Bentley announces today that Volker Mueller will become the company's new research director for computational design, part of Bentley's Applied Research group. Mueller has a resume well worth this new position; he has spent years on the cutting edge of both architectural practice and architectural software development.
Bentley says Mueller is responsible for “identifying and pursuing innovative ways to employ computation in the infrastructure design professions. In addition to exploring new approaches to rules-based design, generative design, and analytical design, he will investigate new opportunities for providing real-time design performance feedback to architects and engineers, as well as create the vision for future strategic initiatives.”
Mueller fills the void left by the departure several months ago of former Director of Research Dr. Robert Aish, who was the guiding light behind Bentley's GenerativeComponents initiative. Aish is now at Autodesk. Mueller will not be the pure research and theory guy Aish was, given his years in architecture practice at NBBJ and his former work auto.des.sys, Inc., where he contributed to the development of the 3D modeling package form.Z.
Mueller is an excellent fit for Bentley. He is an experienced user of Bentley software (NBBJ is one of Bentley's largest architectural clients), and he personally knows many of the people doing the cutting edge work in analytical design for architecture. His connections and experience mean that he will be less of a hands-on developer/researcher than Aish and more of an evangelist for the use of GenerativeComponents.
GenerativeComponents is an extention to Bentley Architecture software that facilitates the quick exploration of a broad range of “what-if” alternatives. You can also think of it as Bentley's entry in the sweepstakes to create software for “blobby architecture.” The leading software products right now for free-form architectural design are Rhino 3D from Robert McNeel and Associates, form.Z, ArchiCAD from the Graphisoft division of Nemetschek, VectorWorks from Nemetschek North America, Digital Project from Gehry Technologies (with help from Dassault Systemes) and Bentley's architectural line. Autodesk isn't in this race yet, but will be soon enough with Aish on board.
Companies already using GenerativeComponents include Arup, Buro Happold, Foster + Partners, Grimshaw Architects, HOK, Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates, Morphosis, and SHoP Architects.
--RSN