Canopy: Masterproject Research Booklet

STOCKLEYPARKOFFI CESSOLIDSTATELOGI CGIRAPRODUCTION ANDADMINISTRATIO NBUILDINGCROWN HALLFACULTYOFARC HITECTUREIITCARTIE RFACTORYMEDIATHE QUETHOMPSONOPT RONICSFACTORY

TU Eindhoven Department of Built Environment Masterproject „The Canopy“ Martien Jansen, Marco Notten Rational Architecture Semester A 2015-2016

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INTRODUCION

As a basis for a subsequent design project, in which a multifunctional educational building will be designed, the typology of an architecturally expressive hall, the Canopy, is investigated. The following report describes seven different examples of this typology. All projects are a great example of the enormous amount of possibilities that the Canopy has to offer us, by showing the wide variety of views and design methodologies that are applied by the architects. This booklet gives the designer an insight on the extensive list of design principles: the possibilities of a radical and lightweight concept, with a minimum of fixed elements, using appropriate techniques for envelope, structure and services, a highly standardised structure, with great attention to the plasticity of the fifth faรงade (roof), and atria which allow the access of daylight to the deep centre of the buildings.

THE FOLLOWING PROJECTS ARE DESCRIBED: Norman Foster Stockley Park Offices Michael Hopkins Solid State Logic

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Christoph Ingenhoven Gira Production and Administration Building 47 Ludwig Mies van der Rohe Crown Hall, Faculty of Architecture IIT 69 Jean Nouvel Cartier Factory Dominique Perrault Mediatheque

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Renzo Piano Thompson Optronics Factory 133 The analysis of all seven projects includes a general conclusion, which provides basic design principles for the design of a hall within certain constraints.

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stockley park offices . norman foster

charlène pinard michael krÜll teun vermeer

STOCKLEY PARK OFFICES, Uxbridge . London Stockley Park Offices is a workspace building designed by Sir Norman Foster in the 1980s. Stockley Park, established in the same decade, is Britain’s first architecturally driven Business Park. It is located in Uxbridge, and has a strategically good position: close to Heathrow Airport and well connected to the city center of London. This park resembles an American business park and is a showpiece campus for in-

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formation and services sectors. The office building itself has an innovative and well-thought-out structure, aiming for an open and flexible floor plan. By placing the heroic Y-frames outside the structural glazing façade, Foster displays his innovative construction to the world.

Nevertheless, Foster only made this stunning design possible by reinterpreting some rules and turning them at his advantage.

sir norman foster . biography

SIR NORMAN FOSTER Norman Foster was born in Manchester, England in 1935. His father was a shop manager in a poor area of Manchester, later a security guard and a manual worker in a factory. His parents sent him to a private school and grammar school.

There was a strong work ethic and pressure to leave school early and be a wage earner. Foster worked for two years in the city treasurer‘s office, studied commercial law, before leaving for national service in the royal air force.

It was around this time, when he was developing a growing interest in architecture. When he came out of the air force he worked in a bakery, sold furniture, worked in a fac-

tory. He entered at the age of 21 in Manchester University School of Architecture and City Planning. After his graduation in 1961, he won a fellowship to Yale University where he gained his Master’s Degree in Architecture.

In 1963 he co-founded Team 4 and in 1967 he established Foster Associates, now known as Foster + Partners. Founded in London, it is now a worldwide practice, with project offices in more than twenty countries.

Norman Foster was awarded the Royal Gold Medal for Architecture in 1983 the Gold Medal for the French Academy of Architecture in

1991 and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal in 1994.

In 1999 he was honoured with the twenty-first Pritzker Architecture Prize Laureate.

His remarkable buildings and urban projects have transformed cityscapes, renewed transportation systems and restored city centres all over the world. Many of these aesthetically and technologically groundbreaking projects are based on ecology - conscious concepts and setting new standards for the interaction of buildings with their environment. Among his recent projects are some of the most remarkable architectural projects of the last years!

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Sainsbury Centre for Visual Arts GB. Norwich Structural and service elements are contained within the double-layer walls and roof. Within this shell is a sequence of spaces that incorporates galleries, a reception area, the Faculty of Fine Art, senior common room and a restaurant.

Full-height windows at each end open the space up to the landscape, while louvres line the interior to provide a highly flexible system for the control of natural and artificial light.

Renault Distribution Centre GB. Swindon In addition to warehousing, it includes a showroom, training school, workshops, offices and a staff restaurant. This is housed within a single enclosure supported by brightly coloured tubular masts and arched steel beams.

The structural system that repeats itself to form this external outline is based around a 24 by 24 metre bay to maximise the planning flexibility of the internal spaces. The building has been described as the most playful structure.

Stockley Park Offices, GB. Uxbridge, London

ITN Headquarters, GB. London

It’s formal design had to fit within certain aesthetic parameters set by Stockley Park’s management, which specified pitched roofs, white cladding and sunscreening. As a result, each of the building’s three stepped bays are fronted by V-shaped steel ‘butterfly’ frames, pinned at the ridges and supported on tapering columns.

Between the bays two triple-height atria run the length of the building and carry the primary circulation.

The space is divided into two blocks. A smaller one facing the street, with a larger (or deeper floor plate) at the rear. Separating the two is a tapering atrium, which deals with the fact that the street line is not perpendicular to the sides, nor parallel to the rear building line. The atrium is glazed on the roof and at the ends, giving the space a pleasant luminous quality. The plans are based with columns for flexibility filling the space.

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sir norman foster . timetable

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Cranfield University Library GB. Cranfield Built on a square plan, the building consists of four barrel-vaulted, steel-framed bays, one of which forms a broad central atrium ( the hub of the library ) linking all three floors. The suspended roof provides sheltered walkways along the sides of the building, while at the front it extends to create an entrance canopy.

Carre d‘Art Mediatheque FR. Nimes The Carré d‘Art is a nine-storey structure, half of which is cut into the ground, keeping the buildings profile low in comparison with the scale of the surrounding buildings.

At the heart of the plan is a glass-roofed atrium, with a cascading staircase. This space exploits the transparency and lightness of modern materials to allow daylight. The lower levels house archive storage. Above are two library floors. A reception space on the uppermost floor opens to a shaded terrace overlooking a new square.

1995 The Faculty of Law GB. Cambridge Located at the University’s site, the focus of humanities education at Cambridge, the building is surrounded by lawns and mature trees - the essence of Cambridge. The response was to create a rectangular plan cut on the diagonal to follow the geometry of the neighbouring buildings.

It provides 8500 square metres of accommodation without exceeding four storeys. This was achieved by digging the auditoria below the ground, while the curving glass of the north facade helps the building to recede visually.

2005 Free University Library DE. Berlin With more than 39,000 students, it is the largest of Berlin‘s three universities.

This redevelopment scheme includes the restoration of its Modernist buildings and the creation of a new library for the Faculty of Philology. The new library occupies a site created by uniting six of the university‘s courtyards. It has got four floors and they are contained within a naturally ventilated, bubble-like enclosure, which contains aluminium and glass panels supported on a steelframe.

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upper image: location of Stockley Park in the metropoltian area of London lower image: figure ground plan of Stockley Park

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stockley park offices . project site

Stockley Park was an ambitiously conceived child of the 1980s, an attempt to emulate and redefine the American business park model by transforming a former gravel pit into a showpiece campus for the information and service sectors. On the doorstep of Heathrow airport and served by three motorways, it

was the perfect location. For the design of the park, masterplanners Arup Associates studied 17th-century French gardens and the influence is apparent - a lime allée denotes the main pedestrian route and use of charmilles or clipped hedges creates “green rooms“ to conceal activities that might detract

from the main design. The lakes and streams of the park are important both structurally and environmentally. They form a framework for the other elements: the access road, the buildings, which follow a north-south orientation delineated by the valleys; the car parking; and the winding alley of lime trees.

image: the office building by Norman Foster at Stockley Park | Scale 1:2000 texts source: Norman Foster Works 3, Prestel Verlag München, 2007, page 247 f.; modified by author

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upper image: front view of the building, entrance lower image: back view of the building, fixed zones

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stockley park offices . pictures

upper image: side view of the building, pattern at glass facade for sun protection lower image left: Y-frame at the top, pinned at the ridges lower image right: Y-frame at the base, pin-connected

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This is an attempt of reconstructing the design process: The first picture shows the building site. It is defined by a small lake in the east, a river in the south, a parking area in the west and a street in the north leading to a diamond shape. Moreover, there is an industrial site on the other site of the river, which will be of importance later on. On the second picture one can see, how Foster transforms the diamond into three stepped bays according to the angle formed by the river and the lake. Those three bays are connected by two triple height atria covered by a glass roof.

They feed the inner parts of the building with light. The fourth picture displays, that the box in the middle is shorter than the other two. Hereby, Foster creates a dramatic corner and a porched roof for the entrance. At the east and west elevation he added some louvered sunscreens to block the heat of the sun. The same procedure he applies to the fixed zones at the back of the building in picture number five. Here he stacks lavatories, escape stairs and plant rooms. Thereby, he is not only blocking the hot south sun but is also screening views of the industrial works across the river. The fixed zones in the front are smaller and only contain lavatories and escape stairs.

The sixth and last picture shows two elevators and the main stairs in the atria – the primary circulation.

The rest of the building is open, very flexible and able to be arranged to every tenants need.

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stockley park offices . design process

Furthermore, Stockley Park responsibles set up some rules every architect designing a building at this brain park had to act on. A pitched roof was one of those rules.

The sketch above shows how Foster strategically inverted the pitched roof and turned it into a butterfly roof. One of his arguments was, that the pitched roof would harm the basic function of the atrium, because located at the lowest point of the roof, less light would get in and moreover, dirt like leaves will gather at the glass roof, blocking the light. Although the roof being

transformed into a butterfly roof, it is still some kind of a pitched roof, but with open ends. With the butterfly solution although, the glass roof covering the atrium is at the highest point, allowing as much light as possible into the building. Waste will be collected at the closed roof, where it is of no disturbance.

The section below shows the office, how it was built. Porched roofs at the east and west elevations are blocking the heat of the sun, light mirrors located at the top of the atria spread the light all over the

building into the deepest parts and down to the ground floor level.

In addition to that, Foster exploits the location by differentiating front and back to a much greater degree than other buildings in the complex.

From the front, the block presents a dramatic corner to the overall park approach with a series of three giant Y-frames, which stand like sentinels – arms heroically outstretched in front of sleek curtain walled facades. An image of this situation at the entrance can be seen on page eight.

upper image: sketch by Foster himself, the inverted pitched roof lower image: section with the sunlight flooding into the building

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The primary structure consists of three rows of nine Y-frames each.

The different rows are connected with each other at the highest point.

Cross beams act as reinforcement.

The first and the last Y-frame of each row is pinned at the ridges. Furthermore, the two loose Y-frames (those are only via cross beams connected to another Y-frame) got some additional anchorage. Each Y-frame is pin-connected at the base.

loose Y-frame additional anchorage

first and last Y-frame pinned at the ridges cross beams round at borders cross beams HSS

9 Y-frames in a row pin-connected at the base supporting the butterfly roof

PRIMARY STRUCTURE

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loose Y-frame additional anchorage

stockley park offices . structure

THE STRUCTURE OF STOCKLEY PARK OFFICES Stockley Park Offices, building B3, deflections of the roof. The frames contains a striking visible outside consist of tapered I-sections pinned construction. The building presents at the ridges where they connect a dominant structural form, consisto the adjacent frame and also at ting of three bays of Y-frames at 9 the base. This allows for a gracemetre distance supporting a canoful shape but without wasted loss of py roof. The left image shows the structural efficiency. primary structure. The building uses aluminium louvred sunscreens for The end frames are external to the sunprotection, which are supporbuilding and provide an entranted by the arms of the Y-frames. ce canopy at the front of the builThe ridges of each Y-frame extend ding. Here the bays are set back, 3 metres beyond the edge of the leaving the free end of the Y-frames building. The arms are propped by unsupported. This creates a floating cladding mullions, reducing edge canopy. And therefore these are

tied down by vertical stainless steel rods and the frames are reinforced by horizontal pipes between the ridges of the Y. On the next page the left picture shows the concrete cores of the building. It contains three concrete cores in the rear elevation, and two cores in the front elevation (north).

upper image: 3D perspective of top connection lower image: detail of the Y-frame (foundation, connections), scale 1:200

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The fixed zones at the back and at the front of the building act as reinforcement for the primary structure. The three boxes in the back contain lavatories, escape stairs and plant rooms, the two in the front just have lavatories and escape stairs. Moreover, the back boxes block the heat of the south sun and screen the bad views of the industrial works on the other side of the river.

fixed zones lavatories, plant rooms and escape stairs

fixed zones at the back blocking bad views and the south sun

fixed zones at the front lavatories and escape stairs

REINFORCEMENT

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stockley park offices . structure

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image: structure plan with the fixed zones

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GSEducationalVersion GSPublisherEngine 149.0.43.53

In addition to the Y-frames carrying the butterfly roof, Foster introduces a secondary structure supporting the floors. This structure is a frame construction made out of steel beams, connected to the Y-frames.

