Studio Ma, an internationally recognized architecture and planning firm that is laser-focused on sustainable and environmentally responsive design, shares its perspective on AEC technology in this Firm Profile.
On the whole, wInterestingly, the software and technology we are using to work remotely has helped us to work together better, because our language has become more precise and our habits more consistent and conscientious. We now have a better quality-control protocol, because we can’t make assumptions and we have to check in with each other. This has only increased since the onset of the pandemic because the lack of in-person engagement necessitated even greater precision and more deliberate engagement.
URL: http://www.aecbytes.com/profile/2020/FirmProfile-StudioMa.html
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This is an exciting review of what can be done to incorporate sustainability analysis into the design process and share these results with the client, GC, and subs. I would like to hear more about how these results were used by the client to help manage their new facilities. How did they benefit over the life-cycle?
This is a great question, and one that we are constantly working to answer as we move forward. Construction is ongoing for several of the noted examples, so we are actively monitoring how our predictive modeling is playing out even as building envelopes are installed. We’ve made commitments as a firm to follow up on past projects to see how actual performance compares with predicted – much of the difference has to do with assumptions about building use from a schedule and occupancy standpoint. The underused technique of retro-commissioning would definitely improve performance as operational decisions sometimes compromise design and engineering goals. We hope to come back to these projects regularly to see not only how the building performs, but also see how occupants are responding to the space and whether our assumptions from the design phase are borne out in practice. Our intention is to encourage more owners to let these early design processes and decisions serve as a roadmap for operations and maintenance for the lifespan of each building.