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Can Designers Use BIM in Landscape Architecture?
Yes. While BIM may traditionally be associated with the design and construction of buildings, more and more landscape architects are starting to use BIM to create intelligent, practical designs that are rich in useful information.
Even though landscape architects aren’t designing buildings, they are still designing development landscapes - work that requires full clarity when it comes to how a landscape will look once built, affect the surrounding buildings, and even evolve over time.
By taking advantage of the detailed data available via BIM, landscape architects are not only accomplishing project goals more successfully, but also making it easier to integrate their work with the rest of the project infrastructure. BIM-supported landscape design also allows for easier collaboration within a single model.
BIM Landscape Architecture Models vs. Standard 3D Models
One of the first questions that comes up when considering BIM in landscape architecture is: what is the difference between BIM models and the traditional 3D models landscape designers are used to working with?
The distinguishing factor lies in the data each model type can hold. With BIM, your model can be populated with information regarding every aspect of the design and the landscape model materials.
For example, a single tree placed in a BIM model could hold all of the information necessary for planting, anticipating its growth and bloom cycles, and planning its maintenance needs (water usage, etc.). It’s also possible to predict the amount of shade it would create, which could impact energy efficiency calculations in any architectural portions of the development. Other relevant details can additionally be set, such as root size, species name, or average cost per unit.