Course Number: ARC 461b/561b Year: Elec Credit Hours: 3 Semester(s): Spring Prerequisites: ARC 302
Instructor(s): R. Larry Medlin
Course Description:
Survey of lightweight construction techniques including pneumatics, tensile membranes, three dimensional cable nets, grid shells and flexure stiff plates.
Objectives To provide an understanding of lightweight construction techniques, an awareness of case studies and an understanding of structural system design principles.
Course Structure & Topics Lectures/discussions by the instructor and invited guests with interrelated workshops on the following topics: 1. Orientation, video -- "Stones That Fly" Media Cast, Australia (1 week) 2.General survey of lightweight construction (1 week) 3. Boundary conditions for prestressed tensile membranes, video -- "Soap Films and Tents" IL Stuttgart (1 week) 4. Workshop on basic membrane models, selection of semester project ption. (1 week) 5.Case study projects: experimental tension structures, Ford Times Holiday Village, Mississippi River Festival, Museum of Modern Art, Los Angeles Zoo and California condor projects (1 week) 6.Discussion of membrane models/case study projects: Crown Center, Aspen, Pratt Institute, New Performing Environments for Symphonic Music, Sci-Expo, Portland and Tucson Performing Arts Centers, Arizona Solar Oasis (1 week) 7. Workshop 1 on semester projects (1 week) 8. Guest lecture on structural theory and experiments (1 week) 9. Project development: Vaihingen, Montreal Expo, Munich Olympics & Grand Canyon West Food Service Facility (1 week) 10.Lattice shells and pneumatics; video--"Pneumatics in Nature and Technics" IL Stuttgart. (1 week) 11. Guest lecture on fabric tension structures (1 week) 12.Workshop 2 on semester projects (1 week) 13. Spacenets and recent lightweight construction projects (1 week) 14.Student presentations/discussion -- Option 2, 3, or 4 projects (1 week) 15.Student presentations/discussion -- load testing of Option 1 models (1 week)
Course Requirements Assignments: To obtain a firsthand understanding of basic structural principles and design study methods of tension structures, students will be required to select and construct a model of a basic prestressed tensile membrane configuration. Form determinants and design study methods will be introduced in a Workshop. Utilizing information obtained in class lectures, workshops, individual meetings with the instructor and reference reading, students will be required to select and carry out one of the following four alternative semester projects: 1.A lightweight structural system model, that strives to optimize performance of the structure. 2.Lightweight construction project analysis/documentation report. 3. A student elective project that is approved by the Instructor. 4.Participation in the Fabric Architecture Student Design Challenge Competition. Students taking the course for graduate credit are required to do an additional exercise, an annotated graphic analysis/documentation of concepts for a project featuring lightweight construction techniques. Undergraduates may do this exercise for extra credit. Reading: Extensive reference reading and video lists on lightweight construction and sustainability are provided for the course and future reference. Materials: Model and presentation materials are required for completion of the assignments.
