THE TATE MODERN

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM

NOVEMBER 10

CT-2614 : CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

Authored by: ADITYA AGRAWAL
UG190050

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 Contents
STRUCTURE DETAILS...................................................................................................4
BRIEF OF THE STRUCTURE...........................................................................................4
CONCEPT.................................................................................................................6
DESIGN................................................................................................................6
SPACES................................................................................................................7
LANDSCAPE.........................................................................................................7
TERRACES............................................................................................................8
TURBINES ROOM AND EXHIBITION HALLS...........................................................8
BOILER ROOM.....................................................................................................9
ESPLANADES........................................................................................................9
STRUCTURE..........................................................................................................9
CLERESTORY......................................................................................................10
CHIMNEY...........................................................................................................11
MATERIALS........................................................................................................11
DRAWINGS............................................................................................................12
MATERIALS USED IN THE STRUCTURE........................................................................14
MATERIAL TO STUDY ABOUT.................................................................................14
MATERIAL..........................................................................................................14
ABOUT BRICKS...................................................................................................15
TYPES OF BRICKS................................................................................................15
MANUFACTURING PROCESS..............................................................................16
WHY THIS MATERIAL?........................................................................................21
QUALITY CHECK OF BRICKS ON SITE...................................................................22
OTHER MATERIALS................................................................................................27
Perforated brickwork.........................................................................................27

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 Glazing...............................................................................................................28
Lighting..............................................................................................................29
Concrete............................................................................................................30
Metalwork.........................................................................................................31
BRICKWORK IN THE TATE MODERN.......................................................................32
BIBLIOGRAPHY..........................................................................................................34

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STRUCTURE DETAILS
 STRUCTURE NAME : THE TATE MODERN
 LOCATION : LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM
 IMPORTANT PERSON INVOLVED :
 ARCHITECT : Herzog & de Meuron
 STRUCTURAL ENGINEER : Ramboll Group
 STEELWORK CONTRACTORS : Severfield, Bourne Steel
 MAIN CONTRACTOR : Mace
 MAIN CLIENT : Trustees of Tate Modern
 PROJECT MANAGER : Stanhope
 FAÇADE : Ramboll Group
 GEOTECHNICAL : Ramboll Group
 LANDSCAPE : Ramboll Group
 TRAFFIC : Ramboll Group
 MATERIAL SUPPLIER :
 FORMWORK : Doka GmbH
 COMPLETION DATE : YEAR 2016

BRIEF OF THE STRUCTURE

Herzog & de Meuron chose to enhance the urban character of the building without
detracting significantly from its form, allowing it to remain an experiential and visual
piece in itself. The most apparent exterior alteration is the light beam set atop its roof,
a horizontal contrast to the towering chimney. The light beam's minimal geometry and
translucent glass clearly differentiate it from the dark masonry and detailed brickwork
of the original facade. The transition between old and new is not always obvious,
however. Herzog & de Meuron referenced the industrial character of Scott’s design in
each detail, avoiding jarring interventions which might distract from the works of art.
The heavy stair rails, cast iron grills, and unfinished wood floors harmonize with the
original aesthetic.

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By opening the landscape around the former power station, the architects sought to
make a natural approach to a seemingly monolithic building. The gardens mediate
between the museum and surrounding urban fabric, providing access from all four
directions. The facade is punctured in bands at ground level, indicating the entrances
and inviting the public inside. Herzog & de Meuron envisioned the grand space of the
turbine hall as a public plaza, allowing passage through or a place to congregate. 

Much of the experience of the turbine hall is one of movement. A platform crosses at
ground level, registering the descent of the ramp beneath it and providing views of the
galleries overhead. This energy is balanced by the hall's monumental scale, which
imparts a stillness despite the flow of visitors. Originally designed to house massive
generators, it extends the entire length and height of the building, providing a quality
of space unique to The Tate Modern. The artist Olafur Eliasson took advantage of this in
his 2003 installation The Weather Project.

