JL Architects

Lisa Lister

How Can 3D Renderings Help Communicate Your Design Intent?

by Leave a Comment

Architects use 3D rendering software to create photo realistic images of their design intent, allowing others to thoroughly picture the proposed project. 3D renderings can be used to capture any scene, location, time, or option within the design. The opportunities for what can be shown are endless and can benefit a project in many ways.

Options:

If a client or designer is unsure of what they want to implement in a space or aspect of the project design, options can easily be created digitally and viewed pre-construction. This supports the design process, allowing it to progress forward with the input of the client. This also allows the design team and client to view and consider alternative options and designs that may not have been thought about for the project.

Lighting:

Whether it is the interior or the exterior space, realistic and consistent lighting can be rendered. The direction and angle of the sun at the site and proposed building may be considered, impacting both exterior and interior lighting needs and placement of walls/space. In the interior space, artificial lighting can be rendered to help determine needed lumens and the expected lighting aesthetic. Rendering natural and artificial light helps avoid costly ordering mistakes, allows for best use of natural light, and is an effective tool for containing energy use costs.

Streamlined Branding:

Like choosing lighting and options, 3D rendering for your branding can help decide best placement, and allow for tweaking of the branding as, and if needed. Your project is your brand and with 3D rendering you can make sure of the symbiotic relationship you are working to achieve.

The final renderings allow for the marketing of your new project before construction has even begun. Pre-leasing, pre-sales, leaseholder engagement, and employee pride will all benefit.

The benefits of 3D renderings are many, and I have just touched the surface! How can JL Architects help you visualize your next project?

-Sydney Hitchens, Architectural Designer

Revolutionary Technology Needed in the Architecture Firm’s Studio for Success

by Leave a Comment

Architecture and technology have always been connected. Architecture and design are applied sciences that use research and development in technology to drive their work to new heights, creating buildings and products that are more interesting, responsible and useful.

The speed of technological advancement in today’s world is mind boggling. Everything people use and interact with on a day-to-day basis is being affected by breakthroughs in technology. This phenomenon can be seen by looking at the technology in an architect’s studio. Architects are doing more than designing and supervising the construction of buildings thanks to some new technology.

New technology is revolutionizing architectural design. The process and end results of the deployment of new technology are disrupting the AEC industry and heading in unexpected and exciting directions with a new generation of innovative architecture.

Architects today have access to data and analytics that allow them to focus more on innovation versus production while optimizing performance. The role and work of the architect continues to evolve. Technology will not be ignored, and tech savvy architects realize they are more likely to achieve long term and sustainable success than architects who resist embracing and deploying the latest technological innovations.

Here are a few of the latest revolutionary technologies in architecture.

Generative Design
Generative design simulates nature’s evolutionary approach to design and uses the power of computation to explore thousands of design options, rather than a single solution. Designers input design goals and specifications such as materials, manufacturing methods and budget into generative design software. The software then uses cloud computing to explore potential solutions and generates numerous design alternatives. It tests and learns what works and what does not work.

Architectural Apps and Cloud Services
Technology in architecture takes many forms. The smartphone is one form that is forever getting smarter and more indispensable. Architecture software developers will deploy apps for use during every project stage—from conception to completion—and architects are learning to rely on them to provide greater service to their clients.
Touchscreen technology allows architects to sketch directly into software that can be translated into 3D modeling apps. Building information modeling (BIM) saves time, increases transparency, enhances details, records revisions and encourages collaboration. Architects can streamline their processes, quickly iterate, explore and deliver solutions using visual scripting tools such as Grasshopper and Revit.

Virtual, Augmented and Mixed Realities
Virtual reality offers architects an exciting, dynamic way to collaborate with each other and present ideas to clients. Use of virtual reality technology in architecture is expected to grow as architecture firms, virtual reality companies and BIM software developers collaborate to create more seamless virtual reality workflows. Virtual reality allows clients to “walk” through projects before these are built and architects are leveraging this to engage clients in the design process.

Augmented reality use is accelerating due to advancements in products that facilitate a greater connection between the physical and digital realms of architectural design. Augmented reality applications allow users to overlay building plans, marketing materials and other 2D collateral on a 3D BIM model.

