STRUCTURAL DESIGN FOR ARCHITECTURE

Structural Design for Architecture

Fig. 3.10 Hong Kong

Stadium, Hong Kong,

1995. Ove Arup &
      Partners, structural
      engineers. The principal
      structural elements of
      this long-span structure
      are steel arches which
      have a space-framework
      configuration. |Photo:
      Ove Arup Partnership)

58

performance. All of the structural steelwork in

the interior of this building was covered with

insulating material and was therefore not

exposed and visible.

Steel has made an important contribution to

the development of two other categories of

building, namely, the very tall building and the

very long-span enclosure. Where steelwork has

been used in these contexts the limits of what

was technically possible were sometimes

approached. In such situations the forms

which were adopted had to be determined

principally from technical considerations. In

these two types of steel building, structural

requirements dominated the form which was

adopted and the resulting building was often

spectacular and exciting in appearance. These

buildings demonstrate the features of true

structural high tech'^5 which should not be

5 See Section 2.2.

confused with the technically misleading

version described above, which might be

termed 'stylistic' high tech.

In the long-span structure (Fig. 3.10) the

level of efficiency (strength-to-weight ratio)

must be high. The types of steel structure

which have been developed to achieve this are

the space framework, often in arched or barrel-

vaulted configuration, and the cable network

(see Sections 3.6.2.3 and 3.6.4).

In the very tall building (Fig. 3.11) the critical

structural problem is that of providing

adequate resistance to lateral loading. The

most efficient solution to this is to place the

structure on the perimeter of the plan, and

thus treat the building as a hollow,

cantilevered tube. In such circumstances the

structure is concentrated in the exterior walls

with the result that it inevitably affects the

appearance of the building.

In the late twentieth century, the introduc-

tion of the ideas of Deconstruction into archi-