Peter R. Smith

Architecture and climate: an environmental history of British architecture 1600–2000

Rybczynski views comfort as a complex mixture of technological possibilities, and historical experience as seen at a point in time. Swiss architects Décosterd and Rahm have experimented with exhibitions where visitors are offered a variety of experiences of environment and lighting, all artificially produced and apparently having little connection with the real climate. I may have missed something here, but parts of this last chapter do not seem to contribute as much to the main topic as the well-considered discussions of the remainder of the book. There is an index of illustrations, a bibliography in several sections, and a subject index. The Preface states that the book is written to appeal to students, practitioners and the general public. It should achieve all of those aims – it is well presented, well illustrated, and the discussions are cogent with enough technical background to assist comprehension but not to confuse or dissuade the non-technical reader.

Changing place of the work environment – workplace reform?

Welcome to the fourth edition of Architectural Science Review for 2013. Seven papers have been selected which address the aims and fit within the breadth of scope in the journal. In addition Peter Smith, Richard Aynsley and Robert Marans have kindly written a number of book reviews. As I started to pull the edition together my eye was drawn to these reviews initially in particularly the book ‘In Detail: Work Environments,’ by Christian Schittich. Smith’s account focuses on the important drivers of changes to the physical environment of office brought about by the advent of ubiquitous technology particularly Information Technology. This is not only a driver for change in work practices but also it is interesting to see how in is linked to changes in the spatial typology. Commonly the spatial typology has in the past tried to reflect social theory. The spatial typology of the 1950s with its stereotypical ‘cookie cutter designs’ called Office Landscape (Bürolandschaft in German) started in the early movement to open plan office space planning, the open plan fostering flatter management structures, more communication and collaboration. However, the IT revolution has meant the modes of communication have changed, the use of the tablet and mobile phone have seen radical changes to the office typology. Hence the concept of Workplace Reform has grown to be a force in the political agenda and increasingly to become a mandate for building owners. This involves not only the design of new buildings but also the retrofitting of existing buildings where the drivers are technology such as IT and sustainability, health as well productivity. For example Washington State Nursing Association (WSNA 2013) has identified environmental, workplace and chemical hazards, which should inform architectural design. Of these health issues, the scientific investigation has identified work place problems associated with the many hours a day we spend at work and also what could be called our work style, similar to the notion of lifestyle. Questions in medical research have centred on ergonomic issues associated with posture and our mobility. Interesting work called ‘Sit and Stand research’ is being carried out to attack what is called ‘sitting disease’. At their 2013 annual meeting, the American Medical Association (AMA) adopted policy recognizing potential risks of prolonged sitting and encouraging employers, employees and others to make available alternatives to sitting, such as sit-stand workstations.

Understanding steel design: an architectural design manual

The emphasis of this book is on understanding the characteristics of structural steel, and of the buildings that can be created using it. The author is an architect with long experience in education, particularly in technical aspects including construction, structures and energy efficiency. A keen user of photography to document the construction process, she has worked closely with the steel industry to bring a refreshingly clear insight into the realities of on-site construction as well as the possibilities of modern design, documentation and detailing. In addition to the photographs, the technical illustrations by Vincent Hui range from simple orthographic and isometric line drawings of connections, through to the output of CAD systems showing complicated three-dimensional views coloured to show separate subassemblies. The early chapters cover quite concisely the usual topics of properties, sections, connections and framing systems, along with some insights about the materiality of steel, economic issues and software for designing, modelling and visualising the structure. Early on, and throughout the book, there is reference to AESS (Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel), which of course allows the designer to take full advantage of the elegance of the material and its connections, but also increases the cost of detailing and manufacture and exacerbates the problems of corrosion protection and fire resistance. These opportunities and problems are expressed fairly and comprehensively as they arise. The development of AESS is traced mainly from the stylistic break following the introduction of hollow structural sections (cue Piano and Rogers’ Pompidou Centre and Foster’s Sainsbury Centre), although there is reference to earlier examples from the Eiffel Tower to much of Mies’s work using hot-rolled sections. AESS is often associated with high-tech building systems, tensile members and light weight and glossy painted surfaces. The author’s experience is displayed in the section ‘Resultant Building Science Problems’, including thermal bridging, condensation and corrosion and discoloration of the pristine exposed form. (At least Mies mostly painted his steel black, which does not show the discoloration so much!). Along with the general considerations of appearance, there is a detailed discussion about viewing distances related to the need to grind welds and otherwise refine the finish of the elements, and the need for maintenance cleaning. The difficulty of joining circular sections is discussed against the elegance that can be obtained using them. Shop finishing is generally cheaper and more reliable than on-site, but that imposes an extra burden on the erectors to avoid damage, and also on transportation of large items to avoid or reduce site connections between elements. Fire protection gets considerable coverage, largely in terms of intumescent coatings, which require special skill in applying and in protection during transport, erection and subsequent building work. There is a section on curved steel, with practical explanations of how the curving is done, and the associated difficulties. Historical and modern examples of cast steel connectors are shown (if it is too hard to fabricate, maybe it can be cast, but there are still limitations to the form, and the metallurgy must be right). Towards the end of the book are chapters on Steel and Glazing Systems, Steel and Timber and Steel and Sustainability. The latter discusses the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) rating system, recycling and re-use and the simple ideas of reducing materials, finishes, labour and transportation and ensuring durability, all of which contribute to reducing carbon emissions and resource consumption. Throughout, the photographs are of real, contemporary buildings both complete and in the process of erection, and are of excellent quality on good paper. The choice of fonts is a little unusual, but by the end of the book it had ceased to bother me. On many of the large-format pages (bigger than A4), the images occupy more than half the page, while their captions elaborate on the tightly-worded text. This probably reflects the author’s real-world teaching experience, preferring information-rich images and text over wordy discourse. It works. There are comprehensive indices of technical subjects, applications, buildings, architects and steel companies and locations. With a few exceptions, most of the examples come from personal contact with architects, steel fabricators and erectors in Canada. The technology is sufficiently international that this is not a limitation, and it offers insights to the process from design to completion which is not available after the building is finished and occupied. The book obviously recommends itself to the teaching environment, and it would also be of interest to practitioners seeking to expand their knowledge of contemporary steel building.

Cowan at Sixty

This issue of Architectural Science Review coincides with the sixtieth birthday of the Editor, Henry J. Cowan. This article reviews his association with Architectural Science, particularly through the last twenty-five years at the University of Sydney.