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?
Using a single BIM model for both existing conditions and proposed additions keeps everything accurate and coordinated, ensuring new elements align with old ones. It saves time by reusing existing data, improves visualization for clients, and keeps documentation consistent. Creating a separate model might seem simpler, but it often leads to misalignment, duplicate work, and errors when integrating the two later.
What sort of complexities are introduced when you construct a building complex in phases?
Constructing a building complex in phases introduces coordination, timing, and integration challenges. Each phase must connect seamlessly to previous ones, so structural systems, utilities, and circulation paths need to be carefully aligned from the start. At the interfaces between phases, mismatches in materials, elevations, or systems can occur if the original model isn’t designed with future connections in mind. To prepare for these complexities, the initial building model should include placeholders and reference points for future additions, consistent gridlines, and shared system routes. Planning ahead with a clear phasing strategy in the BIM model helps ensure that each new phase ties smoothly into the existing work without major redesigns or construction conflicts.