General Chat / The Future Architects' Thread

I got into the two classes that I wanted to next semester. Surveying and Architectural Design I. And because of it I have 3 3 hr labs. It just might kill me.

And that's quite possible the largest piece of concrete I've seen. I would think there'd be some triangles somewhere on those beams to the slab, but I don't know anything about that yet..

Could anyone tell me what a "Porte Corche" is? I know it has something to do with an entrance. I had never heard of it until a few days ago when I read it twice in the same day.

You mean "Porte-Cochère"? You are right about it being a doorway, usually a very large or grandiose one, apparently large enough to allow a carriage or other vehicle inside. I guess it was the "high society", 18th century equivalent of a covered dropoff/pickup area at a modern day hotel or airport

Edited by ride_exchanger, 22 December 2006 - 09:53 PM.

http://en.wikipedia....i/Porte-cochère

Today, it's used primarily with hotels, signifying the area where the car pulls up to the hotel and drops the passengers off.

And that is one thickass transfer beam!

Architecture books for Christmas! I did very well actually. Lots of gift certificates to my favorite stores. Spent them all today, and picked up:

-Richard Rogers: Complete Works Volume 3
-Frank Lloyd Wright
-Dream City: Vancouver and the Global Imagination
-Materials, Structures & Standards

I also recieved a three year subscription to Architectural Record and a souvenir book of Gehry's EMP from a family friend who was down there recently.

A very good Christmas indeed.

I'm starting to build up an architecture library of my own as well, although it's nowhere near where I'd like it to be (for example, I'm pretty sure I'd want something like what Nate has... at least). Most of my recent additions were books I bought in Europe (and nothing too erudite either, mostly travel type books and something on Gaudi). However, my friend did give me a nice Barnes & Nobles published book on "modern masterpieces of architecture" that focuses mostly on the more recent high tech buildings of the past three decades.

Funny thing is that I flipped to the France section and I've technically visited every building list! (Technically because we stopped at the train station in Lyon, but we didn't go out front so we could actually see Calatrava's amazing TGV station structure.

Need some 'homework-help' as it were. Can anyone tell me what the following (image on right) structural system is called?


Bing Thom's Central City

I would have though something like tensile roof but all that comes up with that are PVC-coated teflon fabric structures. I've had limited success with Post Tensioned Roof Beams, although concrete comes up a lot. I've looked through Architectural Graphic Standards and Ching's Building Construction Illustrated to no avail. It is my thinking that I just don't know what it's actually called, and once I know that I can look it up.

Interesting thread. Especially since I'm considering going into architectural design. Anyone have any pointers/thoughts on that field?

Basically my interest in architecture has always been in the back of my mind. I've always watched new construction projects closely and wondered what I would do differently. Over the years my interest grew and grew until I decided that I really wanted to be a Disney Imagineer. I visited a website recently that lists all majors/fields that Imagineering looks for and one of them was architectural design. I'm finishing my core classes this coming fall semester and I basically have to decide on my major by then.

I guess my real question is this: To be in architectural design, must one first master basic architecture classes? I know it sounds lazy, but I have no interest in the regular architecture stuff, I just want to design the outside of structures and such.

^^ Yeah, just looks like a post-tensioned web joist structure to me. Not a typical structure, relative to typical architecture. In fact, it sort of looks like a hybrid, taking a normal open web joist and replacing the bottom lines with wires under tension.

Thanks for the help.

Iceman, it depends on what Disney requires those architectural skills for. Maybe they are concerned with space planning, or architectural styles, or specifing of products or lighting design or acoustics. Their work is highly specialised, so I don't think they would use out-right architects (expect for legal issues, in which architects are required on projects over a certain size. I think it's close to 6000 sqft in the US. I'm pretty sure it's 600 sq.meters in Canada which works out to about 6450 sqft). Architects are also generally the ones who specify structural systems which the engineer fine tunes and ensures that it is going to work. Building design requires allocations for electrical, plumbing and mechanical. And in the area of show buildings such as Disney, you'll get into high performance, huge systems for all three, plus acoustics. Life safety, code compliance and all that cannot be left out. So, essentially it boils down to what you want to do for them. Designing elevations of building? I'm not so sure it's that simple as an architect would probably take that job. If not, some art classes and an architectural history class may do you some good.

