The following provides a step-by-step description and representation of the user experience in driving CATALYST.
From the home page or your company’s CATALYST portal, start by selecting “Projects” in the upper navigation bar and “Add Project” This will bring you to the first input screen to select “Building Category”. You can also select “Project Counts” to see the number of projects in the database - nationally and from your organization. .
The Program Readiness and Calibration Strength indicators relate to space and cost confidence respectively. Indicators below 50% will display a **WARNING** message. In this case CATALYST provides a well-organized planning and cost management process – but encourages users to find another similar building to record and use as a benchmark for program, scope, and cost. In such cases, Building CATALYST services can readily strengthen predictability if you have a completed project of similar Building Purpose.
The next step is to select “Building Purpose” within the category.
The Project Name, Type (New Building, Renovation, etc.), Location, Construction Start and Floor Counts are key cost drivers and require selection. The Location selection not only factors cost, but also climate. Minneapolis snow load, frost depth, energy loads, etc. add more significant demands than say, Phoenix.
Building CATALYST provides templates for many building types. The template pre-selects the most likely downstream attributes and owner’s business case or building purpose organized by functional groups (lodging units, departments, etc.) and functions. New users should select templates, if available.
Selecting “Continue” brings you to the main Project SET console page. CATALYST uses Set-Based Planning, Programming, Design, and Cost analysis to inform decision-making and to balance the project scope, requirements, and budget.
CATALYST provides construction with its first true systems approach. A system is not a true system unless it has a purpose or aim about which all other components to the system exist and derive their meaning. Everything springs, and is filtered, from the owner’s business case, that is entered into the Program section shown here.
From the Project Set Console, select the Program panel. If you selected a template on the “Add Project” page then a predefined composite of the more likely functional groups or departments will appear. The owner’s business case is entered on the left-hand panel (Functional Program). The right-hand Supporting spaces and Core and Common metrics and spaces are calculated, but revisable. From the Program panel, select the Functional Program edit to open its page, and then expand the first applicable group or department.
Note the little “i” icons throughout the site. These are tool tips throughout the site that define the CATALYST terms and standards.
We enter operating rooms, for example, but not post or pre-op because they are derivative spaces; or condo bedrooms units, but not kitchen, living, closets which are also derived spaces. There is a strong tendency to add in some functions or functional spaces that are really supporting derivative spaces. This practice should be avoided if your vision includes informing early planning to owners and program consultants . The area adjustments should be made at the functional or department area.
Functional groups (i.e., Departments) and their functions can easily be revised, added, or deleted. It’s best to rename the departments based on the owner’s program if available. With each functional group, one or more functions are displayed. The expanded carrot allows you to select the functional category (like Living Units in this case) and standard function (like 1BR - 1Bath)) in this case.
The CATALYST predictions for floor area can be revised at the functional level, but with purposes like health care-related one, multiple functions will share derivative spaces. In such cases you can select the edit symbol and override the total departmental area. CATALYST will then apportion the difference across all the functional areas that are not locked.
Again, as the functional groups and functions are entered, the derived Supporting Program and Core and Common spaces are calculated. The whole space program is displayed on the Functional Program page.
From the Program Panel, you can then edit the Supporting Program Area line to display those spaces. Public/Administrative and Building Services (BOH) apply to almost all building types. Other supporting spaces are generated by internal functions.
In this case, the Hotel rooms, Bar and Restaurant, and Banquet/Conference functional groups are supported by a commercial kitchen. As such CATALYST automatically adds and predicts the Commercial Kitchen under the Supporting Program area.
CATALYST applies various attributes like building type, number of floors, and HVAC approach to calculate the core elements and core and common areas, as shown below. This eliminates the need for grossing factors, which are fraught with error in most cases.
Per usual, you can select “Revise” to enter actual information as it becomes available, like the number of elevators and stops. CATALYST recalculates all downstream program, parameter, and cost results, accordingly.
Project outcomes can vary dramatically based on attributes (or cost drivers) like the location, demands (climate, seismic, etc.), and owner requirements. CATALYST is the only solution that can account for the occurrence and interactions between a wide array of attributes as shown here.
