Details in Contemporary Architecture

209 Pages·2007·73.09 MB·English

by  Christine Killory

Christine Killory and René Davids
PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS, NEW YORK
A PRINCETON ARCHITECTURAL PRESS SERIES
AsBuilt features formal and material innovation in architecture,
emphasizes structure and function, and explores the development
and application of new technologies and materials.
Published by
Princeton Architectural Press
37 East Seventh Street
New York, New York 10003
For a free catalog of books, call 1.800.722.6657.
Visit our web site at www.papress.com.
© 2007 Christine Killory and René Davids
All rights reserved
Printed and bound in China
10 09 08 07 4 3 2 1 First edition
No part of this book may be used or reproduced
in any manner without written permission from the
publisher, except in the context of reviews.
Publication of this book has been supported by a
grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced
Studies in the Fine Arts.
Every reasonable attempt has been made to identify
owners of copyright. Errors or omissions will be
corrected in subsequent editions.
Publication of this book has been supported by
a grant from the Graham Foundation for Advanced
Studies in the Fine Arts.
Editor: Jennifer N. Thompson
Design: Paul Wagner
Special thanks to: Nettie Aljian, Dorothy Ball,
Nicola Bednarek, Janet Behning, Becca Casbon,
Penny (Yuen Pik) Chu, Russell Fernandez,
Pete Fitzpatrick, Wendy Fuller, Sara Hart, Jan Haux,
Clare Jacobson, Mark Lamster, Nancy Eklund Later,
Linda Lee, Katharine Myers, Lauren Nelson Packard,
Scott Tennent, Joseph Weston, and Deb Wood
of Princeton Architectural Press
—Kevin C. Lippert, publisher
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Details in contemporary architecture /
Christine Killory and René Davids, editors.—1st ed.
p. cm. — (AsBuilt)
ISBN-13: 978-1-56898-576-3
(hardcover : alk. paper)
1. Architecture—United States—Details.
2. Architecture—United States—21st century.
3. Architecture and technology—United States—
History—21st century. I. Killory, Christine, 1958-
II. Davids, René, 1949-
NA2840.D454 2006
721—dc22
2006024384
Contents
6 Preface
12 Sharp Centre for Design, Toronto, Ontario / Alsop Architects Ltd. and
Robbie/Young + Wright Architects Inc. in Joint Venture
18 Greenwich Street Project, New York, New York / Archi-tectonics
26 Maximilian’s Schell, Los Angeles, California / Ball Nogues
30 Genzyme Center, Cambridge, Massachusetts / Behnisch, Behnisch & Partner
36 Figge Museum of Art, Davenport, Iowa / David Chipperfield Architects
40 Arts Center College of Design, Pasadena, California / Daly Genik Architects
50 Nothstine Residence, Green Bay, Wisconsin / Garofalo Architects
58 BP Bridge and Great Lawn, Chicago, Illinois / Gehry Partners
62 Juan Valdez Flagship Café, New York, New York / Hariri & Hariri – Architecture
68 Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota / Herzog & de Meuron
76 Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, California / Hodgetts + Fung Design Associates
