Thesis Brainstorming

By Kyle Fountain

Breaks between deadlines whether professional or academic have proven to be ideal brainstorming, creative, and productive opportunities.  For instance, when I had a break between working in an office 45 hours per week and beginning this master’s program, I was obsessed with industrial design and entrepreneurship.  That is, anything which could provide passive income to alleviate 45 hours of sitting in a chair, while still expressing design and creativity.

Now, during this academic pause, I have had time to continue research of my thesis without forced deadlines.  Still, I look forward to the next semester as deadlines and accountability is equally important to me as intermittent, uncontrolled brainstorming.  My preliminary thesis topic of an urban development which can grow and adapt congruent to its surrounding context with a strong interest in maintaining a neighborhoods culture is becoming in itself adaptable and open for manipulation.  That is, the abstract changes slightly based on my latest research.  Lately, I have been investigating two architects, O.M. Ungers, and Stephane Malka.  Though just speculation, Malka seems to have been largely inspired by Ungers’ writings on “Grossform,” and “Parasitic Architecture.”  One of Malka’s latest proposals is a response to a worldwide urban issue of rural flight.  With more and more rural populations moving into the city, developers are rushing to accommodate.  Malka’s P9-Ghetto Mobile, is an answer to the aforementioned urban crisis utilizing mass production and customization.

 Figure 1: Courtesy of Malka Archtiecture http://www.stephanemalka.com/en/

Malka’s proposal aims to integrate otherwise wealthier architectural typologies into overlooked urban spaces.  This architectural installation can be disassembled and relocated.  The units are assembled onto a scaffolding, and provide residences, offices, galleries, shops, etc.  This “Micro-City,” can be assembled in unlimited configurations, and adapted to its surrounding context.

The site I have chosen for my thesis is perfect for exploring these notions of architecture on demand, and the introduction of time and architecture. The West Loop, specifically Fulton Market, has recently published an Innovative Land Use Plan as a guideline for future development.  Although this plan is necessary to help mitigate bad development, it seems to be encouraging haphazard contextualism.  For instance, one guiding design requirement according to the land use plan is to maintain existing historical street frontage.  If I’m wearing my developer hat, this means, traditional ornamental masonry base for two stories, and a modern marketable residential tower on top.  Is that solution really the answer to maintaining an areas culture and heritage?  How would a Mies residential tower feel contextually if it were retrofitted on top of an historic masonry podium?  My goal for the next few months is to investigate these questions among many other urban issues.  Steven Holl recollects Louis Sullivan in a conversation with Lebbeus Woods as Louis being on his death bed explaining that if he lives long enough, he will see all of his buildings being torn down, but that it’s only the philosophy and ideas that will live on.

Architecture in Video Games

By Chase Masters

For this 8^th blog I wanted to talk about one of my interests that is linked with architecture.  When I was younger there were a few video games that I played that gave me a stronger interest in pursuing a career in architecture.  There was two games in specific that made the appeal of architecture more alluring.  The Sims, a game that is about simulation of a person, a group of people, or a family; and Sim City, a game about building a city and watch it develop.

                In the game of Sims you have control of a person or group of people having them look for jobs, eat, sleep, entertain them, and have social connection.  This game is basically a simulation of life having to pay for bills, furniture, house, work, and all other life duties.  The way I looked at the game was not just to play as a person and simulate life, but to try to build a house, get a job to make more money so I can build extensions on the house and furnish the house to my liking.  Designing a small house that was affordable to start the game and then earn a good living to improve that house and transform it into a bigger more luxurious home.  This game helped me understand that I have a love for design and not only of the exterior shell of a house, but the landscape, exterior facades, interior spaces not only of each invidual room, but as a whole.  I really liked to start a new game over and over again because I enjoyed the intial design of the house with the organization of rooms, what are the relationships of one room to another.  I also enjoyed playing with the entrance of the house and the exit to the back yard.  I typically placed a pool with a patio that has uses for a grill, sitting, lighting, and a good view of plants that the sims would enjoy.  This helped me think more about buildings and I would then always study the architecture of a building anywhere I go.

