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Revit: The Latest Architecture and News

The Second Studio Podcast: Is BIM Ruining the Architecture Industry?

The Second Studio (formerly The Midnight Charette) is an explicit podcast about design, architecture, and the everyday. Hosted by Architects David Lee and Marina Bourderonnet, it features different creative professionals in unscripted conversations that allow for thoughtful takes and personal discussions.

A variety of subjects are covered with honesty and humor: some episodes are interviews, while others are tips for fellow designers, reviews of buildings and other projects, or casual explorations of everyday life and design. The Second Studio is also available on iTunes, Spotify, and YouTube.

How to Model Floors, Roofs, and Ceilings in Revit

Floors, roofs, ceilings. Speaking in a very generic way, they are practically all the horizontal elements that we can find in the construction of a building. These three parts have a very similar way of modeling in Revit and this is the reason why when learning this software, they almost always appear one after the other. The order is usually a rather logical and therefore similar order: starting first with the floors, later the soffits and, finally, the ceilings. All this, clearly after having modeled the exterior and interior walls of our building.

How to Start a New Project in Revit

Revit is a parametric and multidisciplinary design software that can virtually create and insert any building within a BIM process. Revit is not a true modeler, but an aggregator of construction components governed by a series of specific rules. In order to avoid issues within the Revit project, it must be set up carefully. Since each project has different characteristics and requirements, there is no standard procedure when starting a new one. However, becoming familiar with various situations and their necessary steps will greatly help.

How to Model Ramps and Stairs in BIM using Autodesk Revit

One of the great difficulties we encounter with “classic” plan delineation methodologies are ramp and stair projections. It has always been difficult to avoid calculating the ramp’s slope, as well as the dimensions of the footprint and riser of the communication staircase between two floors of a building. Do they comply with current regulations in my country? Do they adapt to the project standards? Will they be accurately calculated?

Thanks to great advances in project modeling using BIM methodology and Revit software, these calculations can be made with greater ease. However, these elements will probably be an aspect of modeling that will bring us the most difficulties in the project phase.

How to Create and Manage Façade Panels with BIM Elements: Tutorials and Inspiration

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Panelized facade systems are a popular exterior design element across multiple project types in today’s architecture. Different material and color options create unique and completely customized exteriors versatile enough to fit almost any design style. Ensuring the vision comes to life exactly as imagined, however, can be tedious with Revit’s or ARCHICAD’s innate capabilities alone. The time-consuming manual process of specifying the design, pattern, colors, and fabrication methods of a panelized facade can be simplified and made more intuitive with Steni’s BIM elements.

BIM Webinar | Revit Masterclass

Brief
In this course, we will walk you through the parametric modeling features that Revit Architecture has to offer. Revit Architecture by Autodesk is one of the leading applications in the industry for Building Information Modelling and is reshaping the way we design and build. The ability to create smart 3d models, where each object has attributes that collectively create a robust database for coordinating and extracting information, is one of the most relevant skills any designer should learn today. After this course, you will know the basics of Revit Architecture, and you will feel confident to start creating your BIM

Is Integrating Building Performance Difficult at Your Firm?

In a study recently published by AIA, less than 13% of architectural firms have incorporated building performance as part of their practice. With buildings contributing 40% of total carbon emissions leading to climate change, just 25 projects are roughly equivalent to planting 1 million trees each year. In addition to that, teams that are able to showcase data-driven and performance-driven decision-making and feature an energy analysis in every pursuit are able to increase fees and generate more revenue. Although integrating building performance sounds like a no-brainer, it proves to be difficult at many firms, because in addition to the practical changes, it requires a culture shift. That culture shift can only happen if the tools are easy to use, accurate, and mesh well with current workflows. Right now is the perfect time to tackle these culture changes due to a few reasons:

Download 14 BIM ‘View Templates’ for Expressive Floor Plans

BIM is bringing 3D information technology to the work of floor-planning. Many 3D models rendered on traditional floor-plan platforms don't show the same level of detail and complexity as ones that incorporate BIM technology. For this, it is necessary to develop configurations that allow for the creation of an expressive and detailed floor plan that gives the best possible view of a project.

In this article, you will find an architectural file from Revit that features a series of configured View Templates. Made especially for architects who are newcomers to Revit and BIM methodologies, this file will allow you to incorporate View Templates into your Revit projects, allowing you to better showcase the ideas and concepts behind your designs.

