Material System

Choosing a material to use in a structure is as important as the design the architect envisions because some materials behave in a fallible nature. Architects and engineers consider three objectives that materials have to accomplish to full the requirements set by the design of a structure. The Yas Hotels in Abu Dhabi is an example of how the three objectives are fulfilled in the plan of construction.

The Ancient structure that survives today are made of stone or similar materials, and for structures today stone is still used. However, with more complex designs the use of diverse materials has become essential. materials have to accomplish three objectives maintain the structure, satisfies the demand for comfort, and behave in a manner that meets construction requirements. These objectives are set by the architect when they design a structure and choose what material will inspire the design. Some designs take feats of engineering to create, yet the understanding how certain materials behave helps engineers plan the execution of the architect’s vision. For example, some materials need to expand and contract easily due to varying temperatures during the year. Roads in the north of the United States are made of different concrete materials that expand and contract without cracking.

In the show Build it Bigger Danny Forster visits Abu Dhabi to experience the building of the Yas hotel and the Aldar Headquarters. The planning of these buildings was made to be efficient and fast and so the materials used in the projects had to be easy to make as well as easy to assemble in a two-year time constraint. For the Yas Hotel they made outer shell out of a steal framework that looks like a net encapsulating the building. This steal structure was prefabricated and assemble during the construction of the hotel building that lays below it.

Materials systems pay an important role in the construction of structures such as the Yas Hotel and the Aldar Headquarters because without the understanding architects and engineers have about the behavior of certain materials those structures would be impossible to create.