Room data sheets are used to communicate the requirements of the client for a particular type of space to the design teams. They are typically developed during the briefing and architectural programming stages. The information they contain could include general requirements as well as guidance notes, or more specific specifications for fixtures, finishes, (F&F) and mechanical and electrical equipment.
The information is normally presented on a single sheet per room (hence the name) however, depending on the scope may be spread across more than one sheet. The sheets are usually provided to contractors with specifications and drawings.
A range of software is available to assist with the creation of RDSs. Some software is designed to link Revit models, so that the content of the model as well as the room data sheet are identical. This synchronisation helps to manage the document and avoids duplicate entries.
Layer is a powerful management tool that manages room data. It has an easy-to-use interface to capture room data and it can create multiple sheets for different types of space. It is also able to backfill room types in existing Revit projects and generate custom reports. Layer also allows the user to define naming conventions and views on sheets and can modify properties such as scale, browser organization and naming.
The Layouts panel lets you determine the layout of views that are generated on a sheet including margin values M&A transactions as well as the position of the titleblock. The option to prevent view titles from estimating the size of the sheet’s total view is also available. This will stop titles from taking over views on the sheet, and may also allow more elevation views to be generated on sheets.