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Final Project: Case study of the construction of an existing work of architecture
Assigned: Oct. 8, 2004; due: Dec. 15, 2004 - 3:00 pm
Bring final projects to RAND 121, or hallway in front of RAND 121.
TA office hours for final project | List of groups and projects
Groups: Project may be done in groups of no more than 4 students.
General Requirements: Select a fragment of a space within a work of architecture with the following characteristics:
- The spacial fragment contains some sort of window opening in an exterior wall;
- The overall dimensions of the building fragment are as follows:
- width: 5' - 15'
- length: 5' - 15'
- height: 15' - 25'
- Both floor and ceiling (or roof) construction defining the spatial fragment must fall within the height limitation;
- Documentation of all visible interior and exterior surfaces/finishes within the interior space and on the exterior wall surface of the building fragment must be obtainable either by inspecting actual space, or through published material or construction documents;
- The fragment must contain horizontal (beam/slab) and vertical (column/wall) structural elements;
- The materials and methods of construction must be at least partially obscured, so that some research or speculation is required -- thus, buildings with exposed structure, all-glass walls, or monolithic construction systems may not be good choices (for example, Pei's Johnson Museum on campus or his Pyramide du Louvre in Paris would not be good choices for this project).
Objectives:
- Gain experience reading and interpreting construction details;
- Understand tendency in modern construction to construct interior finishes and exterior cladding independently of structural frame;
- Understand function of all construction elements shown on model and in section;
- Learn to communicate ideas graphically and through models.
Model: Build a model showing the construction of your selected building fragment at 1" = 1'-0" scale. You may adopt any one of the following strategies:
- (Preferred) Build an historically-accurate reconstruction based on actual construction details; or
- Build a speculative reconstruction based on historically-appropriate construction technologies; or
- Build a model based on modern construction principles that may or may not correspond to the actual construction methods.
In all cases, the model must accurately represent how the building looks, but not necessarily how it was actually constructed. Selectively cut-away layers of modeled building material to reveal actual or speculative construction systems. Model should include a base that allows it to be self-supporting. Include project data - your name(s), name of building, location, architect, date of construction, modelling strategy, etc. - on any visible surface of the base.
Report: Write a report bound in an 8-1/2" x 11" format that includes the following:
- Description of the project parameters, containing the following information:
- Building and group data (same as on base of model);
- Short description of building construction and structural systems;
- Model strategy (i.e., historically-accurate; speculative; etc.)
- One Axon, elevation, perspective, or photograph identifying location of model fragment in the context of the whole building;
- Plans and vertical sections drawn through selected building fragment at three scales:
- 1. key plan showing section location (approx. 1/16"=1'-0" or 1/8"=1'-0")
- 2. wall section at fragment showing detail location (approx. 1/2"=1'-0" to 1-1/2"=1'-0")
- 3. detail section at fragment (approx. 3"=1'-0" to full scale)
- Documentation of sources used: select key photocopies or sketches taken from magazines, books, working drawings, or actual building, neatly formatted in 8-1/2" x 11" report. Do not necessarily include all documentation; only the key drawings or photos reformatted to fit neatly and clearly into your report.
Intermediate reviews: Students must schedule a minimum of 2 meetings with teaching assistants, as follows:
- Meeting #1. Bring documentation. Discussion questions: does proposed case study building meet project requirements? is documentation adequate, including building structure? which part of the building (which fragment) offers the most interest?
- Meeting #2. Bring plans and sections at various scales (see final report item #3 above for details).
Note: both meetings must be scheduled, and must take place, before Thanksgiving break. Do not expect to make appointments at the last minute; work out meeting times with TAs well in advance. These 2 reviews will be graded by the teaching assistants and will count as 30% of final project grade (15% for each meeting).
Teaching Assistant e-mail contact information: yj36@cornell.edu for Yoonchun Jung; ejn23@cornell.edu for Ekta Naik.
References: Consult course text and course reserve for information on various construction technologies that may apply to your case-study building. In addition, refer to Architectural Graphic Standards (permanent reserve, FAL) for general information about construction details, and Sweet's Catalog (reference section, FAL) for specific information on manufactured products and systems.
Campus construction documents are available at considerable cost for a limited number of buildings. For details, see the Cornell "facilities" web site at: http://www.pdc.cornell.edu/sections/UE/subsections/fi/fi.php
Numerous books are on reserve at the Fine Arts Library containing documentation of contemporary buildings. See for example the El Croquis Index.
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