Xu1/18

Jerry Xu
HL Math B4
Mr. Watson
18 November 2010
Building Design
The job of an architect is not only to design a building that is pleasing to the eye, but also
optimized in terms of space that is utilized. This Type II HL Math assessment wishes to model
and discover the specifications of the ideal building. This is done by first creating a model, and
then manipulating the height of the model in order to discover the most ideal building in terms of
space used.

The land given to design this building is 150 meters long and 72 meters wide. Also, due
to building codes for protecting the stability of the building, the structure cannot surpass 75% of
the width or for aesthetic purposes, should not exceed half its width. The figure above was
created in Paint. With the parameters, I can define W as 72 meters and L as 150 meters in the
picture.

To start off, I will design a model with the max height at 36 meters and assign the shorter
side, or the width (W=72) as the façade or known as the flat face. The type of “curved” roof will
be based off of a quadratic curve through the equation of 𝒚 = 𝒂𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄.

Now with all the lengths define, I have a model looking a little like this.

𝒉 = 𝟑𝟔, 𝒍 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎 𝒘 = 𝟕𝟐
In order to model this on the coordinate plane, I will define three points on the graph to
begin. The model will be created using a quadratic equation with maximum height (vertex length)
equal to 36 and with x-intercepts of 0 and 72. The points follow as such: (36, 36) (72, 0) (0, 0).
 Xu2/18

With these three points, I will be able to find a best fit curve. In order to do this, I will
plug in all three of the points in to the equation of 𝒚 = 𝒂𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄.
Therefore:
𝟎 = 𝟎𝒂 + 𝟎𝒃 + 𝒄
𝟑𝟔 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟐𝒃
From the first equation, I can determine that:
𝒄=𝟎
From the other two equations, I will use substitution to determine the values of a and b
𝟑𝟔 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟐𝒃

𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟐𝒃
Divided by 2 is equal to
𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟑𝟔𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃

𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟑𝟔𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟑𝟔 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
Equations are then subtracted
−𝟑𝟔 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂
𝟏
𝒂=−
𝟑𝟔
Through Substitution,
𝟏
𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 (− ) + 𝟕𝟐𝒃
𝟑𝟔
𝒃=𝟐
 Xu3/18

With a, b, and c defined, I can set up the equation for these three points as
𝟏 𝟐
𝒚=− 𝒙 + 𝟐𝒙
𝟑𝟔
The curve looks like this on a graph

With the exterior of the building now defined with the highest point being at 36 meters,
width at 72 meters, and length at 150 meters, I can now incorporate how the office space will fit
in this area of the building. To do this, I chose to place all of the office space within a cuboid.
This looks like this:

In order to create the greatest amount of office workspace, I must determine the greatest
area of the cuboid face that is facing me right now. Knowing that the area of a rectangle is base
times height, I can determine the maximum area of this face of the cuboid.
𝑨 = 𝒃𝒉
The height is y of the curve, therefore,
𝟏 𝟐
𝒉=𝒚=− 𝒙 + 𝟐𝒙
𝟑𝟔
The base, as shown in the picture above, is defined as the total width minus the two x
𝒃 = 𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙
 Xu4/18

Once again applying 𝐴 = 𝑏ℎ, I get

𝟏 𝟐
𝑨 = (− 𝒙 + 𝟐𝒙) (𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙)
𝟑𝟔
To obtain the domain of this area, I will set A to 0 for that will be the limits of the area.
From this, I get 𝒙 = 𝟑𝟔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒙 = 𝟕𝟐 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟎
With the numbers listed above, I get the domain of
𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏: {𝒙|𝟎 < 𝒙 < 36}
After determining the domain, I can multiply through.
𝟏 𝟑
𝑨 = −𝟐𝒙𝟐 + 𝟏𝟒𝟒𝒙 + 𝒙 − 𝟒𝒙𝟐
𝟏𝟖
𝟏 𝟑
𝑨= 𝒙 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟏𝟒𝟒𝒙
𝟏𝟖
In order to determine the maximum area, I will derive the function for area and set it to 0
in search of the relative maximum.
𝟏 𝟐
𝑨′ = 𝒙 − 𝟔𝒙 + 𝟏𝟒𝟒 = 𝟎
𝟏𝟖

