Introduction
Modern architecture, also known as modernist
architecture or modernism, is a unique and impressive form or style of
architecture that emerged at the end of the 19th century and the start of the
20th century. It became known to the world in the aftermath of the Second World
War and can be characterized by the excessive use of technology, with special
emphasis on the use of steel, glass and reinforced concrete. Some people consider
it the rejected work of the old traditional neoclassical style as well as
Beaux-Arts, both of which gained popularity in the early 19th century.
Different buildings were built and various forms of architecture were made
known to the world in the 1980s. The revolution in materials came with the use
of plate glass, reinforced concrete and cast iron and structures that were
built were lighter, taller and stronger than ever. It was in 1848 when the cast
plate glass process was invented and this allowed the construction of large
windows. The debut of new technique and materials became an inspiration for
architects to break away from the eclectic and neoclassical models that had
long dominated the United States and Europe. Today, we can see plenty of
commercial and residential buildings that were built in the 20th century and
are still admired for their beautiful architecture and marvelous styles. Among
those so many buildings that have gained popularity nowadays, Marina City is
far better and more beautiful.
Marina City
Marina City is a building complex used for
both commercial and residential purposes. It is situated in Chicago, the United
States, and was designed by Bertrand Goldberg. This multi-complex building was
opened for the public in 1967 and occupies a huge city block on State Street,
in the northern side of the Chicago River. Some of its portions were
reconstructed and renovated in 2016. This building has two apartment towers,
both of which have a total of 65 stories and were opened to the public in 1964.
In addition, these apartment towers have several plant penthouses. A 10-story
office building is also present in this complex, which was opened in 1964 and
has now become a well-furnished hotel. An auditorium building also exists,
which has now become a cinema where people come to watch their favorite movies.
Some of the driveways, a small plaza, and four distinctive buildings have been
constructed on a platform which is present close to the Chicago River. Under
this platform, there is a tiny marine for pleasure crafts, right at the river
level, which gives the structures an incredible and great look.
The Marina City was designed at the cost of
$35 million and all of the funds were granted by Building Service Employees
International Union. After their completion, its two towers were called the
tallest and most beautiful residential buildings of the United States that
reinforced concrete structures. This complex was also called “a city within a
city,” and it features various on-site facilities such as a swimming pool,
bowling alley, ice rink, stores, a marina, a gym, theater, and several
restaurants.
Burj Khalifa
Burj Khalifa stands at 2,601 feet and is an
earthquake resistant building. It is also known for its extraordinarily special
power-generating elevators and a centralized cooling solution. It is believed
that the air-conditioning system of Burj Khalifa is one of the best in the
world and equivalent of melting over 11,000 tons of ice on a daily basis. Dubai
has no short of such buildings. In fact, the entire United Arab Emirates has
many skyscrapers, but nothing could beat the architecture, beauty, and success
of Burj Khalifa. Skidmore, Owings, and Merrill (SOM) designed the tower of this
building. Previously, they had worked on projects like the One World Trade
Center in New York and the Willis Tower in Chicago. For Burj Khalifa, they used
a comprehensive bundle tube design, and its inspiration had come from the
Willis Tower. This design was first introduced by Fazlur Rahman Khan. Because
of its marvelous tabular system, roughly half the amount of concrete or steel
was used for constructing this building. It may not be possible for us to find
such an incredible piece of work in terms of engineering and architecture, and
Khan’s contribution to the design of the tall building cannot be ignored in
this regard. Those who have visited Burj Khalifa might be familiar with the
fact that the design is the result of Frank Lloyd Wright's vision for The
Illinois, which is a Chicago-based skyscraper.
Initially, Burj Khalifa was designed on the
basis of the 73 floor Tower Palace Three, which is an all-residential building
in Seoul. However, its structure was then transformed to make it suitable for
commercial purposes. The design of Burj Khalifa has been derived from Islamic
architecture. The tower rises from a flat desert base, and we can see up to
twenty-seven setbacks in the spiral pattern. All of them decrease the cross
section of this tower while creating several outdoor terraces and going upward
smoothly and nicely. The setbacks have been aligned and arranged in a unique
way, reducing the chances of vibration due to overloading or winds as well as
earthquakes. At the top, the central core seems to be emerging and sculpting in
order to form the finishing spire. The tallest point is where a tower of 1.4 m
height sways decently.
