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| Wednesday, 7 April 2004 |
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Features | |
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The Architect makes the difference Architect Shanta Gunaratna (Editor "Architect") Steel revolutionised the living style of people. It improved transport and communication facilities bridging across water bodies. The rhythmic, strong, structural members of varying sizes, the use of tension steel cables for suspended bridge structures, gracefully arched steel bridges have excited the aesthetic sensitivity of Engineers and Architects. Steel as a building material is used extensively in other countries, specially to enclose large spaces such as warehouses, hangers, and stadia. In recent times its creative use has extended to the construction of commercial centers, shopping malls, churches and even houses. However in Sri Lanka until recently its use had been confined to bridges and industrial buildings as can be seen in the typical colonial Tea Factories and Railway Stations. The establishment of Free Trade Zones at Katunayake in 1960s and Biyagama in the 1970s, the 200 garment factory projects undertaken by the government in the late 1980s, and the establishment of several industrial parks in the South and other areas, saw an abundance of factories being erected, generating employment and boosting the state coffers. To house the production centres steel factory buildings have been favoured for its easy, economical erection and speed of completion. The 'sweat shops' - the factories of a bygone era with cramped, badly ventilated, unhealthy working conditions have been replaced with comfortable, spacious working environment with 'people' as the most important component. So ensuring maximum production output and increased revenue. Steel construction technology made this possible. Several steel manufacturers and dealers have since established themselves in this country ensuring the availability of a steady supply of material and equipment and undertaking construction contracts as well. However our focus is on the Architectural aspects of the use of steel. Has the technology and materials been used creatively, architecturally to make a difference to the Owner, the Global image of the company and the comfort of workers? Has the architect made a difference? In recent years Sri Lankan architects have used steel not only to construct factories but other buildings as well and favour steel as a cost effective material, enjoying the large spaces created by large spans. They have used steel with more verve and freedom using its structural elements, trusses, columns etc. to articulate design concepts. The buildings so designed exhibit an exuberance that elevated the hitherto dull industrial buildings to an exciting, aesthetically pleasing architectural expression. ###################### Steel and the Architect by Nandike Samaranayake
Its use has been limited to typical industrial buildings with low maintenance and hence its appeal has diminished greatly as an attractive, elegant, dynamic flexible structural material. Most clients would consider steel fabricated building technology only for specific usage. Architect Thompson Wijayasekara, better known within the Sri Lankan architectural community as 'Tommy Wijayasekara' is an enthusiastic user of steel fabrication technology. Tommy had his basic architectural education in Sri Lanka. He then proceeded to Moscow and the UK where he had his post-graduate education. He had the opportunity to experience the rich architectural heritage and observe the new emerging styles in these countries. His professional experiences began at the Department of Buildings and extended as Director and team leader for the reputed firm of David C. Cole Architects of Weybridge, Surrey and Chapman Taylor Partners PLC in London. Subsequently he shifted to Africa to take up the position of Managing Director, Comasa West Africa Ltd. He returned to UK in 1986, and worked in the capacity of Senior Architect and Senior Project Architect for Aukett Associates and GMW Partnership respectively. Returning to Sri Lanka in 1993, he joined Shelton Wijayaratne, Williams and Associates as Consultant & Design Team Leader for Hotel Eden in Beruwela. Low-cost housing complex He later established his own firm, Architects Co-Partnerships (Pvt) Ltd, which has to its credit numerous projects, including garment factories, facilities for Ceylon Petroleum Corporation, a low-cost housing complex and a number of bank offices. Tommy as an enthusiastic user of steel modular fabrication technology, claims steel can be used as attractively as any other material and with much more freedom. His ability to create the large span spaces and transform them into plush office spaces and work spaces made a difference to the typically dull and unimpressive factory buildings. The large number of factories he designed include Omegaline and Sirio where his clients benefited from his talents. The lingerie factory for Sirio and sensitivity to environment Tommy is an architect who is also sensitive about the environment. These ideas are expressed well in the 7-acres for the lingerie factory for Sirio where the greenery enhanced the setting. In laying out the numerous buildings on the site he ensured that minimal damage was caused to the coconut and teak trees on the property and incorporated them in his landscape design. Elaborating on the technical aspects of the design he explained that the factory space itself required a total width