hey this is my first post. this is my design for a factory that we had to do.
would love some feedback.i did this in vectorworks 12.i was thinking about doing it in google sketchup and seeing how different they are.this design took me about 4 hours in vw.

front roof join

back build

roof join

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ok first the project is for uni
its industrial
client requirements they wanted 2 buildings with lots of glass
plans, ele, sections, 3d views etc
i said i used vectorworks 12.
I wanted an open and light building with as much light as i could get in.
and a different roof shape.
also im not showing my work off i would like feedback from everyone to know what they think of the design. i posted those pics so they can see what my design is otherwise they would have no idea what my design is....

dorian, my post is copied directly from the INFO BOX (http://www.pushpullbar.com/forums//forumdisplay.php?f=86). It wasn't personalized just for you, so I apologize for making it seem like this. Please browse this and the FAQ for more information regarding the various forums on the website.

We'd definitely like to understand more of your conceptual thoughts, and not simply "I wanted an open and light building with as much light as i could get in. and a different roof shape." This can be achieved in so many ways...how are we to know what is appropriate for you when we have nothing to compare it to?

What compelled you to this "different" roof shape? Why is it different? What is the orientation of the buildng? What is the climate (we might assume it is in Sydney, but it may not be)? What is the interior space? Is this amount of glass appropriate for this space? Can you show us plans, sections, elevations, interior perspectives, etc. so we can understand more?

I agree trogers, there is a lot of information missing to accurately make an evaluation.
As a prelim, I think the building is really strange looking; especially since (from what I've seen so far), the "different looking roof" looks from eye level as a "regular" pitched roof (only this one is glass).
the other thing that bothers me is the shape of the windows (??) where is it comming from? How do (if) they relate to the roof?
Also you said the design driver is a "light"building with a lot of light but the building you're showing is very heavy!
To me so far it is an excessive exercise of "different-ness" with no real substance...

Sorry trogers for what i said before.
Ok first the building is located in Sydney in an industrial area which is an old area.The buildings around this site are all brick buildings with little or no glass. I wanted to create something that was very different for this area. The glass roof i think (and please tell me) is different to most roof types for a factory building.i didnt want just square are rectangular windows. i wanted something different.The windows have no relationship to the roof at all. Also ddelcast could u tell me what u mean by it being "heavy". i dont understand. I wanted it to be bright as most industrial buildings are very dull and dark. thanks for the feedback so far.

Those rigid walls seems limiting the brightness of the whole building...

So what u want to do is a bright building instead of a "light in weight" building???

yes a bright building.

er...then i am wondering will it be better to have a bit curved angle at the corner, and more glass use on walls can improve the brightness

Sorry trogers for what i said before.
Ok first the building is located in Sydney in an industrial area which is an old area.The buildings around this site are all brick buildings with little or no glass. I wanted to create something that was very different for this area. The glass roof i think (and please tell me) is different to most roof types for a factory building.i didnt want just square are rectangular windows. i wanted something different.The windows have no relationship to the roof at all. Also ddelcast could u tell me what u mean by it being "heavy". i dont understand. I wanted it to be bright as most industrial buildings are very dull and dark. thanks for the feedback so far.

you didnt want square or rectagular windows., the opposite would be (for majority) to provide circular windows., why did you chose this particular shape? any particular purpose., or did you just like the pattern? you think the particular shape 'adds' to the 'feel' of the building..in terms of it being different., both formally and spacially?

industry/factory walls have many functions like associated with it (storage, for ex.)., so i wudnt think of opening those up randomly, but in a more calculated manner., in this case, the roof seems to take care of the needs of lighting, so, whats the need for the openings on the wall?

in more common terms., the factory needs a functional space, efficiently provided by a rectangular plan, "something different" achieved by a 'different' material for the roof, anything more?

building plan

elevations

would painting it bright yellow make it seem "light"
Your approach is to suggest that the context should be ignored - wanting to do something "different" in the extreme, but your solution is conventional except for the use of glass.
Maybe consider what a contemprary "factory" is, how it works, what's required.
The roof glazing...hmmm energy efficiency, bright light for computers? heat gain? hexagonal windows - pick a shape to be "funky" they seem to have little relationship to the rest of the structure and are arbitrary
Sorry to be harsh, it seems to me that you are focussed on a few phrases rather than the architecture....
what year are you bye the way?

