Materials, Materiality & Tectonics PDF

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MATERIALS , MATERIALITY &

TECTONICS

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AR.JAMBAVATI.GOUDA
Architectural Materials

• The non-materialist aspect of built environment is known as


Architecture.

• Every element has two qualities, one is materialistic and another is


non-materialist. While calculatedly chosen for architectural project it
has to be considered both the properties of the materials.

• The non-measurable and measurable values have equal


importance while choosing perfect building materials.

• The quality and quantity makes a major impact during selection of


appropriate building material

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TECTONICS

• Tectonics in architecture is defined as "the science or art of


construction, both in relation to use and artistic design.“
• It refers not just to the "activity of making the materially requisite
construction that answers certain needs, but rather to the activity that
raises this construction to an art form."
Architectural Materials
1. Introduction
• Building materials has been an integral part of the architectural field The kind and form
of a structure is symbolized by the type of material used. The type of material selected
deduces a form to the structure it giv es a meaning and aesthetic nature along with
being an element of v enutas(beauty) and firmitas(structure).

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Architectural Materials
2. Structural Importance
• Building material signifies the structural existence. It demonstrates the presence of
aesthetic sense in a design and hence defines the practicability of the structure.
• The use of building materials in designing of structure symbolizes its existence in the field of
architectural v isualization. It deriv es the v isual quality and structural stability relationship in
architecture.

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Architectural Materials
3 Constructional Behaviour.
• Architectural aspects hav e been keen about the techniques of construction as per the
kind of concept or theme of the design. These intentions are thus executed as per the
kind of construction techniques by adopting different kinds of masonry styles signifying
v arious kinds of architecture

Project: Pavilion
Location: London, UK
Architects: Alan Dempsey and
Alvin Huang
Date: 200

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Architectural Materials
4 Visual Impact
• Building material ev en effect the v ision of a structure as it deals with the appearance
qualities of the structure. It refers to the durability of the structure too. It hence confines
the symbolism of structural architecture in the structure built. Building materials shows the
quantity and quality relationship as per the character of architecture .

La Sagrada Familia

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Architectural Materials
5 Historical Value
• For example, in a religious structural design, the kind or type of building material used
depicts the kind of architecture.
• Like mosques infer to the Islamic architecture and temples take us back to the ancient
majestically dynasties’ architectural designs depending upon the kind of material used.
• The kind of material used as the basic element and its av ailability in the period when the
structure was built and its dressing or technique of the way it has been used, glorifies the
kind of architecture and art and customs of that period or civ ilization ov er the sands of
time.

Project: The Great Wall


Location: Shanhaiguan (east)
to Lop Nur (west), China
Date: From the fifth century BC
to the 16th century

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Architectural Materials

6 Architectural Symbolism
• In relation of sacred places with architecture, building materials symbolises the presence
of religious marks on the world map. The kind of symbols used on it shows the time of its
erection and tells us about the period in which king’s reign it was built.
• Hence building materials is also acts as a time log between years defining the gradual
inv olvement of art in construction. The unique representation of symbolism in the design
itself makes it interesting.

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Architectural Materials

6 Architectural Symbolism
• In relation of sacred places with architecture, building materials symbolises the presence
of religious marks on the world map. The kind of symbols used on it shows the time of its
erection and tells us about the period in which king’s reign it was built.
• Hence building materials is also acts as a time log between years defining the gradual
inv olvement of art in construction. The unique representation of symbolism in the design
itself makes it interesting.

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Architectural Materials
7 To create Sacred Places
• Let it be the sacred places or the structures of religious importance, building materials
have contributed greatly in retaining the true aesthetic pleasure of the theme and
function of the structure.
• It is also keeping in firm with the customs and traditions without tampering the pleasing
philosophy of the design.
• It leads a sense of function in utility regularising the pace of aesthetic pleasure with
practicability. This sub-merging had made people experience amazing mystic features in
a design to a great extent
Architectural Materials
8 Architectural Building Elements
• The elements of a building
structure are typically based on
the kind of materials used in it.
• Ev ery div ision of a space designed
includes the main theme or
concept of the structure.
• Ev ery element of the building is
related to the other in terms of
concepts of colour or the dressing
and outlook of the element
depending upon the building
materials.
Architectural Materials

• Brick and stone


• Concrete
• Timber
• Glass

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Architectural Materials
Brick and stone
• Stone is found or excavated from the ground
and brick is moulded from the earth. These
materials have weight and solidity that belongs
to a place. The study looks at the use of stone
and brick in architecture and explores their
natural colour, texture and surface.

