What are the primary goals of creating a building model? Who are the key stakeholders?
- What do they need?
- What do they care about most?
The Primary goals of creating a building model are to visualize the final design, communicate that design to stakeholders, identify potential issues early in the design process, and make informed decisions about the building's layout, functionality, and aesthetic with the stakeholders. The key stakeholders in this case are the student researchers. They need a simple design that they can build themselves, a sustainable design, workspaces including a lab area, an ADA bathroom, and a storage closet. They care the msot about the sustainability of the design, including having solar panels and windows facing the sun.
Many door and window manufacturers provide Revit families for doors and windows that you can specify for your building design.
- What is the advantage to manufacturers for providing these families? (it's not free to create and provide them...)
- What is the benefit to you as the designer of using these manufacturer-provided families? Is there an advantage to using them versus the families provided in the Revit library?
For manufacturers, offering Revit families serves as a powerful marketing and sales tool. By making their products available as digital models, they increase the likelihood that architects and designers will specify their products in projects. This early integration into the design phase can lead to more sales, as it simplifies the procurement process asr contractors may favor products already embedded in the design.
For designers, using manufacturer-provided Revit families ensures that the doors and windows in their models are accurate representations of the real-world products they intend to use. These families often come with detailed specifications, such as dimensions, materials, thermal performance, and even cost data, which helps streamline design coordination and project documentation. Manufacturer families reduce the need for custom modifications, saving time and reducing errors. Compared to generic Revit library families, these specialized families offer more precise data, leading to fewer discrepancies during construction and better alignment with project requirements.
What are the advantages of getting the Revit component families (for furniture, equipment, and fittings) directly from the manufacturer versus from an online sharing website like RevitCity.com?
Getting Revit component families directly from the manufacturer ensures accuracy and compliance with real-world specifications, as these models are created to match the exact dimensions, materials, and performance details of actual products. This can lead to better coordination and fewer issues during construction. Additionally, manufacturer-supplied families often include up-to-date product information and warranties. Families from online sharing sites like RevitCity.com may lack this precision and consistency, sometimes leading to inaccuracies or outdated data that could cause problems later in the project.