Graphisoft - Press releases

ArchiCAD 16 Debuts at AIA 2012 National Conference

Boston, MA - May 15, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT introduces ArchiCAD® 16, the latest version of its premium BIM software, at booth #2209 at the AIA 2012 National Convention and Design Exposition in Washington DC, May 17-19, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

Architects are invited to join GRAPHISOFT for software demonstrations that will focus on design freedom, accessibility to BIM components and sustainable design, which make ArchiCAD 16 the best architectural modeling tool available today.

“Washington, DC is a great location for the event. We're looking forward to catching up with the local ArchiCAD community and showing off our new features,” said Steve Benford, Managing Director, GRAPHISOFT North America. “These really are exciting times, with great challenges matched by equally great rewards. Change happens fast. To succeed, participants need to be nimble and swift. ArchiCAD is truly one of the great tools for firms to express their proprietary advantage and stay ahead of their competitors.”

Top design and technical experts will be on hand to explain how GRAPHISOFT’s array of software solutions helps firms adapt to the evolving world of Building Information Modeling. Monte Chapin, GRAPHISOFT Business Process Leader, North America and Yanni Alexakis, CSI, Int'l Association AIA, GRAPHISOFT Product Manager, will discuss how the OPEN BIM movement meets industry’s demands for interoperability and interdisciplinary collaboration. The upgraded BIM Server™, Cloud-integrated model sharing, and support for the IFC 2x3 Coordination View Version 2.0 for facilitating Open BIM will be on display as well.

Demonstrations of the new MORPH™ tool, found in ArchiCAD 16, will show how it enables creation of freeform elements directly in ArchiCAD. Since MORPH has no geometric limitations: every node, edge and every surface can be moved and shaped in any direction.

Visitors to the GRAPHISOFT booth will also see the latest enhancements to the revolutionary presentation and communication tool, BIMx for ArchiCAD 16. BIMx provides a dynamic way to share architectural designs on a mobile device or tablet. Now, with ArchiCAD 16, cloud-integrated model sharing service is available for BIMx users. Attendees will be provided 3D glasses to enhance their experience as they explore designs through BIMx in a 3D environment that supports real-time 3D navigation using familiar navigation techniques.
GRAPHISOFT will also demonstrate important workflow and productivity updates to its growing portfolio of solutions. From 11.00 AM-2.00 PM on May 17th and 18th, the new e-SPECS Specification Management product suite integration with ArchiCAD will be featured.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world's first fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT® has been part of the Nemetschek Group, since its acquisition in 2007.

GRAPHISOFT and InterSpec, Inc. Announce ArchiCAD e-Specs Integration

BOSTON, May 14, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT® announced today the integration between e-SPECS and ArchiCAD. Both GRAPHISOFT and InterSpec, Inc have been committed to offering the best software solutions in their respective fields; linking the technologies will enhance the work of architects and facilitate construction management projects.

The e-SPECS Specification Management product suite serves to automate the preparation of construction specifications and selection of products and materials that are incorporated into construction projects. With e-SPECS for ArchiCAD, users have truly integrated and coordinated construction documents.

“We're always on the lookout to add to our best-in-class interoperability and are very pleased to collaborate with e-SPECS,” said Steve Benford, GRAPHISOFT North America, Managing Director. “The integration with e-SPECS enhances the user experience, streamlines the workflow, and helps optimize documentation. Everyone wins - users, clients, we as solution providers, as well as the building industry as a whole.”

Architects, engineers and construction professionals employ InterSpec’s e-SPECS products on thousands of projects annually to maintain synchronization between construction models, drawings and project specifications. ArchiCAD integration with e-SPECS provides overall cost management during the process of developing project construction documents.

“We welcome ArchiCAD to the family of BIM applications we support,” said Michael Brennan, President of InterSpec. “We’re happy to be able to deliver something ArchiCAD customers have been seeking – a way to take advantage of our specification automation and coordination systems. Our e-SPECS Application Program Interface (API), provides automation, coordination, and access to the specifications and other project data.”

See a live e-SPECS for ArchiCAD presentation in the GRAPHISOFT booth (#2209) at the AIA 2012 National Convention in Washington DC, May 17–18th at 11am and 1pm or register here for the webinar presentation scheduled for Wednesday, June 6th, 2012 at 2pm EST.

About InterSpec

InterSpec provides construction document management solutions and services built on its patented e-SPECS specification management technology. e-SPECS software automates the specification process by extracting the product and material requirements directly from the project’s BIM models and drawings. e-SPECS integrates directly with Autodesk and Graphisoft BIM applications and supports all specification master libraries of MasterSpec®, US Dept of Veterans Affairs, Canadian Master Specifications (CMS), National Master Specifications (NMS), as well as the ability to integrate custom office masters. For architects and engineers who spend many hours on every project preparing construction specifications, e-SPECS software saves time and money while ensuring that the construction drawings are coordinated with the specifications. For more information visit www.e-SPECS.com or contact sales at +1-207-772-6135 or email to sales@e-SPECS.com.

About GRAPHISOFT

ArchiCAD 16 – BIM Components at Your Fingertips

BUDAPEST, May 2, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT^® announced today ArchiCAD^® 16, the latest version of its premium BIM design software for architects. ArchiCAD 16 introduces a comprehensive ecosystem of solutions to ease the creation, sharing, and finding of custom BIM Components. Built-in Energy Evaluation turns ArchiCAD 16 into the “greenest” BIM solution available on the market today.

“Building projects – by their nature – contain numerous custom building components and structures that may require modeling capabilities beyond the standard BIM tools,” said László Vértesi, VP of Products at GRAPHISOFT. “ArchiCAD 16 introduces direct modeling capabilities and cloud-integration to help users create and find the custom objects, components, and structures they need to make their BIM models complete,” he continued.

MORPH TOOL – Redefining Modeling Freedom for BIM

Custom objects, components, and structures require a tool with extraordinary modeling flexibility. ArchiCAD 16 introduces direct modeling capabilities into the native BIM environment with its brand new MORPH™ tool. MORPH allows element creation with any custom geometry in an intuitive graphical way, featuring popular modeling techniques such as push & pull. MORPH elements can be created from scratch simply by drawing a 3D polygon or by converting any existing ArchiCAD BIM element. The MORPH tool is an optimal solution for creating custom BIM components, custom structures, and custom elements of the built environment as well as custom-designed building interiors.

BIMcomponents.com – Cloud-search for BIM Components

Building components is one of the most dynamically developing segments of the BIM industry. ArchiCAD’s parametric GDL technology has been a powerful tool for professionals to create “intelligent” building components. ArchiCAD 16 fundamentally changes the possibilities the average user has to obtain custom BIM Components for their BIM projects. ArchiCAD’s new modeling capabilities, connected with the cloud-based BIM Component database allow users to create, search, upload, and download custom BIM components of their choice. The fully-integrated web portal makes sharing BIM components a core community function. BIMcomponents.com also provides a central “marketplace” for all GDL objects to directly reach ArchiCAD users when they need those objects the most.

SUSTAINABILITY – Industry-first Fully BIM-integrated Energy Evaluation

In today’s environment, sustainability is an imperative for all building projects. Contrary to conventional wisdom, the main decisions influencing a building’s sustainability features are made by the architects and not by the building systems engineers. GRAPHISOFT continues to innovate in “green” as well, uniquely offering the best workflow for sustainable design, integrated in its BIM authoring tool. The built-in Energy Evaluation functionality of ArchiCAD 16 is similar to the former standalone EcoDesigner™ product, but is based on entirely new technology (e.g. zone-boundary based building model geometry analysis, analytic weather data input option, etc.). This technology allows architects to perform reliable dynamic energy evaluation of their BIM model within ArchiCAD, relying on BIM geometry analysis and accurate hour-by-hour online weather data of the building’s location.

