RE: Wall Naming Convention
I have followed your investigation on this topic with interest.
The results of my deliberations after reading various responses has been to use tags and legends -my projects tend not to have very many different wall types though.
It seems to me that this is something that can very easily become about as complex as the AIA Autocad layering system if you are not careful - exactly what you are trying to avoid.
Good luck,
Rob
RE: Wall Naming Convention
Josh - we do mostly commercial (multi-family) work. Wood Frame, metal stud, cmu and occasionally concrete or something else. We really use about 12-14 different types. We just opted for a simple system that can be tagged easily. W-1 on up for Wood walls, S-1 on up for Metal stud, M-1 on up for Masonry, etc. This is basically to help the subs. The framer can skip the metal stud stuff, and the mason only has to look for the M- walls. The finish guys have to check everywhere anyway, so they're just stuck with it. Almost every wall type we use is Rated and is some kind of tested assembly, so we have a legend that describes the wall, and then another sheet with the full description of the UL, ICC, Gypsum Association, etc. wall system. This way all the little rules and exceptions are listed and accounted for, as well as insulation rules, since Revit Walls don't really deal with that actively. The better contractors here are getting very familiar with the Assembly codes - we will probably eventually just start using those. As for naming them within Revit - the simpler the better. We're a small office, though, which gives us some freedom. Very often we don't know what the wall is when we start the model, so we will start functionally (Wall around bike storage) and rename later.
RE: Wall Naming Convention
Thanks for your replies guys.
Jeff, How do you guys handle the diff. types of wood walls for instance. I know you stated you use a type mark like W-1, W-2 and so on, but is this project specific depending on what you have decided to use for the project, or are the W-1, W-2 alread pre-defined walls? And your wall type legends, do you draw these in every project, or do you have these wall legends already drawn based off of pre-defined W-1, W-2 etc.?
What I've done in the past is draw the walls I need in a project, after I've got them all developed I give them a mark, W-1, W-2 or something similar, then write a description for the wall and leave it at that. I will also designate a linetype on the wall for a fire-rating if needed, but other than that, I haven't used a wall type legend that graphically describes the wall assembly. So previously, my naming has been per project, so nothing has really been organized at all. But when I think of how I can organize it, it jsut seems like a huge undertaking to document all the wall types, come up with some kind of table that lists the diff. sizes, HR ratings, insulation types, special notes and special modifiers or special conditions, and make it understandable to the readers, especially in the housing market. I'm trying to figure out how to simplify this legend but will still give you the info needed. But I really like the idea of having a graphical representation of the wall assembly.
Tell you the truth, this is simply a lack of experience and exposure to this level of documentation. I would love to see some examples of some of your(you guys) legends and or wall types to give me a better idea of how to put it all together. Thanks for taking the time to read this one......I'll get it eventually!:)
Josh
RE: Wall Naming Convention
Josh - I'll show you what we've done in the past. I think the market you serve and the product you deliver have a lot to do with it. I've done a lot of custom single-family in the past, and there wasn't really any standard. Some contractors would like wood, others steel, and the finish systems insulation, all of that would change from job to job. For those doing public projects, they've got to get every little thing detailed and explained and communicated. They have to have a complex system. We're doing 60' high wood frame buildings, and a W-3 (our typical double-wall demising wall) will have double 2x4's at 8" o.c. grade select, and the top floor is single 2x4's at 16 or 24" o.c. common grade, and it changes project to project based on the seismic, wind classification, and any special loads. Plus there may be shear, which might be plywood or it might be gyp. A contractor that isn't sophistocated enough to manage this kind of coordination isn't qualified to do the work. If I tried to get all of that scheduled I'd have to hire accountants to keep track of it and accountants to build it. Plus then we'd be responsible for any mis-coordination. It is much better for us to set out some clear rules, teach the contractors how to use them, and then make them responsible.
Like I said above, I'd get jeered off the stage if I proposed something like that to guys doing courthouses or post offices or clean rooms. I usually try to figure out the highest level of complexity I really have to manage, and make the simplest system I can that works. And then revise it two or three times as I go along.
With the discussion we had previously about doing takeoffs, you might be forced into a more complex system, even if just for yourselves. If you've got the resources, it's worth the experiment.
Good Luck.