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In order to accommodate a broad range of art, Herzog & de Meuron replaced much of
the power station's interior with galleries of differing sizes. They share an understated
aesthetic, but range in height from five to twelve meters, illuminated by a variety of
natural and artificial lighting. The power station's original cathedral windows span floor
to ceiling in some galleries, echoed in rhythm and proportion by skylights overhead.
The light beam's layers of translucent glass were specifically designed to filter daylight
and artificially replicate its qualities at night.
The former plant’s three massive oil tanks opened in 2012 as another type of gallery
unique to the museum. An extension designed by Herzog & de Meuron is underway,
expected to open in 2016. It will offer additional display space as well as public areas
for learning and making.

CONCEPT
The architects Herzog & de Meuron approach the conversion in an integrated manner,
joining the growing trend observed in other factories devenidas Museum in the world:
preserving the industrial character of the space, almost shed in a sophisticated but
stripped building. The huge central nave, coppery brick and towering steel structures
reveal its industrial past. Old and new collide not, but are integrated into the building
naturally, creating a contemporary public space without diminishing the historic
presence of the building. The Swiss architects proposal was almost the only one that
watched the conservation of most of the old building, considering energy source in
conjunction with the new proposal.

DESIGN
“…. While the galleries vary in size and proportion, are essentially uniform. All of them
are normal rectangular rooms, ordinary and obvious on one hand, and on the other a
dramatic impact. Along with the stunning views of the city, the radical simplicity and
directness of impact widths for themselves. No points between the walls, floors, or
floors and the roof. The roofs are flat and not articulated. The oak floors are unfinished
adding an unexpected sensuality to the rooms, while the dark concrete floor at level 5,
unaccustomed form a contrast with the works of art, especially of classical modernism.
The cast iron grates for ventilation, placed on the ground, they look as if they were part
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of the former power station.
Overall, one gets the impression that the exhibition spaces have always been there, like
the facades of brick, the chimney or the turbine hall. This impression is, of course,
misleading. Inside the building, all has been reinvented and re-designed, but the new
and old building components are interrelated in tune with each other in such a way as
to be indistinguishable. The result is more exciting than the pure conservation and
more complex structure given a totally new… “(Herzog & de Meuron)

SPACES
The main facade of the existing museum stands on the north side of the turbine hall.
The new museum occupies the site of what was once an open steel structure to work,
without floors or ceilings, where countless boilers and other equipment were installed.
This steel structure has been replaced by the new 7 floors. Its facade, adjacent to the
turbine hall, visitors look like a giant screen showing the varied program of Tate
Modern, events and exhibitions.
Draws attention to the relationship of the galleries with large central nave,
monumental yet intimately achieved through brilliant “boxes” attached to the fronts of
the galleries that have the function of balcony towards the turbine hall. The crystal
surface of the boxes in contrast to the severe, strong and dark metal columns of the
structure supporting the vessel. In total we have achieved 34.000m2 of covered area,
spread over 6000m2 to the exhibition halls of the Tate collection, 3.300m2 are
occupied by the Turbine Hall, 3.000m2 exhibitions halls, an auditorium with 260 seats,
160-seat restaurant diners, coffee with 240 seats, 500m2 shop and bookstore,
educational areas 390m2, 150m2 rooms for members of the gallery, offices and 935m2
to 1.350m2 support and maintenance services.

LANDSCAPE
The creation of the external environment has been especially taken into account in the
strategy of transformation from an industrial area in an accessible and open to the
public for the four directions landscape. The gardens are a point of mediation between
the city and the building, blurring the distinction between outside and inside. Thus, the
ramp on the west side, is a prominent feature of both the gardens and the turbine hall.

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TERRACES
The terraces located on the south side of the gallery contrast with the gardens created
to mark the expansion of the Bankside area. In the case of these terraces are clearly
defined by hedges, resulting in a quiet and contemplative space that invites visitors to
rest. The square lies between the river walk and the chimney extends into the turbine
hall where it becomes platform.

