The architecture firm of today is a very different entity than it was even ten years ago, and that’s because of technology. The world around us changed dramatically over the last decade, and those changes are having an impact on our professions as well. In this article, we will discuss some ways to upgrade the technology in your architecture firm.
Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) allows you to create 3D models of buildings or other objects without building them. This can be done with software like a sketchup rendering plugin, free for personal use. It also comes with various plugins that add more functionality, such as animation and video. VR is a great way to show clients how their ideas would look if built.
Augmented Reality
Augmented reality (AR) is another tool that allows you to see what something looks like before building it. For example, imagine walking through a house before you buy it. You could see all of its potential features and decide whether they are important enough to make you buy them. AR is becoming increasingly popular, but there are still many challenges. Some of these include: getting the right images from Google Street View, getting the right images from Bing Maps, getting the right images for your specific project, and integrating the data into your design program.
Building Information Modeling (BIM)
BIM is creating digital representations of physical assets such as buildings, roads, bridges, etc. These digital representations are often called “models.” A model is usually created using CAD programs like AutoCAD, Revit, ArchiCAD, etc. BIM is one of the most exciting technologies currently available to architects. It offers tremendous benefits to the architectural community by making it easier to collaborate across disciplines, reducing construction errors, improving communication between designers and contractors, and much more. However, BIM is not just about improving collaboration within the architecture firm; it is also about improving collaboration with stakeholders outside the architecture firm.
3D Printing
3D printing is quickly changing the way we think about prototyping. Instead of waiting weeks for a prototype to be printed, you can now have your prototypes ready in hours instead of days. Many people believe that 3D printing will eventually replace traditional manufacturing methods. There are two main types of 3D printers: additive and subtractive. Additive 3D printing uses layers of material to form the final product, while subtractive 3D printing uses materials to remove parts of the object until the desired shape is achieved. Both types of 3D printing offer numerous advantages, including lower cost, faster production times, and better accuracy when compared to traditional prototyping techniques.
In conclusion, technology has changed how we work and live our lives. If you want to stay competitive, you need to embrace new technologies and incorporate them into your business practices. The same thing holds for architecture firms.