This is the structure of the tower as it stands for our mid-review today.
Layer Two /
The exoskeleton is at a point where the concept has intersected the structural reality of the material. For now, the skin is performing well and has achived the goals I set out to solve.
At this point the review is just 19 hours away and there's little time to refine the windows, so pardon the lack of mullion detail...
Layer One /
The inner layer of the timber high-rise is complete and starting to develop quite well. Converting the outer layer of the stair core to glazed fire-resistant glass made a huge impact on reducing the solid feeling of the overall scheme.
The final step is solidifying the structural system on the outer layer and integrating the ventilation units into the skin. Borrowing from the E2 Facade system by Schueco, the HVAC will be condensed into the outer skin and take advantage of the natural convection of air moving up the building and between the two layers of glass.
Moving Forward /
So the structure has changed a bit, turns out it was a bit too optimistic to expect the floor plates to span the original length. Next crit is Wenesday so major development is on hold to allow time to produce presentation boards this weekend.
Learning New Tools /
Maxwell Interface with Camera controls
For the past few years, V-Ray has been the primary tool I've used to do renderings of my designs. Like most software, it has its ups and downs, but the interface is particularly frustrating and been a nightmare to accomplish even the most simple tasks.
I've heard good things about Mental Ray and Maxwell Render, but the idea of learning a new software package in the middle of a design competition seemed like a bad idea.
That said, after a few hours of playing around with Maxwell, I've managed to produce a better rendering than I typically would in V-Ray over a couple days. Needless to say, I'm a bit more enthusiastic about having some great renderings this time around.
Interior of Timber High-Rise