Tectonics in Architecture

Complexity-grounded paradigms and self-organization based strategies promise enormous potential when channeled in a design process, but their current stage of development (while delivering groundbreaking results in recent years) hasn't significantly impacted yet the widespread architectural practice. Still, the tendency (in the development of technology and society) is clearly towards an increase in complexity and distributed intelligence, henceforth it is of primary importance to adopt a design approach that allows the harnessing of such potential and convey it in the creation of outcomes that favor a richer and heterogeneous ecological entanglement. To tap this kind of potential in an open-ended process requires a design approach that redefines the distribution of control, choices and information throughout the whole process (including materials and fabrication processes).The paper explores the possibility of such design approach in the territory that links education and research through a series of Master Thesis developed at the University of Bologna and comparing them to other case studies developed worldwide.

Tectonics in architecture or „poetics of construction“as Frampton defined it, has a multifarious nature and many manifestations. This paper explores a new approach to the concept of tectonics, which systemises the various tectonic expressions. The proposed approach reveals tectonics as an artistic expression of mechanical and spatial functions of building’s material elements. Construction technologies appear as a means for expressing these functions. This paper clarifies all mechanical and spatial functions and gives examples of their tectonic expressions. The review concludes that this functional approach to tectonics has a wide scope, encompassing most of tectonic manifestations and gives a basis for their systematization.

Can the history of sacred architecture be summarized in universal principles? They would need to be ones to which the builders of early Christian basilicas, Gothic cathedrals, and baroque chapels could accede. In previous ages, these principles were tacitly understood and did not need to be articulated. In this paper, I propose five universal principles that apply to sacred architecture of all times, all places, and all styles, with examples from the great buildings of history and my own creative work. I also propose that while fundamental to the revival of sacred architecture, they are not a formula, and must still be applied by a talented architect.

Contemporary architectural education is based on bridging the distance between different types of specialized knowledge, which support architecture. Although the main locus for this synthesis is the architectural design studio, the theory courses are also expected to prepare a basis for this synthesis. "Tectonics" is a concept, which bridges the abys between building technology and art of architecture. Both technology and art can be simultaneously dominant within tectonics. One can follow the rules of optimization of technology, and still achieve aesthetics, or one can break these rules for aesthetical reasons, but still provide strength through some other unexpected, but reasinoble ways. Tectonics can be achieved through building structures, building materials, construction techniques, and finishing details. These are the addresses of tectonics within the general notion of building technology. However, the addresses of tectonic design within art of architecture are not that clear. The objective of this research is to discuss the possibilities of bridging the abys between architectural design and building technology through the analysis of student projects, which were asked to be based on tectonics. After taking a theory course of tectonics during the first term of the second year, the students took a design course, which is based on tectonics, during the following term. During this design course students' artistic approaches to design were conceptualized as design concepts, such as anologous design, 3D model, rational design concepts, and ideals as concepts. Students were left free to have any approach to design and tectonics. Although they were informed by the types of design concepts, and types of tectonic approaches, they were not guided about the ways of achieving tectonics. They were asked to have drawings containing structural systems, and particularly elevations, which are based on 1/20 principal system details. This paper presents the first step of an action research about the target of tectonics in architectural design education. It provides answers to some primary research questions about the relationship between design concepts, types of tectonics, and the ways of achieving tectonics through the analysis of these student projects. Answers to these research questions were provided through a critical phenomenographical investigation, which compares the judgements of students and teachers/mentors about the achievements of the each project.

THE TECTONICS OF FLEXURAL STRUCTURES
Flexural structures are the structures which respond to external loading by developing mainly bending stress in their elements. The elements of these structures are usually straight. Reinforced concrete or steel frame systems and shear wall systems, which take place within this group, are studied in Chapter 9. This chapter covers elements of flexural structures, their structural behaviour, reasons of selecting flexural structures, earthquake resistant design of them, case-studies of reinforced concrete and steel frame systems and shear wall systems, and finally a discussion about the tectonics of flexural structures. Most of the buildings which have flexural structures are modern. These buildings are frequently subjected to functional changes and they are usually redesigned by interior architects at a later stage. During this design process of the existing building the structural elements of the building are also reconsidered: they can be subtracted, changed or new elements can be added to the existing structure. The structural guidelines about the ways of handling flexural structures during the interior design process are collected in Chapter 10. Flexural structures are also used in the design of high-rise buildings. Frame and shear wall systems can be used up to a limit. Various types of tubular structures, which are also flexural structures, are used for the highest buildings. Strategies of increasing the height of building structures and structural guidelines for high-rise building structures are studied in Chapter 11. Similar to Part 2, Part 3 also ends with a discussion about the never ending contradiction between the structural guidelines and architectural examples.

Complexity-grounded paradigms and self-organization based strategies promise enormous potential when channeled in a design process, but their current stage of development (while delivering groundbreaking results in recent years) hasn't significantly impacted yet the widespread architectural practice. Still, the tendency (in the development of technology and society) is clearly towards an increase in complexity and distributed intelligence, henceforth it is of primary importance to adopt a design approach that allows the harnessing of such potential and convey it in the creation of outcomes that favor a richer and heterogeneous ecological entanglement. To tap this kind of potential in an open-ended process requires a design approach that re-defines the distribution of control, choices and information throughout the whole process (including materials and fabrication processes).The paper explores the possibility of such design approach in the territory that links education and rese...

The differences between the concepts of 'structure' (and thus concepts of ornamentation) within the professions of architecture and structural engineering create non-ethical differences to arize between their value systems. The objective of this paper is to analyse the various meanings and interpretations of the concepts of `structure` and `ornamentation` within these professions, in order to understand the origins and underlying significance of these value differences. However, this analysis addresses both the conceptual and physical evidence of these differences, which occur in buildings and structures. A literature survey has been done in order to identify and establish the variations of these concepts in Gothic cathedrals, 18 th century iron bridges, and modern framed buildings. In addition to these, twenty contemporary buildings with 'suspended glass systems' have been analysed in order to reveal the current concepts of `structure` and `ornamentation.` These concepts of 'structure' and 'ornamentation' are then further interpreted by relating them to similar concepts within the field of the philosophy of ethics. The outcome of the paper demonstrates that the basis of the conflict between the architectural and structural engineering professions emanates from a more elevated contest vis a vis the natural order of things and human culture.