Architectural properties of a structural theme : a thematic exploration

Abstract

The first objective of the thesis is to demonstrate a way of "designing" that comes as much from the forms at hand as from any outside criteria. It involves the establishment of a structural theme and the understanding of its architectural properties. The approach seeks the development of alternative interpretations within the structural theme. There is, however, neither context nor program to choose alternatives in. There is only the thematic development. The structural theme is pushed along, not with the objective to come to a completed " design " but with the objective to pass a variety of stages needed for a demonstration of the method involved. The second objective of the thesis is to explore the ways a structural theme can be communicated. There are two parts to the study: 1. Part one of the study involves the formulation of the structural system. It also illustrates the design process of the structural elements. Rules are formulated for the elements by means of a grid position which will, therefore, allow the exploration of the horizontal and vertical relations among elements in the system. 2. Part two of the study demonstrates the deployment of the system. It includes the principles of horizontal and vertical deployments and fields.