September 5, 2013 by CallisonRTKL

Programetrics (Part 2)

These past few weeks have been a roller coaster. Seeing how PDD is becoming more of an integrated approach within our projects, I have slowly been building a bit of anxiety to push this research to be fruitful as soon as possible. However, getting married, project deadlines and out-of-country travels tend to get in the way of such ambitious goals.

In the beginning of my research, it was important to establish a clear focus so that I would have quantifiable progress every few months. I initially started with the sketch below, which clearly outlined some strategic goals for the following months. At each stage, key goals have helped me define the progress and success of my research.

The original plan

So far, I feel pretty good about being done with Stage 1 of my research and now am in the middle of Stage 2. I have the computer script that I want, and I have received some of the results that I was hoping for. At the moment, I am in the process of establishing a clear objective for what I want the script to do. The script has already given me the basics of what I was looking for: a way to convert an Excel program into 2-D and 3-D elements that can be manipulated and pre-arranged according to level or department. I am also looking to expand the script so that I can assign relationships that will automatically bind certain room types or departments together, either by adjacency or level.

I don’t want to get ahead of myself, but as I look to the 3^rd stage of this research I have started thinking about how this script can potentially be customized to every major market that we offer here at RTKL. So that a piece of program not only converts to 2D and 3D geometries, but also “bends” to specific organizational or building types. On the illustration below, organizational type 1 is a straight double loaded corridor. After the program bends to this layout, we can then also automate a building envelope so that it can account for circulation space.

Ultimately, this can start to give us feedback on the potential efficiency of spatial relationships and building gross ratios for the layout. There are numerous outputs that I could aim for, but amidst all the enthusiasm for discovery, I am maintaining a diligent mind and remain focused on my initial target of creating an easy and automatic way to manipulate initial program input.

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CallisonRTKL

For more than five decades, Callison and RTKL have created some of the world’s most memorable and successful environments for developers, retailers, investors, institutions and public entities. In 2015, our two practices came together under the Arcadis umbrella, expanding our sphere of influence and the depth and breadth of our resources. Our team is comprised of nearly 2,000 creative, innovative professionals throughout the world who are committed to advancing our client’s businesses and enhancing quality of life.