Teamwork 8_Plates Systems Study

Analysis of Plates/Panels systems that compose simple modules: works by architects and artists (like Sol Lewitt) using triangles, open cubes, planks and massive cubes...

Selection of systems easy to be assembled and capable to present a variable degree of transparency starting from simple configurations.

Division in two study groups to start model making:
A_on crossed elements systems
B_on plates and panels systems

Mortise-tenon joints

These two joints can be used for our connection,it's simple and wo already discussed about them last time.The link below shows all the joints.

http://sns.91ddcc.com/t/53847

AM --- May 15th Meeting Report

Teamwork 7_Building System Features

Confrontation and discussion on the case studies, analysing their junction systems to select examples to develop considering our needs.

According to the concepts considered basic by the team, the system should:

_give the possibility of various configurations in angles, forms, inside/outside skins
_be composed of light elements easy to handle
_allow an easy assemblage

Furher investigations will be carried on to verify the possibility of using only wood, including the junction elements.

The work goes on with junction studies and modelling of prototypes in small scale.

A new category: Plates

A construction elements category has been added to our list: Plates. Two dimensional panels or boards that could be either structural or not, be massive or with different transparency degrees, made of one or more materials...

Talking about plates, we should immediately focus on De Stijl. Bruno Zevi describes Gerrit Ritveld's architectures "levitating and diaphanous (...) they seem to excuse themselves to occupy an urban area, they in fact don't create an obstacle". 
A very clear example is the Sonsbeek Pavilion, originally built to exhibit sculptures in Arnheim (1955), then rebuilt at the Kröller-Müller Museum in Otterlo (1965).
The same principles you find in his object design, for Zevi "using Ritveld's furniture (...) you retrace its genetic sequence and assemblage element by element with an extraordinary clarity". The Steltman Chair (1963) shows a minimal occupation of space.

In the open landscape plates could be used to define spaces. Monika Gora's in the Garden of Knowledge for the B01 Exhibition in Malmö, Sweden (2001) creates enclosures to delimit inner, outer and in-between areas.
A description of the project can be dowloaded on the architect's website. Other pictures and info here.

Zevi quotes are from Poetica dell'architettura Neoplastica, Einaudi, Torino 1974.

Monika Gora, Garden of Knowledge, model and detail (photos by Monika Gora from www.landezine.com)

 

 

Teamwork 6_meeting report ~

PS: I'm looking forward to the site visit XD~

Teamwork 6_Focus on Details

We decided on focusing on a series of building details either on the already selected case studies or on the new ones

_foundations and connections to the ground

_assembling and junctions

_transparency vs opacity

The team is going to analyse them in relation to the functions (rest point, info point, observatory along a path) and to the approximate dimensions of our small architectures. The research aims to find out practical solutions with a clear link to the construction system in order to compare and discuss them during the next meetings.

Crossing elements + Massive blocks 
Tetsuka architects, Woods of net, Hakone, Japan 2010

On furniture and modularity 2_Giulio Iacchetti

On modular systems Paolo Golinelli points out three recent furniture works of Giulio Iacchetti:

EUR shelving system, polypropylene (Magis, 2013)
inspired by the Palazzo della Civiltà building, designed by Giovanni Guerrini, Ernesto La Padula and Giovanni Romano (1942-53) at the EUR neighborhood in Roma conceived for the Universal Expo 1942, that didn't take place because of the war.
Info on the building here
Info and a video on the shelving here

_Koob shelving, steel (Arthema, 2012)
info here

_Geko modular mobile wall, high-tech polymer (Caimi brevetti 2006)
inspired by the exagonal shape of the beehive
info here and on the producer website

All the pictures are from Giulio Iacchetti website www.giulioiacchetti.com

EUR shelving system

Koob shelving

Geko modular mobile wall

Some thoughts & a case study on wood construction

"Simplicity is possible where the material is used 

in accordance with its characteristics and limitations."

Some thoughts on the use of wood as a construction material 

& a case study --- Sauna in Finland.

resources:

Florian Musso: Simply Good.

Christian Schittich (Ed.): in DETAIL-Building Simply. BirkHauser, Munchen

CASE STUDY:
Sauna in Finland

Architect: Jaakko Keppo, Technical University Helsinki

 

Can furniture design inspire building elements?

Can we derive a building system from urban or home furniture design?
Plastic modular stacking chairs were quite common in the 1960s and 70s. Could they assembling principles inspire the design of building elements?

Marco Zanuso with Richard Sapper,
Child's chair Model no.4999, Polyethylene,
Kartell 1964 (from richardsapper.com and www.moma.org)

Donato D’Urbino, Jonathan De Pas, Paolo Lomazzi,
and Giorgio DeCurso,
Chica demountable child’s chairs, ABS plastic,
BBB Bonacina 1971 (from www.moma.org)

Teamwork 5_Building Categories Features

First list of the peculiar features of the chosen building categories following our classification

Teamwork 4_On references

Starting from our previuos main classification

A_structure corresponding to skin
B_structure different from skin

we divided the selected references in five main groups:

1_crossed linear elements (mainly A)
2_frames
    a_three dimensional (mainly B)
    b_two-dimensional (B)
3_three-dimensional light modules, i.e. cubes (A/B)
4_vertical and horizontal  elements - punctual structures (B)
5_ massive blocks (A)

and added a sixth peculiar category: cables/ropes/wires in tension. they could be used on frames as discontinuous skins but also create or define complex spaces

6_skin elements in tension

We started then to find out the main features of each category to set up a base to compare the references to sort out what could be more useful for our building box.

Three Dimensional Frames + Elements in Tension.
Breathnach Donnellan with EASA Participants, Temporary Pavilion, Cadiz, Spain 2011
(Photo by Avanzada Workshop Team from www.archdaily.com)