to mass-produce. As well, structural calculation for rectilinear compo- nents is simpler. Once built form was created by trial and error, guided by natural forces.These forces of compression and tension, cause the construction material to find it is own structural logic. Now, computers make the more complex calculations of organic geometries possible. Ushida Findlay’s and West’s work is designed and built intuitively, with post-analysis revealing an adherence to naturally occurring forms and patterns often described by fractal geometry. Dependence on planar construction components and measurement has slowed exploration of this particular geometry, however, both West and Ushida Findlay use alternate construction techniques in order to create these natural curves. West’s fabric formwork and natural cellular structures repeat the form of a liquid and a membrane: the cell, organic at the most basic level. Going back to pre-industrial construction and trial-and-error are West’s preferred methods of working: he finds structural forms through manipulating materials and forces in a lab environment, then analysing the results. West points out that ‘if you start by generating forms with a computer, you are always left with the problem of how to construct them’. For Ushida Findlay, each project is a new exploration.They use scale and computer models, work closely with engineers, research materials thoroughly and use local expertise to produce an integrated architecture. Findlay notes the danger of graphics-based computer drawings of surfaces, in that they imply space and surface, but not structure or material. Her interest is in real forms, not cyberspace.
above, Mark West’s laced fabric column formwork right, Casting a thin panel over patterned formwork far right, Concrete panel detail.
ça change, pour que la fluidité vienne assouplir nos vies et nos espaces devenus trop rigides. Les recherches de ces archi- tectes et de leurs équipes de collaborateurs peuvent servir d’inspiration à d’autres, tout en introduisant une touche d’humour et de sensualité dans la création architecturale.
étant donné qu’il ne travaille qu’avec la structure. Le mou- lage de structures en béton avec du tissu produit toutefois beaucoup moins de déchets que les techniques tradition- nelles de coulage du béton, le coffrage utilisé pour mouler le béton étant à la fois plus com- pact et réutilisable. Le temps est venu pour que
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O n S ite review
T ransformations
I ssue 7 2002
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