Vertical steel beams are carrying the hollow ceiling, containing the ventilation for the offices, plants for all the technical devices used in the office and the structure itself.

steel beams frame construction connected to Y-frames vertical steel beams columns carrying the ceiling

SECONDARY STRUCTURE

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hollow ceiling ventilation, plants and structure

stockley park offices . structure

image: zoom in on secondary structure

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The envelope of the building consists of several parts. The butterfly roof is closed above the office space, a glass roof is covering the atria.

The façade is done with a structural glazing system – a revolutionary solution for that time. Foster uses three different kinds of glass for the building (clear, opaque, gradated pattern). Louvered sunscreens and this pattern on the east and west elevation work together to protect the building from solar gain.

butterfly roof carried by Y-frames

gradated pattern opaque at floor and eaves level, clear between desk top and eye-level

ENVELOPE

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glass roof over triple-height atria

facade structural glazing louvered sunscreens preventing solar gain east and west elevation

stockley park offices . structure

The envelope contains three different types of glass. Foster uses translucent glass (milk glass) around the building to hide the floors and the cores at the front. Furthermore, east and west elevations are made up of double glazed units, stove-enamelled internally with a grid matrix of white dots, which range in concentration from almost opaque, at floor

and eaves level, to clear between desk top and eye level, the rest of the building is covered in clear glass.

The structural glazing is pin-connected at the base, they take the wind load across the full height glazing, but are also hollow and are used as heating ducts to prevent down draughts.

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left image: structural glazing facade exploded right image: section through the facade, detail of structural glazing

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image: ground floor (exemplarily furnished)

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stockley park offices . organisation

FLOOR PLAN UNFURNISHED office space triple-height atria fixed zones (services)

FLOOR PLAN FURNISHED open offices (desktops) closed offices (meetings) fixed zones (services)

FLOOR PLAN FURNISHED offices, desktops circulation fixed zones (services)

The building is designed to house a single tenant, but can easily be subdivided both vertically and horizontally to suit multiple occupancy.

Services, such as lavatories, escape stairs and plant rooms (dark grey), are stacked at the southern end of the building to insulate the offices against solar gain and mask poor views. Additionally smaller fixed zones only containing escape stairs and lavatories are located at the front of the building.

The columns for the main structure are located in the pavilions, and the pillars for the second structure are on the sides. This way, Foster created a significant open space to work in. These pavilions can be furnished differently according to the occupants needs. On the plan (left page), there is an example of the furnishing arrangement. Each pavilion is separated into three lines. The middle one contains closed rooms housing mainly meeting offices, the outer ones are open to atria or windows and are use for desktop workplaces. The circulation is made by the arrangement of the furniture and the closed rooms.

On the ground plan we can see 6 paths going vertically from an escape outcome to another one. And 2 horizontal paths connecting the pavilions over the atria.

The pictures on the next page show the furnished inside space of Stockley Park offices.

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first row: seating arrangements in the atrium (left), space for discussion (middle), view into the atrium (right) big image: one example, how the desktops and workplaces can be arranged right column: the reception desk at the entrance (middle), view into the atrium from desktop (base)

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stockley park offices . conclusion

CONCLUSION The structural and the architectural aspects of Norman Foster’s building have been designed as one element. Thereby the structural and architectural elements complement one another.

This innovated structure leads to free glazing walls, a better light delivery throughout the building and an open space for flexible working opportunities. This concrete example shows how the structure can improve architecture and the way of using the building. The structure being such an essential part of the building, Norman Foster likes to clearly display its existence in an artistic and good looking way.

Analyzing this building made us understand the essential link between structure and architecture and the strength it brings to a building, when they are well-thought-through. Especially when it is done in such an innovative way.

REFERENCES: Norman Foster Works 3; Norman Foster; Prestel Verlag München, 2007; page 246f.

Design for Change - The Architecture of DEGW; Jeremy Myerson; Birkhauser Verlag, 1998; page 24f.

Architecture and Construction in Steel; Alan Blanc, Michael McEvoy, Roger Plank; Spon Verlag London, 1993, page 165f. and 558 Magazine ARCH+ Baumarkt, Glasfassade Stockley Park B3; author unknown; issue and publication date unkown Homepage of „Norman Foster and Partners“ (www.fosterandpartners.com)

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solid state logic . michael hopkins

Lan BabiÄ?

Joost Katoen Pieter van Nunen

Solid State Logic (SSL), founded in 1969 as a company making switching systems for pipe organs, is nowadays one of the world‘s leading manufacturers of highend mixing consoles and sound recording and broadcasting studio hardware.

Nearly all of the world most famous artists used and still use their equipment making their albums, including Madonna, The Rolling Stones, AC/DC, U2, The Police, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Michael Jackson. But also contemporary artists like Coldplay, Jay-Z, Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Snoop Dogg and Swedish House Mafia. The company has offices is New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Paris and Milan.

During the 80s the company, which started in an old garage, grew rapidly from it‘s custom build Headquarters in Stonesfield, and in 1986 SSL moved it‘s HQ to Begbroke Manor. The company commissioned Michael Hopkins to design a new building in the gardens of this country house at Bregbroke near Oxford. It was to accommodate manufacturing functions as well as offices.

front image: Solid State Logic building upper image: Swedish House Mafia working in a Solid State Logic Studio in NY City second image: an early model of solid state logic recording equipement third image: former solid state logic headquarters in Stonesfield lower image: Begbroke manor in Bregbroke

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the architect . sir michael hopkins

with Richard Rogers and Norman Foster. All of the buildings have a great demonstration of spatial steal structures with large two- and three dimensional trusses and wide-span fabric roofs.

Sir Michael Hopkins founded the office of Hopkins Architects in 1976 together with his wife Patricia Hopkins.

After studying architecture at Bournemouth Art School, which he quit after 18 months, Hopkins worked for several architects including Frederick Gibberd. In his twenties Michael Hopkins then decided that full-time education was a better way to achieve his ambitions, so he studied at the Architectural Association, which was considered to be the best architectural school in country at that time.

Before starting his own office, Hopkins worked for several architects as he ended up working with Norman Foster. During the

8 years at the office of Foster Associates Hopkins worked on several major projects such as the IBM Pilot Head Office (also known as the Cosham Building) and the famous Willis Building in Ipswich.

The design of the Solid State Logic building marks a change within Hopkin‘s style of architecture. In contrast to all his earlier designs (e.g. Hopkins House, Green King Draught Beer Cellars and the Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre) Michael Hopkins lacked the obvious use of any exterior steel structure or fabric roof in the design of Solid State Logic building.

As a matter of fact the building is not standing out at all, as it is only two stories high, hidden between the trees, behind some old houses, with a full glass facade mirroring it‘s surrounding greenery.

When Hopkins and his wife started their own practice in 1976 they designed themself a house with space to start their office: The Hopkins House, which became an iconic building trough the years, as it is was not only offering living and working space, but also used as public vehicle during the first years of their office. Each and every piece of design of the office‘s first ten years are perfect examples of the „British High-Tech“ architecture of which Hopkins was one of the protagonists together

The design of the Solid State Logic building is not just a single example of this change in Hopkins‘ architecture from an outstanding to a more restrained style. In several of Hopkins‘ projects in the early 90s this evolution in style continued in buildings such as the David Mellow Offices and Showroom and New Square building. Which did not mean that Hopkins completely renounced the High Tech architecture, since he continued designing buildings with striking exterior steel and fabric structures.

image: Sir Michael Hopkins

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1975

1976

Willis Faber Dumas

Hopkins House

The most famous building which Michael Hopkins worked on during his time at the office of Norman Foster.

The first project of Michael Hopkins‘ own office. As well a house as a studio, which he needed for his practice. It shows a lot of similarities with the famous Case Study House #8 (also known as Eames House) by Charles and Ray Eames.

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1985 Schlumberger Research Centre A relatively early project of Hopkins‘ office. The two office buildings on the left side look like two identical copies of the SSL building. Hopkins used the experience of designing these office buildings and the same design prinicples in his later design for the Solid State Logic building.

1988 Solid State Logic

sir michael hopkins . timetable

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New Square

Portcullis House

An large office building with a very nutral appearance, just like the Solid State Logic building.

Portcullis House integrates a number of buildings of the Parliamentary estate at one centralized location and has been conceived in the tradition of historic Thames-side palaces facing the river. It shows a great respect to its context as it is not standing out and the design is adapted to surrounding buildings.

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National Tennis Centre An example of the sort-of improved version of the Solid State Logic typoligy, which also was used in the Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre.

London 2012 Velodrome Probably one of sir Hopkins most reknown designs which appeals to the imagination of many people as it is was called the pringle during the Londn 2012 olympic games.

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ACCESS

SUPLY

LIGHT VIEW

LIGHT VIEW

LIGHT VIEW

LIGHT VIEW

LIGHT VIEW

upper image: interactions between the Solid State Logic building ground floor and its context lower image: interactions between the Solid State Logic building first floor and its context

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solid state logic . context

As mentioned earlier the Solid State Logic building is placed on a garden site of the Begbroke Manor, a large 17th century country house in the small village of Begbroke in Oxforshire, England. At the other end of the garden site stands the village public house, the Royal Sun Inn, which has traded since the 18th century. With a thoughtful placement and design, the Solid State Logic building does not stand out

from its landscape or surrounding buildings, which shows the architect‘s respect for the villages most historical and important buildings.

Another reason for this positioning and design could also be that the Begbroke Manor would be the company‘s new headquarter and the company or architect did not wanted to spoil the view from it since it also is used to receive guests and business relations.

As the building is also hidden from all surrounding roads, visitors will experience a surprise effect when they enter the company‘s parking lot and see the almost 50 meters wide expressionist building. Though the building looks elevated from its site Hopkins left in a strong relation between the building and the surroundings with the use of 4 steel fire escape stairs, which visually connect it to its grounds.

upper image: locational view of the Solid State Logic building in Bregbroke

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upper left image: the view from the Solid State Logic building to the south upper right image: west facade of the Solid State Logic building lower image: overview of the Solid State Logic building

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solid state logic. images

upper image: the atrium of the Solid State Logic building during the 90s lower left image: the Solid State Logic building hidden between the trees lower right image: the south facade of the Solid State Logic building

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Facade: The whole facade of Hopkins‘ Solid State Logic is made of glass, except for the metal louvres around the plant rooms and bathrooms on the ground floor. On both the ground- and upper floor the window glass is storey high, and windows can be slid open, which on the upper floor gives access to narrow metal balconies. The

glazing of the upper floor facade can be blinded on all four sides of the building, on the ground floor this is not necessary since these windows are shaded by the 1.3 meter overhang of the first floor.

Important to mention regarding the floor plans, is that the facade has no stability or structural function at

upper image: east facade of the Solid State Logic building

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all. On the upper floor the window elements are attached to the space deck roof and concrete floor, on the ground floor the elements are attached to the concrete ceiling and concrete foundation.

solid state logic . architecture

Morphology: Morphology is the theory of forms, the shapes of an object. In architecture the building‘s shape is one of the most important means of expression for an architect or designer. In most cases a building‘s form is not just randomly chosen but the result of a process of research and design, a search for arguments, which support the choice of a certain form. The arguments can be taken for example from reference projects, theory or the location of the building.

When analysing the morphology of Michael Hopkins‘ Solid State Logic, the two-dimensional form (section) can be reduced to a combination of two wide but simple rectangular shapes, as is presented

in the following image. The upper rectangle is on both the left and right side slightly wider than the lower rectangular form and is on these positions supported by columns. The morphology from the top view of the building has the even simpler form of a perfect square.

