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