And for the record, architectural design is not something frilly like a coat of paint or a picture that's hung on a wall. Architectural design is the integration of all the elements. Sometimes just those elements give the building it's aesthetic. Check out works by Santiago Calatrava who is an engineer and an architect. The structural elements of his buildings define the aestheic of his work. Some of the most elegent works combine all the elements. Consider the picture I posted above. That is a beautiful building/structure, and it's there because it has to be there. It's the marriage of the two. The Pompidu Centre in Paris by RRP and Renzo Piano uses electrical and mechanical to define its presence. Granted, with Disney things could be a bit different.

I obviously have a lot of thought to put into this. I'm just so afraid of committing to something I'm not going to like, hence why I "settled" on architectural design. Gah this is so frustrating, but I have to pick something by the fall. Thanks for the response, nate. I appreciate it.

BTW, by RRP he means Richard Rogers & Partners. Not our resident Sea World Atlanta maker.

Iceman, what you want to do in the Architectural field, "design the outside of structures and such", sounds alot like my interest in Architecture, but for me, its just a hobby now, as I chose Mechanical Engineering in college. IMO if you chose Architectural Engineering, you should be able to get a job in the field you want, you would have the background anyway.

Edited by ride_exchanger, 17 January 2007 - 02:24 PM.

Yeah i'm after the same position as Iceman. I'm planning on taking Design, mechanical and electrical engineering and photography (at college), and then specialising in architechture at Uni. Is this pretty much the right way to go for an imagineer?

Edited by Lloyd, 17 January 2007 - 01:21 PM.

Corkscrewed, just so you know, I found out the name of the system. According to the Masterformat, it's called a "Tension Framing Assembly" under 051700. Halfen Anchoring Systems and Ronstan International seem to be two large manufacturers. I think Mallcoy (or something like that) is advertising in Archiectural Record now. Their product looks nice but their website is useless.

lol, alright, so there IS a "standard" name for it.

Although I wouldn't have been able to call it like that. You guys are definitely a lot more technical than we are (as a school). Thanks for the info, though. Good for whenever we get into details.

Here's the project in its current state. It's a wall section for a twelve story, steel structure high rise with a stub girder floor system (40 m clear span) and curtain wall construction for the high rise. The spandrel was inspired by RRP's Montevetro (London) and Paddington Basin (London) which has a steel C-Shape with precast concrete infill. The low rise portion features storefront and brick veneer and beneath the tower are three levels of concrete underground parking. Oh, and the parapet detail was inspired by suggestions from an article by the IRC (Institue for Research in Construction) put out in 1982 on curtain wall construction. Although not finished yet, I think it's getting there.

Dayam, sexy line weights! I think I might be asking you for possible help when I get to my details! j/k


Actually, I have a request to Nate and our European visitors. I'm doing my thesis on roof gardens, and I would like suggestions of any recently constructed buildings in Vancouver or Europe with roof gardens. I say those two because they're the ones progressing with a lot of contemporary green design, at least to my knowledge.

Basically, projects within the past 5-10 years would be best. Just so I have some precedents to research and stuff. The only building I can think of at the moment is Foster's Commerzbank Tower in Germany, which has integrated green spaces in the building (don't think it actually has a roof garden though).

Thanks!

Green roofs? Well, concerning Vancouver there are a few intersting spots. Firstly, the school I go to (BCIT) has a green roof research facility off campus. We took a field trip their last year and I have since emailed them about a question or two and they have been very helpful. Click here. Although not finished yet, the Vancouver Convention Centre has an expansion under construction which will feature a gigantic green roof. At 6 acres in size, if it is not the largest in the world, it's probably close. There's a bit of information about that here. Okay, to get a bit more specific, there is a really intresting project done by a hotel (actually, right across the street from the new convention centre) in which they grow their on herbs on the green roof and use them in the restaurant. They figure they save over $25,000 a year. Click here. CMHC (Canadian Mortage and Housing Coropration) has some intresting case studies on green roofs. Click here.

And finally, here is a web site I happend across a while back from a university in Hong Kong. Definetly worth checking out. Not all the links work, but I don't think that's a big problem.

Some pictures of Vancouver's Convention Centre Expansion. When I saw the first renderings I really wasn't impressed, but these latest ones are looking really good.

Ooooooh! I knew you'd come through, Nate! :love: