“Virtual Building” Model for Parkland Hospital Assists Fundraising
San Francisco, April 30, 1999
Continuing its support for the American Institute for Architects’ (AIA) annual Legacy Project, Graphisoft US has donated Archicad software to help create a “virtual
building” model for the planned renovation of Parkland Hospital’s landmark Woodlawn Building.
The Dallas Archicad User Group (D/AUG) – in conjunction with Steve Williams of CADTEK, Archicad’s Dallas reseller – invested computer hardware and many hours to create a 3D model and virtual reality tour of the renovated building.
These virtual tours are a key component of the Parkland Foundation’s $25 million fundraising effort. The Archicad images are being used to communicate the purpose and various uses of the facility to potential investors which include corporations, non-profit organizations and the community at large.
“The Woodlawn Archicad model has several purposes in addition to fundraising,” comments Steve Williams. “It serves as an archival record of the additions and changes to the facility, and as a point of origin for the design work to come.” Students from local universities including Texas A&M, which recently acquired over 100 sites of Archicad for its School of Architecture, will gather at the upcoming AIA convention to explore architectural solutions that meet Parkland’s goals.
In mid-1998, Steve Williams and members of the D/AUG began creating an Archicad model of the historic 1913 brick building for its proposed renovation into The Health Service Center for Dallas, a visionary new facility designed to enable patients to take an active role in determining their courses of treatment. Prior to D/AUG’s Legacy work, no CAD files of the building existed. Today plans, sections and elevations
are available for architects to use in their design charettes.
Archicad renderings and a virtual reality tour are available for viewing
on the Dallas AIA website at www.dallasaia.org. A Legacy
Exhibit will also be featured at AIA Expo ’99 being held in Dallas from
May 6 to 9.
Background on AIA’s Legacy Project
To honor the 1995 American Institute of Architects (AIA) National
Convention in Atlanta, the national organization and its Atlanta chapter
collaborated with Habitat for Humanity to build six houses on-site.
Dubbed a “Legacy Project,” this began a successful outreach program
through which the AIA chapter in the annual convention’s host city leaves
behind a legacy of lasting value to the community.
Graphisoft is a leading provider of computer-aided design (CAD) software
solutions for the architectural profession and the building industry.
Founded in 1982, Graphisoft is ranked today among the largest AEC CAD
software developers in the world, with 12 offices all over the world in
addition to its headquarters. Graphisoft’s flagship product, Archicad, is
used by more than 75,000 architects worldwide and distributed in 25
languages and 80 countries. Shares of Graphisoft are traded on the Frankfurt
Stock Exchange Neuer Markt under the symbol GPH. More information about
Graphisoft is available at www.graphisoft.com.