THE TRIANGULAR FORMS OF THE MODERN ARCHITECTURE BUILDINGS FACADES

Olivera Nikoli1, Vlada Nikoli!, "e#ar "e$i% ABSTRACT Triangular forms, along with quadratic forms, are most commonly used as a design of the architectural structures facade plane, especially in modern architecture. Contemporary forms of architectural structures, increasingly, involve streamlined and simplified form, where the visual effect is achieved by treatment of the facade plane texture. The triangle, as a statically ideal figure, is very interesting in visual explorations of contemporary architects. Triangular facade articulation occurs in several ways: as a form of faade plane, as a form created by visibility of structural elements in the plane of the facade, as an independent element of faade membrane structure and so on. This paper is an analysis of typical contemporary examples and gives a classification of triangular articulation of modern architectural building facades. &e' (ord)* triangle, form, element, faade, architecture, classification

1+ INTRODUCTION In the recent years in contemporary architecture, one frequently encounters structures having pyramidal forms, or buildings where the faade planes are obtained by joining triangular panels. Starting from a simple form of the triangle, be it equilateral, isosceles or right, and by their combination, the architects achieve complex building forms. In this paper will be analyzed manners of combining and joining of triangles, and the expression and importance of a pyramidal form, and made a classification of usage of triangular forms of contemporary architectonic structures. he goal of the paper is to emphasize the importance of the design accomplished by usage of simple forms and to present new tendencies in treatment of faade planes. !+ BAC&GROUND
Olivera Nikoli, dipl. ing. arh., Phd student GAF Ni, saradnik u nastavi GAF Ni Vladan Nikoli, dipl. ing. arh., Phd student GAF Ni, asistent GAF Ni 3 Petar Peji, dipl. ing. arh., Phd student GAF Ni, saradnik u nastavi GAF Ni
1 2

he form of a triangle, in historical perspective, is one of the most used forms in architecture. he shape of a triangle in the facade planes occurred in architecture and structure of dwellings of the !epens"i #ir site as early as in the $esolithic period, %&&& '(.

Figure 1. Mesolithic

ouse at !epens"i #ir, illustrations by $iovanni Caselli

he shape of a triangle in the design of facades, throughout history was used both in mundane and sacred architecture. )eometrical shape of a triangle was the favorite form of the )ree" architecture and every ancient pediment has it. It is supposed to have originated from the *gyptian pyramids, where this form, in the old world, represented the aspiration to divinity. !ater, in the (hristian $iddle +ges, the triangle is often seen in church architecture, and not only near the bell towers, which with their height and form represent a lin" between earth and s"y. he symbolism of the triangle represents the starting point in designing modern spiritual structures such as e.g. San ,osemar-a *scriv. $exico (ity (hurch, which was designed by architect ,avier Sordo $adalena 'ringas in /&&0.

Figure 2. a% The $reat &yramid of $i'a in ()** +.C. with proportions according to a ,sacred ratio.,, b% The Temple of ephaistos in -thens, c% Cologne Cathedral . the largest church in $ermany d% /an 0osemar1a 2scriv3 church in Mexico City

3. CLASSIFICATION 'ased on the analysis of the data collected on the characteristic buildings of contemporary architecture, a classification on the use of a triangle in formation of the faade plane form was made. he shape of a triangle can be found as1

2 forms of the facade planes 2 forms created by visibility of structural elements in the plane of the facade 2 elements in plane of the facade s"in 2 elements of spatial facade s"in 3.1. Tria ,le a) a -or. o- #/e -a0ade 1la e)

he triangular form was used for the compositions where one wants to create emphasis, which in the case of architectural structures means setting accents in space, because this form attracts the viewers3 attention and becomes the focus. 4o matter which side of the triangle is observed, it indicates something. It is no coincidence then that this form is used in the design of monumental buildings or facilities used to emphasize the importance and achieve spatial dominance. In recent years, construction of three pyramidal s"yscrapers, where the main faade form is a triangle has started in *urope. In !ondon, until the beginning of the 5lympic games in /&6/, the tallest building in 7estern *urope will be built, the s"yscraper called he Shard 89igure :;. he building was designed by architect <enzo =iano, and it represents a vertical city with office space, restaurants, hotels, exclusive apartments and panoramic views of :%& >. It is :6&m high. he investor3s concept, when designing the s"yscrapers, was to direct the attention of the world at !ondon 'ridge ?uarter. he facades are composed of eight irregular triangles which does not touch each other at the tops , and they were inspired by the !ondon church towers and by the sails of ships sailing in the hames.

