Morphosis Wins 2005 BE Award; Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse Named Top Project in ''Building: BIM for Architecture, Public Building'' Category.

EXTON, Pa. -- Morphosis, a leading Santa Monica-based architectural practice headed by Thom Mayne, 2005 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, has won a 2005 BE Award for its Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse in Eugene, Ore. The award category was "Building: BIM for Architecture, Public Building."

The BE Awards of Excellence, which are selected by an independent jury of industry experts and presented at an evening ceremony during the annual BE Conference (www.be.org), honor the extraordinary work of Bentley users improving the world's infrastructure. These projects set benchmarks for their industries, and showcase the imagination and technical mastery of the organizations that created them.

Commenting on why Morphosis relied on Bentley's building information modeling (BIM) solutions in its award-winning project design, Morphosis IT/CAD manager Marty Doscher said, "By using a Bentley model-centric approach, Morphosis is more efficiently producing construction documents that concisely convey the design intent. By supplying a construction-ready model, which unites the various modeling and detailing platforms, there is a more seamless integration amongst the design and construction team members."

The Wayne L. Morse U.S. Courthouse was designed to bridge the chasm that, according to Doscher, "is widely agreed to have developed over the past two centuries between 'us,' the citizens, and 'them,' the government." Doscher adds that, by focusing on concepts of integrity, vitality, dignity, and substance, Morphosis sought to "infuse the building with imagery that will beckon all citizens to reclaim their proprietary relationship to our system of justice."

In recent years, courthouses have become less public symbols of justice and more akin to generic office towers. The increasing amount of administrative space required to service and support courtroom activities, as well as the security measures that mandate the strict separation of restricted and secure circulation from public circulation, are two key factors that have contributed to this condition.

Courtrooms are typically located at the center of the building while support spaces and circulation radiate outward, obscuring the courtrooms as figures of the judicial process. Morphosis' approach to the Wayne Morse Courthouse was to challenge this model, articulate the courtrooms as objects, and resolve all the given requirements for security, adjacencies, and circulation.

Instead of stacking the spaces up and around the courtrooms, this courthouse raises the courtrooms and slips support services into a two-story plinth. While the base is monolithic, the courtrooms are expressive, formally articulated, and legible to the public and city beyond.

According to Doscher, because the 3D models convey so much useful information for the construction of the building, they are now the primary source of information for the most complex areas in Morphosis' projects, for both the design and construction teams. A MicroStation TriForma model was developed to record the relationships between complex geometries, and GenerativeComponents helped formalize the geometric constraints and demonstrate how they operated.

Using Bentley Structural, Morphosis was able to model the structural frame quickly and accurately, reducing the margin for error in relatively tight architectural envelopes. In addition, Bentley Structural allowed the architectural and engineering teams to locate the steel in 3D by exact offsets from the curving finish surfaces, then export those members via steel detailing neutral format (SDNF) to the steel detailer.

For more information on Morphosis' winning project and all of the other 2005 BE Award projects, visit www.be.org/2005beawardwinners.

About Morphosis and Thom Mayne

Morphosis, which means "to be in formation," was founded in 1972 to develop an architecture that would eschew the bounds of conventional forms and materials, and a practice committed to research and innovation as a means of generating new ideas. Growing steadily, the firm currently comprises 40 architects and designers directed by Thom Mayne, who remains committed to the practice of architecture as a collective enterprise. Morphosis' objective is to develop a critical practice where creative output engages the contemporary discourse of the discipline through architectural design and education. The work of the firm ranges from designs for watches and teapots to homes to large-scale civic buildings and other urban design and planning schemes that aim to reshape entire cities.

Over the past 30 years, Morphosis has been the recipient of 25 Progressive Architecture Awards, 54 AIA awards, and numerous other design recognitions. Thom Mayne, principal of Morphosis, was most recently named the 2005 Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate, the profession's highest honor. The firm has been the subject of various group and solo exhibitions around the world, most notably at the Contemporary Art Center in Cincinnati, the Walker Arts Institute in Minneapolis, and a major retrospective at the Netherlands Architectural Institute in 1999. In March 2006, the Centre Georges Pompidou in Paris will open the firm's largest solo exhibition.

Morphosis maintains a strong commitment to innovation through the use of technology. The firm introduced computers into its design process in 1994 and has continued to research, develop, and deploy advanced computer solutions to provide clients with comprehensive and efficient professional services. Morphosis begins using these software packages in the earliest project stages to interactively explore, develop, and communicate design alternatives. The firm's integration of advanced technology into its design and production process has facilitated a migration from drawing-centric contract document production process to 3D model-based process. Using programs such as MicroStation TriForma, Bentley Architecture, and Z Corporation 3D printing technology speeds the design process, and helps to develop better solutions through frequent reviews and revisions. For more information about Morphosis, visit www.morphosis.net/morph.htm.

About the BE Conference

The BE Conference, which consistently scores a 99 percent attendee satisfaction rating, is a once-a-year learning opportunity for Bentley users and their managers offering professional training, technology updates, keynotes, and best practice sharing. At these sessions, attendees better themselves, better their organizations, and better the ways they can improve the world's infrastructure.

To pre-register for BE Conference 2006, go to www.be.org/preregister.

About Bentley

Bentley Systems, Incorporated provides software for the lifecycle of the world's infrastructure. The company's comprehensive portfolio for the building, plant, civil, and geospatial vertical markets spans architecture, engineering, construction (AEC) and operations. With 2004 revenues exceeding $300 million, Bentley is the leading provider of AEC software to the Engineering News-Record Design 500 and major owner-operators.

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