Jonathan Reeves

Innovative Vectorworks BIM

This book explores, through a series of fully illustrated case studies,

how a variety of innovative architectural practices have adopted building
information modelling (bim) in their workflows.

Just as the 1990s witnessed the transition from drawing board to computer-
aided design (cad) for many architects, we are now at the beginning of an
even greater revolution towards bim methods of working. This time, the Jonathan Reeves is a Chartered

Innovative Vectorworks BIM

whole construction industry is involved in one way or another in the search Architect in the uk and a member
for a more seamless way to conceive, design, create, communicate and of the riba. Studying at Sheffield
manage the built environment — and some architects are leading this change. University, Jonathan gained a
Degree in Architecture and
The move towards digital model-based, data-rich working practices can a Masters in Architecture and
have significant benefits for architectural practices of all sizes. This book Computing before going on to
aims to dispel the myth that bim is only beneficial for large projects or complete the Diploma course.
required if clients demand it.
During his career, Jonathan
Smaller practices have always been at the forefront of innovation and has gained valuable experience
experimentation. They are often early adopters of the latest technology, working in a number of small,
introducing new ways of working that larger practices find difficult to medium and large practices in
accommodate. Being able to adapt quickly is more and more important London, Bristol and Australia, and
as the pace of change in the architectural workplace speeds up. Full of has won several awards for his
practical tips and hard-won experience, this book demonstrates the real imaginative use of computing
benefits that can be achieved. in architecture.

Many architects are just at the beginning of the process of defining what

Innovative
Jonathan Reeves Architecture was
bim means to them. This book shows what other forward-thinking established in 2000, specialising
practices are currently doing, across a diverse range of projects. It should in architecture, visualisation and
be seen as a tool to motivate, inspire and assist in your journey towards cad/bim training.
a new way of working.

Vectorworks
Having used Vectorworks soft-
ware for more than 20 years, and
trained hundreds of designers and
architectural practices across the

BIM
isbn 978-1-78280-610-3
world, Jonathan is as passionate
as ever about the future of Illustrated case studies
computing in architecture and with 50 tips and tricks for
the development of bim. Vectorworks Architect
Edited by Jonathan Reeves
9 781782 806103 >

BIM Front cover final.indd All Pages 08/09/2015 00:42

Innovative
Vectorworks BIM
Edited by
Jonathan Reeves
Innovative Vectorworks bim
isbn 978-1-78280-610-3
© Jonathan Reeves 2015
The right of Jonathan Reeves to be identified as the author
of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
Portions of text © their authors 2015
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photo-
copying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission
of the copyright owner.
While every care has been taken in preparing this book,
neither the author nor the publisher can be held
responsible for the accuracy of the information it contains
or for any consequences arising from it.
Published by Computers Unlimited, the exclusive
uk Distributor of Vectorworks. Computers Unlimited is a
division of Janson Computers plc whose registered
office is at The Technology Park, Colindeep Lane, London
nw9 6bx. Registered in England No 2157638.
Printed and bound by Splash Printing Ltd, Mill Hill
Vectorworks is a registered trademark of Vectorworks, Inc
and Vectorworks Architect is a product of Vectorworks, Inc.
Commissioning Editor for Computers Unlimited
Jacqui Smith
Editor
Jonathan Reeves
Designer
Adam Banks at Vast Landscape Ltd
info@vastlandscape.com
Set in exljbris Calluna and Calluna Sans
All chapter introduction digital artwork © Jonathan Reeves
Created using Vectorworks Architect, Maxon Cinema 4d
and Pixelmator, these high-resolution images make great
desktop backgrounds or screen savers. A selection is available
for free download from www.jra-vectorworks-cad.co.uk.
Other images reproduced by courtesy of the architects,
with thanks to their clients. All rights reserved.
Front cover image
Ker du Pons by Waddington Architects
cg image by Virtual Planit courtesy of the architects
Contents
Acknowledgements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Chapter 5 part b Learning Vectorworks
Preface Jonathan Reeves . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 bim for educational design . . . . . . . . . 48
Introduction Martyn Horne . . . . . . . . . 8 Peregrine Mears Architects Chapter i
Foreword David Chadwick . . . . . . . . . . 9 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks
Chapter 6
Co-ordinated bim for communication 54 50 tips and tricks for Vectorworks . . 100
part a Case studies
Waddington Architects Helpful hints to transform your workflow
Chapter 1 Chapter 7 Elements of architectural modelling 110
Design-led bim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Constructing bim workflows. . . . . . . . 64 Illustrated examples of walls, openings and
Jonathan Reeves Architecture Kendall Kingscott roofs modelled in Vectorworks Architect
Chapter 2 Chapter 8 Chapter ii
Beginning with bim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 bim makes it better . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Vectorworks 2016:
Axiom Architects Communion major new features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
Project Sharing; Energy analysis with
Chapter 3 Chapter 9
Energos; Visual scripting with Marionette;
Diverse bim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 bim for building management . . . . . . 80
Point cloud support; Subdivision Surfaces
Designscape Architects bpr Architects
Chapter 4 Chapter 10
bim for construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Multi-disciplinary bim . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
O’LearyGoss Architects Terence O’Rourke About the author . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
6 Acknowledgements

The Reeves family

and Otto

Jacqui Smith,
Group Marketing Manager,
3d Design,
Computers Unlimited

Acknowledgements Dedication

This book would not have been possible without the I am grateful to Robert Klaschka for sowing the seed of This book is dedicated
contributions of all the practices and individuals who were an idea that would become this book by inviting me to to my wonderful wife Heidi
willing to author the chapters and share their projects and contribute to his excellent bim in Small Practices (nbs/riba). and our three amazing boys,
experiences in these pages. Over the years, I have been Charlie, Sammy (The
privileged to work with some truly amazing architects. It seems appropriate to thank the people at Vectorworks Dragon Whisperer) and Artie,
(formerly Nemetschek) who have developed such an who inspire us daily, as well
I would also like to thank Jacqui Smith, Group Marketing amazingly powerful and flexible application. Particular as Otto the dog, who
Manager of 3d Design at Computers Unlimited, for her thanks go to Robert Anderson, Biplab Sarkar and Jeremy now completes the family.
tireless support, motivation and organisational skills. I truly Powell, who I have had the pleasure of meeting many times
appreciate all the times we have worked together, and over the years. As a tool, Vectorworks Architect has truly I am also grateful to my parents
congratulate her on an amazing job in helping Vectorworks empowered me to conceive, create and enjoy seeing my for all their support and
become so successful in the uk. ideas develop in ways that I could never have imagined motivation over the years
without it. in helping me achieve my goal
Innovative Vectorworks bim

Thanks to Martyn Horne, Group Product Development of becoming an architect.

Manager at Computers Unlimited, for all his help over the Finally, I want to thank Apple for creating computers and
years. His contributions are highly valued. Martyn’s pro- software that have always been the backbone supporting
fessionalism, expertise and great sense of humour always my creative endeavours. From my first experience with a
make working with him a rewarding experience. Mac and MiniCAD 4, I was hooked, and it’s been a blast.

Thanks to David Chadwick, editor of cad User magazine,

for his excellent foreword and his significant contributions
to the bim debate.
 Author’s preface 7

Preface
The illustrated case studies in this book show how innovative architectural practices
have adopted building information modelling (bim), using Vectorworks software, into
their workflows. In the 1990s, many architects made the transition from the drawing
board to computer-aided design (cad). We are now beginning the move to bim.

This time, the whole construction industry is involved in
the search for a more seamless way to conceive, design,
create and manage the built environment. The Government
is also playing a powerful role in the uk, with its motivating
mandate for all publicly funded projects over a certain size
to be Level 2 bim compliant by 2016. This aims to maintain
the uk’s position of excellence as a respected provider of
design and construction expertise and services.
Many smaller practices have been at the forefront of
experimentation in architecture, and they are often early
adopters of technology in ways that larger practices find
difficult. The ability to adapt quickly and introduce new
ways of working is becoming more and more important as
the pace of change in the workplace speeds up.
The move towards digital model-based, data-rich working
can have significant benefits for architectural practices of
all sizes. This book aims to dispel the myth that bim is only
for large projects or required if clients demand it. Many of
the practices and projects illustrated here show that bim is
being adopted for small and medium-sized projects, as well
as large ones, with advantages in efficiency.
Many architects are just at the beginning of the process of
defining what bim means to them. I would like this book
to be seen as a tool to motivate, inspire and assist in your
journey towards new ways of working by showing what
other practices are currently achieving on a wide range of
different project types.
The chapters in the first part of this book provide space for
ten practices (including my own) to explain how they are
approaching bim and using it within their own teams and
projects. Although the book has been edited for clarity and
to bring out common themes, each case study is written in
its own unique style in the author’s own words.
I hope that by illustrating what a number of forward-think-
ing practitioners are doing now, it will inspire more current
and future Vectorworks users to develop their own interest
in bim and 3d workflows.
Learning new methods of working can be challenging.
Once you start to experience the benefits, however, and
the technical process becomes more familiar and less of a
barrier, there is no going back to simple 2d cad.
In fact, starting small is often the very best way to develop
the confidence and skill sets needed to fully master bim.
At first it can be a little daunting, but with patience,
practice and a willingness to learn, the rewards are huge.
For those of you already using bim, once the technical skills
and software have been mastered for smaller projects, the
confidence to try it with more complex larger projects will
come. As a design tool, Vectorworks Architect has few
limits, and I encourage you to try pushing the boundaries
to discover what can be achieved.
The second part of this book offers hands-on practical
advice to empower you to improve your 3d design skills.
My 50 tips and tricks for Vectorworks Architect, based on
my experience as a trainer, will be invaluable for beginners
and experts alike.
These are followed by a brief visual guide to the essential
elements of architectural modelling, illustrating what can
be created using the software’s built-in parametric tools
and by employing free-form 3d modelling techniques.
The final chapter looks at some of the major new features
added in the 2016 edition of Vectorworks Architect.
It is often said that every journey begins with a small step.
I hope that this book inspires you to begin down the road
towards incorporating bim into your practice’s workflow.
Jonathan Reeves ba (Hons) M Arch Dip Arch riba
8 Introduction by Martyn Horne

Introduction
Martyn Horne
existing buildings, develop detailed designs, and then
Jonathan Reeves has spent the last 20 years at the forefront of digital architecture provide digital files for direct fabrication. ‘bim for building
and related fields. Innovative Vectorworks bim is a must for anyone involved or management’ is the focus of the bpr Architects case study
in Chapter 9, where the technology is used to support
interested in the process of building information modelling and digital architecture. the client’s building management and facilities manage-
Architects, designers and students will find this volume a gold mine of information ment team within the context of the uk Government’s bim
mandate and Construction Strategy.
on Vectorworks-based bim. It is replete with case studies from a fascinating range of
sme architectural practices, and illuminates the reader with practical and personal Finally, the versatility of bim across design and construction
functions is highlighted in Chapter 10, ‘Multi-disciplinary bim,’
stories of their bim journeys. with three varied projects from Terence O’Rourke, from an
airport conference centre to a luxury treehouse hotel.
As a digital design and bim consultant for the past two The fourth chapter, ‘bim for Construction’ by O’LearyGoss,
decades, working for leading bim authoring solutions and talks about the change in process from thinking about The second part of the book offers an opportunity to bene-
with first-hand experience of the challenges faced by archi- drawings to bim modelling with intelligent parametric ob- fit from Jonathan’s many years of experience as a software
tects’ practices, I can see how beneficial this book will be. jects, and how Vectorworks’ tools can be used on projects user and trainer. His 50 tips and tricks for Vectorworks,
from planning to construction. ‘bim for educational design’ along with examples of the essential elements of architec-
The first part of the book shows examples of illustrated takes centre stage in Chapter 5, used early in the design tural modelling, serve as both introduction and reference.
case studies which provide a valuable and educational process to enable client risk reduction. Here, Peregrine Jonathan concludes by examining some of the exciting new
insight into both the commonalities and the unique aspects Mears Architects discuss their Petroc fehe campus project. developments in Vectorworks Architect 2016.
of the journey into bim undertaken by each practice and
each project. Himself a qualified architect, Jonathan has Chapter 6, ‘Co-ordinated bim for communication,’ reflects bim is a fast-evolving aspect of the construction industry.
collaborated with some of the most innovative architects in on the journey undertaken by Waddington Architects: This book provides a insight into the first steps along the
the uk. This wealth of experience informs the first chapter, starting out simply, with achievable objectives, then road, demonstrating the flexibility and advantages of the
‘Design-led bim,’ in which Jonathan provides an overview of adopting more advanced bim on a project-by-project digital process across different project and building types.
Innovative Vectorworks bim

his own experience in the digital world and illustrates four basis. In Chapter 7, we hear from Kendall Kingscott on the The recurring theme is how
examples of bim used at different scales. importance of ‘Constructing bim workflows,’ compliance creative architects can use
with industry standards such as bs 1192 and Uniclass, and digital tools from the outset of
In the second chapter, ‘Beginning with bim,’ Axiom Archi- the adoption of interoperable file-exchange data formats any project to benefit the
tects discuss their sequential bim development across a such as ifc and cobie. process of architecture.
range of hotel projects, the most recent of which became
the first uk hotel to achieve a breeam Outstanding rating. Award-winning Communion Architects discuss their Martyn Horne, Group Product
Chapter 3, from Designscape, shows how ‘Diverse bim’ heritage-based projects in Chapter 8, ‘bim makes it better,’ Development Manager,
techniques can be applied to a whole variety of projects. where we see how virtual models can be used to represent Computers Unlimited
 Foreword by David Chadwick 9

Foreword
David Chadwick
Advanced building materials and construction methods have given full scope to the
creativity of today’s architects. Now it appears nothing is impossible; nothing cannot
be designed and built; nothing that can be imagined cannot be given form as a digital
model, preparatory to actual construction... subject, of course, to the laws of mechanics.

Jonathan’s book takes us through a wide variety of
examples where innovative architects have explored the
range of possibilities offered by bim, explaining how they
have handled its impact on their practices and tackled the
practicalities of bim, from modelling with intelligent para-
metric objects to constructing workflows and setting up
bim for facilities management. As Jonathan has explained in
his Preface, bim is a vital tool for sme practices, not just de
rigueur for major Government projects. The numerous case
studies in this book illustrate that point admirably.
The second part gives Jonathan the opportunity to share
his knowledge and experience of the software, earned
over the years within his own practice and as a trainer in
Vectorworks and bim, providing indispensable insights.
This also enables him to lead us into the world of free-form
modelling using Vectorworks: the ability to convert basic
shapes and volumes into complex forms. Jonathan knows
as much as anyone about these tools, and, guided by his
expertise and enthusiasm, users at all levels can explore
the creative capabilities. Jonathan’s 50 Vectorworks tips
and tricks will give newcomers a head start in their 3d
modelling, and surprise even some power users by revealing
lesser-known options that further enhance the software.
To complete the picture, the final chapter looks at some
of the remarkable features available for the first time in
Vectorworks Architect 2016.
This is an exciting time for architects as the industry’s
design tools approach maturity, providing an unparalleled
opportunity for practices to embrace new technologies
that will transform both their
workflows and their creativity.
This book provides examples,
instruction and information for
that journey — but above all,
inspiration.
David Chadwick, Editor,
cad User magazine
10 Market Street Mews, Devon
Exploded isometric
Jonathan Reeves Architecture

Part A
Case studies
Innovative Vectorworks bim
1
jonathan reeves ‘towers’
Design-led
BIM
Jonathan Reeves
Architecture
14 Design-led bim

practices, however, are not just one-stop house designers

any more, and they need to adhere to building regulations
and environmental standards and to satisfy local planning
offices, clients and any other parties interested in local
development. That means they will need to call on experts
in each particular area to support their work.
the practice Jonathan Reeves Archi-
tecture (jra) has been using building This has been made easier by the ability to create 3d
models of their designs and share these with other people
information modelling (bim) techniques or companies drawn into the project, who can view and
for a number of years. The practice is comment on the plans; analyse the model to see, for
example, if it meets local sustainable targets; or further
running the latest release of Vector- the design by adding their own components: structural
works Architect, which can be used for elements, mep and so on.
full bim workflows. We work on pro- early bim As an early adopter of bim, the practice’s first
jects of all types and sizes in the South real experience of the benefits was collaborating on a pro-
ject for Kingsway School in Gloucester, assisting Quattro
West, and have recently moved to the Design Architects, in 2006. (This project was featured in
East Midlands. We not only provide cad User and Detail 4/2011.)
practice founded
Jonathan Reeves 2000
architectural services but also offer The school design was a colourful, complex series of angled
Architecture professional Vectorworks cad training, wings, with double-curved zinc roofs, which would have
technology been very difficult to draw traditionally and for the client —
author Vectorworks Architect
consultancy and bim visualisation
Jonathan Reeves with Renderworks (Mac services for architects all over the uk.
ba (Hons) M Arch platform), Cinema 4d,
Dip Arch riba SketchUp, Photoshop, As a small practice that often collaborates with other
Pixelmator, Sketcher architects and developers, being able to work efficiently
location and communicate ideas clearly in 3d has always been
Loughborough, Leices- important to jra since Jonathan graduated with a Masters
tershire and Ilfracombe, in Architecture and Computing from Sheffield University.
Devon, uk
Over the last few years, there has been a growing interest
employees within architectural practices in building information
▲ Example projects
1 architect, 1 admin modelling, or bim. The definition of what bim really The images on these pages reflect a diversity of projects undertaken by jra.
Innovative Vectorworks bim

means is still developing and often means different
things to different people. There is a growing acceptance,
contact however, that 2d cad drafting using lines and shapes does
jonathan.reeves@jr-architecture.co.uk not exploit the full potential of developments in either
software or hardware.
website
www.jr-architecture.co.uk Some architects tend to think bim is only suitable for
larger projects involving lots of co-ordination, with the
entire design team all using the same software. Smaller
Above: aerial cgi of Kingsway School showing play space and classrooms
teachers and the local authority — to visualise. While
little collaborative bim could be achieved on this project at
the time, it was invaluable to have the ability to evaluate
the design visually, generate accurate plans, sections and
elevations, and produce shadow studies and presentation
material to help secure funding.
▲ Eco Development ▼ Wood Wharf, London ► Field Lodge Gardens
Vectorworks and Masterplanning model, jra’s residential devel-
Cinema 4d cgi of with Nick Kuhn opment and self-build
residential development concepts in Somerset
project by raa Archi-
tects; model by jra
 16
► Oyster Catchers, Devon
Perspective views of the dwelling were
prepared for clients and planners
The project was so successful that Quattro has recently
been commissioned to design a very similar sister school, a
few miles away, for the same client.
Our experience on the Kingsway project was then applied
Innovative Vectorworks bim
to the much larger three-storey Extra Care nursing home
in Ebbw Vale for leda. The design for this scheme was more
complex and the timescale for development very short,
so producing a full set of planning drawings from a single
co-ordinated model was an essential part of the workflow.
An additional benefit was being able to produce a set of
marketing visuals and a fully animated video, moving
from the entrance to inside through the building. This
animation can be viewed on YouTube by searching for
‘jra-vectorworks-cad’ or directly at bit.ly/jra-youtube.
jra is currently involved with a number of small, medium
and large projects that have all exploited bim workflows
during the design process, each offering different per-
spectives on the benefits of bim. These include private
clients designing a new cliff-top dwelling; a medium-sized
development of three modern eco mews houses for a
local builder; and a larger development of 12 new town
houses in Ilfracombe. In the past, we have also worked
with a much larger regional developer and lead architect
Llewellyn Harker Architects on a 65-bed care home and 18
Extra Care apartments.
project 1/4 small
Oyster Catchers: a private house
At the smaller end of the scale is our use of bim on a resi-
dential replacement dwelling on a cliff-top site in Lee Bay,
North Devon, for the design process and communication
between the client and planners.
Located on the beautiful South West Coast Path in an area
of outstanding natural beauty (aonb), the project was very
sensitive environmentally and contextually. The existing
single-storey bungalow on the site had severe structural
issues, making it beyond economic repair, due to poor
construction and some suspected ground movement.
After a long battle with their insurance company, the
owners sought to replace it with an environmentally
sustainable dwelling, taking into account the scale, layout
and appearance of their new home.
A survey was commissioned in 3d form and a 3d site model
produced, using the built-in Vectorworks site-modelling
suite, directly from the surveyor’s data. This was in the
from of a dwg file with 3d contours at the various heights.
The site-modelling suite allowed the existing terrain to
be accurately modelled and initial massing studies of
proposed building forms to be produced — very useful in
exploring early-stage design options for discussion with
the client and planners.
Once a basic strategy had been agreed, detailed proposals
were developed with parametric slabs, walls, doors, win-
dows and roofs, allowing plans, elevations, sections and 3d
perspectives to be produced directly from the bim model.
Because of the sensitive nature of the site, the planning
officer asked for a number of contextual views from key
vantage points. As a result, some changes were made to a
critical elevation, and the roof ridge height was reduced to
match the neighbouring property.

▲ Exploded isometric
Model views helped
to show interior space
Following a lengthy period of consultation, planning was
granted and we were commissioned to undertake working
and building-regulations drawings, which were developed
by adding more detail to the bim model.
Once the structural engineers had produced their designs
for the ground beams, including 22 piles, these were
modelled to incorporate into the bim model so that the
sections accurately reflected the appropriate details. While
the project was on site, as often happens, there were client
changes. These required an application for a non-material
amendment because the clients wanted to introduce more
Design-led bim 17
glass and corner windows to the seaward-facing gable. dealing with the complex site levels. But it did allow late
By updating the bim model, it was simple to explore the design changes to be incorporated relatively easily and
options and present these in three-dimensional form communicated with the entire design team, including
to both client and planner. Making it possible to clearly client, planners, contractors, and structural and sap
demonstrate that the changes would not be visible by any consultants. This project was awarded runner-up for bim
of the surrounding neighbours meant the planner was Project of the Year 2014 at the Construction Computing
happy to approve the changes quickly as a minor amend- Awards (www.constructioncomputingawards.co.uk).
ment, even at this very late stage. (Such changes are not
recommended while on site, but in the real world, clients
often ask for these things.)
Another challenging aspect of the project was finalising
the services strategy, as there was no mains gas available.
Originally, an air-source heat pump was specified in com-
bination with solar thermal panels and underfloor heating project 2/4 medium
throughout. The client, however, became increasingly Three terrace houses in Ilfracombe
concerned about potential noise, having developed a
hearing condition that made them very sensitive to back-
ground noise. Ground-source heat pumps using 65m-deep After setting up an office in North Devon in 2009, jra was
bore holes were also explored, but this was ruled out by keen to establish relationships with local clients. While a
the consultant geologist. This left photovoltaic (pv) and number of new contacts were developed, it was clear that
the relatively new technology of thermodynamic panels as
potential options. Again, the bim was invaluable in assess-
ing the visual impact of the panels and using the virtual
heliodon built into the software to analyse sun-shadow
patterns during the course of the year to demonstrate
their potential effectiveness. All of the heat source
options were also subject to sap assessment by
a consultant assessor (Synergy), who also made
use of the information from the bim, following the
design changes.
Overall, using a bim workflow on
this project from inception right
through to on-site construc-
tion presented challenges,
such as modelling some
of the junctions between
the roof and walls using
non-standard bespoke
windows and doors and
► 3d sections
bim model showing construction
18 Design-led bim

North Devon fee structures were tighter — especially at
first, when trying to tempt potential new clients to move
from their existing firms. Approached by a developer who
already had planning for two terrace houses on a tight
town-centre setting in a conservation area of Ilfracombe,
jra was asked to look at the possibility of getting planning
for three units. An initial concept design was required in a
very short time and for a very competitive fee.
Once again, bim was exploited to produce a convincing
concept design that persuaded the client to commission
a planning application for the terrace of modern town
houses. Key advantages are the speed and efficiency of
producing full sets of co-ordinated documentation and 3d
views in a way that traditional 2d drafting does not allow.
It is possible to offer more for less when the commercial
pressure is on, making a practice more competitive.
Following planning approval, the bim model was developed
to produce working drawings, schedules and information
on quantities. On such a small project, detailed scheduling
of information was of great use to the developer, who was
able to look at costs as the project progressed without
needing a quantity survey (qs). Accurate quantities of
materials could be ordered as required, at the right time,
which saved multiple orders. An area where this was par-
ticularly useful was in listing all the timber framing mem-
bers required for each roof. Alternative forms of construc-
tion and different design options could also be explored
and assessed at a relatively early stage in the build process.

