Objet Technology Enables New York-Based International Architecture Firm to Shave Months Off Model-Building Time - Objet - #1

Text version of the page

At a Glance Company: Rietveld Architects LLP URL: www.rietveldarchitects.com Location: New York, NY, USA Industry: Architecture Challenges • Significantly reduce the timeand expense in producing building models, often requiring highly delicate details • Impress clients with the ability to quickly produce better representations of designs and to quickly respond to new ideas facilitating the decision-making process Solution The Eden350™ 3D Printing System from Objet Results • Reduced the time to create models from two full months for two employees to just hours by a single employee • Yielded more detailed models, which help clients better visualize final projects, ultimately helping the firm to win more projects Rietveld Architects LLP, established in New York City in 1994, is known throughout the United States and Europe for its large-scale, creative commercial and residential spaces. Its international team of architects places a premium on embracing the latest technologies in such areas as energy savings and individual environmental controls. The firm’s partners, Margaret and Rijk Rietveld, became aware of 3D printing several years ago through a contact at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), who shared with them some of the first 3D-printed models. They saw in this new technology the potential to vastly increase productivity and innovation in the field of architecture. During the course of a typical project, Rietveld, like other architecture firms, builds numerous models in increasing detail and scale that help clients to visualize designs. And, like other firms, they had traditionally built these models by hand – a task that usually required two employees to spend upwards of two months cutting, assembling and finishing components made of cardboard, foam board and Plexiglass. The time and expense to hand craft these complex elements dictated that the models have an inadequate amount of detail, limiting the creativity and therefore showcasing a model that sometimes did not sufficiently highlight the selling points of the design. Several years ago, when the construction industry began to slow down, Rietveld decided the time was right to explore 3D printing as a means to set the organization apart from the competition while at the same time increasing quality and productivity for model production. “It became evident that the pace of the industry wasn’t going to hold,” said Rijk Rietveld. “We knew that a big change was coming, and in the new environment those firms that could do more with less and stand out with superior models would be more competitive.” Objet’s Eden350™ chosen for detail, accuracy and office friendliness Rietveld’s leadership was familiar with the available 3D printing technologies and, after indepth research on eight different systems, selected the Eden350™ from Objet Geometries. “We were particularly impressed by the ability of this system to quickly produce highly detailed, accurate models with minimal office clean-up,” said Rijk Rietveld. “Some of the Objet Technology Enables New York-Based International Architecture Firm to Shave Months Off Model-Building Time “Objet is helping us do more with less, spurring innovation in our company and industry” Piet Meijs, Rietveld Architects Case Study