Arce: 260 Final Midterm
What response did Bill Baker give to the question, "What was the biggest challenge he faced in engineering the world's tallest building?"
"Without question, understanding and taming, and working with the forces of nature."
Provide one symbolic critique mentioned in the MOMA Press Release of Robert Maillart's exhibition
"created bridges which were unique in their phenomenal lightness and slenderness" The MOMA press release highlights how Maillart stripped everything down to what was only structurally sound.
Describe what a three hinged arch is and how it deforms under asymmetric load
***It forms a mechanism, if one hinge moves, the whole things moves.*** attached to two sides and one top, when uneven loads are on it, it will be flat on that side and bend up on the other.
Identify the other heroes of ARCE 260 who intersected with the young Schlaich during his early days as an engineer.
- Myron Goldsmith - Robert Maillart - Pier Luigi Nervi - Frei Otto
List a few structures designed by Bill Baker that we did not cover in our powerpoint.
- Pearl River Tower (China) - Cayan Tower (Dubai) - Raspberry Island (Minnesota)
Provide a few facts including dates, about the early history of Catalan Vaults.
-Ancient Rome had technique similar with a goal to minimize depth of vaults of brick and cement -Ancient Mediterranean technique -Laminated vaulting was commonly used and very similar to Catalan Vaults -Evidence found that Catalan Vaults were used in 15th century
Explain the German Tradition approach to concrete design
-Based on theoretical derivations of formulas, not practice or guess and check vs. building, breaking, then building again
Provide a few examples of other architects and engineers (19th century or contemporary) who were inspired by the Catalan Vault tradition and adopted it to their own stylistic needs.
-Charles McKim (Boston Public Library) -Josep Puig i Cadafalch (Cava factory) -Ricardo Porro, Roberto Gottardi, and Vittorio Garatti (Cuban art schools)
Who were the major Beaux Arts architects that significantly affected Guastavino's career? Why are they so important?
-McKim, Mead and White who designed the Boston Public Library (1895). ***Sidenote: McKim did not believe that Guastavino's vaulting system was both fireproof and strong, so he required that the vaulting be able to hold 500 psf. He had Guastavino light a fire underneath the vaulting and load it with lots of weight to see if it would hold. It did. - Louis Sullivan, critiqued Beaux Art movement, calling it a "disease." - Heins and laFarge, built subway station
Identify the firm of Dyckerhoff and Widdman and speak briefly about their importance
-One of the leading companies for concrete construction in Germany -Built the Centennial Hall in Germany -Built large quantities of buildings with shell constructions -played an important role for the establishment of prestressed concrete and the cantilever method in Germany -the company developed the Zeiss-Dywidag-System
Key features of the Leipzig Market Hall?
-Ribs support the dome -Huge spandrel beams
Identify Hershey ice Arena
-Tedesko's 3rd job -Tedesko begins design on Feb 7, 1936 -On Feb 28,1936 design and analysis complete -Breaks ground on March 11 -Largest monolithic concrete roof in North America -No codes in place because it is first project of its size -His third contract was to build a 7,000 person stadium -Uses a horizontal edge beam
Identify a few key developments in the commercialization of reinforced concrete
1) mesh idea —> chicken like wire embedded in concrete (patented) 2) Hennebique solved connection between reinforced concrete and floor —> built lumber trench and filled with concrete (cement, water, rocks) 3) Marketed as "fire resistant"
Name the appropriate year that Frei Otto began exploring architecture seriously
1948, when he opened a private practice in Berlin.
Define the heroic span to thickness ratio of the masonry shell at Kings College Chapel
3:1.... an extremely long span but thin shell (12 m span; 50-150 mm thickness)
Explain the difference between a catenary and a funicular
A chain subjected to its own weight falls into a naturally occurring shape. The general name is funicular, the specific funicular due to uniform self weight is called catenary.A funicular carries a load (pattern) while a catenary does not Funicular: Takes any weight chain takes due to loads Catenary: Kind of funicular that takes its own weight
Tension vs. Compression
A tension force is one that pulls materials apart. A compression force is one that squeezes material together
Define an outrigger in a tall building
An outrigger is a lateral load resist system where external columns are tied to the central core wall with very stiff outriggers.
