2 - Modern Steel Construction

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By applying the principle of
"operative opposites" to Gothic
design, E. Fay jones, FAIA, of
Fay jones & Maurice jennings Architects,
Fayetteville, Ark., succeeded
in creating a stunning landmark
in a most unlikely location.
jones, the winner of the prestigious
1990 American Institute of
Architects Gold Medal Award, inverted
the heavy stone design of
traditional Gothic architecture and
created a spiderweb-like steel
structure for Cooper Chapel in
Bella Vista, Ark.
"I wanted something light and
delicate for the braCing of the
building," jones said. ''There's a
reference to Gothk architecture in
the characteristic geometry of the
building, but we wanted a web
shape. Steel, being very strong,
could produce a thinner structure
than could wood."
jones has often referred to classical
architecture in his projects.
''There's a design approach on a
number of my projects where I've
taken various historical styles and
expressed them in different
materials," he explained. "Gothic
architecture is usually stone-an
oppressive, compressive material.
Here we switched to something
light and delicate-steel.
A New Interpretation
''There's a nothingness where
the stone was, and instead an expression
in the jOint areas," jones
continued. "The joints in the stone
are the non-material, but here, the
steel is where the joints were. Thus,
an operative opposite. We made
reference to classical architecture,
but because of the nature of a different
material, it's a different expression."
Modern St('d Construction March-April J990 27