Zahner announces its first venture into web-based software. The free software platform called ShopFloor, launched earlier today, contains a suite of intuitive tools for building complex architecture.
This is Zahner’s first software available to the public. However, it is not the first time Zahner developed code for architecture. In 2005, Zahner designed the first image-mosaic perforation algorithm for the de Young Museum in San Francisco. The technology behind this project made waves - Richard Lacayo stated in the Times, “what this building says is that maybe craftsmanship has a high-tech future after all,” and Julie Iovine said that “Seurat would have marveled.”
Zahner’s algorithm allowed the entire process to run smoothly on the factory floor, as though it were any other job. Zahner’s innovative new software takes this a step further. ShopFloor™ provides a user interface: a simple, easy and perhaps even fun way to produce facades not unlike the de Young Museum. Designs outputted by the software are preengineered and fabricated on Zahner’s shop floor.
“We’ve built a tool that uses our factory floor like a massive rapid prototype machine,” says CEO/President Bill Zahner, “You see the price, you manipulate your design, and we build it. This model never been applied to architecture.”
Screenshots of the ShopFloor designer in action. Photo © A. Zahner Company
Designers can see the price change as they manipulate the 3D model. This allows users to directly control and prevent value engineering of their design that would typically occur. When the design is complete and the purchase is made, Zahner produces the parts, crates the assemblies, and ships them to the job site.
The simplified design interface means that costs are greatly reduced when compared to traditional design, engineering and fabrication. “This is a truly unique approach,” says Director of Marketing, Gary Davis. “Instead of a back-and-forth design process, everything you build on ShopFloor is pre-engineered, stamped, and ready to ship.”
ShopFloor™ provides a direct interface to Zahner’s shop floor. The name, “ShopFloor” pays homage to the machines, facility, and skilled artisans with which the software gives you direct access. It is also a reference to the online store, an intuitive marketplace to design and build architectural systems.
The transparent pricing is perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of ShopFloor, giving the designer more control over the construction budget. Photo © A. Zahner Company
Zahner currently has three tools being rolled out for ShopFloor’s beta test:
• The first tool gives designers access to the system based on the company’s new headquarters in Kansas City, a fin-based shading system with flexible design parameters and a visually striking output.
• The second tool will give designers access to the ZIRA technology for creating perforated surfaces from photographs, and will be available Spring 2014 (see the de Young Museum).
• The third tool is a completely new technology, which enables designers to build standard glass and metal facades, but with a variety of customizable material claddings and will be available Spring/Summer 2014.
“With our tool, everything you design is quantifiably buildable,” says Zahner engineer Craig Long, “And quantifiably buildable designs have concrete costs. So we thought, what happens when a designer can see the cost of a facade? It’s that missing piece of the puzzle. For the designer, it’s knowledge, and it’s power.”
For more information, visit http://shopfloor.azahner.com.
Zahner’s Headquarters in Kansas City, the first facade system available for ShopFloor. Photo © Mike Sinclair; © A. Zahner Company
Detail of the fin-based facade for Zahner’s Headquarters, the first facade system available for ShopFloor. Photo © Mike Sinclair; © A. Zahner Company
Related Stories
Airports | Jun 2, 2022
SOM-designed International Arrival Facility at Seattle’s Sea–Tac airport features the world’s largest aerial walkway
The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM)-designed International Arrivals Facility (IAF) at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport has opened, replacing a 50-year-old arrival facility.
Sponsored | BD+C University Course | May 3, 2022
For glass openings, how big is too big?
Advances in glazing materials and glass building systems offer a seemingly unlimited horizon for not only glass performance, but also for the size and extent of these light, transparent forms. Both for enclosures and for indoor environments, novel products and assemblies allow for more glass and less opaque structure—often in places that previously limited their use.
Airports | Apr 4, 2022
Dominican Republic airport expansion will add mixed-use features
The recently revealed design concept for the expansion of Santiago International Airport in the Dominican Republic includes a transformation of the current building into a mixed-use space that features an office park, business center, and hotel.
Codes and Standards | Mar 4, 2022
FAA offers $1 billion in grants for airport terminal and tower projects
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now accepting applications for about $1 billion in grants for airport projects during fiscal year 2022.
Resiliency | Feb 15, 2022
Design strategies for resilient buildings
LEO A DALY's National Director of Engineering Kim Cowman takes a building-level look at resilient design.
Sponsored | Resiliency | Jan 24, 2022
Blast Hazard Mitigation: Building Openings for Greater Safety and Security
Coronavirus | Jan 20, 2022
Advances and challenges in improving indoor air quality in commercial buildings
Michael Dreidger, CEO of IAQ tech startup Airsset speaks with BD+C's John Caulfield about how building owners and property managers can improve their buildings' air quality.
Giants 400 | Oct 22, 2021
2021 Airport Sector Giants: Top architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S. airport facilities sector
AECOM, Hensel Phelps, PGAL, and Gensler top BD+C's rankings of the nation's largest airport sector architecture, engineering, and construction firms, as reported in the 2021 Giants 400 Report.
| Oct 14, 2021
The future of mass timber construction, with Swinerton's Timberlab
In this exclusive for HorizonTV, BD+C's John Caulfield sat down with three Timberlab leaders to discuss the launch of the firm and what factors will lead to greater mass timber demand.
Giants 400 | Aug 30, 2021
2021 Giants 400 Report: Ranking the largest architecture, engineering, and construction firms in the U.S.
The 2021 Giants 400 Report includes more than 130 rankings across 25 building sectors and specialty categories.
