The Mansueto Library – Notes on a glazed steel grid shell from design to construction

The highlight of the Joe and Rika Mansueto Library in Chicago is an almostdematerialized glazed steel grid shell spanning over the reading room. Thegeometrically constructed translational shell is 36.5 m wide, 73 m long and featuresa mesh size of 2 by 2 m. The building, currently under construction, includesfurther special structures as a 20 m long, glazed steel bridge connecting the newlibrary with the existing building and a row of glass study rooms, which reach atotal transparency by exploiting the structural properties of glass. The presentarticle gives an overview of the design, calculation and construction phases of thegrid shell and the other special structure

New Glass Design Approaches Developed During an Experimental Student Workshop

During two semesters the ILEK (Institute for Lightweight Structures andConceptual Design) held an explorative student workshop focusing on new glassdesign possibilities. Students from the faculties of Civil Engineering andArchitecture first gained insight into the theoretical foundations of glass anddifferent fabrication techniques, and then applied these techniques to realize adesign theme of their choosing. The range of themes was intentionally left open andthe scope of the techniques employed was correspondingly broad. For example,flexible glass-hybrids, pure glass-glass joints and three dimensionally deformedglass panes were created, the haptic variation of fused glass shards was studied, andpre-deformed glass stripes fused together to generate woven glass. The objectsevolved were not intended for direct incorporation into architectural applications,but rather as a stimulus for new glass design ideas beyond the aspect oftransparency. This paper presents a detailed description of the various objects andthe techniques employed

Cable-stayed glass façades - 15 years of innovation at the cutting edge

Today’s demand for highly transparent building envelopes calls for innovativesolutions. Cable-stayed glass façades make it possible to dematerialize the buildingenvelope so as to make it almost imperceptible. Werner Sobek has designed a greatnumber and variety of cable-stayed façades. The primary structural system carryingmost of these façades consists of straight tension members (e.g. tension rods,cables), typically in a parallel arrangement. The tension members transfer the deadload of the glazing very efficiently to the supports. Under wind load the membersundergo large deflections thus activating their lateral stiffness. As a result, thedetailing of these façades requires innovative design approaches and special care toallow for such large deflections. Besides this, each project has its individualchallenges such as a complex geometry, large openings, difficult edge conditions,warping of IG units, bomb blast requirements, etc. The present article gives anoverview of the development of cable-stayed façades as designed by Werner Sobekover the last 15 years. The overview includes completed projects as well as façadescurrently under construction or in the design phase

Textile and Film-Based Modular Facades

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High-throughput screening of multifunctional nanocoatings based on combinations of polyphenols and catecholamines

Biomimetic surface coatings based on plant polyphenols and catecholamines have been used broadly in a variety of applications. However, the lack of a rational cost-effective platform for screening these coatings and their properties limits the true potential of these functional materials to be unleashed. Here, we investigated the oxidation behavior and coating formation ability of a library consisting of 45 phenolic compounds and catecholamines. UV–vis spectroscopy demonstrated significant acceleration of oxidation and polymerization under UV irradiation. We discovered that several binary mixtures resulted in non-additive behavior (synergistic or antagonistic effect) yielding much thicker or thinner coatings than individual compounds measured by ellipsometry. To investigate the properties of coatings derived from new combinations, we used a miniaturized high-throughput strategy to screen 2,532 spots coated with single, binary, and ternary combinations of coating precursors in one run. We evaluated the use of machine learning models to learn the relation between the chemical structure of the precursors and the thickness of the nanocoatings. Formation and stability of nanocoatings were investigated in a high-throughput manner via discontinuous dewetting. 30 stable combinations (hits) were used to tune the surface wettability and to form water droplet microarray and spot size gradients of water droplets on the coated surface. No toxicity was observed against eukaryotic HeLa cells and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (strain PA30) bacteria after 24 h incubation at 37 °C. The strategy introduced here for high-throughput screening of nanocoatings derived from combinations of coating precursors enables the discovery of new functional materials for various applications in science and technology in a cost-effective miniaturized manner

Modelling the self-assembly of silica-based mesoporous materials

Periodic Mesoporous Silicas (PMS) are one of the prime examples of templated porous materials – there is a clear connection between the porous network structure and the supramolecular assemblies formed by surfactant templates. This opens the door for a high degree of control over the material properties by tuning the synthesis conditions, and has led to their application in a wide range of fields, from gas separation and catalysis to drug delivery. However, such control has not yet come to full fruition, largely because a detailed understanding of the synthesis mechanism of these materials remains elusive. In this context, molecular modelling studies of the self-assembly of silica/surfactant mesophases have arisen at the turn of the century. In this paper, we present a comprehensive review of simulation studies devoted to the synthesis of PMS materials and their hybrid organic-inorganic counterparts. As those studies span a wide range of time and length scales, a holistic view of the field affords some interesting new insight into the synthesis mechanisms. We expect simulation studies of this complex but fascinating topic to increase significantly as computer architectures become increasingly powerful, and we present our view to the future of this field of research

Efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper midwest

The objectives of this multidisciplinary interinstitutional regional study on the efficient use of water for irrigation in the upper Midwest were: (1) to determine parameters needed for existing or improved models of crop response; (2) to relate yield response to costs and revenues by assessing the water demand for irrigation; and (3) to study the demand for irrigation, present and projected, and its availability as related to public allocation decisions. From this series of studies it was concluded that: (1) There are many areas of the Midwest with sufficient groundwater and surface water resources to support the development of irrigation. (2) Soil moisture models indicate that only moderate yield response to irrigation can be expected on high moisture soils; on lighter soils and claypan soils, yield response is significant, even in regions with relatively high precipitation. (3) Irrigation and drainage on claypan soils can dramatically increase corn yields. (4) It appears economically worthwhile for the individual farmer operating on moderate soils or on claypan soils to evaluate capital investments in irrigation along with other capital investments. (5) Increases in yields and persistence of alfalfa due to irrigation appear to be insignificant when compared to conventional management practices; further research is needed. A potential, however, appears to exist for improving adaptation of a1 fa1 fa varieties to soil water deficits.U.S. Geological SurveyU.S. Department of the InteriorOpe