This exploration has been very useful and has guided me towards a couple of design decisions/considerations. Here are some of the things I know: I have chosen my location to the Stanford Dish area. My top priority is to create a building that blends in with the surroundings and does not disrupt the environment. Another way I hope to weave sustainability into my design is through the materials. Some ideas that have come up are sandstone walls, wood and corten steel. One difficulty I am having is how to accommodate for all the square footage within this design concept.
With these objectives in mind, I have chosen to design a one-story long linear building inspired by the flow of the contour lines as a form of trying to adapt to the site rather than have it adapt to my choices. From my analysis, I have concluded it would be best to have the longest side be south-facing in order to maximize natural light and have the possibility of including solar panels. Furthermore, for cooling I have found it to be more energy efficient to have one long component rather than smaller individual units.
In my analyses I still have to explore placing the building at higher and lower altitudes to see how the light would impact the heat.