Browsing by Subject "Structural systems"
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Item Open Access Influences of structural systems on form and space integrity of free-form buildings: an investigation through case studies(Bilkent University, 2023-07) Oktar, Nadide PınarFree-form architecture is a contemporary design language that challenges traditional geometric forms in architectural design. It is characterized by its complex and irregular shapes, which are mainly achieved through advanced digital design and fabrication technologies. However, free-form buildings may overly prioritize form over structural rationality and spatial quality because of their irregular nature. Therefore, the potentials and limitations of their flexibility need to be investigated through the architectural components, structure, form, and space. This thesis investigates the potential of structural systems which are an aesthetic and inventive medium for shaping and experiencing free-form buildings. It is intended to determine and evaluate structural systems' influences on form and space integrity of free-form buildings. With this framework, seventeen selected pioneering free-form buildings are investigated through an in-depth analysis that is resulted in a tabular report which involves specific structural, formal, and spatial analysis with a general assessment part. As a result, it has been determined that the design process for a free-form building needs to be more integrated to ensure the integrity of form and space. Moreover, the findings indicate that contemporary free-form buildings contain overly complex hierarchical structural organization, such as primary and secondary systems. Consequently, designing structural systems that seamlessly integrate with such buildings' form and spatial configurations necessitates a distinct perspective and specialized design knowledge. In line with these findings, this thesis suggests that an integrated design process should be supported by a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of structural systems, their hierarchical organization and how they simultaneously effect formal and spatial configurations.Item Open Access The role of structural systems and building materials in sustainable post-expo use of World Expo pavilions(Bilkent University, 2022-07) Makinacı, İrem MerveWorld Expos are international mega-events, organized to display the industrial achievements of countries while providing social and cultural involvement. Since the 1970s, they have focused on minimizing ecological problems and promoting sustainability with innovations in science and technology. However, due to their mega-scale and ephemeral nature, issues like building boom, oversized infrastructure, and abandoned pavilions have been observed throughout the years, which conflict with their sustainability theme. Since the concerns for the post-event period are generally caused by the lack of initial planning for the post-expo usage, this thesis claims that one of the solutions is a concise configuration of structural systems and materials by considering the further use of pavilions. Therefore, this study aims to reveal what the role of structural system and material configurations is on a sustainable post-expo use. With this aim, the selected pavilions from the World Expos with sustainability-related themes are categorized based on their permanency or temporariness and analyzed regarding four categories of sustainability (functional, environmental, socio-cultural and economic). For the analysis, 15 sustainable features are determined to observe the characteristics of structural system and material configurations related to the post-expo use. Based on the number of sustainable features of each pavilion, the role of structural system and material configurations in post-expo use are evaluated. The results show that for permanent pavilions, structural systems and materials have no or low role in the sustainable post-expo use. On the contrary, they have a significant impact on the efficient post-expo use of temporary pavilions. It is concluded that the well-conceived configuration of structural systems and building materials equipped with innovative sustainable features would allow for more efficient use of resources while minimizing harmful impacts on the environment and reducing energy consumption in construction, dismantling, reusing, and recycling processes. The findings suggest that; in order for World Expos to overcome the issues that arise in the post-expo period, as well as the real-life sustainability problems, all four sustainability categories should be integrated together with the use of innovative solutions by considering the post-expo process in the pavilions' structural system design and material selection.