air Architecture Design Studio 2014/Semester 1 Tutor/Chen Ningyu Gui 539789
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contents About Myself PART A. CONCEPTUALISATION
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A.1. Design Futuring A.2. Design Computation A.3. Composition/Generation A.4. Conclusion A.5. Learning outcomes A.6. Appendix - Algorithmic Explorations
About Myself My name is Ningyu Gui (Gavin). I am a third year environment student major in architecture. I come from Shanghai, China. I had never thought about to be an architect before I went to university. In VCE I did not take any subject related to design. After I took some architecture course in university, I found that I am getting more and more interests in architecture field. The study on architecture gave me a pure different view. Before I would consider architecture design is just a skill on aesthetic and fancy design. However, the reality is not. Architecture means more. To be a real architect needs a lot of knowledge and practises . It is a long way to go.
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To be honest, I had only two years experience on architecture field after I came to university. I am lack of hand drawing skills, and I am still practising and try to improve my hand drawing skills. The good thing is that new technology helps me to model and express my ideas when I could not express my idea on paper well in some case. Sketch-up is probably the main software which I use for modeling, as it is easy to handle. For the first time known about Rhino was in Virtual Environment. At that stage, concept like NURBS was a completely new idea for me. After a semester’s learning and practise, I got familiar with some function of Rhino, but Rhino is still not handy for me now. However I have heard about parametric design in recent years and knew that Grasshopper + Rhino is a good tool for designing.
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Boat house design, learning from Rem Koolhaas ADS:Water, by sketch up
A.1. Design Futuring
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DESIGN FUTURING “DESIGN AS A KEY FORCE OF REDIRECTION TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY IN ORDER TO MOVE FROM ‘SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT’ TO THE ‘DEVELOPMENT OF THE SUSTAINMENT’”
Our planet has been facing global environmental issue regarding to climate change leads to greenhouse effect. We human have inevitable responsibility to take the large consumption on energies. It is important for us to realize that the future for our next generation is going to be harsh. Therefore we must starts to react and prevent the critical moment in our existence. The only way to solve the problem is design, that is design against the defuturing. Fry argues that the first instance in design has to be understood anthropologically. This encourages designer to communicate and engage the complexity of the designing issue as a world-shaping force^1. It is important for designer to work interdisciplinary and understand the critical situation. Designer should have future vision designing ‘sustain-ability’. According to Fry’s point of view, the design against defturing is not a ‘how to’ question, as it actually requires having a clear sense of what design needs to be mobilized for or against. In other words, we have to change our thinking^2.Designer should understand whenever we bring something into being we also destroy something. Therefore, we need to expand design thinking to use renewable resources. As architecture plays a large part of human activities, it is essential to link the idea renewable resources and sustainability into our design process. Architecture as a practice of shaping human habitats, this will create opportunity for architect to experiment and create sustainable project in order to influence the human activities and ideologies. It is our responsibility to design projects regarding to minimize the use of material and energy but also maximize the sustainability. A sustainable thinking should always become part of main design goals. We have ability and responsibility to change the way of human being.
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1.Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p3 2.Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p4
Precedent Project 1
FIG1
LOUISIANA PAVILION
3XN Architects Denmark,2009
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FIG2 design concept of the pavilion
As part of the ‘Green Architecture for the Future’ exhibition, 3XN architects designed a cutting edge pavilion with sustainable and intelligent materials in 2009. 3XN challenged public understanding of sustainable architecture; the pavilion uses biodegradable and energy-generating materials to build. The project is an energy-self-sufficient architecture, that generates electricity to power the integrated LED lights. It used intelligent materials to achieve this process, it has 1mm flexible solar cells on the top surface of the pavilion, and so it can convert solar to energy. It also constructed with Piezoelectic material to allow visitor’s weight to generate electricity. This is a smart design, as it allows public to engage and have a discourse of how architecture could create sustainable lifestyle. The pavilion also have two layers of special coating, one is the hydrophilic nanoparticle coating which ensures the self-cleaning of the pavilion; the second coating adds air cleaning to the pavilion, which can decompose up to 70% pollutants from industrial smog. The pavilion uses phase changing materials that enable heat retains and releases at exact 23 degrees. The pavilion is a great example of what and how architecture could deal with sustainability. From its design intents to material and final fabrication, the entire process brings the architecture to future thinking. The design process not conventionally compromise with reality. The project is great to engage the public attention and generate discourse of what could sustainability cooperate with architecture design.