Figure 3. The /hard, !ondon, arch. 4en'o &iano

In =aris, another pyramid2shaped vertical city is under construction. @!e =rojet riangle@, or the =arisian pyramid, as it came to be called, is situated at an important location in =aris. he s"yscraper was designed by Swiss firm Aerzog B de $euron. It is 60& m high, and it includes C& floors of different functions. he designers emphasize that in the design of the building they too" into account its volumetry and its impact on the environment, so the adopted pyramidal form is actually imposed as the best possible form, in order to protect the environment from the shadows and maximize using insolation and wind energy.

Figure 3. !e &ro5et Triangle, &aris, er'og 6 de Meuron

Aowever, the question is whether this is the only reason or there is also the formalism, because the analysis of the recent wor" of this team leads to the conclusion that triangular shape is prominent, as in fact, in recent years the team has created several impressive structures using triangular shapes. hose are1 9orum, the concert hall in 'arcelona, ate $odern, contemporary art gallery in !ondon which has experienced redesign during the construction and became a high energy efficiency building, ower for 'asel II, the <oche pharmaceutical company headquarters in 'asel.

Figure 4. a% 7orum in +arcelona, b% Tate Modern, c% Tower for +asel 88, Meuron

er'og 6 de

In $oscow, the construction of the tallest building in *urope 8%6/./ m; is in progress, the International 'usiness (enter, called DEFGH IJKKLH, which means he <ussia ower. he building was designed by the architect 4orman 9oster. he construction will be completed by the end of /&6/. he analyzing this structure, it can be concluded that the three s"yscrapers have been combined into a single one, tapering towards the top, creating a pyramidal building form. he architects chose the pyramidal shape of the tower because of greater exposure to natural daylight of entire the building, which will reduce the amount of energy consumed by lighting and heating of the facility.

Figure 5. The 4ussia Tower, Moscow 8nternational +usiness Centre in Moscow, arch. 9orman 7oster

%+! T/e #ria ,le a) a -or. 0rea#ed 2' vi)i2ili#' o- #/e )#r30#3ral ele.e #) i #/e -a0ade 1la e Shape of the structure is usually not random. +ny structure must fulfill two basic conditions1 to serve the function and be stable. #ery often, the shape of the structure and of its parts determines its stability. he structural elements, connected so as to form a triangle, form, in fact, the strongest and most stable form, from the viewpoint of static stability. +rchitects and engineers use patterns generated by algorithmic formulae, such as fractals, pinwheels, as well as cellular and reticulated structures to create the structural system of a building and triangle is the basic formal shape of these structures and triangle is the basic formal shape of these structures. M he structural elements, designed to create together a triangle form are an integral part of the facade plane at Aearst ower in 4ew Nor", (hina 4ational ennis (enter in 'eijing and the Serpentine =avilion of /&&/ in !ondon.

Figure 6. a% earst Tower, 9ew :or" City, arch. 9orman 7oster b% China 9ational Tennis Center, +ei5ing, arch. ;u !ei,, c% /erpentine<s pavilion in =**=, !ondon, Toyo 8to

6 <appaport, 4., Oeep Oecoration, Oecoration, :&%&P& 'oo"s #olume 6&, September /&&%, pp PC26&C

