As maker culture seeps into more and more of what the AEC industry does, spaces with the sole purpose of being used to do and create will become increasingly important. With this in mind, Autodesk has created an industrial workshop and innovation studio with a focus on making things in the built environment.
The Boston-based Building, Innovation, Learning, and Design (BUILD) Space will host teams from academia, industry, and practice doing work in fields including digital fabrication, design robotics, and industrialized construction. At no cost to the teams, the BUILD space will provide them with access to an appropriate workspace, advanced training, equipment, Autodesk personnel and executives, and other industry leaders in order to help them best accomplish their project goals, whatever they may be. The trade-off for the use of the space at no cost is that Autodesk gains a better understanding of how their construction customers and the broader business ecosystem will work in the future.
Courtesy of Autodesk
The BUILD Space is a sprawling 34,000-sf facility with space and equipment to support work with steel, wood, stone, concrete, ceramics, glass, and composites such as carbon fiber. Among its 60 pieces of large-format equipment are six industrial robots; 11 dedicated workshops for wood, metal fabrication, composites, 3D printing, laser cutting, and a large-format Computer Numerical Control router and waterjet; and a five-ton bridge crane for large fabrication projects and moving equipment and materials between floors.
Pillar Technologies, a company that uses on-site sensors to monitor for destructive environmental conditions such as fire outbreaks, high humidity exposure, and mold growth, was one of the first companies to join the Autodesk BUILD Space startup incubator. The company needed a space where it could continue to develop and improve their technology and chose the Autodesk BUILD Space because it allowed it to accomplish this goal in just a few weeks with minimal cost.
“This is so valuable because as a startup company, our scarcest resources are time and money,” says Alex Schwarzkopf, Co-Founder, Pillar Technologies, in a press release.
Autodesk chose Boston as the city for its BUILD Space due to its vibrant startup community, world-class universities and colleges, and large talent pool.
Courtesy of Autodesk
Courtesy of Autodesk
Related Stories
| Nov 11, 2013
The story behind 'Pedia-Pod,' BD+C's modular pediatric patient unit at Greenbuild
In the November issue of BD+C, you'll see our report on "Pedia-Pod," the modular pediatric patient unit we've helped design, outfit, and build at Greenbuild. Here's how it was developed.
| Nov 8, 2013
Can Big Data help building owners slash op-ex budgets?
Real estate services giant Jones Lang LaSalle set out to answer these questions when it partnered with Pacific Controls to develop IntelliCommand, a 24/7 real-time remote monitoring and control service for its commercial real estate owner clients.
| Nov 8, 2013
S+T buildings embrace 'no excuses' approach to green labs
Some science-design experts once believed high levels of sustainability would be possible only for low-intensity labs in temperate zones. But recent projects prove otherwise.
| Nov 8, 2013
Walkable solar pavement debuts at George Washington University
George Washington University worked with supplier Onyx Solar to design and install 100 sf of walkable solar pavement at its Virginia Science and Technology Campus in Ashburn, Va.
| Nov 6, 2013
Energy-efficiency measures paying off for commercial building owners, says BOMA study
The commercial real estate industry’s ongoing focus on energy efficiency has resulted in a downward trend in total operating expenses (3.9 percent drop, on average), according to BOMA's Experience Exchange Report.
| Nov 5, 2013
Net-zero movement gaining traction in U.S. schools market
As more net-zero energy schools come online, school officials are asking: Is NZE a more logical approach for school districts than holistic green buildings?
| Oct 31, 2013
74 years later, Frank Lloyd Wright structure built at Florida Southern College
The Lakeland, Fla., college adds to its collection of FLW buildings with the completion of the Usonian house, designed by the famed architect in 1939, but never built—until now.
| Oct 30, 2013
15 stellar historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovation projects
The winners of the 2013 Reconstruction Awards showcase the best work of distinguished Building Teams, encompassing historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and renovations and additions.
| Oct 30, 2013
11 hot BIM/VDC topics for 2013
If you like to geek out on building information modeling and virtual design and construction, you should enjoy this overview of the top BIM/VDC topics.
| Oct 20, 2013
What you missed at BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland
Not able to attend the inaugural BUILDINGChicago/Greening the Heartland conference and expo this week? Don't worry. The BD+C editorial team has you covered.