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notes from http://www.3xn.com/#/architecture/by-year/145-louisiana-pavilion
Precedent Project 2
FIG3
SWING
Moradavaga Guimar達es,2012
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FIG4 The project is an interactive and playful installation by Moradavaga. The project involves the idea of electricity generation to power the lights. The idea of this project is to generate public interaction with energy production. The designer inspired from the industrial history of Guimaraes, and created the industrial machinery feeling with traditional materials such as wood and ropes. The intent is to use machinery sounds to raise discourse in local community. The key part of this design is the action of swing could create energy, because each swing would drive the wheel to move and generate powers. From the background study, it shows that the initial intent was to attract children to play and provide them knowledge of renewable energy and sustainability. However, the project actually attracted many adults to join. People are curious and interested in the mechanism of the work and the sound. The project is quite attractive that many visitors share their stories and advises to improve the energy generation. Many local schools would bring students to study the project to give more vision on the relationship between artwork and technology. From the cultural and social factors, this project is successfully raise the community interest on renewable energy on architectural and artworks. It is impressive for designers to do the similar attempts, as architecture can raise attention and discourse for local people and in order to influence the habitant of their living styles.
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notes from http://eco-publicart.org/swing/
A.2. Design Computation
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DESIGN COMPUTATION Before Renaissance, architects act more like a master masonry. Their precise craftsmanship defined the building itself. The meaning of building relies on the craftsman skill. Scaled drawing and model brought a new design process after Renaissance. It gives architects the ability to adapt any change faster than before. Thus architect put more focus on thinking and analysis to their design. Architects are no longer bother with building skills any more. Architecture design process becomes more like a problem solving. There is no any rational way to solve it, as they confront the designer with uncertainties. According to Kalary’s idea, architecture design relies on both the analytical and creative to produce solutions to problems that cannot be solved with one facility alone^3. Nowadays digital technology has been introduced into our life, and computational design has been used in architecture. The design process is not just a thinking and problem solving process; now it is a ‘digital continuum from design to production, from form generation to fabrication design’ ^4. Computational design redefines architect to become problem solver/designer with craftsman skill. Computational design is a sophisticated scripting process involving the thinking of energy and structural performance conjunction with materiality. Architect can directly facing the issue of structural in future construction, which means any construction is-
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sue and feasibility could be foreseen and solved during the design process. Digital computation is the new linkages between conception and production through rapid fabricated prototyping^5. It also renewed the architect’s traditional role as the master building with the understanding and ability to digitally create in the material realm^6. Form generation can relies on the various factors such as performativity design, tectonic models and digital materiality; it becomes an integrated process in design. However, computer unlike human brain, they have no any individual ability to self-analyze problem and lack of creativity at all. “They can only follow a line of reasoning to its logical conclusion,” ^7. Most of the digital design software help designer modeling quicker; communicates and share ideas faster; digital design provides a more accurate way to create something which human would take ages to do. Geometry is no longer limited to square, circle, triangle or other common forms. Computational design can create forms which human can never imagined based on NURBS. In digital design process, the limit of computer is its ability of creativity, it only helps to calculate and achieve results from scripts. The most important thing in computational design is the ability of logical thinking from designer.
3.Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 4.Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 4 5.6 .Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 5 3.Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25
Precedent Project 1
FIG5
MUSEO SOUMAYA
Fernando Romero / MauricioCeballos Mexico City, 2011
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Museo Soumaya is located in Mexico City and designed by Fernando Romero and Mauricio Ceballos. It is a one of the largest private art museum in the world, and the design intent for this project is to reshape an old industrial area of Mexcio city by this large curved container like museum. This project is an example of how computation design has been employed to achieve the design outcome in structural, facade and forms. Hexagonal aluminum panels compose the facade of this building. It came up a challenge, as the facade structure was decided and being assembled in 26 curving structural columns. Therefore, the design team employed a computational tool to solve the problem, that is ‘Gaussian analysis’. It used computer to analysis and study the size and angels of each panel dealing with the curved structures. This computational process resulted over 16,000 unique hexagonal panels to solve the problem. The entire analysis process was all done by computer, as it saved plenty of time but also provide precise and rational outcome that can be built. It finally comes out more than 14,000 individual panel drawings for its facade. Laser cut machine would cut precisely for each panel and it guaranteed the efficiency and cost can be predicted. The design team can also handle the entire mechanical system, ducts, structure and piping as a central 3-D model coordinates the project. It allowed the team to control and react the real time change or issues much quicker than traditional 2-D drawings.