Beijing National Stadium
Just like Burj Khalifa, Beijing National
Stadium is unique and marvelous when it comes to design and structure. This
stadium has two independent structures: an outer steel frame and an inner
seating bowl. The two parts have been beautified using different metals and
colorful concrete. From the depths of the tracks to the location and size of
high and long jump pits, everything is par the international standards as well
as the requirements of IAAF (International Amateur Athletics Federation) and
ICO (International Olympic Committee). Technology has played a significant role
in the construction of these two buildings. Burj Khalifa’s lighting and
air-conditioning systems are well-equipped, and Beijing National Stadium’s
seating is well-organized. We would have to admit that engineers and architects
have done everything to provide people with more flexibility. A lot of
attention has been paid on their architecture and structure so that the two
buildings withstand natural disasters without any damage. The project of
Beijing National Stadium (BNS) was handled by architects Pierre de Meuron,
Jacques Herzog, Stefan Marbach, CADG and Ai Weiwei. In 2003, the first meeting
was held at Basel in this regard. Over there, the group decided to come up with
an extraordinarily special design and architecture. The group also decided that
they would do something different from what de Meuron and Herzog had previously
designed. China was in the constant lookout for something better than other
skyscrapers in the world. So initiatives were taken in this regard, and early
design of the stadium was then presented.
For many years, the team had to study Chinese
ceramics as they were going to be used in the manufacturing of Beijing National
Stadium. Then the group came up with the nest scheme in which it was clarified
that the stadium should consist of two independent structures. Both of them
would stand fifty feet apart. One of the structures would be made from red
concrete while the outlet frame would b constructed with solid and genuine
steel. It was concluded that the steel support would remain hidden with a
retractable roof, which was required in the building process. The group soon
developed the random-looking additional steel in order to blend the support
into the other parts of the stadium. Up to twenty-three trussed columns encased
the inner bowl, and the weight of every trussed column was 1,000 tons. When
Charles de Gaulle Airport collapsed, the news went viral in no time, and
Beijing had to review all of the architectural projects. It was then decided
that the retractable roof would be eliminated; this was the actual inspiration
for the nest design. Soon all of these and other similar elements were removed
which deemed to be unnecessary, and this helped bring the project under a
reduced construction budget of $260 million. The original budget was $500
million. One of the most significant things we should remember is that by
removing the retractable roof, the total weight of the building was reduced to
an extent. Doing so, the building started looking more beautiful and stood up
to the seismic activity. In the meantime, the roof’s upper section was altered
a little in order to protect fans from severe climatic conditions. Enerpac was
the person who was given the contract. He had to bring down the stadium roof
during the construction and had to perform the stage lifting. The construction
of Beijing National Stadium was completed in a number of phases or stages. The
first stage involved the construction of the concrete supporting structure,
which was founded in several months. Later on, the installation of a curved
steel frame was done around the stadium, which was self-supported. This phase
of the installation consisted of several sections of the curved steel frame
which were professionally and beautifully constructed in Shanghai. Then they
were transported to Beijing for welding and assembly purposes. The whole
structure of interconnected sections was joined and welded carefully. Then it
was used for assembling the surrounding nest structure. Once the nest structure
was completed, it settled 26 cm in order to attain utmost stability before the
construction of the stadium and interior design could be done. The ground was
broken at the Olympic Green in December 2003. Nearly 16,000 construction
workers and architects were hired to work on the project. Portraits of up to
140 migrant workers working at the construction site are present in the book
titled Workers, which is written by Helen Couchman.
Conclusion
Compared to Burj Khalifa and Beijing National
Stadium, Marina City is a multi-purpose building. It has been constructed with
an aim to provide people with both residential and business facilities. On one
side, one can buy an affordable apartment in one of its two residential towers,
and on the other side, one can go there to buy something nice, to spend time in
a restaurant, or to establish own store in order to start a successful
business. Marina City is the first building of its type that has been built
with the Linden climbing tower cranes. Neither Burj Khalifa nor Beijing
National Stadium contains similar kinds of features. In terms of beauty, all of
these buildings look good, but Marina City stands high because of the way it
has been constructed. In addition, it is the first post-war urban high-rise
residential complex and can be credited for being the first building with both
modern and ancient architectures. Most of its parts have been rebuilt by keeping
in mind the requirements of today’s people, and some have not been altered. The
model of mixed office and residential uses as well as high profile towers along
with a base of parking is unique and depicts the beauty and richness of the
Western culture. The Burj Khalifa is visited for shopping purposes, and Beijing
National Stadium is visited only when a game or tournament has been held.
Compared to this, Marina City is visited because of being a well versed
residential and commercial center. Besides these so many dissimilarities, both
Burj Khalifa and Beijing National Stadium aim to provide people with
entertainment. Burj Khalifa, being a huge shopping center, attracts hundreds to
thousands of tourists every month. People visit the designer outlets and restaurants
to have some fun and spend quality time with their friends and family. Beijing
National Stadium is also a good source of entertainment. Every year, a large
number of tournaments are held here, and this stadium has a seating capacity of
80,000.
References
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(2014): 565-69. doi:10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.08.211.
"Design and Analysis of Heavily Loaded Reinforced
Concrete Link Beams for Burj Dubai." ACI Structural Journal 105,
no. 4 (2008). doi:10.14359/19859.
Simpson, Martin. "National Stadium (Birds Nest),
Beijing." Stadium and Arena Design, 2015, 221-26.
doi:10.1680/saad.57906.221.
