In my experience within the company this far, I have had no exposure to traditional technical construction drawings related to the built environment within Interior Design. What I mean by this is that the steps of collecting site survey information to drawing up the technical drawings are completely fast forwarded. The initial focus of the firms purpose is to produce Interior Decor products that are easy to construct and cost effective. Their upcoming line of work and more primary focus now closely related to Interior Design involves A.I and LiDAR device scanning tools. The information collected using this method readily produces technical drawings such as sections, elevations and plans of a building.
There has been a few cases where I was able to give technical specifications of a product that can assist in creating a more effectively designed space in terms of its use and the best recommended flooring, finishes etc. I will be going into further details in the points to follow.
Preparation of working drawings and specifications
As mentioned the companies main focus is on producing cost effective, easy to assemble furniture and decor, this requires a design process where the correct concept, look&feel (mood board) as well as colour scheme is needed to create an effective decor item which suits the companies brand.
Through this experience I have been exposed to the technical drawings of lighting, furniture and small decor items. These documents are then finalised by the Design team, which will then get sent to the manufacturers once approved. Specifications of fixings and materials are required to accurately execute a product. If not the final production could be prolonged and cause a delay in authorising the final product.
There is also the locally manufactured and designed rug range which has increased my technical abilities in Photoshop. From the concept to the working drawings, I was tasked to produce mock-ups of what the end product of each rug would look like using computer illustrator - Adobe Illustrator. This will then receive the same authorisation process and product manufacture testing as furniture and decor before the final product is produced.
With regards to the scanning technology there is no preperation of documentation needed. The scan enables recording of measurements, built in items and structural details which essentially gives us a quantification model to work off of in various file formats automatically without being drawn up in CAD software manually.
Monitoring the documentation process against time and cost plans
The usual project timeline for decor and furniture product testing takes unto 2-6 weeks. Once finalised production is pushed forward by popularity as observed by request through the companies website.
As for the scanning technology, a scan takes upto to 1-3hours depending on the reach and size of the space. Documentation processing time upto 2-3 days, and readily available CAD file once the 2-3 days are complete. These files are then available in formats of SketchUp, AutoCAD and Revit.
Checking of documents for compliance with statutory requirements
A fire rating, wear and tear, acoustic properties, slip resistance where necessary and general quality testing is completed on all products in the factory by the companies trusted manufacturers in terms of furniture and decor products.
The scan to CAD files produced by the scanning technology can only produce existing as built structures. Any adjustments made prior to scanning will be recorded but any adjustments to be made post scanning will have to be adjusted in AutoCAD, Revit and SketchUp itself. This would mean that any user of this tool would have to approve their buildings with its statutory requirements and structure before the scanning process to ensure the safety of the user and any changes to be made post scan can then be done.
Once the Designer or Architect receives their files they are able to pull the automatically drawn construction drawings back into any CAD software they prefer for adjustments. The purpose of initiating a scan is to cut site visits and time taken to develop these file format drawings.
Co-ordination of subcontractors documentation
When contracting Interior Designers, Architects, Product manufacturers, Quantity Surveyors or Insurance firms etc. an MOU is completed which enables the contractor to have access to scanned data collected by the client/firm and 3D rendering software for perspective visualisation.
Similarly as previously mentioned in my Design and Documentation reflection any furniture and decor manufacturers willing to onboard the program and add an inventory to the software would have to agree to the terms of use. The software has live local furnishings available for 3D modelling which are being built up as the software pans out.
Co-ordination of contract drawings and specifications
The distribution of scanning (contract drawings) happens per scan completed and processed. Depending on the use of the scan a request for an AutoCAD, SketchUp, Basic 2D floorplan, elevation, eco pdf or Revit file is available. There is then also the option to recreate 3D spaces in the rendering design software, this can be done in-house or outsourced to Airloom.
To obtain permission of use of the software, the Designer or Architect agrees to the MOU and scanning technology. They are allowed to request the outsourced rendering service of the in-house designer from Airloom or purchase a license to use the software in their own firms. The same applies to renting a device to scan which will mean contactless site visits and ability to check and recheck any and all existing structural data and scanned information of the space in 3D.
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