MATERIALS + ENCLOSURES
Spring 2015
Professor: Ajmal Aqtash
Partners: Elizabeth Robison + Alex Rench
"In a world of rapid technological change, this course aims to equip future architects with the ability to position, understand, and implement new materials and systems in meaningful ways. The working principles of selected advanced materials and systems are explained and issues of material development, applications, and integration into buildings systems are addressed. Emphasis is also placed on understanding the issues involved when combining and installing new materials or systems into buildings. Students are further introduced to detail development. Sustainability: New materials and systems are explored with the objective of formulating meaningful technological response to critical environmental and societal issues such as resource depletion, environmental degradation, and globalization."
4 | SYNTHESIS
This wall system we designed is a layering system. The way the structure and façade works is through a combination of precast concrete floors with precast concrete walls that then have a layer of double glazing on top. The concrete walls have cut outs in then to allow for windows (although non-operable) to be made to allow in daylight and views of Galveston, Texas. Between the angled walls and the particular choosing of cut outs in the concrete for windows, optimal daylighting is achieved without getting the very harsh summer sun that Galveston has. The concrete and glass system responds very well to all eight factors; where concrete lags responding to one factor, the glass works better and vice versa.
3 | RESPONSE TO ALTERING
Built in the middle of the town square of Göteborg, Kuggen houses a multitude of informal meeting spaces for inhabitants of the building and the surrounding community, and as leasable office spaces. The conceptual verb to describe this structure is “rotating.” The whole system of the exterior revolves on the rotational aspect of both the plan and organization of fenestration. The main focus in the design and construction was the factor of light; the defining feature are the triangular shaped windows surrounded by colorful glazed terracotta panels with the addition of rotating screened shades on the upper-level floors. Furthermore, upper floors project out over each consecutive lower floor to provide more shading. As both a wrapping and layering system, the terracotta and glazing performs very well against the eight factors. Terracotta is a great material for this project in particular because of its ability to be molded into any shape, and, with the glazed finish, can be made in a variety of colors. Performance-wise, it is fireproof, strong, and impervious. In conjunction with the inherent and structural qualities of glass, these three main characteristics work well in counteracting fluid, pressure, motion, temperature, light/radiation, and sound. Load and strength are where problems could arise because of terracotta’s downfall: its fragility in cracking. It and glass’s impermeable qualities deflect fluid and pressure. The hollow unit casting of terracotta also provides substantial thermal and sound protection for the interior. As a whole--aside from the brittle factor--the construction systems of the encasing perform very highly to the elements around.
2 | RESPONSE TO LAYERING
As a layering system with the primary component of timber sheathing and a backup system of CMU, the system functions as a whole on a very high level in terms of thermal and solar protection, strength, and other important design factors. As an alternating system of the timber sheathing and glass windows, the system prevents fluid in a duality: timber is composed of the wood cells which both store and release moisture content and the added vapor barrier on the exterior of the insulation resists water intake. Timber has a high thermal and solar resistance preventing temperature/light to infiltrate the system, although, the windows have a lower thermal resistance/no solar resistance and therefore to allow temperature and sunlight to affect the interior space. As whole system, the integration of the timber sheathing and the CMU loadbearing wall provide for a high strength and low weight system.
1 | RESPONSE TO WRAPPING
Irregular cut stone has both many positives and negatives in terms of resisting environmental factors. Factors such as light and moisture infiltrate a bit, whereas sound and temperature work with the stone very well. The irregular cut stone also does a good job of preventing load, with it's igloo type shape and structure. It also has a lot of internal strength to resist these loads when carefully and strategically placed on top of one another. As a whole system, there would need to be at least one other material to have a well-functioning structure made of the stone.
0 | THE SOCIAL COMMUNICATIVE SECTION
Tempietto
Rome, Italy 1502
Architect: Donato Bramante
AEG Turbine Factory
Berlin, Germany 1910
Architect: Peter Behrens
Rome, Italy 1502
Architect: Donato Bramante
AEG Turbine Factory
Berlin, Germany 1910
Architect: Peter Behrens