Structural System

● Elevated Ground Floor

- The ground floor of the Farnsworth House is elevated 5 feet and 3 inches off the
terrain. It was elevated so it would not hinder the water’s flow and in this way the
horizontal plane are maintained, fundamentally separated from the original
terrain.

● Eight I/H steel columns or pillars (di ko sure kung I or H, nag di differ kasi sa mga
sources..xd)
- The single story house consists of eight I columns with a distance of 6.6 meters
from each other that support the roof and floor slabs. These are elements
necessary to assure the stability of the house.
- The “plug wed” is the technique used to attached the roof and floor to the
columns.

- The mullions of the window wall provide structural support for the floor slab

- All the steel pillars which support both platforms are square-sided and have been
treated by sandblasting, to polish them once in place. Later, they were painted
white, so that their welds would be practically invisible.

The connections are structural steel welded in a way which reduces their visual
presence to a minimum.
● Slabs
- The roof and floor are made of precast concrete supported by steel framework of
beams, columns and girders that are constructed to create a box like structure.
- The slabs overshoot the structure of columns by 2.75m, creating corners free of
columns which help to emphasize the immateriality of the house.

- The floor of the house is made of two layers which house a heating system
between them (the so-called underfloor heating), along with the drains for the
domestic plumbing which run off into a circular central disposal unit. The run-off
of water from the roof also flows into the unit, it being a flat roof slightly inclined
toward the centre.

The travertine marble floor was placed in a way that the tiles are not interrupted
or perforated, thus creating a smooth transition between the interior and exterior.
● Facade
- The façade is made from individual panels of glass which run from floor to
ceiling, fixed to the structure by steel frames.

- Enclosure/walls: the house is enclosed by sheets of plate glass from floor-to-

ceiling.

- The panels which form the façade of the house are simple glass with a thickness
of 0.64cm, kept in place by steel frames constructed with W-shaped angles and
bars. A continuous curtain provides privacy and shade to the inside of the house.