Monday, April 20, 2009

Building Information Modeling


Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the process of generating and managing building data during its life cycle. Typically it uses three-dimensional, real-time, dynamic building modeling software to increase productivity in building design and construction. The process produces the Building Information Model (also abbreviated BIM), which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, and quantities and properties of building components.

Building information modeling covers geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, quantities and properties of building components (for example manufacturers' details). BIM can be used to demonstrate the entire building life cycle including the processes of construction and facility operation. Quantities and shared properties of materials can easily be extracted. Scopes of work can be isolated and defined. Systems, assemblies, and sequences are able to be shown in a relative scale with the entire facility or group of facilities.
BIM is a process which goes far beyond switching to a new software. It requires changes to the definition of traditional architectural phases and more data sharing than most architects and engineers are used to.
BIM is able to achieve such improvements by modeling representations of the actual parts and pieces being used to build a building. This is a substantial shift from the traditional computer aided drafting method of drawing with vector file based lines that combine to represent objects.
The interoperability requirements of construction documents include the drawings, procurement details, environmental conditions, submittal processes and other specifications for building quality. It is anticipated by proponents that BIM can be utilized to bridge the information loss associated with handing a project from design team, to construction team and to building owner/operator, by allowing each group to add to and reference back to all information they acquire during their period of contribution the BIM model. For example, a building owner may find evidence of a leak in his building. Rather than exploring the physical building, he may turn to his BIM and see that a water valve is located in the suspect location. He could also have in the model the specific valve size, manufacturer, part number, and any other information ever researched in the past, pending adequate computing power.
There have been attempts at creating a BIM for older, pre-existing facilities. They generally reference key metrics such as the Facility Condition Index, or FCI. The validity of these models will need to be monitored over time, because trying to model a building constructed in, say 1927, requires numerous assumptions about design standards, building codes, construction methods, materials, etc., and therefore is far more complex than building a BIM at time of initial design.
The American Institute of Architects has further defined BIM as "a model-based technology linked with a database of project information", and this reflects the general reliance on database technology as the foundation. In the future, structured text documents such as specifications may be able to be searched and linked to regional, national, and international standards.

Monday, April 13, 2009

Fuelling Design Innovation with a Passion for Sustainability: The Architectus Story