Another great advantage was the ability to start generating
▼ Nursing home potential sales interest in the development. Using the
Exploded view of rooms perspective views of the scheme prepared for planning,
with Space Objects
signboards and adverts were prepared for marketing. This
made the estate agent’s job much easier and cheaper, as
they had a good set of visual material to show potential
buyers. That helped to ensure all properties were sold
before completion, helping the developer with the funding
required to complete the project.
▲ Market Street Mews
Photograph of residential development as completed
It is in this way that jra has been involved with a developer
and lead architect Llewellyn Harker Architects on a num-
ber of projects, including a church conversion in France
and an underground ballroom for a listed building in Box,
near Bath. jra was also involved in developing designs for
a 65-bed nursing home and 18 Extra Care apartments, a
significant project for a small regional practice.

Working with the lead architect, the nursing home plans

were developed using wall styles and libraries of paramet-
ric windows and doors. These could easily be replaced and
amended as the design developed through many iterations.
project 3/4 large Responding to the repetitive nature of the design, a library
65-bed nursing home and apartments of symbols was created from the plug-ins, which meant
that they were very easy to edit globally while retaining
their parametric nature in the early stages of the project.
Innovative Vectorworks bim

As well as providing a full range of Vectorworks-based

training courses, jra offers a bim design and modelling ser-
vice as a remote consultant working with other architects
or developers. Some such projects have been carried out
without ever meeting the client. The advent of fast broad-
band, powerful laptops and the ease of communication via
Skype, mobile phones and technologies such as FaceTime
and instant messaging have changed the requirement to
work geographically near to the client.
The Heliodon tool available with Renderworks made it
simple to investigate potential overshadowing issues on
the communal gardens, which informed the landscape
designs later on. Having set an accurate location, date
and time, the shadow studies produced by the 3d model
were totally accurate simulations. These were also used to
determine where external shading might be required on
the external façade.
Design-led bim 19
20 Design-led bim

On a commercial project of this scale, accurate area sched-

Northfield Road ules were also required. These were easily produced using
Site view of house the Space tool. Each space was generated by the walls that
types refererenced into
existing site model to bounded the rooms, and standard naming applied. Where
show contextual urban the rooms were not clearly defined, spaces were generated
relationships directly from polygons using Create Objects from Shapes.
Non-standard room names were added to the project list.

Door and window schedules were also generated in the

same way, with intelligent two-way data flows ensuring
schedules could be amended and drawings automatically
updated. This saved time, eliminated errors, and was a
very satisfying part of the job, as it freed up time for more
interesting tasks by streamlining what can be a painful
process on a project of this scale, with over 300 doors.

Acoustic and structural issues were dealt with by other

consultants, who were provided with 2d dwg files and the
bim model in an ifc format. ifc, or Industry Foundation
Classes, is fully integrated into Vectorworks and allows
the bim model’s 3d geometry to be shared along with the
associated data that define the building elements. This
file format and technology is the industry standard for
Open bim and opens the door for energy analysis and clash
detection. These are technologies not directly available in
most cad software, but this will change with the introduc-
tion of Energos in Vectorworks 2016. Using ifc-capable
software such as Solibri Model Viewer, the project manager
can integrate different consultants’ information, and it is
envisaged that for future projects the bim model will be
handed over at completion for use by the facilities manager.

Although jra did not work on this project in that way, we

can foresee it becoming more important as bim is more
widely adopted by end-user clients.
Innovative Vectorworks bim

Detailed scheduling of information was

of great use to the developer, who was able
to look at costs as the project progressed
without needing a quantity survey

project 4/4 large
12 town houses in Ilfracombe
An opportunity arose to put bim to collaborative use when
jra was invited to enter a limited competition with other
local architects to put forward initial ideas for a vacant site
at Northfield Road in Ilfracombe. Located just off the high
street, the site of a former garage had been undeveloped
during the recession, even though planning (which had
lapsed) had been granted for 14 flats.
At the time, jra was working closely with Peregrine Mears
Architects on the proposals for Petroc College, and it be-
came apparent that they had also been invited to put ideas
forward. It made sense to combine forces, and with the
developer’s permission a joint-venture bid was successfully
put forward for 12 contemporary town houses.
Because both firms used Vectorworks, collaboration was
straightforward. Initial layouts were developed in 2d using
symbols for each house type. Once the basic site strategy
and layouts were agreed, the 2d symbols were edited to
have a basic 3d component, which allowed us to explore
massing and scale in relation to the existing urban context.
The surrounding buildings were modelled using the
Massing Model tool. Heliodon sun-shadow studies were
produced very early on to evaluate shadowing issues.
As the site was just around the corner from jra’s office,
initial site meetings with the client were followed by
sitting at the 30-inch screen exploring the design in 3d.
This proved extremely effective, involving the client in the
design process in a way that sheets of paper could not.
The next stage was to trace over the house types using
actual wall types for the various constructions. This
helped because the site was very tight and using the right
thickness of wall from the start was essential. Three basic
house types were each developed in a single file, with
Extra Care apartments
Brunel House marketing visual
layers that stacked vertically on top of each other for the
floors. These files were then referenced into the site model
file and rotated into the correct position.
As the house types became more developed and detailed,
the site model file was immediately updated. Each
house type could be worked on by different people when
required. Repetitious elements, for balconies, juliets and so
on, were dealt with by making hybrid 2d and 3d symbols,
or auto-hybrids where possible.
As well as producing a co-ordinated set of drawings for
each house type and site drawings, the bim model enabled
schedules to be extracted from the Vectorworks data very
early on. This helped the quantity surveyor with accurate
costings, the engineer to comment on any likely structural
issues, and the planners with key views. The developer
also appreciated the detailed information, and the estate
agents used the visuals to predict likely end values, which
helped with funding.
The scheme is required to meet at least Level 3 of the Code
for Sustainable Homes. Following planning, it is envisaged
that a bim model of each house type will be developed to
a high level of detail, and energy assessments done using
exported ifc files.
Design-led bim 21
Conclusions
A Vectorworks user since 1991, I have been fascinated by
the potential of 3d modelling and multimedia in architec-
ture. The visual benefit of being able to develop, evaluate
and communicate design ideas clearly via the model, using
rendered visuals and animations, has proved invaluable.
In the near future, I am looking forward to seeing more
of the industry adopt bim workflows and hope to do more
collaborative bim with other architects and consultants.
We are interested in using our bim models more easily
for early-stage energy analysis using software from ies
(Integrated Energy Solutions), which recently agreed a
development partnership with Vectorworks, Inc, and the
new Energos module in Architect 2016.
bim is about setting standards and operating procedures
that make collaboration easier, simplifying the sharing of
data with other professionals who use different technolo-
gies, file formats and ideologies. The overall goal is cutting
wasted time, money and effort. At jra, we strive to use bim
to enhance the architecture that emerges while enjoying
the process of delivering it using intelligent workflows.
 jonathan reeves ‘city perspectives’
2
Axiom Architects
with BIM
Beginning
24 Chapter 2

With staff at our various offices bringing different levels

of cad ability, and with our projects ranging from large
new-build commercial schemes to more bespoke jobs and
building conversions, it was immediately apparent that
bim was not something that could be brought in for every-
the practice Since Axiom Architects one, everywhere, overnight. We needed to take small steps,
gradually developing our understanding of bim and how
was founded in 1986, the practice has we could make it useful for everyone and an advantage for
grown from its origins in Lewes, East the practice as a whole.
Sussex, to become a well-established As a first step, we set out to trial a bim workflow using
company with experience in a wide a small number of staff, and selected suitable projects
as wayfinders to develop our understanding, gradually
range of sectors with projects across the bringing other co-workers along through regular training.
uk and abroad. In 2006 we opened our
South West office in Exeter, and in 2013
we opened a London office.
With experience across a variety of sectors — from hotels,
practice partners bars and restaurants to offices, residential schemes and
Axiom Architects llp Andy Rowe, Rob Tunna, educational projects — we have worked with a wide range project 1/2 small
Paul Morris, Richard of clients, including multinational organisations as well as Premier Inn Hotel, Clacton
author Hollis, Alex Bailey small companies and individual private clients.
Luke Bray
technology Vectorworks Architect has been our primary cad applica- The construction of a new Premier Inn at Clacton repre-
location Vectorworks Architect, tion since its origins as MiniCAD, although it is only over sented our first use of bim on a live project. The proposed
Lewes, East Sussex; Cinema 4d, V Ray, the last two years that the practice has begun to adopt a 3d scheme was a three-storey new-build hotel comprising 66
London, Exeter, Devon Adobe Photoshop working method and started to explore the benefits that bedrooms with a ground-floor reception and restaurant
Vectorworks provides as a building information modelling and associated staff facilities. The building followed a rela-
employees sectors (bim) tool. tively simple rectilinear form and had a limited number of
35 (32 architectural Hotel and leisure, room variations based on a standardised layout.
staff, 3 administration) commercial, Our practice has expanded fairly quickly in recent years,
residential, education with more staff working on a larger number of projects Over the years, Axiom has developed a strong working
founded across three offices. Making more efficient use of our cad relationship with Premier Inn as the keeper of their design
1986 software and exploiting the benefits of bim offered some manual and as architects for new self-build Premier Inn
Innovative Vectorworks bim

great opportunities, but also presented a few challenges.
contact How could Vectorworks bim be used to improve the con-
lb@axiomarchitects.co.uk sistency and accuracy of our design output? How could it
save us time and improve efficiency, rather than increasing
website workload? How would we implement a bim working
www.axiomarchitects.co.uk method for all staff across three offices? How could bim be
used to improve the information provided to contractors
and clients, and how would it meet future client needs?
schemes across London and the south of England. Given
this experience, we already had an in-depth knowledge of
the brand, its supply chain and the standard components.
The modest size of the scheme and the high degree of
standardisation and repetition meant that the proposed
hotel was ideally suited to a bim test. As a model design
to some extent, this project also offered potential for bim
components used to be refined and developed for later
jobs, offering future efficiency savings.
 ▼ Premier Inn Clacton ▲ hub by Premier Inn
Showing proposed cgi generated
room layouts from bim model

▲ Completed project ▲ bim model

Top: photograph of Above: cgi from
Premier Inn Clacton early bim model of
as built Premier Inn Clacton
26 Chapter 2

Innovative Vectorworks bim

hub by Premier Inn, King’s Cross

Bedrooms feature smart technology

Timescale was also a key consideration. The intended pro-
gramme allowed 16 months from the start of riba Work
Stage 4 to completion on site. The scheme followed a
traditional procurement route, with a 12-month construc-
tion programme, allowing only four months to complete
the production information, a fairly typical timescale for
this type of project. While not overly long, this did allow
us to develop a limited bim workflow within a focused but
not too pressured timescale.
In this instance, we used 3d working and bim tools to a
very limited extent, working non-collaboratively in 3d to
create general arrangement plans, sections and elevations
to a 1:50 scale while using Vectorworks Architect’s sched-
uling capabilities to generate door and window schedules
alongside traditionally drawn two-dimensional 1:10 or 1:5
construction details.
Early planning for bim can increase a project’s front-end
workload: the library of information must be built up,
and the organisational structure set out, while the scheme
may still be at risk of not going ahead. In this instance,
planning permission had already been obtained before our
decision to adopt a bim workflow, although the scheme
had previously been drawn using 2d methods without any
bim content. Although this meant that we were unable to
maximise the benefits of working in 3d from the outset,
the later adoption of bim gave us certainty that it would
not be time wasted.
Creating a library of bim objects, symbols and wall styles
for the project provided a set of tools suitable for a number
With three offices, staff at different levels of
cad ability and a wide variety of projects, it
was apparent that bim was not something
that could be brought in for everyone,
everywhere, overnight. We needed to take
small steps, developing our understanding
of others, as well as providing a means to quickly update
information as the hub brand developed and changes were
instructed. The use of a bim model to generate the eleva-
tions and sections also ensured co-ordination between
drawings and reduced time spent amending them.
The Clacton project progressed fairly smoothly on a basis
of co-ordinating information with the rest of the design
team in a standard 2d format. Internally, however, we had
to make sure that those working on the project were all
aware of how the scheme was organised and were fully up
to speed with the use of the various 3d tools and schedul-
ing. Initially, this worked well with the two project team
members who were involved in the process throughout,
but did limit the potential for other staff unfamiliar with
the bim working method to assist on the project.
It became apparent that resourcing and responsibilities for
co-ordinating the model needed to be carefully managed,
especially during times of peak workload.
results and findings Following construction over
the past year, the hotel is now open to the public and
trading well, delivered on programme and within budget.
Time spent on the scheme remained comparable to that
spent on projects of a similar scale that had been drawn
traditionally. Although more time was spent starting the
production information package, later design amend-
ments became slightly quicker.
Overall, the project took a little more drafting time than
previous schemes but was still profitable. Given that this
was our first bim project, we had anticipated that it would
take more time than if traditionally drawn, allowing for us
to adapt to a different workflow and learn the new tools.
After the successful use of a limited bim workflow on this
project, other schemes, such as the Premier Inn at Eltham,
have also been carried out using much of the same library
of information, making the most of the initial develop-
ment that we carried out for Clacton. In this way, real
projects have been used to develop a centralised library
of components and bim tools that can be expanded on
through subsequent projects, accessed via the Vectorworks
Resource Browser.
Beginning with bim 27
project 2/2 large
hub by Premier Inn, King’s Cross
Following the success of Premier Inn across the uk,
November 2014 saw the public launch of ‘hub by Premier
Inn’ with the chain’s first opening in the West End of
London. This hotel became the first in the uk to achieve a
breeam Outstanding rating.
The hub concept is based on an affordable compact
bedroom, designed for city-centre locations, with high-
tech features planned in from the start. High-speed Wi-Fi
is provided, and the installed lighting, air conditioning
and smart tv sets can be operated by mobile apps. Making
the most of the space available, the compact room design
features fitted components to maximise functionality
within an area of 11 sq m. Given the compact footprint
and the extensive level of fit-out to each room, accuracy
of construction and furniture specification was key to
delivering a successful product.
After we had worked on this project and developed the
prototype design in a traditional 2d manner, the similar
standardised layouts, bespoke fitted components and in-
novative high-tech room design were well suited to a bim
approach. Using Vectorworks’ 2d and 3d capabilities, a bim
library could be developed from the original 2d informa-
tion. The relative infancy of the hub brand also offered us
the opportunity to develop a bim approach to the overall
brand design manual, a forward-thinking design method
for an innovative product.
After earlier small-scale trials of 3d working and bim at
Clacton and other sites, a bim approach was adopted for
the much larger proposed hub project at King’s Cross, a
new-build, mixed-use scheme comprising a 389-bedroom
hotel with associated restaurant, meeting rooms and
support facilities plus three separate retail units, all spread
across nine stories, including two basement levels.
28 Chapter 2
The scheme would occupy a brownfield site close to King’s
Cross station and Regent’s Canal.
Surrounding design constraints, such as rights of light and
differences in building scale across frontages, led us to a
complex stepped building form around two light-wells,
with changes in building section at various points. 3d
working allowed us to provide a range of accurate sections
through the different parts of the building.
Following on from a 2d traditionally drawn planning
design, detailed designs were developed in a 3d bim format
from riba Work Stage 3 onwards. Given the relative
newness of the hub brand, there was still a great deal of
design development within the model room design. In
adopting a bim method, we needed to follow an approach
that would allow design changes to be easily incorporated
while design progressed. Further planning amendments
also had to be accommodated in parallel with the creation
of production information.
managing a consolidated model With a more
developed understanding of 3d working in Vectorworks
Architect, our initial bim development for the project
sought to develop a project resource library of building
elements and symbols for key components and room types
and establish an organisational framework for the project.
This was based on a central building model set, from
which specific drawings could be referenced.
Working in 3d and developing bim information substan-
tially increased file sizes beyond those we had previously
been dealing with. Accordingly, learning from previous
trial projects, it became essential to plan out how the
model was constructed, both to limit file size and to enable
more than one person to work on the project at a time.
Innovative Vectorworks bim
To enable streamlined working, general model co-ordina-
tion was managed by the project leader. This model was
then referenced, using Vectorworks’ Design Layer View-
port Referencing, to enable detailed sections, schedules
and room layouts to be worked on by others in parallel.
Separating shell and core elements from internal fit-out
also enabled parallel working while reducing the file sizes
of the separate model parts.
Even with this separation achieved, we had to interrogate
what information was really needed in the central model.
Keeping furniture and fittings in 2d, and leaving detailed
design items to other drawings, helped to keep file sizes
manageable and avoid bogging down older computer hard-
ware. For standardised information that did not need to be
in the model, the project resource library allowed us to call
upon a common kit of parts.
breeam benefits Another benefit in using a Vectorworks
Architect bim workflow was that information such as
materials quantities for building elements could be quickly
Bedroom fitting
Efficient use of space was key
Design constraints led us to a complex
building form, with changes in section
and differences in building scale across
frontages. 3d working allowed us to
provide a range of accurate sections
through the different parts of the building
and accurately scheduled for key breeam credits. The use
of Spaces allowed floor finishes and areas to be easily cal-
culated. Floors, walls, roofs and partitions were scheduled
to allow the environmental ratings of the various elements
to be quantified.
dealing with design changes Over the course of design
development, various aspects of the scheme and the hub
brand, such as bedroom dimensions, layouts and compo-
nents, were changed. Through the use of a 3d model and
project symbol library, such changes could be easily and
quickly accommodated, with changes in plan automati-
cally updated in elevations, sections and other drawings
referencing these key sources.
Vectorworks Architect’s ability to filter out construction
component information quickly and easily also meant that
the same construction model could be used for planning
applications without the need to draw separate schemes in
parallel, simply using the viewport controls to turn off wall
components and other unwanted classes and layers.
exporting 3d information We have yet to use bim
collaboratively to co-ordinate structural design, civil engi-
neering and building services information, but already this
project involved some limited exports of 3d information.
The 3d model was used to generate Cinema 4d computer
visualisations, involving a great deal less visual modelling
time than would have been the case if separate models had
been required purely for visualisation purposes.
Illustrating the capacity of bim to satisfy more technical
project requirements, the model was also exported for
the purposes of rights-of-light negotiations, helping to
accurately establish the daylight and sunlight impacts of
proposals upon surrounding properties.
At tender stage, an ifc 2x3-format model was also export-
ed, allowing tendering contractors to call off materials
quantities and obtain more accurate pricing information.
Although our clients have yet to request the use of
collaborative bim on any projects, the possibility has been
mentioned by some of them, and we anticipate using it in
the near future.

With the King’s Cross site now clear, construction work
is imminent at the time of writing. As it progresses, we
will be interested to see how the accuracy of the modelled
information has benefited our further work on the project
as well as works on site.
Conclusions
While we are only taking our first few steps into the world
of bim, Vectorworks Architect’s bim capabilities have
allowed us to progress fairly smoothly from our previous
2d working methods into 3d without the need to learn
new software packages or suffer problems of compatibility
moving from one cad platform to another. It has still been
a learning curve, but using familiar software has smoothed
the process and meant that bim has come as less of a shock
to the system.
Other benefits include flexibility (the ability to proceed
one step at a time) and versatility (the ability to deliver 3d
and tabular information in a variety of formats).
Jumping to 3d and developing a bim workflow takes up a
little more time early on in a project, but we have already
found that when bim is employed on the right job, time
spent in up-front planning is quickly paid back in savings
down the line. We have already seen savings in subsequent
project workflows as a result of this initial investment,
where resources have been recycled from one project to
the next.
Establishing what projects are right for bim and deciding
on the level of information a model needs have been key
factors: it is only worth putting in the information you
intend to get out. There is little point in modelling all the
furniture, for example, if you are never going to schedule
it or show it off. If you need to provide more information
later, on the other hand, it can always be added.
Taking small steps from one project to the next has been
very helpful. Trialling a bim workflow for the first time
on a small project, and setting out manageable goals for
information, allowed problems to be worked out and a
best way found before we jumped in with full-scale bim on
bim model in layers
Exploded view of floors
showing model structure
all projects. Although it may be best to test the basics in
the first instance, testing on a real project was a good way
to keep the momentum going without spending too much
time on theoretical exercises, which will often get pushed
back when resources for non-fee-earning work are limited.
As a medium-sized architectural practice working for
very large, demanding clients, we have found the ability
to re-use tools and resources from one project to another,
and make the computer do the work for us, has made
subsequent jobs quicker, giving us more time to spend
thinking and designing rather than co-ordinating 2d
Beginning with bim 29
information. One result of this is that a streamlined bim
workflow has increased our overall capacity for work,
allowing us to keep up with the demands of our clients
and provide more and better information at the same
time. As we now take on a greater number of projects
within the practice, it is a testament to the efficiencies of
bim that we can manage an increased workload without
clients seeing a reduction in productivity.
the pitfalls There have been a few hiccups along the
way. Some interesting early challenges included managing
the training of staff to follow the stricter requirements of
a bim workflow and working out how best to structure a
project model.
If the whole practice does not yet have the necessary skills
to work with bim, care needs to be taken in selecting the
right design team and/or investing in a programme of staff
training so that the project can be appropriately resourced.
Because bim is still fairly new and unfamiliar to many,
workload pressures on those trialling it have, at times,
proved difficult to manage without a wider pool of experi-
ence to call upon. This problem will reduce as time goes by
and training continues.
Finding new ways to use bim collaboratively, both within
an office and among the wider consultant team, will help
to relieve individual workload pressures. We look forward
to taking that next step.
key lessons The use of bim doesn’t have to be ‘all or noth-
ing’. The level of use can be tailored to suit the resources
available and the information needed.
Training and organisation are essential. Plan ahead and
take care to ensure a project can be sufficiently resourced
throughout, and make sure that staff have the necessary
skills to manage a bim workflow effectively.
Creating a centralised library is a good way to make the
most of generic information for use across a number of
projects, as well as maintaining efficient control over cad
standards and helping to maintain consistency of informa-
tion across the office.
3
jonathan reeves ‘octagons’
Diverse
BIM
Designscape Architects
32 Chapter 3

see bim as a way of differentiating our service and capabil-

ities. It is sometimes a struggle to get clients to appreciate
(and pay for) the added value, but bim is clearly here to
stay and we see it as essential in the long term. There are
dangers — for example, lazy use of pre-designed compo-
the practice Designscape is a design- nents could compromise design quality — but also many
led architecture practice with a wide opportunities. Procurement methods will start to change
in order to take better advantage of bim capabilities.
range of projects completed throughout
the uk. Founded by Chris Mackenzie in Vectorworks is the primary software we use for producing
drawings at the planning and construction stages, with
2005 and based in Bath, with a London increasing use of the 3d tools and processes. We have been
studio, we work across all sectors, from using this software since 2004 and have been developing
our 3d/bim office standards for nearly five years. Before
residential projects and larger housing that, we were using simple 3d modelling for scheme
schemes to a production studio and design. Then came SketchUp, which became and to some
extent remains our go-to tool for Stage 1-3 work. We also
art gallery. Spencer Back joined as a use a range of supporting software to explore concepts on
director in 2010, adding to the breadth a more abstract and holistic level before we begin to focus
on and define the technical detail behind the designs.
practice directors
of skills and experience. Our team also
Designscape Chris Mackenzie, includes two associate architects and We use Adobe Photoshop and InDesign to help present
Architects Ltd Spencer Back early sketch designs, analysis and proposals before we
a construction manager, supported by engage more precise cad software. We then begin to
author technology architects and Part 2/1 designers. incorporate the 3d cad information and often overlay
Lucy Smith Vectorworks Architect further design and development information onto our cad
with Renderworks
By offering a number of student place- drawings, creating visuals and design information which is
location (Windows platform), ments, the practice encourages profes- more accessible to our clients throughout the project.
Bath and London Adobe InDesign and
Photoshop, SketchUp,
sional development and growth while the road to 3d We are currently balancing our work
employees visualisation software benefiting from fresh input and attitudes. between 2d and 3d cad projects, but an increasing number
10 (if not all) of the new-build projects coming into the prac-
sectors The current focus of our work is one-off residential homes, tice will eventually use bim. As a relatively small practice,
founded Private residential, list- alterations to listed buildings and commercial redevelop- we have to carefully match the time and investment re-
2005 ed buildings, alterations ments. We believe that investing in the latest cad and quired by 3d modelling to the requirements of each client.
and conservation, arts, production information software and skills now will enable We feel the benefits of bim and 3d really become apparent
Innovative Vectorworks bim

public and workplace us to use bim to successfully deliver projects in a wider
range of sectors and to bid for larger-scale schemes more
efficiently and effectively.
contact
enquiries@dscape.co.uk We enjoy using new technology where this can benefit our
buildings and their users. We are currently working be-
tween bim Level 1 and 2, depending on individual project
requirements. Although we are not currently doing any
public-sector work, where bim would be a requirement, we
after the planning stage, where we are producing drawings
for technical and construction information.
As such, we use a combination of techniques and software
to develop our projects through the initial brief and con-
cept stages before taking the step into 3d in Vectorworks
Architect. As we develop our skills, however, we have been
using the rendering aspects of the programme to create
pre-planning 3d visuals to help clients understand designs.
 Diverse bim 33

Chilliswood
Finished elevation showing
cladding detailing

Cladding
3d modelling allowed
Site meeting accurate setting-out of
Discussing progress boards and generation
during construction phase of a schedule of materials
▲ 2d and 3d
2d information was
overlaid on the 3d model
to produce component
and detail drawings

◄ Elevations
These were all produced
from the 3d model,
updating as it evolved

► Doors and windows

The use of parametric
objects enabled detailed
schedules to be generated

◄ Different drawings
Depending on the intend-
ed audience – clients or
planners, for example –
the use of classes allowed
appropriately detailed or
schematic drawings to be
produced using Advanced
Viewport Properties
 Diverse bim 35

We still find design solutions are best initially developed

through site analysis and investigations using hand sketch-
es, research and photography, combined with SketchUp
models. Often, though, we produce 2d Vectorworks plans
as a base for this modelling, with a Vectorworks 3d-
generated terrain model imported into SketchUp. This
complementary use of software lets us quickly explore and
express our design intentions to clients and stakeholders
without having to prematurely develop the detailed design.

