Students and mentors met at CannonDesign’s office. As an introduction to program and massing, a presentation was given by mentors from Mortensen and CannonDesign highlighting the importance of coordination between design and the engineers. The engineers shared information about file sharing, Integrated Project Delivery, and 3D model as it pertains to building massing. After this presentation the students applied the concepts to their designated program groups consisting of Bio-Tech, Maker-Lab, Site, Student Hub and Admin Support/Dining.

The groups got hands-on building their scaled massing models (1″=30′), calculating the program needs and volumes while competing for locations on the site. Once each group had color-coded their massing blocks based on space needs they reviewed adjacencies and priorities of each program type, considering proximity of the river, parking, entry and the other program spaces. The conversations around the physical model began to reveal volumes and stacking opportunities and challenged the footprint of the building across the site. The analysis of this model will continue as the programmed spaces begin to further develop in floor plan and adjacencies are confirmed.