This week’s theme (on 28th of July 2021) is Exceptional Bridges. In the competition, this time not two but three buildings. Bridges designed by famous and prestigious Architects: Norman Foster, Santiago Calatrava and Zaha Hadid. And all, in different parts of the world: Spain, France and Taiwan.
1. Viaduc de Millau by Norman Foster
Source photo: Eiffage
The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed bridge crossing the Tarn Valley, in the Aveyron department in France. The construction of this incredible bridge only took 3 years, from December 2001 to December 2004. For this project, thousands of workers participated in the creation of the bridge.
The bridge was conceived by Engineer Michel Virlogeux and designed by Architect Sir Norman Foster, and realized by Groupe Eiffage, specialist in civil engineering and steel construction. As also mentioned on Foster + Partners’ website, bridges are often considered to belong to the realm of the engineer rather than that of the architect. Norman Foster has proven the capacity of an Architect to design in close collaboration with Structural Engineers. And thus, the capacity to play an integral role in the design of bridges.
The Alamillo Bridge is a structure in Seville, Andalucía, Spain, which spans the Canal de Alfonso XIII, allowing access to La Cartuja. The bridge consists of a single straight steel-shell tower, infilled reinforced concrete and inclined backward, counterbalancing a 200m span with 13 pairs of cable. The static concept of the bridge can be traced back to the 1986 sculpture of Spanish Architect and Structural Engineer, Santiago Calatrava, entitled Running Torso.
About its history: the bridge was built as part of the infrastructure improvements of the Expo 92 World Fair. The construction was designed by Santiago Calatrava, then started in 1989 and was completed in 1992. In the same year, Calatrava received the CEOE Foundation ‘VI Dragados y Construcciones Prize’ award for the Alamillo Bridge.
The Danjiang Bridge is an under-construction road and light rail bridge spanning the mouth of the Tamsui River, which will link Bali and Tamsui in New Taipei City, Taiwan. The construction started in October 2014 and is estimated to end in September 2024. The bridge was commissioned by the Directorate General of Highways and was designed to provide a connection to the national highway system and to ease congestion on the Guandu Bridge that is situated further upriver.
The bridge was designed by Architect Zaha Hadid, who sadly passed away on the 31, March 2016. The Danjiang Bridge is one of her incomplete projects, but is still supported by her firm, Zaha Hadid Architects, in collaboration with Sinotech Engineering Consultants and
Leonhardt Andra und Partner Beratende Ingenieure, who have won an international competition to design the Danjiang Bridge.
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At GAMMA AR, we like to share knowledge and educate people about architecture and construction. Every month, we try to help our public to discover new architecture and their stories. This is why, today, in a weekly and fun game, we will present original and wonderful buildings. For this week (on 21st of July, 2021), the theme is Original Museum. Discover two beautiful museums, with their specific architecture, telling stories that are just as fabulous.
The Mont Fuji World Heritage Center is a museum located in the city of Fujinomaiya, Japan.
The Mt. Fuji was granted UNESCO World Heritage status as it has “inspired artists and poets and been the object of pilgrimage for centuries”, reports the world class firm, Arup. On this occasion, a competition of 238 candidates was held to select the new design of the center. The winner was, Shigeru Ban, in collaboration with Arup. To remind of the iconic “Mt. Fuji”, the architecture is shaped like an inverted mountain. The center is open since 2017.
“Inside the building shaped like an inverted mountain is a spirally curved slope which leads gradually from the first floor up to the fifth. Viewing the exhibits as they ascend the slope, visitors can enjoy a virtual taste of the experience of climbing the mountain. When they reach the top (fifth) floor, there is an observation hall with a large picture window offering a breathtaking panoramic view of the real Mt. Fuji, which changes its expression from moment to moment. Springwater from Mt. Fuji is drawn into the Center building and used as an air conditioning heat source and is then channeled to the Reflecting Pool in front of the building, architecturally conveying the cycle of water on Mt. Fuji.”
Shigeru Ban about the architecture
2. Oscar Niemeyer’s Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói
The Museu de Arte Contemporânea de Niterói, also known as MAC, is a museum of contemporary art in Niterói, Brazil. The project is designed by Oscar Niemeyer, assisted by Engineer Bruno Conni. The construction of the museum took five years and opened in 1996.