We still occasionally produce planning drawings for our

smaller projects in 2d, because the time invested in
producing a full 3d model can outweigh the advantages if
we are not certain it will be used beyond planning. Where
we are subsequently appointed to produce technical and
construction information, we will then take the step into
3d cad to generate accurate and effective production
information through bim. But wherever feasible, we are
generating all drawings from 3d models, so the infor-
mation in these drawing sheets will continue to evolve
and update as we develop the model from concept and
technical design into working construction drawings.

establishing a 3d workflow We invested considerable

time in setting up workflows and office standards for pro-
ducing our drawings so that we can generate consistent
and useful information that will evolve through the work
stages. We use a series of bespoke Designscape templates,
with separate model and sheet files, to create consistency
in terms of output; this enables multiple users to work on
one project without continually ‘re-inventing the wheel’.
A clear, tested system of classes, layer naming, parametric
objects, libraries, tools and referencing has been developed
over the last few years.
These office standards were initially introduced through
a number of live projects. The practice discounted part of
the time on these projects to ensure that the development
of our workflows and our own understanding of the 3d
software was not at the expense of our clients. We were
keen to invest this time to refine our Vectorworks 3d skills,
working towards bim Levels 1 and 2.
These early schemes included the conversion of a hotel
into a private residential home and a new-build timber-
Completed project
The success of the workflow
shows in the finished building
frame house with a highly insulated thermal fabric and
high-quality finish. More recently, we have invested time in
a smaller-scale green roof annexe located within the Green
Belt to further demonstrate the benefits of bim scheduling
and structural modelling.
During these initial test projects, we were conscious that
we had to ensure our 3d models were at least maintaining
(but aiming to exceed) the level of output we would
provide to our clients in our 2d work. We have also had to
invest in hardware capable of supporting the software: we
introduced 3d and Renderworks capabilities on each of
our workstations gradually, as we established the workflow
and our knowledge and ability to share this information
increased. This helped to spread the cost impact of moving
towards full bim. Practically speaking, existing projects in
the office that had been set up using a 2d approach would
still need to follow that workflow, so we tried to co-ordi-
nate these two methods as far as possible.
quality through office standards To ensure that
our production information is generated efficiently and
accurately represents the detailed design of our projects,
we combine the use of section viewports through the 3d
model with an overlay of detailed 2d information at the
critical junctions. This requires us to use a strict workflow
throughout the modelling process and the steps we use to
generate our final drawing sheets, ensuring that all of the
required information is drawn in the correct file, location
and orientation.
36 Chapter 3

Springfield Farm
A high quality of finish
was demanded and
achieved on this project
Retaining wall
Detailed modelling
assisted here
development of the software and manufacturers providing
objects through bim libraries, we are confident that this
will continue to improve. We have found 3d-modelling
component parts in Vectorworks very effective, using re-
cord data to generate schedules of parts, 3d assembly views
and detailed construction information from one model.
The advantages of bim and 3d are found not only in pro-
ducing building information, but also in terrain modelling.
We have developed methods to import a range of 2d
and 3d data into Vectorworks Architect to create terrain
models and generate accurate areas and volumes to be cut
and filled on site. We often export these terrain models for
use in other software, such as SketchUp.
Thanks to the popularity of Vectorworks, there are some
great scripts, plug-ins and tips available online to help out
with queries and speed up production. When creating
worksheets, for example, we used a script to generate a
list of all the formulae required to extract the information
stored in any of the ‘intelligent’ objects we had selected.
The model was developed in detail at the concept and
planning stages, enabling us to use it to obtain initial cost
budgets in collaboration with a qs and quotations from
various timber frame companies. This meant the 3d mod-
elling was undertaken fairly early in the design process
and could also be used to generate information at tender
stage, such as door and window schedules. Contractor’s
design portion meant certain details were unnecessary to
develop, but our information did need to allow for easy
and clear co-ordination between the cdp and our details.
The method raised a number of questions about the detail
required in 3d modelling and the type of project or level of
information we needed to generate in the general arrange-
ment drawings versus the detailed drawings. We found
we could draw different types of information within the
same model, then control (by its class) in which viewports
it was included.
During the construction stage, the 3d model saved us a lot
of time by simultaneously updating drawings and issuing
revised information. There were some limitations in
customising the wall connections to form bespoke details,
and this is where overlaying 2d information was still
necessary in the details.

project 1/3 small

Caption over Chilliswood
Brief caption explains this
Springfield finished photo
This new-build highly insulated timber-frame house was project 2/3 small
used to test our workflow and methodology for 3d bim Springfield Farm
We have found that the 3d model really begins to save time from conception to completion. The £450,000 project was
during the detailed and technical design stages, using for a 220 sq m, three-storey dwelling with split levels; the
Innovative Vectorworks bim

Vectorworks’ 3d modelling components and tools, generat-
ing wall types, views and sections, and making use of para-
metric objects. Schedules and design information — for
example, timber-cutting schedule, steel schedule, setting-
out of beam and block floor — are produced directly from
components within the model.
There are still some gaps in the implementation of these
parametric objects, but over time, with the ongoing
contract was jct Intermediate with cdp.
The timber frame was to be constructed on a masonry
plinth, and the design used split half-levels to step the
house with the external ground levels. The lower masonry
acted as a plinth for the timber frame and a retaining wall
for the bottom storey, which was built into the sloping
site. This presented an opportunity for us to test our 3d
workflows on a fairly straightforward construction.
We were appointed to this project — a 260 sq m new-build
contemporary house replacing a 1950s bungalow on a
sloping site — post-planning, and created a detailed 3d
scheme design set within a terrain model generated using
existing site survey information. There was an element of
cut-and-fill required, with a retaining wall to detail, so we
were able to take advantage of the intelligent site model
and generate schedules of information for construction,
assembly and detailing.
Terrain modelling
This drawing uses the Terrain tool to
calculate and indicate the cut-and-fill
required for the foundation work
38 Chapter 3

▼ Kelston Road
Using the automatically generated
terrain from Vectorworks enabled
a quick and accessible concept
model to be produced for discus-
sion with the planning department.

project 3/3 small Following the successful planning

application, the design was easily
Kelston Road translated into a 3d model

Located within the Green Belt on the outskirts of Bath,

this was a construction management job for a £150,000
conversion and extension of an existing double garage,
within the curtilage of the client’s home, into an annexe
for elderly relatives. A green roof and materials sympa-
thetic to the original dwelling were used to allow the
annexe to become a complementary addition to the site.

This project was used to test the efficiency of modelling

in 3d to produce construction information on a very small-
scale project that included existing built elements.

We included the structural elements in the model and

used parametric objects where possible. We wanted to
ascertain the level of detail required in 3d to produce use-
ful information for the contractors on site. By modelling
all of the project’s structural elements, such as steelwork,
timber, foundations and doors/windows, we were able to
produce a series of schedules from which the site foreman
could order all of the components to construct the build-
ing, with a fully co-ordinated set of construction drawings
and 3d views produced from the same model.

Every detail must be considered in 3d, and potentially this

highlights issues before they occur on site, whereas they
may be missed in 2d drawing sets with only a number of
junctions fully considered. The challenge — as with any
Innovative Vectorworks bim

set of construction information — was ensuring that the

information and modelling was completely accurate and
up to date. We had bespoke fascia and covering pieces for
steelwork and window surrounds fabricated using the
detail generated from the 3d model.

The resulting building is of a very high quality, but this

intense interrogation of every detail would not always be
appropriate to a project of this scale or budget!

▲ Component drawings
The modelled building elements
were used to generate drawings
for component fabrication
Conclusions
bim has changed our business model in terms of the
information we can provide as part of our service. We are
able to produce more information, more quickly and more
intelligently, allowing us to spend more time focusing on
the development of the architectural solutions that are
essential to creating innovative and appropriate designs.
Now that we are using 3d bim within many of our projects,
we can generate automatic and intelligent information
from models which simultaneously produce technical
and construction plans, elevations and sections, door and
window schedules, material/timber/steel component/
assembly details and rendered images.
Our ongoing ambition at Designscape is to continue to
use these singular intelligent models to produce a fully
co-ordinated and connected set of information appropri-
ate to each project, with the ability to consistently main-
tain high qualities of output that our clients, consultants
and contractors can engage with.
Being relatively early adopters, we have had to customise
the technology to suit our practice’s approach to generat-
ing information, but the software is catching up. Current-
ly, for example, we use our specific workflows, standards,
file referencing, file naming, classes and templates to allow
us to work together on the same content. The Project
Sharing feature in Vectorworks 2016 will address such
concerns integrally in the software.
In the small projects world, engineer’s information tends
to be minimal — often just mark-ups of our drawings.
The scale of the project (and fee) will reflect the amount
of information that other consultants will produce, and
below a certain scale it is quicker and more efficient for us
to draw their elements into our model.
At the moment, we find that integrating this information
into our 3d models is the most effective method, whether
this is importing a survey or translating the structural
sketches and calculations to model the structural compo-
nents. This enables us to continue to work with familiar
Diverse bim 39
but ‘un-bim-friendly’ consultants and allows us to main-
tain control of the model, detect conflicts in the informa-
tion and ensure we are happy with its ultimate output and
co-ordination. We then issue the information back to the
consultants for comment and to confirm they are satisfied
that the information we are producing is correct.
From Designscape’s experience so far, our tips for practices
moving towards bim would be:
i. get renderworks We believe it is essential to have
this software in order to produce even simple drawings
from your 3d models. Without it, we struggled to get
legible elevations. It saves a lot of time, and also enables
you to produce a whole range of rendered images
ii. be patient bim modelling on small projects works very
well in combination with other design development
techniques. Explore the brief and design with more
conceptual modelling methods before taking the step
into more technical and detailed 3d bim modelling. Don’t
rush into it until you have a fixed concept and sketch
design, and having made key technical design decisions
to minimise abortive work and/or unnecessary altera-
tions to the model
iii. manage Consider the extent of the information you
will need to provide to meet the needs of your clients.
On smaller-scale jobs, the amount of time invested in
modelling should be managed, as the benefits of very
detail-heavy models will not be fully realised if the
project does not continue beyond the planning stages.
Getting clients to appreciate (and pay for) the additional
benefits of a bim model is an ongoing challenge, and this
is especially true of smaller projects
iv. share Knowledge sharing, consistent use of templates,
and developing and upholding practice workflows (file
naming, referencing, classes, layering and so on) is
essential to ensure multiple users can work efficiently
together and an ongoing understanding is maintained
within the practice. We have established a set of in-
house tutorials and guides for particular tasks, which we
share during lunchtime ‘cad clubs’ to make sure every-
one in the team is up to date on our current standards.
4
jonathan reeves ‘stepped’
BIM for
construction
O’LearyGoss Architects
42 Chapter 4

that this simplistic approach was no longer appropriate.

In 2012, we made a decision to explore the use of bim. The
initial results for concept design were very encouraging,
although in the early stages the subsequent technical de-
sign and construction drawing had mixed results. By early
2014, we had made enough mistakes to be able to reflect
the practice O’LearyGoss Architects on whether bim had a place in our project delivery.
was founded by Robert O’Leary and
By assessing what is important to model and setting aside
Jenny Goss in 1991. In recent years, what is not, we have developed, on a number of projects, a
the practice has emerged from a deep way of working that has allowed us to take initial modelling
through to the construction stage. The model that is used
recession with a strong workload which to explore options at concept stage is now developed to
has developed from a track record of prepare illustrations and drawings for planning permis-
sions and other consents. This is then supplemented with
delivery on complex projects, many components and parametric objects to produce construc-
involving the re-use or incorporation tion-stage general arrangement drawings and schedules.
of historic buildings. This has required
an intake of new staff, many of who are
practice founded
O’LearyGoss Architects 1991
from other countries and bring different
perspectives and skills to our work.
author directors
Robert O’Leary Robert O’Leary and Our project sectors have traditionally been: project 1/3 small
Jenny Goss Apartment building, Bristol
location a Residential development, multiple houses or apartment
Bristol technology buildings for developer clients. In recent years this has
Vectorworks Architect expanded to include student housing on city-centre sites The Willows is a residential development at the corner of
employees (Mac platform) Dean Street and Bishop Street, closing one corner of the
12 (including directors) b Healthcare projects, ranging from interior projects in historic Portland Square in central Bristol. The building
sectors hospitals to hospices will provide 37 apartments, four duplexes and two small
Residential develop- office suites in a five-storey building. The buildings that
ment, healthcare, c Education, for primary and secondary schools and historically occupied the site were destroyed in World War
community university/further education buildings ii, and the low workshop building which replaced these in
the immediate aftermath of the War was of poor quality,
Innovative Vectorworks bim

d Community buildings, including remodelling and
contact additions to church buildings and sports facilities
robert@olearygoss.co.uk
Historically, we used Vectorworks Architect in a limited
website 2d drafting workflow but made use of some proto-bim
www.olearygoss.co.uk aspects of the application, including linking text to records
for generating worksheets and more recently the Spaces
tool. The nature of our project base, and the growing size
and complexity of the projects, led us to the realisation
completely unsuited to an important urban site.
Design strategy, accommodation mix and massing con-
straints on the site had been established previously, and
the importance of the corner element in townscape terms
was particularly key to the development of the site.
Our proposals were developed using a single-file model
to explore permutations and combinations within these
▼ The Willows ▲ 2d plan from model
OpenGL rendering of Technical design-stage plan with
technical design-stage model parametric information applied to
with upper floors greyed out building elements
44 Chapter 4

design parameters. The model was created with one layer

per floor, initially with little complexity in class type. The
site survey was referenced from an external file. At the
earliest stage, we set up sheet layers. Plans are particularly
important for explaining the project to the client and
design team. These plan sheet layers had area schedules —
also very important for the client — generated from spaces
within the model. Elevations and key perspective views
formed the rest of the basic sheet views.

As the model developed, we ascribed attributes to building

elements from our standard classes. Walls, in particular,
were given different classes to reflect the external form of
Plans are construction; brick, render, stone or zinc cladding. Using
particularly Renderworks, we were able to add textures to the eleva-
tion and 3d views. The external form of this building went
important for through many iterations. The time spent in creating the
explaining model in the first place was repaid by the ease of making
the project to changes at a later stage.
the client and
The project commenced on site in February 2015. At this
design team. point, we found it necessary to split the bim model. The
Our plan sheet original single-file building model was unsuitable for
layers had working on by a design team, so it was duplicated, with all
area schedules design information removed, to form the basis of a project
resource file. Three further copies were made: one became
generated from the external building file, one became the internal fit-out
spaces within file for the ground and first floors, and the third covered
the model the remaining upper floors and roof. Extraneous design
information was stripped from each as appropriate.

◄ 2d elevations These files were referenced to each other, the referenced

Detailed elevations viewports or design layers being clearly defined in the list
generated from the
bim, enhanced with of design layers and kept free of further information to
annotations avoid the risk of circular referencing. The basic model files
were then referenced into separate ‘drawing files’, from
Innovative Vectorworks bim

which were created elevations, sections and a host of other

drawings. Additional information, including graphical
overlays, were added on the Annotations layers of the
elevations. We anticipate that the new Project Sharing
functions introduced in Vectorworks Architect 2016 will
make this process much easier.

We have found the use of parametric objects very useful

in creating schedules of doors and windows. The objects
 bim for construction 45

themselves in the model are referenced into other drawing ◄ 2d plans

files to create dimensioned and annotated elevations Traditional plans
generated from
showing opening directions, key dimensions, and other sketch design-stage
features of these building elements. model, with spaces
coloured to create
a schedule of areas
We still prepare most construction details (at 1:5 scale)
as ‘traditional’ 2d drawings, because we have very high
graphical standards for our detail sheets that no bim
software can yet deliver. Construction details are prepared
using the bim section as a co-ordinating background. We
are developing an office standard template for 2d details,
using classes to ascribe line thickness, patterns and
hatches to standard building materials. This template will
also contain standard text styles for annotation.

While some members of the design team implement bim

to a less advanced level, their drawings are imported into
Vectorworks Architect and referenced into our bim files as
viewports to allow visual checking for clashes.

This scheme was our first fully implemented bim-based

project, drawing on the experiences gained earlier and
learning from our mistakes. It has taken at least as long as
traditional drafting to produce the general arrangement
drawings in this first instance, as a result of the learning
curve involved. This methodology has been transferred
to a number of other projects, and we are anticipating
an improvement in productivity and accuracy as all staff
become more familiar with the new ways of working.

project 2/3 large

Rugby club and sports centre, Bristol

This new building at Lockleaze, in the outer suburbs of
Bristol, is the product of a joint initiative between the
Bristol and District Rugby Football Combination and Bristol
City Council. Replacing and expanding outdated existing
facilities, the scheme significantly upgrades playing fields
and provides a new home for two clubs, marking England’s
hosting of the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
Our proposals for the building were designed in 3d from the
outset using bim workflows and presented using Render-
works. By its nature, a sports building tends to be large
and lacking the external fenestration that serves to break
down scale. Renderworks was key in allowing us to explore
a variety of cladding options and external elements to add
interest to the building as part of the design process.
46 Chapter 4

project 3/3 medium
Student residence, Bristol
This project, at Corn Street, presented many challenges to
the use of Vectorworks Architect to create a bim model:
i. The project involves the conversion of two former office
buildings on an extremely irregular and constrained site
in the historic old city quarter of Bristol
ii. One building is Grade ii listed, with an interesting Art
Deco facade by Giles Gilbert Scott, architect of the
iconic red Post Office telephone boxes and the listed
Battersea and Bankside power stations in London
iii. The buildings had numerous split floor levels
From the outset, we used a separate layer for each of the
split floor levels. This resulted in some complexity with
the external walls, which straddled the split levels, and this
was overcome in a not entirely elegant manner using auto
hybrids (as described below) and some additional 2d line
drawing. We chose to separately model the highly ornate
Art Deco facade and surrounding context in a series of
separate files, which were also referenced into the main
building model. Much of the Art Deco detail, including
early examples of aluminium-framed small-paned
windows and cast aluminium figures, was also modelled in
Vectorworks Architect.
This detailed work was undertaken by an architectural
illustrator with whom we work closely. His work and
ours were co-ordinated by the use of common x, y and z
co-ordinates. We modelled the irregular wall shapes and
thickness as extruded polygons. These were converted into
auto hybrids to allow them to appear appropriately on 2d
floor plans, a particularly useful feature in recent releases
of Vectorworks Architect.

We used one of the default Renderworks styles, Realistic

Colours White (or ‘white card’) rendering, as a quick way
of assessing building massing and modelling without
having to spend time worrying about textures; the nature
of the scheme’s principal material, Portland Stone, was
already established.

At a later stage, the building model and its associate

context files were exported for finishing in Cinema 4d
and used by our friendly architectural illustrator to create
photo montages.

We have found, on this and other projects, that the ease

and flexibility of interchange between Vectorworks and
Cinema 4d is a huge a bonus, extending the usability of
the Vectorworks model. Possibilities include the produc-
tion of enhanced fly-throughs and animations.

The technical-stage design drawings were developed from

the building model with the use of wall types, parametric
window and door objects, spaces and tagged bathroom
and furniture symbols. This project was our first to benefit
Innovative Vectorworks bim

from a centralised project resource file, although the

mental leap in rigorously applying this new approach did
cause some consternation to begin with.

Many of the lessons learned on this scheme have informed

◄ Lockleaze
Design-stage model referenced
into 2d site plan as roof plan
▲ Perspective elevations
Cladding options appraisal using
a variety of applied textures
subsequent projects (including The Willows, above).
Key among these was the need to divide a multi-storey
building over a number of files to allow more than one
person to work on the project at a time. Project Sharing,
 bim for construction 47

however, will now eliminate the requirement to split up a

Vectorworks Architect project manually in this way.

This project was also our first to use shadow modelling to

examine the effect of the building and adjacent elements
on roof-mounted photovoltaic panels at various points
in the year. Bristol, as European Green Capital 2015, has
policies for the on-site generation of energy used by
buildings from renewable sources. In many cases, this is
best achieved by the incorporation of photovoltaic panels.
Shadow studies are particularly important in ascertaining
the efficiency of such installations.

This technique has been extended to a number of other

projects since, and makes the Heliodon tool a very useful
feature of Renderworks.

