Week 13 - Presentation Feedback

Overall we received positive feedback from the tutor, with a question being raised about our suggested Gantt chart to improve the workflow process. 

If we were to tackle this project again there would be one aspect in which we could improve. As we tried to simulate a real world working example, where the models are split according to profession, it became obvious that certain professions would have to wait for other to complete their work before being able to effectively make their additions  clash free. A gantt chart would have been a good item to develop at the start of the project to track each disciplines workflow. We have split it so that we could work on the architecture model as a group between weeks 1-5, giving everyone an overview of what the spaces will encapsulate.  From week 4 – 6 the structural model would be worked on followed by the landscape from week 6-8. Now with the exterior and “skeleton” complete, work could begin on the interior. Again these crossover in order of priority  Overall this approach (which we eventually acknowledged) would have benefited the project and workflow from an earlier stage.

The graphical representation of what we wanted to say did not come across as effectively as we first thought, so this has been amended as below:

Week 12 - FINAL PRESENTATION

Use this link for our final presentation slides.


JBAA Project 2 Presentation 

Week 12 - Ammended BIM Plan link

Here is the link to our amended BIM Management Plan. As explained before there were a few changes to model shedules and file exchange protocols. This is our final revised edition.

Amended BIM Plan

Week 12 - BIM Ammendments

Week 11 - Individual Role Jack

My main responsibility  for this project was to undertake the lighting model. Having never used MEP software before, it proved to be an interesting learning experience and wasn’t without it’s issues,

I was in charge of all the lighting design and implementation within the project. This included lighting layout design, researching real world products and finding their BIM families, and detailing the wiring layout with the rooms.

As a secondary role, I looked after the models master file and reviewed it weekly to ensure that everyone’s files were linked correctly and no major clashes were present. There were a few cases were either some walls were missing or structure was clashing with interior walls etc so it was easier for me to make these corrections on a weekly basis instead of waiting till the end to correct everything and risk missing a few details.

As part of the presentation process, I also set-up the renders and visualisations for the project. These renders, which we will show in more detail later, really showcase our work and help portray our response to the brief a lot better than just plans and sections.

With our project, we found that, although it would have been perfect to all simultaneously works on our respective areas, it was just not realistic considering that some models relied on the completion of other models so they could start.

For the lighting model, it relied primarily on the architecture models as I needed all the rooms modelled and allocated before I could start figuring out what lighting is needed. My aim was to provided sufficient lighting for all workspaces and living quarters, several feature lighting installations in the main public areas, and specialised gallery down lighting. The gallery part involved working closely with the interior modeller (Jake) so that all the specific artwork illumination worked with the exhibition walls.

The company I decided to use was Cooper industries as I liked their style and thought it would work well with our design, and all of their products had a Revit family available for downloaded with included all relevant specs. Using these instead of just the generic families within Revit allows the model to start to fully utilise its BIM capabilities.

We had a fair share of issues with the project. Nothing heartbreaking but still an inconvenience nevertheless.

The first thing that affected me was missing ceilings in the architectural model. A minor oversight in the initial architectural meant that there weren't any ceilings for me to start placing lights on. This caused a set-back in our time frame of work as I had to go back into the Architect model and draw in all the ceilings for the building.

Ceilings continued to be an annoyance for me as once I finished drawing them, the ceilings in the linked model weren't being picked up in the MEP software suite. I had to resort to placing them on the ceilings underside face in 3d views, using a combination of section boxes and isolation tools. This slowed down by process quite a lot as each new style of light had to be re-placed in 3d then moved in plan.

As far as group issues go, one thing that caught us up was inconsistent file locations/versions. At some stages someone would take a copy of a file home to work on, and not load the revised edition back up so others would be working with an old/different file. We decided that to maintain consistency, we would only use USB and DropBox for backup purposes and everything else would remain on the StudentShare drive.

