Cambrian Heights
A 46,500 ft² multi-tenant industrial building in mass timber, placed on a difficult site using DAO's own cost and site models.
Algorithmic costing + design with spatial statistical models
We build models that link a project's geometry to approximate costs. Change a storey height, grid or building position, and the model shows how the cost moves while the design is still easy to change.
In plain terms
What the model does
Every part of a building has a cost. Some costs change smoothly as the design changes, and others jump in steps, such as one more row of footings, a bigger mechanical unit or an elevator.
Our model, usually built in parametric design software, measures those parts as the design changes and applies approximate rates. Comparing options then takes minutes instead of a redesign and a new estimate each time.
A cost consultant or contractor still prices the final design. The model narrows down which options are worth pricing.
On one project, early modelling identified more than $1 million in potential construction savings.
Examples
Where we have used it
Site placement on bedrock: Cambrian Heights, 2021
The 46,500 ft² building sits on a large, uneven site. The model priced bedrock blasting, fill, foundation walls, piers and retaining walls while we moved, raised and resized the building to find the cheapest option. The building is now complete.
Component costing: Fluid Costing study, 2021
A three-storey study model costed each component, from footings and envelope to ductwork, the elevator core and windows, as the geometry changed. It answers questions such as whether a taller floor height adds enough cost to matter.
Rule-based design: Carbon Canopy, 2019
For a timber addition threaded through existing buildings, a few client controls drive the whole design, down to fabrication outputs and material take-offs. See Carbon Canopy.
Preliminary site work: Chalmers and Kingsway
We are using the same site models on Chalmers (ongoing) and Kingsway to compare pad elevations, cut and fill, and access before the layout is fixed.
Questions
Common questions
When is a cost model worth doing?
When a few big decisions still open drive most of the cost, such as building position on a rocky site, storey heights, structural grid, size or phasing. It is most useful at concept and schematic design.
How accurate is it?
It is approximate. It shows which option costs more and roughly by how much. Final budgets come from a cost consultant or contractor.
Is it a separate service?
It can be part of our design work or a study on its own. Tell us the decision you're facing and we'll suggest the simplest model that answers it.
Projects using algorithmic design
Float Spa
A sensory-deprivation spa planned as a gradual removal of stimuli, with a perforated screen wall designed and built by DAO.
Nepahwin 2.0
A two-storey mass timber vertical addition over an occupied house, studied as a model for adding homes without new land.
Formid
A made-to-measure active seat folded from paper substrates, generated from body measurements and protected by two US patents.
Carbon Canopy
A rule-based mass timber addition threaded through existing downtown buildings, with drawings, fabrication data and costs generated from a few client controls.
Rogers South Tower
Parametric set-out for a 32-storey tower's undulating slab edges, documented without custom formwork.
Start a conversation
Have a site, a building or an idea? Tell us about it.
Email [email protected]. We work from Sudbury and Ottawa across Ontario.