CYSF

Presentation
Problem
Method
Research
Data
Conclusion
Citations
Acknowledgement
Attachments

Architecture of the Past Transforming the Future

In this project I will be looking into the past and researching various buildings and their styles to discover how we could use their styles today, when there are many natural disasters and other issues in our world.

Grade 7

Presentation

No video provided

Problem

The problem that I addressed with my project was inspired by the natural distasters today, including fires and earthquakes, and delving into the architechture of the past to see how we could use their styles today.

Method

My method for this project was to ask three questions of the buildings that I researched into, which included the Parthenon, the Colosseum, and the Pyramids of Giza. These three questions were: “What material was it made out of?”, “Is it earthquake resistant?”, and “What techniques were used?”.

Research

The Colosseum was one of the few standing structures in its day, and has survived years of fights and other more creative uses. The Colosseum’s defining technique was its arches, which made up the building’s walls. Arches were often used because of their immense strength. They were strong because the forces acting on the bricks/voussoirs pushed inward, and once the keystone was set, strengthened the arch by doing so. The only way to destroy an arch is to smash either the keystone or one of its foundation blocks. The Colosseum and its arches were made of travertine stone, a very strong sedimentary rock that is a version of limestone. Stone is a great building material that does not burn (although it may warp), is fairly strong, and is incredibly resistant to compression, although it is not as strong when under tension. Stone was a building material that was used throughout the ages. Although the Colosseum is not built to be earthquake proof, there are theories on how it survived the amount of time that it did, such as the metamaterial theory, nothing is confirmed as of yet.

The Pyramids of Giza are the oldest buildings I researched into, and still very strong. They were made to be tombs for the elite rulers of Egypt, but are now a tourist attraction for the people of this day. The Pyramids of Giza were made from limestone, which is a strong material but very susceptible to the effects of acid rain and absorbs water. They didn’t have the strongest earthquake proof buildings, but its large base lent it some strength against the seismic waves. The Pyramids major strength was its use of triangles in its architecture. Triangles are strong due to the fact that you cannot change the shape of a triangle without changing the length of its sides. The Pyramid was not the strongest building that I researched into, but did have quite a few qualities that we should use today.

The Parthenon is a Greek wonder that was built to be a temple to the goddess Athena, the Greek goddess of knowledge. It has many columns and was built out of white marble, which is a very strong stone that is often used in countertops. The most impressive part of the Parthenon lies in its extraordinary triple seismic insulation. The Parthenon is protected from earthquakes by the smooth marble plates that it lies on, the small lead joints that connect each layer, and the superimposed slices of stone that make up the columns. When an earthquake starts, the seismic energy travels through the layers of smooth marble, then it reaches the lead joints. The lead converts some of the seismic energy into thermal energy. Finally, the superimposed columns are reached. They are able to shake and still remain standing. All these factors working simultaneously protects the building from these seismic waves. The Parthenon used columns extraordinarily, and it stands strong to this day.

Data

What material should it be made out of?

As we see in all the buildings I researched into, we see stone as a material that can stand for all the years. It is not flammable, and has a strong base. Combined with the more modern steel and concrete, we can make buildings that are able to withstand high temperatures.

How do we make it earthquake resistant?

If we look at the Parthenon, we see the strongest of the three buildings that I researched into.

It is triple enforced with the marble base, lead and iron joints, and superimposed columns made out of different “slices” of stone.

What techniques should I use?

Arches are strong, but have somewhat faded from our modern architecture. We should bring them back.

Columns are good for weight distribution. If we build them the way the Greeks did, they will still offer their protection in earthquakes.

Triangles are super strong and we can use cross bracing and other triangle elements in buildings today.

Field testing of building techniques on square frame in logbook.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we can enhance our buildings tenfold with stronger materials, techniques that were invented thousands of years ago, and earthquake withstanding techniques that have proved their worth by withstanding the centuries. If I did this project again, I would expand it by looking into more and older buildings, digging deeper with my research, and asking new questions about the buildings of the past. Ultimately, the data that I have collected can be used in many ways and the building techniques that I found can be applied differently than the way that I applied it. In conclusion, we could make less disposable buildings and waste less materials if we looked back instead of forward and invented new buildings that can stand the test of time.