I kind of like the detail of post #4 - has potential
the other comment I offer is to consider the balance between the design solution and the title block........bold title block graphis are great in taking up spce, but they do not add to the validity of the design

check out fire stations for "light" buildings as a typology

tdmc thanks for ur reply. im in 1st year i should tell u its not uni but tafe so the design is not that great. thats not what they focus on but still i thought it looked ok.but i want all this input.thanks again.

section

dorian i think it would be better to start again. your presentation is a bit chaotic. like some other great threads, it needs to be carfeully choreographed.
dont underestimate this skill. other presentations may seem effortless, but dont be fooled. nuff said.

i would have loved a project like this. i recently saw a similar type build by Lauener Baer Architekten. you can learn a lot from this, their presentation is beautiful and simple.

http://www.lauenerbaer.ch/lba_content.html

to be brief, your project needs to connect with site and have a stronger relationship with context, whether by form, scale, materials.

your drawings lack context and float in space. there is not enough detail to suggest how it is built or finished inside. structure is not considered, 100mm thick walls will not support this building. they look paper thin.

ironically if you had have been more selective about treating the facades and how to let light in from above you would have had a stronger project. less is more.

b.a the walls are tilt up concrete construction and are 176 thick but i will have to make them thicker for the roof i think. and thanks im going to look at the link now.

iv got another project that i have finished. it was just a design for a 5 level apartment block.i think this design was good but i would love some thoughts on it to should i start a new thread or put it in this one.

iv got another project that i have finished. it was just a design for a 5 level apartment block.i think this design was good but i would love some thoughts on it to should i start a new thread or put it in this one.

definitely start a new one.

b.a the walls are tilt up concrete construction and are 176 thick but i will have to make them thicker for the roof i think. and thanks im going to look at the link now.

where did you ever get those figures? generally anything thicker than 250mm would be advisable. i suppose the concrete will be polished smooth with light blue aggregate as well? perhaps a laquer could get that shiny finish?
never heard of tilt up before, do you mean pre-fabricated concrete?

nuff said, start again, this thread is a mess.

delete pls.

nuff said, start again, this thread is a mess.

delete pls.

no need to delete, that's what the 'back to the drawing board' section is for.

b.a those figures are form architects that build these buildings.this is a real building (not my windows and roof) but the two buildings on this site have been built using this method. and yes they are precast but on site.

doesnt matter, it would have been nicer to see thicker walls, in comparison with the light roof structure + glass. it would also have worked well with the windows you punch in the facade.

i can imagine the only reason your neighbours walls are 176mm thick is because they are cheap stingey clients, who couldnt care less about anything architectural, once it is inexpensive and as a result thoughtless.

everywhere around my country, factories are always the same old thing, boring. you have the opportunity to make something amazing and new, but you copy the wall construction of your neighbour. have a look at herzog & de meurons ricola factory. however i understand for the most part that your design is interesting by comparison, we appreciate that.

33431

thanks for those words da. ill have a look at those photos soon and get some ideas from them to. thanks for ur posts.

Siteplan

well there's been a lot of good feedback so far, but dorian, your design feels more like playing with shapes rather than creating architecture. your facade reminds me of that infant game where you have to fit the shapes into their corresponding holes... first year I probably would have done something like this as well, but in remarks to the windows, instead of simply going for something different, try to let the location and shape of the windows evolve from the activities within. form follows function, right.

Hey everyone i got the marks back for my work. i got 98% for design and 95% for presentation. Also one more thing would i be able to make the roofing steel and joins somehow a portal frame. so as not to use tilt up construction?i have come up with some details to show how the main roof join would join an I beam using angels to form what i think would be a portal frame.dont know if this is would work. ill post the pic soon.

View 1

view 2

view 3

I see an I-beam in that first section, but that is the only thing I could make sense of in these details. Can you label some things for us?

sorry no worries will do as soon as i got home today.

Hey Dorian...
i m also a student... but i m taking my final project in january... so i wanted to know... if this was ur first work?!?
I think u should work more on the theorical face of your project:wondering... architecture is not only designing but it s also "thinking"...(don't take it the wrong way)....
I'm planning to post one of my early projects... so i hope you'll also have some advice for me... as all the members of the site.....

..
never heard of tilt up before, do you mean pre-fabricated concrete?
..

