Project 1 - Caixa Forum

Concept

For Project 1, I selected the Caixa Forum in Madrid as a case study building to model in Revit.  The building is an adaptive reuse project in which an old power plant was converted into an art and cultural center.  The original masonry building was lifted off of the ground and a new, modern Corten steel volume was added above. 

Caixa Forum by Herzog and deMeuron

Tessellated entry

The bottom of the structure is clad by undulating triangle ceiling panels that are designed to lure pedestrians into the building.  My design intent is to further enhance this idea of "tessellation" by applying a triangular screen pattern to the upper portion of the building.  This was the inspiration for my new screen:

Inspiration photo

Part 1: Conceptual Mass

After analyzing plan and section drawings found online, I began the project by drafting schematic floor plans in Autocad and then importing them into Revit.  Parameters were applied to the reference planes at the floor plan level so that I could adjust the length and width of the building. These plans formed the basis of the conceptual mass. 

Plan drawings that informed conceptual mass

The conceptual mass was broken into three primary volumes: the base (old power plant building), the roof addition, and the building cores.  Void masses were used to cut away portions of the upper volume. 

Conceptual mass base

Conceptual mass upper volume cut by void masses

Final conceptual mass with core supports

Parameter values were added to the conceptual mass so that I could adjust the roof pitch of the upper and lower volumes: 

Front elevation showing unflexed and flexed parameters

Part 2: Custom Curtain Panel

Next, I began work on the triangulated screen pattern that will clad the upper volume.  I used the "Divide Surface" tool to split the surface of the conceptual mass into a hexagonal pattern.  Then, I created a custom curtain panel family using the hexagonal pattern.  I divided the hexagon panel into six triangular wedges and added parameters to control the diameter of the inner and outer frames.  The inner glass pane was formed from a triangular adaptive component that was loaded into the custom curtain panel family.  The result is a hexagon-shaped panel that is triangulated, much like the screen found in the inspiration photo at the beginning of this blog post. 

Hexagonal divided surface pattern applied to conceptual mass

Creating the custom curtain panel family and assigning parameters

Final curtain panel with outer frames and inner glass panels

Testing parameter values 

The completed curtain panel was then loaded into the conceptual mass family and applied to the divided surface.  The panel was populated over the surface of the wall and results in a three-dimensional, tessellated facade.  Although the panel behaves mostly like I intended, I had some trouble getting the curtain panel to cleanly "wrap" the corners of the building. 

Curtain panel family loaded into conceptual mass

Detailed view of custom curtain panel

Part 3: The Details

The Caixa Forum utilizes several unique components that I chose to model as separate families. The first is the masonry window frame that is visible on the facade of the old power plant.  I modeled the arch and sill as a conceptual mass and applied parameters to adjust the height and thickness of the unit. 

Conceptual mass of window unit

Conceptual mass with parameters flexed 

I also modeled the tessellated ceiling of the entryway.  This conceptual mass was created by linking together a web of triangular adaptive components.  The height of each vertex was adjusted to ensure that the overall form created a sense of fragmented movement. 

A triangular adaptive component formed the base of the tessellated ceiling

Finalized ceiling formed from linked adaptive components

Part 4: The Revit Project 

The finalized conceptual mass family was next loaded into a new Revit project and placed on the modeled site.  Floors were added to the conceptual mass and the faces were converted to walls and roofs.  The custom window family and tessellated ceiling family were also loaded into the project and converted into wall and roof elements.  I created a custom brick material to apply to the base of the building and a Corten steel material that was applied to the upper portion of the building and screen.  

Loading the conceptual mass into the Revit project 

The final model with custom materials and families 

Part 5: Renderings

Final Renderings