According to Multifamily Executive, Podium construction is “[…] five stories of Type-3 wood-frame construction on a concrete substructure. In most circumstances, this concrete “podium” comprises one-story above grade, with two or more parking levels below grade. The concrete podium, in addition to containing building lobbies and parking, often contains ground-floor retail space. […] Many jurisdictions allow two stories of concrete construction above grade, for a total of seven stories. As a result, two stories of concrete construction above grade with five stories of wood on top supported by subterranean parking has become the definition of the “mixed use” in many cities.”
How to Draw Buildings in Giraffe
Learn how to design a podium construction product in Giraffe with this easy step-by-step guide.
Podium structures are popular since they combine wood-frame construction with a steel base structure. The wood-framing is often easier and cheaper to source, build with, and subcontract. The concrete podium allows for a taller building. Where most jurisdictions limit the height of a wood structure to only 4 stories, podium builds can reach 7 stories.
Research the allowable height and materials for podium buildings in your jurisdiction, and find out if there are any other requirements that could affect the cost, timeline, and ultimately the feasibility of the project.
A podium building, due to its height and scale, is best suited for mid- to high-density neighborhoods. Consider the impact of the design by comparing comparable properties in the area, and also permitted buildings yet to be constructed. Your project is more likely to be successful, especially if you need a zoning variance to complete, if there is a precedent for that scale of structure nearby.
Consider loading in Layers that demonstrate neighborhood information. Search your municipality’s open data resources to find applicable layers by Add Spatial data to your project.
Giraffe has curated thousands of public data layers, and you can also add your own.
Giraffe connects the geometry you draw with the data you see through the concept of a Usage.
Usages enable you to compile a database of standards and assumptions. This allows your team to apply the same data to multiple geometries within a project - from giving all the residential buildings the same buildCost to making all annotations blue.
Giraffe comes with some default usages such as Residential , Road, Basement Carpark and Annotation , and you can create your own and copy them between projects.