The strategy I began with when approaching the structural elements of this assignment involved first making a grid that aligned with my major architectural elements such as paths of circulations, interior/exterior walls, and stairs/elevators.
I began to envision where I wanted my structural columns to be placed once I was satisfied with the layout of my grid. To do so I had to ensure I paid attention to what areas of the building had filleted corners as they required more breaking up of the beam systems I would proceed with. Once I found where the columns fit best in alignment with the axial relationships I created with the grid, I began to model the beams.
After the beams were complete I was left with the shell of how I planned to frame the building. I used W10X49 columns with concrete footings at the ends and W12x26 beams throughout. In plan, it becomes clear how I was conscious of the walls I placed on each floor to add an additional layer of support to the building which follows the initial grid I placed.
Challenges that arose involved to trial and error of wall placement initially when deciding where the levels would be placed. Once I decided the best axial relationships of the grid I noticed that walls, especially on the first floor needed to be readjusted in order to maximize circulation efficiency and building load distribution.