Photograph

West Dean College Gardens Visitor’s Center – Arches in the transverse load bearing walls: Photographs

01/04/1995

Interior View, Work in Progress

Three images of the arched cross-walls supported by low columns, during the construction phase.

Photographer:

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Source:

Digital

Characteristics:

Color

Content of

Construction Innovation

West Dean College Gardens Visitor's Center: Arches in the transverse load bearing walls 1994

Construction System, Structural Wall

Created by:

Christopher Alexander, John Hewitt

The four thick cross-walls are pierced by low arches, to make the openings between the spaces. The size of the openings differ, and so the curve of the arches differ as well. The final curvature of each arch was finalized ...

Contents

Photographs

References

Scientific Research

Projects

West Dean College Gardens Visitor's Center 1994 to 1996

Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Civic, Realized , Construction completed in Nov. 1995

Client:

Edward James Foundation

C.E.S. staff:

Christopher Alexander, John Hewitt, students from "The Prince of Wales's Institute of Architecture", students from Portsmouth University

Contractor:

Center for Environmetal Structure, as Management Contractor and General Contractor of record, with John Hewitt as Project Manager

Project stages:

Layout on the site by clients and C.E.S. Use of full scale mock-ups Design Development and Building Permit drawings done after layout Direct construction management and on-site design decisions Budget and subcontractors under C.E.S. control Innovativ

The West Dean Center is a simple one-story masonry building with a large red-tiled roof and intricate brickwork for its thick walls. The building is surrounded by gardens, and its south facing wall has large arched windows overlooking the garden ...

Photographs

West Dean College Gardens Visitor's Center - Arches in the transverse load bearing walls: Photographs of sketches with arches and their curves 01/09/1994

Construction Innovation, Sketches, Design Process

Photographer:

Christopher Alexander/C.E.S., Near Chichester, West Sussex, U.K.

Source:

Digital

Characteristics:

B&W

Photographs of two early sketches by Christopher Alexander depicting the emergence of the arches; the first is a sketch of a cross-wall, made on a piece of scrap wood, after it became possible to judge the presence, scale and effect ...