Swiss Higher Technical School
Block Research Group, ETH Zurich
and Ochsendorf, DeJong & Block with Escobedo Group
Installations Beyond Bending (beyond the slab, beyond the dome, beyond free-form …), whose titles appeal to the Biennale of Aaron Betsky (Out There: Architecture Beyond Building) and translate roughly as "around the bend / bend" and "behind the slab / flat overlapping”, appeal to the logic of self-stressed structures. They showcase BRG and ODB's research into rethinking traditional and relatively inexpensive arch and stiffening techniques using modern computer technology. The center of the hall is occupied by a giant vault of asymmetrical curvature, cut by large holes that let the columns of Corderi pass through. The vault is made of Jurassic limestone and is not reinforced at all, but rests exclusively on the spacing of wedge-shaped stones, the shape of each of which was calculated on a computer model. Then the structure was assembled on a wooden formwork, having previously tested: assembled and disassembled on site. A fragment of a video from the exhibition telling about this can be seen in our video:
Excess steel can be removed, the authors argue, thus conserving natural resources and using “modest” materials such as brick and stone. An arch with a stiffener is a more effective building technique than a curved beam, the authors argue, and show a version of a sail arch with ribs. These structures look great, cost less and weigh lighter than traditional concrete floors.
The authors also show options for unreinforced concrete slabs, lightened by many cavities, calculated based on the logic and geometry of the rib vault. The spacer of a set of ribs is brought out and redistributed to adjacent elements. Such a plate requires a complex, double-sided die for casting, but with repeated use, its high cost pays off and, in addition, this technology
saves natural resources - concrete for production requires 70% less than for conventional concrete floors.
Solano Benitez
The Arch of the Paraguayan Bureau of Solano Benitez, which received the Golden Lion for the best project of the main exhibition, and therefore best of all reveals the theme of Aravena "Report from the Front", meets those entering the main pavilion of the Biennale in Giardini. This is an openwork structure made of bricks on a concrete base, made on a formwork - the formwork is shown here on the wall, but not reinforced. Its stability is achieved due to a design similar to those of Fuller and Shukhov, which, however, do not appear in the descriptions in any way. “Brick is ancient, easy to make and cheap, and can be used to build houses in marginal areas,” writes Aravena in his explanation of Benitez's project. It is understood that such structures can cover rather large spaces relatively cheaply, and an experienced instructor can teach medium-skilled builders.
