Thursday, July 26, 2012

Construction material and technology as modifying factors

“In architectural education the teaching of a method of approach is more important than the teaching of skills… the integration of the whole range of knowledge and experience is of the greatest importance right from the start; only then will the totality of aspect make sense in the student’s mind… such an educational approach would draw the student into a creative effort to integrate simultaneously design, construction, and economy of any given task with its social ends.”
— Walter Gropius

What I understand by reading this chapter is construction, material and technology that how to modify that material is as important as design development and the concept or the philosophy of design. After site selection and making of a form, the main problem is how to construct it. The availability and the choice of material greatly affect the overall design. Suitable material should be used for suitable purpose for example the surface of flooring should not be so polished so it make difficult to walk. The more the extreme the construction, the less the choice, for example if we have to build small scale residence we have the choices of RCC construction, steel framing or load bearing construction but for large scale construction, we have limited choice of steel construction. To overcome construction problem, we should have detailed and precise knowledge of the behavior and characteristics of materials, not just in term of climatic response and construction, but also in term of weathering that how the material and building will stand up to the ravages of time and weather. In the process of construction cooperation is important. If social aspects lead a cooperative construction, difficult techniques and forms can be achieve. Process of construction for the building involves two distinct phases, preparation, when the site is selected and material gather and brought to the site and building. Choice of material is also very important in construction. Although material does not determine form but it greatly affect the overall look and feel of a design. It was always batter if local material can be used because it reduces the cost of the project. Use of the material is decided by fashion, tradition, religious proscription, prestige values. Portability and prefabrication is also need for construction. Most portable structure involves prefabrication. It reduces time span of construction. Portability affected by the mean of transport. All the construction should be design in such a way that it should be resist or withstand lateral forces such as wind and earthquakes, there are many techniques but usually required either rigidity or bracing.

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