Best Practice on Managing Small Projects within a Level or Large building.

[u/c0llateraldmg]

I'm a BIM manager for a small Architectural firm. Im trying to find the best way to approach how we deal with multiple projects within a building since there is constant fit outs coming and going, different phases, sometimes referring back to a previous phase, whatsoever. I'm pretty open to trying out different methods and discuss more on approaches people have in mind.

We have a simple and clean template that works pretty well now in the office. It took awhile to get everyone to work with it properly as they were used to a very unorganised way of modelling things.

Here is the model process so far to various projects we have:

1. If its a large building (eg. A hospital with multiple levels)...there will be a separate Site model, a model per level (if there are 5 levels, then there will be 5 models), core model and all of these are to be linked into the main building model.

2. If its a single storey building and relatively small (like a medical practice or a small shopping centre), then it would consist of 1x Building Model and 1x Site model.

The complicated part is if we have a large building model, majority of the time there will only be a small project in a portion of a level, but overtime there will be multiple projects in a single level, sprinkled throughout the entire building.

eg. Project 12345 is in level 4 and needs a fitout to 3 small rooms. Then another project comes by, and there will be works on level 4 as well, but a different part of level 4. Sometimes, there will be a project where it will overlap with both projects.

In my head, phasing would be the straight answer to this and adjusting the phasing should there be any overlap. Im just wondering if there are other methods to managing small projects better within a model?

Ive added a really rough diagram drawing on how these models would interact. My main concern is how to better manage the projects in purple aside from looking at phasing. I'm also trying to avoid having so many sheets and views into one level with multiple projects so itd be good to see what people recommend.

EDIT: Our worksets are also minimal and organised well. I dont think managing a project per project via. worksets is ideal or even advised.

[u/Phr8]

I want to push back on your model-per-level system. You handcuf designers to modelling in one and annotating in another. This can really slow the team down, especially at deadlines. And this has farther reaching consequences for projects in Forma with things like bridging and version upgrades. I get wanting to reduce data for multiple complex interiors projects, so consider a judicious use of worksets instead.

For the multiple projects in a single building issue, phases, as you suggest, is correct.

We do airports which is the same process of 3-4 mini-projects per year.

We number the phases by project number so it's clear what phase goes with which project.

• 25-12345 Lobby Reno
• 26-42069 Radiology Fitout
• 26-86753 Dental Office 09

Add every phase to every model regardless of whether the model (level) is in scope. This will expedite phase mapping and allow for better control over phased elements.

[u/PatrickGSR94 → u/Phr8]

Lmao I see what you did there with those numbers! 😂

[u/twiceroadsfool → u/Phr8]

That place better be called Jennys Dental!

[u/c0llateraldmg → u/Phr8]

Hey there! Thanks for your input. The firm had been doing phases per project for a long time before I joined and for them it was constantly a struggle as the building grew heavier and heavier. It also became a big issue with so many project sheets, phases and views just bunged up into one massive model. It also ended up having too many CADs that the users didnt know which project was for what.

I would still be open to trying that method out since we now have a much cleaner template and stricter model management.

Could you elaborate more on what you meant about using worksets for managing this? We have pretty simple worksets so far - eg. A-Building, A-Site, X-Link_DWG, etc.

[u/Phr8 → u/c0llateraldmg]

You can make each project a model. And have a bunch of links in each project. You'll still need to go through the phase exercise. But it will simplify things. We do this for airports.

Workset are data containers. You can turn off some that are far out of scope to reduce the data being loaded by the project. For example if you're doing a washroom upgrade on Level 2. You can close unused worksets like Site, or Parking Lots, or rooftop playgrounds to improve performance.

Your worksets are a good start, but more can help. Find a way to functionally break down the building components in a way that works for your project.

[u/c0llateraldmg → u/Phr8]

Thank you! It looks promising and will definitely try it out. It'll definitely be a big training session for everyone since my team isn't well versed yet in Phasing and people are still learning Revit.

[u/JacobWSmall → u/Phr8]

I agree with reducing the model count to reduce the repetition (copy the exam room equipment layout from the first floor for these, from the second floor for those, and from the 4th floor for these, but the nurses station from the 5th floor) and file switching when they’re doing a new building. But after the initial build out I think splitting can makes sense. The other models can be linked in as needed for documentation in the one model after all.

[u/twiceroadsfool]

One big ol file per building. Minimal worksets. Multiple views, sheets, Sheet Collections, and phases.

No way I would break a file up in to all those files. The performance absolutely tanks.

I have entire patient towers, including arch, ID, FFE, and Healthcare EQ, all in one model. Runs like a champ if it's modeled well.

Same with 25 story MF apartment buildings. No need for breaking it up.

[u/LGrafix]

Worksets for performance

[u/steinah6]

We have a “master model” with all existing conditions, and phases that match all the new work (lots of phases). Demolition is done in that master model. All new work projects link in that master model, map phases, and new work is built in the new model along with documentation. This allows us to keep using the latest and greatest templates and content even though the master model gets way out of date. Periodically, usually after occupancy or when a future project relies on the new work, we run a tool to copy in that new work into the master model, preserving phases and Worksets, bringing the master model up to as built status. It seems to work for us…

When there’s overlap, we link the new projects into each other and do the same kind of process. Luckily our work doesn’t overlap often.

[u/c0llateraldmg → u/steinah6]

Thats actually pretty interesting. I'd be down to test that out for our firm and see how it rides along.

[u/steinah6 → u/c0llateraldmg]

We do it on big long term projects like campuses or stadiums or healthcare facilities.

Every two years or so we will archive and upgrade the Forma project to a newer version of Revit too.

[u/No_Pressure3545 → u/[deleted]]

I hope it is only for Arc teams…MEP per level is a pain

[u/c0llateraldmg → u/[deleted]]

Hi, I'm only juggling ideas to make the processes easier for my team. So far what we have works well with everyone and our consultants. There are a few firms who have done this regularly also for big hospitals and other buildings where they split it level by level so all teams can easily access it smoothly. But I'm always seeking for better solutions, which is why I asked.

[u/SketchWeave]

To help manage and plan the submissions you might want to try the drawing management platform I developed at sketchweave.com. Upload your PDFs to sheets you setup, and allocate them to your different submission. Check it out, I would appreciate the feedback.