Together with ArchiCAD 16, GRAPHISOFT also delivers important workflow and productivity updates to its growing portfolio of solutions. These include an upgraded BIM Server™, Cloud-integrated model sharing service for BIMx users with an active maintenance contract, and support for the IFC 2x3 Coordination View Version 2.0 for facilitating OPEN BIM. ArchiCAD 16 will be released on May 30, 2012, with shipment to customers beginning within a few weeks after the official release. Following a tight release schedule, all 26 local versions are planned to reach the market by the end of Q3 2012. For more information about ArchiCAD 16, please visit: http://www.graphisoft.com/archicad. For a live demonstration of ArchiCAD 16, please register for the upcoming “BIM Components at Your Fingertips” webinar on June 19, 2012.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Releases ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012

BUDAPEST, January 16, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT today announced the release of ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012, the latest release of its entry-level Building Information Modeling (BIM) solution.

The new ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is based on the robust BIM technology of ArchiCAD 15, but with a feature set and price tailored to the needs of small architectural practices, home builders, and building contractors.

ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 contains all the tools necessary to create the BIM model from which the entire architectural documentation and the list of materials can be derived. Also, STAR(T) Edition offers the full benefits of the intelligent GDL object technology of ArchiCAD. The new relase introduces functions to STAR(T) Edition users including:

Intelligent Element Connections – automatic connections between building structures and elements to help the creation and maintenance of the BIM model while preserving the flexibility architects need.
3D Design Space - 3D guidelines and editing planes to help the creation of the BIM model in the natural 3D environment including axonometric and perspective views.
Latest DWG-DXF file exchange capabilities with the 3rd party applications of consultants

For more information about STAR(T) Edition 2012, please visit the official product website. The International English version of STAR(T) Edition 2012 together with the German and Austrian versions are already available for orders. Other localized versions will follow during Q1, 2012.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Breaks Down BIM Transition So You Can “Get There Faster”

BOSTON, January 30, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT, the global leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, demystifies critical areas of the BIM process to help architects in the selection of their BIM tools.

From the company that brought you – Construction Computing Magazine’s 2011 BIM Product of the Year ArchiCAD 15 – the “Get There Faster with ArchiCAD” whitepaper examines five critical areas to explore before making your final BIM software selection. This paper was written with the sole purpose of providing accurate, reliable information about critical issues related to BIM and what ArchiCAD with advanced technology such as the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server(tm) provide as an answer to address these issues. We want to teach and educate in an effort to help architects make informed technology decisions.

The whitepaper shares expertise and experience from six design leaders as they describe how ArchiCAD:

Improves profitability
Enables agile and competitive workflow
Provides fast, real-time collaboration
Is easy-to-learn and simplifies the 3D workflow
Makes great use of any computing power
Keeps IT costs low
Is a secure and proven BIM product

This document highlights what makes ArchiCAD BIM different than other BIM solutions. Find out why ArchiCAD, developed by architects for architects, is the most workable solution for today’s AEC professionals.

Download the white paper here.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Announces Collaboration with NCS/HEΛIOΣ, Architectural Quantity Calculation System by Nisseki Survey

TOKYO, January 31, 2012 -- The leading BIM software, GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD, and the architectural quantity calculation/cost estimation system, NCS/HEΛIOΣ, are now linked via IFC.

HEΛIOΣ (HELIOS), developed by Nisseki Survey, is widely used among Japanese general contractors, architectural firms and quantity survey firms. Nisseki Survey and its associate company, Val-System, now support quantity calculation and cost estimation tasks as an “OPEN BIM” partner of GRAPHISOFT. HELIOS is currently going through a real-life project validation process together with some of the largest general contractors in Japan.

“We are honored to collaborate with HEΛIOΣ,” Bence Kovacs, GRAPHISOFT Japan Managing Director said. “We believe this partnership is very important for the future of BIM. Quantity calculation and cost estimation are critical components of architectural design. Using HEΛIOΣ, architects and general contractors will be able to provide their clients with up-to-date information about building costs, thus giving them a better view of their projects overall,” he continued. As a result of the agreement between GRAPHISOFT and Nisseki Survey, Nisseki will also act as an ArchiCAD reseller partner.

About Nisseki Survey

Founded in 1964, Nisseki Survey develops and distributes the “NCS series” architectural quantity calculation/cost estimation system. NCS series are used by over 1000 companies, such as Japanese general contractors, architectural firms and quantity survey companies.

About GRAPHISOFT

Contact

■ GRAPHISOFT Japan
Marketing: Hirano
TEL: 03-5545-3800 / FAX: 03-5545-3804
Mail: marketing@graphisoft.co.jp
WEB: http://www.graphisoft.co.jp

■ Nisseki Survey
Sales Promotion: Nishimura
TEL: 06-6944-2776 / FAX: 06-6944-2390
Mail: nishimura@nisseki-survey.co.jp
WEB: http://www.nisseki-survey.co.jp

Skyscraper Village is ArchitectsJURY Winner

BUDAPEST, February 27, 2012 – Brendan Bakker, a graduate student at the Technical University of Delft in The Netherlands, has won an iMac in the 2011 Fall ArchitectsJURY competition. His entry, Skyscraper Village, was chosen by his peers in an online competition.

Designed using ArchiCAD, Skyscraper Village is based on the design and research of a city that supplies its own food. The building would function as a self-sufficient city, and would also consist of parks, open areas, dwellings, offices, and industrial areas. The goal of the building design was to create the feeling of being in a city. For example, Brendan designed multiple routes to get from one place in the building to another, just as one might take different routes to the same desitination in a city. The four towers that make up the design are connected to each other with bridges and platforms in an effort to maximize the use of natural light. “ArchiCAD allows me to design detailed engineering drawings on a very high level, while giving me the creative freedom I need,” Brendan said.

Skyscraper Village
© Brendan Bakker

About Brendan Bakker

A native of Voorschoten now living in Utrecht, The Netherlands, Brendan Bakker studied engineering at the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht, specializing in architecture and the built environment. He is currently working on his Master’s degree in Architecture at the Technical University of Delft, which he expects to complete in 2013.

Brendan Bakker accepts an iMac for his winning entry in the ArchitectsJURY competition from Anne de Ruijtter of Kubus.

About ArchitectsJURY

The ArchitectsJURY competition is aimed at finding the best architectural student work, as judged by visitors to www.ArchitectsJURY.com, the student architecture community. For more images of the winning project, please visit www.architectsjury.com/pages/competition/2011-fall-semester/winners. To learn about the 2011 Fall ArchitectsJURY competition, visit www.architectsjury.com/pages/competition/2011-fall-semester/.

About GRAPHISOFT

Open BIM Program for Improved AEC Collaboration

March 13, 2012 -- buildingSMART® International, members of the Nemetschek Group, Tekla® and other leading software vendors joined forces to launch a global program to help promote Open BIM collaboration workflows throughout the AEC industry.

Open BIM is a universal approach to the collaborative design, realization and operation of buildings based on open standards and workflows. Open BIM is an initiative of buildingSMART and several leading software vendors using the open buildingSMART Data Model.

The Open BIM approach offers key benefits to the stakeholders of building projects:

Workflow integration results in greatly reduced coordination errors compared to sheer file exchange-based coordination of the different disciplines.
Project members can work with the best-of-breed solutions in their respective fields without risking “incompatibility” hence exclusion from certain BIM projects.
Project members can maintain full control over software upgrades independently from their peers on the different AEC projects they participate in.
Accessibility of BIM data is provided for the entire lifecycle of buildings including design, construction and operation.

The Open BIM program’s aim is to help coordinate efforts related to the promotion and implementation of Open BIM collaboration workflows by providing common definitions, requirements and branding. AEC software vendors, AEC practices (designers, engineers, contractors) as well as AEC projects are all welcome to participate and use the OPEN BIM logo as a promise of successful and streamlined collaboration.

