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Arckit: New LEGOs for architecture? Architects weigh in on freeform model-making system that allows users to explore designs and bring architectural projects to life.
By LIISA ANDREASSEN Correspondent “I t could be described as sophisticated LEGO or reality Minecraft,” says architect Damien Mur- tagh of Arckit, his design for a reusable, scaled ar- chitectural model building kit. Based on modern building techniques, Arckit is designed to replace traditional cut-and-glue model-making methods. So, what do people think about the idea behind this product that is getting ready to release in the U.S.? We asked a few folks to weigh in. BALANCING PROS AND CONS. J. Tyler Sappington, direc- tor of digital fabrication and advanced construc- tion, KSQ Architects (Tulsa, OK) – a 100-person planning, architecture, and interior design firm – says that his initial impression of the product is “SketchUp LEGOs.” “It’s as if the idea of SketchUp was pulled from the digital ether into meat-space, giving architects the ability to rapidly show form and materiality with a physical model,” he says. “Arckit’s flexible meth- od of surface applied materiality seems to come straight out of SketchUp, as well.”
It’s fitting then that Arckit also uses SketchUp, a digital 3-D modeling tool. However, Sappington was dismayed to discover that none of the pieces Arckit offers through SketchUp are set up to be 3-D printed. The product promises to be infinitely cus- tomizable with the addition of 3-D printed parts, which remain to be seen. “Until then, it appears this product is another
See ARCKIT, page 12
THE ZWEIG LETTER OCTOBER 19, 2015, ISSUE 1124
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