When a Column Doesn't Look Like a Column
See Why Designers May Opt for Tree-like Supports in Wood or Steel
I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of Architecture and Master in Urban Planning degrees, and over ten years experience in architectural practice, split between Chicago and NYC. Currently I'm focused on writing and online pursuits. My daily blog can be found at http://archidose.blogspot.com
I am an architect and writer living in New York City. I have Bachelor of... More »
A number of mental images come to mind when hearing the word "column," meaning a free-standing upright intended as a support. The Classical Orders — round, tapered columns of Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian — can come to mind, as can the slender pilotis of the Modernist cannon or the tapered square columns found on bungalows.
What probably don't come to mind are the images that follow: splayed columns, tree-like columns (or in some cases literally tree trunks used as columns) and the like. These examples point to the column serving more than its original purpose, be it structurally, architecturally, or even metaphorically.
What probably don't come to mind are the images that follow: splayed columns, tree-like columns (or in some cases literally tree trunks used as columns) and the like. These examples point to the column serving more than its original purpose, be it structurally, architecturally, or even metaphorically.
| The second floor of this house projects dramatically over the lower floor. Instead of a cantilever, which requires sizable structure to support, the ends are supported on spindly columns grouped in threes and spread apart as they rise. Why? These columns serve to reduce lateral forces (wind, for the most part) that work on the top volume in different directions. But seen from inside the house ... Private Comment
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We see how the thick members echo the trees beyond. This roots the house in its place and allows the columns to work with the surroundings rather than against them.
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Another tree-like column can be found inside the appropriately named Radius House designed in the 1950s by a student of Frank Lloyd Wright. The steel posts spiral up to purlins that support the rafters that radiate to the exterior walls, seen in the next photo.
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| Some additional steel posts can be seen near the perimeter: supporting beams that traverse doors, for example. This house echoes Frank Lloyd Wright's thinking, but instead of a fireplace, the hearth is this structural spiral about which the house pivots. Private Comment
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This house in Austin, Texas features predominantly solid walls of concrete and stone. But a section of the house uses glass walls to overlook the dramatic raised pool. A projecting roof is supported by a truss-like column that becomes an interesting object in itself.
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| This house near Lake Michigan is covered in wood planks and copper siding; the latter is on the second floor. The patina of the latter will give the whole house a tree-like appearance with green above the wood base. Note an old tree used as a support near the entrance in the left-center of the photograph. Private Comment
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| Another look of the house near Lake Michigan shows this tree-column to be echoing the trees standing around the house. Imagine this view with a green patinaed second floor, and it will seem as if they symbolically replaced a tree that had to be removed in the house's construction. Private Comment
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| Here is another tree trunk used as a column, in this case to support a long entrance canopy. Private Comment
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| And another tree-trunk column near the entrance. These three examples certainly illustrate that if you're going to incorporate such a unique feature, it might as well be in high-traffic areas where people will see and encounter it frequently. Private Comment
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| These last two examples show tree-like columns, but ones rendered in wood, not steel like the ones at the beginning of this ideabook. Here wood posts hold bracing connected by beams at the top. This is another example of a column doing double duty, supporting a cantilever as well as the roof. Private Comment
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Similar to the previous one is this column/bracing that supports a balcony overhead. The bracing resists lateral movement in one direction, while the beams above do the work in the perpendicular direction. Like the others here, yes, it's a column, but it does a little more than just supporting what's above it.
More:
Breezeways: Architecture's Cool Connections
Framing Design: Structural Expression in Steel
Sliding Walls Bring the Outside In
Ribbon Houses, Wrapped in Style
Private Comment
More:
Breezeways: Architecture's Cool Connections
Framing Design: Structural Expression in Steel
Sliding Walls Bring the Outside In
Ribbon Houses, Wrapped in Style
Comments
Denise Vilim says:
I love your posts John, but I'm starting to wonder if they might not be hazardous...to my house. Since you've been sharing some wonderful examples of the amazing things architects construct, my thoughts of knocking out a wall here and building a structure there continue to increase. But, no worries, I promise I won't hold you accountable in anyway if my house comes crashing down. haha
10 months ago ·
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John Hill says:
I'll get my lawyers on that, so I can add a disclaimer. ; )
Thanks so much for your comment!
Thanks so much for your comment!
10 months ago ·
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morgphil says:
I look forward to your entries. It's nice to have the contemporary perspective represented in this forum. And so nicely done.
10 months ago ·
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deedeelouise says:
Interesting photos and perspectives. I would love to see the same for indoor columns. I'm not a fan, but need to break up the strong horizontal lines in my contemporary style home. I do not like the standard traditional column styles and would welcome commentary or links to modern "when a column is not a column" ideas for indoor use. Thanks!
10 months ago ·
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Becky Harris says:
Way cool. This is the part where I would have flunked out of A-school and designed a bunch of stuff that would collapse, due to having no aptitude for engineering.
10 months ago ·
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I especially love the last picture. The brackets are bold and industrial, yet somehow...warm.
10 months ago ·
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