A wave of new technologies is transforming the architecture, engineering, and construction industries. On May 23, The Architect’s Newspaper will host the first trade expo and forum to investigate this convergence: TECH+. Taking place during NYCxDesign month, New York’s official citywide celebration of design, the conference incorporates visionary speakers, engaging panels, live demos, and product displays from leaders in emerging fields like virtual reality, smart buildings, parametrics, advanced materials, drones and robotics, AEC Software, and mobile apps.
Architects, engineers, designers, builders, real-estate professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, software developers, students, and makers will converge at Metropolitan West in New York—the center of one of America’s fastest growing tech markets—to discover innovations, come across start-ups, meet top experts, and build connections. A conference addressing new architectural technologies is both needed and timely, spurring new ideas, cross-pollination, and innovation.
Who’ll be there? These are just a few of the companies.
Chaos Group
Chaos Group is a worldwide leader in computer graphics, helping artists and designers create photoreal imagery and animation for design, television, and feature films. Software like V-Ray, Phoenix FD, and VRscans dominate the fields of creative storytelling and digital design. Chaos Group founder Vladimir Yoylabov received a 2017 Academy Awards plaque for V-Ray’s role in bringing CGI to feature films. At TECH+, Chaos Group will be showcasing its technologies for the AEC industry, particularly its newest VR capabilities.
Graphisoft
Graphisoft ignited the BIM revolution in 1984 with ARCHICAD, the industry’s first BIM software for architects. The company continues to lead the industry with innovative solutions like BIMcloud, the world’s first real-time BIM collaboration environment, and coDesigner, the world’s first fully BIM-integrated green-design solution. At TECH+, Graphisoft will showcase BIMx, the world’s leading mobile app for BIM visualization on computers, iPhones, iPads, Android devices, and Google Cardboard. Part of the Nemetschek Group, Graphisoftoffers valuable learning tools like online seminars, tests, books, training videos, and in-person training. Sister companies in the Nemetschek group include Bluebeam, Vectorworks, Allplan, Nevaris, and several more.
Humanscale
Humanscale is the leading designer and manufacturer of ergonomic products that improve health and comfort at work and beyond. At TECH+ it will show off OfficeIQ, its newest innovation, which integrates computer software into ergonomic design, transforming traditional offices into active, intelligent workspaces that help users make healthier decisions. More products include seating, sit-stand desks, keyboard systems, and lighting. Humanscale’s ergonomic consulting services—used for more than 2,000organizations since 2008—help organizations develop and implement comprehensive, cost-effective ergonomics programs.
InsiteVR
InsiteVR is a platform for AEC companies to create and manage virtual reality presentations across their offices. InsiteVR’s tools allow users to remotely control VR presentations, collect feedback from clients, and easily share to mobile headsets like the GearVR. The company provides virtual reality experiences in seconds with models from Sketchup, Blender, Rhino, Revit, or any other 3-D modeling. At TECH+, Insite VR will showcase Analytics, a new feature in which virtual reality walkthroughs can be replayed and analyzed to learn more about user behavior in a space. Its heat map functionality provides additional data on the distribution of users’ attention while going through a virtual representation of the space.
IrisVR
Iris VR offers intuitive virtual-reality software for the AEC industry that works seamlessly with existing 3-D software. Offerings like Prospect (for explorable VR) and Scope (for 360-degree panoramas) give you a true sense of depth and space before anything has been built. Architects and builders like Ennead, SHoP, HMC, and Corgan have quickly generated realistic virtual environments to aid with their design process and client communications. At TECH+, IrisVR will be showcasing its new experiences for Prospect, providing the ability to have multiple users within the same virtual-reality model, with real-time audio and visual feedback.
Iron-Horse Systems
Iron-Horse Systems is a full-service certified distributor of IoT systems for lighting control. The company provides sensor layouts and network design along with the programming and maintenance services necessary to tie the specified lighting system into the end user’s IoT or BMS platform. This ensures a complete, reliable system from design through completion. At TECH+, Iron Horse will be showcasing several of its IoT solutions for smart buildings.
