Lisa Fan Wu_Y4 |Unit 14 | Bartlett School of Architecture

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LISA FAN WU YEAR 4

UNIT

Y5 LFW

CHONGWENMEN AMATEUR WINE GATE

@unit14_ucl

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@unit14_ucl

LISA FAN WU YEAR 4 Y5 LFW

lisafw1917@gmail.com @unit14_ucl

C H O N G W E N M E N A M AT E U R W I N E G AT E LIVING WALL INFRASTRUCTURE AS A CULTURAL AND TRANSPORTATION NODE Beijing, China

T

he context and brief of this Y4 project is to purpose a future Beijing city, which demolished traditional architectural typologies are reintroduced back into the city urban fabric, and reinterpreted under current urban and political context with modern technological innovations.

The architectural artefact which had been investigated and reinterpreted is the demolished Beijing inner city fortification wall and its gate openings. The once solid defense wall gaurding the old Beijing city span 27km fully enclosing the inner city area, with only 9 gate openings allowing people and goods entering/exiting the inner city. Currently the wall had been fully taken down, and its location route now replaced with 10-lane traffic highways on the ground level, and subway lines below ground.

This introduced problems like over-population, cogestion, pollution and fragmenting urban fabric for pedestrain access.

The particular gate selected for the Y4 project is Chongwenmen gate, south-east of central Beijing area. The gate was dubbed the ‘Wine Gate’ in the past, as this was where all alcohol entering the old Beijing city was taxed. The gate is now a flagship brewery garden for a Chinese up-and-coming liquir company promoting their brand image as well as their products.

The gate was architecturally significant, with a typology of gate tower, watch tower and barbican branches with complex mixture of materiality and great enginuity. In the 1905s post-war era, the garden city version of Beijing was proposed, but dismissed due to political and technological restrictions. This design projects takes inspirations from the past proposals and integrates 21st century innovations for a future mega-city.

The project’s design proposal is to rebuild the city wall as fully enclosed highways for electric autonomous vehicles. The wall exterior plugged with living modules and the top of the wall a belt of urban garden. The highway wall lifts off the ground in the locations of the old gates, allowing pedestrains to access in/out the inner city on the ground level. The nine gates are brought back as cultural nodes, where different cultural or civic programmes are inserted into different gates depending on their locations and historical contexts. The gates are also transportation hub, giving people access to the subway lines running underground.

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The first subway lines, no. 1 & 2 in Beijing were co-designed by Chinese and Soviet experts in the late 1950s. The planned route of the subway and the limited cut-and-cover construction technology at the time meant tearing down the uninhabited city wall relic. this is a aerial image taken by US satellite showing the escavation at the time and the impact left on the urban fabric.

the great unbuilt--post WWII Beijing urban replanning

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In the 1950s, after the desolation of the WWII, nations around the globe testified modernisation in various different scales and paces. In the case of People’s Republic of China, following the leadership of the USSR after the establishment of the communist government in 1949, the country adopted huge scale urban infrastructure projects. Projects included inner city fast traffic lanes, a series of subway lines design-wise assisted by Soviet experts, which also in the 1950s acted as underground air bunkers, and many more.

upper pyramidal roof 歇山大顶

roof beam set

顶梁

outer lintel roof bracket (dougong)

外檐 斗拱

mortar casing

石灰

lower pyramidal roof

副顶

mortar casing

石灰

roof bracket

斗拱

main roof structure

上层结构

upper floor structure

平梁

flat beams sub roof bracket

主顶结构

斗拱辅作

mortar wall upper floor timber set

实墙 地板

floor beams

承梁

sub bay columns

副平柱

柱结构

columns structure

lower roof tier

二台顶

主楼结构

main tower structure

城墙/楼体地基结构

wall/tower foundation structure

城门结构

city gate structure

corner columns

central bay columns

stone panel curb

rammed earth cased columns

角柱

主平柱

石板

夯土包柱

ground beams

地梁

brick facade casing

青砖

rammed earth

夯土

main tower

正楼

barbican

瓮城

watch tower

箭楼

崇文门 Chongwenmen

(gate of the respected interlect)

1453 - 1966

the Beijing city defense wall & its entrance gates Due to limitation of technologies, the sacrifice of delivering these infrastructural projects meant tearing down traditional urban fabric. One such sorrowful case was the Beijing inner city fortification, a city defence wall which used to span 27km, circling the Beijing Inner City within its borders. The solid wall had nine main gates as openings into the inner city, as well as other architectural structures distributed along the wall. The gate shared a typology of gate tower, barbican, watch tower and more, all of which were magnificent timber and brick structures.

