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?
- Why not create a separate model for the new proposed design?
The principal advantages of using a single building information model of the existing conditions as the foundation for modeling proposed additions/renovations is that you are able to see the existing building and the proposed changes, at the same time. You can use the view options to view just the existing building, proposed changes, parts to be demolished, etc. It is very convenient because everything is in one place! It would be quite complicated in there was a separate model created for the new proposed design, because it would be difficult to visualize how the new design interacts with the old design, and where they may be disjoint or overlap.
In your project, which features of the proposed design did you choose to model as design alternatives?
- Why did you choose these building features? And what were the biggest challenges in modeling them as the design alternatives?
In my project, I chose to model two design alternatives, the first being two furniture arrangement options for the lounge/open study space on the second floor of the building, and the second being two wall options for the offices on each floor.
For the wall options, option #1 is to have stone walls in all of the offices. The alternative is to have curtain walls in all the offices that are next to another office, so that the occupants of each office can see one another when they are inside the room. I hope having the curtain walls will promote collaboration and allow for the passage of more natural light throughout the building.
The biggest challenge in modeling these design alternatives was learning how to use the “options” features. It was quite a challenge because sometimes I would change something in one option, but then it would change for the primary option/main model as well.