Composition: In most cases the rough building‘s three-dimensional shape can be seen as a combination of multiple three dimensional shapes such as the sphere, cylinder, cuboid, pyramid or prism. When analysing the composition of a piece of architecture the building‘s form as a whole will be reduced and cut up in these basic threedimensional shapes.

As we‘ve seen in the morphological analysis the design of Solid State Logic only consists of rectangular shapes. In the three-dimensional space this results into a pile of two cuboid shapes from which the composition is build up. The upper one slightly larger than the lower one, which it‘s extends equally on all sides as it is lifted by round columns.

upper image: perspective drawing

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First Floor

First Floor upper image: floorplan ground floor lower image: floorplan first floor

Ground Floor

Regarding the interior of the Solid State Logic a clear division between the building‘s structural elements and internal walls can be determined. The floor plans of the two storeys differ a lot from each other, which result in a difference in spatial experience between the floors. The ground floor plan has a clear open character with a large open central working space, with on the east and west facade sides a cluster of smaller rooms. A large atrium located in the exact centre of the building connects the two floors. Roof windows in the atrium of the 50 meters wide building prevents it from a lack of daylight.

The floor plan of the upper floor has a more closed character, which is the result of four clusters of office rooms that are placed around the atrium enclosing four smaller workspaces. The building has no real fixed zones. This is the result because of the raised floor construction on the first floor, where the services for sanitary facilities are placed, which support a flexible placement of these facilities all along the floor. Also the neutrality of the construction components contribute to a flexible floorplan.

The only part of the building, which could be considered to be a fixed zone is the atrium. Though the atrium is more an inverted fixed zone because of its fixation by being a void. Next to this the atrium is a functional core of the building which connects the two floors.

solid state logic . interior

Ground Floor The entrance of the Solid State Logic building is located on the north side of the building. Though the building has a very strict grid the door hasn‘t been placed in the exact centre of the facade but a bit more to the right (west). This is the only exeption on the strict floorplans.

First Floor

Ground Floor On the groundfloor the central working space is used as circulation space to enter the surrounding offices, plants, workshops and bathrooms. A large metal stairs in the central atrium gives acces to a gallery surrounding the whole atrium on the first floor. Via this gallery the four smaller open workspaces can be accessed, these workspaces give acces to the clusters of offices between them.

The four stairs on the outside are only used as fire-escape.

upper image: routing ground floor right image: open circulation spaces, connected to the atrium, and the closed clusters of offices and plant rooms lower image: routing first floor

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First Floor

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upper image: entry of sunlight during summerperiod central upper image: entry of sunlight during winterperiod central lower image: artificial lighting in the building lower image: natural ventilation in the building

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solid state logic . technical aspects

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This full height glazing requires special attention regarding the sunlight. In summertime the sunlight should be blocked as much as possible. On the ground floor this shading is provided by the 1.3 metre overhang of the first floor, on the first floor the shading is, like mentioned before, provided by adjustable blinds. However, in wintertime the heat of the sunlight which enters the building can be used for heating the building.

The second section visualizes the sunlight at the minimum sun angle in Oxford. It shows that sunlight is able to get deep in to the building resulting in optimal use of it. The last image shows artificial lighting.

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The Solid State Logic building has a hybrid construction with the use of both steel and concrete structural elements. Circular fireproofed steel columns, placed on a concrete foundation in a 7.2-meter grid support a concrete first-floor slap.

On the upper floor the span is doubled and the columns support a steel space deck, partially concealed behind a perforatedmetal suspended ceiling. The mainly glass facade has no structural function whatsoever. The abstract nature of the plan allows partitions to be placed anywhere on a 1800 mm grid, which allows this building a high degree of flexibility of use.

All horizontal services are housed within a 400 mm high raised floor on top of the slab and at roof level in the space deck. The buildings was designed as a energy-efficient building, naturally ventilated with some mechanical assistance, but not air-conditioned. Its compact plan minimizes heat loss trough the facade and roof, and the heat gain is controlled by a variety of environmental filters. The glass is tinted grey and full height sliding windows provide natural ventilation.

The first floor slab has an exposed soffit, coffered with shallow domes to take circular glass light fittings, the first floor lighting is integrated in the suspended ceiling.

upper image: structural elements in the sectionview lower image: location of the building services in the sectionview

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The primary applied material in the building is glass, which is used for both exterior and interior walls and a part of the building’s roof.

Most of the other frequently used and visible materials are structural materials such as aluminium (window frames), metal (louvres, facade and interior frameworks, upper floor suspended ceiling), steel (stairs and columns) and concrete (ground floor- and ceiling, foundation). The detail drawing shows a possible design for the facade, the images on the right show a possible building order of the facade.

left image: two dimensional section of the facade upper image: line drawing of the building order of the facade lower image: render of the constructiion of the facade

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solid state logic . conclusion

From this analysis of the SSL building some general design principles to design a canopy can be derived: 1. Use a clear and simple building shape. An rectangular or sqaure shape offer the most flexibility.

2. Design the building on a clear grid, this allows a higher degree of standardization within the buildings design and construction.

3. Design the building in different

layers for its structure, services and floorplans. This offers more flexibility since the layers can be adapted independently.

4. In a larger building an atrium could be useful to have more daylight entering the building, or to have a central orientation point.

5. Respect the context, don‘t try to stand out from it if there are no good and specific reasons for it. It‘s

a canopy, not a building of power.

6. Use a clear circulation structure in the building, this makes it easier for visitors to find their way.

7. Creat an anticipatory facade, which can adapted by the user to the weather circumstances and personal preferences. Include a sun shading system and the possibility to open windows to achieve an optimal working environment.

image: Solid State Logic hidden behind the trees text sources: Begbroke Parish Council, Pevsner Architectural Guide Oxfordshire, Solid State Logic website, Hopkins Architects website Hopkins: The Work of Michael Hopkins and Partners by Colin Davies

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gira . christoph ingenhoven

yiwen hu tamara khaldoen jinghan zhang

The Gira Production & Administration building is designed by the architect Christoph Ingenhoven.

This building is located in Radevormwald, Germany. The company GIRA states high demands on technology and design.

GIRA Giersiepen is a leading manufacturer of electronic installation systems. In addition to a multitude of switching programs, the product portfolio also includes tie-in systems for data networks and telecommunication.

The task was to design a building with two floors and an additional basement based on the usages: production and administration. Ingenhoven designed two identical halls, set parallel to on another, where the production and the offices are housed. The halls are each 22.5 meters in width, 71.5 meters in length and 14 meters height.

These components are connected on their long faces by an atria.

Several staircases and interior courtyards are housed within the boundaries of this atria. The gap between the two halls is 6.5 meters.

The faรงade is made of glass and the building is transparent on each side. The transparent appearance promotes the high-quality working environment and encourages that amenities. Every employer becomes positively influenced by this bright work environment and their views on the natural surroundings.

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The most important design task was to create a building where no distinction is made between production and administration areas. All workspaces have the same high-quality conditions offering natural light, transparency and exterior views. The floor plans are free of columns and provide therefore a maximum spatial flexibility.

The emphasis on energy performance was related to the minimization of primary energy consumption, this was one of the most important aspects during its physical design process. The heat produced during the production of plastic manufacturing is incorporated into the energy system. The louvres that are positioned in the roof and faรงades are using to regulate and control the building its natural ventilation. Only the rooms located in the centre of floor plan required a mechanical ventilation system

chirstoph ingenhoven . biography

Christoph Ingenhoven was born in 1960 in Düsseldorf. He studied Architecture at RWTH Aachen and Academy of Fine Arts Düsseldorf under supervision of Prof Hans Hollein. Ingenhoven is leading his architectural office, Ingenhoven architects, since 1985 in Düsseldorf.

His office has become one of the world’s leading agencies which is manifesting the sustainable architecture on another level compared to its competition. Ingenhoven acts as a jury member and expert during several competition processes addi-

tionally besides his work, and gives also lectures all over the world.

The normative factor in his work is the aspect; supergeen architecture.

Green architecture is constantly developing and his approach proves that he’s ahead of the curve. The re-use of energy sources and rainwater forms an important role within his concepts as well as the maximum integration of daylight and natural ventilation. The well-being of the user and his influence on their amenities lays partly the ground of his green philosophy.

The logic behind the technical part of the building its configuration and its practicability are also important aspects in his work. His main focus is to minimize the final energy consumption, during production and final usage, in order to ensure the nature on this globe. Ingenhoven designs are categorized in; office buildings, high-rises, company he adquarters, department stores, industrial buildings, transportation projects, university and education buildings; as well as master planning. Some project will be described in the timetable chapter.

image: Christoph Ingenhoven

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RWE Essen The 127 meters high-rise is the first ecologically orientated building with a double skin overall glass façade for natural ventilation of office areas. The offices are lit and ventilated naturally by way of a floor-high twin-shell glass façade. All functions of the natural ventilation system, daylight controls, sunscreens and blinds and the façade construction were integrated in the specially developed facade element. All functions can be adjusted to individual requirements by means of a control panel in each room.

Burda Media Park Offenburg The Hubert Burda Media holding company publishes more than one hundred magazines around the world. The client wanted its editorial offices to be housed in a unique and communicative architecture. The architecture of the Mediapark can be interpreted as a form of ‘land art’. The sculptural form and the special qualities of the workplaces create communication-enhancing offices that are essential for a modern media company.

Lufthansa Frankfurt The main challenge was to provide high quality and open-plan offices. The offices wings with five or six floors form a central “street”, where employees can meet casually. All gardens are accessible and can be used for relaxation as break-out space or for small conferences. They also act as thermal buffers and improve the micro-climate and sound. Spontaneous interactions are encouraged by open zones.

Each employee can open and close their windows individually and step out onto a little inner balcony.

HDI HQ Hannover The new headquarters of the HDI-Gerling is nestled in a green “carpet” of differently landscaped ribbons. The central atrium (51 × 51 m), can be used for larger events, it is the transparent heart of the building. The façades have strip windows and parapets clad in stainless steel, reflecting the surrounding greenery. The green roof is usable. The building offers modern workspaces with a flexible structure. A maximum of six employees share one office. Daylight sensors and motion detectors help regulate the lighting system.

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christoph ingenhoven . timetable

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Swarovski Lake Zurich Main focus of the design is the view on the lake: for the transparency of the façade as well as the arrangement of the working places. There are 170 parking spaces on the basement level. Underneath the raised first floor the groundfloor houses the entrance lobby with a lounge, a restaurant and rooms for conferences and workshops. The upper floors are offices with 70% open space areas.

Fraunhofer-center Halle The new Centre with around 4.000 m² of floor space contains offices, storage, pro-duction and meeting. It can be extended in the future. The atrium in the middle is used as the entrance and reception. The second and third floors of the lab building contain offices and labs below. The “Technikum” is made up of three components and contains all technical equipments and tools. There is storage room at the first floor and below. The transparent atrium will provide the naturally light and ventilation.

Stadtswerke Düsseldorf Ebistibus, ut aliti imus, quaecto taecae venite consentibus dusaeptaspe porit liquam aciunt abo.

Nam nonsecu sdandemposto odi volorenis ad ut ario. Ate nem re quam, sequasi a venihictisi ut atur?

Nobis doluptatur as aut et et lam quundisti odis aut rehento ius pos et facero beatur ad que pel

Town Hall Freiburg The City of Freiburg in southwest Germany is known for its sunny weather and green ambitions. The proposal by Ingenhoven is based on the principles of openness and transparency following the idea of a “green campus” with three buildings and a nursery school. On the ground floors are the public areas located. The office levels above are designed to be flexible and reversible. Circulation is transparent and open allowing for easy orientation with communicative areas spreading throughout the building.

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Location The company Gira is located in the Radervormwald as a centre for its main administration and production, occupying a neighbouring site to build the new architecture by enlarging the existing plant site at the original location.

image: site plan

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gira . urbanism & landscape

Morphology

Site

The site is adjacent to the existing plant and the road, where is possible to construct two of four production units with the whole space of approximately 20,000 m². Moreover, the new building is composed of two essentially identical parts, linking with each other by two staircases in the north and south respectively.

