Stage 1 Part 1 - Creating Forms with Revit Conceptual Masses
For the setting of the location, I used the image provided and referenced the location with the Burj Khalifa to get the longitude and latitude points of the site: 25.187479, 55.273020. I then put these values into Revit and chose the nearest Weather Station. I then imported the Twisting Triangular Mass form for my conceptual mass element. To divide up the mass, I made an array of levels at every 10 feet to represent the average height of a ceiling. I adjusted the starting parameters to ensure the SF would be in the acceptable range: namely making the base radius 200’ and base rotation 0 degrees, the mid-height radius 120’, mid-height 220’, and the mid-rotation value that to be flexed from 0 to 60 degrees at 10 degree increments. The top radius was set to be 105’ with a top height of 700’. The top rotation was set as a function of the mid-rotation value, to be 4 times that of the flexed value.
Stage 1 Part 2
For the custom conceptual mass form, I took inspiration from nature and flowers, but the final form also reminds me of the “X” in the logo of a TV show I watched as a kid - Winx Club. I made this through some profile iterations in which originally I didn’t have reference planes in the middle segment, but the profile wouldn’t form that way, so I ended up adding two additional parameters to govern how big the interior space is. I then used the following equation to vary the top depth of the system, with the other held variables shown in the image next to the two variations. The flexed variable was that of the base rotation, from a value of 0 to 60 degrees at 10 degree increments.
Point to Ponder: It is advantageous to export the values to Excel as it allows for the designer to have more freedom during the iterations. Namely, it frees up time to perform other tasks while the computer runs through iterations, and the designer can simply analyze the results instead of have to meticulously compile them themselves.
Stage 2 - Creating Forms with Dynamo or Grasshopper Geometry
Flexed structure with 5 degree rotation and 475 bottom amplification.
Flexed structure with 10 degree rotation and 550 bottom amplification.
For this stage, I wanted to use a sine function to generation a unique building structure which I did by applying a poly curve and then using this function to close itself. This ended up being more challenging and less exciting looking than I had expected, but I kept it due to the amount of time I spent troubleshooting it. I then adjusted the location of the curves to fit within a box that would ensure the design stays within the maximum site plan dimensions. I flexed the top rotation and bottom amplification, with options to also influence the top amplification and overall height of the structure. I once again iterated with the values until the output floor area was within the range requested by the problem statement.
Point to Ponder: The amplification has a larger effect on creating a desirable building form, likely due to the larger steps and that the rotation allows the building to have a similar level of floor area even with a twist. This means that the main influence comes from changing the actual base geometry curve instead of simply rotating it.