MATERIALS
CAROLINA BARTRAM with NINA TABINK
The course introduces the range of materials that should be considered in the early stage of the design process. Materials reviewed will include concrete, steel and aluminium, timber, masonry, glass, fabrics and composites.
We will be comparing materials in terms of the factors that influence their choice in the design process. Every single object that we make evolves from a process that turns a material into a functional shape. In each situation we must be able to assess the importance of the factors that influence the design; visual requirements, speed and method of construction and fabrication, cost, maintenance, environmental impact and durability, and relate these factors back to available technologies. All these elements must be balanced in a design and this balance will change in every situation. The students will be encouraged through case studies to appreciate how this balance shifts, to understand how the use of different materials in similar situations can affect the design and to develop an awareness of the range of possibilities available.
Carolina Bartram is an Associate Director at Arup. She is a chartered structural engineer and also has a Masters Degree in Design from Harvard GSD.
Nina Tabink is a chartered structural engineer at Arup and has a Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Design for the Built Environment at Cambridge University.