Q5.15: It says for the frame members they must fit within the .2′ by .2′ by 15′ box. Does this mean columns that experience 3-D shape, such as incline columns, are not allowed within our structure?
A: Inclined columns are allowed as long as they can fit within the 0.2” by 0.2” by 15” box at any orientation. One way to visualize how those columns can fit within the box is to make the height (the longest side) of the columns parallel with the 15” side of the box.
Q5.11: If we decided to make a garden in the architectural design in one of the rentable floors in a buildable area, will it be considered as rentable area and can be included in the our FABI calculation?
A: A floor area is considered rentable as long as it is in the buildable area and adheres to the requirements in the Official Rules. In your architectural design, you can decide what a rentable floor area looks like and what purpose it serves. Regardless of architectural use, the area will be considered rentable and […]
Q5.12: It is allowed to conceive an architectural facade in the non-buildable space?
A: You can have an architectural facade in the non-buildable space in your rendering or images of the structure, but you cannot have any architectural or structural members in the non-buildable space of your physical structure.
Q5.10: In Figure 11 of the Design Guide, it says that Floor 10 is a 12×12 but in Figure 13 it shows floor 10 as a 5.5×5.5. Is floor 10 actually a 12×12 because you said we don’t account for the floor of the atrium so the 12×12 wouldn’t make sense.
A: The floors are the specific diaphragms at specific elevations so the buildable areas for each floor (figures 10-12 of the design guide) are showing the buildable areas (extents) of the diaphragms. This lacks information about the buildable volumes above each floor. The buildable areas of the diaphragms in figures 10-12 are still consistent with […]
Q5.7: Does the specifications for the buildable and non-buildable only apply for structural members and properties of the building? Or does it also apply for architectural designs, etc.
Answer: The specifications for buildable and non-buildable areas of the model must be followed for all elements of the balsa wood model. If a team chooses to add architectural components to the physical model itself, those must be within the buildable areas. Any architectural elements in renderings and images of the tower used in the […]