CREDITS: 1.00 LU/HSW
Course DescriptionThe course illustrates a singular, mixed-use urban development project in the center of London: Renzo Piano’s St Giles Court complex, characterized, among other things, by its striking ceramic tile façade cladding. Course material includes an explanatory text and interview with Renzo Piano, many photographs, project sketches, façade color-scheme outlines, and a series of technical and construction-detail drawings of the envelope and construction system with accompanying legends. On completing the course, you will have an exhaustive overview of the project and in-depth information on the high-performance technologies and materials employed, with special focus on the way innovative architectural forms deliver new modes of interior livability and trigger a different dialogue with the surrounding urban fabric.
Learning Objectives – after reading the article and studying the drawings, you will be able to:
- Analyze the particular program features that ensure this multi-use complex blends harmoniously with its urban setting and at the same time delivers highly functional environments thanks also to carefully planned circulation routes.
- Analyze how the structure and external shielding materials contribute to interior occupant comfort, with special focus on the specific requirements of dense urban environments.
- Identify how the construction and facility management technologies implemented deliver functional excellence and a environment-friendly footprint for this high-density complex.
- Analyze the strategies adopted by the designer to ensure occupant comfort and assess these with regard to the visually impactful external cladding.