Friday, July 31, 2020

This week, architects criticised Autodesk's BIM software

This week, architects criticised Autodesk's Revit BIM software

This week on Dezeen, a group of 17 of the UK's leading architecture studios wrote a letter to American software maker Autodesk criticising the cost and lack of development of its Revit application.

In the letter, the architecture studios, which included Zaha Hadid Architects, Grimshaw and Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, stated that the rising cost of Building Information Modelling (BIM) software Revit was damaging their businesses.

"Where once Autodesk Revit was the industry enabler to smarter working, it increasingly finds itself a constraint and bottleneck," it said.

In response to the letter, Autodesk vowed that it would listen to the feedback from its customers and would make addressing their concerns its "top priority".

This week, architects criticised Autodesk's BIM software — Diller Scofidio + Renfro wraps US Olympic and Paralympic Museum in diamond scales

Architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro's US Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado opened its door this week.

The museum is covered in diamond-shaped scales, while its galleries are arranged around a spiralling ramp to make it one of the most accessible museums in the world.

In transport news, London-based Seymourpowell revealed its design for a spaceship cabin that will be used by Virgin Galactic within its Virgin Spaceship Unity to six passengers on a sub-orbital flight into space. The cabin is designed to maximise views of Earth during the journey.

Transport designer PriestmanGoode also released its design for a cabin, but this time slightly closer to Earth. It envisioned how aircraft cabin interiors will look following the coronavirus pandemic.

Also responding to the pandemic, Sportswear brand ASICS released a face mask that contains vents so that people can wear it while working out.

The coronavirus continued to impact events with the organisers of the Consumer Electronics Show making the decision to cancel next year's January event in Las Vegas and replaced it with an online version.

See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

In Singapore, local architecture studio ADDP has designed a pair of 56-storey skyscrapers that will be the tallest prefabricated buildings in the world when they complete in 2026.

The towers will be 60 metres taller than the previous tallest modular building, the 140-metre-high Clement Canopy built by Construction company Bouygues Bâtiment International, which is also in Singapore.

In other architecture news, Zaha Hadid Architects unveiled its design for a modular housing project that will be built on the Caribbean island of Roatán of the coast of Honduras.

In the UK, Twelve Architects designed 60 holiday home that will directly overlook the race track at Silverstone – home of the British Grand Prix.

This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week's top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don't miss anything.

The post This week, architects criticised Autodesk's BIM software appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/33gZdTE

Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter creates red concrete house in Lillehammer

Oslo architecture studio Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter has designed a house from prefabricated concrete panels in Norway for a three-generational family that took part in its construction.

Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter's House in Red Concrete in the town of in Lillehammer was built with a facade made from repetitive, insulated-concrete elements in order to help keep costs down.

"The repetitive facade made it possible to use the same casting for the concrete elements many times," co-founder John Sanden told Dezeen.

"The cost is really low, which was possible because of the simple construction system, the repetitiveness and the work done by the client themselves."

Red concrete house by Sanden+Hodnekvam

To keep the project affordable, Sanden + Hodnekvam chose to use prefabricated, insulated concrete elements with a 50-millimetre outer layer of pigmented concrete for all the facades.

The studio also designed the house so that no inner walls are load-bearing. This was to save money in the future as it means the house can be adapted to the client's changing needs but also meant the owners could help build the house themselves.

Red concrete house by Sanden+Hodnekvam

"After the load-bearing part of the construction was in place, the clients have put up inner walls and finished large parts of the remaining work themselves," the studio said.

"This gave them a deeper understanding of the building, and it made them really love the house already long before they moved in," Sanden added.

Red concrete house by Sanden+Hodnekvam

As the house was built on a sloping site, with a height difference of about 10 metres across it, Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter dug it into the hilldside and aligned it at a diagonal angle to the fall of the terrain to create outdoor spaces and improves its views.

"A large part of the house is dug into the hillside in order to fit the programme to the compact site, and at the same time follow height regulations and maximise the view," the studio said.

Red concrete house by Sanden+Hodnekvam

The distinct red colour of the exterior was achieved by adding iron oxide to the concrete mix. "The pigment gives the house a different appearance than the grey, which gives the house its own character," Sanden said.

"The pigment, along with the wooden windows and the geometric pattern between the concrete elements, makes the building stand out as something different than just a concrete box."

Red concrete house by Sanden+Hodnekvam

Inside the house, the rough concrete walls and ceilings have been left exposed and are complemented by walls in knot-free pine panelling, which was also used for the ceilings in the kitchen and living room. Pine plywood furniture was built on site.

"A lot of the furniture is specific for each room, which creates a clean interior that is easier to keep tidy in the everyday life," Sanden said. "The furniture also helps to create an area-effective building."

Floors were covered in hardwearing cement screed. "It is a house that is built to last by adaption or re-appropriation," the studio concluded.

Norweigan studio Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter was founded in 2014 by John Sanden and Ingvild Hodnekvam. The studio also chose to work with concrete and wood when creating a cabin overlooking a Norwegian fjord.

Photography is by Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter.

The post Sanden+Hodnekvam Arkitekter creates red concrete house in Lillehammer appeared first on Dezeen.

from Dezeen https://ift.tt/2Xv43cr

Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios designs net-zero-carbon timber office in London

Paradise net-zero carbon office, London, by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios

UK architecture studio Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has designed a six-storey cross-laminated timber office named Paradise, which will be net-zero-carbon to align with its Architects Declare commitments.

The architecture studio designed the carbon-neutral office as it focuses on creating more sustainable architecture to meet the aims of climate change network Architects Declare.