Revit Design Options and Phasing: Managing Design Alternatives and Construction Stages

A common BIM challenge is representing different design decisions while preserving a reliable central model. Creating separate files for every proposal can lead to duplicated geometry, inconsistent parameters and coordination problems.

Revit Design Options and Phasing address different aspects of this challenge. Design Options manage alternative design solutions, while Phasing represents the temporal state of building elements across project stages. Understanding the distinction is essential for maintaining a clean BIM workflow.

1. What Are Revit Design Options?

Design Options allow multiple solutions to coexist within one Revit project. Each option represents a possible design arrangement, such as alternative room layouts, façade configurations, entrance locations or structural arrangements.

A Design Option Set contains one or more options. One option is designated as the primary option, while other options represent alternatives. Views can be configured to display the primary model or a selected alternative.

This approach is useful during concept design and client review because alternatives can be evaluated without maintaining multiple independent project files.

2. Creating Design Option Sets

Start by identifying the part of the project that genuinely requires alternatives. For example, a building entrance may have three possible configurations, while the rest of the building remains unchanged.

Create a Design Option Set for the entrance and add the required options. Model the alternative elements inside their respective options. Elements that remain common to every solution should generally stay in the main model rather than being duplicated.

A useful example is:

Main Model
└── Building Core
    ├── Design Option Set: Entrance
    │   ├── Option A: Central Entrance
    │   ├── Option B: Side Entrance
    │   └── Option C: Recessed Entrance
    └── Shared Building Elements

Keeping the alternatives focused makes the model easier to understand and reduces the chance of accidental duplication.

3. Primary Options and View Control

The primary option represents the selected or preferred solution within an option set. It is important to understand that changing the primary option is not the same as deleting the other options. Alternatives can remain available for further evaluation.

Revit views can be configured to display specific options. This allows teams to create separate presentation views for each alternative while retaining one coordinated project environment.

Before exporting drawings or creating schedules, verify which option each view is displaying. Otherwise, a drawing package may unintentionally show a proposal that has not been approved.

4. What Is Phasing in Revit?

Phasing is designed to represent how a building changes over time. It is especially important for renovation, extension, demolition and staged construction projects.

Revit uses phase information associated with elements and views. Elements can have a phase created value and, where applicable, a phase demolished value. These properties help determine how elements appear in different phase views.

For example, an existing wall may be visible in an existing conditions view, shown as existing in a proposed view, or marked for demolition in a demolition view. A new replacement wall can be assigned to a later construction phase.

5. Existing, Demolished and New Construction

A renovation project often needs to communicate three conditions: what currently exists, what will be removed and what will be constructed.

• Existing elements: Elements created in an earlier phase and retained in the project.
• Demolished elements: Existing elements assigned a demolition phase.
• New construction: Elements created in the phase in which the proposed work occurs.

Phase filters control how these element states are displayed. Graphic overrides can make existing, demolished, temporary and new elements visually distinguishable in construction documentation.

The exact display depends on the view's phase and phase filter. A phase filter should therefore be tested with representative elements before being applied to every drawing view.

6. Design Options vs. Phasing

These tools are sometimes confused because both can show different versions of a building. Their purposes, however, are different.

A project may use both systems, but they should not be treated as interchangeable. Design Options answer the question “Which design solution should we choose?” Phasing answers “When does this building element exist?”

7. Combining Design Options and Phasing

Consider a renovation project where a client is evaluating two alternative lobby layouts while the building is being constructed in multiple stages.

Design Options can represent the alternative lobby configurations. Phasing can represent the existing building, demolition work and new construction. This creates a more structured model than using separate files for each design and construction scenario.

However, combining these systems requires careful testing. Not every element relationship behaves as a user might expect when alternatives and phase visibility are combined. Create dedicated test views and verify schedules, tags and exported drawings before relying on the workflow for contractual documentation.

8. Common Revit Workflow Mistakes

Duplicating common elements

Placing unchanged building elements inside every design option creates unnecessary duplication. Keep shared elements in the main model whenever possible.

Using phases for design alternatives

Phases represent time and construction states, not competing design proposals. Use Design Options when comparing alternative solutions.

Publishing the wrong option

A view may display an unintended alternative. Check view settings before printing, exporting or issuing a drawing package.

Incorrect phase filters

A phase filter can hide or graphically override elements in unexpected ways. Test the filter with existing, demolished and new elements before applying it across the project.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Revit show multiple design alternatives in one project?

Yes. Design Option Sets allow multiple alternative solutions to be maintained within the same Revit project.

Are Revit Design Options the same as project phases?

No. Design Options represent alternative design solutions. Phases represent the chronological state of building elements.

Can I create demolition drawings in Revit?

Yes. Assign demolition phases to existing elements and configure phase filters and view graphics to communicate demolition work.

Should every design alternative have its own model file?

Not necessarily. Design Options can keep related alternatives in one project, although complex or independent schemes may require a different model-management strategy.