Facade automations generate a pattern across a whole building in seconds.
◦ What does the automation know, and what does it not know?
Using a facade automation helps improve efficiency when placing windows across a facade. The automation knows the boundaries of the exterior walls of the building (knows when to stop and start the pattern of fenestration elements). It also knows to indicate (i.e. outlines elements in yellow) when certain elements overlap with each other (such as windows and doors). However, it does not know where the interior walls are located, which means that sometimes generated elements will occur at the intersection of walls or areas where it is not pragmatic to place a window.
◦ Where did the generated pattern need overriding, and why?
The generated pattern needed overriding when it placed a window in between different unit types, at the intersection of interior walls. This was because the facade automation only recognizes the exterior walls of the building and does not recognize where the interior walls are placed for each unit type. As well, sometimes the generated pattern needs to overridden due to building specific requirements or client specifications.
◦ If the automation produces something that analyses well but looks wrong, which wins?
If the automation produces something that analyzes well but looks wrong, it is up to the project team to judge whether or not the design complies with project priorities and requirements. Based on the project priorities, the team can determine which metric is most critical to the project design and make a final decision about the automated design.
What drives a project team's decision about floor to floor height?
◦ From a developer's perspective?
From a developer’s perspective, a project team’s decision about floor to floor height can be driven by tenant demand, expected revenue based on how profitable different designs with varying floor to floor heights are, and construction costs related to the amount of materials required for the different floor heights.
◦ From a designer's perspective?
From a designer’s perspective, floor to floor height depends on overall aesthetic, functions of the different spaces, and impact on occupant experience and comfort.
◦ From an engineer's perspective?
From an engineer’s perspective, floor to floor height is mostly driven by requirements for MEP systems (how high does the ceiling need to be in order to accommodate the required heating and cooling systems, pipes, etc.) and structural requirements of the building.
◦ From a builder's perspective?
From a builder’s perspective, the project team’s decision about floor to floor height is primarily driven by required adherence to building codes, material and labour costs associated with building the ceiling structures, as well as other budgeting and scheduling issues.
You used an AI assisted layout for a first pass at a typical floor.
◦ What did it get right that would have taken you a long time by hand?
◦ What did it get wrong, and what would it have needed to know?
◦ Who is responsible for errors in a layout a machine generated?
Total carbon can now be estimated before materials are specified.
◦ How much confidence should a team place in that number at this stage?
◦ Which decision made this week has the largest effect on it?
◦ How would you present it to a client without overstating its precision?
At some point a conceptual model has to stop being conceptual.
◦ How do you know when a proposal is resolved enough to move into Revit?
A proposal is resolved enough to move into Revit once the general geometry, massing and placement of different rooms and units has been determined. Autodesk Forma helps teams with early-stage conceptual design and initial feasibility analyses, to help teams finalize major design decisions. Once these general systems and geometries have been placed, the proposal can be moved into Revit for a more detailed analysis and design process.
◦ What is the cost of moving too early? Of moving too late?
One cost of moving too early is moving forward with an incomplete or flawed design, with design flaws showing up later in the design process. This can potentially require starting the design from scratch or significant costly solutions that could have been mitigated during the early design stages.
Conversely, if a project team moves too late, this can result in significant delays to project scheduling and impact project budget if design and construction timelines fall behind.
◦ Which parts of your Forma model do you expect to survive the handoff?
I expect the main geometries of the Forma model to survive the handoff, including walls, roofs, floors, windows, and doors, as well as the geographic coordinates of the project site.