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Typology of a typical Tower

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Fuchengmen

正楼

Watch Tower

箭楼

Gate Tower

瓮城

Barbican

typology of Chongwenmen Gate extractionof floorplates

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Site: China-Beijing-inner city-Chongwenmen junction

actual photo of city wall 1900

Site photo upper: looking east lower: looking west

Actual photo of Chongwenmen Gate (1920), drawing of original gate and scale in current typological context

geographical context: China, Beijing, Chongwenmen Gate One such sorrowful case was the Beijing inner city fortification, a city defence wall which used to span

borders.

27km, circling the Beijing Inner City within its

The solid wall had 9 main gates as openings into the inner city, as well as other architectural structures distributed along the wall. The gate shared a typology of gate tower, barbican, watch tower and more, all of which were magnificent timber and brick structures.

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retaining walls closest at 2m away from each other

entrances in less accessable locations ( between traffic lanes)

178 m walkway transfer

212 m walkway transfer

178 m walkway transfer

N

accurate 3d presentation of current site conditions--above & underground

N 1:2000 site map

Surrounding building levels--average 3m/level

site context: current

lv 1

lv 2-3

lv 4-10

lv 10+

major transportation junction 9

lv 1

map of Beijing, Imperial size v. now

lv 2-3

lv 4-10

current inner city building typology--height

Beijing Former City Fortifications overview of traditional typologies and locations

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lv 10+

The Beijing city fortifications were built between the early 15th century to 1553. The Inner city wall was 24 kilometres long and 15 metres high, with a thickness of 20 metres at ground level and 12 metres at the top, and had nine gates. The wall stood for nearly 530 years, but in 1965, was removed to allow for construction of the 2nd Ring Road and Line 2 of the Beijing Subway. Only one part of the original wall still exists, just south of the Beijing Railway Station in the southeast portion of the city. The Outer city walls had a perimeter of approximately 28 kilometres. The entire enclosure of the Inner and Outer cities formed a “凸” shape with a perimeter of nearly 60 kilometres. It had an extensive fortification system, consisting of the Forbidden City, the Imperial city, the Inner city, and the Outer city. Fortifications included gate towers, gates, archways, watchtowers, barbicans, barbican towers, barbican gates, barbican archways, sluice gates, sluice gate towers, enemy sighting towers, corner guard towers, and a moat system. It had the most extensive defense system in Imperial China.

TSINGHUA UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR RESEARCH PAPER ON ALGORITHMICALLY WORKING OUT THE FORMATION OF THE ROOF CURVES FROM SIDE ELEVATION SIDE, PUBLISHED IN MAGAZINE ‘ARCHITECTURE WORLD’, AUG 2013.

SUMMARY OF EQUATIONS FORM THE AFOREMENTIONED PAPER, IDENTIFYING TWO VARIABLES, M (NUMBER OF TURNS OF THE ROOF) AND X (HORIZONTAL LENGTH BETWEEN EACH TURN).

THEN ONE COULD TEST AND SIMULATE UNPRESEDENTED NUMIRICAL RANGES FOR THESE VARIABLES, UNRESTRICTED TO IMPERICAL HIERACHICAL CONCERNS.

design trails--experimentation on modernizing different typological aspects of the wall During the initial design stage, different parts of the old defense wall typology was studies and scrutinized to be compared and see which part has the most design potential.

The extrapolated roof-forming algorighm, the Paul Rudolph vision of the post-war living infrastructural city, and curvature reinterpretation of the old gates in general. The various scale and others were tested alongside.

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watch tower section cut AA

watch tower plan--level 1-- +12.7m

B

the ‘wedding cake’ diagram, showing relationship between loading-bearing timber columns and stabalizing/fireprotection mortar case.

A

A

primary structures supportive/secondary structures

B

structural form: original primary weight-bearing structure 12

site history--alcohol, art, wall & its gates The particular gate picked has a very complexed and rich history of art, cultural, turmoil and rejuvenation. It used to be the gate which all the alcohol entering the Beijing inner city was permitted and collected all the tax for them. Combined with the aristocrats, lords, high officials and intellectuals which used to occupy the area, the gate was a important festive location in the old urban fabric.

