Studio Final - Semester 2

Week 8 - Couple of shots

A lot of shots have been taken, but Matt called and bugged me to post a couple!!!

Week 8 - Revised North Elevation

After talking to Werner, I realized what he was saying, I got away from my original Parti, of turning my back to the noise, freeway and train. So below are some view of the new windows. I think it is important to get the classrooms on the 4th floor as much exposeure to light as possible, but I scaled back the amount of glass at the drom rooms, computer and cave, whcich goes back to my original parti.

Week 7 - Building and Site Services

Week 7 - Some Details - DRAFT

Week 6 1/2 - Progress Plans, Elevations, and Some Perspectives

Some of the elevations and sections look "blotchy", I'm working on the settings when I print... Will update them tomorrow if I get it worked out.

I have been working through some studies on the north elevation, still have a couple other thoughts that I am working through. While working on the north elevation, the floor plans changed, which I really like.

The new north elevation created some nice opportunities for the dining area for north light while still keeping it in line with the exhibit hall for larger events. As you can see the spacing of the

windows came from the rhythm of the dorm rooms, which created a spacing problem for the restrooms. I have a little more plumbing chase length, but that doesn't bother me, I like the computer lab layout. The back part can be computers, while the area near the door is for printing.

Week 6 - Code Analysis - DRAFT

Where do the hours go???

I may need to enlarge these, I will print it out at work tomorrow and see how legible they are.

Week 6 - Structural - Draft

Revit and I are having a little fight, so I switched over to AutoCad to draw a quick structural section.

While in Boston, Kurt Benedict noted I could use Steel or Concrete, so I opted to use post tension concrete floors so I could learn a new system. These plans and section have been reviewed with Kurt. Over the next two weeks I plan on adding some details and photos to help illustrate the pieces of this structural system.

Week 6 - Revised Site Plan

Below is a revised site plan, considering some of the comments made earlier. I started looking at my strong building geometry and felt I should continue the strong lines in the landscaping. I am also bringing the landscape out to the street lined with medium and large canopy type trees along Boylston so pedestrians will be able to look under the trees and over the grasses along the street.

A wider, more inviting sidewalk will bring guest and students into the yard and to the main entry. I have located several locations with sitting stones creating small areas of refuge, however locating them so you can still see everything around you. The "Frisbee" lawn is now larger and uninterrupted which will also allow two pieces of art to line up on each side of the glass entry. The art is proposed to have two vertical pieces that will connect to each other through the entry glass and have water running down them to create white noise to help mask the noise of the traffic.

I have also shown the Roof Garden in this plan to show that the lines and landscaping will continue up to the roof from down below. Both hard and soft surfaces are provided for relaxing, along with a look-out are with a small guard rail to lean against. I changed the vines and lattice along the existing building wall to a water wall art feature, once again to create a smoothing water sound to mask the streets/highway below. The North and West edges are still planned as noted before, steeped landscaping along the tracks and berms along the NW corner to help reflect the noise from the adjacent train and freeway.

Week 5 - Site Development

As noted earlier with my Vision, several of my “green” strategies was to take care of water on the site (and building) by abiding to the “Ground Water Overlay District” rules even though the size of our project is not large enough to be required to.

My storm water from paving and building will be treated as a resource and routed to an underground storage cistern that will allow water to seep back into the ground for the Overlay District, but will also allow water to be used for any site irrigation that will be needed.

Site irrigation will be minimized by using native grasses and plants. Paved areas will also use a porous pavement system to allow water to seep directly back to the ground in lieu of creating surface runoff.











The plan is taking some of my earlier thoughts and discussions with Kevin and developing them further. Shown with the plan are some conceptual pictures of how a couple of the areas are to look like along with a couple of details. The drainage detail at the top left will be used along the perimeter of the parking, drive and sidewalk paving. I'm still looking at the top right detail to use along the North side of the site to step with some low maintenance type landscaping to try to reflect some of the noise from the North.

Kevin talked about experiencing the site as you arrived. My sidewalk apporaches the building at a slite curve to create the "Denial and Reward". The "denial" is small, but also allows for entering the building without going all over, which tends to make people cut across and create their own path. The lawn areas allow for some recreation spaces for frisbee or laying around on the grass, but still makes it part of the landscape.

Week 5 - Structural Development

Well I have been learning a lot about Post-Tension construction, so my plan is working, try something different!! VSL-A Structural Group has a some great information describing Post-Tensioning and the process on their web site. Eddie and one of our structural engineers have also given me some additional things to think about for spans and columns. It has really become a learning experience.

As you noticed in a previous post, I thought I would have concrete beams supporting the slab, but have since found out that was incorrect, so out with the beams!

The Post-Tensioning cables are manufactured for the job and come in large bundles with plates attached. The cables are in a plastic conduit so the concrete doesn't stick to the cable. (The pictures below are from VSL).

















I started developing my structural plans and decided for this post it would be easiest to note up the plan by hand. (Easier to see the notes and I am trying to figure out how to input some of the structural elements into Revit. Revit has been great by the way, just a challenge now and then).












Below is a picture showing how the Post-Tension cables and rebar are located on a floor slab prior to the concrete being poured.











Below is a structural section through the North building. In order to keep the colums from being exposed on the outside of the building where I am stepping back, I am having to add a transfer beam. As noted the Post-Tension system does not need the beam, however the colums from 2nd floor to the roof shifts 5 feet with my stepped glass wall.