I am a huge fan of Architectural styles that developed after the 1900’s namely modernism, deconstructivism, parametric architecture, High Tech and De Stijl. My own architectural ideology finds its foundations from these movements and my aim is to find a unique architectural expression that refines the foundational thoughts of these principles.
Category: Architecture
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Exploring Hard Surface Modelling as an Architectural Style
Why Explore Hard Surface Modelling in Architecture?
A few years ago I decided to begin exploring 3D modelling techniques as part of my effort to understand parametric architectural design. During this exploration I bumped into hard surface modelling art and developed a fascination for the approach. I felt that it landed itself well for architectural adoption as it is usually used for static industrialized visual expressions. Recently, there have been efforts to revive the idea of developing modular manufactured buildings into the main stream built environment as well as the adoption of such aspects as 3d printing. In addition to this, we are seeing increasingly sophisticated industrialized, modular building components as product manufacturers look to provide competitive market solutions. I believe these aspects will be easy to integrate within a hard modelling design expression and thus have decided to explore hard surface modelling as an architectural style. I have done a bit of desktop research on whether this is already a ‘thing’ and thus far have only come upon conceptual expressions which is rather strange to me as i would have expected it to already have been popular. Without further ado, let’s dive right into it.
Introduction to Hard Surface Modelling
Hard surface modelling is a technique used for creating 3D models with smooth and solid surfaces. It is quite common in creating models of cars, armor, machines, and generally non-living products. Whilst the are no hard fast rules that define what hard surface modelling really is, there are few characteristics that are found in such models. These include:
- Smooth, specular paneled designs
- Rigid, structured Bodies
- A geometric and often industrial motif
- Usually has an axis of symmetry
- Colors and Materials are generally delineated by mesh boundaries
Hard Surface Modelling usually begins with a geometric primitive, which is then refined in hierachy through progressive iterative operations that include extrusion, beveling, Boolean operations, edge looping, and surface subdivisions.
Relating Hard Surface modelling to Architectural Design process
Architecture is both a science and an artform therefore this section should be understood from the perspective that there are many ways to skin the design cat. That being said, I personally follow a programmatic step by step design process that has the following procedure:
- Desktop Research
- Site Analysis
- Concept Development
- Design Evolution
- Design Refinement
- Technical Development
The first two steps in the process build the information required to design the project and create an understanding of the working parameters, the next three create and explore the design idea and the last aspect resolves the construction aspects of the design. This is obviously simplified as design in practice is always evolving but it sets a good foundation of how we can leverage the natural qualities of hard surface modelling into the architectural design workflow.
One thing I enjoy from the 3D Modelling world is the generic to precise process that it has, you start with a blockout which you continuously refine to the final product. This sits really well with how I do things, I was never the napkin revolutionary sketch type of student, i am methodical and structured in my approach. Much like the broader modelling field, hard surface modelling usually begins with a primitive that is iterated upon with operations. If we take a closer inspection at the concept development and design evolution of the Architectural design process using the programmatic design approach, we see that we start with some form of massing element that we eventually extrapolated into a form through logical steps. And that is exactly what Hard Surface Modelling is!
For more information about architectural concept, a good read is James C Synder’s introduction to architecture
Learning from precedent movements
References
https://www.makeuseof.com/what-is-hard-surface-modeling/ https://all3dp.com/2/blender-hard-surface-modeling-tutorial/ https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5400254-introduction-to-architecture
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2D BIM
Introduction: Differentiating 2D BIM
Right off the bat there is a need to clarify that this is not an article on BIM Levels, it is also not an article on BIM dimensions. Rather, it is an article that focuses on exploring the idea of integrating intelligent information in the 2D drafting method so that it becomes compatible with all BIM Levels and Dimensions. If find it necessary to spell this out as there is an inherent confusion around the meaning of dimension and levels and their relationship to drawing techniques. I realize that to label this idea as 2D BIM does not help the case but I find that it is an apt description of exactly what the idea entails so we will stick with it for the time being.
Before we dive deep into the tenets of the idea, it is worth spending a bit of time on BIM Levels and BIM dimensions so that we gain clarity on what it is exactly that we are trying to achieve.
Bim Dimensions
Whilst originating from the need to differentiate between modelling geometry in 2D or 3D, BIM dimensions have evolved into a description of parameters which are used to categorize building information.
- BIM 3D refers to information that describes the geometry of objects the three axes (x, y, z)
- BIM 4D adds information that relates to time on top of BIM 3D (i.e. timelines schedules and durations)
- BIM 5D adds information that relates to finance on top of BIM 4D (i.e. cost estimates, budgets etc.)