About the architecture: The circular form, suspended in front of Guanabara Bay with a spiral ramp, expresses in itself the power of the Museum as a place that celebrates the special meeting between the freedom of artistic creation and society as parts of the world-scape.
“The sea, the mountains of Rio, a magnificent landscape that I should preserve”. Second, “(…) And I went up with the building, adopting the circular shape that, in my view, the space required (…)”
“(…)And I felt that the museum would be beautiful and so different from the others that rich and poor would take pleasure in visiting it.”
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. It helps BIM Managers, Construction Site Managers, and other stakeholders to prevent errors and facilitate communication between the field and the office.
Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Stories behind the Stadiums where Europe played 2020 European Cup
Sunday, July 11th marked the end of the 2020 European Cup, with the victory of Italy. A great moment of emotion and sharing – despite the sanitary restrictions – for Europe. In honor of this finale, we would like to highlight the 11 stadiums that hosted the 24 European teams. What do you know about the story of these stadiums? About the architecture?
Whether you are an architecture lover, a Football passionate, or just a curious user: Let’s find out now!
The Wembley Stadium hosted the finale of Euro 2020. It is one of the most famous Stadiums in Europe. You probably know it from famous events (concerts, cups, etc…)
But did you know that the stadium that we know is actually the new one? Indeed, the old Wembley Stadium that was inaugurated in 1923 was demolished in 2000. The construction work on the new stadium began in 2002 and was completed in 2007 with an opening to the public on 9 March 2007.
It was designed by the architects Foster + Partners and HOK Sport (now Populous) and the engineers Mott Stadium Consortium (Mott MacDonald, Sinclair Knight Merz and Aurecon). The design of the building services was carried out by Mott MacDonald.
By ProhibitOnions at English Wikipedia – Transferred from en.wikipedia to Commons., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21419
As Design Build Network wrote, “The aim of the project was to design and build a state-of-the-art national stadium, unlike any other in the world, which would be the home of English football and to host large events such as Cup Finals, music events and athletics.”.
The promis is well held. It still hosts the most important sport games, and the best British concerts are played there!
The Stadio Olimpico has met several renovations. Located in Rome (Italy), it was built in 1927 and partially opened in 1932. Do you know the first name of the stadium? In 1937 it was called the Stadio dei Cipressi. The construction work began in 1927, under the direction of Turinese engineer Angelo Frisa and Architect Enrico Del Debbio.
In 1953, the working site was reopened for the completion of the stadium under the direction of the engineer Carlo Roccatelli. It is in 1951, after his death, that the direction of work has been entrusted to the architect Annibale Vitellozzi. At this time, the stadium was known as Stadio dei Centomila.
The stadium was finally renamed for the 1960 Olympics as we know it: the Stadio Olimpico.
By Unknown author – #StadioOlimpico #Rome (1950’s) (in english). OldFootballPhotos (April 10, 2018)., Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=68223225
The stadium was the main stadium for the 1990 FIFA World Cup, for which there was necessary restructuring and roofing of it. The work was entrusted to a team of designers including the architect Annibale Vitellozziowho worked on the previous completion of the stadium.
3. Allianz Arena (Germany)
By Maximilian Dörrbecker (Chumwa) – Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2266842
The Allianz Arena is located in Munich, Germany. The construction work of the stadium began in 2002 and was officially opened in 2005. It was designed by the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron; they developed the concept of the stadium with a see-through exterior made of self-cleaning ETFE-foil panels that can be lit from the inside.
https://www.dlubal.com/fr/img/012449
Words of the architects about the construction:
“Three themes define our architectural and urban concept for the world championship football stadium in Munich (the Allianz Arena): the presence of the stadium as an illuminated body that can change its appearance and is situated in an open landscape, the procession-like arrival of fans in a landscaped area and the crater-like interior of the stadium itself”
By Alf van Beem – Own work, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=33391291
The Johan Cruijff Arena (in dutch) is the main stadium of the Dutch capital city of Amsterdam in the Netherlands. Do you know where the stadium got its name from? It was previously named Amsterdam Arena until the 2018-19 football season when it was renamed after the death and in honour of legendary Dutch footballer Johan Cruyff who died in March 2016. The stadium’s original architect is Rob Schuurman, the construction work started in 1993 and was completed in 1996.