Companies participating in the Open BIM program from day #1 include buildingSMART International, Nemetschek companies including GRAPHISOFT, Nemetschek Allplan, Nemetschek Vectorworks Inc., Nemetschek Scia as well as Tekla a Trimble company and Data Design System. For more information, please visit: www.openbim.com, or join the OPEN BIM webinar organized by GRAPHISOFT, Tekla, and Data Design System on March 27.

About buildingSMART

BuildingSMART is a neutral, international and unique not-for-profit industry alliance supporting open BIM through the life cycle of a building. BuildingSMART has developed, maintains and issues certifications for the data model standard known as Industry Foundation Classes (IFC). The IFC standard was accepted by ISO (ISO/PAS 16739: 2005). Full ISO accreditation is in progress.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT® ignited the BIM revolution with ArchiCAD®, the industry first BIM software for architects. GRAPHISOFT continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions such as the revolutionary GRAPHISOFT BIM Server™, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and the GRAPHISOFT EcoDesigner™, the world's first fully integrated building energy modeling application. GRAPHISOFT’s innovative solutions have fundamentally changed the way architects around the world design and collaborate. GRAPHISOFT has been a part of the Nemetschek Group since its acquisition in 2007.

About Tekla

With its software, Tekla drives the evolution of digital information models and thus provides more and more competitive advantage to the construction, infrastructure and energy industries. The company was established already in 1966, and today it has customers in 100 countries, offices in 15 countries, and a global partner network. Tekla became part of Trimble Group in 2011. More information at www.tekla.com

About Nemetschek Allplan

Nemetschek Allplan is a leading European provider of intelligent IT solutions for architects, engineers, building contractors and facility managers. The core product - Allplan - is the platform for building information modeling (BIM) and optimally supports the seamless planning and construction of buildings in terms of quality, cost and time investment. The software is currently being used by 65,000 customers in 16 languages. Nemetschek Allplan is part of the Nemetschek Group, member of the buildingSMART Alliance and among the companies who initiated Open BIM.

About Nemetschek Scia

Scia Engineer is a leading Modelling, Analysis & Design solution for Structural Engineers by Nemetschek Scia, a member of the buildingSMART Alliance. It is the only Structural Analysis Software that is IFC 2x3 certified. Based upon a powerful 3D structural modeller engine with parametric forms, detailing views & drawings, it allows the design of industrial structure, infrastructure and low-to-high-rise buildings. The software has several international building codes integrated for the technical design and optimization of steel, concrete, timber, aluminum, … multi-material constructions.

About Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc.

Nemetschek Vectorworks, Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of Nemetschek AG and has been developing software since 1985. The Vectorworks line of software products provides professional design solutions for more than 450,000 designers in the AEC, entertainment and landscape design industries. With a tradition of designing flexible, versatile, intuitive and affordable CAD and Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions, Nemetschek Vectorworks continues to be a global leader in 3D design technologies

About Data Design System (DDS)

Since 1984 DATA DESIGN SYSTEM (DDS) has developed innovative and cost-efficient software solutions for building services professionals. DDS-CAD is a true BIM platform, compliant with open buildingSMART standards. The company's flagship product DDS-CAD MEP are available both as one integrated multidisciplinary solution and as separate solutions for each of the MEP disciplines (mechanical, electrical and plumbing). DDS’ products are being used daily and successfully for MEP design and calculations in BIM projects world-wide.

About the Nemetschek Group

The Nemetschek Group, with ten strong brands, provides intelligent solutions for the international AEC sector. Nemetschek supports sustainable information technologies in all project phases and throughout the entire value chain. The Nemetschek Group is a member of the buildingSMART Alliance and supports Open BIM.

Contact points

BuildingSMART International: Chris Groome (cg@buildingsmart.org.uk)

GRAPHISOFT North America Releases ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012

BOSTON, March 14, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT North America today announced the availability of ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 BIM software in the North American market.

STAR(T) is a powerful BIM authoring tool at a competitive price point with a robust feature set allowing users to create and efficiently manage the building model, and automatically generate a full array of project documentation.

“We recognize the importance of BIM within the building design and construction process, as well as the financial realities many new firms face. The release of STAR(T) 2012 represents our commitment to providing a powerful software solution to those customers,” said Steve Benford, managing director, GRAPHISOFT North America. “ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is an excellent option to gain a BIM solution that meets their needs now and will meet their needs in the future as they grow.”

ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 is a full-fledged BIM solution with critical features most smaller practices need. Architects can take advantage of a full BIM toolset and create any type of Virtual Building model and architectural documentation (floor plans, sections/elevations, 3D views, details). The new release introduces functions to STAR(T) Edition users including:

Intelligent Element Connections – automatic connections between building structures and elements to help the creation and maintenance of the BIM model while preserving the flexibility architects need.
3D Design Space - 3D guidelines and editing planes to help the creation of the BIM model in the natural 3D environment, including axonometric and perspective views.
Latest DWG-DXF file exchange capabilities with the 3rd party applications of consultants

ArchiCAD STAR(T) Edition 2012 will be shipping for less than $2,000 USD. For more information, please visit our website to find a reseller in your area.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Forges Partnership with Leading Madrid Architecture School

BUDAPEST, March 20, 2012 – GRAPHISOFT, the global leader in Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions for architects, has announced that the School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM) will install more than 400 ArchiCAD 15 licenses.

GRAPHISOFT Spain will train the university’s educators, who in turn will begin training the students on the use of the award-winning architectural software.

Architecture & design students and teachers are entitled to receive the fully-functional education version of ArchiCAD for free. Students and teachers are entitled to 1-year free education licenses of ArchiCAD after showing proof of their education status. In addition, architectural schools and academic institutions are entitled to equip their computer labs with the free academic version of ArchiCAD. Given that BIM is the fastest-growing trend in the AEC design industry, GRAPHISOFT took the lead in developing the first, full-fledged BIM curriculum to support the university education of BIM to students. As a result, the number of universities taking advantage of this opportunity has grown as well. Since GRAPHISOFT began offering free software to students, teachers, and universities through www.myarchicad.com, students are better-equipped to start their careers armed with the knowledge and practical skills they gain through the study of Building Information Modeling.

About ETSAM

The Superior Technical School of Architecture of Madrid (ETSAM) is the leading school of architecture of the Technical University of Madrid (UPM), Spain. It prepares future architects and grants the title of Architect, as well as doctorates and diverse master degrees. ETSAM is considered by many professionals of the sector as the best in Spain and one of the best world-wide.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Signs MOU with Shanghai’s Luban Software

BUDAPEST, January 16, 2012 -- Leading worldwide BIM software vendor GRAPHISOFT SE and Luban Software (Luban) recently signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding in Shanghai.

Baoming Yang and Miklos Szovenyi-Lux sign the MOU
in Shanghai, China.

GRAPHISOFT Vice President of Business Development Miklos Szovenyi-Lux and Baoming Yang, Chairman of Luban, signed the Memorandum setting out the terms of their strategic partnership. Luban is one of China’s top developers of cost estimation software for the construction industry.

Luban and GRAPHISOFT have agreed to establish a Luban-GRAPHISOFT Strategic Partnership Program with the following objectives: to promote and implement Building Information Modeling (BIM) in China’s AEC industry; to strengthen the product integration, the brand and influence of Luban and GRAPHISOFT on the OPEN BIM design collaboration approach, thus supporting the growth of BIM in China; and contributing to the technical development of China’s AEC industry. With a 40% share of China’s cost estimation software market, Luban is keen on partnering with GRAPHISOFT so that ArchiCAD models developed in China will meet customer and regulatory needs.

During the course of the next three years, Luban and GRAPHISOFT will work closely to develop a connection between the respective company’s products; create a BIM solution that is tailored to the Chinese market; implement BIM for bids, design, quantities, costs and construction management; and provide complete, BIM-based solutions at both the project and company levels.

