Taking full advantage of smart building technology

Drew Deatherage of Crux Solutions discusses where owners and AEC firms could do better at optimizing smart technology in building design and operations.

Can integrated project delivery work without incentives for building team members? Denton Wilson thinks so.

Versatility, reliable performance, and relatively low installed-costs make prefabricated metal panel wall and roof systems attractive for sophisticated building applications. Owners and architects often collaborate to use these products in distinctive and aesthetically innovative design solutions. Manufacturers, recognizing an opportunity, have expanded their product lines with the aim of amplifying product use across a range of building types. Of course, no building enclosure system is without design challenges and considerations.

The 38-story glass-encased tower along the beach on 1.3 acres is owned by KAR Properties and designed by TEN Arquitectos. 

What’s the most critical step in creating a new building? Savvy architects, owners and developers find this question easy to answer: It’s the scope, of course. With every project start and every new building team, the first and often most daunting hurdle is establishing a decent budget estimate. In preconstruction meetings, when questions arise about budget—especially errors, omissions, misinterpretations and just plain “forgot it”—fingers point back to the original scope of work, or SoW.

This course reviews today’s range of structural steel joist and deck systems, including long-span composite “thin slab” floor systems for multi-story building design and construction. Included are guidelines for application based system selection, finishing options, and sustainability for multi-story projects.

Parametric modeling has proven an invaluable toolset that enables architects to test complex design concepts and organize large quantities of data into manageable work streams. Parametric iteration makes it possible to achieve unique solutions that require digital surface modeling and then apply them to interesting building materials that might previously have been considered unviable.