At 25b the structure is completely clothed by the enclosure.

The enclosure wraps

the whole facade and the structure is represented by the tiles (Fig. 426).. Here, the
structure is the "bones" with its conforming "skin" . Buildings concrete frame
building, and use the concrete frame to delimit the spaces. However, 25b delimits
the space by "staking out" the spaces with columns. The columns always occur as
part of a partition wall where the wall itself almost envelops the columns. The
columns serve as punctuation points, and in conjunction with the partition wall, set
up the spaces (Fig. 423). As opposed to the lineal structure of solid members, (25b).
The building expresses some aspect of its services. At 25b, the area of services,
comprised of the stairways and kitchens in the typical apartments, and the
concierge apartment at the street level, is expressed clearly as one component of
the facade composition (Fig. 431). It was unusual at this time, especially considering
Perret's Beaux Arts training, that the service had "life" at all. Typically, service was
tucked away in areas left over after the more honorific definitions were made.
Certainly, service was not part of a building's expression, especially not the facade.
Although the service can still be read as the poche, it nevertheless is expressed on
the facade of the building. Kahn recognized that with the rising complexity of
services in modern buildings, the architect had to accommodate and give
expression to them so as not to relinquish any form-determining factors to others
(for instance, the mechanical engineer). It was, to use Semper's primary rule of art:
"making a virture of necessity."' Perhaps one area in which 25b does not
demonstrate tectonic qualities is with respect to the issue of joining and detail. In
fact the representation of the junction between the major building elements
(frame/infill) tends to negate any relationship. The floral pattern tile infill can be
seen as almost dematerializing: having no characteristics akin to a building

component (Fig. 426). The dialogue of adjoining materials is mute. Perhaps the only
place where there is any sense of elements joining is the corners of some rooms
(Fig. 425), which are articulated by the concrete column and the partition wall. But
in general, any tectonic quality attained from the syntactic elequence of building
elements is not developed. Concrete technology had evolved with the work of
Hennibique (Fig. 4A) and others to the point where it was feasible to build domestic
buildings. But most importantly, Perret saw it as the material of the future: the
material capable of making the architecture of the twentieth century. When looking
at the two projects it is easy to see how quickly concrete technology had evolved.
The frame of the 25b, unfit for visibility, had evolved to the perfectly finished
precision pieces of the Richards Labs, capable of unconcealed presence. With the
help of Dr. Komondant, Kahn was one of the first architects to employ a system of
casting the concrete elements off-site, where they were either pre-tensioned or
post-tensioned later on-site. The process of assembly was facilitated by a relatively
new tool - the crane, which, in conjunction with the detail of the pieces, allowed the
structural pieces to be simply lifted up and slipped into place. The new structural
system and process of assembly demonstrate a respect for technological advance
while at the same time concern for the their own life and the story they tell. The last
subject outlined in part three was the building's relationship with natural forces.
Providing a sense of bearing (as in the brick piers at Exeter Library), or the defiance
of natural force (as in the Chemetov skating rink), was not seen as part of the story
of either the 25b . 25bis Rue Franklin Auguste Perret maintains a transitional
position in the history of architecture and therefore his work is very difficult to
classify.