About Luban

With over 100,000 customers, Luban has the largest sales and service network for engineering software in 29 provinces and more than 250 cities in China. The company currently has 40% of the cost estimating software market in China. Luban is also the leading provider of Building Information Modeling (BIM) solutions in China.

About GRAPHISOFT

Steve Jobs statue unveiled in Budapest

BUDAPEST, December 21, 2011 – GRAPHISOFT, Graphisoft Park, and AIT-Budapest dedicated a statue honoring the late Steve Jobs in Budapest’s Graphisoft Park today.

Commissioned by GRAPHISOFT Founder and Chairman of the Board, Gabor Bojar, the statue is the first in the world honoring the late founder of Apple, who passed away on October 5. Crafted by Hungarian sculptor Erno Toth, the life-like bronze statue stands near the entrance of architectural software maker GRAPHISOFT’s Budapest headquarters.

The relationship between GRAPHISOFT and Apple can be traced to the 1980’s, when Jobs came across the first version of GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD software at the 1984 CeBIT in Germany. His first impressions of the software led him to throw Apple’s support behind the development and distribution of ArchiCAD. “Apple’s support included cash and computers at a time when GRAPHISOFT was a small company with limited resources, working within the economic and political confines of what was, at the time, communist Hungary,” Gabor Bojar said. Apple also introduced GRAPHISOFT to its worldwide distribution network, which remains a cornerstone of the business today. “With its attention to excellence in every detail, Graphisoft Park’s environment embodies the spirit of Steve Jobs,” Viktor Varkonyi, CEO of GRAPHISOFT said. “I can’t think of a better place to commemorate the man and his legacy,” he continued.

About Graphisoft Park

Graphisoft Park is the first science/technology park in Budapest, established by GRAPHISOFT in 1997 when looking for new premises. GRAPHISOFT believed that providing the world’s best architects with the world’s best software would be possible only if the company itself could operate in a first-class architectural environment. Within a few years, several other high-tech firms rented space at the Park, attracted by its unmatched location, exceptional design, and superior services. In addition to GRAPHISOFT, tenants include SAP, Microsoft, Servier, Canon, and over 40 other high-tech companies. The mission of the Park is to enable its tenants to attract the best talent with an inspiring calm and green environment, located directly on the banks of the Danube River. Graphisoft Park SE is a public European corporation listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange.

About AIT-Budapest

Aquincum Institute of Technology was established in 2007 by Hungarian software entrepreneur, Gabor Bojar, founder of GRAPHISOFT, to provide an exceptional study abroad experience to North American undergraduates majoring in Computer Science and Engineering. AIT’s mission is to bridge the gap between academia and business. AIT’s curriculum integrates design, entrepreneurship, foundational courses and advanced applications in computer science and humanities courses related to Hungary’s rich cultural heritage. AIT brings together globally-acclaimed scholars, designers, and entrepreneurs to provide an inspiring academic environment.

About GRAPHISOFT

ArchiCAD 15 is BIM Product of the Year

BUDAPEST, December 1, 2011 – GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD 15 has won the BIM Product of the Year award at the sixth annual Construction Computing Magazine Awards.

Affectionately known as ‘The Hammers,’ the Construction Computing Awards showcase and reward the technology, tools and solutions for the effective design, construction, maintenance and modification of commercial buildings, residential and social housing and civil engineering projects of all sizes. GRAPHISOFT also took home the award for Environmental Project of the Year for the Rural Regeneration Centre at Hadlow College, the UK’s first certified Passivhaus educational building.

ArchiCAD 15, the latest version of GRAPHISOFT’s award-winning design software for architects, improves native BIM design and documentation workflow for renovation and refurbishment projects. Architects enjoy expanded creative freedom and innovation through ArchiCAD 15’s enriched architectural forms and a wider array of new design tools. Renovation and refurbishment projects are fully supported by ArchiCAD 15’s BIM workflow.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Signs MOU with North China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute

BUDAPEST, November 29, 2011 -- Leading worldwide BIM software vendor GRAPHISOFT SE and North China Municipal Engineering Design & Research Institute (NCME) recently signed a Strategic Memorandum of Understanding in Beijing.

GRAPHISOFT VP of Business Development Miklos Szovenyi-Lux and Vice President of NCME Li Yanqiang signed the Memorandum setting out the terms of their strategic partnership.

Li Yanqiang and Miklos Szovenyi-Lux

NCME and GS agree to establish a NCME-GRAPHISOFT Strategic Partnership Program with the objective to promote and implement Building Information Modeling (BIM) to strengthen the design capabilities of NCME, the brand and influence of NCME, to support the growth of BIM in China and the creation of specifications for municipal design, as well as BIM standards for China based upon GS’s ArchiCAD and related software and services.

NCME is a nationally-recognized, professional organization. A design and research organization integrating urban planning, project consulting, environment assessment, project design, contract engineering, project supervision, research and technology development, NCEM is one of the parties responsible for developing standards and rules for municipal design.

During the course of the next three years, GRAPHISOFT will assist NCME with implementing BIM on design, collaboration, sustainability, and create BIM specifications.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT’s EcoDesigner Recognized at Annual WAN Product Awards

BUDAPEST, January 24, 2011 – GRAPHISOFT’s EcoDesigner energy modeler software has been ‘Highly Commended’ by World Architecture News (WAN) at the annual WAN Product Awards 2010, which were held January 17 in collaboration with the BAU trade fair in Munich. The WAN Product of the Year Award is a unique, worldwide award scheme to showcase new and innovative products, materials and details available from the construction industry.

EcoDesigner, the world’s first, fully-integrated dynamic building energy modeling application, allows architects to compare the sustainability of various design options and change the project in the early design phase, when it is still easy to do so. Only EcoDesigner offers complete integration of dynamic energy evaluation in the BIM environment, generating accurate results 80% faster than stand-alone energy software.

“It was very interesting that many of these product ideas are related to the field of sustainability, which will be absolutely the most important trend for the next years in architecture and as well as in the entire building sector,” said Mirko Arend, Exhibition Director for BAU.

EcoDesigner obtains all the necessary geometry and structural property data directly from the ArchiCAD Virtual Building model, ensuring 100% accurate calculation input. Dynamic energy analysis, combined with intuitiveness and ease-of-use makes EcoDesigner for ArchiCAD the number one building energy information modeling tool on the world’s BIM market.

First released in 2009, the current version of EcoDesigner is compatible with ArchiCAD 14, running on both Windows and Mac OSX platforms. EcoDesigner is available from GRAPHISOFT partners in more than 102 countries in 19 language versions.

About GRAPHISOFT

UK’s Moonstone Project Achieves Zero Carbon Rating with ArchiCAD

BUDAPEST, January 26, 2011 – The award-winning Moonstone Project, designed using GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD BIM software, is one of the UK’s best performing houses, exceeding the UK’s Code 6 Sustainable Homes Guide; the house also exceeds the German ‘Passivhaus’ top standard for energy efficiency by over 65%.

At 16,000 square feet (1,500 square meters), with a third of its structure underground, Moonstone meets a zero carbon footprint – an incredible accomplishment considering the house is 21 times larger than the average UK home. The house has no heating demand, is not connected to mains water or sewerage, uses no fossil fuels, and is lit entirely by ultra low LED lighting. The building is self-sufficient in its energy requirements by utilizing an array of discretely positioned PV panels, which supply more electricity than the house uses. The surplus is fed back into the grid, generating an estimated income of £3,500/year.

“ArchiCAD BIM is a tool we definitely could not have lived without,” said John Croft, owner of Moonstone. “It certainly saved us tens of thousands of pounds in cost savings on the project as we were able to analyze any design mistakes, clashes of materials, know where the MEP runs were going to go as well as evaluate building performance,” he added. The project also utilized GRAPHISOFT’s EcoDesigner, which performs dynamic building energy evaluations, including annual consumption, carbon footprint and monthly energy balance.

