Finalizing the Timber Residential Skyscraper Design
This week’s focus was on finalizing the design of the Timber Residential Skyscraper project, which meant figuring out the form and potential programs of the ground floor and first floor of the building. Once these design tasks were complete, I switched my focus to the outdoor space on the second floor of the building, which would be privately used by the residents. Check out how the final design for the Timber Residential Skyscraper came together below.
Developing the ground floor design
After finding a site by Central Park in New York City for the project, I took a screenshot of a GIS map showing the outline of the parcel and measured the site in Google Earth. Then, I imported and scaled the map in the Revit model so that I could begin designing the ground floor of the project. I decided that the ground floor would be storefronts along the south end of the site, which is where the roundabout is located. This would provide a buffer between the noise from people and cars at the traffic circle from the residential tower.
So, I followed the outline of the parcel with the exterior curtainwall, which resulted in a slightly curved façade and a generous area on the ground floor of the building. I envision this area as several shops that serve the community. This may include amenities like a large supermarket or even retail such as clothing stores with their main entrances located on the south side of the building. In addition to these public programs, the entrance to the lobby for the residential tower will be located on the north side of the building.
Developing the second floor design
Once the ground floor design was complete, I decided to redesign the second floor of the residential tower to be a shared amenity floor for the entire building. So, I deleted the four residential units and divided the floor into three areas; management office, gymnasium, and outdoor green space. The management office will be located on the northwest side of the building and provides service to people with any interest in purchasing a unit or maintenance. The gymnasium will be open to all residents and the outdoor green space overlooks Central Park and the traffic circle.
Next Steps
With the general design of the Timber Residential Skyscraper project completed, it’s time to apply materials to the model and prepare it for rendering. So far, I’ve been able duplicate the exterior wood slat façade design to all of the floors of the residential tower. This slowed down the Revit model significantly and will be my biggest challenge in applying materials, test rendering, and adjusting perspectives. With two weeks left until my deadline, I’ll be working hard on developing these graphics over the upcoming week. Stay tuned for more!
