Uses of Databases in Design Offices
Databases are used for different purposes depending on the various design tasks. They are not only required for generating models, but also they provide important information such as the material and element information which a designer would need in order to facilitate the design task. Material selection is always a difficult task when a construction budget is provided.
Databases are used for different purposes depending on the various design tasks. They are not only required for generating models, but also they provide important information such as the material and element information which a designer would need in order to facilitate the design task. Material selection is always a difficult task when a construction budget is provided.
In
structural design offices, the databases will hold all the information concerning
the design members and materials, as well as information concerning safety.
When designing for a new structure, all the properties of a certain material
will be stored in the database, facilitating the material selection process to
the engineers. Also, environmental information of a specific location is also
provided, such as weather conditions, wind speed and precipitation level. This
will allow for engineers to design for a location knowing how the structure
will be affected by external conditions year round.
In
architectural design offices, as mentioned in class before, BIM software needs
a database to perform accordingly. When using Revit for instance, the database provides
information of every element and material available, from metal’s failure
values, to window’s dimension, properties and R-values. If the database does
not provide an element the designer specifically wants, new element packages
can be simply uploaded to the database. From these, schedules can be easily generated
specifying the material, properties, manufacturer, and even color selection of
a specific element. This not only helps the designer maintain organization, but
BIM allows for the designers to have all the information enclosed in one area. In addition, with the BIM database, designers are also
provided with a very close cost estimation based on the materials used, and
construction schedules can also be generated.
In HVAC design offices, the database is used
mainly for the purpose of an adequate HVAC selection. An example of an HVAC
database would be EQuest. This works by the user providing a specific location and
specifying the characteristics of the building (size, materials used and its
R-values, its fenestration and shading systems, etc.) in order to get the most accurate
outputs of the building. This output number will allow the designer to select
the most suitable HVAC system for that specific building.
Sources:
http://www.aconex.com/blogs/2014/01/global-state-of-bim-construction-market-data.html
Comments:
Janet Tran Comment
Cristian Almendariz Comment
Maria, I liked how you broke out how databases affect structural, architectural, and HVAC design offices differently. I also liked how you provided different, more specific examples of how these databases will differ from one to the other. Databases are very useful for designing buildings where there are a huge variety of materials and products to choose from. Databases keep track of all of these different components and their properties. these properties can be significant like size, cost, or allowable stress or they can be minor like color. This is very helpful in the design process to have these specifics readily available.
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ReplyDeleteMaria,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article. It was very informative. I completely agree with your view point towards databases. I feel like having extensive databases are extremely integral in order to have a well-designed building. BIM software interaction with different databases has tremendously improved the building design/construction industry. I personally have experience in HVAC energy modelling software such as eQuest and Carrier HAP and it has made it a lot easier to have easy access through that software.
Maria,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading your article. It was very informative. I completely agree with your view point towards databases. I feel like having extensive databases are extremely integral in order to have a well-designed building. BIM software interaction with different databases has tremendously improved the building design/construction industry. I personally have experience in HVAC energy modelling software such as eQuest and Carrier HAP and it has made it a lot easier to have easy access through that software.
Thanks Maria for your post, I enjoyed reading through it. The most interesting part that I will need to read more on it, is database applications and its relation to office design and BIM software. Furthermore, I found the part on utilizing database in structural designing to be on point. I agree that using databases help tremendously with keeping information and utilize them later on when necessary.
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