A free Best Practice InfoKit is available from Applecore Designs – a GRAPHISOFT partner, which supported the Moonstone Project design team. The kit includes the Moonstone Project case study in .pdf format; image gallery; Moonstone Virtual Building Explorer (VBE) interactive model download, and instructional keyboard card. The InfoKit can be downloaded from http://infokit.applecoredownloads.com/moonstoneworldwide/form.php

About GRAPHISOFT

ArchiCAD Sweeps Build Live Tokyo 2010 Competition

BUDAPEST, November 29, 2010 – Team Safari Tour, led by Yasuo Ichii, and representing the giant general contractor firm Obayashi Corp., captured the Best Project Award by a corporate team at Build Live Tokyo in October using ArchiCAD.

Competing corporate and student teams were assigned the task of creating a new media art center. Participants had to ensure that the new center would be an exceptional space for people to gather and experience art, nurture creativity among visitors, and function as an exhibit space and research center. “We achieved the challenging mission by making full use of ArchiCAD and its various applications, and were very happy with the prize-winning results,” said Yasuo Ichii, Team Safari Tour leader. “BIM cut down the design time, and enabled us to use the design in the construction planning,” he added.

Four of eight of the corporate teams, and six of the eleven student teams created their designs with ArchiCAD. In total, 10 teams using ArchiCAD won awards, making this one of the most successful competitions for ArchiCAD users at Build Live Tokyo. In addition to the Best Project Award, ArchiCAD users also won 2nd place, as well as the Incentive Award, Engineering Award, BIM Technology Award, EcoDesign Award, and Design Innovation Award.

In total, 16 out of 32 teams used ArchiCAD at all of the competitions thus far. And, for the third time in a row, a team using ArchiCAD has won the top prize at Build Live Tokyo.

About GRAPHISOFT

Online BIM Collaboration Webinar Breaks Down Barriers

BUDAPEST, November 26 – GRAPHISOFT has announced that the recent online BIM collaboration webinar surpassed all expectations regarding participation and feedback.

On November 23, 11 colleagues around the world from GRAPHISOFT, Arktec, DDS-CAD, and Tekla Structures demonstrated the power of Open Collaboration without borders. These professionals in Birmingham, Boston, Budapest, Helsinki, Madrid, Munich, Oslo, and Sydney used the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server to successfully demonstrate how Delta Server™ technology reduces network traffic to a minimum for instant and reliable data-exchange both within the office and over the Internet.

With nearly 1,000 people registering for the live webinar, the greatest interest came from the Australian, Spanish, UK, and US markets. Many of the participants were partners/owners in their own firms, proving once again, that BIM is the future for global collaboration without barriers. Participants appreciated the global reach of the webinar and were quick to praise the professionalism throughout. The general mood was summarized by one of the participants: “OPEN platform = OPEN mind! Thanks for the presentation! It was very helpful.”

About GRAPHISOFT

About Arktec

About DDS-CAD

About Tekla Structures

Norway’s High School Curriculum to Include ArchiCAD

BUDAPEST, November 25, 2010 – GRAPHISOFT recently announced that it has agreed with the Norwegian Building Industry Association (BNL) to provide all secondary schools in Norway with free ArchiCAD licenses. The BNL is encouraging the schools to use the money saved on licenses to pay for courses for teachers.

As a result of this agreement, students are assured that they will be using cutting-edge Building Information Modeling, or BIM. “Working with BIM is exciting and educational for the students,” said Anita Tjelta, Recruitment and Education Consultant for the BNL. “It is important for the construction industry that future employees learn and master this technology,” she added. ArchiCAD’s Norwegian version includes presets for wall panels, roofs, windows, doors, etc., with templates based on the Norwegian Standard. According to Halvor Sandbu, CEO of GRAPHISOFT Norway, “The new agreement with the BNL offers more schools easier access to software, training and complete project tasks for approximately 200,000 students across Norway. We are committed to ensuring that Norwegian high school students receive the training necessary to master mathematics, science, and the arts and crafts through ArchiCAD, better preparing them for whatever the future has in store for them.”

BIM is used in the construction industry to create 3D models of buildings and facilities. Use of BIM helps improve information exchange between the various trades that are involved when a building is being planned and built.

About GRAPHISOFT

ArchiCAD-designed Russian Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai Takes the Silver

BUDAPEST, November 16, 2010 – GRAPHISOFT announced today that the Russian Pavilion of the Shanghai World Expo 2010 has won second prize in the Theme Development category. The pavilion was designed using ArchiCAD by the architects of TOTEMENT/PAPER, lead by Levon Airapetov.

The architects were challenged to propose Russia’s national pavilion that would fit the theme of the exhibition "Better City - Better Life" and also articulate the modern image of Russia. The "Buyan Grad Towns and Legends” concept by TOTEMENT/PAPER’s architects was recognized as the best work. Buyan-grad is the mythical desperado town known from Russian literature. The project was based on the idea of tripartite principle of world order, an idea that is close both to Russian and Chinese cultures. The three-level pavilion presents the idea of harmonious development in a modern city. The Park on the ground level resembles Nature, Past and Earth. The middle level’s snowy platform is a reminder of Civilization, Present and Human. The roof level with the open towers symbolizes Cities, Future and Sky, and also represents the legendary city of Buyan Grad.

The winning project of the
Russian National pavilion and World Expo 2010 competition

The architects had to design and implement the project in an extremely short period of time. Due to the effects of the economic crisis and an altered exhibition set design, the architects had to redesign the pavilion, retaining the overall concept.

One of the architects of the project, Diana Grekova, said that the creation of the model took her twelve days. She describes the process as following: “One of the big pluses of ArchiCAD is that you can conveniently export and import the file into different rendering and other CAD software, using the built-in converter. We sent the model in DWG format to designers in China. Using this model, the Chinese colleagues assembled the supporting structure of the towers”.

The Russian Pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai

The Russian pavilion today is a group of twelve white towers with a red and gold ornamental pattern symbolizing a rich historical and cultural heritage, rapid development and the growth of a modern, multinational country. The towers encompass a cubic mass, which houses the main exposition hall of the Russian Pavilion. This is the so-called “Energy Center” of the pavilion, from where the towers “grow.” From their monolithic base they grow to become an irregularly light structure at their upper part.

"We wanted to articulate that the process of Russia's development is not finished and continues through today," says architect Valeria Preobrazhenskaya, co-designer of the project. "Clearly, Russia has always been a ‘work in progress’ – through the diverse and ever-changing languages, borders, religions, etc. It unites different cultures and nations, which we tried to convey using different designs decorating the towers. The pavilions exterior has a special multi-ethnic character, transmitted through the form and decoration of the building.”

"Architecture is a secret act, when the idea turns into shape. The idea expressed in a small thing should comprise everything that is needed to develop the final result. It is important to clearly feel the subject to avoid any hesitation when creating the final result". Valeria`s comment demonstrates the creation process of the Russian pavilion well. Despite the doubts surrounding the feasibility of the architect’s intention, economic and time constraints, the Russian pavilion at World Expo 2010 in Shanghai was implemented with great success, reaching over 7.5 million visitors and winning second prize from the BIE (Bureau International des Expositions) in its category for Theme Development.

The GRAPHISOFT Representative Office in Russia and the CIS thanks TOTEMENT/PAPER and NANOSOFT, the official Russian distributor for assistance in preparing the article.

About GRAPHISOFT

Tekla and GRAPHISOFT Demonstrate Global Open BIM Workflow

BUDAPEST, November 22, 2010 -- Interoperability between GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD and Tekla Structures enables open BIM collaboration between AEC disciplines despite their geographical location. Join a live global webinar on November 23 to learn more.

Throughout the construction project, the building information models of different disciplines need to be coordinated. GRAPHISOFT and Tekla have been working together for years to develop a smooth exchange of building information across the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) disciplines by enabling open communication between their respective software systems. The companies continuously collaborate to introduce new features that allow Tekla Structures and ArchiCAD software users to communicate more efficiently and seamlessly between each other in order to improve the open BIM (Building Information Modeling) process.