84 Lake Whitney Water Treatment Plant, Hamden, Connecticut / Steven Holl Architects
92 South Mountain Community College Performing Arts Center, Phoenix, Arizona / Jones Studio, Inc.
102 Caltrans District 7 Headquarters, Los Angeles, California / Morphosis
112 Seattle Public Library, Seattle, Washington / OMA|LMN: A Joint Venture
124 Delta Shelter, Mazama, Washington / Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen Architects
128 GKD-USA, Inc. Headquarters Building, Cambridge, Maryland / Dominique Perrault Architecture
138 The Solar Umbrella, Venice, California / Pugh + Scarpa Architecture
144 School of Architecture, Prairieview A&M University, Prairieview, Texas / RoTo Architects, Inc.
154 Shaw Center for the Arts, Baton Rouge, Louisiana / Schwartz/Silver Architects
162 Camera Obscura, Greenport, New York / SHoP Architects PC
170 Bengt Sjostrom Starlight Theater, Rock Valley College, Rockville, Illinois / Studio Gang Architects
178 Holy Rosary Catholic Church Complex, St. Amant, Louisiana / Trahan Architects
188 University of Chicago Graduate School of Business, Chicago, Illinois / Rafael Viñoly Architects
198 Museum of the Earth, Ithaca, New York / Weiss/Manfredi Architects
206 Acknowledgments
207 Illustration Credits
Preface
Popular interest in architecture and the celebrity of Whenever American architects gather in numbers,
architects has intensified in this media saturated age, there are ritual lamentations about architecture’s loss of
but serious publications devoted to architecture are dis- respect, power, and influence, for which it is fair to say
appearing, while the quality of many that remain has architects themselves have been largely responsible. The
declined. At a time when new knowledge and innovation last fifty years have witnessed a systematic retreat at all
are more important than ever, architects have fewer levels of the profession as vast areas of the built land-
opportunities for intellectual exploration. Details in scape became architect-free zones, new materials, tech-
Contemporary Architecture is the first issue of AsBuilt, a nologies, building types, and profound social change
new series from Princeton Architectural Press dedicated went unacknowledged, and market share was lost to can-
to formal and material innovation in architecture and the nier, more pragmatic players. To lessen legal exposure,
application of new technologies and materials. AsBuilt architects became cautious and risk-averse, demoting
will present original solutions to problems of architec- themselves from supervisors to observers on the job site.
tural detailing that demonstrate how complicated design Some prominent architects assumed responsibility for
problems have been handled by prominent architects, as the preliminary design of their projects only, staying on
well as those beginning their careers, to achieve beauti- as project consultants but leaving the onerous, exacting,
ful, functional, and, where necessary, economical results. labor-intensive disciplines of construction documents,
AsBuilt is dedicated to the proposition that architects contract administration, and project delivery to others.
learn best from other architects. Regularly calling atten- As they became more preoccupied with architecture’s
tion to the details that go into works of contemporary scenographic qualities and responsive to noisy popular
architecture that are outstanding examples of art and media, architects learned to market their work based on
technology will contribute to the creation of better build- its value as image or entertainment, even as the overall
ings and strengthen the understanding and influence of quality of American buildings declined. Many abandoned
architecture in society at large. the mundane purposefulness of everyday life altogether
In each issue of AsBuilt, twenty-five projects will be for the postmodern theory swamps, or virtual worlds
selected from current architecture (in the United States where passion for architecture can be severed from
and Canada), covering the whole range of building types, reality. On many dysfunctional building teams, architects
including works by architects from abroad collaborating focus mainly on design while engineers, consultants, and
with North American architectural and consultant teams. contractors have little interest in it, if any.
Since the Renaissance, when emphasis on the develop- Architecture is complex and difficult, as much a state
ment of techniques for drawing propelled a shift away of mind as an assembly of parts, but it is mainly about
from construction toward representation and symbolic materials and the way they are put together. Images with
abstraction, critical theory has perpetuated a separation the illusion of great accuracy and completeness can be
of building from architecture. The purpose of AsBuilt is generated almost as soon as they are imagined, but
to provide a continuing investigation into built architec- architecture is developed slowly, laboriously, through a
ture and the process of its realization, what they are now continuing process of working back and forth from con-
and what they are becoming; its larger objective is to cept to detail, with increasing specificity and precision.
revive the concept of building as the principal intellectual For architects committed to innovation, design is an
activity of architecture, to finally collapse the divide extended process that demands close collaboration with
between theory and practice. engineers, consultants, contractors, subcontractors, and
6 AsBuilt / Details in Contemporary Architecture
fabricators at every phase of a building project from buildings but also to digitally fabricate building
inception to completion. The inevitable tension between components. By directly engaging the building process,
concept and realization often generates fractious architects can offer faster construction times, higher
relationships among professionals with very different quality, and a control of the fabrication process to pre-
roles to play in putting a building together. Even when serve the integrity of their concepts not possible with
architectural intent survives the process intact, an archi- the traditional methods. Like many architects who have
tect is likely to reach completion feeling that he or she started practices in the last ten years, SHoP PC incorpo-
has borne a chalice safely through a throng of foes. rates a workshop as an integral element of their design
American building culture—traditionally risk averse, practice, allowing them to do fullscale modeling and
conservative, and confrontational—has lately shown prototyping, another step toward redefining the way
signs of greater openness to material innovation and architecture is practiced.
