Design Journal Entry - Module 8

Your Design Journal entries this week should highlight your design thinking that influenced your decisions about:

• your overall strategy and the features of the structural system
• Circular Grid System

• Level 1 to Level 4 uses overlapping circular grid system due to the building shape, 1 big circular with right corner overlapping with a smaller circle. Since Level 5 is relatively simple, it uses a straightforward grid pattern.

• the material and framing system selected (edited after check in session)
• Concrete Column for the stronger compression properties (made it smaller)

• Steel Beam (made it bigger)

• the locations of structural columns and major framing elements
• The columns are placed along the exterior facade of the building, and for the interior ones are roughly 15 ft away from the center. Curves beams are for the outer and inner circle grid, while straight beams are used to connect the two circles.
• any special structural challenges
• The biggest challenge was the atrium space since I wanted it to be bright and airy with storefront glass but the placement of atrium shaft opening is asymmetrical so it affects how I place the columns. The atrium and the wrap around stairs is not a big space, so the columns could be off-centered a bit to adjust to the opening without affecting the structure.