TURBINES ROOM AND EXHIBITION HALLS

The Turbine Hall of the Central, with a length of 155m, a width of 23m and a height of
35m, worked to power much of London. This huge central space became the star of the
museum lobby. Here large samples or non-traditional samples are exposed.
The new building has seven floors. The galleries, cafes and shops are spread across all
levels. The first two floors are the reception and common areas. Between the third and
the fifth level exhibition galleries are located. The sixth and seventh levels are above
the glass roof, a terrace and a cafe.
The spaces with large glass surfaces, in addition to light, provides stunning views over
the Thames and the city. No ceilings were used and the facilities were left in view,

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emphasizing the industrial character of the space.

BOILER ROOM
The original building also has a smaller boiler room. This room, next to the turbine hall
has been renovated to house art galleries, arranged over three levels and organized
thematically into four groups: History-Memory-Company-Action-Body Nude,
Landscape, Still Life and Environment Real-Life-Objects.

ESPLANADES

The halls of the exhibition floors are an important source of guidance. They offer views
of the turbine hall through the windows of the bay and harbor vertical transportation
systems, stairways and lifts in addition to providing access to individual galleries.
Consistent with its function, the concourses are out of the galleries and were designed as
open space and although they are almost identical in size, each has its own character. On
the third floor lobby is located just above the platform in the turbine hall. On the fourth
floor, is the result of the track to the crane, the fifth part of the downspouts of powerful
beams of steel turbine hall.

STRUCTURE

The gallery boasts a magnificent view of the famous Cathedral of St. Paul, both
structures are similar, chaired by a vertical element in the center: 99m fireplace in the

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case of the station that contrasts with the horizontality of the building and a huge
dome for the Cathedral.
The original structure is steel coated brick basically creating a massively interrupted by
groups of fine and thin vertical windows that allow a controlled lighting inside. The
volume of original brick was incorporated a large deck that acts as glazed skylight. So
light of day while the upper floors of night becomes a beacon. All new work spaces
within a steel structure, a “box” built into the original, separate building of the old
enclosure. For this procedure were necessary 3.750tn steel.

CLERESTORY

The view within the clerestory is a “view between racks” of lighting installations in the
fifth level. The galleries on this plant are above the huge windows of Scott so daylight
can be supplied only from above, through the beam of the large glass roof. Two sets of
shutters are installed between the glass panes, one for adjusting the intensity of the
light, the other to completely obscure the galleries.
The clerestory lighting also provides artificial lighting elements that have been installed
and designed to replicate the color of daylight.

CHIMNEY
The chimney had an important role in the former power station, as all boiler chimneys
flow into it. The load bearing structure of the chimney, centered on the side of the
boiler of the power plant, is separated from the rest of the building. As the chimney
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from the outside, one realizes that the technical and functional requirements not fully

explain its architecture. The fireplace was designed primarily as an urban landmark that
transcends purely functional purposes and enter into a dialogue with St. Paul, on the

opposite bank of the Thames. The vertical symmetry of the fireplace is a direct
response to the central dome of the cathedral.
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MATERIALS
Embracing the industrial as language and choosing materials as wood untreated or
concrete floors replacing the original, gives a rustic yet refined air to the gallery.
The Turbine Hall is covered by 524 glass panels on the roof and its brick walls protect
the 3.750tn used in the new structure. Due to the demands of conservation and
artworks, the clerestory windows must meet certain requirements, be translucent to
avoid direct sunlight and shadows, but without reducing the intensity or color distorts
daylight.
• Exterior
On the terrace overlooking the river have created evergreen hedges, quinces, apples
and many varieties of trees that define the southern border, while enhancing the
spatial effect of the gardens.
• Windows

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The elongated bodies forming glass windows are also architectural bodies that break
the powerful uprights steel facade and generate an optical instability. The windows are
in the same architectural family of light beams placed on the heavy body of old brick
power station, visible from afar.

