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
There were minimal massing changes from week 2 to week 3. One change that was made was to raise the building higher up, such that none of the building was underneath the terrain. Because the terrain is slightly slanted, a part of the building was resting underneath the ground, meaning that windows would have been obstructed. By raising it up, the issue is solved. Another change done was to increase the width of the residential building. By expanding it to 66ft, it allows for a 6ft corridor with 2 30ft deep rooms on either side. This formation is standard for many residential buildings, thus it was a good decision to make.
For my facade proposals, I tried two versions: one with balconies stacked on top of each other, and the other with balconies staggered. The main focus of my analysis was the sun hours. In the summer, the main surface that was important was the south facing facade. In the summer, shade is ideal, as it keeps sunlight and heat out of the room, thus reducing cooling demand. The second design, with staggered balconies, actually provided greater shade coverage. The shading was more distributed across the face of the building. The west-facing wall also had better shade coverage from the staggered balconies. In the winter, my focus was on the west-facing wall, as the south-facing wall experienced significant sun hours. For the west-wall, I wanted the option that provided the most sunlight, and thus wanted to reduce shading. Again, the staggered balcony option allowed for more sun hours across more windows and units. As a result, based on the sun hours analysis, the second design, with the staggered balconies, was the design that I chose to move forward with.
Because of the inconsistent nature of the sizing of the floorplan rooms, I chose not to use facade automation when designing my facades. Instead, I made the windows by hand, and duplicated them across floors. However, if I were to have used facade automation, I wouldn’t have been able to stagger the balconies without overriding them. Therefore, while facade automation makes window generation very quick, it may not also be the best design choice.