One technology that’s playing an increasing role in architectural design is 3D printing. And 3D printing is becoming more mainstream, too. Evidence of both these claims can be seen on PBS’ upcoming season of “This Old House,” where a 3D-printed model will help communicate renovation plans on the historic Massachusetts homestead formerly owned by Revolutionary War hero Nathaniel Page.

The detailed 14-piece scale model measures 28 x 21 x 9-in. It was printed on a Z Corp. multicolor ZPrinter and can be assembled to depict the home, which was built in 1687, as it stands now as well as what it’s projected to look like after the renovations. “The designers, contractors, viewers and homeowners get a much clearer image of the project than they could through 2D plans and conversation alone,” says Dan Quaile, project architect. The house, perhaps not coincidentally, is owned by Joe Titlow, Z Corp.’s VP of Product Management.

Here’s a look at the before and after models:

The model is slated to be featured in the Oct. 6 and Oct. 13 episodes of the program. Check your local listings by clicking here.

Although photogrammetry – the practice of making measurements with the use of photographs – has been around since the 19^th century Creaform, the portable 3D scanning and optical measurement technology company, has brought it to the 21^st with the release of the MaxSHOT 3D optical coordinate measurement camera. The goal: to make the measurement of objects (from parts to full assemblies) faster and easier for users of all skill levels to ultimately reduce production costs. The camera offers a volumetric accuracy of 0.0003 in./ft; the in-use accuracy is based on which Creaform positioning system it is used with (e.g., the photogrammetry camera is compatible with Creaform’s Handyscan 3D self-positioning scanner, the MetraSCAN optical coordinate measuring machine (CMM) 3D scanner, and the HandyPROBE arm-free CMM scanner).

The MaxSHOT 3D camera captures the coordinates of an object and sends the points to VXshot a module of the company’s VXelements 3D data acquisition software. The data are processed and a positioning model is created. To increase usability and accuracy of the image, the software:

– Guides users throughout the measurement process.

– Immediately notifies users if they need to take additional pictures to increase measurement accuracy.

– Provides real-time visualization and validation options of the positioning model.

– Measures and recomputes all identified points each time an image is taken.

Although designers and engineers have been knocking off nature since the days of Daedalus, not all designers go the “let’s use bird wings to fly” approach. Some go to places that many may not even think about.

Case in point: the Eastgate Shopping Center in Zimbabwe. It was inspired by termite mounds.

According to a report in Wired Science: “The inside of a termite mound stays at near-constant temperature and humidity, no matter how wet, dry, scorching or freezing it might be outside. To do this, termites open and close a series of heating and cooling vents throughout the day.”

The shopping center was designed accordingly and is said to use 90% less energy than comparatively sized buildings.

For more on architectural developments, check out the September-October issue of Time Compression.

Here’s a case of some clever collaboration: IBM is noted for its computing prowess. 3M is noted for its adhesive excellence.

Today the two companies announced that they are going to jointly develop the world’s first adhesive that can be used to stack semiconductors into “silicon towers.” This new material, so the companies plan, will allow the building of commercial microprocessors that would be composed of layers of up to 100 separate chips.

The message here: Think about how suppliers can become collaborators in your product development efforts.

David Munson, owner of Munson3D.com, an architectural visualization company, has created a tribute to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, by documenting the totality of the events in a three-piece scale model of lower Manhattan. The model, which he calls “WTC Triptych,” details the cityscape before and after the attacks, as well as what the area will look like when the new World Trade Center buildings are completed come 2013.

The stirring and comprehensive set of models was created via 3D printing.

Munson used 2D satellite images, photographs and 3D models as reference materials to design the cityscapes. Then he used Autodesk CAD software, Google SketchUp and Adobe Photoshop to digitally render lower Manhattan. He then additively built the three models, each 17 x 17-in., on Z Corp.’s Spectrum Z510 full-color 3D printer.

WTC Triptych is now on display at the New York City Fire Museum, to mark the 10^th anniversary of 9/11.