A few years ago, a team at Buro Happold saw an opportunity to streamline the way we worked. We recognized that many of the technical details we used across projects could be standardized and made available through automation. By creating a dedicated library, we aimed to transform repetitive drafting into a simple, one‑click process. This initiative allowed us to gather valuable details from past projects and upload them onto a platform where they could be instantly accessed and imported into Revit, making the workflow faster, smarter, and more consistent for everyone in the company.
That realization sparked an idea: what if we could gather all those valuable details into one place, a shared library that anyone in the company could access? We imagined a platform where engineers, designers and technicians could simply search, click, and instantly bring proven details into their Revit models. No more wasted time, no more duplication — just a smooth way to reuse the best of our collective knowledge.
We started small, combing through past projects to collect the most useful details. It was a bit like treasure hunting: every drawing we found carried lessons learned, solutions tested, and hours of effort already invested. Piece by piece, we uploaded them into the new platform. Suddenly, what had once been scattered across offices and hard drives was available to everyone with a single click.
The impact was immediate. Teams in different offices could now share information seamlessly, drawing from the same pool of knowledge. Instead of spending their energy on repetitive tasks, our colleagues could focus on solving complex challenges and pushing the boundaries of design. The Detail Library became more than just a tool — it was a way of working smarter, collaborating better, and raising the quality of our projects.
And the story didn’t stop there. Over time, the library grew far beyond its modest beginnings. With every new project, more details were added, expanding its scope and richness. Today, it contains thousands of carefully curated details from across the company, representing years of experience and innovation. What started as a simple idea has become a cornerstone of how we deliver projects, a living resource that continues to evolve and empower our teams worldwide.
