Why is it important to accurately model the land features of your project site with a toposurface?
- What aspects of a building design are most affected by the terrain features?
The foundation of the building (hence all building structure and layout) is most affected by the terrain features. If the area is sloped then the design and material of the walls can also be impacted. The design of the building, it’s position on the site as well as it’s size and shape can also be influenced by the terrain. Generally, sloped areas are more challenging from the designer’s and constructor’s perspectives and as a result are more expensive to build.
When designing a project...
- Should the building adapt to the terrain?
- Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
I think a little bit of both. The terrain is definitely a factor that will affect the design, layout and construction of the building. Therefore, if it is economically worthwhile the terrain can be adapted to some extent. Generally, I think it makes more sense to adjust the design of the building and as a result we will possibly have more interesting and unique designs in the future.
What considerations affect a project team's decision-making when deciding the floor-to-floor height to use in a multi-story building?
- From a real estate developer's perspective?
- From a designer's perspective?
- From an engineer's perspective?
- From a builder's perspective?
- From an owner's perspective?
What are the advantages of stacking the levels of a multi-story building vertically?
- Can you share an interesting example of a building that doesn’t vertically stack (where the floor plates change their shaped radically between the floor levels)?
- What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?
- How can building modeling help prevent the mistakes that often occur when designing and installing stairs?
Describe a case when it would be worthwhile to create a new custom component in Revit… How do you decide when customize versus using readily available components?
A custom component in Revit is worthwhile to create when it affects the design of other components or their location or when the component has unique features that need to be visualized. It is important to customize some of the cost drivers of the project. Also, when visualization of a particular component is important then it should be customized. For example, on one of the projects I was involved in the owner wanted to put a special sign with a company name on the wall during the design phase. After reviewing the space with the sign in Revit he requested to change the size, the shape of the sign as well as the font.