Fulton Trotter is just one of many architectural firms to have recognised the value and benefit of Central Innovation’s Ci Tools. The long-established architectural and interior design practice is a long-time user of the Doors+Windows tool, developed to extend and customise the structural options, styles and documentation functionality of the standard configurations provided in Archicad.
With offices in Brisbane and Sydney, Fulton Trotter Architects is known for its commitment to creating community-based architecture. “Our work culture is built around ‘enduring community’ – that’s how we see ourselves as a business, and it’s also the foundation upon which we based our work,” says Scott J. Moore, one of the firm’s associates.
“We pride ourselves on creating structures whose functionality and aesthetic is designed to meet the needs of the broader community.
“For many years we have worked in regional areas on a number of council and cultural buildings, as well as with multiple schools and aged care providers in Brisbane and Sydney.”
“And in keeping with our espoused values, we also strive to take an active role in the local community – from supporting worthwhile fundraising initiatives like Movember and CEO Sleepout, to taking on the role of founding sponsor of Wesley Mission Queensland’s Art from the Margins program.”
Current projects include the Satellite Hospital Program for Queensland Health, the Glenn Innes Hospital redevelopment for Health Infrastructure NSW, significant developments at North Sydney Public School and Pendle Hill High School, as well as numerous other public, Catholic and independent school projects across both NSW & Queensland.
“Some of them have older campuses, which need rejuvenating, others are in their infancy and looking to put together masterplans, which will allow them to be developed in stages as the school grows,” Scott explains.
“The majority of our education sector clients are long-term ones – we’ve been working with them over a number of years, which allows us to expand their facilities over time in keeping with changing educational needs and the evolving demographics of the communities they serve.”
Fulton Trotter employs 37 people in Brisbane and another 14 in Sydney, with a total of 29 Archicad licenses for the business. As a long-time proponent of Archicad and advocate of BIM, the firm was also an early adopter of Central Innovation’s Doors+Windows Ci Tool – a seamless Archicad plug-in that gives you access to a greater variety of door and window styles with a wide range of panels, opening methods, trims and sills.
“I’ve been working at Fulton Trotter for 12 years, and the firm has been using Archicad for almost 20 years,” Scott affirms. “Over that time we’ve invested quite heavily in BIM documentation methodology, which has greatly improved our system efficiencies. We’ve been using Ci Tools Doors+Windows for as long as I’ve been here – it’s a seamless solution that provides an extra level of flexibility and customisation to our doors and windows, over and above the standard configurations offered in Archicad.”
Developed in-house by architects for architects at Central Innovation, Ci Tools Doors+Windows includes the functionality to automatically produce fully dimensioned graphical schedules using a range of filters and criteria, the ability to add notes and automatically calculated areas, and the powerful Ci Presets system, which facilitates sharing across multiple projects.
“I would say we’re able to build 95 per cent of all the doors and windows we need, across all the projects we do, with that one Ci Tool,” Scott emphasises. “It was a pretty comprehensive tool right from the outset, and we’ve found over time that it has provided just about everything we need.”
Fulton Trotter’s longstanding relationship with Central Innovation spans more than a decade, again exemplifying the mutual support, which underpins the bonds of community. “I’ve always found that whenever we have any support issues, Central Innovation has been great at getting them sorted for us in a timely manner,” Scott says. “They’ve also helped facilitate our involvement in the Beta program for future Archicad releases, which is terrific in keeping us up to date about what’s coming down the line.”
