aa dip 14 technical thesis

Charles Lai - AA Diploma Unit 14 Technical Studies

Specificities of Generic Space

Unit Tutors

Pier Vittorio AureliMaria S. Giudici

Barbara Campbell-Lange

Technical Study Tutors

Javier CastanonDavid Illingworth

Kenny FraserMartin Hagemann

Project Thesis

My project is a room in the city for the assembly of the immaterial workers. It is a materialisation of the exchanges of information and knowledge fundamental to immaterial work.

Alexey Titarenko, City of Shadow, 2008

The contemporary city us characterized by a situation of constant flux, not only the exchange of people and goods, but also information that is essential to economic productions. This condition was made visible by photograher Alexey Titarenko in 2008 using long exposure method.

Edouard Manet, A bar at the folies bergere, 1882

These flows are rationally managed by the system of infrastructure in the city. It is a rule by rational social management. Essenially, it is the concept of ‘Urbanisation’, which administrat lives in an anonymous way. Hannah Arendt characterize this as the ‘rule of nobody’, where the sign of power such as monarchy, is replaced by the organic structure of bio-politics. When the hierarchy is lost, the subjects in the city gradually lose their point-of-reference in the society and fuse together into a generic population. In this painting of a nightclub in Paris by Manet in 1882, the customers at the bar were painted with quick strokes deliberately, ignoring details and expressions on faces. Individuality was no long a subject-matter in the contemporary city.

The subjects who don’t have a tangible place in the city are being absorbed into the flux of the city. The immaterial workers is a sign of that condition in the contemporary city. Their product is not a tangible commody, but rather based on knowledge, and does not exist not as an object. The means of productions of these workers is essentially a laptop and could happen anywhere and anytime. They often parasite in cafes, because they simply don’t have a tangile space in the city of flux to stay, and work.

The nature of immaterial require them to use all facualties of work, not only physical capbilities, but also mental capabilities including the ability to be creative, to relate ideas, to interact or socialize with one another. All these characters collapsed into one. Hannah Arendt described it as the Rise of Social, where the boundary between private and public sphere is blurred, where work is no longer separated from rest.

Michael Wolf, Transparent City

Michael Wolf, Transparent City

The urban spaces become a flat texture with no distinct limit or boundary. These photos by Michael Wolf characterize the contemporary city as such. The gridded façade could be seen as a neutral texture with no specific features. It has become one of the most common urban scenery in contemporary cities.

OMA, Exposition Universelle ‘89, Paris

While the grid could be interpreted as a sign of montonic spaces, it could also be used as a spatial device to frame spaces for different uses. In this project by OMA for the Expo 89 in Paris. Rooms are created by the simple architecture of walls in gridded manner. These rooms framed the spaces and created a limit between each pockets. This is the duality of the grid. Potentially it could be a structure to contain and allow for the ambivalences of human beings.

Karl Friedrich Schinkel, Altes Museum, Berlin, 1823-1830

Karl Friedrich Schinkel used the grid to layout his plan for the Altes Museum in Berlin. The grid is an adjustment of the square grid of Jean-Nicolas-Louis Durand, to fit in different requirements in spaces, site, form, and structure etc. These rooms are abstract, generic spaces that could be used to be house a variety of uses, to stage different uses. This strength of the grid is explored in the project, where the grid was used to postulate an architecture with a series of rooms in different size and proportions. The rooms are the stable, tangible spaces for the immaterial workers within the flux of the city.

Sliding Partitions (closed)

Sliding Partitions (opened)

Left: SANAA, The 21st Century Museum of Contemporar Art, Kanazawa, Japan, 2004Right: Hiroshi Sujimoto, Theatres-Cinerama Dome, Hollywood, 1993

Technical ThesisThrough a process of abstraction, the spaces framed by the grid could achieve a generic quality. Because of their flexibility and reversibility, they could provide a space for the ambivalent nature of individuality. However, in order to achieve such generic quality, specific gestures and technics are needed to provide the necessary abstraction of space. This technical thesis focuses on identifying theses specificities in several scales and the technical issues involved implementation of generic space.

