The image shows a detail of the calculated volumes being projected vertically.
The calculated height of the Seagram Building compared to other New York buildings.
SEAGRAM BUILDING - UNDERSTANDING THE STRUCTURAL COMPLEXITIY
Rhode Island School of Design
Understanding the structural complexity of the Seagram Building.
The study investigsted the true complexity of Mies Van Der Rohe's structural design for the Seagram Building. Beacuse the design was guided by a grid, all of the structural elements align with others, in either one direction or another.
For each structiral element, I accounted for the ammount of all other elements that it aligned in the x, y and z axis. (Plaza tiles align with I beams, doors, windows, elevators, colums, etc.)
The sum of all parts resulted in a vertical extrusion of the obtained values, which I represented visually i order to express the complexity of the building's stucture.
The variety in extrusion height indicates the quantity of other elements each individual member aligns with. Plaza members, and floor slabs were extruded downwards, where all other members were extruded upwards.