Week 3 Reading 1

Frank Duffy's comments that there is 'no such thing as a building' really jumped out at me. It got me asking - 'well what is it then?'. 4 layers making up a building is interesting as I always thought that the exterior and the interior are the main ones. Shell, Services, Scenery and Set. The six S's then expanded on in the reading came to an interesting conclusion that a building is always tearing itself apart. The why question bell rang in my head as to why this would be so. Through my studies I was under the understanding that each component of a building worked together in harmony.

The image below from the reading paints it well.

http://blackboard.qut.edu.au/@@/D1983744E0F3013B82B57E84A030CE58/courses/1/DAB810_12se2/content/_4400869_1/embedded/how-buildings-learn_c2.pdf

The rates of change being the factor behind the statement got me thinking of buildings that I come in contact with on a day to day basis. The first thing that I noticed is that most of the buildings at QUT share the same SKIN, STRUCTURE & SPACE PLAN. A personal revelation if you will - The structure according to the reading is estimated to survive 10 times longer than that of the space plan. Very, very cost effective however with a slight compromise to comfort and noise reflection when concrete is the structure represented.