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MATERIAL STUDY: STEEL BY PHIL HOFFMANN

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS RESEARCH CATALOGUE CONTRIBUTORS

James Donovan, Marshall Drennan, Gregory Hemmelgarn, Phil Hoffmann, Cody Johnson, David Ladewig, Laura Lopez, Katherine Marshall, John Redington, Greg Roffino, Jose Sanchez, Chelsea Serrano-Piche, Leo Spurgin, Jasmine Strickland

STUDIO 703

ARCH 3501 - ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO 4 COLLEGE OF ARCHITECTURE TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY - FALL 2008

STEEL USES TODAY Steel was first used in the creation of long spanning bridges and railroad tracks across the world. It has quickly become one of the most popular structural elements in the construction of tall buildings and skyscapers due to its incredible compressive and tensile strength. Steel consists almost entirely of iron, with just a hint of carbon in its composition. Because of this, steel weighs less than iron, even though they have many of the same compontents. Steel has quickly broken away from its common use of purely structural strength as its beauty has been discovered. Today steel is used throughout the world to not only strengthen structures, but also make them look great. Steel can be bent, curved, and twisted to create amazing architectural components. Steel can be used to span long areas to open up large interior spaces. Steel can be used to create window walls as it can carry much larger loads that most other materials. It seems as we continue to try new things with materials, we will continue to see new ideas used in different ways.

Right: an aerial perspective of Incheon International Airport located 30 minutes away from Seoul, the capital of South Korea.

Right: an interior perspective of Beijing International Airport located in Beijing, China.

INCHEON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Incheon International Airport was one of our top building choices when we were looking into the material study of steel. Incheon is located just outside of Seoul, South Korea and remains the largest and most interactive airport in the country today. The steel lattices that make up the rooving system in the picture below is perhaps the most beautiful part of the building. The strength of the steel allows for windows to flood the entire interior corridor with light. And with the great spanning abilities of steel, the interior space has little problem accepting it. Exposed steel has only recently become a commonly used idea. Modern airport architecture has been a leading building type in popularizing this technique, Incheon Airport uses exposed steel throughout its structure to show how the elements of strength and beauty can work together to create attractive architecture.

Right: The steel awning that travelers pass under is made of gigantic steel columns and beams that hold up the elaborate structure.

Right: The complex steel lattice that creates the long arched corridor remains structurally strong but capable of allowing the sun to inflitrate just about every section of the room.

MUNICH INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Munich International Airport utilizes the same steel structural system as Incheon. The large central membrane consists of a steel lattice that allows natural light to flow in freely without sacrificing structural support. The terminal shown below acts as a tent, since the covering is still exposed to the exterior. Although the area is enclosed, onlookers don’t have the feeling because of the long spans and high columns that make up the roof. Steel is perhaps the only material that could make a structure like this stand without failure.

Right: A great example showing the long distance that the steel spans to create the wide open interior space.

Right: An interior perspective of the column connections at the roof lattice. The load from the arched corridor is carried down the long and slender vertical steel columns.

BEIJING INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT Munich International Airport utilizes the same steel structural system as Incheon. The large central membrane consists of a steel lattice that allows natural light to flow in freely without sacrificing structural support. The terminal shown below acts as a tent, since the covering is still exposed to the exterior. Although the area is enclosed, onlookers don’t have the feeling because of the long spans and high columns that make up the roof. Steel is perhaps the only material that could make a structure like this stand without failure.

Right: Shown is a good example of the scale of the structure, particularly the size of the “Jesus Bolt” that holds the canopy and its pieces together.

Right: A detail of the “Jesus Bolt” from below. As seen, the bolt slices through the peak of the pyramid and holds all four cables in their positions.

