Phillips Pavilion Iannis Xenakis and Le Corbusier Project by: Catarine Frade , Xiaoyi Xu, Josh McDonagh and James Bailey
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Contents
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Light and Sound
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Structure
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Materials
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Envelope
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Light and Sound In 1958 Brussels Expo,Le Corbusier and Iannis Xenakis design this pavilion for Philips, called ‘Electronic Poem’. This pavilion was to house a multimedia spectacle that celebrated post-war technological progress.
More germane to the forming of the Philips Pavillion, Xenakis’s graphing of the string glissandi of Metastasis resembled the ruled surfaces of hyperbolic paraboloid shells. From diagram to the form of the pavilion.
Diagram of glissandi from Metastasis.1954 by Iannis Xenakis
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(far left) As the music is being played, the lighting system controls the colour of the screen, with images projected to the wall screen, atmosphere is created.
Diagram showing how the lighting changes with the music
Section of the pavilion
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As Le Corbusier called this pavillion, electronic poem, it is all for the piece of music Edgar Varèse composed. To manifestation the sound, it was equipped with 425 speakers in the wall, water along the wall, and a magnificent lighting system.
An photoshopped image of what the intuit would of looked liked
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How visitors explore the space
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Structure Hyperbolic paraboloid
off a steel frame work. As
Due to the complex shape of there were no computers, Duyster used scaled models Phillip’s pavilion it would be to test his ideas before contoo expensive and too comstructing the Phillips Pavilion. plicated for craftsmen to Duyster bought in several build. Therefore, a solution of consulting engineers and using pre-cast concrete panthen he gave them one week els was used. This gave the to test if this idea would hyperbolic paraboloid, this work. They constructed a shape which was required model at 1/25 and this enaand also enables the project bled them to prove that the to be bought in on cost and hyperbolic paraboloid would on time. work. It was necessary to add The engineering In order to create a structural
pre tensioning steel cable on the underside of the pavilion.
frame for this building an en- This would lead the exterior of the pavilion as a homogegineer-director called Hoyte neous skin. Duyster was employed. During WW-II he experimented with hanging a concrete of 8
Materials Experiments with models
strip of metal. These are con-
In order to create the shape, nected to the substructure which is made metal and the panels and the ribs had connected to the concrete to be pre stressed. This was floor. A small piece of bitnecessary in order to create mounins felt which is used as the hyperbolic paraboloid a waterproofing barrier beand to make sure that the did tween the concrete slab and not collapse. A 1:10 scale the metal frame. Wooden model was constructed in a blocks which contain stiffing laboratory and after the test rods are placed on the exteriwas completed 5 laboratory or of the structure. This flexiassistant jumped on to the ble metal rods which run test section which was a 1:1 through wooden blocks to scale just to make sure that it help anchor the pavilion to would not collapse under the the ground weight.
The envelope of the pavilion was covered in diamonded shaped panels which were around 1sqm. These are connected to each over by 7mm 9
Materials Concrete
Le Corbusier
Wood
Weather proofing
Concrete is the main materi- During the construction of Although this material was Bituminous felt – this acts as al in the pavilion and it forms the building the internal not included in the final de- a waterproof material which all of roof and walls. It is an frame work could be tight- sign it holds major im- is located between the subextremely strong material ened similar to how you portance to the framework structure and the foundaand is able to be formed into would tightened a spoke on as it was used as a mould for tion. This material is manuvarious shapes such as the a bicycle wheel. A telegram the concrete. Many pieces of factured from crude oil and envelope for the Philips pa- was sent to Le Corbusier wood were used to make does not give of any harmful
vilion. In order to improve suggesting that they used many moulds for the con- toxins to people once it has the strength of the material the grid system externally as crete to be poured into. been made into the felt. Anit was necessary to include well as internally. Le Corbu- Small blocks of wood includ- other benefit of this material steel cables which are 7mm in diameter. The cables are placed every 500mm apart
ing that he agreed with this idea.
ed in the final building to help anchor the building to the ground. There are small
and this framework helps to
pieces of wood which act as
support the structure of the
spaces between the clamp
pavilion. All of the sections
and the steel cables which
were completed off of the
come up out of foundations.
site and then brought to the site.
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sier replied immediately say-
is that it can move with the structure, so if there are any slight movements the building will remain watertight. As this was a temporary pavilion the life span of this product is not a major concern, however the felt has a long life span.
Envelope Physical -
Two
causing it to be superior thin
concrete
shells, Separated by internal concrete beams, 2 meters apart. - Concrete skin constructed using segments
to an elastic material covering
for
acoustic
qualities. - Double layers also improve the acoustic performance; gap causes less efficient wave trans-
- Abandoned use of fer so sound doesn't gunite covering due to spread so easily through the chance it may split the shell of the building. being an elastic material Reasons - Acoustic stability. Concrete has better acoustic qualities than that of a stretched material skin for example. - Resonant frequency of concrete is unaudible 11
- Ability to show mathematical
order
and
overall natural and organic form. (on small scale is segmented and calculated,
on
large
scale is fluid and artistic)