Kinetic architecture is a special direction, which involves the construction of buildings in such a way that their parts can move relative to one another, without interrupting the overall integrity of the structure. This view is also called dynamic, and it is considered one of the directions of the architecture of the future. The mobility of the foundation of a building’s structure can theoretically be applied to enhance the effect of its aesthetic features, to respond to environmental influences, to perform functions that previously would not have been characteristic of a building with a standard structure. Variants of the direct application of this type of architecture rose sharply at the end of the 20th century. The decisive role in this was played by the latest achievements in the field of electronics, mechanics, and robotics.
Destination History
The simplest forms of kinetic architecture were used back in the Middle Ages. For example, these were drawbridges. But only in the last century did mass discussions begin among architects of the likelihood of movement and that part of the buildings that remained above the surface of the earth.
The idea that kinetic architecture is the architecture of the future was expressed in the first third of the 20th century thanks to the movement of the futurists. It was then that books and monographs began to be massively published, in which drawings and plans for the movement of buildings were outlined in detail. The most notable of them was the book of the Soviet architect Jacob Chernikhov, which was published in 1931.
It is worth noting that at the very beginning of the 20th century this type of architecture was exclusively theoretical in nature. Only by the 40s, innovators decided on practical experiments. Although it is worth recognizing that their very first experiments in this direction were often unsuccessful. Among the pioneer practitioners who began to implement the basics of kinetic architecture, was, for example, the American Richard Fuller.
In the 70s, civil engineer William Zuck inspired a new generation of young architects to design a variety of moving buildings. Due to new theories, including the development of Fuller about the essence of Tensegrity and his research in the field of robotics, transformer buildings began to appear around the world since the 80s.
In 1989, Leonidas Mejia developed a concept in this area aimed at mobile structures. Soon, a Mechia pilot project was launched, in which mobile parts of the buildings were present, and it could function due to renewable resources.
Kinds
By the beginning of the 21st century, several types of kinetic architecture had formed in the world. Let's talk about each of them.
- The first type experts include functional structures. Mostly these are bridges. Only the central part could rise in them to enable large ships to sail during the navigation period. Other examples of structures of this type include stadiums in the UK - Wembley in London, Millennium in Cardiff - which have a retractable roof. The Veltins Arena sports facility in Gelsenkirchen in Germany has the same design. Moreover, she also has a retractable field.
- The next option is a kind of transformers. They have an attractive appearance and are capable of changing their shape. A classic example is the Burke Brise soleil at the Art Museum in Milwaukee in America, which is shaped like a bird. It is important that, in addition to aesthetic value, it also has a functional aspect, as it protects people from inclement weather and the scorching sun.
- The third type of kinetic architecture is fundamentally different from the previous ones in that the movement occurs directly on the surface of the building. A vivid example is the institution of the Arab world in the French capital. Metal blinds are installed in this building, which operate according to the diaphragm principle, that is, the slots can narrow or widen depending on the sunlight.
- Finally, the latter type combines modern technology with the theme of the environment. Such buildings can reproduce energy due to wind power in order to provide themselves with the necessary nutrition. An example is the skyscraper of Italian architect David Fisher. Due to the rotation of the floors around its axis, the turbines located between the floors catch the wind, converting it into electricity.
Features of development in Russia
In our country, kinetic architecture is poorly developed. Although just domestic architects were one of the first who tried themselves in this area, tried to realize the "architecture of the future". So, in 1920, Vladimir Tatlin created the layout of the tower of the Third International. It was assumed that it would become a kind of symbol of the new world. Due to the original function, form, as well as the materials used - glass, iron, metal, steel.
The tower was conceived by Tatlin in the form of a spiral, which was supposed to spin, rising to a height of about 400 meters. Its main distinguishing feature should be rotating geometric structures. The first was to be a cube that would rotate 360 degrees in one year. A cone was placed in the central part (it would have turned around in one month). At the very top was a place for a cylinder that would make a revolution every day. This project has not been implemented.
Now in Russia only the first type of this architecture is actively cultivated, functional structures are being designed. These include stadiums with retractable fields and a roof, as well as drawbridges. Other directions are not represented at all.
Leader of the Soviet avant-garde
Konstantin Melnikov is one of the most famous domestic architects who developed the principles of this type of architecture. In the 20-30s, he was one of the leaders of the avant-garde direction.
Konstantin Melnikov was born in Moscow in 1890. He received his primary education at a parish school. In 1904, he passed exams in art disciplines at the Moscow School of Sculpture and Architecture, but could not pass the exam in Russian.
