Using our BIM Objects and CAD Details

Heat pump BIM objects and CAD details help architects and specifiers bring equipment into the design while there is still time to resolve its location, connections and surrounding space.

Used alongside current technical documentation, these resources support coordination between architecture, building services, structures and landscape design. Their value comes from helping the team make and communicate decisions throughout the project.

At KronoHP, we can help you identify the available Kronoterm resources for your selected equipment. Start by confirming the product, system arrangement and information your project needs.

Request the right resources for your project

Our BIM files, CAD drawings, technical data sheets and installation manuals are available on demand.

When making a request, include the selected range and model, your design software and version, and the purpose of the information. Explain whether you are reviewing an initial layout, coordinating services or preparing construction details.

Confirm the file formats and product coverage before incorporating the resources into your programme. Check that the supplied material represents the exact equipment you intend to specify, including the indoor components where applicable.

Understand what each resource provides

A BIM object can combine product geometry with information about the represented equipment. A CAD drawing or detail provides geometry and annotations for use in drawings, depending on the content supplied.

NBS’s explanation of BIM objects describes several elements, including product information, geometry, visual appearance and behaviour such as clearance zones.

Treat that as a useful framework for reviewing a supplied object. Inspect what the file actually contains before relying on it for schedules, coordination or analysis.

For example, check whether a model includes service connectors, maintenance zones or product parameters. If those features are absent, agree how the necessary information will be added or referenced within the project.

Check the file before placing it in the live model

Open the resource in a review file first. Confirm the units, dimensions, orientation and insertion point against the manufacturer’s current documentation.

Check the product name and variant carefully. Similar-looking equipment can have different dimensions or connections, so a visually plausible object still needs verification.

Record the source, issue date or revision, and any limitations identified during the review. If the file contains editable dimensions, establish whether changing them selects a genuine product variant or simply alters the geometry.

For imported CAD files, check the scale and layer content before using them as the basis of a detail. Follow your project’s agreed approach to linking or importing external information.

Resolve discrepancies with the supplier before the object becomes part of issued information.

Model the space around the equipment

Placing a unit in the model helps establish its footprint. Coordination also needs to cover the space required for airflow, access, maintenance and any manufacturer-defined safety zones.

Check whether the supplied object includes these spaces and whether they reflect the current installation instructions for the selected model and arrangement.

NBS guidance on functional requirements explains that included clearance zones should be represented as volumes with appropriate visibility controls. This allows teams to review them during coordination and manage how they appear in drawings.

Where necessary, add clearly identified project coordination volumes. Keep them distinguishable from the equipment geometry and record the document used to establish their dimensions.

A clear review question is: can the unit be installed, operated and maintained in the space shown?

Coordinate the whole system

Review the outdoor equipment alongside its indoor components and connecting services. The arrangement should be understood across the relevant disciplines.

Use the manufacturer’s drawings to establish connection positions, then coordinate the project-specific pipework, electrical routes, drainage and building penetrations.

Check the base and finished levels with the structural and landscape designers. Review access routes with the architect and installer, including how equipment will reach its final position.

Bring these interfaces into coordination meetings early. An unresolved drain route or inaccessible connection can affect several drawing packages.

Use CAD details as a starting point for construction information

Manufacturer details help explain the equipment and its connections. The design team still needs to adapt the relevant information to the actual building.

A project detail may need to show the support arrangement, surrounding construction, service penetration, weatherproofing, insulation and drainage. Coordinate these elements with the responsible designers and contractors.

Keep manufacturer information identifiable and retain relevant notes. Add project-specific annotations without implying that the manufacturer has approved the complete assembly.

If a detail is changed, review the effect on access, operation and installation requirements. A tidier drawing should still describe an arrangement that can be built and serviced.

Keep the model, schedule and specification aligned

Use a consistent equipment reference across the BIM model, drawings, schedules and specification. That makes it easier to check that each document describes the same selection.

Confirm product identity, quantities and any parameters used to populate schedules. Check performance information against the current technical data and state the relevant operating conditions.

Avoid treating a generic capacity or efficiency parameter as proof that the equipment meets the project’s design requirements. Heat-loss calculations, hydraulic design and acoustic assessments remain separate parts of the design process.

When a product changes, review the affected geometry, connections, clearances and technical requirements together. Update the specification and schedules as part of the same change.

Manage revisions and handover information

Agree who is responsible for reviewing manufacturer updates and maintaining the equipment information in the project.

Keep approved resources within the project’s shared information environment, following its naming, revision and issue procedures. The IMI Framework’s information management guidance emphasises defining the information needed and how it will be produced, reviewed and exchanged.

Before handover, reconcile the model and schedules with the installed equipment and agreed changes. Include the product documents, asset references and maintenance information required by the client.

The aim is to leave the building owner with information they can use to identify and maintain the system.

Start with a clear resource request

BIM objects and CAD details are most useful when the team understands what they contain, what they are being used for and how they relate to the selected equipment.

Speak to KronoHP about the available Kronoterm resources for your project. Share your proposed model, software requirements and design stage so we can help you identify the appropriate files and supporting documentation.