Monolith and Fragment

MONOLITH AND FRAGMENT

Contents

Abstract

Bangkok City Identity

Travel Agenda

Documentation

Bangkok Brutalism Architecture

Monolithic Brutalism/Fragmented Brutalism

Repitition Sequence

Hierarchy

Material Location

Bangkok

Abandoned Theater

Fruit Market

Project

Positioning

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

Appendix

The Celebration of Concrete:A photo Collection of Brutalism Buildings Concrete Casting Tests

The discipline of architecture has constructed concrete as the primary contemporary building material. However, most of the time, concrete is painted and covered as a structure or internal filling material. In the 1960s and 1980s, a series of modernism buildings with exposed concrete as the major material appeared in Bangkok. Most of them have a thick envelope, a monolithic shape, the form of the design to deal with the relationship between the building and the exterior tropical rainforest climate of Bangkok.

Nowadays, the notion of the monolith has been replaced by the desire of the opposite: transparency and fragmentization. However, in the tropics, the outdoor environment is sweltering, and the rainfall is dense and dense.The demand for stable temperature and sheltering weather will never change. Concrete is one of the most durable materials in tropical environments.The iconic casting method of concrete also creates a unique particular that is entirely different from wood and steel. So in today’s Bangkok, concrete still has the potential to create a unique atmosphere that belongs to Bangkok through holistic and fragmented different organizations. The study reconsidered the order of architectural language, materials and construction techniques in these concrete buildings, and examine the role that this ubiquitous material plays in an increasingly changing world.

This thesis selected an abandoned theatre in Bangkok built in the 1960s and surrounded by circular living buildings as the subject of research. By analyzing the characteristics of modernism concrete buildings at the same time in the same city, we explored the possibility of using concrete as a material to transform and revitalize this complex.

Bangkok City

Travel Agenda

Concrete Documentation

Day 01 (28/8Wed) Day 02 (29/8 Thur)

6-Day Bangkok Itinerary

Flight SIN-DMK

Currency exchange + SIM card purchase

Physics Building, Kasetsart University

Day 03 (30/8 Sat)

Faculty ofVeterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University

Penang Silk Screen Printing House Company Limited Lunch The COMMONS

T. ShinawatraThai Silk Company

Go back to hotel

Population Map of Bangkok and surrounding areas (data of 2015)

Image source:The Global Human Settlement Layer

Population Change of Bangkok and surrounding areas (from 1990 - 2015)

Image source:The Global Human Settlement Layer

The owner of a shop above the river waiting for customers

Camera Camera lens

Cellphone

Cellphone lens

Cellphone tripod

Documentation

Sketchbook

Pens and pencils

Tapeline Umbrella

Contacts

Vedant

A student in Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok Documentation Equipments

Contact Method:Whatsapp

Information:

Vedant told me about the search for identity in modernThai architecture and recommended some excellent modernism architectures in Bangkok, including the Faculty ofVeterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University and Srifueangfung Building.

TwiteeVajrabhaya

Thai architect co-founder of the Department of Architecture Co., Ltd.

Contact Method: E-mail

Information:

MsTwiteeVajrabhaya told me about how the concerns when they designed the commons, a mix-use commercial building in Bangkok in the contemporary condition of expensive land within the high-density urban area. It's important to flow the people upward to several floors not horizontally like in a traditional market.And she also talked about the current transformation ofThai markets.

Beer Singnoi

Thai Architectural Photographer

Contact Method: Facebook

Information:

Mr.Beer Singnoi is a famousThai photographer, and he is interested in the modern movement in architecture in Thailand and Malaysia. I found him on his facebook recording photos ofThai modernism buildings and tried to contact him. Beer Singnoi gave me suggestions onThai modernism buildings worth visiting including PenangTextile Screen Printing House located on Sukhumvit road.

T. ShinawatraThai Silk Company

Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University

ParisTheater

ScalaTheater

Srifueangfung Building

Monolithic Brutalism/Fragmented Brutalism

Repitition Sequence

Hierarchy Material

Monolithic Brutalism / Fragmented Brutalism

The brutalism architecture in Bangkok can be roughly divided into two categories: Monolithic Brutalism and Fragmented Brutalism. Each one has an intention to express the texture of the concrete and the heaviness of the structure, but it does in different ways.

