THE DISPERSED TECTONICS OF A BUILT DIAGRAM: THE ENGINEERING OF SANAAS KUNSTLINIE IN ALMERE.

Kurt Gouwy
[ A I R ] Architectuur I Research, architect BNA, Msc in Restoration
Co-Auteur

Marcel Tabak
ABT adviesgroep bouwkunde, Velp

Topic: Embodied tectonics In 1998 Sanaa won the competition for the theatre and art centre de Kunstlinie situated at the waters edge of the Weerwater in Almere. The character of the building is extremely light and transparent and it is shaped as an extended ground-floor (which houses mainly the arts and educational part of the programme called CKV) with three autonomous towers of boxes which house the three large auditoriums. These towers, mainly due to severe acoustic requirements and larger size, formed almost literally autonomous dilated box-in-box constructions with more conventional heavy construction. The focus in this paper is on the transparent CKV ground floor which - due to its layered transparency and minimized construction - plays a vital role in the experience of this building. Building concept The architectural concept proposed by the architects was set up as an intriguing spatial matrix or field which was mainly structured and organised by a diversity of small and large courtyards as well as a multitude of foyers of different sizes. Observing the vast floor plan of the building, which resembles a patchwork of completely similar rectangular rooms of various sizes, the apparent absence of corridors is striking. At first sight, the spatial organisation of the building is, mainly due to this absence of an easily recognisable hierarchical circulation system, quite difficult to decipher. The spaces we can recognise as corridors seem to be dispersed in fragments throughout the building. (FIG 1) As a result of this strategy to treat all spaces similar, any hierarchy between circulation space and functional space but also between the different functional rooms themselves seems to be completely absent in the lower CKV part of the building. In contrast, the considerable differences in scale between the lower CKV part and the vertical oriented towers certainly do impose spatial hierarchy which cannot be ignored. The appearance of the spatial organisation as a multitude of elements with similar characteristics strongly reminds us of

the concept of field conditions as worked out by Stan Allen. [1] Rather than a hierarchically superior order that organises the system, here the relational order between different self-same parts becomes relevant for the behaviour of the complete system. In this approach interstitial space or the space between becomes just as important as the things themselves. As a result the atomisation of structure and space into a multitude of similar elements [4] points directly towards homogenisation strategies we think to discern in this particular design. Structural Concept From this point of view, it was not astonishing that the architects also intended to deconstruct the hierarchy of architecture and structure. In the explanatory text of the competition proposal they aimed at an equal visual treatment of all walls, irrespective of their functional requirements and the realisation of architecture without the regulation imposed by structure. [5] One of the consequences was that partition walls and other architectural elements became load-bearing and constructive. In this particular case however it did not mean that these partition walls were allowed to be dimensioned thicker, but the other way round; that the dimensions of the structural members had to become (much) thinner. So when ABT was involved in the engineering of this project, the casing of most building components such as walls and roof construction pointed in the direction of the absolute (un)feasible minimum. So in the engineering process practical dimensions literally had to be negotiated with the architects. In the end, for the walls this meant that, whether load bearing, soundproof or just partition walls, they should not exceed a thickness of about 100 mm (for a clearance height of3900 mm). For the roof the total thickness was restricted to 650 mm which meant that roughly between 100 and 300 mm was available for prefabricated concrete floors. Therefore the engineering of the building components - which were mainly driven by requirements related to construction and acoustics/sound insulation - was literally straitjacketed. Construction CKV part However, before focusing on the details, we will first try to discern a systematic overall approach. Here the concept of the field as we pointed out before can be a valuable frame of reference. This building concept as a spatial matrix of apparently similar rectangular spaces such as music rooms, drawing studios, foyers and courtyards, are spread in different size and

