Title: Awakening the Architectural Sensibilities :"Gravity the Ever-­‐Present Nemesis" Razia Latif, Zara Amjad, Haseeb Amjad, Gulzar Haider Abstract: "Architects spend an entire life with this unreasonable idea that you can fight against gravity." Renzo Piano In the early years of architectural education students have to be awakened to the realization of the unavoidable and fundamental presence of gravity. Gravity is so pervasive and unobstructed that it is often ignored. The presence of mass converted as force oriented to “center” of Earth makes gravity manifest. The strategic combination of tension and compression allows matter to be lifted to allow spanning over space. Gravity as a Nemesis: Gravity exists as a force causing matter to move towards the center of the earth. Gravity as a Virtue: Gravity enables man to move comfortably on a horizontal surface and allows structures to be stable in one position. Architects deal with Gravity as an ever-­‐present force challenging them to cultivate new possibilities. It possess certain restrictions on the morphology of human bodies. Our bodies would have been very different if gravity had not existed. When man rests or is at sleep the body is horizontal. The mass of the human body is acting along the gravitational field. But in order to stand and to walk on the horizontal surface the body has to take a combination of tension and compression forces. This is similar to how mass when along the horizontal of the earth's surface is at rest. This same mass when lifted has forces of stress passing through it. It is necessary to understand the gravitational quality of matter and to strategically control its effect. Enclosure is important for inhabitation. Space is enclosed by mass. There is a constant battle between mass and space. Mass has to be lifted to allow space to inhabit. The Hagia Sophia takes its form by allowing space to inhabit itself when mass is lifted and light inhabits the space. Different forms in architecture have historically evolved as a direct result of gravity, this includes the dome and the arch and the Gothic cathedral just to name a few. Students and architects living in environments where technology is limited can benefit from basic understanding of gravity and broaden the possibilities of design. This paper focuses on a studio project conducted in the first year of the B Arch program at the Beaconhouse National University, Lahore, Pakistan. Each student was assigned a given number of wooden sticks to strategize and construct a span expressing their manner of resisting gravity. There were certain additional materials that the students could use including rope and small screw able bolts. The project enabled the students to gain an understanding of how to strategically manipulate forces. The criticism and evaluation was based on the formal ingenuity, clarity of the gravity resisting strategy and tectonics. Education of architects in Pakistan continues to be a 5 year program with less formal internships in the summer. Grade 12 or equivalent Cambridge A level is minimum requirement to enter. The curriculum is shaped by a national committee comprising Pakistan Council of Architects and Town Planners (PCATP), heads of accredited architecture programs in the country, and representatives of Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan. Soon after the graduation with a Bachelor of Architecture from an accredited program the graduate becomes eligible for PCATP license as a Registered Architect. Considering the world-­‐wide trends for two staged six year( 4+2 or 3+3) programs with M.Arch being first professional degree, setting up the architecture program at Beaconhouse National University (BNU)has been a fixed time optimization exercise aimed at educating a professional architect within only 5 years. After about four years of experimentation with different approaches and pedagogies we have arrived at an educationally conceptual boiler plate studio curriculum divided into three modules: Beginning Years ( 4 semesters) Middle Years ( 4 semesters) and Final Year ( 2 semesters). Each module has corresponding breakdown into educational aspirations and conceptual sensibilities that get converted into programmatic and pedagogical handouts for studio projects. A semester comprises usually two projects but often these are offered as unfolding design challenges of shorter but successively advancing smaller projects. The design curricular structure for first two years is defined below. Architectural Design Sensibilities inculcated through Studio Pedagogy in the Beginning two Years: Architectural Design Sensibilities I: Gravity, Space, Light, and Time are introduced as generative notions basic to the journey from pure imagination, to constructive conceptualization and ultimately sensory manifestation of “architecture” as two-­‐dimensional (drawings) and three dimensional (models and constructions) propositions. These introductions precede the physical materiality of architecture as Strategically shaped, constructed and assembled matter brought together in real gravity, space, time and light. ( Semester 1) Architectural Design Sensibilities II: An idea, a fiction, a narrative, a personage are introduced as inhabitant-­‐generators of “architecture”. These introductions precede the normative functional patterns that architecture is identified with like a generic house, a library or a prison. ( Semester 2) Architectural Design Sensibilities III: Form finding through strategic aggregation of spatial cells or spatial connectivities through subdivision of a priori form/space are introduced as two opposite but mutually supportive morphological generators of “architecture”. These introductions precede normative plan and section planning of buildings. ( Semester 3) Architectural Design Sensibilities IV :Transformative approaches in the overall form and space in response to the challenges of site contingencies and environmental forces are introduced. These introductions precede technical design development. (Semester 4) This paper attempts to illustrate that while Gravity, is introduced early as one of the key generators of form 1