Going green is going global. The rapidly growing “green building” industry epitomizes this, with more than 21 countries establishing rating systems for sustainable designs according to EarthTrends August 2007 monthly update. In Australia, the Green Star environmental rating system is fast gaining momentum—green buildings are no longer a “niche” incidence but fast becoming status quo.
According to Green Building Council Australia (GBCA), 84% of Australia’s architects, contractors, and building owners support the drive for ecologically sustainable design (ESD). In the face of more than 200% growth in the projects registered and certified under Green Star, how can architectural designs remain innovative while meeting the demand for sustainability?
For Architectus, a multiple award-winning company with a track record in architecture, interiors, urban design and planning, the key is in embracing sustainability in their design philosophy and adopting building information modeling (BIM) as their core capability.
According to Rodd Perey, design technology director of Architectus’ Sydney office, Australia’s increased appreciation for ESD can be attributed to the government’s push for a heightened green agenda. “It is now risky to construct new buildings without considering the ‘green’ agenda. With the industry’s call to upgrade existing buildings to improve their sustainability performance, tenants and developers of new buildings feel the pressure to future-proof their buildings through ESD to enhance their buildings’ long-term commercial value,” says Perey.
As a long-time advocate for sustainability and a member of the GBCA, this is good news for Architectus. Perey adds, “it is gratifying to finally hear clients demanding for the same things we have been advocating, on their own initiative.”
Early Foray in Sustainable Design
Architectus’ foresight in sustainability is evident as early as the 1990s with its design of the Novotel and Hotel Ibis for the Sydney 2000 Olympics. Incorporating “green” features including solar panels, low volatile organic compounds (VOC) paints, natural ventilation, and automatic shutdown of air-conditioning when the windows are open, the four-star hotel exemplifies Architectus’ passion for sustainability even before the country’s Green Star rating was established in 2003.
Another example is the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane commissioned in July 2002 by the Queensland Government—Architectus’ winning entry from more than 300 submissions. The gallery’s pavilion was designed to seamlessly integrate with the site’s natural topography and location along the river. The winning design introduced sustainable features with the skillful use of river cooling, a 10.6 metre skylight to deflect direct sun rays, low energy lighting, plantation timber, and the consideration of indoor environmental quality at every design stage.
Transforming Sustainable Ideas into Green Designs
Architectus’ success saw its business grow by 50% in 2006 compared to 2005. The firm grew from 160 architects, designers, and planners in 2005 to more than 220 in 2006—with the Sydney office alone growing more than 50% from 50 to 80 staff members. Perey attributes the company’s success to the adoption of building information modeling to turn its sustainability ideas into finished designs that deliver better building performance. “Sustainability has always been a key feature of Architectus’ design philosophy, and we are very keen to extend our BIM approach into analysis that allows informed design decisions to be made,” says Perey.
The firm’s passion for sustainability drove its selection of Revit® Architecture software from Autodesk, which enables 3D object-oriented modeling to better predict the sustainability performance of its designs before they are built. “We are able to make better and faster decisions on factors that have a direct impact on the sustainability performance of the building,” explains Perey. These include choosing the right materials to reduce material waste to deciding on the dimensions or facing of a door or window to ensure adequate ventilation.
Maximizing Sustainable Performance Without Compromising Design
Architectus’ current One Bligh Street project in Sydney’s Circular Quay, also known as Space, is expected to be awarded a 6-Star* Green Star certification when completed in approximately 2009. Space, a 30-story office building, raises the bar in sustainable office building design with its elliptical design and the use of a double glass skin facade, among other innovative environmental design features.
Excited about the prospect of Space gaining a 6-Star Green Star rating, Perey explains how the use of Revit Architecture helps to streamline its Green Star certification process. “The Green Star certification, like other international rating systems, is developed along standard design guidelines. As such, it does not take into account ’out-of-the-box’ design concepts, such as the elliptical design proposed for Space. The analytical data we can pull from the Revit Architecture models helped us demonstrate and prove that the building’s sustainable design works. For example, it has helped us prove that the use of high performance glass for the double skin facade does not impact the building’s environmental performance. Without a tool like Revit, this would have been impossible.”
Perey adds, “For Green Star’s mandatory post-completion re-assessment, Revit Architecture also equipped us to prepare all the required documentation for the various Green Star rating categories. It helped us substantiate that the building is able to deliver the sustainable performance we have designed it to deliver.”
Building Faster and Greener
The quick turnaround time often set for design submissions for commercial projects was a great test of Revit Architecture software’s parametric change engine. As a database storing information about each design project, any design changes are replicated across all plans, schedules, and other related documents. With every design change, the Architectus team is able to quickly investigate the impact of the change on the building’s sustainability performance. This has given Architectus the competitive advantage to propose numerous design options to its clients to shorten their decision-making cycle.
This competitive turnaround time, combined with the company’s push for the green agenda, has resulted in a significant growth in the number of projects where customers are insisting on the use of BIM. “Customers often want to know how we can better balance the sustainable features we are proposing against the costs involved. They also wish to know the cost permutations if changes are being made. As such, many are now unwilling to work with architectural firms who cannot provide the same kind of information and the quick turnaround time we can offer,” affirms Perey.
Sharpening Acoustics Abilities and Environmental Friendliness
The design of the Sydney Hillsong Church allows Architectus to quickly turn around design changes to fulfill the church’s vision to combine 21st century design and functional facilities. From its initial design proposal, which was completed in six weeks with a team of five, Architectus was able to subsequently downsize the 3200-seat auditorium to 2700 seats in 8 to 10 weeks with just two team members.
Located in an open space where the surrounding park will help connect the church with the local community, the Hillsong Church is designed to achieve site harmony while ensuring safety, accessibility, sustainability, and environmental-friendliness. Though fitted with state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and media equipment, the building for Australia’s largest church is designed to reduce noise levels for its surrounding residents. Using Revit Architecture, the Architectus team can conduct interference detection to scan its building models for conflicts between user-specifiable elements and systems, thus avoiding costly rework and construction delays.
Making Headway with More Sustainable Success
Having distinguished itself with its sustainable successes, Architectus is gaining more accolades in high-profile projects for art galleries, universities, and museums. Naming Autodesk as its strategic business partner, Perey has this to say, “No other software developer has as much impact on our business as Autodesk. Autodesk’s intuitive BIM solutions help to fuel our passion for sustainability, making it easier and more efficient for us to turn our sustainable ideas into green buildings that truly contribute to a cleaner and greener environment.”