(𝒙 − 𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)(𝒙 − 𝟓𝟔. 𝟕𝟖) = 𝟎

𝒙 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏
𝒙 = 𝟓𝟔. 𝟕𝟖 Disregarded for it is outside of the range
With the critical point of 15.21, I use sign analysis to determine whether or not 𝒙 =
𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏 is a relative maximum or minimum.
By plugging in x=15, I find that that gives me a positive number, by plugging in x=16, I
find that that gives me a negative number. Therefore, I know that before x=15.21, the slope is
going up and after x=15.21, the slope is going down. In conclusion, I can deduce that at x=15.21,
there is a relative maximum.
With the relative maximum, I plug in x=15.21 into the original equation for area which
𝟏
is 𝑨 = 𝟏𝟖 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔𝒙𝟐 + 𝟏𝟒𝟒𝒙in order to obtain the maximum area.
Thus, through substitution:
𝟏
𝑨= (𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)𝟑 − 𝟔(𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)𝟐 + 𝟏𝟒𝟒(𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏) = 𝟗𝟗𝟖𝒎𝟐
𝟏𝟖
Knowing that the volume is the Area times the length I can also now determine the
volume of the cuboid.
𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝑨𝒍
𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝟗𝟗𝟖(𝟏𝟓𝟎) = 𝟏. 𝟓𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟓 𝒎𝟑
In order to investigate the changes in height further, I chose to look for a general equation
relating area and volume directly to the height. (The façade is still on the side with the width of
72)
Parameters 𝟎 < ℎ ≤ 𝟓𝟒 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒄 𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝟎 < 𝒉 ≤ 𝟑𝟔
𝒚 = 𝒂𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄
𝟎 = 𝟎𝒂 + 𝟎𝒃 + 𝒄
𝒄=𝟎
𝒉 = 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒍𝒂(𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐱 𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐭𝐡)
𝒚 = 𝒂𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄
𝒉 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟐𝒃
 Xu5/18

𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟐𝒃
Divided by 2
𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟑𝟔𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃

𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟑𝟔𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝒉 = (𝟑𝟔𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
Through subtraction
−𝒉 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂
𝒉
𝒂=− 𝟐
𝟑𝟔
through substitution
𝒉 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝒉
𝒉 = (𝟑𝟔𝟐 )(− 𝟐 ) + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟑𝟔
𝒉 = −𝒉 + 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝟐𝒉 = 𝟑𝟔𝒃
𝒉
𝒃=
𝟏𝟖
With a, b, and c now defined, I can once again, come up with an equation.
−𝒉 𝒉
𝒚 = 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖
With this equation, I can now find the direct relationship between area of the cuboid and
the maximum height of the parabola.
𝑨 = 𝒃𝒉
The height is the y of the curve so,
−𝒉 𝒉
𝒉 = 𝒚 = 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖

The based is defined through the image above

𝒃 = 𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙
Plugging b and h in
−𝒉 𝒉
𝑨 = ( 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙) (𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙)
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖
To determine the domain, I will set A to 0.
−𝒉 𝒉
𝟎 = 𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟎 = 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖
From this, I get
 Xu6/18

