Working links to both Arch and Stru models in Forma Data Management.
Working link to your Individual Forma Board
PDF sheet set of Structural Plans, 30 by 42 inches (E1 size)
Classified clash report with counts.
Design memo of 300 to 400 words: which system and why, where the grid fought your architecture, what you changed in the architectural model.
I chose light frame wood over a concrete podium because that is what is typical. I was thinking of mass timber, but then there wouldn’t be a need for concrete, and I thought the concrete podium was required. I’m also designing a residential structure, and those are usually made of wood. The building isn’t that tall, so it doesn’t require steel or concrete on the floors above the first floor. Wood works fine there, and the concrete podium handles the first floor. The grid fought my architecture around the stairs and elevators, where the core walls were. A structural grid wants columns and beams in regular lines, but the stairs and elevators needed open space that the grid couldn’t cross. I was also thinking about torsion in the structure, so I didn’t create core walls around the entire vents. For one staircase, I only created a wall on one side. This helps the center of mass stay near the center of rigidity, which reduces torsional effects. But these walls were strangely placed to create grids with, and I didn’t know where the beam would end because it couldn’t block the stairway. As a result, I just removed the beam and hoped it would be okay structurally. Structures typically have a lot of redundancy and factor of safety, so one or two removed beams should be okay. It isn’t perfect, but it was the simplest way to deal with the conflict without changing the stairs. I did not change the architectural model. I only adjusted the structural design to account for the conflicts. Next time, I would try to plan the grid and the core walls together earlier, so the beams line up better and I don’t have to remove any. That would make the structure cleaner and safer, and I wouldn’t have to hope it works.