SKYSCRAPER PROJECT

By Kosi Emmanuel Chukwujindu.

 Skyscraper project by Kosi Emmanuel Chukwujindu

This skyscraper project is personally my best project so far - (if we are allowed to have favorites). There are many reasons for this. The large scope is one, followed by the many challenges which I had to overcome to produce it.

1. STRUCTURAL ISSUES: 

The major one was resolving the structural workings, because being a mixed use building, the shopping mall dictated a different arrangement of floor- system while the offices and residences could easily follow the conventional  columns-walls-floor system. I needed to have an atrium in the shopping mall to allow for improved vertical visibility of shoppers and shops between floors. This meant natural light also had to be thrown in from the top of this atrium, which naturally would be covered or at least have that possibility in case the building needs to be air-conditioned (which is usually the case these days).

skyscraper project  -siteplan

 Naturally, This would not be an issue if it were just the shopping mall, the tough bone came in because I expected to have about 50 more floors above it. Anyway thanks to the semi outdoor lounge I introduced on the 6th level, which allowed me to throw in natural light through glazing and reflective glasses placed strategically to send down light into the main shopping space. and a combination of tube and frame structural system with a heavy RCC Shear wall at  the building core coupled with a streamlined shape which blessed  me with a stable wind-friendly  structure.

 

2. VERTICAL CIRCULATION:

Next was Vertical circulation. How to resolve all the movement within the building beginning from the basement parking lots, to the shopping space, to the offices and finally to the residential levels.

lifts..yes definitely. 

Skyscraper project-Architectural section

but what type? what capacity? who can get on it? where? and waiting time? were issues.

 

3. ENERGY EFFICIENCY:

Designing in a period when the whole world has attention on energy saving,leaves you an imperative task of making sure your building saves as much energy as possible. This was a constant concern as my design developed. ·    Use of photo-voltaic glass panels on the exterior skin lets in ample daylight as well as captures solar energy for passive use in the building.
·    Use of broad overhanging eaves provide sun shade through the facade 
and also fitted with solar collector panes makes the facade virtually a solar  farm.

 

4. MECHANICAL ISSUES:

Skip-stage water supply provides for less energy consumption and  water for fire fighting and domestic/office use. Service floors are provided after every 10-12 floors. 8 service lifts are provided to serve the entire building.

Office lifts              = 2.00m wide by 1.63m deep; 3,500 pounds (20 nos.)
Residential lifts       = 2.00m wide by 1.28m deep; 2,500 pounds (4 nos.)
Commercial lifts     = 2.00m wide by 1.63m deep; 3,500 pounds.(7 nos.)
Service lifts            = 1.60m wide by 2.525m deep; 4,500 pounds.(8 nos.)
capsule lifts            = 1.63m wide by 2.4m deep; 4,500 pounds.

 

5. AESTHETICS:

This was frankly the last thing I paid attention to. I needed to make sure the building was functioning perfectly in all the earlier issues, before worrying about how it looked. In fact this form truly followed the functions. However, when the time came to model the form I tried to make it look as simple as possible but elegant.

No doubt, My supervisor was overwhelmed at how I was able to articulate all the functions , materials, and energy issues and still had a nice looking form. He happily awarded me an A' as well as a special mention to the staff and students.

 

ABUJA SATELLITE TOWNSHIP MODEL,NIGERIA

Residential layout of Abuja satellite township (Academic Proposal)

by Kosi Emmanuel Chukwujindu

The task of creating Sustainable Satellite Township for Abuja, Nigeria (academic proposal) is finally crystallized in design and policy form. Although yet an academic exercise by Nigerian-born, Indian- based Architect Kosi Emmanuel, it is expected that the research findings would be relevant in tackling the socioeconomic challenges facing the Nigerian capital city such as increasing population due to growing middle income workers as well as sky-rocketing house rents and security issues, to name but a few.

The design approach embraces social, economic and environmental sustainability. It's SALIENT FEATURES include;

·    Phased development, having sustainable districts at each phase.(the plan provides for a ten year duration and is expected to cater for about 100,000 persons from population projections based on existing growth rate). 

each district would have its own light industrial zone which can comfortably employ its residents.
·    Residents can live, work, play, shop, school and worship all within 1/4 mile radius of reach.
·    Surrounded by green belt of farmland which helps reduce the effect of urban heat island effect generated within the city.
·    All districts will be properly connected with inter-district bus route as well as outer ring road.
·    Car parking is located in close proximity to all blocks but on the peripheral to reduce atmospheric carbon within living areas.

·    Different neighborhoods have varied block arrangement for easier identification.
·    communal play grounds provided between districts encourage social interaction, foster peace and unity and ultimately reduces violence.
·    central park is a landmark icon of the township and a great tourist attraction point for the town.
·    individually identity of each transit node improves city imageability.
·    central park landscape allows for love/family, sports, entertainment and politics as the major elements of social exchange.
·    65% of total Urbanized area are Open spaces and parks which are a distinct element in the design.
·    elimination of the traitional grid iron pattern and its attendant thorough fare traffic
·    and replacement with the super block model.
·    provision of private as well as communal green spaces
·    shared communal facilities encourage social interaction and are cheaper to maintain
·    turn to alternative revenue sources
·    carless community thus less carbon emmision
·    cultural and  promotion through football
·    provision of well connected service roads and cycle and pedestran ways
·    a fine blend of the garden city concept, and the neighbourhood planning concepts with le crbusiers city centralisedbusiness district model.