The 1993 construction work was undertaken by Ballast Nedam and the Royal BAM Group and took almost 3 years to complete. In 2015, there was a renovation on the stadium’s facade planned to be completed in 2020 for the 4 matches of the Euro 2020. Construction works started in 2017 and were completed in 2018.
5. Baku Olympic Stadium (Azerbaijan)
By Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=44056915
The Bako Olimpya Stadionu of its real name is the largest stadium in Azerbaijan. The construction work started in 2012 with the excavation and backfilling of the stadium area. The works were completed, and the stadium opened in 2015. The architects on the projects were TOCA for the Concept design, Heerim and ROSSETTI (Sports Architect), Structural engineer was Thornton Tomasetti.
The stadium hosted athletics and ceremonies of 2015 European Games and the 2019 UEFA Europa League Finale. For Euro 2020, the stadium hosted three matches of Group A and the Czech Republic – Demark Quarter-finals.
By Interfase – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31016222
6. Krestovsky Stadium (Russia)
By photo by A.Savin / crop by Osepu – This file has been extracted from another file: Spb 06-2017 img40 Krestovsky Stadium.jpg, FAL, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=70299129
The Krestovsky Stadium is known as Gazprom Arena (for sponsorship reasons) and is located in Saint Petersburg in Russia. It was built as one of the venues for the 2018 FIFA World Cup. The architect on the project was Kisho Kurokawa, the design was a modified and enlarged version of the Toyota Stadium in Toyota City, Japan, which was also designed by Kurokawa.
The planning of the stadium began in 2005 and construction started in 2008. The stadium was completed and opened in 2017.
“In order to meet the project requirements, various up-to-date technologies are applied, such as the movable field system to keep the turf fresh throughout a year, the retractable roof with hot air-inflated membrane structure to melt the snow in winter and etc.
The stadium is also designed as a sustainable and environment-friendly eco-architecture where most advanced environmental technologies are introduced such as the rainwater and drainage water recycling system, the use of solar energy and etc.”
By OD Pictures – Kiemelt Kormányzati Beruházások Központja Nonprofit Zrt., CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=86002311
The Puskás Aréna is located in the 14th district (Zugló) of Budapest, Hungary. The project idea appeared in 2011. It was in 2014 that the Hungarian architect György Skardelli showed his original plans (He was the designer of the László Papp Budapest Sports Arena). The same year, the original design of the stadium was voted for best design by Stadiumcb.com. The construction work started in 2017, built in the lace of the former Ferenc Puskas Stadium whose demolition was completed in 2016. The stadium was ready and opened in 2019 for the football match between the national teams of Hungary and Uruguay.
As mentioned above, the construction work took place on what was the initial stadium. The idea of the design was to preserve what characterizes the former building but also adapting it and implementing modern techniques. Basically, the goal was to avoid an erasure of the old stadium.
The Arena Națională is located in Bucharest, Romania. The stadium was built on the site of the original National Stadium, which was demolished from 2007 to 2008. The construction of the new stadium began in 2008 and it opened in 2011. The winners of the tender that had the chance to design and build it were the German Max Boegl and Italian Astaldi. The architects who worked with them on the project were Gerkan, Marg and Partners.
The stadium is one of the few in the 2020 European competition, along with Wembley, to have a retractable roof.
About the construction:
“The new roofed soccer arena takes up the existing structure of the earthen ramp and, together with the reinforced concrete structure of the upper tier and the steel roof structure, creates the structural center of the historic sports park.”
The stadium is officially known as Estadio La Cartuja de Sevilla and is in Seville, Spain. The construction work started in 1997 and was completed in 1999 for the World Championships in Athletics. The stadium was first planned and built for the 2004 Olympics. The architects of this project are Antonio Cruz Villalonand Antonio Ortiz Garcia from Cruz y Ortiz Arquitectos.
About the construction:
“Sinking the level of the sports track in relation to the natural level of the land, the access to the stadium is situated at an intermediate level, resulting in a minor difference between levels for spectators and reducing problems of evacuation. Thus, a building both silhouette-style and horizontal was designed, which incorporating several other purposes such as a hotel and offices, adopts an external perimeter marked by a series of angles and protrusions. This strongly contrasts to the obligatory continuous and oval lines of the seating area and roof.
