When designing for BIM, the Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MEP) engineers have to work with a vast amount of objects. The models can therefore easily become very large and engineers will make an effort to keep the models as small as possible. The solution for this challenge is to use parametric objects which are very small in size. At the same time, these objects need to have the right amount of information, including values for pressure loss, sound levels, heating and cooling capacity as well as other data, to enable accurate calculations during the design. Using light parametric objects with the correct data is the key to successful MEP design.
The example below illustrates the fact that MEP design requires a much greater number of components or objects than all other building components in the building project combined.
Picture Source: Granlund