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£1.7b

worth of smallbranded liquor sale in mainland China

CHINESE STATE AND BEIJING GOVERNMENT PUSHING STRONG ON ELECTRIC CARS, INCLUDING USING LESS RESTRICTIVE NUMBER PLATES HOWEVER, THE LIMITATIONS OF ELECTRIC CARS LIES IN THE LACKING OF INFRASTRUCTURE, CHARGING STATIONS, MAINTANENCE AND SUCH, MAKING ELECTRIC CARS VERY UNFRIENDLY TO OWNERS, ESPECIALLY TRAVELLING OUTSIDE MAJOR CITIES.

design proposal--Chongwenmen Ametuer Wine Gate cultural node on transportation hub The wall is transformed into fully-enclosed electric driverless car lanes. The art gallery on the top of the complex would be sponsored by ‘Jianxiaobai’, the privately-owned liquor brand, as they periodically holds exhibitions, media promotional events and other activities which promotes their public image. The location of the gallery/commercial cultural complex on top of a maasive transportation hub with white-collars ensures the daily revenue with any businesses in space within the gate.

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>£100m

annual sales of Jiangxiaobai ‘Baijiu’ clear, hard liquir made from fermented sorghum

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building-scale impact 2

3

4

urban-scale impact

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1. existing road conditions 2. cutting off north-south vehicle route, lifting the east-west vehicle route up where the crossing was 3.

1). opening new entrance to underground subway stations, 2). inserting programme-related construction, aka. on-site demonstration brewery, into the junction area, 3). attach prefabricated housing modules along the new wall

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4. insert public venue area, aka brewery garden, into new junction 5. opened up gates allow pedestrain access through ino inner city 6. plant vegetation for urban garden 7. insert main cultural attraction, aka art gallery --genesis sequence complete

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genesis: urban & building scale intervention The design focusing on Chongwenmen gate this particular project, yet the genesis sequence of interventions is same for future constructions of similar kind along the wall footprint. Colour code and its related programmes and functions please reference page 6.

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circulation within the Chongwenmen gate complex

cross section BB -- @1:5000

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The comparason between the old main gate tower and the new gate tower shows the logic of design and form finding. Reinterpreting the traditional material, form and typology, thus give them new functions/architectural meanings. Due to previously mentioned high fire regulations, the material requirements prevented the design from structurally using natural timber.

The primary and secondary structural materials are very inflammable. Glue-laminated timber (glulam) and cross-laminated timber (clt) allowed the primary structure to have a natural timber appearance, whilst being safe.

section cut of drivers view when travelling inside the auto highway, core in background for perspective

diagram of current site buildings greatly affected by noise and pollution by traffic lanes

disruption by autos

disruption by pedestrains and envent attendees contained by the shape of the complex

diagram of vibration and noise solely contrained within the concrete bridge, leaving the entire junction area free of vehicle pollution

acoustics & ventilation: highway enclosure The enclosed highway offered a fundemental solution to the noise and aire quality problem the local residents had been suffering for decades. The noise form the highways is mostly absorted by the concrete enclosure system, and vibration from the bridge only affects the tower’s cores as a secondary concern, not even structurally affecting the tower’s structural integraty. The city-scale infrastructural intervention assures the improvement of air quality and justifying the open facades within the complex.

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~WW2--minimum maintance of the wall

~1970s cultural revolution,Liang purged

~1990s subway replaced wall

missed urban-planning opportunity due to construction of subway line in late 1960s

design proposal on-site scale and context

N

site diagram of position of past gates and wall --now all 8-lane inner city highways with top speed of 80km/h

Chongwenmen gate was the only legal route for alcohol vendors to sell into the inner Beijing city, therefore collecting the most and heaviest tax out of all the gates.

historical & cultural context: missed opportunity & alcohol Chongwenmen in the past ( as well as now ) had been culturally enriched by affluent residents and public festive events. Since its creation, the defense and tax gate witnessed countless historical events, attacks, invasions, resurgence and more. The name ‘Chongwen’ gate in Chinese meaning ‘awe of the intellect’. The gates and wall were taken down in stages after the fall of the Qing imperial dynasty. The last blow was the planned subway construction in the 1960s. Currently, the actual site does not represent its past significance or modern cultural context.

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spaces venues for local communities, acitivity centres and schools during day-time

morning/evening rush hour and urban white collar demongraphics

during afternoon/night time the junction turns into mega pub/events venue for all kinds

character: curation of programme and atmosphere The design following and reinterpreting the original gate typology gave rise to a clearly orientated building structure. Thus, more detailed programmes are coordinated according to day-night timing, light conditions, pedestrain traffic through subway junction and such.

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W

E

building performance: night time Night time render testing and thermal analysis helps to determine programmes potentially happening in what region of the complex. In this case, the west wing is cooler slightly than the east, ideal for summer night events involving the gallery.

