A building is the result of three designs that have to match: architecture, structures and building systems. When they are developed in separate firms, the inconsistencies surface on site, where correcting them costs more. Integrated design brings them out earlier, on screen, on the same model.
Three designs, one building
The architectural design defines form, spaces and identity. The structural design sizes foundations, columns, beams and floor slabs. The building systems design – known in the trade as MEP, Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing: mechanical, electrical, and water and sanitary systems – brings air, energy, water and data to every room.
All three take up physical space, often the same space. A beam in the path of an air duct, a column where a service riser is needed, a suspended ceiling too low to house the services: these are clashes. On paper they stay invisible as long as each discipline draws on its own. On site they become variations, delays and unplanned costs.
A single BIM model
BIM – Building Information Modelling – is a three-dimensional model in which every element is an object with dimensions, materials and quantities. In integrated design, architects, structural engineers and MEP engineers work on the same model. Clash detection is done before building, when moving a duct costs one click.
The model produces the drawings, which update with every change, and the quantities for the cost estimates. Those who decide have a complete building in front of them, which they can also explore with 3D headsets, before the site opens.
What changes for the client
- Fewer variations during the works: conflicts between disciplines are resolved in the design.
- More reliable costs: the quantities come from the model, item by item.
- More certain timings: decisions are made while changing them still costs little.
- A single point of responsibility: no passing the buck between designers when something does not add up.
- A documented building: at the end of the works the updated model remains, useful for maintenance and future alterations.
How we work at ARCHIlabs
At ARCHIlabs, architects, structural engineers, and electrical and mechanical engineers work in the same studio and on the same model, from concept to final testing. Urban planning, health and safety coordination, works supervision and testing complete the process with in-house expertise. The method, step by step, is on the Architecture & Engineering page.