Aarau Market Hall
Construction Matters | Aarau Market Hall
Composite Wood
Before composite wood, the “Linear shape of a tree and the directionality of its grain has always determined the character of timber buildings.” What was possible in post and beam construction was limited by the dimensions and hardness of natural wood. Composite meets the demand for lumber by using the same materials differently.
Logs are sliced into strands, fibers, and veneers that are then mixed with adhesive to create any desired shape and consistency. This is not only a renewable resource, as wood can be regrown after it is cut down, but also sustainable as pieces of wood that may have not been used before now have a purpose. Windeck states that composite wood “confronts mechanization, provoking a distinct dialogue between craftsmanship and modernity.”
Glue Laminated Timber
With glue-laminated timber, the size of the timber is independent of the size of the log. This becomes a clean and flexible construction material with the ability to work in curves.
Aarau Market Hall
The Aarau Market Hall was designed by Quintus Miller and Paola Maranta. The building was completed in 2002 in Aarau, Switzerland. This is a building in spatial lamination. The building design shelters vendors from the elements while providing a level ground for the market stalls. The level floor is used as a partially raised plaza for communal recreation. The design is arguably formless as the shape is guided by the existing road/alley and runs parallel to the street front.
In the Aarau Market Hall, we can see the diversity of using composite wood in construction. Here, it is used as a horizontal bending member, vertical in compression, and trimmed to a specific section profile. The structure consists of four beams, funneling loads into the large central column and the exterior columns. The entire roof becomes a composite wood product that is bonded together from various laminated components. The design swaps a wide open space and thick walls for a thin semi-transparent exterior and grand central column. The lower level has opaque walls acting as an interior/exterior barrier and doubles as a thin beam turned on its side. The joints are almost nonexistent (visually) in the way the columns, beams, and roof interact so seamlessly.
Resources
“SPACE FOR PUBLIC LIFE.” Markthalle by Miller & Maranta (668AR) - Atlas of Places. https://www.atlasofplaces.com/architecture/markthalle/.
Windeck, Georg, Lisa Larson-Walker, Sean Gaffney, and Will Shapiro. “Composite Wood” and “Aarau Market Hall.” Essay. In Construction Matters, 180–197. Brooklyn,, NY: PowerHouse Books, 2016.