Design of the V&A Museum, Dundee – Kengo Kuma

Kengo Kuma, a Japanese architect with a body of work that surpasses national boundaries, has made a name for himself with his innovative use of shapes, unique creative voice, and focus on organic materials like wood and bamboo.  From Kuma’s perspective, computerized architecture plays a vital role in making that vision a reality.

The Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology and 3D collaboration tools that have made their way into the architectural design world are pointing us toward a renewed focus on materials,” Kengo Kuma, said. “With computers, we can dream up any architectural space we want and convert ideas into actual drawings.”

As project got larger and more complex, and Kengo Kuma & Associates (KKAA) offices expanded around the world maintaining data accuracy put a strain on the firm’s technology and work processes.

To meet these challenges KKAA reviewed their design and collaboration processes and decided to implement the 3DEXPERIENCE platform and its solutions for the AEC industry, to replace the 3D software they were using. Toshiki Meijo, chief of design division, KKAA, said the decision came down to accuracy and data volume.

“Some software didn’t meet our accuracy requirements, while others got slower and less responsive when the project involved large amounts of data,” he explained. “As projects got larger and more complex, so did the challenges.” For Meijo, 3DEXPERIENCE has made a big difference through two key benefits: revision history and performance.

KKAA took the decision to design the new, recently opened, V&A Museum in Dundee using this next generation BIM Level 3 technology. As an On-Cloud application it meant that KKAA could create and share design information across the design and construction partners smoothly. All collaborators could assess design and construction information in real time knowing that all information was current.

“We always had trouble smoothly transferring 3D data from our designers to the construction and specialty contractors,” he said. “This BIM Level 3 platform gives us an opportunity to handle large-scale composite models, detailed drawing models, and everything in between. With that kind of versatility, we can eventually give every worksite uniform sets of data, while making maintenance and repairs much easier to deal with, something that will benefit our clients as well.”

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