many buildings though, particularly those providing open-plan office accommodation, while column grids may be read optimistically as
ordering space, they are more likely to be spatially disruptive.
The influence of spatial structure upon interior spaces of a building can be further appreciated by considering Fig. 6.14.
11
Within an iden- tical building envelope very different spatial qualities arise by varying
interior structural layouts, all of which are feasible from a structural engineering perspective. While the whole internal volume is essen-
tially perceived as one space in options a and b, c and d each pro- vide two separate and differentiated spatial zones. Option e offers the
opportunity of creating a closer relationship between the inside and outside.
A similar investigation of alternative structural layouts and their influ- ence upon interior space can be, and should be performed on any
building at the preliminary design stage. Figure 6.15 presents different lateral-load resisting layouts for a regular four-storey building. Variations
to moment-resisting frames that resist transverse wind and earthquake
INTERIOR STRUCTURE
113
a
b c
d e
▲
6.14 Different structural layouts affect how spaces are read. After Ogg
loads only are shown. In each case the same two shear walls provide longitudinal stability. Gravity-only columns are not shown. As in the pre-
vious figure, each structural option contributes a unique spatial charac- ter to every floor that can strengthen the design intent. The six options
are but just a taste of the huge range of possibilities. For example, the next stage of the exploration might involve shifting some or all of the
one and two-bay frames off the building centreline – perhaps placing them on a curved line running between the ends of the building. While
the structural performance is unaltered, such a move could create a par- ticularly innovative and memorable building interior.
The following buildings illustrate the diverse range of architectural qual- ities that interior structure can help achieve. To begin, several spaces
where structure itself creates a strong impression of being inhabited are examined. That is, occupants sense they inhabit structure that is
located within a larger volume, rather than inhabiting the overall vol- ume itself.
First, design studios in two schools of architecture are considered. In both, high spatial structural density and small-scale structural members
114
STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE
a b
c
d e
f
▲
6.15 Alternative structural layouts for resisting transverse lateral loads on a multi-storey
building.
create human-scale spaces. At the Portland Building, Portsmouth, an orthogonal post-and-beam framework supports the roof and creates a
series of subdivided zones Fig. 6.16. Spatial zoning is emphasized by how the architects have treated the framework as an insertion into the
space and visually quite distinct from the roof. Although the roof slopes, the beams of the interior framework remain horizontal and thereby
strengthen their definition of the smaller sub-spaces.
The double-height first-floor studios at the Lyons School of Architecture are broken up far more emphatically by the diagonal glue-laminated
timber struts that prop the roof Fig. 6.17. Mezzanine work spaces hang from the roof structure and create even more intimate working
areas and spatial diversity within the large volumes. Students are never more than a metre or two away from a structural element, be it a strut
or a mezzanine floor tension-tie. Although such a dense spatial struc- ture limits how the studio space can be used, it creates a strong sense
of fostering habitation and of framing activities occurring within the studios.
That same sense of the immediacy of structure is present in the Wohlen High School hall. In plan, regular column spacing articulates a central
nave and side aisles. However, in section and when observed three- dimensionally, structure takes a far less conventional form. Free-standing
roof support structure within the enclosing concrete walls dominates the interior Figs 6.18 and 6.19. Gracefully curved pedestals support
timber arches, and the radiating ribs create a delicate and intricate rhythmical structure. The frequency of ribs, their spatial orientation
with respect to each other and the arches, and their white stain finish
INTERIOR STRUCTURE
115
▲
6.16 Portland Building, University of Portsmouth, England,
