Cloud Pavilion

Cloud Pavilion - Serpentine Gallery 2013 

Sou Fujimoto 

The Cloud Pavilion was designed by Sou Fujimoto in 2013. The pavilion plays with the simplicity a different elements to create a complex light space.

The pavilion structure is based out of a module. The module is constructed out of  20mm white steel bars. They work on 3 different axis and are supporting the rest of the elements. The basic modules of the construction are simple lattice blocks with sides of 40 or 80 cm.

Sou Fujimoto described his work as “transparent terrain”. This concept is expressed by the transparent elements introduced inside the modular structure. Fish scale-like polycarbonate disks arranged in clusters in the roof area serve as rain protection. Those round elements are introduced in order to create semi- open spaces. Their lightness makes the protected areas and the open areas hard to distinguish.

The “transparent terrain” is also expressed through the square glass elements. The hardly noticeable elements serve in the interior space to create sitting areas as well as stairs.  They create an amphitheater.

The transparency of the structure as well as the sitting glass elements provides the impression that people are floating inside the cloud. 

The simple grid creates a complex geometry. The small size of the modules help this impression of complexity as the perspective does not allow you at any point to read to grid in its totality.

The pavilion also takes different shape when looked at from different positions.

References:

http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2013-sou-fujimoto

http://www.detail-online.com/article/interactive-art-serpentine-gallery-pavilion-by-sou-fujimoto-16577/

Steel Frame Homes Design

Steel frame homes design – modern home construction methods

Steel frame homes are known to be the most cost effective structures. Contemporary home architecture and construction offer many options – timber frames, concrete structures and despite that such framing is more popular in industrial construction, it has found its place in residential buildings. Steel frame homes are exceptionally resilient, durable and offer a lot of benefits.

It is true that when you hear “a steel frame house” the first impression that comes to mind is not very flattering and people imagine a boxy cage-looking structure that does not look like home at all and this is one of the main reasons why people choose alternative options. Once you realize that a metal frame home offers original aesthetic possibilities and can have an amazing appearance you may change your opinion of steel framed homes. A metal frame house does not have to look like a steel cube. You can have a brick facade or wood, exterior cladding or vinyl siding to create the appearance that you want. The framing has some advantages but it has some drawbacks, as well — most notably its poor insulation ability and we shall have a look at the pros and cons of metal frame homes.

Advantages and benefits

What are the pros of steel frame homes? Why people choose them over traditional wood framing for residential structures? What type of steel is used for metal frame homes? Those are the first questions that come to mind when you need to compare this exceptional type of houses and traditional ones.

Steel has been in use for building construction since the 19^thcentury but mainly in commercial buildings. The two types of steel are “hot-rolled” and “cold-formed”. Both types are very strong, but the hot-rolled type is thick and heavy. In addition, it is very expensive and rarely used for residential buildings. Cold-formed steel can be formed into much thinner profiles and can be cut and folded. The frames offer the advantage of being custom made and sized during the production process and there is no need to cut and fix their size during construction. The framing can be ordered pre-framed which means that all door and window openings would be constructed at a factory and delivered to the site of construction ready to erect. This means less labor cost and shorter construction period.

Durability of steel frames is hard to beat and this is probably the most important advantage. They allow bigger space between the vertical studs and larger open space. Steel frames do not warp or expand which is a major advantage when compared with wood framing. In such home you will not have problems with rotting, fungus or termites and ants. A metal frame house is more resistant to earthquakes and high winds as well.

When building such house, the inside frames are grounded to the earth which gives additional stability to the construction and the framing acts as a lightning rod. Further to that, it is not combustible.

Lightweight is another advantage over wood framing. Steel is lighter than wood, concrete and brick. Itis resistant to water and will not expand or contract. Such framing has a longer lifespan than any other material when treated properly with the right coatings and paint.

Steel is completely recyclable and is considered as an eco-friendly material. This is the right choice for a long life building, short construction period and environmentally friendly residential architecture.

Disadvantages of steel frame homes

Energy efficiency is the biggest issue of steel frame homes. They are not energy-efficient because the material has very poor insulating properties due to the fast conduction of heat. To overcome this problem, extra insulation or high efficiency insulation should be installed.

Despite that steel frame houses are constructed quickly, the process requires knowledge, tools and special equipment. Not every contractor has the necessary tools, so you have to do some research if you have decided to opt for a metal frame home.

The framing is usually galvanized to protect it from corrosion as it is susceptible to rust. If the surface coating is cut, scratched or penetrated moisture can cause rust.

Another disadvantage of steel frame homes is the overall strength of the material. It does maintain structural integrity but metal framing will not support heavy wall mounted furniture pieces or cabinetry. This leads to a necessity of additional support which adds to the cost of construction.

https://www.minimalisti.com/steel-frame-homes-design-modern-home.html

Extruded aluminum rain screen_Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre_REX + OMA

Project: Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre

Location: Dallas, USA

Year:2009

Architect(s): REX + OMA

The Dallas Theater Center (DTC) is known for its innovative work, the result of its leadership’s constant experimentation and the provisional nature of its long-time home. DTC was housed in the Arts District Theater, a dilapidated metal shed that freed its resident companies from the limitations imposed by a fixed-stage configuration and the need to avoid harming expensive interior finishes. The directors who worked there constantly challenged the traditional conventions of theater and often reconfigured the form of the stage to fit their artistic visions. As a result, the Arts District Theater was renowned as the most flexible theater in America. The costs of constantly reconfiguring its stage, however, became a financial burden and eventually DTC permanently fixed its stage into a “thrust-cenium.”

The Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre overcomes these challenges by overturning conventional theater design. Instead of circling front-of-house and back-of-house functions around the auditorium and fly tower, the Wyly Theatre stacks these facilities below-house and above-house. This strategy transforms the building into one big “theater machine.” At the push of a button, the theater can be transformed into a wide array of configurations—including proscenium, thrust, and flat floor—freeing directors and scenic designers to choose the stage-audience configuration that fulfills their artistic desires. Moreover, the performance chamber is intentionally made of materials that are not precious in order to encourage alterations; the stage and auditorium surfaces can be cut, drilled, painted, welded, sawed, nailed, glued and stitched at limited cost.

Below, installers integrate the signage systems for the Wyly Theatre as construction neared completion in 2009. The following photos show details of the round perforations in the aluminum column which create this signage. These perforations are backed by a lighting system, which light to reveal the building's namesake, a line of text which lights up to read "Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre" down the midsection of the building.

Zahner was brought on to develop a designed solution for the exterior surface surrounding the building. During the preliminary stages, several designs were discussed, including cladding the structure in a perforated panel system. Architects opted to build a facade like none before it, yielding a look that emulates the billowed fabric of a closed curtain.

The architects first contracted Zahner to provide Design Assist for the structure, which enabled the team to further develop and increase the efficiency and lower cost for producing the complex facade. The first phase of a Design Assist contract culminates with the production of the mockup. The mockup serves as a critical function in each design.  Mockups reveal both what works, and what doesn't work, and also gives the other contractors an understanding of how to best assemble and install the final components.

Zahner provided the design, engineering, fabrication, and installation of the extruded anodized aluminum facade. The designed extrusions were produced with partner Dante Tisi  and the facade consultants at Front  in New York.

Sources: 

-Dee and Charles Wyly Theatre_REX + OMA

http://www.architectureweek.com/cgi-bin/awimage?dir=2010/0707&article=design_2-2.html&image=14691_image_4.jpg

http://www.archdaily.com/37736/dee-and-charles-wyly-theatre-rex-oma/

http://www.azahner.com/portfolio/wyly-theater

Crystal Houses, MVRDV

location: amsterdam, netherlands
completed: april, 2016

MVRDV has made house buildings with glass and terracota facades in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The idea was an innovative way of constructing buildings without destroying the overall view of the city and its typical houses, with heritage sensibility.

Because of sensitivity of the materials, there was the need for a high level of accuracy and craftsmanship and building. "as this project is the first of its kind, new construction methods and tools had to be utilized: from high-tech lasers and laboratory grade UV-lamps, to slightly lower-tech dutch full-fat milk, which, with its low transparency, proved to be an ideal liquid to function as a reflective surface for leveling the first layer of bricks. strength tests proved that the glass-construction was in many ways stronger than a concrete alternative, with the full-glass architrave capable of withstanding a force equivalent to two full-sized SUVs".

Particularly speaking, this is very interesting, however, it needs to find a faster way of building this type of facade, instead of the long time taking of drying the glue and craftsmanswork of the glass brick - hence, a more industrial method. 

Intertwined concrete facade_Tod's Omotesando_Toyo Ito & Associates

Project: Tod's Omotesando Building

Location: Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan

Year: 2002-2004

Architect(s): Toyo Ito & Associates

In Omotesando area, many shops have been constructed, for luxurious trademarks. Toyo Ito chose the concrete as main building material, being a bold proposal, the use of a substantial and strong, absent material in the “glass architecture” that it characterizes to the adjacent buildings. After to think about how to design the facade, in order to introduce openings on the concrete facade, it was conceived the idea of using an integrated structure by the superposition of silhouettes of trees. 

The innovative structure with the concrete walls and glass, with the tree shape, it makes that its branches are structural and they surround the building for its six faces, creating a spectacular visual effect and allowing the widest glazed entry. Due to its "L" form (plans) and its narrow facade, it was designed the branched structure that unifies the volume itself. This exterior surface serves such as graphic pattern and structural system. It is constructed by reinforced concrete (30cm of thickness) and fixed glazing without frame. The resultant surface supports the slabs without any internal column.

The facade, with interlaced concrete supports re-interprets the silhouettes of the elm trees that border on the street. Following the structural logic of botany, the columns are more wide in the base of the building, becoming more slender at the same time they are gaining height. Therefore, they are branching out in a major number of structural elements. Basically, it is a merge between a block and a curtain wall, that it is supported by concrete and steel members. Also, to avoid the break of the glazing, before a possible earthquake, the structure rests on shock-absorbers located in the foundations, something habitual in the Japanese constructions.

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- pictures of the facade, from outside and inside

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- model.

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- elevations (A); Exploded axonometry.

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- Testing the facade using other materials.

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- Relationship between facade and human scale (A); Assembly drawing (B); Construction drawing (C).

Tod's Omotesando Buliding- Window and slab detail.

Sources: 

-"Tod's Omotesando Buliding". es.wikiarquitectura

http://www.ramonaalbert.com/facades-materials-and-methods-projects/

https://es.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Edificio_Tod_Omotesando