DRAWINGS

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14
MATERIALS USED IN THE STRUCTURE
MATERIAL TO STUDY ABOUT
MATERIAL - BRICK

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ABOUT BRICKS
A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements
in masonry construction. Properly, the term brick denotes a block composed of
dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured
construction blocks. Bricks can be joined using mortar, adhesives or by interlocking
them. Bricks are produced in numerous classes, types, materials, and sizes which vary
with region and time period, and are produced in bulk quantities.
Block is a similar term referring to a rectangular building unit composed of similar
materials, but is usually larger than a brick. Lightweight bricks (also called lightweight
blocks) are made from expanded clay aggregate.
Fired bricks are one of the longest-lasting and strongest building materials, sometimes
referred to as artificial stone, and have been used since circa 4000 BC. Air-dried bricks,
also known as mudbricks, have a history older than fired bricks, and have an additional
ingredient of a mechanical binder such as straw.
Bricks are laid in courses and numerous patterns known as bonds, collectively known
as brickwork, and may be laid in various kinds of mortar to hold the bricks together to
make a durable structure.

TYPES OF BRICKS
Categorized by manufacture method:
 Extruded – made by being forced through an opening in a steel die, with a very
consistent size and shape.
 Wire-cut – cut to size after extrusion with a tensioned wire which may
leave drag marks
 Moulded – shaped in moulds rather than being extruded
 Machine-moulded – clay is forced into moulds using pressure
 Handmade – clay is forced into moulds by a person
 Dry-pressed – similar to soft mud method, but starts with a much thicker clay mix
and is compressed with great force.
Categorized by use:
 Common or building – A brick not intended to be visible, used for internal
structure
 Face – A brick used on exterior surfaces to present a clean appearance
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  Hollow – not solid, the holes are less than 25% of the brick volume
 Perforated – holes greater than 25% of the brick volume
 Keyed – indentations in at least one face and end to be used with rendering and
plastering
 Paving – brick intended to be in ground contact as a walkway or roadway
 Thin – brick with normal height and length but thin width to be used as a veneer
Specialized use bricks:
 Chemically resistant – bricks made with resistance to chemical reactions
 Acid brick – acid resistant bricks
 Engineering – a type of hard, dense, brick used where strength, low water
porosity or acid (flue gas) resistance are needed. Further classified as type A and
type B based on their compressive strength
 Accrington – a type of engineering brick from England
 Fire or refractory – highly heat-resistant bricks
 Clinker – a vitrified brick
 Ceramic glazed – fire bricks with a decorative glazing
Bricks named for place of origin:
 Cream City brick – a light yellow brick made in Milwaukee, Wisconsin
 Dutch brick – a hard light coloured brick originally from the Netherlands
 Fareham red brick – a type of construction brick
 London stock brick – type of handmade brick which was used for the majority of
building work in London and South East England until the growth in the use of
machine-made bricks
 Nanak Shahi bricks – a type of decorative brick in India
 Roman brick – a long, flat brick typically used by the Romans
 Staffordshire blue brick – a type of construction brick from England

MANUFACTURING PROCESS
Bricks play a primary role in construction at all levels beginning from thatched roofs to
multi-storeyed buildings. Over many years, the process of brick making has not
changed except for minor refinements. Bricks are the oldest construction material
which has been broadly used at present due to its durability, availability and low cost.
Refined brick making and burning techniques have exceptionally improved the quality

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of buildings.
Manufacturing of bricks constitutes four stages i.e., preparation of soil, moulding,
drying and burning.
Preparation of Soil
 Removal of Top Soil: The removal of top soil involves the loose materials present
at the top of the soil for a depth of about 200 mm. These materials should be
removed as they contain a lot of impurities and are not used in the preparation
of bricks.
 Digging and Spreading: After digging the soil for about 200 mm, the soil is spread
on the level ground, and the heaps of clay are about 600 to 1200 mm.

 Cleaning: After spreading the soil on the ground, it should be cleaned of stones,

vegetable matter, pebbles, etc... If excess non-clay materials are present, the clay
should be washed and screened. This whole process will become expensive and
clumsy. The lumps in soil should be crushed into a powder form.
 Weathering: The soil is then exposed to the atmosphere for softening for a few
weeks depending on the nature of the soil, which imparts plasticity and strength
to the soil.
 Blending: To increase the quality of soil, additionally, sandy or calcareous clays
may be added in suitable proportions along with coal, ash, etc. and the whole
mass is mixed uniformly with water.
 Tempering: After adding the sufficient quantity of water, the soil is kneaded
under the feet of men or cattle to make it stiff and homogeneous. In general, for
handmade bricks, the soft plastic clay could be prepared by using about 25 to 30

