Images of Your 3 Design Proposals
Proposal 1 - The Classic L
- envisioning as the potential crossover of art deco and eco futuristic design
- maximizing narrow forms for outdoor access
- potential for max roof area (solar, water)
- thought about courtyard, but opted for L since it allows for more public access/connects to existing park space
Proposal 2 - L islands
- played with the idea of connecting islands to use more outdoor space
- I see now with current layout that the height + island combination was not conducive to this goal
Proposal 3 - The “Lego”
- experimenting with shape… how could this change solar access/outdoor connection
- maximizing south facing windows for daylight/views
Side-By-Side Comparisons of Your Analysis Results
Your Recommendation for the “Best” Design Option: Proposal 1 “The Classic L”
From the beginning, I gravitated towards the L shape because of its versatility in both maximizing outdoor connection and daylight, as well as its ability to reference the past and complement existing, traditional shapes in the surrounding area. As I played with other proposals, I wanted to test for other factors such as shape, orientation, and the “island” effect of multiple smaller structures. Despite my affinity for Proposal 1, I proceeded with analysis to measure solar energy potential and daylight hours to test for connection to natural light as well as NZE capabilities.
From the solar analysis, I found that each of my 3 proposals had the same avg 120 kWh/sf potential. However, Proposal 1 had the highest total energy. From the daylight analysis, Proposal 2 performed the worst for facade daylight potential with the greatest sf with a score below 15 (10,000 sf +). Proposals 1 and 3 were very similar, but generally speaking Proposal 3 had a greater proportion of high scoring facades. There was less range across the roofs, but Proposal 2 performed the best with the highest sf of top scores (surprisingly) and Proposal 3 performed the worst with the most variability of scores.
Considering the aesthetic appeal, highest total solar energy potential, and consistent daylight performance across facades/roofs, Proposal 1 is the best design option in my exploration thus far. Moving forward, I would like to experiment more with building height, L-shape orientation, and roof area to optimize this design further.