BIM Within AIM Models

Transcription

1 90 Chapter 10 Innovative Vectorworks BIM Practice Terence O Rourke Ltd Authors Dan Fairley and Christian Spendier Location Bournemouth, Dorset Employees 73 (24 in design disciplines) Founded 1985 Contact dan.fairley@torltd.co.uk Directors Terry Williams, Director of Architecture Technology Vectorworks Architect and Landmark (Mac platform), SketchUp, Adobe Creative Cloud Sectors Masterplanning, residential, commercial, leisure, industrial, infrastructure, conservation The practice Terence O Rourke is a multi-disciplinary consultancy, based in London and Bournemouth, providing planning, environment consultancy and architectural services. Within our design disciplines we have urban designers, masterplanners, landscape architects and architects who work together on projects that range widely in type, scale and complexity. We use our team s unique skill-set in the planning, design and environmental professions, working closely together as an integrated unit, to deal creatively with challenging project constraints to deliver bespoke solutions to our clients throughout the UK. Our record shows an inspired and imaginative response on a range of high-profile projects, unlocking opportunities at the forefront of best practice and at the cutting edge of commercial thinking. We have a close relationship with our clients, taking care to listen to them and understand their objectives so that we often exceed their expectations. This approach creates comprehensive, innovative solutions to even the most complex planning, environmental and design challenges. Website THE journey into Bim Since their inception, TOR s design disci plines have used Vectorworks software for masterplanning, landscape and architectural design. This has application scheme, produced using Farnborough Hall 1-1A Working visualisation of planning mainly been in a 2D CAD mode, but using features such as Renderworks and Photoshop

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3 Chewton Glen Treehouses Vectorworks structural model rendered using OpenGL with Photoshop effects

4 Multi-disciplinary BIM 93 workgroup referencing to facilitate team working. Careful use of Vectorworks classes/layers, opacities, patterns and images lends a soft visual appearance to masterplans, landscape plans, and architectural plans and elevations. In the past, we had used earlier versions of Vectorworks Architect for some 3D modelling and SketchUp for masterplanning and concept design. As the prominence and awareness of BIM grew over the last few years, we made our first steps towards using Vectorworks for 3D BIM modelling in architectural projects in A couple of members of our architectural team, who had a particular interest and enthusiasm, started by using BIM on small, simple projects. The learning process was largely self-directed, making use of online resources and forums to assist with the queries that invariably arose. While these BIM champions developed their knowledge, other team members were encouraged to use BIM methods on their projects, with the early adopters providing support. Currently, all members of our architectural team use Vectorworks Architect in a 3D capacity for most new projects, and we are currently investigating how the 3D tools within Vectorworks Landmark can be used to introduce a suitable BIM methodology to masterplanning and landscape design. The first live BIM project we delivered was the Chewton Glen Treehouses, in This innovative and uniquely constrained project was an ideal opportunity to explore the particular advantages offered by a BIM methodology, and clearly demonstrated to us how project changes could be accommodated quickly and alternative scenarios explored. Co-operation with a wider project team was limited to the importing of structural models for co-ordination; this was due in part to the simple nature of the services installations, and also to the working methods used by other design team members at the time. Two current projects that demonstrate how our use of BIM has evolved are Hall 1-1A for Farnborough International and the new Tropical House and Energy Centre at Marwell Zoo. Both are complex, bespoke building types with specific performance requirements, and use complex architectural forms for an innovative design. At the time of writing, these projects have only been developed to early stages (planning/riba Stage 3), but it is intended that a full BIM delivery process will be required from design team members throughout project delivery and post-completion. As our experience and fluency in using Vectorworks Architect for BIM has developed, it has become much more useful to us as a design tool at early project stages, enabling options and approaches to be explored with the additional benefit of quick working visualisations being readily available from the building model. PROJECT 1/3 MEDIUM Chewton Glen Treehouses Chewton Glen Photograph of completed project This project involved the construc tion of six free-standing lodges set within the tree canopy of a woodland valley at Chewton Glen Hotel, on the edge of the New Forest. Each treehouse contains two exclusive luxury hotel suites within a curved building form, carefully orientated to maximise Courtesy of chewton glen hotel

