1. ArchiCAD for the Sole Practitioner:
Modelling, Marketing and Making
Money
DAH Architecture Case Study
Sole Practitioner David Hansford started out in Architecture at Hayes
Anderson Lynch (HAL) Architects in 2005. During this time, he worked
his way up to an Associate Director working on a vast array of projects
using ArchiCAD before leaving in 2014 to start his own practice, DAH
Architecture.
The transition from working in teams with specialised roles on projects
to doing everything single-handledly from schematic design through
to Building Approval has certainly been a change for David. As a result
he has had to adjust the way he works and the way he communicates
with his clients.
“Because most of my clients these days are builders, they already
have a good idea of what they want when they come to see me. My
philosophy as a sole practitioner is about delivering to my clients what
they want in the easiest way possible. I continued using ArchiCAD
when I went out on my own because I believe with ArchiCAD I am
able to do this quickly and accurately, and because of this they keep
coming back.”
Dealing mostly in residential and renovation, David takes on all sorts
of jobs with his smallest project being a staircase and his largest an
8-storey apartment block. Regardless of the project, he finds that 3D is
the best way to not only model, but also to market his designs.
“Clients are always really impressed with the ArchiCAD models I
produce – they think you’ve gone above and beyond - but it’s just the
general process of designing in ArchiCAD,” he says.
The added features of BIMx and CineRender available in ArchiCAD
have also been a large factor in David’s business, which weren’t as
crucial at HAL, where there were dedicated office renderers and
external consultants.
“Since I’ve started my own practice, these tools have definitely become
a factor to winning jobs. BIMx particularly is a great marketing
and communication tool as it gives my clients, who may not fully
understand a 2D plan, a better idea of what the finished product is
going to look like. The ability for the client to ‘walk through’ and explore
the proposed design, in their own time as well as in meetings, helps
enhance comprehension and in turn helps me manage my client’s
expectations and reduces my risk. That’s why I do a BIMx model for
almost every project now.”
DAH Architecture
www.daharchitecture.
com.au

2. David has found that even builders who are used to seeing plans
everyday can sometimes find it hard to visualise exactly what the
finished product will look like. Being able to see and go through the
model means that clients are able to pick out quickly and easily exactly
what they do and do not like. With ArchiCAD and BIMx the ability to
make changes in perspective view is enormously beneficial. We can
make changes on the fly and the client can instantly see the impact
this will have on the finished product.
“I had a project which I took over at Building Approval stage. I
modelled the DA plan drawings as they currently were into ArchiCAD
and imported this into BIMx to show the client, who was also the
builder and owner, what the finished product would look like. When
he saw the design in BIMx he was very unhappy, and asked me to
redo the design. The easy and intutitive design capability of ArchiCAD
and the added functionality of BIMx in the end saved him a lot of
disappointment, time and money.”
Recently David has also had a project where he had to design
a new house to be added to a 2500 sqm site at the Church of
Transfiguration in Norman Park, QLD. The design included a tennis
court, swimming pool, 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a home office and
multiple lounge areas. Because the site itself was heritage listed,
both church and the planned new house had to be modelled up for
Development Approval.
“ArchiCAD was a massive help in modelling the church with the
complex profiling tool, which was very useful given that elements
such as spires, columns and fretwork are not standardised in
Queensland.”
With the current version of ArchiCAD this tool made it simple to
create a 3D model of a site which was very large and complex.
“I don’t even want to think about if I had tried to do this project in 2D.
It would have been a lot more work and time, thus a much higher
cost for the client.”
Since completing this project so efficiently David has also had a
number of referrals and new jobs such as a house and apartment
block in the pipeline for this year.
“Working with the structural engineers and other contractors for this
project, it couldn’t have been done without 3D modelling and for me
this couldn’t be done any easier in any other program.”
“Clients are always
really impressed with
the ArchiCAD models I
produce - they think
I’ve gone above and
beyond, but it’s just the
general process of
designing in ArchiCAD.”
- David Hansford, architect

3. For David, saving time is not only through the complex profiling tool,
but also through the ability to look through models for faults and
issues before the construction stage.
“In ArchiCAD it is easier to see issues and pick up faults in things
like clearances and modelling beams. Walking around in fly-through
mode, or even just browsing through the model, I find that I pick up
on clashes or issues very quickly.”
With the inclusion of CineRender in the latest ArchiCAD, rendering
is also something that David can see becoming a big part of his
practice, something, that he never had to worry about before.
“Before its inclusion in ArchiCAD, I would use ‘cartoon-like’ 3D
images, but now I am able to produce decent renders with relative
ease and client response has been very positive,” he says.
“The improvements to Archicad over the last 6 years has definitely
simplified the complex task of documenting a building and increased
the scope for sole practitioners like myself. Most importantly, the
inclusion of many time saving elements and increased capabilities
has made for better quality documentation meaning more accurate
tenders and less RFI’s on site.”
David’s Practice, DAH Architecture is located in Toowong, QLD, for
more information about his business visit his site at: http://www.
daharchitecture.com.au/index.html
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