VectorWorks User tec Architecture Wins AIA LA Design 2006 Honor Award
Columbia, Maryland (June 1, 2006)—–Nemetschek North America is pleased to announce Los Angeles firm and VectorWorks Architect user tec Architecture won a 2006 AIA LA Design Honor Award for its Inotera headquarters in Taiwan, Taipei.
"Being a Mac-based firm since our inception, we have continually relied on VectorWorks Architect for all our 2D drawing needs," says Shawn Keltner, tec Architecture project manager. "Particularly when working on Inotera Headquarters, VectorWorks' ability to export and import DWG/DXF files was very useful in communicating with our associates overseas. VectorWorks' ability to easily create and manage symbols came in handy when laying out the complex glass panels of the façade."
The Asia Pacific region, an evolving hub for advanced technology and creative intelligence, benefits from a unique juxtaposition of hi-tech development and natural environment. Tec Architecture integrated these divergent components in the Inotera Headquarters by infusing hi-tech requirements with emotional content. The all glass façade, typical for standard office buildings, is reinterpreted in light of Taiwan’s tradition of tile construction. Technology is thus explored in order to emulate cultural values and environmental aspects within a contemporary context. Hundreds of shapes and colors portrait the formal complexity of natural elements, such as the leaves of trees or ripples of water. An intricate assemblage of printed glass utilizing the latest glass printing technologies, structural glass and glass curtain wall systems, articulates a building that seeks to define its unique identity while assimilating local customs. In contrast to the transparent office structure, an attached fabrication facility provides a fantastic screen for a Dada-esque ceramic tile composition that dilutes its scale by use of perspective geometries. The structure’s working title “the culture lab” emphasizes its role in making the most of cultural differences while evoking the ambience of a social laboratory.
The façade uses the latest technologies in CAD and CIM, including VectorWorks Architect, to provide a colorful, if not romantic image motivated by the colors of trees and skies. The building, besides winning awards and being published worldwide, was called an “Icon of Modernity” and credited with starting “…a craftsmanship of the Third Millennium…” by international architectural press.
The building was completed in a record time of twelve months, including its design. It was built on a very low budget, comparable to medium to medium-low office building price standards within the country. The extremely tight schedule in connection with the economically crucial ramp-up process of the factory allowed for zero tolerance in design deadlines.
For more details about the Inotera Headquarters project, visit tec Architecture’s website at www.tecarchitecture.com/
Nemetschek North America is a wholly-owned subsidiary of European software giant Nemetschek AG. A global leader in design technologies, Nemetschek N.A. has been developing CAD software for the AEC, entertainment, landscape design, and manufacturing fields since 1985. VectorWorks, its flagship product, is one of the world's best-selling cross-platform CAD applications. An all-in-one solution that's easier to learn and use and more cost-effective than most other CAD programs, VectorWorks is ideal for firms that don't have unlimited IT budgets. For more information, visit www.nemetschek.net.