For the
AE510 term project, I am working in a team with Dianna Vogel and Alex Palma to
create a 3D Revit model of Farnsworth House, which is located in Plano,
Illinois. The house was designed by Mies van der Rohe as a weekend retreat for
Edith Farnsworth and was constructed between 1945 and 1951 [1]. Currently, the
house functions as a museum and is owned by the National Trust for Historic
Preservation [2]. The structure has a steel framing system with mainly glass
walls, which coincides with Mies’ ideal to have the house mimic the nature
surrounding it. Figure 1 depicts Farnsworth House in its natural landscape.
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| Figure 1. Photograph of Farnsworth House |
We chose to
create a multi-system Revit model for Farnsworth House because we want to expand
our BIM skills through this program, integrating the Architectural, Structural,
and Mechanical systems. Our team already possesses skills in the Architectural
modeling system but we hope to gain skills in the Structural and Mechanical
modeling systems in order to learn how system integration works in Revit.
Farnsworth House was chosen because it is a fairly simplistic building that reveals
its overall structural “story” just by looking at it, while also having unique
aspects that are of interest to model. Also, plans and details are available
which will help in accurately modeling the components of each system.
Our proposed
3D Revit model of Farnsworth House directly relates to Intelligent Building
because, upon project completion, our team hopes to have recreated an existing
building using advanced building software capabilities. The final model is
expected to comprise multiple systems that accurately depict the actual
structure, and potentially an energy analysis can be implemented to determine
if the structure is successful in the input and output of energy. Other
analysis capabilities could be achievable with our model as the cornerstone,
and this reiterates the fact that 3D models represent one of many positive
outcomes of Intelligent Building.
Since our
project involves learning several Revit systems and how these systems can be
integrated, our team expects to face several challenges along the way. We have
started the Architectural model but once we work on the Structural and
Mechanical models, it will be challenging to figure out the functionalities
associated with these systems and it will be even more challenging to figure
out how each separate system can be combined for one complete model of the
building. As the guest speaker mentioned last class, clashes between systems
can be detected in Revit, so clashes could definitely be a challenge that our
team could encounter during system integration. Also, we would like to
customize certain aspects of our model to more closely depict the existing
structure, so we will face the challenge of creating multiple families in order
to accomplish this goal. However, with all of these expected challenges, our
team feels confident that by the end of the term, we will have a representative
3D Revit model of Farnsworth House.
References:
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farnsworth_House
Comments:
Sean,
Your project
topic sounds pretty interesting. The internet of things is certainly a
prominent aspect of today’s society, and I like how you and your partner plan
to refine this broad topic to focus on intelligent and sustainable buildings.
Even though sustainable buildings and intelligent buildings differ in some
ways, I think you will find that they share several similarities when it comes
to technological capabilities. It is phenomenal what technology can do in
regard to building applications, and I can only imagine how much there is to
research for this topic. The future holds many opportunities for “smarter”
buildings, and learning the current capabilities in both intelligent and
sustainable buildings can be highly informative and inspiring.
James,
Your term
project sounds both interesting and challenging. I was exposed to sensors during
my freshman design project but thankfully, there was a mechanical engineer and an
electrical engineer in the group so they were more informed about how sensors
work. Sensors are such a beneficial invention, and learning how they work is a
beneficial feat. As building technology progresses, more sensors are being
placed in them to detect many different types of things and to be more
user-friendly. It surely will be a challenge to find a large amount of
technical information, but I am sure that by the end of the term, you will have
a plethora of knowledge about indoor air quality sensors. I look forward to
hearing the inner workings of these devices.
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteYour project sounds so interesting and challenging in the same time. Actually, it’s kind of similar to what we trying to do with our project, where we have to model an existing historical building using Revit and then modify it. As you mentioned, the biggest challenge will be learning several Revit systems and creating multiple families. Good luck and looking forward to see your final model.
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