On the one hand, the building has been generated by the contrast -the marked difference between the exterior and the interior- and on the other by the efforts to unify several functions of varying sizes and natures in one single building.”
The Hampden Park is often referred to as Hampden only and is located in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. What do you know exactly about this stadium? From all the stadiums we saw above, it is by far the oldest! It opened in 1903.
Hampden Park is part of the history of the Queen’s Park football club, the first Scottish club founded in 1867. But the Football team’s story is not what you want to hear about here. The story begins when the club had tomove out to another field: the Hampden Park, in 1883. It was in the late 80s that architect James Millerdesigned twin grandstands along the south side of the ground with a pavilion wedged in between. The natural slopes were designed by Archibald Leitch and were shaped to form banks of terracing. This construction took over three years to complete. In 1920, this is how the stadium looked like:
But the story does not stop here (which makes of Hampden Park the longest part of this article). But let’s move forward! We are in the late 1970s, Hampden Park needs a renewal. From here on the stadium will meet different phases, the final one being in 1997 and was open again for the 1999 Scottish Cup Final:
By Roger May, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=704342
11. Parken Stadium (Denmark)
By Leif Jørgensen – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=48731383
The Parken Stadium is simply known as Parken and as Telia Parken and in Denmark. The stadium was built from 1990 to 1992. Like Wembley and Arena Națională, it features a retractable roof. Parken was built on the site of former Denmark national stadium Idrætsparken. The architect in charge of the project was Gert Andersson. For the architecture, Andersson was inspired from large Italian sport arenas where the public can keep the feeling of proximity of the activities.
About the construction from Levi Jensen (worked closely with the architect):
“Parken Stadium is built around four corner buildings housing office facilities and with four linking spectator tribunes. The roofs of the tribunes are all constructed with visible space frame structures.
Later a flexible roof construction also made with space frames was equipped making it possible to cover the entire stadium with a large expandable roof.”
By Pathfinder77 – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=17773446
Here are the stories of the 11 Stadiums that host the 2020 European Cup. Each of them has their specific own story which makes them unique.
Which one of them is your favorite? In which one did you go already?
About GAMMA AR
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. It helps BIM Managers, Construction Site Managers, and other stakeholders to prevent errors and facilitate communication between the field and the office.
Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Check out these famous buildings for Architecture lovers. Today we will talk about four buildings located in the USA and Dubai. All of them are famous for their incredible architecture. Read more below.
The Spaceship Earth is a dark ride attraction located at the Epcot theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida (USA). The initial concept of the Spaceship Earth was born in the mid-1970s thanks to Walt Disney’s dream of an Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow evolved into the EPCOT Center theme park. The attraction opened the 1st of October 1982.
– The architectural design was conceived by Wallace Floyd Design Group – The structural design was designed by Simpson Gumpertz & Hertz inc with the help of Science Fiction writer Ray Bradbury – The term “Spaceship Earth” and the geodesic dome were popularized by Buckminster Fuller
“Construction took 26 months. Extending upwards from the table are “quadropod” structures, which support smaller beams which form the shell of the steel skeleton. Pipes stand the aluminum skin panels away from the skeleton and provide space for utilities. A small service car is parked in the interstitial space between the structural and cladding surfaces, and it can carry a prone technician down the sides to access repair locations. The shop fabrication of the steel (done in nearby Tampa, Florida) was an early instance of computer-aided drafting and materials processing.”
In Europe, it is the famous CanCan Coaster of Europa Park (Germany) located in the French district of the amusement park which reminds the structure of Spaceship Earth. The aspect of the geosphere has been repeated several times, which confirms that Spaceship Earth is an extraordinary building.
The Hearst Tower building is located at the southwest corner of the 57th Street and Eight avenue near Columbus Circle, in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, USA. The building consists of two sections:
– One with the six lowest stories, designed by Joseph Urban and George B. Post & Sons. The construction started in 1927 and was completed in 1928 – The second one with the 40 other stories, were designed by Norman Foster and Adamson Associates Architects. The construction started in 2003 and was completed in 2006.
