But we're not shooting at villains and destroying monsters with lasers, we're exploring designs in the most realistic, accurate way possible with today's visualization technology. Animation, which can have all of the glitz and whiz-bang qualities of Hollywood movies in their representation of a space, are typically used as a presentation tool. We can poke our heads in the walls to inspect details and connections, or study how well mechanical and electrical systems are being integrated into the architecture. This gives us better control of the design as it develops, and gives everyone involved a better understanding of the design concept as it transforms into a built work. As we apply this technology to all phases of our design process, from conceptual and schematic design, through design development, and into the creation of construction documents, we find that we are creating a virtual building, a representation of the intended physical building that everybody can truly understand.
Clients can view a building accurately, immediately, and in ways that everybody understands.
You might think that because the firm has invested in all of this fancy computer equipment that interacting requires a visit to the office. Recent developments in Web technology have enabled us to distribute our design ideas over the Internet. These private Web sites can be accessed at any time, from anywhere you can find a computer with an Internet connection. Designs can be reviewed, comments can be left, issues can be tracked, all from the comfort of your own desktop or laptop computer. Many architectural firms are now realizing the potential of the Web for setting up project extranets.