                The second game Sim City is more of an urban master planning where you have to zone residential, commercial, and industrial occupancies.  You also need to provide all the necessary utilities for the city like water, power, sewage, garbage, transportation, law enforcement, fire protection, and medical.  There was also all the different specialties to gain money for the city like mining/drilling resources, tourism, casinos, developing technologies, and import/exports.  One feature of the game was the relationship of placing things next to each other, placing the civic buildings next to the residents increased their happiness and attracted more people to this lotion increasing the density.  If the industrial was close to the residential there was a chance of pollution getting the town sick and making people leave town.  I enjoyed playing with the different occupancies and trying to intermix them how they would turn out and what would be the best fit.  The three occupancies all have a link together with residential being the homes of people, commercial being the way they spend/earn their money and industrial is how they earn their money as well as provide the commercial with goods to sell.  If you have too much residential there would be people without jobs, too much commercial not enough workers or inventory, too much industrial not enough workers or too much goods that the industry will close from not making money.  The thing I struggled the most with when I was little was the money aspect of the game.  I wanted to build the city and I was impatient on waiting for things to develop to earn the money to plan to develop more.  This game I still play and I have changed the way I play the game because I mostly focus on two important things.  The first being the roads or the infrastructure of the city since traffic concerns are very vital to the game and how everything is linked and connected.  The second is the income of the city and how does the city earn its wealth to develop.  This game greatly helped me understand the relationships of a city and how one works as well as how it can fail.

                This is just two examples of how videogames started my interest in architecture and taught me some lessons along the way.  There are many other videogames that also peak my interest just because of the architecture, wither it’s the ascetics of the buildings in the game, the layout of the map in a game interior or exterior, or just how much freedom there is designing a building in video games.  In videogames the space is infinite, a space designated for a small room can be show on the exterior, but open the door and the small space can turn into a new world.  The games also don’t have to worry about the buildings structure or gravity and this means anything imaginable can happen with the design of a building, or buildings.

Urban Parks & Green Spaces: Case studies

By Drew Baldwin

Urban parks and green spaces serve as pivotal parts of any city, providing a touch of nature in an otherwise completely urban landscape as well as spaces and places to relax and unwind or play sports and work up a sweat. I will just take some time this week to point out some of the current parks serving as my precedent study for my thesis.

One of the most known/notable of these spaces is Central Park in New York City, which was the first major urban green space to open in America. It consists of 1.3 square miles of park located in central Manhattan and is the most visited urban park in the United States. The park was designed by Calvert Vaux and Frederick Olmstead, the father pf urban planning. Shortly after construction of the park was completed, it began to fall into a decline. There were a few reasons for this: people’s interest in the park due to the New York political party proved to be declining, shortly after the turn of the 20^th century, the automobile became more prevalent in urban environments, leading to pollution problems and parks were wanted not just for walking or picnics, but for recreational activities and sports. IN 1934 after the election of a new mayor, Central park, as well as many other parks throughout New York City were renovated and cleaned up, prompting more public visitation and use, thus combating the initial decline in popularity of the park. A second decline of the park came about in the 1970s after years of poor management and maintenance upkeep throughout the 60s. Renovation in the 80’s revived the park from its drab, dust bowl-esque appearance to a vibrant park people would actually visit (pictured below).

