Jason Crist, an associate with
HKS Architects, got the “ooh” and “aah” effect every architect seeks during his “SketchUp in Architecture” presentation this morning at 3D Base Camp, the SketchUp Users Conference. He talked though his company’s use of
SketchUp by showing work from several projects, going into considerable detail on the design of the new Radio Shack corporate headquarters in Ft. Worth, Texas, a 1.5 million square foot project HKS designed in six months.
To present massing models to the client in an understandable setting, Crist’s team imported an AutoCAD site model into SketchUp, and then placed the simple massing models on the site. They continued to use the site model as a background for client presentations, moving on to skin models and entry design options. A new transparency feature came to SketchUp just in time for HKS to show their signature entry, a 70-ft. glass cylinder framed in just enough structural detail to highlight and support the structure.
To show construction planning details to the client, HKS overlaid the final skin design of the entire project onto a site photo. “The clients absolutely loved this,” Crist said. He then showed a photo taken of construction a few months later, and there was little difference between one of the SketchUp construction models and the digital photo.
Crist said HKS designers have a “back and forth relationship” with their use of SketchUp for initial design and AutoCAD for detailing work. Always start with simple models and progress to detail as the basics become settled, Crist advised, for a smoother work flow.
Crist said his normal work style in SketchUp is to organize heavily with components and to keep layers to a minimum.