High tech building design - Essay Example

? High Tech Designs This paper will look at high tech building design techniques which have marveled the world by production of high quality buildings. It examines their representation and functions of structures and services. It goes further to review high tech in major cities of the worlds with the objective of finding out how this technology has changed modern cities. It also looks at the history of high tech design and known examples of buildings constructed with this technology, materials used and how these materials have been applied in the entire process starting with representation and function (technique and style), structures and services, space and flexibility in the buildings. Introduction Hi-tech building design refers to architectural designs and services that involve the use of advanced technology thereby improving the functionality of the final product. In simple terms, it is a particular style of building. In industries, it involves the use of machines to attain quality products (Building regulations, 1991)1. These machines use modern technology like computers, electronics and robots to help companies achieve their goal. Hi-tech building design has risen from modern architecture, incorporating elements of the latest technology in building designs. These include; prominent show of building techniques and functional components, decent alignment and use of sophisticated materials such as metals, glass and futuristic shapes. In the past, building industry has applied technologies that made building designs complicated, these made it difficult for man to design buildings of their needs. Heat regulation systems in these houses were very poor since the ventilations provided were insufficient and could not effectively control internal temperatures. With regards to hi-tech designs, several equipments have been invented to effectively solve the problem of heat in buildings and have also helped solve issues of human thermal complaints both at homes and in offices. Thermal complaint had been declared a major drawback to economic development. People claimed that it was because of thermal problem that they did not perform well in their endeavors and this called for a pragmatic approach towards this nuisance. Fans have been installed in buildings to regulate heat in regions where there have been a lot of heat; heaters have also been installed in the buildings which experienced a lot of cold like the Polar Regions. These products of hi-tech design have rendered redundant, thermal disruptions which are now considered a thing of the past. Representation and function Architects rely entirely on this technology for production of feasible structures. It is also applied in industries, transport, flight, communication and space travel. It aims at eliminating burdensome materials such as; bricks, concrete blocks used in the construction industry and introduce steel which increases the life span of the structures. Glass, which is responsible for the aesthetic aspects, is also embraced by this technology. The introduction of steel and glass was meant to enhance the function of the final product in order to catch up with the technologies of other sectors, which keep on improving each day depending on the core materials used for production in those sectors. Buildings have always lagged behind since the materials used in productions are inflexible and not easily changeable. For instance, concrete has proven to be the most suitable material used in construction, even though it withstands compression, it fears tension and must therefore be reinforced using steel. Originally, hi tech technology was termed as malicious, ill motive intended to dislodge employees from their duties. With time though, its good intentions have conspicuously come to light and has quickly been embraced the world over. It has played a major role in employing double the number that was initially engaged in these particular sectors of the economy. Moreover in the building industry, it has eased the work of the architects and increased the functionality, durability and suitability of the final building products. Generally, this technology wanted the structures to be functional and resourceful, not just artistic or figurative. Structures and services In most parts of the world, concrete is used to raise structures. However much stronger it may prove to be, it indicated its fear of tensional forces and has shown weaknesses in earthquake prone areas. During earthquakes of larger magnitudes, concrete even when reinforced, still breaks due to its brittleness. This had been experienced in many parts of the world like in Haiti where there was a recent major earthquake (Arnold, Eisner & Elsesser, 1992)2. This left the construction industries with the options of the hi-tech building designs as the safer alternative. Steel is one of the building materials that are strong in tension. Given that architects are highly interested in sensationalizing the technical function of building elements, introduction of free stainless steel for all the tension rods has been boosted. Steel has significantly strengthened the s building structures and houses built of stainless steel, have achieved and proved to have longer life span. This ideology is applied in epicenters to control earthquakes (tsunamis) and ensure that properties are not damaged in the events of tsunamis (Redmill & Anderson, 1996 p54).3 On the other hand, use of glass and decorative tensile structures has improved the appearance of buildings due to their beauty. The glass materials have sometimes been for cladding purposes permanently as part of the wall. They have enhanced the achievement of aesthetic aspect which architects only imagined of when using concrete. They are also used in portioning large shopping malls in order to help monitor daily transaction thereby enhancing security High tech building designs have to a great magnitude helped with installation solutions. These kinds of installation if properly mounted do not only serve their functions but also give the building an appealing appearance. Lighting has also been made simple by use of square box ceiling boards which allow strategic mounting of luminaries and this provide sufficient light throughout the building. The ceilings can also reflect the light