Day 6 Investigation of Building Programs

• What are the programs in a skyscraper?

Have you ever live, work, or play in a skyscraper? Checkout “Tar Beach” and find out people’s activities in skyscrapers in terms of residential, commercial, and recreational. 

Tasks

Level 1

– Tell your experience in a skyscraper.

• What is the name of the skyscraper?
• What you did there?
• How do you feel about the experience?

– Tell your story orally or in a written format.

Level 2

– Draw people’s activities in “Tar Beach” in order and vertically in an imagined skyscraper.
– Reorganize each floor in a way you like.
– Narrate why you reorganized in this way orally or in a written format.

Level 3

– Referring to the book and glossary in “Supporting materials”, categorize the programs in terms of residential, commercial, and recreational. 
–  Layout these programs vertically in a logic.
– Draw the layout in an imagined skyscraper.
– Narrate why you reorganized in this way orally (1 minute) or in a written format (300 words).

Level 4

– Referring to the book and glossary in “Supporting materials”, categorize the programs in terms of residential, commercial, and recreational. 
– Layout these programs vertically and horizontally in a logic.
– Draw the layout in an imagined skyscraper.
– Narrate why you reorganized in this way orally (1 minute) or in a written format (300 words).

• How do space design and actual use influence each other?

A space can be designed for a specific function, but also can be pretty flexible. The design criteria is more than athletics and function, but also cost and profit. Check out “Supporting materials” below for some criteria of space design.

Tasks

Level 1

– Refer to Floor 21 of IDS, and answer the questions.
– Referred to the glossary in Activity 1 “Supporting materials”, fill the rooms along the perimeter with programs in your mind.
– Draw a view of you standing in one of the rooms and looking towards outside.

Level 2

– Refer to Floor 21 of IDS, and answer the questions.
– Referred to the glossary in Activity 1 “Supporting materials”, fill the rooms along the perimeter with programs in your mind.
– Draw and compare two views of you standing in two rooms with different programs and looking towards outside.
– Explain why you put the programs in the rooms orally or in a written format.

Level 3

– Referred to “Supporting materials” and your experience, describe a standard floor plan of your favorite skyscraper by answering the questions.
– Find a standard floor plan of your favorite skyscraper.
– Draw two space designs on the floor plan with furniture, and two views of you standing in two different rooms and looking towards outside.
– Write a comparison of the designs in 300 words.

Level 4

– Referred to “Supporting materials” and your experience, describe a standard floor plan of your favorite skyscraper by answering the questions.
– Draw two space designs on the floor plan with furniture, and two views of you standing in two different rooms and looking towards outside.
– Write a comparison of your designs in 500 words.

• How can people travel effectively in a skyscraper?

We studied a little bit of elevators in Day 5 Activity 1. After studying the floor plan, let’s revisit elevators again. More than just for travel, the elevator can do more. And more can happen to elevators. Check the future elevators out.
Think about: 

• How many elevators in a skyscraper?
• What is the relationship between the building height, the floor area, number of occupancy, and the number of elevators?
• What are the levels do each elevator across? Why?
• Where is the elevator core in a skyscraper? Why?
• How do the vertical and horizontal move connected?

Tasks

Level 1

– Referred to the “Elevator” image in “Supporting materials” of Day 5, research and draw the elevators of your favorite skyscrapers.
– Referred to your drawings, answer the instructive questions orally or in a written format.

Level 2

– Referred to the “Elevator” image in “Supporting materials” of Day 5, research and draw the elevators of your favorite skyscrapers in plan and section.
– Referred to your drawings, answer the instructive questions orally or in a written format.

Level 3

– Referred to the “Elevator” image in “Supporting materials” of Day 5, research and draw two different elevator core layouts in plans and sections.
– Referred to your drawings, write a comparison by answering the instructive questions in 300 words.

Level 4

– Referred to the “Elevator” image in “Supporting materials” of Day 5, research and draw two different elevator core layouts in plans and sections.
– Referred to your drawings, write a comparison by answering the instructive questions in 500 words.

Glossary

• Program
• Function
• Activity
• Space
• private space
• public space
• Residential
• Commercial
• Recreational

Programs

• condo
• apartment
• hotel
• restaurant
• theater
• museum
• store
• lobby
• atrium
• office
• bank
• mechanical room
• restroom
• hallway
• elevator
• elevator core
• staircase

Space Design

Design for flexibility

A space can be designed for a specific function, but also can be pretty flexible.

• How can a rental space in a shopping mall be a store, then turn into a restaurant later on, and be a playroom?
• How can the standard floors in a skyscraper look the same but contains different programs?
• How can people do different things at a public atrium but not interrupt each other? 

Design for profit

Refer to the floor plans of IDS. Think about the relationship between building location, space shape, floor area, floor level, room facing direction, views, function, programs, experience, and prices of those spaces.

• What programs do you find?
• Can you describe the layout of different spaces?
• Where are the elevators, restrooms, and main space?
• Why the layout is like that?