Spring 2018
Looking at the Bordeaux Stadium, designed by Herzog and Bordeaux, this study attempted to look at the capacity of the section to inform a design as a generative tool in foresight and simultaneously as an analytical tool in hindsight. The interest in looking at a stadium arose due to the fact that they comprise a building typology that frequently go ignored in academia despite their relative ubiquity, and due to the premise that their design logics, intentions, etc., can be read entirely in section (given that their plans are somewhat fixed). For instance, the modulation and shearing of surfaces meant for spectators can be attributed to the desire to maintain optimal C-values and sightlines (such that spectators more proximal to the field are not obscuring the view for anterior spectators).
The Bordeaux Stadium was chosen in particular due to a personal interest in the sectional techniques which can be read in the project concerning structure, enclosure, exterior and exterior relationships, etc. For example, the field of columns along the periphery which define the iconicity of the stadium act in tension to counteract the massive cantilever of the roof, an effect that can be read relatively clearly in section. Additionally, the intent of continuing the stepping of the amphitheatre-like steps along the exterior so the roof is never visible during approach, and the perception of the building as an entirely open-air building, derives primarily the sectional techniques used in the project.
In representing the stadium, a generic section from the middle of the stadium was studied, and the section was analyzed for its sightlines, layers of occupation, structure, and service/served spaces, using color to differentiate specific elements.
