Tuesday, May 1, 2012

Spine Project.....Revisited


Just recently, I revisited a project that I had designed a couple of years ago, right after I had a second surgery on my spine.  It was a multi-family project that was inspired by what was on my mind at the time….the spine! The project as it was designed back then can still be seen on this blog by going  to the residential design page and clicking the on the Spine Project.  At the time I originally designed the project, I did not have the design software that I currently have now (Revit). I designed the first version the old fashioned way, by hand and the presentation drawings were by hand as well.

I will be the first to admit that although I can visualize a project in 3 dimensions, it has always proven difficult for me to communicate that visualization through perspective sketches. That is the beauty of REVIT as is it allows you instant feedback on a particular idea you are chasing, whether it is the shape of wall, or a difficult arrangement of roof lines.

From a design point of view, the idea was to develop a building organized along a central axis, an axis that is flexible and can bend (unlike my own spine). This allows for a variety of layouts for each particular building in a complex, adding variety while at the same time keeping a cohesive design character.  To reduce the amount of unsightly parking lots that typically surround multi-family housing, detached garages are connected to the building with a drive through which effectively hides the garage door from the public. The building is also designed so that unit entries alternate on each side of the building, eliminating front, back and sides of buildings which enliven the spaces that occur between buildings. 

I enjoyed working on this design exercise immensely as it was a challenging and creatively  rewarding project. Below are a few images…………..






RBP

5.1.12