Submitted For
Module 6 - Points to Ponder

Should all buildings be modeled first using conceptual masses?

Conceptual masses are helpful for larger designs, especially ones that rely on abstract, unconventional shapes. It is difficult to model curves, cylinders, and twisting structures without first abstracting the form of the building. They are not necessary for smaller clear-cut structures, like a small house, that can easily and directly be formed by walls without the prior step of creating an abstraction of its mass.

How would you abstract the essential form of these famous buildings using conceptual mass elements that you can create in Revit?

  1. One World Trade Center: https://www.archdaily.com/795277/one-world-trade-center-som
  2. To abstract the triangular faces of this skyscraper, I would either fit pyramids together (alternating their orientation up or down), or use triangles to cut a central rectangle.

  3. CMG Headquarters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMG_Headquarters#/media/File:China_Central_Television_Headquarters_2.jpg
  4. To abstract the sharp, geometric arch of this building, I would use two rectangular blocks as the base and two more to connect the top faces together.

  5. Twisting torso: https://www.archdaily.com/771471/santiago-calatravas-turning-torso-wins-ctbuhs-10-year-award
  6. To abstract this twisting skyscraper, I would stack a series of blocks with a slight increase in angle for each layer. Another possibility is to first form the central rectangle and use other shapes to cut out a smooth, spiraling shape.

  7. Apple campus: https://www.archdaily.com/804970/apple-campus-2-held-to-fantastical-standard-of-detail-new-report-reveals
  8. To abstract this “spaceship-like” structure, I would place one cylinder to create the building at its perimeter, then cut out the central ellipse with another cylinder.

  9. Salesforce tower: https://www.archdaily.com/889519/salesforce-tower-pelli-clarke-pelli-architects
  10. To abstract the bullet shape of this skyscraper, I would use a rectangular block as the base and round off the corners by cutting it with a cylinder.