hotelbau – digitization 04.2018

Three-dimensional design

Digitalisation has become an indispensable tool in the architectural industry. Dittel Architekten located in Stuttgart has also recognised this and has been tapping into its potential. Theay are already creating photorealistic visualisations as part of the design phase, using »Rhino« software. Combined with VR goggles, you can »enter« the three-dimensional room and experience it even before the project has begun.

Hotel Domizil in Tübingen, with a floor area of over 4,000m², is being comprehensively redesigned and redeveloped by Dittel Architekten. The first rooms were completed in December 2017. The design is derived from the name of the hotel, »Domizil« (= »at home«), and the character of the city. Natural colour contrasts, relating to the famous houses of Tübingen Old Town, are created in combination with wood and leather tones, as well as black metal. Another key part of the room is the multifunctional wardrobe, which can also be used as a seating alcove and luggage rack.

Dittel Architekten (DIA) sees digitalisation as something valuable – both in general and in the sub-discipline of digital design. This is why the architectural office founded their own »digital business« division last year. Digital design, using the BIM method approach, is one of the central focus points. In this, three-dimensional models of rooms and buildings are seen as standard. Based on its own experience, DIA knows that the degree to which BIM and digital design methods are used always depends on the project, taking into account the pros and cons, and the client’s requirements. For example, in its current project, Hotel Domizil in Tübingen, not every step in the BIM process has been requested. As well as a full redevelopment, the hotel is getting a completely new interior, with the first rooms having been completed in December 2017. They are also currently in the initial stages of BIM planning for a hotel construction project in Berlin, and are evaluating the interfaces with structural engineering architects and other partners in order to determine to what extent applying BIM methodology would make sense.

Beamed into the room

Scan the QR code and see for yourself how close the 3D design and reality come to each other in the »Bar Eduard’s« project.

The architectural office generates photorealistic images using technical three-dimensional drawings and uses these to create three-dimensional buildings and virtual and augmented reality environments. As well as using CAD programs such as »Vector Works«, which already creates 3D models of buildings and rooms, DIA also uses »Rhino« software for photorealistic visualisation. The latter is then integrated into the »roundme« application. Combined with VR goggles, you can get an impression of the three-dimensional room and see it from a realistic perspective. Although the room is still in the design phase, clients are able to take a sneak peak. The architectural office is convinced that this approach has already been a great relief for clients who don’t come into contact with architectural designs & processes every day. It is therefore easier to include the people involved in the projects from an early stage in the design process, because not everyone is able to visualise things the way an architect can. Managers and investors in particular can be given a great deal of transparency and visualisation from the very beginning with respect to the end result. It is also conceivable for hotel guests to get excited about a hotel as early as the planning stage by using VR goggles in the lobby.

However, it should be noted that the design method that uses sketches in the early design phases is associated with additional costs in comparison to the classic design method, and yet does not ultimately give a real, i.e. haptic, and physically tangible spatial experience. DIA still considers showroom construction to be a key part of the design process. In their view, it is not enough for people to interact with the environment virtually. Nevertheless, the architectural office claims that technologies are already being developed that send human »avatars« with their movement patterns and characteristics through rooms and buildings in order to move the testing of room use to the virtual world as well. This could mean that digital products will replace showrooms in the future.

A new hotel is being constructed for Lindemann Hotels right by Gleisdreieck Park in Berlin, which is surrounded by architecture that spans all of the decades in the 20th century. The Lindemann brand represents something that has urban style, and is modern and familiar. The strong connection to the capital city is unmistakable in the slogan »We are Berlin«. DIA’s design transforms these values into an architectural concept that interprets Berlin’s history and brings it to life in terms of form, colour and experience: The visitor can experience 80s Berlin as well as the cosmopolitan lifestyle of today’s capital city over nine storeys.

Source: hotelbau / Digitization
Author: Miriam Glaß
Pictures: Martin Baitinger, ©DITTEL ARCHITEKTEN GMBH
Rendering: DIA, ©DITTEL ARCHITEKTEN GMBH