What are the principal advantages of creating a conceptual design model using masses before diving into the detailed design and building element modeling?
Should all buildings be modeled first using conceptual masses?
When is it needed/appropriate? And when not?
For example, should you create a conceptual mass model of a small house?
Perhaps depending on your skillset you could model all buildings using conceptual masses, but they seem particularly useful when trying to create complex shapes and geometries. I do not think the conceptual mass model is based on the size, more so based on the complexity. So if the small house is planning to have many unique features and shapes merging together, it would be a good idea to explore these with the conceptual mass model.
Can you think of any examples of a real building around the world that most likely was created by exploring the form using conceptual mass models?
Please post and share images of these examples to this Notion page.
The first thing I thought of when seeing these conceptual mass models was Frank Gehry’s work at MIT creating Stata. It is filled with wonky shapes and geometries.
How would you abstract the essential form of these famous buildings using conceptual mass elements that you can create in Revit?
- One World Trade Center: https://www.archdaily.com/795277/one-world-trade-center-som
- CMG Headquarters: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CMG_Headquarters#/media/File:China_Central_Television_Headquarters_2.jpg
- Twisting torso: https://www.archdaily.com/771471/santiago-calatravas-turning-torso-wins-ctbuhs-10-year-award
- Apple campus: https://www.archdaily.com/804970/apple-campus-2-held-to-fantastical-standard-of-detail-new-report-reveals
- Salesforce tower: https://www.archdaily.com/889519/salesforce-tower-pelli-clarke-pelli-architects