Conclusions

Adopting bim has been a demanding development in the

way that we design and develop projects. It has required
us to rethink many of the comfortable assumptions about
drawing that even cad did not change from traditional
pen-and-ink drawing. Principal among these has been the
change in mindset from lines and shapes to objects and
parameters. We are still not entirely fluent in this new
approach, but are persisting and learning as we go.
Today, O’LearyGoss is using 3d modelling from the outset
on most projects. We have a number of copies of Render-
works, and intend to extend the use of this module to all
staff following our positive experiences using it on recent
projects. The Heliodon tool’s capabilities, both in generat-
ing authentic shadow and lighting effects and in allowing
us examine the risks of one element overshadowing
another, confirm Renderworks as an essential application.
We regularly exchange files with a freelance modeller, who
also uses Vectorworks and produces finished images for us
in Cinema 4d. It is of key importance in any file-sharing
exercise to establish an x, y and z datum point and define
classes rigorously to prevent conflicts.
key lessons Modelling allows us to examine design
◄ Corn Street
solutions in context ourselves, using camera viewports and
output to preset photo-montage files. There is less risk of
errors between different drawing types, such as items on
plans appearing in a different position on elevations. bim
increases the speed of amendments to an initial building
model and the ease with which plans, sections and eleva-
tions can be updated once a change is made.
Although bim scheduling of doors, windows, areas and so
forth is inherently accurate and automated, care still needs
to be taken in ensuring that duplicated or extraneous items
are not included in worksheet selection criteria.
▲ Photo montage
Clip Cube view and OpenGL Realistic rendering of elevations
rendering of technical model in context using camera matching
All project resources should be referenced from a central
project library resource file. This includes classes (and
their attributes) which may get added from a central
selection only as needed. We also maintain all symbols in
the project resource file, from where they are referenced —
not imported — into project model files.
We hold all line types, hatch styles, text and dimensioning
standards in this resource file. That imposes a level of dis-
cipline on all staff working on the project, but overcomes
potential difficulties in clashes between similarly named
classes and symbols, and ensures graphical consistency.
jonathan reeves ‘iris’
BIM for
educational
design
Peregrine Mears
Architects
50 Chapter 5

the practice Peregrine Mears Archi- feasibility stage. Our initial work looked to test and de-
velop a number of sites on Petroc’s North Devon campus
tects Ltd is a small studio focused on to see if they would be eligible for a grant from the Skills
design quality and buildability. We Funding Agency (sfa). As with many centrally funded
projects, there were a number of imposed criteria that had
endeavour to create spaces that are a to be met. For this scheme, time was the first challenge.
joy to be in, whether that is for living,
We have been using bim in some of our smaller projects for
working or relaxing. We are interested a number of years, but this scheme enabled us to bring the
both in how a building sits in the land- benefits we had seen so far to one of our larger projects.
The initial site analysis was greatly enhanced by the ability
scape and how it functions; to that end, to quickly produce a number of massing model concepts
we see sustainable, environmentally using Vectorworks’ built-in terrain-modelling suite. These
enabled us to test both the stakeholder’s reactions and the
conscious design as fundamental, and local planning department’s views on the development.
feel that all buildings should understand
Through these quick 3d exercises, we were able to develop
and enhance their context. As a prac- the sfa bid with Petroc confident that the planning depart-
tice, we are involved in a wide range of ment would support our proposals. To ensure success, the
sfa application was developed further than anticipated.
practice founded
sectors, and the approach we take and This proved to be a deciding factor in Petroc winning the
Peregrine Mears 2004 the tools we use will vary from project bid. During the consideration period for the grant, the
Architects Ltd programme for construction of the building was reduced.
director
to project. Like many smaller practices, Because we had already had early conversations with the
authors Peregrine Mears we have been making the move away planning department and reached an understanding that
Justin Watts and it would be broadly supportive, as a team we were then
Peregrine Mears technology
from 2d cad drawing and embracing able to take a view on the programme to see where time
Vectorworks Architect bim workflows on a number of schemes. could be saved.
location (Mac platform),
Barnstaple, Devon Artlantis, SketchUp, Another early benefit of the massing models was the
Adobe Creative Suite ability they gave us to assess site logistics and the impact
employees of construction techniques. When the reduced time
6 (including director) sectors frame became apparent, we had a model that could be
Residential develop- interrogated by us, the client and a proposed contractor.
ment, healthcare, Using the bim model to consider sequencing and time (4d)
community project 1/1 medium factors was extremely helpful, and influenced the final
Innovative Vectorworks bim

Petroc fehe college, Barnstaple choice of construction methods.

contact
mail@mearsarchitects.com We were delighted to win a major commission in 2013 to
design two new buildings for Petroc College of Further
website and Higher Education at its Barnstaple campus.
www.mearsarchitects.com
As architects with a keen interest in educational buildings,
we were brought in to help with the project at concept/
The scheme had two primary elements, the first being the
demolition of a 1950s building which housed heavy engi-
neering machinery, was inaccessible to disabled students
and did not provide the basic infrastructure required for
the changing needs of the curriculum. It was proposed
that it be replaced with a new Lifestyle building, as the
home of Leisure and Tourism Services. The second part of
 bim for educational design 51

the project was to relocate Engineering Services within a

new building, linked to an existing automotive workshop.

In both instances, the primary need was to provide

high-quality teaching and learning spaces and ensure that
students’ experience at Petroc was as relevant as possible
to real-world working environments.

Due to the tight programme for the scheme, it was

necessary for the client to instruct the design team to
work at risk while awaiting confirmation of funding. To
minimise the risk to the client, regular cost reports were
produced to make sure the design was not straying too far
from the planned figures. This process, although it initially
seemed restrictive, quickly became a positive design tool as
the various concepts were swiftly modelled and measured.
Being able to take off quantities of materials and count
building elements automatically from the bim model was
very rewarding. By delivering almost instant feedback, it Petroc College
Aerial view showing
ensured time was not wasted on schemes that were un- Engineering Services
viable and ensured that the designs that were put forward building in context
were more considered, since we knew we would have to
convince the quantity surveyor as well as the client.

Once confirmation was received that funding for the

scheme was in place, we looked to develop the massing
model into basic floor plans without delay. This enabled
us to progress the brief with Petroc and its partners in
local industry and to hold a series of design workshops
with teachers where their knowledge and opinions could
be sought. We found the ability to switch between 2d and
3d representations very useful at this stage: many of the
participants in the design workshops were unable to fully
understand the implications of some of their suggestions,
but a simple fly-through helped to clarify the issues.

In addition to the benefits for the staff, the by-product of

the massing model being automatically updated was that
the meetings we were having with the planning depart-
ment were always moving forward.

Because of the prominent location of the site, the planning

officer during these meetings asked for a number of Lifestyle building
contextual views from key vantage points to be submitted Entrance view
for the planning application.
52 Chapter 5
To address this, we used Vectorworks’ terrain-massing tool
in conjunction with the topographical survey to efficiently
produce a large-scale 3d model of the site and the wider
area. From this, we were able to agree on a number of loca-
tions around the town and develop ‘before and after’ views
using the Vectorworks Camera tool. This exercise was a
huge help during the planning process, and in particular
at the public exhibition. The rendered views also became a
significant design influence, as many parts of the building
were pushed and pulled in response to the model.
As a result of this, an angular form developed for the
lifestyle building which required a degree of structural
gymnastics. Working with the structural engineers for
the project, we were able to test the proposed structural
solutions on the shared model and interrogate the benefits
and drawbacks of each solution much more efficiently
than with a traditional 2d workflow.
A prime example of this was when it was agreed, due to
logistical constraints, that a steel frame solution would be
progressed rather than an in-situ concrete frame. Because
the scheme had been developed in the bim environment,
this change could be implemented relatively quickly with
minimal impact on the team.
In tandem with the structural engineers’ input, the
mechanical and electrical engineer was able to advise
based on the information and provide us with a more fluid
workflow during this critical phase of the project.
Jonathan Reeves of jra was tasked with producing cgi
images of both buildings for the public exhibition. In the
past, projects that used traditional 2d workflows often re-
quired a standalone visualisation model to be created. Not
only is this process costly, but it can be time-consuming to
Innovative Vectorworks bim
ensure the model matches the current plans. Due to the
▼ Section of Lifestyle building
Perspectives are easy to understand
built-in cross-compatibility of Vectorworks with Cinema Engineering building
4d, we were able to export our model as a base for all the cgi showing entrance
required cgi for the scheme, saving time and money.
Conclusions
Using bim on this project, from inception to planning and
beyond, has been a great learning experience, enabling us
to take concepts trialled in small-scale projects and test
them on a larger commercial scheme.
Cross-platform communication and instant updates en-
abled us to develop two complicated mixed-use buildings,
responding to complex site levels, within a timescale that
would not have been feasible using traditional workflows.
Some of the forms of the buildings and the tight time-
scales imposed made modelling a challenge, but the bim
approach ultimately enabled us to develop a building that
sits well in its context and develops a series of volumes
that will provide light and space and enable the college to
match its buildings to their aspirations.
Although the use of physical models and sketching will
always be a big part of the creative process, the develop-
ment of bim technology now adds another dimension to
the service we provide. It enables us to develop and explain
our ideas further and faster than previously, while also
facilitating collaboration.
In the future, we hope that the growth of bim in the
marketplace will enable us to collaborate on many more
interesting projects with other consultants. For the
moment, we are moving forward with bim for the benefits
it brings to our own internal design process and the way
we produce architecture.
6
jonathan reeves ‘digital vortex’
Co-ordinated
BIM for
communication
Waddington Architects
56 Chapter 6

► Ker du Pons model

A stepped form was
used to exploit the
natural topography
of this sensitive site,
so that the building
appears in harmony

the practice Established in 1988, with its setting

Waddington Architects has evolved into

a 15-strong team in the Channel Islands
which provides an integrated in-house
design approach for the main three
disciplines: architecture, interiors and
landscape design. Using Vectorworks
Architect and web-based drawing
management systems, we can work
globally and have partnered on a range
practice directors
of projects in the uk, the Caribbean and
Waddington Architects 1 Scandinavia as well as in Jersey, Guern-
author technology
sey and Ireland. The practice has won
Mike Waddington Vectorworks Architect many design awards and was recently
and Landmark,
location SketchUp, Adobe
shortlisted as a Regional Finalist in the
St Helier, Jersey Creative Cloud uk Civic Trust Awards.
employees sectors Waddington specialises in providing all aspects of
15 Architecture, interiors, professional architectural and interior design services
landscape, master- for corporate, retail, residential, leisure and commercial
founded planning, residential, clients. Our work includes creative refresh schemes,
1999 commercial, leisure Cat a/b schemes, complete design and detail packages, We benefited from Vector-
masterplanning, feasibility studies and report preparation. works Architect’s ability to
integrate plans, elevations
Innovative Vectorworks bim

contact We believe the basis of any successful project is gaining

mike@waddington.je and maintaining the respect and trust of our client and
and sections. If a window
clearly understanding their needs. As designers, we then use was altered in plan, it was
website our analytical skills to turn our client’s requirements into automatically picked up on
www.waddington.je a focused brief and our creative and technical skills to the sections and elevations,
transform the brief into innovative design solutions which
reinforce and enhance the client’s identity and products.
saving drafting time and
We are passionate about good design and firmly believe removing risks in co-
that it is a team effort. ordination and checking
58 Chapter 6
Belle Vue
Contextual image of development
project 1/3 medium
Belle Vue Affordable Homes
Situated on the site of a former go-kart track, this is the
second phase of an affordable homes development, with
a budget of £3,050,000, and will deliver 44 residential
units of accommodation along with a full underground
mechanically ventilated secure basement for 32 parking
spaces, bicycle storage and general stores beneath the
Innovative Vectorworks bim
larger apartment block.
Waddington Architects won a successful bid for the
project and completed the feasibility design in June 2013,
then commenced planning and building bye-laws. Our
contractors, Hacquoil & Cook, started in November 2014
and will be complete in May 2016. Using Vectorworks
Architect has allowed us to move smoothly from early
concept design to construction detailing.
The challenge was creating a development which would
enrich people’s lives and make them proud to live here.
Good architectural design is not often associated with
affordable homes, and we wanted to change that.
Our solution referenced Jersey’s Art Deco legacy — created
largely by one architect, Arthur Grayson in the 1930s —
which was elegant and streamlined, using simple materials
such as painted stucco, metal windows and flat roofs.
We enjoyed exploring strong curved forms, horizontally
emphasised proportions and simple stucco flourishes as
well as dark-coloured metal windows and richly glazed
pantiled roofs for the town houses.
Public-realm and shared landscape spaces, designed by
Waddington Landscape, were made possible by our client
Andium Homes’ bold decision to use an underground car
park, freeing up much more open space on the site.
This was the first time the practice had used bim on a
project of this scale. We benefited from Vectorworks
Architect’s ability to integrate the plans, elevations and
sections. This meant that if a window was altered in
plan, it was automatically picked up on the sections and
elevations, saving drafting time and removing risks in
co-ordination and checking.
We quickly developed our bim skills and were able to
visualise complex junctions in 3d detail, so that awkward
areas were quickly identified and resolved technically
and visually. This was a great help in ensuring the desired
streamlined façade detailing ran smoothly from elevation
to elevation and block to block.
Equally, door and window schedules could be derived
automatically from the plans, saving time and avoiding
clashes of information as the designs evolved. As our
workflow improved, we found a reassuring safety net was
offered by Vectorworks’ built-in parametric object libraries
for elements such as windows, stairs, doors and walls.
Given that this was our first real attempt at bim work-
flows on this kind of project, we wanted to avoid the
complication of ‘advanced bim’, where every component is
modelled and the model is shared by all of the design team
consultants. Instead, we chose what we term ‘intermediate
bim’, where we modelled the project accurately enough to
extract elevations, sections and detailed floor plans from
the model.
Initially, there was a steep learning curve, and the team
found it hard work. Once the various key elements — wall
and floor construction types, doors and windows — had
been created as resources, however, the benefits soon out-
weighed the downsides and early apprehensions subsided.
sustainable goals Waddington is at the forefront of
sustainable design in the Channel Islands, so our Belle Vue
project incorporates very high thermal insulation and
energy efficiency as well as sustainable drainage (suds) sys-
tems and lots of greenery in the landscape. The develop-
ment adds further links to the area’s cycle network, and we
have provided a tree-lined footpath along the main road.
The ability for occupants to walk, cycle or take the bus
as an alternative to using their private fossil-fuelled cars
is central to the sustainability and philosophy of the
development and we hope will add to its ‘liveability’.
Peter Le Gresley, Jersey’s planning director, commented
on the project: ‘This is a high-quality, modern housing
scheme with a mix of houses and affordable apartments
that will benefit the whole community. The design
concept is a really exciting addition to the Les Quennevais
area, and we look forward to working with the architects
to resolve the final details.’
project 2/3 large
Former jcg development, St Helier
The current £40m development of the former Jersey College
for Girls (jcg) site includes the creation of 80 affordable
homes out of the 187 being built. The College was a listed
Aerial overview
Showing existing and
proposed jcg buildings
Jersey College for Girls site
The bim model was enhanced to
produce realistic cgi for marketing
 Co-ordinated bim for communication 61

building that had been unoccupied for more than a decade

and at the start of the project was in a poor state of repair.
The practice won a competitive bid to secure the project
with the Jersey Development Company in 2013, and we
have been working steadily towards its delivery. Main works
on site are likely to commence in late 2015, with completion
due in 2018.

The development will refurbish the front range together

with the east and west wings of the listed building, thereby
safeguarding its future. The front lawned areas will be
restored and remain as open space that preserves the
important setting of the majestic façade. These gardens will
also provide fantastic amenity space for the residents.
There are 21 listed trees on the site that greatly add to the
setting; all but two of these will be carefully preserved.

Jersey College for Girls was built in two phases, in 1888

and 1892, designed by the architect Adolphus Curry, whose
extensive work on Jersey also included the well-known
and respected Opera House, the Highlands College and the
Victoria Club.

As the project progresses, many of the existing structures

will be demolished and the derelict main school building
restored. The retention and repair of the setting of the
main building, with its central lawn, once accommodating
four grass tennis courts, was essential to the project and
maintaining the dignified setting for the elegant classical
school façade.
Another key challenge was to ensure that the massing of
the proposed new accommodation did not overwhelm
the school building, and that this building could also be
sensitively restored.
The site is significantly terraced into several levels, a legacy
from its original use as a brickworks, with clay being
removed in multiple plateaus. This proved to be helpful in
enabling us to ensure that the impact of the rear buildings
was visually minimised.
We carefully analysed the existing school’s classical façade,
identifying strong horizontal bands within the stucco
detailing as well as vertically emphasised tall two-pane
sash windows. We were able to transfer the essence of this
composition and apply the same principles to the new
façades, albeit in a contemporary manner.
The façades along the main road, La Pouquelaye, are
more formal in their composition, and due to the sloping
topography the blocks step up, which helps to modulate
their urban grain and massing in their streetscape setting.
Within the site, however, our design approach has been
more informal, with layering and the vertical openings
staggering in position from floor to floor.
This more random composition is intended to create a
playful feel and reinforce our concept of the blocks sitting
in a campus-style landscaped environment. The upper
Photo montage
Visually verifiable view for
planning and promotion
levels are set back and much lighter in appearance.
The main school building and classical Greek theatre folly
adjacent to the front lawn will all be renovated as a ‘set
piece’, offering both a grand setting and wonderful shared
amenity space. Tall, secure granite boundary walls and
wonderful existing mature trees complete the picture,
offering a unique blend of history and modernism for
attractive urban living.
An elegant panelled library was bequeathed to the old
school in the 1930s and was at risk during the decade or
so that the building was derelict. This will now be rescued
and transferred to the new jcg, where it will be installed in
a modern library and enjoyed for generations to come.
62 Chapter 6
On this, our second large project using Vectorworks Archi-
tect and bim workflows, we were keen to put into action
the knowledge we had gained to date. With the assistance
of a Jersey States-funded Skills Training scheme, this
included the engagement of Vectorworks expert Jonathan
Reeves for a bespoke 12-month training programme.
This enabled us to draw all elements of the project in 3d,
including the site’s complex topography, which greatly
assisted with key planning issues and developing the
detailed design efficiently.
Clash detection between the architecture, structural
engineer and mechanical and electrical disciplines is now
underway for the core areas, and has been really helpful in
ensuring good co-ordination. We anticipate this making
both the working drawings and site works smoother and
less contentious.
sustainable goals The emphasis for the jcg project
design has been to harness passive low-energy solutions,
including natural ventilation, with all apartments enjoying
secure daytime cooling, high levels of thermal insulation
and high-performance glazing. We will be installing
surface water attenuation tanks to ensure peak rainfall
problems are minimised, and the existing mature trees will
be maintained to help with summer shading and fresh air.
The campus-style site layout, with formal landscaped
areas, informal and natural play areas, insect interpreta-
tion features, a gym pod, a reading area with pergola and
a pétanque pitch, is intended to provide something for
everyone by way of shared amenities. We are aiming to
provide attractive urban living in built-up St Helier, and so
avoid the need to create new residential developments in
the rural Green Zone parishes.
Innovative Vectorworks bim
The refurbishment and conversion of the old building will
create 28 apartments that retain features of the original
structure, including high ceilings and big windows.
‘For a development in an urban area, it is unique, and it
has extensive grounds which will be renovated for use by
the occupants,’ said Lee Henry, managing director of the
Jersey Development Company.
project 3/3 medium
Ker du Pons Luxury Apartments
The brief was to redevelop a very large existing house and
outbuildings into a new three-storey apartment scheme
of five units with sea views, large terraces and associated
covered parking. It also included the requirement to
construct two smaller single units to the rear of the site.
The project is currently at the building bye-laws stage, and
work will start on site late in 2016. To deliver the highest
standard of interior quality and finishes, we are consider-
ing a base-build procurement for the shell and external
envelope of the main apartment building, with a secondary
shop-fitting contractor carrying out the interior work.
While the main part of the site is located in the built-up
area, the lower section is in the Green Zone, close to our
Coastal National Park. Gaining planning consent was a
significant challenge. The construction of a basement car
park in this location also faced a real risk from granite rock
outcrops. Ground investigation has revealed only a small
rock outcrop in one corner of our intended excavation
area, however, which makes the substructure viable.
Our solution is to exploit the natural topography of the
sloping site and create a stepped form, so the building
appears in harmony with its setting. Gently nestled
in landscaped gardens, with horizontally emphasised
over-sailing roofs and softened curved forms, the buildings
reflect both a confident modernism and Jersey-relevance.
Developing an architectural language which allows the
juxtaposition of contrasting solid granite walls with
delicate glazed façades facing seawards, the overall design
is intended to make the best use of this world-class site.
The rear of the main block is more closed, and granite
spandrels create a more conventional solid-to-void ratio
while hinting at the local vernacular. These façades will
also enjoy rhythm and a feeling of visual movement. The
other garden, facing the sea, is seen as a wilder and more
romantic landscape space, contrasting with the more
formal and well-mannered central area. All the cars for the
development will be tucked away in an underground car
park, the spoil from which will be redistributed on the site.
The design is intended to be legible and simple, and has
been carefully proportioned so that it feels comfortable
in its beautifully landscaped setting, with crisply detailed
high-quality materials including high-performance
glazing, pink granite, anodised aluminium, stainless steel,
sedum roofing and white stucco. Harmony, rhythm and
proportion have been carefully considered and composed
to achieve a building with a strong sense of belonging to
its surroundings, yet one that retains the integrity of its
contemporary architectural language.
making bim easy Given the complex nature of the
stepped and terraced building forms in this scheme, the 3d
aspect of Vectorworks Architect’s unique Stories feature
was invaluable, allowing us to explore junctions and
interfaces in 3d, layer by layer, and make detailed design
decisions quickly and confidently.
Furthermore, because we are also designing the bespoke
interiors, the 3d modelling capacity was essential both to
develop the design and to help our clients fully understand
the interior spaces and finishes being proposed.
sustainable goals An energy-efficient approach is
central to the design for Ker du Pons. As well as ultra-high-
performance glazing and thermal insulation, ground-source
heat pumps are under consideration for both heating and
cooling. The heavy reinforced-concrete basement car park
construction will also act as a heat sink, and offers the
potential for energy recovery as part of the overall heating
and cooling strategy. Charging points for electric cars and
water-saving attenuation for surface water and landscape
irrigation complete our sustainability strategy.
‘With meticulous attention to detail, these beautiful
apartments have been designed to an exceptional specifi-
cation,’ said Margaret Thompson of bespoke estate agents
Thompson Estates.
Ker du Pons
Night-time cgi conveys a different mood
7
jonathan reeves ‘twisted’
Constructing
BIM
workflows
Kendall Kingscott
66 Chapter 7

the practice Kendall Kingscott is a
multi-disciplinary consultancy practice
with a client-focused approach to
delivering building projects across all
sectors. Our business covers architec-
ture, building surveying, interior design
and cdm co-ordination along with a
number of complementary services,
including the use of bim tailored to each
individual project; and we are often
appointed to more than one discipline.
both 2d and 3d models and can export ifc data. As with all
bim authoring applications, however, it is important to set
up modelling and drawing strategies before constructing a
bim model so that a team can use the software effectively.
In previous projects, this was achieved by using linked files
to ensure each individual team member could construct
a model independently which could be referenced into a
federated ifc model. At Kendall Kingscott, we implement-
ed this by initially compiling a ‘project reference map’,
constructed using Vectorworks Architect, which helped to
identify the models and drawings required and how they
were set up and linked as part of our practice qa proce-
dure. This involved separating out key master models so
that team members could construct the different elements
of the project efficiently. Those key models comprised a
master plan, a master site plan and a master interior plan.

practice founded From these master models, further drawings and infor-
Kendall Kingscott 1962 mation could be generated, such as door and window
Limited schedules, sections, elevations and room data sheets. But
directors more importantly, each master model could be referenced
authors 8 into a single bim model and exported as ifc information,
Christopher Jones and ensuring that all the class/layer and ifc data could be
Giuseppe Amesbury technology Managing a BIM drawing workflow collaboratively shared with clients or consultants alike.
Vectorworks, Solibri by Christopher Jones
location Model Checker and Vectorworks Architect 2016 introduces a major new
Bristol, Exeter, Viewer, nbs Create, efficiency tool for team working called Project Sharing.
Teddington, Ringwood SketchUp, Podium, In our practice, we have always recognised the importance This is a true multi-user environment that streamlines
Artlantis, Adobe Photo- of cad procedures that ensure all staff working on projects project management for enhanced collaboration, reducing
employees shop and InDesign understand the structure of producing drawings. This is the need to create separate linked models. Project Sharing
120, with a 50:50 split vital when work is passed on to different team members, allows team members to share data and work on a central
between architectural sectors and provides a key to collaborative understanding of how Vectorworks model file concurrently to document their
and surveying staff Multi-disciplinary drawings are put together. designs without the need for expensive server hardware.
consultancy practice
covering all sectors This same workflow method is equally important when Project leaders can enlist a robust permission-based system
Innovative Vectorworks bim

planning drawing strategies for bim projects, helping to
future-proof working standards by guaranteeing that each
contact team member can confidently create or inherit projects at
chris.jones@kendallkingscott.co.uk different stages.
giuseppe.amesbury@gmail.com
Within Kendall Kingscott, Vectorworks Architect is the
website main application we use to construct 2d and 3d models,
www.kendallkingscott.co.uk including those for bim. One of the benefits is that it is a
cross-platform solution that has the flexibility to create
with many options to control access and rights among the
design team. Team members are granted access to specific
design layers, and can ‘check out’ those layers to work on
and then check them back in. Vectorworks Architect 2016
communicates status all along the way, keeping the entire
project team informed.
moving forward together While the definition of
what is required for bim is still being debated, at Kendall
 Constructing bim workflows 67