The words of Norman Foster about the building:
“The Hearst Corporations drive to create an improved workplace is articulated by the buildings light-filled, environmentally progressive status. Designed to consume significantly less energy than a conventional New York office building, Hearst Tower is utilising outside air ventilation for up to 75% of the year and is a model of sustainable office design.
Unlike a traditionally framed structure, the tower has a triangulated form. With its corners peeled back, the effect emphasises the building’s vertical proportions and creates a distinctive facetted silhouette on the skyline that reveals unique views across the Manhattan grid. Requiring 20% less steel – 85% of which is recycled – it is also more efficient than a conventional tower.”
This is the second building of Norman Foster to appear in our article of the extraordinary building. The capacity of the construction to hold two different designs made by two different architects shows how incredible the building is.
3. Opus
Source photo: Laurian Ghinitoiu
Located in the Burj Khalifa district of Dubai, the Opus is the first “ME by Melia” hotel (Melia Hotels International is one of the world’s leading hoteliers)in the Middle East. The building of this hotel was designedand conceived by Zaha Hadid Architects. The design was presented by Zaha Hadid in 2007, it is the only hotel in which she created both its architecture and interiors. The project started in 2012 and was externally completed in 2019. The hotel opening was in March 2020.
“The Opus is designed as two separate towers that coalesce into a singular whole— taking the form of a cube. The cube is then ‘carved’, creating a central void that is an important volume within the building in its own right—providing views to the exterior from the centre of the building. The free-formed fluidity of this eight-storey void contrasts with the precise orthogonal geometry of the surrounding cube.”
Living up to its reputation, Zaha Hadid designed an extraordinary building. A building that pleased the expectations of Gabriel Escarrer, Vice Chairman and CEO of Melia Hotels Internationals:
You always expect to be surprised by ZHA’s designs, but the Opus for ‘ME by Melia’ Dubai goes beyond what we could ever have anticipated. We are proud to have this amazing project in our portfolio
The Seattle Central Library is the flagship library of the Seattle Public Library system, in Seattle, Washington, USA. Rem Koolhaas and Joshua Prince-Ramus of OMA/LMN were the principal architect. Magnusson Klemencic Associates was the structural engineer with Arup. The construction started in 2002and was completed in 2004. The public library opened on May 23, 2004.
Words of OMA, the architects:
“OMA’s ambition is to redefine the library as an institution no longer exclusively dedicated to the book, but rather as an information store where all potent forms of media – new and old – are presented equally and legibly. In an age in which information can be accessed anywhere, it is the simultaneity of media and (more importantly) the curatorship of its contents that will make the library vital.”
Source photo: ArchDaily – Michel Denancé, Paul Raftery
The architects, OMA/LMN did a wonderful work on the redefinition of a modern library, that is presented as an incredible and extraordinary building.
About GAMMA AR
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. It helps BIM Managers, Construction Site Managers, and other stakeholders to prevent errors and facilitate communication between the field and the office.
Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Top 4 BIM YouTube Channels to get you inspired and learn more about it
There are many supports to learn more about Building Information Modeling. This article aims to facilitate your research by presenting 4 YouTube channels that offer tutorials, but also practical information on Construction App that brings intuitively BIM models to the construction site. Find out now 4 essential YouTube channels that talk about BIM, Revit and tutorials to use it.
1. Balkan Architect
Balkan Architect is an online source for Architects for learning Revit. The channel gathers Revit and AutoCAD tutorials since 2016.
Hosted by Fred Mills, The B1M is the world’s most subscribed-to video channel for construction. The channel exists since 2010 and has a precise mission, as mentionned in their YouTube description: to change the perception of construction on Earth and attracting more people to work in this incredible industry.
As a Construction App that helps bring BIM Models to the construction site, we found it important to share information and content about how to use GAMMA AR and how it works intuitively with BIM Models.
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. It helps BIM Managers, Construction Site Managers, and other stakeholders to prevent errors and facilitate communication between the field and the office.
Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Top 4 of the most extraordinary buildings in the world
We would like to present some famous buildings for Architecture lovers. Every month, we will present you the most incredible buildings known worldwide. Here you will find four of them; located in Italy, USA, Denmark and France.
