1871 May, Paris Commune Fires deliberately set during the Paris Commune in May destroyed:

  Royal Palace of the Tuileries, Louvre Library Palais de Justice Hôtel de Ville Gare de Lyon Palais d'Orsay

1871 Midwest Fires Five great fires all on October 8, 1871 Great Chicago Fire killed hundreds, destroyed 4 sq.mi. Port Huron Fire of 1871 killed over 200 people Great Michigan Fire killed between 1,200 and 2,500 Deadliest fire in US History.

1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire  destroyed 400 city blocks burned 25,000 buildings killed 3-5,000 people

Theater Fires

1876 - Brooklyn Theater Fire killed 300+ 1881 - Ring Theater Fire Vienna killed 850+ 1887 - Paris Opéra Fire killed 200+ 1887 - Theatre Royal, Exeter, England killed 186 1897 - Bazar de la Charité killed 126 mostly women 1903 - Iroquois Theater Fire, Chicago, killed 600+ 1908 - Rhoads Theater Fire, Pennsylvania  killed 170+ 1908 - Collinwood School, Cleveland, Ohio  killed 175 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco killed 250+ 1910 - barn dance Ököritófülpös, Hungary killed 312 1918 - Happy Valley Racecourse, Hong Kong killed 600+ 1928 - Teatro de Novedades Madrid, Spain killed 110

Josef Louis Lambot

facsimile of his patent for reinforced concrete as a substitute for timber

1855

“My invention has a new product as its object, which serves to replace the timber in shipbuilding and wherever it is at risk of damage through moisture, like in wooden floors, water tanks, plant pots, etc…..Ferciment.”

M. Hennebique’s Country House at Bourg-la Reine 1904

Antonio Porcheddu

several advantages of concrete

•  cheapness

•  simplicity

•  rapidity in execution

•  fire resistance

Reinforced concrete #the materials #

•  cement –  Portland cement –  lime, iron, silica and alumina

•  sand and aggregate •  water

•  concrete mix •  reinforcement

Latin American Cement Imports 1900-30

Panama Canal

Care of Cement

Reinforced concrete #the materials #

•  cement •  sand and aggregate •  water •  concrete mix

•  reinforcement

Aggregate

Reinforced concrete #the materials #

•  cement •  sand and aggregate •  water •  concrete mix

•  reinforcement

Reinforced concrete #the materials #

•  cement •  sand and aggregate •  water •  concrete mix

•  reinforcement

CONCRETE •  cement (Portland cement)

–  lime, iron, silica and alumina •  coarse and fine aggregates

–  crushed stone and sand •  Water (45-60% of cement by weight)

Slurry

Reinforced concrete #the materials#

•  cement •  sand •  aggregate •  water

•  concrete mix •  reinforcement

Hennebique and the Hennebique system

where you have bending

where you have tension

continuous beam

•  rigid connection continuous beam/column

Structural Materials: Reinforced Concrete

Material Properties

•  High strength in Compression (concrete)

•  Relatively high strength in tension (reinforcing steel)

•  High density

•  Available in semi-liquid form (formable on site)

–  other materials can be combined into it

–  can be cast into wide variety of shapes

–  casting allows very effective rigid connections

Reinforced concrete #the workmanship #

•  steel fixing

•  formwork and false work

•  concrete mixing and placement

•  formwork

•  formwork –  wood –  steel –  plastic –  membrane (pneumatic

forms)

Concrete failures

Theories#concrete should be used as:

•  Flat masses unadorned with other material –  monolithic

•  Masses covered with ornament –  monolithic and ornamented

•  Original Forms –  by its own nature a frame--trabeated

Designing with concrete: issues

Where it’s cast: •  cast on site •  pre-cast (pre-fabricated)

How it’s strengthened: •  reinforced •  pre-stressed •  post-tensioned

Type of connections: •  continuous •  discontinuous

Flat masses unadorned with other material

Conference Pavillion in Weil am Rhein, Germany

Tadao Ando and Associates , 1993

Tadao Ando

Light and Wind / Ando Church of the Light

Concrete frame

Malt ‘O Meal building

discontinuous beam

Malt ‘O Meal building

concrete portal frames with hollow-core plank set into beam forms

Rapson Hall

concrete portal frames with hollow-core plank set into beam forms

Floor edge set-back from column face makes space for services

•  formwork

concrete portal frames with hollow-core plank set into

beam forms

Rapson Hall

Hollow-core plank set on scaffolding

transfer truss

The Chapel of St. Ignatius (1997) - Steven Holl

The Chapel of St. Ignatius (1997) - Steven Holl

Earth and Fire/ Zumthor Brother Claus Field Chapel Brother Claus Field Chapel

Earth and Fire / Zumthor

Fabric Formed Building Elements Mark West

Fabric Formed Building Elements Mark West

Fabric Formed Building Elements Mark West