Architecture Commons^™

Salt Lake 2002 Olympic Games Cauldron, Wet Design

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Laminated glass.

Properties of material: The cauldron is constructed of the Laminated Glass which is a wire-less, fire-resistant glass. If impacted, the glass adheres to the interlayer, reducing risk of injuries to spectators below.

Container City, Toshiko Mori Architect

Building Case Studies

Material of interest and material used: Forty foot equivalent unit shipping containers.

Properties of material: Low cost; Reusing materials; High strength, prefabricated steel modules; Cuts construction time in half; Minimizes site disruption; storage container buildings can easily be removed from a site and used elsewhere.

Metropol Parasol In Seville, Spain, J. Mayer H. Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest and material used: Wood.

Properties of material: Wood panels with a polyurethane coating are intersected together to form parasols and canopies on the site.

American Folk Art Museum, Tod Williams, Billie Tsien

Building Case Studies

tombasil metal panels consisting of white bronze with 57% copper. The texture came from casting the panels from sand molds taken from the texture of concrete.

486 Mina El Hosn, Lan Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Perforated Sheet Metal Panels with Mirror Finish

Properties of material: The exterior skin consists of sliding perforated sheet metal panels with a mirror finish, acting as reflectors and protection against heat but also allowing light to enter. Depending on the play of natural light and viewpoints, the tower can physically reinvent itself in the changing light and points of view.

Prada New York Epicenter, Office Of Metropolitan Architecture

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Plastic glazing.

Properties of material: The translucent wall panels allow light and silhouettes of surrounding buildings to filter into the store.

Eden Project For The Eden Project Ltd. In Cornwall, United Kingdom, Nicholas Grimshaw

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Plastic.

Material used: Thermoplastic.

Properties of material: These panels are high performing ETFE, which is an energy efficient system. the use of this material allows the shape of the building to be curved, allowing this highly fabricated material to sit naturally in the landscape.

American Folk Art Museum, Tod Williams, Billie Tsien

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Tombasil.

Material used: Commercially produced white bronze alloy (57% copper content) used for boat propellers, fire hose nozzles, and grave markers Manufactured and fabricated at the Tallix foundry in Beacon, NY with Peter Sylvester, Vinnie Nardone, and Peter Holmstead Initially tried pouring directly onto concrete and steel plates, however, heat caused water entrapped in the concrete to explode and the steel plates to warp and buckle Developed sand molds taken from concrete and steel.

Properties of material: Warm and silvery

Unilever Head Offices, Solano Benitez

Building Case Studies

The brick is produced locally out of native clay.

Chapel Of Reconciliation In Berlin, Germany, Peter Sassenroth, Rudolf Reitermann

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Stone

Material used: Rammed earth

Properties of Material: The use of rammed earth provides a structural strength similar to concrete. Works as a great humidity barrier and installation. Easily found materials. In this case, materials were collected from within the city and ground down.

Keenan Tower House, Marlon Blackwell

Building Case Studies

Material of interest and material used: White oak

Properties of material: The Tower House was proposed as “a house among the trees”. The structure and exterior facade is clearly defined against the sky and surrounding landscape.

Library Of The Eberswalde Technical School, Herzog & De Meuron

Building Case Studies

The molds used for the precast panels were lined with material which was dot-screened by acid etching, pixle by pixle, to duplicate historical photos from the collection of photographer Thomas Ruff which depict German life. The images are repeated along a band around the building.

Moore Honey House, Marlon Blackwell

Building Case Studies

Material of interest and material used: Steel.

Properties of material: Although the material creates a storage place for honey, it also acts as an interesting façade as a result of the transparent glass wall behind it.

Jean Marie Tjibaou Cultural Center, Rpbw Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Iroko wood

Material used: Laminated wood and natural wood, concrete, coral, aluminum castings, glass panels, tree bark and stainless steel

Properties of material: The iroko (Clorophora excelsa) timber used extensively was imported from Africa (native to tropical Africa, from Sierra Leone to Tanzania); it was decided to use iroko because it was durable, and mostly resistant to attack by insects, fungi and mould.

Mobius House In Het Gooi, The Netherlands, Ben Van Berkel

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Concrete.

Material used: Concrete.

Properties of material: Concrete and glass are used together and both materials move together to exchange positions throughout the project. they use of these materials allows the project to blend into its landscape, as well as blur the lines between interior and exterior.