The Palazzetto dello Sport is an indoor arena located in Piazza Apollodoro, in Rome, Italy.
It was constructed for the 17th Summer Olympics in 1960 and was inaugurated in 1957.The venue was constructed by the Italian Engineer Pier Luigi Nervi under the direction of Engineer Giacomo Maccagno and designed by the Architect Annibale Vitellozzi.
The Palazzetto dello Sport is considered one of Nervi’s most famous international works in his entire career. Not only was he already 69 years old when he completed these four structures with his own construction company, but also, he was able to finish the entire construction in 12 to 18 months. What helped him to work that fast was twenty years of intense and complex experimentation on statics and construction aspects. It is also during these twenty years of research that he devised a new building material called “ferrocemento” and a unique construction process: structural prefabrication, which allowed him to face the simultaneous construction of four imposing projects.
This makes the Palazzetto dello Sport one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world.
2. Oculus by Santiago Calatrava
Source photo: British photograph duo Hufton + Crow
Oculus is the futurist station of New York. Built at the bottom of the One World Trade Center tower, it replaces the original train station PATH, unfortunately lost in the 9/11 attacks. The project began one year after the attacks and and was inaugurated in March 2016, fourteen years of work.
Oculus has been designed by the Spanish Architect, Santiago Calatrava.
About the construction, to Architectural Digest*, Calatrava said:
“I was just learning from New York to do something extraordinary […] All the city inspired me. I wanted to enter into this context. I wanted to emulate, not to imitate, but to emulate, Grand Central Terminal, such a civic monument and such a beautiful place.”
With a shape that can be imagined as a bird rising into the air, the Oculus pays tribute to New York’s past and makes the architecture one of the most beautiful in the world.
The Elephant House is an area of 3500m2 at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark, designed by architects Foster + Partners and in collaboration with Stig L Andersson Architects. Completed in June 2008, the purpose on the design of this area was to provide the animals a healthy, stimulating environment and also easy and accessible spaces for visitors.
Source photo: Foster + Partners
This construction included lots of research as Foster + Partners explains on their website:
“Extensive research into elephants’ social patterns provided design cues. The tendency for bull elephants in the wild to roam away from the herd suggested a plan organised around two separate enclosures. These enclosures are dug into the sloping site, both to minimise the building’s physical impact in the landscape and to optimise its passive thermal performance. Covered with glazed domes, the spaces maintain a strong visual connection with the sky and changing patterns of daylight. From the entrance square visitors enter the foyer and are lead by ramps down into an educational space, with views into the enclosures along the way. At the end of this route, broad public terraces offer splendid views across the herd paddock. Barriers between the animals and visitors are discreet, and the paddock walls are concealed in a linear pool so that the visitor encounters the elephants as another ‘surprise’ in the landscape of the park.”
As we can see, architecture has no limits. It can be a stadium, a train station, or even an area for animals. This makes the Elephant House an exceptional architecture, grandiose, and one of the most extraordinary buildings in the world.
4. Pathé Foundation by Renzo Piano
Source photo: ArchDaily – Michel Denancé, Paul Raftery
Located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, in France, the headquarters of the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé is designed by the famous Architect, Renzo Piano. The project started in 2006 and the headquarters opened in 2014. The building of 2 200m2 includes the Foundation’s offices, archives, a documentation and research center, a DVD library, an exhibition space, and a screening room.
About the building:
“A new transparent building just behind the street facade that looks a little like a greenhouse, is the public area of the Foundation. From this building, visitors have a view through the transparent ground floor of the second building in the courtyard that houses the project’s main activities, to the garden beyond. The peculiar design of this building is determined by the limits and requirements of the site. While keeping its distance from the surrounding buildings, the new building actually improves its neighbours’ access to daylight and air and by reducing the building’s footprint, the project creates space for a garden at the back of the site.
The upper part of the building is made of glass, providing natural light for the Foundation’s offices. From the street the building is glimpsed through and over the restored façade – a discreet presence during the daytime, it will softly glow at night.”
Source photo: ArchDaily – Michel Denancé, Paul Raftery
The Jérôme-Seydoux-Pathé Foundation is a research center for historians, teachers, students, and anyone interested in cinema. Piano can thus claim to have created a space in the image of what it represents: an incredible building.
