come together make each hand interesting and beautiful. In a building
these details should not be put into a mitten and hidden. You should make
the most of them. Space is architectural when the evidence of how it is
made is seen and comprehended.^2
Where detailing is hidden from view, however, then any design consid-
erations beyond structural performance, economy and buildability are
wasted. A pragmatic approach to detailing is quite sufficient.
As well as reflecting or expressing the architectural design concept, as
noted above, structural detailing must be structurally adequate and
consistent with the structural engineering assumptions. For example, a
132 STRUCTURE AS ARCHITECTURE
Structural model (stability provided by structure elsewhere in plan)
Beam and truss options
Post options
Sawn-timber, pole, glue-laminated timber, plywood box-beam Parallel chord truss
Inverted bowstring truss
Composite timber-steel Composite timber-steel truss
Pole Spindle-shaped Composite timber-steel Pole Solid Built-up Clustered
Pin joint
▲ 7.1 Alternative structural member options for timber post-and-beam construction.
