COX Architecture has approached designing the Australian War Memorial (AWM’s) new Anzac Hall and Glazed Link expansion via capitalising on the powers of computational thinking – a feat made possible by Autodesk Construction Cloud and Autodesk Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Collection.
Specifically designed for those in the built environment, Autodesk’s exceptional 3D modelling and cloud-based data management has come under the grateful eye of COX, who have employed such measures into the design of the AWM’s new Anzac Hall and Glazed Link expansion.
Autodesk assists architecture to address complex issues
COX has a penchant for relying on a fusion of traditional and transgressive sources in crafting future-proof spaces that are responsive to cultural, social, technological and economic change.
Autodesk’s AEC Collection and Construction Cloud have allowed COX’s vision to combine the old and new and experiment with computational design to come to fruition. Such Autodesk technologies facilitate the transformation of comprehensive modelling tools into premium-quality digital building models, abundant in data and primed to accommodate complex client demands while paving the way for cross-team collaboration.
COX director Peter Sullivan praises Autodesk’s “suite of capabilities” as it equips the firm with the tools and knowledge systems required to overcome design conundrums.
“Autodesk enables us to collaborate from a single source of accurate data,” he says. “Our architects and partners have easy access to a common data environment to work collaboratively across all studios, and can share, coordinate and communicate sophisticated designs from concept to delivery.”
Anzac Hall an exemplar of computational design
Due to be completed in late 2025, the Anzac Hall base building covers 7000 square metres of dedicated gallery space with the construction of a new two-level gallery. The Glazed Link will occupy the area between the main building and the new Anzac Hall and provide a space conducive to lingering and reflecting through a restaurant and placement of non-light-sensitive objects from the AWM’s collection.
COX engaged Autodesk Construction Cloud for document management, design collaboration and model coordination. The firm also embraced other AEC Collection software such as Autodesk Revit, AutoCAD, Building Information Modelling (BIM) Collaborate Pro and Navisworks, which mainly enable architects to accurately design buildings and infrastructure in 3D.
Autodesk Construction Cloud assisted the COX team in designing complex structures through data sharing and enabling collaboration across its various studios. Sullivan says while the roof across the main galleries appeared seemingly simple, the design of unique curvature necessitated the use of “complex geometry software.”
Autodesk remedies the perils of unsynchronised incorporation
COX associate and national BIM coordinator Ashley Beckett underscores the value BIM and computational design bring to an innovative and intricate project such as Anzac Hall. “BIM enables processes, procedures, collaboration and delivery, and computational design facilitates the testing of complex ideas that push the boundaries of innovation,” he says.
Autodesk helped the COX team harmoniously incorporate complex geometry from other platforms into the project and coordinate this incorporation across an interdisciplinary network. “We used McNeel’s Rhino and Grasshopper to generate the forms and workflows for a lot of our complex geometry, which streamlines into Autodesk Revit seamlessly using BEAM by MKS Dtech,” explains Beckett.
The 3D cloud environment in Autodesk Construction Cloud also rendered the project time-efficient and risk-evasive through proactively identifying clashes and operating safety checks. COX revelled in the ability of this function to connect workflows, teams and data at every stage of the project.
Climate-responsiveness, visibility and resource control promised
Beckett highlights the merit of computational design thinking to help teams combat the challenges of complex and demanding projects. The design system also allows teams to remain agile to changing client expectations.
“Computational thinking enables us to integrate – at the earliest stages of design through to construction – client and stakeholder-focused responses to site, geometry, structure, environment, energy, and human behaviour,” says Beckett.
Cloud software such as Autodesk Forma also fortifies firms such as COX with analysis tools that estimate the environmental impact of designs in situ and on neighbouring sites. Autodesk Forma evaluates a site’s microclimate conditions, wind comfort and embodied carbon, in addition to predicting the effectiveness of installing solar panels and daylight and sunlight exposure.
Autodesk senior regional director for Australia and New Zealand Andy Cunningham celebrates COX taking centre stage at the intersection of computational principles and complex architecture.
“COX drives value for its clients by providing better visibility, cost-effective optioneering with superior visualisation and better quality and resource control throughout the process of complex design projects,” says Cunningham.
Photography supplied.
Australian War Memorial’s FM Jana Johnson on connecting to a cultural institution.
