Module 3 - Points to Ponder

Why is it important to accurately model the land features of your project site with a toposurface?

• This will affect the foundation and floor of the building. The designer and structural engineer need to figure out how they will design the building with relation to the ground. Will the building be on stilts, or will they need to dig out a flat surface? How deep does the foundation need to go? Floors can’t be crooked, so how can they best be situated on ground that isn’t completely flat?

When designing a project...

• Should the building adapt to the terrain?
• Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
• It depends on the goals of the building. If the designer is trying to make a building that naturally blends in with the surrounding landscape, the building should adapt to the terrain. However, it is important to remember that there are building codes, and generally floors need to be flat in order to function well. That being said, if there are parts of the building that are built with the terrain that can be a really cool idea.

Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?

• This is due to accessibility and code that buildings require. It could be hard for some people to use steeper stairs or more narrow stairs. This way, there is a baseline for how accessible the stairs are. Building modeling helps to sort this out before the stairs are built in order to know what is being built and how.