Description

Themes explored in this book

This book sets out 18 building design primers which explore the following themes:

• Linked structural forms for activity space and support space.
• Support of passive and active systems within facade zones.
• Floor plate structures which suit natural cross ventilation.
• Unity of exterior form and internal space to reduce secondary structure.
• External space between building forms, linked by bridges, in place of enclosed space.

The introductory texts to each project set out a specific theme which has been applied to the project. The themes are all generated around the principles of structures for naturally ventilated activity space, structures for support space which are either integrated into the facade zone or set adjacent to the activity zone, and how they might be made more efficient in order to reduce energy consumption during the construction and operation of buildings.

The designs make use of linked structural forms for activity space and support space as a result of the two spatial types being very different from one another. Activity spaces are designed to be as open as possible; support spaces make use of enclosing walls and floors. The structure supporting services, support spaces for staircases, lifts and services equipment are often separate from the structures used for the main spaces or for the activity spaces in the building.

Structures enable the support of passive and active systems within facade zones for natural ventilation, daylight control and solar control. Support for environmental controls are set within facade zones.

Structures are optimised for floor plate structures which suit natural cross ventilation. Floor plates occupy a width which suits the free passage of air from one side of the building to the other. Their structural design responds to the need to form very different enclosures in response to the environmental zones which are designed to be naturally ventilated, daylit and protected from solar gain. A unity of exterior form and internal space reduces the need for secondary structure. Internal spaces are expressed externally as the same 3D forms in order to reduce the need for secondary support between the outer envelope and the inner space. The external space between building forms is linked by bridges in place of enclosed space. Bridges connect a larger number of smaller blocks as an alternative to a smaller number of large-sized blocks. This approach creates open spaces between blocks. The structural design of this spatial arrangement provides clear open spaces, with service space or support space being outside the activity spaces.

Strategies for building design at an early stage of a project

This primer for building design projects, like its companion volume Modern Environmental Design, sets out design strategies used in example buildings which have been designed by Newtecnic. The designs are theoretical versions, or generalised versions, of projects designed by Newtecnic. Strategies have been used in the early stages of the designs shown in this book: site context, spatial arrangement, internal circulation, structure, environment and typical bays. Each project demonstrates buildings of complex form which can be constructed from commercially available systems. The text for each strategy aims to illustrate themes from associated strategies for the same project; strategies are not ‘siloed’. The general principles of these systems are set out in the Modern Construction Handbook (Birkhäuser, 2019) and Modern Construction Envelopes (Birkhäuser, 2019). These two books show how a technical understanding of systems can contribute to the creation of internal spaces and external forms, together with an environmental design which reduces, as much as possible, the energy consumption of buildings and well as the energy used in their construction. A reduced energy consumption includes an ability to recycle and reuse components and assemblies used in the construction of the building; this approach can result in building forms which look different from their predecessors as a result of the opportunities presented by construction technologies. This design approach does not begin from the point of view of providing technical solutions that enable novel building forms to be realised, but instead uses technologies to create space through structure, environment, external envelopes and internal envelopes of spaces. A key aspect of this design approach is to integrate internal wall finishes with external envelopes; deploying construction technologies used for structural design and for environmental design.

The design strategies shown in this book focus on buildability, the energy consumption of the building when in use, and how well the building fits within the surrounding cityscape or landscape. The project examples illustrate outputs at an early stage of a building design: how the structural strategy might respond to the other strategies of spatial arrangement, internal circulation, internal environment and typical bay design which are specific to the project. Each building design is explored through three options for each of the key aspects of early stage building design. An objective of each strategy is to optimise the materials used in the construction of a building and to optimise the energy required to operate the building when in use.

Design strategies

The structural strategy integrates issues from the other strategies to create an early-stage design which informs the spatial and environmental design. The structural design can partly determine the approach taken to environmental and envelope design. The strategies for each of the projects draw general principles from each aspect of the building design and do not set out the specific conditions of any project; nor does the text elaborate on the specific layouts or construction systems chosen. Instead, general principles and wider issues within each design draw together information of interest to the reader.

Qualifying comments

The information set out in this book is intended to be a source of general information, not to be used for specific application to any project. This book does not necessarily endorse or justify the strategies set out, since techniques and priorities in building design are in a continual state of change and development.

Originally published in: Andrew Watts, Modern Structural Design: A project primer for complex forms, Birkhäuser, 2022.