What drives a project team's decision about floor to floor height?
A developer is likely concerned with the cost of extra materials for extra floor to floor height but would also consider the potential increase in market value for high ceilings. A designer is concerned about looks and aesthetics of the rooms, and the engineers and builders need to make sure there is enough room between floors to install all necessary MEP equipment.
Last week we chose a massing option based on site evidence. This week you had to fit a program inside it.
The program of apartment sizes, hallways, and facade alignment was difficult to fit within an arbitrarily dimensioned building. I ended up modifying my massing so each floor plan could be split evenly into 15’x15’ grid squares. Once that was set, I only changed the massing from there on. The structural and mechanical engineers will assume my dimensions are correct and my access paths are valid.
At some point a conceptual model has to stop being conceptual.
Once the massing and programming is mostly settled, it is likely time to move the model into Revit. If moved too early, model and programming changes will affect the site logistics, but Revit is not good at reflecting that. If moved too late, the details in Forma might not carry over to Revit. I expect my building dimensions, floor plan and facade design to survive the handoff.Â