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Chief Architect : 3D Architectural Design Software

Residential & Light Commercial Design
Chief Architect is a perfect architectural tool for residential and light commercial design to help the client see the design before construction begins. Often the most challenging issue with designing is communicating your ideas and helping the client visualize the finished project. Chief Architect enables the Architect to communicate and illustrate a 3D model of the project reducing frustrations, unknowns and uncertainties. Improve client communication with photo-realistic renderings, quickly incorporate changes and design realistically for your client’s needs with Chief Architect software on your next project.
Design & Visualize with Your Clients
Quickly Generate Automatic 3D Models
3D & 2D Design & Modeling Tools
Kitchens & Baths – Interiors & Exteriors
Turn concepts into realistic 3D models in minutes
Show your clients what the design will look like in 3D or with a virtual tour before you begin construction
3D models are automatic – to see a view, simply point-and-click the camera. Save any view as an image to email or print
Advanced 3D tools: Raytrace, Glass House™, Doll House™, 3D Cross-Section Elevation Slider™ and many more
Design in both 3D and 2D simultaneously
Choose from over 10,000 Library objects to make your designs realistic and match the client’s criteria – easily import name-brand objects
Automatic & Manual Building Tools
Use the powerful built-in Automatic and Manual Building tools to make the most of your design including: walls, windows, foundations, framing, stairs, decks, CAD, electrical and more
Automatic Dimension Tools – click to place automatic dimensions or manually place dimensions
Automatic and manual roofs: hip, gable, curved and more
Advanced roof tools: Auto Dormer™ and Auto Roof Returns™
Automatic framing for walls, foundations, decks and roofs
The House Wizard™ provides a quick way to layout rooms – great for client consultations
Materials Lists and cost estimating – Chief Architect maintains a complete model as you design and automatically generates a Materials List in spreadsheet format
Material Schedules: windows, doors, cabinets, electrical, finish, fixtures and furniture
Powerful Design & CAD Tools
Customize Windows, Doors & Cabinets
Over 10,000 Items – Import Your Own!
A complete CAD tool set, including the Visual CAD Snaps™ to highly customize designs
Choose from a Library of over 500 CAD Details – customize or import new Details
Import DWG/DXF/3DS/OBJ/SKP files
Use the CAD-to-Walls tool to import 2D files and automatically generate 3D models – AutoCAD® compatible
Design realistic kitchens and baths in 3D, dropping in parametric cabinets, changing styles, adding custom countertops, flooring and more
Plan Sets & Construction Documents
Use the Layout tool to produce detailed, professional Plan Sets with framing, elevations, cross-sections, 3D overviews, and more
Layouts are synchronized with your design – change the floor plan, it automatically updates in the Layout
Use the Layer Sets to turn on and off layers to create the exact view for your Plan Sets
Control line weights and styles, set scale, select built-in architectural fonts, choose colors and more
Choose from over 1,000 built-in CAD details, import your own or create custom details
Print anywhere – desktop, large format printers or use a PDF print driver

Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The Importance of Vectorworks 2009 to Building Information Modeling

For many in the A/E/C industry, Building Information Modeling (BIM) has become synonymous with 3D; a BIM project incorporates all the aspects of design from geographic information, to building geometry, to component relationships, and finally, to the quantities and properties of the building components required. Much like Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for manufacturing, BIM requires a purpose-built foundation to manage the amount of data generated. In the manufacturing industry, the 3D modeling requirements for PLM applications date back to the mid 1980’s, as manufacturers demanded design software that would enable them to speed their product development process. As a result, PLM software kernels like Siemens PLM software, Parasolid®, are very mature and robust; built on a highly scalable, flexible, accurate 3D platform that has come to be recognized as the best in class.
BIM applications have not been built to the same demanding standards. They have grown to meet the information management needs of a handful of actual practitioners. Therein lies the problem. Large and mid-sized commercial projects must document and model hundreds of thousands of components. Without a scalable 3D modeling application, you run the risk of documenting a limited or inaccurate model. BIM must evolve to meet complex, large-scale, 3D modeling needs. The best way to build a strong modeling platform is to leverage the manufacturing industry’s investment in software development. Embedding Parasolid’s modeling software engine, while incorporating A/E/C-based BIM capabilities, creates an extremely scalable, flexible, and accurate BIM platform. At Nemetschek North America, that’s exactly what we’ve done through our partnership with Siemens PLM software. Already an A/E/C
industry leader in 3D modeling with our unique ability to support free-form modeling, we’ve licensed and incorporated the Parasolid kernel into our Vectorworks application to transform it into the best-inclass of architectural 3D modeling.
Let’s take a look at the impact of BIM on the A/E/C industry, what it means to be the best-in-class of architectural 3D modeling, and how a best-in-class architectural 3D modeling application facilitates an efficient design.

Story Telling Competition Entry 5