For this project, my project partner and I chose to render our wall in site-cast concrete. Using site-cast concrete opens up a number of direct expressive possibilities due to its plastic nature. While we were initially drawn to concrete for its plasticity, we also came to realize that it allowed for unique and subtle forms of structural expression. As such, the wall curves outward and gradually thickens from one end to the other as well as from bottom to top, as a means of showing the plastic nature of concrete in a subtle way. We also took advantage of concrete's strength in compression to make it thicker towards the top as opposed to towards the base. This design also seeks to explore the visual effect of pouring concrete in segments to reflect the reality of pouring concrete in a series of lifts, as well as the resultant lines created by the formwork paneling. A series of windows that increase in size as the wall gets thicker and curves is also laid out in a grid that further pursues the concept of upward progression through the segments.
The exterior cladding system we chose features glass panels within a system of metal framing. By utilizing a two-part metal framing system on either side of the glass, it allowed us to find ways to supplement both the already established system of windows and the 6' x 4' concrete panels of the wall. The result was a series of diagonals on one side of the glass, complementing the diagonal formation and increasing size of the window system in the wall behind it. The other side of the glass features a clear expression of the 6' x 4' panel system through a grid pattern. Furthermore, the windows in the concrete wall now feature dedicated frames integrating it directly into the cladding system. Our cladding design is a testament to both the multidimensionality of the site-cast concrete wall, while showing the conceptual and geometric possibilities of a cladding system integrating metal and glass.
(Project partner: Benjamin Epstein)