Briefly, yet eloquently, describe the story of how the height of the Burj Khalifa changed during the design phase.
Clients repeatedly requested to make building taller. Since the base was over-engineered just in case, SOM was able to add more stories to the original design by adding fins around the perimeter to create surface turbulence and reduce the lateral forces of the building.
Describe what structural material was used for Centennial Hall.
Reinforced concrete
Identify during what century do we see the beginning of "engineering" of cathedrals
Renaissance 11th-12th century
Write about the social impact that the tower had on early 20th century artists
Robert DiLone painted the tower in a "fractured" way which you could say started the cubist movement.
Correctly identify the Salginatobel Bridge and its designer
Robert Maillart's crowning achievement showing the improvements from Zouz to Tavanasa. Made minimal clean design, calculated all possible catenaries.
Describe the framed-tube system, point out significant architectural problem with this system as it relates to the columns on the facade.
Framed Tube System: Columns closely spaced throughout perimeter of the building, rather than spaced throughout the floor plan, and stiff spandrel beams connect these perimeter columns at every floor. Significant Architectural Problem: Tube does not bend as a traditional cantilever beam would, there is a magnification effect known as sheer lag.
Identify the structural system of the Original World Trade Center Towers.
Framed tube system.
Link Freysinnet to Corbusier
Freysinnet built airplane hangars in Orly and the largest spanning arches, designed floating scaffolding, developed prestressing techniques. Corbusier celebrated Freysinnet's work in his book "Architecture or Revolution" —> Le Corbuiser compared the Hangars at Orly to the nave at Notre Dame
Describe the difference and similarities between gridshell and cable net.
Gridshell: Self-supporting Cable Net: Not self-supporting Both get their strength from double curvature and can be easily assembled by screwing nuts and bolts with wrench where points intersect.
Why is Sigfried Giedion important in this class?
He is an art historian looking at the advanced (made by Mailart) and he realized there is a sculptural beauty to concrete shapes that are not simple.
How did the Chicago fire and the Boston fire of the mid 19th century affect Guastavino's career?
He marketed his flooring system as fireproof which appealed to the public and accelerated his career
Identify the Hershey Ice Arena and the Philadelphia Skating club. Provide a few dimensions of importance in each of these.
Hershey Ice Arena: Designed by Tedesko in 1936. Largest monolithic concrete roof structure in North America. 3 1/2 inches thick and stiffened at 39 foot intervals by massive two-hinged arch ribs. Roof crown is 100 ft above floor and shell was constructed as 5 separate units. Philadelphia Skating Club: Designed by Tedesko. 70 years-old. Still used today. Built immediately after Hershey Ice Arena. Edge beams that pick up thrust are vertical. Roof spans 116.3 ft and thinnest part is 2 5/8 inches thick.
Identify the Hiroshima Children's Library and its designers and its year of construction.
Hiroshima Children's Library: Thin shell reinforced concrete structure. -Designers: Tange and Tsuboi - Year of Construction: 1951
Briefly explain why a masonry vault must be in compression, not bending
If in tension, crack and kill ppl
Explain how dead weight in masonry elements of windows improves their stability and why the term "defy gravity" is completely misleading
Improves stability by making it so heavy that it can't fall over. Structural engineers are using gravity to control how it will flow through a building which is an art, there is no "defying gravity"
Explain how Roman era concrete differs from structural concrete today
Roman era concrete was never reinforced (Portland cement hadn't been discovered) whereas nowadays concrete is always reinforced with bars.
Identify the Sears (Willis) Tower, name its location, and name its chief structural designer, and name its structural system in two words.
Sears (Willis) Tower: 110-story building Location: Chicago, Illinois Chief Structural Designer: Fazlur Khan Structural System: Bundled Tube System
Explain how Cadafalch promoted a political, regional identity using Catalan vaults.
Since Catalan vaults are unique to the Catalan region, he built buildings using that specific technique to show regional pride within Spain
Explain why the upper dome is separate from the lower structural system.
Slope at the top of the arches do not match the slope of the bottom grid/dome.
