Which types of structural framing systems and materials are most commonly used in the US for residences? For office buildings?
Light wood framing is the main framing systems used for residences. This is normally used for this type of building because light-gauge lumber is abundant and cost-effective for economic benefit. It is also easy to work with in construction projects and relatively lightweight. On the other hand, structural steel framing is typically used for office buildings. This is because this material is stronger to support the large scale and amount of stress the building will be put under during constant use. Steel is also very durable and fire-resistant, leading to safer and stronger structures that can support multi-story buildings.
Why do different teams of designers and subcontractors link and share their models during the design process?
Teams can link and share design models for greater collaboration and issue identification in early stages of a large project. Increased communication is possible even across long distances with the use of digital sharing and design model softwares, which makes it convenient for remote collaboration and feedback. Linking models also enables coordination of models to ensure that the architectural and structural models and ideas align well. If any misalignments or errors are caught, it is good that they can be caught early in the design process with people from different fields collaborating on project models. This collaboration can also lead to cost and time savings as making adjustments in the project in later stages may require costly reconstruction or remodeling costs.
How do you think design coordination was done before we started using digital models?
Manual drawing and overlaying model sketches were typically methods used for design coordination before digital models. This overlaying process involved superimposing different drawings on top of one another with a light source in the background so multiple layers could be seen at once. This allowed for easy visualization of clashes or issues in the design model. Advantages of this traditional method includes the ability to actively annotate ideas on paper and it can be useful to have a hard copy of the model when at the project site to directly compare and make comments on the realization of the project in real time. However, digital models do promote wider accessibility to models from various regions while also making editing and revising of sketches easier via digital tools.
What strategies can design teams use to find and avoid clashes prior to the start of construction?
What can be done besides sharing the models digitally?
At what point in the project development process should design coordination start?
Is it ever too early?