spires & random encounters in South-Western-Central Europe

I am mostly going to focus on churches, monuments and art in this post, but I thought that this humble earthmover had some stately splendour in it’s pose, that warranted it’s inclusion…

My annual excursion to Europe for business with enforced pleasure, took me to Barcelona, Narbonne, Wiesbaden and Dresden…I saw some good stuff out there…here are the highlights…

in Barcelona…gonna get in trouble for this possibly…the religion is football…or maybe the “other” religion…

Camp Nou Barcelona, home of yes you know it, Messi and FC Barcelona, got to pick a blade of the sacred turf…

Tasted not unlike my lawn at home, but judging from the behaviour of the other visitors around me, it was the nectar of the gods, hard to grasp for a Durban boy, who’s host nation could not get past stage 1 in the recent World Cup…ah 2010, you promised so much…

Water’s edge, 8pm, Port Vell, Barcelona Harbour…beautiful moment, felt warmer than it was, a momentary escape from the extreme bustle that is the city of Barcelona…

Tapas

Paella

pick pockets

seagulls

hooters

scooters

many people

It was actually quite beautiful, it took quite some time to finish dinner and depart from the water’s edge, this is getting flowery…apologies bloggers…moving on

Columbus statue

at end of La Ramblas

statue like

really

very busy circle

very busy

really

Gaudi…no comment really…

Work time now, foyer of conference gala dinner

no idea really where this is, except near harbour

great sound and lights show, followed by some traditional dance and dinner ofcourse

really a great evening

really

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Now for a big day in my life. Always been a bit of a Dali lover, since high school, to the great concern of my art teacher and principal unfortunately, but this guy made me “see”…thank you Señor!

Small square adjacent to the Dali museum in Figueres, Spain, super wow, select works to follow, no comment…

Mind blowing “trip” that was…

a boy in a candy store…

loved it…

inspired to look in the mirror again…again…

see…

was supposed to be no comment, but really, really…

on with wow overdose…back to Barcelona…Sagrada Familia…took my family

thought the cranes did a particularly good job trying to “fit” in

it was wow…really

Barcelona communications tower, Tibidabo mountain

Byzantine church on top of Tibidabo mountain, some 500 meters plus above the city, it was a clear day, spot the Pyrenees in the backgrounds of the north facing photos, yes, they have snow and yes, they look like clouds. The views were breathtaking…cannot imagine how these spires were built in this position… and yes, I took that photo!

Germany time

Wiesbaden’s Market Church

a magnificent red brick structure in the heart of the old city in Wiesbaden

Hope Church

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Wiesbaden’s Neroberg Temple, built in 1851
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The hill features a funicular, built in 1888, climbing 80m at a 25%, propelled by a water ballast – GO GREEN ENERGY!!! It is considered as a technological landmark!

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The Russian Orthodox church on the hill, with STUNNING gold leaf domes.

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To the village of Eltville now

In the heart of the Rhein Riesling Wine region.

The Monastery of Eberbach

where basically wine has been produced for about 800 years by monks who settled there from the French Bordeaux region.

Apparently there was no heating, poor windows, cold stone, very little sleep and a lot of choir practice, this makes for a very good white wine…good job chaps!

Just to enjoy again, the sheer splendour of Wiesbaden’s Market Church.

Digital Aids to BIM – Software/Hardware – Orthograph on the iPad

The versatility of the iPad2, has been extended for building survey purposes, for the use of architects, facilities managers, real estate owners and building accessors, by the introduction of OrthoGraph Building survey software by ProFM.

The software delivers ease of use, which for this application scenario is vital, as the suggested use requires the “surveyor” to be mobile, YET ACCURATE. Traditional means have comfortably delivered mobility, but have been lacking in the accuracy department. Lets take a look at the functionality:

I have chosen to use the landscape/horizontal mode of the iPad (portrait is also available).

Landscape orientation, offers a constant view of the building hierarchy with show and hide functionality on the left side. Next I have selected to draw a freehand shape of the building or room, with a wall width, height and offset side. I have selected automatic dimension display, to gain immediate feedback on the sizes I have sketched out.

Using the inspector function, I can “examine” the attributes of any segment of wall I have created, as shown by this pop up menu.

Next I decide to accurately enter by numeric value the lengths of each wall segment. The model is being adjusted accordingly by the software.

Each “corrected” numeric entry I make is highlighted in red as a segment and it’s corner nodes are changed from red questionmarket circles, to green ticket circles, so visually, it is very easy to see which dimensions I have entered (probably in accordance with my on site survey process).

Next, I switch to the elements tab at the top, where I can select element types such as doors, windows and objects. I start with a double door. Insert it and then use the “inspector” to review its settings.

After insertion of several doors and windows, I proceed to checking the positioning of these doors and windows, by performing numeric entries of “setting out” dimensions, from corners I have previously verified (green ticket circles) by my onsite survey. You will note the same green visual circles for the nodes of the doors and windows, with accompanying red dimensions.

Now to create a second building. Using the building hierarchy on the left, I create a new building and stipulate it’s relationship to the first. Again I use the sketch tool. This time I draw very poorly and get a “skew” edged building.

Using the nodal adjustment tools under the drawing tab, I am able to simply drag and snap the node to correct the “skew” edge.

