ArchiCAD Global Conference reaffirms Fulton

Fulton Trotter Architects have used ArchiCAD for almost a decade. Over the last twelve months with director support, we have significantly improved the way that the practice utilises ArchiCAD to produce documentation. Associate Nathan Hildebrandt has been heavily involved in ArchiCAD and hence was invited to participate in Beta testing for ArchiCAD 16 and the Development Panel for ArchiCAD 17. As a 28 licence holder we are a relatively small client on the global market, but due to the factors above Fulton Trotter Architects are seen as one of Graphisoft’s 100 Worldwide Key Clients.

This year Graphisoft held its first Key Client Conference in Budapest where the program was created originally in 1984 and where Graphisoft’s Headquarters are located. With a total of 200 attendees consisting of clients, partners and Graphisoft Staff the nonstop event started on a Wednesday evening with a cocktail party style opening event on the roof of a newly renovated office building overlooking the feature project from ArchiCAD 12. The next morning Graphisoft’s CEO, Vice President of Products and Director of Product Design presented details on new features that are currently being developed for future releases of ArchiCAD. Many of these proposed new features will assist in making the task of documenting easier as the industry moves closer to full BIM solutions.

The afternoon session featured Architectural Client Presentations including Darren Timms from Rice Daubney (Australia), Tomohiko Yamanashi from Nikken Sekkei (Japan), Dag Strass from Helen & Hard Architects (Norway) – ArchiCAD 16 feature project and Aaron Jobson from Quattrocchi Kwok Architects (US). The presentations showed the variety of skills of practices in the use of ArchiCAD in the delivery of documentation over the globe. Modelling and automation was a common feature covered by the presenters.

That evening, guests were treated to a Gala Dinner in the foyer space of the Museum of Ethnography, a space that could not be matched anywhere in Australia. Entertainment was provided of a harpist and flutist during the four courses which was complimented with a beautiful European wine selection. The night was capped off with a piano concerto, a sight to be seen with finger speed and accuracy that fast he would be a gun on ArchiCAD shortcuts.

The next morning Construction themed Client Presentations included Tetsu Kondo from Obayashi Corporation (Japan), Abelardo Tolentino Jr. from AIDEA (Philippines), Antonio Ruivo Meireles from Mota Engil (Portugal) and Rob Jackson from Bond Bryan Architects (UK). The scale of the presentations jumped considerably with Obayashi Corporation having 20,000 staff. The focus of this session was the value of the BIM model for the builder and being able to find efficiencies with Mota Engil using ArchiCAD to model and export to scheduling and Quantifying software packages. They found that they could make savings of 1% on projects using this method in an environment where builders margins are between 0 – 5% on $100m projects that they are constructing.

In the afternoon delegates were taken on an Architectural tour of Budapest taking in the sights of new projects recently completed, historic views over the Danube and a tour of Graphisoft Park and Graphisoft’s Headquarters. The evening was topped off with a dinner cruise on the Danube taking in the spectacular sights of a well-lit Budapest by night.

Although a short visit to Europe from Australia with over 50 hours of travel for only 80 hours in Budapest it gave a great insight into how some of the top users globally are using ArchiCAD and where Fulton Trotter stands in the field and where they need to progress. Meeting with the makers of ArchiCAD also was a great opportunity to talk about how the practice uses their product and to see how well the future needs match up with their development over the next few years. Look out in the future for Fulton Trotter’s recent projects in their marketing, there was considerable interest in the work that the practice have done with IFC and consultant collaboration on Faith Lutheran College and the ways which ArchiCAD has been used on site on Tamborine Mountain College.