MonolithicBrutalismisasinglelarge-scalebuilding,usinglargebuildingblocksanddistincthierarchyto formasenseofsublime.Themainshapeofthebuildingiscomplete,theshapeissimple,andtheenormous scaleofsurfacesintentionallyhighlightsthetextureoftheconcreteandtheheavysenseofthestructure.

Fragmented Brutalism is a structure that uses a large number of small structures repeatedly to form a vast whole. Fragmented Brutalism in Bangkok often uses a large number of sun visors, small but many window openings, and partial structural design of the protruding structure. Besides, the fragmented brutalism buildings have more transparency because of the many details covering on the surface, comparing to the whole massive block of Monolithic Brutalism.

Monolithic Brutalism and fragmented Brutalism conflict with each other, but there is the commonality between the two. The two often coexist and contain each other. Monolithic architecture is more sublime due to the comparison with fragmented details. Combined building fragments together can achieve relative integrity. People can’t love monolithic architecture without small-scale building components that fit the human scale. Without it, monolithic volumes only make people feel oppressive and unapproachable. On the other hand, if the fragmented architecture relies solely on the stacking of small constructions and does not form a colossal whole, there will be no sense of sublime and power in the rough building. Excellentbrutalistarchitecturemustbemonolithicandfragmented.Thetwocoexistandexudecharm. Thereisnosinglemonolithicarchitectureorfragmentedarchitectureintheworld.Theymustbeboth.

Monolithic Brutalism

Fragmented Brutalism

Monolithic Brutalism

ParisTheater

Fragmented Brutalism

Physics Building, Kasetsart University

Monolithic Brutalism

Penang Silk Screen Printing House Company

Fragmented Brutalism

ScalaTheater

Monolithic Brutalism

Srifueangfung Building

Fragmented Brutalism

Faculty ofVeterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University

Monolithic Brutalism

Indra Regent Hotel

Fragmented Brutalism

T. ShinawatraThai Silk Company

Fragments

Monolith Masonary

Exterior

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

The

Dome Elevation

Ring Elevation

Dome Section

Ring Section

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

Hierarchy

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

The Resting Dome

The Dwelling Ring

Appendix A

The Celebration of Concrete: A photo Collection of Brutalism Buildings

tion of Concrete of Brutalism Buildings

Appendix B

Concrete Casting Tests

Concrete Components

The Roman concrete was formed as a dry mix that layered up in the wall or other structure it was a part of. Its strength was almost entirely in compression and it did not make use of any addtional internal strengthening. 1Concrete alone can only withstand pressure, but the addition of steel bars can withstand tension through stirrups, so the form is less limited by way of stress, more flexible. Concrete can be arbitrary cantilever, distortion, as long as the formwork and reinforcement can meet the conditions. Different construction methods also account for the difference between concrete forms. Brick structures are made up of small but plentiful bricks that show the colour differences between each brick thus are difficult to generalize with one uniform colour. It is difficult for brick structures to have a smooth surface, but a variety of patterns can be developed by varying the basic arrangement of the bricks. In the tropics, smallsized openings can be formed using the smallness of bricks to avoid excessive sun exposure while ensuring ventilation and also produce rhythmic light and shadow effects.

Concrete is usually constructed by first constructing a formwork and pouring it into the formwork. The concrete form is monolithic and usually does not have small, dense openings like the size of lattice brick walls.The colour and the texture mainly determine the appearance of the concrete.The concrete itself is white or grey.Adding coloured powder or aggregates to white concrete, such as colourful stone, can make the concrete change colour evenly from the inside to the outside.The Neues Museum Renovation project by David Chipperfield uses a mix of pink Saxonian marble chips to change the colour of the concrete. The most common concrete form materials are smooth wood and foam boards to create a smooth surface. The use of textured stencil materials, such as bamboo, wood, and even soil, can create natural texture on the

Textures

fair-faced concrete

white concrete

timber mold concrete

pink concrete

（with pink marble aggregate）

concrete surface. Junya Ishigami built a 'new but historic' concrete house and restaurant inYamaguchi using the soil on the site as a mould.

