2023-07-04 -- Visualized Structural Analysis - No, it is not for structural engineers only
I wanted to see Antoni Gaudi's works for years. A very close friend of mine, Siavash Teymouri, had introduced his work over three decades ago. He was an eccentric Catalan modernist and he rattled the architectural norms of his time. When he was getting his degree over 140 years ago, director of school said:"We have given this academic title either to a fool or a genius. Time will show." [Link]
When I saw his work, I have to say, I was mesmerised. This wasn't just an "architect". I was wondering why his methods have been thought is structural engineering schools? I personally could have used them in my days in college and later on in my professional life.
Gaudi used physics to his advantage, but not just simply the common equations of force and momentum used to calculate the forces. He made it visual.
This is what he did:
He created a 3D model of structure using strings and added a bag of sand proportional to the expected load, hung it from the ceiling and on a mirror below he had the 3D shape of his structure. He could then methodology draw the lines on paper and calculate the angle of every column. In practice based on the actual load he would use different stones to keep the forms without adding excessive weight.
His master piece was La Sagarada Familia. An unfinished structure.
And this is how he visualized the structure:
(c) I have personally taken the pictures and own them. Feel free to use them as you may like.
Genius!
ReplyDeleteI’m having a hard time understanding the scale of the sand bags and stings and the mirror below.
ReplyDeleteImagine you have a floor plan and you know exactly where your columns have to be. Draw the plan on a piece of cardboard and hang it from the ceiling. Connect strings to the places that columns are meeting the ground in the cardboard. Each column have a load, but for simplicity imagine all of them bear 10 tons, except for one that has a 1 ton piano on top too. Hang a bag with 10 grams sand to all and 11 grams to the one with piano over it. Continue to the other floors. In each floor add a bag of sand with sand proportional to what the column has to bear at that point. Adjust the length of the strings so that each floor is parallel to the cardboard base. Now you have bunch of strings in many angles and your structure hanging upside down. If you look into a mirror under the hanging structure, you will see the structure as if it is on the ground and standing up right. Now you can draw your structure ground up with all the columns and floors. It will be a self balancing structure with many columns that none are perpendicular to the ground. You will have lengths, angles and the total load on each element. If you want columns to be a different angle you have to distribute the sand in each floor, which in turn will gives you how much load that column will bear, what is the new length and changes the length, load, and angle of other columns. You continue until you are satisfied with shape.
DeleteI might be the only person in the world who didn't appreciate the gaudi's familia sagrada when visited a few years ago, well , myself and George Orwell, so at least two people were not impressed.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, the 3 hours wait in the summer heat and anticipation building up, or breathing the concrete dust in the air once in from the jack hammering in the ceiling over our heads , or the rude staff not letting us take the elevator up before waiting another hour, despite elevators going up half empty , or just being overly impressed with the Gothic architecture in cathedral in Toledo a few days earlier ....
But after reading this very well written blog , I am realizing that I missed seeing so many architectural and engineering details , so willing to give Gaudi another chance ....
If this post only sends one person back to Barcelona to visit one of many places filled with Gaudi art, or even makes you interested to revisit, it has achieved its goal. Thanks.
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