LINKING DESIGN AND SCIENCE

Until now, the analysis tools for studying the energy performance of buildings have been largely unusable by architects. To make these tools more suitable for schematic design, Konstantinos Papamichael, of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory at the University of California, has created an electronic "Building Design Advisor."

Image: Konstantinos Papamichael

BRIDGES STRESSING IN PUBLIC

The Millenium Bridge in London was closed on its opening day as it swayed alarmingly under the load of thousands of pedestrians. On its 50th anniversary in 1987, the normally graceful arch of the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco flattened and decentered dramatically beneath throngs of admirers. So what's up with these wobbly bridges?

Photo: Kevin Matthews, Artifice Images

THE NEXT STEP IN COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN?

New architectural CAD software products recently introduced feature parametric modeling, integrated engineering analysis, and links to collaborative systems. In the second part of a report from the annual A/E/C SYSTEMS Show, we examine some of the new offerings.

Image: Bricsnet