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gate front entrance, slated roof drawing crowd into the centre

section CC rendered

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3rd

2nd

1st

structural systems

primary

secondary

facade

structural studies

1st 2nd

3rd

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structural systems overview

mega modern tech timber cores super bracket load-bearing timber frame system barbican wing branch

-morning sun warms east wing rammed earth -morning sun warms west wing shade area

June 3rd -- @5:00am-6:00am

-morning/noon sun warms west wing -west wing rammed earth absorbed heat -noon sun warms east wing shade area -east wing rammed earth starts releasing morning heat into east wing June 3rd -- @11:00am-12:00pm

-early evening rammed earth starts to release heat back into complex

June 3rd -- @5:00pm-6:00pm

B

B

Chongwenmen Amentuer wine gate--ground floor ga 0m @1:4000

building performance: daytime thermal analysis The three lighting test depict the lighting conditions typical in Beijing around June throughout a day. The analysis of thermal performance during a typical summer day in Beijing as well as the light and shade within the complex gives a design guide marker for further considerations and programme management.

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exploded iso expressing primary and secondary load-bearing structures

interpreting the barbican branches--drinking spaces reintroducing original materiality fitting new programmes.

Brick--the origianl wall bricks are now everywhere in Beijing, used for civic and infrastructural constructions. bring back the original bricks for the barbican wing facade would be ideal material transitioning from its post-war modernist building context to the traditional. Natural hard wood used in construction as design manifestations in relation to original design and cultural implications, under a modern context.

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rammed earth-concrete connection detail @1:50 1. reclaimed ceramic brick form old wall (approx. 420mm*130mm*220mm) 2. 80mm insulaiton layer (with air cavity in front) 3. rammed earth wall form escavated eartch, top min = 1000mm 4. diametre 200mm concrete reinforcement beam 5. outer moisture barrier layer 6. inner moisture barrier layer 7. rigid structural insulation glass block 8. 500mm gravel barrier layer 9. 150mm soil layer 10. 500mm concrete retaining slab 11. 400mm*3 stacked glulam loading-bearing structural beam

timber-concrete connection detail @1:50 1. steel connection with concrete plate 2. 400mm 5-layer glulam beams

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1

2 3 4 5 6

1

2

7

3

8

9 10 11

2

4

flexible timber-timber floor detail @1:50 1.

2.

3.

4.

top finishing & flexible mep structural layer 120mm 3-yaer clt panel 10mm insulation layer 200mm diagonal structural timber beam

barbican west wing section CC @1:200

zoomed-in detail study: barbican west wing area I I These 1:200 scale cross section through the barbican west wing area has a general animation of activities within the complex.

The curation of these activities is performance-driven, determined by factors like sun light and heat performance, as well as seasonal climate variations. Details will be elaborated further in this report’s section 3.

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‘Secret’ drinking spaces--carving into the once solid barbicans

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Linking back to the history of the ‘wine gate’, once smugglers would climb the high walls at night to smuggle untaxed alcohol into the inner city. This ‘secrecy’ is the design drive of having the main drinking establishemnts inside the walls. The thermal conditions also include the brewery and its storage vault, which gives a lot of heat. However, as these systems are highly regulated, their involvement and incorporation into the larger public complex is unlikely.

scenario A -- Sept 3rd -- @10:00am-11:00am fall cafe gallery holding exhibitional events for members

scenario B -- April 23rd -- @7:00pm-8:00pm hot pot restaurant promotional discount night

barbican area--programmes responding to time and season A two case study based on the thermal performance of the rammed earth is conducted and compaired. Giving insight and considerations ot programme-based design concerns and potential solutions. The Jiangxiaobai liquir is promoted and consumed within the complex, whether it’s high-profile events or summer-time street food market festivals.

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primary structures supportive/secondary structures detail structures

watch tower section cut BB -- original

watch tower section cut BB -- art and liquor tower

structural form: original v. new design The comparason between the old main gate tower and the new gate tower shows the logic of design and form finding. Reinterpreting the traditional material, form and typology, thus give them new functions/architectural meanings.

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32000.00 20000.00

0m

35m

0m

-24.42m

diagram of the logic developing the timber mega core

tower core extending into subway platform erected using modern timber technologies glas elevators running in mega core, visitors could see the timber texture as they travel

This mega core structure runs throughout the entire complex, from tower top to underground subway station

core: origin and

planned position

Derived from the traditonal arrangement of columns and its structural concerns, it is taken form there to design the mega core system, a primary load-bearing timber frame system carrying the new gate tower’s dead load, extending through the auto highways, all the way down into the underground subway platform. Giving visitors a strong architectural impact.