“BIM brings unique advantages to the design team when implementing it on a larger scale between different disciplines. However, architects can often run into bottlenecks regarding the complexity of the configuration when exchanging the models and regarding the responsibilities of each party about the changes effected” says Miklos Szovenyi-Lux, VP of Product Management, at GRAPHISOFT. “ArchiCAD 14 includes improved Tekla support for open BIM and we are committed to providing best-in-class workflow solutions with leading BIM providers such as Tekla around the world.”

“Open BIM is an effort we gladly participate in,” says Laura Virros, Director of Project Delivery at Tekla. “We have a close and rewarding relationship with GRAPHISOFT that we intend to maintain in order to enhance open BIM collaboration now and in the future...”

On November 23, 2010, eleven experts around the world from GRAPHISOFT, Tekla, DDS-CAD and Arktec will demonstrate the power of open collaboration without borders through a webinar presentation. Based in Birmingham, Boston, Budapest, Helsinki, Madrid, Munich, Oslo, and Sydney, and using the GRAPHISOFT BIM Server, these colleagues will demonstrate how Delta Server™ technology reduces network traffic to a minimum for instant and reliable data-exchange both within the office and over the Internet.

If you work in a design team as an architect, engineer or consultant and need to coordinate your design with other disciplines; if your operation is geographically spread out or you need remote access to your BIM projects; or, if you are simply interested in seeing the evolution of BIM collaboration happening now, Tekla and GRAPHISOFT encourage you and all interested parties to join this live webinar about open BIM collaboration.

About GRAPHISOFT

Rural Regeneration Centre is UK’s First Certified Passivhaus Educational Building

BUDAPEST, October 28 – The Rural Regeneration Centre at Hadlow College in Kent is a showcase of low carbon and renewable technology. One of the top three agricultural colleges in the UK, the Rural Regeneration Centre will use just 10% of the typical energy consumption of a modern building and is the first such building in the UK to be constructed using prefabricated materials. The building was designed and built by James Anwyl, founding partner at Eurobuild, a company specializing in Passivhaus architecture and construction.

Constructed of super-insulated closed panels, the structure was planned using Building Information Modeling (BIM) by ArchiCAD and assembled in just three days. In under ten days overall, the structure was airtight to a very high standard of 0.34 h. Pre-fabrication led to a high quality finish with significant time savings.

"I had a close relationship with the ventilation engineer throughout the design and build process as it is such a vital component of the Passivhaus discipline,” said James Anwyl. “We developed the overall strategy together and he calculated optimal flows, specified controls and designed ducting for minimum noise and best flow rates. He sent me a schematic as DWG which I absorbed and reformatted into my drawing set, then modeled it in GRAPHISOFT’s MEP modeler. Effectively, as main contractor and architect, this was an essential part of the BIM design process,” he continued.

A monitoring system is tracking energy consumption of the building over the next two years and beyond to enable Eurobuild to learn about the building’s performance in relation to weather and usage patterns. The students and staff can see the results in the exhibition area and via the online Building User Guide.

The building employs a number of sustainable technologies including a super efficient mechanical ventilation system, triple glazed windows, and a ground source heat pump for heating and cooling. The sanitary rooms all have waterless urinals, low flush toilets, timed water-saver taps and moderated flow showers. Low energy T5 lighting is used throughout the carefully planned building.

Founded by Dr. Wolfgang Feist, the Passivhaus Institute’s standard for energy efficiency results in ultra-low energy buildings that require little energy for space heating or cooling. Passivhaus dwellings typically achieve an energy saving of 90% compared to traditional housing. These principles can be applied not only to the residential sector but also to commercial, industrial, and public buildings.

About GRAPHISOFT

Russian CAD Design Competition Winner Rocks Out in Budapest

BUDAPEST, October 26 – Olga Khamatgalieva, winner of the 2010 Best ArchiCAD Student Project held in Russia last Spring, recently visited Budapest to meet ArchiCAD developers at GRAPHISOFT headquarters and to rock out at the Sziget Festival, one of Europe’s largest music festivals. Olga, a fourth-year student at Southern Federal University in Rostov-on-Don, won the competition with her university library design.

“The trip to Budapest was unforgettable!” said Olga, whose visit to GRAPHISOFT and the Sziget Festival was captured on video. “I met with ArchiCAD developers, people from the modeling department, technical support, as well as people responsible for software distribution.”

The student competition was organized by the Moscow State University of Civil Engineering and supported by GRAPHISOFT. More than 170 student projects arrived from 22 cities across Russia, Ukraine, and Armenia, with the majority of projects created with ArchiCAD. The main goals of the competition were to:

increase the use of CAD in the learning process and expand the community of CAD users;
create opportunities for sharing experiences with CAD software;
identify the best building designs created with CAD software; and
assess the level of expertise among CAD specialists in the Russian AEC industry.

“I would like to thank GRAPHISOFT for the opportunity to visit Budapest,” Olga said. “The experience was invaluable and helped me set new goals in my future career as an architect,” she added.

The contest was organized by the representative office in Russia and CIS countries and supported by GRAPHISOFT Partners in the region:

Please contact the GRAPHISOFT Representative Office in Russia and CIS: Russia@graphisoft.com or tel. +7 495 510 25 03.

About GRAPHISOFT

Rice Daubney's Fully Integrated ArchiCAD BIM Project is Chosen as the Australian Development of the Year

BUDAPEST, October 27 – An award-winning design is the first commercial high rise building in Australia completely designed, constructed and handed over as a built model with asset management software using Building Information Modeling (BIM). The Ark Building, the Urban Taskforce 2010 Development Excellence Award winner designed by Rice Daubney, breaks boundaries, challenges traditions, and sets new design benchmarks.

Photo: Brett Boardman

Designed using ArchiCAD by GRAPHISOFT, the development of ‘Ark’ as a fully-integrated Building Information Model began with the consultants and designers, and continued through to the construction of the building. This ensured that the data embedded in the sophisticated BIM model could be used by the client for ongoing asset management and building performance. “BIM helped visualize a complex building design and allowed coordination of structure and services in a highly collaborative environment,” said Mark Shoolman, Project Architect at Rice Daubney.

In addition to its new approach to architectural form, with its dramatic folded shapes, the building excels in environmental terms as well through the use of Tri-generation. The building, which has achieved a 6 star Green Star rating, collects and recycles rainwater.

Conceived, designed, documented, and built using BIM, ‘Ark’ is testimony to the benefits of a true and complete BIM environment – from initial design conceptualization through to the construction process and end management of the building. “BIM continues to change the way our industry works and collaborates; virtual construction is the future and Ark is the first completed commercial high-rise building in Australia where all contractors have truly collaborated using BIM,” sums up Paul Reidy, Director of Design at Rice Daubney.

Rex Van Katwyk, engineer of Taylor Thomson Whitting, the structural consultant firm of the project adds, “This was the first time we used ArchiCAD and we had no issues at all building and sharing the structural model. It proved a very powerful and easy to use package.”

About GRAPHISOFT

Award-Winning Architects Use BIM to Wed Nature and Urban Living

BOSTON, October 4, 2010 – The hills of San Francisco, a beloved garden, and bountiful California sunlight converge in the award-winning Diamond Project, an innovative home designed in ArchiCAD building information modeling (BIM) software.

Built by Terry & Terry Architecture of Berkeley, Calif., the project won a 2010 AIA Housing Award, whose jury called it “crisp and sculptural, exquisitely detailed. It evokes a remarkable sense of nature in the middle of the city, [creating] a sense of space and seclusion in spite of the urban context.”

“Our overarching goal was to work with the site, not against it,” said Principal Alex Terry. “We wanted to take in all of its positive qualities – the garden, the views, the terrain and the light – blurring the boundaries of indoors and out. ArchiCAD was essential in helping us work with the planes, the volumes, the tricky lighting and the sustainability considerations.”

