PRP Architects – using Archicad for over 25 years

Lexington, Kentucky based PRP (Pohl Rosa Pohl) Architects has been using Archicad for more than 25 years. As one of the first architecture firms in North America to implement 3D modeling, PRP has established a reputation for design excellence, community service and environmental stewardship.

Archicad empowers the team at PRP to create beautiful designs for commercial and custom residential projects. Most recently, PRP completed a concept design of the Pepper Distillery project – a renovation of a 1930s era distillery into mixed use retail. The campus of the area in which it is located, the Distillery District, is currently the focus of a revitalization plan in Lexington.

Remodeling projects and renovations present certain challenges in terms of determining what stays, what goes. Jill Farfan, one of the architects who worked on the Pepper Distillery project shared her observations on how features in Archicad allowed her to streamline her process.

I love the renovation tools in Archicad – we use it on every renovation project. In terms of workflow for our staff – the renovation tool in Archicad gives us the ability to have one working model in our project files instead of two, thus keeping our file size manageable and more organized.

Jill Farfan

The COVID-19 pandemic has made the use of Archicad even more valuable for the PRP team. The ability to conduct a meeting remotely through screen-sharing with clients puts the model of their project directly in front of them with the architect at the ‘steering wheel’. This way, clients understand the design even better and using the renovation filter demonstrates their renovation project before and after construction with the click of a button.

We miss seeing our clients in person but need to acknowledge how helpful Archicad still is. In a virtual meeting with one of my clients recently, we went over plans to renovate an existing garage. The plan includes putting in an office above an existing garage overlooking a pool. I moved them through the model, and it helped them to see different views. It was a productive meeting and they left with an understanding about how the project would move forward.

Jill Farfan

While COVID-19 continues to delay projects across the United States, like many firms – the team at PRP awaits word on whether the project will move forward. When it does get the green light, Archicad will empower the architects at PRP to work efficiently on their design.