OUR TECHNOLOGY - Formarchitects

The use of cutting edge technology is at the core of our practice in the production of all our projects. Our companies technological foundations are built upon the technology known as BIM or Building Information Modeling within our design process. (Also known as “Virtual Building” or “Building Simulation”).BIM is a unique programming language that recognizes a building instead of connecting polygons to form planar surfaces and objects. While 3D is not an accurate description of the benefits of BIM, it is the closest in terms of a visual reference and enables increased visual communication between architect and client while increasing the project efficiency by producing all your drawings, photo realistic pictures of spaces and design in less time than traditional practices.Designing with a virtual building model gives the clients the ability to do a virtual walkthrough of the design in order to get a sense and feel of spaces with furniture, equipment and material selection in place. This ensures that the client understands the design and gets exactly what they desire. The technological standard of our company can only be seen in less than 5% of the architectural firms in the world and we are certainly the technological leaders in Jamaica for architecture.

We have further enhanced the “BIM” Platform to increase our offerings to our clients through customized programming and software coding to calculate construction costs,visualization images and 3D walkthroughs ,energy calculations and increase the efficiency of our production of our drawings and information in our architecture. We have implemented and currently use the following capabilities:

4D architecture:

We are able to connect the electronic project construction schedule issued in Microsoft project files from the contractor to different project tasks , timelines and resources to each model elements( i.e.. concrete slabs, beams , roofs and columns) to show the construction sequencing and track the actual construction vs planned status of each project to add in tracking of project progress. This also increases visualization for clients to show how the building will be constructed.

5D architecture:

We have developed custom and complex software programming to enable virtual model elements to be connected to a cost database. We are able to make informed decisions about your project that are aligned with your budget before the design process is complete. We assign quantities, materials and cost to the model elements that allows the client to derive instant cost calculations with each design change. We can determine the real time cost of design decisions and options before you begin the construction process. The client can then make informed decisions and play a more active role in the design process of the building and consequently get the best value for your money.

6D architecture:

Nearly, 80 percent of design decisions on energy efficiency are made in the early design stages and it is therefore important to use energy analytical tools to determine the best design results.Sustainability is at the core of our practice and we are able to calculate and compare energy consumption, monthly energy balances and other indicators to inform the design process and make the best design choices before construction begins for the project.We connect the UV values to materials in the virtual model to enable the energy usage of the building being designed to be calculated before its use. We are able to tell our clients of the energy consumption of the design and align our architecture towards more sustainable solutions.

7D architecture:

We are able to create intelligent “as built drawings and logs” from our virtual model for our clients for the project that include intelligent parametric fixtures, equipment and furniture that include product information and serial numbers, cost and replacement information for the maintenance of the building during its life cycle. The is very valuable for maintenance engineers for the buildings that helps in the efficient replacement and fixing of equipment and infrastructure and decrease the down time and increases the production time of your business.