AECtech 2021 NYC | Together Again

Thank you to everyone who attended the ninth annual AECtech Symposium & Hackathon! This year’s hybrid event was an opportunity for all of us to come together virtually and in person to reflect on our collective experiences across multiple industries while looking forward to what practice looks like in the coming years. Thornton Tomasetti | CORE studio was proud to host an incredible gathering of inspirational hosts and presenters throughout the four days. The event began with an intensive set of Virtual Masterclasses followed the next day by an inspirational Full Day Symposium live-streamed from the Center for Architecture in NYC. The event finished strong with a 27-hour hackathon that produced nine uniquely innovative projects.

Masterclasses

This year’s event began with a full day of intensive Masterclasses on Thursday, November 4th. Participants had the opportunity to select from a richly varied set of topics from interoperability, through bespoke workflows, to web application development taught by innovators and specialists in the AEC & Software development industries.

Check out all the classes on our AECtech Masterclass playlist

Full Day Masterclasses

Real-World Environmental Building Simulation Workflows With Pollination + Ladybug Tools

LADYBUG TOOLS & POLLINATION | MOSTAPHA SADEGHIPOUR ROUDSARI, CHRIS MACKEY, MINGBO PENG

In this workshop, we will showcase workflows for streamlining environmental building performance simulation using Ladybug Tools Grasshopper plugins (https://ladybug.tools) as well as Pollination cloud computing and its Revit and Rhino plugins (https://pollination.cloud). The workshop will be a combination of presentations and hands-on tutorials that go over the sample files and highlight the best and the latest of the features.

Revit API. Journey From Beginner to Master in One Course

BAD MONKEYS | KONRAD SOBON

We will go from start to finish in setting up a Revit API project. There is a little bit of a boiler plate at the beginning, as we will learn some basics on how to setup entry classes for Revit API plugins. After that, we will dive into more advanced concepts, talk about event handlers, and External Events for Revit. We will also do a quick dive into WPF and setting up UIs using that framework. We will discuss maintaining support for multiple Revit versions as well as storing projects in GitHub to allow for multi-person collaboration. It will be fun!

Build a Web-Based 3D Viewer With Backend

CORE STUDIO | AMIT NAMBIAR, HANSHEN SUN

This workshop will walk participants through the process of building a web-based 3D model viewer for visualizing and sharing 3D models with your team. Starting from the ground up, the course will cover how to build a simple backend server serving a Vue based frontend hosted on firebase. From there, participants will learn how to set up a database with authentication allowing users to upload and store 3D models. Finally, the focus will shift to building out the frontend around a threejs based model viewer.

Half Day Masterclasses

inter-Co-operability

GRIMSHAW ARCHITECTS | GEORGIOS TSAKIRIDIS, JUSTYNA SZYCHOWSKA, PARIS NIKITIDIS

The workshop will focus on interoperability, data visualization, and collaborative design processes in immersive mixed reality (VR/AR) environments.

(Unity Reflect, Rhino.Inside, Speckle)

Real time project data: building 3D web visualizations with Speckle

SPECKLE | CLAIRE KUANG, ALAN RYNNE

In this master class, you'll learn the basics of building an application that integrates with Speckle to process, analyze and visualize your models. We'll guide you through getting started with Speckle, creating your first app, interacting with our APIs and using our Python and C# SDKs and more! The end result will be a web application that will allow users to inspect the entire history of a specific model and view in 3D both the original model and the analysis results side-by-side.

BHoM: Building and Habitat Object Model

BHOM | KAYLEIGH HOUDE, ERIK NARHI

During this course, we will introduce open source BHoM’s foundational concepts, walk through its interoperability features, and display several of its toolkits in the context of their industry workflows. Key workflows to include Life Cycle Assessment, Diffing Engine, Revit Toolkit, and Structures FEA Adapters.

Introduction to Grasshopper (GH 101)

CORE STUDIO | NICK MUNDELL, SASHA GEREMIA

You will learn the basics of building parametric geometry models in Rhino3D using the graphical scripting interface Grasshopper. The logical structure of the 3D model you generate will introduce the concept of data lists and their manipulation, and we will expand on this knowledge to include data tress's and how they can be leveraged into more complex problems and models. We will introduce standards and best practices for enabling collaboration over multiple scripts and how to introduce your firm to Grasshopper. Finally, we will discuss the universe of plugins available to Grasshopper users and implement one or two of these on your own project.

