HIGH-TECH WINDOWS COULD SAVE ENERGY A window is one of the most complex components in a building. It gives us light, views, fresh air, and the sun's warmth. Yet at times trying to balance these benefits works against the goals of comfort and energy savings. Having too few windows deprives workers of psychologically important vistas and increases the need for electric lighting. But too much direct sunlight can cause glare and increase the cooling load. And the delicate balance among all these factors changes throughout the day and year. — Published 2000.1004
	NORMAN FOSTER : ANALOG AND DIGITAL ECOLOGY Norman Foster's keynote address at this year's Bentley International User Conference in Philadelphia on Tuesday reminded me again why he is considered one of the most intelligent architects practicing today. In a wide-ranging talk that tied together themes found in his work for over 30 years, Foster stressed the importance of melding the technological with human experience, or the "digital with the analog," as he called it. — Published 2000.0920
	TWO BAUHAUS BUILDINGS: A PARADIGM SHIFT The Bauhaus School buildings at Weimar and Dessau in Germany capture the dichotomy of an early 20th century debate about the impact of technology on architecture. The underlying issue was whether creativity or technology should be the stronger design determinant. It is interesting to revisit these two famous buildings, by Henry Van de Velde and Walter Gropius respectively, in light of this debate. — Published 2000.0830
	FUN WITH COMPUTER-AIDED MODELING CLAY One hundred years ago, Spanish architect Antonio Gaudi was astonishing the world with sculpturally creative, irregular, organic forms. While others in the profession worked with straight edges, Gaudi invented his own methods for modeling parabolic arches from the catenary curve created by suspending a length of chain between two points. — Published 2000.0816
	SCALE MODELS FROM THIN AIR Some day in the next millennium, architects may be able to put design information into a machine that will automatically construct a complete building. Hints of this distant future are visible in the experiments of Japanese construction companies, in which robots assemble building components in the field. Already the idea is being implemented, albeit at a much smaller scale, with a new family of technologies called rapid prototyping. This enables designers to build physical models directly and automatically from 3D computer models. — Published 2000.0802
	NEW VIRTUAL REALITY THEATER SUPPORTS ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH Architecture students at Iowa State University (ISU) can walk into a magical environment and take on seemingly super powers. They can explore the architecture of the Roman Empire, sculpt architectural forms with their hands, and test structures in the process of design. — Published 2000.0726
	CAD FOR AEC PRINCIPALS Does computer-aided design provide significant business benefits to architecture, engineering, and construction companies? In many cases, the heads of these firms are skeptical, according to new studies. Is this a matter of perception, or are the software technologies really failing to measure up to vendors' claims for efficiency? At the recent Congress on the Future of Engineering Software (COFES 2000), technology experts Kristine Fallon, FAIA, and Kenneth Stowe, P.E., offered their opinions on the problems and the solutions. — Published 2000.0719
	VIRTUAL CRANBROOK UNITES TRADITION AND TECHNOLOGY In the 1920s and 30s, the famous Finnish architect Eliel Saarinen committed both his talent and his spirit to the Cranbrook Academy of Art . This pioneer of the Arts and Crafts movement served as campus architect and president of the art school in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. His goal was to create an environment for master artisans and students to live and work together. — Published 2000.0712
	SYSTEMS 2000 HOSTS TECHNOLOGY PANOPLY The biggest attention getters at this year's A/E/C SYSTEMS Show may have been the project extranet companies and CAD systems, but there were plenty of other interesting products on display. These serve the construction industry in areas as diverse as presentations, structural analysis, team communications, job site reporting, and legal documentation. — Published 2000.0628
	ARCHITECTS TECHNOLOGY SUMMIT The Internet is changing everything — including the practice of architecture. This strong message emerged from a recent conference: understanding technology, and the value of technology to the client, gives a design firm an important competitive advantage. What technological changes are coming, and how soon, were the hot topics at the Architects Technology Summit, Release 3.0, held in Philadelphia on May 3. The summit was co-hosted by the CMD Group and The Greenway Group. — Published 2000.0621

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