In terms of the frontage façade alongside with the winding road, all the buildings belonging to Gira company face the same direction, showing a sense of stepped rhythm.

Also, the Gira building is distinctive not only because it is obviously higher than those buildings next to it, but also it has the high identification of glass façade and the unique shape.

In the future, in order to unify the architecture style in the whole area, it is designed to build the shelllike roof over the plant adjacent to the new building, connecting with each other with corridors.

upper image: before construction middle image: frontage facade lower image: possibility in future

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gira . urbanism & landscape

Routing In terms of the building itself, there are two entrances in the building and one corridor linking to another building and the entrances facing north and south respectively is regarded as a connection between those two parts of the building.

Since there is merely space for trucks to come in to the Gira company area in the north and there is a parking lot in the centre of the area, the main entrance for trucks reasonably lies in the south where the trucks are able to load their products from the building.

Another parking lot is for cars coming from the northern road.

upper image: pedestrain route lower image: car route

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gira . program & floors

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This building has two main usages; production and administration. Ingenhovens primary purpose was to make no distinction between the production and administration. All workspaces in this building have the same high-quality conditions. The floor plans are free of columns provides maximum planning flexibility. This building can be easy transformed into another function.

The basements lodge break rooms, energy supply, buildings

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services, computing department and a storage for tools. The ground floor is where the production areas are located. The upper floor houses single-offices for management, sales and quality assurance, as well as laboratories and workshop areas. The gap between the two identical halls is the atria. The halls are connected by the atria. The atria houses the staircases and interior courtyard.

You can only enter the patio from the production area, which is located on the ground floor. The

stability cores lodge the toilets and kitchens. The toilets are separated by a corridor from the workplaces. There is one toilet for disabled people on the ground floor. In this building there is no elevator; so disabled persons are only able to enter the ground floor.

The furniture is placed on the grid of the main structure. The grid of each hall is 21.7 meters by 6.5 meters. The interior promotes flexible and a communicative working area in an open atmosphere.

left image: ground floor right image: first floor

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Zones open fixed half open

image: isometric of zones floor plan

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gira . program & floors

The main focus on this design was to make open-plan offices. That means that there are more open areas than fixed areas. Ingenhoven believes that the open-plan workspaces are more communicative than traditional offices. People are coming and going, it makes it easy to exchange a few words or ideas with colleague. He believes the whole spectrum and accumulation of these factors stimulate the vibe that exists during its usage.

In this building there are few fixed zones. These zones should act as constructive stabilization-elements

and vertical circulation. The fixed zones in the halls are the concrete cores, which are necessary for the stability of the hall. The fixed zones in the atria are the concrete staircases. In each hall there are two concrete cores, each floor level counts in total 4 stability cores.

There building counts two staircases in total. These cores and staircases are located on each floor; basement, ground floor and first floor. There are also half-open zones additionally, for instance, the single offices. The offices are separated by removable partition walls to promote the spatial and techni-

cal flexibility. The walls of the offices are transparent which makes it visible to look inside.

Only on the ground floor and the upper floor we will find half-open zones. There are two half openzones next to the cores in each hall of the ground floor where the production units are located. On the upper floor there are 8 half-open zones. The usage of this kind of removable walls make it technically possible to alter the functions of this building in the future. So only the fixed zones are set for this building; the other areas can be revised.

left image: zones basement middle image: zones ground floor right image: zones first floor

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gira . circulation & composition

Circulation These plans shows the horizontal circulation of the ground floor and the first floor. Ingenhoven did not used the same circulation flow for both floors. There are two entrances which are singular positioned on the North and South. The visitors are only allowed to enter the building from the North where the main entrance is positioned. After entering the building you will arrive at the atria. The bordering halls are accessible from the atria. The ground floor is an open-plan area which creates a completely overview on the production hall. The circulation on the ground floor acts like a circle flow. From there, there is an entrance to the interior courtyard, what can be used as breakout place. The first floor can be accessed from the staircases which are located in the atria. So the verti-

cal circulation is only programmed in the atria. The first floor does not has a clear circulation flow, you have to pass through some areas to go to your area. Ingenhoven did this to make sure that the employees will pass each other which stimulates the possibility of having contact with your colleague. Most

people spend most of the day at the workplace, so its important to enable social contacts there. The atria is not attainable from the first floor, only from the ground floor. The entrance for the transport is positioned on the South side. This side of the building is used for loading and unloading.

Composition

upper left image: circulation ground floor upper right image: circulation first floor lower image: structure grid

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because it is not only dividing the floor plan apart; but also dictates technical applications such as the size of precast planks, light fittings, concrete cores, arrangement of offices and production units. In this way, the whole floors have the maximum of flexibility. This makes it even possible to position machines and furniture’s on a practical level.

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The Gira Production Building is a long but slender building with a length of 71.5 meters and a width of 50.5 meters. The 12 outer curved structures form a grid of 6.5 by 21.7m in each hall. Between the two curved structures, there is a similar but smaller size structure which divides 6.5m into two halves. The grid plays a very important role in this building. This

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gira . materialization

Exterior The whole building looks like two huge glass boxes. It is totally transparent. The glazed faรงade is an important feature of this architecture.

Benefits will be described a lot: 1. They provide natural light inside building all the day.

2. People who work inside have a great view of natural surroundings.

3. As a modern industrial production company, Gira shows its brand image with this crystal faรงade.

upper image: roof facade upper image: side facade lower image: front facade lower image: glazed walls

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Primary structure The whole building consists of an elegant pair of full-glazed structures, set parallel to one another. Each of them is 71.5m x 21.7m and they are connected by two glazed staircases.

In the basement several concrete columns are made in grid to support upper floors. The ground floor is a slender slim-floor slab and the upper floor is made of partly precast planks as a composite construction. Between two floors there are welded I-beams (1060 x 300 mm) and HEB 400 columns. Columns are only built on both sides of ground floor which make a maximum of planning flexibility. For stability, two concrete cores are constructed through the whole building.

Above all, there are steel girders with more than 20m span width.

The distance between two curved structures is 6.5m. The outer structures are totally isolated and are not connected with any structures inside it is self-supporting and also bears loads of roof and faรงades.

upper image: isometric exploded view of primary structure lower image: section of primary structure

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gira . structure

Secondary Structure Between two outer curved structures, there is a small similar curved structure. They are all connected by glazed walls and light grid frames which are made of the RHS(rectangular hollow section) profiles. On the top of the curved structures the rods are made of welded hollow sections with overlying purlins as rolled I- sections.

image: isometric exploded view of secondary structure

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Envelope Maximum transparency, efficient sun-shading, natural ventilation of offices and production units and a highly economical form of construction were the conditions for the faรงades design. Glazed faรงades are integrated on each side of the building and roof is made of profiled sheeting. On the two sides of the roof, there are ventilation flaps and in the middle a slender scuttle is built for nature light and ventilation as well.

image: isometric exploded view of envelope

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gira . structure & installation

Installation Ingenhoven architects pay much attention to minimize energy consumption. Images above illustrates the natural ventilation of this building. Inside the building, people and machines heat the air. As a result, hot air goes up and cold air goes down which makes an air cycle inside. Outside the building, the wind blows alongside the building quickly and make the differences between inside and outside air pressure.

Ingenhoven creates ventilation flaps in the middle and two sides of roof. The lower picture shows a detail of these flaps. As a result of the air pressure, the hot air inside is able to go out. The atrium is also like chimney, pushing the hot air up. With these strategies, the whole air cycle is formed.

upper image: ventilation analysis lower image: ventilation details

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Column & Roof Precast planks constituting the first floor is thought to be a composite structure to combined with the welded I-beams (1060 x 300mm) and HEB 400 columns covered by wooden planks. As for building services such as pipes, several hollows in the I-beams are offered to hold the pipes. In addition, the frames are made of welded hollow sections with R30-coating, which is the independent structure with the columns. And roof is made of profiled sheeting.

Roof

Column

Steel frame

Precast planking

Profiled sheeting Framework

I-beam HEB 400 column

upper image: perspective model lower left image: details of column lower right image: details of roof

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I-beam

gira . details

Embedded slots

Embedded slots

Glass Aluminium cap Aluminium cap Glass

Aluminium pressure plate

Aluminium transom

Aluminium mullion Glass panel

Faรงade The design of the faรงade takes maximum transparency, natural ventilation and energy saving into primary accounts, using minimal size of RHS profiles.

upper left image: details of mullion upper right image: details of transom lower image: details of facade

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Conclusion Gira administration and production building is well-known for its distinctive characteristics. Firstly, transparent appearance obviously ensures the high quality of working environment with maximal sunlight and excellent visibility, which may delight people and improve the work efficiency potentially. Secondly, column free internal space provides the maximum flexibility, in which way, a large diversity of

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sizes for machines will be able to put in to use in this building. Also, the space flexibility offers great opportunities to transform this building to any other kind in the future. Thirdly, as one of the most representative design strategies for Ingenhoven, minimum energy consumption impresses people by accelerating the natural ventilation through reasonable design of small windows, atria and glass façade. Last, there is no doubt that the building reflects the meaning

of ‘less is more’ well. In this sense, the simple shape and structure can be easily copied by other plants in the area. As we mentioned before, the building was constructed into two of four possible production units in the site, which means it will be of possibility to extend in the future. In conclusion, although Gira administration and production building is simple, it is worth in having a command of the technology and design strategies adopted in this building.

gira . conclusions & references

Feireiss, K. (2003). Book: Ingenhoven Overdiek and Partners: Energies. Basel: BirkhaĚˆuser Ingenhoven - Home. (n.d.). Retrieved September 7, 2015. http://www.ingenhovenarchitects. com/ Thomas mayer_ archive / GIRA. (n.d.). Retrieved September 8, 2015. http://thomasmayerarchive.de

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s. r. crown hall . mies van der rohe

monica lillo alex roose diana santos

introduction . s.r. crown hall

The S.R. Crown Hall (1950 - 1956) is located at the Illinois Institute of Technology campus in Chicago. It is the home of the Architecture department of the university. After Ludwig Mies van der Rohe emigrated to the United States he became the director of the Architecture department of the IIT in Chicago. He was asked to design the masterplan for the renewed campus and also several buildings, including the Crown Hall.

The Crown Hall forms the middle area of the campus. The main entrance, at the south side of the building, can be reached by two stairs separated by a ‘floating’ platform. This kind of approach to the building Mies also used later on with other designs. As well as

image: s.r. crown hall

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other buildings at the IIT campus, the Crowns Hall is noticed by its industrial character. This is shown in the visible steel construction. The I-beams create a raster which is filled with glass panels. The use of these industrial materials was quite revolutionary at the time.

Mies himself considered Crown Hall to be the clearest statement of his philosophy of a universal building type. Crown hall represents the first large-scale realization of his concept for a universal, open floor plan building. It consists of a 120 by 220 feet (36 by 68 meters) column free hall. Low free standing wooden wall elements divide the space into student work areas, a central exhibition space and administration coral.

mies van der rohe . biography

Mies van der Rohe was a German architect, born in Aachen on the 27th of March 1886. After working in his father’s stone carving shop, he moved to Berlin at the age of nineteen. He joined the office of interior designer Bruno Paul. One year later he got his first own assignment for designing a house for the Austrian philosopher Alois Riehl.

This is where his extensive architectural career started. In 1908 he started as a design assistant at the studio of Peter Behrens along with Le Corbusier and Walter Gropius.

After four years at Peter Behrens Mies van der Rohe opened his own office in Berlin. He was inspired by the Prussian architect Karl Friedrich Schinkel, especially his use of post and lintel constructions. He was

also an admirer of the ideas of the Dutch group ‘De stijl’, with their philosophy of simplicity in architecture, and the Russian Constructivism Movement which embraced using architecture to benefit society.

After World war one he joined the avant-garde movement in their search for a new style that would be suitable for the new modern industrial time. He studied the skyscraper and designed two innovative steel-framed towers with glass facades which were never build. He became director of the Werkbund, a German organization of designers, artists and architects, which organized the influential Weissenhof exhibition. This modernist housing exhibition was known for it open floor plan.

In the 1930s none of his designs were built because of the economic depression and the political changes in Germany. At the time he was the director of the Bauhaus design school till it was shut down in 1933.

