INTRODUCTION :
"The tenets of aestheics vary but the satisfaction of aesthetic needs is one of the permanent aspirations of humanity."
-Mario Salvadori
"Discipline and play with form are two marks of great structural engineers."
– D. Billington
Buildings are generally conceived as the result of a great idea. More often than not the people forget the fact that lot of other factors go into the making of a building. Architects and the common people often ignore the role of the structural engineers , services consultants etc.
According to Prof. David P. Billington of Princeton University, works of structural engineering designs can be regarded as ‘Structural Art’, only when they pursue all of the 3 Es – Efficiency, Economy and Elegance. The building structure is a part of the building, and its main purpose is to carry the loads on the building as well as it's own weight. If we keep give consideration to natural sciences and technology more often than not the building would be given "visual correctness" or aesthetics from its structure. When the main visual character of a building is exhibited through its structural system, the building can be termed as structurally aesthetic.
In the modern times, people often design the building without considering the structural members and the process of designing the structural form and at the same time maintaining the integrity of the design and elevation is a complex process and more often than not deviate from the original concept of the building. The material used in the building will also be a huge contributor to the overall result. The choice of material should be a logical or natural outcome of the environmental as well as the design programme. It is essential that the building material is chosen with utmost thought as it contributes a lot on the building blending in / standing out from the site as the architect desires it to be. If we go back in history, the approach to design of a building and it's structural system was done simultaneously. The true dome and Gothic ribs are good examples of the same. Modern day examples include the JFK airport.
Each structural system gives the building a unique character. The most identifiable aspect of a building is its elevation and this is dictated by the structural system. This dissertation talks in detail how a structural system can be adopted before the design process starts. Is it beneficial for us to adopt a structural system/grid first and then design accordingly. More often than not after the structural intervention on a design, the entire design changes. Should there be a structural consultation in the conceptual stage of the project.
RESEARCH QUESTION :
How the structural system used in a building dictates the design of the building? How the structure and design of a building can be integrated to achieve maximum visual perception and structural effieciency?
LITERATURE REVIEW :
Vitruvius expressed that fruitful design most have every one of the three qualities – usefulness, structural integrity, and beauty. Relevant here are these inquiries: can the structural part of a building or other development make a positive contribution to its magnificence? Can the structure be outlined so that all by itself it is beautiful and functional? Are there structural principles that can make buildings and other structures more aesthetically satisfying?
In the modern practise, architectural and structural designing have become two disjointed processes. Architects design buildings without any structural basis and structural engineer design elements without any aesthetic appeal. The art of architecture and structural design should go hand in hand. In this context, in the architecture of Santiago Calatrava, the two ideas of basic functionality and the poetic approach to structural engineering converge. This is quite evident when he says "So if we consider architecture as an art, and engineering a part of, or a branch of, architecture, then engineering could ultimately be considered an art. But the most interesting thing is I want to go even further". – Santiago Calatrava.
The modern materials, construction methods and structural simulation has opened new doors in designing the structural system. Though these new technology does not exempt us from satisfying certain basic requirements such as : economy, staility, strength, functionality etc. Therefore even with the new technology we should maintain the balance between functionality and aesthetics, which again requires the architect and the structural engineer to work together to get the most optimum solution.
It has been established that the architect and the engineer must work together for a better result. Now comes the question whether the structure can interfere with the design or should there be a compromise in the structural stability to maintain the architectural character. These two lines of thought are conflicting with each other and both of them are not wrong. There are people who regard that structurally correct structures are by themselves aesthetic and there are people who believe structural strength can be compromised to maintain the aesthetic appeal. To settle this debate for small buildings the structure can be compromised to uneconomical ways to give the structure beauty whereas in large scale structures, the structural system is too critical to be compromised.
The building systems integration handbook (Rush 1986) provides the most comprehensive integration considerations. It talks about integration at a practical level and categorises various levels of integration. The various levels of integration are provided in the table below.
S.no Level Description
1 Remote Complete physical separation
2 Touching Systems touch, but not permanently connected
3 Connecting Permanent connection of systems
4 Meshed Systems occupy the same space
5 Unified The same construction materials fulfil more than one function
The various levels of visual integration is mentioned in the table below.
Level Description
1 Structural or mechanical system is not visible.
2 System is visible but it's appearance has been modified
3 System is visible with it's texture or colour changed
4 Size or shape of a system altered
5 Orientation or location of a system is different than normally expected
These levels only depict the visual status of an individual system element.
Historic Overview :
Simple dome-shaped huts are the earliest known examples of shelter constructed. The hut is a typical example of minimal choice due to the dependence on readily available materials. Soon the dome started to develop due to the perfection of concrete which could be cast into any shape. This was the first example of the integration of structure with design to make the building aesthetically pleasing.
