Glenn KatzOverview
- Key / Essential / Unique Design Features that you explored in your project.
At its core, my aim was to create a building that meets my aesthetic standards. In my vision, this structure should be pure white, adorned with smooth, lively curves to embellish it. The extensive use of curtain walls gives the building a translucent feel and excellently provides natural lighting.
- Your Big Successes -- what worked very well and what features you're most proud to share as examples to inspire others.
In terms of my major successes, I believe the curve design, such as the roof's curvature, was one of the more challenging aspects of architectural design, but fortunately, the outcome was quite satisfactory. To give the roof a floating appearance, I designed a truss structure for support. The HVAC system's air handler fits neatly under this roof, avoiding any compromise to the building's overall appearance.
- 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.
The greatest challenge for me was in the initial vision of incorporating a lively outdoor garden with curves and accentuating the outdoor elements with a flat and narrow architectural design. Much like the Getty Center in Los Angeles, this outdoor garden would offer a pleasing scene filled with beauty and natural elements for visitors. However, I realized that designing extensive outdoor elements would take up a lot of space, making it challenging to accommodate various functional areas of the project. Thus, I refocused on the building itself but tried to incorporate my aesthetic and natural integration as much as possible.
- Learned -- what sage words of advice would you share with other students who are embarking on a similar project.
This was my first encounter with using Revit. Looking back at the end of the quarter, I'm delighted to see that I've proficiently mastered crucial BIM skills through this course. Furthermore, from conceptual design, layout, architecture, structure, HVAC, to plumbing and lighting, I experienced a relatively complete architectural design process. When the project was completed, I felt a profound sense of pride and achievement, while also recognizing areas for optimization in the design process, which has accumulated valuable experience for my future designs.
