The Sala House: Wooden post and beam, load bearing structural frame combined with red and grey cast concrete exterior walls

01/01/1982

Presentation Drawing, Axonometric, Section

Two drawings illustrating the construction system. The axonometric combines the three main stages of construction; on its top part the wooden post and beam frame with the wall infills, ready for the pour; on its middle part the formwork for pouring one lift of the concrete; and on its bottom part the first lift of the concrete poured. The second drawing is a wall section detail.

Designers:

Christopher Alexander, Gary Black, Berkeley, CA, U.S.A.

Medium:

Original on Vellum

Content of

Construction Innovation

Sala House: Wooden post and beam, load bearing structural frame combined with red and grey cast concrete exterior walls 1982

Construction System, Combination of Timber Framework and Concrete

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, Gary Black

Timber frame and concrete combination system: the vertical loads are taken by the interior post-and-beam system system, where columns and beams are simply pinned together by invinsible steel pins. All shear forces are taken by a one and a half ...

Contents

Drawings

References

Scientific Research

Innovative Construction Systems, Techniques and Materials

Areas of focus:

Design and Building Process

Guiding idea:

Construction Innovation

One of the main topics of research, included in every building project, was to identify, early on in the design process, the material and techniques of construction. This would re-establish building as an art, and allow rapid shaping and adaptation, ...

Drawings

Photographs

Sala House: Wooden post and beam, load bearing structural frame combined with red and grey cast concrete exterior walls - Photographs 01/07/1983

Construction Innovation, Exterior View, Interior View

Photographer:

Mark Darley/Esto, Albany, CA, U.S.A.

Source:

Digital

Characteristics:

Color

Two photographs of the house, juxtaposing the wood-concrete combined construction system; one of the exterior concrete walls and the other of the interior with the wooden cladding and the visible structural frame.