The whole year after that, he worked intensively with home teachers, whom he provided a scientist and engineer Vladimir Chaplin, who took patronage of his young talent. Having successfully passed the exam for next year, he studied for a total of 12 years, becoming a certified specialist in the departments of painting and architecture. The latter graduated in 1917.
The architect Melnikov declared himself in 1924. This happened at a competition for the construction of the Moscow branch of the Leningrad Truth. Initially, the area of the building plot was very small, so it was decided to build it up. The project presented by Melnikov was a 5-story building, with four floors in it having to rotate on its axis, in particular, around a fixed core with an elevator, stairs and communications. The architect said that this is a living house.
He did not win the competition, but did not leave his developments. Five years later, he created the design of the Columbus Monument. He appeared to him in the form of two cones. In this case, the upper cone was a cavity for collecting water, as well as a turbine that generates electricity. The wings on the sides were supposed to be painted in different colors. Due to this, the monument would always appear in different colors when moving.
Once again, Melnikov used the real movement of structural elements of the building when creating the project of the theater of the regional Council of Trade Unions on Karetny Ryad Street. His scene could rotate horizontally.
At the same time, the most famous realized project of architect Melnikov is the pavilion "Makhorka", which was presented in 1923 at a handicraft and industrial exhibition. This was one of the first examples of Soviet avant-garde architecture.
Theorist
A great contribution to the development of a theoretical basis for this direction in architecture was made by Yakov Chernikhov. He was born in Pavlograd in 1889. In 1914, he graduated from the Art College in Odessa.
Then Chernikhov moved to St. Petersburg, where he learns the basics of painting and architecture under the leadership of Leonty Benoit. After graduating from the Academy, he was mainly engaged in the design of industrial complexes and buildings.
In 1927, in Leningrad, he founded the research experimental laboratory of graphing methods and architectural forms. Soon, this laboratory actually becomes his personal creative workshop, in which he, together with his colleagues and students, is engaged in design and experiments.
In the 20-30s, the so-called books of architectural fantasies brought fame to Chernikhov. These are works entitled "Fundamentals of modern architecture", "Designs of architectural and machine forms", "Architectural fantasies. 101 composition". The last work was precisely devoted to the kinetic direction in architecture. In it, the author describes in detail the types of architectural design, technical and compositional processes, image methods, types and techniques of display, methods of forming creative ideas, key foundations for constructing so-called architectural fantasies.
In the 30s and 40s, Chernikhov worked on graphic cycles, including the projects "Architecture of the Future", "Palaces of Communism", and "Architectural Ensembles". Moreover, after the defeat of constructivism, his style was subjected to harsh criticism, as a new approach to architecture was proclaimed in the country. In 1951, Chernikhov died at the age of 61.
French footprint
Another bright representative of this trend in architecture is the Frenchman Jean Nouvel, laureate of the Pritzker Prize, which he got in 2008.
He was born in 1945, studied at the Higher School of Fine Arts in Bordeaux, then continued his education in Paris on a scholarship won. The first architectural bureau in his career was opened together with a friend and like-minded Francois Senior, when he was a student. It is considered one of the founders in the architecture of such movements, such as "Architectural Syndicate" and "Mars 1976".
A real breakthrough in his work happened while working on the building of the Institute of the Arab World, which was opened in 1987. This project was of great socio-political importance, becoming a symbol of the partnership of France and 22 Arab states.
The building was built in the Latin Quarter in the Seine area. At this place in the old days housed the Paris Wine Courtyard and the Abbey of Saint-Victor. The southern facade is interestingly decorated, made in a style that mixes modern technology with traditional ornaments. Behind the glass walls you can see metal mashrabiya. This is a classic element of Arabic architecture, which is a patterned wooden lattice, covering the outside, balconies or windows. They are also used as partitions inside buildings or screens. In this case, mashrabiya works on the principle of aperture. It starts to narrow automatically to let in light in sunny weather.
This building is an example of kinetic architecture. Other works by the master include the design of the opera house in Lyon, the Torre Agbar tower in Barcelona, the reconstruction of the Guggenheim Museum and the Reina Sofia Museum.
It is noted that Jean Nouvel is a versatile architect who knows how to combine materials, colors and surfaces. His style compares favorably not only with the integrity of his creative decisions, but also with the way how any of his buildings can fit into the surrounding landscape. Nouvel himself admits that he is guided in his work by looking for the missing links, trying to put the buildings in the right place.
