S T R U C T U R E S

F O L D E D P L AT E S T R U C T U R E S

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
ASSIGNMENT 7
 I N T R O D U C T I O N
Folded plate structures have an intrinsic rigidity and high load-
Folded plate structures are assemblies of flat plates, or slabs, carrying capacity which makes them economical over long
inclined in different directions and joined along their spans that need to be free of internal columns and other
longitudinal edges. obstructions.
In this way the structural system is capable of carrying loads
without the need for additional supporting beams along mutual
edges.
This technique originated in Germany in the 1920s and became
popular in Russia and the United States during the 1930s to
construct roofs for industrial warehouses and public buildings.
Modern folded plate structures are typically made of cast in situ
or precast reinforced concrete, or steel plate.
1)Prismatic: Rectangular plates.
2)Pyramidal: Non-rectangular plates.
3)Prismoidal: Triangular or trapezoidal plates.
There are several benefits of folded plate construction. They are
simpler to manufacture than other shells such as cylindrical
shells, with relatively simple formwork required, and usually
use less material. However, folded plates require more
materials than curved shells since there is normally more A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
bending involved. R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
C A S E S T U D Y

USAFA CADET CHAPEL

Architect:Owings & Merrill Skidmore
Walter Netsch
Construction Company:
Robert E. McKee
Developer:
Academia de la Fuerza Aérea de los Estados Unidos
Designed in:
1954
Built in:
1959 – 1962
Height:
45.72m
Width:
26m
Length:
85m
Location:
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
I N T R O D U C T I O N

Cadet Chapel was the highlight architectural element

of the master plan by the architectural firm SOM for
the entire campus of the United States Air Force
Academy. Designed by architect Walter Netsch of
Skidmore, Owings & Merril of Chicago its proposal
was controversial in its origins but over time the
Cadet Chapel has become an example classic and
very appreciated of modernist architecture.

In 1996, the Chapel of Cadets won the Twenty-five

Year Award from the American Institute of Architects
as part of an Area of Cadets was named Historical
Monument Nacionall of United States in 2004. The
SOM study has made ​a rehabilitation plan and
comprehensive modernization of the iconic building,
aided by laser scanners and processing software to
better understand their points Cadet Chapel and
make a plan tailored to your needs.
A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 C O N C E P T

The Chapel was specifically designed to accommodate three distinct

areas of worship under one roof. Inspired by Sainte-Chapelle chapel in
France and the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi in Italy, architect Walter
Netsch stacked spaces on two main levels.

The architect faced the challenge of bringing together under one roof
different spaces for different faiths and creeds, while creating a national
monument. For this reason he considered that a single needle involve a
message of a single religion and a deck with three towers would make
no sense, in addition to a design that will leave no doubt that it was a
place of worship without using traditional architectural exterior badges
of any faith.

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 L O C AT I O N
The Chapel of the United States Air Force Academy is a
religious building completed in 1962 in the area of
cadets, north of Colorado Springs, in the area known as
El Paso County area, Colorado, United States. With 46m
high is placed on an area adjacent to the Court of Honor
podium.

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 S P A C E S
The building has a surprising succession of 17 needles of
glass and aluminum, each composed of 100 tetrahedra,
involving the whole deck. continuous panels of bright
colored glass tubular dress tetrahedra, allowing diffused
light into the building.
The front facade on the south side, has a wide granite
staircase with steel railings topped by a handrail
aluminum leading to a esplanada which highlights the
band aluminum doors gold anodized aluminum sheets
also anodized gold, apparently covering the original
windows.

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 P R O G R A M
The main program requires three distinct and separate entrances chapels: a
Protestant chapel with 900 seats, a Catholic chapel with 500 seats, and a Jewish
chapel with 100 seats. Each chapel has its own entrance, and services can be
maintained simultaneously without interfering with each other.
Chapel Protestant
PROTESTANT CHAPEL
The main floor of the Protestant chapel, on the top floor, is enclosed by the
extruded aluminum coated tetrahedra separated by continuous panels of colored
glass and special laminated glass windows. PROTESTANT CHAPEL
Catholic Chapel
The terraced level of the Catholic chapel on the ground floor, is characterized by
the prefabricated masonry forming the pattern of the roof, sidewalls with amber
glass windows and rows of faceted crystals.
Jewish Chapel
Jewish chapel is a circular room closed with cypress frames and slabs of colored
glass with a brown lobby Jerusalem stone donated by the Air Force of Israel. It is
located on the ground floor as well as the Buddhist shrine.
The small Buddhist shrine, 27,87m2, was added in 2007 and in 2011 outdoor
space known as Falcon circle, a circle of large stones and created for fans of “The
Earth Centered Spirituality” was created. Catholic Chapel
A little lower than the Buddhist Chapel some rooms for other possible services
confessions were enabled, no special symbolism in order to be used by each and
two conference rooms. A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 S T R U C T U R E
The building that houses the chapels rises 46m, has a length of
85m and a width of 26m.
The most striking aspect of the chapel is its row of seventeen
towers. In the original design nineteen needles were
contemplated, but this number was reduced due to budget
problems.
The structure is a tubular steel frame consisting of 100 identical
tetrahedrons, each 23m long and weighing 5tn, coated
aluminum panels. Tetrahedrons 0,30cm are spaced from one
another, creating holes in the frame are filled with stained glass
25mm thick.

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
S T R U C T U R E

A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030

JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
 M AT E R I A L S
Tetrahedra that make up the needles are covered by triangular
aluminum panels, while the tetrahedra generated between them are
covered with a mosaic of colored glass with aluminum frame. The
panels that cover the 17 needles were manufactured in Missouri and
shipped by rail to the site.
Some furniture, pipe organs, as well as accessories and liturgical
ornaments of the chapel were gifts from various individuals and
organizations. In 1959 collected an offering of Easter was assigned
airbases around the world to help complete the interior.
The three main shrines, the Protestant, Catholic and Jewish maintain
different relationships with glass:
Protestant Chapel is the largest, and here glass panels form colored
ribbons with dazzling colors, along the lines of architectural tetrahedra.
The colors are dark and rich on the back of the space, becoming
brighter as you move towards the altar
In the Catholic Chapel, the crystals still forms of traditional windows,
vertically running along the side walls of the space. It has been used
prefabricated masonry and glass faceted amber. On the altar the altar is
represented by a glass mosaic mural, an abstract representation of the
sky, designed by Lumen Martin Winter
In the Jewish Synagogue, designed to be a circle within a square, the
architectural details are practically covered by wood and translucent A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
glass except the entrance hall where some panels are glass in purple
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
tones with green and blue touches. In the Jewish chapel he was used to
lobby brown stone brought from Jerusalem and cypress frames.
A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8
A A RSH M A LHOTR A | 4A | 180BA RCH 030
JASSIMAR SINGH | 4A | 180BARCH034
R A J AT V E R M A | 4 A | 1 8 0 B A R C H 1 1 8