Masonry Design

Paul McMullin, Jonathan Price, Paul W. McMullin, Jonathan S. Price

• Editorial: Routledge
• Año: 2019
• ISBN:
  9781317568339
• Edición: 1
• Categoría: Architecture
• Categoría: Architecture Methods & Materials

Masonry is found extensively in construction throughout the world. It is economical and strong. Masonry Design— part of the Architect's Guidebook to Structures series—presents the fundamentals in an accessible fashion through beautiful illustrations, simple and complete examples, and from the perspective of practicing professionals with hundreds of projects under their belt and decades of teaching experience.

Masonry Design provides the student with and reminds the practitioner of fundamental masonry design principles. Beginning with an intriguing case study of the Mesa Verde National Park visitor center, the subsequent chapters present the fundamentals of masonry design, bending, shear, compression design, wind and seismic design, and connection design. It is a refreshing change in textbooks for architectural materials courses and is an indispensable reference for practicing architects.

Chapter 1

Mesa Verde National Park Visitor Center

Jill A. Jones and Kent R. Rigby

1.1 Project Introduction

1.2 Preliminary and Schematic Design Phases

1.3 Design Development Phase

1.4 Construction Document Phase

1.5 Construction Administration Phase

1.6 Building Systems

1.7 Project Perspectives

1.1 PROJECT INTRODUCTION

In 2003, ajc architects was awarded the design contract for a new Visitor Center and Research and Museum Collections facility at Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado. This began a long and detailed process of discovery and decision making. The first task was to become familiar with the historical and cultural aspects of the Park and its reasons for existence.

Mesa Verde was the first National Park established to protect cultural resources, including archeological sites, artifacts, and other works left by indigenous peoples. The cultures of the four corners area date back 1,400 years. Originally, the people were nomadic hunters and gatherers that lived in pit houses grouped into small villages located on mesa tops and sometimes in cliff recesses. Pit houses, dating from AD 50, were primarily built in shallow pits lined with stones, covered by thatched roofs supported by vertical timbers. As these early Puebloans (village dwellers) began to develop agriculture as a major means of subsistence and complex systems of irrigation, villages became more permanent. Surplus food led to the development of stone lined storage bins. In approximately AD 750, they began to construct houses above the ground with upright walls made of poles and mud. As a natural development of their early stone work, by AD 1000, the ancestral Puebloans had developed more complex double-coursed stone masonry construction techniques and began to construct multi-story buildings termed pueblos. Pit houses evolved into Kivas (enclosed stone structures used for religious purposes) centered on ceremonies such as healing rites and praying for rain and successful crops.

Between AD 1000 and AD 1300, during the Classic Period, the population may have reached several thousand people, living within the stone walls of the pueblos. Then, around AD 1200, a major cultural and population shift occurred, and people began to move back into the cliff alcoves that had sheltered their ancestors centuries before. Their highly developed stone masonry construction skills were used to build complex cliff dwellings, with rooms joined together into units of 50 or more. Sandstone was skillfully shaped into rectangular blocks mortared together with mud and sand, like those seen in Figure 1.1.

Archeologists believe that the mesa and cliff dwelling sites were likely developed for defensive reasons and protection from the elements. The mesa and cliff dwellers could not be attacked from above and the lofty perches afforded a full view of enemies approaching from below. The steep approaches to the dwelling sites were easy to defend by a variety of means. The south facing cliff dwelling sites took advantage of the winter sun for passive solar heating but were shaded in the summer. The mesa top sites were abandoned as the stone constructed cliff dwelling sites continued to be developed and populated.

Figure 1.1 Masonry structures in Mesa Verde National Park, courtesy of ajc architects

The ancestral Puebloans abandoned the sites by AD 1300. They left no hard evidence regarding their reason for departure. Archeologists and scientists have meticulously studied the artifacts to piece together the story but have no definitive reasons for the mass exodus. Current hypotheses cite drought, crop failures, and increasing pressures from intertribal warfare.