Concrete
• Concrete has the potential to be moulded and
shaped to create dynamic form and, with
reinforcement, can span enormous distances
and achieve great heights. The study explores
the view that concrete is the flexible material of
the twenty-first century

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Architectural Materials
Timber
• This topic explores the many architectural
possibilities that timber offers. There are
many ways to apply timber because it is
easily worked, its aesthetic variable
depending on the nature of the wood’s
grain.

Glass
• It is used in a range of different design
contexts. In architecture, it allow a space
to be light and a structure to be elegant.
The study highlights the ways in which steel
and glass have the potential to create an
architecture that is both beautiful and
subtly engineered.

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Brick and stone - Aesthetic Features
•The most basic of building materials are those that come from the ground, either
found as part of the landscape (such as stone), or sourced from the earth (such as
clay, which can then be moulded into bricks).

•Perhaps surprisingly, stone is a versatile material. It can be used for a structure’s ground
surface, walls and roof (if carefully selected and cut); it can be shaped or sliced into
thin slabs or heavy monolithic blocks, and its physical properties mean that it retains
heat in the winter and remains cool in the summer.

Stone can be left in its raw state or it can be polished to varying degrees depending on
the application. Saw-cut stone has a rough finish and is most appropriate for exterior
features in garden and landscape design.
A honed finish is extremely smooth but not reflective, making it suitable for
interior wall and floor applications.
A polished finish enhances the colour of the stone and creates a smooth and
reflective surface that is suitable for interior and exterior use.

The colour of brick is affected by its raw material content, for example, yellow bricks
have more lime content and redder ones a higher iron content. This can provide
various aesthetic options for the architect.
The pattern that bricks are laid in is referred to as a ‘bond’ and there are many
variations of these, each of which is based on context, tradition and
location.
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Project: Solstice Arts Centre The Solstice Arts Centre in Navan, County Meath, incorporates a
Location: County Meath, Ireland theatre space, exhibition areas and a café. Located on a sloping site,
the main building is constructed from reinforced concrete and clad in
Architect: Grafton Architects
ashlar stone blocks. The building has a transparent, glazed façade at
Date: 2006 ground level, which opens ontoa public square.

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La Sagrada Familia
(La Sagrada Familia), a Roman Catholic
church in the heartof Barcelona, Spain.
Antonio Gaudí
The building was designed to challenge ideas
of structure and celebrate the most
incredible craftsmanship; to carve and
transform stone from a solid, static material
to a dynamic expressive surface. This building
exemplifies the potential that stone offers
the architect and the real possibility its
use presents to create symbolic, iconic and
memorable
structures.
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Brick and stone - Structural Features
Walls:
•Both brick and stone walls were originally built to support
the load or weight of their building.
•Rubble walls are traditionally built from found stones that
are selected and organised so that they all complement
one another.
•Gabion wall is usually constructed by filling a wire
framed mesh with found rocks. These have been used as
engineering structures that easily withstand lateral forces,
such as a retaining wall that may be used to hold back
large areas of earth.

Roofs
•Stone can be used as a roof finish. For temperate climates
a roof material that can retain heat and is impervious to
water is essential.
•Terracotta tiles are used in many Mediterranean countries,
where the traditions of both brick and pot making have been
adapted and applied to roofing.