Microsol Resources
A leader in BIM technology solutions, as well as an Autodesk platinum partner, Microsol Resources has been a reseller of engineering and architecture software—such as V-Ray, Bluebeam, and Rhino—since 1986. Microsol specializes in building and civil infrastructure software, but its suite of offerings also includes training, certification, and product support. The company helps innovative clients get the most out of their designs and technology investments through installation, activation, and continued follow-up. The firm services big offices like Bjarke Ingels Group, David Adjaye Associates, Rafael Viñoly, and KPF, as well as start-ups and sole proprietors. Microsol’s annual TechPerspectives conference, launched in 2013, focuses on the most exciting technologies driving change in the design and construction industries. The conference showcases industry leaders and innovative technologies including BIM, 3-D printing, virtual reality, digital design and fabrication, and more. The event has taken place in New York, Boston, and Philadelphia. This year’s TechPerspectives will be held at TECH+.
Nvidia
Nvidia designs graphics processing units (GPU) for the gaming market, as well as system-on-a-chip units for the mobile computing and automotive markets. Nvidia’s invention of the GPU in 1999 sparked the growth of the PC gaming market, redefined modern computer graphics, and revolutionized parallel computing. More recently, GPU deep learning ignited modern AI—the next era of computing—with the GPU acting as the brain of computers, robots, and self-driving cars that can perceive and understand the world. Nvidia is working with Gensler to realize their new headquarters in Santa Clara. At TECH+ Gensler principal Hao Ko will be speaking about Gensler’s close collaboration with the company to visualize the project in VR through the Nvidia’s Iray rendering engine.
Panzura
Panzura, founded in 2008 by a team of engineers with experience at the country’s top IT companies, specializes in cloud-based storage and file-protection products. The company’s infrastructure leverages superfast, high-performance, secure Internet technology to create an interconnected, unified global file system—regardless of physical location. With Panzura’s patented global file locking technology, BIM and CAD users across the world can work together like they’re in the same room. This capability reduces application and file-open and -sync time for distributed users from 20 or 30 minutes to just seconds. At TECH+, Panzura will be showcasing Freedom Collaboration, which provides cloud convenience, security, and communication with LAN speed and performance.
PlanGrid
PlanGrid is construction software made for the field that allows plans and mark-ups to be instantaneously shared with everyone on a project, no matter where they are. It lets contractors, architects, and building owners collaborate from their desktops or mobile devices across all of their project plans, specs, photos, RFIs, and punch lists. Today, the company stores over 50 million blueprints, making it the largest digital blueprint repository in the world—translating into over $85 million saved on paper and printing. At TECH+, PlanGrid will share how the company is leading the industry’s digitization and transformation to the cloud by arming construction workers with the best productivity tools. Over 500,000 projects have used PlanGrid to finish on time and under budget.
Voodoo Manufacturing
Voodoo Manufacturing, located in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, operates the 3-D printing factory of the future, helping companies and individuals bridge the gap between their first prototype and their first high-volume production run. In addition to 3-D printing, Voodoo offers high-tech materials and advanced post-processing, helping produce objects for architecture and engineering as well as marketing, entertainment, fashion, hardware manufacturing, and consumer products. At TECH+, Voodoo cofounder Jonathan Schwartz will discuss the future of digital manufacturing and what it means for people making physical products.
Walter P Moore
Walter P Moore is an international company of engineers and innovators who solve some of the world’s most complex structural and infrastructural challenges. Focusing on structure, diagnostics, and technology, the firm works in almost 20 market sectors, from aviation to stadiums to tall buildings. At TECH+, the company will be presenting its work in VR, which has helped it open doors to unique methods of collaboration. The company will show off its proprietary tools developed for the Unity platform, helping clients understand spaces, compare facade details, check visibility of signage, and detect model clashes. The firm’s tailored approach allows it to collaborate with clients to add new customized content to any build.
