Vectorworks is an award-winning design and BIM software provider serving several industries in 85 countries. Built with designers in mind, Vectorworks software offers the freedom to follow your imagination wherever it leads you and presents a platform built to deliver absolute creative expression and maximum efficiency. Globally, more than 685,000 users are creating, connecting, and influencing the next generation of design with Vectorworks on Mac and Windows.
Since its founding in 1985, Vectorworks’ software has always been a 3D modelling program devoted to helping designers express their visions more clearly to their clients and collaborators and to design without limits.
From the beginning, Vectorworks has played a critical role in the CAD field, having created one of the very first CAD programs, one of the first 3D modelling programs, the most successful CAD software for the Mac OS, and the first cross-platform CAD application to market. Vectorworks was also one of the first in the design industry to introduce BIM capabilities to our software offerings and was the first major BIM authoring platform to run natively on Apple’s M1 Family of Chips.
Today Vectorworks has evolved into a sophisticated suite of products that address a wide range of needs, from fundamental drafting and modelling to advanced design, documentation, and analysis.
Our product, Vectorworks Architect, allows interior designers to collaborate with other project stakeholders in one central platform, minimising errors that can occur when transferring between various platforms and software programs.
Vectorworks Architect also provides interior designers with built-in templates and reports to assist with not only commencing projects but also with the ease of extracting relevant and needed information.
The simplicity of the interface allows for the incorporation of plug-in tools from a wide range of partners to make the design process a complete one. From space planning layouts, design intent drawings, and construction drawings to spreadsheets and rendering capabilities, Vectorworks Architect includes a wide range of resources, ensuring you have the best possible opportunity to convey your design idea to your customer.
Vectorworks’ software offers designers new tools and resources built on cutting-edge technology. These advances allow users to showcase their designs to clients in new and exciting ways. For instance, our recently updated Nomad mobile app features Apple's room scanning framework, RoomPlan, allowing users to quickly scan an existing room layout using their iOS mobile device to create a robust reality capture that is accessible and easy to use. Plus, presentations for tours and boards created in Vectorworks Cloud Services can be shared with collaborators and clients with a QR code, link, or email.
Vectorworks offers improved accuracy throughout the full design process compared to older, traditional processes. Data management, visualisation, and revisions are all simplified by offering and centralising everything in one comprehensive program.
In addition, Vectorworks is known for its flexible approach to designing, with a wide range of modelling capabilities such as history modelling, Nurbs, subdivision, and parametric tools capabilities. Designers can spend more time designing without letting their software or tools hinder their creativity.
As a company, we work with interior designers in many ways, and as an industry specialist, I have the chance to speak to designers on a regular basis. We have online and in-person training opportunities from one on one to group sessions. Vectorworks University also allows designers to learn on their own schedule and obtain necessary certifications.
For companies that are transitioning to Vectorworks, we also over a tailored approach with support to get the workforce up and running in a very efficient way through consultancy.
By joining organisations such as SBID and attending tradeshows, we frequently network with designers from various sectors, such as residential, retail, hospitality, commercial, and more. It gives us a chance to hear feedback and ensures our software is always evolving to include new features.
To conclude, as one of our company’s core values, inclusion is something we continue to strive to promote and foster. As part of this, our DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee is dedicated to supporting the interiors sector by sponsoring or donating to charities and initiatives looking to improve access to this industry for all individuals. For example, so far, we have worked with the United in Design Charity, and we continue to remain open to additional opportunities to get involved and give back.
It’s very hard to select just one highlight as we’ve had many exciting developments over the past year. We launched the latest version of our software, Vectorworks 2023, which focused on reengineering some of the core architectural tools, expanding our interoperability with additional file format imports, and offering additional modelling capabilities for quicker design creation.
The launch of this release also included a customer Design Day event at Euston Square, London. This event offered designers the opportunity to speak directly to Vectorworks CEO Dr. Biplab Sarkar and other executives about their experience with the software.
