The Hidden Edifice

I am a twenty year old engineering student in London and here you will find an amalgamation of structural engineering, architecture, design & other gems which are dear to me.  

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kew res ~ john wardle architects

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[airows]

[plastolux]

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Esfahan Dreamland Complex Concept

Conceptual design by Farshad Mehdizadeh commissioned by Esfahan Housing Development Organization for 50,000 sqm location.

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Beauty of Exposed Steel and Feats in Architecture & Engineering

Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS) sits firmly on the boundary between architecture and engineering. 

The material requires the highest level of technical knowledge from the architect and the highest level of design acumen from the engineer.

The steel needs to be designed to be structurally sufficient but, given that it is exposed to view, is also a significant part of the architectural display. Design, detailing and finish requirements are typically of a far higher standard than the concealed alternative.

Source

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Tabiat 3-Level Pedestrian Bridge (Tehran, Iran)

The concept of Tabiat Bridge was based fundamentally on inspiration from ancient Iranian architecture in which, bridge was not just a crossing path, linking 2 sides of a river or valley, but It was a place to stay, relax and enjoy beautiful views. The bridge links Ab-o-Atash and Taleghani parks, spans 270m and was opened to the public after four years in October 2014.

The Tabiat Bridge is a very complex structure. the tree-like columns and unsymmetrical curved body of the bridge made the engineering calculations even more complicated for Massimo Maffeis engineering team,  but all in all a massive steel structure held by only 3 columns can take anyone's breath away.

Architecture: Leila Araghian (Diba Tensile Architecture), Iran

Engineering: Massimo Maffeis engineering, Italy

Client:  Nosazi Abbas Abad Co, Iran

Adapted from Link

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Wespi de Meuron - Renovation of a historic home, Scaiano 2014. Photos (C) Hannes Henz. 

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Absolutely brilliant integration between the old and the new, it just goes to show that modern progressive conservation and restoration can work wonders.

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Rüf Stasi Partner - Panoramic restaurant, Dornbirn 2013. Photos (C) Zooey Braun. 

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Bamboo Composite: Alternative to Steel Reinforcement?

Bamboo composite material can be produced in any of the familiar shapes and forms in which steel and timber are produced. Like them, the material can be used to build wall structures for houses or any other buildings. More interestingly, it can be used for specific applications that best take advantage of the material’s tensile strength, such as reinforcement systems in concrete or beams for ceilings and roof structures.

http://www.futurecities.ethz.ch/project/bamboo/

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Failed Dream of Industrialised Construction

Ronan Point tower located in East London, a 22 story building that was left partially destroyed by a gas leak explosion on the 18th floor on May 16, 1968. 

Due to increased housing demand after World War II, there was a wave of new residential towers being erected across England. The Larsen-Nielsen prefabrication system enabled exactly this, however this Danish system was originally intended for a maximum of six storeys and not modified when used in Britain. 

Test results showed that the joints of the pre-cast components lacked the sufficient structural continuity and redundancy required. Once one wall panel blew out the above panels were left unsupported and fell, crashing down and causing domino style progressive collapse. 

Hundreds of similar towers were gradually phased out and demolished due to expensive remedial reinforcement costs. 

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The Ex-Majlis Building in Tehran by Heydar Gholi Khan Ghiaï-Chamlou in 1955. The project depends heavily on principles of Islamic geometry and combines them with varied textures, materials, and dimensions. Long, exaggerated lines are used on the exterior façades, echoing the Futurist Manifesto. The brise-soleil recalls traditional Middle Eastern screens that filter light and delineate ornate patterns cast in shadows upon three dimensional surfaces. The dome of the building was inspired by the architect’s family crest. It was one of the first major modernist projects in Tehran and was considered the greatest advance in Iranian architecture at the time. Rather than borrowing from the west, it evolved the traditional forms already found in the vernacular architectural vocabulary of the region.