composite house
Walker & Moody architects (architect of record) of San Francisco, along with the designer/client, asked S/U/M to consult in the production of a digital “super model” to aid in the manufacturing of a residence in Tiburon, California.
S/U/M was asked to coordinate transferring the detailed digital 3d forms for the complex fiberglass building units digitally fabricated by Kreysler & Associates, as well as coordinate the structural engineering of the steel and finite element analysis (FEA) with the structural designers. This highly coordinated 3d model file would then be used to generate everything from the forms to create the monoqoque structures to templating the bolt patterns for the structural steel elements.
Along with production of the digital construction documents, S/U/M also worked on the construction side of the project by producing an elaborate system of 2d site templates to arrange the complex geometrical foundation systems of the project to match the off site prefabricated structures.
S/U/M also produced an assembly of structural ribs for one of the geometrically complex building units on site
texas back house
To meet particular budgetary and spatial/programmatic requirements of the client, the project was developed through an extensive material research phase to come up with a solution that would meet certain performative criteria.
Two of the major requirements for the design were that the building use natural lighting extensively and that the building would enable excess heat from the Texas sun to be dissipated efficiently.
The outer skin of the lower auto space uses a high R-value polycarbonate twin wall material that allows for high light emission with low heat transfer, providing an even light distribution throughout the space. The upper guest apartment was thought of as a box within a box, able to be constructed economically without need for expensive weather membranes and details. The canted roof structure which skirts the entire building uses vertical air circulation that pulls air from perforations in the cooler auto space and draws out the hotter air using a series of apertures at the highest point of the building. A technique of natural ventilation used in plantation houses of the South.
america’s cup
Mariner Square Development Company of Alameda, CA asked S/U/M to provide design services and manufacturing specifications for a modular, yet variegated and adaptable structure for the 2007 America’s Cup port in Valencia, Spain. A building system was developed that has the ability to allow the unique Cup syndicates to share a common building system yet allow for a range of building envelope options to showcase their diverse requirements and unique corporate image.
