I made my grid when I was developing my Architecture model, these made the develop of my structural model easier. My building is rectangular and the distance between the grid is the same for each plane.
Since the beginning I wanted to make a mass timber structural system. That why the only concrete you will find in my model is the foundation, The exterior columns that support the roof overhang and a very thin layer above the CLT floor on Level 1. All my columns are 10.5x20cm Glulams and my beams are 10.5x24cm or 10.5x70cm Glulams depending on the span. For my beam system I used Plywood I-Joist. My floor slab is a 25cm, 5 layer CLT (Cross Laminated Timber), that rests above the columns and beams. I also have 20 cm CLT walls on the perimeter of the building and surrounding the big exhibition rooms.
The biggest challenge I noticed in my model are the exterior concrete columns due to the height, as they go from Level 1 to Level 3 , and could curved. I will also like to make an architecture feature like the exterior colums of Brasil's Palace of Justice, a building desing by the famous architect Oscar Niemeyer.
