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Creativity and Innovation in Building Systems and Construction Methods

Conference Paper · December 2015

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 3.th International Congress on Civil Engineering , Architecture
and Urban Development
29-31 December 2015, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran

Creativity and Innovation in Building Systems and

Construction Methods
Omid Reza Baghchesaraei1 *, Alireza Baghchesaraei2

1. Department of Civil engineering, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

omidreza@baghchesaraei.com
2. Department of Architecture, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul, Turkey
http://www.baghchesaraei.com
alireza@baghchesaraei.com

Abstract
The future of civil engineering is being shaped by practices which are redefining the way buildings
are designed and built. Although relationships between architects, engineers, contractors,
fabricators and material scientists have always been implicit in the architectural process, these
relationships are becoming much more direct with less division of labor between disciplines. The
language barrier between building systems and architects stems primarily from the different design
paradigms or philosophies that dominate each discipline. The purpose of this paper is to explore
the application of how the various types of building systems presently or prospectively available
worldwide can help the engineers. The redefinition of the process used to create architecture, as
well as the shifts in the relationships between disciplines involved, is the focus of architects and
engineers now a days. A building system that can respond to changing living patterns will be
considered “flexible”. Flexible systems generate “user friendly” buildings: freedom of choice for
the first-use users, opportunity to modify the layout for successive users, evolution of the layout
over space and time, individualization and elimination of renovation waste. Production becomes
part of the design process by working with assemblers from the outset, designer’s picture how
things are made, their sequence of assembly, and their joining systems.

Key words: Civil engineering, Creativity, Building systems, Construction methods

Introduction
The future of civil engineering is being shaped by practices which are redefining the way buildings
are designed and built. The idea of producing buildings along an assembly line has fascinated
architects and engineers ever since the Fifties. However, even if most components and some sub-
assemblies are actually industrialized in many countries, construction is still an expensive trade-
oriented site-intensive handicraft activity.
The 21st Century is now observing a major backlash against before situation. In the United States,
notably, many young architects are clearly saying “No” to the actual way of building and proposing
 3.th International Congress on Civil Engineering , Architecture
and Urban Development
29-31 December 2015, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran

instead the way cars, airplanes and ships are built: “We need a new vision of process, not just
product…The world, and our clients, have seen what has been accomplished in other
manufacturing fields: ships, airplanes and cars” [1].
Applied to structural engineering, the strategies and technologies of construction can generate
better buildings at a lower cost, offering quality architecture to the vast majority of people. There
is a plus: the precision that goes with factory production can generate simple and demountable
materials. For example, dry joints are essential to achieve without any demolition the partial or
total reconfiguration required to accommodate the unavoidable changes affecting all human
activities.
Although relationships between architects, engineers, contractors, fabricators and material
scientists have always been implicit in the architectural process, these relationships are becoming
much more direct with less division of labor between disciplines. In part because of collaborative
relationships, these architects are not only developing a deeper understanding of basic material
properties, building systems and construction a pushing their limits for greater aesthetic and
technical performance, they are also recognizing all advances in other fields and transforming them
into innovative architectural strategies.

Materials and Methods

The language barrier between building systems and architects stems primarily from the different
design paradigms or philosophies that dominate each discipline. Students in engineering programs
may not even be aware that there are alternative design and construction paradigms in all levels of
project and there are several ways in construction methods that architects can go through in their
project faster and cheaper. Most of the time they don’t be able to discover them because they are
not aware about important features of those methods.

The main Objects of this research are:

1. Theoretical study of building systems

2. Theoretical study of construction methods

3. Survey most important features like industrialized and flexibility

4. Follow the relationship between construction methods and architecture

The purpose of this paper is to explore the application of how the various types of building systems
presently or prospectively available worldwide can help the engineers.