configuration throughout the building. With exception of the box-in-box constructions, most of those rectangular spaces are delimited by several fully transparent glass walls. (FIG 2) These walls are systematically oriented in such a way that even from deep within the building, lines of sight are drawn through several layers of rooms and courtyards towards the perimeter of the building and the water and light around. It is mainly this strategy which gives this part of the building, despite of its extremely deep floor plan, an astonishing airy and transparent character and certainly makes orientation more easier. Therefore, in order to obtain maximum transparency or depth , the orientation of those transparent glass walls is closely and ingeniously related to the circulation system on the one hand and the relative position to the outer perimeter of the building. To leave the glass walls unobstructed by structural members, all structure had to be concentrated in the lateral 100 mm thick opaque walls. Together with the minimal thickness of the roof - which causes small spans - a series of steel mullions of only 180x40 mm in section (centre to centre 1.20 m) are integrated into most of the plasterboard walls.(FIG 3) In contrast with the homogenous column grid we would normally expect in a free plan, here a finely meshed pattern of hidden mainly parallel structural lines appears. (FIG 4) However, columns do appear at some points in the building anyway. As smaller spaces have completely free spans, we see that when size increases - as in the case of the large foyers - the restricted available height for roof construction necessitates the insertion of columns. We find a somewhat different situation in the rooms situated at the open corners of the building. Here the system of parallel constructional lines and the initial concept to keep all glass walls (including the glass faade) free from structural members conflicts with the wish to have a totally open space at the corner of the building. This is resolved by the introduction of a row of delicate columns. Put in another way: as with smaller spans it was still possible to cantilever the roof construction towards the non-bearing faade, at increasing size; gravity inevitably takes over and a local solution - in the form of columns - had to be implemented. As in the initial abstract diagram the different rectangular rooms could be interpreted as a syntax of self-same parts which were, unlike their size, apparently homogenous in character, we see that with increasing size and spans, local solutions have to be implemented leading to subtle differentiation of the abstract initial conditions. (FIG 5)

Concerning these extremely slender vertical elements as mullions and glass walls which were only 40 mm and 47 mm thick respectively (for a height of 3900 mm) we see that second order effects, which are often negligible in normal construction, now become determining factors. Concerning the glass separation walls, the initial thickness of the glass had to be adapted in order to increase the natural frequency and the dynamic response of the wall. With the glass thickness based on horizontal impact only, the natural frequency was relatively low, so that by pushing the wall in an appropriate rhythmic way, people could bring it into resonance, which could lead to serious deformation and collapse. To avoid this kind of vandalistic action, it was considered to adapt the natural frequency of the glass by increasing the thickness of the glass used. For the slender mullions a horizontal deflection of about 8 mm had to be taken into account, mainly due to the (momentarily) stiff connections with the girders at certain load conditions of the roof. This meant the wall itself had to be detailed completely autonomously from the structure it was concealing. Acoustics and sound insulation When we focus on the coloured floor plan diagram which gives a good overview of the acoustic requirements of sound insulation for all walls, again it becomes clear that, contrary to the apparent homogenous geometry, the materialization of those seemingly uniform walls would have to be differentiated to a high and complex degree. (FIG 6) The challenge was to meet a wide range of different constraints into minimal thickness which could - simply through lack of space- never be achieved by superposition of partial solutions, but needed thorough integration of disciplines involved. Starting with the acoustic requirements for each specific position, the most appropriate assembly for each wall could be proposed. In the most extreme cases of the music rooms, a 40 mm massive steel wall in combination with an acoustic plasterboard front wall was required to meet the severe acoustic demands between the adjoining music rooms. Implemented for acoustic reasons, the structural capacity as sheer walls was immediately recognized by the structural engineers who integrated them into the horizontal stability concept for the building. However, here, too, a quick glance at the overall plan reveals some interesting aspects. Again ignoring the box-in-box constructions, the coloured diagram shows that logically the most severe sound insulation requirements can be found in the separation wall between adjoining functional rooms as is the case with the music rooms. In contrast, acoustic insulation requirements for foyers, courtyards and floors are considerably less severe. This is very significant considering that almost all walls delimiting these spaces are made of glass, which can only be soundproofed with considerable effort. As these circulation spaces and courtyards can be considered airy buffers between functional rooms, the reason for partially relaxed requirements becomes clear.(FIG 1) It means that the fine-tuning of the global functional layout of the building, and the ingenuous pattern of interstitial spaces in particular have a major impact on the physical requirements of the walls. The same reasoning is also found in the HVAC concept. As the roof of the CKV unit had almost no space available for air ducts, the plenum of 600 mm which was available between the water surface and floor construction was utilized. By using convectors that immediately drew the air from this interstitial space between building and waterfront, a space-consuming

