Site Considerations and the Building Enclosure

 Blog Two - Site Considerations and the Building Enclosure 

Site Considerations

When addressing the site most issues related to the site design and the placement of the building are divided into three main categories: Regulatory, Aesthetic, and Enviromental. Through the book chapter it talked about building system overview and how the design of the building mechanical, plumbing, and electrical systems make up the buildings code. 

Regulatory, Aesthetic, and Environment

These address man-made conditions upon a specific site resulting from zoning, building codes, and site accessibility requirements. There are very specific zoning and building codes in each city or town that dictate what footprint a building can have. This entails maximum heights and requires setbacks for property lines. This is something the architect has to think about when completing the building design. But also, as an interior designer thinking about the spaces that you are building in and what the desirable aesthetic would be in that particular area. Every site and building spot have certain characteristics, these are included in views as well as the features of the site. Where and how a building is places on a site are extremely important to the effect of the space. Each site has its own ecosystem that holds a variety of life forms as well as weather characteristics. There are two types of environments, natural ones and man-made one. 

Site Impacts on the Interior

The site can also impact the interior of the space; the sun has a huge play in this. The way the sun rises and falls has an effect on interior spaces that will experiences more or less direct sunlight. For example, how the north side of the building experiences limited to no direct sunlight depending on the positioning of spaces and will tend to be a colder end of the building. The amount of natural daylight entering the space has an impact on the electrical lighting and the health and welfare of the people inhabiting the space. 

There is also an effect with wind, cold, and rain When thinking about airlock in the colder months allows for a vestibule to contain individuals before they step into the primary spaces. Views are also an aspect that are highly thought about within a space. Where and how to layout spaces in space planning stages of design. 

Roof Materials

There are many different options when designing roofs and the materials that can be added. Especially when thinking about the slopes of the roofs. There were many different examples in the book, and I found it so interesting getting to learn the names of them and then apply to the types of roofs in our own community. Interior designers are not in charge of the roof plans however it is so important to look at how they interact and how you could possibly tie the architecture of the space into the interior spaces. 

Summary 

When designing a space, it is so important to not only focus on the interior spaces and how people interact with them but also the effects of the exterior. That can be natural things such as wind, temperature, and sunlight. As well as more man-made effects such as the way the building is positioned, the exterior shape and slopes, and the materials used in the space. We also can think heavily about the surrounding spaces and how much our designs need to blend or match aesthetically. Interior Designers are in charge of the human experience, what others feel when they walk into a space. 

Case Study Analysis - HAWAC 

HAWAC is Leed Certified. We learned about this in another class and how the certifications work. There are many different levels to the design process and how the building receives the certification. When doing more research on the building itself I found it so interesting how, "The facility is projected to use 47% of the energy of a conventional academic building by using natural ventilation during approximately half of the year." When looking at the floorplans we see the blocking to bowtie shapes that are laid out. The block is normally what we see, the bowtie was something that had never resonated or addressed in my head. The materials have a huge play into the building's "code" what materials are used give the building its function of thermal energy. "The dominant building material is concrete, both in the wall and floor/ceiling elements, which is necessary for the purposes of thermal mass. Thermal mass is a key component of the natural ventilation system. In most cases, the ceilings and walls are exposed as radiating surfaces for warmth or coolness. Primarily for acoustic purposes, there are many areas that have suspended ceiling treatments, and many others with tack-able wall surfaces." The building has a hybrid natural ventilation design that circulates through the space. It was very interesting getting to see the diagrams and sections of the space that helps to better understand the space itself.