- BIM 6D adds information that relates to sustainability on top of BIM 5D (i.e. embodied energy values of material, energy consumption of building etc.)
- BIM 7D adds information that relates to Facilities Management
- BIM 8D adds information that relates to Health and Safety
Whilst there is a general industry consensus on BIM 3D to BIM 5D, the other BIM dimensions are still a topic of debate and should be taken in with a grain of salt. In addition, because of the background of BIM dimension in differentiating 2D geometry from 3D geometry, many consider BIM 2D as a valid BIM dimension which refers to information that describes geometry in 2 axes (x,y).
A BIM model can be utilized for pre-defined specific purposes, commonly known as use-cases. According to project stage requirements and project complexity, specific parameters are added to the existing information contained in BIM. These additions of pre-defined used cases can be described as BIM dimensions.
United-BIMAn important aspect of this approach will be the level of detail to which the information is modelled
Foundational Assumptions
The basis of this idea resides in the understanding the Building Information Modelling fundamentally relates to the management of information that is structured in a specific way rather than the manner in which it is authored.
The Benefits of 2D authoring
Drawbacks of Traditional 2D authoring
The SVG File Format
Conceptual Framework of 2D BIM
References
https://www.thenbs.com/knowledge/bim-levels-explained https://constructible.trimble.com/construction-industry/what-is-bim-building-information-modeling https://www.indovance.com/knowledge-center/bim-levels-and-dimensions-explained/
What are BIM Dimensions – 3D, 4D, 5D, 6D, and 7D BIM Explained | Definition & Benefits
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Understanding Building Information Modelling (BIM) and OpenBIM
The entire idea behind building information modelling is that we create structured, relational information with regards to how we build and manage buildings. Such information includes the geometric description of the building and its building components, the description of its assembly, cost, time, documentation and more. It is necessary that this information is relational in nature, so that a change to any one of the information components automatically updates any other relevant information to keep the description of the building project accurate.
Building Information Modeling (BIM) is the holistic process of creating and managing information for a built asset. Based on an intelligent model and enabled by a cloud platform, BIM integrates structured, multi-disciplinary data to produce a digital representation of an asset across its lifecycle, from planning and design to construction and operations.
AutodeskOnce we have structured and interconnected our information, there is wisdom in keeping this information in a centralized storage location where it can be accessed from different locations, be it at site or in the office. This centralized storage location is called the CDE (Common Data Environment) and is typically set up as a cloud storage service to allow access from different locations. There is an inherent advantage in this common environment approach as it avoids information duplication and gives a single source truth. The alternative approach to this would have been to keep the information in multiple places, which has the drawback that some information would be updated whilst other information would not be.
Once we have established that we need structured related data that is centrally stored, we begin to ponder on the question of who and how that information is put in this common data environment. Traditionally, construction is a collaborative industry that features multiple stakeholders with different roles and skillsets. Each of these stakeholders must be able to access the information on the CDE and utilize their own professional tools and methods to manipulate this data in a manner that is relevant to their particular profession.
OpenBIM principles show an understanding of this collaborative nature of the built environment and focus on the accessibility, usability, management and sustainability of building information. Information is stored and exchanged in standardized information formats such as IFC (Industry Foundation Classes), BCF (BIM Collaboration Format), COBie (Construction Operations Building Information Exchange) and more. The idea here is to liberate information from its authoring tools thus allowing for better collaboration between different industry players. Whilst the ideal situation would be to have just one exchange format, the reality is that the is fragmented and thus different exchange formats have been developed to handle different use cases. The important thing though is that these different formats are open and accessible regardless of the software vendor
The principles of openBIM recognise that:
- Interoperability is key to the digital transformation in the built asset industry
- Open and neutral standards should be developed to facilitate interoperability
- Reliable data exchanges depend on independent quality benchmarks
- Collaboration workflows are enhanced by open and agile data formats
- Flexibility of choice of technology creates more value to all stakeholders
- Sustainability is safeguarded by long-term interoperable data standards
As we begin adding building information to our CDE, we begin to realize that we are naturally creating an exact digital replication of the actual physical building, this is referred to as the digital twin. If we intentionally keep our digital twin UpToDate during the ideation, documentation, construction and lifecycle of the building, we accumulated a rich set of data that becomes beneficial in analyzing building performance, simulating different interest scenarios as well predicting maintenance programs, schedule and more.
References
https://www.autodesk.com/industry/aec/bim https://constructible.trimble.com/bim/bim-explained-video-what-is-a-common-data-environment
openBIM Definition
https://constructible.trimble.com/bim/why-bim-need-digital-twins