Building CATALYST’s default predictions are based on the “Market Average” Baseline that has been calibrated from a comprehensive analysis across dozens of projects. It is advisable that the first model prediction be based on the Market Average. Benchmarking moves the basis from an unknown but credible to a known-more-credible standard. You can benchmark from any recorded real-world project in your company’s list, or another subscriber’s project that has been shared with you. We can train you to record projects, or you can pay us to do it for you. The combination of Market Average Baseline and Benchmarking provides a remarkable objective knowledge resource and insights that no human could match.
Next, we can open by “Edit” of the detailed Attributes listed on the right hand of the above panel. This brings us to a filtered selection of applicable Attribute Groups. A new building would include Attribute Groups relating to site work. Likewise, a renovation project displays a variety of demolition, renovation, and retrofit-special Attribute Groups.
There's a tendency for select attributes to back into a desired outcome. That should be avoided. It's better to copy to create additional sets and then revise the parameter and/or cost predictions.
Back to the TopNext, we can open the Parameters panel for review and updating. The left-hand panel is most useful for a mixture of renovations, new building and/or fit out. The right-hand panel displays high-level parameters. Select “edit” to see all parameters.
The first section is Key Shell Parameters that measure the building massing. The next section, Key Building Quantities, further define the project scope. CATALYST predicts and displays the mean and range values in the reports. Here, the mean values are displayed for revision as applicable. Revising a Key Shell Parameter will update all downstream parameters.
Note, again, the tooltips that display the parameter definition or standard. It’s important that users operate with the same definition of terms.
The third section is for Key Site Parameters and Quantities. Parking is a major driver for site development. CATALYST applies attributes like building type and location type. Dense Urban, for example, would zero out the Site Car Spaces. If parking is included inside the building, then those spaces are deducted from the calculation of the site spaces. Although not shown, CATALYST does include schedule milestone modeling.
Scheduling and productivity is important and should be developed much further as standards are developed, and builders are willing to capture schedule data.
From the Program and Attribute selections, Building CATALYST predicts key parameters (control quantities) and smart (multi-factor, cause-based) unit costs that can produce a comprehensive cost model - all in real time. From the Cost console shown below, the left-hand panel enables you to access Direct Hard Cost predictions for review and revision. The Special Hard Cost panel is user-defined. This applies best to things like off-site construction. Similarly, the Soft Cost can be added manually as shown on the right-hand panel.
CATALYST applies the Uniformat Cost Code Standard. Uniformat enables an end-to-end data system – from early planning to project completion. Uniformat Level 2 (3-digit) is not granular enough in many cases. It’s important, for example, to model and manage at the Partitions and Doors level. Uniformat Level 3 (5-digit) is too granular, especially for Substructure and Services scopes. An intermediate 4-digit or hybrid level (Uniformat Level 2.5) is most ideal for effective cost modeling and management.
CSI Masterformat is unsuitable for cost modeling and management prior to design and material selection, but is often the standard applied to detailed estimating and procurement. Fortunately, Masterformat can be mapped into a Uniformat data structure, so data translation from Masterformat to Uniformat is necessary, and possible.
CATALYST enables you to edit or revise predicted costs in several different ways. From the Direct Hard Cost page, for example, you can apply a cost factor across the entire project (whole-building), or at Level 2 (i.e., Electrical), or Level 2.5 (i.e., Lighting).Each Uniformat 2.5 Cost line item has its own page to define and display information and model predictions and to transition from modeling to estimating. Here we select edit to open C203 – Floor Finishes. The top section displays the standard included and excluded scope, as applicable.
From this page you can, (a) Apply a cost adjustment factor, (b) Apply a total manual dollar override amount, (b) Add or subtract from the CATALYST prediction, (c) start entering line-item estimates, which can either replace or add/subtract from the CATALYST prediction. There are benefits to each of these methods.
Also note that the Cost Prediction Reference Panel shows how much detail is provided with CATALYST. In this case, the Floor Finishes are calculated for every Core and Common, Supporting Program, and Department/Functional Group and Item.
When building a more detailed, line-item estimate, you can do so manually, or you can apply a standard CATALYST catalog of assemblies, components, or a mix. As shown below, the Exterior Walls System cost model has been converted to an Assembly based estimate from a pre-priced default of each assembly that is normalized to the selected location and construction start date.
When moving from Cost Modeling to Estimating and Buyout, you can assign each line item to a Work Category (aka Bid Category, Subcontract) and Masterformat. This entire UI/UX process applies to both recording completed projects as well as modeling and managing new projects.
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