The cliff dwellings sat vacant for over 400 years until early explorers came into the area. Historical records tell us that in 1765 New Mexico governor Tomas Velez Cachupin directed Don Juan Maria de Rivera to lead what was possibly the first expedition of modern explorers northwest of New Mexico. By 1859, several groups of explorers had entered the region. Dr. John S. Newberry, of the San Juan Exploring Expedition, was the first known European to visit the mesa area. Although he did not record any archeological sites, the expedition was the first to officially use the name Mesa Verde.

In the 1800s, the US western exploration and expansion brought more explorers into the area. In 1874, photographer William Henry Jackson ventured into Mancos Canyon and took the first photographs of a cliff dwelling, thus introducing the public to the existence of the impressive cliff dwelling sites. In 1886, a Denver Tribune newspaper editor published the first public call for setting the area aside as a national park, to protect the artifacts from the “vandals of modern civilization.”

Some 14 years later, between 1888 and 1892, local rancher Richard Wetherill and his brothers made archeological collecting trips into Mesa Verde to obtain artifacts, resulting in the development of at least eight individual collections, several of which were later combined and sold into four larger collections. The Colorado Historical Society subsequently purchased the first collection. On December 20, 1890, Historical Society representative Benjamin Wetherill wrote a letter to the Smithsonian expressing the idea that the area be preserved as a National Park.

In 1900, the Colorado Cliff Dwellings Association was formed with the mission to preserve the cliff dwellings and joined the growing campaign to make Mesa Verde a National Park. Between 1901 and 1905, several unsuccessful bills were introduced to Congress to create “Colorado Cliff Dwellings National Park.” Finally, President Theodore Roosevelt signed legislation establishing Mesa Verde National Park on June 29, 1906, with the expressed purpose of “preserving the works of man.”

Between the 1930s and 1940s, the US Civilian Conservation Corps built roads, trails, park buildings, helped with archeological excavations, and created museum space. The Wetherill Mesa Archeological Project was developed between the years of 1858 and 1965, which was the largest archeological study performed in the United States. In 1972, the Wetherill Mesa site was opened to visitors.

In 1978, Mesa Verde National Park was named by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) as a World Heritage Cultural Site, gaining world attention for the important archive and artifact collection.

The year 2006 saw the 100th anniversary of the Park, celebrated by yearlong events including opening and closing ceremonies, a birthday party, special tours, and a lecture series. In addition, all American Indian human remains and associated grave goods excavated within park boundaries were reburied. This ceremonial reburial was a result of 12 years of important interaction and consultation with the 24 tribes associated with the Park. This type of interaction with the indigenous peoples is an important aspect of the Park’s role and mission, as well as an indicator of the importance of having tribal input on Park decision making activities and processes.

The 24 tribes legally affiliated with the Park, Mesa Verde Foundation, Mesa Verde Museum Association, National Renewable Energy Laboratory, Smithsonian Institute, University of Pennsylvania, Colorado State University, Fort Lewis College, and Crow Canyon are additional stakeholders that were included in the programming and design process for the new facility.

ajc architects, in concert with the National Park Service (NPS) and stakeholders, developed the project objectives, vision and principles, and building design concepts and requirements throughout the extensive programming exercise, resulting in an informed and highly developed design process, culminating in a building that achieved the many goals for the project.

1.2 PRELIMINARY AND SCHEMATIC DESIGN PHASES

The preliminary and schematic design for the 7,500-square foot building was informed by the programming process and interactions with the various user groups and stakeholders. Important concepts such as building siting, entry, height, scale, visibility, mass, volume, proportion, image, form, reflection, spirituality, symbolism, acoustics, landscaping, exhibit design, transparency, light, color, and materiality were all considered during the programming process. These defining concepts were maintained throughout the design process.

A site survey, provided by the NPS, provided the basis for the Site Analysis. The survey included prevailing winds, sun angles, views, locations of Pinion Pine and Utah Juniper woodlands, natural drainage, and motor vehicle noise from State Highway 160.

A primary goal for the tribes was to provide a visual “marker” on the landscape, which could also act as a cultural symbol. Based on this, and a general site location selected by the NPS, the design team identified the final building location, footprint, and configuration.

Site design considerations included erosion control during construction and air-quality protection. The design team employed low impact site development concepts to minimize the building footprint and lessen the impact on surrounding habitat. They carefully studied grading and drainage to minimize impact to watersheds...