Using a comprehensive building design system

Abstract

The present assessment of BDS support for the detail design stage is that it was moderately successful. Without the BDS contribution, it would have been impossible to achieve the target dates without a considerable increase in staff and the difficulties this inevitably creates. Similarly, now that working drawings are nearing completion, the final stage is considered moderately successful. The degree of success varies and is clearly dependent upon the amount of revision which takes place. It is certain that the introduction of CAD techniques can benefit all disciplines involved and aid the economic production of fully coordinated drawings and schedules. Using BDS on a large multi-disciplinary project has shown that benefit will be obtained by its application to projects of a smaller scale, or even restricted to a single discipline. Future projects will make increasing use of all facilities. Training architects and engineers from structural and services disciplines is proceeding, and gradually a team is being created within the project capable of dealing with project development under guidance of the core team. This is in line with the intention that those interested should be encouraged to use the system and that the core team size should not be increased significantly, regardless of volume of work. This should avoid the creation of a specialist team through which all work is filtered, and eliminate the possibility of those involved in projects feeling divorced from the means of creating them.