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Room data sheets are systematic overviews of the needs for every space within the construction project. They play a crucial role in planning, communication, design verification and change management.

Typically, they are developed during the briefing https://www.searchstreams.info phase (architectural programming in the US) of a project. The primary target audience for RDSs is the design team which includes interior designers, architects, and various types of engineers. They translate the RDSs into spatial solutions for the various types of building spaces.

In addition to a listing of all the requirements for each type of room they usually include general requirements and notes. Ideally, the potential occupants of each room are included in this process by means of workshops and interviews. This will give the design team a better understanding of what their clients would like from their space, like shoes that are resistant to slippage, easy cleaning, and recycling.

The RDSs can also contain details about elements and systems like flooring finishes that have specific requirements in relation to its durability, environmental conditions and warranty. In these instances the data sheet would list all the requirements that must be met by this particular system or element.

BriefBuilder, an open-source database tool lets users create room sheets of data quickly and easily. They can also customize them to fit their workflow. The tool is able to tag every piece of data with the same parameters that are linked to similar types of rooms which makes it simple to navigate and find required requirements. It can be used by project stakeholder who do not use Revit. This is a way to bridge the gap for all members of a group.