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35m

0m

-24.42m

-diagram of the logic developing the glulam timber columns -diagram of sourcing materials & glulam production line

Larix gmelinii (rupr.) kuzen -- the timber tree for the glulam manufacturing in China is a type of pine mainly produced in northern China.

The area known for its heavy industry. Therefore, timber pieces will be prefabricated locally, then transported to site via railway and trucks.

steel plate & nail connection system between timber frame and concrete foundation

concrete foundation for glulam columns

1 1. 80mm multi-layer glulam column, loading bearing core zone 2. 80mm multi-layer glulam column, loading bearing sub zone 3. structural gap between timber core and concrete cuto highway 4. 120mm concrete ledge for dampers 5. mep for tower and lift

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3 4 5

mega core: glulam columns

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The primary design manifestation is the timber structure throughout the tower, running into the foundation of the rammed earth wall. This design and structural component is reinterpreted and manifested through the material of timber and enabled in the modern context of public transportation building area by the technology of glue-laminated timber.

steel & nail connections between clts panels and modules

35m

-diagram of the logic developing the clt timber shafts 0m

-24.42m

-the fire proof clt is in place as the mortar casing in the original tower

Abies fabri -- the timber tree for the clt manufacturing in China is a type of fir mainly produced in southwestern China. The area known for hilly terrains. Therefore, timber pieces will be prefabricated locally, then transported to site via railway and trucks.

1 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

diametre 10mm stainless steel nails elevator rails ventilation for the inside the clt shaft water pipes, heating & mep steel mesh layer clt panel shaft electric wiring

2 3 4 5 6 7

mega core:clt shafts The core shaft is constructed with cross-laminated timber panels. If the elevator runs with in the cores, the meps will be fitted on the outside of the clt shaft, attached to the glulam beams and outside of the clt shafts. The benefit of having clt panels apart from great fire saftely performances, is its simple structural connection.

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openings in precast concrete bridge highway modules for stacking through the cores later

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

800mm flooring layer for inside the core 400mm cross-laminated timber panels diametre max. 1200mm glue-laminated timber columns steel plate in concrete connection for clt panels steel plate in concrete connection for glulam columns 1200mm concrete retaining wall layer

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retailing wall and foundation for core The foundation for the timber cores and elevator shafts are casted in the concrete retaining wall with the construction of the new tube station platforms.

The connection between concrete and timber is the embedded and nailed stainless steel plates. Through structurally the core and shaft foundation is independent, they are casted simultaneously.

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2

3 4

5

6

load bearing concrete stumps casted on site

first tower concrete slab casting in-situ to bind together the two highway bridge pieces

construction of concrete foundation for the cores

stacking of prefabricated core modules through designed openings in concrete modules

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2

3

4

core:assembly of core and highway The weight fo the concrete highway is carried by the concrete stump and both end of the bridge. Also the wall between the brewery production floor and visitors centre. The seperation of timber core and concrete highway allows the highway to be precasted in modules and transported on site for assembly, in order to match the construction time of other components. Because the repeated design for similar gates, the mode for casting te concrete could potentially be recycled.

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2.2.6

-fire escape for emergencies -The timber structure should allow a minimum of 90mins time for humans to evacuate -Fire doors will be in place in these long corridors to stop fire from spreading if unfortunatrly the fire do get into the corridors

-dampers are deployed to absort bridge vibration caused by the sutos passing -the gap between the concrete bridge highway and timber core will also help moisture to drain through intead of building up and damaging the timber

core & highway:timber through concrete The mega cores goes into underground. Above ground one could see the timber core going through the concrete bridge auto highway. This architecturally has a strong impact.

Structurally speaking, the core being timber has to avoid contact with the highway, as the vibration caused by the fast flowing vehicles might casue minor collisions with the timber core. Dampers are used to counterinteract this effect. The gap left between the timber and concrete asures moisture to leak through and not cause damage to the core.

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-ventilation is separate for the core, escape corridors and highway -though electric autos does not exhaust toxic gases, due to fire concerns its optimum to keep these three ventilation systems separate to stop fire from spreading

materiality--timber through concrete and underground As now in modern cities timber is mostly ornamental, to have a strong timber structure puncturing through the concrete, steel, glass and integrated with modern materials, brings a sense of warmth and familiarity to the urban fabric. The historical reference is done with logically reinterpreting the original structures.

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section perspective with gallery in view with city

night view when the gallery is holding events

Gate tower--Jiangxiaobai exhibition gallery The old gate towers were not all reinterpreted. The gate tower shown in the drawings and renders are recunstructed as a flagship store/art gallery sponsored by Jiangxiaobai to promote their products, have latest press releases, and funded art exhibitions with their collaborating artists.

