Autodesk architecture and design-visualization tools were used on several environmentally focused projects, including the Wuhan Blue Sky prototype in China. The software allowed designers to evaluate how a building could conserve resources and compare alternative construction approaches.
Autodesk Media & Entertainment senior vice president Marc Petit said technology played an important role in sustainable building design. He said the company’s tools were intended to help architects plan and visualize buildings that use energy and fresh water more efficiently, improve air quality, reduce waste, manage specifications and assess project lifecycles.
Anderson Anderson Architecture
Anderson Anderson Architecture, with offices in San Francisco and Seattle, used Autodesk tools to design and visualize the Wuhan Blue Sky prototype, a 12-storey building in China. The firm used AutoCAD, Revit Architecture and Revit MEP for building information modelling, together with Autodesk 3ds Max and Autodesk Maya for modelling, animation and rendering.
The prototype was shortlisted in Living Steel’s second international competition for sustainable housing. Its design sought to minimize land use, optimize energy efficiency and natural ventilation, and reduce fresh-water consumption. Anderson Anderson was also applying Autodesk tools to off-grid residential complexes in rural China derived directly from the Wuhan concept.
Peter Anderson, a director and co-founder of Anderson Anderson Architecture, said interoperability across the Autodesk pipeline kept the process connected from early concepts through final visualization. He also cited interoperability with third-party environmental-design tools from site selection and conceptual design through material specifications and detailed design.
Environmental analysis and BIM
Analysis of sun, shade and wind direction using Revit and IES building-performance software substantially influenced the building’s form. The design was intended to provide shade and capture wind in summer, while using solar heat and providing wind protection in winter.
Revit was also used to quantify and optimize a rainwater-collection structure. The collected water was to be filtered for non-potable household use and irrigation. Planting was positioned to provide shade, while Revit’s parametric functions allowed designers to balance these elements in real time as they tested different building configurations.
Maya and 3ds Max visualization
During development, Autodesk Maya was used to model more fluid and sculptural parts of the structure, including the vertical circulation of the stairways. Those sections were then combined with the Revit model for parametric work.
After the design was completed, the Revit model was transferred to 3ds Max to produce high-quality renderings and animations. These communicated the building’s design goals and environmental features, including interior renderings intended to illustrate the experimental use of airflow and internal space.
Autodesk’s architecture portfolio at the time included AutoCAD Architecture for design and documentation, Revit Architecture for BIM coordination and process work, and 3ds Max and Autodesk VIZ 3D for conceptual exploration, design validation and visual communication alongside AutoCAD and Revit workflows.
