Celebrity keynoters Kevin Spacey, Neri Oxman, and Rem Koolhaas will be among the numerous highlights of the AIA Convention 2016 held in Philadelphia next week. Learn and keep up with the latest from leading experts on topics including resiliency, business management, ADA compliance, LEED, green building, design and health, and more. Register for an in-depth workshop or pack your schedule with challenging seminars. Nearly 800 exhibitors will also be on hand with the latest products and technologies in the industry. Philadelphia is always a treat to visit so attendees will find a lot to entertain them after the conference lights dim.
The Philadelphia Museum Art crowns the city’s illuminated Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The culturally rich stretch is home to many parks, public works of art and museums, including Swann Memorial Fountain (pictured), the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum, The Franklin Institute, The Academy of Natural Sciences, Sister Cities Park and many other attractions.
Those I spoke to at SPAR3D 2016 last week were amazed at the progress the 3D laser scanning/reality capture products had made over just one year. Many people attended in order to find out if the technology would be right for their organization and what it would entail in terms of a learning curve, and of course, how much it would cost.
The four morning keynotes kicking off SPAR3D 2016 in The Woodlands, Texas, Tuesday morning included Eddie Paddock, Engineering/VR Technical Discipline lead, NASA Johnson Space Center, Greg Bentley, CEO Bentley Systems, Inc., David Smith, CTO, Wearality, and Curtis Chan, technical evangelist, Autodesk.
Dame Zaha Hadid, the Iraqi-born architect who was the first woman to win the Pritzker Prize for architecture, died last Thursday in Miami at the age of 65. Hadid died of a sudden heart attack while being treated for bronchitis in the hospital, according to her office, Zaha Hadid Architects in London.
IoT has been in the news in recent years, with experts have predicting the future of smart homes and cities. The transformational power of the Internet of Things will extend its connectivity and responsiveness to offices and residential spaces and into their futures.
On Monday, Autodesk announced the availability of AutoCAD 2017. The latest release makes the promise of being “faster and smarter across connected desktop and mobile solutions, and makes it easier to collaborate with colleagues, create personalized design experiences, and stay up-to-date with the newest features and updates.” The AutoCAD 360 Pro mobile app is subscription based and allows you take AutoCAD with you.
Buildings are now generating vast amounts of data, cities need to be sustainable, flexible and producers of resources. AEC professionals must also have their eye on environmental impact and diminishing greenhouse gas emissions in design and construction as well as operations. As owner/operators get more involved in the entire lifecycle of the project, there is a greater need for convergence and collaboration of AEC teams.
