Small Project Design

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  • 1.  Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-21-2010 10:22 AM
    This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Technology in Architectural Practice .
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    Good Morning,

    I am an architect of custom residences, and in running Revit, taking classes in Revit and reviewing instructional materials, emphasis remains on commercial architecture. Revit instructors and authors claim that it works well for the residential practice, but when it comes down to the actual application, I'm still swimming upsteam.
    Any suggestions from more experienced Revit users in the residential practice?

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    James Hess AIA
    Hess Architects
    Crystal Lake IL
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  • 2.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-22-2010 12:33 AM
    I am considering using Revit for residential projects also so I will be interested in some of the responses to your post.  Have you tried Sketch Up?  I am learning that right now but planning on using it more for the schematic phase of projects...not sure yet if it can translate well to CDs.  Good luck with your efforts.

    Scott

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    W. Scott Ballard, AIA LEED AP
    W. Scott Ballard Design & Architecture, Inc.
    La Jolla CA
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  • 3.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-23-2010 08:47 AM

    If you are considering Revit for its BIM capabilities you should also look at Archicad by Graphisoft (http://www.graphisoft.com/). I've been using it for more than 10 years and believe it to be a better ROI.
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    Robert Moore AIA
    Robert E. Moore Architect
    Monroe NC
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    Original Message


  • 4.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-23-2010 01:30 PM
      |   view attached

    You're right, most training is geared towards Commercial construction, but you'll find that there are a vast amount of really powerful tools that are used for residential, more so at times than commercial, like the roof suite.... It is so easy to use once you get the hang of it, building dormers, dormer openings, getting hip roofs in, facia, eave's etc is a breeze and the best part is that being parametric you can test alternatives on the fly in live time....

    You would be very wise to look up some of the "plug-ins" (that are free to subscription users) that contain tools like Wood framing for walls, adding studs and getting quantity take offs for material... there is so much out there for residential but its a very broad software that takes some time to gain efficiency...

    Stick with it if you can, sketchup is great for schematic, but Revit has become very effective at elegantly crafting documents to look the way you want... hasn't always been that way, but many great improvements have led to great user control. There is still much room for improvement, but its a great tool.

    I've just completed a residence for a colleague of mine and it was really fun to use.  It can also do some decent graphics right out of the box...attached is a study rendering straight from Revit, before touching up with photoshop etc...

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    Todd Bishop AIA
    Architect
    DLR Group
    Des Moines IA
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    Original Message


  • 5.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-22-2010 07:57 AM
    Revit, as a tool, has enabled me to produce over the past 10+ years more complete and coordinated documentation for my residential architectural work than I ever achieved with a pencil and paper or AutoCAD. As with any new tool, I suggest that you be flexible and open to the notion that you may have to modify your methods in order to get the most efficient production out of it.

    I have found that most of the principles learned in the commercial architectural lessons could be applied to my residential work. Although you may find, as I did, that the lessons and tutorials could teach you only about 10% to 20% of what it takes to produce your signature architectural product. The other 90% will need to be earned through thoughtful practice and trial and error.

    The biggest hurdle that I found was the "out-of-the-box" families and schedules provided by Autodesk were woefully inadequate for my practice. I have spent considerable time over the years developing these to be meaningful for my work. The result is that I can now focus more of my energy on the design of a project and its development rather than on its documentation.

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    Craig Cernek AIA
    The Archi/Build Group
    Chicago IL
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  • 6.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-22-2010 09:00 AM


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    Paul Richards AIA
    Registered Architect, LEED Accredited Professional
    pr+a limited liability company
    Seattle WA
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    It works just fine for residential, but if you are only doing residential single family it might have way to many bells and whistles and expensive.
    But sounds like you have already made the commitment and paid you 6K + for the program.
    It will be a upstream swim. Be ready to take a bath in your non-billable hours as you learn the ropes.
    You have to think about putting together a drawing the way Revit wants you to think. :-)

    I use it for my projects (4 years+/- using BIM: commercial, hospitality and some residential)
    I can put together a drawing package in about 2/3 the time it used to take. (Dont let you clients know that, keep the extra revenue to support the software and upgrading your equipment to run it)

    Join some forums, very helpful. My fav are these

    http://www.revitcity.com/index.php
    http://forums.augi.com/
    http://revitrocks.blogspot.com/

    Utube has some tutorials
    http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=revit+architecture+2010&aq=1






  • 7.  RE:Revit for Residential Architecture

    Posted 09-23-2010 10:31 AM


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    Stewart Brecher AIA
    Stewart Brecher Architects
    Bar Harbor ME
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    You guys should try Archicad.  We have been using it for many years for both residential and small commercial projects.  It is intuitive and seamlessly moves from 2D to 3D.





    Original Message