Design Journal Entry - Module 12 Wrap Up

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.
• Tilted Wall in the front of the building
• Honeycomb-like facade on the front
• Atrium with a glass pyramid on top
• Green Roof and photovoltaic panels
• (Future Work) Small-Scale Wind Turbines
• Your Big Successes -- what worked very well and what features you're most proud to share as examples to inspire others.
• I believe my structural system works great. There is enough beam spacing so that the deck doesn’t have to be as thick and it's not too small to waste material. For the future, a lateral system needs to be implemented for Wind and Seismic Design. No beams or girders cover up any of the shafts (staircases, elevator).
• The HVAC system works great in my opinion. It is all routed from the roof onto each respective floor and the sizes get smaller as the air flow gets lower
• The plumbing system works perfectly as well. The bathrooms are all stacked on top of each other. The sewage pipe is at an angle so that all the waste is able to get out.
• My facade ended up being even better than I anticipated. I really love the glass facade on the front, but the hexagonal design on the right side looks phenomenal to me and I am very proud of it.
• 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 would say the biggest challenge was the HVAC. All the heights kept unexpectedly changing, some ducts were not connecting, I had random duct elements in places there are not supposed to be, etc. What I would do differently is probably watch the HVAC building videos first before trying to build the system without any knowledge of it. That was the biggest mistake I did so I did spend another couple of hours designing the HVAC from scratch.
• Lessons Learned -- what sage words of advice would you share with other students who are embarking on a similar project.
• Start early for every Module
• Watch the Revit videos for each module even if you think you can do it without. It is really helpful
• Plan in advance for future additions to the building

Design Journal Entries