Refer to the Opening Page-a structural smorgasbord
Below are outlined over 50 possible topics for a paper that forms the second assignment in this
course.
The topics are only suggestions- students are encouraged to develop their own ideas for their paper,
but are encouraged to take the given suggestions as a starting point.
Papers should give clear evidence that students have consulted sources as direct as possible- such as
observing phenomena first hand, or reading a book, or a report, or an article.
It is strongly suggested that students will consult the JSTOR on-line archive of academic articles, in
addition to the hard copy available in the McGill Libraries and also in addition to books that are more
and more available on-line. All references should be clearly listed in the paper.
Do NOT cut-and-paste without attribution!
The paper can be handed in as a file deposited in a Drop box account which will have to be set up for
that purpose. This will allow inclusion of quality illustrations without incurring the cost of printing. The
text should run between 2000 and 3000 words. (without the references)
Marks will be given for depth of insight into the structural behaviour of the chosen structures, and for
the clarity of conveying the basic concepts. Some papers may delve into the materials used into a
particular structure. Every paper should focus on (or at least discuss) a minimum of two, but preferably
three or more different examples. Clear illustrations are not always easy to find, but for your paper it is
worth searching for them, or preparing them yourself by drawing or by photographing one or more
models.
The deadline for submitting the paper is a week after the last day of this fall term
Basic On-line sources:
Modern Concrete History
La Tour de Perret http://sauvonslatourperret.blogspot.fr/
Suggested Topics
1.Berlage’s Bourse (ext)/ Museum of Natural History by Gibbs and Canning, London
file:///C:/abc-structures-2005/Lectures-2005/lecture-9/set-1.html
The introduction of iron trusses and glass to allow light to penetrate into traditional masonry structures
2.Brinkman and van der Vlught Van Nelle Factory; Heerlen Glass Palace by Peutz
Glass and concrete used as an expression of a new post WW1 ‘modern’ mood.
3 ‘The Amsterdam School” http://www.amsterdam.info/architecture/amsterdam-school/
Lyricism in brick
4. Pier Luigi Nervi Place Victoria Montréal, Palazetto dello Sport Rome, compare to Union Dome
5. Felix Candela
https://www.google.ca/search?q=Felix+Candela&biw=1457&bih=608&noj=1&source=lnms&tbm=isch&s
a=X&ei=hrMYVOH8KfCHsQTMtYHwCw&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAQ
Hyperbolic paraboloids as a basic structural idea.
6. Gustave Eiffel
The power of prefabrication: the Eiffel tower, the Gabarit and Douro Viaducts, the statue of Liberty
7. Vladimir Shuhov
Early mathematical /geometrical modelling of tall structures http://shukhov.org/
8. Marc Seguin Early bridges in France
Mathematics as a generator of form
http://www.art-et-histoire.com/index4.php?segarch.php?arch=mseguin&r=1&w=1093
http://www.3rivieres.fr/Les-travaux-du-pont-suspendu-de
8a Firth of Forth bridge compared to the Quebec Bridge (and the Sydney Harbour Bridge?)
the explosion of scale. ( also experienced after the construction of the Eiffel Tower)
9. Frank Lloyd Wright Falling Water and the Case study houses.
The cantilever as an architectural device
10. Sullivan/Adler Auditorium Building Chicago and the Wainwright building St. Louis
http://www.auditoriumtheatre.org/pages/home/education/chicagos-landmark-stage/artarchitecture/architecture.php
Steel frame and masonry skins
11. Saarinen Eero TWA
The poetry of flight embodied in a free flowing structure
13. Saarinen MIT dome: Saarinen had it wrong, the architects of the Pantheon had it right.
14. Calatrava Chicago Spire
The turning Torso in Malmo and the (abandoned) Spire in Chicago.
15. Skidmore Owings Merrill. The Modern movement embodied.
16.Foster
17. Habitat/Capsule tower/Hilton Zaandam
http://www.architakes.com/?p=1687
The difficulties of heavy 3D prefabrication
18. Roebling/ Eads
20. Villard d’Honnecourt
http://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/bjbecker/SpinningWeb/lecture5.html
A medieval voice
21. A.W. Pugin
22. Viollet le Duc
23. Raymond Hood
24. Sydney Harbour bridge/Quebec Bridge/Firth of Forth Bridge
25 Victoria Bridge Montreal/Britannia Bridge/ St. Anne de Bellevue bridge.
26. Frank Gehry
27. Zaha Hadid
28 Will Alsop
29. Pantheon/Hagia Sophia/Blue Mosque
30. Roman aqueducts/ 19th century railway viaducts/ 20th century highway viaducts
31. Frei Otto
32. Empire State building, Chrysler building, World Trade Centre
33. Roundhouse Martinsburg West Virginia/ Halle au Ble Paris
34. Dome in Tokyo, American pavilion Osaka, Dalplex Halifax TUNS – air supported structures
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/DOMES/OSAKA/compet.html
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/gsapp/BT/DOMES/OSAKA/compet.html
35. Sun Life Building, Place Ville Marie, Stock Exchange Tower
36 Crystal Palace (1851), Crystal Cathedral, Eden Project
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bxNvspVWPLw
37.Bacardi plant Mexico City/Marche Boulingrin /Halle Freysinnet Paris
Three early reinforced concrete buildings that made a mark
https://www.google.ca/search?q=Candela+Bacardi&biw=1457&bih=608&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X
&ei=C10YVKy3HtDisASJyoGwCA&ved=0CAYQ_AUoAQ&dpr=0.94
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch-struct-2010/Comparison-Cadela-Freysinnet.html
http://www.arch.mcgill.ca/prof/sijpkes/arch-struct-2010/Boulingrin-Halle-composite.html
38. Dorton Arena/Haus der Kultur-Berlin/Ingalls Hockey Arena Yale University
Three building with ‘suspended double curved anti clastic roofs’
39.Buckminster Fuller American pavilion Expo67, Union car Dome, Dome over Manhattan
http://www.cnet.com/news/bucky-dome-daddy-of-all-geodesic-dome-homes/
40.Iron Bridge, 300 Meter cast Iron Tower proposal, Thames Iron bridge proposal
http://faculty.humanities.uci.edu/bjbecker/SpinningWeb/week9b.html
Cast iron as a construction material: one project realised, two were only proposals
42.Vierendeel/triangulation/shell structure
Compare three fundamentally different structural systems.
43 composite materials: adobe, reinforced concrete, fibre reinforced polymers
44 Pneumatic structures Fuji Pavillion Osaka 1970; Goodyear pneumatic airplane
High pressure self-contained building design
45. Reliance Building Chicago / Monadnock building Chicago
The end of one tradition in builing and the beginning of another one.
46. Prefabricated homes: Sticks, or panels or boxes: Sears ‘house in the box, panelized prefab and
mobile homes and sectional homes.
47. The emergence of wood as a material for tall, large span buildings
48. Reuse of buildings or materials in large scale building projects: Lucca, Italy, Split, Slovenia, Redpath
project Montreal. Burnaby arena.
49. Building without metal: strategies to achieve large spans before the availability of iron.
: arches, vaults, domes, heavy timber frames with mortise and tendon joints, lamination.
50. Suspension as a structural strategy : pavilion Spain.., Dulles airport
51. The drama of cantilevers: modern buildings using this device
52. Sustainability then and now
53. Antony Gaudi
The last medieval builder in a modern conytext
54. The Guastavino brothers: medieval techniques adapted to the modern context .
55 Freysinnet: post tensioning and pre-stressing as method to increase material performance
56. Imaginary, unbuilt structures