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RESOURCES

HACKATHON, from page 3

HOT TOPICS. Nardone says that two of the most popular presentations were: Platt Boyd, Branch Technology. Branch Technology has developed a method for construction that uses industrial robotics, freeform 3-D printing technol- ogy, and economical building materials to make the analogy of cellular structure formation in the natural world. Using large robotic arms with new technology and inexpensive, widely available construction materi- als the firm is set to disrupt the construction industry. Luc Wilson, KPF. In the AEC industry, the process of global urban development has largely occurred with- out the aid of urban data or computational analysis tools. Given the scale, density, and complexity of con- temporary urban developments, combined with an ur- gency to address issues of equity and climate change, the use of these tools will fundamentally change the design of buildings and the planning of cities. BRAINSTORMING BUILDING AND DESIGN. According to Nar- done, many ideas were generated at the hackathon that could greatly benefit the AEC industry, and most rely on data. “Using data-driven design at all scales, from small housing to large scale urban planning, will change the way we design,” he says. “Part of this will come from the design side – making tools accessible to de- signers so that information about energy use, car- bon footprint, and constructability are all known early in the design process and can influence the fi- nal product. On the construction side, advanced fab- rication methods will change the way our built envi- ronment is made.” The bottom line is that applying new technologies to widely available materials or developing new con- struction processes will reshape how buildings are designed and fabricated. WHAT DID ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY? This is the third year for this event, and it continues to grow. Nardone says that all of the feedback was positive. The symposium attendees included a mix of architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators, and academics. “We have gotten comments from all of those groups about how they learned about something they didn’t know existed and how they have made great new connections to people in other parts of the indus- try,” Nardone says. And, for the first time, they held workshops through- out the symposium. “Our full-day Thursday workshop was sold out, and several workshops were held on Saturday, too,” he says. “This year, we had roughly 130 symposium at- tendees and 60 hackathon participants, which is comparable to last year. The hackathon was even more successful this year, with more projects created by more diverse teams.”

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THE ZWEIG LETTER NOVEMBER 2, 2015, ISSUE 1126

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