Environment (CUE), London, is a consequence of its ecologically sus-
tainable design, rather than any other reason. Primary structural mem-
bers are hollow, exemplifying the highest possible level of structure and
services integration (Figs 7.62 and 7.63).^16 Structural members function
as air conduits in this naturally ventilated building. Column and beam
cross-sections are therefore larger than expected for a building essen-
tially of domestic scale, even accounting for the weight of its turf roof.
Warm air is extracted through circular penetrations in the triangular
cross-section plywood web-beams, and channelled horizontally to
columns. Columns that terminate above roof height as chimneys, move
air vertically. For such a relatively small building the structural members
appear heavy.
Plain to decorative
LaVine describes the exterior ground floor columns of the iconic Villa
Savoye, Paris (Figs 7.64 and 7.65), as ‘classically placed but unadorned,
slender cylinders, reflecting a technological stance of the twentieth cen-
tury’.^17 Consistent with the plainness of the columns, the floor beams
are rectangular in both cross-section and elevation. Their widths that
equal the diameters of the columns and result in tidy beam–column
junctions, are evidence of attention to detailing that does not seek
attention.
A more recent building illustrates the potential for structural detailing
with decorative qualities to enhance architecture. The ribbed concreteSTRUCTURAL DETAILING 161
▲ 7.62 Centre for Understanding the Environment (CUE), Horniman Museum, London,
England, Architype, 1997. Front façade with chimney-columns.▲ 7.63 Interior column and beam.