Figure 2:A table of the test results from the University of Bath’s experiment with the concrete beams. Beam 1 and Beam 4 are referenced in the essay (Orr et al., 2011).
As well as the variety of practical benefits, I think that fabric formed concrete holds a whole new range of possibilities for design. It gives designers freedom of shape, something previously not associated with concrete, alongside visually interesting aesthetics and finishes. Due to the malleable nature of the moulds used in fabric formwork, almost all surfaces end up curved and smooth. Straight lines and harsh corners are difficult to make out of tubing, and so the shapes created are usually rounded. Interestingly, these types of shapes are what people usually associate with happiness. A study carried out by German psychologist Rudolf Arnheim asked subjects to draw a good marriage and a bad marriage using only lines and abstract shapes.Almost every student used curved lines and rounded shapes to represent the ‘good marriage’, and used spikes, sharp lines and corners to represent the ‘bad marriage’. While I concede that this isn’t exactly empirical evidence, it is still indicative of an inherent mental connection between happiness and curved surfaces. Of course, I recognise that this example was written about marriages, not concrete, but the correlation still stands; the conclusion can be drawn that people view rounded, smooth, curved shapes as something happy and calm, that fills them with a sense of peace. I find that fabric formwork is, therefore, likely to be viewed as more naturally, visually attractive to people, and so brings benefits from a design point of view. While this may not necessarily be seen as such a significant benefit as the improvements to concrete’s practical characteristics that fabric formwork can offer, in my opinion it is still a considerable advantage. I believe that buildings are, inherently, about people and, as Stendhal, the 19th century French writer, wrote,“Beauty is the promise of happiness” – something that is vital to human life. If good design can bring happiness to the people who interact with, or view, the structure, then it is imperative that it is considered when designing a building. I think humans are naturally curious about, and attracted to, things that look interesting and different to what we have seen before; the textures left by the fabric moulding on concrete
formwork, along with the varied shapes, would therefore pique the interest of those observing the forms.
Cost Cost is a significant factor to consider when analysing the success of any building project. Of course, the total cost of a building is an amalgamation of many smaller costs, and breaking it down to each individual cost would be near impossible. I plan to analyse the main factors that contribute to the cost of a building: materials, labour and training.These three factors are the most significant components of the total cost (Construction Labor Market Analyzer, n.d.), along with the contractor profit. Since the contractor profit is an externally set percentage, it is incredibly difficult to generalise as it differs from case to case.You can, however, measure trends across the other factors, and so, in my research, I attempted to find accounts of the effect on each of these.The majority of people who are closely involved with a project will be aiming for decreased costs, as it allows for greater profit.While, in my opinion, it is rather cynical to decrease the value of a building to something that is simply monetary, many roles such as contractors are, by nature, only concerned with cost and profit.Therefore, it is difficult to state the significance of reduced costs with complete certainty, as the amount that it matters will vary from person to person. Materials Materials almost always consume the largest proportion of the total build costs, accounting on average for 65-75% of the total spend (Gichuhi Kamau, 2013). Since fabric formwork can decrease the total mass of concrete used, thanks to its ability to form structures with variable cross-sectional areas that cater for the principle stresses, it can reduce the amount of concrete needed and therefore reduce the costs associated with buying the material.As concrete usage can be theoretically reduced by 40%, as mentioned previously (Orr et al, 2011), this could significantly reduce the amount that is
27
Made with FlippingBook Digital Publishing Software