of 64m in transverse section to allow comfortable placement and operation of its machines. This width was broken down to two 32m spans. This optimised the financial and construction considerations as well as the operational and aesthetic, with the architect requiring sufficient height to create the requisite sense of space. Flanking the main 32m spans, were 20m and 10m ancillary spans to serve as service and office areas. The steel construction does not inhibit the services of building in any way, as the Sirio factory readily demonstrates. The entire factory space and office area are air-conditioned, with 6 AHUs serviced by 2 arrays of Hitachi air-cooled chillers. The steel roof and cladding from 'Metroof' was laced with 12 mm 'McFoil' to provide the necessary heat insulation. Further to this, the structure comfortably supports an 8-pole bus bar system for electrical supply, again installed entirely by a local contractor. Far less troublesome Tommy points out, the planning and construction of steel buildings of this nature, has become far less troublesome now, as there are a number of specialised suppliers in operation. These suppliers are able to calculate, fabricate and deliver the required structure, according to the layouts and volumes specified by the Design Consultant. In this instance it was IBSF a specialised steel fabricator from Saudi Arabia who was commissioned for the required work. However, Tommy further pointed out that although it was not feasible to fabricate the sections in Sri Lanka, the assembly and erection of the structure was undertaken, and successfully completed by a local contractor. This was possible because it is easy to work with such fabricated units. Advantages over other traditional systems The variety of applications of steel combining to form a building has many advantages over other traditional systems. In addition to the wide spans and the possibility of separate elements being pre-fabricated and assembled on site, it also greatly reduces the personnel and actual time of operations required to erect the building on site. Consequently the cost of all that activity is reduced steel construction instantly conjures visions of stark or 'cold' - impersonal interiors. Tommy effectively disproves this with his design of the interior of the office area. The internal spaces within the steel frame structure, he shows, can be clad and treated as well as any other building, to have the same elegance and sophistication of a modern office. Thus the internal aesthetic is no longer an inhibiting factor in choosing steel as a suitable material for the construction of a building. However for people who are not fans of the "Industrial Aesthetic" interiors in steel does have a charm of its own. One main drawback in the use of steel, however, is that it is still a fairly expensive material, and that we do not have enough specialised fabrication in Sri Lanka. Usually the advantages override the expenses in the case of a multitude of industrial applications, though the same is not true for smaller and more 'intimate' structures. Humidity and the salt The other issue of importance Archt. Tommy said is the fact that our country being tropical and with the sea on all sides, the humidity and the salt does not favour exposed structures of steel with no special (usually proprietary) means of protection. Therefore it would seem that steel has yet to reach its full potential as the versatile material it is, for use in Sri Lanka. ###################### Gruhasta Architects ...creating the 'pop' factor in Bangladesh by Mayanthi Jayasinghe Steel as a material, Rehan explained, "due to its industrial nature, non-expressive 'cold' appearance, and heavy and bulky feel," was considered 'not good enough to be shown'. And when used was either, covered by masonry or metal claddings. From the closet to the forefront
As a material, it gave an impression of lightness, air or a 'float' to the structure and an expression of vastness, in terms of volumes of space enveloped by the structure. The use of steel, as a material also demands that one is updated not only of technology, but new materials, as well. Hence as an architect, the challenge lies in not only understanding and respecting the structure, but also understanding the materials that contribute to the overall solution. The ability to 'engineer' or the mould steel, into any expressive form, whilst achieving practical buildability and efficient space utilisation are also added benefits. Exposure to steel architecture in Japan As an architect, Rehan had been very apprehensive in the use of steel as a material for expression or creativity, in building and building construction. In the mid 90s, he was selected to travel on a six month Fellowship Program, representing the Sri Lanka Institute of Architects, to the land of the rising sun, Japan. The sojourn opened his eyes and mind to the visual beauty of 'steel architecture'. From Tokyo to Sapporo, the urban fabric of the city was spotted with steel structures. Thin slices of building, like beacons, rose from ground zero, towering over humanity, seemingly reaching to the sky, clad in glass, sandstone, stainless steel and metal sheeting, creating 'fantastically expressive' architecture, both visually stimulating and exciting, experiences previously unparalleled. These buildings widened the creative horizon and gave impetus to a completely new style of architecture, in his career, which he used as and when the situation arose. Opportunities both locally and internationally have given rise to a few