both in nature , and in architecture, for the later it remains a prime generator at both the macro through overall load-­‐transfer strategies, as well as at micro level details and joints, through intelligent tectonics. Without gravity neither Pyramids with their “self-­‐satisfied” mass , nor Gothic cathedrals with structurally expressive flying Figure 1 Brooklyn Bridge, USA 1
Nature defined in broadest sense from macro to micro scales in both non-­‐organic and organic domains. buttresses, nor the Brooklyn Bridge with its pylons, its cables and its decks would be possible. When students are admitted to the first semester of the Bachelors of Architecture program their notions of architecture are primarily based on “famous buildings” like Taj Mahal, Eiffel Tower or Balboa Guggenheim OR on “functional building types” like castles, mosques, hospitals. Some students, especially from rural backgrounds, consider architecture to be any building built with modern materials or those of unusual dimensions like highrises or large span halls. These novice seekers of architecture have been exposed to a confusing variety of architectural imagery. With equally scattered exposure to historical continuities, political motivations, technological advancements, and socio-­‐
economic constraints these students are wishful about architectural possibilities. They tend to think that anything that can be imagined can be turned into reality. While drafting and modeling softwares have greatly enhanced the visualization, communication and specification of architectural projects in practice their impact on education of architects is not as clear. These softwares make possible the modeling of complex designs but do not simultaneously keep the student in any intellectual feedback loop about the physical feasibility much less quality of the load transfer concepts underlying the form that is otherwise visually adequate and even aesthetically pleasing. The virtual space in which the visual computer model exists is not physical. The space of the computer software is very much like a void: non-­‐existent in reality. This gravity-­‐independent space of modeling softwares allows architectural forms to appear on the screen that are oblivious to the Newtonian audit of forces exerted on one another by building components with non-­‐zero mass coming together in a ubiquitous gravitational field. 2
Gravity as a Nemesis and as a Virtue: In terrestrial domain Gravity exists as an ever-­‐present, stable and uniform force causing matter to “fall” towards the center of the Earth. The analog image of quiet winter rain drizzle in the absence of any wind is quite accurate to imagine the presence of gravity. It becomes understandable that humans evolved to be homus-­‐erectii preferring to walk most comfortably on horizontal planes and resting the body ultimately by lying down on horizontal beds. Gravity can be thought of as a nemesis for the kind of Architecture that wants to exist in absolute freedom. It is the nature of matter that it is attracted to the pull of the force of gravity. This pull is directly proportional to the mass; the more the mass the more this force will act on the mass. Buildings with a large 2
Nemesis: The goddess of vengeance used in Greek mythology. mass tend to collapse easily especially in situations when the earth is not stable like in earthquakes. Many historical structures have collapsed under their own weight or in earthquakes. According to historical accounts Hagia Sophia had several renovations. The roof collapsed and major rebuilding had to be done. Structures fall as a result of the forces from their own weight. Now with the use of reinforced concrete and steel many structures which were traditionally unbuildable can be constructed with much ease. One approach to this effect of gravity on structures is that we over structure the designs. When looking at the Stonehenge one can't ignore the massiveness of the stone monoliths spanning short distances this massiveness of stone can be seen as “over structuring”. Today we would easily think of the strategies of placing even smaller stone pieces of compatible shapes to become and arch-­‐in-­‐plane or a dome in space acting to span the distance between two supports or cover the space as a dome above a circular arrangement of supports. Gravity can thus be seen as a Virtue in that from historical origins till today this nemesis has also played its “virtuous” role as the most fundamental generative energy towards the imagination, experimentation and refinements of architectural forms spanning over the human life providing what we have come to know and accept as “shelter for individual life and societal happenings” which is the least we demand from architecture. From a humble hut to the Baths of Caracala we can notice the nemesis acting as a virtuous challenge for humans to be ever-­‐
inventive in strategically and aesthetically holding the matter above us with minimum risk falling on us or in our ways. The gravitational force that makes matter fall down, when carefully understood and put to use through bifurcations and internal equilibriums, leads to the set of accumulated inertial forces all the way to the foundations and ultimately to the crust of the Earth. This manifestation of gravity through strategized pathways is in fact the very secret of nemesis being metamorphosed into a virtue as manifest architectural form. The analog of raindrops accumulating as streamlets, bifurcating and re accumulating as their flows become increasingly manifest into rivers and ultimately through delta disappearing into the ocean is accurate if one imagines the flow of gravitational forces in Antonio Gaudi’s architecture especially the cathedral of Sagrada Familia. The Gothic Cathedral as