Isandro Gutierrez MalikThe Biomimicry Center - Sao Paulo, Brazil
Key / Essential / Unique Design Features
I started with a very ambitious project. I think I was able to deliver on some of the goals but there were others that would have added to the unique features of the building that could certainly use some refining. The first feature was the building shape —a circle. Many people inquired as to why I chose this form and having completed the project, I now know why they asked frequently. Making a circular building is just creating extra challenges for yourself. Nonetheless, the center form has dual purpose. 1) The circular shape symbolizes the beauty and elegance of nature’s natural curves and cyclic nature of growth and reuse. 2) The round shape is great for channeling winds and has great potential for self cooling. While I didn’t get a chance to model the interior and vent system to achieve this, the idea still stands.
The second feature is the collection timber tree structures that create a striking 3rd floor open air space and provide load bearing support for the building. I explored using Dynamo to create an individual tree as a family and then changing its properties and importing to my Revit file.
Thirdly and finally, would be the general layout of the building facade. I explored using a curved wall with a curved profile, which Revit did not like, but I was able to sort out anyways. I wanted a more natural shape for the glass storefront to accompany the rigid geometry of the windows and walls and decided upon a wave-like curve that emulates both the hills of Sau Paulo and the Brazilian coast. The goal here was to have an eye capturing front view that would provide a great deal of natural light and invite people to explore the site further.
My Big Successes
One of the design aspects I was quite proud of were the tree structures. While there was a lot of input needed on the back end of the Dynamo modeling, the final product was one I was quite happy with and I thought worked well with the overall building design. Another big success was the curved wall profile. For the first half of the quarter I couldn’t quite get a curved wall to look the way I wanted without it throwing dozens of errors at me. However, after restarting the facade from scratch, I was surprised to find it working with a few behind the scenes hidden features to allow certain properties to coexist. A final success is the layout of the mechanical room and restrooms on each floor. With almost identical floor plans, it made it much easier to consolidate the mechanical requirements for HVAC and plumbing and I was able to get very comfortable selecting, filtering, and copying large configurations of elements at a time.
Your Big Challenges
Like I alluded to in the beginning, upon a second go, I would opt for a more clean cut geometry for the building shape. On a smaller scale I think the circular building design works, especially for cases like India’s Eco School. However, for a 30,000 sq ft project, the curved form made everything more difficult and less sustainable with regards to energy usage towards cooling.
Another challenge was the large curved glass wall. Aesthetically it looks great, but in terms of sustainability, it was very far from ideal. The large window to wall ratio limited the potential for cooling and thermal mass, and led to excessive needs for air terminals and ductwork to meet cooling requirements in the hot Brazilian summer.
A final challenge I would include is purely the organization and planning of the building and its many requirements. As someone from a purely engineering background, I wish I could have known sooner the general practices of structural layouts, HVAC, and plumbing before even the final prototype of my building. I think prioritizing the usability of the building would greatly impact the limitations on certain forms and creative choices that would have been better to consider early on. That being said, I have learned a great deal and would have a much better strategy for balancing form and function on my next building project than I did in January.
Lessons Learned
1) Symmetry in floor plans is your friend. Making asymmetrical floors won’t add a significant difference to user interaction and human centered design, but it will make your life a whole lot more difficult regarding mechanical design.
2) Approach the design process considering every building element from the beginning. Make sure you are clear on the requirements for structural, HVAC, plumbing, electrical, energy analysis, etc. before finalizing your design. The material doesn’t have to be incredibly in depth, but a few pointers goes a long way in the project saving rework and redesign in the future.
3) Take notice of current standards. There is a reason so few circular buildings exist… There are many lessons to be learned from existing architecture and you can still push the boundaries of design in certain aspects without sacrificing overall building quality. I would stick to something like 3 key features and focus on them in depth. It can be overwhelming trying to make a building design stand out and also sustainable while still meeting requirements for functionality.