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structural diagram of how the concrete slab is effectively the roof of the original tower. the flat shape enabled by modern concrete construction

traditional

modern reinterpretation

modern courage: full timber

primary load-bearing cores

This diagram shows the complete primary load-bearing structure is composed of timber, ligh the original design. the Main difference being the new adaptation of modern timber technology allowed glulam an clt to be effectively fire-resistant, equivalent of the mortar-casing in the original towers.

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dead load from building

left: new structural timber ‘super bracket’ right: old structural timber ‘dougong’ roof bracket

weight disbersed

load bearing of super bracket

The use of modern timber technology and reinterpreting traditional construction method gave way to the design’s main timber frame structural systems.

bracket canteliver system brings load to core structures

dougong system functions better when applying heavy load from (extravagant) roof

structural form logic demonstration: super bracket v.dougong 40

stacking beams in one verticle plane is essentially like a braced truss structure

introducing another truss penpendiclar to the existing helps truss resist shear force

2m in length, diametre of 40mm, these steel

threaded rod with screwable bolts on each end is capable of bearing the primary structure’ sload requirements

left--the cross double truss structure acts to bring load to the central core right--built reference of kengo kuma’s yuuhara bridge

super structure: brackets The intent of reinterpreting the traditional stacked roof bracket structure gave rise to the super bracket form. With new technological breack through of glue-lanimated timber, the load beared on the timber frames could be much higher. Also the treated timber being highly resistance to shrinking, pests and overall wear & tear in a public transport station is highly important.

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each beam has 4 grooves and the layer has 16

3. bandsaw & cnc wedges

2. gluing

diagram showing how the stacking bracket truss resist bending

prefabricated with cut grooves glulam column

*3 *3 *3

48 pieces of prefabricated timber components/level

*4

224 pieces of prefabricated timber primary structural components for the whole tower

-diagram showing how the stacking bracket truss transfers load down through the core -the lower the levels, thicker and more layers of clulam beam are applied

super brackets: assembly of all floors

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The on site assembly of these components are fairly straight forward. The pieces though looking similar, are not in many cases interchangable. Therefore the order of stacking is relavent. Even though using threaded rod bolting these components together, if unscrewed, the structure’s integraty risks being damaged.

1. raw timber pieces

construction stats -primary structural deadload: +concrete floor slab +super core and bracket combo

=5000 tons

-construction on site for primary structure + 48h/concrete slab + 12*2/level of bracket and core + built-in time dilations

traditional

=20 days

3rd modern reinterpretation workers & crane fitting module cores

2nd workers & crane fitting super bracket in order

erecting scarffording,

1st wooden & steel framework for concrete slab

pre-fabricated super bracket glulam pieces, transported via trucks & railway

whole concrete plate prevents buckling

floor plates: in-situ casting concrete in-situ casting is deployed in this case, the first floor plate of the tower essentially binds together the two precast motor way bridge pieces.

-structurally binding together bracket -can’t transport that big size of floor plate onto site -frame short-time assembly & site climate condition situable for in-situ casting -incorporate service and details

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6.

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8.

180mm 3-layer cross-laminated timber panels, waterproof finishing 100mm insulaiton layer diamitre 100mm vertical reinforcement timber beams inserted inbetween) 20mm timber interior finishing top steel rotation axis diametre 20mm steel nails bottom steel rotation axis bottom steel plate fixed in flooring

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2

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6 7 8

the none rotation part of the clt facade is essentially a door, used in the barbican open facade system as well.

facade system: flexible facade - tower The rotatable clt facade wall cannot hit any of the primary weight-bearing structures.

The position and fitting of these facade panels are carefully mapped, and grid columns laid out avoiding any cores, super brackets, or voids and staircase openings.

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Gate tower--Jiangxiaobai exhibition gallery The old gate towers were not all reinterpreted. The gate tower shown in the drawings and renders are recunstructed as a flagship store/art gallery sponsored by Jiangxiaobai to promote their products, have latest press releases, and funded art exhibitions with their collaborating artists.

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structural diagram of how the secondary structural stiops and main branch from swaying

structural system colour-coding

primary

secondary

roof

facade

barbican wings: overall structural system This fragment of the barbican west wing area is a detail case study of materiality and structural construction practices. Like the main gate tower design, the structural logic is derived by surveying the old remaining relic and survived documentation of the original construction. Due to the difference in scale and function form the old tower, the zoomed-in detail study gives a more clarified explanation of how the big is adapted to the small.