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Brick and stone - Structural Features
Floors
•Stone and brick can be used as a floor covering to great
effect. For exterior areas, stone surfaces are frequently used
in cities to identify a particular space and brick laid as a
floor
is also considered a very urban finish.
• Both materials can also be used to frame floor surfaces
such as pavements and pedestrian zones.
In interior spaces a much thinner stone finish can be used

Roofs
Stone can be used as a roof finish. For temperate climates
a roof material that can retain heat and is impervious to
water is essential.
Slate is traditionally used in the UK for this
purpose and is also manufactured and used in countries
such as China, Mexico and Spain.
Terracotta tiles are used in many Mediterranean countries,
where the traditions of both brick and pot making have
been adapted and applied to roofing.
Terracotta tiles can be glazed or left in their raw state.

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Brick and stone
Terracotta tiles were used on the
interior and exterior walls of London’s
Natural History Museum, serving
both decorative and practical
functions. The museum’s entrance is
constructed from a range of different
coloured bricks that have been laid
using many different courses to
highlight the ‘horizontality’ of the
building. Decorative features, also
constructed from tile and marble,
serve to create a highly adorned and
three-dimensional effect

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Location: London, UK
Brick and stone -Timeline

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Brick and stone -Timeline

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Brick and stone -Timeline
Brick and stone -Timeline

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Project: Aircraft Hangar
CONCRETE Location: Orbetello, Italy
Architect: Pier Luigi Nervi
Date: 1940
Concrete- Aesthetic Features

The flexibility of concrete to create new forms and shapes.

Concrete offered possibilities for a flexible type of building shape and allowed
designers to move away from an architecture defined by decoration to one of
dynamic spaces and fluid shapes

There are several key characteristics to consider when using concrete in building
design. It has excellent thermal mass, which means it can retain heat efficiently,
and as it is a high density material it can also absorb heat during summer
(helping to cool a building), and release it again at night when the temperature
drops.

Another advantage is that it can be made in situ using locally sourced materials
and so does not have to be transported to site (though it can also be precast).

Finally it is non-combustible and so can be used as a fire barrier between different


layers or areas of a building.

.
Concrete- Structural Features

• Construction Technology
• Pre-cast/cast in situ: Concrete that is cast in situ is mixed and poured into
prepared formwork (or mould) on site.
• Hybrid concrete construction: this is a construction method that uses both pre-
cast elements and in situ formwork, allowing the project greater flexibility on
site.
• Foundations: most buildings will have foundations that are made of concrete
to provide a stable base for either a building’s frame or walls.
• Frame: Steel reinforcements will make the frame stronger and capable of
supporting greater loads. Using concrete for the frame allows walls to be
constructed from non-load-bearing materials such as glass.

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Project: Chapel Notre
Dame du Haut (right)
Location: Ronchamp,
France
Architect: Le Corbusier
Date: 1954

Le Corbusier’s Chapel Notre Damedu Haut at Ronchamp uses


concrète to create a dramatic and sculptural
form on both the exterior and interior spaces. The building is
punctured with holes filled with coloured glass
and these bring light into the chapel illuminating the interior space.
The building appears as a sculptural element in the natural
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landscape.
Project: The Jewish Museum
Location: Berlin, Germany
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Dates: 1998–2001
During the design process for Berlin’s
Jewish Museum, Daniel Libeskind
plotted the addresses of prominent
Jewish and German citizens on a
map of pre-war Berlin and joined the
points to form an ‘irrational and
invisible matrix’ on which he based
the language of form, the geometry
and shape of the building. The
museum also houses the Holocaust
Tower. The bare concrete tower is
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narrow slit high above the ground.
Concrete- Structural Features
• Wall: concrete walls can be constructed using formwork to create dynamic
shapes, and concrete can also be used as cladding to cover existing wall
surfaces.
• Reinforced, pre-cast concrete panels are available in many different colours
and finishes (such as acid-etched, smooth, sand-blasted or polished)

• Floor: many floors are made by casting a complete concrete slab at ground
level, or even below ground level, which stabilises the building and provides a
flat, clear surface. Intermediate floors can also be cast on site by pouring
concrete into formwork.

• Roof: flat roofs in particular can be made and finished using concrete. A
pitched roof can be made from pre-cast beams and covered with a
waterproof surface or concrete slabs.
• Additionally dynamic shapes and forms can be achieved by casting
concrete shapes for roof pieces on site.

