Jonathan Ochshorn - ARCH 262 Final project


Jonathan Ochshorn Room 121-B, Rand Hall Department of Architecture Cornell University	contact: questions and comments back to homepage

ARCH 262: Building Technology, Materials & Methods Final project: Case study of the construction of an existing work of architecture

assigned: Oct. 7, 1998
due: Dec. 18, 1998, 11:30 a.m.
sign up for intermediate reviews (see below)
Problem: Case-study of the construction of an existing work of architecture Groups: Project must be done in groups of no more than 3 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' - 10' length: 20' - 30' height: 15' - 25' Both floor and ceiling 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, a spatial fragment from Pei's Johnson Museum might not be a good choice for this assignment, since the relationship of concrete to glass is too easily ascertained. 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: 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 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, name of building, location, architect, date of construction, modelling strategy, etc. - on any visible surface of the base. Report: Write a 1-page 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.) Intermediate reviews: Sign up with TA (Wei) or Instructor on office doors. Groups must sign up for 2 reviews as follows: Fri. Oct 23 or Fri. Oct. 30, between 11:15 am and 1:15 pm: Bring in building documentation (e.g., photos, plans, sections, elevations, details, sketches, etc.); Fri. Nov. 13 or Fri. Nov. 20, between 11:15 am and 1:15 pm: Bring in preliminary axons or study models showing your strategy for constructing the final model. Include sufficient detail to indicate how the building "works," as well as how your model will reveal how the building "works." 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. Copies of construction details for many campus buildings can be purchased at the Humphries Service Building by first making arrangements with Chuck Porter at 255-6656. Or contact Ms. Heise at heise@fcs.cornell.edu.
last updated: 16 Dec. 1998
Copyright 1998 J. Ochshorn. All rights reserved. Republishing material on this web site, whether in print or on another web site, in whole or in part, is not permitted without advance permission of the author.