Conceptual Design: Bumwad and Bubble Diagrams

Here's a concept that I've used to bring the "willing" conceptual designer and/or principal into the project team that's using Revit. Typically they've used pencils and markers to draw on bumwad, flimsy, onion paper or sketchpads. I'm not discounting hand sketches. However; our studies clearly show there is a time in the latter half of the coneptual phase where this technique is more productive than using paper. The project team can access the designer's work digitally for presentations, analysis, and printing. Thereby retaining the designer's decisions-design intent as the project flows into schematic stage.

This concept uses Revit's Room Separation tool. It creates spaces using linework and not walls. It's a simple, intuitive yet intelligent 2D sketching tool. The Room Separation toolset includes lines, circles, elipses, rectangles, splines, arcs and more; all from one small menu. Grip editing provides the designer with simple pick'n pull moving, copying and resizing of linework.

The enclosed areas can be tagged to display "total area" of the space both on the tag and in the space schedules. The designer gets immediate feedback from editing spaces in the design process. As the project progresses, the production team can trace over the linework with walls. Revit linework file can also be linked into another Revit project.

Here's a DWF project file that features the bubble diagram, concept and analysis drawings. I also incorporated a space planning schedule and KEY SPACE schedule on the conceptual page.

FacilityBlog - from Today's Facility Manager: National Building Information Model Standards Committee Formed to create the National BIM Standard

Just additional confirmation that client defined deliverables created by BIM software like Revit Building, Revit Structure & soon Revit Systems will be required in the near future.

FacilityBlog - from Today's Facility Manager: National Building Information Model Standards Committee Formed to create the National BIM Standard

The National Institute of Building Standards (NIBS) through its Facility Information Council (FIC) has formed a committee to create the National Building Information Model Standard (NBIMS). The Standard is considered to be a critical element in reforming business practices in the capital facilities industry and recapturing at least $15B annually lost due to inefficiencies.

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Building & Facility Owners Lifecycle Management Needs Define Digital Deliverables

So why are building owners redefining the deliverables for architects and engineers?

Let's look at some statistics that affect building owners:

We found one study that showed a building with $200 per sq ft construction costs, will cost the owner $40 per sq ft to manage and maintain.

Another study shows annual management and maintenance costs range from 4-10% of the original construction costs...depending on the quality designed into the building.

A typical $100m building project generates 150,000 separate documents: technical drawings, legal contracts, purchase orders, RFIs and schedules.
New wiring: Construction and the Internet: Builders go online 01/15/2000; The Economist Copyright© 2000 The Economist; Source: World Reporter™- FT McCarthy

Lastly building owners are trying to minimize the waste that they inevitably pay for with the construction process we have in the U.S.

"...inefficiencies, mistakes and delays account for $200 billion of the $650 billion spent on construction in America every year."
New wiring: Construction and the Internet: Builders go online 01/15/2000; The Economist Copyright© 2000 The Economist; Source: World Reporter™- FT McCarthy


They need to manage the lifecycle costs of their buildings after construction. They need a three-dimensional, digital model that accurately stores the original design of the building. As they revise the building's use, they need to analyze, simulate, save and track those changes in a digital format.

Paper drawings and CAD entities (lines, arcs, circles, dimensions) are not going provide the solution they need.

If you click on the title to this blog you will be able to download a whitepaper that I wrote on Building Information Modeling (BIM). CSI-Chicago and Association of Licensed Architects (ALA) published it in their respective magazines over the last year.

Click here to get BIM Whitepaper

Autodesk Revit Building is a software package that designs, analyzes and simulates a building using BIM methodology. Autodesk Revit Building