Case Study: NBBJ Architects

3D Modeling Helps NBBJ Architects Create Dramatic Reebok Headquarters in Record Time

Alias|Wavefront Software Used to Visualize & Test Free Flowing Design

Reebok World Headquarters, 20 miles south of Boston, is a four-story, 522,000 square foot testimony to fitness and sports, designed by award-winning, international architects, NBBJ. Thereis nothing ordinary about this structure -- not its shape, not the design process, nor the time it took to complete the project. In all three cases, Alias|Wavefront software gave NBBJ the technology it needed to create a "live" computer model, one that could reflect scope and refinement at every stage of development.

Dream Realized Through 3D Modeling
Steven McConnell, NBBJ Design Principal-in-Charge, says a man-made environment that incorporates this kind of free form design could not have been produced without 3D technology. "We had to manage some very complicated curvilinear geometry. For instance, the layout of the building has 5,000 control points. Conventional 2D architectural software just can't handle this level of spatial complexity," he explains.

"During the design phase of Reebok headquarters, our goal was to create what we call a living model. This allowed our ideas to be viewed, refined and tested over and over again - a model that is literally live at all times. We needed the three-dimensional power of the Alias|Wavefront tool in order to create that living model."

Unusual Organic Concept
Comprised of compound curves and angled surfaces, the Reebok building houses 1500 employees and features a stunning center spine that supports a glass curtain wall. Spanning 350 feet, the dynamic centerpiece suggests the form of an Olympic stadium. Within the spine sits the main entry and a NBA-sized basketball court. A running track weaves in and out of the building, complemented by seven outdoor athletic fields.

"We wanted the structure to reflect recreation and movement, to inspire employees through their own products," explains Jonathan Ward, Design Principal and key designer for the project. Consequently, the building complex emphasizes natural light and colors, creating an openness that enables people moving through the new headquarters to easily view the running track, outdoor fields and showrooms.

Delivering Under Difficult Deadlines
NBBJ's visionary concept was the winning design in a competition that required architects to provide proposals in just one week. Even at this early stage, NBBJ found its employment of computer technology was critical.

"We used Alias|Wavefront software to create animated, photorealistic visualizations of our concept so that officials at Reebok could experience the excitement of our innovative design," explains Ward. "Showcasing such a sophisticated statement of our idea in such a short time put us way ahead of the competing firms."

Once NBBJ was awarded the project, the firm moved through the initial design phase to completion of construction documents in just nine months. "That's about half the time we'd normally need for a building of this complexity, and we could not have accomplished the task in that time without the assistance of computer technology," explains McConnell.

How 3D Technology Helps
"It seems ironic that architects spend so much time sketching on paper and creating blueprints, because when you get right down to it, it's all about building spaces for people and that's inherently a 3D world," says Ward. "At NBBJ we take a different approach than most firms because we don't separate design from technology. Each person on a project team not only designs, but also prepares drawings and details. That way design does not stop at the beginning of a project, it carries on through to the end," explains Ward.

To achieve this balance, NBBJ uses Alias|Wavefront software throughout its process, from initial concept to design refinement to final construction documents. For instance, animations were presented to Reebok and NBBJ consultants at various stages in the project to keep everyone up to date on progress. NBBJ used the same visualizations to study spatial and material qualities of the design.

Often designers created sketch animations as a quick way to show ideas to the rest of the NBBJ team. "Perhaps that's one of the best things about Alias|Wavefront software," says Ward. "The user interface is so fluid and free-flowing. It doesn't get in the way of design. The customizable "hot menu" lets us skip the ordinarily cumbersome bar of buttons and drop down menus. Plus the sophisticated mapping process lets us see, very quickly and easily, how an idea holds up in space and light."

The 3D modeling software was also used to test and verify geometry, from concept to construction to administration. Designers sliced the model and created sections directly from the geometry, thereby providing schematics for the more complex areas of the building such as the glass atrium. For some of the steel structure and concrete panels, where angles were not obvious, Alias|Wavefront software was used to check complex intersection geometries and provide guidelines for fabrication.

Tools That Keep NBBJ on Top
Ward says 3D technology brings many advantages to NBBJ which give the firm an all-important edge over the competition. Key among these benefits are the ability to create ideas quickly, to experiment with them in a physically accurate environment and to present them effectively to clients and consultants.

"I can think of a number of cases where NBBJ has won projects over the past five years based on our technological capabilities, in particular our use of the Alias|Wavefront tool" Ward concludes.