Module 3 - Points to Ponder

When designing a project...

• Should the building adapt to the terrain?
• In an ideal situation, yes, but ultimately this is dependent on the intent for the structure as well as the resources available for its development. ‘Adapting’ a building to its terrain doesn’t also necessarily mean it’s functional or sustainable, though again, in an ideal case a terrain-adapted building would exhibit both of those qualities. Fallingwater, for example, is often perceived as one of the most iconic works of terrain/nature-adapted architecture, but in truth, its construction and maintenance were fraught with complication though its architectural design at large was effective. Ultimately if we’re looking at adapting buildings through a sustainability lens, it’s important to consider each step of the building lifecycle, and to educate ourselves on interventions/changes to process that might be small but not particularly hard to implement. To me, adapting a building to its terrain means considering whether it makes sense to build the structure in that specific location, then assessing how it interacts with its environment and its occupants.
• Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
• To some extent, with modern structures, this is fairly unavoidable since we have to put in electricity and plumbing, etc. for the building itself. What might be valuable for us to consider is which terrain we choose to adapt, I would argue that we should try to minimize new development on undeveloped land and instead try to densify and diversify our use of land that we’ve already built on.

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)?

This is Ilot Queyries in Bordeaux, France, designed by MVRDV with local architects Flint.

• What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
• This complex had the explicit goal of setting the standard for the redevelopment of the area at large (decommissioned rail yards & barracks). The irregular slopes of the buildings are meant to maximize natural light and ventilation for occupants, and variation of facade and height were meant to add interest to the complex as a whole while acknowledging the site context (for example, the south-eastern portion of the complex was designed to be lower in height to provide continuity with the adjacent low-rise buildings).

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

• How can building modeling help prevent the mistakes that often occur when designing and installing stairs?
• Stairs follow specific proportions to maximize consistency for users, and thus safety. Variation/irregularity in stair proportions can cause people to potentially lose their balance and injure themselves. Building modeling can allow designers and developers to digitally prototype different configurations and set explicit dimensions for stairs with a higher speed and accuracy. By modeling in a software like Revit which sets basic stair parameters to code, one already has a light safeguard against accidentally creating badly proportioned stairs.