How Technology And Architecture Have Mesh To Form The Structures We Know Today
blue skyscrapers of Moscow in the morning light
Modern technology is rapidly changing the construction and architecture industries today. Many architects are dealing with primarily computerized design systems and a seemingly endless wave of new technologies. The demands placed upon modern architects are also greater than ever before. Clients have more demanding schedules and wish to see finished products sooner.
Modern buildings are also more advanced than ever before, incorporating more technology and new materials. The complexity of design involved in creating some of the world’s tallest high rises and skyscrapers is truly daunting, and technology is paving the way to make these massive projects easier and faster than ever before.
Virtual Design Meets Virtual Reality
Computer-aided design software has been one of the primary tools used by architects and engineers in the modern era. Digitizing the design process greatly enhances an architect’s ability to plan a building and share those plans with others on their team or with their client. Most buildings are now designed more with computerized tools than with the traditional paper and pencil.
Computerized design tools are now being combined with innovations in virtual reality and rendering. These tools allow an architect’s vision to be realized long before construction is complete. This answers the demands of many modern clients who wish to see the result of their project without waiting for the project to be completed. The structure can be programmed into a 3D rendering, and VR can be used to put the client virtually into their building.
This also improves clarity between the architect’s vision of the building and the client’s. in the past, a client may not have realized there was something in a design they didn’t like until it was too late to change. Now the client can give a visual approval of the end-result before it has even been built, potentially saving enormous amounts of time and money.
Mobile Workstations
Mobile technology and networking have improved an architect’s and design team’s ability to communicate and plan on site. Gone are the days of tedious physical workstations crammed with rolled up schematics and bad lighting. Most design plans are now created and shared using tablets. Architects can even sketch directly into the tablet to tweak the design as they go. This is remarkably more efficient than having to constantly go back and forth between site and studio or deal with a limited on-site workstation.
Mobile technology also makes it easier for an architect to share updates with a client and with other team members. Everyone stays on the same page, and the team is able to work more cohesively.
Fenestration Software
A surprising amount of design, technology and planning goes into the creation and placement of windows, doors, skylights and other such components of a building. This is especially true in many modern skyscrapers, which are little more than massive towers of glass and metal composed of hundreds or thousands of windows.
Fenestration software assists companies who make these windows by managing the business aspect of things. It helps business owners stay organized in sales, inventory, orders and general business. This has impacted the way structures are built today by allowing these businesses to produce a more efficient product faster, and therefore aid in more buildings being built.
3D Printing and Robotics
3D printing has emerged as a revolutionary technology for producing various consumer goods. It is now starting to see use in the construction and design industry. 3D printing goes hand in hand with the increased digitalization of building design. Regular 3D printers allow various physical models or prototypes to be easily and simply constructed. This can be both an excellent tool for the architect and a way to advertise a project to clients or the public.
Large-scale 3D printing is also starting to find a place in the actual creation of parts and materials used in construction. It may not be far off that considerable parts of a structure may be built through 3D printing and then assembled together. A key advantage of this is that it allows complex parts to be built on-demand, and it may allow for the construction of components that would be harder to build using conventional means.
The use of robotics is also starting to see gains in construction and architecture. Most robotics are still simple and are useful only for short, specific tasks. As robotics technology improves, robots may be working side-by-side with contractors to assemble structures. A robot has the advantage of being able to perform tasks that would be too difficult or dangerous for a person.
Architecture, construction and technology have become inseparable in the modern era. It is only through computers and advanced designs and techniques that the dazzling and colossal structures of modern times can be constructed. As technology advances so too will the ability of architects to design and create ever more stunning feats of human engineering potential.
