My 220B Journey
Key / Essential / Unique Design Features
My building is an interactive academic learning center that fosters a stimulating environment for students to thrive in. With an area of 30,000 square feet spread upon two floors, the building features large lecture rooms, laboratories, studying areas, and an enclosed outdoor area centered within the building and surrounded by forestry-like elements to incorporate a nurturing, environmentally driven learning environment. Some key features include, but are not limited to:
- Hybrid structural system: steel and mass timber
- Enclosed, yet exposed outdoor recreational area featuring high tree density and 100% natural ventilation
- 5 large 72”x72” flat skylights across the roof for increased natural daylighting
- Window bow casement on front view windows for enhanced Victorian architectural style
- Asphalt shingle insulated roof
- AHU on each floor for independent heating and cooling
- Curtain walls for increased natural daylighting and for occupant mental health benefits
- Double-pane windows for enhanced insulation
My Big Successes
Overall, I must admit that this entire course was a large success in itself. Prior to embarking on this academic journey, I had a limited degree of exposure when it came to working with Revit and I can honestly say that my greatest success is to have gained a wealth of knowledge in terms of building design. Although I am not yet a master in building design via Revit, I have developed the fundamental skills that will serve as building blocks to further broaden my Revit intellectual horizons.
In terms of my building design, I can quite honestly admit being happy about my overall space layout. Initially, I struggled to make sense of how I wanted to lay out the spaces within my building, but after playing around with conceptual models to determine what made most sense, I was able to solidify the optimal order for arranging space types. I developed the space budget spreadsheet below, which gave rise to my initial floor plan layout. I then continued to refine the layout with respect to space as I learnt more and more about my building — for instance, I decided to enlarge various study spaces such as the cafe area to appeal not only to students, but to visitors who want to stop by and study as well.
My Hefty Challenges
Although I have a list of challenges I encountered, at the top of my list has to be developing a structural system. I particularly struggled with implementing beams and columns within areas where there were no load bearing walls, especially because I could not have extremely long beams running from one end of the building to the other without supporting columns. Additionally, whenever I would load my structural model and link it with my architectural model, the elevations would not line up and this further exacerbated the challenge. I would attempt to move one element and it would disconnect from everything else, making it especially difficult to modify my existing design without having to start over.
The challenge that takes second place would have to be designing the HVAC system. I had not experienced as many warning notes as I did when working on this module since many of the HVAC elements would not connect. I ran into a frequent problem of supply diffusers and return grilles not connecting to the ductwork, so I had to constantly review both the 3D and elevation views to ensure they were connected and reasonably elevated.
My Greatest Lessons Learnt
I cannot stress this enough: do not procrastinate. It is easy to fall behind when taking an online course since you are not required to attend class during the allotted time, but trust me when I tell you to not miss class. It is imperative to stay on top of your requirements and be diligent in terms of planning and completing your work. Overall, this course is amongst my favorites, and I am incredibly thankful for the wealth of knowledge I have acquired during this short quarter.
Video Presentation / Tour of My Project Features
Final Presentation Video
PowerPoint Presentation Slides
Building Tour Video
The building tour video is also embedded within my final presentation video.