5 94 Chapter 10 sun path and views out while remaining secluded. The woodland location demanded careful foundation design, and individual servic ing was needed to minimise the scheme s impact on the setting. In addition to the design and construction constraints imposed by the site, the project had to be delivered in a tight time-frame and to high standards of finish to be available to guests for the summer season of Due to these particular project requirements and the unusual architectural form, which necessitated a high Internal cutaway Drawing of Hall 1-1A showing seating layouts level of structural co-ordination, this project was chosen as the most suitable for our first live use of BIM working methods. We modelled the two treehouse types in Vectorworks Architect, with models from the structural engineer and the steel fabricator imported for co-ordination. Mechanical and electrical information was available only in 2D form. To facilitate teamwork within our office, the site plan file and internal fit-out models were workgroupreferenced to the building models from separate files. This required good communication by the project team to ensure the most current versions of files were referenced. Because this project marked the start of our journey along the BIM learning curve, we were not always able to use Vectorworks Architect and its built-in tools to their full capability to model the project, but other tools were easily integrated. Some bespoke items, such as the loft stair, were modelled in SketchUp before being imported into the Vectorworks model. We drew the site plans and sections using 2D methods, since the skills were not yet in place to make full use of site terrain modelling. The real advantage of BIM for this project, however, was the ability to make changes to the construction and update the drawings quickly. This proved extremely useful when investigating alternatives during value engineering. One example of this is the curved, pitched roof, finished with standing-seam aluminium. Initially it was proposed that this would have a continuously curved ply deck substrate to maintain the curved appearance, but when the contractor noted that a faceted ply deck would be cheaper and quicker to install, we were able to model this with the facets aligned with the roof seams to demonstrate that the curved appearance could still be maintained. This project demonstrated to us the advantages of BIM in delivery and design development, even for a scheme of a highly bespoke nature, and served as a springboard for the wider adoption of BIM within Terence O Rourke. Innovative Vectorworks BIM PROJECT 2/3 Large Farnborough International Hall 1-1A Hall 1-1A at Farnborough Airport is a new 21,000 sq m exhibition and conference building for which planning permission was obtained in It is intended to replace one of the temporary exhibition structures erected for the biennial Farnborough International Airshow. As well as serving the exhibition, media centre and catering requirements of the Airshow, this building needed to

6 Multi-disciplinary BIM 95 provide a flexible facility to accommodate the wide range of exhibition, trade show, conference and other events hosted by Farnborough International on the site outside the Airshow. In addition to a 48m clear span, 9m high, 12,500 sq m exhibition hall, Hall 1-1A includes 3,600 square metres of flexible function areas (one space accommodating theatrestyle seating for up to 1,200 people), two double-height foyers linked at both levels by a concourse, and catering support facilities to supply up to 1,500 meals. Flexibility and functionality were the key design drivers for this project, and required careful and thorough development of the brief, with a number of design iterations needed to fully explore the types, dimensions and configuration of spaces. The use of BIM techniques has been invaluable in this process, enabling changes and amendments to be quickly made and alternative scenarios easily explored. We have used the Space tool, linked to custom worksheets, to generate accommodation schedules that can be continuously updated as the design develops. These worksheets have been used as the basis of a database of room data sheets (RDS) for the project to track the key performance criteria for each space. As well as providing a single location for the main design criteria, these will assist the client in future discussions with potential exhibitors. The project progressed extremely quickly from initial outline design to planning application, and cross-sections, rendered elevations and 3D visualisations were readily generated from the building model using Renderworks. This demonstrated to us the advantage of live sections and elevations that could be quickly updated as the design evolved, while still achieving the desired soft appearance that we use for presenting 2D elevations. We have also been able to use the developing building model to produce progress visualisations to explore design concepts. In particular, we were able to export a 3D version of the planning application proposals that the client s visualisation consultants could bring into a wider site model for animated marketing visuals produced using computer game engines. Tropical House Renderworks images PROJECT 3/3 Medium Marwell Zoo Tropical House The new tropical house at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire is intended to replace the existing Tropical World facility. It incorporates an energy centre using a sustainable energy source to power both the tropical house and other exhibits within the park. The building features an elongated S - shaped plan with an elevated entry and a lower-level exit. The tropical house to the south is split from the energy centre to the north by a central concrete thermal wall. The building is enclosed by a lightweight curved roof, to be fabricated from ETFE membrane, supported by a curved steel structure. This complex architectural form suggested to us at an early stage that using 3D BIM was the most rational and efficient method to document the building. The initial setting-out was established by a 2D plan grid in a regular arrangement, dividing the building into a series of bays, which meant that the building could be easily extended or reduced through the design process to meet performance requirements and cost limits. Breaking the building into a series of bays to achieve the overall form ensured both constructional efficiency and drawn efficiency. For example, the main structural elements

