Sketchup Renderings

[snoogit]

How are you getting height measurements? Ptolemy's idea and a quadrant?

My guess is the built-in ruler in sketchup, which I think uses a 100:1 ratio

[civitas]

Here's is my stock 3-D model of downtown Grand Rapids

Very nice!

[Rizzo]

My guess is the built-in ruler in sketchup, which I think uses a 100:1 ratio

How the heck does that work? I'm talking about roof heights... I've called on some building owners, contractors, and architects when I can't find a number. If they can't resolve the problem I goto the building and use a quadrant.

[tamias6]

The current renderings of the new Children's hospital look okey. But lacks in the inspiration department.

Current renderings can be found on....

The Children's Hospital Thread

Many on UP GR have voiced their concerns about what is to be build in the heart of Medical mile, myself included. I went as far as to post a couple of my own renderings of what should go on that thread. Thereafter, I felt that I had voiced my conserns and left it at that. But thanks to some great ideas that GRdad relayed to me, I decided to do a second rendering of how the children's hospital should look. So here they are.

[Rizzo]

The families are into the football buildings apparently.

Still, this building won't be the tallest object, probably will just barely crest over the current buildings that are there.

[tamias6]

...and here's my rendering of what the Children's Hospital should look like..... Take 2

West facade

East Facade

Main Entrance

North-West Street Entrance

Michigan Street Frontage

Anyway instead of spiky dohickies and football shaped buildings. I followed GRdad's Idea of doing somthing modernist... in a playful way. Most importantly I treated that fortess like retaining wall by swaping out the cold black granite shown in the official renderings with colorful squares attached to a retaing wall made of warmer earth tone stones. This treatment combined with the street level enterances helps in making it more ped friendly by breaking the wall up in to bit sized peices. Lastly the guardens of LEED certified roof tops helps soften the modernistic lines of the whole structure while the viberant colored glass and the floating cube theme adds a kid friendly look.

[Allison Slater]

I like it. Granted, it's VERY weird, and I doubt something like that would ever get built, but IF that were to be downtown, people all over the world would be photographing it, which is exactly what GR could use.

[GRDadof3]

I think their fantastic, and better than I expected. You should move them over to the Children's Hospital thread with your other renderings.

[Allison Slater]

Call me old fashioned but I can never seem to accomplish what I want in any 3d rendering program. I still do things on paper. Maybe I'll scan in some stuff sometime that I've thought up

[tamias6]

Supposedly there was a rumor about a very tall building to go in at 50 Munroe but remains just that...rumortecture. But no matter. That address is a prominate spot in DT which is screaming to have the tallest building in the city built upon it. I answered that call by designing this sleek, ultra modern "Grade A" office building designed to acomadate a corporate HQ of a company atleast the size of Alticor. At about 550' tall this building would be the tallest in the city and dominate the skyline.

Looking South at building

The blade like corner columns and the half round shafts on each side of the building gives the tower a dramatic vertical thrust while the slightly convex curtain wall and open truss elements comunicates strength, confidence, and power. The angled placment of the building dictated by the property adds to effect.

The main Entry

This open and airy entry is an outdoor plaza that gives the tower the appearances of floating above the ground. With architectual elements aligned to those of the new Grand Rapids Art Museum and other neighboring buildings, the main entry helps fit the building into its surroundings.

Dominating the Skyline

This building at, 550 feet tall, would be the tallest building in the city and give the DT skyline a much needed focal point. The angled placement of the building as dictated by the property only adds to its strong presence in the skyline.

[Rizzo]

I'm hoping that this rumour will get dispelled in the comming weeks.

I call it: Proyecto Magn

[gvsusean]

i think 550 is a little too tall maybe 450??

[michaelskis]

Let me just say that I am very impressed with the talent represented in many of these models. I do some of this stuff as part of my job using a GIS program, and I can contest that to get to the quality represented above, it takes some time and skill.

[GRDadof3]

Yes, this stuff is fantastic, especially the level of detail and thought put into yours tamias. You have a real gift.

I don't even mind that you knocked down all of 50 Monroe for your tower. Those buildings IMO are not worth saving (yes I said it).

[tamias6]

Lines of Text, a minimalist study in concrete, glass, and vegetation.

Being that the Grand Rapids Press HQ is not the prettiest building in town, I decided to use the Press and its property as geniea pigs to do this very bold yet minimalist study.

View from the intersection of Monroe and Michigan St. looking north east.

The main feature of the complex is the rised office tower that seems to float in mid air. Eventhough upon first glance it looks unbuildable, the enginieering has been done many times before. A famous example of which is Flank Loyd Wright's famous "Falling Waters". Like his well known land mark. The office tower consists of cantilevered decks conected to a very strong central core.

