The project tested how a data model based building permit would work in a block of flats project. There were three municipalities involved: Vantaa, Hyvinkää and Järvenpää.

What kind of problem is this project trying to solve?

The project was a joint effort by three different municipalities (Vantaa, Järvenpää, Hyvinkää) and four different suppliers (Evolta, Gravicon, Solibri, Sova3D). The project sought to answer how well the targets set in the project description document would be met, and how the process should be changed or how the various software applications and their interoperability should be developed in the future. The project assessed the viability of the process from the perspective of the authorities, applicants for permits and designers.

Objective: to make the process quicker and better

More and more sites are designed in a model-based way but, for the processing of the permit, the 3D designs are still saved in the traditional 2D format. This process results in extra work for both designers and building controllers.

In future, the majority of buildings will be designed using data models, and their compliance with building regulations will be checked electronically, using artificial intelligence, by the designer before the application for a building permit is submitted. The authorities’ tasks concerning the processing of permits will focus on examining the application from the perspective of the cityscape and the local plan and, on a case-by-case basis, approving justified deviations. Permits will be processed in a few weeks or days instead of months.

Who benefits?

Thanks to data model based design, the process of assessing how suitable a building is to its environment and surrounding architecture can be improved by overlaying the building’s 3D designs on the city model. This will give the developer, the designers, the building controllers, planning officials and neighbours a better opportunity to assess, for example, the building’s massing, the colours of its facade, the shape of its roof, and its height and shade in a more realistic environment. This will considerably facilitate interaction between these different parties at the various stages of the project.
 
Data model based building permit for a block of flats
Duration: 1 August 2017–29 December 2017
Implemented by: Vantaa, Hyvinkää and Järvenpää
Partners: Evolta, Gravicon, Solibri, Sova3D

Contact information

Jouni Vastamäki, Senior Building Control Officer, Cities of Järvenpää and Hyvinkää
Tel: +358 40 315 2581
Email: jouni.vastamaki(at)jarvenpaa.fi