Case Study - Steel Structures - Blog 13 - Yukta Yogeesh

12/September / 2020




Heatherwick Artists’ Studios in Aberystwyth, UK

 

Today’s session was about more case studies that dealt with steel structures. This has its basis on Stainless Steel structure and Polyurethane Foam. Never knew a spray could do this big, a difference in the play of form and structure in a built entity.

 

Design Intent

Art Studio split into 8 smaller studios for better congregation and a way of approach to the design.

To provide low cost facilities for start-up art organisations. This constraint brought such an innovation in the form of the structure.
Aesthetics - In effort to respect the character of the wooded site, the program was broken down to 8 smaller studios and were placed among the woods. The structure was designed to be like a canopy between the other trees. The design was based on this concept.

 

Materials and Technical Details 

 The requirements of the material were it had to be thin, durable and resistant to weather. So, they had to go for stainless steel. But due to cost restrictions, they had to do something about it to make it more interesting. They knew the steel would be flex without proper workmanship. They used this weakness and they crinkled the foil prior to the installation. To achieve the rigidity, Poly – urethane spray foam was used in the inner surface which brought firmness and stability. It was innovative and used new stuff to design certain things. The studios are lifted off by concrete piers which bear the steel framework. Silicon Sealant was used for stainless steel flashing and cladding. HFC blown polyurethane rigid foam installation is the key element, but hidden from the users. Bright Annealed Stainless steel, attractive and effective. The structure covering was being supported by timber battens. Hard core foam for stability and tension. A lot of gaps were provided on the sides and on the top for lighting and ventilation amidst the chaotic structure. It is pedagogic how the structure is itself an art studio and it has a lot of art happening in itself.

 Halftecture O', Osaka, Japan

This design is a washroom, minimal, designer yet extremely functional. 

The structure and skin of the building are constructed of Weathering Steel plates. As the steel rusts with time, it attains a brownish-red tint and blends with the environment. The roof has a seamless finish, and this is contrasted by the porcelain, stone, and metal finishes on the inside. 

The steel plate roof is a catenary curve, achieved through the supports with its upper edges sloping in the opposite directions, all these with help of minimum fasteners. The triangular frames are held in a curve with a shallow cross section which is responsible for structural stability. The use of a single material and few steel plate members welded together continuously to test its potential resulting in an undifferentiated structural system of the steel structure.


References -

http://www.heatherwick.com/project/aberystwyth-artist-studios/

No. Of Words – 350
Image sketched by author


Yukta Yogeesh 

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