In addition, we launched our Vectorworks Embodied Carbon Calculator (VECC) to assist designers in their steps to design and execute more sustainable projects.
We also successfully changed our purchasing options to subscriptions, giving customers the freedom to manage their licences as their workload pauses or expands.
The list continues, however, the final highlight I would like to mention is our sixth Vectorworks Design Scholarship. There were over 1,000 submissions and scholarships were awarded to 30 students for 22 projects in the architecture, interior design, landscape, and entertainment industries.
The winning project of this year's grand prize was interiors focused, with Michelle Wanitzek taking home the coveted Richard Diehl Award for her project ‘Nomad Coworking.’
In the past year, there were a lot of requests for Crittall openings; doors and windows, and an increase in setting up company standards to improve efficiency.
However, one of the latest trends I have noticed this year is a demand for extracting data from a CAD/BIM model.
Once the designer has conceptualised their project within Vectorworks, with custom data attached and object parameters set, exporting the necessary information to create types or reports, schedules, and legends is fairly straightforward.
We currently have many tutorials and webinars focused on the topic of data within Vectorworks University for those who want to elevate to the next step.
There has been a lot of discussion regarding reducing our carbon footprint in all the various industries we support, and the interiors section is no different; whether it’s at a tradeshow or through a customer project – I can see that there is an emphasis on doing better for the planet and making a difference, with a circular design; reusing, recycling and innovating new products from waste. There is a sense of urgency regarding sustainability, and I believe this will continue.
In addition, we are still recovering from the pandemic and developing new ways of living and working. There is also a need to create spaces that sustain an excellent quality of well-being and wellness. So, whether the focus is on air, light quality or just making sure that there is a varied layout option to suit the different business and social needs, adaptability and flexibility are key.
We recently transitioned our purchasing options to subscription licences, which can be purchased directly from our website. This is extremely exciting because we have the opportunity to release new tools and features more frequently. Not only that, but this has been a popular request from freelancers and sole practitioners over the past several years. Now, these designers can factor the lower subscription fees directly into their business structure as they work on various projects.
Moreover, at the moment, there seems to be a real buzz around the hospitality and retail industries and using those industries to drive consumers back out. This is especially exciting for me as I will be creating a new example file for designers in these sectors with specific tips and tricks so that they can continue to design as effectively as possible.
For other sectors, there are also example files on Vectorworks University, so I encourage everyone to explore those resources.
As an individual and an interior architect, the SBID offers a wide range of network opportunities that allow me to be among like-minded people and discuss topics that affect our industry.
As a company, it means a lot to support and maintain the quality of the industry by offering high-caliber CPDs and training amongst the members.
Questions answered by;
Kesoon Chance
Senior Industry Specialist – Interiors, Vectorworks
About Vectorworks
Exceptional design demands exceptional tools - a platform built to deliver absolute creative expression and maximum efficiency. Vectorworks believe your design software should offer the freedom to follow your imagination wherever it may lead you, to seamlessly share your vision at any phase, and to easily interpret the information needed to make the smartest decisions every time.
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There’s a certain wisdom in trust — whether it be trusting a friend, trusting the weatherperson’s report, or in the case of Geneviève Raynauld of Nine Design, trusting the full capabilities of Vectorworks Architect.
Raynauld and her Montreal-based design firm have long used Vectorworks for their commercial and residential interior design projects. In fact, Raynauld has used Vectorworks since it was MiniCAD in the ‘90s.
Raynauld has decided that she and her firm will begin to adopt Vectorworks Architect’s BIM capabilities, a decision that’s offered the firm the ability to make more informed design decisions as well as engage in data-driven collaboration processes with consultants.
The decision to take a more wholistic approach to her firm’s design workflow was a result of Raynauld attending Vectorworks’ 2018 Design Summit, claiming that she realized she was only using about ten percent of the software. “I got frustrated not being able to use every aspect of Vectorworks.”
