Week 7- GIS, BIM, & Simulation Reading

GIS, BIM and Simulation

GIS:

Mapping Places and Spaces

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0206feature-1.asp

BIM:

Diving Into BIM

http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=625

Simulation:

Main Reading:

Model Behavior: Anticipating Great Design

http://continuingeducation.construction.com/article.php?L=5&C=471

 

                What is GIS? It is a “type of software system, [which] enables a user to link any amount or kind of data to a location with either geographic- or user-defined coordinates" (McGarigle, n.d.). This can be used to show the massing of buildings among the surrounding environment.  This allows for site lines and other contextual information to be reviewed, with projects from a large scale including Boston’s Big Dig on down to the size of a single building.  The information is often stored in state or city databases like the GIS Division of the City of Greensboro, which has the city’s assets mapped. One of the ways they use it is to efficiently respond to service requests. Their website is http://images.greensboro-nc.gov/maingisviewer/.  The architect will be able to use this type of information to look at broader issues of developing within the community. It allows for more informed decisions on site development and will most likely continue to increase in adaptation.

                BIM is defined by The American Institute of Architects as "a database in the visual form of a virtual building" (Gonchar, 2009).   BIM or Building Information Modeling has greatly improved the architect’s ability to create sustainable designs. “Architects and building engineers are moving away from using conventional CAD software and applying the BIM approach to building design by coordinating with the surroundings and environmental data” (Gonchar, 2009).  Creating 3d models that include information attached to the model unit allows for more thoughtful project analysis upfront, meaning avoiding costly change orders.  Adding the addition of time or scheduling to the model aids project management and creates a 4D info model.

                In the beginning of the project, the modeling process requires more responsibility to be placed on the designer, which requires more details and information to be gathered and processed.  Another change is that BIM integrates the design development with the construction document creation.  They are really one and the same, as the modeled building contains the information and drawings inherently within the model. All of this revises the process of how the project is approached and managed which equals the pains of change. However, more good news with BIM is the better coordination of data among the project team. Some of the ways BIM is helpful is 4d, the design team can visually explore the entire assembly and can include storyboards, animations, and details like exploded section views. Because of the addition of plug-ins like the energy analysis software used in the article, BIM helps to make it easier to pursue more environmentally responsible buildings. The use of use of energy analysis allows for these types of analysis to be done more often throughout the project so that the designer can evaluate design changes. Traditionally this was outsourced and only occurred once. If the design changes, the resulting impact on the energy use for the building was unknown. This all helps to keep environmentally friendly buildings working toward systems that create well designed, well managed and well-built buildings that have fewer costly mistakes.

                In Model Behavior: Anticipating Great Design, the modeling of the Masdar Headquarters is discussed. It is slated to be the world’s largest scale, mixed-use, positive-energy building, which means that the building will produce more energy than it consumes. The modeling of this uniquely shaped building is a major part of creating a successful outcome. The massive cones used in the building design impact the flow of cool air through the building and naturally expel the warmer air from the top. Design exploration for the shape and placement of equipment are all attributed to the use of advanced modeling software with abilities to simulate computation fluid dynamics (CFD), which showed how the air flowed through these cones and what performed best.  The Al-Birr Foundation Headquarters is also using modeling. Perkins + Will has used both physical and virtual modeling for this project, through thermal modeling analysis the quantification of solar impact on each side of the building benefited the siting of the building and the overall design. Wind is also being studied and how it may react and impact the site.  Another great project using simulation is Dubai’s Sheikh Rashid bin Saeed Crossing, a bridge that is incorporating moonlighting in its lighting design. It adjusts to simulate the moon cycle and how the bridge should glow correspondingly.  With advances in computing and modeling, the continued development of GIS, BIM, and simulations is a way that we will be able to achieve headway into the use of restorative environmental design.