Tall buildings' development was a direct result of industrialization principles applied to construction. Mechanization (elevators and machines) and mass production (replicated components) simplified the assembly of larger and taller spanning edifices and increased capacity to service these vertical communities. Skeletal frames composed of normalized and optimized steel profiles made it possible to build these structures without substantially increasing their weight to span ratios. Enlarging structural capacity through standardized components is a central theme in modern architecture inspired by manufacturing principles and leveraging them in building construction. Architects envisioned steel and glass cathedrals reaching upward and searched for ways to express weightlessness.
The suspended frame, a major contribution to structural engineering, is a notable example of two specifically modernist canons related to skeletal frameworks: open planning and cantilevered floor plates. Unobstructed floors are carried from above and transmit their loads to a centralized core that braces the entire structure. Outrigger frames are a variation of suspended frames with «outrigger beams or trusses» attached to the core that support one or more floor plates.
A beautiful example of the suspended frame was designed for British Petroleum in Atwerp, Belgium by Léon Stynen architect in 1963. The system is a straightforward expression of the archetype: rooftop cross beams or gallow beams shape a unidirectional hanging system supported by 2 longitudinal mega-beam trusses that transfer floor hanging loads to the central core. The spanning floor plates are stayed by tensile elements suspended from the gallow beams and determine the façade’s grid.
The 11 floors float over the neighboring context and seem at first glance to be supported only by the central element; Once perceived from the rooftop, the megastructure holding up the perimeter is analogous to a masterful hand holding up a rigid marionette. The rigorous structural grid is transmitted throughout the building with the curtain wall expressing the link between structure and skin; a corporate internationalization of architecture generalized during the twentieth century. All elements of the hanging structure are manufactured parts that come together to shape a flexible and adaptable large-scale building kit. The typical floor plate also deploys the basic core and adjacent spaces pattern associated with many tall buildings.
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| Photo by Paul Hermans licensed Creative Commons-Share Alike 4.0 |
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