Month: April 2018 (3)

Drones in Architecture

ELK RIVER WATER TOWER Problem: How do you field measure a water tower in the middle of a Minnesota winter? A.     Risk your life to climb an icy freezing slippery ladder and use a tape measure and laser pointer to get an approximation of size. B.    Fly a drone and take pictures and use these images to create a point cloud and Revit family with exact dimensions. Answer:   B: Fly a drone.   Working with the City of Elk River and CAD Technology Center (CTC), an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV aka Drone) was flown the morning of February 8, 2018.  The drone set-up and flight only took a few hours and the flight created a photo scan of the water tower by taking hundreds of digital photos.  CTC processes the data and created a point cloud file in Revit.  From this file, a Revit family component was created that is a full sized three-dimensional digital representation of the water tower After Kodet received the Revit model, some detail had to be added to the model, but the basic dimensions, size, shape, and heights were a part of the model created from the photo scan. Kodet used this model to create drawings for contractors to estimate renovation costs to repaint the historical water tower. Countless hours were saved in field time and modeling time. In the end, a much more accurate set of drawings were created because of the use of the drone. The documentation process to get contractors to be able to bid the project became very simple and cost effective. The client was also pleased with the results and accuracy of the drawings that were created by the UAV Scan. Our office looks forward to using this highly advanced technology, which is constantly changing on future projects. Flying […]

Designing Safe + Secure Schools

PART 1 | School Security Practices Whether or not your building a new school, retrofitting, or renovating, it is always the right time to review your school’s security infrastructure to ensure your students, staff, and school personnel are as safe as possible. As important as cameras, scanners, lighting, and alarms are within a school’s security system, the must be supported by training, policies, and most importantly collaboration with the other systems creating a holistic approach to your school’s security design. In this 3-part series we will look at the process for developing a school security assessment to develop specific actions and discuss response and recovery options. PART 1 | We will dive into a process of ASSESSING your current facility with an honest look at the security and threats. PART 2 | We will develop specific action steps to the school district’s PREPAREDNESS. PART 3 | We will discuss RESPONSE + RECOVERY. FACILITY SECURITY ASSESSMENT A complete and holistic facility assessment is a combined team effort that involves steps to develop a comprehensive program that is used to review how our current facilities are built, how they function, and how current school policies affect security within school buildings. SECURITY ASSESSMENT TEAM The Security Assessment Team should be made up of a diverse team of: Students + Teachers + Administrators Parents + Community + Local Law Enforcement Architect + Security Professionals Superintendent The assessment team should provide a comprehensive district-wide analysis of current facility infrastructure, design, maintenance, policies, and procedures. The assessment team will compile all findings and research into a document that can be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. At minimum the Team will review the following items for your School Security Assessment: Building Exterior Conditions and relationship to such factors and environmental design + site configuration for vehicle and […]

Emerging Professionals Firm Tour

Have you ever been to an architecture firm? When I decided to become an architect, I had met exactly 2 architects and only visited one of their firms. Call it love at first sight. Call it a leap of faith. I was 14 and knew I wanted to be an architect. Over the next 8 years, I didn’t meet another architect until graduate school. A career path into architecture does not require this blind leap of faith. This year, the AIA Emerging Professional’s Committee (EPC) is coordinating Firm Tours at 6 different architecture firms in the Twin Cities. These firms open their doors for students and early career professionals to experience their work space and unique culture. You get a guided tour of the office, hear about projects, and ask questions about daily tasks and challenges. The 2018 Firm Tours are a revamp of the EPC’s Draughting Club. At Draughting Club, emerging professionals and students in the Twin Cities could meet, enjoy a local brewery or distillery, and chat about challenges we face in our early architectural career. The new Firm Tours still foster a relaxed atmosphere for networking but with several upgrades: Meeting experienced professionals from the host firm Seeing architecturally designed offices Tours guided by firm leadership Free food! In April, Kodet Architectural Group is hosting the EPC Firm Tour in collaboration with the AIA Architecture in Schools Committee. We invite emerging professionals of all ages (high schoolers, undergraduates, graduate students, and early professionals) to see our office by the Walker Art Center. It’s a free tour with snacks and beverages but space is limited. Register today at this link  We work in a remodeled mansion complete with fireplaces, beautiful woodwork, and “bridge” addition off the back. It’s a fun place to see, but the character of our […]