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What is BIM and Why Does it Seem to be Fundamental in the Current Architectural Design?

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BIM (Building Information Modeling) is a methodology that allows architects to create digital design simulations to manage all the information associated with an architectural project.

While CAD creates 2- or 3-dimensional drawings that don't distinguish between their elements, BIM incorporates 4-D (time) and 5-D (costs). This allows users to manage information intelligently throughout the life cycle of a project, automating processes such as programming, conceptual design, detailed design, analysis, documentation, manufacturing, construction logistics, operation and maintenance, renovation and/or demolition.

In any design and construction project there are an unlimited number of participants, as well as infinite interactions between parties. The projects are multidisciplinary and include information that is not necessary to all involved. So who is responsible for what in each project? How far does my responsibility go and where does yours start? BIM helps to order the complexity of this process. [1]

Lightweight Wooden Deployable Structure Aims for Large Social Impact Without Leaving a Mark

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Architecture students of the American University of Beirut used an ephemeral design to approach the lack of awareness of marine biodiversity and responsible use of the coast of Tyre. The proposal consists of a lightweight and deployable structure constituting a programmatic point of meeting and information on the sand.

The project materialized with wood, metal ties and ropes, approach the possible application of light and temporary systems to generate a large social impact and at the same time minimum physical impact on the site.

Temporary Pavilion in Malaysia Aims to Raise Awareness of Bamboo as a Construction Material

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Temporary Pavilion in Malaysia Aims to Raise Awareness of Bamboo as a Construction Material - Image 1 of 4
© Pixelaw

The use of bamboo in construction is not yet widespread. This is the reason why Eleena Jamil proposes the use of this sustainable material in different configurations, resulting in a resistant, light and permeable structure.

The project, an urban pavilion in Malaysia built mainly with circular bamboo rings, explores the different possibilities of the linear material with a variety of measurements and links of joinery and strings.

Eco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time

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With the aim of promoting more efficient ways to isolate and protect building envelopes, the Chilean team Rootman has developed Thermoroot; a biodegradable and 100% natural insulation made from roots without genetic modifications or chemical additives. These roots make up what the company is calling a Radicular Mattress which, in addition to thermally and acoustically insulating the walls, floors, and ceilings of buildings, it is fire resistant.

Eco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time - SustainabilityEco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time - SustainabilityEco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time - SustainabilityEco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time - SustainabilityEco-Friendly Insulation Offers Thermal Performance, Sound Absorption and Fire Resistance at the Same Time - More Images+ 8

4 Best Instagram Hashtags To Follow If You Want to See Great Architecture

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The hashtag officially became part of the Oxford English Dictionary in 2014, and whether you tend to use them or not, they are a pretty unavoidable internet tool that helps users connect related internet content. Maybe you’re hashtagging photos to get featured on a certain account or to poke some fun at yourself (see Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon)? But serious ArchDaily readers have been using “#” to group beautiful photographs of architecture for the better part of a decade. When Instagram announced that it was possible to follow hashtags, die-hard taggers found a way to discover and like new content without actively seeking it out.

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This E-Paper Tile Facade Is Inspired by the WW1 Military Optical Illusion "Razzle Dazzle"

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San Diego Airport has unveiled their permanent interactive artwork DAZZLE on the Airport’s Rental Car Centre commissioned by San Diegos County Regional Airport Authority, that features the debut of E Ink's revolutionary prism technology on a large architectural scale. The installation has been designed to manipulate the form of the façade using inspiration from the World War I military technique “razzle dazzle” that camouflaged the outlines of ships. This phenomenon of visually scrambling the shapes to hide from being spotted can be witnessed in nature too, as the stripes on a zebra equally become an optical illusion to disrupt the predator’s perception.

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3D Printing Fuses Thai Craftsmanship to Create Habitable Concrete Structures

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Siam Research and Innovation Company (SRI) is a Thailand-based cement manufacturer that has been developing innovations to push the limits of 3D printing in architecture. Their project 'Triple S' –developed in 2017– is based on traditional Thai craftsmanship to generate Surface, Structure, and Shelter in a single process; its specific artisanal form creating beautiful framework for structural purposes, easily building living spaces.