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 per cent water. For making superior bricks on a large scale of about 20,000, the
earth is tempered in a pug mill.
Moulding of Bricks
Bricks are made in metric sizes called modular bricks, as prescribed by the Bureau of
Indian Standards. Nominal size of the bricks is 20cm X 10cm X 10cm, which include the
thickness of the mortar and the actual size of modular brick is 19cm X 9cm X 9cm.
A brick mould is a rectangular box of steel or wood, which is open at the top and
bottom of the box and inside dimensions of the mould are 20cm X 10cm X 10cm.
Moulding of bricks can be done using either hand or machine.

Hand Moulding
There are two types in hand moulding, i.e. ground moulding and table moulding. In this
type, bricks are moulded manually and preferred where only a small quantity of bricks
is needed.
 Ground Moulding: The process of moulding bricks on the ground manually by
labour is called ground moulding. On an average, a moulder can mould about 750
bricks per day. When the bricks have dried sufficiently, they are moved to the
drying shed and placed in an orderly manner.

 Table Moulding: This moulding is done on a table of size 2m X 1m X 0.7m instead

of on the ground. This table moulding process is almost similar to ground
moulding expect for some minor changes.

Machine Moulding
Moulding machines are used when a large scale of bricks are to be manufactured in less
time. These types of bricks are heavier and stronger than the hand moulded ones and
possess a sharp regular shape, a smoother surface and sharp edges. There are two
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types in machine moulding
 Plastic Method: In this method, pugged earth is used, which is placed in the
machine that contains a rectangular shape of size equal to the length and width
of the brick. A beam of the moulded earth comes out of it and is cut into strips by
wires fixed in the frames. These bricks are also called wire-cut bricks.

 Dry Method: In this method, the machine first converts the hard earth into a
powder form and a small quantity of water is added to the powder to make it a
stiff plastic paste. This paste is placed in the mould and pressed by the machine
to form hard and correct-shaped bricks. These bricks are known as pressed
bricks, which do not require any drying and can be sent directly to the burning
section.

Drying of Bricks
Moulded bricks cannot be burnt directly, as they may get damaged. So before burning
they should be dried either naturally or artificially for about two weeks.
 Natural Drying: It is also called hack drying, which comprises placing moulded

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 bricks in rows on their edges, slightly above the ground called a hack. These
bricks are air and sun-dried that is strong enough to use for the construction of
small structures.

 Artificial Drying: When bricks are needed to dry on a large scale, then this
artificial drying is preferred. They are dried in special dryers which receive heat
from specially made furnaces for artificial drying.

Burning of Bricks
After the process of moulding and drying, bricks are burnt in kilns to impart hardness,
strength and to increase the density of the brick. Some physical and chemical changes
take place in the burning of bricks. Heating brick to about 640°C produces only physical
changes. If a brick is heated up to 700-1,000°C, it undergoes chemical changes. During
this reaction, the materials present in brick alumina and silica fuse together to make
the brick strong and stable to prevent from cracking and crumbling.

The types of Kilns used for burning purposes are

 Clamp or Open Kiln: This is a temporary structure with some advantages like low
initial cost, low fuel cost and a few skilled labourers are sufficient to complete the
process. The disadvantage is only a small quantity of bricks is manufactured at a
time and in that only 60% are good quality bricks.

 Intermittent Kiln: When a large number of good quality bricks are needed,

intermittent or continuous kilns are preferred. In this kilns, the process of
burning is discontinuous.
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  Continuous Kilns: In this process, the burning is continuous and they are of three
type’s i.e., Bull's Trench Kiln, tunnel Kiln and Hoffman's Kiln.

To get a good quality brick it has to be heated to the required temperature. The bricks
begin to lose their shape and materials get vitrified if heating of brick earth goes
beyond 1,300°C.

WHY THIS MATERIAL?

