Here comes COVID again ruining everything…. I’m joking, but also, not really. Earlier this year, and we will most likely see it again, the waves of COVID put a start / stop schedule on in person work gatherings.

COVID be damned, our client’s 30 year anniversary event was happening… regardless! and it needed to be a joyous occasion where all employees could get together in the same physical space and celebrate their years of hard work and passion. 

We had been working on the project, designed and built a wonderful celebratory space, set up much like a gallery, filled with interactive elements, fun wayfinding, tactile pieces on display and beautifully designed informational panels. But suddenly more than half the company would not be coming in to see it.

We needed a remote option. We needed to make it work. We needed a hybrid space: both a physical space to gather in person and a digital twin that gave a comparable if not exact as possible experience. Because the event was built like an interactive gallery experience with internal educational facts and stories to enjoy, the staff attending the event, whether in person or remote, needed to have the same takeaways and information from the experience.

So we created a digital twin- in both look and feel, information and  (as much as possible) interactivity.

Because we have always heavily leveraged the digital side of designing for our physical projects, we were able to pivot quickly and easily when this request came to us, providing a really enjoyable experience; physical and remote.

Once in use, the internal teams found this space incredibly useful. Not only as a celebration of their achievements over the years, but also as a way to educate their staff from within. Recent hires were able to go into this space, set up much like a museum display, to read about the past history, learning more about the company, the culture, goals and fun facts, all in an interactive display.

We made sure there were comparable interactive elements whether you engaged with the space remotely or in person. 

In the current hybrid work environment, we are supporting our clients in new and innovative ways; keeping work moving forward!

The last blog post we did before COVID was at the end of 2019, and we were at an industry conference called Autodesk University. We are happy to be back here again at AU this year! Jeffrey McGrew and I are here this week, enjoying re-connecting with some friends in the industry.

Jeffrey's talk is on Wednesday "Fusion for Architects & Designers" - it is a CAD software conference after all!

If you are here and want to connect - please send us a note

In a way, we are here at the conference to promote and celebrate the dividing and refining of our services at Because We Can, Inc. Our company has always had two rather distinct factions of itself: providing both Architecture & interior design services on one side and fabrication services on the other. For the most part, our fabrication services support our own internal designs, but over the years we have worked with many other design firms to help realize complex digital fabrication projects.

By the end of this year, we will officially launch our fabrication services company;

with lots of fanfare around it!

But for now, we are still doing all the same services, just with a more bold logo!

Regardez: 2022 BWC Architects logo!

We’re taking our design and fabrication experience at both companies and joining the fight against COVID-19!

We’ve developed a flat-pack version of an ‘aerosol box’ as well as helping cut face shields, printing parts for PPE, and looking at developing even more elements to help protect our medical heroes and fight COVID-19.

Check it out at https://model-no.com/covid-19/

And if you’d like to you can read more in depth about it as well here https://model-no.com/blog/2020/04/04/model-no-and-covid-19/

Honored to be included in such an amazing event and share the stage with such incredable people! The video for the Theater Talk I gave at Autodesk University 2019 is now live and you can see it here:

Automation is empowering, and we sure do need more of it in construction, but it's really hard to get right. In this talk I point out the various things that make it hard, both in general and specifically for construction, and propose what solutions have really worked for us at model-no.com and becausewecan.design.

A topic I’m both passionate about and still discovering the truths of I’d love to either talk with you about it or come and give this talk again. So reach out to me I’d love to have a conversation.

Come see all the impressive new things our sister company Model-no.com has been up to at it’s first public open house and new product launch party this Thursday!

All the details here: https://business.facebook.com/events/537618786803493/

Hope to see you there!

Really excited about the products now on sale at our new sister company Model No.

It’s amazing, these products are not only stunningly gorgeous, but since they are made from bio-resins derived from food waste combined with FSC-certified hardwood they are fully sustainable. While you could just compost the whole table when you don’t need it anymore, they also have a recycling program that will take the table back, re-use some parts, and recycle others for you. And I mean real recycling, as in use it to make more tables, and not have it just wind up in a almost-landfill somewhere waiting to be actually recycled (which is sadly the fate of much plastic these days).

Also totally in love with how you can custom configure whatever you’d like. While there are easy to buy preset options, I adore playing around with all the shapes and colors to get just what I’m looking for.

Really proud of what this team has been able to put together, with a lot more awesome stuff on the way as well that I can’t talk about yet!

Check it out over at Model-no.com

We are looking for a talented fabricator who’s excited to make new things in new ways and passionate about quality and craft. Responsibilities include running CNC routers, finishing parts, assembling custom fabrications, and maintaining our awesome machines and shop space. Willing to train the right person on the various technologies, but need to have had some exposure to digital fabrication, working online, and/or a quick learner.

