New York–based Morpholio has launched a new feature for its TracePro app on iPad and iPhone. The Smart Fill tool determines the area of any enclosed region on a digital sketch in real time. [ARCHITECT]
This week, the California Energy Commission (CEC) updated the state's current Building Energy Efficiency Standards and adopted a new mandate requiring solar photovoltaic systems for all new residences starting in 2020. The new standards are estimated to add about $9,500 to the overall cost of building a new house, but will eventually save the homeowner $19,000 in maintenance and utilities costs over 30 years. According to the CEC, home buyers should expect to see about $40 more in monthly payments (based on a 30-year mortgage) but an $80 decrease in utility costs. [California Energy Commission]
Also this week, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced that May 16 will serve as the International Day of Light (IDL). More than half a century ago on May 16, American physicist and engineer Theodore Maiman successfully developed and operated the first laser. [Architectural Lighting]
Google is developing an app that will assist blind and visually impaired people in navigating their surroundings with more independence. Dubbed Lookout, the app will be available for Android devices and offer auditory clues to obstacles, objects, people, and text. To use the app, Lookout users need to wear another device in their shirt pocket or around their neck, and point the device's camera outward. Lookout uses machine learning and will not require an internet connection. According to Cnet, Lookout is expected to be available in the Google Play Store by the end of this year. [Cnet]
On Tuesday, WeWork announced Danish architect Bjarke Ingels as its first chief architect. In his new role, Ingels will advise the co-working and office-space company on developing "vision and design language" for all the company's current properties and upcoming projects. [ARCHITECT]
Check out the latest decorative and tracklighting products on our sister publication Architectural Lighting. Among others, latest luminaires from Zumtobel, Buster + Punch, FLOS, Vibia, and Forma Lighting are featured. [Architectural Lighting]
Autodesk has debuted a digital 3D model of the Eiffel Tower grand site, complete with buildings, roads, infrastructure, pedestrian walkways, hardscape, and green areas, as part of collaboration with the City of Paris to restore the area. The 0.9-square-mile site required Lidar scanning to generate 194 point cloud tiles and aerial photography that is precise to the nearest 2 to 5 centimeters. The four teams competing to "reimagine the area" are Gustafson Porter + Bowman, based in London, with local firm BIM Services; London-based AL_A with local firm Quatorze-ig; local firm Agence ter and Amsterdam-based Arcadis; and local firm KOZ Architectes. [Autodesk]
