1964-66 - Formulation of a Constructive Hypothesis Based on a Search of the Integration of Building and Urbanistic Standards

Thesis Work by : Jorge Rigamonti

Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Caracas

Awards : “Best Thesis” award from the Colegio de Arquitectos de Venezuela at the Third Biennial of Architecture, 1967.

Exhibited at : The International Union of Architects U.I.A. Congress in Prague, Czech Republic, and the World Design Science Decade exhibition at Bloomsbury Square, London, UK, invited by Architectural Association School, 1967.

Synopsis

Starting from the observation of the two-dimensional urban grids that human civilization has developed over the territory, such as the Colonial block of 100 m x 100 m, this study explored the continuous (three-dimensional) subdivision of space at various scales through principles similar to those that led to the differentiation between a street, an avenue and a highway. To that end, using Buckminster Fuller’s studies of geometrical structures (i.e. polyhedrons) as a starting point, it was sought to define a spatial module that could be repeated in space in a fashion similar to a mineral crystal or a body tissue cell. The resulting integration of architecture and urbanism, which is in sharp contrast with the conception of buildings as isolated entities, could prove a more efficient way to develop the future high-density metropolis, allowing vertical segregation between pedestrians and ground transportation.



As an schematic hypothesis, a system made of three grids was explored: a grid “B” of intermediate urban scale with nodes every 1,000 m, articulated into the territorial scale through a grid “C” with nodes every 10,000 m, and into the local urban scale through a grid “A” with nodes every 100 m. Grid “B” was made of a system of public transportation (i.e. subway) and highways, with parking buildings that “filter” the flow of private vehicles to grid “A”. Also, grid “B” incorporates the main urban fabric, composed of low-rise high-density buildings with “specialized exchange points” (areas with a specific primary use such as governmental, commerce, or other) located above the transportation nodes every 1,000 m. That grid with both pedestrian and ground transportation ways would enable to occupy the land of the modern megalopolis in a more rational way, with well delimited spaces for parks, agriculture, and the traditional city that could finally be preserved. The “C” grid, of interregional and continental scale, would be composed of an autonomous and interconnected system of railways, highways and utility lines (electricity, water, and other).



The proposed new developments would sit on stilts to enable the passage of the transportation and utility grids underneath, would be composed of pedestrian platforms and buildings based on a flexible industrial manufacturing and assembly system, and would be placed within an octahedron-shaped macro-structure that allows the orthogonal subdivision of space, while giving structural support and services to a micro-structure of pre-fabricated post-tensioned panels that could house a variety of uses: from large spaces such as an auditorium, to small spaces such as housing. Given the ephemeral nature of modern construction, the development would include provisions to disassemble and reuse both the micro and the macro-structures, thus making way for evolving technologies.

Sinopsis (en español) - Formulación de una hipótesis constructiva a través de la búsqueda de integración entre estándares edilicios y urbanísticos

A partir de la observación de las retículas urbanas bidimensionales que la civilización humana ha desarrollado sobre el territorio, como la cuadra colonial de 100 m x 100 m, este estudio explora la subdivisión (tridimensional) continua del espacio a diferentes escalas a través de principios parecidos a los que en urbanismo producen la calle, la avenida y la autopista. Con tal fin, partiendo de las experiencias de Buckminster Fuller con estructuras geométricas como los poliedros, se buscó definir un módulo espacial que pudiera repetirse en el espacio tal como los cristales minerales y las células en los tejidos orgánicos. La integración resultante entre arquitectura y urbanismo, que contrasta con la concepción del edificio como entidad aislada, permitiría afrontar potencialmente de manera más eficiente el desarrollo de futuras metrópolis de alta densidad, permitiendo la segregación vertical entre el peatón y los medios de transporte terrestre.



Se propuso a manera de hipótesis esquemática, un sistema compuesto de tres redes: una red “B” urbana intermedia con nodos cada 1.000 m que debía articularse a escala territorial con la red “C” con nodos cada 10.000 m, y a escala urbana local con la red “A” con nodos cada 100 m. La red “B” estaba formada por un sistema de transporte público (Metro) y autopistas, con estacionamientos adyacentes que “filtran” el paso de vehículos privados hacia la red “A”. También sobre la red “B” se desarrollaría el nuevo sistema urbano, basado en edificaciones de alta densidad y baja altura, con “puntos de intercambio especializados” (áreas con un uso principal específico como gubernamental, comercial u otro), coincidiendo con los nodos de transporte cada 1.000 m. Esta nueva malla con circulaciones peatonales y de transporte coincidentes pero disgregados permitiría la ocupación del territorio de la megalópolis moderna en una forma más racional, liberando claramente espacios para los parques, la agricultura y la ciudad tradicional que finalmente podría ser respetada. La red “C” interregional y continental sería un sistema autónomo e interconectado de ferrocarriles, autopistas y red de servicios infraestructurales (electricidad, agua y otros).