The Boston Planning & Development Agency (BPDA) has long kept 3D models of its city. However, cobbled together over the years, the files are at times cumbersome and as firms increasingly turn to 3D printing for model making and testing, not so useful. Printers dont know how to process them or they are not designed in a way that print with stability. MakeTANK, an initiative of the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) saw this as an opportunity.
MakeTANK was initially started to integrate maker culture into the design process, according to Sasaki director of technical resources Bradford J. Prestbo, who has been intimately involved with the project along with the rest of the firm. The hope was to leverage the many makers and maker spaces in the greater Boston area, and help architects increase client engagement and decrease contractor riskand costby testing their designs out first. Imagine going into a restaurant where the chef only wrote recipes and has never actually cooked them, said Prestbo, half-joking. Thats kind of like the architectural profession today, where we just do a lot of paper architecture and paper designs without going through the process to actually taste what weve coupled together to make sure its actually an effective solution that also will perform long term.
City Print is MakeTANKs latest project, just announced at ABX19, though its been under development for over a year. The collaborative team of architects that came together for City Print developed a series of scripts that helped turn the existing models of Boston into watertight solids, meaning that when processed in Grasshopper they can be effectively fed into 3D printers. They also added additional topographic details. The process, however, could not be fully automated.
The files have to be individually opened, the scripts ran, and all of it double and triple checked for quality control. To help convert the over 200 model tiles of the city to be 3D ready, MakeTANK has enlisted the whos who of Boston-area architects. We are engaging in the greater AEC community to help us process the tiles, explained Jay Nothoff, Sasaki fabrication studio manager, and then turning around and handing this resource back to that same community as a finished project for everyone to enjoy and use as they will further project work.
The revamped models will be added to the BPDAs free repository and the BSA is using them themselves. Theyll be replacing their lobbys current scale model of the citythe basis of which was originally designed in the 1980s and is mostly focused on the financial districtwith a new, modular replica made from these printed files. Were zooming out from the financial district, said Nothoff. Were including the City of Boston in its entirety and were making a model that is easily updated because it is built off a grid system. As portions of the city change and grow, these titles are semi-precious at best; theyre just going to be held in place with magnets so we can pull the tile and put a new one in its place to most accurately represents the City of Boston in its current state.
Felipe Francisco, an architectural designer at Sasaki, went on to explain that many community groups didnt feel represented by the previous BSA model. Were open to try and create a new dialogue with those groups, explained Francisco. We want to use this as a resource for community groups to be able to come in and use this model to diagram stories over it through projection mapping about their communities. By collaborating with visualization experts, the BSA is developing tools to use the re-built model as a storytelling and visualization device. The intention is to build a base projection for the model itself that delineates roads, waterways and what have you, said Nothoff. On top of that could be layered information on sea-level rise, income data, other metrics, or more abstract visuals. Were reaching out to various organizations throughout the greater Boston area, such as the Boston Foundation, to help us gather all the voices that are currently feeling underrepresented and give them equity with his model and teach them how to use the projection map on to the model and tell their story.
The process is ongoing. Interested area firms can check out tiles from a grid of the city, and for a dose of healthy competition, check out a leader board. You grab a tile, fill out a form, and submit it and shortly thereafter you get all the support files and the working files and scripting as well as instructions on how to process them, explained Prestbo.
Original post:
Boston architects come together to make a 3D-printable map of the city - The Architect's Newspaper
- This architect wants to build cities out of lava - MIT Technology Review - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Pope Places Antoni Gaud, Gods Architect, on Path to Sainthood - The New York Times - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Architects Invited to Reimagine Affordable Housing in Denver - Mile High CRE - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- With Thoravej 29, pihlmann architects has created a welcoming workspace for collaborative groups in Copenhagen - The Architects Newspaper - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Artists, architects and others sign petitions demanding return of hostages - The Times of Israel - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Inspiring the next generation of architects | Great Day SA - kens5.com - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- 600 Israel architects sign petition demanding halt to war on Gaza - Middle East Monitor - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- ALIGN Austin Architects BizSpotlight - The Business Journals - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Studio ST and Maggie Rosenblatt retool a childhood apartment - The Architects Newspaper - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Meet Baker Barrios Architects, a 2025 Best Places to Work honoree - The Business Journals - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Free 'Ask an Architect' program helps fire victims navigate the rebuilding process - ABC7 Los Angeles - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Tech and Touch: Navigating the Fluid States in Built Environments - Architect Magazine - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- The Vatican puts 'God's Architect' Gaud on the path to potential sainthood - Archinect - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- The West Village Penthouse Built From City Scraps - Curbed - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Trey Trahan, Manuelle Gautrand and Anna Herringer revealed as Dezeen Awards 2025 judges - Dezeen - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- trahan architects' winged pavilion spotlights USA culture & innovation at expo 2025 osaka - Designboom - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Marks Barfield Architects on Being a Good Ancestor - Architecture Today - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Gods architect - Will Antoni Gaud be beatified? - The Pillar - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- yama architects' house wa perches two elongated volumes on stone plinth in belgium - Designboom - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- How will the Planning and Infrastructure Bill affect architects work? - RIBA Journal - April 16th, 2025 [April 16th, 2025]
