Why is it important to accurately model the land features of your project site with a toposurface?
- What aspects of a building design are most affected by the terrain features?
The toposurface is important because it one must accurately model what is out in reality. The buildability and overall design is greatly influenced by the initial base of the structure, as that is the foundation of the design. The project base is the part most affected by the topography.
When designing a project...
- Should the building adapt to the terrain?
- Or, should you adapt the terrain to the building?
It depends, however I would expect in most cases it is likely a mixture of both. If the terrain is extremely steep, there are different options one can consider. A building pad will offer a flat surface for any design, however overall design will affect the length at which the building will hang off, possibly supported by railings. This is a choice of the designers and client.
What considerations affect a project team's decision-making when deciding the floor-to-floor height to use in a multi-story building?
- From a real estate developer's perspective?
- From a designer's perspective?
- From an engineer's perspective?
- From a builder's perspective?
- From an owner's perspective?
What are the advantages of stacking the levels of a multi-story building vertically?
- Can you share an interesting example of a building that doesn’t vertically stack (where the floor plates change their shaped radically between the floor levels)?
- What were the advantages or reasons for non-vertical stacking?
Why do stairs follow specific proportions with a set relationship between the tread length and riser height?
- How can building modeling help prevent the mistakes that often occur when designing and installing stairs?
Describe a case when it would be worthwhile to create a new custom component in Revit… How do you decide when customize versus using readily available components?
It might be worthwhile to create a new custom component in Revit when an item is lacking in the existing libraries. By being able to create custom components, you can tailor any item to fit the needs of your personal desires and envisioned design. Especially in the latter phases of a project, a more honed in and detailed depiction of what the house can potentially look like may make or break the sale, as details and accessories play an important role overall.