Glenn Katz
Overview
- Key / Essential / Unique Design Features that you explored in your project.
-I decided to make each floor of my building unique. This means that on the inside the room layout looks deifferent and seach system had to be made specifically for each floor. I did this because I wanted my different rooms to be designed in the most useful way.
-The rotating floors with hexagonal shapes give it a cool look from the outside and create built in terraces which are structurally supported by the floors below. This also removed the need for supporting the terraces with cables.
-Daylighting was one of my main goals to improve occupancy experience and limit the electricity consumption. This is why I chose to put an atrium through the center of the whole building to bring in natural light to the middle of the building, along with the many windows on the edges. This brings in indirect sunlight that won’t be too harsh but still brightens up the middle of the building.
-I wanted my design to be sustainable so I chose to do a green roof. It has a good R value and prevents overheating of the building while retaining water. I also added as many solar panels as possbile to generate energy.
- Your Big Successes -- what worked very well and what features you're most proud to share as examples to inspire others.
-Although it was a challenge, I am proud that I made each floor level unique. I think it allowed me to use the spaces in different ways and provide the best arrangement for the different uses of the spaces. The rotating floors with terraces also give the building a unique look on the outside and hopefully inspires more unique sustainable designs.
- Your Big Challenges -- what aspects of the project created the biggest challenges and what would you do differently (in hindsight) to avoid or overcome these challenges.
-I would make more things similar throughout the floors. Last minute I changed my bathrooms to all by symmetrical because it’s more buildable. I would have added my mechanical and other shafts early on. I also would have put a mechanical room on the same spot on each floor to run all my ducts and pipes through.
-I wish I realized earlier on that it is really hard to make a building with a glass exterior be sustainable. I designed my rooms around the idea of having the outer edge to be glass and they ended up being regular walls instead of curtain panels.
-I would’ve made the lobby/entrance even more open by adding entrances to the atrium on the first floor and making it like a garden people could work in.
-My original design ideas ended up changing because of my limited Revit experience/skills, it would have been cool to explore more unique approaches.
- Lessons Learned -- what sage words of advice would you share with other students who are embarking on a similar project.
-Design the building with the whole process in mind: the HVAC, plumbing, and electrical work down the road can become complicated if not thought about early on in the process.
-Find the right balance between uniqueness and buildability. Symmetry throughout the floors saves time in the future.