• Surface: using concrete as a surface material provides a number of


opportunities for the architect. The material that is used to cast concrete can
leave an impression on it. For example, timber formwork can be used to lend
concrete a soft grain texture.

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The Church of the Light


Tadao Ando’s Church of the Light in Osaka, Japan (1988) is an example
of a cultural building that embraces ideas of geometry and spirituality.
The Church of the Light is superbly crafted. The
smooth finish of its concrete surfaces reflect light
into the interior spaces and the building reveals its
construction processes via traces of the joints and
bolts that held the shuttering in place, leaving
tactile impressions on the smooth, grey walls.

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BMW Central Building in
Leipzig, Germany,

Zaha Hadid has a reputation for


challenging architectural form. Her
buildings are organic, dynamic and
sculptural and many of her designs
spatially reinv ent interior experience and
exterior form. To achiev e such forms, the
materials Hadid uses need to be fluid,
flexible, strong and beautiful, and
concrete prov ides an extremely effectiv e
solution to these design requirements.
With structural support and careful
engineering, Hadid’s architecture can liv e
up to the expectations of her incredible
concepts, drawings and models.

The Central Building is a piece of carefully


considered and beautifully detailed
architecture. It uses structural bridge building
concepts and technology to achiev e
large spans that create exciting v oids
throughout the building. The design exploits
the possibilities of concrete, which it
enhances by the knowledge that there is a
structural necessity to ev ery part of the
building and nothing is superfluous
Designed by Axel Schultes and Baumschulenweg
Charlotte Frank, and completed in 1998, Crematorium
Baumschulenweg Crematorium is situated
in south-east Berlin, Germany

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Baumschulenweg Crematorium
The intention with this building was to create
a respectful and calm space; a place where
the architecture could be invisible and silent.
The building materials and structure were an
important part of realising this. The main
hall’s structural support is provided by
reinforced concrete columns (29 support the
main roof); the roof and floor are concrete
and the walls are finished in polished
concrete. Glass is used to bring light into
the space from above and to animate the
surface of the columns and walls.

Despite its large-scale use, the concrete’s


finish is not refined and its imperfections
suggest both a sense of memory and a
human quality. The natural light entering the
space highlights the texture and surface of
the concrete, which brings depth to an
otherwise flat surface.
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TIMBER
Brick and stone - Structural Features

Structural frame
Structural framing forms the shape of a building. It is generally hidden behind the internal
and external cladding and so is rarely seen except during construction (although it can be
left exposed if the architectural idea is to celebrate the material and form of the building).

Timber framing can be used for walls, ceilings, floors, partitions and a building’s roof
because it (generally) has the ability to bridge small to
medium spans and carry light loads.

Roof frame
A timber roof frame will comprise sev eral elements. These include triangular truss units,
which are connected to the walls and also tied to one another for structural stability; rafters
that serv e as beams and are laid to support the roof; and joists that are laid at regular
intervals from wall to wall and prov ide constant support for the ceiling or the floor.

Finally, purlins are horizontal structural elements that support the rafters; these need to be
carefully supported by structural walls.

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Brick and stone - Structural Features

Flooring and decking


Timber can be used for both the floor frame and as a floor
finish. The floor finish can be achiev ed using pieces of solid
timber or wood layered on top of a composite board. Either
laminated or solid timber floor pieces can be supplied in
a range of colours and lacquers.
Decking is a type of timber board flooring, and each board
is structural rather than decorativ e.

Panelling
Timber panels can offer structural rigidity in a timber-framed
building, prov ide support for a floor surface or roof finish or
they can be used decorativ ely as an interior or exterior finish.

An important consideration with all timber panelling is to


ensure that there is adequate v entilation. Any wood products
used externally need to be regularly maintained as the
material finish will naturally discolour and deteriorate.

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Brick and stone - Structural Features

External cladding
Buildings can be clad with a range of different timber
applications, such as solid boards or shingles, to suit a
v ariety of functional demands. Another advantage of using
timber to clad buildings is that it can be designed to suit
most env ironments and fit most sites with a minimum of
expense.

