Blox uses real time computation to balance form, function and business insights on design projects
Global architecture firm Gensler has released details of ‘blox’, its new internal data driven design platform that combines information metrics with geometry form finding in a real time environment.
The software is designed to balance form, function and business insights using metrics defined by architect and client at the onset of design projects. It provides a study into design trade-offs driven by capital assets, business intel and municipal requirements and can be used at building, city block or masterplan levels.
Features include sophisticated algorithms with real-time compute of complex geometry and metrics; advanced form-sculpting and data assignment schemas; and a Heads-Up Display with dynamic and real-time metrics.
The software uses dashboards to give real time feedback on different design options, taking into account program design metrics such as Gross floor area (GFA), Floor area ratio (FAR), Zoning, rentable / usable metrics, as well as client defined parking metrics above and below ground.
It also gives insight into construction costs, defined / computed at building, floor or program levels, as well as proforma projections, including client defined income, rentable ratios, and yield percentages.
blox is the first in a series of product releases in Gensler’s inFORM, an ecosystem of internally developed proprietary products to boost Gensler’s overall design capabilities.
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