Mettle of Metal - Steel

Steel — one of those modern construction materials awaiting its exploration to fullest. opportunity it offers to span large areas, create column free spaces and construct high rise structures, is tremendous. It is one of the most promising contemporary construction materials which is versatile by nature. In this studio, students undertook research on determining properties of Steel and later used them to create their own expression or architectural design intervention considering various forms and types of steel as core material. The process required students to: 1. Undertake a survey to document various types of members undefined sections available in the market 2. Explore the possibility to use outcomes of study as probable choices for vertical and horizontal structural use, opening, slab and roofing, etc. 3. Conceptualize and address a design problem based on above study 4. Translate decisions to detailed drawings for stairs, windows, skylights, slab, etc. 5. Prepare physical scaled models, digital model and walkthrough. The final outcome as a combination of physical model, detailed drawings and documented report. During the course of studio duration, students undertook market survey, interacted with fabricators and material supply vendors to understand Steel from an end user’s perspective. This allowed them to develop a more practical approach towards details, specifying and drawing. Thus, they were enabled to think, explore and take more focused and design oriented decisions.