tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post7917241455958296704..comments2024-03-29T03:57:26.974-04:00Comments on Grim's Hall: Just-in-Time StructuresGrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-67527093655965645472012-04-27T04:22:14.684-04:002012-04-27T04:22:14.684-04:00Oh, absolutely- Modernists loved the idea of the n...Oh, absolutely- Modernists loved the idea of the new industrial materials and methods being used to better regulate the interior spaces conditions, and so started doing things like moveable bris-soleils (basically large vertical louvers usually) or banks of mechanically operated windows. Of course, they would break down, and then the benefits would be gone, and since they were what you were relying on to mediate light and temperature, you ended up with worse conditions than a traditional structure would have given you.<br /><br />On the other hand, we've gotten better at doing these sorts of things economically, so perhaps in time it can be resolved to be practicable- seismic and high snow/wind load areas would seem to be the most logical uses- increasing load carrying ability rather than using the device to allow reductions of load.<br /><br />I don't know if loss of power is that great a concern- it's not like an air-supported arch structure (like the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hubert_H._Humphrey_Metrodome" rel="nofollow">Metrodome</a>) where if you lose power the roof collapses even under ideal conditions- in this case, the structure would still stand (unless you've cut structural dimensions to razor thin and are now reliant on the post-loading effect of the hydraulics for structural integrity), but wouldn't have the increased ability to withstand additional loads- so there would be a danger, requiring evacuation.douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17261739259295914188noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-62525704755015268492012-04-25T16:32:47.986-04:002012-04-25T16:32:47.986-04:00The biggest problem I see is that such a system wo...The biggest problem I see is that such a system works best in a perfect world. We already know that needed maintenance is something that existing infrastructure already doesn't receive. Now, we're adding in an additional point of failure that means that the margins of error are effectively smaller than before. So if there's a loss of power (or pressure), the structure is then woefully inadequate to the needs of load.MikeDnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-75570855975256022482012-04-25T01:08:47.776-04:002012-04-25T01:08:47.776-04:00That's very cool, and I suppose a natural exte...That's very cool, and I suppose a natural extension of where technology is going, and probably arose from active suspensions in cars. The problem I see with it is this: How does an engineer build in the 10-15% (perhaps more cumulatively) safety margins normally built into a structure if the structure doesn't have static numbers to pin down? Perhaps I'm unimaginative, but I can't see how this gets applied to conventional structures- perhaps under specialized conditions like military applications or a Moon base or something like that.douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17261739259295914188noreply@blogger.com