The vegetable garden is so essential to the property that the first building in the project was transforming a dilapidated garden shed into an airy and elegant home office. Next came the home, which was an intriguing challenge on a steeply sloping hillside. Concrete walls along the side lot lines cradle the wooden structure, clad with ipé, a teak-like wood that is sustainably farmed in South America. Ceilings are red cedar native to California.

A view of the hills

A west-facing balcony overlooks the San Francisco hills, and sloped rooftops in both the back and front echo their ebbs and flows. Carefully designed ceiling gaps of 8 inches to two feet, protected by tempered glass, enable sun to illuminate interior walls and kitchen work areas without glare. Rooftop “sun scoops” draw more direct light into the bathroom. Concrete walls absorb heat from sunlight and the fireplace then slowly emit it in the evening to keep temperatures stable naturally.

Ceiling gaps illuminate interior walls – naturally

“ArchiCAD’s powerful 3D visualization capabilities help us develop all these features quickly, but more importantly, we can delve more deeply into the project than we ever could working in two dimensions,” Terry said. “With ArchiCAD, we all but live in the structure before we build it. Once you start working in 3D, the productivity, creativity and accuracy benefits are essential for trying new ideas and succeeding.”

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Team Building Live Demonstration of Teamwork 2.0

BUDAPEST, October 12, 2010 –The Virtual Building™ model or BIM (Building Information Model) has long proved itself on the market. Yet alongside all the advantages of designing within a central 3D model, this technology has also raised a question: How can several people work on a single project simultaneously without getting in each other's way?

This issue arises frequently in practice, but until now, no architectural software could provide a fully satisfactory solution. And so it seemed that cumbersome regulation of access rights and long wait times for synchronizing data (that is, updating the central model file) were unavoidable side effects of working on a team project.

With Teamwork 2.0, GRAPHISOFT has launched a new technology that promises a solution to these problems. The world's first BIM Server, three years in development, opens entirely new horizons for cooperation within a project team, making hitherto unavoidable limitations a thing of the past: such was the conclusion of participants in the second GRAPHISOFT TeamBuilding, a live demonstration of the new technology that took place on October 7, 2010.

The TeamBuilding event involved 22 offices in Germany, Austria and Switzerland working simultaneously on a single common project, a multiple-story office and shopping complex. Organizers distributed 22 different design tasks to the offices, which carried them out live and simultaneously as part of the demonstration. It immediately became clear that the reserve and release of model elements are extremely flexible in the new Teamwork, which also offers a remarkable degree of transparency in communication.

All reservations are immediately visible to all users. In addition, the BIM Server offers a central management- and task-oriented messaging system. Using the messenger function, users can communicate as they work; messages appear directly on the screen.

These features alone represent a significant breakthrough. But what else does Teamwork 2.0 have to offer? Things began to get really interesting as each office completed its task, and all the changes had to be merged into the central building model. Up to now, synchronizing data from team members was a time-consuming process, since the entire project file had to be sent back and forth. In contrast, the BIM Server – which replaces the file server in the office, and which can be managed over the internet - updates the central project model by transmitting only the "delta" (that is, the latest changes from the client machines) rather than the entire project file. This considerably reduces data traffic, which in turn speeds up the synchronization process enormously. And the approximately 200 viewers of the TeamBuilding demonstration were impressed indeed as they saw the BIM Server combine all the changes from the local project copies into the central building model within seconds.

What does this mean for an architectural practice? Regardless of the size of the team or the size of the project, all team members can work together in real time. In addition, they can work from anywhere: since the BIM Server can be managed over the Internet, cooperation among team members is possible regardless of their geographical location. This is a plus, not just for international offices, but also for small and medium-sized projects: this technology allows external consultants to join the project off-site, and even for employees to work from home.

Participants and observers of the TeamBuilding exercise unanimously agreed: with Teamwork 2.0, an integral feature of ArchiCAD 14, GRAPHISOFT has achieved a technological leap forward that allows for much more efficient and smoother teamwork.

Read the original Press Release in German here.

About GRAPHISOFT

Prefab-ulous Classrooms win ArchitectsJURY competition

BOSTON, Oct. 14, 2010 – School renovations can create adverse conditions for teaching and learning, including the arrival of mobile-home-style temporary classrooms. Kristopher Celtnieks tackles this problem in his audacious “Relief School of Philadelphia,” winner of the GRAPHISOFT ArchitectsJury 2010 competition.

Celtnieks’ full-size pre-fabricated temporary school building would be quickly assembled on vacant spaces near schools under renovation, providing learning-friendly space with good acoustics, pleasant lighting, and a solid framework. The building could be quickly configured to the site and sized for enrollment. When renovations are complete, it could be disassembled and infinitely reused. It features a fabric roof, adjustable microclimate, and a self-contained waste-processing system.

“While it’s wonderful to recondition historic schools, the side effect is displacing children into inadequate learning environments,” says Celtnieks, a son of two teachers, who just earned his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Oregon. “These include so-called modular classrooms and gyms, theaters and music rooms, whose intended purpose should not be sacrificed. My goal is to make the transition period, which can be a matter of years, a positive experience for students and faculty.”

Celtnieks designed the project in ArchiCAD building information management (BIM) software, his preferred design tool because of its ease of use, freedom in the creation of original objects, and support of sweeping modifications. “I have always been one to make major changes in the course of design,” he said. “ArchiCAD makes it easy to effect the alteration while preserving fundamental design decisions. Changes have always haunted me in other programs.”

The ArchitectsJURY competition is aimed at finding the best architectural student work, as judged by visitors to www.architectsJURY.com, the student architecture community. Candidates for the spring semester 2010 award were submitted between Jan. 1 and June 30. Celtnieks wins a MacBook Pro.

For an expanded explanation of the Relief School of Philadelphia, visit Relief School of Philadelphia.
For more information on Kristopher Celtnieks visit www.kpcdesignstudio.com.
Read more about the project on ArchDaily.

About GRAPHISOFT

GRAPHISOFT Brings Historic Shanghai Buildings to Life with ArchiCAD and Virtual Building Explorer

BUDAPEST, August 16, 2010 -- Shanghai's Museum of Contemporary Art will be filled with the sights and sounds of Hungarian culture from August 23 to September 5, 2010. In addition to innovative exhibits highlighting Hungarian contributions to film, music, and design, the two-week exhibition will feature a virtual tour of three of Shanghai's most historically significant buildings. Visitors can explore in 3D virtual reality the Park Hotel, the Moore Memorial Church, and the D.V. Woo House, which were designed by László Hudec (1893-1958). Built in the 1930's, these Shanghai landmarks are just three of the 65 buildings designed by Hudec between 1918 when he arrived in China, and his departure in 1947.

Tongji University, College of Architecture and Urban Planning; Pujing Information Technology; GRAPHISOFT; and BMC have made it possible to 'visit' the Park Hotel, the Moore Memorial Church, and the D.V. Woo House, three of Hudec's most significant designs in Shanghai -- by creating the virtual building models of the real buildings with ArchiCAD and making them accessible to the public through GRAPHISOFT's innovative Virtual Building Explorer technology in an interactive 3D virtual reality presentation.

Trained in Budapest as a classical architect, a visit to the USA in 1927 shifted Hudec's vision from an eclectic, neo-Classical style first to Art Deco and then to Modernism. Hudec's transition to Art Deco is evident in the design of many of his buildings and captured the excitement, promise, and glamour of Shanghai's golden age of prosperity. Hudec was one of the most interesting and culturally astute architects of the early 20th century, bridging the gap between European architecture and Chinese culture. His commercial, residential, and religious designs are especially noteworthy given that many of the buildings he designed are still in use today in their original function.

