As a helluva Building Construction grad, Caddell built an internationally powerful construction company with a project list full of federal buildings, hospitals, airports, even the U.S. Embassies in China and Afghanistan.

But it’s the building that now bears his and his wife’s names that leaves no doubt about which Tech program he thinks is most forward-looking, most ahead of the collegiate pack.

“I wanted Georgia Tech’s Building Construction students to have the best start that they can possibly have,” he said. His generous gift to the School of Building Construction has not only rebuilt the school’s facility; it has sharpened the school’s focus on producing technologically-nimble graduates.

Clad in glass with a cantilevered canopy that shades the building’s windowed walls from the intense, Atlanta sunshine, it’s easy for anyone to see that this is no ordinary learning environment.

Inside, an enormous touch-screen media wall and energy-efficient climate control systems coexist with exposed pipework and concrete columns from the building’s original structure. This ambitious example of adaptive reuse is a LEED platinum certified building that offers students access to real-time sustainability performance information.

Students will learn from the building itself as well as from professors, said Daniel Castro, the chair of the School of Building Construction.

“In order to produce and operate highly effective and sustainable buildings, the architecture, engineering and construction industries increasingly interact through the use of digital tools and work together in new, more collaborative spaces,” he said.

The main “flex space” area of the John and Joyce Caddell Building is that kind of digital collaboration space: Reconfigurable classrooms, virtual modeling software and interactive display technology will train students to access and share information with colleagues from many other disciplines.  

“We expect to change the way Georgia Tech students from Architecture, Engineering, Building Construction, Business, Computing and beyond collaborate,” Castro said.

The John and Joyce Caddell Building will also be an international destination for lunch & learns, conferences and construction industry events. With an influential guest list, the School of Building Construction can break down distance barriers and introduce their students to the industry’s top professionals.

The building offers PhD students and visiting researchers dedicated study and collaborative spaces overlooking Atlanta’s skyline, which was largely designed and built by Georgia Tech grads.

It’s easy to get inspired here, and a far cry from Caddell’s student experience.

Before founding his global construction firm, Caddell used wages he saved from sanding floors for his father’s business to pay his Georgia Tech tuition.

Now members of The Hill Society (Georgia Tech’s most prestigious philanthropic society), John and Joyce Caddell have been supporting Georgia Tech’s Building Construction students through scholarships since 1986.

On Tuesday, April 28, Caddell and his wife will tour their namesake building during the dedication ceremony. Castro, the College of Architecture Dean Steven French and the president of Georgia Tech, G.P. “Bud” Peterson will be on hand to honor the Caddells.

The impact of this generous gift will be immediately evident to all who enter the building – but it will also be one helluva challenge to other Building Construction programs across the country.

It will be a while ‘till someone does better than Caddell.

As both a practicing architect and an educator, Marble embraces the change of new and developing technologies. His book — Digital Workflows in Architecture: Design, Assembly, Industry — explored the role of technology in the profession, building on the work of his practice and his 20 years of engagement with digital design and technology at Columbia University.

Marble said he was attracted to the position because Georgia Tech understands technology's great potential for solving problems in new and innovative ways.

Today’s architects must be technologically savvy and embrace collaborative and interdisciplinary models, he said.

“It’s typical that an architect is known as a leader of big teams,” Marble said. “That’s still important to maintain, but I think the next generation is going to be less about the more historical model of the ‘master builder’ and more about what I would refer to as the ‘master collaborator.’”

College of Architecture Dean Steven French described Marble as an outstanding designer and innovative educator who will develop a leading curriculum for 21st century architectural education.

For nearly 30 years, Marble has had his feet in both the academy and practice, witnessing a growing divide between the two. At Georgia Tech, he aims to establish a strategic and strong connection to industry that will create graduates who can become thought leaders in industry.

As chair of the School of Architecture, Marble will maintain partnership in Marble Fairbanks Architects, an award-winning practice in New York City whose work is a part of the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art.

He will also leverage his influential network in the architectural community to support Georgia Tech students here in Atlanta. These connections will increase the school's national and international impact and reputation, French said.

Marble received a Bachelor of Environmental Design degree from Texas A&M University in 1983 and a Master of Architecture degree from Columbia University in 1986.

He is a licensed architect in multiple states and his firm has received numerous recognitions, including awards from The American Institute of Architects and the Chicago Athaneum.

“We are thrilled to open our enhanced gallery space with an exhibit by such a distinguished graduate,” said Steve French, dean of the College of Architecture. “The improvements made to Stubbins – improved lighting, digital capabilities – will allow us to exhibit in ways we haven’t in the past. Catie’s work is a fantastic kick off.”