depending on their colors which means no light loss. This type of installations can be used in large scale production of light (Massachusetts electrical code 1970)4. Space and flexibility Space has been used to describe the ability of users to move freely in the building. This will enfranchise them to identify the features of the building and their correct uses. Under the traditional building designs, this was made quite complex, since there was no clear indications of such features or because they were placed in hidden parts of buildings. In hi-tech building design, various elements of such as the deliberately exposed pipes and air ducts are impressive and communicative of their practical function. They also allow easy maintenance and a lot of space reinstallation. Large open space inside the buildings makes it easy to access all floors. Nonetheless these fundamentals in buildings are very precisely arranged to realize the best possible orderliness in a way that rationally provides solutions to the needs of banking institutions. On the other hand flexibility in building has been mainly addressed by portioning of the buildings to conveniently accommodate various activities at the same time. In offices it has improved rate of work thus improves quality. An office portion can also be shaped in order to accommodate a new task. This has been achieved by the construction of demountable external walls, frames, doors and louvers. However, this practice is not common for many structural elements. But with high tech design in place it can be realized. Hi-tech and the cities Over the years cities have realized much improvement in their operation systems. This has majorly resulted from the use of hi-tech technology not only in the building industry but across all the sectors. First, famous and unknown cities in the world have been boosted in their appearance and shape. This is due to the appropriate lighting systems installed in these cities. This has enhanced production as people are settling down to their businesses up to past midnight due to sufficient security as a result of good lighting. High tech architecture may be unsound to an urban environment, which necessitate self-supporting buildings and spacious areas to discharge its prospective. It has been perceived that hi-tech buildings in enclosed spaces do not give a good representation and their boxy contours are only faintly changed to fit into the various streets around them. This is however not the case since hi-tech buildings function more to control the settings around them rather than become accustomed to it, a requirement in most cities. Better structural support has ensured long term benefit both to the users and owners of the structures, which has played vital in the stabilization of cities as this ensures continuity of the cities. In earthquake prone areas like Japan and China good structural support offered by steel has ensured continuity after the tsunamis. Steel has been used to come up with buildings which can withstand earthquake; the structures can easily be lifted above the ground, since the ground is associated with grave impacts of the earthquake. Serpentine walls have help in providing both beauty and safety, because of their reflectorbility; they are mostly used in high rise building since at night they reflect light from oncoming flight thus help preventing crashes. Buildings with this kind of design usually have a clear glass front elevation, with the building's system of support beams exposed at the back. Some of the world’s prominent and easily recognized structures built in this technique include the Olympic stadium in China s Structural guiding principles got from the analysis the analysis of existing structures and the realization of an early warning system by means of radars could supply an additional valuable remedies to repositioning promoting a less quick, more pragmatic recuperation of the areas destroyed by disaster.. History of hi-tech design The history of the hi-tech building design can be traced back to 1779 when the first iron bridge was constructed using metal (Trinder, 1979)5. It later came to be known as hi-tech architecture which incorporated essentials of high-tech industry and knowledge into the building design industry. More ideas trickled in which functioned to refine the traditional design techniques, which were intended to put together the structures. Some of them which were built under this technology are in North America and Europe. Its objectives were to gain both aesthetic values and strong structural support. High tech design style has originated in the past few decades, from the bare and industrial style of architecture that has also developed. The movement emphasized industrial processes and aesthetics .The technique is founded on industry, the origin of the contemporary ways doing things distinguished by tremendous rates of technological progression. The outcome is that, high tech buildings are constructed to look like well-designed and capable machines, with the use of metal and glass as core building materials. However, practicality is often overshadowed by aesthetics which are far more important to stakeholders and the public at large. In 1970, it got a boost from scientific advances. These advances tuned people’s judgment that much more could be achieved with advancing technology, as the wise adopted the premise that, there were more than were known to them, this called for thorough research in order to realize more. In November 1978 a book known as high tech was published. It demonstrated on how architects and clients were appropriate parties in the industrial sector. Due to the exposure of the book the decorating style was name high tech which appeared in New York in 1979. It was later reprinted in England, France, and Japan. A lot of patterns flocked the air, Pompidou Center in Paris France, which was fine products of architectural experts Richard Rodgers and his partner Renzo Piano in 1976. The center was in essence a building turned inside-out, characteristically exposed installation. Arrangements of pipes, duct, escalators, and other relevant structures were passed in a scaffold-like framework adjacent the building, basically becoming gorgeous elements. This building attracted the whole world with many critics juxtaposing it to an oil