Identify the National Futball Stadium in Warsaw, and describe what outer elements are in tension, and describe what outer elements are in tension, and what elements are in compression
Soccer stadium designed by Jorge Schlaich and completed in 2011. Poles on outside are in tension while poles on inside are in compression.
Identify St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo and name its two principal designers.
St. Mary's Cathedral in Tokyo: Hyperbolic paraboloid shell - Principal Designers: Tange and Tsuboi
Describe the overall geometry of Centennial Hall, including approximate spans.
Symmetrical quatrefoil w/ circular central space into which open four semicircular apses forming four lobes. The upper inner dome has a diameter of 213 feet while the lower rectangle has a span of 134 feet.
Describe the link between Tange's early work and Corbusier's, include mention of the pilotis
Tange's early work, especially the main Exhibition Hall at the Peace Park in Hiroshima, was influenced by Corbusier's work. Specifically, Tange borrowed the use of thin pilotis to give the illusion that the building was floating in mid-air.
Briefly, yet eloquently, describe the solar chimney from a technical point of view, and then from a social point of view.
Technical: Chimney surrounded by glass w/ water underneath. The idea is that sun beats down on the glass, causing the water to evaporate, and move towards the chimney. As the vapor travels up the chimney, it powers the turbines which conduct electricity. Socially: Chimneys will provide enough energy for everyone in the world and eliminate poverty because all sources of poverty come from lack of energy.
Compare from a technical point of view, a suspension bridge and a stiffened arch bridge, highlighting the tremendous similarities between these two
Technically they are pretty much the same thing. One is compression and one is tension Suspension bridge = tension Stiffened arch bridge = compression https://sites.google.com/site/allaboutthatbridge/comparing-and-contrasting-bridges
Show direction of tensile and compressive flow in the gymnasium of Shizuoka, based on the crack pattern of the experimental model.
Tensile and compressive flow were perpendicular to each other and therefore caused the building to bend.
Briefly, yet eloquently, describe the load flow in the Yoyogi II Gymnasium.
Tension in the steel to hold the roof. Compression in the underground elements anchoring the backstays.
How are the Cuban art schools directly linked to Gaudi?
The mason Gumersindo knew how to use Catalan vaulting because his father had worked with Gaudi.
Approximately describe the number of floors above which a braced tube is no longer practical.
The number of floors above which a braced is no longer practical is approximately 25 floors. The number of floors above which a bundled tube is no longer practical is about 95 floors.
Explain the physics behind the natural inclination of people to whisper in cathedrals
The shape of the arch allows vibrations to follow the stress lines throughout the building, so people at the end of the cathedral can hear whispering
Define a barrel shell
a series of very thin arches that share their compressive strengths with one another. This relationship of compressive forces allow for the barrel shell to support very large amounts of weight as long as the weight is distributed proportionally
Identify two reasons why we have more knowledge of the design of medieval cathedrals, than we do about ancient Roman structures
a.Medieval cathedrals survived till today, so we have the physical buildings themselves to study b.Substantial work drawings survived (some building contracts)
Provide two benefits of the pointed arch
a.They can be taller for a given width b.Less horizontal force
Define the term spandrel beam
exterior beam extending from column to column
Explain how bending causes tension, which causes cracks
like a giraffe on ice —> two pulling forces that stretch an object
Briefly argue for or against the importance of the unique material properties of masonry in the construction of medieval cathedrals
no new materials or structural devices, new ways and combinations were being created and used with better techniques.
Explain why gravity loads of a nave create horizontal thrust on the aisles of a church structure
the nave is so large and is concave down, putting the weight on the sides of the aisles.
Briefly explain what prestressed concrete is
Placed under compression prior to supporting any loads beyond its own dead weight to counteract creep and relaxation
Identify the Leipzig Market Hall and point out a unique precedent
Polygons, with slender ribs, stiffening pie- shaped sections
Identify the structural system of the Burj Khalifa.
Buttressed core system.
How does the Bauhaus School still have an effect at Cal Poly today?
Cal Poly is a spirit of the Bauhaus School which emphasized art/creativity and technicallity. Just how Cal Poly provides a mix of creative/technical teaching.