David fisher
David Fisher is another prominent representative of dynamic architecture. This is what many people call this direction because of the mobility of most objects.
Fisher was born in 1949. He is Italian of Israeli descent. At 21, he left Tel Aviv for Florence to study architecture.
Currently, Fisher designs urban centers and buildings around the world, works in the field of construction technology, and restores ancient monuments of architecture. He developed a series of rotating towers, which in recent years has become the main feature of kinetic architecture on the planet. He also participated in the construction and development of hotel projects. It was Fisher who established and leads the dynamic architecture group.
One of his last notable projects is a rotating building in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. It is worth noting that his work was based on two key concepts. The first is dynamism, when three-dimensional design begins to organically interact with the fourth dimension - time. And the second is the production approach, which uses a large number of diverse prefabricated elements.
Fisher himself notes that dynamic buildings will become a new step in the development of world architecture. This is a special philosophy that changes the view on the routine appearance of most cities. A living house, a building in motion is a challenge to the usual architecture, which was originally based only on gravity.
Rotating towers
For example, the design of a rotating building in Dubai has 80 floors. It is assumed that the first 20 floors will accommodate offices of various companies, 20-35 floors will open a luxurious six-star hotel. Floors from 35 to 70 will be provided for apartments of up to 1,200 square meters, and luxury villas will appear on the last ten. It is known that the government of the United Arab Emirates supports the idea of Fisher and even funded the development of a special high-speed elevator for residents of electronically controlled villas, which will respond to the eye movement of residents. It is assumed that the building will independently supply itself with energy, receiving it from the wind and the sun due to photovoltaic panels on the roof and wind turbines. It is possible that there will be even more energy than is required to provide all the needs of this building. In this case, they will sell it. Acoustic problems were originally solved due to the shape and modern design of carbon fiber screws.
The construction of the rotating building was planned by Fisher in Moscow as well. It is planned that this will be a 70-story skyscraper with a height of about 400 meters. Its total area will occupy about 110 thousand square meters. At the same time, it will not rotate at the base; commercial premises will be placed there, in particular, for offices. On rotating floors will arrange apartments for wealthy citizens. Geographically, it should appear in the area of the Third Ring Road near Moscow City.
Tensegrity
It is worth noting that the basis of transforming buildings, which make up an important part of this direction of architecture, is the concept of tensegrity. This term was coined by the American architect and scientist Richard Buckminster Fuller.
This is the principle of constructing structures based on ropes and rods, in which the ropes work in tension and the rods in compression. It is important that the rods do not touch each other, but hang in space. Their relative position is fixed by stretched cables. Due to this, none of them works on bending.
Wireframe structures gain the ability to use the interaction of solid compression elements with tensile components. It is very important that each element operates with maximum profitability and efficiency.
Currently, the concept of tensegrity is also used in biological research to explain the processes occurring in cells. It is also used in other modern branches of knowledge. For example, in design, the structure of textile fabrics, ensemble music, the study of social structures, geodesy.
Futurists dream
In recent years, more and more practical options for the use of kinetic elements in buildings have appeared in the world. For example, the dream of futurologists is a house that can hide during a tornado.
This problem has long been faced by architects who come up with how to deal with natural disasters. One of the latest proposals is the concept of a home that will not be afraid of even tornadoes that can sweep everything in its path. The author refers his project to kinetic architecture, being confident that it has a great future. This concept is based on the so-called mentality of a turtle, which in case of danger hides in a shelter, in this case in a shell.
The house consists of several impressive volumes, some of which are buried in the ground. One of the most voluminous parts is located on the hydraulic console and, as it were, soars in the air. The outer lining consists of elements that, if necessary, can be opened or shifted. The material for the cocoon is sandwich panels, the outer and inner contours of which are made of Kevlar, and in the middle there is a transparent layer.
Photovoltaic cells are mounted on the outside of the casing, which transmit data on humidity, temperature, change in wind direction, atmospheric pressure. Processing all the information received, the processor gives a forecast. If it turns out to be unfavorable, for example, there is a likelihood of a tornado, an emergency warning system starts to work. After that, the owners start the mechanism, which sends the house underground, and on top of it is protected by a special moisture-resistant membrane.
This project is still under discussion. His critics point out that the streamlined shape is meaningless if during natural disasters the building still turns out to be underground. In addition, the practical implementation of such an idea will be unreasonably expensive and will not be able to recoup costs. However, many recognize that the concept is interesting, but needs to be improved.