𝒙 = 𝟑𝟔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒙 = 𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟕𝟐
Of which the domain is equal to
𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏: {𝒙|𝟎 < 𝒙 < 36}
With the domain set, I will multiply through
−𝒉 𝟕𝟐𝒉 𝟐𝒉 𝒉
𝑨 = 𝟐 𝟕𝟐𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙 + 𝟐 𝒙𝟑 − 𝒙𝟐
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖 𝟑𝟔 𝟗
𝟐𝒉 𝟑 𝒉 𝟐
𝑨 = 𝟐 𝒙 − 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒉𝒙
𝟑𝟔 𝟔
In order to find the maximum area, I will be looking for the relative maximum. In order
to do this, I will have to find the derivative of A and set that to 0.
𝟔𝒉 𝒉
𝑨′ = 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒉 = 𝟎
𝟑𝟔 𝟑
h is factored out
𝟔 𝟐 𝟏
𝒙 − 𝒙+𝟒=𝟎
𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝟑
𝟏 𝟐 𝟏
𝒙 − 𝒙+𝟒 = 𝟎
𝟐𝟏𝟔 𝟑
𝒙𝟐 − 𝟕𝟐𝒙 + 𝟖𝟔𝟒 = 𝟎
(𝒙 − 𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)(𝒙 − 𝟓𝟔. 𝟕𝟖) = 𝟎
𝒙 = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏
𝒙 = 𝟓𝟔. 𝟕𝟖 Disregarded for it is outside of the range
With the critical point of 15.21, I use sign analysis to determine whether or not 𝒙 =
𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏 is a relative maximum or minimum.
By plugging in x=15, I find that that gives me a positive number, by plugging in x=16, I
find that that gives me a negative number. Therefore, I know that before x=15.21, the slope is
going up and after x=15.21, the slope is going down. In conclusion, I can deduce that at x=15.21,
there is a relative maximum.
With the relative maximum, I plug in x=15.21 into the original equation for area which
𝟐𝒉 𝒉
is 𝑨 = 𝟑𝟔𝟐 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟔 𝒙𝟐 + 𝟒𝒉𝒙 in order to obtain the maximum area.
From this, I can figure out what the base, the height, the area, and the volume of the
cuboid is.
𝑩𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝟕𝟐 − 𝟐𝒙) = 𝟒𝟏. 𝟓𝟖
−𝒉 𝒉 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = ( 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙) = 𝒉
𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖 𝟑
𝟐 𝟏
𝑨𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝒉 ( 𝟐 (𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)𝟑 − (𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏)𝟐 + 𝟒(𝟏𝟓. 𝟐𝟏))
𝟑𝟔 𝟔
𝑨𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝟐𝟕. 𝟕𝟏𝒉 (𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟐 )
With the area, I can also determine the maximum volume of the cuboid.
𝑪𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 (𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌)𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = (𝟐𝟕. 𝟕𝟏)𝒉(𝟏𝟓𝟎) = 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉(𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟑 )
Using graphical analysis, I was able to determine the all the areas and volumes of each
maximum height (vertex length) of the parabola.
 Xu7/18

(Point is where the highest possible area and height when aesthetic purposes are taken into
consideration (36, 998)𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 )

(Point is where the highest possible volume and height when aesthetic purposes are taken
into consideration (36, 1.5 ∗ 105 )𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑡 )
The limits of both are that x, which is the height in both of the graphs cannot exceed 54
meters in order to maintain its stability nor can it go under 0 for there are no negative heights,
volumes, or area.
 Xu8/18

Now in order to find the total area of everything under the curve, I will use integration to
solve. Knowing that this is a bell shaped curve therefore one half is equal to the other half’s area,
I will determine the integration from the intervals of [0, 36] and then multiply it by two.
𝟑𝟔
−𝟏 𝟏
𝟐(𝒉 ∫ ( 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙) 𝒅𝒙)
𝟎 𝟑𝟔 𝟏𝟖
𝟏 −𝟏 𝟏 𝟐 𝟑𝟔
𝟐𝒉[( ( 𝟐 𝒙𝟑 ) + 𝒙 )]𝟎
𝟑 𝟑𝟔 𝟑𝟔
𝟐𝒉(−𝟏𝟐 + 𝟑𝟔) = 𝟒𝟖𝒉(𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟐 ) = 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂
𝟎 < 𝒉 < 54
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝟒𝟖𝒉(𝟏𝟓𝟎) = 𝟕𝟐𝟎𝟎𝒉 (𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟑 )
In order to determine the “idealness” of the building, I will find the ratio of the amount of
volume wasted to the amount of volume utilized.
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 = 𝟕𝟐𝟎𝟎𝒉 − 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉 = 𝟑𝟎𝟒𝟎𝒉(𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟑 )
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 → 𝟑𝟎𝟒𝟎𝒉: 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉
= 𝟏𝟗: 𝟐𝟔
With the general formulas determined through Graphical Analysis and a calculator, I will choose
a few maximum heights (length of vertex) of the parabola (54 meters, 6 meters, 45 meters, 18
meters, and 36 meters) and determine the maximum office floor area within the cuboid that I
have set.
𝟐
Using the formula derived for calculating height of the cuboid, 𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝟑 𝒉 I
find that the height of the cuboid for each max height of the parabola.
The base is constant at 41.58 meters
Knowing the base and length of the cuboid, I can find the area of one floor (𝟒𝟏. 𝟓𝟖 ∗ 𝟏𝟓𝟎 =
𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎𝒎𝟐 )
For 54 meters:

𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝒉
𝟑
𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝟓𝟒) = 𝟑𝟔 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑
For 6 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟔) = 𝟒 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
For 45 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟒𝟓) = 𝟑𝟎 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
For 18 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟏𝟖) = 𝟏𝟐 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
For 36 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟑𝟔) = 𝟐𝟒 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
Knowing the height of each cuboid, and the required minimum height of each floor
which is 2.5 meters I will first find the maximum amount of floors and from that, determine the
maximum floor area of the cuboid created.
 Xu9/18

For 54 meters with a cuboid height of 36 meters:

𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 𝒉𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝟑𝟔
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟏𝟒. 𝟒
𝟐. 𝟓
(Since one cannot have a decimal of a floor, the number is rounded down)
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟏𝟒
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟏𝟒(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟖𝟕𝟒𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
For 6 meters:

𝟒
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟏. 𝟔 → 𝟏 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟏(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎 𝒎𝟐
For 45 meters:
𝟑𝟎
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟏𝟐 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟏𝟐(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟕𝟒𝟗𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
For 18 meters:
𝟏𝟐
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟒. 𝟖 → 𝟒 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟒(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟐. 𝟓𝟎 ∗ 𝟏𝟎𝟒 = 𝟐𝟓𝟎𝟎𝟎𝒎𝟐
For 36 meters:
𝟐𝟒
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟗. 𝟔 → 𝟗 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟗(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟎𝟎𝒎𝟐
From this, I can easily conclude that as the vertex length of the parabola increases, the
maximum floor area also increases. Therefore, the building with the highest vertex will be the
most ideal building compared to the other building styles.

I must now take into consideration the idea of the longer side being the façade of the
building.
This is shown through the picture below. Because now the “width” is 150 meters, the
height of the vertex of the parabola cannot exceed 112.5 meters and for aesthetic purposes,
shouldn’t exceed 75 meters

𝒉 = 𝒉, 𝒘 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎, 𝒍 = 𝟕𝟐
In order to find how this change in façade relates to the other placement of the façade, I
generalized the equations of which I related the height of the vertex of the parabola directly to
the volume and area of the cuboid that would fit into the building for office space.
So,
 Xu10/18

𝟎 = 𝟎𝒂 + 𝟎𝒃 + 𝒄
𝒄=𝟎
ℎ = 𝑚𝑎𝑥𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑎𝑏𝑜𝑙𝑎 (ℎ𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑜𝑓 𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑥)
𝒚 = 𝒂𝒙𝟐 + 𝒃𝒙 + 𝒄
𝒉 = 𝟕𝟓𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟓𝒃
𝟎 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝒃

𝟎 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟏𝟓𝟎𝒃
Divide by 2
𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟕𝟓𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟕𝟓𝒃

𝟎 = 𝟐(𝟕𝟓𝟐 )𝒂 + 𝟕𝟓𝒃
𝒉 = 𝟕𝟓𝟐 𝒂 + 𝟕𝟓𝒃
Subtracted from each other
−𝒉 = 𝟕𝟓𝟐 𝒂
𝒉
𝒂=− 𝟐
𝟕𝟓
Through substitution,
𝒉
𝒉 = 𝟕𝟓𝟐 (− 𝟐 ) + 𝟕𝟓𝒃
𝟕𝟓
𝟐𝒉 = 𝟕𝟓𝒃
𝟐𝒉
𝒃=
𝟕𝟓
With a, b, and c now determined, I can plug it back into the initial equation and get
𝒉 𝟐𝒉
𝒚 = − 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙
𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓

With my knowledge of the fact that area is equal to base times height, I can find a general
equation for area relating directly to the height of the vertex of the parabola.
𝑨 = 𝒃𝒉
 Xu11/18