Mixed reality or hybrid reality merges real, physical environments and virtual, digital environments to produce new environments and visualizations where physical and digital objects co-exist and interact in real time. Clients can use mixed reality to see a physical location transformed with virtual architectural modifications and interact with those virtual elements in the physical space where they are.

3D Printing
Designers are making use of advancements in 3D printing and rapid prototyping to build better, more accurate design models to full scale representations of their work. It is anticipated that in the future entire buildings or installations will be the product of 3D printing.

3D Rendering and Architectural Visualization
Advancements in 3D modeling and 3D rendering technology are having a tremendous effect on the products people use and the buildings they inhabit. Rendering artists are able to produce clearer-than-real-life images pulled directly from the digital realm into a person’s vision. This is changing the way architects design in a manner that was impossible 10 years ago.

Modeling software and 3D rendering software such as Rhino, SketchUp, and Maya are revolutionizing the digital world, providing vital design information to architects, city planners and interior designers. Google Earth is becoming so detailed and comprehensive that users are able to pan and orbit around the globe in full 3D.

Architects will soon be able to fully construct 3D representations of their work and use VR to put their clients into the experience before the first brick is laid. The ability to do this has been available for quite some time now. However, it is now possible to actually put on a headset and envelop your senses with sound and space that will make the spaces and materials instantly relatable and understandable.

Drones
Drones have begun to be used by realtors, architects and designers to get people into real interior space before a building has been constructed. The crew will take a drone to an urban or rural job site and fly the drone around to capture the most interesting and important views via an on-board camera.

The architect can then take this image data and superimpose it into renderings for the project, giving prospective clients and buyers an accurate picture of what the living room will look like when viewing the cityscape beyond. It has become a valuable tool for 3d renderers who are looking to produce the most accurate design drawings outside of real life.

Closing Thought
Architecture firms must harness emerging technologies and use them for strategic advantages to survive and thrive in this new digital world.

-Glenn Ebersole, Director of Business Development, JL Architects

Architecture and Engineering Professional Services Are Not A Commodity

by Leave a Comment

A commodity is a basic good used as an input in the production of goods and services.
Companies use commodities in the manufacturing process to turn them into everyday goods. Commodities are priced uniformly worldwide, but that is not the case for professional architecture and engineering services. And yet, procurement departments continue to commoditize architecture and engineering professional services and bid them as a commodity!

Architecture and engineering services are unique!
These professional services are unique and should be procured differently. When an architect or engineer enters a project, the scope of the work has not been entirely defined. Therefore, no specific parameters have been defined to base a valid price estimate. Price bidding may work only when there is a very tight and clearly defined project scope in a particular project phase.

Many procurement departments believe that bidding architecture and engineering professional services is best. But bids are not always the best selection system. Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS) is the better system for procuring professional architecture and engineering services.

The critical element in the design process is the creation of a collaborative spirit between professional and client. If price is an initial consideration, design professionals’ proposals will attempt to assume the client’s needs. Minimal standards will most likely be used, because a firm cannot judge exactly what the client wants. Advanced technologies or new features which could save a great deal of time and money over the life of the project, may not be added because another firm not including those features, may offer a lower price.

High-quality designs by architects and engineers can have a dramatic savings effect on maintenance and operations over the life-span of a project. The design professional fee amounts to only a small percentage of the overall project cost, but the result of the design can greatly impact the life-cycle costs.

A study on project costs comparing low-bid and qualifications-based procurement procedures – in Maryland and Florida – demonstrated conclusively that the low-bid process can ultimately be more time consuming and cost more than qualifications-based procurement (i.e., when considering the final cost, with change vs. the negotiated price which has a well-defined scope of work).

When architects and engineers compete for projects by a qualifications-based method, price is considered and it is taken in to account after the most qualified firm is selected. A fair and reasonable fee is then negotiated with the most qualified firm.

The main advantage of the qualifications-based system is that the design professional and the client work in a collaborative spirit to maximize the quality, value, cost effectiveness and usefulness of the final product. Professional design services should be selected on qualifications and competence. The QBS model is widely accepted and adhered to by the Federal government and more than 35 states. The qualifications-based selection method can assure the acquisition of the most capable professional and obtaining a price that is “fair and reasonable” to the client.

