Being able to see a space in its entirety is no longer solely left to the imagination. Spaces in Autodesk Tandem are a level or a room containing a plethora of information about the various areas that feed into the day-to-day of a facility. Information that is not readily available without digging through piles of paper or having to log into multiple platforms or systems. So how do we access, view, and utilize information about Spaces?
*The Property card pictured is in beta. To join this beta, click here.
Before we start, this post assumes that models have been uploaded to Tandem and that users understand Tandem’s UI. To learn more, please visit, Tandem’s Autodesk Knowledge site.
Starting from the beginning, let’s create Space parameters. Just like Element and Type parameters, these provide users with specific information related to a space. Following the workflow on Tandem’s Parameter page, select Space from the Context dropdown for each custom space parameter being created. Examples of custom parameters that might be required are space/room type, max occupancy, yes/no for various amenities, HVAC airflow, or even external links to the conference room booking system. The flexibility here allows for various pieces of information to be captured either manually or mapped from the model.
Once the custom parameters have been created, users will need to associate these to a class in a Facility Template. Personally, I like to have a Spaces class, however, not every facility is managed the same, so how the template is structured will vary based on project and facility requirements.
In the example pictured below, I have done just that. I created a Spaces class and associated all my custom space parameters as was necessary. I then listed all the Space types as their own class since room needs, requirements, and attributes can vary. For instance, a conference room and a lab will not have the same requirements for supplies, amenities, or HVAC.
With the Facility Template created and applied to the facility, select a space in the viewer. Select a room and classify it. From there, information about the space can be viewed and manually entered in the properties panel on the right side of the screen. Scrolling down will show the Revit properties for the space.
Pro-tip: To simplify the view, in the filter panel, select the rooms filter under the Revit category section. This will show a block view of all the spaces.
If the authoring model(s) contain Space information, these can be mapped to custom parameters from the Assets tab. Doing this will auto-populate parameters with information from the model once a space is classified. As seen in the image below, parameters are grouped by parameter category. To learn more about classification and parameter mapping, read the Auto-populating with Classification & Parameter Mapping forum post.
Information about a Space is just as important as asset information. Knowing the full composition of a room can make decision-making more efficient. As an example, large meetings or events may require a certain type of space and square footage to accommodate attendees. What about a meeting or presentation that requires specific AV setup in order to be successful? That information can be viewed in one central place within Tandem.
Another example of where Space information is important is around building maintenance and preventative maintenance. Carpet cleaning is something that is done at regular intervals. Knowing the total square footage can assist in getting more accurate estimates for cleaning or replacing the carpet altogether. This might sound trivial but Owners, all too often must take a measuring tape, walk over to the room (or asset), and take measurements so they have the information they need; Tandem can provide the measurements and the total square footage to the owners without them having to leave their desk. That is a huge timesaver.
Now, Tandem Connect, our recently launched beta feature, can do some of the same workflows described above but with less manual effort. Tandem Connect can send numeric data from external systems to a digital twin in Tandem. Space information such as environmentals and occupancy data can be ingested by Tandem at regular intervals and viewed in the Streams panel or a heatmap, creating a visual representation of what is going on in the space and the facility as a whole.
The beta has been very active since launch, and customers have been discussing it with each other and members of the product team in our Insider Lounge. If this sounds like something you’d like to participate in, click here to join the Tandem Connect beta and begin testing. We’d love to hear your feedback and insights as this helps us develop a more meaningful and valuable platform for creating a digital twin.
The space management benefits that Tandem has are only getting started. The examples mentioned above are small, but the potential time savings are huge between space information being readily accessible and being able to see that information in an easy-to-digest view.
Jessica Smith
Content Marketing Specialist, Autodesk Tandem
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