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5

original bricks from the wall due to the irregular geometry of the wall and the less intensive design pattern, construction will be carried out manually by local workers during this process, safety of the workers is a major concern, as the wall’s curvature shape increases the risk of injury.

2

rammed earth form escavated soil

3

during this process, the construction of foundation retaining walls and rammed earth wall could not start in parallel, leaving a risk of large amount of soil on site and could be blown away by strong winds in Beijing. Soil nets should be cautiously deployed and maintained well throughout this construction phase

1

main glulam timber frames construction sequence in 8 stages, labelled by the annotation

when the columns are in place, a temporary load (like container of water) should be placed on top and mimic the real future load. Otherwise the timber (even though glulam) might deform due to on site climate conditions.

on-site concrete casting

6

The procedure for this is relatively standard. When casting the roof top garden, all major concrete construction would have been finished. So one should

layering earth roof top garden This process would introduce a heavy deadload for the entire structure. potentially causing the timber

structure to buckle if the weight hasn’t been distributed evenly. Extra caution should be taken care off monitoring the behaviour and structural performance of the timber beam beneath.

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CLT walls/facade strucutre standard construction on site as primary structures are in places

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natural hardwood

when transporting these materials, one should be more cautious with denting and damaging, as these materials are less robust and more relevant in terms of apperance

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secondary glulam space-truss frames these though in place to prevent the main structure form swaying after the concrete roof casting, should still be heavily monitored when loading the earth

fragment analysis: materiality & related construction risks The mixed materials in this area is more fragmented and complex than the main tower area.

But the logic could be divided into two parts, outer earthy layer, as one progresses into the central open garden area, the lighter the structure and material.

Here diagrammed a fragment of the barbican area, demonstrating the transition of the materiality, as well as the constructional concerns and risks associated with the delivery.

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threaded rod & bolts connection system

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2 balcony area

barbican west wing upper floor area

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barbican west wing double height area

outside gardena area

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barbican west wing underground upper floor area

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subway station platform area

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steel plate & nail connection 240mm 3-layered glulam timber beams diametre 600mm glulam timber column 500mm concrete floor slab diametre 600mm concrete column

zoomed-in detail study: barbican west wing area I The reinterpretation of the traditional dougong structure gave rise to a clear yet highly effective space-truss frame structure, capable of carrying enormous load across a long span. Real-life built examples include the Yushuhara Wooden Bridge Museum by Kengo Kumna in Japan.

In this deisgn case, this structural system is functioning as a secondary stabilizing system, together with the rammed earth fixing potins on the other end of the concrete slab, preventing the structure form horizontal swaying movements.

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The traditional Phoebe zhennan plant used for the imperial constructions is now a 2nd class Chinese protected botanical species. Therefore the ‘highest’ hierachy wood used is Pterocarpus. Sourced either imported or southeast China.

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Fraxinus mandshurica, the Manchurian ash, is a species of Fraxinus native to northeastern Asia in northern China, Korea, Japan and Russia. Due to its high properties, it’s a highly regarded industrial timber material in China.

Cinnamomum longepaniculatum, the species of Cinnamomum is known for its distinctive aroma. Historically often used in eastern temples and religious sites. The scent is also a natural insecticite for many native pests.

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500mm (total) concrete roop top retaining slab 100mm insulaiton layer aluminium plated sofit 120mm timber beam 300mm clt paneled openable facade wall 300mm double 3-layer clt panel flooring system

facade system:flexible facade - barbican In the barbican wing area, a mixture of manufactured timber and traditional hardwood timber is used simutaneously. In terms of facade system, the mixture serve similar purpose, allowing maximum flexibility and spaces. The selection of materials are more form a design and architectural perspective of heirachy.

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canteliver floor slabs shades tower from west sun

bracket structural acting as fins to shade interior

rammed earth as heavy thermal mass regulating temperature & thermal performances

sun, lighting & thermal performance: structural shade

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The performance of sun, light and heat is crucial in the design. As the design follows a clear orientation of east and west, like many traditional typologies in Beijing, because the climate is clearly defined throughout the year. One could exploit this factor, borrowing the typological form and considering environmental performance in a more general scale.

highly thermally regulated area mixed with open/ semi-open public spaces

building performance case study: barbican west wing I The thermal conditions also include the brewery and its storage vault, which gives a lot of heat. However, as these systems are highly regulated, their involvement and incorporation into the larger public complex is unlikely. During design, architects have to consider their mep needs and leave enough space for construction and performance fluctuations.