Newell graduated from the School of Architecture in 2003 with a B.S. in Architecture. She went on to earn a Master’s in Architecture from Rice University in 2006. That same year she won the SOM Prize for Architecture, Design, and Urban Design with her project "Weather Permitting".

Before joining the faculty at the University of Michigan as the Oberdick Fellow in 2009, where she is currently an assistant professor of Architecture, she worked at Office dA in Boston. Newell is the founding principal of *Alibi Studio in Detroit.

In 2011, she won the ArtPrize Best Use of Urban Space juried award, as well as the Architectural League Prize for Young Architects and Designers. She exhibited her work at the 2012 Architecture Biennale in Venice. Most recently, she won the Rome Prize in 2013 and is now a Fellow of the American Academy in Rome.

Newell’s work captures spaces and material effects, focusing on the development of atmospheres through exploration of textures, volumes, and the effects of light, or lack thereof. Her practice has been widely recognized for exploring design construction and materiality in relation to location, geography, and cultural contingencies.

Newell will present her work on Wednesday, October 8th, 6 p.m. in the Reinsch-Pierce Family Auditorium at the College of Architecture. The opening of her exhibition in the Stubbins Gallery will follow. Both lecture and opening are open to the public.

The Stubbins Gallery and the Reinsch-Pierce Family Auditorium are located in the Architecture East Building, at 245 Fourth Street NW, Atlanta, 30332-0155. Stubbins Gallery is open Mon.- Fri. 8:00 - 4:00 p.m.

The chair will bear the name of one of Georgia Tech’s most distinguished graduates, renowned architect John C. Portman Jr., ARCH 1950, Honorary Ph.D. 2012.

“Atlanta is my town,” explained Portman. “Georgia Tech is a jewel in Atlanta’s crown, and the College of Architecture played a pivotal role in the shaping of my life. I am honored to partner with the institution that means so much to me, while it aims to ensure generations of aspiring architects have a world-class educational foundation on which to build their dreams, contribute to the field, and improve the lives of people everywhere.”

The John Portman Dean’s Chair will greatly enhance — in perpetuity — the College’s ability to attract and retain the very best academic leaders. In addition, it will provide the resources to meet pressing needs within the College and take advantage of emerging opportunities. Dean Steven P. French will be the first to hold the chair.

“The Portman Dean’s Chair is transformative,” said French. “It is absolutely indispensable to reaching our strategic goals, but it also serves as an inspirational legacy to generations of architects in the Georgia Tech community.”

French, a professor of city and regional planning, served as associate dean for research within the College from 2009 to 2013. Both he and his predecessor, Alan Balfour, whose five-year tenure was marked by innovation and leadership in implementing structural changes, have been committed to connecting with alumni and enlisting their support in advancing the College of Architecture. 

John Portman is chairman of The Portman Companies – affiliated architecture, development, financing and management companies – all headquartered in Atlanta.  Since the founding of his firm in 1953, he has been a pioneer in architecture, introducing the very concept of the architect as developer. Over the course of more than 60 years, The Portman Companies have developed and/or designed more than 50 million square feet of space globally, spanning the segments of mixed-use, hospitality, office, residential, exhibition and higher education.

Portman’s impact has been felt around the world, but no city benefited more from his vision than Atlanta, whose downtown he revolutionized over a span of 50 years, beginning in the 1960s. The 14-block Peachtree Center complex features many of his landmark projects, including the Atlanta Merchandise Mart (now AmericasMart, the world’s largest single wholesale marketplace), the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, The Westin Peachtree Plaza, and the Hyatt Regency Atlanta, with its “first-of-its-kind” 22-story atrium. From the opening of that groundbreaking hotel in 1967, he made architectural history and won international acclaim.

He received the Exceptional Achievement Award from Georgia Tech in 1986 and an honorary Ph.D. in 2012. In addition, he has been recognized throughout his career with prestigious industry awards such as a lifetime achievement award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat in 2009, the Silver Medal Award in 1981 from the Atlanta Chapter of the American Institute of Architects (AIA) for innovative design, and an AIA Medal in 1978 from the national AIA organization for innovations in hotel design.

John Portman helped shape the second half of the 20th century as an artist, an architect, a developer, and an entrepreneur. Notable projects outside of his home town of Atlanta include Embarcadero Center in San Francisco, Shanghai Center and Tomorrow Square in Shanghai, and Yintai Centre in Beijing.  He once famously said, “To create space that enhances the quality of life is architecture’s greatest gift to the community it serves.”  He now will have a positive influence on the contributions of generations of young architects to come.

Annual DBL awards are made possible through contributions from the DBL industry members, whose representatives also serve as proposal evaluators. Awards are made annually, of amounts up to $50,000

According to Prof. Charles Eastman, Director of the Laboratory “the DBL Awards made each year build bridges between firms in architecture, engineering and construction with university faculty and students.  At the same time, they contribute to advances in building, allowing firms to be more innovative and creative.”