The Nazi regime rejected his style as not Germen in character.

In 1937 he moved to the United States where he became the head of the architecture department of the Illinois Institute of Technology.

He was commissioned to design the new masterplan and building for the campus. By 1944 he became a citizen of the United States, were he would stay the rest of his life working for his own studio in Chicago. Some of his most significant projects in the United States are the Seagram Building in New York and the Chicago Federal Center, the Farnsworth House, the Crownhall in Chicago and its surrounding area.

Principles However Mies van der Rohe never studied as an architect, he learned the craftsmanship from his father, he gave extreme attention to the detail. He described the development of his work as “a persistent path of striving for clarity of construction”. His obsessive search for order means that his work can be seen as an ongoing process of optimization. His high rise towers are in principle essentially identical steel skeleton frame constructions that permit a open floor plan, but he refined the detailing in each new building.

image: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

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1907 The Alois and Sophie Riehls house This is his first project. The house is still the predominant taste of his time, in a simple and practical style with references to the architecture of residences of the early nineteenth century.

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Villa Tugendhat

Farnsworth house

He designed this house at the same time that he was designing the Barcelona Pavilion. He followed the same principle of open plan and fluid space. He pursued the idea of a visual relationship between interior and exterior space in this project.

This house achieves one of Mies’ concepts of a strong relationship between the house and nature.

The house consists of a single story open floor plan, supported by eight I-shaped steel columns. Fully glazed from floor to ceiling. Mies intended the house to be as light as possible in its surroundings, so he raised the house about 1,5 meter of the ground. Also here he created the floating platform to gradually entre the house.

mies van der rohe . timetable

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Crown Hall

Seagram Building

National Gallery

It is the architecture building of the IIT. He kept with the idea of a relationship between the building and the nature. He also raises the house and designs a stairs entrance.

Symbol of contemporary industrial world, illustrates the motto of the architect „Less is more� showing that a simple building can be just as surprising that a building with more composite designs . The Seagram Building is a refined synthesis of rationalist architecture in which Mies had formed , the international style that was beginning to dawn on architecture from 1950 and the contributions of the Chicago school .

The pavilion stands on the esplanade that forms a base or platform. It is located at street level and is totally free , only interrupted by two vertical communication cores and services , and enclosed by a glass skin. The lighting has a great importance in these spaces. Natural light enters through the glass walls and is reflected in the shiny polished black pavement . The roof, built with a frame of dark metal beams.

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In 1938, when Mies van der Rohe became Director of the architectural Department of IIT, he was commissioned to plan and build the new campus of the Institute. To make diversity possible and at the same time maintain unity, a module of 20 feet square and 12 feet high, a space unit that could be divided in half, or comined with another unit when large rooms were required. This modular network creates an optical rhythm, unity and freedom within its limits. He also designs a central square.

The actual model, the streets around the building within the campus are separated by green areas that block out any noise.

Each building is separate from the other and averages a height of 3 or 4 levels which ensures that the views and natural lighting are not obstructed.

The Crown Hall is Mies‘ masterpiece and is the architecture building. That is why the location is great, it is in the center of the campus and next to the train and main parking lots. The four free sides of the building let in the light and take advantage of the views. The Crown Hall is oriented south to north. The main entrance is on the south side, allowing to contemplate the workshop when you enter. The building also has this orientation for natural lighting is the main north-south light and not east-west, which usually is more intense and difficult to control up to be a nuisance.

upper image: 1940 plan middle image: 1940 model lower image: actual campus

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s. r. crown hall . urbanism and landscape

S. R. Crown Hall is located immediately south of a rectangular lawn that runs along the east side of Siegel Hall. A smaller lawn with mature trees lies immediately west of this space, separated by a 6‘ wide sidewalk that runs northsouth.

Green spaces between buildings block out noise. The separation ensures the views and natural lightning. The Crown Hall is oriented north to south to guarantee a good lightning. The main entrance is on the south side.

Crown Hall was intentionally situated within the IIT campus on an open lawn, visually isolated from its surroundings by sidewalks on all sides. Alfred Caldwell designed the landscaping around the building, which included Honey Locust trees and Boston ivy.

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image: site plan

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Crown Hall represents the first large-scale realization of Mies van der Rohe‘s concept for a clear-span/ universal-space building. This building consists of a 120 foot wide by 220 feet long, 18-foot high column-free hall in which the space is subdivided by low freestanding wall and two non-structural service shafts into student work areas, a central exhibition space and admi-

image: ground floor plan

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nistration corral. In order to retain the purity of the space in the Upper Core, Mies created a lower level with standard divisions allowing for building services, toilet rooms, lecture rooms and other operational necessities.

Multi-purpose room Services

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Workshops Offices Services

The main hall is one of Mies‘ greatest universal spaces. The Upper Core is organized about an axis that runs north/south, creating symmetrical wings to the east and west. It is a single open hall with no permanent partitions or formal separation of spaces. The building itself is organized on two floors, with the main floor raised about 6 feet above grade. Leading to the base-

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ment from the Upper Core are two internal staircases that puncture the main floor. Two of the wood partitions frame an entry exhibition space just inside the south entry. Just to the north of the exhibition space are another series of wood partitions.

These serve to frame the north edge of the exhibition space and created semiprivate office areas at the north side of the main hall.

upper floor plan

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image: isometric exploded view

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s. r. crown hall . circulation

The main hall (called the Upper Core) is one of Mies‘ greatest universal spaces. The Upper Core is organized about an axis that runs north/south, creating symmetrical wings to the east and west. It is a single open hall with no permanent partitions or formal separation of spaces Either the two staircases descending from the Upper Core or from the lower level entrances on the north side provide access to the lower level.

Circulation consists of a hallway that is U-shaped in plan. The two points on top of the U- shaped plan represent the north exterior doors.

The hallways are connected at the south end by an open hall (called the Lower Core) to which the internal stairs descend. Toilet and mechanical rooms are placed within the U. Perimeter rooms incorporate lecture halls, administrative offices, a wood and model shop and studios.

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Four externally exposed steel bents - located at 60 ft intervals - carry a steel framed roof, which in turn cantilevers in the longitudinal direction 20 ft beyond the end supporting members. The skin is composed of welded steel components and is glazed with clear and translucent glass. All exposed steel is painted black.

s.r. crown hall . composition and structure

The steel frame structure of the Crown Hall can be divided in a primary and secondary structure. The primary structure consist of four externally exposed load bearing bents, placed at a 60 feet ( 18,3 meters) interval. They carry the secondary structure; the steel frame roof and window I-beams. On both, East and West, sides of the building the secondary structure cantilevers 20 feet (6,1 meters) from the primary structure. The building’s basement is a reinforced concrete construction, independent from the steel frame skeleton. Concrete columns on a grid of 20 by 30 feet (6,1 by 9,1 meters) are supporting the concrete floor of the upper level.

upper image: isometric view structure lower image: front view structure

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1. concrete foundation 2. concrete basement 3. concrete floor 4. load bearing steel structure 5. steel mullions 6. steel roof purlin 7. steel fascia plate

image: zoom-in structure

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s. r. crown hall . buillding physics

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The ground floor has natural lightning through the glass facade and the underground floor through the windows that are in the elevated part. In the squeme is indicated the summer and the winter light and it can be seen that there is natural

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ilumination during all the year. As for the ventilation, the underground floor ventilates through the casement windows and. The windows of the ground floor cannot be opened and that is why the ventilation is done through louvered ventilators which are located in the lower part of the facade.

upper image: natural lightning lower image: ventilation

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The exterior skin is fully glazed, with the glazing divided into three horizontal layers. The top layer consists of large panels of clear glazing, approximately 11 feet, 6 inches tall.

Vertical steel I-beams running the full height of the building provide a frame between each light. The middle layer runs from the base of the main floor to a height of 7 feet, 9 inches. A horizontal steel mulli-

upper image: part of the front facade lower image: exterior staircase

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on separates this layer of glazing from that above. A second, similar vertical mullion divides each middle-glazing bay into two lights. The middle section of glazing is translucent, except in the center structural bays flanking the entries on the north and south elevations. At the base of each translucent light is a louvered vent that provides natural ventilation to the main hall.

The lower layer of glazing is the clerestory windows for the basement level. These windows are also translucent and are 4 feet tall. A vertical mullion, similar to the windows above, divides each bay into two lights. The basement windows are operable and work in unison with multiple lights on a crank operated system.

s. r. crown hall . exterior and interior

The entire Upper Core flooring is terrazzo divided into 2 Vz-foot by 5-foot segments. Virginia black and Tennessee gray marbles make up the aggregate. The cement binder is black. Overall, the visual effect is of a charcoal gray color. A radiant heating system is embedded in the terrazzo flooring. The only features that rise from floor to ceiling are two vertical chases set approxima-

tely 80 feet apart and about 40 feet from the north side of the room.

Built of hollow clay tile, the chases are finished in plaster painted white. The space within the main hall is partially defined by freestanding, oak-wood partitions. Standing 7 feet, 9 inches tall, the partitions help define the open space without interrupting the overall view and expansive feeling of the large hall.

The partitions are clad in plywood veneer with solid hardwood perimeters.

The ceiling is designed to appear as one continuous plane, floating separate from the exterior walls. A soffit runs the perimeter of the ceiling, which is held back from the exterior walls by approximately one foot. One-foot square acoustical tiles make up the ceiling finish.

upper right mage: view from the interior upper floor upper left image: interior stairs lower image: view from the interior upper floor

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left image: isometric corner construction right image: corner detail

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1. Gravel wear course 2. Rigid insula tion 3. Sprayed insulation 4. Roof purlin 5. Mild steel fascia plate 6. Gypsum 7. Fixed glazing 8. Steel bar window frame 9. Louvered ventilators with door 10. Terrazo finish floor 11. RNF 12. Concrete

image: vertical detail of the facade

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s. r. crown hall . conclusion

Mies designed the Crown Hall taking in consideration all his principles and that makes this building his masterpiece.

Those principles are the importance of the surroundings, the relationship between the interior and the exterior, the proportions, the natural light and the importance of the structure.

The surroundings is something that has to be taken into consideration when a building is designed and Mies does it with the Crown hall; it is in the center of the campus

and has a good connection with the exterior of it (next to the train station and main parking lot) and as he designed the whole campus the buldings are separated by green areas to block any noise. The huge windows of the ground floor makes possible a good relationshi between the interior and the exterior and also allows the natural light to come into the building; he olso thinks about the orientation as it is oriented north to south for a better ilumination. Mies was a very rational man and all in this building follow the proportions of another part of the building. This creates a sense

of unity and order. The structure is also important and that is why he doesn‘t hide it; it is seen from the exterior and you can easily see what is the principal and secundary structure. The structure also follows the proportions of the whole building.

In conclusion all this parameters put together is what makes this building a great building.

image: exterior photo from the south facade

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cartier ctl . jean nouvel

anna musial gulce onganer lex van ewijk

Jean Nouvel was born in Fumel, France in 1945. His architectural career began in 1965 after winning a national competition to attend the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. While studying he worked simultaneously for Claude Parent and Paul Virilio, and successfully graduated with an architecture degree in 1972. He has founded Ateliers Jean Nouvel in 1994 together with Michel Pélissié. The main office in Paris is one of the largest architecture firms in France, with additional international offices scattered around architectural important cities in Europe and in New York.

Nouvel is an intellectual as well as a practicing architect who involves in debates, and is regarded as one of the co-founders of the French Architectural Movement Mars 1976 as well as the French labor union for the architects the Syndicat de l‘Architecture in 1977.

His dedication, experimentation, and resistance against the norms has earned him a place as a Star Architect. His awards include the Aga Khan Award for Architecture for the Institut du Monde Arabe (1989), the Wolf Prize in Arts (2005) and the Pritzker Prize (2008). His works have been widely exhibited

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all over the world from New York to Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo, apart from the retrospective in Centre Pompidou in 2001.

Design Strategy Jean Nouvel’s architecture aims to create a visual landscape by setting his designs apart from its surroundings. In this sense the buildings become urban events on their own right. He refuses to obey a certain style, but is rather experimental with his design approach – all of his designs are unique drawing from diverse themes ranging from high-tech to history, from literature to cinema.

“Architecture exists, like cinema, in a dimension of time and movement.

