Exercise 6.1.1: Setting Project Location
Figure 6.1.1
Figure 6.1.2
Figure 6.1.3
Figure 6.1.4
Figure 6.1.5
Set Location and Google Earth™ Site Image
When creating a project, the location of the site can be specified in multiple ways. Specifying an exact location is important for energy analysis and simulations as well as contextual design. This location can be selected by street address, major city, or latitude and longitude. The location is also associated with weather data used in the Conceptual Energy Analysis.
1. Under Analyze > Project Location > Location
For “Define Location By” there are two options:
Internet Mapping Service – This option displays an interactive Google Maps™ interface that can be navigated by searching for a city. Once in the area of the site, drag the red cursor over the site to specify exact longitude and latitude. (Note: Internet connection required)
Default City List – A more basic way to select a project location is through the default drop-down menu. No internet connection is required for this option and weather data is populated with data from the 2007 ASHRAE Handbook. This option is recommended for HVAC and mechanical work.
Enter San Diego, CA. Notice it brings you to a default city center location. You can simply click and drag the home pin to your desired location, or you can enter in specific longitude and latitude coordinates. For this lesson, enter in 32.71° N, 117.17° W.
On the left side of the dialogue box, there is a list of weather stations from which all environmental data is available. Select the weather station closest to the site. In this case, choose weather station 59385.
Next, click the Import Site Image button on the bottom right side of the dialogue box. This will be the underlay image from Google Maps that will come in as a textured surface and will be used as a reference for modeling the site context as well as establishing the site extents when massing. (Note: the size of the dialogue box can be changed to create different aspect ratios for the underlay image.)
After you have the underlay image imported, the next step is to set up levels for the project that will be shared between all of the design options we are going to create. To do this, simply select all the reference planes that are created by default when you option up the file.
While holding the Shift key, drag those reference planes up vertically. You can easily change the spacing by clicking on any plane and entering a new value where you see the current dimension. For the San Diego campus there is a 12 foot (3.6576 meters) distance between each reference plane. Autodesk® Project Vasari uses these planes as floor datums to create floors in the masses we will create for energy modeling. These are calculated as floor to floor heights and will define the floor areas to measure. You can create parameters that drive the distances between each reference plane so you can explore how the floor to floor heights affect the overall project later on.
After the levels are set up, you have a number of options: you can import a CAD drawing drafted in another program or simply draft directly in Project Vasari. All modeling in Project Vasari happens in relation to these reference planes, so create as many as are appropriate to your project intent.
Additional Resources
Specifying the Project Location
Setting Location and Weather Data for Solar Radiation Analysis
