| This computer model of the future home of the Charlotte Bobcats compares how the arena would look using different colors of bricks. |
| Click image to enlarge |
Architects say 3-D modeling — utilizing computer software to bring static, two-dimensional blueprints to life through four-color animated images — is the perfect vehicle for the sports facility industry.
They say the process helps them communicate their ideas more quickly and efficiently to clients and accelerates the level of understanding among municipalities, tenants, subcontractors and building management firms.
It also reduces the time required to complete design phases and pinpoints potential conflicts early on, allowing for revisions and adjustments well in advance of the final product.
"There was an understanding from day one" as to what Ellerbe Becket wanted to accomplish in designing the new Seahawks Stadium in Seattle, said Ray Colliver, senior director of design and construction for team owner Paul Allen's Vulcan Inc. and senior project manager for First and Goal, the building's management company.
"People today still refer to the fly-through," he said, mentioning the introductory virtual tour of the NFL building via 3-D modeling. "The greatest benefit is being able to display to the general public, the stadium authority, board members and the legislature, from the earliest outset, what the stadium would look like."
William Haas is project manager for the city of Charlotte, instrumental in constructing a new home for the NBA expansion Bobcats. He echoed Colliver's comments as the community starts the process of erecting its second arena in 15 years.
He said, "Not only does it help people like myself who are engineers see how pipes and conduits might fit together in space, it also helps the owner who isn't an engineer discover how those plans come alive, how wide a corridor is or what color schemes are involved. It's a real concept they can grasp."
The concept of 3-D modeling is about 20 years old, already firmly established throughout the industry, and sport venue architects are on the cutting edge of developing technology. They now routinely deliver fully animated facility projects on DVD format to the proper parties.
HOK Sport has its own proprietary software called DrawVision.
"I rarely use traditional drawings," said HOK principal architect Jon Knight. "Our presentations are almost always with 3-D drawings. We're now to the point where we can create more and more fully produced animations on small files to finalize design presentations for the client."
Knight said the process "can't be replaced" in the completeness in which designs and drawings are conveyed to subcontractors. "There is something so immediate about looking at a 3-D image, space or object. It comes to life very quickly."
As a result, there aren't as many questions or concerns compared with traditional drawings, he added. "It takes out all discussion. It absolutely streamlines the process."
Three-D modeling, or "paperless projects," works well for sports venue architecture because it has the capacity to grasp the enormous detail and scope of large public assembly facilities, according to Jon Niemuth, project architect for Ellerbe Becket. "It's robust enough to handle the big-scale projects."
Bryan Trubey, design principal at HKS in Dallas, said: "Sports facilities by nature are generally more complex than traditional buildings. Our industry has pushed the envelope. In the late '90s, we started using 3-D modeling as a competitive tool [vs. other firms] to show what our vision could be."
The ability to virtually insert an individual next to the arena or stadium, not to mention "walking" through the facility on a fly-through, is the one definitive advantage, architects noted.
"Ten years ago, it was a mystery as to what it was going to be like standing right next to the venue," said Ron Gans, senior project director with Ellerbe Becket. "Now, it's not. Being able to do that brings up design issues. We can look at more alternatives. It's a more efficient way to study those things than in the past.
"The Seahawks had some amazing computer renderings next to still images. We were able to extend those boundaries to search for more [design] possibilities." Day and night environments can be created to "see how the building changes" in different light. "We can give the impression of the sun going down," Gans said.
Trubey indicated that HKS software goes one step further by "putting the client in the project. We can manipulate things so a person can walk through the building and turn left or turn right," Trubey said.
"It's just like a video game, in which you look up and down. But instead of animation, it's a fixed sequence in which you set a series of camera paths. We're doing more virtual reality and walk-throughs at our own discretion. That's the real quality leap you make."
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| Instead of having interns build models, we let the [computer] do it. |
| Jon Niemuth, Ellerbe Becket |
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Three-D modeling saves time and money for architects by decreasing the number of personnel and man-hours required to consult with clients and construct physical models. "Instead of having interns build models, we let the [computer] do it," Niemuth said.
"I was the project designer in Memphis for FedEx Forum and I would meet with the Grizzlies and local ownership committee and literally set my laptop on the conference room table to do the design process. We had real-time results within a half-hour, completing tweaks and modifications right there.
"We were able to move on quickly from there. I gained their confidence and everybody is happy. In the past, [clients] would say, 'Send me a sketch or a rendering.' It would take one person a day or two to complete that and there would be no life beyond its own existence. I would have to meet with the client every two weeks and I'd kill three to four days traveling and doing meetings. It was a bit of a vicious cycle."
Of course, there are still the "old school athletic business people who don't care about" 3-D modeling technology, Niemuth said. "We have gone to interviews with collegiate clients and say, 'Here's a DVD, take it home and view it,' and they tell us they don't have one, just an old VCR. They're still accustomed to seeing print images."
Knight said the next step in computerized sports facility design will be an extended form of virtual reality. "You might be able to put your client in goggles and walk through a concourse, suite or club seat; go from color scheme A to B; and see how it all works together in a virtual way.
"It's something you already see in amusement parks, and we see use of it in medical practices where they have created bodies and go through an artery, for example. There are practical applications for sports architecture and design."