For instance, the beam and the column, linear elements within the grid, are the embodiment of an abstraction of forces. The tectonics of the grid gives birth to a generic space that could contain various different programs. For example, in 1909 Albert Kahn used his patented ‘Kahn System’ of reinforced concrete in the Ford Motor Company’s Highland Park Plant in Detroit to create a generic space that could satisfy the needs in manufacturing (shall be discussed in the ‘Grid’ session). The linear structural elements of the beam and column abstracted the mechanism of forces, and hide it behind the orthogonal geometry.

The grid is not only a method by which to optimize structures but is also an index for the functioning of architecture. In the example of Mies van der Rohe’s New National Gallery in Berlin, this rationale condenses into the ‘umbrella diagram’ of the gridded roof, signified by one single detail between the column and the roof. In Livio Vacchini’s La Ferriera de Locarno, Switzerland, it is evident that the implementation of the tectonics requires reinforcement that is hidden in the representation of the architecture (shall be discussed in the ‘Structure’ session). Similarly the visually simple connection between the horizontal and vertical members of the ubiquitous RC structural frame contradicts the non-linear thrust line of forces between these two elements.

Therefore the grid is not only a structure but it is also a figurative symbol that frame the generic space. In such a configuration, an abstraction of the tectonics is often called into place. In the 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa by SANAA, walls are designed in a way so that the physical structure is always hidden from the audiences (shall be discussed in the ‘Detail’ session). Mullions and doors are designed in a delicate way so that they will inform the figurative configurations of the plan. These details are the embodiment of the generic quality of space.

A. Grid

- Case Study 1: Abstraction of the grid

B. Structure

- Case Study 2: Abstraction of Structure

- Options of Structural Strategies

- Analysis on Profile of Cantilever Arms

- Structural Principles of Central Structural Frame

- Process of Constructions

- Installation of Post-tensioning Tendons

- Design of Formwork

C. Conditioning

- Case Study 3: Abstraction of Functions

- Design of Conditioning Shafts

D. Details

- Case Study 4: Abstraction of Tectonics

- Collection of Architectural Details

A. Grid

Case Study 1

Abstraction of the grid

Albert Kahn - Kahn Standard

Mies van der Rohe - New National Gallery, Berlin

In the project of the Ford Motor Company’s Highland Park Plant in Detoit in 1909, Albert Kahn used reinforced concrete to construct a generic

space for the manufacturing of automobiles. The industry requires a long, unobstructed space for the mass production. The grid was used as an

orthogonal framework to organise space and structure. It is a result of the negotiations between structural constraints and spatial requirements.

Modernism postulated the orthogonal grid and the industrial spaces as a rational mean to architecture.

source: Kahn System Standards, Trussed Concrete Steel Company, 1913

The ‘Kahn System’ was a patented technology invented by Albert Kahn and his engineer brother. Prefabricated steel bar

were embedded in the concrete beam to allow the structure to achieve longer span.


The stress within the simply supported beam is not evenly distribute, which contrast with the catenary arch where

the stress is distributed evenly throughout the structure. The form of the beam is an abstraction of the forces within.

The physics of the structure is masked from the appearance of it.


In the book ‘Kahn Standard’, Albert Kahn illustrated the principles and mechanisms of the reinforced concrete beam. He showed the locations

of cracks in the beam when it is loaded. These cracks are the failure area under tensile forces, which require the reinforcement of steel bars.


Later the system evolve into a more complex system to accommodate more complex

structural requirements. For example, in this drawing of the Monier System Reinforcement,

steel rebar cage was used to reinforce the concrete structure. More complexity is required in

the connection between vertical and horizontal elements to accomodate the flow of forces.

source: Bates, Smart & McCutcheon Collection, University of Melbourne Archives

The other project to discuss is Mies van der Rohe’s New National Gallery in Berlin. Mies anticipated the changes in the medium

of art and forseen a change in the way how art is exhibited. Therefore he proposed the use of a generic space to accommodate

these potential ambivalances in art. For Mies, the grid is the point of reference for three-dimensional space. His architecture is the

symbol, the materialisation of this abstract, conceptual spatial grid.

