Submitted For
Module 3 - Points to Ponder
Please share your comments on 3 of the following Points to Ponder questions. (Choose 3 of the questions below.)
Why is it important to accurately model the land features of your project site with a toposurface?
- The land features can directly impact the shape, foundation, and restraints of the building I’m designing. Toposurface allows for accurate modeling of the site’s elevations, textures, and other geological features, which is crucial to create a realistic and safe building.
When designing a project...
- This largely depends on the context and requirements of the project, and there are cases where one approach is better than the other.
- Should the building adapt to the terrain?
- This should be the case if the site is steep, irregular, or environmentally sensitive, such as in the mountains, near the coasts, or in the forests.
- It should also be the case if there’s priority on reducing cost and environmental impact (such as minimizing excavation or preserving natural microclimate).
- Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
- This should be the case if flat sites are specifically required for the project (such as factories, warehouses, and hospitals).
- It should also be the case if there’s priority on speed, leveled floors, and standardization for the project.
What considerations affect a project team's decision-making when deciding the floor-to-floor height to use in a multi-story building?
- From a real estate developer's perspective?
- From a designer's perspective?
- From an engineer's perspective?
- From a builder's perspective?
- From an owner's perspective?
What are the advantages of stacking the levels of a multi-story building vertically?
- Can you share an interesting example of a building that doesn’t vertically stack (where the floor plates change their shaped radically between the floor levels)?
- What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?
- Stairs follow human-centered proportions for reasons of comfort, safety, and code compliance. All risers must be identical, since we tend to get used to the rhythm of the stairs and could trip if there’s a difference in one step.
- Many building softwares will flag an error if a stair violates the code regulations. Revit also enforces the stairs’ properties with given rise and run constraints, and stairs are recalculated and updated automatically if floor heights are changed. Being able to see the modeled stairs visually on building softwares also help with noticing any errors or violations.