Contract - March 2010 - (Page 110)

essay: on the future Google Products When I participated in the Pilot Phase of LEED-CI, I actually had to send staff into the eld to document the heights of adjacent buildings to calculate the obviousâ€”that our project was in a dense urban environment. With the aid of Google Earth and Google Street View, this previously time-consuming documentation now can happen almost instantaneously from oneâ€™s computer. Likewise, many LEED sustainable site or regional material points can be documented using Google Earth features. SketchUp is another Google product that has dramatically changed our work practice, enabling quick 3-D visualization of concepts that clients can move through. Building Information Modeling Three-dimensional modeling once was discrete from documentation. Now, early adopters of BIM are reaping the rewards, and those late to convert likely are feeling the pressure to move to an integrated 3-D design and documentation tool. â€œIt has transformed the way we work,â€ says Robin Donaldson, AIA, principal of Shubin + Donaldson Architects. â€œIt forces you to make decisions earlier in the design process. If you use it in schematic design, you need to make critical decisions about the materials, mechanical systems, and structural systems. Thatâ€™s good, because you canâ€™t delay critical decisionsâ€”BIM forces you to conceptualize more rigorously.â€ De-silo-izing the tools Beyond the discrete tools, tremendous power lies in knowing how to integrate them, and this is what really de nes the cutting edge. Once, there were distinct tools for designing work (trace and AutoCAD) and others for presenting work (models, perspective renderings, or a computer model), and they would be executed sequentially in isolation using an analog interface. These days, interiors projects often begin with an AutoCAD le of the building supplied by the owner. One designer might use it to create a Revit base model. Another designer might be using the same AutoCAD le in SketchUp to generate conceptual ideas. These ideas would be incorporated into the Revit model to make them more precise and to interface with other disciplines. If a study model is needed, the Revit les are saved to use as plot les for the laser cutter. For a quick progress presentation, the Revit model could be imported back to SketchUp to apply materials, add furniture from Google 3-D Warehouse or manufacturers, study daylighting, or add Google Earth views for context. Illustrator, Photoshop, and PowerPoint help with the creation and presentation of the product. Without clear lines between where one technology stops and the next begins, this kind of â€œdigital collageâ€ is perhaps the model of 21st-century design. 110 contract march 2010 www.contractdesign.com http://www.hdexpo.com http://www.hdexpo.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Contract - March 2010

Contract 3/10
Contents
Editor’s Note
Introduction
Resources
Perspectives
Essays from the Past:
The Contract Design Dilemma (May 1962)
Space Planning Symposium (July 1963)
Changes in Workplaces Reflect Changes in Task Structure (June 1970)
Women Need Feminine Desks (June 1970)
Name “Interior Designer” Is a Misnomer Because of Broader Duties (August 1970)
Research Reveals Proper Height, Width, Depth of Furniture, from Office Chairs to Library Tables (September 1970)
Astounding Technology Portends Drastic Office Changes in the ’80s (January 1980)
Is the Office Really Necessary? (January 1989)
If You Cut Your Fee, Do You Bleed? (June 1990)
Design: Retrospective
Essays on the Future:
More Happiness, Less Stuff: By Ray C. Anderson
The Social Aspect of Social Responsibility: By John Cary
Leading in the Global Market: By Ross Donaldson
Technology Trends: By Cathryn Barrett
Inadmissible Evidence: By Michael Berens
Practice
Designers Rate: Eight Designers Pick Their Favorite Three Commercial Interiors Products of the Last 50 Years
Ad Index

Contract - March 2010