Calling All Functions! - Everything you need to know about calling functions using the Grasshopper Player, Hops, and Rhino.compute

ROBERT MCNEEL & ASSOC.| ANDY PAYNE

This workshop will focus on the development of functions that can be called in various ways using the Grasshopper player, Hops, and Rhino.compute. The primary goal of this session is to teach you how to compartmentalize your Grasshopper definitions into a discrete set of components that produce a specific outcome. We call this a function. The functions can then be “called” in various ways depending on the setup configuration. Also known as “procedures” or “methods” in software parlance; functions are a good alternative to re-using repeating blocks of code in a definition. In addition, we can parallelize these functions using Hops and Rhino.compute to make time-consuming processes more efficient. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to package up these functions into definitions and how to call them locally or remotely depending on your configuration.

Beyond Rhino.Inside.Revit

ROBERT MCNEEL & ASSOC.| EHSAN IRAN-NEJAD, SCOTT DAVIDSON

Rhino.Inside.Revit has a lot of Revit-aware components that deal with Revit native data types. This workshop focuses more on scripted components in Rhino.Inside.Revit that provides full access to the Revit and Rhino APIs. We will discuss best practices in creating python components prioritizing interoperability with built-in Rhino.Inside.Revit components and APIs. These components will allow you to customize and simplify your workflows and perform operations that might not be part of the built-in components.

Symposium

On Friday, November 5 a multidisciplinary and international group of innovation leaders came together to present and discuss projects, process, and culture in the AEC space.

Watch all the Presenters and Roundtable Discussions at our AECtech Symposium playlist

Presentations

The Augmented and Empathetic Architect

SHANE BURGER / PRINCIPAL | WOODS BAGOT

Starting with Douglas Engelbart's introduction of the "augmented architect" in 1962, through the promises of design computation in the 2000's, to today's role of computational specialist, we're seeing a slow democratization of a lingua franca for the design process. Despite this progression, we've yet to realize systemic change in our practices, and even a bit of fear of where this will go. Through topics like adversarial interoperability, protocols as hubs, software commoditization, critiques of popular discussions around generative design, and more importantly human experience and creativity, we'll find our way to discussing what it takes to help manifest the augmented and empathetic architect.

An organizational effort towards computational design

HIROYOSHI SATAKE / MANAGER・DIGITAL DESIGN CENTER | SHIMIZU CORPORATION

In recent years, DX (Digital Transformation) has become a major theme in the Japanese AEC industry. Japanese general contractors are characterized by a contracting structure that is unique in the world, with "design and construction" as their core business, and Shimizu is one such company. Shimizu's strength is its commitment to organizational DX, which the Japanese AEC industry is struggling with.

In addition to accumulating BIM applications, Shimizu's Design Division started a new initiative called "Shimz DDE (Digital Design Enhancement platform)" in 2017 after visiting Core Studio. Shimz DDE is a computational design platform for simulations and design trials in the SD stage, leading to Shimizu's BIM for DD, CD, and Construction stage. The presentation will introduce our efforts to create an eco-system from scratch through enlightenment, training, and tool development for a design organization of over 1000 designers and engineers.

Machine Learning Now! How Rhino Inside plus Hops brings AI to Revit

MATTHEW BREAU / COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN LEAD| HANDEL ARCHITECTS

Machine Learning (ML) has matured into an ecosystem of robust open-source frameworks. However, Machine Learning’s industry-standard tools are siloed off from AEC design tools, making it difficult to conduct R&D of ML in AEC. As AEC hackers and tinkerers, how can we take development of AEC-ML tools into our own hands? What would this even look like?

In this presentation, we share the findings of Handel Architect’s R&D, using existing Rhino Inside and Rhino Hops technologies to connect heterogeneous tools across the AEC and ML fields. This support's Handel Architects goal of creating cutting edge tools to assist designers, by leveraging existing top-shelf open source frameworks and tools.

The presentation will review the basic value proposition of Machine Learning, and introduce Handel Architects’ research, which focuses on pattern matching for “autocomplete” style design suggestions, task automation, and BIM model quality assurance. We will also present an ML case-study which demonstrates how Handel Architects is combining off-the-shelf tools and frameworks to: extract BIM data into ML-friendly datasets, train and provision an ML model, query that model, and use the results in Revit. Finally, the presentation will lay out a vision for further development of ML-based AEC design tools, outlining how deploying simple tools now can position firms to develop more advanced tools in the future, by building high-quality datasets.