STANSTED INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT We chose Stansted International Airport because of the unique canopy design Norman Foster utilized to create a roofing system. The four columns that protrude from the ground carry the load from the dome lattice above it. Attached to the pyramid above this section are cables that span outward toward the corners of the canopy itself. This system gives onlookers the idea that the diagonal beams are supported solely by these cables, which actually act to pull the dome in to prevent failure and keep the roofing structure stable. The Jesus Bolt is the name for the connection atop the pyramid where all four cables are attached. A large single bolt straight down the middle holds the welded cable rods in place. It is nicknamed the “Jesus Bolt” because if this bolt is removed from its position, the entire lattice would fail.

Right: Shown is a good example of the scale of the structure, particularly the size of the “Jesus Bolt” that holds the canopy and its pieces together.

Right: A detail of the “Jesus Bolt” from below. As seen, the bolt slices through the peak of the pyramid and holds all four cables in their positions.

STEEL JOINTS AND CONNECTIONS As with any material, the integrity of the entire structure relies on the connections. If the connections of a structure fail, the building will fall. Therefore, the connections are perhaps the most important part of construction. There are many ways to connect steel beams to one another, and they are some of the most sound ways to build a structural skeleton. The most typical method is welding, which uses direct heat to melt metal pieces into one another. This is a very common connection method used in steel construction everywhere. Another way for steel to be connected is by the use of plates and bolts. Plates must be welded in place to use, but when used in conjunction with bolts, they only add more strength to the connections. With a welded corner supported even more by thick bolts holding it in place, it would take a great amount of stress to bust it apart. This is why most failures in steel buildings come from bending and buckling in the columns and beams themselves. Right: David is looking through a book we checked out for the best picture to convey our idea about the airport.

Right: David is looking through a book we checked out for the best picture to convey our idea about the airport.

Right: A display of all the study models we have worked on thusfar. We started by working with simple triangular truss systems and worked up to a portion of Stansted Airport.

Last is soldering, a common method used to connect smaller pieces together. Though it may not be as strong as welding, it is a very simple, accurate, and clean way to combine many types of metal pieces.

MODELING STUDIES The triangulated truss is perhaps the most typical way steel is structurally spanned in a building with an exposed skeleton. The thinner upper columns each carry half the load placed upon the truss. From there, the loads are carried down the diagonal columns proportionally to the thicker base beam. This is the most effective way to carry loads upon steel down to the ground while minimizing the amount of material used. This is a small study model of the truss system from Shenzhen Airport located in China. It is made of thin aluminum pipes and piano wire, and is put together using hot glue. This is one of the first models we built to study the uses of steel in architecture.

Right: An overall view of our study model of the truss system at Shenzhen Airport. All the parts work together to carry the load gradually down to the ground.

Right: A bottom view perspective of the Shenzhen study model. The museum just acts as a filler to show the basic structure of the building and what is supported.

MODELING STUDIES The triangulated truss is perhaps the most typical way steel is structurally spanned in a building with an exposed skeleton. The thinner upper columns each carry half the load placed upon the truss. From there, the loads are carried down the diagonal columns proportionally to the thicker base beam. This is the most effective way to carry loads upon steel down to the ground while minimizing the amount of material used. This is a small study model of the truss system from Shenzhen Airport located in China. It is made of thin aluminum pipes and piano wire, and is put together using hot glue. This is one of the first models we built to study the uses of steel in architecture.

Right: David is looking through a book we checked out for the best picture to convey our idea about the airport.

Right: A display of all the study models we have worked on thusfar. We started by working with simple triangular truss systems and worked up to a portion of Stansted Airport.

MODELING STUDIES The triangulated truss is perhaps the most typical way steel is structurally spanned in a building with an exposed skeleton. The thinner upper columns each carry half the load placed upon the truss. From there, the loads are carried down the diagonal columns proportionally to the thicker base beam. This is the most effective way to carry loads upon steel down to the ground while minimizing the amount of material used. This is a small study model of the truss system from Shenzhen Airport located in China. It is made of thin aluminum pipes and piano wire, and is put together using hot glue. This is one of the first models we built to study the uses of steel in architecture.

Right: David is looking through a book we checked out for the best picture to convey our idea about the airport.

Right: A display of all the study models we have worked on thusfar. We started by working with simple triangular truss systems and worked up to a portion of Stansted Airport.