Discussion
 3.th International Congress on Civil Engineering , Architecture
and Urban Development
29-31 December 2015, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran

“If you want to survive, you’ll have to change. If you don’t change, you’re going to perish. It’s as
simple as that. You will not practice architecture if you’re not up to speed with this. You will
absolutely not practice architecture in ten years” [2].

Ideally, the large number of units to produce (quantity) distributes the cost of a process into very
small fractions. In return, this process reduces the number of operations, simplifies them and brings
more precision. The result is better quality at a lower cost, exactly like what happened in most of
the other industries.

For example in Japan, industrialized housing production appeared a few decades ago: 3D modules
and panels are factory-made on continuous assembly lines quite similar to the ones in the
automobile industry and the outputs are easily customized [3].

The redefinition of the process used to create architecture, as well as the shifts in the relationships
between disciplines involved, is the focus of architects and engineers now a days.

Figure 1: Kieran and Timberlake’s model of relationships

Results
A building system that can respond to changing living patterns will be considered “flexible”:
usually, all the sub-systems besides the Structure will be involved. For instance, the bedrooms of
young children are visually close to their parents whereas the contrary will be demanded when
they become teenagers. Then, a flexible partition sub-system with provisions to integrate the
wiring will allow for a new planning layout with the same components, without destroying gypsum
board walls or having to “wet-tape” the joints. To oppose deceiving concepts of globalization like
job for everyone, chance for everyone, equity, human rights, individualism, and disappearance of
governments for boundary less freedom we should work on culture so that people don’t be
deceived with those imperialistic talks [4].

Flexible means capable of bending easily without breaking or able to be easily modified to respond
to altered circumstances [5].
 3.th International Congress on Civil Engineering , Architecture
and Urban Development
29-31 December 2015, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran

Figure 2: plastic partition for a bed room

Finding new methods for designing and creating roof and ceiling that allow engineers to execute
it easily, rapidly and cheap will turn them to the new design and creativity.

Figure 3: plastic partition for a ceiling

Flexible systems generate “user friendly” buildings: freedom of choice for the first-use users,
opportunity to modify the layout for successive users, evolution of the layout over space and time,
individualization and elimination of renovation waste.
 3.th International Congress on Civil Engineering , Architecture
and Urban Development
29-31 December 2015, Shahid Beheshti University , Tehran , Iran

Figure 4: using only wood and glass for designing a coffee shop near the sea

Conclusion
Production becomes part of the design process by working with assemblers from the outset,
designer’s picture how things are made, their sequence of assembly, and their joining systems.

Civil engineers are drawn into direct conversation and problem-solving with engineers and even
with material scientists

In an industrialized building industry, the products are not buildings but mainly Building Systems.
A Building System is a set of parts and rules where the details are solved so as to generate many
different and customized buildings. Therefore,” the construction method is not re-invented each
time a building is planned, as it is still the case with the traditional set of working drawings”3.

The main parts of the building system are its sub-systems, which generally correspond to the main
functions of the building. A building system is usually composed of five sub-systems:
STRUCTURE, ENVELOPE, PARTITIONS, SERVICES and EQUIPMENT.

References
[1] Habraken, N.J. Variations: The Systematic Design of Supports, Laboratory of Architecture and
Planning, M.I.T., Cambridge Mass., U.S.A, 1978.

[2] HUD. Design and Development of Housing Systems for Operation Breakthrough, U.S. Department of
Housing and Urban Development, Washington, 66-75, 1973

[3] Richard, R.B. Individualisation & Industrialisation, Proceedings of the CIB Co-sponsored Conference
Adaptables’06 “Adaptability in Design and Construction”, Eindhoven University of Technology, 2006.

[4] Richard, R.B. (2005). Looking for an Optimal Urban Residential System? International Journal of
Construction Management, Vol. 5, No 2, 93-104, 2005.

[5] Baghchesaraei, A and Baghchesaraei, OR. Essential Words for Architects and Structural Engineers.
Naghoos publication. ISBN: 978-964-377-731-9, 2014.

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