For a second case study, I have decided to choose the High Line project, also in New York City, as I feel it demonstrates two ideas that I am trying to achieve with my thesis, the creation of a green space in the heart of a downtown/ urban area as well as the revitalization of a once run-down piece of land (or in this case a rail line). The High Line, was a freight rail line in Manhattan’s west side, known as the “West Side Line,” running from Gansevoort Street in the Meatpacking District to West 34th Street, between 10th and 12th Avenues (pictured right). The idea for the High Line Project was initially started by the organization ‘Friends of the High Line’ a group who sought to maintain the historic railway in Manhattan. The first construction began in 2006 with the first section opening in 2009. Just recently, on September 21^st of this year did the third section of the park open to the general public. The High Line is a 1.45 mile long park elevated above the streets of West Manhattan, open to anyone wanting to visit. The park attracts upwards of 5 million visitors annually as well has helped to spur an increase in real estate development in the neighborhoods lying along the line. With this development in real estate in the neighborhoods, there has been an increase in property values for the apartments overlooking the park which has also ushered in new businesses to open in seemingly more populated neighborhoods. The crime rate in the High Line park has been very low, almost zero because as put by an interviewee Joshua David “Empty parks are dangerous…Busy parks are much less so. You’re virtually never alone on the High Line.” By creating a park that everyone wants to be in all the time, could that lead to lower crime rates? A very important question to keep in mind for Detroit and the parks I am looking to design. 

Nansen Park, Oslo Norway. After the international airport was moved in 1998, it left behind a barren wasteland atop a peninsula of torn up ground and little to no vegetation. After the airport’s move, there was about 1000 acres of land to be developed. It was decided that certain plots of this land were to be sold off for housing and offices, to private developers. There was also decisions to establish recreational areas, buffer zones along areas for nature preservation, pedestrian walkways in an effort to unify Nansen Park as a whole. Architects Helin and Siitonen won the completion in 1998 for the master plan of the park, defined by the ring of road defining the area with its seven legs reaching towards the water in all directions (pictured left). A competition was held for the landscape design in 2004 Bjørbekk & Lindheim won the bid. The overall concept was to keep with the linearity of the airport while paying homage to the original landscape of the area. The center of the park is about 200,000 sq. meters and functions as the main attraction and meeting area for those who live near/around the park. 

A Much Needed Break

By Ethan Brammier

We finally made it through the fall semester to Christmas break.  Although it may seem like a long break, 37 days to be exact, we’ll be back in school before you know it.  During my early undergraduate years I always use to play video games and watch TV during my Christmas breaks.  It wasn’t until my junior and senior year I put an end to that.  When I finally realized I wasn’t accomplishing anything doing those things, I started to do something productive. 

            During my Christmas breaks in the last 2 years I have worked 8 hours a day, either construction or at an architecture firm, but I would have 6-7 hours in the evening to do whatever I wanted.  Instead of lounging around and doing nothing I have built furniture, gone hunting, and drew up plans for family members wanting to renovate.  Of course I did go out on the weekends and watch TV every now and then, but not every single hour of the day like I use to. 

            This Christmas break I had the option of not working at all but I knew if I didn’t work I would be bored out of my mind within a week.  I was lucky enough to be given the opportunity of working at a local firm my first week of break and working construction for my uncle’s company the remainder of break.  Another task I plan on completing before spring semester will be to put my portfolio on the web.   I also plan on applying for jobs all across the country once my online portfolio is complete.  I figured I might as well apply now because school will be so busy between January and graduation that I won’t find the time to do it then. 

            My last job I plan on doing before break is over is to make plans and model a new kitchen renovation for my parents.  Once I started going to school for architecture, it seems my parents all of a sudden what to renovate every room in their house.  I can’t imagine it would be because I can design it all for no charge.  Well that actually may be part of it, but I really don’t mind.  It gives me the chance to gain experience and continue doing something that will help with my school work.  It will be a miracle if I accomplish everything I plan on doing over break but I’d rather set the bar high so I can strive to finish everything I want to do.  In my next blog I will share my online portfolio and talk about all of the Architecture firms I applied to.  

Skate Break: The Break

By Ryan Northcutt

By now we have all started break… which is well needed. After assessing my work and deciding what I need to do in order to finish up my project to make it portfolio worthy, I look back and realize how much work was actually done. While it may not seem like a lot when it is up on the boards, the progress made from start to finish is something to be proud of. It is work we have done over the past 4 years of undergrad all piled into one semester. Everything from the large picture, to the small details of construction become a reality, to an extent, and shows its worth to who we can become as architects. I am personally proud of my work and I look forward to taking my critiques and finishing up the project to make it presentable.

