The future of design—now.

“Two years ago, a client challenged us to produce something exciting. Naturally, we accepted the challenge. Using Revit Architecture for the very first time, we designed a new entrance for a major Savannah, Georgia, hospital and created an animated 3D walkthrough
—set to music. The clients were so impressed that they approved the design concept in one meeting.”

Project Summary

Founded in 1990, Lott + Barber Architects is an award-winning architectural and planning firm based in Savannah, Georgia. At every stage of the building process, the firm’s professional staff offers a comprehensive array of services, including full architectural design and planning, green building, and interior design. “We do a lot of repeat work for state and municipal governments, colleges and universities, and banks,” says founder Forrest Lott. The firm also has a strong focus on traditional neighborhood design and urban planning “When we started the firm in 1990, we had two rules of thumb,” says Lott. “First, we wanted to keep our clients coming back by exceeding their expectations. And second, we wanted to use the best tools on the market.” That’s why Lott + Barber is standardizing on Revit Architecture, the design and documentation software that works the way architects think. Since adopting the new software two years ago, the firm has begun work on more than 20 major projects.

The Challenge

One of those projects was the Armstrong Atlantic State University Continuing Education Center. “It’s a renovation,” says Lott. “The school acquired a shopping center and a large grocery store and plans to open the space to the business community for conferences.”

Complex Design

“In the original grocery store, there was a high ceiling over the checkout line. We had to put in a second floor there to house the administrative offices, as well as a large open mezzanine that serves as a two-story lobby for the offices.”

Data Disaster

“We had a mess of an existing database,” says Lott. “We began with some poor-quality CAD information that we translated to AutoCAD so we could have a base reference. It got to be such a mess that we just gave up.”

The Solution

To model the existing project and get back on track, Lott + Barber turned to Revit Architecture. Purpose-built for building information modeling (BIM), Revit Architecture works by creating one model that contains all project information. “Once we did that, we were able to proceed with the design,” says Lott. “We were also able to use many of Revit Architecture’s other powerful features.

Show Clients What You Mean

“For example, we used Revit Architecture to explain our design ideas and present them to the client,” says Lott. Revit Architecture made it easy for the architects to demonstrate what the tiered classroom would look like and where the marker boards and projection screens would be located. “We also showed them the view from any seat, as well as from the speaker’s podium.”

Bring 2D Data to Life

“My clients live in a 3D world,” continues Lott. “Two-dimensional information is hard for them to understand.” But Revit Architecture makes understanding easy. “It explains the design concept to clients better than I do.”

Share Information Painlessly

“And because all project information exists in the Revit Architecture model, getting another report, drawing section, or elevation out of the model is painless,” says Lott. “We’re not stingy with the number of drawings or views that we’ll create.”

Easily Make Changes

“And if clients suggest changes to the model, Revit Architecture makes that easy,” says Lott. As the architects change the model, Revit Architecture’s parametric change engine automatically updates all other project information, including floor plans, elevations, sections, 3D views, and renderings, as well as area calculations, schedules, and quantity takeoffs.

Finish Faster

“Once we get into schematics and design development, we can tell the story much faster using Revit Architecture than we can using traditional CAD” says Lott. The following table compares time spent on different stages of the design process for projects of similar size and scope using Revit Architecture versus traditional CAD. To back this up, the firm compared time spent on different stages of the design process for two projects of similar size and scope. One used Revit Architecture and the other used traditional CAD.

Reduce Errors

The firm also compared change orders on the two projects and found that the project designed in Revit Architecture had significantly fewer A/E errors.

The Result

“Revit Architecture probably gives us a two-to-one advantage over other firms using traditional design software,” says Lott. “We are standardizing on Revit Architecture for all new construction.”

“We’re at the point where waiting on our consultants is driving our project schedules,” says Lott. “That’s why our next Autodesk product focus is getting them to adopt Revit Structure. We see Revit software as the future. No doubt about it.”

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