9or this case study, a characteristic example is the Serpentine =avilion of /&&/. oyo Ito designed the Serpentine =avilion for the annual exhibition in the Ayde =ar" in !ondon. he form of the structure is made up of, seemingly, randomly distributed triangles and a trapezoids, which are, in fact, derived from the algorithm of a cube. he pavilion is used as the experiment of the architects chec"ing the form and structure for the odQs 5motesando Store facility, which was designed and constructed in /&&C in o"yo.C Inspired by the idea of creating a @box with no pillars,@ the architect oyo Ito and engineer (ecil 'almond created a space defined by a geometric series of triangles and trapezoids 8glass, aluminum, etc..;, and a structural framewor" that relied on an unconventional interdependency of parts. he formulated algorithm is the wor" of (ecil 'almond and it is reflected in the following steps1 6 Oraw a square. /. Oraw a line from one half to one third of the adjacent side, cloc"wise :. <epeat the procedure for each side M. *xtend the four lines in both directions out of the original square until it touches the new rotated square. C. <epeat steps 6 through M in the new square. In this way, created the unique structural system is obtained, that is, at the same time, a facade frame.

Figure 7. /erpentine pavilion =**=, algorithm animated

%+% Tria ,le a) a i divid3al ele.e # i #/e o- -a4ade .e.2ra e 1la e riangle as a structural element in the faade membrane plane can occur in several ways, depending on the degree of surface curvature. riangles as parts of the faade plane can be connected together so as to form1 2 + flat surface of the facade 2 Single curved surface of the facade 2 Ooubly curved surface of the faade %+%+1 Tria ,le a) a ele.e # i #/e 1la e o- #/e -la# )3r-a0e -a0ade

4i"oliR, 5., 4i"oliR, #., $obilnost, fle"sibilnost i e"sperimentalnost "onstru"cije i forme 2 najznaSajnije "ara"teristi"e savremenih paviljona, Tborni" radova )raUevins"o2

arhite"tons"og fa"ulteta, 4iV, /&66, br. /%, str. %P2WP

he facade of !a (ite du Oesign 8 he International (entre for Oesign; in Saint *tienne, 9rance, is the simplest example of the use of the triangle as an element in the plane of the flat surface faade. It was designed by the architectural group of !I4 architects in /&&M, and built in /&&P. he faade planes of the structure are typical in many ways. he fifth faade or the roof faade, is inseparable from the other four sides. he form of the faade planes was achieved by using 6M &&& panels in the shape of equilateral triangles made of opaque and transparent materials, arranged in accordance with the needs of the exhibition center, in order to achieve a better control of light, temperature and air flow. Some of the triangle panels are photovoltaic panels that generate all the amount of energy required for operation of the facility. In this way a flexible and responsive high2tech faade is created.

Figure 8. The 8nternational Centre for >esign, /aint 2tienne, 7rance, !89 architects

+nother specific example of this subspecies is the 9ederation Square building in $elbourne, the shopping mall, designed by !ab architecture studio. (onstruction of the center was completed in /&&/. he building facade has a unique faade for which was necessary to use mathematics. he faade plane was made up of // &W: panels in the form of equal right triangles, which differ only in terms of materials because the built2in panels were from sandstone, zinc and glass materials. 9ormed the @pinwheel tiling@, which was discovered by the mathematician ,ohn (onway, used on the facade, created a fractal faade. he sides of the triangles are in the ratio 61/1X C. In order to form a networ" of panels, it is necessary to start from the basic right triangle with the mentioned triangle side ratio. hey were then repeat five times and arranged to form the initial shape of a triangle, and the triangle formed is called a great Ysuper triangle@. hen the newly created triangle again multiplied was five times to form a @supersuper@ triangle. he procedure is reiterated until the entire wall is covered.%

6:

Auylebrouc", O., Aammer, ,.1 9rom fractal geometry to fractured architecture1 he federation square of $elbourne, $athematical Intelligencer 2 $+ A I4 *!! , vol. /0, no. M, pp. MM2M0, /&&%

Figure 8. 8llustration of how to ma"e the pinwheel tiling

Figure 8. 7ederation /quare, Melbourne, !ab architecture studio

%+%+! Tria ,le a) a i de1e de # -a4ade .e.2ra e ele.e # i #/e 1la e o- )i ,le 03rved )3r-a0e) he example of the 7esthafen ower, the office building in 9ran"furt, is best for viewing the use of the triangle as an independent element of the facade s"in of single curved surfaces. he building was built in /&&M, and it was designed by the architects Schneider B Schumacher. )lass panels, triangular in shape, :CC% of them, create a cylindrical form faade surface. In order to create as much curvature as possible with flat panels 8which meant polygonal division of the faade planes around the circular floor slab;, the tips of the triangle were alternately tilted slightly inward and outward. Oue to these minimal inclinations every sheet of glass reflects the light in a different angle, creating a stunning multifaceted effect that resemble a cut gem. he triangular windows can be opened to supply natural ventilation to the offices. W

7M

'inder, )., all 'uildings of *urope, he $iddle *ast +nd +frica, he Images =ublishing )roup, pp.%02%P, /&&%.