Now, Raynauld and her team are pushing the software where she wants it to go, creating 3D files with greater levels of detail, data, and documentation.
“Everything is so much easier in 3D,” said Raynauld, citing a desire to render beautifully and better sell projects to clients. “Not everybody has the capacity to bring a 3D model into their mind.”
Raynauld described the enhanced visuals of her new 3D models with colorful words like “warmth” and “candy.” No longer does she have to simply hope clients feel attached to a cold 2D floorplan.
These little bits of “candy” are added to viewports that are used to present all the visual and informational details that compose a design. Renderings, images, samples, tables, worksheets, and other forms of information can be added to these viewports — creating a fully-fleshed out version of Raynauld’s design intent.
“Key plans” also exist in Raynauld’s viewports, indicating which floor of a building the viewer is currently seeing. This is just another example of how you can add detailed, graphical information to your documents, and, as the designer points out, this kind of inclusion wouldn’t be possible without a 3D BIM model.
With their larger projects especially, Raynauld and her staff must collaborate with architects, engineers, and other consultants to deliver a coordinated interior solution.
And Raynauld is in good hands — Vectorworks Architect has a wide range of import options that includes DWG files.
Raynauld and her team reference DWG files into Vectorworks, using the reference as a background that informs their work. Once they complete the first design iteration, the team exports the file to DWG for use by consultants. The exported DWG file contains valuable project information and coordination markers.
The next step, she indicated, was maximizing the use of consultant files. “I wanted to get more from the models that [the collaborators] were sending me,” she said.
“I’m motivated by my work,” said Raynauld. “So, I’m motivated to advance and improve my BIM capacity. It has a direct impact on our rendering skills and everything that brings the ‘wow’ effect to the interior design.”
Nine Design’s most recent project is the eight-story, 120-unit DDO multiplex design in West Island, Montreal.
The design throughout the building is characterized by a neutral color palette and natural materials. Such a design choice was the result of the “social temperature” and her own personal headspace during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to Raynauld. “It’s a contrast with all the controversy in society. It’s really to bring clarity and light when everything feels so confusing and shady.”
To take the socially conscious nature of the project one step further, Raynauld and Nine Design worked with an eco-friendly, carbon-neutral line of carpet. And, because they’re now using a BIM workflow, details like color and materials have associated data within Nine Design’s models.
With DDO, Vectorworks has helped Nine Design create beautiful presentations with efficient execution, as well as continue their mission: “we create designs that stand out for their harmony between audacity and elegance that will stand the test of time.”
Raynauld knows that there’s still room for her firm to grow in their implementation of BIM processes, saying that she’d love to use more IFC models to collaborate with other professionals and consultants. “Sometimes an engineer might change the thickness of a slab, for example,” said Raynauld. “That’s where I’d love to be able to work with BIM and an IFC model. I would be able to make sure all my other measurements and details are still good!”
“I’m really passionate about Vectorworks,” said Raynauld. And it shows; Nine Design are designing, documenting, and collaborating better than ever before.
Exceptional design demands exceptional tools – a platform built to deliver absolute creative expression and maximum efficiency. Vectorworks believe your design software should offer the freedom to follow your imagination wherever it may lead you, to seamlessly share your vision at any phase, and to easily interpret the information needed to make the smartest decisions every time.
This week’s instalment of Project of the Week series features a CGI design of a transformable restaurant-bar venue by 2021 SBID Awards Finalist, 4SPACE Design.
PAPA Dubai is an exciting 1,580 square meters dining and entertainment destination in the vibrant Atrium complex, the epicenter of riverside Al Habtoor City. PAPA Dubai will take its visitors on an extraordinary culinary and mixology journey through nine glorious bars, each themed with a unique concept. Comfort and soul food are at the very heart of the dining experience. The fascinating bars have been developed in collaboration with Moscow and Dubai's top bartending figures.