The awardees for 2012-2013 are:

Baabak Ashuri – Determining the Impact and Effectiveness of BIM : What is the the impact and effectiveness of BIM – in its varied dimensions?  Quantified data on the impact of BIM will be collected based  on several project variables, such as number of Requests for Information (RFIs) and Change Orders (COs), considering project characteristics including project type (healthcare, federal, commercial, etc.), region of country, project delivery method, and others.

Jason Brown and Fried Augenbroe - Early Design Decision Support: Quantification of Uncertainty and Assessment of Confidence:  This research projects explores whether an architectural design decision be made during an early design phase with confidence that the performance-related outcome of that decision will be a preferred outcome at final design.  If so, what models can support such decisions with confidence? To examine these issues, the project will conduct research aimed at fundamentally improving how energy assessment tools are integrated in CAD environments and design decision-making.

John Haymaker - How to Decide How to Decide: An Analysis Of Decision Processes For AECO: AECO professionals make their living by making effective decisions – such as which consultants to hire, where to locate a utility plant, what fabrication technique to deploy, and when to upgrade a building’s mechanical systems – and by making those decisions efficiently. Until recently, AECO professionals informally communicated and managed information about their decisions, such as the people involved, alternatives considered, factors analyzed and priorities and uncertainties asserted. John Haymaker’s research will help AECO members understand the factors they should consider when selecting a decision method, and to apply the wide range of decision methods available to them.

Chuck Eastman and Yong-cheol Lee - Rules Checking for Complex Building Programs: Client-provided building programs are becoming more complex. In hospitals, clients may specify 30 or more requirements for a patient room , dealing with such aspects as finishes, utilities, and fixtures. Does the design satisfy the program requirements? This is currently a large, tedious and manually answered question. This project is directed at automating the interpretation and testing of a building model to determine if programmatic requirements are satisfied.

Javier Irizarry and Racel Williams - BIM2MAR: BIM Translation for Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) Applications in AECO Practices: This research project explores methods of translating Building Information Modeling (BIM) and building content for use in a Mobile Augmented Reality (MAR) environment that is accessible using current mobile technologies (e.g. smart phones or tablet devices). 

Marc Simmons and Marcelo Bernal - Expertise Capture within Specialist Design/Construction Firms: Marcelo Bernal will work with Marc Simmons to gain expert knowledge regarding building skins in terms of performance, erection, fabrication, and maintenance. The goal will be to structure this highly design-oriented information,  allowing others to use it.

Proposals are encouraged from Georgia Tech researchers and faculty as well as advanced PhD students. Those interested in applying for the 2013-2014 round of awards should contact Dr. Charles Eastman (Charles.eastman@coa.gatech.edu).

These Building Information Models (BIM) change hands dozens of times in any given project, between planners, interior designers and engineers; between contractors and fabricators; and between project tasks such as space planning and structural design.

The exchanges often lead to costly miscommunication and labor hours to interpret and re-work information. In fact, the National Institute of Standards and Technology reported that $15.8 billion is lost annually by poor data exchange.

“This has been a major impediment to full adoption of BIM’s full capabilities,” said Georgia Tech Digital Building Lab Director Chuck Eastman. “The Lab is working directly with its corporate members and the above industry groups to develop the technology and information standards that address the challenges that come with segmented business practices and multiple software platforms organizing terabytes of data.”

BIM, a technology pioneered at Georgia Tech by Eastman, is an integrated modeling technology and process for exploring a project's key physical, functional and performance characteristics digitally before it's built, helping to deliver projects faster and more economically, while minimizing environmental impact.

The research team at Georgia Tech is hosting national workshops on campus and co-authoring enterprise-wide Information Delivery Manuals with the three influential organizations. The work on interoperability and standards also is supported by the Charles Pankow Foundation.

The news is significant to analysts, planners and other decision makers in the building industry who have struggled to understand apparent declines in productivity in stark contrast to increasing productivity in manufacturing.

With the advent of building information modeling in the last six years, where the design process involves one or more digital models for architects, engineers, contractors and owners to coordinate the construction together, building components can be more easily pre-fabricated to reduce waste, enhance safety and avoid delays. 

The study, authored by researchers Charles Eastman at the Georgia Tech College of Architecture and Rafael Sacks at Technion, looks at production activities for industries with both off-site and on-site components, and compares their productivity with productivity changes over ten years. 

The College of Architecture champions advancements in the arts and the built environment through academic programs in architecture, building construction, city and regional planning, doctoral studies, industrial design, and music. The College is a leading producer of research in each of its disciplines, and among the top three in the area of architecture.