# PFA Coffee House: workshop brief

## Case and enquiry

The case is PFA Coffee House Option 3, “融景”, used by Henrik Cheung to discuss interconnected roofs, semi-open space, arrival and sea views. This pack uses a historical concept diagram for teaching. It is not a current client drawing or a measured reconstruction.

Design enquiry: **How can a group of roofs make arrival and shared outdoor space more legible while keeping a visual connection towards the sea?**

`inputs/pfa-option3-concept.png` contains three panels: opening the view, separating the enclosing planes, and combining roofs with activity space. For Exercise 1, the rightmost panel is the design image to develop. The other panels explain its conceptual origin. There are no additional precedent images or mandatory material references for this exercise.

The architectural ambition is shared across the exercises. Exercise 2 starts a separate, editable teaching abstraction in Rhino. The generated image from Exercise 1 is not a dimensioned instruction for that model.

## Exercise 1 settings

- Skill: `convoai-exploration-2d`.
- Abstraction level: Massing. Behaviour: Divergent. Budget: one round.
- Retain the idea of a shared ground/platform, a recognisable arrival side and the rightmost panel's oblique view direction. Explore a clearer relationship between the roof masses and the shared open space.
- Treat blue and green patches as diagrammatic context. Do not infer that they settle current landscape or water-feature decisions.
- No survey dimensions, structural proof, detailed facade specification or additional references are required for this image enquiry.
- This is a new run. Continuation history: not applicable. Outputs: `outputs/exercise-01/`.

## Exercise 2: teaching model brief

Generate this small model through the live Rhino connection, starting in a new empty workshop document. All dimensions below are **workshop assumptions in metres**. World +Y is the teaching sea-view direction, not a surveyed direction for PFA. Use absolute tolerance 0.001 m in this new document.

| Full layer path | Object name | Geometry / coordinates in metres |
|---|---|---|
| `WORKSHOP::Context` | `Platform` | Closed box: x 0–18, y 0–10, z 0–0.30. |
| `WORKSHOP::Context` | `ArrivalGuide` | Open polyline through (7, -2, 0.30), (7, 0, 0.30), (11, 0, 0.30), (11, -2, 0.30). |
| `WORKSHOP::Context` | `SeaGuide` | Line from (0, 12, 0.30) to (18, 12, 0.30), named to indicate sea towards +Y. |
| `WORKSHOP::Model::Core` | `ServiceCore` | Closed box: x 13–17, y 1–4, z 0.30–3.30. |
| `WORKSHOP::Model::Roof` | `Roof_01` | Closed box: x 1–9, y 1–5, z 3.60–3.85. |
| `WORKSHOP::Model::Roof` | `Roof_02` | Closed box: x 9–17, y 1–5, z 4.20–4.45. |
| `WORKSHOP::Model::Roof` | `Roof_03` | Closed box: x 2–16, y 6–9, z 3.90–4.15. |

Use editable Breps for the five solids and curves for the two guides. The starting recipe intentionally omits structural detail, furniture, glazing and facade systems. It is a small form-finding model. Do not add decorative objects or perform booleans for this first build.

Create a readable oblique view from the arrival side and a top view. Save them as comparison views, recording their actual names and cameras. Save the model as `outputs/exercise-02/BASELINE.3dm`, then verify it by reopening in Rhino. Resolve output paths against this extracted project folder.

## Exercise 3: scope and settings

- Skill: `convoai-exploration-3d`.
- Abstraction level: Massing. Behaviour: Divergent. Budget: one round.
- Base: the successfully created and reopened Exercise 2 `BASELINE.3dm`. If it is missing, pause and ask the tutor. An instructor-supplied substitute must be labelled as such.
- Editable scope: the three actual objects on the exact full layer `WORKSHOP::Model::Roof`. No sublayers. Freeze their IDs after inspecting the model.
- Protected context: Platform, ArrivalGuide, SeaGuide and ServiceCore, plus units, coordinates and saved comparison cameras. Leave their geometry and attributes unchanged.
- Explore one purposeful roof reorganisation. You may adjust heights and tilt the three roof masses, within the platform's plan footprint. Retain three valid closed Breps. Keep the lowest roof point at least 3.30 m above world Z=0 and do not intersect the fixed service core. No boolean operations, extra parts or style-only changes.
- Additional references and material vocabulary: none. Use the actual model and its views for analysis. The case diagram explains the enquiry, not a geometric target.
- Keep `BASELINE.3dm` unchanged. Work in a separate copy under `outputs/exercise-03/`, using a unique filename. Use the same comparison views before and after.
- Success means an actual, saved and reopened Rhino model, preserved context, comparable views and a reasoned reflection. It does not establish engineering performance or designer approval.

## Working rules

Read the selected skill and its relevant references before the skill exercise. Publish the architectural analysis and advice before generation or editing, then inspect and reflect on the real result. One diagnosed retry is the maximum for a failed critical constraint. Stop after a repeated failure or the requested round budget.

Use only the current desktop chat's available tools. Do not install software, modify personal configuration, use external paid APIs or publish project files as part of an exercise. Use unique run folders or filenames if an output already exists. Preserve failures and label incomplete work.