P006 → No Glue
Construction study of Tamedia Office Building designed by Shigeru Ban Architects. Located in
Zurich, Switzerland. Constructed in 2013.
Created in collaboration with Eunice Rocha
Instructor: Yasmin Vobis
Graduate Construction, Fall 2024
What sets this building apart is its groundbreaking use of timber as the primary structural material, showcasing a blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge engineering. The building's most striking feature is its timber structural system, which is left exposed both externally and internally, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere that challenges conventional notions of corporate architecture. This approach represents an advancement in sustainable building practices within the realm of commercial construction.
The project showcases Ban's signature style of innovative material use, particularly his expertise with timber structures. Ban is also a Japanese architect which allowed for his choice to use Japanese joinery as the construction method for this building. The structural system bears reference to traditional Japanese timber buildings, and its interlocking joinery. Within the 7-story structure its primary structural system is composed to spruce glue laminated timber, while connecting secondary members are composed of beech plywood. The structure utilized 22 meter columns that run the full height of the building, while beams being 18 meters in their total length.
The use of standardized fabrication methods that ease in the construction process such as pre-fabrication, while customized to a degree in the visual appearance of joinery, the use of prefabricate methods, allows for the creation of a rhythm to be created amongst structural members, and most importantly aid in the overall speed of the construction process through decreasing on site fabrication.