Editorial

The past decade has been an IT "boom" for architectural firms in regard to design technology. We could conclude that there is nothing more to do and that every professional working in the construction industry is sufficiently equipped, exceptionally well prepared, and that their efforts to be efficient and productive work like clockwork. But nothing is less certain.

A great many professionals have put away their T-squares, protractors, drafting boards, and bow pens and traded them for... computerized T-squares, protractors, drafting boards, and bow pens - often ostensibly because the "program" is the market standard, and using it makes it possible to communicate using the applications used by the architects in the sector.

This is all very well, but what about integration of data that automatizes production of 3D views and façade drawings based on data entered in 2D ? What about two-way permeability between the floor plans and section plans that provide the project’s structure ? What will happen to the dimensioning information which we use only for quantity and bills of materials ? What will happen with the regulations (CCTP) that cannot be extracted from the plans and finally, where are the tools that help convince the customer who is unable to find his way around a 2D floor plan ?

The developers of CAD systems made expressly for architects offer answers to these questions. They do so by sometimes increasing some of the functions that are only usable on the presentation day, and sometimes by forgetting that the user is not an IT professional that a user-friendly interface is much more important than the functionality itself. It comes as no surprise that we see an increasing excess of professional software on the shelves.

No, in no sense can we consider the computerized support for the work of architectural firms as finished. We anticipated that during a construction project the need can arise for communication between various parties involved in the construction process. Our programs are able to export and import standard plan formats. We paid attention to making them readily usable. With our program, you draw as you build, thus automatizing the tasks. And we didn't forget about teamwork, either. Soon the network version will be complete, in which several participants will be able to work on the same project. The same building, the same floor, or even the same wall : only the layer will be different. Finally, we also turned our attention to the financing of the IT system, ArchiTECH.PC has 8 different levels of modularity accessible. The 2D is completely free of cost.

Warm greetings,

Roland CAUMONT, Managing Director