The Therme Vals, Peter Zumthor

Building Case Studies

The idea was to create a form of cave or quarry like structure. Working with the natural surroundings the bath rooms lay below a grass roof structure half buried into the hillside. The Therme Vals is built from layer upon layer of locally quarried Valser Quarzite slabs. This stone became the driving inspiration for the design, and is used with great dignity and respect.

Thermal Vals For Hotel Thermal Vals In Graubhunden Canton, Switzerland, Peter Zumthor

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Stone

Material used: Valser quartzite slab

Properties of material: Locally quarried Valser quartzite slabs are used on the exterior walls of the building. these slabs create thermal mass for the structure as well as enhancing the aesthetic appeal of the building.

Vals Thermal Baths, Peter Zumthor

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Valser Quartzrite.

Properties of material: This stone unique to the area has an unique blend of quartz and feldspar crystals giving it a green hue.

Paper House, Shigeru Ban Architects

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Reusable light materials Material used: Paper roof & Paper tube Properties of material: Lightweight

Gucklhupf, Hans Peter Wörndl

Building Case Studies

A skeleton of studs and beams constitutes the bearing framework onto which the outer fiber-board cladding is applied. Retractable panels at different height transform the space and enhance the relationship between interior and exterior.

Kunsthal, Office Of Metropolitan Architecture

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Corrugated plastic panels.

Properties of material: Usually used in industrial settings. Allows a soft light to filter to the interior exhibit spaces while also hiding the street views. Creates a watercolor effect.

Louvre Glass Pyramid For The Louvre Museum In Paris, France, I.M. Pei

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Glass.

Material used: Glass.

Properties of material: Glass panels in a Steel Frame form the modern element to this historic building. The two triangles, one interior and one exterior, reflect off the other to form a unique relationship.

Institut Du Monde Arabe, Jean Nouvel

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Metal panel.

Properties of material: A shifting geometric pattern is formed and showcased as both light and void. Squares, circles, and octagonal shapes are produced in a fluid motion as light is modulated

Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Maya Lin

Building Case Studies

It is black granite from Bangalore, India, one of only three places in the world (the other countries are Sweden and South Africa) that you could get this amount of black granite in large sizes.

Thorncrown Chapel, Fay Jones

Building Case Studies

elabotate trusses made of local pine

Society, Consciousness, And Planning, Thomas Allen Dutton

Graduate School of Architecture & Urban Design Theses & Dissertations

This thesis is concerned with the issues of social injustice and suffering and how they might be overcome through social change. The intent is to examine critically the role of urban planning within contemporary society. So that this may be accomplished effectively, the inquiry is not as much concerned with the fundamentals of planning proper, as it is an attempt to understand the processes particular to the social order, with special scrutiny to the relationship between science, technology, and the economic system. This focus of study is necessary in order to become more acquainted with the nature of the institutional …

Pruitt Homes And Igoe Apartments Public Housing Complex : Final Environmental Impact Statement, United States Department Of Housing And Urban Development, St. Louis Area Office

Books and Monographs

PDF of the Pruitt Homes and Igoe Apartments Public Housing Complex: Final Environmental Impact Statement. HUD report number HUD-RO7-EIS-74-07F Pruitt Homes and Igoe Apartments Public Housing Complex : final environmental impact statement / [prepared for] St. Louis Housing Authority; prepared by St. Louis Area Office, Kansas City Regional Office, U.S. Dept. of Housing and Urban Development.

Sears Tower (Willis Tower) In Chicago, Illinois, Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill (Som)

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Metal.

Material used: Steel.

Properties of material: This Building as a steel-frame construction. At the time of its construction, it was the tallest building in the world.

Valley Curtain In Rifle, Colorado, Christo And Jeanne-Claude

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Hybrid or composite materials

Material used: Woven nylon fabric

Properties of material: Over 200,000 square feet of woven Nylon Fabric is used to span 1,250 feet in a Colorado mountain valley.

Heineken Wobo For Heineken In Noordwijk, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, N. John Habraken

Building Case Studies

Material of interest: Recycled materials

Material used: Old Heinken bottles

Properties of material: These bottles were manufactured as not only beer bottles, but also to be re- purposed for affordable housing. The neck of one bottle fits into the bottom of another bottle. Using a mortar the stacked bottles can form affordable housing.