Monday, November 25, 2013

Williams Selyem Winery
Barrel Vault





The Williams Selyem Winery is located in Sonoma, California.  Client and owner of the winery John Dyson used architect Alex Ceppi of D.arc Group.  Ground was broken on this new state-of-the-art winery in 2006, with construction finishing in 2010.  This winery is world renown, having been served at the White House and receiving a perfect 100 points on their Pinot Noir at the Wine Enthusiast awards (the only perfect score.)
                  I chose this building because I found this winery very unique and I think the barrel vaulted roof makes it specifically outstanding. As can be seen in the interior photo, steel beams support this barrel vault, with what appears to be wood paneling filling the spaces between the beams.  As with most barrel vault, I think by using this instead of a conventional flat roof the space opens up immensely.  Accompanying this structure with the glass opening above the doorways that looks out onto a vast field really adds to the effective opening of the building.  However, what I think makes this particular barrel vault stand out is the space that the architect put in the middle of the top of the arch in the structure on the outside.  From the outside looking in, it adds some complexity to the appearance of the building.  It takes a rather conventional concept and adds a twist. From the inside, it opens up the space even more, adding to the field of vision when one looks outside to the fields. 
Overall, by using a unique barrel vaulted ceiling the architect has made this winery a much more interesting building.  If it had been a flat or even a slanted roof, this piece of architecture wouldn’t have stood out.  A particularly modern looking building, this winery makes a statement against classic wineries.  The way the light bounces off of the wood-paneled ceiling of the vault makes the building appear very warm and inviting.  All of these interpretations of the building: warm, open, inviting; are direct results of the way the ceiling is structured.  By crafting it with the opening in the center, the architects help to make this structure particularly outstanding. 

Sources:


2012 Olympic Velodrome
Truss






        The London 2012 Velodrome, located in London, England, was finished with construction in 2012.  This was developed for all cycling races in the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic games. Built obviously for the Olympic Committee, the architect chosen was Hopkins Architects.
        This structure is composed of many steel trusses, seen in the above construction photo.  Trusses combinations of various triangular supports that are typically used to enclose vast spaces such as this one.  This particular building uses these structural supports to aide in an appearance of simplicity in an otherwise complicated construction.  The building has a perimeter ring truss which is key in the structural support of the entire Velodrome. The structure’s shape mirrors that of the oval bike track located in the interior. The asymmetry of the roof and angled walls make this building a complicated thing to support, and these steel trusses provide the stability this building needs.  By not exposing them in the interior, the Velodrome maintains its simple appearance, in what actually is a very complicated structure as one can see in the photo. 
        I chose this example because I love how the complexity of the building is hidden and it appears as such a lean and clean structure. The versatility of truss structuring allows for it to be easily hidden in this example, creating a sort of allure and mystery to the building.  Being an Olympic venue, it is expected that it be an outstanding building.  However I particularly love how it isn’t overly extravagant.  It cuts out the frivolity (i.e. the 2008 Beijing ‘Bird Nest’) and says something about what a statement simplicity of structure can make.  By mimicking the structure in the shape of the bike track, one immediately can envision the bike race when they look at this building, also adding to the intended vision for this complex.  Overall I think the simplicity and leanness of this building helps to make it stand out, and the truss structuring helps in accomplishing these things.

Source:http://www.tatasteelconstruction.com/file_source/StaticFiles/Construction/SSDA/2012_SSDA_Brochure.pdf

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