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​​Raise the Roof

Tolerance embedded within Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp.

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AUD413_Tech Core Studio

Instructor_Erin Besler

Partners_Jeannette Mundy & Claire Zhou

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Our precedent is Le Corbusier’s Ronchamp which was built in 1954. Our primary interest in this project is the 10cm GAP between the wall and roof. This gap not only creates the appearance of a floating roof, but also acts as a buffer zone to absorb misalignments and movements of the rest of  the structure built on site.  The conversation surrounding the gap and joint, which reflects the economic and material pressures tied up in the building as a whole, centers on the idea of TOLERANCE in architecture. We became interested in the implications of different degrees of tolerance and how the design of the joint system will have implications on the roof form.

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Tolerances in Ronchamp are tied to the hierarchy of the concrete structure from the primary structure, to the secondary structure, and to the window frame and footings. Our project problematizes the conceptual and technical aspects of the soft joint in relation to tolerance and form. We focused on looking at tolerance in two ways-tolerance afforded to a joint during the construction and tolerance that is associated with range of motion of the joint after construction-stripping the soft joint of its structural and material qualities to focus primarily on the performance associated with tolerance and range of motion.

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This project repositions and redistributes the joints across a new plan with a center joint as the primary way to limit the motion of the system and re-establish the plan’s hierarchy.

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Framing Model of Ronchamp

Ronchamp Existing Joint

Roller Joint

Pin Fuse Joint

Dowel Joint

Ball-and-Socket Joint

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