Wednesday, December 12, 2007

Building Without Columns

So... we found out that architects can support weight (like a highway) by using columns, and we found out that two columns, placed side-by-side, are stronger than columns placed in single file. But what happens when the columns are too narrow? That's been our challenge this week. We've worked with some of the narrowest materials we could find - toothpicks. We've been looking for the strongest shapes and supports. [Andrew]


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hi there -

You might be interested in the architect Will Alsop, who built a building that is very high up on thin diagonal columns, which ended up being stronger than regular vertical columns. Here is a link to an article about Mr. Alsop and his buildings, with a neat picture of the Sharp Center in Toronto: http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/skyline/2007/10/22/071022crsk_skyline_goldberger

He has a whole new idea of what buildings can look like!