STRUCTURAL

AESTHETIC
(LECTURE WEEK 8)
Lectured by: Dr. Siti Sarah binti Herman
For: ARC3400
Date: 10 April 2018
Structural v. aesthetic
• Structural engineering is based on:
logic mathematics

• reason

U/standing of
the properties u/standing of
of building the forces of
materials nature

• There is very little room for a structural engineer to indulge in romantic

aesthetic forms. The aesthetic aspect of a building was naturally tied with the
technology and material of construction in the earlier times.
Aesthetics

• The ‘word ‘aesthetics’ means sensory perception.

• It was regarded as a branch of philosophy concerned
with the understanding of beauty and its
manifestation in art and nature.
• Aesthetic consciousness covers:

Special interests ideals views

sentiments

tastes concepts theories

Aesthetics

Components

Emotional Intellectual
component component

> subjective < subjective

Structural v. aesthetic

• They separated: (1) the architect, to see to the

planning and aesthetics and (2) the engineers to see
to the strength, stiffness and functioning of the
building.

The Engineer
The Architect
To see on the
To see on the
strength, stiffness
planning and
and functioning of
aesthetics
the building
Structural v. aesthetic

• This unnatural separation of roles has been

responsible for many incongruities between the
form and aesthetics on one hand and the function
and technology on the other.
• Aesthetics often became more a question of an
arbitrary concept of beauty rather than the inherent
beauty that exists in the total concept of a project.
Structural Aesthetic

• The strength, proportion and elegance of the frame

construction showing the beams and the columns
interacting and providing the basic framework for
the building reached a high point in excellence of
expression of the façade.

• The inherent aesthetics of a well designed rigid

frame was came from the most optimum design of
the steel columns and beams.
Structural Aesthetic

• The structural steel frame itself if left totally

exposed could make the clearest aesthetic
expression.

• Clear and honest expression of a structure designed

to carry the loads without any redundancy can have
a visual and architectural impact by itself.
Composition
• Structures can be considered as 3-dimensional
compositions.
• A ‘composition’ can be described as an
arrangement of parts or elements into proper
relation to produce a conceptual unified whole.
Composition
• Fundamental characteristics of a composition:

unity contrast

balance emphasis

harmony movement

rhythm
 Unity
• Unity is the quality of 'singleness effect' and the
completeness' of a composition.
• In a unified work of art, all the parts come together to
form a 'unified whole'; each part of a composition 'feels‘
like that it belongs with the rest.
• That is unity which refers to the visual linking of various
elements of the composition.
• A designer achieves unity by balancing all the aspects of
the composition.
• When the eye is attracted by two stimuli of equal
importance, the resolution of elements into a 'unified
whole' is prevented or disturbed.
• This effect is known as 'duality'.
 Balance
• ' Balance' can be described as a state of equilibrium between
its elements and without it, the composition looks awkward
and unstable.
• The concept of balance is related to the 'visual centre of
gravity' of an object and 'visual weights‘ of elements.
• There are two types of balances:

• 1. Symmetrical: is the balance of mirror figures about a point,

line or plane. The usual emotional response to symmetrical
balance is 'stability' or 'satisfaction with the status quo'.
• 2. Asymmetrical: balance is usually stimulates a dynamic and
emotional response and depends largely on the emotional
qualities of aesthetics and the personality of the designer and
the viewer.
 Harmony
• Harmony in a composition is the visually satisfying
effect of combining similar, related elements.
• The designer can create harmony through elements
such as shapes, colours, textures, etc.
• There are two kinds of harmony with respect to any
object present in the environment – internal and
external.
• Internal harmony: refers to the relation between parts
of the object.
• External harmony: refers to the relation of the object
to its surrounding environment.
 Contrast
• Contrast is an abrupt, unexpected change in
a visual element.
• The designer can create contrast through the
elements such as shapes, colours, textures,
etc.
• For example, complementary colours of
colour wheel (red/green, yellow/purple,
blue/orange) seem to create a feeling of
contrast when they are placed together in a
composition.
 Emphasis
• As a composition develops a designer may decide to
stress certain elements of the design over others to
create a 'focal point'.
• The eye of the viewer will focus on the area of
'emphasis' or 'centre of interest' first, and then take in
the rest of the composition.
• A designer uses emphasis to direct and focus attention
of the viewer on the most important parts of a
composition.
• A designer creates emphasis through size, colour,
texture, and shape.
• A composition lacking emphasis will be monotonous
and uninspired.
 Movement
• Movement is the way the viewer moves his
eye around through the composition after
seeing the 'focal point'.
• A designer arranges parts of a composition
to create a sense of motion by using
elements such as shapes, colours, textures,
etc.
 Rhythm
• Rhythm is the regular repetition of elements of a
composition to produce the look and feel of movement.
• A designer creates movement in a composition by
repeating elements such as colours, shapes, lines, textures,
etc.
• The repetition of the elements invites the eye to jump
rapidly or glide smoothly from one image to the next.
• Rhythm allows the designer to create a feeling of
organized movement.
• Elements placed at regular intervals create a calming
rhythm.
• Sudden changes in position and size create a lively rhythm.
• Variety keeps rhythm exciting and active, moving the eye
around the composition.
Aesthetic concepts related to
structures
• The structure should appear to spring naturally
from its surroundings.
• The structure should harmonise with
surrounding context.
• The structure need not necessarily harmonise
with the existing surrounding context, the
constructive conflicts between the structure and
the existing surrounding context may create a
new form of progressive aesthetics.
Aesthetic concepts related to
structures
• The structure should resemble or suggest forms
found in nature.
• The structural skeleton should be completely
covered with a form giving skin (cladding) like
in animals.
• The structure should be subjectively related
with the consumer or the user.
• The structure should express its’ function.
Aesthetic concepts related to
structures
• The structure should be as simple as possible.
• The structure should be like ‘plug-in
components’ of a printed electronic circuit
board.
• The structure should be truthful/ rational/
honest as possible.
 Verrazano
Narrow’s Bridge

