#ArchiRoutes

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ArchiMaps y su nueva versión de escritorio

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03 Competitive Analysis

After driving crazy last week I recollected myself and start to work on my second approach. Explore architecture, hurray! 

A niche I’m curious about - so let the work begin. Not this week, but next week. Although I made a quick research to find platforms or maps which deal with the issue. 

Interactive Maps

The most visited architecture website ArchDaily offers a map with over ten thousands of marked buildings. You’ll get a world map with a big database although it only delivers the name of the building, the coordinates and if you’re lucky there also appears a picture. ArchDaily also doesn’t provide a mobile version and their map doesn’t work on the phone. It’s a poor try and still “for development purpose only”.

WAM, the “World Architecture Map” did a better job! They collected less data than ArchDaily, but they realized it more structured and with more information. When you open their website your device is tracked and shows you buildings in your area. Furthermore you have an overview for buildings, architects, firms, locations, styles, types and tags. When you click on your chosen building information about the name, architect, building year, style and type appears (clapping hands). Because of the various specific informations their audience are rather professional architects or students. Unfortunately the don‘t have a mobile website. Therefore their work is almost useless for people who want to use their map during their walk around the city.

Stop - is there somebody who also add a description to the buildings? Answer is quick and short yes! Iconic Houses collects all the information and also has a mobile version. Their website gives you to opportunity to filter your content. So you can have a look at architect houses, residential houses or artists’ houses. Each category has its own icon which appears on the map. Beside to the map view you can get a listed view of the buildings. Although it’s the best approach of the mentioned websites its design looks like from a different decade. Their main page is  overloaded with a big menu, a world map, a newsfeed and a “explore feed”. Furthermore the menu is flooded with over five teen subpages. Because of the amount of information apart from the map you can see it’s more for the architect community than for other people. Unfortunately once you try to zoom into a specific continent  on your phone your marked points disappear. So you’re only able to explore the map on the listed view which makes you unable to explore a certain area. At least a good try but in need of improvement.

These three websites are mostly for the architecture community like professionals und students. The amount of the specific information or the website itself focus on them. Although they are accessible for everybody and you don't need any knowledge to understand them.

ArchiMaps is the only approach for an app. You’re  able to explore architecture in chosen cities and architects. Their database is pretty small and when you open the app you get the feeling that it lacks of data. When you chose one of these you get a short description of the topic and then you can watch out for buildings on a map. It also provides a listed view which shows a picture the architect, and the building year. The filters you can chose are about the building class or the historical period. Furthermore you have the “ArchiRoutes” feature which gives you specific routes to explore a city. If you want to save buildings you are also able to heart them and they will be saved in your favourites. It won’t provide you information about architecture in general rather about their database. It doesn’t cover the whole idea and is just useful when you want poorly information.

All of these applications are for people with interest in architecture. It’s for an educational use and they provide you orientation around a city. Some have special features like a newsfeed, explore feed or already provide you a chosen route for a city but they are all structured in the same way. It provides a world map, a listed view, different filters and a search field. 

Printed Maps

The most websites doesn’t fit the issue in my mind. With architecture I associate beauty and functionality. Printed Maps from Blue Crow Media do that. A great structure, a good use of typography and a focus on the essence.

DOC: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1kVNtq700dwFRXScm8gmSVGOw-tLvC4Ya/view?usp=sharing

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Nueva guía de Arquitectura: Alejandro de la Sota

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ArchiMaps, una nueva aplicación de guías de arquitectura para Smartphone y Tablet