This article takes a look at SITEOPS, an application that applies sophisticated optimization technology to the design and development of a building site. Land developers and civil engineers can provide a set of parameters, and SITEOPS will deliver 3 to 5 site designs in DWG format within 24 to 48 hours, providing the optimal layout, grading and storm water drainage options with accurate and detailed cost estimates.
URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/buildingthefuture/2008/SITEOPS.html
Co-authored by a team of academics including Youngjin Yoo of Temple University and Richard J. Boland and Kalle Lyytinen of Case Western Reserve University, this article describes their NSF sponsored research on several major projects by Frank Gehry in which his firm used CATIA to model the complex geometry of their buildings and how that has influenced the way he works with owners, contractors, subcontractors, engineers and fabricators. It also includes a call for AEC firms to participate in their follow-up study, which is also being funded by the NSF, to track the broader set of information technologies that are increasingly used in AEC projects and to identify their consequences.
URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/viewpoint/2008/issue_36.html