Stage 1 - Part 1
Using the Parametric Tower - Twisting Rounded Triangular Mass family, several inputs were chosen to parameterize while others were chosen to remain constant. Parameters chosen to parametrize were Base Radius, Top Rotation, and Top Height, which were each individually varied while all other inputs were constant. The goal of the test runs was to produce various building designs that had a gross floor area of 2,500,000 and 3,000,000 SF, while staying within the following site development limits:
- Up to 300m (984 feet) wide x 100 meters (328 feet) deep in plan view
- No taller than the site’s height limitation of 230 meters (755 feet).
To achieve the desired gross floor area, trial and error was used to determine suitable values for constant parameters and an appropriate range of values for the testing parameters. Typically, the mass of a building is less, the higher the floor, thus I thought it was practical to adjust the Base Radius over the Top Radius, where the Top Radius was consistently a smaller value of the two. The height and rotation are two other parameters can could be varied for based on occupancy/function (i.e. skyscraper vs warehouse) and aesthetics.
Examples of flexing via rotation, base/top radius, and height.
Stage 1 - Part 2
Part 2 involves creating a custom profile on Revit using a conceptual mass template. I wanted to create a unique, yet sleek building profile that featured curved and sharp edges. Using the line and arc tools, I created a base profile as shown below. The width and depth of the profile may be lengthened or shortened, while the radius of the arc may be adjusted to change the overall form. Using a 2-profile twisting tower template, the custom profiles were inserted into the template to achieve the rotation parameter. Overall, the adjustable parameters included the following:
- Height
- Depth and Width of both the Top and Base Profiles
- Radius of both Profiles (from Family Edit, not directly on Revit model)
- Base and Top Rotation
I wanted to see how the design would perform/look if I varied the top profile this time, thus I varied the Top Width. I also varied the Top Height and Top Rotation in Part 2 for consistency with Part 1. Once again, trial and error was used to obtain suitable constant and test values for each parameter in order to meet the design criteria and constraints.
Points to Ponder
Exporting the values to Excel is beneficial for compiling a list of values such as for this task. It is a good way to store and organize the data for analysis in a way that automatically updates after each run on Dynamo, increasing modeling and optimization efficiency. Designers may quickly read summary tables to identify the most influential parameters according to their design criteria.