD-related events happening in your part of the world? If so, send us the details, giving plenty of advance notice, and we'll do our best to promote the event an issue or two before the actual date.

Graphisoft Job Board

Maybe you're a company looking for applicants to fill a post, or maybe you have itchy feet and want a new challenge. Whatever the case, the Graphisoft Job Board is the place to look to find qualified ArchiCAD users and ArchiCAD positions.

It's free to post an advertisement on the Job Board and there is a rapid turnover of both firms seeking architects and people offering their services. Try it out and do let us know if you found work or people using this service.

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Thanks for reading this month's Graphisoft Envisions!

Disclaimer

Most of the content in Envisions is created by Graphisoft's Researchers, who are employees of the company. The views expressed by external contributors are theirs and unless specifically stated are not those of Graphisoft. Graphisoft is not responsible for the content of any external sites referenced.