refinery. The thought on the natural beauty of structures had been a longtime principle of modern technology, but the Pompidou took this thought to the next level, displaying technical elements features that had formerly been regarded as ugly. Even though there was a disagreement the on the suitability of the building, the Pompidou encouraged the entire generation to embrace use of materials such as industrial lighting fixtures, channel gratings, galvanized and perforated metal, which were commonly known materials used in hi-tech building designs. This new practical aesthetic later experienced a warm welcome. High-tech building design had several characteristics of which all put emphasis on procedural basics. Among them were to show the various components of a building and how newly invented building materials which were perceived by a few as the most suitable building materials in the construction industry could boost construction of various structures. These materials were steel frames and glass. The high-tech buildings have also brought along with it the use of glass curtain walls. It is greatly been influenced by high-rise buildings and modern architecture and further demonstrated that using glass walls and framework pipe structure made of steel, very tall buildings can be constructed. Several high-tech buildings had their purposes of dynamism. This was observed in Olympic stadium in China which has served as a multipurpose stadium. This structure made sport and other relevant activities in the open possible. Steel was known to be the hardest and a load bearing material. These illustrations were shown by Pompidou Centre. He demonstrated how prominent features could be situated outside a building to enable people including visitors to use them conveniently, while Norman Foster's Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank demonstrated how order in the high tech architectural style was designed to keep to their functional meaning. Currently high tech building design has help in transforming the world by producing earthquake proof buildings and structures. These structures are known to be environmentally responsible and resourceful throughout the building lifecycle. This practice also emphasizes classical building design concerns of economy, utility, durability. Previously the design of interior of a building was put together automatically as a part of the process of building. The career of interior design has been a result of the development of society and the intricate architecture that has resulted from the development of industrial processes. The search for effective utilization of space, user safety and practical design has contributed to the development of the modern interior design profession. The use of computers, robots and other sophisticated materials in interior design today has function to achieve comfort needs of man. Examples Hi-tech building design techniques have been used in building in many parts of the world including: The Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building at University of Toronto, John Hancock Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States 1969, Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Hopkins Architects, Zizkov TV Tower, Prague, Czech Republic (1992), Lord's Media Centre, London, United Kingdom (Future Systems, 1999),. Centre Georges Pompidou, Paris, France (Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers, 1977) Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Hopkins Architects, 1985) among others. Conclusion In a close retrospect, I am obliged to adopt the fact that use of hi-tech building design technology has greatly functioned to ensure quality products in the building and construction industries. Architects who have adopted the use of hi-tech building designs have been able to achieve their desired goals in terms of structural support and beauty and in general improved function of the final product as for the Olympic stadium in China which is mainly built by use of metals. The stadium has managed to accommodate both sports and other activities. It has been instrumental in displaying characteristics in withstanding tsunamis as per the last experienced. Other strong structures have also been built using this technique these structures include The Leslie L. Dan Pharmacy Building at University of Toronto, John Hancock Center, Chicago, Illinois, United States (Fazlur, 1969, p56)6, Schlumberger Cambridge Research Centre, Cambridge, United Kingdom (Hopkins Architects, Zizkov TV Tower. These buildings have been reported to have very strong support as a result of steel used in their constructions. They have controlled conditions within them which make them much more superior to the traditional buildings. Some of these components are controlled room temperature regulation by use HVAC systems and properly ventilated walls. With this closely and profound scrutinization of hi-tech building design techniques, structure and services, functions on space and improved flexibility of the buildings, improvements realized in the cities as result of it and history of hi-tech building designs , I find an non equivocal evidence to fully support hi-tech building designs. Bibliography Building regulations, 1991: technical guidance documents.. (1991). Dublin: Stationery Office. Foulger, R. (2005). Building regulations explained (7th ed.). London: Spon Press. Massachusetts electrical code: rules and regulations governing the installation, repair and maintenance of electrical wiring and electrical fixtures used for light, heat and power in buildings and structures subject to the provisions of sections 3 to 60, . (1970). Boston, Mass.: Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Dept. of Public Safety; Board of Fire Prevention Regulations. Redmill, F., & Anderson, T. (1996). Safety-critical systems: the convergence of high tech and human factors : proceedings of the Fourth Safety-Critical Systems Symposium, Leeds, UK, 6-8 February 1996. New York: Springer Arnold, C., Eisner, R. K., & Elsesser, E. (1992). Buildings at risk: seismic design basics for practicing architects. Washington, DC: AIA/ACSA Council on Architectural Research. Trinder, B. S. (1979). The iron bridge: a short history of the first iron bridge in the world. Telford, England: Ironbridge Gorge Museum Trust. Read More