Why Working Long Hours Won't Make You A "Better" Architect

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This article was originally published on Brandon Hubbard's blog, The Architect's Guide.

In a previous article, Should You Become An Architect?, I touched on the issue of long working hours within the profession. Since this is such a common talking point for architects, I decided to expand on the topic.

First, let's define what is a "better architect." Is it being more productive? Regularly promoted? Highly paid? Someone who produces excellent design solutions?

Usually, all of these characteristics tend to flow together. If you are a skilled designer you are likely to be compensated and promoted accordingly. So if being good at your job leads to fame and fortune, is productivity the key to excellence?

The 10 Best Revit Apps and Add-Ins

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This article was originally published by ArchSmarter as "The 10 Revit Apps You Should Be Using in 2017."

I recently asked ArchSmarter readers what tools they’re using to be more productive in Revit. Over 75 different add-ins were recommended! I tallied up all the votes and came up with this list of top-ten recommendations. There are some repeat nominees from my previous round-ups (which you can read here and here) as well as some welcome newcomers.

So who made the cut? Here’s this year’s list of the top 10 Revit apps you should be using.

Chicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus

Chicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus - Adaptive Reuse, Facade, BeamChicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus - Adaptive Reuse, Facade, Column, Beam, ArchChicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus - Adaptive Reuse, Beam, FacadeChicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus - Adaptive Reuse, Facade, Door, BeamChicken House / Büros für Konstruktivismus - More Images+ 11

  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Artigo, Jacobi-Walther

Command of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects

Command of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects - Restoration, Beam, Facade, LightingCommand of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects - Restoration, FacadeCommand of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects - Restoration, Beam, ArchCommand of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects - RestorationCommand of the Oceans / Baynes and Mitchell Architects - More Images+ 27

Pedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos

Pedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos - Hotels, Kitchen, Facade, Door, Table, Chair, CountertopPedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos - Hotels, Bedroom, Facade, Door, Chair, BedPedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos - Hotels, Handrail, ChairPedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos - Hotels, Facade, Stairs, CoastPedras do Mar Resort & SPA / M-arquitectos - More Images+ 29

Ponta Delgada, Portugal
  • Architects: M-arquitectos
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  6780
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Amorim

Dave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture

Dave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture - Offices InteriorsDave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture - Offices InteriorsDave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture - Offices InteriorsDave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture - Offices InteriorsDave & Bella Headquarters / LYCS Architecture - More Images+ 10

  • Architects: LYCS Architecture
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  7500
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017

House that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates

House that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates - Houses Interiors, Table, ChairHouse that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates - Houses Interiors, Facade, Beam, Chair, Table, BenchHouse that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates - Houses Interiors, Door, Facade, Beam, Table, Lighting, ChairHouse that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates - Houses Interiors, Garden, Door, FacadeHouse that Coexists with the Landscape / Takashi Okuno & Associates - More Images+ 7

  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  82
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Fijiwara Chemical, KYOEI LAMBER, Planet Japan

Fire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI

Fire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI - Fire Station, FacadeFire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI - Fire Station, Facade, Beam, LightingFire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI - Fire Station, Facade, Handrail, ColumnFire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI - Fire Station, Stairs, Handrail, Facade, ColumnFire Station of Tianfu New District / CSWADI - More Images+ 21

Chengdu Shi, China

Ginza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers

Ginza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - Commercial Architecture, Facade, Cityscape
© Nacasa & Partners

Ginza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - Commercial Architecture, Facade, LightingGinza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - Commercial Architecture, FacadeGinza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - Commercial Architecture, Facade, CityscapeGinza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - Commercial Architecture, FacadeGinza Place / Klein Dytham architecture + TAISEI DESIGN Planners Architects & Engineers - More Images+ 21

Peka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects

Peka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects - Houses, Facade, DoorPeka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects - Houses, Door, Facade, Column, BeamPeka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects - Houses, Facade, DoorPeka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects - Houses, Facade, Door, Bench, TablePeka Peka House I / Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects - More Images+ 5

Peka Peka, New Zealand
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  176
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2015
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  APL NZ, Dimond, Garapa, Macrocarpa, Plytech, +2

Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater

On a day of big reveals for Apple – including a demonstration of the architect-friendly ARKit augmented reality technology – perhaps none was presented so glamorously as the debut of the spectacular venue in which the event was held: the brand new Steve Jobs Theater.

Apple started off their keynote address with a flythrough tour of the new space, designed by Foster + Partners (as is the main ring-shaped building), offering the first views into the below-ground spaces and the meticulous details of the ceiling, glass walls and carved handrails.

Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater - Image 1 of 4Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater - Image 2 of 4Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater - Image 3 of 4Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater - Image 4 of 4Apple Event Offers First Look into Apple Park's Steve Jobs Theater - More Images+ 17

OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam

The team of OMA and FABRICations in collaboration with LOLA landscape architects has been selected as the winners of a competition to transform a former prison complex in Amsterdam into a 135,000-square-meter mixed-use development. Located in southeastern Amsterdam, Bijlmerbajes has been seen as a distant landmark for the city since its construction in the 1970s. But with recent expansions, the once peripheral site has moved to the center of new urban development, making the property prime location for redevelopment.

OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam - Image 1 of 4OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam - Image 2 of 4OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam - Image 3 of 4OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam - Image 4 of 4OMA and FABRICations Win Competition to Transform Former Prison Complex in Amsterdam - More Images+ 8

ONE Apartment Building / JSARQ

ONE Apartment Building / JSARQ - Residential, Stairs, Facade, HandrailONE Apartment Building / JSARQ - Residential, FacadeONE Apartment Building / JSARQ - Residential, Garden, Facade, Forest, CityscapeONE Apartment Building / JSARQ - Residential, FacadeONE Apartment Building / JSARQ - More Images+ 13

  • Architects: JSARQ
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  4000
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2017
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Extralum, Lesco Wood, Veneta Cucine
  • Professionals: BA Ingeniería

The Real Star of The Apple Keynote? ARKit Augmented Reality Technology

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Apple’s fall 2017 Keynote, which at the time of publication is already underway, is the first ever event held at the new Steve Jobs Theater right at the center of the Apple Headquarters in Cupertino. Every year at its fall keynotes, the company makes it major product announcements—last year, they announced the iPhone 7, Apple Watch series 2, and Airpods. This year, most of the hype surrounded the expected announcement of the iPhone 8 (and iPhone X!).

However, we have also been eagerly awaiting the announcement of updates to iOS 11 and its release to the public. First introduced on June 5, 2017 at the Worldwide Developers Conference, the discussion of the new Apple operating system will feature user updates but also developer updates—and it's here where we find the true star of the show: ARKit, the back-end tools which developers can use to create next-generation augmented reality (AR) apps for users of iOS 11 devices.

Rafael Moneo Selected as 2017 Praemium Imperiale Laureate

Spanish architect Rafael Moneo has been selected as the winner of the 2017 Praemium Imperiale International Arts Award for Architecture by the Japan Art Association (JAA). Known for his timeless, stately designs, the 1996 Pritzker Prize laureate was lauded by the JAA jury for his design approach which “[ensures] that his buildings blend effortlessly into the city landscape while at the same time respecting the environment and establishing a clear identity and a connection to his creative vision.”

AV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente

AV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente - Houses, CoastAV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente - Houses, Stairs, HandrailAV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente - Houses, Facade, Stairs, CoastAV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente - Houses, FacadeAV HOUSE / Cristián Romero Valente - More Images+ 19

Maitencillo, Chile
  • Area Area of this architecture project Area:  284
  • Year Completion year of this architecture project Year:  2016
  • Manufacturers Brands with products used in this architecture project
    Manufacturers:  Sherwin-Williams, Acuasol Piscinas, CLC Maderas, Coggiola Mármoles, Melón Hormigones, +1

Zhang Ke Awarded 2017 Alvar Aalto Medal

Chinese architect Zhang Ke, the founder of the firm standardarchitecture, has been awarded the 2017 Alvar Aalto Medal. Presented by the Museum of Finnish Architecture, the Finnish Association of Architects SAFA, the Architectural Society, the Alvar Aalto Foundation and the City of Helsinki, the medal recognizes an architect who, in the words of the Museum of Finnish Architecture, is "exceptionally accomplished in the field of creative architecture and has carried on Aalto’s legacy of sustainable, humane design."

Algae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition'

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SPACE10's latest project displayed last week at Copenhagen's CHART art fair hosts the secret to combating malnutrition, greenhouse gases and ending deforestation - a pretty steep demand for a structure only four meters tall. The hero of this story is a microalgae that runs through the three hundred and twenty meters of tubing entwined around the pavilion.

IKEA's future living lab worked with bioengineer, Keenan Pinto and three architects, Aleksander Wadas, Rafal Wroblewski and Anna Stempniewicz to build a photobioreactor that facilitates the high production of microalgae that can be grown almost anywhere on the planet. During the three days of the fair, 450 liters of algae was grown as visitors got to experience the full extent of the neon green process.

Algae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition' - SustainabilityAlgae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition' - SustainabilityAlgae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition' - SustainabilityAlgae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition' - SustainabilityAlgae Dome by SPACE10 Could 'Combat Chronic Malnutrition' - More Images+ 9

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