·    The maximum walking distance for pedestrian to every bus stop is 1/4 of a mile (400m) in 15 min indicated by circles in broken Lines.
·    the entire town is surrounded by an outer ring road which is a four-lane bus and other vehicles route, which can also accommodate a metro line if need be, in future.


·    Major Bus-stops are 1km apart, Metro stops are 2km apart.

·    Green ways connect residences to outer ring road.

·    Four major nodal points each have a distinct landscape pattern which add to city imageability.

·    One could walk from one district to another around the city on foot, under shade.

·    Pedestrian bridges are provided where foot path meets major road; to ensure pedestrians safety.

More details will be available for your download and review soon.please feel free to contact the Architect of this modern solution to Abuja population overspill.

HOW TO ADD AUTOCAD DWG TO PDF PLOTTER

 

Originally posted on March 8, 2013 by Edwin Prakoso Leave a Comment

You should have DWG to PDF plotter in AutoCAD by default. This is very handy if you need to publish your drawing to PDF format, you don’t need to use separate PDF driver.

However, you may find it’s not available for some reason. The ‘plotter’ is a pc3 file stored in your PC. So if you delete it, then you will loose the plotter.

Creating a PC3 plotter

You can create PC3 plotter by accessing application menu (the big red A button)> Print> Manage Plotters.

It will open Windows Explorer and open the location where your plotters are stored. Double click Add-A-Plotter Wizard to run it.

You will see Add Plotter wizard. Choose my computer to create it on your machine, then click next.
On the next page, you can choose Autodesk ePlot (PDF) as plotter manufacturer. Then choose DWG to PDF as model.

Now you can click next and accept default values for the rest of this wizard. Click finish on the last page to finish creating plotter.
Now you should the DWG to PDF plotter.

Image plotters

I also use this wizard to create TIFF and TGA plotters to create high resolution images. Plotting drawings to JPEG is often not good enough. You can choose Raster File Formats as manufacturer to create those plotters.

DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE ON THE BLAZE

Roland Snooks.

by 2033

* Architects print out your new house on a 3D printer and robots build it.
What are they? Houses designed with algorithms, printed out in carbon-fibre form from a three-dimensional printer and built by robots. Advances in computer programming, 3D printing and robotics have opened the door to exciting new architectural forms made from lightweight composite materials such as carbon fibre, fibreglass and Kevlar. The spin-offs include less waste (there are few, if any, off-cuts from a 3D printer), improved energy savings and efficient lightweight structures (using algorithms from natural systems) that can be built where it wasn't previously feasible (sheer cliffs, floating structures on the ocean).

Who is doing it? Roland Snooks, Architect and lecturer at RMIT's school of architecture and design. Snooks, a Fulbright scholar who spent seven years in the US, is back in Melbourne writing his own computer programs, which he uses to orchestrate futuristic Architectural designs. "I think we are on the verge of a revolution in architectural design and construction," he says. "The relationship between new ways of designing in conjunction with advances in materials and robotic fabrication techniques have the potential to make a radically new architecture."

Will it work? Yes. A printer that spits out 25-centimetre-cubed objects now costs less than $2000 and the race is on to build the first 3D printed house, which could happen in the next year, says Snooks. With more Architects interested in writing computer programs, algorithmic design's future is bright, even if it's unlikely to dominate Architecture in 20 years. Meanwhile, RMIT has bought two industrial robots (the kind you see on car manufacturing lines) and experiments are underway to adapt them for building construction. What the neighbors may think of the radical designs is another matter.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/digital-life-news/ideas-that-could-change-your-life-20130312-2fxo6.html#ixzz2OlXoJzQv

THE MATHEMATICS OF ARCHITECTURE

Figures, facts, and Design.

By Kosi  Emmanuel  (Arc).

  

Does mathematics have a place in Architecture, Can the logic of mathematics be applied in solving Architectural problems. Can we turn to its age-long proven methods to justify our simplest design decisions, and could this mathematical judgment be applied to one and every piece of architecture or is it remote to varying designers.

These are questions which this book opens your mind to, in a fascinating dialogue between the designer, the builder and the observer. For critical thinkers, and all who are in the business of planning and providing spaces for human use.

·         The planning stage

Calculating space requirements, arranging forms, facilities distribution, abstracting information from historic trends,

·         The construction phase

Dividing processes into phases, quantity surveying, construction economics and management, construction methods that apply mathematics,

·         The observation stage

The validation process: cross-checking mathematical projections against real life results to affirm how correct our plans are.; the perception of architecture from the eyes of balance using mathematics as a vehicle to this end,