Category Archives: Schindler

No Visible Means of Support, part 3 of 4

The Schindler system applied

To see how this Plaster Skin framing system 1 was applied, I have made a 3D framing model (Figures 2-5) of our sample building, the McAlmon apartment (Figure 1).

This is my best reconstruction using the scans of the McAlmon construction drawings 2, drawings for other Schindler houses of the period, photographs and my experience with wood framing.

Some things to note

Continue reading No Visible Means of Support, part 3 of 4

No Visible Means of Support, part 2 of 4

Changing the typical to achieve the unique

To get the flow of space/ceiling/roof that Schindler achieved, we need to get rid of the header. To do that, we must change the roof framing so it doesn’t need the support of the header (beam) over the door. And to do that, Schindler turned the rafters 90 degrees, so they span from wall to wall.

The turned rafters in the cantilevered section would be floating in air. To support them, beams (in red) are added (Figure 1). The beams extend out (cantilever) beyond the wall below to support the rafters in the cantilevered section. Posts (purple) are added at the corners to help support the weight of the cantilevered beams.

Continue reading No Visible Means of Support, part 2 of 4

No Visible Means of Support, part 1 of 4

Using conventional means in an unconventional way

How does he do it?

Schindler’s buildings do not look like ordinary houses (Figure 1). His houses (of his plaster skin phase 1) have thin, flat roof planes that project out over walls of glass. The roofs seem to be weightless. Most architects think these buildings are built entirely out of steel, which is stronger than wood but also much more expensive. Some Schindler houses do have some steel (the McAlmon, Oliver and Buck houses, for example) but his plaster skin houses are predominantly wood 3,4. Schindler used the same wood framing system your house is built with (if you are in a wood house in the US), he just used it in his own way to create his own designs.

Continue reading No Visible Means of Support, part 1 of 4