Abstract

Although the global interest in BIM design increases and its importance becomes more shared, studies on BIM tend to be absent in the area of landscape architecture. This study was intended to fill this absence and covered 13 small parks for listing, footnoting, and tagging. Statuses of planting in these parks were identified and analyzed. It aimed to present a standard guideline on template development and application for landscape architecture by using Revit, a BIM program, and provide basic data of landscape-based BIM processes.
Based on a literature review and theoretical exploration, it was found that BIM had been actively introduced to the entire area of construction industry and the BIM process was a necessary paradigm to be prepared in landscape architecture, too, in order to get ready for the rapidly changing global trends and strengthen collaboration and connection with architecture industrial areas.
Also, a questionnaire survey on the barriers and requisites to introduce BIM revealed that “it is necessary to disseminate a standard guideline for practical application as the current BIM standards and guidelines are absent or insufficient” and “the development of templates and libraries" took a large share at the introductory stage. Summing up, the development of templates is an important factor in the overall construction areas.
The results were discussed and deliverables became available with the development of actual landscape templates. The results can be summarized as follows.
First, footnotes and types of small parks were extracted and classified into types covering lists, planting tags, sheets, symbols, and families. The extracted types were largely divided again into planes, standard nomenclature, and law check, which was followed by another detailed classification for analysis.
Second, lists, planting, tables, footnotes and tags were extracted to standardize the types and names of families and the elements establishing a landscape template were divided as follows.
(1) Sheet: Arranged based on the list of drawings for 13 small parks.
(2) Symbol: Symbols to be used as signs for planting plans, pavement, or plane plans for facilities were developed into 2D forms for representation and arrangement in the library.
(3) Family: The plants of the existing template were newly standard-named and variables were applied on the type characteristic window to arrange scientific names, characteristics, areas, polarity, place of origin, and cold resistance by using formula functions in the family type edition section.
(4) Visibility: Graphics re-designation for immediate 3D review in the design process heightened the understanding of subject areas, enabling review of the appearance and appropriateness of the surrounding.
(5) Table and quantity: Based on the execution drawing designed toward the development, a table of overall quantities was developed.
(6) Manual: A manual was arranged for easy application at the early BIM introduction.
Third, evaluation of templates using 3D modeling found that tables and quantities were automatically developed along with 3D drawings. These were provided in advance, heightening design productivity and visibility. Also, landscape templates structuralized *rfa files by revising the basic Revit templates again, which can be extended to overall construction areas.
However, there were problems with BIM design.
First, connectivity of some CAD files was low, disabling import functions. This requires functional improvement of BIM program.
Second, BIM models don''t perfectly support detailed or sectional drawings. It will be necessary to improve BIM and forms of expression rather than adhering to the existing design method.
Third, signs were not automatically arranged when a quantity table was developed. It will be necessary to improve BIM-based forms of expressions, which will expand the template functions along with API.
Fourth, the grounds for estimation when making a table cannot be automatically derived. This will require API to expand template functions.
This study aimed to explore the recent trends in construction and develop the template which are appropriate for BIM-based landscape design. Landscape templates will effectively support the standards and guidelines of landscape architecture and improve design quality.