an architectural phenomena, in earlier times (span of historical), represent man's desire to reach very tall heights with an understanding of the compressive qualities of stone and discovery of the outward thrust with ways of making that thrust channeled through stone buttresses and maintaining the continuity of forces through demanding accuracy and craft from one stone to the next. The very same gravity which causes a flat slab of stone to collapse asserts force on the gothic cathedral. The gothic cathedral instead of collapsing retains its form. This very concept of using gravity as a virtue rather than as nemesis is an important concept to learn in the beginning years of Architectural education. Figure 2 Pyramids of Giza, Egypt Figure 3 Section showing the internal structure of a pyramid Figure 4 Charters Cathedral, 1194-­‐1260, France Figure 5 Colonia Guell by Antonio Gaudi, 1898 , 1908 to 1915, Barcelona, Spain As hinted earlier the beginning architecture student of today comes with an unprecedented mental saturation of architectural images and is under the impression of having “known” it by simply recalling names and vital statistics. From ever new skyscrapers to most unusual forms the young persons can talk about their “merits” in a manner not too different from the way they talk about the latest personalities and events in the entertainment industry. With such being the initiating milieu it becomes very important to awaken the student’s sensibilities and help them move from the predominantly image-­‐based view of architecture with almost no understanding of gravity to the experiential learning about the role of architecture in the gravitational alchemy from being a nemesis to becoming a virtue. One wishes that the student would work with real materials and actual scale and bring them together, learning about the perils and promises of gravity, and achieving inspired and real architecture. But such is utopic turn around to spending a life-­‐time at a Gothic cathedral site or becoming an apprentice with Gaudi. When small scale models are built with surrogate materials which have to be lightweight, easy to cut and craft, the best these models can do is to represent form and give us a sense of space and light. Trying to teach mathematics and physics of similitude is not an option other than at the most basic level. Ideally one wishes to have fairly advanced laboratories attached to architecture studios to set up scientifically accurate simulations and occasional larger scale construction exercises for the students. Unfortunately such sense of need has 3
not evolved at architecture schools in Pakistan . Gravity, beyond its role as a nemesis and a virtue in achieving the overall form, is also intimately involved with the physics of construction which leads to the recognition of joint and joinery, including the foundational boundary conditions, as front line players in dealing with gravity and its secondary effects like actions and reactions as well as degrees of freedom. The discovery of the structurally and constructionally correct articulation of joinery is an important lesson that can be integrated with the understanding of gravity. Kenneth Frampton in his seminal work Studies in Tectonic Culture asserts, “The art of assemblage and the craft of constructing is described as 4
Tectonic” . 3
Where there are engineering laboratories like at UET, Lahore, the collaborations among the engineering and architecture programs has not produced role-­‐model results. 4
Tectonic becomes the art of joining. "Art" here is to be understood as encompassing tekne, and therefore indicates tectonic as assemblage not only of building parts but also of objects, indeed of artworks in a narrower sense. With regard to the ancient understanding of the word, tectonic tends towards the construction of making of an artisanal or artistic product....It depends much more upon the correct or incorrect applications of the artisanal rules, or the degree to which its usefulness has been achieved. Only to this extent does tectonic also involve judgment over art production. Here, however, lies the point of departure for the expanded clarification and application of the idea in more recent art history; as soon as an aesthetic perspective-­‐ and not a goal of utility-­‐ is defined that specifies the work and production of the The joint is where the forces are transferred. The proper articulation of joinery enables a smooth transference of forces. In many cases the failure in structures starts from the joint. Poorly executed joints can lead to structures failing. An understanding of the Tectonic as art of joining or of assemblage assures that proper connections are made between the different parts of the structure. The aesthetic agenda implied in the definition of Tectonic necessitates it appropriate place in architectural education. The aesthetic of a joint rooted in understanding of Tectonic, as opposed to isolated preferences of style or visual codings of historic kind, is directly linked to the clarity of thought and the elegance of how different parts of the structure come together in service of the higher purpose of total architecture. The First Year studio project on Gravity presented here is aimed at devising, through iterative construction, an architectural span with a challenge directly related to the effect of gravity on the structure. This span is not to be treated as a scaled down version of some larger “full scale real” architectural span . The span with all its joinery is to be what is i.e. 1:1 scale. The supports are limited to two edge lines which are 6 feet apart. All the final reactions have to go through these two edge lines to meet the ground through pre-­‐constructed box pedestals. A fixed total number of wooden members with prescribed length as well as cross section is given. The wooden section is neither long enough nor does it have enough cross sectional properties to span the entire 6 feet. The