International building engineering design firm Newtecnic specialises in making it possible to build futuristic buildings with curvy, complex facades. Newtecnic鈥檚 new office in Los Angeles鈥� historic Fine Arts Building is the company鈥檚 fourth. Its existing locations are London and Cambridge in UK and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia.
Simultaneously, Newtecnic has announced partnerships with UCLA Engineering and USC Architecture to research new construction methods. The work involves digital, robotic and drone technologies, determining advanced building methods and optimising building sequences. Three additional offices across the United States 鈥� in partnership with universities 鈥� are scheduled to open during the first quarter of this year.
鈥淕lobal demand for dramatic, complex buildings has never been so high,鈥� said Andrew Watts, CEO of Newtecnic. 鈥淲e are making a positive contribution to the US economy by introducing optimized practices and processes on a large scale and are proud to partner with some of America鈥檚 leading academic institutions, construction companies, developers, architects and contractors on various projects. Our existing relationships with UCLA and USC made opening an office in LA the natural evolution of our business.鈥�
Newtecnic鈥檚 portfolio includes Morocco鈥檚 Grand Th茅芒tre de Rabat, Saudi Arabia鈥檚 King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) Metro hub, and Istanbul鈥檚 tallest structure the KCTV Tower. The company said that it makes such projects buildable using advanced ultra-realistic 3D technology to create a digital simulation twin of the structure. Through physics and high-level mathematics, every parameter and operation of buildings is defined through the extended life cycle, from the first idea through to maintenance and eventual recycling.
鈥淚n a building, the forces of compression, tension, shear and buckling must be understood and controlled,鈥� said Watts. 鈥淚t is by solving these interrelated energies that unexpectedly elegant solutions arise. But such audacious geometry comprising curves and sweeping planes cannot be built using traditional methods.鈥�
By designing and then manufacturing components digitally, any technical, structural and aesthetic issues can be resolved in advance of physical work commencing, said the company. Much like a puzzle, each building component is precisely crafted 鈥� often using 3D printing 鈥� for a perfect fit, said Watts. 鈥淎nd because everything is built to order, there is no waste,鈥� he added.
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