POSTCARD FROM PUCON Dear ArchitectureWeek, Traveling in southern Chile recently, I was delighted to discover a lovely hotel in Pucon. Situated on a steep wooded hill overlooking Lago Villarica, the Hotel Antumalal is more than a hotel; it is an architectural experience. With a backdrop of snowcapped mountains, the small intimate hotel is surrounded by acres of beautiful gardens. — Published 2007.0523
	BENTLEY PARAMETRICS "Smart geometry" technology has been coming to life in the field of digital architectural design and fabrication. Even those unfamiliar with the parametric modeling approach have seen its effects in innovative building forms over the past few years. Among those collaborating to advance education and research in the area of advanced 3D CAD applications is a small group of scientists, architects, and inventors — the Smart Geometry Group. — Published 2006.1213
	POSTCARD FROM SYDNEY Dear ArchitectureWeek, I thought I was prepared to meet the Sydney Opera House. — Published 2006.1108
	SAROFIM RESEARCH BUILDING The firms of BNIM Architects and Burt Hill have partnered to design a new facility at the Texas Medical Center. The six-story Fayez S. Sarofim Research Building is now home for the Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine for the Prevention of Human Diseases (IMM). The building's elegant design is, in several ways, a departure from that of conventional research facilities. — Published 2006.0913
	IFCS CONNECT An important milestone in software development for the building industry over the past decade has been the establishment of Industry Foundation Classes (IFCs) — freely available, nonproprietary data model specifications. Now the IFCs are being applied toward automating code checking and other kinds of complex analysis. — Published 2006.0614
	POSTCARD FROM SHIZUKUISHI Dear ArchitectureWeek, While traveling in Japan, I attended a Mochi Maki event in Shizukuishi, a small town of 20,000 in Iwate prefecture, northern Honshu. Mochi Maki is a rice-ball throwing event held during the construction of new buildings in Japan. An altar is set up within the building, and friends of the owners are invited to participate in a prayer ceremony conducted by a Shinto priest. During the service, the gods are invited to be present during the construction and occupancy of the building. — Published 2005.0810
	TOWERING WITH ARCHICAD When completed, the 90-story Eureka Tower in Melbourne, Australia will be the tallest residential building in the world, rising 985 feet (300 meters) above street level. The builder, Grocon Pty. Ltd., takes pride that this large-scale venture is right on schedule. The construction firm attributes their efficient communications to the decision by Fender Katsalidis Architects (FKAU) to use object-oriented architectural design software. — Published 2003.0226
	ANDO'S NEW MODERN The opening of a new building designed by world-renowned architect Tadao Ando of Osaka, Japan at the end of 2002 marked the 110th anniversary of The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth. With 53,000 square feet (4,900 square meters) of gallery space, the new structure for "The Modern," as it is known by locals, is Ando's largest commission in the United States to date. — Published 2003.0115
	VISUALIZING ARCHITECTURE In just 18 months, Andrea Starkey has revolutionized the way she creates architectural visualizations. For years, she had relied on pen-and-ink and watercolor to create renderings for builders, architects, and local home shows. But as computer technology improved, she began looking for ways to speed up the rendering process. — Published 2002.0410
	LIGHTING THE SCENE IN NORWAY In Norway, the Land of the Northern Lights, a small computer graphics company is wowing clients with dazzling visualizations and photographic lighting simulations. Since its inception, the company has relied primarily on the Lightscape rendering system. The visualization firm, curiously named Placebo Effects, is partly owned by the large company Dark-Gruppen, whose divisions provide a range of design consulting services. Placebo Effects provides computer graphics services to Dark-Architects and others in the Norwegian design and architecture community. — Published 2001.1205

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