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?
Having a single building information model allows all stakeholders to have the most updated information about the existing conditions, and this also helps designers to model more accurately any new proposed work. Moreover, if certain materials or elements will be similar to the ones used in the existing building, these are carried over into the model as well as elevation information, site topography and geographical location, among others. If a separate model is created, we would loose the previous information, and we might not accurately represent existing conditions, so we could end up with a model that overlaps or that does not match with the existing building(s).
What sort of complexities are introduced when you construct a building complex in phases?Â
- What happens at the interfaces between the buildings as the phases advance?
- How can you plan and prepare for these complexities as you create your initial building model?
What are the principal advantages of using a single building information model of the existing conditions as the foundation for modeling several proposed design alternatives for a portion of the building?
- Why not create a separate model for each of the design alternatives?
In your project, which features of the proposed design did you choose to model as design alternatives?Â
- Why did you choose these building features?
- And what were the biggest challenges in modeling them as the design alternatives?
I chose two features: to change two glass walls in the model section called "La Playa" which is the outdoor dining area for the cafeteria, and to add walls to divide meeting areas on the third floor. I chose these elements because they were easy to replace or to remove in any decision the client makes. However, the main challenge I encountered was to align the glass walls that divide the meeting areas with the main curtain wall at the front of the building, and since the new building has an "odd" shape, it was hard to align everything in that section.