Forma Site Design and Forma Building Design are two complementary applications that address different stages and needs within the design process.
- Forma Site Design focuses on creating and managing the spatial layout of large-scale project sites.
- Forma Building Design enables users to further develop and detail building designs at a more granular level.
Together, they support a continuous workflow from early-stage planning to detailed building design.
Our High-Level Workflow
Stage 1: Forma Site Design
- Focus: Exploring conceptual design options for project sites.
- Steps
- Establishing the project site and context.
- Creating proposals to consider different design options.
- Modeling potential building forms.
- Analyzing and comparing the proposed options.
- Presenting analyses and recommendations with Forma Board.
Stage 2: Forma Building Design
- Focus: Developing detailed building designs at a more granular level.
- Steps
- Converting building forms from Forma Site Design into Building Design buildings.
- Designing building facades.
- Designing building floor plans.
- Analyzing the proposed building design and iterating based on the results.
- Exporting the building design to a Revit project.
Stage 3: Revit for BIM
- Focus: Continue developing the design elements in finer detail.
- Steps
- Open the exported project in the Revit application.
- Use the Revit modeling tools to refine and continue developing the design features.
Creating a Smoother Transition from Conceptual to Detailed Design
In traditional workflows, the transition from conceptual design to detailed building plans is often fragmented. This disconnect typically results in manual rework, duplicated effort, and the need to redraw previously developed solutions.
Forma Site Design and Forma Building Design aims to eliminate this friction by enabling a smooth transition from conceptual design into BIM. The goal is to preserve the digital thread throughout the design process by:
- Bridging the gap between conceptual design and BIM tools
- Converting massing models from Site Design into detailed, BIM-ready building models
- Reducing unnecessary rework and improving design continuity
This creates a more efficient workflow that maintains and enriches early design intent rather than recreating it.