Over the past few years, physical models have gradually changed the process of architectural design. For example, at Kohn Pedersen Fox (KPF), desktop 3D printers have improved the daily iteration of design prototypes and the sense of three-dimensional space. They understand that increasing visibility and lowering costs make tangible printed models more accessible, and facilitate their design communication in a physical environment.
KPF has a research team dedicated to evaluating the potential value of emerging technologies for the company's architectural practice. Jerrod, a key member of this team, closely follows 3D printing trends, assessing the current wave of introducing new digital manufacturing technologies to the company.
"For us, the change is that industrial-grade desktop 3D printers are more accessible and affordable than in the past," Jerrod says. "Before, we thought of 3D printing as an expensive art form, and the way it was set up in our office in the past made it an inaccessible process for our industrial 3D printers."
．Making Prototype Iteration More Accessible
KPF has expanded its capabilities beyond previously available industrial printing technologies, integrating twelve Ultimaker 3 Extended printers and six Ultimaker S5 3D printers into the office. Their main goal is to support and expand the existing prototyping process within KPF's design culture, rather than excluding it.
"Past 3D printing technologies couldn't keep up with the fast-paced processes of our design team. Ideas flow constantly here, so we need to get finished products more easily and in sync with our fast pace."
Using these 3D printers, designers can more flexibly obtain print results to match our design process.
KPF launched an internal testing program to explore the effectiveness of incorporating Ultimaker 3D printers into its offices across five major global cities; from the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles to the Rosewood in Bangkok and One Vanderbilt in New York, Ultimaker has played a key role as a tool to support the design process and bring KPF's renowned projects to life—building cities and making an impact.
The stability and ease of use of these new tools bring new opportunities for producing models and stimulate inspiration throughout the design process. The workflow is more seamless, allowing for smooth research and development, conceptual design, and detailed adjustments, thereby linking internal and external communication more effectively.
KPF's new self-service workstations open the door to new design approaches and are widely beneficial to the company; bringing great benefits to designers of varying experience levels. "Recent graduates are very familiar with this desktop 3D printing technology, so many young designers rapidly climb the learning curve and are able to execute their plans with minimal training or support. Due to the lower cost, the expense of printing models is not even a factor to consider."
．Leveraging the Latest and Greatest Parts of the Ultimaker S5
In April 2018, when Ultimaker launched its latest machine, the Ultimaker S5, it expanded the build volume and supported materials, providing design studios with the ideal desktop 3D printer.
Other new features, such as the filament flow sensor, high-precision multi-point print bed, and glass door, are very helpful to the KPF team. KPF is not only one of the first architectural design firms in the world to incorporate these new features, but also one of the first to have the Ultimaker S5 in their New York and London offices. We are excited to discover how future architects will use our 3D printers to create impressive "tangible" design models!
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