Grid Structure and Space

From the ancient times, people used various kinds of natural material to build architecture. Because of the characteristics of natural materials, there are many limits to challenge the possibility of the architectural structure.After the fire of 1871 in Chicago, there were many incentives to convince Chicago architects to use steel as the material in grid structure buildings. For example, rising real estate prices, the advent of the safety elevator and availability of cost effective steel members. After that, grid structures play a very important role in modern architectural history. Now, construction technologies are improving and hundreds of structure types can be used. Architects have more power to build various kinds of amazing space. For instance, TWA terminal of J.F.K. International Airport. However, the grid structure still has several advantages that can not be substituted: (1) It costs less money due to repetition of components across similar bays. (2) It reduces the construction time, and (3) It possesses an inherent order, a good prerequisite for plan and section. In addition, new technology extends the span limits of grid structures. Thus, grid structures have more chances to take on different roles in the definition of space. This project is a study of the relations between structural grid and architectural space, and a search for several distinct spaces within the grid. In other words, the concept of the project is setting up a grid structure, then developing spacial ideas according to program. So, we can reserve the spirit of the grid structure, and it offers many chances to us to think about other roles that the grid structure can play.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Architecture

Level thesis:degree_level

masters

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Architecture

Department dc:contributor.department

Architecture

Grantor dc:publisher

Virginia Tech

Year dc:date.issued

1999

Author dc:creator

• Sung, Li-wen

Chair dc:contributor.committeechair

• O'Brien, Michael J.

Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember

• Brown, William W.
• Galloway, William U.
• Schnoedt, Heinrich

• Architecture school
• space
• grid structure
• structure
• column
• Architecture
• frame
• modern Architecture
• grid

Statement dc:rights

• In Copyright

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

Language dc:language.iso

en

Dc Identifier Other

etd-04012000-20380039

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/31598