Sei sulla pagina 1di 5

Seattle Public Library designed by the firms OMA (Office for Metropolitan

Architecture) and LMN Architects, constructed by Hoffman Construction


Company and completed in 2004. The reason why I choose this structure is its
unique approaches regarding creating a floating space with minimum supports but
without losing the purpose of providing functionality. Creating such a respectable
structure is only achieved by a strong client and an innovative architect. The client
is Deborah L. Jacobs, who is Seattle’s city librarian. She asks for a continuing
space with surrounded by books, and a centralized area at the center. Then the
architect, Rem Koolhaas and his partners have perfectly achieved a design
composed of lots of public spaces as a compact manner.

This report presents the general layout of exterior and interior design of the
building, their close relationship with the structural systems and some diagrams.

Seattle public library is very irregular and unusual from the outside. It is a massive
glass building with straight lines that intersect. And in the interior, the design
shaped by the abstract volumes.

The design of the building is so compact and continuous that it provides not only
visual connectivity and visual integration but also functionality. The concept of the
building is to provide easily accessible spaces with different characteristics.
Koolhaas designed the whole project that the building can be flexible for future
expansions with the possibility of grouping of spaces according to the needs of the
building and the platforms connected to the study would provide open spaces,
work and social interaction.

Even though the structure has eleven floors, it has some kind of continuity around
the floors. Since the main concern of the design of the building is having a
functionality of a library; instead of placing books on different shelves and floors,
the spiral inclined allowed a continuous row of book.

This spiral that rises for 4 floors, has created a zigzag ramp throughout the
building. These ramps are supported on slender columns constructed economically.
The interior volume is divided into 5 distinguishable blocks from the outside.
These blocks are generates stable and unstable platforms at the inside. Each
platform has different structural system and volume.

The layout of the interior design has separated into different functionalities yet still
considered as a whole. There formed five stable and four unstable platforms.

Stable platforms (red) are dedicated for specific purposes such as parking garage,
storing area for the usage of staff members, meeting rooms, a large spiral of books
and administrative offices. Unstable platforms (white) are located in between the
stable platforms and dedicated especially for activities, such as living room,
reading room, kids’ playing room etc. The multi-floor escalators originate in
unstable platforms only, although passing the stable platforms.

Since the main focus of this public space is reading, the building illuminated with
sun light coming through the glass walls. But the glass walls provide not only
natural lights but also a part of its structural system. Whole building covered with a
skin of glass and steel, yet the designers wanted to use no columns on the corners
and fewest numbers of columns at total. It would not be easy to carry the loads of
such structure so they had to find an optimum way of using columns.
The design process of Seattle Public Library has been reviewed from many
aspects not only for aesthetics but also structural capacity, thermal performance,
maintenance and constructability.

In general, the structural system of the building composed of both load-


bearing and seismic system.

Load-bearing system which are columns and beams, support the gravity loads of
elevated platforms and cantilevers. And seismic structure in the form of the steel
grid of diamond-shaped system provides stability during a seismic event.

In order to minimize the number of columns and beams, many of them were given
angle to connect each other so that they can transfer loads to the central core or
other columns.

Core columnar members carry the gravity load of the building.


On the other hand, the steel grid system opposes the lateral system of the building
and supports the glass covering.

The diagonal grid system is designed to withstand lateral forces caused by wind or
earthquakes.

The grid works as a huge frame, collecting seismic forces from each platform and
transferring to the groundIt has a diamond shape and was determined by
considering the optimum size for fabrication, construction and aesthetic.

Here is a diagram of loaf distribution of wind loads and gravitational loads of the
building and their way of transition to the ground.
Reklamlar

Potrebbero piacerti anche