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Reuquirements for constructional concerns

-trees at height of 2-3m requires a soil depth of at least 1.7m -walkway tiling on top of roof circle radius should be loosely plated, allowing wate to drain through, and spaces for the roots to expand in the future.

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350mm steel-reinforced concrete slab 150mm tall thin steel moisture barrier 50mm insulation layer 80mm tall moisture cups synthetic material barrier 1500mm mixed soil

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1. stainless steel mep pipe cover 2. in-ground water faucet 3. water drainage pipe

barbican wing top: roof top garden The roof top garden deployed in the barbican area is classifies as intensive roof top garden, with heavy vegetation and intense maintenace by human labour. As construction requirements, the depth of earth is around 1.5 - m2m deep, allowing tree growth of up to 4m above soil. The waterproof requirements for the roof top is very high as well, with 2 layers of moisture protection and two layers of water-collecting moisture cups.

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1. mist watering system 2. steel water faucet and pipe drainage 3. 100mm top layer dirt 4. 400mm gravel & earth mix 5. 1200mm earth 6. first barrier layer 7. moisture cup layer 8. 100mm insulation layer 9. mesh steel plate support structure 10. 400mm concrete retainning slab

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diagram of distribution of intensive roof top garden system & surronding new urban garden zones

v.

The roof top garden would store water during dry time, yet capable of taking huge

amounts of water without collapsing

during summer storm surges

general rain conditions: intensive roof top garden study Beijing is relatively dry for the most circumstances. The intensive roof top garden requires a lot of human labour to maintain as well as large amounts of water when the average water resource per person capita in Beijing, as well as rest of China is well below average. The roof top is designed to hold as much rain as capable for the vegetation. Especially during the summer, reducing human irritation amounts.

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All work produced by Unit 14 Unit book design by Charlie Harris www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture Copyright 2019 The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmited in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retreival system without permission in writing from the publisher.

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UNIT @unit14_ucl

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M O D E R N C O U R A G E

2019

A

t the center of Unit 14’s academic exploration lies Buckminster Fuller’s ideal of the ‘The Comprehensive Designer’, a master-builder that follows Renaissance principles and a holistic approach. Fuller referred to this ideal of the designer as somebody who is capable of comprehending the ‘integrateable significance’ of specialised findings and is able to realise and coordinate the commonwealth potentials of these discoveries while not disappearing into a career of expertise. Like Fuller, we are opportunists in search of new ideas and their benefits via architectural synthesis. As such Unit 14 is a test bed for exploration and innovation, examining the role of the architect in an environment of continuous change. We are in search of the new, leveraging technologies, workflows and modes of production seen in disciplines outside our own. We test ideas systematically by means of digital as well as physical drawings, models and prototypes. Our work evolves around technological speculation with a research-driven core, generating momentum through astute synthesis. Our propositions are ultimately made through the design of buildings and through the in-depth consideration of structural formation and tectonic constituents. This, coupled with a strong research ethos, will generate new and unprecedented, viable and spectacular proposals. They will be beautiful because of their intelligence - extraordinary findings and the artful integration of those into architecture.

Inspired by the audacity of the modernist mind the unit’s work aspires to reinstate the designer’s engagement with all aspects of our profession.

Observation and re-examination of every aspect of current civilizatory development enables to project near future scenarios and positions the work as avant garde in the process of designing a comprehensive vision for the future.

Societical, technological, cultural, economic as well as political developments propel the investigations with a deep understanding of how they interlink to shape strategies and astute synthesis to determine a design approach.

We believe in the multi-objectivity of our design process, where the negotiation of the different objectives becomes a great source of architectural novelty and authorship. We will fight charlatanism with the aid of practical experimentation, scientific knowledge and technology. We find out about how human endeavour, deep desire and visionary thought interrelate as well as advance cultural and technological means while driving civilisation as a highly developed organisation. The underlying principle and observation of our investigations will be that futurist speculation inspires and ultimately brings about significant change. Supported by competent research the work is the search for modernist courage aiming to amplify found nuclei into imaginative tales with architectural visions fuelled by speculation.

Thanks to: RSHP, Zaha Hadid Architects, DKFS Architects, Heatherwick Studio, Amanda Levete Architects, Seth Stein Architects, Cundal Engineering, DaeWha Kang Design, Uni Stuttgart ITKE

UNIT 14 @unit14_ucl

All work produced by Unit 14 Unit book design by Charlie Harris www.bartlett.ucl.ac.uk/architecture Copyright 2019 The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmited in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retreival system without permission in writing from the publisher.