            But after all it is time to sleep, rest, relax, or however you want to say it. For those of us continuing our education at SIU, we have been working since 2^nd semester of our senior year. It is not easy to go three straight semesters and think and work as hard as we do. It goes without saying that we are mentally exhausted. But I wouldn’t say that it is a bad thing. I enjoy the constant work; otherwise it takes only a few days for me to get bored. This constant work is exhausting, but its keeps us as architecture students, designers, thinkers, any other name… its keeps us going. It’s just who we are. But in the meantime, we must take our month break and get rested up to work on our thesis project.

            In this meantime, what do we do? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I keep designing. I stay creative and do things to keep me sharp and fresh. After all its important in this profession. As I have probably mentioned before, I design and hand craft vintage style skateboards. I have taken this hobby of mine and created a small business. So in my free time now I am taking on other design works. This moment I am designing a logo for my company brand. Branding is important, and in many ways its no different than architecture. Its about an icon, which many architects try and put a touch of style into their own work to make a statement about who they are.

            If there is one thing I really hate, it is the separation that exists between design professions. I understand that I am an architecture student and I should be focusing only on that, but that isn’t what a real designer does. Look at all the architects who design furniture and dishware, and so many other things. You cant divide people like that or else they become lost and dull. Their ideas fade and they lose themselves as a designer. That is primarily why I try and talk about an even amount of architecture, as well as other design aspects that I am involved with in my life. They fuel me and keep me sharp.

            I hope everyone has a great break and does plenty of sleeping and relaxing. But remember to stay sharp and get creative!

Recap of Studio Final Presentation

By Sean Williamson

With things finally slowing down, I thought I would take time in this blog to write about my final studio project presentation.  My group (Brittney Mount & Stephen Tutka) presented on Friday, December 5^th at 2pm in the gallery at Quigley.

Overall, our group presentation went very well. We explained our overall scheme and ideas effectively. Various jury members were in attendance critiquing our work. My individual presentation also went very well. Professor Turnipseed and other guests seemed to be very impressed with my project. Numerous comments were made that I had laid out the structural grid system very logically. They also commented on how the extrusions within the façade were very attractive. Various comments were also made on the various renderings. If you were wondering, I used Lumion as the rendering service. I made a point during my presentation to state how the Olympic Ring Interactive Water Fountain is the biggest of its kind in the world! This got quite a laugh out of everyone.

Attached is a pdf of my individual board. On the bottom right you will see the final site plan surrounding my building. If you travel all the way to the left of my board you will encounter the first floor plan with surround site for context. The fifth floor plan is the next displayed to the right, with the 6^th, 9^th, and 14^th floor plans to the right of those.   In the top left of my board you will find a brief explanation of my project which reads:

             2016 Olympic Legacy Project | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

            This mixed-use design consists of commercial retail space on the ground level with a             parking garage located on lev­els 2-4. Above the parking garage lies 1,2,& 3 bedroom res­            idential apartments. The building form serves two purposes; 1) Allows for the       majority of apartments to have Southern facing balconies, 2) Extrusions within           facade increase win­dow surface area for each unit. Accompanying the mixed-use      design is a central plaza developed for the public that incorporates the world’s   largest Olympic ring interactive water fountain.  

Elevations, building section, and wall section is the last information displayed on the board.

Thanks for reading! Hope everyone has a Happy Holiday!

A Case Study: Robin House

By Brittney Mount

Winter break is finally here, but is it really a break? I usually find myself filled with relief when a semester ends, but after that hectic semester and just briefly speaking with my thesis chair I realized this is not a break. I just get to go home instead of studio. This is it. Other than my thesis chair’s guidance, I am on my own for a project. I make the deadlines. That’s reality. We were required to have a first draft of the first three chapters of our thesis books done for our Research Methods course, and chapter two was on case studies so I’m going to share one in this blog.

My thesis is a rehabilitation facility for children with special needs.

