Mastering Autodesk® Revit® Architecture 2013

Chapter 23

Revit in the Classroom

Building information modeling presents an amazing learning opportunity for today's students by allowing them to quickly visualize a complete design concept in various ways.

Initially, students tend to focus on the modeling component of Autodesk^® Revit^® Architecture software, seeing it as little more than a SketchUp alternative. But perhaps more important and relevant is the information element; Revit is a database that can display information both graphically and nongraphically. This allows students to convey complex design ideas using multiple techniques that clearly communicate the intent.

These building information models are located in the real world, and they have access to local climate data. This presents a wonderful opportunity to compare different design options and study the effects of various environmental factors. This itself is an additional learning opportunity; the student must research to understand the data more thoroughly. This investigation helps to better inform each iteration of the design. While the software does present the information in an easily digestible format, the question of what to do next is still one for the student to answer.

In this chapter, you'll:

• Learn why BIM and Revit are core to the educational design process at Virginia Tech
• Understand how students use sustainability tools in Revit during their design process
• Understand how Virginia Tech leverages the use of Revit to maintain relationships with local ...