Stairs
Primarily, a staircase is a functional, structural element in
a building that allows mov ement between lev els, but it can
also form a decorativ e feature (for example, it may be freestanding
or sculptural). It may be made completely from
timber or just some of its component parts, such as the
treads, balusters or handrail could be made from wood.
Often stairs that are made out of steel or concrete will
have a wooden handrail, as there is a warmth to the
materiality of this.
Project: Cliveden Village
Location: Berkshire, UK
Architect: Onko Architects
Date: 2008
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This building has timber shakes
(slices of timber used as a protective
edge) applied to its end wall. The
timber specified for the shakes was
sweet chestnut, which will weather
over time to a soft grey colour.
Gridshell, Edward Cullinan The Gridshell’s exterior skin is
Located in Singleton, West Sussex, the Weald covered in cedar timber panels
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A gridshell is a structure that has the shape and
strength of a double-curvature shell, but has a
grid form instead of a solid surface.

Gridshell is made from oak laths or strips.


To prepare the oak laths for use, all defects were
first removed and the resulting pieces were then
finger-jointed together into standard lengths of
six metres.
Six of these were then joined to form 36-metre
lath pieces. A diagonal grid of laths was initially
formed flat on top of a supporting
scaffold.
The edges of the grid were then lowered
gradually and the grid bent into shape until the
full shell was formed and secured.

Gridshell, Edward Cullinan

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The Savill Building is Prepared by AR.JAMBAVATI.GOUDA
GHA’s award-winning visitor centre located
in the south-eastern section of Windsor’s
Great Park.
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The design brief
The British Crown Estate commissioned GHA to design a new visitor centre that
would serve as a gateway for Windsor’s Great Park. The building needed to
accommodate a range of visitor facilities and respond sensitively to the landscape around
it. The sourcing and specification of materials was another key aspect of this build. Where
possible local and sustainable resources were to be incorporated in the design
scheme and traditional engineering and craft skills be used in the building’s construction.
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Sean Godsell | The Carter/Tucker House
The design brief
Sean Godsell was asked to create a new
residential build in the extreme landscape
and climate of Australia’s outback. Godsell
wanted to produce a design and use
construction materials that could mediate
the region’s hot climate and at the same
time
ensure that the client could take advantage
(in terms of views and the relationship to
outdoor space) of the landscape
surrounding
the house. In addition to this the client
requested flexibility of the building’s internal
layout to allow an adaptable living space.
In terms of material specification, a
sensitivity
to the landscape would be required to
ensure that the architecture was read as
part
of its surroundings.
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Sean Godsell | The Carter/Tucker House
Project: Felix Nussbaum Museum
Location: Osnabrück, Germany
Architect: Daniel Libeskind
Date: 1998
The Felix Nussbaum Museum is an
extension to the Cultural History
Museum in Osnabrück and is
dedicated to the work of the German
artist. The building’s exposed
reinforced concrete and aluminium
structure is clad with timber. The
scheme consists of three main
components: a tall and narrow
central corridor, a long main section,
and a bridge, which acts as a
connection to the Cultural History
Museum.

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Project: German Bundestag dome
Location: Berlin, Germany
Architect: Foster + Partners
Date: 1999

Glass and steel


Glass- Aesthetic Features

•Glass is a material of the future and provides both practical and symbolic qualities
of transparency, lightness and openness.
•Historically, glass and steel were used as interdependent materials in architectural
forms. However, as glass technology has evolved, the architecture that
incorporates it is becoming less and less dependent on steel for its structural integrity.
Glass- Aesthetic Features
Spirituality and wealth
In places of worship numerous and large glass windows
allow a building’s interior to flood with light, which might
suggest qualities of the heavenly and the divine. Medieval
cathedrals used stained glass (the staining was achieved
by painting or adding colours during the manufacturing
process) to illuminate heavy cold spaces and create
dramatic contrast in the interior.

