1) What sort of complexities are introduced when you construct a building complex in phases?
- What happens at the interfaces between the buildings as the phases advance?
- How can you plan and prepare for these complexities as you create your initial building model?
Constructing a building complex in phases presents multiple challenges; however, such approach is generally nominated when part of a building must begin operation despite ongoing construction. A great example of this is an apartment building complex — construction begins on one end of the building and occupancy increases as the building approaches construction completion.
Complexities presented range from design and planning challenges to quality control and consistency to cost management.
- Design and planning challenges
- It is imperative to ensure each phase aligns with the overall design and architectural intent. Consistency is challenging to maintain when there are changes in design standards and trends over the construction period.
- Quality Control and Consistency
- It is vital to ensure consistent quality and production across multiple phases; however, this many pose many complications, especially in terms of workmanship quality control.
- The existing and operating part of the building may require maintenance and operation, which may delay and disrupt the construction process.
- Cost Management
- When a project is carried out in multiple phases, it becomes challenging to maintain cost control since construction costs may fluctuate due to market fluctuations, updates in the project scope, or changes in the economy leading to inflation.
To mitigate potential roadblocks during the construction process of a multi-phase project, you can plan and prepare for these complexities as you create your initial building model. It is of utmost importance to plan carefully, coordinate, and enhance communication efforts to manage such complexities effectively. I would also recommend the implementation of BIM modeling as a collaboration tool to reduce project error.
2) In your project, which features of the proposed design did you choose to model as design alternatives?
- Why did you choose these building features? And what were the biggest challenges in modeling them as the design alternatives?
I chose to model the exterior glass curtain walls as a design alternative since as students, it is easy to stay cooped up in a dark room studying all day, and natural light has been proven to pose mental health benefits. Although glass facades may diminish energy conservation measures, I believe in an academic building, the mental health benefits outweigh the energy costs. The natural light helps enhance the liveliness of the building and overall, makes the building feel more alive. In order to compensate for the energy loss, I plan on implementing an HVAC system that operates on economizer mode a majority of the time since Stanford, CA is generally cool.