Tilt up (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tilt_up) = concrete cast on site in a horizontal form and raised into position once cured. So it's sort of on-site precasting. You get better control over surface finishes then in situ casting and you are able to cast bigger panels than would be practical to transport from a factory.

Theo it is not my first one its the second. Im at tafe which is not like uni so we dont really do theory as in design theory. i dont know how they teach this at uni and what it is made up of. cant wait to see ur first design im sure it will be great.

View 1

View 2

Theo it is not my first one its the second. Im at tafe which is not like uni so we dont really do theory as in design theory. i dont know how they teach this at uni and what it is made up of. cant wait to see ur first design im sure it will be great.

Is it a drafting course you are doing at TAFE ?(as there are no Architecture degrees at TAFE in Australia) I am curious.

Architecture Technology. Thats the name. It is a drafting course SWANK-E. once you have done this course you can then apply for uni.

Hm! Far from being at least litle bit acquanted with all these levels of educational achievent I dare ask some questions, that would probably enlighten me on some problems I see with this project. That is not to say the project is a weak one - on the contrary I happen to like it.
However - what kind of a factory you are designing Dorian? Why the roof is with so much glass. I`m not an expert on Geography but wasn`t your contry notorious with quite a bright sun? Probably windy and with some considerable amount of dirt in the air? I don`t know the kind of production it would be settled within this two spaces but would it be possible to achieve full rate in these conditions? And the kind of people that are working there?
Oh and my advice is - in case u find it useful, it is not a mather of weither most people like your project. You must like it, You must make it work (personally i think this is the most tricky part concerning contruction,design of a form and the best of function or set of function you could possilbe tuck in)and You must accordingly defend it.
By the way is the space you leave among the holes for the windos acurate enough? Which side is best to avoid a direct sunlight?
And there is more, but better leave it for another time.

Hey Radahip thanks im happy u like it. the factory had no real use. the brief was to create 2 factory buildings for a client who would then rent these factories out to other people. the reason why i used so much glass is because when i see a factory they seem to be very dark and not open enough. also i really like glass thats another reason why i used it.i should say i was not going to use glass i was going to use a product called multicell. its a polycarbonate product. this comes in different shades so it does not have to be clear. but for some reason i really like using glass.
also Australia is very sunny but not with dirt in the air.lol.
also put more up its good to get as much advice as i can. ur advice is great and i do like my project.thanks.

Even if you use polycarbonate this would make it uncomfortable if not impossible for the workers inside to perform their tasks. Direct sun with nomatter how good an thermo or sunlight isolation is a killer to work under. Good you like glass - think we all do nowadays but there is a reason not to be used into industrial architecture. In order the best and fastest possible production to be completed the inside environment is vital. Dependes on the kind of industry of course. Why don`t u make up a story behind it all. Make it bit more logical and descriptive. Then ask the local type of such industry you`ve chosed what it is best needed to get going. Of course u might say this is only a second project in your first year, nevertheless it should be something connected with real life as well as original in design.
It is obvious i haven`t been brought up into an English spoken environment - dust I ment - and there is dust everywhere. Most of all in industrial zones.
And the entrance is another thing that worries me - if there are trucks to enter the inside yard what is the width distance of the local road and the radius of the yard? The smallest possible one is 24m.

Radahip in Australia we have clean industrial areas.not super clean but not dusty.i would not say they are dusty. :) also the entrance is the right size and on the site plan (dont know if u can see) but the red line shows the truck turning area.it is the right size for the regulations.
ill have to think about the glass. i would still like to use it but could i cover it in any reflective material like tint??

As for the glass dilemma I remember reading about the walls of the Business Intelligence Centre by Foster and Partners. They are a double-glass skin which modifies light and heat transmission, and delivers natural ventilation. I don't know too much about the science but look into it.
Material choices as a design concept/conclusion is an important part of design. Decisions can't be made abitrarily. But I do like where the project is heading. Lighting is a big concern in factories and the less we have to rely on artificial lighthing the better.

I agree with what Radahip had to say about creating a story for the building. It would benefit you to go against what your professor said ( a little) and design for certain moments/uses of the building.

New responsive glass facades use self-regulating thermal protection and solar control measures to adapt to changing light and weather conditions.

hey thanks mkb5d. i went and googled about glass facades. i didn't know its really smart now lol. its really amazing what people are doing with it. and what the glass itself can do.