PROJECT REFERENCE MAP ◄ Project reference map approached. Investment in regular training is essential and
for BIM enabled workflow KK RESOURCE Assists in the implementation of a focusing on how to keep things simple can help a practice
LIBRARY collaborative bim execution plan
to advance. But it is important to make those initial steps,
because getting started is often the most daunting part.
'Classic' Layer Reference

PROJECT EXTERNAL
PROJECT 'DLVP' (design layer viewport)
Reference minimising complexity In each bim project, it is vital
RESOURCE
STANDARDS SOURCES
survey drawings LIBRARY Resource Reference to keep the information produced as simple as possible.
When teams use cad software, there is a tendency to
consultant drawings

concentrate on 3d information right down to individual

details, which can take up a lot of time. With a bim work-
flow, it is important to ensure that the model is built as a
BIM WORKFLOW whole, making sure key features such as walls, windows,
doors and roof information are correctly constructed,
PROJECT BIM / IFC SITE BUILDING INTERIOR
FINISHES FFE before any detail is added.
MODEL MASTER MASTER MASTER MASTER
MODEL MASTER (optional) (optional)
The power and tools that 3d cad applications provide can
for collaboration
purposes

seduce individuals into concentrating on what those tools

can do, rather than what the model should be projecting.
When a scheme is being constructed using bim, traditional
elements such as details are still required, but this is where
a good bim management strategy can be implemented to
PROJECT
avoid over-detailing a model.
SITE PLAN PLANS SECTIONS ELEVATIONS SCHEDULES
SHEETS
It is also important to recognise the extent of modelling
PLANNING/CONCEPT
STAGE P(0)000 Site Plans P(0)100 Plans P(0)200 Sections P(0)300 Elevations NA that will be appropriate at each stage of the development.
PRODUCTION/
CONSTRUCTION STAGE
L(9)000 Site Plans L(2)100 Plans
L(4)100 Finishes Plans
L(2)200 Sections L(2)300 Elevations S(3)000 Door/Window Schedules
S(4)000 Finishes Schedules
For example, at planning stage, internal stairs may not
L(6)100 Fire Plans
L(7)100 FFE Plans
need to be generated in 3d. A mixture of 2d and 3d
A(2)100 Plan Details A(2)200 Section Details A(7)300 Room Elevations
elements can be combined to highlight positioning and
location. At this stage, the key information required may
just be the external massing, finishes and orientation on a
site, together with the external elevations. Then, at each
Kingscott we feel it is important for practices to move these coming changes. By helping to drive forward the subsequent stage, information can be simplified with
ahead with the use of bim and evolve their own under- benefits, and educating clients and contractors in how bim careful management and planning.
standing. Just as the computer took the place of the drawing can be used in the future, we can shape how collaborative
board back in the 1990s, it seems inevitable that 3d bim working is conceived in the industry. When schemes reach riba Stages 3 and 4, the bim model
models will now take the place of traditional 2d cad- can be simplified to reduce the time spent on its construc-
generated plans. Although consultants in the industry are Our view is that the uncertainty of using bim should not tion. For example, if you want to generate detailed section
progressing the use of bim, many contractors appear to be be a barrier to getting to grips with it, because it does not drawings through a building, there is no need to try to
sticking to traditional ways to run projects. require a complete change to architects’ working methods. include individual detailed 3d objects — such as cavity
closers, for instance — within the model itself merely to
This can, and most likely will, change quickly. It is prudent Most offices have cad strategies in place to manage current generate window details, as this will increase the size of
to invest in using bim before the pressure increases, so that projects, and it only requires training and encouragement the model unnecessarily.
practices can prepare for future changes. We believe that to progress into using bim workflows. Many of the com-
if architects push bim as a part of their practice services, plexities involved in producing bim models are generated These types of details can be drawn in 2d over a generated
they gain an advantage in understanding and influencing by a lack of understanding of how the task should be section viewport, almost in the manner of traditional cad,
68 Chapter 7

using the Annotations option in Vectorworks Architect

that can be selected when a viewport is edited. In this
way, the 3d model can remain uncluttered and the team
can concentrate on ensuring that the ifc information for
key model elements is set appropriately. This is the most
important bim information when working collaboratively
with other consultants.

A further benefit of managing information comes when

the ifc model is shared with different consultants at key
development stages. For instance, a structural engineer
doesn’t need a model showing windows and doors to
generate their structural information. Windows, doors
and other information can be switched off from the issued
model, leaving just openings, keeping the information
delivered to the engineers as stripped-down as possible.

When you create this kind of viewport, you can turn off

unnecessary classes depending on the type of consultant
the information is being sent to. This also applies to
information issued by consultants. If co-ordinate points
are set for the model and used by each consultant, just key
information such as steel design and m&e (mechanical and
electrical) locations can be imported in the correct place
for checking. This is key to collaborative working and
using the 3d model for visual clash detection.
Models for issue can be generated using viewports set at
an early stage, so that they can be produced quickly as
the model as development progresses. It is important,
however, to set up a class system so that the shared model
information is easily imported and understood within
the whole consultant design team. The industry-standard
class system being pushed by Government is Uniclass.
Uniclass is a system of codes that are allocated to products
Innovative Vectorworks bim
easily once the building is completed. Although codes
such as Uniclass are complex, it is important that you set
up a robust class system that can be adopted by the entire
consultant team.
controlling ifc data One of the benefits of using
Vectorworks Architect is that all objects created using 3d
tools can easily be allocated ifc information. This is set
using the ifc entity list in the Object Information palette.
For example, a simple extruded box can be allocated ifc
wall information, making it a recognised object when
the model is issued to consultants as an ifc model. With
▲ Adding ifc data
ifc data can be added to any
object directly from the Object
Information palette’s ifc button
Solibri Model Checker is a more advanced application
that offers full functionality. The advanced features that
it provides are not available in the free Viewer, and we
find it an important tool for identifying potential faults
with a model. Clash detection and material take-off are
just some of the more advanced functions available. First
and foremost, it provides a straightforward way to check

and systems, such as bricks or blockwork, so that they
can be identified collaboratively between consultants
and eventually translated into standardised spreadsheet
information known as cobie (Construction Operations
Building Information Exchange).
This is primarily for use by client-employed facilities
management teams, so that data relating to all specified
building elements or installed equipment can be accessed
this control over how a model can be constructed, it is
always good practice to ensure that all the information is
exported to ifc.
If any part of a model does not have ifc information at-
tached, it will not be exported with the ifc model. This is
where model-checking applications such as Solibri Model
Viewer (which is available free of charge) can be used to see
whether all the ifc has been exported correctly.
whether all the information that you have drawn has ifc
information attached.
Comparing your original bim model with the ifc-exported
model at this stage using Model Checker reveals where an
object does not appear in the ifc model because there is
no ifc information applied. You can then revisit your orig-
inal drawing (in Vectorworks, in our case), ensure that the
necessary ifc information is added, and then re-export.

► Solibri Model Viewer
Fitzmaurice School model exported as
ifc file with 3d geometry and data
When we decided to move forward with bim, one project
where we put this into practice was a school extension for
Fitzmaurice School in Wiltshire. Although not contractu-
ally a bim project, this was a small enough scheme to use as
a test for our office bim strategies to build a basis for how
the practice would move forward with bim.
This gave us confidence on how much time a model would
require to build from planning stage onwards and how it
could be progressed through the stages of development. It
also focused our working practices and workflows, ensur-
ing that future schemes could be developed confidently in
bim and giving us the opportunity to build a team of bim
champions who could guide the way projects are produced
as our bim capabilities advance.
Harnessing the Space tool
by Giuseppe Amesbury
One principal motivation for our interest in developing
our practice’s use of bim was how it might be possible to
use the extensive data-handling capability of Vectorworks
Architect to improve the efficiency, reliability and consist-
ency of our workflow in the production of construction
Constructing bim workflows 69
information. As a practice, our tender information typically
consists of drawings, specifications and schedules. Often it
will also include a set of room data sheets (rds), particu-
larly with design-and-build procurement. At Kendall
Kingscott, we think of an rds as a schedule that captures
as much useful information as possible about a particular
room in a single place. It can contain a large amount of
diverse information, such as floor specification, maximum
temperature, air changes or even hours of use as well as
fixtures and fittings. In this respect, an rds can be a valuable
briefing tool, with the ability to capture the many require-
ments of end users in a single consolidated document.
In order to create and maintain the maximum consistency
between the suite of tender and construction documents,
70 Chapter 7
these documents must originate from one source: a single
building model or master file. There has been much
discussion of the capability of Vectorworks to produce a
full range of drawings from a single building model, as
is covered extensively elsewhere in this book. There are
also tried-and-tested methods for generating basic live
schedules from the building model. These are particularly
useful in producing door and window schedules using the
Vectorworks parametric tools, but theoretically they could
be used for any model element that carries a data set, using
a bespoke record format attached to a model instance.
With regard to building specifications, the Vectorworks
nbs Annotator plug-in offers the means to link live clause
references and headings to call-outs and notes within the
Vectorworks drawing file. The plug-in also reports on the
status of active nbs clauses, displays divergences between
the specification and drawings, and provides rapid access
to nbs clause guidance and manufacturer information.
For a long time, we have produced rds using a Microsoft
Excel worksheet. While there is no problem with Excel as an
application, our concern was the disconnection between
the building model and the rds functions. Using separate
applications for this purpose requires significant input
time to generate accurate rds, and does nothing to prevent
errors, inaccuracies and inconsistencies between the model
and the data. After the lengthy data input task is complete
and a full set of rds created, it can very quickly fall out of
Greentrees School
Good architecture
encourages learning
Innovative Vectorworks bim
date, and thus become a burden to the project team rather
than a useful tool. The other scenario is that the rds are
not produced until the last minute before the release of
tender information. This reduces their capacity to capture
user requirements on a continuing basis to inform the
design process.
To address this problem, the ultimate solution would be a
workflow that enabled an automated, bi-directional link
between the rds worksheet and the building model. At its
most basic level, this would mean that data such as room
names and numbers would only need to be entered once,
providing an instant time saving.
Ideally, the workflow could automatically harvest spatial
and volumetric data directly from the model, avoiding
the need to take measurements or readings and manually
input the data. This sort of avoidance of duplication and
reduction of user error must surely be one of the greatest
benefits and aspirations of intelligent bim workflows.
developing the solution After some initial research,
we found there were a number of complex and expensive
dedicated programme management software platforms
that carried an rds function. It soon became clear, howev-
er, that these platforms would not suit our practice due to
their running cost and the expense of providing additional
staff training. So we decided to dedicate some time to
creating a bespoke solution using Vectorworks Architect.
The key was unlocking the power of the Space tool. For
some time, we had been using this to provide simple
room-labelling functions, but the bim potential of the tool
remained unexploited.
Space Objects can hold a large amounts of very specific
data. By creating or modifying the Space Label symbol, it
was possible to display this data in a variety of ways direct-
ly on drawings, using classes to manage what was shown.
Vectorworks also provides some pre-loaded symbols that
enable this, such as room finish references. The challenge
was to find a way to feed the data from the Space tool
directly into a Vectorworks worksheet. This was achieved
by creating a custom worksheet setup that could capture
the built-in data.
Creating the initial link between a space entity and a
worksheet was very straightforward. We then were able
to design a worksheet format that enabled all relevant
database values to be displayed in an appealing and clear
arrangement to fit an A4 sheet in a graphically appealing
way. This involved creating a number of custom database
headers that generated cells containing the relevant data
in the correct position.
The most difficult manoeuvre was finding a way to edit
the database header criteria so that the cell values could
be updated simply by changing the room number variable
and recalculating the worksheet. The Vectorworks Edit
Criteria dialog did not provide for this, so the process
involved manually entering the formula for the database
header criteria in the formula bar so that it only returned
data from a specific space entity. This was achieved by
directing the formula to a non-database cell, at the top
of the rds, holding the specific room number. Once a
correctly functioning formula had been established, it was
replicated for all the database headers on the rds.
Lastly, we created a title block symbol that displayed
the repeated generic information required on each rds:
project number/name, date, revision and so on. We also
added a small reference on the symbol so that the Vector-
works Architect sheet number and name would match
that on the rds and would be used as the filename when
the rds was published to pdf. We have found the intelli-
gently generated rds, using Space Objects, to be invaluable
to our bim workflow.
courtesy of greentrees primary school
project 1/1 small
Greentrees Primary School Phase i
In early 2014, Kendall Kingscott was appointed for a
fast-track design and procurement of a small extension
to Greentrees Primary School in Salisbury, Wiltshire. The
 Constructing bim workflows 71

it is therefore difficult to know what to assign them to.

Secondly, the basic room dimensions returned by the plug-
in can be inaccurate if the room is not drawn orthogonally.
The room area and volume, however, will always be exact.

Lastly, the fixtures, fittings and equipment (ff&e) sections

are still ‘dumb’ lists that need to be manually input onto
the worksheet. We believe that an effective way to address
this issue would be by ‘tagging’ the individual ff&e items
with a special record format that calls up the item’s name
and location (and possibly other information, such as
specification clause) so that the worksheet can be directed
to return a list of the tagged items.

The only problem with this approach is that it would rely

on users correctly tagging the ff&e items so they were
listed in the correct rds. One way this could be addressed
by the developers of Vectorworks Architect would be
to update the Space tool plug-in so that it was ‘spatially
aware’ and could detect any ff&e items located within it.

We hope these small enhancements to Vectorworks’ Space

▲ Room data sheet
A workaround was implemented
to generate room data sheets (rds)
from Vectorworks via the Space tool
plug-in will significantly improve what is already a very
powerful tool, and we would highly recommend this tech-
► ifc entity creation
The Object Information palette nique to anyone who regularly produces room data sheets.
displays ifc data. When clicked, the
Select ifc Entity list opens, providing
a simple or full list to select from Conclusions

Don’t be scared of bim. It is already becoming widely used

extension needed to be complete in September 2014.
The building had a relatively simple programme: a single
classroom, cloakrooms, a wc and some internal and
external storage. All together, there were five rooms. The
relative simplicity of this project made it an ideal oppor-
tunity to pilot alternative working methods and test our
recently developed integrated rds function. The test
proved successful, and the rds set was produced in very
short time and with very few errors. Although we can only
be somewhat subjective in our assessment, the end result
was an rds set that was co-ordinated with the drawing
data and all the way through the project.
For this project, the decision was made for the building
services data to be set out on a separate sheet produced by
the m&e designers. Accordingly, we deleted the sections
of the rds that were not needed, simply by deleting the
database headers of a duplicated worksheet.
evaluation and future improvements In spite of the
clear benefits of the method, there are a few limitations
that other users should be aware of. We will be able to
address some of these in the next iteration of our custom-
ised rds format; others would benefit from some input
from the developers of the Vectorworks software.
Firstly, there are only ten ‘user fields’ available in the plug-
in, so this imposes a limit on the amount of customisation
of the Space tool that can be achieved. The labels used for
some of the built-in fields can also be a little unclear, and
within the industry and it is wiser to take on the challenge
of using it sooner rather than later, even when it may not
be required on a current project. This ensures that the
whole practice can eventually be prepared for using bim
with confidence.
Keep it as simple as possible. Models can get overly com-
plicated with unnecessary 3d information, so be stringent
about what is drawn.
Above all, start. If you have the tools, use them now. Invest
in professional training and keep your teams using what
they learn: it is easy to forget information that is not being
used regularly. Positively encourage a bim workflow on
appropriate schemes.
 jonathan reeves ‘city blocks’
8
Communion
it better
BIM makes
74 Chapter 8

the practice Communion Ltd was
founded in 2008 by Alex Coppock.
Today, the team comprises Alex, Jon,
Lucy, Tim, Maureen, Mel and Jade. As
the practice’s name implies, we believe
that successful buildings are the result
of people working together to deliver
a shared vision. This is reflected in our
mission statement: ‘Working closely
with people to deliver exceptional
projects that transform spaces and
change lives.’ Our use of Vectorworks
Architect is informed by this ethos, and
The nature of the building, combined with little previous
alteration at first-floor level, meant the normal approach
to creating an en suite — that of subdividing existing
spaces — was not attractive and was considered to be
detrimental to the building’s significance. Communion
believed a more innovative solution was required that
would enable the project to fulfil the brief.
Our proposal was to create three very contemporary,
freestanding bathroom enclosures which would be placed
within the existing spaces to provide the facilities required
while maintaining the integrity of the historical space. The
enclosures would be objects in their own right and would
bring a sculptural element to the project. They would
also facilitate the sensitive conservation and repair of the
existing fabric by not ‘cluttering’ the surfaces of the his-
toric building. We would achieve this using Vectorworks
Architect to design sculptural elements that preserved the
building’s integrity.

practice founded
we look to use it in a way that enables Working closely with our specialist subcontractors, we
Communion Ltd 2008 us to collaborate effectively with our agreed that the en-suite enclosures should be constructed
using a laser-cut steel frame that would then be clad in
author directors
team and our clients. It has also allowed steel sheeting and coated using automotive paint technol-
Alex Coppock, bsc 1 us to work successfully with contractors ogy. Vectorworks Architect provided the means for us to
Dip Arch aa Dipl Grad create the drawings required.
Dipl Cons (aa) riba technology
to realise designs on site.
Vectorworks Architect After establishing a working methodology which was
location (Mac platform) agreed with all parties, we produced drawings to discuss
Hereford with the fabricator and the client. We then tested the
sectors principle by creating a 1:10 cardboard model. The success
employees Residential, of the model gave us the confidence to issue the same
5 ecclesiastical and drawings to the laser-profiling company. Each part was
heritage projects project 1/2 small individually referenced to enable the frame and 3d
Grade ii listed longhouse conversion co-ordinates to be calculated ready for the steel cladding.
Finally, the parts were despatched from the laser-profiling
Innovative Vectorworks bim

contact company directly to the fabricator for construction.

alex@communiondesign.com
website
www.communionarchitects.com
This Grade ii listed fifteenth-century cruck-frame long-
house was rich with history, but dilapidated and in need of
urgent repair and upgrading to meet the needs of con-
temporary life. Due to its significance, all repairs required
listed building consent. The client wanted to repair and
conserve the longhouse to preserve its historical signifi-
cance, yet also create a comfortable, sustainable family
home with three bedrooms and three en-suite bathrooms.
Vectorworks’ 3d bim modelling was essential for this
process. It also meant we could develop the design so that
the component parts were of a size that would overcome
the problems of restricted access and could be threaded
through the building to reach the first floor. We were able
to calculate the exact weight of the structures using the
Volumetric Properties command. Both static and in-use
 75

Longhouse conversion
Section of farmhouse
generated from bim model
showing existing and
proposed elements
76 Chapter 8

weights were examined, allowing us to work with the

Steel enclosure Bathtub structural engineers (Sinclair Johnston and Partners) to
These complex forms Fabricated from the 3d model strengthen the existing floors where necessary. Finally, we
were modelled
rather than drawn could specify and create specialist parts to allow the fixing
of all taps, pipes and shower fixtures, producing a highly
finished object by modelling every detail.

The project was extremely successful in terms of turning

a very complex and detailed design into reality with a high
degree of accuracy using a minimum of communication.
This gave us the confidence to use Vectorworks 3d model-
ling to work on a more complex, whole-building element:
a five-flight bespoke staircase.

Fabrication process
Working drawings were generated
from the Vectorworks 3d models

project 2/2 small

Seventeenth-century barn conversion

Our design-conscious clients wished to transform a

seventeenth-century barn with inspiring views over the
Herefordshire countryside. The goal was to create a
contemporary open-plan and sustainable home using the
skills of local craftspeople working with local materials.

Together with our clients, we took a considered and

sensitive approach that retained the integrity of the
existing fabric and structure while accommodating new
and unique spaces.

The project was an unusually close collaboration, and

Innovative Vectorworks bim

used two ways of working that were distinctively different

from a typical architect appointment. First, Communion
was much closer to the build phase than would usually
be expected, because we were also heavily involved in the
project management of all 106 suppliers. This was a role
Bespoke sink we took on in order to achieve complete control over the
Free-form 3d Shower pod
modelling created Accuracy was essential project from design to completion. The other factor was
complex forms given the tight tolerances our clients’ unique viewpoint, which opened up a world of
possibilities for us to explore.
 bim makes it better 77

Because they had been involved in the construction ▼ Barn conversion

industry all their lives, the clients wanted to be closely in- Plan showing proposed
fabricated interventions
volved in the creative and decision-making processes.
In order to facilitate this, they formally took on the risk of
the project, creating a highly collaborative environment
that encouraged innovation and allowed us the freedom to
use pioneering processes, as evidenced in the design and
development of the staircase.

bim for collaboration To involve our clients more di-

rectly than would normally be expected, the architectural
processes were much closer to the construction processes
than on a traditional project. The two were particularly
tightly linked when it came to the design of a bespoke five-
flight steel staircase. Vectorworks Architect’s free-form 3d
modelling capabilities were the key to this.

Communion designed the staircase fully in 3d, and the

proposal was approved by the client. The design was then
issued to the fabricator, who priced the project according
to the tender drawings. Instead of then handing the draw-
ings over to the fabricator for onward development and
manufacture, however, we used the model to collaborate
with the fabricator and produce ‘shop’ drawings which
were issued directly to the laser profilers, with no other
drawings or interventions required.

vectorworks for realisation When you hand a

project such as a staircase over to a fabricator, one of the
responsibilities you are delegating is that of gaining site
measurements to ensure the design can be translated from
contract drawings into material form.

Because we were keeping design responsibility in-house

and working alongside the fabricator, we needed to ensure
the measurements we were using to create the parts, which The free-form 3d modelling
were accurate to 0.5mm, were completely reliable. To give
us the confidence we needed, once the primary building
capabilities of Vectorworks
elements of floors and walls were in place, we re-measured enabled us to provide all the
these spaces using a 3d laser scanner to ensure that the detail that the fabrication
exact 3d co-ordinates of the stairwell were known. process required, even down
Once the measurements had been established, we worked
to giving each component
with the fabricator to create detailed drawings, which a unique number that was
were then tested three times. In the first test, we used etched onto the part
78 Chapter 8
the drawings to create a series of cardboard models to
establish that the two-dimensional drawings translated
into three-dimensional form. We then moved to a 1:20
scale model, manufactured using laser-profile steel, to give
us the reassurance that it would work at full scale.
The final step before committing to manufacture was to
fabricate a three-step section at full size for sign-off by
the client and to ensure the associated finishes could be
integrated into the design. It was only after confirmation
that all of this was successful that the full-size staircase
was issued for manufacture.
We found the free-form modelling capabilities of Vector-
works Architect impressive. The software enabled us to
provide all the detail that the fabrication process required,
even down to giving each component a unique number
that was etched onto the part, meaning that construction
on site was made as straightforward as possible.
an award-winning result The staircase was part of
an award-wining whole: the project won Best Domestic
Extension or Conversion at the Local Authority Building
Control Building Excellence Awards in 2011. More import-
antly than that, our clients are delighted with their home.
Conclusions
These were exciting and unusual projects to work on,
and our role in the development of the bathrooms and
staircase was a key element of this involvement and the
final results.
We recognise plenty of advantages in working in the way
we did on these elements, and there is no doubt that they
Innovative Vectorworks bim
could not have been undertaken in the same way without
an integrated bim approach that traditional drafting could
not have fulfilled.
This type of process is very efficient, because the fabricator
and architect are working so closely together and each
can immediately inform the design with their own skills,
experience and expertise. This meant we had much
more control over the details of the staircase than might
otherwise be expected. As a result, the vision of the
client, architect and fabricator was seamlessly achieved Caption wob
from design to installation. At a personal level, this gave Brief caption explains the
relevance of this picture
the architect a far greater insight into the work of the
fabrication than would normally be achieved by simply
issuing the drawings (generally through a main contractor
to a fabricator). This is insight that can be used to inform
our future work.
Alongside the advantages, there are undoubtedly some
issues to be aware of. With the staircase in particular, the
process was somewhat nerve-racking. We had tested the
principle, probably in more detail than it would have been
tested had its development followed the usual process, so
we were confident it would work. Yet the days when it was
assembled on-site were more stressful than usual because
we had taken on so much more responsibility for correct
fitting in an area where, as architects, we had comparative-
ly little experience.
This represents a very different model of working. In
essence, it transforms the site role of the architect from
‘contract administrator’, with duties to inspect, instruct
Completed stair
and certify, to part of the fabrication team, with duties to Precision was essential
design, collaborate, test and implement. At the time, we in prototyping
embraced the opportunity to understand more about the
Caption wob
entire journey of a project from vision to reality — but it is Brief caption explains the
not a role to be undertaken lightly. relevance of this picture
Steel stair sections
Although efficient in terms of communication, it is very Manufacturing setting-out
was done directly from
time-intensive from an architect’s point of view to become the 3d model
involved in the production of fabrication drawings. It
could therefore also be considered a relatively expensive
process: where fabrication drawings are created, it is usu-
ally by companies who do not carry the same overheads as
architects. On the staircase project, however, other savings
were made because a main contractor was not appointed.
This kind of work also requires a different set of skills from
the ones an architect usually employs. The role is generally
strategic, but in this case it becomes far more technical,
since it omits handing over some of the responsibility to
the contractor or specialist sub-contractor. The benefit of
doing so, of course, is the vast experience that specialists
have in their particular areas of expertise.
 bim makes it better 79

Perhaps most important of all is the matter of liability.

