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?
Height & shape/dimension
◦ What kinds of mistakes only become visible once the context is present?
Aesthetic curiosities can often only be revealed as problematic when ideas are contextualized.
Should the building adapt to the site, or the site to the building?
◦ From a developer's perspective?
The building should adapt to the site!
◦ From a designer's perspective?
I would hope building to site.
◦ From the perspective of the neighbors who already live there?
Building to site!
Sun hours and wind frequently want opposite things from the same massing.
◦ How should a team break the tie when two analyses disagree?
◦ Who should have the final say, and at what point in the process?
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?
I would say that the analysis dictated my recommended proposal. Because I drafted all of these quite quickly and decisively and didn’t feel precious about the choices I made and figured the analysis would be a better starting point… more choices to be made according to that analysis later on.
◦ What would you have had to see to abandon your favorite option?
I abandoned the option I liked best because it was not well suited to the site. I think this was initially indicated by the surrounding buildings and their styles… but the wind, sunlight, and noise analysis (as well as carbon) as confirmed this.
◦ If the lot next door is built out in three years, does your recommendation hold?
Yes I think it would because the recommendation would be suited to the greater neighborhood and geography. I would say though that daylight and sun exposure would likely be affected. This specifically could pose a challenge for my design choice.