Aesthetics, Innovation, Efficiency, and Economy: Their Role in the

Design of Structures

“What is beautiful and what is ugly”: a question that is often thought of when

architecture is the subject. Fritz Leonhardt attempted to describe, in terms of bridges,

what is, in true essence, “beautiful” and what is “ugly.” Steen Eiler Rasmussen rejected

the possibility of instructing people the differences between beautiful and ugly, stating

that he regarded “all art as a means of expression and that which may be right for one

artist may well be wrong for another.” This statement implies that architecture is a type

of “art.” It is a special art, one that is functional and gives people a place to live in and, in

turn, provides a physical framework for all our lives.

Architecture is not limited to the aesthetics (beautiful and ugly) of a structure as

many may immediately think. It encompasses everything that may go into the planning

and construction of an architectural creation. Structures are designed with, in mind, these

qualities: (a) function (efficiency), (b) minimum cost (economy), (c) technical advantages

(innovation), and (d) beauty (aesthetics). In fact, all of these qualities are intertwined

somehow, with one or more of these qualities highlighted, depending on the structure.

This combination of traits transforms general architectural design into a complex

amalgam of ideas that cannot be simply defined by an all-encompassing universal theory

or a collection of formulas. Herein lies the art: all of these considerations, no matter how

abstract, must be translated into a form that is generally pleasing. This classic concept of

beauty relates to Vitruvius’ basic principles of commodity, firmness, economy and

delight.
 In modern times, since the industrial revolution, it was feared that architecture

would lose the “art” in its character. Rasmussen points out, “In the olden days, the entire

community took part in forming the dwellings and implements they used. The individual

was in fruitful contact with these things…the result was a remarkably suited comeliness.”

No matter what the economical, spatial, or technological restraint people had to deal with

back then, the structure also had a natural feeling for place and had character. With the

industrial and technological achievements of today, “our highly civilized society” is

“doomed to live in and gaze upon…the whole without quality,” Rasmussen states. Not

only are buildings cookie-cutter in production due to increasingly sophisticated

technology, the introduction of new materials, and the related increase in public demand,

society is so fast-paced that there isn’t any time to enjoy those architectural feats that are

worth admiring.

However, it is inappropriate to have this

type of apprehension towards innovation and

technology. It is yet another tool that a designer

must implement to create an overall structure that

is “state of the art” and “beautiful” at the same

time. Being an earthquake engineer, all of these

traits of a structure are important. One example of

this synthesis in design is the Shinjuku Park Tower

in Tokyo, Japan (see Figure 1). This building has a

superstructure of 52 stories and a total height of

Figure 1: Shinjuku Park Tower, Tokyo,
232.6 meters. The Shinjuku Park Tower is Japan
 composed of three tower blocks, descending in height from the south (52 stories) to the

north (41 stories). The towers act together, similar to the bundled tube action

implemented in the Sears Tower. The structural system is composed of steel frame tubes

in each tower and mast-columns on the periphery of each tower. These structural

components enhance the torsional stiffness of the entire structure and provide a large

open space. A belt truss is added to increase the lateral stiffness of the structure and

minimize lateral deformations at higher stories due to induced vibrations.

Aesthetics within this structure resemble

that of a traditional building: uniquely

decorated lower levels, inviting clientele into

the building; middle stories showing repetition,

indicating these levels were used for office

space; and a pediment of sorts at the top of each

tower. The structure’s classical flavor is blended

in with hints of modernism: continuous glass

windows flowing horizontally to break up the

verticality of the towers (Figure 2) and the

“pediment” is actually a series of triangles

Figure 2: Close up of exterior cladding and
windows jutting out in several directions.

The innovation in this seemingly typical modern skyscraper is in the seismic

design. The footprint of the towers actually is diagonal (adding to the unique aesthetics of

the structure) and introduces a torsional irregularity, causing it to twist under high wind

or earthquake events (Figure 3). To improve habitability in the event of such occurrences,
a set of three hybrid mass

dampers, shown installed in

Figure 4, were placed on the 39th

floor of the most-southern tower.

A hybrid mass damper is a system

similar to a pendulum, as shown

in Figure 5. A large mass sits on

v-shaped rails and is free to move

side to side. Just the sheer inertial

force of the damper translating

can be used to counteract motion

Figure 3: Plan View of Shinjuku Park Tower
caused by an earthquake or

strong winds. If more control is needed, the active feature of the damper can be activated.

This way, the damper can react more efficiently to the shaking based on information

retrieved by sensors reading the building’s lateral acceleration.

Use of space in the Shinjuku Park Tower provides efficiency in the design. The

mast column system was implemented in order to reduce the number of columns needed.

This provided more room at the lower floors for use as show room halls, the middle

floors for modifiable office space, and the upper floors for hotel and banquet rooms. In

addition, the hybrid mass dampers were placed on the 39th floor (the same level the belt

truss was placed) in order to make use of the space.

Economic benefits originate from the use of steel for the structural framing. With

steel: hardly any shoring or scaffolding is required; wet operations are kept to a
 minimum, saving curing

time; less field labor is

required, translating in a

rapid construction time;

and the inherent ductility

of steel allows

significant strength

reductions in the design,

Figure 4: Hybrid Mass Dampers installed in Shinjuku Park Tower
decreasing overall

section sizes.

As shown in this building alone, all four qualities are apparent in structural

design. The beauty in the design lies in how seamlessly a designer can integrate each

concept with the other: innovation with economy, aesthetics with efficiency, etc. An

earthquake engineer cannot only look at the structural lateral system, for example,

because the aesthetics,

foremost, must be taken into

account; to produce a structure

that is visually offensive can be

considered an act of

professional irresponsibility.

Although this may be the case

in many structures of today,

Figure 5: Schematic showing pendulum analogy

care must be taken so the

comeliness notable to buildings of old can also be experienced in the buildings of today.

Without an overall balance between the four important qualities of a built structure,

architecture is incomplete and without “art.”