interesting projects that he has carried-out and are depicted in this segment. Rehan goes on to say that when he considers steel as a primary material, in design, he is always reminded of a line, in a song, that goes... "I am cold as ice, but am willing to sacrifice..." Professional encounter Archt. Rehan's first professional encounter with steel, was his design of a garment factory, in the Free Trade Zone in Chittagong, Bangladesh. The factory was designed in Sri Lanka, engineered in Saudi Arabia, shipped to Bangladesh and erected in Chittagong, all within ten months. Respect for Architects Archt Rehan recollected that his experiences in Bangladesh had been wonderful, having been there about 5-6 times. It is almost a second home. It is easy to work there and there is a lot of respect for Sri Lankans and special respect for Architects. The Client and the Project The factory in Bangladesh was for an Indian national, living in Sri Lanka with an offshore company registered in Hong Kong. A well-established global player, in the cut garment industry. The civil contractor and the building erector were Bangladeshi companies. All the coordination and site works was carried out by constant supervision and communication between the contractor, fabricator, erector and our site architect, in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. This factory, approximately 450'-0" long and 160'-0" wide, was the first, full-automated garment factory in the Zone. High standards of planning and refining were effected to ensure efficiency of the factory layout, as well as the entire factory process. This was the cornerstone of the development. Facilities for the worker and their welfare was the second most important aspect. The big foreign buying houses - Bloomindales, Macys's J. C. Penny, Levi's etc. were keen to show that their products were not made in Asian 'sweat shops' where exploitation of women and child labour was common. The entire factory, facilities buildings, and the office complex had to comply with - International standards. Materials, Methodologies and Construction Current methodologies of construction in Bangladesh, he explained are mainly brick, block rubble and concrete based. As the particular project carried-out required wide span, industrial type buildings, steel was the material used. Factors such as manpower availability, both skilled and unskilled, technology, plant and machinery availability, natural conditions such as the monsoons - rains, winds and cyclones and also the close proximity to the sea, were well considered before construction commenced. Sigma marine paints and other methods such as sand blasting were carried-out in the early stages of the structural works to avoid any corrosion problems. Cladding, both for the roof and walls were Zinc-based aluminum panels. In areas such as the lower levels of the building, cement-concrete masonry work was utilized, thematically, to create an indigenous Islamic type of Architecture. The design and implementation of these finer details were under strict supervision, so as not to create a mockery of the architectural style. Automation "This particular factory was the only fully automated factory in the free trade zone. Automation extended to all aspects of the process from raw material inputs to the finished garment loading. Once the mechanical cutting of the garment is completed it is assembled and mounted on a conveyance device call "switch Track", which automatically delivers the garment, for sewing, to the machines operators. Once this process is completed it is mounted again and the garments are moved to the finishing area and then to packaging and out to the store for loading to containers. The whole process is fully automated." Ventilation In a factory with large spans such as this, the ridge height is very high, swirls of hot stale air lingers at the top. A system of turbine ventilators for air extraction were used on the roof with insulation, so reducing heat build up within the building. Windows at body level are mostly kept shut as the crosscurrents interfere with the factory process. Hence, a non-intrusive, system of conditioning air at body level had to be introduced. Fresh air was forced through chilling units and the cooled air was circulated and fed down by suspended ducts, throughout the factory. This system of ventilation, although is not being air conditioning was a cost effective alternate to it. Exterior The over-all external facade was well thought of and several option contemplated prior to finalizing. Once again, the Islamic architectural style was the base for the exterior facade with architectural moulding, elements and calor used in between to make the difference. Exposed brickwork and plastered infills, created a stepping-up effect in each bay of the facade, which enclosed the windows and created a space for an "eye" which housed the extractor fan! Then came the colonization of the facade. |
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Produced by Lake House |
Steel fabrication technology is not a popular form of building in Sri
Lanka. Being in the tropics climatic consideration have overridden any
practical and aesthetic considerations, and advantages steel may have had
over other available materials.
Modern-day industrial building, devoid of humanness, demanded,
'impression and expression'. Innovative technologies pushed steel to its
material limits and of course as the demand for wide span, building,
enclosing huge volumes of space came about, steel came out of the 'closet'
and into the forefront.
