Habitat '67's remarkable
engineering achievement is also one of the building's most distinguishing
and trademark features: the very modules that cantilever out of its three-part
290 metre (950 foot) spine are in fact themselves structural members. Each organ
of Habitat--its dwelling units, walkways, and three sets of paired elevator
shafts--acts as a load-bearing structure to the overall building. Modules were
to be stacked and clustered following principles of compression and
post-tensioning. This system was devised under the direction and guidance of
Habitat's structural engineer, Dr. A. E. Komendant.
|
|
Following the nautical principles of
a sailboat's mast and boom, light-weight modules were to be suspended
within a matrix of concrete-encased cables. These cables were to have extended
between the top of the structural core and a compression beam at the
complex's base. Pedestrian walkways were to have originated from the core
building tower, providing access to modules flanking either side of the passage.
|
|
The hexagonal modules of Habitat
Puerto Rico were to be clustered in groups of 12 and stacked on top of each
other in adjacent rows in honeycomb formation. Bridges were conceived to connect
the various clusters. The basic shape of the hexagon presupposed that the
modules would fit together as cantilevered loads. These loads were to be
assembled by steel-cabled post-tensioning, thereby following the same principles
of compression as seen in the original Habitat '67. A typical residence
might include as many as three modules. The basic module's split-levelling
was specifically designed to minimize the internal space traditionally lost to
staircases. Units were to be arranged in varying configurations of one- to
four-bedroom dwellings.
|
|
The basic module of Habitat Israel
was designed so as to allow maximum versatility in its assemblage. Therefore, it
would have been conceivable to have hillside terracing or high-rise clusters for
certain Israeli sites, and low-lying, two- and three-storey houses in others, or
even units located side by side. Clusters of modules were to be stacked around a
main vertical service core, and connected by pedestrian walkways. In the case of
multi-levelled units, some modules were to be connected by slanting
roofs.
|
|
Modules for Habitat Rochester were
to be assembled in the traditional Habitat manner, stacked and compressed in a
dense cluster of residences.
|
|
Modules were to be clustered and
stacked in typical Habitat fashion, following the natural incline of the Elahieh
site's steep slope. At its peak, clusters of modules were to have reached
14 storeys, while the complex would have expanded outward at the hill's
base, tapering into low-lying configurations of dwellings.
|