Module 6 - Points to Ponder

What are the principal advantages of creating a conceptual design model using masses before diving into the detailed design and building element modeling?

Using conceptual masses helps to imagine the spacing of everything, inside and outside of the buildings. Masses are also just so much easier to edit and play around with before making any concrete design decisions.

Should all buildings be modeled first using conceptual masses?

While it is extremely helpful to model buildings using conceptual masses, it’s really not super necessary for smaller buildings with less than 3 floors, as it is probably just simpler to model the walls and floors manually. For buildings with not that many floors, it is much more likely to want the floor plans to differ, and it is a lot easier to do that without mass forms.