Hello,
And happy thanksgiving to fellow USA dwellers.
I am an Architect that is fed up with PC and AutoCAD, but use them (and have since AutoCAD "one") in my office setting.
My wife and I (we work together currently as well) are exploring the creation of a virtual studio model [namely the two of us working out of our robust home office and using remote contract employees as needed) going forward. No time is set for the change to this model.
My current firm is a 'commercial' architectural firm but our profitable work is very heavily loaded to residential... just not the single family sort. High Rise Condominium, Mid Rise Multi Family, Hospitality, and Retail are the responsibility of my studio.
My wife and I are Mac based at home and within our virtual studio model.
I am testing out CA and there are many things I really like about it.
Conceptually here is what I am thinking as to multi family mid and high rise.
Create the shell with floor structure, columns, demising walls, exterior walls, foundations, and roof. Our high rise is cast in place concrete > so concrete columns, concrete shear walls, CMU exterior walls, and metal stud corridor walls and demising walls. So I think I can customize CA a bit and pull that all off very efficiently. Our mid rise is mostly wood frame. Sometimes wood frame on concrete podium and sometime on slab. Often our condo work is a wrap with parking in the center either structured or surface.
Then Create the unit plans file. All the detail for the units (CA excels at this it appears) resides in a single plan type - Unit 'A' - so to speak graphically keyed into the overall plan using the demising center walls.
Keep these two files separate and coordinate the geometry of the exterior walls, columns, and the demising walls carefully. Assuming there is not an Xref equivalent in CA.
This would allow me to handle the shell, structure, etc. And my wife to handle the unit planning and detailing.
Thoughts?
Part of the decision as to which software to use must consider the nature of our work.
Thanks so much for taking the time to read and respond with your thoughts - and suggestions.
I did search for terms like multi family and condominium but came up mostly blank on these forums.
Best,
Jim