Commercial Building - Looking for some Suggestions

[contractcad]

I've got a rectangular warehouse/manufacturing building that although existing (not going to be building from my plans) I'd like to create a fairly accurate layout for some minor interior renovations as well as just have the building documented in a digital format ('m working from pencil drawings made back in 1976).

 

My main hoops I'm dealing with is that although the building is a high bay flat roof 22 feet high front to back it does have a single floor enclosed office area in the front with a mezzanine above (sticking a 2 floor area within a single floor structure).  I also have exterior pilasters every 20' down the long walls (161 FT) which most are easy the first one on either side in the front happen to be blended into a brick façade ( I have problems wrapping the ends of the pilaster with the brick) .  Then to top it off I have some architectural augmentations to the exterior walls around the front office area of the building that's not making it easy.  Just wondering if anyone has dealt with similar situations that may have some tips for me.

AVN-FLOOR PLAN.pdf

[Joe_Carrick]

The PDF is too grainy to accurately determine what the dimensions are.  However, the way to create this model is to make it 2 stories and then designate the warehouse 2nd floor area as "Open Below".  The brick on the pilasters will probably need to be done with a PSolid or Wall Material Region.  There are several options to do this.

[lbuttery]

Hi:

 

welcome

 

it would be best if you could post the actual plan if you have it started in Chief

 

many users on the forum love to tweak the plans and send then back

 

Lew

[rlackore]

It's doable, here's a recent project o' mine:

 

 

My tips:

1. Draw the grade beam on Level 0.

2. Draw the slab and your steel on Level 1.

3. Draw the mezzanine and roof on Level 2.

4. Draw the parapet on Level 3 (walls with no-room definition, no roof or ceiling above, etc.). You can model the cant strip and stuff with moldings.

 

Those are the biggies - the rest is just slogging through the particulars: getting the wall defs dialed in, modeling the bar joists, etc. You can get as far into the weeds as you want. The exterior architectural elements can be done with a variety of tools: solids, moldings, etc. The pilasters can be done with a short section of fatter exterior wall. But it's the basic set-up that will make the difference, and that's where tips #1-#4 come into play.

[Ridge_Runner]

Nice design, Robert. Yours, or someone else? For me, the hardest type of building to put a good design on is a warehouse type - you know, the old "silk purse out of a sow's ear" type thing. 

[rlackore]

32 minutes ago, Ridge_Runner said:

Nice design, Robert. Yours, or someone else?

 

I can take only partial credit. The architectural concept usually starts with the Big Boss, then it's passed off to a project manager like myself, who develops the design, creates the condocs, etc. The biggest challenge on this particular project (at least on the exterior) was finding a way to integrate the custom glulams and timber into the standard metal building construction; not to mention that most metal building owners are trying to do everything on the cheap.

[Ridge_Runner]

4 hours ago, rlackore said:

not to mention that most metal building owners are trying to do everything on the cheap.

That's most of my struggle! You can make a silk purse out of a sow's ear if you have enough funding. 

[contractcad]

Well here is what I came up with so far, I haven't placed windows on either the west or north side yet because I frustratingly can't extend walls on either side to their correct dimensions without the program overriding any wall that I'm dragging along it's length and having it run all the way to the end. Can't find any wall setting that I can shut off to keep this from happening.  (not the first time I've had this problem).  I see I also have a reoccurring annoyance where the at the northwest corner where I created a thickened wall that the block is exposed thru the brick veneer which I figure has to be patched with a polyline face. I can do that after I tame my wall problems.

 

I did create one pilaster on the south side (where the brick begins) using a polyline solid.  I guess for me to have it appear on each floor plan I probably have it rise only one level and then duplicate it for each floor.

 

I also had a problem with creating the inner door setup whereby my doorframe wanted to default to being the full thickness of the block/brick wall I was inserting it in when I was trying to force the frame to be only 4 inches wide to duplicate the actual Bronzed aluminum frame in the building. I was able to accomplish making the window sidelight next to it 4 inches but I deleted all of it in an attempt to insert a 4 inch wide wall into a doorway but couldn't get it done.  I left it as a doorway and figured I'd ask for some tips on how it's done.