Quite simply, when mistakes happen, as they inevitably
will, whose mistakes are they? We were very fortunate
to be working with clients who clearly understood that
we were taking a different approach to what would be
expected and were very outcome-focused, enabling us to
work through difficulties effectively and collaboratively.

bim for the future Strategically, we see technology as

a way of implementing our vision to work closely with
people to deliver exceptional projects that transform
spaces and change lives. These two projects are practical
examples of how this mission statement becomes a reality.

As a company, we seek to embrace the power that tech-

nology can deliver wherever and whenever we can. Online
project management software, timekeeping software, mar-
keting software, a cms-based website, telecommunications
systems, file-sharing websites and bim are all central to the
way we work. The entire design team uses Vectorworks
Architect to produce drawings that can be easily shared.
We have invested heavily in developing workspaces so that
Finished staircase repetitive tasks are systemised, saving days and weeks of
3d protyping Team work
reduced risk for the Architect Alex Coppock and previously lost time on each project.
architect and clients contractor discuss fabrication
The conservation of the fifteenth-century longhouse and
the transformation of the seventeenth-century barn are
examples of how we have used bim to add value to our
Manufacturing clients’ projects. As a result of our work on these two
The architect’s schemes, we saw the potential value of being much more
vision emerges
closely involved in the fabrication process and how bim
could help us to do that. We have worked and continue to
work one-to-one with fabricators on some projects, and
we have assumed complete responsibility for fabrication
drawings in others.

At a more commonplace level, we use bim drawings to

enable clients and the construction team to visualise our
designs more easily.

Despite embracing technology as widely as we have, we

Delivery day have yet to see the reality of a single building information
Staircase sections
were all prefabri- model. But the idea of using technology efficiently and
cated off-site effectively to enable a client’s vision to be made real is
something we can get excited about on a daily basis.
9
jonathan reeves ‘looking up’
BIM for
building
management
bpr Architects
82 Chapter 9
practice founded
bpr Architects 1998
author directors
Paul Beaty-Pownall 4 building is in use. But in order to achieve this goal, bim
location technology
Putney, London Vectorworks Architect (pc)
employees sectors
16 Rail, regeneration, education
contact
pbeaty@bprarchitects.com
website
www.bprarchitects.com
We encourage our staff to take responsibility for their
designs and we train them to manage projects efficiently
to lead the design process. As such, the working culture
at bpr fits well with the new working practices that are
expected from teams in the bim environment.
the practice Based in West London,
bim requires a much greater level of collaboration, where
bpr’s team of 16 architects works on a every individual action should focus on making a positive
range of university, rail and regenera- contribution to the project. As an employee-owned
business, we provide an open and collaborative environ-
tion projects. As a second-generation ment, and it is common practice at bpr for information to
family business, we have strong values be shared to support each other, knowing that this will be
to the advantage of the business as a whole.
that aim to support our staff to define
their personal aspirations and challenge A positive working environment, based on trust: these
Innovative Vectorworks bim
values are essential to the success of the wider bim project
them to achieve their goals. We have team, and the sharing of project data through an open and
recently taken the company to the next honest set of rules facilitates a collaborative design team,
working together for the advancement of their projects.
stage in its evolution by transferring all
of the company shares to a trust, en- The benefits offered by the preparation of good bim data
will have the greatest impact during the building’s period
trusting the ownership of the business of occupation, long after it has been completed on site.
to the staff who work here. bim should act to support the management of the build-
ing, to enable the facilities team to let space, control rental
income, manage the cost of bills, maintain equipment
and organise long-term repairs. The Government hopes
to achieve the greatest savings in cost and carbon through
the use of bim systems during the period when the
projects need to be structured to suit the client’s building
management team’s requirements from the early inception
stage of the design process.
At bpr, we structure our projects to focus on the needs
of the end user, by subdividing the project into zones
and volumes that are structured to suit the building’s
functional requirements in use. bpr works in a variety of
sectors, including further and higher education, rail and
regeneration, and has found that each project requires a
bim structure that responds to the way it will be managed.
The bim structure must also support the construction team
to ensure that the supply chain receives relevant packages
of data and that the contractor’s project information mod-
el provides the building management team with a useful
set of information. A properly structured bim project will
enable efficient workflow for the wider design team. It has
also helped bpr to distribute work packages and responsi-
bility across its own team of architects.
This chapter looks at how bpr Architects uses Vectorworks
software as its primary tool for the preparation of good
bim projects. As bpr uses the functions within Vectorworks
Architect — including workgroup referencing, design
layers and stories — to shape a model, the results are then
shared with the wider team by exporting to ifc.
Our bim implementation
We found the recession of 2007-8 provided an opportunity
to introduce new working practices to a smaller team, re-
duced by necessity. It was also at around this time that the
Government published its intentions to press the industry
to adopt bim and to mandate that all public sector projects
 bim for building management 83

bim requires a much greater level
of collaboration, where every
individual action should focus on
making a positive contribution
must be delivered using bim Level 2 standards from 2016.
Our key clients include a number of universities, Network
Rail and a range of train operating companies, all pre-
dominantly funded by the public sector. We realised that
we would need to adopt bim working practices if we were
going to be able to support our clients past 2016.
We initially established what this meant to our team
and their training requirements, the type of software we
needed and its impact on our hardware. We found that
Vectorworks Architect already had the necessary capa-
bilities to deliver architectural design information to bim
standards, and provided that we kept Vectorworks up to
date, it would not be necessary to buy any new software.
that we were in the habit of using and, more significantly,
the way we approached and developed the project.
The sequential development of the design became far
more interactive. Rather than developing design ideas,
then using a 2d plan to test the spatial arrangement before
developing sections, elevations and 3d models, bim allows
us to develop all of these elements in conjunction with
each other. bim workflows enable architects to prepare
a 3d model and to present a concept from which the
relationship, size and hierarchy of rooms can be tested and
plans, sections and elevations called off.
This change in thought process has had a positive and
possibly fundamental impact on our ability to develop
ideas and present the design proposal to the team. We can
now explore challenging design ideas and quickly show
how they might improve the project. We can also respond
to requests for changes by other members of the design
team, and test their effectiveness, without having such a
significant impact on the design programme.
This process of change, however, can be difficult to adopt
for experienced architects who have long since become
expert at using traditional 2d techniques supported by 3d
models. The natural enthusiasm to impress your client
with a high-quality presentation, created using tools that
you are familiar with, has had to be suppressed in order
to ensure that we take the time to learn new tools and
techniques, using the wider capabilities of Vectorworks
Architect for bim to better support our clients in the long
term. A level of technical discipline has had to be imposed
to ensure that everyone uses parametric tools and objects
for all drawing elements that already contain ifc data, so

To test the systems, we undertook a small bim pilot project,

replicating a set of drawings for a small gatehouse building
that had already been completed and for which we had
a very good set of example working drawings. The task I
set myself was to prove that bim methods could replicate
the same level and quality of information that we were
accustomed to achieving using 2d techniques.

We quickly realised that we were being far too ambitious

in our determination to reproduce all 2d information from
a single-source 3d model. It was a very useful exercise,
however, for testing the capabilities of the software,
demonstrating the potential of bim to the more traditional
members of the team, and pushing the limits of our hard-
ware. The pilot project gave us the confidence to apply bim
methods to our live projects, knowing that we could still
replicate the information we had produced in a 2d format
as necessary.

This shift to bim required us to fundamentally change the Finchley Road and Frognal Station
This design used bim to co-ordinate information
way we worked. Thanks to Vectorworks, we didn’t have to with the design team and engineers, and
change our basic cad software, and this kept our training Renderworks to generate presentation images
needs to a minimum. But we did have to change the tools
84 Chapter 9
that they are ready to be exported and shared with the
other members of the design team.
The need for parametric objects has imposed a new way of
using cad. For example, a staircase is no longer designed
using plans, sections and a calculator. Instead, the dialog
box offered by the Stair tool asks the designer to enter basic
numerical requirements, from which Vectorworks
Architect will draw the stair in 2d and 3d. Designing by
numbers can feel a bit remote for an experienced architect,
but the solution can be rewarding and reliable, with the
stair available for use in all drawing formats. Extra care
needs to be taken, however, to ensure that the result is also
elegant and achieves the desired level of quality of
performance, and that we do not assume the Vectorworks
software will design for us.
The choice of which tools to use, and how to use them to
deliver the right level of information for the project stage,
is key to managing a bim project efficiently. Parametric
tools are capable of saying too much too soon, which runs
the risk that decisions appear to have been made long
before they are agreed with the wider team. For example,
the Wall tool can very easily illustrate components such as
inner-skin cavity cladding at feasibility stage, long before
the wall construction has been determined.
The effort we have spent over the last seven to eight years
to embed bim working practices in everything we do at bpr
is now beginning to pay off. The information we produce
is more robust, and we are able to share it with the other
members of the design or client team. Most importantly, I
believe our designs are becoming better as a result of being
able to explore and test ideas with greater confidence.
Innovative Vectorworks bim
Structuring the bim project
A bim project must be carefully structured to anticipate
requirements for the building life-cycle. Information con-
tained in the model could be used long after completion of
the construction works, and the Government expects
Much of the data is generated by
Vectorworks Architect through
parametric objects that are ready
to deliver ifc and cobie data
significant savings in cost and carbon to be achieved
through improvements in building management. Savings
during the design and construction phases only provide a
small portion of the overall benefits of bim compared to
those available during the building’s use.
The structure of the bim model therefore needs to be con-
sidered in the context of how the end user will make use
of the bim data. Discussions with the building’s facilities
management (fm) team, and an understanding of the soft-
ware they use, will have an impact on the strategic decisions
that need to be made at the very start of a new project.
We are currently at a very early stage of developing systems
that share data effectively with facilities management
software. It is hard for building managers to anticipate
how a new building will be used and managed, often some
years ahead of when it will be finished and occupied, but
thinking ahead is essential if bim systems are to work
effectively during the building’s lifetime.
Much of the data required is automatically generated by
Vectorworks Architect through the use of parametric objects,
such as the Space Object tool, that are already structured
to deliver ifc and cobie data. Additional data can then be
added in different ways, tailored to the client’s individual
requirements. For example, we can add the opening times
for a room or the performance criteria for heating and
lighting of the space in the Space Object, and the tangible
benefits of improving access to and management of this
data can be passed on to end users, or packaged as part of
tenancy benefits.
We have found the process of dividing a project into zones
and volumes presents a fundamental challenge which is
critical to the management of the data in the long term.
Zoning must be considered in terms of the end user’s
short-term and long-term building management regime.
For example, a commercial office block might be separated
into three zones: External Envelope, Cores and Fit Out.
This split would co-ordinate with the facilities manage-
ment team’s planned operations for each of these zones, in
accordance with their different priorities and timescales,
as follows:
i. The External Envelope zone may require occasional
repairs or renewals. Window replacement programmes,
for example, may be needed every 20 years, while routine
maintenance to gutters and downpipes may require
co-ordination so that scaffolding can pick up other minor
repairs to walls, eaves and so on. The external envelope
often remains under the control of the landlord or
management company as a single owner
ii. The Cores zone would receive more regular attention,
with a number of term contracts agreed for the ongoing
maintenance of lifts, alarm systems, and vertical or
horizontal services distribution systems. The ownership
and liability for the cost of maintaining the cores can be
more complex, and may require separate metering of
supplies and separate billing to the various occupants
iii. The Fit Out zone may be leased to various owners and
wholesale renewal of the internal partitions, ceilings
and fittings may be carried out on a regular basis. The
cost and responsibility for these works may lie with the
tenant. The ownership of the bim data associated with
these works would therefore need to be separated from
the other zones and lines of responsibility understood
The subdivision of a building into zones for a typical com-
mercial building, as described above, is just one example
of how zones could be used to define parts of a building to
generate data and to structure the bim information to suit
the facilities management strategy.
We have found the principle of External Envelope, Cores
and Fit Out zones also works well for some other building
types, such as our residential and university building pro-
jects, where the management regimes have strong similari-
ties. Universities often allocate internal areas to different
faculties, who then take the lead on planning their internal
spaces; and as long-term operators of the estate, they
Forum North, Middlesex University
bim was used from feasibility to
completion, with Space Objects assisting
the workflow and procurement process
86 Chapter 9

know the value of improved co-ordinated and tracked
management and maintenance. Residential buildings can
be subdivided into separate leased residential units.
The same structure, however, does not necessarily work
for our railway station projects. Railway property has a
much more complex ownership structure and responsibili-
ty for management. It is also difficult to define appropriate
zones for some regeneration projects that are known to
be speculative, where the design will be sold following a
successful planning approval. The design and management
strategy may well change before the construction phase.
Structuring the bim project effectively to suit the end user
can be difficult, and we don’t always get it right from the
outset. But once a zone structure has been agreed with the
client team, it can then be used to examine the needs of
the construction and design phases. Packages of data can
be developed that align with the procurement contracts.
Structural information, windows packages, partitioning
packages, services and so on can be exported from the
model to support the procurement process, in line with
the long-term maintenance requirements for each zone.
zones has thus given us an effective way of organising the
team, managing the size of the files, co-ordinating con-
struction packages, and establishing working parameters
that generate useful data for the client beyond completion.
Collaboration with the wider team
Taking our experience out of the office and sharing it with
the wider design team has been equally rewarding. I intro-
duced the concept of bim to the design team for a new sta-
tion project and found the bim execution plan an essential
tool for pulling everyone together around an agreed set of
rules. The idea that we would all use the same set of codes
for naming files, zones, layers, classes and so on was well
received, but in fact the most extraordinary thing was that
we had never done this before! There have been various
attempts to standardise or codify naming systems, but
they have been used by different organisations in different
ways, and have tended to be overruled by the company’s
own internal quality management system.
The simple principle of using a single project code fol-
lowed by a set of agreed fields for a file name is a big leap,
but even on its own represents significant progress
towards effective collaboration, establishing a baseline
language from which we can all work. We have had to
review our own quality management systems to facilitate
bim within our own company, because bim is as much
a process of how we communicate as it is a method by
which we prepare our design proposals.
Hackney Central Station
Projects with a lot of repetition
and standard components benefit
especially from bim workflows

An agreed system for the production of cobie data outputs

can feed directly into existing fm systems, maintaining the
integrity of the data between construction and use and
acting as an intelligent part of an ongoing asset manage-
ment and maintenance strategy. This tangible benefit
offered to end users and building managers has allowed us
to show clients the critical value of bim and its significance
as a method of data co-ordination and communication.

Zones also help to reduce the size of the individual data

files that are worked on during the design phase. Using
Vectorworks’ workgroup referencing, we can distribute
Innovative Vectorworks bim

individual files to a number of architects who might be

working on the same project at the same time. Each zone
is prepared in a separate Vectorworks file that can be
brought together through a master-plan ‘all zones’ file.

For larger projects, we also create a publications file from

which we can generate all the 2d drawings and images. ifc
data can be exported from the individual model file, with
a separate ifc package for each zone. The management of

We can cut sections and view
the information from any angle,
identifying issues and producing
intelligent clash reports
Efficient communication with the wider design team is
also dependent on properly defined zones and volumes.
The structural engineer might take responsibility for the
structural volume, which might overlap with the Core
zone and External Envelope zone. Volumes can cross
between zones, but are also classified as ‘z’ under bs 1192.
We have therefore suggested the use of two digits for our
zones: for example, z10 for the External Envelope, z11 for
the architectural volume within the External Envelope, and
z12 the structural volume within the External Envelope.
The subdivision of a building project into parts can get
very complicated — more so if it includes a number of
buildings on the same site, which might also have different
uses. I recommend time is spent with the client to carefully
prepare the right zone strategy and to explain the long-term
benefits of this initial approach for data outputs.
We are still testing a number of options suitable for differ-
ent projects or sectors, but we are primarily relying on the
principle that, provided that the definition of each zone
and volume is agreed with the team from the outset and
enshrined in the bim execution plan, this established set of
parameters and language will enable the communication
systems and exchange of data.
The critical base information that enables different team
members to collaborate — project code, location, orien-
tation, levels, zones and so on — must be written into the
bim execution plan and then agreed by the team through
the cic (Construction Industry Council) protocol, which is
now attached to our contracts of appointment. The plan
also defines the bim goals and schedules the deliverables
that can then be produced from the model.
We have drafted a number of bim execution plans to
deliver pilot projects that enable us to test and develop the
new regime. This allows us to respond to site constraints
and use the capacity of the wider design team to support
the bim environment. We have identified and excluded
areas of work that would be too complex to include in the
bim model, in terms of data management, compared to the
benefits, and have identified wider team members whose
design contribution sits outside the bim process and who
will not be able to contribute meaningfully to it.
For example, the preparation of a bill of quantities as a
deliverable from a bim project may be possible, but it
would make a significant demand on the team to structure
the data suitably. Take a carpet finish, which may appear
as a component in the Floor Object tool. It might also be
referred to in the Finishes schedule via the Space Object
and be detailed in the specification. A direct extract of data
from the model to create a bill of quantities would effec-
tively measure the carpet three times, for each location in
which it has been identified.
To date, our bim execution plan has therefore excluded
the production of a bill of quantities as a deliverable until
the design team fully understand the implications of how
they are preparing the data. The aim is to define what is
expected from the model from the outset, which helps the
team to control the production of data and manage their
resources appropriately.
joining it up The really exciting outcome from working
in a bim environment comes when we bring several
models from different sources together to co-ordinate
the architects’ and engineers’ design proposals. We export
from Vectorworks Architect to ifc and then combine the
design models through an ifc viewer such as Solibri or
Tekla. The federated design can then be examined to look
at the spaces and identify any problems or conflicts.
The ifc viewers are very powerful and produce automat-
ically clash detection schedules identifying where two
objects occupy the same space. But this can often lead to
an excessive list of minor conflicts that have little or no
impact on the quality of the information available. For
example, a door frame might clash with the Space Object,
and it would seem unnecessary to draw the space around
every architrave to resolve this conflict. Furthermore,
the area of a space is normally measured to the line of
bim for building management 87
the finished plaster behind the timber trim, and drawing
around the trim would distort the area measurements.
We therefore tend to use ifc viewers to undertake a visual
check, and have found that the simultaneous display of
packages allows for a superior efficiency of design check
and co-ordination compared to the traditional review of
separate packages of information.
We can cut sections and view the information from any
angle, quickly identifying issues and taking snapshots to
produce intelligent clash reports. These can be shared
through the ifc viewer, so each member of the design
team can amend their model and the federated model can
quickly be updated with the new information.
Conclusions
Throughout this process, our role as architects and lead
designers remains the same. We are still responsible for
co-ordination and leading the design team, and bim does
not replace our duty to check and report on conflicts
where packages must work seamlessly together. But bim
does provide some vastly superior tools to carry out this
role, enabling us to improve accuracy and efficiency.
We see bim as a form of communication that helps differ-
ent consultants share information through a set of agreed
rules which will help the team to understand each other’s
language. It has been compared to getting all the countries
of Europe to talk to each other, without the need for any
of them to learn a new language.
bim requires us to undertake a cultural shift in the way
we manage our design information, and it also requires
that the design team be much more transparent and open
about how this information is shared. As lead designers
and bim information managers, I believe that we now have
an additional role: to nurture design teams, to bring them
together around a new code of conduct, and to show them
that the culture of trust developed through bim can lead to
significant benefits for the project.
10
jonathan reeves ‘radiance’
Multi-
disciplinary
BIM
Terence O’Rourke
90 Chapter 10

the practice Terence O’Rourke is a

multi-disciplinary consultancy, based in
London and Bournemouth, providing
planning, environment consultancy
and architectural services. Within our
design disciplines we have urban
designers, masterplanners, landscape
architects and architects who work
together on projects that range widely
in type, scale and complexity. We use
practice directors our team’s unique skill-set in the
Terence O’Rourke Ltd Terry Williams,
Director of Architecture
planning, design and environmental
authors professions, working closely together
Dan Fairley and technology
Christian Spendier Vectorworks Architect
as an integrated unit, to deal creatively
and Landmark (Mac with challenging project constraints to
location platform), SketchUp,
Bournemouth, Dorset Adobe Creative Cloud
deliver bespoke solutions to our clients
throughout the uk.
employees sectors
73 (24 in design Masterplanning, Our record shows an inspired and imaginative response on
disciplines) residential, commercial, a range of high-profile projects, unlocking opportunities
leisure, industrial, infra- at the forefront of best practice and at the cutting edge of
founded structure, conservation commercial thinking. We have a close relationship with
1985 our clients, taking care to listen to them and understand
Innovative Vectorworks bim

their objectives so that we often exceed their expectations.

This approach creates comprehensive, innovative solu-
contact tions to even the most complex planning, environmental
dan.fairley@torltd.co.uk and design challenges.

website the journey into bim Since their inception, tor’s design
www.torltd.co.uk disciplines have used Vectorworks software for master- Farnborough Hall 1-1a
Working visualisation of planning
planning, landscape and architectural design. This has application scheme, produced using
mainly been in a 2d cad mode, but using features such as Renderworks and Photoshop
Chewton Glen Treehouses
Vectorworks structural model rendered
using OpenGL with Photoshop effects
 Multi-disciplinary bim 93

workgroup referencing to facilitate team working. Careful

use of Vectorworks classes/layers, opacities, patterns and
images lends a ‘soft’ visual appearance to masterplans,
landscape plans, and architectural plans and elevations.

In the past, we had used earlier versions of Vectorworks

Architect for some 3d modelling and SketchUp for master-
planning and concept design.

As the prominence and awareness of bim grew over the

last few years, we made our first steps towards using
Vectorworks for 3d bim modelling in architectural projects
in 2010. A couple of members of our architectural team,
who had a particular interest and enthusiasm, started by
using bim on small, simple projects. The learning process
was largely self-directed, making use of online resources
and forums to assist with the queries that invariably arose.