FIG6 the installing guild of panels
Computational design can also allow different teams to work simultaneous. As it has a central 3-D model, different design team can access the real time information for their own needs. It accelerates and simplifies the design communication and share precise information all times. Computational design provides a holistic and integrated way to deal with multi complex architecture through design to fabrication.
FIG6 the installing guild of panels
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notes from L02 - Museo Soumaya
Precedent Project 2
FIG7
TVERRFJELLHYTTA
Hjerkinn, Dovre Municipality Snøhetta Oslo AS, 2011
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Tverrfjellhytta, is the wild reindeer center pavilion locates in Hjerkinn Dovrefjell National Park. It is a 90 square meter building opens for public and serving the Wild Reindeer Foundation educational programs. It is a shelter but
also a warm place for viewing the Dovrefiell Mountain. The amazing natural environment and its rich cultural background inspired the architects to design. The most significant part of this architecture is the interior design by unique milled timber strips. The exterior form is made by the rectangular frame in raw steel and the iron was found in
the local bedrock. The interior is consisted
by timber, which is also organic and local material. Unlike the normal and boring exterior form, the interior design is in truly unique. Hundreds of different sized timber strips were milled by exclusive designed milling robot, Kuka Ha100. The robot is driven purely in digital data, as it can precisely mill a timber to the required size. Every single timber inside is master controlled by the 3D computer modeling. The use of computational design tool allows the design team can predict and control their cost and quality on their project, it means the material waste would effetely low as the robot could mill precisely. As well as other projects, computational design can allow the design team to share their information in real time. It saves time and money on doing change. The material performance and quality control could rapidly done by iteration prototyping and test. The advanced computational design encourages designer to create unique forms and gives new life to ordinary timber material. Without the help of computer, this project would be very difficult to design and even harder to construct. As every single unique timber needs accurate design and calculation, human hands and every minor mistake would leads to a failure of the entire project. The integrated computational design process seamlessly help designer create an master piece again.
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FIG8 Milling by robot
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notes fromhttp://www.archdaily.com/180932/tverrfjellhytta-snohetta/
A.3. Composition/ Generation
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COMPOSITION/GENERATION Composition is the traditional way of architecture design has been used as a design method through a long time. It usually uses few elements to starts with, such as space and mass. Architecture design is a process of problem solving, and it usually sets up with different boundaries to narrow the design outcomes during the process. The way of achieving a better result usually focus from aesthetic and function way. However, those factors added into the design process usually create certain rules to architects, so it is obvious to see that the form and plan did not change a lot from last few centuries. Architects are restricted to use conventional form and geometry forms to design and think, as compositional approach is a tool to gradually add restricts to minimize the possible outcomes and find the only one. However, the generation design process has been introduced since the digital technology developed. The design thinking of generation is completely different then traditional composition. According to Kolarevic’s idea, generative design starts with an internal generative logic, which then produces, in an automatic fashion, a range of possibilities from which the designer could choose an appropriate formal proposition for further development^8. It is opposite compare to the compositional design process, which usually starts with an external form. Generative design uses computational design tool to generate form through parametric design, and composition uses computerizing tool to help represent the imagined form. Generation process opens and widens the territory, which gives various possibilities rather than narrow down the possibility to one in compositional process.
