BuiltWorlds' resident architect walks us through the site selection process, the players involved, and what went into the unique design of Zurich Insurance Group's new North American headquarters.

Walker Thisted, BuiltWorlds producer and resident architect, traveled to New York City last month and took a look at Hudson Yards, the big redevelopment project on Manhattan's west side.

IrisVR's new multi-user collaboration software lets stakeholders in different locations "gather" in the same virtual environment, allowing them to tour and discuss project spaces during audio-guided walkthroughs. 

As parametric modeling and computational design head towards the industry standard for developing responsible, and beautiful, buildings, see what some of the industry leaders have to say on how the technology is being used now and could be in the future. 

"Data-driven design" suggests an impersonal, robotic process that replaces human creativity with cold numbers. But at our latest BuildIdeas Breakfast, we learned from IBM Watson and Detroit Mercy Hospital that it can mean greater customer satisfaction.

Last month at the AIA Convention in Orlando, manufacturers came out in droves to push their building products and finishes on the expo floor. Here are Architizer's top picks from among the tech offerings for BIM modeling, collaborating, and documenting.

Electrochromic systems intuitively alter the hue of exterior windows based on conditions ranging from astronomical data, building orientation, latitude and longitude – even meteorological forecasts. Systems reduce heat gain and glare, maintain crystal-clear views, all while accruing significant energy savings over a reasonable payback period. 

Just days after the former First Lady urged architects not to neglect inner cities, she and her husband came home to Chicago this week to reveal their vision for a $500-million community hub that they hope will reinvigorate a long-struggling community.   

We create data in every part of the build process, and the ability to capture and analyze that data has only increased over the years. Now, professionals across the AEC tackle the issues of What do I do with all this data? How can I use it to benefit me? Well, if you're a designer, here are some big benefits for you.

The chief commercial officer of Chaos Group, maker of the V-Ray software that produces photo-realistic renderings for film, virtual reality, and architectural models, discusses how VR/AR will expand further into the AEC space in the near future and how his firm's product will develop with the trend.

The University of Buffalo architecture professor is working on a brick-hauling robot through the Sustainable Manufacturing and Advanced Robotic Technologies (SMART) program. Here, he talks about automated construction's relationship with building design.

Solid. Strong. Resilient. Concrete is a much-used, much-loved building material that conforms to the surface texture of formwork. What are new construction techniques for this centuries-old composite? Here are 7 ideas to add texture to concrete exteriors, featured on projects across the globe.

Despite both technology and architecture being male-dominated, CannonDesign selects Hilda Espinal as the international design firm's first Chief Technology Officer. 

Promoting collaboration, coordination, efficiency, and design intent among owners, designers, and builders during the design phase is critical to laying the foundation for activities that occur in the field. 

When we hear the words "lobby redo," the mind does not envision a price tag of half a billion dollars. But then again, if we're talking about 465,000 square feet inside Chicago's tallest tower, that could be a steal. See what Willis Tower's owner just unveiled last week. 

A series of contours, based on the pop diva's figure, have proved structurally efficient for the concrete-framed Premier Tower, a 79-story high-rise under way in Australia.

When you're a startup, every year is precious. So, this week, we look back on a raucous year marked by notable tech advances, epic engineering feats, and urgent reminders of urban infrastructure needs.

In the last year, our original video series brought together the built environment’s most impactful firms and powerful thought leaders. As we wrap up 2016, we look back at the top 10 videos we produced.

It's a MAD, MAD world. Another Star Wars sequel is due in theaters soon, but the off-screen soap opera behind the nomadic Lucas Museum of Narrative Art may finally be nearing a happy ending. Read on to see where George Lucas believes it will be built. 

Ever heard of University of California, Merced? Well, soon, you may. The tiny, 12-year-old research school was already making a name for itself in sustainable circles. But that was before this fall, when a Webcor-SOM team broke ground on a huge campus expansion.

Hogwarts in Hyde Park? The University of Chicago last week unveiled a new $150-million, 400,000-sq-ft dormitory designed by renowned architect Jeanne Gang, and built by Mortenson Construction. Read about their design-build success story here.

Timber! Long-held reservations are falling for building tall with wood. This week, the National Building Museum examines "the only building material that can both reduce carbon emissions and remove carbon from the atmosphere." BuiltWorlds joins the discussion.

Two announcements in two days last week showed how the page is turning on 9/11. In Chicago, crews broke ground on a Chinese-funded, $1-billion, 98-story tower, while NYC unveiled the final piece to the World Trade Center master plan.

How do companies like Gensler, Arup, and McShane Construction help fight hunger? By designing and building structures out of cans -- duh! While Canstruction is an international organization, BuiltWorlds reporter Alexis Chastain attended one of the regional events to find out more. 

Master planner Daniel Burnham turns 170 this Sunday. Now, as Chicago catches its breath in the wake of two big design decisions from George Lucas and Barack Obama, the late architect behind the Burnham Plan drops by BuiltWorlds for a surprise visit.

Developers down under have unveiled plans for a soaring 60-story apartment tower to be wrapped in more than 3,000 sq m of solar panels. The Sol Invictus Tower aims to be the nation's first to use a solar-based engineering scheme in its building frontage.

Two weeks to the day after our own crowdsourced competition chose alternative designs for the upcoming Obama Presidential Center, the real winners were named. And they were not the names everyone had been expecting. For details, read on. 

The people have spoken. And now our judges have, too. As it turns out, they agree. Last week's lively Obama Presidential Center Design Competition & Awards event drew international input from thousands and yielded many inspiring choices. See for yourself!

Here we go! Our unofficial, Obama Presidential Center design competition culminates this week with live presentations and awards in our BuiltWorlds Studios. Review all 33 of our undeniably thoughtful and creative design proposals from all over the world.

As our reality becomes more virtual and increasingly augmented, we spoke to both Shane Scranton and Nate Beatty for a deeper dive into how IrisVR is playing an integral role in that transition with their real-time 3D optimization engine and suite of software.