What are the principal advantages of creating a conceptual design model using masses before diving into the detailed design and building element modeling?
A huge advantage of using masses is that you can start thinking of the bigger picture and answer some essential questions before to start refining some of the more detailed elements of the building. For instance, you can very quickly observe how a building integrates and relates to its immediate surroundings. If you start designing a building and spend a lot of detailing, only to find out that you will get essentially very little sunlight with your proposed design, then you might have to discard the entire project that you have spent a lot of time working on. Having a more conceptual mass you can visualize at an early stage can help you sort out some of these initial challenges.
Should all buildings be modeled first using conceptual masses?
When is it needed/appropriate? And when not?
For example, should you create a conceptual mass model of a small house?
Can you think of any examples of a real building around the world that most likely was created by exploring the form using conceptual mass models?
These are some buildings from my home country, Argentina
How would you abstract the essential form of these famous buildings using conceptual mass elements that you can create in Revit?
- One World Trade Center: https://www.archdaily.com/795277/one-world-trade-center-som
- CMG Headquarters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMG_Headquarters#/media/File:China_Central_Television_Headquarters_2.jpg
- Twisting torso: https://www.archdaily.com/771471/santiago-calatravas-turning-torso-wins-ctbuhs-10-year-award
- Apple campus: https://www.archdaily.com/804970/apple-campus-2-held-to-fantastical-standard-of-detail-new-report-reveals
- Salesforce tower: https://www.archdaily.com/889519/salesforce-tower-pelli-clarke-pelli-architects