Most architectural draftsmen would need at least 10 days to create a three-dimensional, computer-aided rendering of an interior space. But today Ladislav Stejskal builds a 3-D model of a corporate office - complete with work stations, chairs and lighting fixtures - in about five minutes.
"Well, I can actually do it even faster than that," he says.
How Mr. Stejskal is able to compress days of computer-aided drafting - or CAD for short - into mere minutes can be attributed to made-in-Canada graphics software that could radically transform what's collectively known as the architecture, engineering and construction industry.
Developed by Karan Singh, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, the still-to-be-named software could not only accelerate the design and drafting process but also reduce building errors and enable more accurate budget planning.
More Report on Business Stories
The industry is certainly ripe for change, says Paul Teicholz, a consultant and founder of the Center for Integrated Facility Engineering at Stanford University in Stanford, Calif. While many business sectors have taken advantage of technology to shorten their production cycles and reduce costs, the construction industry has actually gone in the opposite direction, he says.
Mr. Teicholz points to a 2004 study in which he compares the construction industry to other non-farming industries such as auto manufacturing.
Over the past 40 years, productivity in the construction industry has declined at an average annual compound rate of .60 per cent, says Mr. Teicholz. By comparison, other industries saw a rate increase over the same period of close to 2 per cent.
"It's a pretty sorry story for the construction industry," says Mr. Teicholz. "It shows you that despite the fact that we're using advanced tools and equipment, the basic problems of the industry still remain the same."
While it's unlikely to solve all of the industry's problems, Dr. Singh's software could help boost productivity by shortening the architectural phase of a building project, says Colin Graham, president and chief executive officer of Sketch2 Corp., the Toronto start-up company that's bringing the software to market and where Mr. Stejskal works as chief technology officer.
For starters, the software can cut out the draftsman in parts of the design process and put modelling directly in the hands of architects and designers. Also, the software lets designers and architects put stylus to computer screen in much the same way they would with pen and paper.
"CAD forces us to use a mouse," says Mr. Graham, who is also an architect. "But like many designers, I design best with pen and paper, so for me the use of CAD technology is counter-intuitive and counterproductive."
With the new graphics software, designers begin not with a blank sheet of paper but with a template of a one-dimensional floor plan on a computer screen. Choosing from a menu of predefined spaces, designers can tell the software what they want to create - a corporate boardroom, for instance.
Using a stylus, designers can then start sketching components of the space, such as a line to represent a wall. The software recognizes what is being sketched and displays small pop-up windows that suggest building options. For instance, a line sketch of a wall would prompt the program to suggest such materials as brick or drywall.
To add furniture, designers would choose from a database of office products. Want a particular brand of leather chairs? Just point the stylus and drag them to where you want them on the floor plan.
Users can, at any point, tilt the plan to view a 3-D model of their design. And by tracing a path on the floor plan and then activating the virtual tour function, designers can "walk through" their newly created digital space.
The program also makes a log of all the components, including products, brands, finishes and availability. "The system automatically goes online to check the vendors' databases," says Mr. Graham.
So what's the bottom-line benefit of all these bells and whistles?
Mr. Graham predicts savings in construction costs of 25 to 30 per cent. These savings will largely be the result of a more efficient system in which architects and designers will have more time to focus on creating better and more cost-effective designs, he says.
Once it hits the market, the software will be free to end-users, and Sketch2 will generate revenue by charging vendors to link to the system, says Mr. Graham, whose company recently got $250,000 seed money from the Ontario Centres of Excellence, a government program that helps commercialize promising projects.
John Zsolt, a partner with Space Database Inc., a Toronto company that provides information management systems to construction and commercial real estate industries, says he's looking forward to Sketch2's market debut.
"What I think this product will do is take away the complexity of the system," he says. "With this product, I can see an interior designer walking into a space with a tablet PC in their hands and say to the client, 'What do you want to see in this space?' and design it right there and then."
*****
What it does
New architecture and design software created by Karan Singh, a computer science professor at the University of Toronto, will ultimately be made free to end-users. Here's what it does:
Eliminates the draftsman from some parts of the process and puts modelling directly in the hands of architects and designers
Prompts the user with menus of predefined spaces and building options that speed up the process
Allows designers to choose product brands and finishes immediately
Automatically makes a log of all the components and checks availability online
Instantly provides a 3-D view and a virtual walk-through of the newly designed space
Allows designers to work with a stylus instead of a mouse, resulting in a "pen and paper" feel
Accelerates the drafting process by reducing errors
Marjo Johne
