Stalled project ‘never would have gotten done’ without ArchiCAD BIM software

The new LEED Gold, NetZero building, Pease Palace was once a terrible eyesore on Enfield Road in Austin Texas. Originally designed to be a 25-unit condo green residential building, it was stalled in 2007 because of financial and legal issues. Falling into graffiti-ridden and vandalized decay, the building brought down the property value of neighboring residents.

Until the project was picked up by Architecture365’s architect, Kit Johnson, who immediately recognized it’s need to use ArchiCAD building information modeling (BIM) software.

“In order to build it, we’ve had to make hundreds of changes to the original design to accommodate the realities of the site and its existing bones. This never would have gotten done without ArchiCAD,” said Johnson.

Architecture365 modeled a new design on the old structure in ArchiCAD, starting with data imported from 2D CAD and surveying software. With difficulties in the original construction documents however, the Johnson team had to constantly verify the design in the ArchiCAD BIM model.

“These changes were quite manageable in ArchiCAD yet would have been extraordinarily time-consuming and expensive in ‘flat CAD’, Plus, we were incorporating the normal changes a client will make, such as moving a window or door. We executed these modifications in probably a quarter of the time it would have taken in two-dimensional CAD. With BIM, you’re automatically adjusting plans, sections and elevations all at once. And some of the stunts we pulled with ArchiCAD would have crashed competing BIM software based on my experience. Bottom line, without ArchiCAD, I wouldn’t have any way of doing what I’m doing,” commented Johnson.

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