The colours of the cathedral’s


stained glass animate the
interior and depict narrative
scenes from the old and new
testaments of the Bible. Chartres Cathedral (in
Chartres, France
Project: Kirche am Steinhof The Kirche am Steinhof (also called
Title: View of the stained glass the Church of St Leopold) in Vienna
windows in the nave is one of the most famous art
Location: Vienna, Austria nouveau churches in the world.
Architect: Otto Wagner Its mosaics and stained glass were
Date: 1907 designed by Koloman Moser.
Glass- Aesthetic Features

Protection and industry


•During the Victorian era glass was used experimentally in
horticulture to provide protection from harsh climates for
plants, fruits and vegetables. This led to innovative designs
for orangeries (glazed structures designed specifically to
protect oranges) and greenhouses across northern Europe.

Paxton’s Crystal Palace represents


one of the earliest examples of a temporary, prefabricated
structure and it was to influence and inform the design
of many more vast industrial buildings, from market halls to
railway stations, which needed to shelter large, open spaces
and simultaneously allow lots of daylight to flood in
Paxton’s Crystal Palace
Glass- Aesthetic Features

Protection and industry


In contemporary architecture, new buildings in our cities are
ever taller and frequently approach the inconceivable. From
Chicago’s Home Insurance Building (which was completed
in 1885 and is widely believed to be the world’s first
‘skyscraper’), to Taiwan’s 509-metre high Taipei 101 building,
all have been made possible by the technological advances
made in steel and glass production.

Chicago’s Home Insurance Building


Glass- Aesthetic Features

For the façade design of the L’Institut


du Monde Arabe, Jean Nouvel took
the design of a traditional Islamic
screen and used this as a means to
modify the light entering the building.
The glass and steel screen opens
and closes depending on the
surrounding light levels, which
moderates the interior and exterior
of the building. Nouvel’s screen
innovatively combines traditional
design and contemporary technology
to create a dynamic building that
responds to its surrounding climatic
conditions.
Project: L’Institut du Monde Arabe
Location: Paris, France
Architect: Jean Nouvel Architects
Date: 1987
Glass- Aesthetic Features

Project: L’Institut du Monde Arabe


Location: Paris, France
Architect: Jean Nouvel Architects
Date: 1987
Glass- Structural Features
Glass (and steel) can be used to create impressive, functional and highly engineered
architectural forms, and these forms can also suggest ideological issues via the
construction materials used.

Glass offers the architect the potential to create building


forms that can be immediately associated with the
properties of the material itself, producing structures that are
transparent, light, open and clear.

As part of the modernist aesthetic, glass and steel have


commonly been associated with one another. The
combination of both materials brings both strength and
delicacy to architecture; a steel frame can appear quite
‘light’ and slender when combined with the transparency
of a glass wall. Initially, glass and steel were used in
particular for large, open-plan, industrial architectural
applications, but advances in material technology have
generated a greater range of possibilities for the use
of both materials.
Project: The British Museum To allow the British Museum’s Great
Great Court Court to be used by visitors in all
Location: London, UK weather conditions it was covered
Architect: Foster + Partners with an undulating glazed roof.
Date: 2000 The roof has no visible supports
and instead it spans the court area
as a self-supporting structure. The
undulating, minimal steel latticework
supports 3312 triangular glass
panels, each one different in size and
shape.
Glass- Structural Features

For the architect, one of the most important properties


and key advantages of specifying the use of glass is its
transparency: it allows light into a space. The limiting factors
will be the weight and size of the glass pieces, as these could
restrict both manufacture and transport to site.

The use of glass in building design need no longer be


restricted to windows – it can also be used structurally too.
Reinforced glazed pieces can be used as floor panels or stair
treads and glazed structural columns (or fins) can be used
to support glass walls.

Glass is also frequently used to construct


curtain walls – non-load-bearing façades that are drawn
across a building (much like a curtain) and attached to the
front of the structure using specialist fixtures.

As well as structural uses, glass can be treated so that it can


be applied as a finish, perhaps to create a decorative panel
inside a building or to produce exterior cladding. A range of
processes can alter the properties and appearance of glass.
Glass- Structural Features

Glass has become


an important layer in the design process and manipulating
it can change the experience of how light enters (or exits)
a building or space, which can dramatically affect the whole
architectural scheme.
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