| |
|
Massing Study Workflows |
Regardless of how a massing study is done (digitally or in a physical medium), there has always been a break in the workflow from conceptual design to finished building. Physical massing models were made first and then, to create a digital project, the architect had to re-create the same concept from zero, usually in AutoCAD without having a way to reuse the information previously created.
When you make a digital study using tools such as Rhino, SketchUp, Form Z, or 3ds Max, you still need to start from scratch to begin the process of documenting your design because they are just modelers, not documentation tools, and the data created in them is not reusable in any intelli-gent way.
This has traditionally occurred in the form of 2D drawings using a tool such as AutoCAD. With the advent of Building Information Modeling, this is all changing.
An important part of using BIM is being able to use data throughout the design process, from start to finish—without needing to start over from ground zero once you’ve got the massing done. Revit provides specific tools for keeping the design process integrated. For early conceptual stud-ies, Revit has massing tools that allow you to create a mass model that can later easily be trans-formed into walls, floors, and roofs. This capability is popularly called Building Maker, a set of tools for converting an abstract mass form into a full-fledged building model.
With the massing tools, you can create flexible preliminary designs and create massing models out of building blocks long before you make decisions about walls, roofs, and floors. You can create the pieces quickly, run though and visualize alternate configurations, and then, only when they’re ready, generate a building shell. |
Common Uses for the Massing Tools
Here are some commons scenarios where using Revit massing tools make sense
Site Studies: Using Massing to Quickly Build the Context Environment Around the Building
You can use massing capabilities to quickly model the surrounding context of your building to get a feelfor how it fits. This is a standard practice used to demonstrate to clients or for competitions how yourdesign relates to its environment. Once you have modeled the environment around your building, youcan make quick walkthroughs around your building and experience it from different points of viewfrom various vantage points. You can also make initial solar studies to better understand how yourbuilding affects the environment and how the environment affects your design.
Insert Image
Massing Studies for Testing Different Design Options.
You can do a quick conceptual massing study to work out a functional design arrangement, make moreoptions, and look for an optimal solution. For each design, separate masses can be made and given colorto indicate their form. This allows you to see spatial relationships in simplified geometric forms but alsoget precise area and volume values for each mass option you explore.
Insert Image
Feasibility Studies and Program Verification
You can take the massing study a step further and make a feasibility study, explore how you can fit theclient’s program on the site, calculate the Floor Area Ratio (FAR), and convert it into a building withwalls, floor, roofs, and site elements. With mode information added to the model, you can get betterestimates about building cost, energy analysis, and aesthetics.
Insert Image |
| |