What types of building information are best portrayed in 3D views?
It is difficult to understand what a building will look like from a 2D model alone. 3D views best convey information about the geometry of the building, building materials, the relative location of certain important building elements and equipment like elevators, stairs, and plumbing/lighting systems, and basically provide a sense of the shape of the building as a whole. Information about the space around the building (such as landscape, surrounding structures and systems such as roads/sidewalks) is also displayed in 3D views. It is especially important to display the surrounding topography in 3D views so the building design can be contextualized and the client and other stakeholders can have a better understanding of how the design interacts with the surrounding space.
Rather than providing a sense of the building as a whole, 2D views are useful for showing how different elements of the building will fit together. Typical stakeholders that require 2D views are:
- Architects: Architects use 2D views to convey more detailed design concepts. They use plans, elevations, and sections to show the layout of the exterior/interior building elements.
- Structural engineers: Structural engineers also use 2D views to convey their engineered designs. Using plans, elevations, and sections, they will glean important information about the building system that will help them perform accurate calculations that ensure the safety of building occupants. 2D views produced by structural engineers will contain detailed information regarding the design and placement of structural elements that have been designed with in-depth calculations (like rebar placement and design, beam-column connections, etc.).
- Contractors: Contractors use 2D views to gain a wholistic understanding of the building so they can appropriately construct the design. Using plans, sections, and elevations from the different stakeholders, they can reference all the information that’s provided to understand every detail in the design. This information is essential for ensuring the proper construction of a building.
Give examples of how the building information for a specific location in the project needs to be filtered for different audiences and purposes?
Organizing information regarding the different aspects of a project is important because it results in greater coordination and efficiency from all stakeholders. As we explored in this module, building information needs to be filtered for different audiences because not every single element or component in the model will be relevant to them.
For example:
- Architects are involved in the design of the building exterior and interior layouts, material usage, and care most about how the different elements in a building can act cohesively. In this case, they will need information about wall dimensions, materials (color, type), and aesthetic components. On the flip side, there is other information that is essential to the design of a building, but it is not relevant to the architect. For example, they will not need to know every detail about the design of a beam-column connection that a structural engineer performs.
- Structural engineers are responsible for ensuring the design of a building that is safe and stable. To do so, they require information about the structural components and their dimensions, material and material properties, and element connection details at various locations in the building. Given the correct information, structural engineers will be able to design structural elements like columns and beams so they don’t interfere with architectural components. On the other hand, there are certain aesthetic details that a structural engineering team will not need to know. An example of this is the furniture type or door/window type that will be used in the building.
- Contractors need to have a deep understanding of the building components so they can responsibly and accurately execute the design based on these building drawings. They require information about the construction details, such as rebar spacing or connection type, that will be useful during planning, procurement, and on-site coordination. Having information on these plans that is unrelated to their work will be distracting and confusing, such as the furniture details previously mentioned. Unnecessary information on these plans can cause delays in the construction process, which is costly.
How can schedule views be used to assist with procurement and model-based estimating?
Schedule views simplify complicated building models into components such as doors, windows, and walls. This gives a sense of the types of materials and how much will be required to complete the project. This information can be used to assist with material procurement because it directly indicates the amount of material each component will require. Stakeholders will also be able to make estimates about material and construction costs using information from the schedule views. As the project continues to be designed, the designers will be able to evaluate and compare different materials or components that they can use using the schedule views and make any changes accordingly before procurement. This makes the process a lot simpler and more efficient and can even help reduce delays that may arise due to design modifications that occur on site during the build phase of the project.