The typical image of an architect

 

The typical image of an architect

The typical image of an architect at work is often sitting in front of a drawing table, sketching the latest master plan or extravagant designs. The fact is that this idealistic concept of pen and ink has been exceeded by the advancements of expertise within the industry.

Perhaps 20, 30 or even 40 years ago, the architects and designers of that time saw the benefit of computer software like Sketchup and AutoCAD. CAD programs of the time provided the designer with an unlimited blueprint for drawing 2D designs. Every floor plan, every elevation, every window or door detail is individually drawn and includes individual lines drawn, moved, and edited independently – the process of drawing each line remains the same, a computer version of the board for drawing.

Architectural drawings could be altered with sections and elevations omitted or redrawn, sections of text cut, copied and pasted, and of course being able to printmaking life much simpler than before.

Repetitive tasks are automated and this helps save time by omitting the need to redraw sections, elevations and details could be completed in a fraction of the time than by hand – even if none of the views (plans, elevations and sections) within the drawings were linked in anyway, if one changed, the other views all needed to be updated and manually redrawn, but with regards to the drawing board, it was still faster and more accurate.

Even though PC’s (and software) were not cheap, the benefits in efficiency and standard of overall drawings over the traditional drawing board methods were clear, and the drafting industry easily adapted to the new way or working by taking advantage of the productivity and considered it a no brainer to invest in the new technologies.

The whole drafting construction industry realised that if they did not transform over to CAD and the new way of working then they would essentially get left behind but the improvement in technology did not stop there when in the mid 90’s new 3D software programmes like Revit, Sketchup started to emerge. Working in 3D models with elements/objects like walls, windows and doors etc. that can be modified in real-time and would automatically update all the other views saving vast amount of laborious time.

Ultimately, you build and design a digital prototype of the building which makes it easier to visualise the required amendments. BIM offers a huge leap in performance over the benefits of moving from a drawing board to a 2D drawing. We can give you a virtual tour of the interior and exterior of your building, at different stages of design and development.

Our 3D virtual tours truly communicate our intentions to you and are much more effective and accessible than trying to read 2D engineering drawings that may seem confusing and complicated to you untrained eye.

We are also expanding our processes to include 3D laser scanning of your buildings so that we always have a reference model to verify critical dimensions or socket locations. , windows or doors, such as may have been missed in traditional measurements survey on ice and distortion.

In a nutshell, the reason we work in 3D BIM workflows is that we can deliver higher quality results, faster, often at no extra cost, and in a much more sophisticated and comprehensive way compared to our 2D competitors.

Our recommendations are better understood by you, and your feedback is quickly integrated to validate your summary. We leverage the ability to collectively and remotely test the impact of design changes and review them in a virtual 3D environment. This immediate feedback and design process is invaluable in creating high-quality solutions to meet your aspirations.

Our 3D workflow, from scanning existing buildings to 3D engineering documentation, is delivered alongside traditional 2D drawing outputs and gives us, as a team, get a much better understanding of your building, revealing its true potential and opportunities.

Get in touch today to see how Athtech Designs can help with your extension

The typical image of an architect