Module 2 - Points to Ponder

What are the primary goals of creating a building model? Who are the key stakeholders?

• The primary goals of creating a building model are to better visualize the design, more quickly and more precisely alter the design, and to more easily share and quantify it.
• The key stakeholders are the owner of the project, the architects, structural engineers, contractors, and in some cases the future inhabitants.
• They need a visual explanation of what is being built. They need assurance of budgeting. They need data on materials. They need data on weather and structure.
• Above all the building model is valuable because it provides the stakeholders with accurate, reliable, and technical information on the project.

How much detail should you include in your building model? How do you decide?

• As you develop your initial design you are within LOD 100, so the goal is to understand the masses, the ratios, the relationships, and layout. It is conceptual.
• As you continue to iterate and develop your design you can enter LOD 200 and LOD 300. You will add windows, doors, elements. You will eventually level up to LOD 300 where specific manufacturer elements will be used and the structural assembly explained.

Many door and window manufacturers provide Revit families for doors and windows that you can specify for your building design.

• The manufactures benefit from providing these resources, because it allows designers to more accurately represent the building digitally. They are now able to solve issues related to specific elements in the model instead of on the site. By doing this it resolves alot of potential future conflicts the manufacturer may have to deal with. Further the more easily accesible a manufacture’s elements are the potentially more used and purchased they may become.