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According to Woodbury, parametric design is that every parts of a design is related and linked to each other and every parts of change would influence each other tougher in a coordinated way^9. The act of change would needs to be thinking over with related parts. Therefore the design process is more like making a program or script. Designer has control on every part of component, and those algorithmic data could link with other analytic or experimental software. Designer could generate architecture that integrated with material, structural, environmental and other issues. Any infeasible or mistake made in design can be fixed much faster than traditional way of drawing. It provides great efficiency for designer and save times. The great saving on time, and its efficient would give advantages for designers, but on the other hand, it will reduce the time for designer to find a prefect way to transfer their design into reality. ^10 Additionally, parametric design can generate much more forms which designer could not easily draw or presented. The manipulation of algorithm would form designer large amount of variable elements to test and compare. The appear of parametric design frees designer’s mind from traditional geometry forms. Parametric design provides a platform for designer to have a fully thought on psychology of perception into their design. ^11 However, there are also some disadvantages on the generation. As it requires the designer to transfer their idea into algorithmic scripts, which means it requires high skills of understanding the algorithm. It creates barrier for some of the desingers. And also, designers would feel hard to understand the scripts written by others, which would sometimes create difficulties in communication.
8.Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003) Suggested start with pp. 13 9.Woodbury, Robert F. (2014). ‘How Designers Use Parameters’, in Theories of the Digital in Architecture, ed. by Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 159 10.Shen, Wen (2010), ‘The Rise of PARAMETRICISM - A new era of architecture is coming…’ , in UED (Urban Environment Design), Beijing, August 2010 11.-Schumacher, P.2010, The autopoiesis of architecture. London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Precedent Project 1
FIG10
SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION
Toyo Ito/Cecil Balmond London, 2002
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FIG11 generitive process
FIG12generitive process
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion is a structural based architecture designed byToyo Ito and Cecil Balmond. It was designed for the purpose as a temporary summer pavilion, now it becomes a beach restaurant as part of a hotel. The building is based on an algorithm designed. It is simple formed but based on structural thinking, and there is no any hidden structure frames behind the facade, as the facade acts the structural itself. The starting point was really simple, that is a flat roof composed with random cross lines and supported only by the line of the exterior walls to form an absolute box. The architects start from a generative process, as they do not have any form expected or thought about. The only thing driven them is the algorism thinking on generating pattern lines. The algorithm has been set for this project is to use basic 1/2 to 1/3 rule trace lines in a square, and then trace line again and again with certain rules (Balmond 2006). After steps on this algorithm, it will create a complex and random cross surface on a box typology. The amazing thing is that this random and complex lines are still following logic and manageable. This is the beauty of the generative design, as it will gives you unpredictable outcome which it would very difficult for human brain to imagine. The computation process would provide super convenience with its consideration of structural performance and materiality. In compositional approach you will only come with one solution, but you can use computer to generate many possibilities when using generative approach. Toyo Ito argues that the digital technology gave a possibility to make imagine, calculate, manufacture and assemble within in a tight timeframe and gave a hint of spaces that are qualitatively different from what we are used to; and algorithms will be important that we will probably learn how to speak of a new kind of rationality.
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Precedent Project 2
FIG13
AQUA TOWER
Gang/Loewenberg Chicago, 2010
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FIG14 generitive process
Aqua tower is an eight-two-stores apartment tower located in Chicago. Jeanne Gang designs it, and she is the first female architect designed a skyscraper. The Aqua Tower is probably as same as other skyscraper made by concrete, metal and glasses. However, the difference of Aqua to other skyscraper is that Gang designed a ripple liked ‘skin’ that makes the skyscraper be different. The design idea was from few landmarks of Chicago, and contours those into a surface. Algorithm generated the final outcome with consideration of materiality and sustainability. Each ripple-curved balcony is unique for every single floor, which means the use of steal needs to cut in different size. However, as the advantage of generative design with computation tool, all material use has been calculated precisely “We didn’t waste six miles of formwork that couldn’t be reused,” says Loewenberg( green website). The makes the wind have no clear path to follow, which is great for high rising building to reduce wind loads. So it reduce the vibration and sway from wind blows to the building. Usually it is hard to see that skyscraper has balcony on high levels, because it is due to the wind loads. The fabric is acting as a balcony for each apartment. It provides great option for high level residents to get fresh air without feel windy or unsafe. The overhang balcony can also be environmental friendly for shading the hot summer sun in purpose. The generative design really made a different skyscrap-
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FIG15 thermal bridge of the building er, though it is still a rectangular building. Other than the compositional design, it generates a unique rippled surface that was hard for human to manually imagine, calculate and manipulate well. The integrated process of generation gives architects a fast way to deal with the idea of green and cost efficient project with unique forms.
