What are the primary goals of creating a building model? Who are the key stakeholders?
◦ What does each of them need from the model?
The primary goals of creating a building model is so that the client knows what the building they are paying for and want looks like in design before money is poured into making something they don’t like. The builders are also key stakeholders since they can observe and understand the dimensions and what the building should look like with a moveable model much better than a 2D drawing.
◦ What do they care about most, and where do those priorities conflict?
The client cares about getting a building they want and also cost. the builders want something specific so they understand how every component of the building works. Their priorities conflict since the client may not want a detailed model if it would add to the cost and the builder would want a detail model since they need as much detail as possible to make the building a reality.
A drawing is a picture of a building. A model is a description of one.
◦ What questions can you ask a model that you cannot ask a drawing?
You can run a lot of data sets on the model of the building. Therefore questions like where does the sun hit (specifically in certain days of the year), the HVAC system and air flow, and other questions that require data bases and simulations that are very feasible in models but not in drawings.
◦ Are there things a drawing still communicates better? Give an example.
There are still things like architect’s style, maybe special materials that CAD doesn’t have, and sometimes things like floor plans with blocked off areas can convey the occupation of space better than going through the physical model.
Where should a building model actually live?
◦ What are the practical consequences of a model living on one person's laptop?
The practical consequences are that the person’s laptop may break and data would be lost forever. In addition, if the model is only on one person’s laptop its inaccessible for other people on the project.
◦ What changes when the model lives in the cloud, for the designer and for everyone else?
The model is editable and will be live for everyone to see changes made from each person. Without needing to download and re-upload or edit on just one computer.