of Walls and Roofs

I had a very interesting discussion with professors Gary Moye and Pat Piccioni about the definition of a wall. Pat stated that the primary characteristic of a wall is that is defined by stacking up material against the force of gravity. I argued that it was mearly a linear form that seperated one thing from another. Can you have a wall that is not perpendicular to gravity? Is 45 degrees made of concrete still a wall? What is a fence? How is it different from a wall? Regardless of the particulars this question is extremely interesting when using grid shells. Using the structural capacities of grid shells we can form walls or wall type forms that are shaped, and seem to fly in the face of walls defined by gravity. The walls and roof often are of one form, and the same materials. How do you create place if you have trouble creating the elements of spacial composition. Is the grid shell unique because the roof touches the ground or because the walls also make the enclosure? I think this final question is of particular importance because it starts to get out how people will experience the unquiness of the gridshell. I personally am more interested in using the walls to also make the enclosure attitude. Touching a roof is not that new of an experience and shaping a roof so that it touches the ground goes back to atleast as far as the pyramids. However, being able to build a form that carry an experience of a wall into an enclosure is something that only a very few structural systems can accomplish. And while it is diserable in most cases to have a clear roof and wall, the exceptional quality of the grid shell allows for a dynamic play of these elements that can make for an extraordinary user experience. As Gary proposed maybe gridshells need a different vocabulary than roof and walls.

Thoughts on "Design and Construction of Downland Gridshell" reading

I was inspired by this reading, the can-do feeling. Too often I have been a part of or heard of the various parties in the building industy digging and not working out of their comfort zones. I am in architecture school to be come involved with innovative thinking and innovative minds seeking innovative solutions. This article was a success story about a very difficult innovation. I hope one day to lend myself to challenges this large. I loved reading about the sequential thought process that was taken to solve some of the most difficult problems. Track coaches always emphasize attacking the hurdles rather than letting them attack you. If you let the hurdles dictate your race you will trip and fall, if you run through the hurdles you will win the race. This team attacked and ran through the hurdles.
I appriciated the long explanation of the search for the perfect type of wood to be used and the connection of the individual pieces to make the "optimized" piece of oak. But I thought most revealing was the quote "...many engineers are very wary of applying their methods to timber. In contrast, there are many craftsmen who specialize in timber because of the challenge it represents, and the potential for creating beautiful structures." Which got me to wondering what effect would this building have if it had been made of steel or concrete. Engineering wise it would have been easiers. Construction wise, is steel it would have been easier. But I believe that what makes it so amazing is tht everyone understands at a fundmental level the properties of wood and that everyone understands how special it is to have wood bending three dimensionally and creating structural integrity. Whereas if it had been steel people would look at it and say cool, but so what, of course steel can bend and still be structural. It really is that fact all these grid shells that we have been looking at are made of wood that makes them special.

sculptural SHADOWS

The Sculpture and ExplodedPATTERN on all start with this very basic pattern. Each uses this pattern as the guiding/grounding PRINCIPLE as well as the INSPIRATION and for the Structural HYIERCHY. When working on the city block I was thinking of the varying heights of the Sears Tower as well as volumes created in the Bibliotheca National. Unfortunately I also see remnants of some of Le Corbusier’s city planning principles.
As for the Sculpture I started with the same pattern and use it for the creating of the structural system as well as a reference to "squaring the circle". I attempted to ground the free flowing wood sculptural form by using a rigid rectilinear system to tie it together.
In both cases I traced the pattern onto the floor plan to start. From there I sought creativity from the plan. The Sculpture was the main focus of the assignment and with more time I would like to develop the connections better and with more detail. The spacing would be come more refined ad precise.
The wood spiraling form is the main way that shadow is created in the sculpture. To develop this more I would like to adjust the spacing between the wood members to give even more play to the shadows.

sculptural SHADOWS

PatternsEXPLODED

Here is a basic architectural pattern exploded into 3D. The buildings are shaped by the same architectural pattern that provides their spatial layout.

Welcome

Introducing ESCDESIGNS

Also check out my website at http://uoregon.edu/~echurch1/