This is followed by articulation of this larger building, again by use of tools from the drawing tab. Adding radiussed edges and extrusions.

Insertion of doors and windows follow. With object aswell, as per the pop up object selection menu.

The “inspectors” used in the following images, show various elements of the project, including the buildings, being analysed for accuracy, whilst still on site.

No need to find expensive errors on return to the office, requiring yet another site survey “expedition”…brilliant!

The Orthograph “model” that is created, can be exported directly to ArchiCAD, with all 3D and data attributes (BIM) included in the export process.

Note that attributes such as floor level and height are available for input, via Orthograph, whilst still on site. This means that split level surveys are handled comfortably.

Take a moment to watch the full demonstration video from ProFM at the end of this post.

Related articles

• real BIM projects…yes they exist (bimblogsa.wordpress.com)
• Open BIM FAQ: What are various approaches to address collaboration issues? (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• Energy efficiency calculations from BIM: events on now (vipenergy.wordpress.com)

real BIM projects…yes they exist

I have been in discussion recently with the organisers of a BIM summit in Johannesburg, planned for August 2012. I must admit, I am looking forward to IT, should be an interesting experience.

As the discussions developed, I realised our local BIM needs two things desperately:

1. confidence, yes, confidence, many people in SADC use a BIM software within their own discipline, however project wide is a very different level of treachery, which most design consultants and contractors are not willing to enter into
2. industry support, we need the local market place to embrace BIM, suppliers need to provide specifications of energy ratings on their products and BIM models, not 2D drawings

Here in SADC, we have the full benefit of first world information, in BIM, this is true too, here in SADC we know what every BIM software manufacturer claims it’s products can do, we further are constantly notified of high end European building product manufacturers, who have published more and more BIM based online product. It must mean that we in SADC generally know what BIM is all about in the first world, what then is the reason for such a low BIM project take up? I believe it’s confidence and industry support.

To give some positives, I have decided to create a real BIM projects series, talking about local projects, suppliers, product, circumstances and more, related to real implementation, my series will be published under the following chapters:

1. real projects in SADC using BIM today
   • project details
   • project challenges
   • BIM advantages on selected projects
   • end to end BIM project consultants, designers to contractors
2. BIM technical support in SADC today
   • BIM training centres
   • BIM certification
   • BIM service providers
3. building industry BIM support in SADC today
   • manufacturer product models
   • manufacturer product specifications
4. digital aids to BIM
   • software: Orthograph
   • computer hardware
   • web

The series by no means is suggested to be exhaustive, rather to highlight the prevalence of activity to address the lack of confidence amongst most and to further encourage a greater support level from all members of the industry. Your input is welcomed at every instance.

Related articles

• Open BIM FAQ: What are various approaches to address collaboration issues? (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• Energy efficiency calculations from BIM: events on now (vipenergy.wordpress.com)
• Open BIM Program (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• BIMobject – for your online ArchiCAD objects – portal has been launched (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• Open BIM FAQ: What are AEC projects’ key collaboration issues? (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• How long have you worked with a BIM system (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• BIM – Productivity with a capitol “B” (bimblogsa.wordpress.com)
• Open BIM FAQ: What are the characteristics of the “traditional” approach? (archicadsa.wordpress.com)
• Local Sustainability Project Case Study – Update (vipenergy.wordpress.com)

Bird on a wire

It’s not a Sunday afternoon, but this bird is in full “bloon”. The common sparrow, not South African, but an institution nonetheless.
Stark contrast, like black and white, of rich and poor, now wipe that floor. My Africa.

Trees are the days of our lives

On any given Sunday, you find the birds and bees, singing soliloquies to the ants and flees.
In Africa we grow as one, reaching up, breathing deep. . . For our lust for life, far out ways our disillusionment with that which is known to the powerful bellowing from their towers of might.

Bureau work update 2011 – KZNCAD

Our in-house bureau, KZNCAD, have just updated the online portfolio for 2011, full bureau details here:

KZNCAD undertake the following service and project types:

1. online BIM server based project model development
2. architectural design competition entries, visualisation and design development
3. commercial office and office park developments, visualisation and design development
4. industrial building and park developments, visualisation and design development
5. housing developments and estates, visualisation and design development
6. town planning and urban design projects, visualisation and design development
7. services coordination models delivered in IFC format
8. BIM models delivered in IFC format
9. as build models delivered in IFC format
10. building energy analysis models
11. public and service buildings, visualisation and design development

 

Related articles

• Green Building Conference 2011 Design Charrettes (vipenergy.wordpress.com)
• Online Sustainable Design Case Study: The Klerck Architects Mall Project (vipenergy.wordpress.com)
• Local Sustainability Project Case Study – Update (vipenergy.wordpress.com)

BIM - Productivity with a capitol "B"

Reblogged from greenenergycostguru:

By creating a proper BIM project, you have your entire project in electronic format, thus multiple processes can be performed to benefit your design including; carbon footprint evaluation, quantity take-off, visualisation & numerous other possibilities. It simplifies your workflow and enables project collaboration. Thus working locally or across borders has never been easier.

“Consultants can receive the building data in electronic format, regardless of which CAD platform they are on, make changes and return the file to you for further work without any loss of the BIM data in the process.

Read more… 54 more words