The AIA Technology in Architectural Practice Knowledge Community (TAP) serves as a resource for AIA members, the profession, and the public in the deployment of computer technology in the practice of architecture. TAP leaders monitor the development of computer technology and its impact on architecture practice and the entire building life cycle, including design, construction, facility management, and retirement or reuse.
2012 AIA TAP BIM AwardsProject name: Fondation Louis VuittonFirm: Gehry Partners| Gehry Technologies Project Description: The Fondation Louis Vuitton design was driven by two important ambitions – an approach to the site, and a design ambition shared by the client and architect. The building serves as a gateway to the Jardin d’Acclimatation, an exceptional site within the Bois de Boulogne. The use of glass as the primary exterior material plays a principal role in the architecture of the Fondation Louis Vuitton. It is a reference and an ode to historical garden structures of 19th Century, structures built in harmony with nature while using the most innovative materials and systems of the time. The technical processes behind the realization of the project extend these historical founded ambitions to incorporate today’s digital technologies. The intention to lightness of structure and transparency was realized through tight design collaboration between the architect, engineers and fabricator, a process of continuous and concurrent design and engineering that involved ten firms and over 400 individuals working collaboratively in the development of the BIM model and ensuing fabrication processes. It is a showpiece – not only of art, but of design and technology. BIM formed the foundation; cloud model servers enabled concurrent design; advanced parametric methods brought the project to the next level; and an automated CNC process completed the fabrication chain. 15+ teams distributed world-wide Over 400 model users and collaborators Nearly 100Gigs of BIM model data Over 100,000 versioned iterations of the BIM 19,000 unique CNC-molded glass-reinforced concrete panels 3500 unique CNC-molded curved glass panels More than a technical achievement, the ambitions of the project would not have been realized without the direct collaboration between the architect and client. The BIM model and communications technologies surrounding this shared model were critical to this relationship. The FLV project represents early steps toward a truly cloud or grid-centric approach to AEC collaboration. Beyond FLV, these processes provide a model set of services for other projects. The flexible use and development of tools for model collaboration break technology and organizational barriers and help accelerate design cycles. The project also resulted in new technology and novel applications of numerical methods to surface fitting in architecture. Ultimately, this project marks the beginning of a new phase of large-scale concurrent design, engineering, and optimization in AEC.#BIMAwards #BIM #BIMAward