At the height of the Covid-19 pandemic Graphisoft UK offered new and existing customers an extended free trial of Archicad software
Some customers were new practices who took the opportunity to try the software for the first time, some were returning customers who had used it in the past and others took the opportunity to add licences as their practice grew. In a series of interviews, we caught up with those practices to find out how they got on with using Archicad, what they like about the software and how it’s making a difference to their practice. You can read the first of these interviews with Lanre Gbolade of Gbolade Design Studio below.
Gbolade Design Studio is a small practice working mainly across London and the South East of the UK, with a focus on sustainable design. Founded three-and-a-half years ago, its projects include residential, cultural and community buildings with a focus on co-design engagement. More recently, the practice has expanded overseas and won a community project commission in Chicago, USA.
What prompted you to give Archicad software a try?
We had a solo licence already but as we’re growing the business and expanding the team, we needed more capacity. For us, Archicad has more team-building capabilities compared to other software applications in the market.
Have you used it previously?
Yes, we’ve used Archicad in previous practices for around 13 or 14 years.
How have you found using the software?
Archicad 24 and 25 are both really powerful tools. The software helps us to control and standardise the quality of our outputs from the business. Archicad also has impressive visualisation capabilities and the Twinmotion link for rendering is something we’re keen to explore further and use for client and end-user engagement.
Once our new staff members get going with it, we find most people enjoy using it.
How have you found the support from Graphisoft?
Anytime we’ve had general/technical queries, Graphisoft have been very responsive and can find a solution quickly.
We’ve had our team undertake online training modules and whenever we have a new starter, we get them to complete this, so they have a deep dive straight into the Archicad software basics. Now, when we’re recruiting, we do identify candidates who’ve had exposure to Archicad where possible.
We’ve also recently had a bespoke training session from Graphisoft about EcoDesigner, which is super powerful. As we focus on sustainable and low operational energy buildings, the capability of EcoDesigner is becoming very important for our practice, and we’ve been really impressed so far with this feature.
Can you tell us about some of the projects you’ve started using Archicad for?
We’re currently on site with eight townhouses in Croydon that are designed to be highly sustainable – meeting the RIBA 2030 Climate Challenge standards for both embodied and operational carbon.
We inherited the project at planning stage and so developed the model from scratch, redesigning the internal spaces to optimise the homes for more efficient use, enhanced internal environments and providing our client with added value. With the help of Archicad, we were able to more seamlessly coordinate design team meetings and exchange IFCs with external consultants including the structural engineer and MEP consultants.
We’re also at the concept design stage of the refurbishment of the Lloyd Leon Community Centre in Brixton. Known locally as the Dominoes Club, the centre houses Brixton’s well-known soup kitchen and is a hub for the local community. Residents and occupiers of the building, who have lived in the area for many years, are really keen to see the Grade II listed building creatively restored and renovated. We’ve really enjoyed using the powerful BIMx and Twinmotion tools to showcase the design proposals as they’ve evolved during the concept design stage.
Do you think Archicad will make a difference to your practice? If so, how?
Honestly – yes, it will. It’s a powerful application. Archicad will make a huge difference to our standardisation, quality control and templating. We’re investing in developing our own BIM templates, creating standard scheduling for doors, windows, details etc, all towards being super-efficient with our time so we can be more creative and deliver excellent quality buildings and spaces – the capabilities are tremendous.
What are the best things about Archicad that you’ve discovered so far?
The best things we’ve discovered so far about Archicad include the auto-scheduling features, the visual capabilities, in-application rendering and the improvements in graphic overrides. Many of these elements have also been enhanced in recent versions of Archicad. BIMx is also a great tool for communicating our work to our clients and project stakeholders.
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Please note: This is a commercial profile
