Rio4
RIO4 is an academic exercise that simulates a mock design firm with a fictional client. The exercise consisted of realizing an abridged process of carrying out a full project from a professional services proposal, all the way to permit signing and return-of-investment calculation. Thus, all the phases of design and construction documentation play an equally important role. After crafting a professional services proposal and signing the initial architect’s contract with the “owner”, the project goes through all phases of design, much like in a real firm: schematic design, preliminary design, and a complete, comprehensive set of construction documents.
The academic exercise had various constraints: there was a budget of $2.75 million dollars on one predetermined site, the project had to be code-compliant with the IBC, local zoning regulations, FEMA flood map regulations, and its program had to generate revenue that would equal to a return-of-investment percentage of more than 5% for the owner. The building had to have buyable apartments and real estate for businesses. There was no set program; the student had to propose it based on a short study of potential markets and users.