Engineering as a Web Service

BEN HOWES / VP, DIRECTOR OF APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT | CORE STUDIO

CORE studio is developing software that does engineering design. We’ll share a series of Engineer-facing user experiences that demonstrate how we provide rapid design feedback and automate engineering processes within Thornton Tomasetti. For each project, we’ll discuss how our dev teams are partnering with domain specialists to encapsulate expert engineering logic in low-level code libraries and ML models. As our library of engineering APIs evolves over time, we’re exploring how these solutions can be repurposed outside of TT’s traditional engineering consultancy business model. In the future, Thornton Tomasetti will provide engineering as a web service.

Access Designed

JOHN CERONE / PRINCIPAL | SHOP ARCHITECTS

TIM LI / INTERACTIVE VISUALIZATION ASSOCIATE | SHOP ARCHITECTS

Connecting people, applications and projects, in real-time, through intuitive interfaces.

Through the Digital Looking Glass

ALEXANDRA POLLOCK / CTO | FXCOLLABORATIVE

The pandemic has transformed how we work. Although this past year and a half has presented challenges it also has provided new ways of thinking about how we collaborate as an industry. Beyond helping us continue to deliver projects, remote and hybrid technologies have created a ripple of positive change and opportunity in our industry. With a new normal taking shape, we need to determine what lessons we will take with us, what to carry forward, and how we will continue to evolve.

Computational Design for All

HIRAM RODRIGUEZ / DESIGN TECHNOLOGIST | ADRIAN SMITH + GORDON GILL ARCHITECTURE

Design Computational for All is a look at current practice and protocol we practice at AS+GG as well as experience from working and engaging various open-source communities.

The Customer is Always Right

PETR MITEV / VICE PRESIDENT, VISUALIZATION PRODUCT UNIT | ENSCAPE

A behind-the-scenes look at Enscape's product development process and how it is designed to revolve around our community of users.

Roundtable Discussions

Construction Industry Roundtable

PARKER MUNDT / OPERATING DIRECTOR, SUFFOLK TECHNOLOGIES | SUFFOLK

JENNIFER DOWNEY / DIRECTOR - INNOVATION / TURNER

GREG DUNKLE / CHIEF ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICER / STO BUILDING GROUP

VAL TZVETKOV / DIRECTOR, VDC & EMERGING TECHNOLOGY | SKANSKA

A discussion between leadership in the construction industry at the forefront of innovation and its challenges.

Startups Roundtable

KYLE BERNHARDT / CRO | TESTFIT.IO

FEDERICO NEGRO / FOUNDER | CANOA

BADRI HIRIYUR / CEO | T2D2

DANIEL BLANK / CEO | TOGGLE

A discussion between entrepreneurs heading startups that challenge existing models for AEC, Software, and Product.

Hackathon

On Saturday, November 6th, over 50 hackers from a variety of backgrounds came together for a 27 hour hackathon. Hosted both in person at Thornton Tomasetti’s New York offices and spanning the globe virtually created a unique environment for collaboration and innovation which lead to the creation of nine incredible projects.

Watch the Project Presentations on our YouTube channel

A special thanks to this year’s panel of judges!

2021 Hackathon Winners

BEST OVERALL HACK: MLuminance
Overlay annual daylighting feedback as you sketch.

Team: Karim Daw, BIG / Alexander Jacobson, BIG / Peter Ehvert, BIG / Ken Takahashi, Student: Tokyo University

BEST OPEN SOURCE HACK: Pixeling
Enable visualization of geometry and real-time or static data (from IoT devices or other sources) on a web-server.

Team: Edwin Bailey, Skanska / Alfredo Chavez, Heatherwick / Jeanne Li, MiraclePlus / Eesha Khanna, Cornell Tech / Brad Lei, RISD / Daniel Escobar, Tetra Tech / Amit Nambiar, CORE studio / Sergey Pigach, CORE studio

BEST COLLABORATIVE HACK: Superpositioning Structures
Remote Robotics

Team: —-

Check out all the AECtech Hackathon projects at our archive!

Special Thanks

Thank you to the sponsors and venues who both made the event possible and a great experience.

CORE studio