Imagine giving your client a tour of a building that he\ncommissioned to be built -even before a single brick has been even laid. That\nis the power of virtual reality and augmented reality. What was once just\nsomething that started in the gaming world is now slowly being incorporated\ninto the architecture practices across the globe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

People tend to use the term VR ( Virtual Reality ) and AR (\nAugmented Reality) interchangeably. Although both technologies start off with a\n3D model, and both AR and VR are a way to view these models outside of the\nscreen, they are not the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

AR ( Augmented Reality) \nsuperimposes objects or design into the real world.  Augmented reality became known thru a very\npopular App that swept the gaming world called Pokemon Go. This is where gamers\nwould attempt to \u2018catch\u2019 the pokemon that seemed to appear thru their phone\nlenses. VR, on the other hand, creates a virtual world which is accessible by\nwearing virtual reality glasses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trend 3: Parametric\nArchitecture and 3D Printing<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parametric design is something that\u2019s also slowly making waves\nin the architectural industry. With this kind of design, architects can\nbasically make shapes that might not be possible with the typical 3D system\nthat they are using now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With parametric design, architects don\u2019t just design a building,\nthey can build and control shapes using a series of parameters ( dimensions, patterns,\nwall thickness, etc.). This means that they are now able to design buildings\nthat might have been deemed impossible to design before. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One\nof the limits to parametric architecture is the construction and materials that\nare available because these might not be as flexible to fit what the architect\nhas designed. But this can change soon with the new materials that are becoming\navailable for 3D printing. In fact, just recently in 2018, a Dutch company has\nsuccessfully 3D printed a bridge from steel. This bridge is set to be installed\nin a canal somewhere in Amsterdam sometimes in 2019. With new materials\nconstantly being developed, it might not be long before we can see 3D printed,\ndesigned with parametric architecture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trend 4: Carbon Concrete<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Graphene\nis dubbed as the super material of the future because it is thinner than paper\nbut is stronger than steel. At the atomic level, graphene is made from the same\nmaterial as the pencil that you use every day but the atoms are arranged in a\ndifferent way \u2013 in a single layer hexagonal arrangement. And, it is in this\narrangement that gives graphene its amazing properties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nare many ways that different industries can make use of graphene, and in the\nAEC industry, research is underway to make a graphene composite that they call\ncarbon concrete. In carbon concrete, graphene is added to concrete in a variety\nof ways, resulting in a stronger and lighter construction material which\ndoesn’t corrode.  This kind of material\ncan revolutionize construction and architecture in ways that we have never seen\nbefore, and can completely change the way buildings will be built in the near\nfuture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\nis a lot of interest in this material, and Germany is leading the research on\ncarbon concrete in what they\u2019ve dubbed as the C3 project. In fact, Germany has\ninvested about 5 Million Euros for the first 2 story carbon house to be built\nin the Technical University of Dresden. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\nthe rate that this material is being developed and researched, it won\u2019t be long\nbefore we will see buildings and houses made out of carbon concrete composite. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Technology\nis moving at a dizzying rate, and it doesn\u2019t show signs of stopping.  And it is very exciting to think of how our\nfuture dwellings will be made, and from what it will be made of. In our\nhistory, mankind lived in caves, then in houses made of clay, and now buildings\nmade of steel and concrete. And who knows how our houses will look like in the\nnear future. With new technologies constantly evolving, the possibilities are\nonly limited to as far as our imagination can take us.<\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Top 4 Technological Trends that are Changing Architecture Technology is accelerating exponentially in what author Ray Kurzweil terms as the law of accelerating returns which basically says that the rate of change in any system (which is not limited to technology) is exponential and not linear. Just think that just over four decades ago, almost […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47355,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n