Relationships between Urban Design and the Building Envelope

Urban design becomes the link between the building envelope, public/private spaces, and the street. Urban design allows us to design in a way that is ecological but also equitable. Not to say that architects are urban designers. However, to be able to think in such a way about the building envelope that it does not stop at the architecture, the architecture continues past the front door, through the sidewalk, onto the street and into people's minds as they see it. 

The temptation exists to create architecture that is wildly irreverent of its surroundings, but careful consideration must be taken to ensure that the envelope acts as an effective filter between the interior and the exterior. This entails strategies that are open and inviting and pay reverence to their surroundings, rather than architecture that prides itself on alien-esque materials and forms.

When working on projects in downtown Charleston, you are always required to provide the BAR with a building mockup. This is an opportunity for the architect, the Board, and the public to physically understand a building before it is built. It requires the subcontractors to understand how they will be working together moving forward. It is interesting to see how often a building is either approved or rejected based solely on this mockup. At the end of the day, it does not matter the quality of your representational exterior renderings, if the façade is not successful than neither is the building.



Comments

  1. Erin, you make some important points on the relationship between the interior and exterior of spaces within architecture. Architecture is bounded by unspoken social contract that not only effects how people use the space but also view the architecture within its surroundings. The in-between space between public and private is always overlooked and should be considered when designing within a urban environment.

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  2. Great Writing Erin! I remember learning about mock up models during my undergrad time. They really help you understand what a build face can be and how to construct it. When designing in such a struct environment like Charleston , one must find a way ton convince the users that there design is the most fitting on.

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  3. Hey Erin! I would disagree with you regarding that architects are not urban designers. The way I see it is that architects should be urban designers, landscape architects, etc. Architects aren't just a small part of a project but a advocate for design in all aspects. Architecture doesn't stop at the building but extends to the community, to the city, to the person.

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