Briefly, yet eloquently, describe Frei Otto's passion for leaving a small ecological footprint.
Came from when he was a pilot in WWII and had to drop bombs on cities, creating a large ecological footprint from all of the damage. After the war, he was determined to make structures that were the opposite of the Romanesque Nazi buildings and create light and organic-shaped structures that were economic and easy to build.
Identify the two designers of the St Louis Airport terminal building and explain why the ribs are so large
Anton Tedesko (consulted) & Minoru Yamasaki Ribs are large to stop the structure from buckling, at the time Tedesko was not confident it wouldn't so he made the ribs way too large.
Describe what a masonry vault is
Arched ceiling of stone or concrete structure
Define a cantilever, and state whether a tall building is or is not a cantilever
Cantilevers are clamped at one end and free at the other, a tall building is essentially a vertical cantilever
Explain whether or not the walls between buttresses carry horizontal loads
Carries vertical and its own loads, but none horizontally because wind is primarily channeled through the buttresses.
Explain the origins of Catalan vaulting, and whether or not they originated with Guastavino.
Catalan Vaulting possibly started with the Romans in 1382. It has definitely been used since the middle ages. Guastavino was the man who brought them to Murica and perfected them in the USA Motherland. Catalan vaulting was an ancient tradition. Guastavino brought the concept to the U.S. where he had great success and improved the concept.
Thrust
Back and forth The lateral force exerted by an arch, dome, or vault, which must be counteracted by some form of buttressing
Describe a hollow box girder
Beams of bridge are hollow and outsides are concrete. (Move material away from the center—> less concrete is in tension which makes less cracks in bridges happen)
Identify the Brunswick Building and point out its spandrel beam.
Brunswick Building: Building developed by Fazulr Khan in 1965. Spandrel Beam: Surround outer concrete frame.
Identify the most dangerous mode of failure of a cooling tower
Buckling.
Briefly define "vortex shedding."
Building is shaped in a way that "confuses the wind" and makes it swirl around the building which reduces turbulence.
Briefly describe the Pantadome Structural system.
Building the roof on the ground and pre-installing the electrical and lighting lines. The dome is then lifted up by means of centrally placed hyrdraulic jacks. When the dome is in its final shape, hoop members are re-inserted and the jacks are removed.
Discuss contributions by Vladimir Shuhkov
Created the Shuhkov towers (communication towers), which entered the world monument list. Also created world's first hyperbolic domes.
Explain the "two up two down" form of a tensile fabric roof
Double curvature form that gives the structure stiffness by having points that intersect multiple planes.
What is the construction firm that was responsible for erecting a number of these 1930s era shells
Dyckerhoff and Widdman
Describe why the foundation of the Burj Khalifa is relatively simple.
Each of the three "noses" brace for the other two when the wind is coming from a certain direction, putting one "nose" in compression and the other two in tension. It also maximizes the amount of free space in the building and is relatively light.
Describe a "trussed tube" system, also known as a diagonally braced tube, including whether or not the diagonals assist with carrying gravity load.
Exterior walls are tied together by adding diagonals in the exterior wall planes. These diagonals assist with carrying gravity load.
Identify Zeiss Planetarium and point out a unique precedent
First shotcrete structure (thinshell structure) Shotcrete: blowing thin concrete through a hose
Briefly explain why iron is used at the tops of columns in medieval cathedrals
Iron causes sheer weight to keep the vertical load pointed downwards
Summarize how Saarinen incorrectly proportioned the St Louis Arch
It is inappropriate to have a structure so big because it requires such a deep foundation which took too many tax dollars and became a haven for crime.
Identify the John Hancock, name its location and name its chief structural designer, and name its structural system in two words.
John Hancock: 100 story building Location: Chicago, Illinois Chief Structural Designer: Fazlur Khan Structural System: Trussed Tube System
Identify the Main Train Station in Berlin and explain why the trusses peek out above the roof at certain points.
Largest train station in Europe designed by Jorge Schliach. Trusses peek out above the roof at certain points to prevent bending
Does a shallow dome have larger or smaller thrusts at it its base compared to a more hemispherical dome?
