The goal
Architecture for everyone
For its approximately 25,000 members, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects (AKBW) has long been the central point of contact for a wide range of architectural topics. An app focusing on architectural topics and outstanding buildings was to be used to reinforce this image and raise awareness and also to attract interested non-members to the AKBW's services. The properties awarded the "Exemplary Building" architecture prize were to be bundled in the mobile app and encourage app users to discover and explore architecture in real life - for example through individual "architecture tours". The aim: to have a positive impact on the image of the AKBW as a future-oriented institution. The mobile app's offering is to be gradually expanded and supplemented to create a comprehensive architecture guide. There is also potential for cost savings through the substitution of various local print publications.
Discover building culture - with mobile support
The hybrid app developed by our digital agency .FUF offers architecture and building culture enthusiasts information, images and geographical data on the properties: Planners, clients, year of construction, address and information on awards are listed. The 680 properties currently available have all been awarded prizes in award procedures such as "Exemplary Building" or "Baukultur Schwarzwald".
Users can filter according to these criteria or display properties in their vicinity. Each property can be marked as a favorite, and entire search queries can also be saved. Thanks to the intelligent radius search developed by .FUF based on geo-coordination, users can easily plan their individual property tour. With one click, Google Maps takes over the routing to the desired property.
During the conception phase, it became clear that the offline operation of the mobile app had to be of particular importance due to the large amounts of data generated by the high-resolution photographs, as the app was to be used both at home and on the move. For this reason, the object data is stored on the end device, while the storage-intensive image material is largely retrieved online. The powerful search function also works regardless of whether the user is online or offline. The app is also aimed at foreign-language users: the property descriptions and the entire menu navigation are also available in English and French.
Flexibility through offline capability
The mobile app has a wide range of functions. The requirements included intelligent offline capability and efficient storage space management. After all, the objects are presented on current Retina and 4K devices with high-quality hi-res photo material. However, this quickly fills up the memory of iPhone and Android devices. Only low-res thumbnail images are installed on the mobile device with the app, which is around 30 MB in size. The hi-res photos are then loaded via mobile data or WLAN connection when the individual objects are called up. If you want to give the app more space on your smartphone or save your data volume, you can download the high-resolution images via Wi-Fi. Once loaded, the app retains the image material in the local memory for performance reasons.
The hybrid app technology used enables the app to run on the most important mobile operating systems iOS and Android. In addition to the web technologies JavaScript(Angular) and HTML5, the Apache Cordova framework forms the basis of the hybrid app. Apache Cordova (PhoneGap) was also used for packaging and integration into the App Store and Play Store.
The advantages
For a long time, the development of native apps was preferred for performance reasons, but now the time has come for hybrid apps. For our digital agency .FUF, too, the decision to develop a hybrid app instead of a native app quickly became clear: hybrid apps require less effort to supply the different operating system platforms. There is also great synergy potential in making the applications available as a web app. Progressive apps (PWA), which offer app functionalities without installation and app stores, also offer a very interesting development direction. Due to the increase in the computing power of mobile devices and the render engines of web kits, the behavior of hybrid apps can no longer be distinguished from native apps in many cases.
The success
Architecture from all over Baden-Württemberg bundled in one app
With the AKBW app, .FUF provides a cross-district app for the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects that bundles all award-winning architectural projects in one place. Thanks to efficient storage space management, the existing high-resolution image material could be presented in a modern and appealing way without any loss of quality.
Foreign tourists can also quickly find their way around - in either English or French. In the future, districts will be able to create their own architecture tours and offer them in the app.
Project info
Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects
URL: https: //www.akbw.de/baukultur/architektur-app
5 months Implementation period
Start with 680 objects
Platform: Android and iOS
The customer
As a corporation under public law, the Baden-Württemberg Chamber of Architects, based in Stuttgart, is a service provider, interest group and supervisory body for its members. The AKBW offers a wide range of information and advice services - increasingly via the Internet - to support architects in all matters relating to the practice of the profession. The chamber represents the political interests of the architectural profession vis-à-vis the state government, districts and local authorities. It also informs the public about the work of its members and comments on important issues in the construction industry.
The target group
The approximately 25,000 members of the AKBW - Baden-Württemberg architects from the fields of structural engineering, interior design, landscape architecture and urban planning - use the diverse range of services offered by the Chamber of Architects. In addition to this core target group, the mobile app is also intended to appeal to and inspire clients, building contractors, students and, in particular, the general public interested in architecture.
Technology facts
Hybrid app for iOS and Android based on HTML5 and JavaScript
Frameworks: Apache Cordova Framework, AngularJS
Backend: JSON API, interface to the app and to the TYPO3 website for data maintenance
Multilingualism: app supports three languages (DE/EN/FR)
Data update without app update when starting the app via API. This allows editors to update the data at any time.
The backend
The solution presented here implements the functionality of the mobile app independently of the server backend. The backend is primarily used to initially load the object data into the mobile client and then update it incrementally as required. This means that all functional requirements are implemented in the client as far as possible.
Glossary
Native app: App developed for the operating system of a specific target platform, e.g. iOS or Android.
Web app: Cross-platform app that usually runs in the browser.
Hybrid app: Mixture of native app and web app that is based on web technologies but looks like a native app and can be obtained via the app stores.
Progressive app: Website with characteristics of a native app.
Apache Cordova: Open source framework for mobile programming.