by Habina Seo
Throughout history, the development of materials and
technologies has enabled buildings to react to changing aesthetic and
functional ideas. With the advent of sustainability and environmental
awareness, the relationship between material science and architecture has
become increasingly important. From the first permanent buildings in 9,000 BCE
made of brick, ancient Egyptians and Greeks using stone to build monumental
structures and temples, the invention of glass used in Gothic cathedrals, to
carbon fibre, smart materials, bioplastics, and even spider silk.
A material’s properties and how it is shaped or used heavily
affects the aesthetic possibilities of a building. An example of an engineering
breakthrough is the Gothic style of architecture. It was a major step forward
from the previous Romanesque style, allowing buildings to dwarf its
predecessors. The pointed arch, an immediately recognisable feature of Gothic
architecture, exerted a greater proportion of its weight down into the ground,
instead of a sideways force. It was also able to have any ratio of height of
arch to width (as opposed to the semi-circular arch of Romanesque architecture,
where the height of the arch had to be half ifs width), which was a practical
advantage. This feature allowed for thinner columns, and gave the buildings a
general sense of slimness, which gave room for larger windows of grand stained-glass
art, allowing more light to flow into cathedrals. Secondly, the ribbed vault is
a web of intersecting stone arches, which provide strength. This was an
improvement from the heavy and inefficient barrel vaults of Romanesque
ceilings, and were easier to build, economical and more enduring since they
were more flexible and stronger. These ribs were spaced in such a way that the
pressure form the ceiling is transferred to the piers, which opened up interior
spaces. Finally, the flying buttress was an external support structure which
transferred the thrust of the roof outwards and down. Again, this allowed for
slimmer forms and more open spaces.
A great example of Gothic architecture is
the cathedral of Notre-Dame, which suffered great damage as a result of the
blaze in April 2019. The fire made it clear why stone is important- it is
incombustible, whereas the timber roof (which protected the stone interior from
the elements) burned down. However, it is surprising that contemporary
materials such as metal and concrete were rejected as ideas to use to rebuild
the roof by Eric Wirth, a leading French architect and vice president of the
Guild of French Architects. He argues that it is the “most modern and
ecological material”, which is more fire-resistant than its alternatives (had
the structure been made of iron, it would “writhe and pull on the walls and
collapse everything”), and also traps carbon. Furthermore, he also states that
the weight of the roof is what keeps the cathedral standing up, so lighter
metal or concrete rafters may not necessarily be the best option. This shows
how important the choice of materials and the study of its properties is,
especially when the edifice of such a huge cultural importance.
Looking forward where modern materials are in use, there are
lots of examples of unexpected materials utilised in architecture, with a
general focus on reuse, biodegradability, biology and growth. Although the
scale of architecture is large, for it to link in with materials science the
analysis must go down to atomic scales, since the molecular structure is what
determines a material’s properties. An excellent example of this sort of work
is that of Neri Oxman; a designer who has had education in both medicine and
architecture and combines design with biology, computing and materials
engineering. Her most notable works include the Silk Pavilion, a structure made
of silk threads (laid by a CNC machine) which is then completed by live silk
works. Tiny magnets were attached to the silkworms’ heads to motion-track them,
helping to explore the relationship between digital and biological fabrication
on architectural scales. Oxman believes that by studying natural processes such
as these, ways of ‘printing’ architectural structures can become more
efficiently than current technologies. She has also worked on projects which involve
unusual materials derived from living organisms, such as bones, trees, and even
melanin. For example, melanin can be used for its protective properties such as
UV radiation for humans, as well as high temperatures and chemical stresses for
microorganisms. It is now proposed as an architectural element: melanin-infused
glass. This allows the material to darken or lighten in response to UV radiation,
in hope that it can be used larger scales to be used as architectural surfaces
as responsive and adaptive to the elements as our own skin.
Buildings account for over 40% of the energy consumption of
the EU, USA and China. To reduce this, passive design is encouraged to reduce,
or even remove, the need for auxiliary heating, cooling and electricity. As
well as the energy usage of the building itself, the choice of materials can
reduce both the embodied energy and its emissions. With environment and climate
being at the forefront of architects and designers, the pressure is on for
scientists to produce innovative and widely available materials which have
sufficient properties to make durable, long-lasting buildings.
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