Hybrid masonry shell technology in the work of Idelfonso Sánchez del Río

Idelfonso Sánchez del Río is a less known pioneer of reinforced concrete shells in Spain who through his career designed and patented ribbed construction systems for large spanning slabs and vaults and in particular shell enclosures using a hybrid system of concrete and masonry infills. The module called “dovela-onda” or wave-voussoir was made of large ceramic blocks forming a short barrel with flanges at the edges. This paper aims to discuss the technical innovations of this system and assess its structural efficiency. The design and construction process will be studied through literature published by Sánchez del Rio and surveys of two case studies in Oviedo (Spain), the Sports Hall (1977) and a warehouse in Granda. In order to assess their structural efficiency, his own calculation process will be verified by thrust line analysis and Finite Element spatial elastic modelling. The FE model allows the failure mode and the distribution of the loads to be assessed, and gives further insight to the behaviour of the scheme and the design and construction process

Philanthropy or solidarity? Ethical dilemmas about humanitarianism in crisis afflicted Greece

That philanthropy perpetuates the conditions that cause inequality is an old argument shared by thinkers such as Karl Marx, Oscar Wilde and Slavoj Zizek. I recorded the same argument in conversations regarding a growing humanitarian concern in austerity-ridden Greece. At the local level a number of solidarity initiatives provide the most impoverished families with humanitarian help. Some citizens participate in such initiatives wholeheartedly, while some other citizens criticize solidarity movements drawing primarily from Marxist-inspired arguments, such as, for example, that humanitarianism rationalises state inaction. The local narratives presented in this article bring forward two parallel possibilities engendered by the humanitarian face of social solidarity: first, its empowering potential (where solidarity initiatives enhance local social awareness), and second, the de-politicisation of the crisis and the experience of suffering (a liability that stems from the effectiveness of humanitarianism in ameliorating only temporarily the superficial consequences of the crisis). These two overlapping possibilities can help us problematise the contextual specificity and strategic employment of humanitarian solidarity in times of austerity

Building-Related Symptoms, Energy, and Thermal Control in the Workplace: Personal and Open Plan Offices

This study compared building-related symptoms in personal and open plan offices, where high and low levels of control over the thermal environment were provided, respectively. The individualized approach in Norway provided every user with a personal office, where they had control over an openable window, door, blinds, and thermostat. In contrast, the open plan case studies in the United Kingdom provided control over openable windows and blinds only for limited occupants seated around the perimeter of the building, with users seated away from the windows having no means of environmental control. Air conditioning was deployed in the Norwegian case study buildings, while displacement ventilation and natural ventilation were utilized in the British examples. Field studies of thermal comfort were applied with questionnaires, environmental measurements, and interviews. Users’ health was better in the Norwegian model (28%), while the British model was much more energy efficient (up to 10 times). The follow-up interviews confirmed the effect of lack of thermal control on users’ health. A balanced appraisal was made of energy performance and users’ health between the two buildings

Does a neutral thermal sensation determine thermal comfort?

The neutral thermal sensation (neither cold, nor hot) is widely used through the application of the ASHRAE seven-point thermal sensation scale to assess thermal comfort. This study investigated the application of the neutral thermal sensation and it questions the reliability of any study that solely relies on neutral thermal sensation. Although thermal-neutrality has already been questioned, still most thermal comfort studies only use this measure to assess thermal comfort of the occupants. In this study, the connection of the occupant’s thermal comfort with thermal-neutrality was investigated in two separate contexts of Norwegian and British offices. Overall, the thermal environment of four office buildings was evaluated and 313 responses (three times a day) to thermal sensation, thermal preference, comfort, and satisfaction were recorded. The results suggested that 36% of the occupants did not want to feel neutral and they considered thermal sensations other than neutral as their comfort condition. Also, in order to feel comfortable, respondents reported wanting to feel different thermal sensations at different times of the day suggesting that occupant desire for thermal comfort conditions may not be as steady as anticipated. This study recommends that other measures are required to assess human thermal comfort, such as thermal preference

Evaluación estructural de los efectos climáticos en la cubierta de mampostería no reforzada del invernadero del IETcc proyectada por E. Torroja

