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?
Using the existing model as the foundation for modeling proposed additions or renovations makes it easier to design and helps preventing mistakes, which are not easily identified using a separate model. For example, it is sometimes required to demolish walls to connect the new part and the existing building. It is hard to clarify which part to demolish and where to start in a separate model, while it is clear in the views of the existing model.
Meanwhile, designing in an existing model provides designers and clients with a time frame, where you can check how you add new elements and make renovations. This brings a better link to visualize the differences between the existing design and the proposed design.
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 your 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?
One of the advantages of using an existing building model as foundation to model multiple proposed design alternatives is that clients and designers can easily identify which specific portion is being considering. This is also helpful to make comparisons. You don’t have to switch windows of different models to present the alternatives. Instead, you can highlight the changing part in a single model. In a model, you can create as many design-option sets as you want. However, there could be a lot of Revit files if you choose to create a separate model for each design alternatives.
What’s more, once clients have made decisions, designers can accept the primary option, and other design options with their associated elements and views will be deleted, to prevent the mass of tons of views for different options.
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?