Uses of Bricks:
1. As a Structural Unit
Since the clay bricks or burnt bricks are strong, hard, durable, resistive to abrasion and
fire, therefore, they are used as a structural material in different structures:
 Buildings
 Bridges
 Foundations
 Arches
 Pavement (Footpath, Streets)
 Brick Flooring
2. As an Aesthetic Unit/Surface Finish
Bricks can be used in different colors, sizes and orientations to get different surface
designs. As an aesthetic material bricks can be used:
 In Pavements
 As Facing Brick
 For Architectural Purposes
3. As a Fire Resistant Material

Advantages of Bricks
 Economical (Raw material is easily available)
 Hard and durable
 Compressive strength is good enough for ordinary construction
 Different orientations and sizes give different surface textures
 Very low maintenance cost is required
 Demolishing of brick structures is very easy, less time consuming and hence

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 economic
 Reusable and Recyclable
 Highly fire resistant
 Produces less environmental pollution during manufacturing process

Disadvantages of Bricks
 Time consuming construction
 Cannot be used in high seismic zones
 Since bricks absorb water easily, therefore, it causes fluorescence when not
exposed to air
 Very Less tensile strength
 Rough surfaces of bricks may cause mold growth if not properly cleaned
 Cleaning brick surfaces is a hard job
 Color of low quality brick changes when exposed to sun for a long period of time

QUALITY CHECK OF BRICKS ON SITE

To chose the right quality of brick one should test the brick for following tests:-
1. Uniform Color, Size, and Shape:
 Colour & shape of Brick:-
A good quality of bricks should be well burnt and have a colour of rich red or Copper
colour, any other colour other than above resembles that brick is under burnt or
over-burnt. If bricks are over or under-burnt, then it loses it shape.
 Size of Brick:-
Brick should be uniform in size it shouldn’t have any bulks on edges.
More the bulking in brick needs more mortar. It ultimately increases the cost of a
building. A good brick should be sharp at edges.
A good quality of bricks should have an accurate dimension whereas +/- 3
tolerance is allowed.
 

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2. Hardness of brick:-
Best quality of brick should resist the scratches against sharp things. Scratch the brick
using your fingernail or sharp tool.  A good brick should not show any impression or
scratch of a fingernail on the brick.

3. Homogeneity:-
Break the brick and examine it. A good quality brick should be homogeneous, compact
and with zero lumps.

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4. Water absorption:-
A good brick should absorb less than 20% of water when it is immersed in water for
24hrs. If the brick absorbs more than the allowable limit. It absorbs water from cement
mortar during its bonding. This eventually affects the brick bonding strength.
Water absorption test on brick:-
To test the water absorption follow the below procedure:
Take a brick and weight it as (W1)
Now immerse the brick in water for 24 hrs. and then weight it as (W2)
Find out the percentage increase of brick weight by adopting below formula
Water absorption in the brick formula:

5.Check for efflorescence on bricks:-

Efflorescence is a salt deposit seen on the surface of bricks. Usually, it’s in white. This
can be visually inspected by checking white patches on the bricks surface, White
patches on bricks resemble presence of sodium and potassium salts on it which is not
suitable for construction.
Soils used in the manufacturing of bricks should free from sulphate, potassium and
sodium. If brick contains such harmful salts then will get dissolved when bricks come
into contact with water.

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When bricks contain such harmful salts as used exposed surface then serious surface
disruption occur which may harm outer plastering. This phenomenon is
called efflorescence.

As per IS 3495 – 1992. To check the presence of efflorescence following procedure is

adopted

Take a flat tray and fill it with a 2.5cm height of distilled water.
Treat five bricks as a test specimen and place these bricks vertically one after other. On
a tray containing distilled water.  Now wait until the water is absorbed by bricks
Again fill the water up to same height 2.5cm and allow it to absorb water as above
(Second evaporation)

Now after second evaporation, examine the brick for efflorescence as below:

Description Extent of Deposits

Nil No perceptible deposit of efflorescence

Straight 10% area covered with a thin salts deposits.

Moderate Upto 50% area covered by heavy deposit.

No powdering or flaking

Heavy 50% or more area covered.

No powdering or flaking.

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