One thinks, conceives and reads a building in terms of sequences. To erect a building is to predict and seek effects of contrast and linkage bound up with the succession of spaces through which one passes,” Nouvel explains. It was this diverse approach that led the Pritzker Prize Jury in their citation to characterize Nouvel as primarily „courageous“ in his „pursuit of new ideas and his challenge of accepted norms in order to stretch the boundaries of the field.“

jean nouvel . biography

‘‘Each new situation requires a new architecture’’

front image: Catrier CTL mage: Jean Nouvel quote: Lifson, E. (n.d.). Jean Nouvel 2008 Laureate Biography. Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.pritzkerprize. com/2008/bio

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Nemausus Housing France

Monde Arabe France

Cartier Foundation France

The Nemausus social housing project located in a part of France near the Mediterrenean. The project allows for flexibility with seventeen different apartment modules. The materials used such as metal work and aluminum. are striking, indicating Nouvel‘s interest in experimentation.

The housing complex is yet low-costdue to the prefabricated materials for interior and exterior fittings.

The Arab World Institute is a showcase for the Arab World in Paris. It was commissioned by the representatives of the 19 Arab states. It has symbolic elements representing the Arab culture such as the “moucharabiehs” whose polygons of varying shapes and sizes create a geometric effect recalling the Alhambra. From an urban point of view the Institute is a hinge between two cultures and two histories.

This building commissioned by the high-end brand Cartier is like a phantom in the park with its play of void and transparency. The foundation is an art gallery hosting varying forms of art throughout the year. The architecture is about lightness, with a refined framework of steel and glass.

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2000 Cultural & Congress Center Switzerland The surrounding landscape, mainly the lake, helps create a rich visual backdrop to the historically varied existing architecture and dense urban fabric.

What Nouvel has achieved at Lucerne is a masterpiece of synthesis and expression, responding to the needs of a visually dense site yet creating a wholly contemporary building whose function is clearly readable through its bold subtleties.

ateliers jean nouvel . timetable

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Leeum Museum Korea

Guthrie Theater USA

Paris Concert Hall France

Duo Towers Paris France

The LEEUM museum is a precious black-grey steel structure that nestles into a great vertical cavity composed of stone gabions. The steel structure supports steel-clad volumes containing the museum‘s exhibit spaces.

In between the volumes, a great wall of glass framed by geometrically-arranged mullions creates an orthogonal rhythm around immense panes of glass.

Between the museum structure and the stone walls, twelve meters below street level, silver willow trees are planted.

Today the Guthrie Theatre settles into the historic golden rectangle next to the falls, near the old mills in the industrial quarters that was the birthplace of Minneapolis. One will discover in the Guthrie that theatre is a type of industry, a production machine with sets and big trucks that is necessarily governed by a series of linked functions.

Theatre is a process about fabricating and presenting a spectacle; architecturally this process can be expressed with the industrial building.

One of the highly controversial projects of Jean Nouvel is the Philharmonie de Paris.

The architect boycotted the opening of the building saying that it was not yet finished, this is why it is seen as under construction. Displaying Nouvel’s perfectionism, the building cannot be opened until the acoustic tests of the concert hall are properly tested. The building represents a sculptural form in the heart of Paris and is still an object of curiosity. The final cost of the project is expected to be around 386 million.

This is a mix-use project including offices, hotel, retail stores surfacing 105.250 sq meters on the BA3 plot in the BruneseauMasséna district situated within the urban development project „Paris-Rive gauche“. The project consists of two towers: a 180 meters high office tower with retrail stores on the ground floor and another tower approximatively 120 meters high ment to house a hotel as well as retail stores and offices.

Construction works began in early 2014.

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The site is located in Saint-Imier, Villeret, a region of Switzerland famous for its watchmaking factories. When approached from Rue Neuve the building partially reveals itself through its steel roof structure. But it is not until one is going down the hill to enter the building through the two main bridges is one aware of how the building is perceived from the outside.

image: factory from up the hill

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The design stands as a landscape of its own in between the picturesque greenery and the Jura Alps in the town of Saint-Imier, Villeret, Switzerland. It is a structure composed of glass and steel with a signature cap roof that both hides and reveals the building.

Jean Nouvel likens the design to the precious Cartier watches kept in their boxes. The delicate but exposed structural detailing of the

building is almost like a complex watch mechanism. The Cartier Factory was commissioned by the French high-watchmaker brand Cartier as a plant for crafting watch mechanisms. The building was constructed between 1990-1993, when it was finally opened for use.

Cartier remained in the factory for 10 years. In 2008 he Swatch Group owned Nivarox FAR moved into the building.

cartier clt . project site & morphology

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cartier clt . plans & elevations

The dominant line visible in the building’s elevation is the horizontal direction created by the roof’s large overhang, which is the main feature visible in the design.

Therefore the building volume is being perceived as a` longitudinal.

The horizontal direction is repeated and emphasized by the gridlines of the glazed façade. A rhythm is introduced by juxtaposition of perpendicular grid lines. The vertical lines visible on the façade

bring balance and harmony to the elevation.

The outer envelope is made out of glass, which makes the building façade transparent. A the same time connecting interior with the exterior surroundings.

Context of the building is reflected in the glazed elevations unifying it with the landscape. The detailed technical construction is visible through the transparent glazing that bring to

mind association with watches’ mechanisms being assembled there.

The main materials visible on the façade are glass and steel, which makes the whole design kept in grayish color palette. Although from the larger distance the building appears as a dark cube and its roof reflects white, from the inside the feeling is contrasting as the roof appears as the dark cover.

upper image: elavation north east middle image: elavation south west lower image: materialization

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The main program of the building is arranged in a U-shaped plan. The big atrium is in the middle functions as the working area, where watches are assembled. On the first floor the U-shape arrangement is filled with administration offices and meeting rooms. On the ground floor functions like storage and equipment rooms are placed as well in a U-shape layout around the production hall. The service areas are situated on the corners of the U-shape plan, both on the first and the ground floor. On the first floor there is a cafeteria located in the tip of the U-shape plan, where the view on the surroundings is best.

The maximum span between the construction grids is sixteen meters.

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cartier clt . programme analysis

The vertical transport is located in the corners of the U-shape layout, two staircases and an elevator.

The floor openings of the stairs are bigger than the actual staircases to give an open and special feeling and better movement perception.

The routing through the building starts at the back of the building on the first floor. Via two bridges one enters the building and find oneself in the entrance hall with possibility to go to the office, the cafeteria or downstairs to the working area. In the back there are three delivery entrances. The fextra ire escapes are leading outside directly from the production hall as the majority of people are sitted there.

upper images: vertical rizing points lower images right: floor openings lower images left: circulation

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Steel has high thermal conductivity, therefore a steel design has to be carefully detailed in order tominimize unwanted heat flow. In the Cartier Watch Factory, the steel roof structure is one of the main components of the design that can reduce the thermal performance of the building, if the detailing is not carefully considered.

The steel two-bay girders supporting the roof structure penetrate through the main glazed envelope, creating a thermal bridge. It is suspected that the glass was cut in the profile of the beam to allow this penetration. In order to minimize heat loss, there is a system of low-conductivity thermal break elements bolted between the inside and the outside of the building where the beam enters the glass.

Additionally, the roof is a double construction of glass and steel framed louvres acting as brise soleil.

The louvre is a cantilever supported as the extension of main internal beams. The vertical load bearing elements of the building are the steel columns in a regular grid pattern as well as the reinforced concrete walls attached to the side of the hill. The ground floor system is a composite slab with steel beams and conventional thin sheets. The floor corresponding to the double height working place has anti-static floors to eliminate static electricity and avoid interface with the produced watch components.

image: exploded construction

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cartier clt . construction

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upper image: 3D detail lower image left: 2D detail lower image right: thermal break model

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cartier clt . lighting & ventilation

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When Nivarox FAR took over the building, it had to be revised in order to fully comply with the current environmental and energy criteria.

There was a tension between heritage preservers wanting to maintain the original building faรงade and the need to upgrade the building to create a healthy working environment. The main challenge was finding a solution to reduce the cost of heating the large glass envelope. In order to reduce

upper image: lighting short section middle image: lighting long section lower image: ventilation

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costs, solar panels were installed to help the building use natural solar power for heating. Furthermore, it is suspected that there were revisions to the ventilation system of the building in order to maintain optimum climate in order not to temper with the production of oscillating and escapement parts.

comfortable work environment the excess of direct sun light is blocked by the louvers mounted at the roof overhang. However, to make sure the sufficient amount of lightening is provided, the roof construction is partially glazed, allowing more sun access into the building.

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In the original design of the building the ventilation, heating and installations were placed in the raised floor construction. Air flow was supplied to the rooms from floor openings. Two separate loops were crated. One for production hall and one for offices. Each of the segments was over pressured to keep the dust away from the building and provide proper conditions for delicate watch mechanisms.

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cartier clt . conclusion

CONCLUSION Cartier eventually moved out of the building in 2003 after occupying it for about ten years. The factory remained abandoned until June 2008 when the Swatch Group owned Nivarox FAR moved into the building for the production of delicate oscillating and escapement parts.

The fact that Cartier did not manage to occupy the building for more than ten years indicate some problems that the building had - the main one being the high cost of energy. When a building is composed of a glazed envelope, the loss of heat is inevitable. Not only does this make the building environmentally unfriendly, it also harms the budget of the company.

Jean Nouvel, neverthless manages to design a seemingly simple bubuilding with clean lines with delicate detailing. This gives the Watch Factory a sense of ‘ je ne sais quoi‘ - effortlessness that figuratively represents the aeshetics of Cartier.

References: Cartier CLT Jean Nouvel Bibliography (n.d.). Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.gvh.ch/ Adam, J. (2014). Industrial Buildings: A Design Manual. Birkhäuser.

Arm, J. (2014). The scramble for capacity. Retrieved October 7, 2015, from http://www.watch-around.com/ Thermal performance. (n.d.). Retrieved September 10, 2015, from http://www.steelconstruction.info/Thermal_performance

upper image: exploded 3D detail

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mÊdiathèque lucie aubrac dominique perrault

PICTURE

picture . http://www.perraultarchitecture.com/

Bart Nelissen Przemyslaw Wilk Julia Berger

Client: City of Vénissieux Architect: Dominique Perrault Engineering: B.E.R.I.M. Gross floor area: 5 230 m2 (3200 m2 on ground floor) Built volume: 26 500 m3 Conceptual design: 1998 Construction: 10.1999 – 03.

2001

Lucie Aubrac Mediatheque is located in Venissieux, south-eastern France. Vénissieux is the third town of the agglomeration of Lyon. For the past decades, the town was faced with the imbalance between the stagnation of its centre and the growth of its young population (more than 40% of 60,000 inhabitants are under 25). As a result, some disastrous building programmes were developed to provide housing and necessary services for citizens. Most of the developments consist of monolithic 1970s apartment blocks in an area called Les Minguettes. Dominique Perrault's (US$5.1m) mediathèque addresses this context.

Founded in 1981, Dominique Perrault Architecture (DPA) is an international studio of architecture, urban planning and design. The practice has its main office in Paris

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and further in Geneva and Madrid.

Dominique Perrault is associated with four conceptual features.

The first feature, which is tightly connected to an imperative need of enriching the architectural language, regards the eloquent interpretation of some sources coming from artistic minimalism and conceptual art.

The second feature concerns his open, flexible approach approach that accepts uncertainties and rejects dogmatism and the critique of the privileged role of style and composition in the modern architectural discourse.

The third feature highlights the idea of how architecture should be understood as a part of landscape within the topography of fundamental relations.

The fourth emphasizes his expe-

rience with space and materiality.

Being inspired by the lesson of modernism, the curtain façades, detached from structure and enhanced by light, transparent or translucent screens of glass or metal seem to be a tribute to contemporary technologies, yet are not subservient to them.

Luis Fernandez - Galiano says: “it is frequent to describe Perrault’s work Gin terms of the great tradition of French geometric monumentality; it is inevitable to relate his bold gestures in this area with that affirmative urbanism which treats nature as voluntary geography; and it is necessary to interpret the almost innocent simplicity of his fundamental drawings in the light of the conceptual or minimal practices which extend up to the limits of ‘land art’ and ‘arte povera”. 1

Luis Fernandez-Galiano, « Nine moral tales : from the ‘esprit de géométrie’ to the ‘esprit de finesse’, Centre Pompi dou, Paris, 2008, pp. 35-41.

dominique perrault . biography

Dominique Perrault was born in Clermont Ferrand, France in 1953.

