Parkin is excited to announce that we are now live on YouTube.  We will be sharing  educational videos to enhance your understanding of architecture.

https://www.youtube.com/user/ParkinArch

Teams wrapped up the test phase of the challenge the week of October 23, 2017.  Each team selected a component of its pavilion design for test 3D printing.  The resulting prototype models provided teams with valuable information about material properties, effects, fitting and connections.  For many teams, this is their first time printing or utilizing a dual material 3D printer.  Each team will use the experience learned from their tests to tweak and refine their models and to coordinate with their Entuitive partners how the architectural and structural components will fit together.

Final printing begins October 26, 2017 and will run until November 5, 2017. 

Parkin’s social club hosted a Halloween Pumpkin decorating contest.  Four teams joined and created some fabulous themed pumpkins.  Three rules of competition: 1. pumpkins could not be carved, 2. Maximum time to decorate was one hour, and 3. Budget was $15.  Judges had such a hard time picking winners that all teams were declared winners.  Congratulations!  What a creative bunch.

Out of the 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd places, Parkin had 15 other individual submissions.  All submissions were creative and innovative. 

We are looking forward to seeing the Phase 2 submissions.  Good luck to all teams.

Parkin and Entuitive have kicked-off a collaborative 3D printing challenge involving 5 teams and 6 offices.  Parkin teams of designers from Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto will partner with Entuitive structural engineering teams from the U.K, Calgary and Toronto to design a 1:50 scale pavilion using assembled 3D printed pieces. 

The challenge will demonstrate FDM and STL printing technologies and 3D printing as a collaborative design and mock-up tool.

Entries will be judged by invited clients at Parkin’s annual Client reception on November 6, 2017.  The event will be streamed live.

Phase 2 will be in joint venture with Entuitive (structural engineers).  Having won the Best Use of Labels award in the 2016 Canstruction Toronto competition, the (Entuitive/PCL/Parkin) submission was also named as the recipient of one of eight Canstruction International awards! Our creation (Cappuccino Cup) was chosen from a pool of over 1200 submissions across 150 cities, and is the only winner from Canada. Awards were presented in Florida in the spring of 2017.  Based on our past success with the Canstruction competition, we are excited to work with this group again.

Parkin has been producing 3D prints to enhance client communications, providing a tangible product to enhance project development.  To familiarize staff with the new technology, the firm has acquired a 3D printer, and posed a 3D design challenge.  Phase 1 of the challenge was to encourage development of people’s software and hardware skills. 

Nineteen participants modelled, reworked and refined their 3D printing designs to fit within a prescribed tight printing timeframe, while exploring unique forms that displayed the 3D printer’s capabilities for detail and form—even when printed in ‘Draft’ mode!  Based on the scoring and challenge criteria, one print scored highest and the others received honourable mentions.