Читать книгу Rethinking Prototyping - Группа авторов - Страница 83

The term funnel-shaped, or mushroom architecture discussed in this paper refers to structures that are supported centrally, forming a cantilevering canopy without columns along the outer edge. Visually, the vertical parts i.e. columns and the horizontal parts i.e. roof/ceiling of these structures often merge into one another, forming a continuous space that opens up towards its boundaries. Architectural applications range from large roof structures covering public spaces to smaller interior design projects. These funnel-shaped structures offer great spatial potential. They combine the organic and unique spatial potential of shells and vaults (Chilton 2000), with the openness and lightness associated to modern roof structures in steel and concrete. However, most applications are reduced only to formal considerations, disregarding the structural capacity of these shapes. Evidently, this is true for only decorative ceiling ribs or panels, as in the projects in Fig. 1, which can be applied to existing structures to visually change the perception of space.

Fig. 1 (a) Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, National Assembly for Wales (2005) (Photograph: Katsuhisa Kida); (b) Koichi Takada Architects, Restaurant [tree] (2010) (Photograph: Sharrin Rees)

In contrast to these decorative elements, the structures shown in Fig. 2 are based on fixed-end columns supporting the cantilevering horizontal elements. For example, a rib-mushroomed floor slab-construction was designed by Pier Luigi Nervi for the Palazzo del Lavoro in Turin, Italy (1961), covering a 7,900m2 exhibition space (Fig. 2a). Frank Lloyd Wright used connected lily-pad columns for the Johnson Wax Building in Racine, WI, USA (1936). Yet, these structures are featuring large cantilevering parts, which strongly depend on a relatively high bending capacity of the material and therefore large cross-sections toward the connection with the columns or supports.

Fig. 2 (a) Luigi Nervi, Palazzo del Lavoro (1961) (Photograph: Roberto Saba) (b) Frank Lloyd Wright, Johnson Wax Building (1936) (Photograph: Jack Boucher)

Nevertheless, these structures (Figs. 1-2) and numerous other examples from medieval times (Fig. 3a) show the potential of architectural applications and spatial configurations using funnel geometry (Clifford 2012). However, up to now, the structural potential of this building typology has not been fully exploited in order to extend its architectural vocabulary.