Top Tips for BIM Beginners

When you start to consider implementing the BIM (Building Information Modeling) methodology, whether as an independent professional or as a construction firm, it's necessary to take into account three key aspects: the technology, the process, and the people who bring it all together. In this article, we will address the key points in every one of these three aspects in order to give you insight into how to best start using BIM.

5 Ways to Discuss Building Performance for Your Next Project Pursuit

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Today in the United States, buildings account for nearly 40% of carbon emissions (EESI) and 78% of electricity usage. The most sustainability-focused firms run energy simulations for less than 50% of their projects (10% for a typical firm) and only doing so late in the process when design changes are limited and insufficient to combat red flags found in the performance report (AIA 2030 report). We can make building performance widespread once we help the entire community discuss the subject in terms of investment and return. Especially during a project pursuit, since having the buy in from the whole team helps ensure the key project metrics are met. Owners are seeking out teams who are using actual metrics and data driven processes that affect their bottom line. This new approach to practice is what makes the younger teams’ standout and will benefit both the climate and the bottom-line. Here are 5 ways to talk about building performance in your project pursuits: 

Façade Lighting Design in Revit: Bringing Buildings to Life

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The final look of the building is determined not only by the materials, texture, colors and forms of the space, but also by lighting design. Architecture is all about vision, and lighting enhances the way we perceive architecture even more. For example, in the case of outdoor lighting design, lighting the façade will give a new opportunity for a building to showcase its nightlife “personality” by creating a completely different atmosphere in the surroundings.

Let’s see how façade lighting design can be implemented in Revit with the help of the LIGHTS add-on.

The Tools You Need to Easily Meet BIM Mandates

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For bpr architects, BIM Level 2 is becoming business as usual. This medium-sized, employee-owned firm based in the UK focuses on how good design can add value to a client’s vision. Led by Directors Paul Beaty-Pownall and Steve Cowell, the firm specializes in three core sectors: higher education, rail stations, and regeneration.

5 Architecture Offices Using VR to Present Their Designs

Presenting designs to third parties can be a challenging task. Architects may find it difficult to describe spaces to their clients, therefore more firms are incorporating virtual reality into their workflows and project presentations.

Below are 5 architecture offices using SentioVR to present their designs. To see the content in 360º, click on the image and move the mouse.

The Best Architecture Software of 2018

When you think of the age of hand drafted architecture drawings, what images come to mind? Is it the iconic plans of the Palladian Villas? Fast forward to present day, where architecture software is favored over hand drawings due to its efficiency and ability to create increasingly innovative structures. With all of the software available to architects, have you ever wondered which one might be the "best"? Luckily, TechRadar has just released their list of leading architecture software for this year.

Online Revit Courses for Beginners and Experts

As one of the most-used BIM software products around the world, there are a large number of tutorials and online courses that help us to get started in using Revit, or to become an advanced user and take advantage of its many tools. Do you just want to become familiar with its interface so that you can start using it in your projects? Do you need to learn how to link it with AutoCAD or 3ds Max? Don't know how to render or present the results of your models? These courses promise to teach you how.

How an Optimized Workstation Accelerates Your Design

 How an Optimized Workstation Accelerates Your Design - Image 2 of 4
Courtesy of BOXX

Which processor? How many graphics cards? How much RAM? For architects, engineers, civil engineers, BIM managers, and other CAD pros, navigating the computer workstation marketplace can be an arduous task, hindered by unknowledgeable sales reps, inaccurate information, and other pitfalls.

How Real-Time Rendering Can Reduce Your Time and Effort in Architectural Design

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Architects are always trying to be more efficient and adding more value for clients. But with most software, rendering is very time-consuming, impairing efficiency significantly. It is exhausting for designers when the process of visual processing uses energy that would be better invested in design and architecture itself.

With the Enscape plugin, real-time rendering and virtual reality can help to remedy this situation. The plugin integrates as a toolbar in the popular design platforms Rhino, Revit and SketchUp, with a version for Archicad also currently in development. Because the software is a plugin for these popular programs, architects do not need to learn to use new software, but work in their familiar system with some additional features. And since the software runs on the local graphics card, projects do not have to be uploaded to the cloud.