more collaborative relationships. As it has everywhere In response to the increased interest in fabrication
else, the digital revolution has forever changed American techniques and rising demand from architects, many
architectural design, practice, construction technology, American craftsmen and a growing number of small
buildings, and drawings. Whereas in the past architects companies are now cultivating specialties or reviving
translated an imagined three-dimensional conception of techniques of craftsmanship on the verge of extinction.
a building into two-dimensional drawings, they now The expanded metal mesh manufactured by Spantek
create a computer model of the concept and generate Expanded Metal, a homely component of the basic
the two-dimensional documents required to build it. American industrial shed traditionally used for vent cov-
Building information modeling (BIM)—based on the ers and stair treads, was seen with fresh eyes by Swiss
creation of intelligent three-dimensional models—and architects Herzog & de Meuron, and fabricated by archi-
related information-sharing technology seem capable tectural sheet metal contractor M. G. McGrath into three-
of realizing the earliest hopes for the role of computers dimensional box-like forms for the shimmering facade
in the making of architecture: a means of communi- of the Walker Art Center. Studio Gang Architects worked
cating and preserving architectural intent. with Uni-Systems, a Minneapolis-based firm specializing
While many architects first turned to computers to in moving structures, to create a kinetic, faceted roof
realize new forms, they now recognize that by expanding for the Starlight Theatre, consisting of triangular stain-
their knowledge base and taking on additional risk, they less steel-clad panels supported by steel columns and
can begin to regain control of the building process. As trusses; when the roof opens, six movable panels rise
new technologies allow them to design in an ever more in succession to form a six-pointed star revealing the sky.
fluid fashion and to create forms not possible with less The business and reputation of A. Zahner of Kansas City,
powerful tools, architects are also beginning to under- which had previously focused on more mundane metal
stand that they can minimize their own risk by becoming work such as siding, decking, and heating ducts, has
more familiar with the work of those who engineer and grown partly because it is the company that Frank Gehry
construct their buildings, and they are actively upgrading usually depends on to determine how to color metal and
their skills. make it bend to his challenging designs. A. Zahner fabri-
Leading architecture firms such as Gehry Partners cated the insulated stainless steel panels for the exterior
and Morphosis have used sophisticated modeling of Steven Holl’s Lake Whitney Water Purification Facility
tools for years, not only to design and document their for the Connecticut Water Authority.
7 Preface
Americans are, as George Santayana once observed, practice, the process of securing approval for such a bold
idealists working on matter; imaginative, but the imagi- proposal would probably have been much more difficult.
nation is practical, and the future it forecasts is imme- The shortcomings of American building practices
diate. In this first issue of AsBuilt, there is evidence of have recently been the focus of unflattering comparisons
a peculiarly American mix of an idealistic materialism, with those of Europe and Japan, but there isn’t another
or a materialistic idealism: Olson Sundberg Kundig Allen country on earth that has so many foreign architects
Architects’s contemporary riff on basic machine-age working on commissions of every size. As a result,
components, steel shutters that open and close simul- America is getting better architecture, greater access to
taneously using a series of devices including a hand more sophisticated technology and materials, and build-
wheel, drive shafts, u-joints, spur gears, and cables; ing construction is held to an increasingly higher stan-
Pugh + Scarpa’s thin film technology solar panels, dard. Whenever foreign architects build in America,
usually relegated to an inconspicuous and utilitarian different building traditions come together to produce a
role, which become the defining formal element on the working process that is a hybrid, often created on the fly.
