Alias|Wavefront Helps NBBJ Architects Create Landmark Reebok Headquarters in Record Time

StudioTools Used to Visualize & Test Free Flowing Design

LOS ANGELES, CA, SIGGRAPH- August 14, 2001 - Alias|Wavefront, an SGI (NYSE: SGI) company, announced at SIGGRAPH today that the award-winning, international architecture firm, NBBJ, used Alias|Wavefront StudioTools software to reduce the time it took to design the precedent-breaking Reebok World Headquarters in Boston, MA. The dramatic four story, 522,000 square foot building complex is an architectural marvel comprised almost entirely of compound curves and angled surfaces and was designed in half the time thanks to the use of StudioTools.

Delivering Under Difficult Deadlines

NBBJ's visionary concept was the winning design in a competition that required architects to provide Reebok with proposals in just one week.

Even at this early stage, NBBJ found its employment of computer technology was critical.

"We used Alias|Wavefront software to create animated, photorealistic visualizations of our concept so that officials at Reebok could experience the excitement of our innovative design," explains Jonathan Ward, Design Principal and key designer for this project. "Showcasing such a sophisticated statement of our idea in such a short time put us way ahead of the competing firms."

Once NBBJ was awarded the project, the firm moved through the initial design phase to completion of construction documents in just nine months.

"That's about half the time we'd normally need for a building of this complexity, and we could not have accomplished the task in that time without the assistance of computer technology," explains Steven McConnell, Design Principal-in-Charge.

Unusual Organic Concept

Now complete, Reebok World Headquarters houses 1500 employees and features a stunning center spine that supports a glass curtain wall. Spanning 350 feet, the dynamic centerpiece suggests the form of an Olympic stadium.

Within the spine sits the main entry and a NBA-sized basketball court.

A running track weaves in and out of the building, complemented by seven outdoor athletic fields.

McConnell says a man-made environment that incorporates this kind of free form design could not have been produced without 3D technology. "We had to manage some very complicated curvilinear geometry. For instance, the layout of the building has 5,000 control points. Conventional 2D architectural software just can't handle this level of spatial complexity," he explains.

How 3D Technology Makes a Difference

"During the design phase of Reebok headquarters, our goal was to create what we call a living model," says McConnell. "This allowed our ideas to be viewed, refined and tested over and over again a model that is literally live at all times. We needed the three-dimensional power of the Alias|Wavefront tool in order to create that living model."

The 3D modeling software was also used to test and verify geometry, from concept to construction to administration. Designers sliced the model and created sections directly from the geometry, thereby providing schematics for the more complex areas of the building such as the glass atrium. For some of the steel structure and concrete panels, where angles were not obvious, Alias|Wavefront software was used to check complex intersection geometries and provide guidelines for fabrication.

StudioTools Price & Platforms

The Alias|Wavefront StudioTools family includes DesignStudio, Studio, AutoStudio and SurfaceStudio. Prices start at $7,500 USD. Prices are indicated in US funds and will varyoutside the US. The software runs on Windows NT, Windows 2000, SGI IRIX, Sun Solaris and Hewlett-Packard HP-UX.

About Alias|Wavefront

As the world's leading innovator of 3D graphics technology, Alias|Wavefront develops software for the film and video, games, interactive media, industrial design, technical surfacing and visualization markets. Alias|Wavefront's design customers include AT&T, BMW, Boeing, Fiat, Ford, Honda, General Motors, Italdesign, Kodak, Mattel, Rollerblade, Trek Bicycle, Teague and Timex. Alias|Wavefront is a wholly owned, independent software company of SGI with technical centers in Toronto, Seattle and Santa Barbara.

http://www.aliaswavefront.com 

 

Sponsored Links

AnyDWG Offers DWG to PDF, DWG to DXF, PDF to DWG, DWG to JPG, PDF to DXF Converters

AutoDWG offers DWF to DWG, DWG to PDF , PDF to DWG, DWG to Flash Converters, DWG Viewer.

eCampus.com Get your stuff for College... Cheap! Textbooks, Greek Gear, DVD's, University Clothing, Computers and MORE!

Access Your PC from Anywhere Free Trial plus 10% Off!