About GAMMA AR
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. It helps BIM Managers, Construction Site Managers, and other stakeholders to prevent errors and facilitate communication between the field and the office.
Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Among all sectors, the construction sector is one of the least digitalized. And yet, one which can benefit a lot from digitalization. Mobile Construction Apps have already proved their usefulness. It has revolutionized the way we build. Thanks to Building Information Modeling (BIM) or even Augmented Reality, that has made it particularly easy for construction professionals to manage their projects effectively. In this article, we have listed the benefits of the use of a Construction App in the field.
1. Construction App brings Perfect Documentation to the site
Before Construction Apps existed and started expanding more and more in the sector, companies would use paper plans and forms. Here are few numbers about paper forms:
– Per employee, the average cost is about 80$,
– It takes an average of 18 minutes to find a paper document,
– 70% of businesses would fail in 3 weeks if they, unfortunately, experienced a loss of paper due to fire or flood.
We can already assume how inefficient paper can be on the construction site. To this, we can add the fact that half of the workers have access to digital devices such as smartphones. This means the absolute possibility for them to have full access to digital information directly on their phone, everywhere.
In addition to the figures mentioned before, we can recall that paperwork can induce errors, can be hard to read, and lost easily. On the construction site, it is very important to have the right information, all the time, to avoid mistakes and rework. All problems can be solved with one app that allows everyone to access the same information, anytime, anywhere.
What can you do with Construction Apps? Available on mobile or tablets (iPhone, iPad, Android), it is possible to take photos, record voice messages, and videos and send them to the right department to let them know of any information.
Here is an example with a short video of PORR using the Construction App, GAMMA AR:
2. Easy Building Handover with Construction Apps
Building Handover is a crucial step in the completion of a building. The handover documentation creates clarity for all parties and confirms finished work as well as work that still needs to be concluded. The handover documents represent a legal foundation for any conflicts arising about alleged construction defects and as such require the utmost diligence and precision.
A well-done handover creates transparency and fends of unfounded claims, aiding builders, contractors, architects, structural, and MEP / HVAC engineers.
By using Augmented Reality on building sites, the workers on the field can intuitively compare the 3D BIM planning and the actual construction to track progress and identify deviations. Precise building-component-based documentation is created.
Construction Apps help to deliver the handover documentation in unparalleled detail and speed. Information collected on the site can be integrated into the BIM models to have a truly BIM-based handover.
An important feature for the Handover is that the information is securely archived and protected from tampering.
For example, with our software. Once information is saved inside GAMMA AR, the system will safely track and store any changes on the information, making it impossible to “cheat”. GAMMA AR supports open BIM methods and allows for all information to be exported as BCF (BIM Collaboration Format) helping organizations to access the data from GAMMA AR in other issue management systems.
3. Construction Apps make Communication Easy
The use of the Construction App, GAMMA AR on the construction site
Construction Apps help to get better communication and coordination between all the stakeholders of the project. All the information entered on the Construction App is automatically updated and shared with all the right departments. It allows getting the field and the office aware of every information, at every time. And thus, the Office team does not have to wait anymore for the reports of the field to come back by e-mail or paper. A lot of time is saved with instant information shared.
4. Saving Money and Prevent Errors with Construction App
Bringing your construction plans and projects directly to the field helps you to save time and money. Construction App allows you, as we have seen before, to bring all the information with you, and thus, reduce the potential mistakes and rework that paperwork causes. These errors can cost a lot of money.
For example, with this problem below, 14 core drillings cost 2800€. The Construction App, GAMMA AR, could have helped to avoid this. It means time and money are saved.
About GAMMA AR
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
Renovation of the Wien Museum with a Construction App
The renovation of the Wien Museum of a dimension of 14,200m2 has started in July 2020. To complete the construction effectively, which first opened in 1959, the consortium composed of PORR Bau GmbH, Elin, and Ortner are using the AR construction app, GAMMA AR. Zoom on an interesting construction project in Vienna that combines augmented reality and BIM.
Augmented Reality and BIM for the renovation of the Wien Museum
With a comprehensive BIM strategy developed by a BIM Manager assigned to the project by pde Integrale Planung GmbH, the whole project is planned to be completed in 2023.