Conceptual collage. Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlin

Plan, Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlinredrawn by author

‘..columns read not for their tectonic truthfulness, or for their visual composition, but for their condition as a sign of a conceptual diagram’

P.57, Peter Eisenman, Ten Canonical Buildings 1950-2000

Section, Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlinredrawn by author

Therefore the architecture of the New National Gallery is essentially a 3D grid with a boundary that frames itself as a

monument. The architecture, especially the gridded roof, should be seen as a diagram of this conceptual grid. This diagram was

manifested by the design of the details, which concludes the structural constraints of the building. The column and the gridded

roof are in fact, both the physical structure and the symbol as a strucutral component that stands up against gravity.

Detail, column / roof, Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlinredrawn by author

The gridded roof is prefabricated on the ground and then lift up by cranes onto the 8 columns that eventually support the whole

roof. The steel column is also a symbol of the structural. The column is braced to prevent buckling in the cross-shaped profile,

while the whole column is understood as one simple, upright structural element.

Constructions, Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlin

Column’s elevation and profile, Mies van der Rohe, New National Gallery, Berlinredrawn by author

B. Structure

Case Study 2

Abstraction of the structure

Livio Vacchini - La Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland

Giuseppe Terragni - Palazzo Littorio, Rome

La Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: http://studiovacchini.ch

Designed by Livio Vachinni, the building was completed in 2003. The gridded façade is not only an aesthetic

expression, but also a physical structure in-itself. The structural facade was built with steel while the building was built

with reinforced concrete. The facade supports the floor slabs on their edges.

La Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: Arcelor Mittal, http://www.constructalia.com

La Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: http://studiovacchini.ch

On elevation the building is like a deep beam sat on top of the support. If we analysis the static stress of the gridded facade we can

found that the stress is concentrated at the area closer to the pylons. The edges tends to drop down and deform the structure.

Stress analysisLa Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: Arcelor Mittal, http://www.constructalia.com

Deformation diagramLa Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: Arcelor Mittal, http://www.constructalia.com

The reinforcement is in diagonal so that they act like a truss to counter this tendency. These reinforcements are

hidden behind the outter skin of steel in gridded geometry.

3D cutaway drawingLa Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: Arcelor Mittal, http://www.constructalia.com

DetailsLa Ferriera administrative and commercial building, Locarno, Switzerland, Livio Vacchini, 2003source: Arcelor Mittal, http://www.constructalia.com

Palazzo Littorio, Giuseppe Terragni and Pietro Lingeri, 1934, Rome, Italy

Similarly in another project, Palazzo Littorio by Giuseppe Terragni in Rome in 1934, the architect used the thrust line of

the forces on the building’s cantilevered elevation as a diagram on the façade. The pattern was to be cast as a pattern on

the concrete. Photo-elastic process wear used to reveal the stress pattern of the structure with a clear acrylic model.

Terragni and Lingeri were pioneers in the use of photo-elastic process the major method of experimental stress analysis

in the 1930s. As a form of element analysis, the photo-elastic process reveals patterns of stress distribution in the patterns

generated by polarized light passing through an assembled model. The rectilinear facade contrast with the patterns.