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Ateliereen Architecten Creates Playful, Permeable Structure Using Metal and Wood

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Ateliereen Architecten has proposed a metal and wood configuration for an observation tower in Peize, Netherlands. Their plan is to construct a resistant, permeable and playful structure.

The project is designed so that people climbing up the tower will have unique viewpoints. This tower is also easily assembled from screws and bolts. 

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Architects Create Affordable "Exoskeleton" Pavilion With Modular Woods, Tie Straps and Sliding Joints

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"Exoskeleton" is a pavilion that shows how Computer Aided Manufacturing can create rapid prototypes. This manufacturing process allows for real-scale construction and experimentation with limited resources. 

In this project, a system of modules, designed with different dimensions, is put together with simple joints without nails or screws. This allows for different surfaces to be formed and for the pieces to be rotated and assembled at various angles and heights.

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Urban Equipment for Public Spaces Helps to Build a Bike-Friendly City

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Designing public spaces without considering the circulation and parking of bicycles is no longer an option in today's world. Accessibility for the free traffic of cyclists must also be accompanied by adequate security conditions, incorporating these devices in the best possible way to parks, sidewalks, parking lots, and the streetscape as a whole. 

Are you designing an urban space, or do the exteriors of your project require a correct link with the circulation of bicycles? Check these support elements that can help you to generate a better city for the urban commuter on wheels.

Universal Design and Accessibility Manuals from Latin America and Spain

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Last year we shared a guide to the United States' ADA Standards for Accessible Design. Given the article's success and the diversity of our audience, we're making available a collection of guideline documents from Latin America and Spain. Whether you're working on projects in these countries or you're looking to broaden your knowledge of universal design, these guides should come in handy.

These documents—published as PDFs—have been made available by institutions and organizations and refer to the requirements and laws of the indicated countries. 

How to Install Ventilated Facades Using Wooden Panels

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This vertical cladding for facades is a high-density laminated panel, composed of a core of paper fibers -compressed at high temperature and pressure- and an outer coating highly resistant to weathering and UV radiation. The wood used in the panels has been treated with Everlook®, a component that - without the need for maintenance - extends the useful life of the panel and the stability of its color regardless of weather conditions.

To generate a ventilated facade with these panels, each unit must be installed on vertical profiles, producing an uninterrupted airflow behind the panel. Here's how to do it.

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Want A Nice House Without Breaking The Bank? Call An Architect

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In his original article in the Arquia Foundation Architecture Blog, the author Alberto Campo Baeza talked about how important an architect is in the diagnosis and execution of a construction problem. Comparing the scenario to the importance of a doctor treating a disease, an architect is essential to executing a building project.

The Arc de Triomphe as an Elephant?! These Illustrations Reveal What Famous Monuments Could Have Been

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A city’s monuments are integral parts of its metropolitan identity. They stand proud and tall and are often the subject of a few of your vacation photos. It is their form and design which makes them instantly recognizable, but what if their design had turned out differently?

Paris’ iconic and stunning Arc de Triomphe could have been a giant elephant, large enough to hold banquets and balls, and the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. could have featured an impressive pyramid.

GoCompare has compiled and illustrated a series of rejected designs for monuments and placed them in a modern context to commemorate what could have been. Here are a few of our favorites:

Will Bamboo Ever Achieve Widespread Use in the Construction Industry?

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After years of publishing projects and articles related to bamboo, we are strongly aware of its qualities as a construction material. But is it really an option that you would use into your next project? Despite widespread appreciation, bamboo seems to be a material that is rarely considered for use in everyday designs.

The team of Manasaram Architects and CGBMT asked themselves the same question. Together they are seeking to understand the current perceptions of bamboo and to discover its potential as a commonly-used material in the construction sector. To help in this pursuit, they have shared a survey with us which seeks to evaluate how often architects and building professionals use bamboo, the problems they face, and how informed they are about the material.

We would like to invite our readers to spare 10 minutes of their time to help us expand knowledge about the use of bamboo using the survey below. The results will be shared on ArchDaily once the study is complete.

Low-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together

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The social design from Natura Futura Arquitectura for a greenhouse in the warm subtropical climate of Nayón, Ecuador, the proposal approaches the use of local material resources in the construction of low-budget productive structures for the development of the collective.

The project, materialized with bamboo, wood and greenhouse plastic, is based on the basic geometrical figure of the triangle, proposing sectors with different levels of illumination for different types of farming.

