Overview
Replace this text with your reflections on your design journey through class from a higher level and share your insights about the entire experience. What were:
- Key / Essential / Unique Design Features that you explored in your project.
- Your Big Successes -- what worked very well and what features you're most proud to share as examples to inspire others.
- The final design reflects these principles by utilizing concrete as the primary structural material, ensuring both durability and timeless appeal. The 5th-floor café exemplifies my intent to create a connection to the surrounding environment. With curtain walls, this space is bathed in natural light, offering panoramic views of the city while providing a serene, elevated experience for visitors.
- The façade incorporates light shafts that run vertically on two sides of the building, ensuring natural light penetrates into the first three floors, which house the lobby, exhibition space, and gift shop. The curtain walls on these floors regulate natural light, ensuring optimal conditions for showcasing exhibitions while maintaining protection from direct sunlight. On the fourth floor, a rim of windows provides privacy for office and conference rooms, and the 5th-floor café enjoys abundant daylight through expansive curtain walls. In keeping with the modernist tradition of São Paulo, the building's exterior is dominated by concrete walls, offering both structural integrity and a minimalist aesthetic. The concrete is designed to be thick enough to prevent excessive heat loss while remaining appropriate for São Paulo’s warm climate.
- Your Big Challenges -- what aspects of the project created the biggest challenges and what would you do differently (in hindsight) to avoid or overcome these challenges.
- I faced some difficulties with plumbing and HVAC connections, as Revit’s automatic connector did not always work with my architectural model layout. I had trouble with my HVAC model in placing art ducts and terminals below their corresponding levels, as Revit would only allow me to place them on top of my floors, and had some additional issues in placing HVAC components on the correct levels. Next time, having a better understanding of ways I can design my initial architectural model to facilitate later coordination models, such as placing gaps between interior and exterior walls for plumbing elements, I would ensure that my architecture model set the structural, mechanical, and electrical model up for more seamless integration from the beginning.
- Lessons Learned -- what sage words of advice would you share with other students who are embarking on a similar project.
- Following the feedback many other students in the class gave, it would have been nice to have an overview of tips for the initial architecture design model, based on future modules. For example, stacking bathrooms across floors helps simply plumbing systems later, and creating gaps between the interior and exterior walls behind these bathrooms will allow you to place plumbing systems. And in creating roofs: having tall enough roofs to be able to place beams, and HVAC, etc, was something I did not know about going into the architectural design model, that made later modules difficult, and require changes to my architectural model. I would share some of these insights with students, and encourage them to begin modules early to ensure they have enough time to go to office hours when they encounter difficulties, as resolving issues on your own can be challenging troubleshooting!
For this project, I aimed to integrate the rich history of modernist architecture in São Paulo, drawing inspiration from local traditions such as the iconic use of concrete in exhibition spaces. Notably, many buildings in São Paulo feature upper levels that appear to float above the ground, creating a sense of lightness and contrast with the solid concrete base. My design also emphasizes the use of large windows to enhance natural light and offer captivating views. Additionally, I sought to strike a balance between monumental spaces for dramatic experiences and more intimate nooks for moments of privacy. Overall, I aimed to create a modern, durable space designed for both exhibition and public engagement.
Sustainability was another core focus. I wanted the building to endure the test of time, using durable materials capable of withstanding the natural elements while also promoting energy efficiency. I considered how the building's orientation and window placement could frame views of São Paulo’s landscape, serving as portals that connect the interior to the exterior world.