In 1973 he entered school of architecture at the Ecole Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts de Paris and got qualified as an architect in 1978. In 1979 he got his degree in town-planning and continued education towards Master’s Degree in History of Art which he obtained in 1980.

Dominique Perrault is a world famous architect and an important figure in the contemporary architecture scene. He is a professor at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale of Lousanne and a lecturer in number of French and international schools of architecture. He is also a member of the Scientific Council of the Grand Paris International Workshop since 2002, and a member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts.

In 2010 Perrault was honoured with the “Grande Medaille d’or d’Architecture” of the French Academy of Architecture. In 1997 he the Mies can der Rohe award for the design of the National Library of France.

One of his most recent prize is the Praemium imperial Prize, by the imperial family of Japan in behalf of Japan Art Association.

picture . http://www.perraultarchitecture.com/

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1984 ESSIE Engineering School FR. Marne-la-Vallee The building and its location is strongly characterized by the relation between two axes: The Avenue Ampere and Avenue Balise Pascal.

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National Library FR. Paris

Olympic Pool DE. Berlin

ME Hotel ES. Barcelona

In 1989 Dominique Perrault won the competition with a design for the national library of Paris.

Its mission is to constitute collections, especially the copies of works published in France that must, by law, be deposited there, conserve them, and make them available to the public. This project is a piece of urban art, a minimalist installation, the “less is more� of emotion, where objects and the materials of which they are made count for nothing without the lights which transcend them.

Velodrome and Olympic swimming pool is a design related to the reunification of the two German parts and the wish of a city, Berlin, about to become the capital, to be nominated for the 2000 Olympic Games. The site chosen is at the intersection of urban elements and of different networks. In order to resolve the conjunction of these two systems, the buildings which house the velodrome and the Olympic Swimming Pool vanish from sight (are located underground).

The ME hotel integrates the two dimensions that characterize the Catalan capital: firstly horizontality of its grid pattern, extending to the sea and secondly the verticality of the Sagrada Familia and Mountain Tibidabo raised above the horizon. The tower is the result of assembling two contiguous simple volumes: a cube and a tower of 120 meters both horizontally stretched.

the architect . timeline

2008 EWHA University Kr. Seoul The complexity of the immediate site through its relationship to the greater campus and the city of Shinchon to the south demands a “larger than site” response, an urban response, a global landscaped solution which weaves together the tissue of the EWHA campus with that of the city.

2009 Olympic Tennis Centre ES. Madrid With a plot area of 16.5 hectares, the site is located on a former slum housing area, previously a wasteland in the middle of a busy motorway and train network. The 100 000 square metre built project include “magic box” with three indoor / outdoor courts, 16 outdoor courts, six practice courts, a pool, offices and various other services. Built areas, made of steel, aluminum, concrete and glass, are organized around a vast artificial lake.

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Albi Grand Theater FR. Albo

DC Towers AT. Vienna

A simple box, dresses up with a curving metal screen, gives an ancient city a modern monument.

The scrim’s four sides, which measure 38 feet at their tallest, look like stretched lengths of fabric suspended over each of the building’s elevations.

There is a 900-seat auditorium in the centre of the volume. The dynamism continues inside, where all of the interior spaces seem to shift and bleed together.

DC Towers will be a pair of towers in Vienna’s Donaucity. DC Tower 1 is 220 metres high which makes it the tallest skyscraper in Austria. The design was conceived as two pieces of a giant monolith that split into unequal halves and open to create undulating, shimmering surfaces.

Towers will house shops, hotel, offices, lofts, restaurants and public facilities.

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The strong presence of vegetation and low-density construction are the most characteristic urban features of the nearest neighbourhood of the Mediatheque in Venissieux.

Another distinct feature is the wide Marcel Houel Avenue, which divides the area into two separate zones. The aim for the building was to create architecture and landscape strategy that would create a street landscape to merge the nature and architecture.

The Library’s west facade is aligned with a row of 1940s villas, a ribbon development sandwiched between the citadel of Les Minguettes and this 21st-century urban mediator.

To the north-east are two late modernist buildings: the town hall and the police station.

The library is set at the same height as the meadow and its surroundings and forms the lowest strata of the topography of VĂŠnissieux.It is a large glazed box with multiple functions that aims to open to the city and create connections with the world outside. The building is open both to the environment and potential activities. To the west, there is an open plaza directly connected with the building. It is meant to be used for public gathering and outdoor activities. The plaza is equipped with variety of street furniture and is connected with the car park.

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urbanism and landscape . morphology

Positon The positioning of a building is important to get a straight street line and a clear view. The Venissieux Mediatheque is positioned parallel to the surrounding buildings and streets. The area, despite being organic, follows spatial patterns that create a harmony in the neighbourhood. The library’s shorter facade is positioned along the main boulevard, while the other facades Sight lines Despite its relatively low rise character, the building is visible from different angles. The building can be easily seen by people standing to the west, north and east of the building. Only the south-eastern side of the building is not easily visible because of houses blocking the view. The plot and surrounding area is relatively flat. Also, most buildings in the nearest neighbourTraffic flow The building has a relatively open positioning what means that the access to the building is not disturbed by any major factors. The main entrances are positioned on the western and eastern facades.

The building has its own car park area which can be accessed from the secondary road located on the western side of the building. The building faces a wide boulevard

face secondary streets and residential quarters. The positioning of the building makes the circulation around the building easy and understandable. The parallel positioning helps to create contextual connections between the building and its nearest neighbourhood.

Also, the public square is positioned along the building’s western facade and the boulevard.

hood are low-rise, apart from a police station’s building located to the north-east and a residential block located to the south-west. The library’s 3-storey tall office tower is visible from a much wider distance.

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which may have impact on pedestrian access to the building. However, pedestrians can easily circulate around the building and access it from every side.

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The Mediathèque Lucie Aubrac is conceived as a multifunctional open space where it is possible to encounter and mix together different cultures, sensibilities and generations. The Mediatheque is situated at garden level, at the same height as the meadow and its surroundings. The building is an transparent glass box which consist of two distinct parts; the Mediathèque and the administrative office tower. All public functions are located on a single level, surrounded by a three meters wide gallery that allows visitors to walk around the entire perimeter of the building. Also the gallery performed a function of thermal and acoustic isolation from the outside. In the widest part of the gallery is a forum where people can meet each other without disturbing visitors of the library.

“The architects wished to design a glass box with little internal hierarchy, in which all of the functions are brought together on the same level, girdled by a peristyle gallery.” 2

2 Architectural Record http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/libraries/Mediatheque/overview.asp picture. unknown

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architecture . program and floors

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From the hall is also access provided to the offices, situated in the higher part of the building. Also here you can find the the storage and service spaces. The offices constitute an independent section,

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but one that is still linked to the activities of the Mediathèque, and are reminiscent of those transparent object whose internal mechanism is left visible.

The Mediathèque is divided in three zones on the ground floor plan; a children-, teenagers- and adults section. These zones are identified by the furniture layout and partitions

of the target audience. Each zone has a reception for to loan and return documents. The reading- and study rooms are structured by flexible walls in the open space. In the middle of the Mediathèque of the hall is an auditorium/animated room for presentations and to watch documentaries. The auditorium is a translucent space under the office tower.

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The whole building is created by a grid of 1,8 x 1,8 meters. On this grid the construction walls are situated and the division of the functions and their zones. Also the grid is the proportion system for the faรงade panels, furniture and the dimensions of the hole building.

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The dimension of the grid created a building of prefab elements with demountable quality. The composition of the building is by the grid very easy and created a good structure how to move in the building.

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architecture . circulation

At the east and west side of the building are entrances to the Mediathèque. The visitor enters the building at the main hall of the building.

This hall is situated at the middle of the building and works as a central passageway that brings the visitor to service area. From this passageway the visitor can go to the wright section through the surrounding gallery.

The gallery is a silent space so that people in the library cannot disturb.

The gallery serves also as escape route of the ground floor.

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The route to the office tower is situated on the passageway, so the employees can go easy to their workspace. Also the staircases work as escape routes of the office tower. On the first floor is a second escape route to the roof of the Mediathèque.

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stucture principles . construction

The building is supported by 16 exposed concrete shear (stabilisation) walls, working as columns for the simple steel frame of the roof. The roof is a flat roof of ribbed metal sheeting with skylights openings.

By this structure of the building, the Mediathèque is very open and flexible for functions.

The construction of the office tower consists of concrete walls (columns) and beams. The unit is compact and treated in rough-finished materials: concrete, cement floors, a galvanized steel structure, ground and transparent glass. Also by the structure, the building saves energy from the thickness of the elements which provides with good inertia and permits heat exchanges between adjacent rooms. This inertia is also achieved with the double skin phenomenon produced by the gallery.

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Daylight The building is an open, but also closed building. From the outside, the building looks like a completely opaque/closed reflective aluminium cube. But from Inside the building is very transparent where users can see the neighbourhood with good visibility. The building is open onto the city, the world. This effect is created by the perforated panels in the glass façade of the building.

The panels reflect the natural daylight and work as the solar for the interior space, the Mediathèque.

The panels will let light by about 35 percent. At night the building is also transparency by the interior

Ventilation light. This makes the building an ‘eyecather’ for the neighbourhood.

In the roof of the library there are translucent skylights that bring diffuse light to the multifunctional space. This low brightness of light in de Mediathèque is functional for the library; it will protect books for overexposure and visitors can read books in a concentrated mood by good light. In contrast to the Mediathèque, in the office tower is direct sunlight for a comfortable working space. So the upper floors with clear opening allowed for a better distribution of daylight, which is necessary for the employees.

The main ventilation on the ground floor of the Mediathèque is a air-condition system between the steel roof construction of the building. At the upper floors (the office tower) mechanic ventilation provided also by a little air-condition system. Natural ventilation is here provided by manually operated windows. This provides a comfortable and healthy working space.

Also the panels with perforations of the façade works as a little natural ventilation system.

picture . http://www.lemoniteur.fr/article/mediatheque-lucie-aubrac-par-dominique-perrault-architecture-64647

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The facade is possibly the most attractive part of the building and also the first part you can see. From the exterior it seems totally opaque from the daylight, like a box of aluminium even though it permits the exterior sight from the interior. At nighttime, the building illuminates from the inside. This play of light happens thanks to the double insulation, in which in the intermediate camera is fixed aluminium sheets which are bent in the form of „U“ which function to protect from the sun and to prevent sight from the exterior. These sheets are perforated which allows the translucency.

The light inclination of the facade also contributes to the play of transparency.

There are 12 different paneels used for the facade. You can see them on the left side. The main intrance is significal differtent to the rest of the facade, there are no aluminium sheets.

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http://www.jeanmiaille.fr/2006/novembre_2006/mercredi_22_novembre_2006.jpg http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/France/Venissieux/Mediatheque%20Venissieux/ http://www.flickriver.com/photos/minkewagenaar/sets/72157616484174317/

conclusion. mediateque

The main goal for the project was to help with upgrading the neighbourhood. The goal was never realised. Diminique Perrault created an interesting piece of architecture but the overall performance did not meet its requirements. There is a lack of integration with the area both inside and outside the building. Even the landscape have almost no impact on the connections with the neighbourhood.

Architecturaly, the building is an interesting addition to the area. Double skins facades creating interesting opaque effect on the exteriors.

At night the building glows from inside when the lights are on. The facede is for sure its most distinctive feature.

Despite initial ideas, the building can not be considered as a sustain-

able development. The need for extensive usage of air conditioning in the open public area make the idea of air circulation within the double-skin facade completely pointless.

The space created in the building is not interrupted by fixed walls or major cores. It‘s flexible arrangement allows for constant changing of the layout. However, is it necessary in a such building typology? Despite the lack of fixed walls, the area is actually trully packed with furniture, which destroy the idea of visibility withinh the builidng. Only the major circulation paths along the building‘s facade meet its perpouse.

The building has a great potential, but some aspects of it were not well resolved. It is a good example of architecture, but it lacks contextualization.