The venue transforms from a sophisticated and immersive dining experience to a chic nightlife venue with DJs and entertainment as evening moves to night. From a quiet dinner with friends to one of the city’s best vibes - feel the energy of this unrivalled sensory-driven experience. PAPA Dubai will host some of the world's most courageous bartenders vying to show off their avant-garde skills throughout the year.
PAPA Dubai is made up of little ‘boulevards’ including the Rum Station, Champagne Avenue, Gin Point, Vodka Lane, Tequila Road, Mezcal Street, Sake Alley, Wine Square, Whiskey Square, and a VIP Lounge called High gate. Each of the nine distinctive bars has been carefully considered and designed by inimitable 4SPACE in a collaboration with Papa's founder Natalia Freys.
SBID Awards Category: CGI & Visualisation
Practice: 4SPACE Design
Project: PAPA Bar
Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
To design a dining and entertainment destination as a Sensory experience, an urban playground of avant-garde cocktails, world-class cuisine, and irresistible beats.
The Arched boulevard. To create a cohesive Bar-village feel and to achieve one narrative that wraps around the venue, archways in different finishing are used throughout the expansive space. They create a unified design between each of the bars to form little ‘boulevards’.
4SPACE allowed two months for the design and another five months for the fit-out and transformation. There were various challenges because of the sheer variety of materials required for each bar, the complex mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP) requirements, and the acoustic challenges that take the bars from soulful eateries to exciting night venues.
Another challenge that 4SPACE had to overcome are the different terrazzo surfaces that were designed and installed throughout Papas. Cleverly, designers sourced authentic materials and graffiti artists to allow for fully cohesive individuality. The piece de resistance is the nine thoroughly different concepts within one narrative.
The Entrance. It has an impressive, eccentric entrance with red pipe and greenery installation that hangs from the ceiling and customized carpet below.
The transformation. The venue is designed with the ability to transform. As the evening draws to a close, you can dine in style at a chic restaurant. As night time falls over the city the restaurant metamorphoses into an elegant party venue.
Integrated into the design are both architectural lighting and entertainment lighting, providing the ability to have 5 different scenarios of the lighting ambience based on time and experience required.
We've been participating in the SBID Awards yearly and it has been our practice ever since. We trust SBID for its ethics and transparency. We believe that through the SBID platform, our designs gain global recognition and give us the chance to connect with peers, press, and potential clients around the world. We became part of the international design community with new audiences on a global scale.
The CGI project and photos from the completed venue, compared:
Questions answered by Mr. Firas Alsahin, Co-founder and Design Director, 4SPACE Design.
We hope you feel inspired by this week's design!
If you missed the last instalment of Project of the Week, featuring a luxurious villa design by Todd Interior Design, click here to read it.
Building Information Modelling – or BIM – enables you to make your clients’ visions a reality. The model-first process lets you create a virtual prototype of the proposed project, so everyone has complete visibility of a space down to the smallest details. Using BIM collaborative software across the project teams allows information to be shared much more frequently during the design process. This gives all contributors a holistic opportunity to coordinate works packages through an accurate 3D model world and importantly, allows designs teams to catch unforeseen issues before site.
Other industries have been using BIM for years. Architects, engineers and construction firms use the process to better understand every element in a design. Yet, it’s relatively new for the fit-out sector. Portview, however, are working to change this. By taking a model already developed at construction or earlier design stage, and collaboratively developing this through to finishing stages, we are better able to foresee challenges and help the entire fit-out process run smoothly from start to finish. This journey allows clients a more immersive experience to understand different ways they can use their space.
Portview has brought most of their BIM in-house. It allows them to keep everyone involved throughout the design and fit-out process. Meaning, they can answer queries and solve issues quickly and effectively. Using BIM in-house also has the following benefits for them and their clients.
BIM makes it easier to share designs, collaborate and manage version control compared to paper and/or PDF drawing sets. Using Cloud Technology, different teams can work together, from those in the office to those in the workshop and on-site. Everyone can immediately see changes others have made and work together to coordinate planning.
