12.12.2019
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“Architecture and Construction in Steel” (ed. Alan Blanc, Michael McEvoy and Roger Plank)Architecture and Construction in Steel (ed. Alan Blanc, Michael McEvoy and Roger Plank), SCI/SPON 1993Review by Ian Ritchie, 1994It is puzzling to know why the subject matter in this book ranged so widely as to be unable to cover its stated subject in depth.
Articles (or so they seemed, rather than chapters) on such subjects as built up roofing might have their place in general books on construction, but do not add much to the subject matter in hand. Hard information is spread very thin, given the attempted scope of subject matter, and, at the same time, highly condensed, since it is confined to limited space left over after acres of smudgy black and white photographs. The quality of presentation is astonishingly poor. A lot of the clearer line illustrations and tables appear to be reproduced from the AJ.Dipping at random, my associates and I expected to add to the depth of our knowledge on matters relevant to current design issues in ongoing projects.
We were disappointed. To take a few examples: the pioneering work of Turlough O’Brien and Margaret Law on fire resistance of exposed steelwork is given only a small paragraph in the 11 pages devoted to the chapter on fire protection. The subject of galvanizing and metallic coatings comes under ‘sheet and strip”, but is not discussed very fully here, and given only a brief mention in the chapter on anti-corrosion measures.
The subject of paint systems gets very thin coverage in this chapter. The short chapter on the nature of corrosion gives only a very abbreviated list of electrode potentials of metals. Cast steel is absent from the index (also flame spraying, thread rolling, silicon (as in its effect on galvanising), phosphating, powder metallurgy, precipitation hardening, Charpy, passivation, argon (though inert gas is in), Nitronic (though Nirosta is in),., though they are not all absent from passing mention in the text).For hard, technical information on specific subjects, the book bears interesting comparison with the series of RIBA/British Steel professional studies open learning packages, which are more narrowly focussed. The package on Tension Structures (140 pages, including self-assessment exercises) by John Thornton, for example, is very similar to his and Ian Liddell’s contribution (31 pages in Spon’s book with a remarkably condensed coverage of the subject: text so concentrated as to be almost cryptic, and some important points might be missed by the unititiated).
Tom Schollar’s chapter on connections is typical also of the densely packed text, although in this chapter the photographs are a little more informative than in some of the others. It is as if each contributor was asked to tell all he or she (just one woman author) knew about a complex subject in no more than 3000 words. The resulting style is often intense rather than relaxed.
The presence of chapters on general principles, almost philosophical in nature, sit a little uncomfortably amongst chapters on strictly technical issues. The frequent repetition of much of the content, albeit from the points of view of different contributors, betrays the difficulty of editing such a hefty tome.One is left wondering at whom the book is aimed. It might serve the needs of students, except that it is singularly unlikely to inspire. It is unlikely to be a serious resource for engineers. The dreary textbook format is exceptionally lacking in ability to communicate the potential excitement and enthusiasm that some of its contributors doubtless feel for their work in steel structures (we know – we have worked with a number of them).© Ian Ritchie 1994.
The concrete base includes a garage, retail space, and a lobby for the upper floors. For the architects, the heaviness of the base in contrast with the lightness of the structure above celebrates the inherent qualities of the materials.' On one level it is a balance between the ephemeral and the tangible, on the other it is simply a compositional shortened palette of simple and self-evident materials,' principals Bill Neburka and Carrie Strickland told Dezeen.
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'Our inversion of the type was the analogy of a ship in a bottle.' 'Historically the type is comprised of thick masonry perimeter walls with relatively small apertures,' they added. 'Inherent in the architecture of adapting the type is how mass is portrayed. We wanted to allude to this contrast by how the base is constructed, exaggerating the mass, but constructing it of simple wooden boards.' The transparent upper floors will also allow the activities going on in the offices to be visible to the street. Operable windows are included to reduce cooling costs in the city's mild climate.
The upper floors will be rented to multiple office tenants.Though the project uses engineered timber, it draws on the city's commercial and industrial vernacular built from natural wood.' In collaboration with the client, we wanted to create a commercial workspace building that was a direct extension of the historic timber frame industrial structures that dot the east side of Portland,' Neburka and Strickland said.'
Some of the earliest projects WPA started its practice with were the adaptation of these historic structures, so we enjoyed the opportunity to conceptually adapt the topology,' they said.as the architectural wonder material of the 21st century, with architects praising its sustainability, quality and speed of construction.Examples of other projects built from engineered timber include a and a.Photography is by Joshua Jay Elliot. Ground floor plan – click for larger image First floor plan – click for larger image Section – click for larger image. Dezeen Daily Dezeen WeeklyDezeen Daily is sent every day and contains all the latest stories from Dezeen.Dezeen Weekly is a curated newsletter that is sent every Thursday, containing highlights from Dezeen. Dezeen Weekly subscribers will also receive occasional updates about events, competitions and breaking news.We will only use your email address to send you the newsletters you have requested.
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Dezeen Daily Dezeen WeeklyDezeen Daily is sent every day and contains all the latest stories from Dezeen.Dezeen Weekly is a curated newsletter that is sent every Thursday, containing highlights from Dezeen. Dezeen Weekly subscribers will also receive occasional updates about events, competitions and breaking news.We will only use your email address to send you the newsletters you have requested. We will never give your details to anyone else without your consent. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of every email, or by emailing us at.For more details, please see our.