A truthful
expression of a
tensile material
in the form of the
‘funicular form’.
 Water Tower at Fisons
Fertilizer Factory, UK

Related with the

factory workers
and expresses the
feeling of sharing
the work.
Aesthetic movements & styles
related to structures
• Aesthetic of structures cannot be understood in
isolation.
• It has historical narrative and through the
narratives, evolved a number of movements.
• Some of them are:
constructivism brutalism post-modernism

functionalism organic architectural high-tech

style
expressionism modernism deconstruction
 constructivism
• A movement which originated in Moscow
after 1917, primarily in sculpture but with
broad application to architecture.

• The expression of construction was to be the

basis for all building design.
 functionalism
• A design movement that evolved from several
previous movements in Europe in the early
20th century.
• It advocated the design of buildings,
furnishing, or the like as direct fulfilment of
functional requirements, with the
construction, materials, and purpose clearly
expressed, and with the aesthetic effect and
finished to the exclusion or subordination of
purely decorative effects.
• When function is fulfilled, the form will follow
 expressionism
• Expressionism rejected the hard, rectilinear
and ‘functional’ standard boxes in favour of
an individual and romantic approach.
• Buildings were meant to express or
symbolise their use, bringing together form
and content in a new personal language.
• Symbols used were often those relating to
speed and machines as well as being often
consciously or subconsciously sexual.”
 brutalism
• The term ‘brutalism' was derived from the
French term which means rough concrete.
• Normally concrete is surfaced plaster, but
the Brutalists thought that, in the interest of
honesty or authenticity, it should be
exposed.
• In these, an exposed steel frame is visible on
the exterior.
 organic
architectural style
• A movement of architectural design that
emerged in the early 20th century, asserting
that a building should have a structure and
plan that fulfill its functional requirements,
and harmonize with its natural
environment.
• The shapes or forms in the art work are often
of irregular contour and seems to resemble
or suggest forms found in nature"
 modernism
• A deliberate philosophical and practical
estrangement from the past in the arts and
literature occurring in the course of the 20th
century and taking form in any of the
various innovative movements and styles.
 post-
modernism
• Encouraged the use of elements from
historical vernacular styles and often playful
illusion, decoration, and complexity.
• Post-modern architects have continued to
take advantage of the new materials
available while turning to different periods
of the past for artistic inspiration.
• This has even led to the design of
supermarkets in the style of palaces, and
offices in the style of temples.
 high-tech
• A style of design incorporating industrial,
commercial, and institutional fixtures,
equipment, materials, or other elements
having the utilitarian appearance
characteristic of industrial design.
• Pipes for airconditioning and water are not
only visible but are designed as decorative
features.
• All the structural parts may be in one
distinctive colour or clad in stainless steel.
 deconstruction
• A critical movement that started in the
1960's, questioning traditional assumptions
about the ability of language to represent
reality and emphasizing that a text has no
stable reference because words essentially
refer only to other words.
• A reader must therefore approach a text by
eliminating any abstract reasoning or
ethnocentric assumptions through an active
role of defining meaning, sometimes by a
reliance on etymology and new word
construction.
Structural elegance

• A more simple all-suspension design (bottom

pic) as compared to the busier cantilever-
suspension design (top pic).
• Elegant in structure – describe a beautiful,
simple and direct handling of the forces, a logic
inherent in the load path, and easy-to-read
structure.
• “Slender” describes structures that we call
elegant. Eg. Slender columns.
Example -
infra

Golden Gate
Bridge
Example -
building

The Casino,
Avalon
Structural elegance

• A negative aesthetic
impact/examples – an overly
stocky column with gross
rather than refined detailing.
Structural art

• Works of structural engineers that are creative

to the point of being art (Billington, 1985, 1990,
2003).
• Meaning: the art is created by an engineer, not
by an architect nor via an architect-engineer
collaboration.
• Eg: a structural sculpture with aesthetical
aspect integrated with functional aspect.
Some exercises

• Group 1: compare the X-braced tower of San

Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge (A) with Akashi
Kaikyo Bridge near Kobe, Japan) (B).

• A B
Some exercises

• Group 2: Compare the structural sculpture of

Yumebutai, Awaji Island Japan (A) with Hotel
de la Reine, Paris (B).

• A B
Some exercises

• Group 3: Compare the columns of Cloisters

Museum, New York (A) with Palais des Papes,
Avignon, France (B).

• A B
Some exercises

• Group 4: Compare the roof of La Padrera,

Barcelona (A) with LA Sagrada Familia
cathedral, Barcelona (B).

• A B
Exercise
• Equivalent to 5% carry marks.
• Make a report of 3-5 pages and submit by the end of this
week (Friday the 13th).

• **Test 1 (10%) will be cancelled; so Quiz week 5- submitted

(5%), and this exercise (5%) will replace test 1.

• Thank you!