Less shallow domes require less thrust because it turns into a vector
Define a longitudinal edge beam and describe how it bends between columns supporting a barrel shell. Take into account the shape of the barrel shell.
Longitudinal Edge Beam: Heavy horizontal beam - Bends between columns so that it can transfer loads from the roof to the columns.
Define what the word monolithic means when it comes to concrete construction
Monolithic —> continuous / same material (from floor to beam) Concrete that has been cast continuously with no joints other than construction joints
Describe a bundled tube system.
Multiple squares are place in a 3x3 grid arrangement and each square has a certain amount of columns on each side. As the columns rise up the building, each square in the plan forms a tube, which can be seen from the exterior of the building. Each tube is independently strong, but are further strengthened by the interactions between each other through truss connections.
Name a few of Bill Baker's mentors at SOM, including our main man and our main man.
Myron Goldsmith and Fazlur Khan.
Identify the Osaka 1970 Expo structure, and state what technique was used to create the spherical connecting nodes.
Osaka 1970 Expo Structure: Huge transparent roof - Technique: Spherical connecting nodes to create cast steel spheres that accepted each member with a mechanical fastener and allowed for slight adjustments in the field.
Write eloquently about the symbolic importance of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel tower became a symbolic structure far beyond what it was intended to. The space promotes love and peace and is a landmark for Paris. It's what people know of Paris what people know the Statue of Liberty is to America. It represents a new age architecturally and culturally.
Write eloquently about the design improvements that occurred between the Zuoz Bridge and the Tavanasa Bridge
Zuoz bridge was a box girder which helped with minimizing tensile stresses, however it began cracking at the top because there was tension. Removed parts of bridge that were in tension when he engineered the Tavansa bridge (sides <l ). Three pointed hinge --> It forms a mechanism
Describe the load flow in the Broadgate Exchange House by SOM (Bill Baker)
There are ties (in tension) at the base of the steel arch to resist the horizontal thrust. Prestressed cables into deep foundations
Describe the load flow in the Cement Hall by Maillart and how the thrust is contained
This was originally a temp structure but became a permanent one. Maillart added a single "tie" to hold the two ends of the arch together and counteract the horizontal force. It is a catenary shape.
Identify this structure, explain why it is a landmark of design, and by the same token how the lateral thrust of the dome is carried.
Torroja's Algeciras Market Hall -horizontal thrust is taken by polygonal tension ties -ties are prestressed -first example of thin shell roof with prestressed concrete
Carefully explain how the profile of the Eiffel Tower was determined, this must include a technical account of the wind variations or lack of variations along the height of the Tower
Towers structure shows the points of greater wind load. With increasing height, the wind load increases and the area decreases. So the wind ends up affecting the structure the same way at all points of the structure.
Identify a diagrid structural system.
Tube structure with braces on the outside, but the walls are not solely vertical. They undulate, creating a faceted surface. - Ex. Norman Fosters' World Trade Center proposal
Identify the Yoyogi Gymnasium and name its chief engineering designer.
Yoyogi Gymnasium: Long span thin shell structure - Chief Engineering Designer: Kawaguchi
Briefly explain how did labor issues affect the design and construction of the Hooghly Bridge in Calcutta.
Used labor from unskilled workers that lived in Calcutta, this caused the construction to take 20 years.
Define the German tradition for thin shell concrete roof design
Using simple shapes (barrel or sphere) to be mathmatically created and if it could not be mathmatically analyzed, it was not done.
How is it that Catalan vaults require no scaffolding? What is the "secret"?
Using very lightweight tiles and quick setting mortar (drying time about 1 minute) to temporarily hold tiles till they are fully locked into place by completing stable sections. Tiles are built up by the sides as a single layer then new tiles are stuck in place along the edges of the tiles already in position.
Name the time period and city where Jorge Schlaich studied engineering
Weimar Republic in Berlin, Germany.
Compare the St Louis Arch to the Eiffel Tower
While the tower symbolizes love and social contact and a new era for Paris, not many people can fit inside the St Louis Arch and it almost looks like the Washington monument. It does not represent a new age for America or even St Louis itself.