Concrete Formwork

01. metal wire frame

02. concrete form

03. pour mixed concrete into the form

04. take off the form when the concrete is dry

Construction Process

Construction Process

P.2-4,Yamaguchi House and Restaurant construction process, Image source: Dezeen. com

Small Formwork

P.2 Dig cavities in the ground and fix the reinforcement in the holes.

P.3 Pour concrete inside.

P.4 Remove the earth.

Formwork of Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University

Dimensions of Faculty of Veterinary Science, Chulalongkorn University concrete formwork

Traces of small wooden formwork on the surface of concrete exterior wall of Faculty of Veterinary Science concrete formwork

Formwork of Azuna House

P.1 Dimensions of concrete framework in Azuna House

P.4 Surface of Azuna House exterior concrete wall.

V-shape SeamSeamless

Framework Joint Seam Design

P.1 Surface of Azuna House exterior concrete wall.P.2 Salk Institute for Biological Studies

P.3Veterinary School

Model Casting Process 01

Concrete Casting Tools

1. measureing cup

2. water bottle

3. mixing bucket

4. gloves

5. smoothing tool

6. trowel

7. plastic sheet

Ingredients

1. mixture of sand and cement

2. water

Steps

6. Demould the concrete5.Pour

4.Mix the ingredient

1. Draw the shapes of the volumn on foam boards2. Cut off the shape of the volume of the center of the boards

3. Stick the boards together, the hollow part forms the volume of the building

Model Casting Process 02

Concrete Casting Tools

1. measureing cup

2. mixing box

3. foam

4. shovel

5. trowel

6. plastic gloves

Formwork Making Tools

1. hot-wire foam cutter

2. tape

3. knife a

4. knife b

5. nails

6. uhu glue

7. steel ruler a

8. steel ruler b

9. foam

Steps

6. Level concrete top

7. Rest until the concrete is dry.8. Demould the concrete

3. Cut multiple foam boards to make formwork4. Mix and stir the cement and water

5.Pour concrete into the formwork.

1. Make the digital model of ParisTheater2. Make reversed digital model of ParisTheater

Model Casting Process 03

1. ruler

2. plastic gloves

3. grinding tools

4. glue

5. tape

6.nails

7.shovel

8. s trowel

9. knife

10. foam cutter

11. vaseline

12. brushes

Concrete Casting Tools

Ingredients

Steps

4. Pour concrete into the formwork.

5. Rest until the concrete is dry.6. Demould the concrete

1. Laser cut Plywood to make formwork2.Apply vaseline to the surface of the mold.

3.Mix and stir the concrete.

Model Casting Process 03

Concrete Casting Tools

1. measurincup

2.Vaseline

3. gloves

4. silicone squeezing tool

5. brush

6. model pad

7. sander cube

8. sander

9. mixing vessel

10. sander strip

11. ruler

12. scissor

13. knife

14. instant glue

15. tape

16. glue

17. plier

18. forcep

Steps

1. Put 3D-printed inside of foam board box to make formwork

2.Introduce silicone into the container.

3.Remove the model and foam board, the silicone solidifies into a mold.

4.Pour concrete inside the mold.

5.Leave it for two days, remove the silicone mold after the concrete sets.

6.The connection point is too thin and fragile, the experiment failed three times.

After trying different composition, the connection point will still break. So I looked for another way of casting.

Model Casting Process 04

Steps

1. 3d print joints.

2. combine joints together

3.Pour silicone into the vessel to create the mold of concrete. The silicone used in the last experiment was bought from China. I have run out of it and bought it again. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, delivery was closed and my silicone was stocked in a transfer station. So I needed to change it to a new type of silicone. After the test this new silicone purchased locally is too soft to be used as a mold. When I was looking for new mold materials, Singapore began to close the city, and I couldn't buy the materials needed to make the model, so the model experiment can not go on.