You can also receive live feedback from our clients, allowing you to accommodate amendments quickly. With BIM, the data is transparent. It removes jargon and uses 3D visualisation, which is much easier for everyone to digest, making it much easier to communicate ideas, concerns and develop solutions.
With early clash detection at the model stage, it avoids time and money in sorting it out on site.
Greater collaboration means you can improve accuracy and solve challenges early on, well before you reach the site. This accuracy minimises the chance of overall variations, enabling you to reduce tender risk premiums and lower insurance costs.
BIM acts as a virtual world. It lets clients visualise the space to make their decisions confidently. For the teams, it provides a complete overview of the project so that they can plan everything down to the millimetre. Armed with this data, they can relay accurate estimates, so the prefabrication stage runs smoothly and on budget. BIM also helps the clients plan how they use the space. A complete set of maintenance instructions can be created for their teams to use throughout the building's lifecycle.
With greater emphasis on the collaborative upfront modelling stage, BIM allows you to have more foresight and can schedule tasks while plans evolve. Not only that, but BIM solves the communication stumbling blocks that often cause delays. Everyone has access to the plans and is involved throughout the process, meaning they can deal with issues before reaching the site.
Having a real-time model allows for a level of predictability that just hasn’t been possible before in the dynamic fit-out sector. BIM creates robust, accurate, transparent and digestible information, and it helps you access data from previous design stages to bring their ideas along with yours. When everyone can see the reality of a design, it’s easier to spot elements that can be refined and detect potential issues before they become a problem. It’s also easier to predict costs and timeframes to meet all stakeholders’ targets.
As a relatively new addition to the world of fit-outs, BIM carries a high perceived cost. But many clients wisely see it as an investment. By frontloading the design process and the costs associated with it, clients can reduce their spend in the long run. This is because you can build robust workflows that work with supply chains to avoid duplication, reworks and the need for more materials. You can also adapt designs much earlier in the fit-out when it is easiest and more cost-effective to do so.
Engage early: one of the main benefits of using BIM is solving problems early in the fit-out process. Portview encourages their clients to have a number of discussions with them in the beginning, so they can extract as much information as possible and take ideas from their minds to make them a reality.
Get the right people in the room: BIM enlightens issues to all, so it’s vital that decision-makers are involved. Portview aims to take clients along the design journey to make sure there are no surprises during delivery.
Have open and honest conversations: With BIM, you can see the substance and the style of a fit-out. Often, it’s not until you see the reality that you know what you really want. Portview’s model-first process creates an early opportunity to play around with ideas and reject those that aren’t working to find the solution that suits everyone.
Stay in communication: BIM aids collaboration, but it’s important that you keep everyone talking, too. It’s best not to presume that someone has seen a change and is working on it, and instead use the oversight that BIM provides to form the foundations of your discussions.
BIM modelling is becoming more commonplace, even for smaller fit-out projects. As Portview continues to use BIM and develop their workflows, they realise more of its value creating potential, allowing their teams to make more informed decisions.
This is just the beginning for them with BIM. They’ll continue to embed it in their processes to create a single source of project truth, helping them complete projects more collaboratively, sustainably and effectively.
About
Portview is a leading fit-out specialist that has been transforming ambitious design concepts into reality since 1975. They are renowned for delivering exquisite interiors for the world's top brands in the business, retail, stadia and hospitality sectors. Clients include Samsung, Harvey Nichols, Chanel, Tottenham Hotspur, Issey Miyake, Rosewood London, and Wimbledon.
With teams covering the whole of the UK and Ireland, Portview manages projects of all shapes and sizes, including major refurbishment and roll-out contracts. Services include design development, planning approval, technical surveys, project management, contracting and fit-out. A lasting legacy needs a vision. And Portview’s mission is to bring it to life.
Cover Image Credits: Portview ©
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