Figure 9. ?esthafen Tower, 7ran"furt, /chneider 6 /chumacher

%+%+% Tria ,le a) a i de1e de # ele.e # i #/e 1la e o- do32le 03rved )3r-a0e o- #/e -a4ade .e.2ra e he +merican engineer and architect 'uc"minster 9uller began with the use of the triangle as an independent element in the plane of the double curved surface of the faade, in the mid2twentieth century. Ais studies were mainly done on spherical shapes. 5ne of his earliest wor"s is the )eodesic Oome, installed in 6PC&, in $ontreal, icosahedron structure made of aluminum tubes over which canvas vinyl is stretched. he 9ullerQs most famous wor" is the Z.S. pavilion at the world exhibition *xpo %W in $ontreal. )eodesic designs can be used to form any curved, enclosed space.

Figure 10. a%$eodesic >ome, drawing, b% $eodesic >ome, Montreal, +uc"minster 7uller, c% @/ pavilion, Montreal, +uc"minster 7uller

In modern architecture, geodesic design has a widespread application. It was used by $assimilano 9u"sas when designing he $yTeil center in 9ran"furt and he +dmirant entrance building in *indhoven in Aolland, by 4orman 9oster to design for the Z+* =avilion at Shanghai *xpo /&6&, by A5[ +rchitects to design a part of the facade of the Oali $useum in 9lorida.

Figure 11. a% The MyAeil center, 7ran"furt, arch. Massimilano 7u"sas b% The -dmirant entrance building, 2indhoven in olland, arch. Massimilano 7u"sas c% @-2 &avilion at /hanghai 2xpo =*B*, arch. 9orman 7oster, d% >ali Museum in 7lorida, CD -rchitects

%+5 Tria ,le a) a i de1e de # ele.e # o- #/e )1a#ial -a4ade .e.2ra e he =lasma studio was founded in !ondon in 6PPP by the architects *va (astro and Aolger [in. #ery soon they became "nown in the architecture public for its unique architecture based on simple forms and geometry or prismatic surfaces composed of triangular shapes. he progressive design and distinctive spatial structures in architecture of the =lasma studio are equally represented both in the installations and interior and in the external expression of commercial, residential and public buildings. heir facilities the best display the use of the triangle as an element of a dynamic, spatially playful facade membrane. he design of the gate, exhibition hall and the )reen =avilion for the \iQan international horticultural exhibition /&66 in (hina are among the latest wor"s of =lasma Studio. he form of the complex facilities is obtained in the same way as in previous designs, highlighted by the geometry and acute angles. riangular shapes are the base of the design. he facade fragments are triangular in shape, pointing in different directions, creating a unique form.

Figure 12. ;i<an 8nternational orticultural 7air Complex, exhibition hall, &lasma studio

Figure 13. ;i<an 8nternational studio

orticultural 7air Complex, $uangyun 2ntrance, &lasma

5+ CONCLUSION In this paper is emphasized the importance of using math and geometry for a remar"able architectural wor"s, through the analysis of structures in which triangular form is implement in the treatment of the faade plane. In order to faade place faade elements proportionally well, and that the composition of the faade plane would have aesthetic value, although made from simple triangular shapes, it is necessary to "now the fractal geometry, pinwheel and geodesic design. he form of modern architectural structures, increasingly, is based on these principles. riangle has become a basic element of design and structures of facades, whatever form it may have. 6+ REFERENCES 1. 'inder, )., all 'uildings of *urope, he $iddle *ast +nd +frica, he Images 2. 3.
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