main facade; RoTo Architects curvilinear brick layouts, Most of these projects are high-profile, high-budget
creating undulating surfaces to make the walls at Prairie commissions involving intensive research, innovations in
View come alive; or the exquisite concrete work at the physical technology, novel structural solutions, the
Holy Rosary Catholic Church, material expression introduction of new materials, or all of these, as with
elevated to a poetic and symbolic level. the Seattle Public Library, a joint venture between the
As increasing numbers of prominent clients look Office for Metropolitan Architecture based in Rotterdam
abroad for celebrated architects, teams of consultants and local firm LMN Architects. The structural, mechan-
and construction professionals—headed by local archi- ical, electrical, and plumbing engineering services were
tecture firms with appropriate experience—are assem- provided by Arup Engineering, a global firm of designers,
bled to realize their concepts using often unfamiliar engineers, and planners and the creative force behind
American materials, technology, and construction prac- several innovative projects in this book. When no locally
tices. Over a third of the projects included in this first available material served their purposes, Daly/Genik
issue of AsBuilt are by architecture firms who have main Architects began to research ethylene tetrafluoroethylene
offices in other countries, or principals who were born (ETFE) membranes, used extensively in Europe but which
and trained overseas and have come to America to had yet to be installed in the United States, for the
practice; many others have spent some time studying skylight system at the Art Center College of Design in
or working abroad. Foreign architects have to adapt their Pasadena. The introduction of ETFE technology into the
work to a building culture very different from their own, United States was eased because the Los Angeles office
as well as unfamiliar technology and materials, but the of Arup, with previous experience in ETFE systems in
reputations for excellence that got them hired usually Europe, collaborated on the design of the delicate steel
translate into greater design freedom than is typically frames for the forty- and fifty-foot long skylights.
afforded local practitioners. Alsop Architects had already For the skin of the Shaw Center for the Arts in Baton
built a structure on giant legs in Britain when hired, in a Rouge, Schwartz/Silver Architects designed a wall system
joint venture with Toronto-based Robbie/Young + Wright that used LINIT channel glass, a translucent linear struc-
Architects, to design an addition for the Ontario College tural glazing system with a depth and profile not found
of Art and Design. For a United States or Canadian-based in conventional glass wall applications, distributed by
8 AsBuilt / Details in Contemporary Architecture
Bendheim Wall Systems, manufactured in Germany by project materials that reveal something of what actually
Lamberts and used throughout Europe for decades. lies behind the physical making of architecture: its
LINIT eliminates the need for most vertical and interme- structure, material, and form; the much misapplied
diate horizontal aluminum members. At the time it was image of minimal construction; buildings which seem
completed, the Shaw Center was said to be the largest to consist of skin alone; or those that aspire to have no
building in the United States to be completely clad in details. It is our intention that AsBuilt will contribute to
U-shaped cast glass, and the first to use the channel a continuing conversation about architecture-as-building
glass as the rainscreen for a wall system. GKD Gebrüder and the process of its realization emphasizing the
Kufferath, a German manufacturer of metal fabrics for rationale and development of architectural detail and
architectural applications, hired Dominique Perrault the significance of drawings, however generated, for the
Architecture, who has used their products extensively on act of creation. Except for press releases, most architects
various European projects, to design the new GKD-USA are not accustomed to writing about their projects, or
headquarters in suburban Maryland as a showcase for documenting them for publication beyond basic general
the products now manufactured there. GKD architectural arrangement drawings: plans, sections, and elevations.
metals are now readily available to the American market, It is the purpose of AsBuilt to offer practicing architects
where they are already in high demand. Hariri & Hariri— an opportunity to review how others draw and present
Architecture used a GKD woven stainless steel mesh for their work. Because it is a series, the focus is on the long
their building-sized screen on the Juan Valdez Flagship term and it is our hope that the presence of a venue
with an abstracted image of Juan Valdez sandblasted for technical, formal, and material exploration will stim-
on it. Renowned glass manufacturer Cricursa of ulate more architects to document their design and
Barcelona manufactured forty-three panels of insulating construction processes for publication. The twenty-five
laminated glass for Archi-tectonics’s Greenwich Street projects included in this first issue add a dimension
Project, which curtain-wall fabricators UAD Group mod- to the way American architecture and architects are
eled and engineered using CATIA to precisely determine perceived by the general public and present solid
the geometries of each glass panel and its relationship evidence that the most recent renewal of architecture
to the underlying substructure. At the Figge Museum of in America is well underway.
Art, David Chipperfield Architects used a glass rainscreen
for a multistory, impermeable, double-skinned exterior Christine Killory
envelope incorporating passive ventilation in a 3-foot-
wide cavity between the outer wall and inner skin
structural wall where the thermal barrier is located—
a technology developed in Scandinavia in the 1940s
and used in Europe and Canada but unknown in the
United States until recently.
Formal innovation in architecture is driven by social
and technological change. In selecting material for
AsBuilt, we are particularly interested in architecture that
it would have been difficult—or impossible—to conceive
and build without computers. Our aim is to include
9 Preface