Later in time, with the discovery of steel came many iconic structures defined by its structue. John Augustus Roebling was a German-born American structural engineer. Popular for his designs of wire rope suspension bridges, he stepped forward in bringing bridges to the spotlight. The designing of a bridge around the 1880s required much practical and theoretical approach, for which Roebling devised an equilibrium strength approach, in which equilibrium is always satisfied but compatibility of deformations is not enforced. Amidst this, he was successful in creating bridges that are monumental and have emerged as landmarks. At New York City, the Brooklyn Bridge designed by Roebling is a hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge and is one of the oldest bridges of either type in the United States. In 1866, John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge spanning the Ohio River was completed, and was the longest suspension bridge in the world at that time.
More recently, Frei Paul Otto is a German architect and structural engineer noted for his use of lightweight structures, in particular tensile and membrane structures, including the roof of the Olympic Stadium in Munich for the 1972 Summer Olympics. For a hobby he flew and designed glider planes — this activity piqued his interest in how thin membranes stretched over light frames could respond to aerodynamic and structural forces. Frei Otto pioneered the use of modern, lightweight, tent-like structures for many uses. He was attracted to them partly for their economical and ecological values. As early as the 1950s, he built complex models to test and perfect tensile shapes. Throughout his career, Otto always built physical models to determine the optimum shape of a form and to test its behaviour. Engineers in his studio were early adopters of computers for structural analysis of Frei Otto’s projects, but the basic input data for these calculations came from the physical form-finding models.
One of the recent examples of structurally-centred elegant approach is seen at Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport of Mumbai, India designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM). Here concrete cells of the canopy rising from massive columns in the Mumbai Airport, SOM has emphasised accurately on how the power of parametric design can aid in providing elegance.
With the help of new technology it has become easier to integrate structure and services with design without making it look like an after thought. Integration as a primary goal has the potential to provide new and unified forms.
" Architects and engineers have become more and more specialized in their respective fields. This has apparently resulted in expanding 'grey' zones, which are not covered by specialities of these professions"
-Ture Wester
As discussed above the importance and benefits of integrating structure and design at the conceptual stage of design it is unexpected to find the lack of articles and papers related to the same. This depicts the mainstream practise where designers start off with their ideas and completely forgets about the structure and services part of the building. The lack of integration is a concern in terms of both functional as well as the aesthetic point of view. This lack of integration is a result of both the architect's as well as the structural engineer's failure to understand the benefits of doing so at an early stage as stated by Banham. Another possible is that the aesthetic properties of structural systems are not taught to the structural engineer. Architecture’s classical triad function – structure – form, only takes into consideration some of the requirements which the social environment has for function, the technical environment for structure, neglecting and mixing the form with the determinants. In the historical documentation of buildings, architectural scholars are preoccupied on the form, space and planning aspects of a building and often neglect the structural integration to the building.
CONCLUSION :
Integration of structures and services is one aspect of integrated design approach. Where the structure is exposed and there are high levels of integration, the resulting form and details can enrich the aesthetic quality of the building.
REFERENCES :
Morgan, M. H. (1960). Vitruvius – ten books on architecture, Dover publications,Inc, N.Y.
Rush, R.D. (1986). The building systems integration handbook, The American Institute of Architects and John Wiley & Sons, N.Y.
Mario Salvadori (1963). Structure in Architecture, Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
D. Billington (1999). The New Art of Structural Engineering,
Santiago Calatrava (2000). Calatrava speaks…and the influence; Interview, Architectural Record.
Shilpa Mandalik (2000). Responsive Solutions, Indian Architect and Builder.
Ture Wester. (1996). 'Morphological Aspects of Teaching Conceptual Design of Structures or the Art of Asking Stupid Questions', The International Association for Shell and Spatial Structures.
Viswadeep Deo. (2001). Structural Aesthetics, Architectural Dissertation, SPA Delhi.
Mihai C. Donici. (2011). Aesthetics of the main type of structures, University of Timisoara.
Andrew W Charleson. (1998). Aesthetics of Architectural Structural and Services Integration. Victoria University of Wellington.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Organic Architecture
– Derived from Japanese Architecture
– A building should be suited to its environment & should be a product of its place, purpose & time.
– The idea of organic architecture refers not only to the buildings' literal relationship to the natural surroundings, but how the buildings' design is carefully thought about as if it were a unified organism.
– The building grows out of the landscape as naturally as any plant. The site should be enhanced by the building, and the building derives its form partially from the nature of the site.
– A space should be more than a box. Also the form of the space gives form to the building, meaning form & function should be one.
– Being natural or organic means exposing the true character of that particular material. Selection of materials also helps in conforming with the modernists ideals
Example: Falling Water
At the time of International style & standardisation in Architecture, Falling water is strongly embedded on to its context & there is a synergism between the nature & the man-made. Hence, it is a major extent of this philosophy.
It also showcases Constructivist ideals, where there is an emphasis on materials & structure of the building. There is immense emphasis on exposed concrete & glass by dwelling on their inherent natures. This allowed the building to settle & embed itself in the surroundings.