Missing a detail when working through an unfamiliar assembly can be easy to do. Getting your head around the movement of water, air, and the thermal boundary with all of the parts and pieces that are required to make the structure often requires more information than can be shown in a simple plan or elevation. I often find myself drawing in 3-D using a modeling software or even going as far as building a mock-up of the assembly. Sometimes both are needed.
If you are an architect, which I am not, you’ll have the software tools to make professional, photo realistic drawings. I do have some formal training in drafting, but that was decades ago, CAD was new, and my instructor believed in drawing by hand first, then move to the computer. Some of my past designs were simply done on paper or with an inexpensive CAD program, which can work, but not very impressive when trying to sell a client on a design.
The 3D model is easier to follow and pick out the different materials that are in the assembly. I tend to draw in SketchUp how the assembly would be built. I start at the foundation and move up, adding in the different layers as I go. There are probably more efficient ways to design, this process works for me as I think through the sequencing.
I have no formal training on the use of SketchUp other than a few YouTube videos I’ve watched, and I am using the free version. With a little practice, the software can take less time in creating an image than drawing the same amount of detail by hand. The improved drawings work in getting my ideas across to both the builder and their team members along with selling the homeowner on the design ideas.
Another area I use 3D modeling is when I need help getting a point across to a homeowner during an energy audit or building investigation. Often homeowners aren’t familiar with building terminology and a picture is useful.
This is an illustration I recently use when trying to show a homeowner how exterior insulation might work on both a wall and roof. This also happens to be the same model used for the previously shown rigid mineral wool insulation with in-floor heat. The software makes it very easy to modify one illustration to fit the needs of another project.
Sometimes though, it is a good idea to move beyond an illustration and into an actual model.
Building a mockup of an assembly allows a builder (and myself as the designer) to work with the products and materials that will be used in the actual build. I did this the first time I used Zip Systems sheeting, tapes and their fluid applied products. This not only helped me figure out how to work with the materials, like how to apply Zip’s Liquid Flash, but also helped in the sequencing of the assembly. The photo of the completed mockup was an early design for the concreteless slab on grade project. I didn’t like how a few of the products used in the mockup were working together. In the end, several changes were made that I feel improved the finished project, those changes may not have happened without first building the mockup.
Building a mockup can also be helpful if it includes the team who will be working on the project. Again, they may not be familiar with the different products that will be used. The mockup allows the workers to gain experience, like having an on-site training seminar. This training may include the architect or designer, the project manager or foreman and could also include a rep from the manufacturer supplying the materials for the project, it’s always best to have training supplied by the manufacturer whenever possible, their success is dependent on your success.
This photo comes from Chris Laumer-Giddens, a mockup of a build he was working on that included steel studs, 6 inches of exterior insulation, and a hat channel. He and his team together worked out the details in the mockup before moving forward on the actual build.
Another area where a mockup can be useful is showing a homeowner or building owner how the finished product will look. I’ve worked with several customers that had a hard time visualizing the final product.
Sometimes building details are simply shown in a floor or section plan as a single line, a three-dimensional detail drawing can help get the designer’s vision across to the people doing the work. A mockup takes an illustration to the next level, giving valuable experience to everyone involved on the project.
This post originally appeared on the Green Building Advisor website.
Informative ! Thanks.
Nice work