Module 3 - Points to Ponder

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

• What aspects of a building design are most affected by the terrain features?
• It is important to accurately model the project topography so that the views, movement, and exterior of the project properly account for constraints due to land/water masses.

When designing a project...

• Should the building adapt to the terrain?
• Yes in (nearly) all cases, this is the way to go. We are building at a specific site, with specific geographic features. (If the built environment does not integrate with the natural environment at the site, the project should go somewhere else).
• Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
• Yes, we also need to prepare the site's soil as the foundation for the building, and to do so we may need to excavate or fill certain surfaces. Retaining walls may also need to be designed. But the building should adapt to the terrain much more than vice versa.

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?
• Usable space and use cases (taller ceilings for commercial, maybe lower for residential)
• Neighbor's visibility - the taller the building, the more neighbors can see it from afar.
• From a designer's perspective?
• Spatial aesthetic and light / sound penetration.
• From an engineer's perspective?
• Loading (lateral loads due to wind, vertical dead weight of walls)
• From a builder's perspective?
• Build lead time
• From an owner's perspective?
• Usable space and use cases, maintenance capabilities (tall ceilings harder to maintain).