Project: Robin House, Children’s Hospice

Location: Scotland, 5.8 acres

This case study relates to the topic of this thesis as it is a children’s hospice, a place that has the accommodations for specialized treatment, emergency treatment, and terminal care for children with life limiting conditions. The client’s description of how they wanted the facility to be perceived was “a welcoming home away from home.” (p.123) It offers not only a place for treatment, but a place for recreation for the patients and their families.

This atmosphere was created through clever design throughout the building, beginning with the choosing of a site that would provoke gorgeous views from certain types of spaces. The site chosen had contours to allow there to be terraced gardens placed throughout that could be easily accessed by wheelchairs (Figure 2.1). This allows for a constant connection to the exterior even from the interior. The program was broken into two wings and two courtyards, keeping the sensitive spaces together and more closed off for sensory purposes, leaving the rest of the spaces very open and brightly and naturally lit.

Figure 2.1

The construction of the facility is made of predominantly untreated larch (Figure 2.2), which is a very light and comfortable material (p. 123). The roof is made of a steel frame to achieve a special ribbon design which was used to allow natural light further into the spaces (Figure 2.3). The design of the roof is also meant to be the buildings identity piece.

Figure 2.2

Figure 2.3

The ribbon effect is also displayed throughout the floor plan giving the visitor a unique journey through the spaces. Along with the use of the soft wood throughout the interior, a soft playful color scheme was also used to appeal to the children (Figure 2.4).

Figure 4

Source: Purves, Geoffrey. Primary Care Centres: A Guide to Health Care Design. 2nd ed. Vol. 1. Oxford: Elsevier/Architectural, 2009. Print.

Looking Forward As Winter Break Begins

By Nick Ouellette

Hello everyone, this week on the blog I wanted to take a step back and relax a little bit. As you may know, or even if you may not know this past week marked the end of the fall 2014 semester for myself in the graduate program. The reviews were completed, the grades were given, and the time to relax and prepare myself for the next semester has begun. Although I will admit I am not completely out of the woods because I still have to work for my Graduate Assistant position over break [which I may or may not get into at a later blog date, it has yet to be determined] and there is a lot of prep work that I would like to focus on to better prepare myself for what is about to happen in the next two semesters regarding my thesis and that is what I wanted to talk about today.

There is so much work that must be done for a project of this magnitude and I will admit that I am only beginning to grasp it and really understand what my life will soon involve. The amount of work that was completed this past fall semester started to dive into this with assignments revolving around the creation of an abstract statement, literature reviews and background information, and case study analyses of various forms of architecture and concepts that would potentially influence the decisions that I make as I develop this residential project. Now these assignments that I completed were very rough in general and were often regarded as ‘works in progress’ to quote my professor but as the winter break goes on I am looking to develop these writings and ideas more into something complete and worthy of the work that is expected out of a thesis study. To give an example of this is that when I worked through the case study research for my thesis topic I began looking into two very specific pieces of architecture. The first was Habitat 67 located in Montreal, Canada and the second was The Stack located in Manhattan, New York. For the analysis of both of these pieces I wrote about the concepts behind each of the buildings, some information on how they were constructed, and a few key points from each of them that I would like to try to implement into my own design.

With the time I have over break when I am not working on my GA work, I would like to go more in-depth with the analysis of not only these two pieces of architecture but a few others and really start to pull from and begin to establish connections with that I can fold into my own design. The case study research I want to dive into more over break also involves other aspects of the building that are not limited to aesthetics or egress but how I can start to look at engineering or structural concepts and start to come up with ideas for creating this massive prefabricated structure and how it all links together into one system on this site in Seattle.

