Why is it important to accurately model the land features of your project site with a toposurface?
- What aspects of a building design are most affected by the terrain features?
When designing a project...
- Should the building adapt to the terrain?
- Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
I think, fundamentally, the building should adapt to the site, both in Revit and in architectural practice. I think it’s unsustainable and often unwise to try to dramatically alter the landscape just to fit a building onto a site that doesn’t want to accommodate it. In Revit, too, one might get an inaccurate sense of how easy it is to mold the landscape, so it would be better to adapt the building to the terrain and avoid surprises when it comes time to actually build the project.
What considerations affect a project team's decision-making when deciding the floor-to-floor height to use in a multi-story building?
- From a real estate developer's perspective?
- From a designer's perspective?
- From an engineer's perspective?
- From a builder's perspective?
- From an owner's perspective?
What are the advantages of stacking the levels of a multi-story building vertically?
- Can you share an interesting example of a building that doesn’t vertically stack (where the floor plates change their shaped radically between the floor levels)?
- What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
- What are the advantages of stacking the levels of a multi-story building vertically?
A repeatable design is more cost effective and efficient than a design that varies wildly between floors. Ductwork doesn’t have to travel as far if the outlets are in the same location on each floor. This also makes wall assembly much simpler, and the design process can be much faster (copying and pasting).
- Can you share an interesting example of a building that didn't vertically?
Fallingwater, one of the precedents for this project, has very different floorplans for each level. It tapers upward, with the wider levels toward the bottom and a very small third floor.
- What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
Fallingwater is a case study of customization and bespoke design, and the floor plans are each as unique as the house is itself. All of the difficulties that come from a non-repetitive floorplan were deemed worth it in favor of the design.
Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?
- How can building modeling help prevent the mistakes that often occur when designing and installing stairs?
- Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?
These proportions make the stairs more comfortable to climb and prevent people from tripping as often.
- How can building modeling help prevent the mistakes that often occur when designing and installing stairs?
A program like Revit might help you avoid a miscalculation—maybe you forgot a step or your risers are too tall. It also draws the stair run out ahead of time so you can ensure you have enough room in your model.