Why does it matter to model the real terrain and real neighboring buildings?
◦ Which aspects of a building design are most affected by surrounding context?
Some aspects of a building design that are most affected by surrounding context include building systems, such as lighting and HVAC. For example, if there is limited daylighting or sun hours on the building’s roofs and facades due to shading from neighbouring buildings or plants shading, this can affect how much energy the building uses and how big these systems have to be designed. Buildings with lower daylight potential will require more artificial lighting to sufficiently illuminate space compared to buildings that can use more natural light via fenestration. Surrounding context such as roads (noise factor), shading/daylighting, climate, and wind direction can also influence building orientation, building shape, placement of windows/doors, and the selection of building materials.
◦ What kinds of mistakes only become visible once the context is present?
Some mistakes that only become visible once the context is present include shaded regions that might block potential solar gains into the building/shade solar panels on the roof and areas of the site that might get too much direct solar gains during specific times of the year, which can affect the thermal comfort of occupants. Another mistake that only becomes visible once the context is present is the impact of surrounding noise factors on the site; without context to indicate where roads/railways are present relative to the site, project teams may not design the building to adequately mitigate these impacts.
Should the building adapt to the site, or the site to the building?
◦ From a developer's perspective?
From a developer’s perspective, the building should adapt to the site. Developers primarily focus their work on the sitting of a project, such as land acquisition, permitting, financing, and planning and zoning; thus, they develop site selection over building design requirements (building design should adapt to the site that is selected).
◦ From a designer's perspective?
From a designer’s perspective, the site should adapt to the building, and can be used to help enhance specific elements of the building design.
◦ From the perspective of the neighbors who already live there?
From the perspective of the neighbours who already live there, the building should adapt to the site, to achieve minimal disruptions to surrounding businesses, residences, and public areas.
Sun hours and wind frequently want opposite things from the same massing.
◦ How should a team break the tie when two analyses disagree?
When the two analyses disagree, priority should be placed on the analysis that contributes most to the design goals of the building. For example, if the goal is to fully electrify the building and achieve net-zero emissions through installation of solar panels on the roof, then the project team should prioritize the sun hours analysis over the wind analysis. Conversely, if the project team seeks to design a neighbourhood that gets a lot of foot traffic, the project team might want to prioritize wind speed around the building over sun hours, to optimize pedestrian comfort.
◦ Who should have the final say, and at what point in the process?
Typically the project owner/developer should have the final say when making a decision about the project. This is typically done throughout the design and construction process (pre-construction, during construction, and post-construction). Specifically when looking at the sun hours and wind analysis, the project owner/developer should typically have the final say prior to actual construction, to ensure that the finalized building design meets their goals and requirements.
Forma's rapid analyses are fast because they are approximate.
◦ What is a rapid operational energy analysis leaving out?
◦ At what stage does that approximation stop being good enough?
◦ What would you need before putting a performance number in front of a client?
You generated three proposals and recommended one.
◦ Did the analysis choose it, or did you choose it and then find numbers that agreed?
◦ What would you have had to see to abandon your favorite option?
◦ If the lot next door is built out in three years, does your recommendation hold?