Responsibilities:

• Running CNC routing jobs, Maintaining CNC routers, and ordering CNC supplies.

• Cleaning up parts & assembling completed custom fabrications.

• Maintaining a clean and organized work area.

• Following shop safety standards and company operations.

Required Skills:

• Experience in custom fabrication, construction, millwork, woodworking, or equivalent required.

• Demonstrated interest in CNC routing and digital fabrication.

• Attention to detail, organized, team player, and self motivated.

• Comfortable working with online for scheduling, task management, product info, email, chatting, etc.

• Comfortable working in a dynamic, creative, and friendly team environment.

Benefits:

• Paid vacation and sick leave.

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance.

Bonus Points:

• Casual office environment of serious professionals

• Team-oriented work space

• Group lunch

Please Apply with Resume and work examples to us@becausewecan.org

We'll be opening our doors and raising a glass to new endeavors and all the wonderful people we work with. 

Please join us!
 
We'd love to introduce you to Model No. a new company bringing boundless furniture and accessories for your individual life, just as you need them. An on-demand, additive manufacturing, customizable furniture startup that BWC is helping launch.

In the design office we'll be showcasing some recently completed architecture and design-build projects, our new VR-empowered workflow, and some sneak peeks at Model No. products.

While down in the shop we'll be demonstrating our new (to us) 5-axis CNC router and Model No.'s amazing large-scale 3D printing capabilities.
 
Kids welcome, but it is a shop and a party. Lots of sharp corners around here. And they might learn some interesting new words!

Friday, December 7th 5PM - 9PM ish

Because We Can + Model No.
2500 Kirkham St
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 545-9275

Click here for the Google Map.

All are invited, so come on by! We'd love to see you.

This downtown Oakland office remodel we've been working on is just about done. It is so fun to see a space become transformed as we put in new the new finishes and furnishings. This is a small project with little to no actual construction, but still..... what a change! We (and the client!) are very please with the final design. 

New paint, new lights and soon to come, new flooring, doors and windows.

Here is the space before the remodel began. We're still under construction and it's already an improvement!

We've removed all the doors and windows to put in more modern and insulative ones with aluminum framing.

Since we wanted to change the lights out anyway, it was a good opportunity to do something fun and interesting. The space is small, and we wanted to keep the design clean and open feeling. This nice design on the ceiling is functional and adds a bit of interest when you first enter the space.

The interior offices are all getting a much needed face lift as well. A bit of paint goes a long way. Soon all the furniture and the rest of the finishes and fixtures will be in to completely transform this place.

The living walls we designed, with Planted Design are going up on the walls. These will bring in some much needed lush elements into the office, and will be striking to look at without taking up much space.

Currently, back at the BWC shop we are working away to fabricate all of the custom furniture. Here the conference table is being glued up and Joel is busy making a matching cabinet.

Congratulations to the Long Now Foundation on beginning installation of the 10,000 year clock. This is a must-see video showing publically for the first time just how far along they are on this bold, ambitious, and world-changing project.

If you're in San Francisco, you should drop by their home that we helped create, The Interval, to not only learn more about the Long Now's projects and overall mission, but to enjoy a wonderful conversation and possibly a drink!

The popular talk that our own Jeffrey McGrew gave at The Interval (the bar & event space we designed), has been picked up again!

The wonderful blog Laughing Squid has a post today, as the topic continues to be relevant and demanding conversation. 

We hope you enjoy it!

Again!

"Robots do my drafting," explains architect Jeffrey McGrew, then gives a tour of automation on the jobsite, a future that is already here. Plus: robot bulldozers! Watch this talk in full 

 On February 10, 02015 McGrew spoke at The Interval on "Talking with Robots about Architecture": how architects and builders use automation today and how they may use it tomorrow.

Honored to be included in this wonderful and broad event. Autodesk University is the conference for all things Autodesk, which means it's THE conference for most 3D and CAD related things you can think of.

I've been invited to give a talk on a topic that's dear to my heart, and one we've spent the last decade working with, and that's applied automation in the building industry.

It's called 'Talking with Robots about Architecture' and it's a more detailed, deeper, technical version of the talk I gave at The Interval a year or so ago.

I'll be presenting our ideas on how to think about automation when applying it to your job and business, where things are with automation in AEC, general approaches to take when automating things, and how to make yourself somewhat future-proof so you won't get automated out of a job yourself. With lots of case studies and real-world examples both from our business and the industry, I'm excited to be offering up what I hope is the best talk I've given yet on this subject.

So I'd love to see you at Autodesk University on Thursday!

Summer is here, so let's have a party!

It's our August open house this Friday, August 4th 5PM - 9PM

We'll be opening our doors and talking about our work, making new friends, snacking, and raising a glass to all the wonderful people we work with. Hopefully with no preceding backhoe incidents this time.

