ARC423 Advanced Building Systems

Lecture Notes for Monday March 24, 2003

• Maison de Verre by Pierre Chareau.
• Chareau is mainly a designer of interiors and furniture.
• The house is commissioned by a doctor with the program of both residence and office.
• The house is situated in an urban construct. It is entered through a narrow passage way which leads to a fore-court.
• Chareau is concerned by the darkness of the original design. He promotes health, light and ventilation to the owners.
• The doctor only owns the lower three floors of the five story building. The design evolves into one of considerable lightness and transparency which is made possible by the use of a steel frame.
• The problem is how to replace the original masonry structure with a new steel structure.
• The exterior is created by glass lenses.
• Interior is lit at night by exterior industrial lights creating the aura of sunlight.
• Windows are steel framed vs. the traditional wooden frame.
• The window is designed by taking the window design of subway cars, thus an example of using the prototype of subway car windows.
• The structural frame has a logic but is imbued by several columns which
• do not appear to have a standard Cartesian grid. The column locations are determined by the bearing walls in the apartment above.
• Screens are used to divide ground floor space and create filters of private and public access.
• Chareau barrows the technique of subway construction to enable construction under an existing condition.
• New steel columns are inserted in existing planes of the structural masonry walls.
• The new horizontal steel beams are inserted in small sections to reduce the amount of masonry that needs to be removed at any one time.
• Only after the frame is completely installed is the masonry removed.
• Chareau designs a ‘prototypical’ steel open riser stair covered by studded rubber flooring.
• The stair uses industrial products in its creation.
• Chareau creates a furniture ‘system’ that can be adapted as a railing or cabinet or seating. It is created by making steel frame which are then in filled by planar elements.

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