The strategy includes the BIM-based coordination and organisation of the partial models in the course of the M&E plant and assembly planning and the steel construction works. Other aspects include coordinating and organizing collision-free BIM model planning and the provision of all required BIM documents and model (interim) statuses. The BIM manager is the first point of contact for all BIM issues within the project.
Working on this BIM methods includes a lot of benefits to this project:
– Regular model-based collision checks
– Facilitating BIM planning meetings
– Providing immediate BIM software support within the project team
Benefits of Augmented Reality Construction Apps for construction companies
We already know that Augmented Reality (AR) in general is helping a lot of industries. In the construction industry, augmented reality has started to prove itself in recent years.
In 2016, MIT Technology Review already reported that Augmented Reality is one of the best ways to improve construction companies’ productivity and ensure them a long-term result.
Here are a few benefits of Augmented Reality Construction App that should convince you to throw out your paper plans and get a Construction App that deliver real-time information, no matter where you are:
Improve efficiency – In a world where more than half of workers have access to digital and smartphones, paper work is inefficient. Paper work costs a lot, can induce to errors, can be hard to read or lost easily. All these problems can be solved with one app that allows everyone to access the same information, anytime, anywhere. On mobile or tablets (iPhone, iPad, Android), it is possible to just take photos, record voice messages and videos and send them to the right department to let them know of any information.
Increase safety – Now with paper work, letting know the right people about safety issues is not an easy task. It can take days to get the information to the right department. During this even short time, accident and injuries can happen.
Improve communication – Basically, Construction Apps help to get a better communication and coordination between all the stakeholders of the project. All the information entered on the Construction App is automatically updated and shared with all the right departments. It allows to get the field and the office aware of every information, every time.
In conclusion, AR Construction apps are the future of construction. It allows a better collaboration between the construction workers of a project and to not get lost with lots of paper work.
About GAMMA AR
GAMMA AR is a Construction App that brings BIM models to the construction site using Augmented Reality. Check out the features of the software and start your 30-day free trial now.
If you have any questions or need support, send us an email at info@gamma-ar.com
To get everyone started more easily with our construction management software, we have created a simple and complete guide on the first steps to take to start with GAMMA AR and GAMMA BIM PORTAL. Take a look!
GAMMA AR brings BIM models to the construction site using augmented reality. It is a very easy to use construction management software, however, we thought it would be better to have a complete and simple guide about it.
Read and download this downloadable infographic on how to get started easily with GAMMA AR:
GAMMA AR in the spotlight of the February Autodesk BIM ON AIR Webinar
Every month, Autodesk organizes the BIM ON AIR Webinar. The series aims to highlight solutions that collaborate on design and construction projects using the Autodesk Construction Cloud and BIM 360. On the 23rd of February, the webinar’s topic was about Augmented Reality on the construction site andGAMMA AR was in the spotlight.
Caner Dolas (CEO of GAMMA AR) presenting the solution on the Autodesk BIM ON AIR Webinar
Autodesk monthly organizes the BIM ON AIR Webinar. An interesting and useful series that highlights innovative solutions for the construction industry and professionals.
This monthly Webinar was aired online on the 23rd of February and presented by Holger Klöcker from Autodesk Construction Solutions in German. Followed by questions from the audience and answers from the experts.
In the summary, Autodesk explains the topic of this webinar as follows:
“Augmented reality” is the term used to describe the overlaying of virtual 3D models with the real world. This technology is now opening up new possibilities on the construction site. With mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, 3D BIM planning can be superimposed on the current construction site. This makes it possible, for example, to check the installation of technical systems directly on site or to display the pipe routing in a wall.
To present Augmented Reality on the construction site, Caner Dolas, CEO of GAMMA AR had the honor of presenting the solution.
As a reminder, GAMMA AR is an application that brings BIM Models to the construction site using augmented reality. As an example, check out the video below. You can also find all the other videos illustrating the GAMMA AR solution, as well as the tutorials, on our YouTube channel.
Learn more about GAMMA AR with this video of PORR AG using the solution
Autodesk’s BIM ON AIR Webinar was a real success and has brought together many construction professionals interested in new technologies. The full presentation of our CEO can be rewatched HERE in German.
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