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thomson optronics . renzo piano

gabriel png jeroen reuten job radermarkers miguel del castilho

Thomson Optronics Factory The Thomson Optronics Factory, designed by Renzo Piano, was constructed between 1988 and 1991 is in the outskirts of Saint Quentin en Yvelines, a new satellite town (dated 1965) of Paris. It serves as a factory and research facility for the development and manufacturing of navigation sighting devices for both commercial civilian and military aircrafts.

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It was designed, to fit into the site, which was an existing flat plot of land. The opportunity arose for both the building and landscape to be designed from scratch. The architecture was integrated with the landscape, creating a pleasent working environment that blurred the lines between inside and outside.

The intention was to allow the building to “live� under the shade

of the surrounding new landscape, which is currently evolving.

renzo piano. biography

Renzo Piano Renzo Piano was born in Genoa, Northern Italy, 14 September 1937.

He studied architecture in the University of Florence and the Milan Polytechnic from which he graduated on 1964 and later came to teach in.

He started his career by working with Franco Albini and experimented with and built lightweight structures (with his father).

During this earlier period, he collaborated with Z S Makowski in London, Marco Zanuso in Milan and Louis Khan in Philadelphia, although his main mentor was Jean Prouvé. He also had partnerships with Richard Rogers (Piano & Rog-

ers) and Peter Rice (Piano & Rice).

In 1981, he formed the Renzo Piano Building Workshop with various offices around the globe.

His career has had a stellar record, winning numerous architectural awards, including the Pritzker Prize in 1998.

Renzo Piano is best known for his high-tech buildings and for “redefining modern and post-modern architecture”. The evolution of Renzo Piano’s stylistic inclinations can be seen in the following pages.

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1971/1977

1983/2003

Centre George-Pompidou FR Paris The Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou is a vast multidisciplinary structure, a culture factory that preserves and exhibits important modern art collections.

Genoa Railway Stations IT Genoa The Genoa subway network has eight stations, five of which were designed by RPBW (Brin, Di Negro, Principe, Darsena, and San Giorgio).

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1984/1985

1988/1991

Lowara Offices IT Montecchio

Thomson Optronics FR Paris

The Lowara building is characterized by its large and light, curving roof that on its low side frames views across surrounding fields, and on its high side screens the wall of the adjacent factory.

The factory employs a modular system of archshaped base elements. The design allows for a flexible building plan that can be redefined as the factory’s requirements change, and its surrounding landscaping are laid out along the same orthogonal grid.

renzo piano. timetable

1989/1991

1991/1998

2000/2012

2007/2013

R. Piano Building Workshop IT Genoa The building recalls the shapes of the greenhouses typical along the terraced Ligurian coastline.

The internal space steps down the hillside in a series of terraces, under a sloping glass roof.

J.M. Tjibaou Cultural Centre NCL Noumea Erected in honour of the New Caledonian political leader assassinated in 1989, the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre pays homage to Kanak culture and draws on local building traditions and expertise by intertwining the ancient and the modern.

London Bridge Tower

Kimbell Art Museum Expansion US Fort Worth The Museum expansion establishes a close, respectful and frank dialogue with the powerful yet delicate older building designed

by Louis Kahn in 1972.

UK London Also known as the Shard, this 72-storey, mixed-use tower is located beside London Bridge Station on the south bank of the river Thames. It was a response to the urban vision of encouraging high-density development at key transport nodes.

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He immediate vicinity of the Thomson Optronics Factory contains

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various new residential areas and industrial and manufacturing sites.

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The process involved in the design and construction of the Thomson Optronics Factory was fraught with many challenges.

The biggest concerns were of a financial nature and the fact that there was a strict but uncertain deadline to fulfil; hence the building had to be completed as soon as possible. Furthermore, the client was constantly changing the plans he wanted to build and was not able to clarify his needs.

As a result, the architect opted for a looser design and decided to use a quick and cheap construction method.

Not fully knowing the dimensions and specifications that the spaces required, the design and landscape were aimed to ensure flexibility and expansion of various uses, both through the site and within each wing. The client would then be able to specialize each space according to his necesseties and to the ever-progressing technology that such program requires.

Top set of Images, Design Process and Morphology Diagram Bottom Image, Concept/Parti Diagram

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This is, probably, the most important aspect of the project: the green plan was developed in tandem with the design of the factory. Both aspects of the landscape and the building complimented each other.

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The grid developed by the team is also the basis in which the landscape architect utilised. Trees and bushes were placed upon them in a rythm of 18 meters (3.6 m x 5 - can be observed in the scheme on the bottom left and the first image in the landscape sequence). Between this clearly marked grid, new vegetation was added (second image in the sequence). And then, with time, the landscape would begin to take over, until it engulfs the building below its high tree crowns.

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In the smallest modules of the factory, the landscape “enters” through them and interlock with the building, as the façades facing it are in glass (one can see this best on page 7 in the East block of the building in the site plan).

The cooperative work between the architect and the landscape architect to merge the necessities of a “natural” and working enviornment influenced the urban planning of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines. Future developments now have to integrate a green plan with the building plan, affording a complementary scheme to the dominant lanscape that the Thomson project has initiated.

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Top set of images, Evolution of Landscape Bottom image, Grid of Landscape

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thomson optronics . plans

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First Floor Plan (Western Block)

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The main entrance is to the South of the site, through a road that serves as a bridge, crossing two ponds on either side that were formed by excavating the earth to create the low boundaries of grassy mounds.

In this way, the houses around the site and the factory are hidden from each other. The same strategy is also employed on the East side, with the factory hidden behind another mound that serves as a high wall.

The circulation inside the building is straight-forward: through the axis located in the west part of each smaller module (which extend until the paralel corridors, in bewtween the 14.4 bays, of 3.6 meters). In the 3.6 corridors are also located the stairs for the upper floors (this is illustrated on pages 10-12).

One element stands out amidst all the umbrella curved roofs: the equipment testing tower. The dome-like construction, located in the far Southeast, boasts operable aluminum panels that slide open, offering a high platform where sighting devices manufactured at the factory are tested.

Top Image, Circulation Diagram (Plan) Bottom set of Images, Circulation Diagram (Section)

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thomson optronics . circulation and program

OFFICES COMMON AREAS ANCILLARY SERVICES

The programmatic layout of the entire compound follows in two phases: the East and West block.Starting to the South of the East block are the reception and administration blocks, followed by the main database and technical reference library.

The remaining blocks house the main manufacturing halls, each of which is serviced by a main service route to teh East of these blocks.

The plant rooms are located on the extreme right side of the blocks, followed by the Clean Rooms for assembly of the Sighting devices. The main manufacturing halls are located adjacent to the Clean Rooms, and these are followed by the offices for the Engineers, which overlook the central courtyard on the left. The mian blocks are punctuated by shorter bays which serve as both the main circulation routes throughout the building and the main social corridors designed by Renzo Piano to promote greater interactions amongst the employees, in the generous and wide corridors and double-volume halls that overlook the green landscape.

The second phase of the building is to the West of the plot and house additional offices for Engineers and Executives. The main mess hall and Cafeteria are also situated in this block. The same concept of having shorter bays as social gathering areas is also applied here.

OFFICES COMMON AREAS ANCILLARY SERVICES

Top Image, Program Diagram (Plan) Bottom set of Images, Program Diagram (Section)

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The ventilation and air circulation system is located atop the circulation corridors, held by the horizontal I section steel beams, while the extraction system is on the outside, laying in triangular shaped brackets, so that the air can circulate the full space (the scheme on the top right). The electrical and water pipes share the same space as the air insulation system.

The artificial light is designed in such a way that it diffuses light via the aluminum roof (middle image).

The small lamps and lights are directly above the work spaces ensureing proper working conditions.

The natural light enters through the building from the clerestory windows beneath each one of the umbrella curved roofs (facing North).

In this way, the light that enters is diffused and promotes a healthier working environment.

On the other hand, in the administration wing (the blocks that face South, as seen in the section of page 13), this umbrella curved roof opens out towards the South. This is the case due to it facing the main entrance (in this way the building welcomes and is turned to anyone affords a greater sense of arrival and welcome) and the ponds (the workers can enjoy the full potential of the landscape). The solution for it not being exposed to extreme solar heat gain is the line of trees immediately located South.

From Top, Diagrams of Air-Conditioning, Artificial Lighting, & Natural Lighting

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Left Column from Top, Images of Air-Conditioning, Artificial Lighting, & Natural Lighting Right Column Set of Images, External Views of Building

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The whole design process and construction had to be completed in just 18 months. So a standard modular structure was used to allow variation, in the internal use and layout of the building, as well as quick and cheaper construction (since one needs only to repeat the same process over and over again).

The construction is composed of three parts: the glazing system, the curved umbrella roofs, the structure and the footing.

The foundations are in concrete, also a consequence of the quickness of construction required by the client.

In the sequence on the right one can see the different components of the skeleton which emcompass the structure of the whole building.

I section steel beams of 36x24 are used as pillars to withhold the curved I beams that support the roof, while the 24x24 serve as horizontal clamping for overall stability.

The cladding is then slotted between the flanges of each beam in East-West walls while in the NorthSouth walls they are found indented from the structural pillars.

Sequence of exploded axonometric views of the standard structural bay.

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Steel profiles formed to a specific shape. Steel is a cheap constructing material. Renzo Piano chose a complete steel structure to reduce the total costs of the building. A steel structuce is easy to mount and can also easy taken apart.

Aluminum cladding is used as an relatively cheap way to finish the facade. It provides the building with an industrial look. It is a sustainable finish and fast and easy to install.

The glass panels provide the building with enough natural light.

Some parts of the facade are completely finished in glass. This is to emphasize the connection with the green surroundings of the factory.

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The entire building was designed in a grid fashion, with each bay measuring a span of 14.4 metres, creating the main grid layout. The ancillary services and circulation are layed out in a grid of 3.6 metres, hence creating a secondary grid on the plan.

The main structure is made up of pre-fabricated steel frames, composing of standard I-sections for horizontal and vertical members, and curved I-beams for the umbrella roof.

The whole structure does away with braces and shear support, using the rigidity of the rectangular service corridors as support.

The steel frames are further supported by diagonal steel members that are bored into the ground and prop up the structure from the sides.

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2. Standard I beam (24x24).

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thomson optronics . conclusions

The importance of this project is illustrated in the collaborative approach of both the architect and landscape architect in creating an intervention that brings the Landscape and the Building together.

The simplicity and ease of the construction was of high priority in this project due to the financial and time constraints present.

Despite its simplicity, Renzo Piano still manages to apply his design principles of creating lightweight structures, well-lit working environments and spaces for social intereaction.

By analysing this project, we have come to a better understanding of how applying the strong design principles of greenery, flexibility, and light structures can turn a mundane project brief into an interesting architectural intervention.

References Books: Buchanan, P. (1993). Renzo Piano Building Workshop Vol. I. London: Phaidon Press Ltd. Buchanan, P. (1993). Renzo Piano Building Workshop Vol. II. London: Phaidon Press Ltd. Jodidio, P. (2014). PIANO Renzo Piano Building Workshop 1966 to today. Koeln: Taschen Websites: http://www.pritzkerprize.com/ https://proyectos4etsa.wordpress.com/2015/02/08/renzo-piano-thomson-optronics-factory-1988�90-parisfrancia/ http://www.rpbw.com/en/architecture/3/the-firm/

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CONCLUSION

The aim of the project is to develop a standard building structure, with the greatest possible (functional) lifespan, in order to remain suitable for multipurpose use. Though this analysis consists of seven very diverse projects some general conclusions, or design principles can be extracted from them. One of the most remarkable elements in all of the seven projects is the use of natural lighting in some way within the design. Although this is achieved in very different ways for each project it is clearly remarkable that natural lighting has become an important element within the projects. The application of a highly transparent envelope, which can be found in most of the projects, is also a part of this concept. Another recurring ele-

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ment applied in the projects is the use of wide, open spaces, which allow a high degree of flexibility within the building‘s program and floor plans.

Next to the previous defined design principles, which are applied on all projects, two additional principles should be mentioned. First the implementation of systems of natural ventilation, especially climate facades offer a good addition to the highly transparent envelope. Secondly the use of a dual structure: one for the the building interior such as floors and walls and another for the roof (and facade). Altogether these are the most applied design principles, consider them, and use them wisely.