Design Journal Entry - Module 12 Wrap Up - Anjana Mohan

Journal Entry For
Module 12 - Sharing Your Project

Overview

Key / Essential / Unique Design Features :

  • Overall design concept: The shape of the building mimics a wave on the seashore, like the building itself is. The building was intended to be sculptural, since the building is a museum, and the experience starts even before the visitor enters the building. It also needs to be attractive so that it becomes a popular local/tourist destination in the area. The form also resembles an infinity sign, which is how the circulation pattern for the public is intended.
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  • Space planning: The building is split into two wings, one which is mainly private and one which has public access. There is very little interaction between the two, and the public is generally kept away from the private areas like offices. The offices, conference rooms, and seminar hall would also enjoy privacy without sight and noise from the public.
  • Canopy: The canopy is an aesthetic element added to tie in the building shape. The absence of it would cause the building to look to linear, and would also serve as the iconographic element for this landmark. The material considerations for this structure are untreated copper or bronze, that would oxidize and gather patina over time, adding character to the building.
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  • Volumes, heights, atriums: One of the concepts of the design here was to have a play of volumes which would define the user experience. Therefore, several spots in the building have visual connectivity between floors, in the form of double/triple heights and atriums.
  • Lighting: Much of the building relies on natural lighting, since the building has several fenestrations, particularly in the east and north sides to harness maximum diffused sunlight. The main atrium in the public space has a rhomboid curtain panel system that has an interesting shadow right in the center of the display area. The large skylight also provides natural light. The panels can be made automated to respond to the weather.
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  • Terraces, courtyard, open spaces: Open terraces accessible from the display areas in the permanent gallery can be used for events and showcase, and the courtyard within the temp gallery in the first floor can be used as a spillover space from the gallery itself for an exhibition.
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  • Landscaping: The building is surrounded by a beautiful landscaping to go with the form, with plenty of local palm and coconut trees. The indigenous neem trees provide shade, as well act as air purifiers, making the outdoors comfortable, and as tourist hotspots in the city. People could come and rest/picnic there.
  • Vertical circulation: The building has staircase on both wings that are also a part of the fire and life safety strategy, elevators to all floors, and escalators in the main atrium in the public wing.
  • Structural system: A simple grid system with steel I-channels has been used, along with several overhangs. The canopy is supported on slender, round steel columns at the edges, and where it peaks on the building.
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  • HVAC system: Some concepts like self-shading by building design were used. The air flow in the building is predominantly mechanical, since the building is meant for exhibitions that need a controlled environment. However, spaces like offices have openable windows for natural airflow, in addition to mechanical heating/cooling. There are also doors/openings in the curtain walls in the public spaces that can be opened if needed. The strategy involved having a main AHU in the mech room in the first floor, and other local AHUs branching out from it, leading to the ceiling terminals.
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  • Plumbing: Two restroom complexes on either side of the building utilize plumbing. The building uses regular hot water, cold water, and sanitary systems, with premium fixtures from Armitage Shanks. Plumbing fixtures include water closets, urinals, vanity sinks, kitchen sinks. etc. Piping elements include pipes of varying sizes (ranging from 1/4” for hot/cold water to 4” for the sanitary riser). The pipes are housed in wall, and in shafts next to the restrooms.
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  • Sustainability: At the beginning of the project, climate analysis on Climate Consultant was used, and it showed that special care has to be taken in terms of cooling the building. So along with natural ventilation in smaller, private areas, there is also mechanical cooling in place. due to the Once the schematic design was done and analyzed on Insight, the indicator showed an impact within the Arch2030, at 11.1 kBtu/sqft/yr. This provided an ‘insight’ (;P) into what I would need to change in the model to be able to bring down the number from 85.5, like reducing the % of openings in the building, or increasing the % of solar panels.
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Big Successes :

The aspect of the project that I am most proud of is the overall architectural design. I have been away from the design field for a while now, and this project gave me an opportunity to take up design once again. I was thrilled at working out the circulation, space planning, occupancy, design features, etc. This building is a museum and art gallery, and I wanted the building to be a sculpture in itself. The zone that the design phase put me in was amazing. Looking back at the byelaws, designing within certain constraints, but in a beautiful site by the sea and responding to the local context were all things from my ‘past design life’ that I loved exploring this time around.

Design was not the only success. I also learnt basics of how different MEP systems work, and how to model them on Revit. It was also challenging and exciting to figure out how the systems would not clash.

I also learnt about the energy analysis tools and how powerful Revit+other Autodesk software can be. I have been using Revit for a long time now, but this project gave me a chance to explore these different tools and tabs o Revit, which I had otherwise not used during my undergrad or employment.

With passage of time, I learnt to let go a bit and enjoy the process of working on this project, instead of treating it like a school project. This way, I learnt more.

Big Challenges :

As mentioned in my successes, I loved seeing my vision come alive. But what I realized with time is that the goal of this course was not to design the prettiest building, but to rather understand the different systems and conduct environmental impact analyses. And by then it was already too late. My initial concept of designing the building inside out were taken over when the form of the building started to materialize. Because of this, I ended up with a white elephant of a building that was tough to deal with in terms of every system. I am not sure if the structural system I have in place would work at all, seeing as how I am trained in it, and the building needs a complex system. In hindsight, I would be a bit less hard on myself about details. I also wish that I had focused more on sustainability. There are aspects, especially towards the end, that are not necessarily the best solutions for a green building, so I wish had spent some more time thinking about the strategy, instead of only trying to understand how the system might work in a building.

Revit MEP modeling was the most difficult aspect for me, since I was not used to working with this. I spent a lot of time trying to figure out duct connections and slopes of pipes, which of course, was not the best use of time. But I am glad I learnt this.

Lessons Learned :

  • Do not focus too much on perfection; it does not exist: I spent hours trying to make the building as close to my idea of perfection as possible. It just is not possible to get there in such a short period of time. In the end, I had to simplify a lot of things and revisit the purpose of the course to get things done.
  • Look at the big picture and understand the purpose of doing the modules.
  • Allocate enough time: I felt like I needlessly complicated things, so I took a lot of time, and as a result, felt pressured to finish everything on time, and still submitted way later than I should have.
  • Go through the entire module kickoff session before starting work: I had to duplicate efforts several times because I did not watch the video till the end, and just followed the steps without tailoring it to my project.
  • Seek help when needed: Glenn and the TAs are super helpful, and are rooting for us to finish our work in a way we feel proud. They can be a useful resource to tap into, something I wish I had done more right from the beginning.
  • Sustainability is the way to go; use as many green building features as possible, and treat this as a real-world simulation of what the construction industry would be like.
  • Be proud of your work: This did not strike me till I started writing this final journal. No matter how exhausted you are, or how bad the project turned out to be, be proud of the progress and journey that was taken through the quarter. When I look back on day 1 and think about how intimidated I was by the modules in the course, I can see how much I have progressed and feel like I learnt so much and have come so far.

Anjana_Mohan_CEE 220B_Final_Presentation.pdf2972.1KB

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