High-Profile Monthly: November 2011 by High-Profile

November, 2011

High-Profile Focus: Life Sciences Development News by Mark Reed In our practice, we’ve seen a healthy demand for test-fitting laboratory designs into new and existing buildings. In this article, we will describe how our use of BIM allows for powerful graphics and extractable information to benefit landlords, tenants, institutions, and builders alike in unexpected and exciting ways. Test-fits are an important part of the early phases of projects and can be used to jump-start stalled deals or to enable reuse of “obsolete” Mark Reed or problematic facilities. As designers, we enjoy the process of envisioning clear and rational layouts in difficult geometries and are thrilled when our work allows the clients we serve to move forward with confidence and enthusiasm. Let us first distinguish between traditional test-fits and our new approach that takes full advantage of BIM, specifically Revit software. With traditional 2D CAD software, design firms have limited ability to modify layouts and to extract information accurately and swiftly. These limitations stem primarily from the relative brittleness of the process, which is polyline-based for color and area. With this method, polylines need to be laboriously traced around room geometries and

Expect More from Test-Fits 1

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Department Legend Lab Support Laboratory Mechanical Office Public Space Vertical Circulation

Walls, doors, windows, and casework cast shadows to enliven the plan, and a color palette gives definition to the space use. rechecked as layouts change. The software does not allow for the area information created by polylines to be easily extracted and analyzed. This may explain the real and perceived groans that many clients hear from architects when they ask for quick turnaround testfits! We’ve recognized, through experience, that what clients really want is the abil- Using the built-in rendering features of Revit, these ity to quickly analyze and make images can be generated in an hour or so. Touch up and entourage is added in Photoshop. changes to test fits. They may need to see graphically and nuBecause of this demand for speed, merically the impact of layout revisions to agility, and accuracy, we’ve fully emcritical ratios (such as lab to office, wet to braced BIM and Revit as our tool of choice dry, net to gross, department to division, or for test-fits. As my partner Stephanie Goldtenant to landlord). Often they don’t have berg says, “A powerful test-fit begins with time to wait for their architects to retrace a strong BIM template. We’ve structured polylines and relayer their CAD files. ours to anticipate the various needs and re-

quests of our clients and set it up so we can meet their demands with seemingly little effort or need for advance notice.” Instead of polylines, Revit works with room definitions with limitless capacity to be assigned attributes that can be graphically depicted with color legends in plan view. Since Revit is fundamentally a database as opposed to vector-based software, the work it contains is already in schedule format, and can easily be exported to Excel templates for further analysis. One of the early tasks we took on when we opened our firm was to create a BOMA spreadsheet template with a corresponding BIM schedule in Revit that allows for seamless transition of test-fit data into Excel for the complex calculations that go into determining rentable area in multi-tenant buildings. While our clients have been pleased by the power of this approach, they see significant added benefits from the three dimensional features of a Revit model. The test-fit can be flipped up, put into perspective, and rendered in a matter of seconds and minutes. We’ve seen our test-fits used to seal deals between tenants and landlords, to convince reluctant faculties into moving into swing space, to help builders win design-build commissions, and to validate programmatic area requirements in planning and programming projects. You should expect all of this and more out of the next test-fit you commission. Mark Reed, AIA LEED AP is a founding principal of Lab | Life. Science. Architecture, Inc.

one integrated design—one beautiful result.

WESSLING ARCHITECTS, PROJECT ARCHITECT FORHow BUILDING ENVELOPE RESTORATION OF building project, avoiding can you execute a successful SUFFOLK UNIVERSITY’S 73 TREMONT STREET all the usual hassles, and fullfilling your original vision of IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON beautiful, effective architecture? The solution is to address

Building Envelope Restoration of Suffolk University’s 73 Tremont entire as one integrated design. Streetthe is complete. Theproject 13-story building is prominently located at the base of Beacon Hill. 73 Tremont Street houses Suffolk Thisexecutive total approach enhances design process and University’s and administrative offices, facultythe offices, and undergraduate and common area. Thenot project included protectslibrary your interests only due to efficiency, but a complete repointing of the building’s Tremont Street facade, also through comprehensive professional services, strong as well as sections fronting the historic Granary Cemetery.

communication, and a deeper reliance on partnering. The Aspen Group provided comprehensive project management services and construction services were provided by NER Construction.

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