Original name
Markthalle 1 am Ritterplatz [ Market Hall 1 in Ritter Square ]
Other denominations
Breslauer Markthalle Nr 1 [ Breslau Market Hall Nr. 1 ] (Breslau being the german name for Wrocław)
Original use
Commercial/market
Current use
Commercial/market
Architects
Richard Plüddemann, Heinrich Küster (Interior and Structure concept)
Concrete by reinforcement
Concrete is a relatively brittle material that is strong in compression but less so in tension.
To increase its overall strength, steel rods, wires, mesh or cables may be embedded in concrete before it sets. This reinforcement, often known as rebar, resists tensile forces. By forming a strong bond, the two materials are able to resist a variety of applied forces, effectively acting as a single structural element .
Construction method
In this case, the concrete can be made by mixing the components directly on site, or it may be transported from a production plant in concrete-mixer trucks.
This method has the disadvantage of leaving the concrete exposed to the elements while it is setting. Whereas, with other methods, the environmental conditions can be controlled during setting, providing greater control over the outcome, with cast-in-place concrete a series of tests and protocols are necessary to verify its final strength.
Architectural concrete
- textured walls
- wooden formwork finish
- stamped concrete
- exposed aggregate concrete, colored concrete, etc.
Structural types
Trussed beams are the cheapest solution for the execution of large spans, in other words, when there are large distances between vertical supports. In reality, this type of beam is a kind of lattice, made up of a series of shorter braces (posts and struts).
Trussed beams are usually made of steel or wood, since some of the elements of the structure will be subject to compression and others to traction. As such, it is unusual for structures of this type to be built only with concrete. Using a combination of concrete for compression and steel to absorb traction results in better structural performance.
A series of arches are situated parallel to one another at a distance that allows for covering them with smaller secondary structures such as beams or plates. This type of structure also calls for support elements perpendicular to the arches to avoid the “domino” effect .
State of Conservation
Description
Built around 1908, the building’s colourful façade is in line with the historicist styles prevailing at the time and imitates the architecture of the impressive historic town of Wrocław: red brick façades, a steep gable roof and a lively mix of volumes that includes towers and domes. This exterior appearance, blending into its surroundings, hides a radically modern interior that can only be intuited in the large windows, which hint at a contradiction between the architectural style and the building technology.
Upon entering the building, we find a bright, wide open space, supported by parabolic diaphragm arches made of reinforced concrete. Unlike later examples of constructions using concrete ribs, in this case the exterior section of the building takes precedence over the form of the interior structure: the parabolic arches are topped by another structure, also made of concrete, which adapts the geometry of the interior structure to the exterior volume.
The hesitant use of the concrete construction technology and the lack of confidence in its expressive capacity are coherent with the period in which the building was designed and, it follows, with its pioneering and experimental character: just two years earlier, concrete bridges had been built in Switzerland and France, but the transfer of this technology to the field of building construction had yet to take hold. Only four years later, in Wrocław, a building was put up that marked a milestone in the development of the reinforced concrete construction technology: the Centennial Hall.
Poland
Piaskowa 17
Lower Silesian Voivodeship (Province) 50-359 Wrocław
Commission
1906
Completion
1908
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