Autodesk, the largest U.S. developer of architectural CAD software, has announced that it intends to purchase the Revit Technology Corporation. For two years, Revit has been producing parametric modeling software that challenged the industry leader's object modeler in both capability and ease of use. Yet in a market of architecture firms reluctant to adopt new CAD technology, neither company was achieving the growth in users it had hoped for.
Now this David-and-Goliath competition appears to be ending in partnership. What this will mean for customers is still an open question. Will there be a combined product that out-performs (and outsells?) either of its two components? One that becomes, in the words of Revit CEO David Lemont, a "catalyst for the worldwide building industry to adopt model-based design, construction and management"? Or will an AutoCAD acquisition of Revit simply mean fewer competitive voices in the CAD software market?
ArchitectureWeek will follow the story and report on implications as they emerge.
In January, the American Institute of Architects announced the winners of its premier awards program. "Each winning project offers its users or inhabitants an opportunity to enjoy a sense of place, beauty, or functionality that is the hallmark of wonderful architecture."
GEORGIA DESIGNS
A light-filled office building, an elegantly simple house, and an innovative hospital are some of the exceptional projects showcased in the 2001 AIA Georgia Awards. This year's winners were selected from a wide range of scales and building types. The jury believe the chosen projects demonstrate some of the best of contemporary design.
SERT'S MIRO FOUNDATION
In 1974, Spanish architect Josep Lluis Sert completed the Miró Foundation, a museum in Barcelona dedicated to his friend, modern artist Joan Miró. The light-filled galleries were as varied as the artwork they were designed to display.