A.4. Conclusion
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CONCLUSION
After four weeks theory study on the future architecture and computational design, it gives me a lot of new way of thinking on what should architectural design. It is important to integrate future vision when design a project. Architecture is not just a shelter for people; it has ability to change the human thinking and habitants. Architecture can raise discourse to engage public to deftureing, to notice the critical living moment for us, to change the way of our living style, to change the thinking. Computation could easily help us to reduce the cost on fabrication. The process of computation design is a holistic design through idea to fabrication. It gives designer handy ability to control the project. As well as it completely change a new way of design through generation. We can achieve multiple outcomes rather than traditional one outcome. The study of different precedent projects had widened my vision and thinking a lot. I am really interested in the design to integrate self generative energy with biodegradable materials to create a pavilion or sculpture which allows public to understand the ability of future architecture can be, and try to influence people’s thinking and living habitant to take serious on our future.
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A.5. Learning Outcomes
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LEARNING OUTCOMES
After four weeks learning and practice, I have formed a basic idea of how am I going to take part in the LGAC project. The study of theory is very helpful for doing design. Design is not just simply an art; it must have something connect to our real world and society, otherwise design outcome is just a ‘body with no spirit’. I found that computational architecture would be the next revolutionary design method in future. It frees humans mind and imagine limitation. Computer could help architect generating ideas with great efficiency. I would try my best to learn grasshopper and design a sustainble project in the following weeks.
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A.6. Appendix
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I have selected few models which I think is quite interesting. The first one is the nest ball, when I first time saw the tutorial; I am really amazed by its form. And after I watched the tutorial and did it by myself, I feel the power of the grasshopper. It can generate such a complex structural like item by few components. At that time, I think grasshopper is such powerful software; it will become a really handy tool for other using purpose as well. Other few models which I selected is all like structural building. Points connect with points, when I made these models I felt I could understand the process of computational design better. Because I can see that grasshopper could easily deal with each joint and find the problem during modeling, the change of each model will react really in real time, so it will help me to fabricate in future. Once I have few practice with grasshopper, I felt that it is so easy to make an amazing and unique form of model by just simply connect each components. Many real projects that we can achieve by grasshopper so easily. However, it is also quite hard for me to understand the data structure of grasshopper, there are many times that I couldn’t connect each components correctly, so I just stuck to make model. Grasshopper is really hard for beginner to use, as it is not a conventional modeling software, it all uses data component to construct model. Therefore I think this is also the power of grasshopper, because it uses algorithm to generate model and forms, not geometries.
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READING NOTES AND REFERENCES
1.Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p3 2.Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p4 3.Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 4.Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 4 5.6 .Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 5 7.Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 8.Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003) Suggested start with pp. 13 9.Woodbury, Robert F. (2014). ‘How Designers Use Parameters’, in Theories of the Digital in Architecture, ed. by Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 159 10.Shen, Wen (2010), ‘The Rise of PARAMETRICISM - A new era of architecture is coming…’ , in UED (Urban Environment Design), Beijing, August 2010 11.-Schumacher, P.2010, The autopoiesis of architecture. London: John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
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IMAGE REFERNCE
fig1.http://plusmood.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/02/Louisiana-Pavilion-3XN-plusMOOD-2.jpg fig2. http://www.noliac.com/files/billeder/05%20News/Louisiana_Pavillion_1.jpg fig3. http://c.fastcompany.net/multisite_files/codesign/imagecache/inline-large/inline/2012/11/1671278-inline-02-swing-moradavaga-02.jpg fig4. http://eco-publicart.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/Swing_tech_2-web-1000x500.jpg fig5. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f1/Museo_Soumaya_(acceso).JPG fig6. http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/SOUMAYA_digrams_ LARGE.jpg fig7. http://snohetta.com/uploads/project/2/max_770984538d65039ef790cb0a909eb7f1.jpg fig8. http://s3.amazonaws.com/europaconcorsi/detail_originals/2987779/1_full.gif fig9. http://s3.amazonaws.com/europaconcorsi/detail_originals/2987779/1_full.gif fig10. http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5320/7409586176_201e76de66.jpg fig11. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c2/Mito_Art_Tower.JPG fig12. http://studiogang.net/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/aqua1.jpg fig13. http://eco-publicart.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/swing-1-web-1000x500.jpg fig14. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/96/Gang,_Jeanne_-_Aqua_Tower.JPG
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