Working share link to your Forma project
One page facade comparison showing both options with their metrics
Typical floor plan image with unit types or zones labelled, plus the unit mix schedule
One AI render of the chosen scheme
Design memo of 300 to 500 words: how the massing changed from Week 2 and why, what the facade studies showed, what you chose, and where you overrode the automation
My week 2 proposals helped me better understand my site in Dogpatch and the conditions that would determine my construction choices in week 3. I aimed to maintain a low rise building as much as I could due to the windy conditions while carving out a large enough area for commercial and residential spaces. My priorities were to manage the strong winds in the area and to maximize sunlight. I made changes to my building accordingly (including the construction materials in an effort to improve the carbon test) and landed on proposal 4. I tested two facade options, which were primarily different due to the placement of balconies. When I was creating my first facade my goal was to give every room at least one balcony. After conducting daylight and sun hour studies on this proposal I noticed how much these balconies increased the shadow in areas that were already struggling to get sunlight due to my U shaped building. In my second proposal I decided that I would keep all the balconies that did not drastically increase the shade on a facade… and remove balconies on the facades that were already prone to shade, replacing them with large windows. It is important to note that in both proposals I not only included balconies in correspondence with units, but also along the hallway in order to take advantage of a facade that received great sun throughout the day and make the balconies available to those in the building who did not have a private balcony in their unit. I believe that this would best promote a community-oriented multifamily complex. When it came to the commercial space, I chose to increase the size of my windows in the second proposal in order to make a space that could potentially larger and more naturally lit on the interior. In both proposals I created custom facades in order to have better control over where I could place the facade elements so as not to interfere with the unit boundaries.