AIA members and guests seek out the latest and greatest for their architecture practices as they peruse the products and services of more than 800 exhibiting companies at Expo 2006 at the AIA National Convention in Los Angeles June 8–10.

AIArchitect asked members about the exhibits they plan on seeing and what caught their attention first among the exciting innovations offered by the design and construction industry vendors and Cornerstone Partners. Several members identified the many new and improved technology applications, an increase they perceived from prior years.

I’m interested in advances in technology, particularly in the ability of different applications to talk to each other, like those for specifications, CAD, and cost-estimating. I attended the TAPS (Technology in Architecture Practice) and BIM (Building Information Modeling) program—it’s good to see all the products that help bridge technology and integrate practice.
—Michael Murray, AIA, principal and architect, The Beck Group, Dallas

Technology seems to change each year. I’m looking not just at the construction products, but at the software, too. A lot of companies are here from outside the country. I think maybe five or six years ago I came to the convention. They gave me a Revit demo CD, and I’ve been using it ever since. These shows are good for getting new ideas about where things are going. We are so busy in our industry right now, we’re always looking for newer and faster and better ways to do our work, and there are a lot of examples of that here. Companies are updating their product lines, so we get a chance to see some of the newer things they are doing before they get to market.
—Terry Green, AIA, principal, Williams + Paddon Architects and Planners Inc.

I’m looking at a variety of materials for project applications, including the custom stainless steel fabrications, and canopies and curtain walls for commercial architects.
—Geno Nicholas Yun, AIA, ELS Architecture + Design, Berkeley, Calif.

I was looking at Form•Z. My firm uses different 3D software, so it’s nice to see something a little different. I’m also interested in learning more about window products and security hardware for some government projects.
—Lawrence Johns, Assoc. AIA, Hayes, Seay, Mattern & Mattern Inc., Roanoke, Va.

As an AIA member working with a contractor on a military base in Albuquerque for the U.S. Air Force, I’m inspired to be here to see the diversity of products and the variety of viewpoints. I’m just getting started, but I’m specifically looking for better window replacements for the Air Force project.
—Ashley Burkholder, AIA, Chugach Management Services, Anchorage.

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