There are other aspects of this thesis project that I would like to start to look into as well over break such as reading material. With the help of my thesis chair, I already have a number of books and other reading material that I currently own or will be purchasing soon that I will hope to begin reading and thinking through and will help further my knowledge about this subject so that I can get a good grasp on the project before the spring semester starts and we actually begin designing the space. This brings me to my final statement about this break. At this stage in the project I feel as though it is too early to begin designing and laying out spaces but there are a number of concept models and overall massing designs that I have been developing in my head since I took hold of this project back in the summer that I hope to build over break at a small scale. Even if these models are a waste of time [which I don’t think they will be but I could be wrong] I feel as though it is important for me to keep my mind open to all options no matter how strange they may be because those early studies may have huge influences on the final design that I present at the end of the summer next year. Hopefully the next blog post I can show a few images of these models and give you all an update as to where I am at this point and what I was thinking as I developed them. See you then and have a lovely holiday season everyone. 

Centre for Energy Studies CES (Zero energy house)

By Sabin Chakradhar

 CES building also known as the Zero energy house is the first and only building in Nepal to attempt for the net-zero energy status. It is one of the academic blocks located within the college premises of Institute Of Engineering. This building was built on 2002 and due to lack of proper maintenance; the building is not able to perform as a complete net zero energy building. But the technologies used in the building are the result of the careful study and researches based on the location of the site.

Some of the technologies used in the building include:

·         Building Energy Management System.

·         Building Integrated Photovoltaic Electric System.

·         Earth Air Tunneling.

·         Vacuum Solar Hot Water System.

·         Wireless Network which ensures low power consumption.

·         And other Passive Solar Technologies (Cavity wall with insulation, solar spaces, atrium, etc.)

Solar PV system of 6.5 kW is the main source of energy in the CES. 100 number of Solar PV modules each of 65 watt are kept as a roof on the main entrance of the building. The slope of the panel is 30 deg North-South. With the sunshine hours of 4.15 peak sun a day, it generates electricity of 27 kWh in a day. The electricity generated is stored in battery banks kept at the basement of the building. There are 120 heavy duty batteries, each with the capacity of 2 Volt 468 AH, connected in series producing 240 Volts combined. Two of such battery banks are connected in parallel. An inverter controlled by automatic software continuously monitors the whole process of the generation of electricity from solar panel, then storing in batteries and connection to the grid. The inverter also supplies the excess power generated to the campus grid. The removal of batteries further ensures the environmental friendliness of the system.

The concept of the Earth Air Tunneling (EAT) for air conditioning spaces in winter as well as in summer has been materialized in the building. The conference room and class room of the building are air conditioned with EAT. It takes in ambient air from a 70m long tunnel made of hume pipe 4m (0.5m dia.) deep down from the earth surface. Inside the tunnel, the air exchanges heat with the surrounding. At 4m depth from the soil surface, the temperature is about 19°C on an average throughout the year. Result is: it cools down the room in summer where as it heats up the room in winter.

The Objective of the building is the promotion and development of Renewable Energy and to study and research different technologies for the sustainable development. Currently, the CES building is being used as a living laboratory for research students and to demonstrate sites in the application and development of Renewable Energy Technologies.

The Emperor Hotel in Beijing

By Haoyang Li

The Hotel is located in the eastern suburbs of Beijing , 30 minutes ' drive from Tiananmen Square , the hotel's surface are the three statues of old idol of China. Which idols means happiness, prosperity and longevity. The building is 41.6 meters high. 

The hotel is totally Ten storey high, all structure and rooms are hidden in the  " body ". Double glass doors on the left foot position is the main entrance of the hotel. There is single aisle and one side rooms in the "body". The standard rooms is smaller than other hotel's but have all the facilities. Standard room is under eight storey and the ninth floor is Presidential suite. The peach in the hand of statues is also a room. 

When this hotel come out, it become the most ugly building in the whole China. 

The idea of this building is come from the developer.  One of the management says they found the idea from the poster to celebrate the spring festival. They think these three idols will bring them good fortune and great business. 

Some farmers from the interview says the building is good. They believe the idols will really bring the fortune. But almost all the rest people believe it is ugly. 

All the design is base on the surface of the idols. So some rooms are really strange from the inside to fit some curve part of exterior space. It can be say the building is nothing good beside the ugly surface. 