Low-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together - SustainabilityLow-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together - SustainabilityLow-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together - SustainabilityLow-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together - SustainabilityLow-Budget Urban Garden Uses Local Materials to Bring Quito's Community Together - More Images+ 21

LEGO® Invites You To 'Release Your Inner Architect'

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It’s hard to find an architecture enthusiast who wasn’t obsessed with LEGO as a kid. Many of us would spend hours carefully placing the small, colorful blocks to make our crazy, imaginary environments in our heads a reality—well, somewhat. Whether it was building a dream home for your dolls or simply trying to construct the tallest tower, LEGO was certainly responsible for the first flirtations with the profession. It is no question this tool unleashes our creativity, and this can be demonstrated in a variety of ways.

For this reason, we searched our archive for some architects which highlight the creative and innovative ways LEGO is being used in adult-life. From a few pieces of the LEGO® Architecture Series to the appropriation of some important offices such as Zaha Hadid Architects and MVRDV, urban interventions are being inspired by toys and even serving as a furniture mold.

Edible Architecture Formed from Chocolate Using 3D Printed Moulds

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Universal Favourite have developed a range of modular chocolates Complementary that are formed in 3D printed moulds to satisfy any architect with a sweet tooth. The architectural forms have been developed to establish a connection between the two pieces to be eaten as one, complementing one and other.

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The Glacier Shelter Built from Nothing but Wood

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At an altitude of 2735m, architecture students at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have built The Bonatti Bivouac, a temporary refuge for the A Neuve’s glacier. The shelter uses the envelope as a structural object, eradicating the need for metal, screws, or nails. Informed by theoretical architect Semper, their design uses the joints to form a piece of architecture.

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A "Hairy" Facade Conceals a Beautiful, Calm and Serene Workspace Dedicated to Focus

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“Hairy” isn’t typically a term used to describe architecture. However, a “hairy” exterior is perhaps the defining characteristic of this micro-office by 2hD Architecture Workshop in the UK—the outer facades are entirely clad in natural coco-fiber broom heads.

The details and junctions of the broom heads are largely concealed as to let the broom bristles interlock, providing a continuous and visually diffuse surface. This hides any clue as to what is occurring on the interior—the structure existing merely as an object of intrigue.

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Stone Pavilion Uses Traditional Form And Technology To Connect Past to Present

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New Fundamentals Research Group, in partnership with S.N.B.R., designed and fabricated a stone vaulted pavilion for Rocalia, a natural stone fair held in Lyon last month. At a total area of 36 square meters and 3.20 meters in height, Flux reconnects the past to the present by combining traditional sculptural design with contemporary fabrication processes.

Bring Chicago's Downtown to your Home or Office with this Kickstarter Campaign

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Bring Chicago's Downtown to your Home or Office with this Kickstarter Campaign - Image 9 of 4
Courtesy of Microscape

Site models: they are intriguing and playful things by nature, making you feel like a giant looking down on a city. These miniature neighborhoods, however, are often large and bulky and only suited for architecture schools or offices. Imagine being able to have a site model in your home or office. Microscape has launched a Kickstarter to produce 1:5000 scale models of America’s Windy City, Chicago.

These Chimney Sections Show Santa's Magical Shape-Shifting Abilities

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Oh no! Santa is stuck in the chimney again! For many children, there is nothing more terrifying yet thrilling than the thought of waking up to see a pair of black leather boots and red pants dangling from the fireplace on Christmas morning—maybe he ate one cookie too many.

Chimneys come in all different shapes, styles, and sizes. With the thousands of chimneys Santa squeezes down every Christmas Eve, it makes you wonder about the maneuvers, tips, and tricks he uses to shimmy down even the most unusual of spaces. Santa’s maneuvers are caught, mid-squeeze, in this series of section drawings by illustrator Chanel Dehond. With some wacky chimney shapes, perhaps shape-shifting can be added to Santa’s list of magical abilities!

Happy Holidays from the Architects (2017 Edition)

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'Tis the season for offices, museums, photographers and collaborators from around the world to send us a bit of holiday cheer! See our favorites below (or check out our best reader-submitted cards).

Here’s to a wonderful, architecture-filled 2017! See the best projects and articles published this year, here.

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