Week 11 - Individual Role Ben

My main responsibilities as you can see, were the Landscape model, interior site model and also the main group blog editor. Firstly, with the landscape model I worked carefully on replicating the surrounding context, including roads , paths and contours. This would prove to be a major aspect, improving the quality of our exterior renders by giving a sense of place. As you can see in the images this was modeled off pd online screenshots using the Revit site section. From here I then modeled the building pad,  immediate site, and landscaping. 

My next crucial role involved the creation of the interior site model. This mostly involved the creation of Courtyard spaces, green walls and interior plantation and devices for creeper vine. As seen in the screenshots this process was involved and required me to collaborate carefully with the rest of the group to insure both the aesthetic and function remained constant. Lastly, I am responsible for the structure, updating and editing of the main group blog, basically overseeing, and constantly commenting on our groups collaboration processes.

When it came to the design and creation of these spaces careful collaboration with my group members was required. Firstly, with the landscape model, I specifically had to work with Adam (the architect) and insure that my design of the immediate site reflected the paths and movement require to draw people into / or out of spaces that he desired. This is integral to the success of the design as a whole. As this section was dealing purely with the exterior aesthetic and function, it did not require me to constantly update other group members as their roles were primarily interior. This allowed time for them to model before I moved on to producing the interior site model

With the interior site model I had to collaborate much more carefully. Here I had to mostly work with Jake (interior designer) and Jack (MEP lighting), and to a lesser extent, with Adam's structural model. As this involved a large number of professions, we arranged it so that we worked beside each other in most cases, and also gave each other weekly updates of progress, through class and the blog system. Also it was decided that the discipline assigned to each model, would be the sole accessor of that particular file until completion

The collaboration process with my fellow team mates was smooth at times, but also rough when it became necessary for multiple interaction. The landscape modeling proved to be a success as the collaboration with Adam, his model and design was seamless. As we constantly worked together there was minimal errors encountered. Together we only had to rectify one issue with the terrain covering a corner of the outdoor workshop. This was found to be my mistake while creating contours having a randomly placed point, effecting the slope. This was simply fixed by removing that point. As seen by the image, i worked with Adam on creating an outdoor deck which flowed from his cafe design. Here I made it clear to my fellow team mates that they should be wary about linking the landscape with their models, as, because of the amount of trees, and shrubs the file size became large, and the computers began struggling to cope, making their jobs harder, constantly waiting for it to load.

Although the landscape was a success, there proved to be issues with the interior site model. This first issue with this was waiting for other models to be finished so that I could ensure that my additions did not affect the flow and circulation of space. This required Jake and I to work together carefully, where he would have to notify me of any changes which deviated from our conceptual design. As highlighted by the images there were also numerous clashes which I had to take care of in regards to clashes with structure, walls and ceilings. It was important that I also had a good workflow with Jack as he implemented the lighting into Project MCN.

Week 11 - Individual Role Jake

My responibilities consisted of the original brief development, brief implementation and the interior modelling. The role of brief development was one familiar to be as for the last few design assignments we have been charged with creating our own brief unique to our site and project. Creating a new brief is more challenging in many ways than simply adhering to a provided brief, having to consider all spaces to be included as well as the vision for the project. It is also vital to ensure that the brief is implemented effectively and that each group member is working towards a common goal.  This was an interesting collaboration task, having to work with each discipline to ensure they were on track with the brief and work with them to achieve our brief. The role of interior designer is one relatively foreign to me however. I have no done an exclusive interior fitout, only completing simple interior designs for previous architectural projects.  The interior modelling requires a different skill set, designing interior spaces which flow well and adhere to the brief while also tying in the with the other team members models.

The role of design brief was an interesting one as it provided me an important role in the collaboration process, working with other team members to firstly develop the brief and secondly ensure that the brief was implemented effectively.








.

The interior fit out was a steep learning curve for me, creating furniture plans and interior plans that fitted in with the architectural, structural, landscape and lighting models with no previous experience. I experienced a number of clashes with the architectural, structural and lighting models. Despite this it was a beneficial experience, providing insight into the interior design process and the unexpected collaboration required. Ultimately it goes to show that all systems within a building are connected and that for a building to work efficiently there must be effective collaboration between each discipline.