The Special Sandstone Metal Mix Building

Designer:            Alex Shipley

Date:                     June 12, 2012

Quick synopsis on the building:

The name of the building is “The Special Sandstone Metal Mix Building.”  There is no sandstone.  He agreed it was confusing but still liked the name because of the alliteration.

There are seven floors and a basement.  Each floor has the following metal skin and even the window frames are made of that same metal:

7^th:  Tin

6^th:  Copper

5^th:  Bronze

4^th:  Brass

3^rd:  Silver

2^nd:  Platinum

1^st:  Gold

The basement has seven storage rooms for act as depositories for the metals.  The eighth room in the basement is general storage.

Comments on the Design:

Michelle Schuneman:  That’s a lot of windows to wash and put blinds on (I’m saying that as a Mom, not an architect)!  Oh my!!!  Nice drawing!

Jennie Bennett:  Well I would have to ask if it is LEED certified building because with all of those windows he is sure to get the daylighting credit.

Mike Robb:  I would like to be on the first floor and if I have to replace the windows I might need a raise.

Brian Ward:  That is awesome! Some quick comments:

1.       The entry door appears to be larger than necessary, however if you have giants or very tall employees, this might be helpful.

2.       I like the sloped or curved floors. Give the employees roller blades and it could be even more fun.

3.       All metals do not play well with each other. The more nobel the element (higher number of molecules in the periodic table) the more stable they are. For example aluminum is less noble than gold. The more noble metals will steel atoms away from the lesser metals and cause a galvanic reaction. Water typically accelerates the process. You might revers the order of the metals to have the more noble metals on top so that as rain runs down the building it reduces this affect. If the building is in Arizona then you don’t have to worry about it.  Your mother is a chemical engineer and can correct my butchering/incorrect statements about this process. Now that I think about it, I could be completely backwards. I don’t get to work on many buildings with Gold or silver. Just remember not all metals get along well J

4.       The 7^th floor is a little short for tall people.

5.       Be sure to draw a line for the ground so people can see where the basement is.

6.       Always leave space on the façade for the name of the building. The Special Sandstone Metal Mix Building company might not pay for the building if their name is not on it.

Very nice work Alex! Keep drawing.

Maricela:  I would add to Jennie's comment that with all those metals he could submit for a special LEED certification too!

Also, I like the style, very Gaudi like, love the subtle curves!

Peter Schmidt:  Move over Frank Gehry!

I thought the basement walls were column grids for a minute there… scared me that he would have a structural system in mind, of course he would not have placed columns behind his windows anyway? 

So are we talking stud back up here?  I like the fact that his windows maybe align, but I’m thinking curtain wall would save on having to build tiny sections of non-glazed wall areas!  If he does not go into architecture, he could certainly capture the wedding cake market!

Brent Camp:  Alex may be a neo-rationalist genius - Move over Aldo Rossi

Rene Rodriguez:  I like how he proportioned the windows. Starting with large windows in the bottom floors and proportionally adjusting the size to the smallest in the top floor. Good Job!!

Adam Porter:  The golden rectangle affixed over Alex’s gold building.  Smart kid

Leslie Crowder:  Let Alex know it is a beautiful building and the people that work in the building are very luck due to all the natural light!   Also let Alex know that planning for general storage space in a building is always a good idea.

Although, if Alex wants to work for Baker on Design-Build projects he will need to modify his design slightly to include only one metal, he will need to use a ruler to remove all curves, and he will need to take out most of the windows.

Christina Radu:  I like that, although this is design for a large building, Alex thought of the variety and hierarchy not only of materials but also of windows: larger windows on the lower floors, smaller windows on the upper floors (where, presumably, if the building is in an urban setting, there is more abundant light). Variety is always good for this size of a building.

Sally Parker:  No trees?

Susan Garcia:  The façade has a nice classical progression from base to top story, while also having quite a modern style with curves and – I also have to say -lots of glazing which is very nice for the occupants.  Has he considered natural ventilation with all these windows?

The idea of all them metals is wonderful!  Did he consider the cost of all these metals?  I hope he has a client with lots of budget!! 

I do also think it’s a beautiful design.  We should feature it on YEOW.

Rassa Davoodpour:  I loved it.

I am still laughing about it.

We need to hire him for our new project.

Thanks for sharing with me.  I had a tough day but you made it all well.

Kiss him for me.

Gretchen Pfaehler:  It reminds me of the Hundertwasser Haus.