ATLANTA — Georgia Tech has introduced a new Digital Building Laboratory, a consortium of faculty, students and corporations working to advance technologies for the design and construction of buildings.

Combining expertise in architecture, computing, building construction and civil engineering, the lab tackles research projects aligned to strategic industry challenges.

For example:
• Digital Design and Fabrication: testing new materials and building methods with advanced computing
• Energy and Sustainability: developing building performance assessment tools and alternative energy sources for buildings
• Modeling and Visualization: developing interactive environments to support retrofit design and engineering
• Systems, Processes and Interoperability: improving project work flows and integrated project delivery

Facilities include the 13,000 square-foot Digital Fabrication Lab workspace and, beginning January 2011, the Hinman Research building which currently is undergoing a $9.5 million renovation. This new space will house offices, computer labs and high-fidelity simulation and planning space.

“The Digital Building Lab develops new capabilities and workflows that benefit the construction industry and its customer clients,” said lab director and building technologies expert Charles Eastman. “We promote interdisciplinary education, both within Georgia Tech and with other universities, and undertake collaborative research with relevant industries.”

The Georgia Tech Digital Building Laboratory is associated with other faculty-led research laboratories throughout campus and supports advanced Master of Science degree programs with specializations in digital design and fabrication; high performance building; and architecture/construction/engineering integration.

Learn about the Digital Building Lab’s Member organizations, academic offerings, current and past projects and membership opportunities by visiting www.dbl.gatech.edu.

For more information about the Georgia Tech College of Architecture, please visit www.coa.gatech.edu.