Shigeru Ban Architects is well known for its pioneering use of traditional construction materials. He revealed his new masterpiece- Nine Bridges Country Club for his first golf course at Yeoju-gun, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea in 2009. Constructed over an area of approximately 21,000 square meters. The club program has three main spaces: a club for regular members, a space for VIP members, and accommodations for VIP members of the club.
Design Philosophy
The wooden shell of the building’s hexagonal grid, an environmentally friendly and naturally ventilated concept of a hexagonal model, is based on a traditional Korean summer pillow (called “bamboo wife”).
The most innovative characteristic is the hexagonal grill shell roof. The roof and fire-resistant columns are exhibited in indoor areas. With advanced IT and cutting technology, designers were able to find the most efficient structural shape and minimize the assembly process and the amount of wood used.
Design Concept
The main concept of the Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Clubhouse is natural lighting and ventilation through circular openings over the arborescent columns. Transparency is another major design concept that is displayed in the glass wall through the façades. Glass shutters with openers are used throughout the building from the restaurant’s living room.
Planning
The main building for this first-rate golf facility is a regular membership area. It is designed so that it features wooden columns. They disperse radially upwards to propagate in a hexagonal wooden grille hull roof structure creating an atrium space.
The atrium has a system of glass curtain walls with a stone base locally available from South Koreans. The main area envelope is made of glass to ensure a clear and transparent area. Its entrance has 4.5-meter-wide glazed shutters that open and close completely, making it unique components connecting the space to the green fields outside. The wooden and glass atrium is a three-story high space that serves as a reception, member lounge, and reception hall.
The open and transparent wood area serves as a welcome area, member lounge, and party room. The stone podium compound comprises the most private cloakroom, bathrooms, spa, and building services, and parking is provided in the basement.
Adjoining the main atrium space in the clubhouse area is the lower podium that consists of more private functions of changing rooms, toilets, a spa, building services, etc.
The podium uses a more conservative and traditional local stone in a neutral, non-invasive gray shadow, blending effectively with the wood and glass of the atrium.
The VIP membership club consists of staggered blocks built of reinforced concrete, which receive a stunning view of the green, while the small VIP residential dwellings are built of steel. The whole clubhouse, which at first glance evokes the memory of some of Mies Van Der Rohe’s projects, is really an architectural delight.
Structural system
The complex wooden structure is an independent and freestanding structure. It bears the roof load on top and is supported by concrete columns at the basement level.
Timber Roof and Column Construction
The roof and the structure of the column constitute a continuous continuity. This wooden complex is a surface construction that is a homogeneous entity acting as the support structure and the element of the definition of the space simultaneously.
As a result, there are no separate vertical columns and horizontal girders to be found. Although equipped with a mathematical geometry in 3D space, this Freeform structure requires specialized design, construction, and material expertise to be realized.
In this case, it is designed by Japanese architect Shigeru Ben and digitally modeled by German Design at the production and prefabricated in Switzerland by krusi.
It gets the strength and stability of the double curved mesh structure that is covered in a regular interlaced pattern. Therefore, braking is not required to prevent lateral deformation by wind pressure. The surface is formed using parallel wood elements crossed in three directions to form a hexagonal and triangular network.
Composite Steel deck floor construction
Composite steel deck floors are made of profiled steel deck with concrete trim. A lightweight welded mesh reinforcement is placed in the concrete to check cracks and resist longitudinal shear.
In case of fire, it may also act as a traction booster. Recessions in the profiled deck allow concrete and steel to attach and share the load. The composite action between the load-bearing beams and the concrete is created by welding shear studs across the deck on the upper flange of the beam.
The increased use of steel frames in new buildings is one of the largest trends in the world as it offers more flexibility. One of the main benefits of this type of construction compared to traditional reinforced concrete flooring is the speed of construction. The weight is reduced because of the intrinsic efficiency of the composite construction and the displacement of the concrete by the form of the profile. This minimizes both the primary structure and the foundations.
The independence of the surface, the “free facade” presupposes a distinction between the structural and non-structural elements of the building, between the frame and the cladding. Once the skin of the building becomes separate from its structure, it becomes able to hang as a curtain. The connection between the structure and the skin is centered on the architectural surface.
Conclusion
The building’s architecture intends to design, the volume instead of the surface. The ability to take the horizontal experience of a 2D plane to the third dimension is remarkable. The overall experience at Heasley Nine Bridges Golf Clubhouse is essential to walk through a beautifully crafted itinerary inspiring natural beauty. Shigeru ban somehow conceived while keeping an eye on human structures that is located on the ceiling, trying to decide what is more fascinating.
References:
- https://www.archilovers.com/projects/29555/haesley-nine-bridges-golf-club-house.html
- https://parametric-architecture.com/nine-bridges-country-club-by-shigeru-ban-architects/
- https://arquitecturaviva.com/works/club-de-golf-haesley-nine-bridges-0
- https://www.archdaily.com/490241/nine-bridges-country-club-shigeru-ban-architects