7 96 Chapter 10 Curved steel and ETFE roof Complex forms were drawn using free-form modelling Innovative Vectorworks BIM were formed as curved circular beams in 3D using the Extrude Along Path command in Vectorworks Architect, and the completed elements were then converted to a 3D symbol with IFC data applied. These symbols were next set out on the centre point of the set circular grid and duplicated and rotated to grid. To form the pillows of the ETFE membrane, a curve was drawn following the top of the beams either side of a bay, with a third line connecting these at the base. These were then converted to spline lines and, with the Surface Array tool, a curved pillow shape was generated that closely resembled a typical ETFE installation. The geometric demands of this project required us to make much greater use of the 3D modelling tools within Vectorworks Architect, rather than using standard plug-in objects. This had the advantage of allowing easy adjustment of the design by altering the generating geometry, but we also learned the importance of adding the right IFC data so that all information within the model could be exchanged with other design team members. The production of a 3D model early in the design process presented clear advantages for design exploration and demonstration of our proposals to the client and design team. We were able to quickly produce animated walkthroughs and 3D views from the model, using some postprocessing in other software packages to add the level of softness and sketchiness that we wanted for this early stage of presentation. Conclusions Since the majority of our team are experienced 2D users of Vectorworks Architect, and many have previous experience of other 3D packages, we found the move from 2D to 3D BIM use of Vectorworks was more of an evolutionary process than revolutionary. We have now reached the point where all members of our architectural team are using BIM for new projects, right from the initial design stages, to generate plans, sections, elevations and 3D views from a single model. Using Renderworks, we are able to replicate the soft look and detailed textures on elevations that we previously achieved by 2D methods. We can produce full sets of drawings at early schematic stages much more quickly using BIM, and can incorporate changes and explore design alternatives much more responsively. It is also a great deal quicker to move from a planning/schematic design to a detailed design. The main benefit of BIM has been enhanced responsiveness to project change pressures, such as a changing brief, planning process feedback, or incorporating value engineering changes. We have noted that BIM has made significant improvements to our cost-effectiveness and efficiency. Most of the discussion, training and knowledge base on BIM seems focused on the construction stages of project delivery and less on the project concept and masterplanning stage. We will need to undertake more investigation to make full use of BIM within our other design disciplines. We were aware of, but have now seen first-hand, how BIM front-loads a project with a much greater degree of design development and effort at the early stages. Along with the wider profession, our fee structures need to evolve to capture this. Co-operation with other consultants has been somewhat limited up to this point, mainly due to the scope and extent of our involvement in certain projects and the fact that many consultants that we work with still operate 2D workflows. We have used 3D structural and steelwork models for co-ordination purposes and will continue to develop our skills and methods in this area. For larger projects, where several members of our team are working on the same model, we look forward to the Project Sharing features in Vectorworks Architect 2016.

8 Atmospheric visuals Renderworks and Photoshop were used to create images of the Tropical House