Using the Site Automation Tool

Forma Site Design offers a Site Automation tool that allows you to quickly lay out an entire area of buildings by selecting just a few parameters.

Workflow

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Open the Site Automation tool in the Massing toolbar.

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When you close the boundary, the Site Automation tool will automatically create a proposed layout.

• Adjust the parameters in the Buildings section of the right-side panel.
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Choose an overall Layout for the selected area.
• Empty = No grid subdivisions

• Grid = Rectangular grid

1. You can edit the grid space in both directions as well as the orientation.
• Honeycomb = Hexagonal grid

• Enter the size of the spacings to leave between the buildings (along the layout division lines)
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Select the entire area or a subdivision and choose the Type of buildings that you’d like to place in the selected area.

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City blocks — rings with an internal courtyard
• Choose a layout Variation for that area.
• Then, specify:
• Number of Floors
• Story Height
• Building Width (for the entire ring)
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Linear buildings - multiple linear buildings
• Choose a layout Variation for that area.
• Then, specify:
• Number of Floors
• Story Height
• Building Width (for all the linear buildings)
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Mixed buildings — an assortment of shapes
• Choose a layout Variation for that area.
• Then, specify:
• Number of Floors
• Story Height
• Building Width (for all the buildings)
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Tower buildings — tall square towers
• Choose a layout Variation for that area.
• Then, specify:
• Number of Floors
• Story Height
• Tower Width (for all the buildings)

Releasing the Site Automation

Once you reach your expected site automation outcome, you can release your site automation, which will convert your design into Zones and Line Buildings. This allows you the further refine and tweak your proposal without the limitations of the Site Automation tool.

Select a Zone to:

• Rename it.
• View the Zone’s area.
• Define the Zone as a Site Limit (which you can use for analysis).

Select a Line Building to:

• Add circulation.
• Draw floor plans.
• Refine and tweak the design.

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