Virtual Building (1993)
CLIENT: Inhouse research joint venture project between Kajima Corporation and University of Utah. Provided a genesis for Plug-in Creations philosophy.
CONCEPT: Conceived as a fully integrated building system along the entire life span of the building, from conceptual design to demolition. Conceptually the building is first designed and fully developed within CATIA system. The virtual model is used to run robots and construction machines to assemble the building. All parts of the building have computer chips and various sensors and plug into factory assembled trusses (truss based on technology first conceived by Kisho Kurokawa in "Takara Beautillion" project 1970) which act as a basic increment for form and space generation. The trusses form an integrated network governed by the virtual building model the entire life span of the building.
DESIGN TEAM: Team leader: Prof. Edward F. Smith of University of Utah. Project architect: A. Scott Howe.
COST: High-end market estimated at 468 million yen.
DATE: Spring 1993.
STATUS: Completed as a research project.
A.S. Howe (1997). A Network-based Kit-of-parts Virtual Building System. Proceedings of CAAD Futures ‘97. 4-6 August 1997, Munich, Germany, pp. 691-706. Boston: Kluwer.
A.S. Howe (1996). Internet-based Architectural Visualization. Constructions of Tectonic for the Postindustrial World. Proceedings of the 1996 ACSA European Conference, pp.245-250. Washington, DC, USA: Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
A.S. Howe (1997). Internet-based Remote Facility Management. Cities for the 21st Century. Proceedings of the Third International Convention on Urban Planning, Housing & Design (ICUPHD'97), pp.197-204. Singapore: Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, National University of Singapore.
A.S. Howe (1997). Network wo Base to shita Buhinka Virtual Kenchiku System (A Network-based Kit-of-parts Virtual Building System). Dai 20 Kai Joho System / Riyo / Gijutsu Symposium Ronbunshu (Proceedings of the 20th Symposium on Information Systems, Utilization, and Technology), pp.283-288. Tokyo, Japan: Nihon Kenchiku Gakkai Joho System Gijutsu Iinkai (Architectural Institute of Japan Research Committee on Information Systems Technology).