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May 06, 2004 09:00 AM US Eastern Timezone
Gehry Technologies and the MIT School of Architecture Symposium; Digital
Practice in the Building of the MIT Stata Center
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 6, 2004--Gehry
Technologies(R), an independent company created by Gehry Partners,
together with the MIT School of Architecture, today held a Symposium in
the Kirsch Auditorium of the newly opened Ray and Maria Stata Center at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The Symposium was arranged to
coincide with the official opening of the Stata Center, a project
designed by Gehry Partners using digital practice technologies.
Some 500 construction professionals, academics, faculty and students
attended the Symposium, which focused on the application of digital
practice to the Stata Center as well as a preview of Gehry Technologies'
DIGITAL PROJECT(TM) software.
Three sessions were held:
The first session, moderated by Jim Glymph FAIA, Partner at Gehry
Partners, featured managers of the design, engineering and construction
team on MIT's Stata Center, discussing experiences from the field,
lessons learned and directions for the future of building practice.
Presentations were made by: Marc Salette, Project Principal, Gehry
Partners; Paul Hewins, Project Executive, Skansa USA; Christine
Clements, Field Architect, Cannon Design; Nancy Joyce, Project Director,
MIT; Ron Lee, Project Manager, John A Martin & Associates; Tony
Micielli, Project Manager, CAPCO Steel Corp; Chris Terman, Senior
Lecturer, EECS MIT; and by Bill Zahner, President, A. Zahner Company.
Session two was a roundtable discussion on the impacts of technology on
building practice from some of the leading voices in the industry,
moderated by Professor William J. Mitchell, Head, MIT Media Arts and
Sciences Program. Panel members included: Jim Becker, Vice President,
Skanska USA; Jim Glymph FAIA, Partner, Gehry Partners; Kent Larsen,
Director of Housing, MIT Media Laboratory; Daniel L. Schodek, Professor
of Architectural Technology, Harvard Graduate School of Design; Dennis
R. Shelden, CTO Gehry Technologies; and Mark R. Mendell, FAIA, MRAIC,
President, Cannon Design. Following this session, there was a
walk-through tour of the new Stata Center.
In the third session, Gehry Technologies provided an overview of its
technologies, services and initiatives. Participants were introduced to
3D integrated work methods for design, development and construction
documentation. The potential for digital technologies to address the
challenges of building design and construction was presented through
demonstrations and case studies of projects by Gehry Partners and other
leading architectural firms.
Gehry Technologies is developing a suite of products named DIGITAL
PROJECT, dedicated to the building industries collaboration and digital
contracting experience that Gehry Partners gained while building
world-renowned structures with Dassault Systemes' CATIA(R) software.
DIGITAL PROJECT will enhance communication and collaboration between
architects, agencies, engineers, contractors and fabricators. It is an
integration and coordination tool that manages paper and two-dimensional
representations of information as a secondary by-product of a process,
and is based on working with systems and assemblies in three dimensions.
DIGITAL PROJECT is designed for technical development and coordination
of building systems through visualization of a "3D virtual building
model" that is a gateway to project information. It includes full 3D
authoring, editing, workflow and versioning, as well as morphing
productivity tools for architects, engineers, and detailers.
About Gehry Technologies, LLC
Gehry Technologies, LLC (GT) was established in 2002 following fifteen
years of experience in technology and process innovation at Gehry
Partners. GT's mission is to commercialize and expand upon this work in
developing digital tools for building design and construction
innovation, making the tools and technologies available to leading
design, construction and management companies everywhere. For more
information, visit
http://www.gehrytechnologies.com.
Gehry Technologies and DIGITAL PROJECT are registered trademarks of
Gehry Technologies, LLC, in the USA and/or other countries. All other
brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective
holders.
(C) Copyright 2004 Gehry Technologies LLC. All rights reserved.