View from I-196 looking South East

To maintain the minimalist feel of the complex. The parking decks, circulation department, and most other utlitarian functions are buried below grade and caped off by a platform featuring modernist gardens and open spaces welcomed to the public as well as Press employees to provide a break from the fast pace of DT.

View from Michigan St. looking North West.

This view shows how the entry level is suspended two stories above grade and accessible via ramp to enhance the appearance that the office tower is floating in mid air. For neatness and to maximize the amout of open space access to the parking levels below grade are alinged under the ramp leading to the main entrence.

The most challanging part of this project is the terrain. Since I only have the free version of Sketchup, I'm missing the much needed terrain editior I believe known as Sandbox. Wow! Talk about doing a lot of Jerry rigging to make this terrain work!

[GRDadof3]

Yowzers, MSU Med School??? How about working on a med school on the North Division site connected to the VAI, like my half-hearted attempt a few months ago?

[twoshort]

How about spelling it Monroe like the rest of the world.

[DwntwnGeo]

Lines of Text, a minimalist study in concrete, glass, and vegetation.

Being that the Grand Rapids Press HQ is not the prettiest building in town, I decided to use the Press and its property as geniea pigs to do this very bold yet minimalist study.

Tamias6,

Great job! Much better than what is currently on the site.

[tamias6]

Yowzers, MSU Med School??? How about working on a med school on the North Division site connected to the VAI, like my half-hearted attempt a few months ago?

Done!!

Strength of Ethics, a study of the international style.

The idea was to do somthing that would be a huge contrast from the curves of VAI phaser I and II. Where VAI to me reads ultra modern, tech, and cutting edge, my Med school building reads mass, strength, and stable. To achieve what I wanted, I borrowed heavily from the international style, then warmed things up with earthy colors and loads of vegetation. For the strength element I decided to encase the tower and skywalk with exterior space trusses and finish the terraced platform in stone blocks. The tinted black glazing gives the building mass while the hoizonal lines adds a timeless visual stability to the entire structure. To keep things from getting too heavy, I've rised the tower off the platform by two stories. The tower consist of cantileevered floor decks coonected to a massive core. The exterior space trusses stabilizes the entire structure and allows for floor to ceiling windows.

Medical staff abide to a creed to never to do harm to the patient no matter what. This is an ethic that is driven into the minds and hearts of students learning the trade. Therefore the whole objective of my med school design idea is to reflect the strength of that ethic with an equally strong building.

View of Division Ave. facade

Main Entrance on north east couner of the building

Streetscaping at north side of building

[TBurban]

I absolutely adore SketchUp These renderings are awesome! Very impressive for what you can do with a program such as SketchUp. Ive got a few of my own somewhere, I love messin' around with the program

[GRDadof3]

tamias,

The oath you are talking about is the Hippocratic Oath, named after Hippocrates.

The one thing I don't like about your design is the ground floor and its lack of transparency. I imagine this area of Division will be come heavily travelled by pedestrians, and you may want to add some windows or openings. Also, is the skywalk gigantic (40' tall), or is the building smaller than I'm imagining?

[tamias6]

tamias,

The oath you are talking about is the Hippocratic Oath, named after Hippocrates.

The one thing I don't like about your design is the ground floor and its lack of transparency. I imagine this area of Division will be come heavily travelled by pedestrians, and you may want to add some windows or openings. Also, is the skywalk gigantic (40' tall), or is the building smaller than I'm imagining?

I agree about the wall. Esp. on the south west corner of the building. Which is why I choose a warm textured color instead of the cold black granite that will go on the new Children's hospital. That property has a very steep grade which leaves almost no choice but to do retaining walls. However I can break down the wall by doing some more terrecing and your idea of adding more glazing at street level.

[tamias6]

GRdad,

I did some revisions on my Med school. So here's version 2. In it I broke up the wall with more terracing and more glazing. I also reduced the size of the skywalk connecting to VAI phase II. Then I glazed the entire base of the tower which helps to further deemphasize what is left of the street wall as well as to reduce some of the weightiness of the building. Lastly I connected the division street side walk to the elevated plaza between the two buildings with stairways over the parking lavel entrances.

Lessons learned here. Minimal or no street walls. Downplay skywalks if they have to be used.

[gvsusean]

i really like some of your other sketchup work but im sorry i dont like this. Its not very inspiring for a college student. I think a med research school should be awe inspiring, green, open, with terraces that have gardens for studying. large plazas as well with fountains and plants everywhere.

[GRDadof3]

i really like some of your other sketchup work but im sorry i dont like this. Its not very inspiring for a college student. I think a med research school should be awe inspiring, green, open, with terraces that have gardens for studying. large plazas as well with fountains and plants everywhere.

I have to agree. In contrast to the Children's Hospital, I think the med school needs to look more collegiate, with a high tech "edge" to it somehow. You do great work, but I think it's too International style.