student is challenged to iteratively attempt various arrangements of given members, attempt making longer or varied cross-­‐section members by intelligent engineering principles of force transfers and tectonics, to convert the confrontational stance of Gravity (nemesis) into an opportunity to achieve design quality through strategic management of Gravity ( virtue). The smaller members have to be connected and arranged with complex joinery to span the whole length. The student is allowed string as one material additional to the prescribed wooden pieces. tekton, then the analysis consigns the term "tectonic" to an aesthetic judgement. Frampton, K., & Cava, J. (1995). Studies in tectonic culture: the poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press, p. 4. Figure 6 Top view, wooden span constructions Figure 7 Students working in the Architecture School courtyard The Joint and Gravity: When making a joint some factors were considered such as the flexibility and inflexibility of movement between different members, the transference of the forces across the lateral axis, interlocking of different parts and the strength of the joint. A technique that students discovered was to slice halfway into both sections of wood and push each section into one another so that both members lay at the same plane allowing a thinner lateral member to pass through the two to lock them in place. These joints were fixed in the same plane making simpler for the force to travel within the plane without causing additional stress across the plane. Another technique was the use of two wooden members placed parallel to each other allowing a perpendicular member to pass through these two members. These two members clip on to the third member fixing it into position and preventing any deflection. The students tightly crafted the joints such that the members simply fix into each other. Most students constructed the joints with wood only which were much more successful both in performance and expression. Figure 8 Wooden joints Figure 9 Drawings: wooden joints The attention to the joint can be seen in Architect Shigeru Ban's work. Some of Ban's work he uses material that is modular and not plastic like concrete here the joint becomes an important part of the structure of the architecture. He manages to build complex forms with minimal materials by incorporating the joint as an important consideration in the design. The joints themselves are very simple and purely functional but the outcomes in terms of the architecture are complex. Many of Ban's work has been part of temporary shelter for victims of natural disaster and refugees. The modular and easy-­‐to-­‐assemble aspect of his standard materials such as paper tubes and corrugations allow the fast assemblage and inexpensive usage of his architectural projects. In the Tamedia new office building in Zurich, Switzerland Ban uses interlocking wooden beams without glue or metal joints. We see a similar application of wooden joinery by our students on a smaller scale. The students also use interlocking wooden beams and columns without using glue or metal joints. Figure 10 Student Drawing (left), Photograph Tamedia new office building in Zurich, Switzerland (middle), Photograph Japan pavilion, Expo 2000, Hannover, Germany (right) Form (Morphology)and Gravity: When constructing the span in its totality the students considered linkages between the different parts of the construction. The two end points of the bridge structure that meet the ground were strengthened as the weight of the structures passes through these points. The use of string as a tension member made complex load transfers possible as the tensile strength of string is unmatched by wood. The following two student projects have selected as they represent two distinctly different journeys through the search for a “span against gravity” while keeping in mind aim of converting “nemesis to virtue” and also rising up to a befitting understanding of Tectonics. Project A: Wajahat Shafeeq In this project the student uses the main base as a long wooden member with the deeper side facing gravity. The project uses weight to counter forces. Weight is used in the center and at the two corners of the wooden span. Fish wire is used as cable, expressing the tension members. As the fish wire cables pull, the wooden members remain stable. The two diagonals cross at either ends and are reinforced by vertical members cut precisely and inserted in the grooves. The cable passes through the diagonal members. The vertical members also establish the link between the base and the construction. The entire weight of the construction passes through these four points to come down to the ground. Cables weave through the structure beginning from one end and ending at the other, while passing through the center. And very much like a weave the cable goes from above the wooden members to below in the center and again above at the edges. Figure 11 Plan, elevations, isometric Wajahat Shafeeq wooden construction Project B: Twaha Syed The structure is constructed with its two parts leaning towards each other. The two parts are constructed symmetrically, making either side weight the same as the other. The cases the structure to become stable. As the two symmetrical parts are leaning towards each other they counter each other's weight allowing the structure to remain stable regardless of the self weight of the wooden members. The connections between the different wooden members are established by using triangular geometry. Figure 12 Plan, elevations, isometric Twaha Syed wooden construction. References: Frampton, K., & Cava, J. (1995). Studies in tectonic culture: the poetics of construction in nineteenth and twentieth century architecture. Cambridge, Mass, MIT Press. Torroja Miret, E. (1967). Philosophy of structures. Berkeley, University of California Press. Mainstone Rowland. (2001). Developments in Structural Form. 2 Edition. Routledge.