Structure Exploration

I found the review on Monday to be very helpful in the solidification of the structural scheme for my building.  All of the comments were very helpful, and it seemed as though no large changes were required to make my structural system work.  The most important comments I received that I would like to explore further was the suggestion of using steel moment frames for shear support rather than shear walls, this arose out of the nature of the program for my building and it was suggested because the overall feel is light, the shear walls I had incorporated were taking away from the aesthetic of the project.  I also received some general comments about how to achieve the steel frame aesthetic that I was aiming for through ideas about how connections were being made, either welded, or bolted and how steel bracing could be accomplished in a graceful manner in areas that need to remain transparent.  There were some helpful comments about how to make the structure more expressive of my conceptual idea for the building that I will be exploring in the next few days.  As far as the structure is concerned, I feel the need to make some improvements to my original structural system, but all the changes and improvements that need to be made are relatively minor. Although we haven’t delved into the environmental systems yet, it arose as a topic during my review and gave me a good footing to begin thinking about passive ventilation systems. By the end of the week, my goal is to have fleshed out all the issues with my structure, and have a good start on looking at the passive systems I would like to incorporate in my building.