Post-Semester

By Nick Bosman

Finally, the final presentations are over and everything is turned in and graded. Although I would like to get other things done, I have a lot less pressure on them. Now I get to take a bit of a break although I do have things to do, like my resume or thesis preparation. I plan to take a trip after Christmas to Florida and I hope to get a tour of the Marlin’s Park in Miami. That happens to be my number one case study for my thesis project, which is a baseball stadium for Montreal. Hopefully I can talk them into giving me a peak at the parts of the stadium that guests do not normally get to visit.

            It’s getting closer and closer to the point where my career starts and the academic part ends. Well, I will always be learning, but I will have a degree. I have been online looking at openings all over just to get an idea of what is looking for what. Who knows, maybe while I am in Florida, I can ask around and see if they will be needing some fresh new graduates in any offices. I haven’t given much thought as to where I want to end up. I mean, I have thought of all of the possibilities but I really haven’t decided where I WANT to end up.

            Now that I am done with two semesters, the realizations that I have but two semesters left of my time at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. I am ok with it, but I will miss the college life but I am glad to get away from it and start fresh somewhere.

            I am excited to start making my thesis the main part of my schooling. I thought that when I started Graduate school I would be working on my thesis but that was not the case. But now, next semester, my thesis will start getting developed more and more. I think it will be a lot more fun than the hotel project. I mean, it is a stadium. How cool is that? Once I get a better understanding of what goes into the design of one, I will feel better about my ability to make it stand above the rest.

            Until then, however, I have a book on stadium design that I intend on reading to get that better understanding. It will be a nice thing to do while I am in the Sunshine State.

Thesis | Chapter 3

By Sean Williamson

Well, the end of the semester is here. Where did the time go!? I have been unbelievably busy with work from all of my classes. I have been working on chapter 3 within my thesis. Recently. Within this chapter, we discuss methodology, site analysis, and provide a building program for the proposed structure. So I thought this would be the perfect topic to discuss in today’s blog!

The methodology incorporated into this thesis will review case studies, simulation, & experimental methods. Successful design elements taken from previously reviewed case studies will be incorporated into the design of this hurricane resistant mixed-use structure. Simulation will occur as I begin to develop the structure within the BIM program Revit. Experimental methods will be a very important part of this project because, after all, this building is supposed to be hurricane resistant. After the structure is designed, a series of high speed wind tests will be conducted on the structure, testing its limits.

There will be 3 categories of building found within the mixed-use building. The 1^st & 2^nd level will contain retail space with a food court. Parking for the residents within the tower will be found on the 3^rd-5^th floors, with 1 & 2 bedroom residential apartments above.

#	Space	Size (SF)	Qty	Total SF	Notes
1	Retail Space               Storage	2400 800	12 12	28,800 9,600	Located on 1st & 2nd Floor
2	Food               Kitchen               Food Service Area               Sitting Area	600 200 2,500	4 4 1	2,400 800 2,500	Small Food Court
3	Mechanical	141,289	2	282,579
4	Apartments               1 Bedroom               2 Bedroom	1,400 2,300	75 200	105,000 460,000	Passive Heating / Cooling
5	Parking	300	200	60,000	3rd – 5th Floor
6	Shipping & Receiving               Loading Dock               Receiving	500 2,000	1 1	500 2,000
8	Building Storage	400	4	1,600
9	Janitors Closet	100	4	400
10	Elevators               Passenger Elevator               Freight Elevator	150 100	4 1	600 100
11	Public Toilet Rooms	300	4	1,200
13	Workout Room	800	1	800
14	Pool/ Spa Area	3,000	1	3,300
15	Entry Vestibule	200	2	400
16	Lobby	1,000	1	1,000	High Ceilings. Natural Light
17	Administration               Managers Office               Reception / Waiting               Employee Workstation               Filing / Storage               Toilet Room	300 400 80 100 90	1 1 8 1 1	300 600 640 100 90	With View With View Unisex

Program Square Footage: 1,224,509 Square Feet

Circulation: 30% of 1,224,509 = 367,352 Square Feet

Total Building Square Footage: 1,591,861 Square Feet