Patterns of stress distributions, Photo-elastic Process, Stress analysisPalazzo Littorio, Giuseppe Terragni and Pietro Lingeri, 1934, Rome, Italysource: Boom Magazine, issue 88, 2004

Options of Structural Strategies

Analysis on Profile of Cantilever Arms

Original Profile

Deformed Profile under load and gravity

Initial Screening and Finite Element Analysis

for Profile A

Notes:

All simulations done by ‘Scan and Solve’ - a plugin for Rhinoc-eros 4.0

Material

Danger Level (Rankine)

Von Mises Stress

Max. Principle Stress

Mid. Principle Stress

100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509

Mid. Principle Stress (MPa)Deflection scale : 0

Max. Principle Stress (MPa)Deflection scale : 0

Von Mises Stress (MPa)Deflection scale : 0

Danger level (Rankine)Deflection scale : 0

Original Profile



for Profile B


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile C


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile D


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile E


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile F


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile G


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Original Profile



for Profile H


Von Mises Stress



100 and >908070605040302010

0

30 and >27.002224.004521.006718.008915.011212.0134

9.01566.01793.02010.0223

10 and >8.158676.317344.476012.634680.79335

-1.04798-2.88931-4.73065-6.57197-8.41331

5 and >3.314911.629820.05527

-1.74036-3.42545-5.11054-6.79563-8.48072-10.1658-11.8509





Installation of Post-tensioning Tendons

Structural Principles of Central Structural Frame

Process of Constructions

Ottoplaz Building, Chur, Jurg Conzett and partners, 1995-1998source: Mohsen Mostafavi, Structure as Space, AA Publications, 2006

This technique was used by Engineer Jurg Conzett and his team in various designs. To achieve the span in the project of the Ottoplaz Building, Post-tensioning tendons and steel rods are used to reinforce the structure. They run through the strcutral facade of the building. The structure imitate the mechanism of a steel truss, while the aesthetic expression of it is like a deep beam, simply supported on each ends.

Schedule of reinforcementsOttoplaz Building, Chur, Jurg Conzett and partners, 1995-1998source: Mohsen Mostafavi, Structure as Space, AA Publications, 2006

Case Study: Ottoplaz Building, Jurg Conzett and partners

Design of Formwork

C. Conditioning

Case Study 3

Abstraction of functions

Gary Chang - Suitcase House

Flexible floor spacesSuitcase House, Gary Chang, Beijing, China, 2001source: Suitcase House, Gary Chang, MCCM Creations, 2004

In the project of the suitcase house, the architect Gary Chang intended to create a flexible floor for different configurations.

Spaces under floor as cabinetsSuitcase House, Gary Chang, Beijing, China, 2001source: Suitcase House, Gary Chang, MCCM Creations, 2004

DrawingsSuitcase House, Gary Chang, Beijing, China, 2001source: Suitcase House, Gary Chang, MCCM Creations, 2004

The different functions of a house, such as the toilet, bathroom, and kitchen are abstracted underneath the floor. They are

covered with hinged doors that could be opened. When abstracting these functions, the details are designed in a specific way so

that they could be concealed perfected under the flooring and provide the necessary abstract quality on the space.

Design of Conditioning Shafts

D. Details

Case Study 4

Abstraction of tectonics

SANAA

In a majority of SANAA’s projects, they always push forth a model quality in the actually

built works. This involves a specific way of designing the architectural details.

House in China, SANAA, 2003 source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

Plan Drawing, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

Model, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

In order to reclaim this simplicity and abstract quality in architecture, specific gestures are required in the

design, especially in the architecture details.

Detail of doors, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

2 leaves of doors are used to allow the wall surfaces on both sides to be flushedDetail of doors, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

Gallery, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

For example in the 21st century museum of Kanazawa, there are two leaves of door at the opening, each of

them are flushed with the outer or inner surface of wall, allowing a figurative diagram on plan drawings.

Detail of mullion / roof / floor, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

The mullions are concealed and flush with the edges of the volumn, reinforcing the figurative reading of the project.

View into interior courtyard, 21st Century Museum of Kanazawa, SANAA, 1999source: El Croquis Sejima Nishizawa SANAA 1983-2004

aa dip 14 technical thesis

Documents

contemporary city

city of flux

city of shadow

immaterial workers

sign of montonic spaces

facualties of work

nature of immaterial

transparent citymichael