Bidding architecture and engineering professional services as a commodity is a mistake!

-Glenn Ebersole, Director of Business Development

How to Reuse and Recycle Construction Materials

by Leave a Comment

If you’re planning a major renovation or construction project, there are many ways to reduce, reuse, and recycle building materials, which helps keep them out of landfills and reduces your building costs at the same time. If you think about the massive amount of materials used throughout the building process, recycling building components makes economic and environmental sense. Reusing materials reduces the demand for new resources, cuts costs related to the production and transportation of new materials and eliminates the need to send waste to landfill sites.

On the demolition side, every time you process hazardous waste properly, you keep it out of the landfill and minimize toxic build-up in our environment. Substances such as asbestos, latex paint, chemical solvents, adhesives, lead-based paint need to be treated properly to reduce their impact on the environment. Granted, it takes more time and care to dismantle and preserve reusable parts, but the environmental impact and cost savings are well worth it.

There are several places to buy or sell reusable construction materials. One such place is Habitat for Humanity ReStores, which has locations all over the US and Canada. ReStores accept donations and sell a constantly changing inventory of diverse, high-quality merchandise to the public at a fraction of the retail price, while diverting reusable building materials from area landfills. Sales of donated items help Habitat for Humanity partner with local families to build, rehabilitate and repair safe and affordable homes in your community and around the world.

Many common construction and renovation materials can be reused or recycled. For example, metals such as steel, aluminum, and copper can be melted down and reformed into new metal products or can be sold for scrap. Untreated timber can be re-milled and put back to use in construction. Concrete can be broken down and recycled as base course for building driveways, footpaths, and roadways. Windows, doors, appliances, and fixtures can also be reused in the renovated or a new space.

Before you begin your construction project, it’s important to plan to incorporate used and recycled materials. It will not only save the environment but allow you to save money as well. Contact us at info@jlarchs.com for help with your next project!

Biophilic Design, What is it, and Why is it Important?

by Leave a Comment

Biophilia, as author Edward D. Wilson in The Biophilia Hypothesis describes, “is the innately emotional affiliation of human beings to other living organisms”. As architects we are called to create this emotional affiliation in the spaces we design. Utilizing biophilic design, we pull in elements of our ecosystem that can bring us a sense of calm, enhance our creativity, and energize us all at the same time.

Through various passive strategies, we are capable of mimicking surrounding ecosystems. Using natural ventilation and natural light, increasing the amount of vegetation and natural/local materials we use, we are designing in a more sustainable manner.

Here are some questions we must ask ourselves when designing in this manner:

What are Direct Experiences of Nature?
• Light
• Air
• Water
• Plants
• Animals
• Natural Landscapes and Ecosystems
• Weather

How Can We Create Indirect Experiences of Nature?
• Images of Nature
• Natural Materials
• Natural Colors
• Simulating Natural Light and Air
• Naturalistic Shapes and Forms
• Natural Geometries
• Biomimicry

By satisfying our inherent inclination to associate with nature, biophilic design fosters emotional attachments to settings and places. These emotional attachments enhance performance and productivity, and prompt us to identify with and sustain the places we inhabit. “In the healthcare field, a wide range of studies have reported exposure to nature can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, provide pain relief, improve illness recovery, accelerate healing, enhance staff morale and performance, and lead to fewer conflicts between patients and staff,” (Stephen R. Kellert & Elizabeth F. Calabrese, authors of The Practice of Biophilic Design).

As a GBI Fellow, John Lister, the principal of JL Architects leads his team to support a healthier approach to architectural design. With organizations such as Green Globes and LEED, JL Architects aim for high standards, incorporating innovative designs that improve the surrounding ecosystems, as well as the working environment and the health and well-being of those within.

-Franklin Rodriguez, Architectural Designer

“The old people came literally to love the soil and they sat or reclined on the ground with a feeling of being close to a mothering power. It was good for the skin to touch the earth and the old people liked to remove their moccasins and walk with bare feet on the sacred earth. . . . The soil was soothing, strengthening, cleansing, and healing. . . . Wherever the Lakota went, he was with Mother Earth. No matter where he roamed by day or slept by night he was safe with her.”
– Luther Standing Bear, Land of the Spotted Eagle (Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press, 1978, 192-193)