Module 5 - Points to Ponder

Who
Zhe Yan
Submitted For
Module 5 - Points to Ponder
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Please share your comments on 2 of the following Points to Ponder questions. (Choose 2 of the questions below.)

What are the principal advantages of using a single building information model of the existing conditions as the foundation for modeling proposed additions or renovations?

  • Why not create a separate model for the new proposed design?

(1) The first is the shorter time of building a model based on old building information model. Proposed additions or renovations are partial reconstruction and the overall structure is not changed much. Compared with creating a new building model, using existing building model saves us a lot of time because we don’t need to rebuild some parts of the buildings anymore. The time is much shorter than that of new modeling and building, and it is more suitable for the buildings that are required to put into use. (2) The second is to save money. The modeling and construction require much money. If we use existing conditions, the reconstruction workload is very low, the construction volume is small, the speed is fast, and the overall cost is low. The addition and renovation parts do not greatly affect the existing building, because reconstruction and remodeling go through much stricter project design and the safety factor is far greater than the requirements of the original structure. (3) The third point is about environmental protection and energy saving. New construction projects need to remove old buildings, which will generate a lot of construction waste. However, the construction waste generated by the renovation and additions of existing buildings is relatively much less.

What sort of complexities are introduced when you construct a building complex in phases? 

  • What happens at the interfaces between the buildings as the phases advance?
  • How can you plan and prepare for these complexities as you create your initial building model?

What are the principal advantages of using a single building information model of the existing conditions as the foundation for modeling several proposed design alternatives for a portion of the building?

  • Why not create a separate model for each of the design alternatives?

In your project, which features of the proposed design did you choose to model as design alternatives? 

  • Why did you choose these building features?
  • And what were the biggest challenges in modeling them as the design alternatives?

(1) The location and distribution of interior walls in a room. The types of external railings. (2) The interior walls influence the room space distribution which affects the comfort and functionality of the room. The types of external railings affect the overall appearance of the building. (3) It takes a lot of time to set design options.