The base is define in the picture above

𝒃 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎 − 𝟐𝒙
Height is equal to y so therefore,
𝒉 𝟐𝒉
𝒉 = 𝒚 = − 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙
𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓
𝒉 𝟐𝒉
𝑨 = (𝟏𝟓𝟎 − 𝟐𝒙)(− 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙)
𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓
Now through this, I must determine the domain by setting the Area to 0. From this, I get that
(𝒙 = 𝟕𝟓 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒙 = 𝟎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝟏𝟓𝟎)
From this, I can determine that the domain is:
𝐷𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑖𝑛{𝑥|0 < 𝑥 < 75}
And now I can multiply through.
−𝟐𝒉 𝟐 𝟐𝒉 𝟑 𝟏𝟐𝒉 𝟐
𝑨= 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒉𝒙 + 𝒙 − 𝒙
𝟕𝟓 𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟐𝟓
𝟐𝒉 𝟑 𝟐𝒉 𝟐
𝑨= 𝒙 − 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒉𝒙
𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟓

𝟔𝒉 𝟐 𝟒𝒉
𝑨′ = 𝒙 − 𝒙 + 𝟒𝒉 = 𝟎
𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟓
𝟔 𝟒
𝒙𝟐 − 𝒙+𝟒=𝟎
𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟓
𝒙 = 𝟑𝟏. 𝟕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒙 = 𝟏𝟏𝟖. 𝟑(𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒊𝒏)
With the critical point of 31.7, I use sign analysis to determine whether or not 𝒙 = 𝟑𝟏. 𝟕
is a relative maximum or minimum.
By plugging in x=30, I find that that gives me a positive number, by plugging in x=32, I
find that that gives me a negative number. Therefore, I know that before x=31.7, the slope is
going up and after x=31.7, the slope is going down. In conclusion, I can deduce that at x=31.7,
there is a relative maximum.
With the relative maximum, I plug in x=31.7 into the original equation for area which
𝟐𝒉 𝟐𝒉
is 𝑨 = 𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝒙𝟑 − 𝟐𝟓 𝒙𝟐 + 𝟒𝒉𝒙in order to obtain the maximum area. I can also determine what the
base and height are.
𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎 − 𝟐𝒙 = 𝟖𝟔. 𝟔𝒎
𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = − 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙 = 𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓 𝟑
𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 = 𝟖𝟔. 𝟔(𝟕𝟐) = 𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎𝒎𝟐
 Xu12/18

𝟐 𝟐
𝑨𝐦𝐚𝐱 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒂 𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝒉 ( (𝟑𝟏. 𝟕)𝟑 − (𝟑𝟏. 𝟕)𝟐 + (𝟑𝟏. 𝟕)𝟒) = 𝟓𝟕. 𝟕𝒉 𝒎𝟐
𝟓𝟔𝟐𝟓 𝟐𝟓
In order to determine the volume all I need to do is multiply the area by the length, which in this
case is 72 meters
𝑴𝒂𝒙 𝑽𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝟓𝟕. 𝟕𝒉(𝟕𝟐) = 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉 𝒎𝟑
Now in order to find the total area of everything under the curve, I will use integration to
solve. Knowing that this is a bell shaped curve therefore one half is equal to the other half’s area,
I will determine the integration from the intervals of [0, 36] and then multiply it by two.
𝟕𝟓
𝟏 𝟐
𝟐𝒉 ∫ (− 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙) 𝒅𝒙
𝟎 𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓
𝟏 −𝟏 𝟏𝟐 𝟐 𝟕𝟓
𝟐𝒉[( ( 𝟐 𝒙𝟑 ) + 𝒙 )]𝟎
𝟑 𝟕𝟓 𝟏𝟓𝟎
𝟐𝒉(𝟓𝟎) = 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝒉(𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟐 ) = 𝒄𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆′ 𝒔 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂
𝟎 < 𝒉 < 112.5
𝑪𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 = 𝟏𝟎𝟎𝒉(𝟕𝟐𝟎𝟎) = 𝟕𝟐𝟎𝟎𝒉 (𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟑 )
In order to determine the “idealness” of the building, I will find the ratio of the amount of
volume wasted to the amount of volume utilized.
𝑻𝒐𝒕𝒂𝒍 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 = 𝟕𝟐𝟎𝟎𝒉 − 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉 = 𝟑𝟎𝟒𝟎𝒉(𝒊𝒏 𝒎𝟑 )
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒔𝒑𝒂𝒄𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒖𝒎𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆 𝒃𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒌 → 𝟑𝟎𝟒𝟎𝒉: 𝟒𝟏𝟔𝟎𝒉
= 𝟏𝟗: 𝟐𝟔
When analyzing this, I realize that the volume, area, and the ratio of wasted space to
volume of utilized office block are identical.
With the general formulas determined through Graphical Analysis and a calculator, I will
choose a few maximum heights (length of vertex) of the parabola (112.5 meters, 75 meters, and
15 meters) and determine the maximum office floor area within the cuboid that I have set.
With the previous knowledge of
𝒃𝒂𝒔𝒆𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = 𝟏𝟓𝟎 − 𝟐𝒙 = 𝟖𝟔. 𝟔𝒎
𝟏 𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = − 𝟐 𝒙𝟐 + 𝒙 = 𝒉 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟕𝟓 𝟕𝟓 𝟑
𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 𝒐𝒇 𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 = 𝟖𝟔. 𝟔(𝟕𝟐) = 𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎𝒎𝟐
For 112.5 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟏𝟏𝟐. 𝟓) = 𝟕𝟓 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
𝟕𝟓
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟑𝟎 → 𝟑𝟎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟑𝟎(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟏𝟖𝟕𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
For 75 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟕𝟓) = 𝟓𝟎𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
𝟓𝟎
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟐𝟎 → 𝟐𝟎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟐𝟎(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟏𝟐𝟓𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
For 15 meters:
𝟐 𝟐
𝑯𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒄𝒖𝒃𝒐𝒊𝒅 = (𝒉) = (𝟏𝟓) = 𝟏𝟎 𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔
𝟑 𝟑
 Xu13/18