 

I also plan to fill the voids in the mezzanine floor along the areas where the vertical siding is but was wondering if it may be better to delete the whole mezzanine floor and make it just one polyline solid.

 

 

18009 Building.plan

[rlackore]

You can fix the problem wall using the Edit Wall Layer Intersections Tool. You need to use the tool at all floor levels, including both the lower and upper portions of the Level 1 pony wall.

 

I suggest that you modify your wall definitions so there is only one main layer - the CMU - and the insulation and brick veneer are exterior layers. I think you'll find it easier to manage intersections.

[contractcad]

Also another question to add to my last post (that still I'm hoping to get some comments on).

 

I've added some partition walls to the office whereby I made them using pony walls that the lower portion is the partition wall made to a approximate 8 foot height and the upper wall is a custom "NONE" wall I created with no attributes but made to the same widths and thickness as to a regular drywall and stud wall which I can then use a fill color in the area of the studs. Works great except that it will fill thru doors, windows etc. in the plan view and just looks wrong.  I basically am trying to create a plenum area that looks more correct in camera and section views. Camera views are fine but section views show a white area from the top of the pony wall to the full height of the wall.

 

I've tried making the walls a solid rail wall to control height but when inserting doors there is always a void above them in camera and section views. (windows for some reason don't have this problem)

 

Is there a better way to do this?

[rlackore]

Storefronts are impossible to do correctly in Chief. Plan view can be approximated by manipulating the door settings:

 

However, it won't display very well in 3D (notice how the jamb disappears, the trim color extends through the opening, and the wall finish is gone where there is usually casing:

 

Many folks have requested the ability to model storefront systems and commercial-type steel door frames for several versions, but so far our pleas have fallen on deaf ears.

 

 

[rlackore]

37 minutes ago, contractcad said:

Also another question to add to my last post (that still I'm hoping to get some comments on).

 

I've added some partition walls to the office whereby I made them using pony walls that the lower portion is the partition wall made to a approximate 8 foot height and the upper wall is a custom "NONE" wall I created with no attributes but made to the same widths and thickness as to a regular drywall and stud wall which I can then use a fill color in the area of the studs. Works great except that it will fill thru doors, windows etc. in the plan view and just looks wrong.  I basically am trying to create a plenum area that looks more correct in camera and section views. Camera views are fine but section views show a white area from the top of the pony wall to the full height of the wall.

 

I've tried making the walls a solid rail wall to control height but when inserting doors there is always a void above them in camera and section views. (windows for some reason don't have this problem)

 

Is there a better way to do this?

 

Try a shelf ceiling set at 96 inches:

 

 

P.S. I just realized that you're not running X10. You should fill out your signature with the version of Chief you are using so when we respond to your questions we'll know not to include tips that your version may not support.

[contractcad]

rlacklore,

 

1st, the edit wall intersections tool worked great... except for the lower portion of  the pony wall on my 1st level.  I cannot seem to grab that portion of the wall either in the plan or 3d views where that tool button is available.  You were obviously able to do so but I still need to be clued in.

 

Also, regarding that same corner (plus the other window area down the north wall from that corner) I still have the problem of not being able to precisely locate wall transitions that close to wall intersections. gotta be able to move the thickened wall portion within 2 feet of the corner without being overridden by the adjacent wall type.

 

As for placing just placing my CMU on  the main layer I don't think I can blend flush the brick veneer to the CMU like how it is on the building, unless I'm still not understanding something.

 

Making the partition walls with a shelf ceiling in that envelope works well, but I do still have the problem with my 8" cmu partition wall where I'm still using a pony wall because the block goes all the way up to support the mezzanine wall. So that wall I either have to live with it not showing correctly in the plan view, or just not be so anal about accuracy when it's not that important.  Leave it as a full wall that shows the drywall in the plan view and toggle the pony wall if I do any 3d or wall elevation views.

 

Now about the interior commercial doorway I think I may have a workaround again using a pony wall setup but I KNOW I'm going to be frustrated from not being able to easily control wall transitions so close to wall intersections.