In this paper, the design and causes of deterioration of the Winter Garden located in the Eduardo Torroja Institute for Construction Sciences (IETcc) in Madrid, as well as the structural rehabilitation works carried out are discussed. The structural and architectural scheme was devised by E. Torroja and is examined using numerical analysis under dead load. This allows the failure pattern of the arches and shells to be assessed, as a consequence of water ingress through the cracks formed and settlement, as also the effectiveness of the repair techniques applied in 2009.En este trabajo, se discuten el diseño y las causas de deterioro del edificio del invierno situado en el Instituto de Ciencias de la Construcción Eduardo Torroja (IETcc) en Madrid, así como las obras de rehabilitación de mantenimiento de la estructura ejecutadas. El esquema estructural y arquitectónico ideado por E. Torroja se examinó utilizando análisis numérico considerando el efecto de la carga muerta. Esto permite analizar el tipo de fallo observado en los arcos y la cubierta abovedada, como consecuencia del asentamiento y de la entrada de agua a través de las fisuras formadas así como la eficacia de las técnicas de reparación realizadas en 2009

Conservation Beyond Consolidation for Prehistoric Monuments: Finding Narratives from Archaeology to Architecture for Scottish Brochs

The sophisticated drystone Iron-Age brochs of Northern Scotland, called Complex Atlantic Roundhouses by archaeologists, have shown a relatively high technological culture. Their architectural conservation should strike a balance in presenting their key features (structure, materials, building use and architectural elements) in a concept of wholeness that integrates its major phases rather than design unity of a hypothetical original form. However, currently there is uncertainty due to the lack of agreement for a standard broch scheme and the need for more archaeological research. As most brochs in Scotland are fragile ruins and only a few of them have been scientifically explored, they have been conserved through basic consolidation for safety reasons in very localized methods, primarily by archaeologists. All of them are open to the public but only a few are developed as tourist sites. In both situations, none has shown the complete features of anything close to a standard typology as a narrative of their origin and a few have interpreted correctly the changes after Iron Age as narratives for modification. Significant conservation was conducted often before full archaeological excavations and did not lead to a satisfying architectural experience, so people still have a inconclusive image of brochs after a visit. This paper studies the brochs through their collective concept as a building typology rather than separate images of different sites. Conservation for brochs in Scotland could argue for modern holistic projects that go beyond consolidation, exporting narratives from archaeology to architecture

A study of the impact of individual thermal control on user comfort in the workplace: Norwegian cellular vs. British open plan offices

In modern offices, user control is being replaced by centrally operated thermal systems, and in Scandinavia, personal offices by open plan layouts. This study examined the impact of user control on thermal comfort and satisfaction. It compared a workplace, which was designed entirely based on individual control over the thermal environment, to an environment that limited thermal control was provided as a secondary option for fine-tuning: Norwegian cellular and British open plan offices. The Norwegian approach provided each user with control over a window, door, blinds, heating and cooling as the main thermal control system. In contrast, the British practice provided a uniform thermal environment with limited openable windows and blinds to refine the thermal environment for occupants seated around the perimeter of the building. Field studies of thermal comfort were applied to measure users’ perception of thermal environment, empirical building performance and thermal control. The results showed a 30% higher satisfaction and 18% higher comfort level in the Norwegian offices compared to the British practices. However, the energy consumption of the Norwegian case studies was much higher compared to the British ones. A balance is required between energy efficiency and user thermal comfort in the workplace

Iphigenia’s sacrifice: generational historicity as a structure of feeling in times of austerity

Iphi, an unemployed actor in austerity-ridden Greece, imagines a theatre adaptation of a classic tragedy, Iphigenia at Aulis, in which the heroine is sacrificed on the altar of austerity by politicians. While writing her play-script, Iphi has a dream: she is taken to the sacrificial altar, not by politicians, but by her own parents, the generation who lived through the affluent years before austerity. Iphi’s generational-analogical thinking introduces a politically inspiring historicity, which offers insights into the accountability of austerity. It also allows us to reassess the notion of generations as a local category and an anthropological analytical construct. The article indicates the emergence of an as yet not fully articulated generational awareness—a new structure of feeling—about austerity, which is outlined here as it develops in an incipient form. I argue that the emerging generational historicity communicates a critical message, but also hides from view less visible inequalities