While these ‘bim champions’ developed their knowledge,

other team members were encouraged to use bim methods
on their projects, with the early adopters providing

courtesy of chewton glen hotel

support. Currently, all members of our architectural
team use Vectorworks Architect in a 3d capacity for most
new projects, and we are currently investigating how the
3d tools within Vectorworks Landmark can be used to
introduce a suitable bim methodology to masterplanning
and landscape design.
The first ‘live’ bim project we delivered was the Chewton
Glen Treehouses, in 2011-2012. This innovative and
uniquely constrained project was an ideal opportunity
to explore the particular advantages offered by a bim
methodology, and clearly demonstrated to us how project
changes could be accommodated quickly and alternative
scenarios explored.
Co-operation with a wider project team was limited to the
importing of structural models for co-ordination; this was
due in part to the simple nature of the services instal-
lations, and also to the working methods used by other
design team members at the time.
Two current projects that demonstrate how our use of bim
has evolved are Hall 1-1a for Farnborough International
and the new Tropical House and Energy Centre at Marwell
Zoo. Both are complex, bespoke building types with specific
performance requirements, and use complex architectural
forms for an innovative design. At the time of writing,
these projects have only been developed to early stages
(planning/riba Stage 3), but it is intended that a full bim
delivery process will be required from design team mem-
bers throughout project delivery and post-completion.
As our experience and fluency in using Vectorworks Archi-
tect for bim has developed, it has become much more
useful to us as a design tool at early project stages, enabling
options and approaches to be explored with the additional
benefit of quick working visualisations being readily avail-
able from the building model.
Chewton Glen
Photograph of
completed project
project 1/3 medium
Chewton Glen Treehouses
This project involved the construction of six free-standing
lodges set within the tree canopy of a woodland valley at
Chewton Glen Hotel, on the edge of the New Forest. Each
treehouse contains two exclusive luxury hotel suites within
a curved building form, carefully orientated to maximise
94 Chapter 10
sun path and views out while remaining secluded. The
woodland location demanded careful foundation design,
and individual servicing was needed to minimise the
scheme’s impact on the setting. In addition to the design
and construction constraints imposed by the site, the pro-
ject had to be delivered in a tight time-frame and to high
standards of finish to be available to guests for the summer
season of 2012.
Due to these particular project requirements and the
unusual architectural form, which necessitated a high
▼ Internal cutaway
Drawing of Hall 1-1a
showing seating layouts
Innovative Vectorworks bim
level of structural co-ordination, this project was chosen
as the most suitable for our first live use of bim working
methods. We modelled the two treehouse types in Vector-
works Architect, with models from the structural engineer
and the steel fabricator imported for co-ordination.
Mechanical and electrical information was available only
in 2d form. To facilitate teamwork within our office, the
site plan file and internal fit-out models were workgroup-
referenced to the building models from separate files.
This required good communication by the project team to
ensure the most current versions of files were referenced.
Because this project marked the start of our journey along
the bim learning curve, we were not always able to use
Vectorworks Architect and its built-in tools to their full
capability to model the project, but other tools were easily
integrated. Some bespoke items, such as the loft stair, were
modelled in SketchUp before being imported into the
Vectorworks model. We drew the site plans and sections
using 2d methods, since the skills were not yet in place to
make full use of site terrain modelling.
The real advantage of bim for this project, however, was
the ability to make changes to the construction and update
the drawings quickly. This proved extremely useful when
investigating alternatives during value engineering. One
example of this is the curved, pitched roof, finished with
standing-seam aluminium. Initially it was proposed that
this would have a continuously curved ply deck sub-
strate to maintain the curved appearance, but when the
contractor noted that a faceted ply deck would be cheaper
and quicker to install, we were able to model this with the
facets aligned with the roof seams to demonstrate that the
curved appearance could still be maintained.
This project demonstrated to us the advantages of bim in
delivery and design development, even for a scheme of a
highly bespoke nature, and served as a springboard for the
wider adoption of bim within Terence O’Rourke.
project 2/3 large
Farnborough International Hall 1-1a
Hall 1-1a at Farnborough Airport is a new 21,000 sq m
exhibition and conference building for which planning
permission was obtained in 2014. It is intended to replace
one of the temporary exhibition structures erected for
the biennial Farnborough International Airshow. As
well as serving the exhibition, media centre and catering
requirements of the Airshow, this building needed to
 Multi-disciplinary bim 95

provide a flexible facility to accommodate the wide range

of exhibition, trade show, conference and other events
hosted by Farnborough International on the site outside
the Airshow.

In addition to a 48m clear span, 9m high, 12,500 sq m

exhibition hall, Hall 1-1a includes 3,600 square metres of
flexible function areas (one space accommodating theatre-
style seating for up to 1,200 people), two double-height
foyers linked at both levels by a concourse, and catering
support facilities to supply up to 1,500 meals.

Flexibility and functionality were the key design drivers for

this project, and required careful and thorough develop-
ment of the brief, with a number of design iterations need-
ed to fully explore the types, dimensions and configuration
of spaces. The use of bim techniques has been invaluable
in this process, enabling changes and amendments to be
quickly made and alternative scenarios easily explored.

We have used the Space tool, linked to custom worksheets,

to generate accommodation schedules that can be contin-
uously updated as the design develops. These worksheets
have been used as the basis of a database of room data
sheets (rds) for the project to track the key performance
criteria for each space. As well as providing a single loca- Tropical House
tion for the main design criteria, these will assist the client Renderworks images
in future discussions with potential exhibitors.

The project progressed extremely quickly from initial
outline design to planning application, and cross-sections,
rendered elevations and 3d visualisations were readily
generated from the building model using Renderworks.
This demonstrated to us the advantage of ‘live’ sections
and elevations that could be quickly updated as the design
evolved, while still achieving the desired ‘soft’ appearance
that we use for presenting 2d elevations.
We have also been able to use the developing building
model to produce progress visualisations to explore design
concepts. In particular, we were able to export a 3d version
of the planning application proposals that the client’s
visualisation consultants could bring into a wider site model
for animated marketing visuals produced using computer
game engines.
project 3/3 medium
Marwell Zoo Tropical House
The new tropical house at Marwell Zoo in Hampshire is
intended to replace the existing Tropical World facility. It
incorporates an energy centre using a sustainable energy
source to power both the tropical house and other exhibits
within the park. The building features an elongated ‘S’-
shaped plan with an elevated entry and a lower-level exit.
The tropical house to the south is split from the energy
centre to the north by a central concrete thermal wall.
The building is enclosed by a lightweight curved roof, to
be fabricated from etfe membrane, supported by a curved
steel structure. This complex architectural form suggested
to us at an early stage that using 3d bim was the most
rational and efficient method to document the building.
The initial setting-out was established by a 2d plan grid in
a regular arrangement, dividing the building into a series
of bays, which meant that the building could be easily
extended or reduced through the design process to meet
performance requirements and cost limits.
Breaking the building into a series of bays to achieve the
overall form ensured both constructional efficiency and
drawn efficiency. For example, the main structural elements
96 Chapter 10
Curved steel and etfe roof
Complex forms were drawn
using free-form modelling
were formed as curved circular beams in 3d using the
Extrude Along Path command in Vectorworks Architect,
and the completed elements were then converted to a 3d
symbol with ifc data applied. These symbols were next set
out on the centre point of the set circular grid and dupli-
cated and rotated to grid.
To form the ‘pillows’ of the etfe membrane, a curve was
drawn following the top of the beams either side of a bay,
with a third line connecting these at the base. These were
then converted to spline lines and, with the Surface Array
tool, a curved pillow shape was generated that closely
resembled a typical etfe installation.
The geometric demands of this project required us to
make much greater use of the 3d modelling tools within
Vectorworks Architect, rather than using standard plug-in
objects. This had the advantage of allowing easy adjust-
Innovative Vectorworks bim
ment of the design by altering the generating geometry,
but we also learned the importance of adding the right
ifc data so that all information within the model could be
exchanged with other design team members.
The production of a 3d model early in the design process
presented clear advantages for design exploration and
demonstration of our proposals to the client and design
team. We were able to quickly produce animated walk-
throughs and 3d views from the model, using some post-
processing in other software packages to add the level of
softness and ‘sketchiness’ that we wanted for this early stage
of presentation.
Conclusions
Since the majority of our team are experienced 2d users of
Vectorworks Architect, and many have previous experi-
ence of other 3d packages, we found the move from 2d to
3d bim use of Vectorworks was more of an evolutionary
process than revolutionary.
We have now reached the point where all members of our
architectural team are using bim for new projects, right
from the initial design stages, to generate plans, sections,
elevations and 3d views from a single model. Using
Renderworks, we are able to replicate the soft look and
detailed textures on elevations that we previously achieved
by 2d methods. We can produce full sets of drawings at
early schematic stages much more quickly using bim, and
can incorporate changes and explore design alternatives
much more responsively. It is also a great deal quicker
to move from a planning/schematic design to a detailed
design. The main benefit of bim has been enhanced
responsiveness to project change pressures, such as a
changing brief, planning process feedback, or incorporat-
ing value engineering changes. We have noted that bim has
made significant improvements to our cost-effectiveness
and efficiency.
Most of the discussion, training and knowledge base on bim
seems focused on the construction stages of project deliv-
ery and less on the project concept and masterplanning
stage. We will need to undertake more investigation to
make full use of bim within our other design disciplines.
We were aware of, but have now seen first-hand, how bim
front-loads a project with a much greater degree of design
development and effort at the early stages. Along with
the wider profession, our fee structures need to evolve to
capture this.
Co-operation with other consultants has been somewhat
limited up to this point, mainly due to the scope and
extent of our involvement in certain projects and the fact
that many consultants that we work with still operate 2d
workflows. We have used 3d structural and steelwork
models for co-ordination purposes and will continue to
develop our skills and methods in this area. For larger
projects, where several members of our team are working
on the same model, we look forward to the Project Sharing
features in Vectorworks Architect 2016.
Atmospheric visuals
Renderworks and Photoshop
were used to create images
of the Tropical House
98 Whimbrels House, Devon
Exploded isometric
Jonathan Reeves Architecture

Part B
Learning
Vectorworks
Innovative Vectorworks bim
jonathan reeves ‘refraction’
Innovative
Vectorworks
tips and tricks
Jonathan Reeves
102 Chapter i
a head start in bim
50 tips and tricks for Vectorworks
Learn keyboard shortcuts
1< Using both hands is essential to get the most out of
Vectorworks Architect. This can be the single biggest
way to improve your productivity, speed and enjoyment.
Most keyboard shortcuts are easy to learn, and they are
displayed right in front of you as you work. Start with the
number keys, 1 to 0, to access most of the drafting tools.
Use contextual help
2< When you hover over the tool palettes, a prompt will
pop up with the name of the tool and its keyboard
shortcut in brackets. This also works on the Mode bar.
Make the most of contextual menus
3< Right-clicking in the document window will give access
to a Document context menu. Right-clicking over any
object will activate the Object context menu, with some
useful commands such as Add Surface and Clip Surface.
A two- or three-button mouse is recommended to get the
most from using Vectorworks; look over your mouse or
trackpad settings and activate the secondary click options.
Type directly in any units you want
4< Vectorworks understands various unit indicators, such
as metres (m) and Feet ("). So instead of typing 3000,
you can type 3m for 3 metres. Default units should normally
be mm, but the units can be temporarily modified while
Innovative Vectorworks bim
performing area calculations and so on.
Use calculations in any numerical dialog box
5< All numerical dialog boxes in Vectorworks can perform
mathematical calculations. For example, if you want
to divide the length of an object into a number of divisions
(say 5), type into the object information box, at the back of
the length value, /5. Bracketed equations can also be
entered for more complex calculations.
Use direct calculations to work out exact sizes for areas Tip 2
6< If you know the length of a room, and know the area Hover over tools
for contextual
you want to achieve, using direct calculations can help help and key
work out the other dimension without using a calculator. shortcuts
For example, you have a rectangular room of 4m in width,
but need to get an area of 13 sq m. Draw a rectangle 4m
wide, and then in the Height box type 13m/4. Vectorworks
will automatically calculate the answer for the height in
Tip 3
millimetres as 3250. Right-click
over objects
Faster object duplication and creating arrays
7< Hold down the Alt key (Mac, sometimes labelled
Option) or Ctrl key (Windows) while over an object
for contextual
menus
and a small ‘+’ sign will appear. Clicking and dragging will
now duplicate the object at the desired offset. If Offset
duplications is checked in Vectorworks Preferences, the
object gets duplicated at the same spacing every time the
Duplicate command is activated. Try using Command+D
(Mac) or Ctrl+D (Windows).
Object duplication in place
8< Holding down the Alt key (Mac) or Ctrl key (Windows)
while clicking on an object will duplicate the object on
top of itself. To enable this, make sure Allow option-click
in-place duplication is checked in Preferences. The dupli-
cated object can then quickly be moved an exact distance
using the Move command.
Tips 5-6
Use calculations in
Use active tool selection numerical boxes
9< Holding down the Command key (Mac, sometimes
labelled ) or Cmd key (Windows) while using many
tools temporarily activates the Selection tool, allowing you
to switch to another object. This works with Offset, Mirror,
Rotate, Clip and many other tools, and is a huge time-saver.
Change the active layer
10<
Holding down the Command key (Mac) or Ctrl
key (Windows) while pressing the up and down
arrow keys on the keyboard will move through the layers in
sequence, changing the active layer.
Change the active class
11< Holding down Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows)
while using the left and right arrow keys will move
through the classes in sequence, changing the active class.
 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks 103

Tip 13 Use guides for construction information

12<
Use the Guides can be used to store construction lines and
built-in
industry- setting-out information that you may want to turn
standard off, but not delete. The Modify > Guides > Make Guides
classes command turns selected objects into locked guides. The
Guides class attributes can be edited as required.

Use industry standards (aec uk and Uniclass)

13< If you need to work with industry standards, use

the built-in Uniclass standards for Vectorworks
classes. Select New Class, then select from the Import
Classes button, then from the list on the drop-down menu.

Poly Smoothing

14< Any polygon can be smoothed using the Poly

Smoothing command from the Modify menu.
Individual vertices can also be modified using the Reshape
tool with the Change Vertex mode.
Tips 7-8
Vectorworks Preferences hold the Hold Shift for extra constraint
key to simple object duplication
15< Holding down the Shift key while drawing, resizing
or moving objects will act to provide additional
constraints over the proportions or direction.

Tip 12 Tip 14 Ignore objects directly under the cursor using Shift

16<
Use Make Poly Smoothing Holding down the Shift key (so the cursor greys
Guides to add will round off
construction any polygon out) while dragging the selection marquee around a
lines number of objects will ignore the object immediately below
the cursor, so you can easily select others on top of it.

Use saved views to record working modes and views

17< Saved views can be created from the button on the

View bar or the Saved View tab in the Navigation
palette. The view, scale, visibilities and rendering style can
be accessed at any time — like a viewport, but for working
What is Uniclass? on. Access your saved views from the same drop-down or
by double-clicking the view in the Navigation palette.

Launched in 1997, Uniclass, the classification system for the construction Make the most of view transition animation

industry, is the uk implementation of bs iso 12006-2, providing a structured
approach to classifying building information by organising the information
based on common characteristics.
The recent developments in and wide adoption of bim to manage information
across the project timeline have created a need for a unified approach to
classification, ensuring information is universally structured regardless of the
author. This led to a review of Uniclass and the development of Uniclass 2.
18<
Vectorworks can now perform a simple animation
between saved views, which can help orientate
you around your drawing or model. This makes it easy to
prepare client presentations of pre-saved views and so
on. Make sure you check Enable View Transitions in the
Vectorworks Preferences Interactive tab to make this work.
104 Chapter i

⁷ ⁸ ⁹
Use 3d viewing shortcuts Tip 17

19< The numeric keypad on your keyboard can be used (previous page)
Create saved views
in 3d to access all the standard views. Hold the to help you work on
Ctrl key and press the third mouse button to activate the L rear iso Back R rear iso different areas of the
Flyover tool mid-operation, or use the shortcut, Shift+C. model and present

⁴ ⁵ ⁶
preset views

Use the B key to activate X-ray mode

20< The X-ray Select mode is very helpful when viewing

overlaid plans, to check co-ordination, or when
trying to move an object that is behind other objects. In
Left Top Right

¹ ² ³
rendered 3d views it creates a temporary wireframe view
around the cursor, making it easy to select items deep
within the model.
Left iso Front Right iso

Use the Clip Cube to isolate 3d geometry

21<
⁰
When modelling, often you want to work on just Tip 19
one area for a while. When you select an element The numeric keypad gives quick
access to the main 3d views. Zero
where you want to work (use the B key as above to help), is the Top/Plan view, always in
then select the Clip Cube command (View > Clip Cube), Top/plan wireframe with no perspective
Vectorworks shows only the area near the selected geome-
try, making working on this part of the model much easier.

Use coincident selection

22< Hold the J key when you see an asterisk (*) by the
cursor. This means more than one possible object
could be selected. When you click, a helpful dialog pops
Tip 20
Use the B key (in 3d) to activate
X-ray Selection mode

up showing all the potential objects that are available for

selection, so you can get the right ones. This is particularly Tip 21
useful for bim workflows, when there are often lots of ob- Use the Clip Cube to isolate
geometry you want to work on
jects interacting with each other, such as windows in walls,
and sometimes these can be difficult to select first time.

Press X twice to deselect and activate the Selection tool

23< The Selection tool is the most commonly used tool,

so this is a top shortcut to learn. Pressing the X key
twice quickly will deselect the current object and return to
Tip 22
Innovative Vectorworks bim

the Selection tool. It also cancels drawing mid-operation. Select coincident objects easily
While your hands are there, you may also be encouraged to by right-clicking or holding the
learn the other shortcuts to make yourself a real power user. J key to pop up a list of all those
at your cursor’s location

Find shapes with Polygon Inner Boundary

24< This tool saves so much time by finding shapes,

rather than having to trace around them. Hold
Shift down to keep adding shapes as you click. Use the B
key to see what shapes will be found.
 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks 105

Tip 26 Trace around objects with Polygon Outer Boundary

25<
Eyedropper Preferences This tool is like cling film! Draw loosely around a
enable you to pick up
selected properties from plan or object made of lines, and it shrinks to fit
one object and drop to give you the gross area. When editing a symbol, trace
them on another widely around complex shapes like cars with the Lasso
mode. This will create a polyline shape. You can create a
mask with fill in no time by sending the shape to the back.

Use the Eyedropper tool to match object properties

26< Double-click this tool to bring up its settings.

Check, say, Plug-in Parameters and IFC to transfer
those properties from one object by clicking to pick up,
then hold Alt and click to apply them to another object.
Tip 24
Quickly find shapes You can also pick up Render properties from viewports.
from lines with
the Polygon Inner Master the Select Similar tool

27<
Boundary tool
The Select Similar tool is incredibly powerful (it
supplements Custom Selection). Double-click on
the tool to access its settings. Here you can select objects
Tip 25
Use the Outer by a huge array of criteria in various combinations. Save the
Boundary mode settings to record options for access from the drop-down.
to trace masks
around complex
symbols Use the Visibility tool to quickly check classes

28< When you hold the cursor over objects with the
Visibility tool (V key), classes or layers highlight,
depending on the mode, and the name is displayed, making
it easy to check if objects are drawn in the correct class.
With the Mode set to Invisible, when you click objects of a
class, that class is turned off — useful when you have just
imported a survey file and are not sure what to turn off.
Hold V again to see all invisible classes temporarily, then
Tip 29 click on them in the drawing to make them visible. Layers
Pressing Z with any can be managed in the same way using the Layer mode.
tool active invokes
the Snap Loupe,
zooming in on the Use the Snap Loupe to increase accuracy and speed

29<
area around the Pressing Z at any time zooms the view in to the
cursor to let you
work with accuracy area around the cursor, to let you work accurately,
and speed then immediately zooms back out. Make sure you select
the tool you want first, then press Z to zoom in as required.
Tip 27
Select Similar
Preferences Use Sketch rendering at concept stage to present ideas
allow you to
select objects
by almost any
30< Vectorworks’ built-in Sketch function works well
for all drawings, as well as 3d renderings (especially
used as foreground render). It helps clients feel ideas are
combination
of attributes not too rigid. Later, turn it off for brand new presentations!
106 Chapter i

Ungroup pdfs to get to the native cad information Tip 32

31< It’s easy to import vector-based pdf documents The Volumetric Properties command
displays volume and surface areas
into Vectorworks and accurately scale and snap to
them. Ungrouping them gives you a few elements — like a
bitmap, blank object, and sometimes another group — that
can be discarded. Eventually, if you keep removing what
you don’t need, you will get to the native cad elements.
Sometimes these have fill, so change the attributes to no
fill and you have all the lines and so on. These can now be
edited as required. It’s messier than importing dwg, but
useful when pdf is all you have to work from.

Use Volumetric Properties to calculate quantities/areas

32< Create a 3d shape for the volume or areas you re-

quire and select the Model > Volumetric Properties
command. This is handy for calculating things like
permitted development volumes, or how much concrete is
required for an in-situ concrete slab.

Use the Render Bitmap tool to create Symbol top views

33< If you have a complex object, like a car or piece of

furniture, and want a high-quality Top/Plan view,
use the Render Bitmap tool with a good quality setting to
create a nice render of the model in Top View. Then create
a hybrid symbol, and when editing the 2d symbol, paste in
the Render Bitmap and align with the 3d position. Now you
have a 2d/3d symbol that looks great in all your 3d views as
well as your plans.

Import 3d models from other 3d software

34< Vectorworks can import from a wide range of

other software. Especially useful are 3d Studio and
SketchUp files, as there’s so much free stuff out there. Try
Tip 30 (previous page)
Sketch settings are available for
dragging and dropping directly into a blank Vectorworks hidden line rendering in viewports
window to import any file. Once imported, create symbols
(see above) and store them in your library for future use. Tip 34
Innovative Vectorworks bim

Vectorworks supports a wide

range of 3d file types, including
Stack more than one viewport SketchUp, making it easy to

35< Vectorworks now allows you to have a different

background and foreground render setting for
each viewport. Combined with the Artistic render options,
import resources and inspira-
tion. Name the building?

this opens up a wide range of interesting graphic styles for

your presentations. You can achieve even more interesting
renders, however, by layering a two identical viewports
over one another and adjusting the settings of each.
 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks 107

Set up Artistic Renderworks Styles to save time

36< Renderworks Styles can easily adjust all the view-

ports that the style is applied to at once, making it
simple to move from low to high quality at the appropriate
time in the project cycle without having to redo anything
from scratch. This saves a lot of time, because you can
render using low-quality custom settings while you design,
then increase the final quality at the end for the whole
presentation. It looks as if a lot of work has gone into brand
Pencil TaperThick new drawings — but it hasn’t. You can also share the styles
from one document to another, like any other resource —
so ask the office rendering expert to set these up and share
them with everyone else.

Use Vectorworks Viewer and Vectorworks Nomad

37< Having created an amazing 3d bim model, it

seems such a shame to print off drawings or give
the client or design team only traditional 2d drawings or
pdf files. Get them fully involved in collaborative design
Tip 37 development: use the model interactively on a laptop
Use the Vectorworks Light Pencil Sketch Concept Crayon
with the free Vectorworks Viewer, or on a tablet using the
Nomad app to help Tip 39
communicate and Vectorworks Service Vectorworks Nomad app.
share ideas via iPad or Select members have
Android tablets access to lots of great Use the Vectorworks Cloud Services desktop app

38<
free content libraries
Vectorworks Cloud Services saves time by freeing
up desktop computing power. Creating client
presentations with desktop design software often requires
a significant amount of user investment to co-ordinate,
monitor and wait while resources consume the desktop
cpu. Vectorworks Cloud Services shifts the calculations
needed to generate sections, elevations, renderings and
Realistic White with Surface Hatches Chunky Thick Purple
bim data to the cloud, and the drawings and renders are
automatically pushed back to the user’s system.

Make the most of Vectorworks Service Select

39< There are some excellent libraries of content avail-

able to all members. There are also lots of useful
video tutorials to help you improve your Vectorworks skills.

Use Renderworks for high-quality visualisation

Cartoon Cartoon with Surface Hatches 40< Renderworks now uses the Cinema 4d rendering
engine (CineRender), which means it is capable of
very high-quality rendering. The beauty of Renderworks
Tip 36 is that it is simple to use, instantly available inside Vector-
Artistic Renderworks Styles offer a wide range of options works (if you have that module) and works in any viewport.
108 Chapter i

Make the most of Renderworks Surface Hatches

41< Renderworks textures can now include surface

hatches. Added via the Edit Surface Hatch button
in the Edit Texture dialog, these are just regular hatches
that display in 3d, and can give a really nice graphical effect
for 3d and rendered bim elevations. Try turning off colours
and textures in the render settings, but leaving shadows
and surface hatches on. Enabling Sketch rendering for the
hidden line render options works really well.

Try Cinema 4d for advanced rendering and animation

42< Renderworks is a great tool, and getting better all

the time, so it will often be all you need for creat-
ing visuals. The standalone Cinema 4d application, howev-
er, takes rendering control, 3d modelling and animation to
whole new levels. From Renderworks, the Send to Cinema
4d command opens the model in Cinema 4d with all the
objects, classes and Renderworks material already assigned.
Your Vectorworks cameras and lighting are also imported. Tip 47
Add your office libraries to the
Using both applications together in this way offers amazing Resource Browser as favourites for
flexibility, and the model can be updated at any time. quick access during any session
Many of the original artworks produced for this book were
generated in this way, and it can be very empowering.