Please join us!

In the design office we'll be showcasing the biggest architecture project we've tackled to date. Exciting! We'll also demonstrate some new fancy CAD tools that help us make extremely complex organic shapes very quickly. While down in the shop we'll be showing off prototypes for a few products we'll be launching later this year as well as mock-ups of a complex wood rib ceiling we're making for a modern home. Kids welcome, but it is a shop and a party. Lots of sharp corners around here. And they might learn some interesting new words! Friday, August 4th 5PM - 9PM ish 2500 Kirkham St Oakland, CA 94607 (510) 545-9275 Click here for the Google Map. All are invited, so come on by! We'd love to see you.

Sorry everyone, but tonight's open house is canceled due to a backhoe down the street taking out the power for the entire block. Exciting! We'll reschedule for next month.

When The Interval at Longnow launched its speaker series, we jumped at the opportunity.Giving a talk in a subject we are passionate about in a space we designed was a delightful privilege.

The Interval at Longnow has just launched it's updated website, and with it, videos of a select speakers. We are proud to be able to share this awesome presentation that Jeffrey McGrew gave: "Talking with Robots about Architecture"

Jeffrey McGrew is "the co-founder of Because We Can, the architecture/design firm that designed The Interval at Long Now, talks about the future of building: automation, communication, and whether "robots" will change everything. An informed and realistic overview of how architects and builders use automation today and how they may use it tomorrow."

Earlier this year we completed a faceted ceiling design in a vibrant downtown Oakland office.These faceted panels were designed to cover up the installed ceiling infrastructure, help with office acoustics and add visual interest.

The complex ceiling panels had to integrate into the new infrastructure being put in place. Working closely with the owners and the other contractors involved in the renovation, we used 3D scanning & BIM management to make the project a success.

The panels were created in smaller units so they could be easily brought into the space.

A pattern of perforations were cut into the panels for aesthetic interest and acoustics. Sound absorbing material behind the perforations help with this open office sound issues.

Bold gold and white colors now cover the ceiling in a dramatic effect.

Now a dramatic effect as the ceiling is in place. Bright colors reflect light downward to create a brighter office without harsh lighting. The bounce light off the panels is a soft light, the panels are beautiful to look at and the sound acoustic material helps with office noise. Form and function working well together make for another successful office space!

Read more about this project on our portfolio page.

So why can't we make buildings the way we make cars? Here's a short clip addressing that from Jeffrey's larger talk 'Talking with Robots about Architecture' he gave at The Interval back in February of 2015. Later this year the whole talk will be online along with many other wonderful talks given at the Internal over the last few years. But in the mean time you can find a much shorter version here, or if you've got a venue, Jeffrey would love to come and give this talk again. Enjoy!

It's time for our March Open House! This Friday, March 3rd from 5PM - 9PM

We'll be opening our doors and dancing (with robot arms), drinking, snacking, talking, making new friends, and raising a glass to all the wonderful people we work with. Please join us!

In the design office we'll be showcasing some recently completed architecture and design-build projects, along with our new 3D scanning and real-time walkthrough technology that lets you walk around the inside of the building before it's built.

While down in the shop we'll be demonstrating our newly expanded capacity to digitally fabricate very complex shapes in sheet metal.

Kids welcome, but it is a shop and a party. Lots of sharp corners around here. And they might learn some interesting new words!

Friday, March 3rd 5PM - 9PM ish
2500 Kirkham St
Oakland, CA 94607
(510) 545-9275

Click here for the Google Map.

All are invited, so come on by! We'd love to see you.

A really big wall needs a really big sign! And this really big sign now adorns the really big wall at Clifbar in Emeryville, CA. This now covered wall is a nice addition to this large common room used for all hands meetings.

We love supporting our local client's renovation needs, and Clifbar is always up to something interesting! Working with the aesthetics of Clifbar in mind, we collaborated with the Clifbar team to come up with this raw plywood finish, lightly color tinted in three different tones. This gave the sign a subdued patchwork assembled look that goes with the Clifbar branding.

Installing this piece up high was a big tall job, but nothing we can't handle. Just another big job for a big wall!

We are getting excited for another year of being involved in the Bay Area NewCo event! We will be hosting a morning session on Feb. 7th at 9:30 AM -- at our main office in Oakland. It will be a fun & engaging hour. Jillian and Jeffrey will be giving a tour of the office & fabrication facility, as well as giving a presentation of the back end of Because We Can. We'll talk about how we work together in house and with outside contractors, using the best tech we can get our hands on to coordinate our projects accurately and efficiently: an ever moving target in the construction world.

See the full schedule of events and host companies here. Get 25% off ticketsby using our promo code: BayHC

Hope to see you there & here!