air duct system could be avoided. Detailing As we have seen above, aspects of acoustics and sound insulation as well as constructional constraints determined to an important extent the engineering of the architectural elements. We also saw that separation walls were extremely thin. This minimum thickness is especially obvious at the joints between load-bearing opaque walls and perpendicular glass walls. (FIG 7) Concerning the detailing of different elements and joints of this Japanese project, the word flush became the new magic word. It meant that walls and structural elements should really look like a scale model cut from a piece of cardboard; everything is on the same plane and a door, for instance, is just a small disturbance in the form of three black lines on this continuous plane. It is also worth mentioning that the architects aim to make the door and wall of the same thickness was initially researched very seriously but could not be realised for economic reasons and due to the massive weight of these wall-thick doors. When we turn our attention to the transparent interior walls, this strive for continuity becomes clear. Internal glass walls are mainly vertical glass planes spanning floor and ceiling and fixed horizontally with sealing joints. Especially at the doors it became obvious that vertical construction or posts were inevitable in order to be able to fix the doors and cope with their horizontal impact. . Here, too, the architect chose for a specific, extremely local solution to the problem: a constrained portal made of welded strips (3 x 12 cm) framed the door in order to preserve the visual continuity of the glass plane as much as possible. (FIG 8) This paper aimed to focus on the totality of the building and, more specifically, on the interaction between the spatial and architectonic concept proposed by the architects on the one hand and the unusual tectonic and structural concept it ultimately triggered on the other. It becomes clear that this splendid white homogenous-looking world conceals a highly differentiated field of materials and technical solutions. Starting from the initial concept of a spatial field in which everything is homogenous, we noticed, mainly on an increasing scale, divergence between initial diagram and constructional constraints, which led to a number of very specific local solutions. We believe that the team of architects and all consultants succeeded in fully exploiting the potential of the nonhierarchical architectural concept on different levels in order to formulate these solutions. This approach led to a structural concept which is non-hierarchical and where construction elements are - in their most minimized dimensions - dispersed throughout the entire building. Almost to the point were everything and nothing is tectonics. And maybe the dream of the architects to build an ocean of air [4] has come a small step closer. Kurt Gouwy [A I R] Architectuur and Research, Nijmegen (info@air-arch.eu) Marcel Tabak ABT, Velp Kurt Gouwy, 2007

[1] ALLEN, S. (1999), Points + Lines. Diagrams and projects for the city. Princeton Architectural Press, New York, 1999. [2] ALLEN, S. (2000), Practice. architecture, technique and representation. Overseas Publishers Association, Amsterdam, 2000. [3] SEJIMA, K., SASAKI, M. and NISHIZAWA, R. (1999), Secret Structure a dialogue. In : Hunch no 1. The Berlage Institute, Amsterdam, 1999. [4] MORENO, C.D. and GRINDA, E.G. (2005) Ocean of Air. In: El Croquis 121/122, Madrid, 2005. [5] LEVENE, R.C. and CECILIA, F.M. (2000), Stadstheater in Almere. In: El Croquis 99, Madrid, 2000 CREDITS Opdrachtgever Gemeente Almere, Almere Ontwerp : SANAA, Tokyo (J) (Kazuyo Sejima en Ryue Nishizawa) Samenwerkend bureau : ABT, Velp-Delft (G.Florian, M. van Veghel, R. van Karnenbeek, M. Tabak, M., K. Gouwy) Constructeur : ABT, Velp-Delft (M. Sasaki, R. Nijsse, G. Voorhoeve, J. Wolters) Projectmanagement : Interact Advies, Amersfoort (E. Kant) Adviseur akoestiek: DHV Eindhoven (R.van Luxemburg, P .Heringa, N.Janssen, C. Kaas) Theateradviseur: Janssen Motosugi Theatre Consultants VOF (S.Motosugi, L.Janssen, G.Borgdorff) Aannemer: Ballast Nedam Bouw, Nieuwegein