Create solar animation using the Heliodon tool

43< The Heliodon simulates the exact position of the

sun, given a particular longitude, latitude and time,
so it can be used for accurate sun shadow analysis. Using
Tip 42
Cinema 4d integration
makes it easy to transfer
Renderworks, you can turn on OpenGL shadows (and your model into Maxon’s
application for further
edges) in the OpenGL Rendering options, and interactively visual development
adjust the times and dates to see how shadows will fall.
You can also export animations from sunrise to sunset.

Use Reports and Worksheets for scheduling

44< Almost anything you draw or model can be

scheduled with Vectorworks Architect. There are
Tip 39
Surface Hatching allows 3d hatches
Tip 40
Renderworks produces great
Innovative Vectorworks bim

a number of pre-made schedules available from Tools >
Reports > VA Create Schedule. Architects will find door
and window schedules a huge time-saver when using the
built-in parametric objects.
to be applied via the Renderworks renderings and also helps with
Texture. Here, the textures and colours bim workflows
are turned off, leaving only the hatches
and shadows, for a nice graphical look

Use perspective section viewports to aid communication

45< Section viewports can be created directly while

using Clip Cube or by using the View > Create
Section Viewport command. Once the section viewport is
 displayed on the sheet layer, you can change the Projection Vectorworks keyboard shortcuts
from Orthogonal to Perspective view. Make sure the
perspective distance is set to Normal, or try custom values
as required. Perspective section viewports are quick to do,
and look great. With Command key (Mac) or Ctrl key (Windows)

Tip 48 Use Icon and Text views for palettes A Select All U Ungroup

46<
Create multiple view- When you start out, the tool icons may be obscure.
ports for an instant
set of drawings Set the palettes to show Icons and Text so that the B Send to Back V Paste
name of each tool is displayed. This option is accessed from
the small down arrow at the bottom of the tool palettes. C Copy W Close

Add favourite libraries to the Resource Browser D Duplicate X Cut

47< Add all your regularly used content to a Vector-

works library, then add it as a Favourite. Once files
have been added as favourites, they will always appear
E Extrude
Y Redo
within your ‘book’ of resources, every session, until you F Send to Front
remove them. I have created a set of jra libraries, for Z Undo
example, that I always have available for commonly used G Group
entourage such as people, trees and cars.
H Hide (System) Number keys
Use Create Multiple Viewports for quick presentations (drafting tools)

48< Once you have developed a 3d model, try the

Create Multiple Viewports command from the
View menu. This allows you to create all the Standard
I

J
Object Info

Join
1 Text

Views you require with just a few clicks. You can then 2 Line
choose different rendering styles. K Convert to Group
3 Arc
Make a start now in using bim workflows and 3d L Rotate Left

49< Using Vectorworks Architect for 3d and bim

workflows will improve your efficiency and co-
ordination of drawings. Read the case studies earlier in this
M Move
4

5
Rectangle

Polyline
Tip 45 book and be inspired to take your first steps or to continue N New
Perspective sections can really help to
communicate your design, achieving on your journey. 6 Circle
in moments what would be impractical O Open
with traditional 2d drawing Invest in yourself and your practice, and enjoy it! 7 Fillet

50< Investing time in training yourself and your staff to

really master Vectorworks Architect for bim will pay
dividends, making your work more efficient, more creative
P

Q
Print

Quit
8 Polygon

and far more rewarding. 9 Wall

R Resources
0 2d Loci
For more information on professional Vectorworks training S Save
courses, please contact the author at jonathan.reeves@ For numeric keypad view
jr-architecture.co.uk or see www.jra-vectorworks-cad.co.uk. T Trim shortcuts, see p104
110 Chapter i
mastering the basics
Elements of architectural modelling
While the practices featured in this book are the exception,
many architects have not yet made the transition from
traditional 2d cad drafting to working fully in 3d, let alone
realising the benefits of bim. It seems that among small to
medium-sized practices, there is still a perception that bim
is better suited to larger projects, where the whole design
team is involved in producing a single co-ordinated model
of the whole building with every detail modelled.
In my experience, this is off-putting for many smaller prac-
tices, who feel they cannot justify a perceived investment
in adopting bim workflows unless their clients require it.
Using 3d and bim workflows at early stages in the design
process, however, can pay huge dividends in efficiency.
This is what we refer to as ‘design-led bim’, and involves
using bim techniques as early in the design process as
possible, rather than recreating existing designs after they
have been developed.
Once you have a certain mastery of the process and tools
required to start to organise and develop the bim model,
the technology of the software itself ceases to be a barrier
to the successful development of the project. At this stage,
the advantages of developing an architectural model in 3d
become natural and not forced. The enjoyment of being
fully immersed in the creative process becomes apparent
Innovative Vectorworks bim
and ideas seem to flow.
Personally, I really enjoy this creative freedom of being to
try out ideas rapidly and accurately in 3d, and make deci-
sions about aesthetics, massing, materiality, environmental
factors and costings.
Mastering the bim tools alone is not enough. It is important
to really experiment with basic free-form modelling, when
required, to supplement the parametric tools, which can
make 3d design easier but also have their limits.
The freedom to model anything you can conceive, and
even some things you couldn’t otherwise have imagined,
is surely one of the greatest benefits of using software
effectively within the architectural design process.
This section covers some basic architectural elements and
shows examples of what can be modelled.
standard walls Vectorworks now has two main types of
wall tool, the Standard Wall tool and the Curtain Wall tool.
The Standard Wall tool is for creating all forms of standard
construction, from brick cavity walls to timber-framed and
metal stud partitions. Vectorworks comes with a huge array
of ready-made walls that are well defined, and each can be
used as it is or altered in any way to suit whatever your pro-
ject requires. These can also be given data, making it simple
to schedule important information. Finally, each wall type
can be saved as a wall style, so it can be easily amended
globally where used, and stored for future use. I recom-
mend practices not only explore the Standard Wall Styles,
but actively create and build up a library of their own.
curtain walls The Curtain Wall tool is a relatively new
addition to Vectorworks, and is perfect for creating glazed
curtain walls of all types, as well as cladding systems. Again,
these wall styles can be stored and libraries built up.
window and door openings Windows and doors are
obviously key elements in all buildings. The window and
door tools in Vectorworks are top-notch, and can be used
to produce an infinite array of configurations. The benefit
of using the plug-in objects here is also that they can
easily be scheduled and exported to ifc for collaboration.
Occasionally, however, you will need the Custom Window
option, which allows you to build complex windows and
alter each sash. For doors, the Custom Door Leaf option
lets you use a symbol of your choice for the door leaf. This
can be edited freely, using the 3d tools, to create exactly
what you require. Finally, the plug-ins also allow you to use
Symbol Geometry. This means you get the benefit of total
control over the 3d form of the object, but all the data can
easily be entered and scheduled from the Plug-in dialog.
roof structures Vectorworks’ built-in roof tools are
powerful and can be used to model a wide range of
buildable roofs. Often, however, you will need to ungroup
the roof object to create a series of roof faces that can
be edited even more freely. Free-form roofs will also be
required to allow you to express your true architectural
creativity; some examples are shown overleaf.
free-form modelling As well as learning to master the
standard Vectorworks wall tools, it is really important that
your architectural and design ideas are not restricted to
what the software includes as standard. It is important,
therefore, that as well as understanding the main plug-in or
bim tools, you recognise that these have limits and will not
always produce what you need.
This is when you need to be creative and resort to
free-form 3d modelling, using 3d geometry created from
extrudes, solid additions and subtractions, and so on.
One reason I love using Vectorworks Architect is the
ability to combine powerful free-form and parametric bim
modelling tools. Exploring these fully would go beyond the
scope of this book, but I hope some of the examples in the
next few pages inspire you to have a go with the basic and
more advanced 3d tools that Vectorworks provides.
 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks 111

Wall structures

Solid Battered Close Column Stepped Mass masonary

Solid Battered Close Column Stepped Mass masonary

Solid Battered Close column Stepped Mass masonry

Solid Battered Close Column Stepped Mass masonary
Solid
Solid Battered
Battered Close
CloseColumn
Column Stepped
Stepped Mass
Massmasonary
masonary

Log wall Frame Timber Cladding Honeycomb Infill

Log wall Frame Timber Cladding Honeycomb Infill

Log wall Frame Timber cladding Honeycomb Infill

Log wall Frame Timber Cladding Honeycomb Infill
Log
Logwall
wall Frame
Frame Timber
TimberCladding
Cladding Honeycomb
Honeycomb Infill
Infill

Surface array Fabric skin Contoured Buttress Panel

Surface Array Fabric Skin Contoured Buttress Panel
Surface Array Fabric Skin Contoured Buttress Panel

Surface Array Fabric Skin Contoured Buttress Panel

Surface
SurfaceArray
Array Fabric
FabricSkin
Skin Contoured
Contoured Buttress
Buttress Panel
Panel

Crenulated Corrugated Plastic Curtain Angled

Crenulated Corrugated Plastic Curtain Angled
Crenulated Corrugated Plastic Curtain Angled
112 Chapter i

Window openings

Cased Vertical Side and Horizontal slider

and trimmed In battered wall sliding sash double-hung and picture slider

Tilt/turn
Bottom and top Frame and custom Custom Complex custom

Round Oval Half-circle Hexagon Octagon

Innovative Vectorworks bim

Half-round Half-ellipse
Ellipse and gothic Sloped and gable and segment and gothic In round wall
 Innovative Vectorworks tips and tricks 113

Roof structures

Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Inverted
Inverted Dome
Dome Valuted
Valuted Dome
Dome
Dome
Dome Conical Dome
Conical Dome Conical Dome
Conical Dome Inverted Dome
Inverted Dome Valuted Dome
Valuted Dome
Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Inverted
Inverted Dome
Dome Valuted
Valuted Dome
Dome
Dome
Dome Conical
Conical
Conical Dome
dome
Dome Conical
Partial
Conical Dome
dome
Dome Inverted
Inverted
Inverted Dome
dome
Dome Valuted
Vaulted
Valuted Dome
dome
Dome
Dome Conical Dome Conical Dome Inverted Dome Valuted Dome
Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Conical
Conical Dome
Dome Inverted
Inverted Dome
Dome Valuted
Valuted Dome
Dome

Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Vault Saddle
Saddle Vault
Vault Distorted
Distorted Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Vault
Barrel Vault
Barrel Vault Barrel Vault
Barrel Vault Hyperbolic Vault
Hyperbolic Vault Saddle Vault
Saddle Vault Distorted Hyperbolic
Distorted Hyperbolic Vault
Vault
Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Vault Saddle
Saddle Vault
Vault Distorted
Distorted Hyperbolic Vault
Hyperbolic Vault
Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Vault Saddle
Saddle Vault
Vault Distorted
Distorted Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Vault
Barrel Vault Barrel Vault Hyperbolic Vault Saddle Vault Distorted Hyperbolic Vault
Barrel
Barrel Vault
Barrel vault
Vault Barrel
Compound Vault
Barrelbarrel
Vault vault Hyperbolic
Hyperbolic Vault
Hyperbolic vault
Vault Saddle
Saddle Vault
vault
Vault Distorted
DistortedHyperbolic
Distorted hyperbolic Vault
Hyperbolic vault
Vault

Hipped
Hipped Gable
Gable Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Dutch
Dutch Gable
Gable Mansard
Mansard
Hipped
Hipped Gable
Gable Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Dutch
Dutch Gable
Gable Mansard
Mansard
Hipped
Hipped Gable
Gable Barrel
SquareVault
Barrel hip
Vault Dutch
DutchGable
Dutch gable
Gable Mansard
Mansard
Mansard
Hipped
Hipped Gable
Gable Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Dutch
Dutch Gable
Gable Mansard
Mansard
Hipped Gable Barrel Vault Dutch Gable Mansard
Hipped
Hipped Gable
Gable Barrel
Barrel Vault
Vault Dutch
Dutch Gable
Gable Mansard
Mansard

Flat
Flat Lantern
Lantern Stepped
Stepped Perforated
Perforated Tensile
Tensile
Flat
Flat Lantern
Lantern Stepped
Stepped Perforated
Perforated Tensile
Tensile
Flat
Flat Lantern
Lantern Stepped
Stepped Perforated
Perforated Tensile
Tensile
Flat Lantern Stepped Perforated Tensile
Flat
Flat Lantern
Lantern Stepped
Stepped Perforated
Perforated Tensile
Tensile
Flat Lantern Stepped Perforated Tensile
jonathan reeves ‘interstellar’
Vectorworks
2016: major
new features
Jonathan Reeves
116 Chapter ii
continuous innovation
Vectorworks Architect 2016
Innovative Vectorworks bim
By the time you read this book, Vectorworks Architect 2016
will have been released. The illustrated case studies in the
first part reflect the use of earlier versions of Vectorworks,
and clearly demonstrate how some practices have already
begun to fully exploit the potential of bim workflows. This
upgrade brings even greater potential.
Over the last few years, Vectorworks has made huge
progress in becoming the tool of choice for architects and
designers who share an openness to experimentation,
continually pushing boundaries, exploring and experiment-
ing with the possibilities of what could be.
Vectorworks 2016 builds on the foundations of the preced-
ing years of development and is destined to become a
significant milestone in the application’s development, with
some truly amazing and groundbreaking new features and
a re-brand to bring the Vectorworks name to the fore.
Personally, I have always strived to be at the forefront of
computing in architecture, and I am very excited about
what lies ahead for the Vectorworks community.
Vectorworks has played a huge role in my career, both as a
practising architect and as a professional trainer, and I am
looking forward to seeing how Vectorworks Architect 2016
transforms our 2d, 3d and bim workflows.
Each new version of Vectorworks Architect has over 100
new features developed to empower the process of design-
ing and producing great architecture. Previous limitations
are overcome, new features are added, and best of all user
feedback is taken on board. Here are just a few of the
major innovations in the 2016 edition.
Jonathan Reeves ba (Hons) M Arch Dip Arch riba

Project Sharing
Vectorworks Project Sharing is a brand new multi-user
environment that streamlines project organisation
management capability in Vectorworks Architect 2016. It
enables design teams to work concurrently in the same
Vectorworks file, and document their designs, without the
need for complex referencing.
The new Project Sharing command allows users to share
an existing document with others as a Project File. Once a
Vectorworks document has been marked as a Project File,
all subsequent file opens on that document by any user
will effectively open a copy, or clone, of the Project File.
These automatically generated clone files are referred to as
Working Files.
► One document for all
The first time a Project File is created, permissions and con-
straints are configured to allow a number of users to work
together on the same model. Each member of the team
will be able to check out the layer that contains the parts
they work on. Once editing has been completed, the
revisions are shared with all team members and the layers
reinstated back to the Project File.
Each Working File contains all data from the Project File,
but each user will be restricted in the types of changes they
can make in their Working Files, based on the layers they
have checked out and if they have the appropriate access
privileges to make changes to document global data such
as classes, resources, document settings and preferences.
To keep their Working File consistent with the Project File,
users can perform a Refresh to update any out-of-date
Working Files are
automatically generated
and managed from
a single Project File
Vectorworks 2016: major new features 117
information. Once they reach a point where they are ready
to pass their changes back into the Project File, they can
merge those changes by performing a Commit. This entails
inserting the changed layers back into the Project File and
merging the document global data into the Project File,
with users resolving any merge conflicts as necessary.
At any time, new layers can be issued, and throughout the
process, team members can collaborate with each other
using real-time communication tools. At the end of the
editing session, all team members have to return their
layers, so that modifications or alterations can be reviewed
and implemented.
The whole process is audited throughout, so that shortfalls
in editing are highlighted and can be returned for further
work before the process is finally signed off.
118 Chapter ii
Energy analysis with Ergos
Innovative Vectorworks bim
Energos is a built-in module of Vectorworks Architect 2016
that will provide designers with both graphical and numer-
ical feedback about the energy performance of a building
designed using bim workflows.
The goal is to help architects who are not energy experts to
design more energy-efficient buildings. With the new func-
▲ Environmental classification
tionality, the architect will get simple and instant feedback
during early design stages. Designers using Energos will be
able to improve the building design without the help of an
external energy consultant.
Users can work on lowering the carbon footprints of
buildings with Energos, which uses Passivhaus calculations
and methods to provide a building’s energy performance
figures. Energos can create reports for compliance checks
against standards including Passivhaus, breeam, Minergie,
leed and ashrae, providing a simple tool for calculating
energy use in a building.
Energos encompasses all the major components, materials
and elements within a structure. Walls, floors, roofs and
door and window types are covered, and it also includes a
range of types of ventilation and heating systems.
The analysis performed by Energos covers the overall
design using typical spaces within the structure to produce
The new Energos module performs
energy efficiency calculations
performance figures, and architects can experiment with
different materials, layouts, and heating systems to achieve
an optimum solution by comparing results.
Once the user is satisfied with the analysis, the software
comes up with the building’s environmental classification,
which can be recorded and output in various forms.
It is not envisaged that Vectorworks Architect 2016 will
replace the environmental engineer’s input required for the
latter stages. Energos does not include the necessary
computation fluid dynamics (cfd) tools, for example, that
would enable detailed environmental studies of a structure
to be made.
The Energos module uses data that can easily be input
within the bim model, however, to perform essential calcu-
lations and confirm that the right steps have been taken to
maximise a building’s environmental credentials during the
initial design stages.
 Vectorworks 2016: major new features 119

Visual scripting with Marionette ▼ Marionette

Node-based parametric
design facilitates
experimental approaches
Visual scripting is to be made available as an integrated
module inside Vectorworks Design Series products under
the name Marionette. This is a new node-based parametric
system that can be used to explore design variations.

Node-like buttons are available from the Resource Browser

and can be dragged and dropped to create the scripting
via a visual flow chart. Each node can contain settings,
parameters or algorithms that can be altered at any time to
influence the final results. These are the building blocks of
the process.

For example, when building a complex façade, one of the

nodes could relate to the repetitions of structural elements,
which can be changed dynamically to try out different
design options.

Visual scripting is an amazing tool that helps to extend

the boundaries of creativity with the design process. To
help simplify what could develop into a complex maze of
workflows and interactions, sequences of nodes that cover
complete operations can be grouped into a single block on

the flow chart. These can be edited by double-clicking at be regenerated accordingly using the intelligence of the
any time. Marionette node network.

Marionette makes it possible to introduce an element of It might take some experimentation to get the most out
randomness to the process, with path extensions that can of, but visual scripting is a very interesting addition to the
be freely modified to create individual shapes that would Vectorworks product line, and will allow users to explore
be difficult to draw by traditional means. some fascinating ideas once mastered.

The network of nodes is then converted into a geomet-

rical model using a Vectorworks Python api that defines
path-based parametric objects, co-ordinates and actions.
Objects (rectangles, parallel lines and so on) that are
created along the underlying path can subsequently be
edited freely in Vectorworks Architect using Reshape and
other editing tools.

For example, when creating a free-form tiered building

using Marionette, the underlying surface can also be edited
at any time using the Reshape tools, and the building will
120 Chapter ii
Point cloud support
Innovative Vectorworks bim
A ‘point cloud’ is a large collection of points acquired using
3d laser scanners or other technologies to create a 3d rep-
resentation of an existing structure. 3d scanning is rapidly
gaining in popularity, especially where projects involve
refurbishment of existing properties or because architects
need to use existing structures as reference points before
the design process can start.
Vectorworks Architect 2016 users can now take advantage
▲ Clipping and colouring
of such data thanks to built-in point cloud support. This
easily handles the large files that come with massive sets of
3d point cloud data, directly importing .pts documents.
Point cloud files support the design process by providing
real-world context where you can recreate the referenced
objects or insert additional models. Once a point cloud
is attached to a drawing, you can use it as a guideline for
drawing, change its display, or apply a colour stylisation to
distinguish different features.
Users can slice sections through point clouds using the
Comprehensive features help to
reveal and clarify the data required
Clip Cube feature. It is also possible to change colours,
or flatten point clouds, as an aid to recognising existing
features and preparing them so that they can be used as a
basis for further development.
Visual clash detection, and detailed discussions on the
existing building fabric, will be made much more accessible
for the design team as a result of using point cloud
information during the design process. This will be an
especially useful feature for architects working closely with
existing buildings and on historical sites where the existing
structure must be preserved, enhanced and maintained.
 Vectorworks 2016: major new features 121

Subdivision Surfaces
.
Subdivision Surfaces provide a totally different way of
modelling complex surfaces in Vectorworks Architect 2016.
Direct modelling can be more intuitive than history-based
modelling for certain forms, and the combination of both
methods makes Vectorworks Architect 2016 an even more
powerful application for free-form modelling.

The new feature provides a tool for creating irregular,

non-linear shapes using simple primitives as starting points.
A range of built-in parametric objects is provided, including
cubes, spheres, cylinders and toruses.

Subdivision Surfaces are defined recursively. The process

starts with a given polygonal mesh. A refinement scheme is
then applied to this mesh which takes the mesh and subdi-
vides it, creating new vertices and new faces. The positions
of the new vertices in the mesh are computed based on the
positions of nearby existing vertices.

This process produces a finer mesh than the original one,

containing more polygonal faces. This resulting mesh can
be passed through the same refinement scheme again, and
so on.

To design a plastic moulded chair, for instance, you might

start with a cube primitive. This can then be divided into
segments, each of which contains a set of anchor points
enabling you to bend it, pull out arms, slice off ends and so
on. In fact, you are able to totally manipulate the shape,
rather like playing with clay, to create a free-form model of
the chair.

The design can be continuously refined until the desired

shape is achieved. These forms can then be added, sub-
tracted and intersected, as in traditional Boolean modelling
operations, to create more complex forms. Finally, surfaces
can be extracted and shelled to allow different materials or
textures to be added.

Subdivision Surface modelling directly inside Vectorworks

Architect 2016 will be a major attraction for all sorts of
designers and experimental architects alike.

About the author
Jonathan Reeves
Jonathan Reeves is a Chartered Architect in the uk and a
member of the riba. Studying at Sheffield University, he
gained a Degree in Architecture and a Masters in Architec-
ture and Computing before completing the Diploma course.
After graduation, Jonathan worked in London at 3dReid,
gps Architects and pm Devereux, where he completed his
professional practice. He gained valuable experience in large,
medium-sized and small architectural practices at a time
when the application of computing in architecture was really
starting to have an impact. During this period, Jonathan
was awarded several prizes for national competition entries,
making the most of his design and computer skills. His
final project in London was working on a Millennium Dome
Legacy project bid.
In 2000, Jonathan left London to travel and spent time
working in Sydney, Australia with award-winning architects
Adrian McGregor (now of McGregor Coxall) and Adam
Russell. Together, they worked on a large competition for
453 residential units at Victoria Park in Sydney, which they
went on to win.
Returning to the uk inspired by his time abroad, Jonathan
established Jonathan Reeves Architecture (jra) with the
goal of focusing on architecture, visualisation and cad
training services to architects and the construction industry.
In 2009, Jonathan and his young family relocated to North
Devon to enjoy the coast and outdoor lifestyle that they
Contact information
Jonathan Reeves Architecture
Jonathan Reeves, Director
ba (Hons) M Arch Dip Arch riba
Email jonathan.reeves@jr-architecture.co.uk
Facebook www.facebook.com/vectorworksbim
LinkedIn bit.ly/jra-linkedin
Pinterest bit.ly/jra-pinterest
YouTube bit.ly/jra-youtube
Vectorworks training and sales
www.jra-vectorworks-cad.co.uk
Architecture and visualisation
www.jr-architecture.co.uk
had experienced ‘down under’, living in their architect-
designed eco home. Today, Jonathan lives with his family in
Leicestershire, where he continues to run his own archi-
tectural practice while providing professional Vectorworks
bim training, consultancy and sales to clients all over the uk
and Europe. He has also written on architecture and
technology for publications including detail, Building
Design and the Architects’ Journal.
Jonathan has always been passionate about producing
innovative contemporary architecture and about using
technology to enhance creativity and develop compelling
communications for his clients. Having used Vectorworks
for more than 20 years, since its MiniCAD 4 incarnation,
and trained hundreds of designers and architectural
practices across the world, Jonathan is as passionate as
ever about the future of computing in architecture, and in
particular the application of bim in the design process.