𝟏𝟎
= 𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒏𝒖𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔 = 𝟒 → 𝟒 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓𝒔
𝟐. 𝟓
𝒎𝒂𝒙𝒊𝒎𝒖𝒎 𝒇𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒓𝒆𝒂 = 𝟒(𝟔𝟐𝟒𝟎) = 𝟐𝟓𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒎𝟐
After analyzing this, I discover that with the façade being on the longer side of the
building, the maximum amount of floor area is increased. This is primarily due to the increase in
height the building is able to achieve for now it has a wider base. Therefore, this type of building
would be much more ideal compared to the façade being on the shorter sides.

There are other methods in expanding the amount of workspace allotted and the type I
wish to explore is the structure shown in figure one.

Figure 1
The area and volume of this can be found through determining the distance between each
x point on the same level as shown in the image underneath. Once the distance is found, it can be
used to determine the area of that strip, and the total area is the addition of all the areas of the
strip and the volume is determined by multiplying the length with the total area.
 Xu14/18

This is the distance for when the bottom length is 72 meters and the height of the vertex
of the parabola is 36 meters. The distances are listed in the table below.
The Surface Floor Total Surface Area: 1640 meters2.
Distance Area of Area Total Floor Area: 98600 meters2. As compared to 56200𝑚2
Between Each (m2) Volume: Surface Area (length) = 1640(150) = 246000m3. As
(D) Strip compared to 1.50 ∗ 105 𝑚3
(m2) Ratio of Wasted volume to Utilized volume: 259000-
69.5 173.75 10425 246000:246000 = 11:205
66.81 167.025 10021.5 This is much more ideal compared to the buildings designed
64.07 160.175 9610.5 before this.
61.18 152.95 9177
58.18 145.45 8727
55 137.5 8250
51.62 129.05 7743
48 120 7200
44.1 110.25 6615
39.8 99.5 5970
34.98 87.45 5247
29.4 73.5 4410
22.45 56.125 3367.5
12 30 1800
 Xu15/18

Second Figure:

The Surface Floor

Distance Area of Area
Between Each (m2)
(D) Strip
(m2)
144.46 361.15 10401.12
142.15 355.375 10234.8
139.62 349.05 10052.64
136.97 342.425 9861.84
134.18 335.45 9660.96
131.37 328.425 9458.64
128.48 321.2 9250.56
125.4 313.5 9028.8
122.4 306 8812.8
119.4 298.5 8596.8
116.19 290.475 8365.68
112.92 282.3 8130.24
109.5 273.75 7884
106.06 265.15 7636.32
102.46 256.15 7377.12
98.74 246.85 7109.28
94.87 237.175 6830.64
90.82 227.05 6539.04
86.6 216.5 6235.2
82.16 205.4 5915.52
77.46 193.65 5577.12
72.46 181.15 5217.12
67.08 167.7 4829.76
61.24 153.1 4409.28
54.78 136.95 3944.16
47.44 118.6 3415.68
38.72 96.8 2787.84
27.38 68.45 1971.36
This is the distance for when the bottom length is 150 meters and the height of the vertex
of the parabola is 75 meters. The distances are listed in the table below.
Total Surface Area: 7290 meters2.
Total Floor Area: 210000 meters2. As compared to 125000𝑚2
Volume: Surface Area (length) = 7290(75) = 525000m3. As compared to 312000𝑚3
Ratio of Wasted volume to Utilized volume: 540000-525000:525000 = 1:35
This is much more ideal compared to the buildings designed before this.
 Xu16/18

Upon reviewing every model mentioned in this report, the final model of which the
height was maximized as well as the cuboid was taken out of consideration replaced by small
“strips” of office floors; the area was greatly maximized while the ratio of wasted space to the
utilized volume was decreased. Based on the analysis of this, the most ideal building for this
would be the 75 at the vertex of the parabola, with the façade being on the longer side for it
utilizes the most room and also is at the max of the beauty standpoint. Therefore, this design
would not only be able to provide an ample amount of office workspace, but also to a passerby’s
eyes, the building would look appealing.
In reality the distance between the floors would not be only 2.5 meters for in the ceilings
insulation must be placed. According to Lowes, the recommended insulation should be R-19 in
between the buildings within the insulation could be the wiring. According to Owens Corning
which produces the brand of “Pink Fiberglas” insulation which has R-19 insulation, the
insulation used is approximately 6.5 inches which when converted, is about 0.156 meters thick.
When that is added onto the required height of the ceiling, the height that one room would take
up would be approximately 2.65 meters, which will be the change in parameter I will be
exploring.
When this change is applied to the most ideal building, the following results come up.
 Xu17/18

The Surface Floor

Distance Area of Area
Between Each (m2)
(D) Strip
(m2)
144.4 382.66 10396.8
141.6 375.24 10195.2
139 368.35 10008
135.9 360.135 9784.8
133.4 353.51 9604.8
130.2 345.03 9374.4
127 336.55 9144
123.8 328.07 8913.6
120.7 319.855 8690.4
117.4 311.11 8452.8
113.8 301.57 8193.6
109.8 290.97 7905.6
106.4 281.96 7660.8
102.8 272.42 7401.6
98.6 261.29 7099.2
94.8 251.22 6825.6
90.4 239.56 6508.8
86 227.9 6192
81.2 215.18 5846.4
76 201.4 5472
70.9 187.885 5104.8
65 172.25 4680
58.4 154.76 4204.8
51.4 136.21 3700.8
42.4 112.36 3052.8
32 84.8 2304
15.5 41.075 1116
This is the distance for when the bottom length is 150 meters and the height of the vertex
of the parabola is 75 meters. The distances are listed in the table below.
Total Surface Area: 7300 meters2.
Total Floor Area: 198000 meters2.
Volume: Surface Area (length) = 7300(75) = 526000m3.
Ratio of Wasted volume to Utilized volume: 540000-525000:525000 = 7:263
This shows that the total surface area increased but the problem is that there were less floors
which lead do a smaller total floor area.
 Xu18/18

Works Cited

Lowes Home Improvement Store. November 18, 2010,

http://www.lowes.com/pl_Insulation+%26+Accessories_4294925567_4294937087_?Use
rSearch=insulation&langId=-
1&storeId=10151&catalogId=10051&N=0&newSearch=true&ddkey=http:ProductDispla
y
Owens Corning, November 18, 2010.

http://insulation.owenscorning.com/homeowners/insulation-products/r-30-fiberglass-
insulation.aspx