- Gensler architects will lead design of Baltimore Harborplace redevelopment - Baltimore Sun - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Watch How Zaha Hadid Revolutionized The Way Architects Design | The Blueprint Show - Architectural Digest - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Trash or Treasure: Rare painting may be work of noted architect - The Detroit News - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- In London, Leopold Banchini Architects uplifts arts and crafts for wine bar Goodbye Horses - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Architects Schedule a Show at the Wiltern - The Scenestar - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- A lab supply glut has pushed architects to get creative to find work - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Jon Batiste to Receive Inaugural Ray Charles "Architect of Sound" Award at Grammy Hall of Fame Gala - Jambands - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Stargaze (STARS) - AMA with The Architects - 03 Apr 2025 - TradingView - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Sequel Architects the Next Era of Entertainment with Transformative Streaming Experiences - Bluefield Daily Telegraph - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Open Call for UIA World Congress of Architects UIA2026BCN - - World-Architects - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Solutions Architects and AI Tools: What You Need to Know - dice.com - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Sequel Architects the Next Era of Entertainment with Transformative Streaming Experiences - ACCESS Newswire - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Horton Harper Architects thoughtfully designed this multigenerational home overlooking the Cuyahoga River and the city's industrial areas - Global... - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- AN launches AN BETS, the worlds first architecture gambling app - The Architects Newspaper - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- ARCHITECTS announce North American tour with ERRA - Revolver Magazine - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- ARCHITECTS to headline summer North American tour with ERRA and HOLYWATR - Lambgoat - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 2 Syracuse alumni elevated to The American Institute of Architects - The Daily Orange - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Architects to embark on North American headline tour this summer - Kerrang! - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Vibe coding isnt here to take developer jobs. Its here to transform them into AI architects - TechRadar - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- AD100 architects Talati and Partners craft a Mumbai home with stunning views of the sea - Architectural Digest India - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Richard Brown helped Rice blaze new trail as one of original architects of Shepherd School of Music - Rice University - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 10 loathed architectures, that architects love - Domus Web - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- barcelona's 'three chimneys' reborn as media hub in winning proposal by GdSB and marvel - Designboom - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Women as architects of intergenerational change - ET Edge Insights - ET Edge Insights - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- "This certainly won't be the tech bro biennale" says Venice Architecture Biennale curator Carlo Ratti - Dezeen - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Northern New York Community Foundation partners with BCA Architects - nny360.com - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- Lawyer investigating $1.9 million additional architects fee in Crown Event Center review - CityView NC - April 4th, 2025 [April 4th, 2025]
- 3D scanned tree trunks become translucent table legs for aki hamada architects' collection - Designboom - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- terraced cityzen tower by zaha hadid architects set to rise in tbilisi, georgia - Designboom - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architect designs skyscraper with cascading terraces in Tbilisi - Dezeen - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Elevating the Voice of Landscape Architects, Creating Vibrant and Resilient Communities - American Society of Landscape Architects - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Only 6% of architects are using AI regularly - Fast Company - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Insights from tomorrows architects: Appreciating women in architecture and driving change - Building Design - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art shares designs by shortlisted firms for expansion - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- AN talks to the curators of Cooper Unions Thank you, Herman Jessor - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Tbilisi's rolling hills inform new Cityzen Tower designed by Zaha Hadid Architects - World Architecture Community - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- How two architects turned a higgledy-piggledy hillside cottage into a quirky family home - Country Living UK - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Overconsumption a global challenge that can be addressed by architects - Architecture AU - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Marlon Blackwell Architects completes Heartland Whole Health Institute at Crystal Bridges - The Architect's Newspaper - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Subnautica 2: The Case For The Architect Race to Appear In The Sequel - GameRant - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Restore Oregon tour will open doors to these storied architects' bucket list modern homes - OregonLive - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Architects of the month | 'Sustainability isn't a fad' - India Today - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Throwing Architecture a Curve: Rediscovering Flix Candelas Years in Chicago - Newcity Design - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Whither the genius architect? The Brutalist reminds us of lost legacy - The Times of India - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- Top Tickets This Week: Volbeat, Architects - Stereoboard - March 17th, 2025 [March 17th, 2025]
- This week Patrik Schumacher claimed architecture "has ceased to exist" - Dezeen - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- First global study of the extraordinary role of animals as architects of Earth - Anthropocene Magazine - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Album review: Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Kerrang! - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The American Hardwood Information Center Offers Free Tool for Architects and Designers - PR Newswire - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- mork-ulnes architects rounds up its greatest works with monograph 'the craft of place' - Designboom - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The Unsung Architects of Innovation: Women in the Tech Industry - RiverBender.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects The Sky, the Earth & All Between Review - Myglobalmind - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects Unleash 'The Sky, The Earth & All Between' - antiMusic.com - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- ALBUM REVIEW: Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Boolin Tunes - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects The Sky, The Earth & All Between - Clash Magazine - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Architects are bringing nature home by making trees part of the plan - The Salem News - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architects Begins Construction of the Center of Mediterranean Culture in Italy - ArchDaily - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Reviews - The Sky, The Earth & All Between - BLABBERMOUTH.NET - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- The design of Pittsburghs future will be about trust, say two local architects - NEXTpittsburgh - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]
- Zaha Hadid Architects' Capital International Exhibition & Convention Center in Beijing provides a world-class venue designed to meet the growing... - March 1st, 2025 [March 1st, 2025]