Park Hotel: Following a trip to the USA in 1927, Hudec's design of Shanghai's Park Hotel was inspired by New York's and Chicago's skyscrapers. Completed in 1934, it was the tallest building in the Far East for many decades, and Shanghai's tallest building through the 1980's. The Park Hotel is a masterpiece of modernism and Art Deco, and a symbol of Shanghai's rapid development in real estate and building technology in the 1930's. Virtual 'visitors' to the 22-story Park Hotel can marvel, for example, at the hotel's elegant, Art Deco lobby.

Moore Memorial Church: Re-built by Hudec in 1931, the Church was originally built in 1887 to serve the Methodist community. Virtual 'visitors' to the Church will no doubt find the neo-Gothic structure, which includes Gothic vaulted ceilings, stone ribbing, and stained glass windows typical of the style interesting to view. The Bell Tower on the southwest corner of the Church, at 42.1 meters, was the highest tower in Shanghai at the time. The Moore Memorial Church is just one of several sacred buildings that Hudec designed in Shanghai on a pro bono basis.

D.V. Woo House: Completed in July 1938, the house was once known as one of the most spacious and luxurious residences in the Far East. Known also as the 'green house' due to the green glazed tiles that covered the surface, this residence integrated modern architecture with Art Deco. The residence was famous for the various rooms that served a variety of functions, including a banquet hall, ballroom, billiard room, bar, chess room, greenhouse, and sunroom. The residence was the first in Shanghai to boast an elevator, in addition to air conditioning. The Italian marble staircase, copper handrail, and copper radiators were all considered novelties at the time. These details, in addition to the Art Deco detailing throughout the residence, can now be enjoyed in GRAPHISOFT's interactive Virtual Building Explorer environment.

These animations can also be viewed in the Hudec Interactive Database (3D Hudec buildings).

About GRAPHISOFT

Link your NBS project specification information to your ArchiCAD Building Information Model

LONDON, July 27, 2010 – GRAPHISOFT today announced that ArchiCAD™, its award-winning architectural design software, can now link directly with NBS specifications. This capability continues the company’s innovation in model-based design collaboration by offering an easy-to-use, yet powerful connection with documents produced with the UK’s industry-standard master specification system.

The connection delivers productivity improvements to architects and other specifiers by providing a quick and easy-to-use method within ArchiCAD for creating links between the information modeled in ArchiCAD and that modeled in NBS. Clause titles and references can be added with a single mouse-click; NBS guidance can be viewed in context to assist decision making; and the specification details can be easily reviewed and revised, with an automated link ensuring the details in the specification and ArchiCAD models remain in sync.

This latest ArchiCAD plug-in from GRAPHISOFT links to specifications written in any of NBS specification systems, including NBS Building, NBS Engineering Services, NBS Landscape and NBS Scheduler.

“Building Information Modeling (BIM) has created an unprecedented potential for improving the coordination and quality of design and construction documentation,” said Simon Gilbert, ArchiCAD Product Manager at GRAPHISOFT. “With this connection between ArchiCAD and NBS, architects and designers can be assured that the specification details in their designs are accurate and, perhaps just as important, the effort required to place and maintain specification details has been reduced hugely.”

Dr Stephen Hamil, from the research and development department of NBS, echoed Simon’s comments. “Bringing the information held in project specifications and that held within the CAD model closer, and providing the user the ability to maintain these relationships in this way, is an important development in the evolution of BIM. The road to integrated coordination of project information will be made up of small but significant steps like this, and we are pleased to have supported GRAPHISOFT in the UK to be able to make this innovation available to users of ArchiCAD and NBS.”

Nick Greenwood, of Mouchel Business Services, who has been trialing the new connection, commented, “Marking up the architectural model with specification references is a very important part of preparing high quality construction documentation but it is also very tedious and repetitive work. And, of course, if it’s being done manually from paper specifications it’s easy to make a mistake when transcribing a specification number. This connection makes it really simple and quick to apply specification details to any view or document in the design and it’s really great having such a simple method to check that the details are up to date. This is an enormous time saver for us both in applying the specifications in the first place and ensuring that the correct specification details are on the final documentation.”

A movie showing the scope of NBS Building, how this is connected with ArchiCAD, and how specifications can be reviewed and revised in ArchiCAD, is at www.tinyurl.com/nbslink

Availability

About NBS

Since the 1970s, architects have turned to NBS master specification systems to produce technically robust, up-to-date project specifications. NBS also provides tools for project administration, online access to technical and regulatory information, and learning services to keep construction professionals' skills and knowledge current. It is also the official publisher of the Approved Documents to the Building Regulations. Further information, can be found at www.theNBS.com. Further media requests can be made to James Sykes at james.sykes@theNBS.com

About GRAPHISOFT

BIM and ArchiCAD combine a passion for science in an inspiring high school design

BOSTON, June 7, 2010 – Unroll building plans onto a conference table, and suddenly you can have five or six different conversations under way – and as many misunderstandings. That’s why a Phoenix architecture firm opted for open collaboration around 3D digital ArchiCAD software models, projected on screen, throughout the design and construction of a revolutionary new high school.

“The development of Phoenix Union Bioscience High School was as much an experience in sociology as architecture,” said Orcutt Winslow architect Russ Sanders, AIA. ”Bringing the building information model (BIM) from the back office to the conference table helped educators, school administrators, architects, engineers, building supervisors, contractors and others get on the same page and stay there. The result is happy clients and a wonderful school where, by every measure, students are excelling.”

The three-story, $11.4 million Phoenix Union Bioscience High School is a 400-student math-and-science-focused institution located in the state’s most ethnically diverse district. Using GRAPHISOFT’s ArchiCAD building information modeling (BIM) software, Orcutt Winslow created a design that complements the student’s love of science with a facility to channel that passion in a no-less-rigorous academic setting.

Phoenix Union Bioscience High School
Rendering

The entire building is optimized for learning. Classrooms are designed to expand and shrink to facilitate team teaching. Building systems are exposed and used to highlight practical examples of good science, and there is a roomy town hall area to encourage community and openness. A central, monolithic staircase evokes the school’s high standards. Walls open to an outside courtyard and amphitheater, echoing the absence of limits on academic curiosity.

The building also reflects its location at the intersection of the city’s biotech and art districts. The east and west facades are dotted with architectural fossils – hollowed-out negative spaces depicting trilobites, birds and fish in the order they evolved. The firm designed the shapes in ArchiCAD, routed them in hard foam, sunk them into wet concrete, then carefully drilled them out of the building’s walls.

ArchiCAD helped the firm and the school district save money, evaluate myriad options and streamline regulatory approvals. For example, when the city required the high school to provide 40 additional parking places late in the design process, Orcutt Winslow quickly modified the BIM model. The firm displayed two options – underground and surface parking, each of which triggered automatic design changes throughout the rest of the structure. ArchiCAD helped stakeholders evaluate the options and compare the cost impact, leading to a choice of at-grade parking. ArchiCAD also helped the firm show a city preservation panel how the design would spare, and even spotlight, a 100-year-old schoolhouse at the center of the property.

Phoenix Union Bioscience High School
completed

In the design review and regulatory meetings, the firm supplemented projected models with high-resolution animations produced in Cinema 4D software. The open collaboration generated enough enthusiasm to prompt city leaders to accelerate project funding, minimizing the impact of noisy construction activity on learning. Orcutt Winslow also used ArchiCAD 3D models to coordinate decisions and activities among the school district, its representatives, its contractors and subcontractors, helping achieve ultra efficient integrated project delivery.

“Communicating in the visual language of 3D and ArchiCAD helps to clarify so many otherwise nebulous points of information,” said Sanders. “You can see the design, comprehend it and discuss it much more easily than with the traditional practice of sketching a note on trace paper. This collaboration made for an extremely positive project from start to finish. BIM essentially has given us a new model for transforming how architects, clients and other stakeholders interact and execute their vision. Everybody felt, and still feels, like they own this.”