The Shed is a nonprofit cultural organization that commissions, develops, and presents original works of art across disciplines for all audiences. Diller Scofidio + Renfro (DS+R) in collaboration with Rockwell Group designed an innovative 200,000 ft2 structure, named The Shed, that can physically transform to support artists' most ambitious ideas (Figure 1). The building's telescoping outer shell extends from the base building. It glides along rails onto the adjoining plaza to double The Shed's footprint creating additional space for large-scale performances, installations, and events. The Shed's 120-feet-tall movable shell is made of an exposed steel diagrid frame, clad in translucent pneumatic cushions of ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE), and a kinetic system is inspired by the industrial past of the High Line and West Side Railyard. Based on gantry cranes commonly found in shipping ports and railway systems, the kinetic system comprises a sled drive on top of the base building and six bogie wheels guided along a pair of 273-feet-long rails. Rather than focus on the building as a complex whole, this article explores a key generative detail resulting from the confluence of six different construction trades within a very compact architectural form; this key detail is the vertical "column" of the shell structure. In typical construction, respective building disciplines tend to take individualized approaches limited to their scopes of work. Interactions between trades are typically predescribed and limited. In the case of The Shed, many trades needed to arrange into a compact form under the design intent of DS+R. The primary detailing challenge of The Shed was to create a level of collaboration and communication not often seen between the trades to achieve the tight design envelope desired by the client. It is important to note that the work completed by these building trades-structural steel. ETFE facades, kinetic glazed walls, acoustic blackout shades, facade lighting, and HVAC distribution-took place through design-build collaborations with specialty contractors. This process between DS+R. its consultants, and these contractors began at the end of the Design Development phase to allow time for engineering collaborations (Figure 2) to be developed and implemented according to the project schedule. As a result of this collaborative process, this key generative detail (Figure 3) is the armature of a recursive development process with the consultants and contractors to achieve the design intent of DS+R.
展开▼
