Writing Assignment : CAD-CAM in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings

The role of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings.

Introduction In these days and ages, computer-aided design (CAD) has been emphasised as a socio-cultural change in the design professions rather than merely a technical issue. Technological growth takes place on several infrastructures and most technology now depends on computers (Bigham, 2014).

Decreasing the time schedule and efforts required of architect to produce architectural models, planning and or construction drawing is the purpose of developments in the field of CAD. Creating robust parametric 3d models is more time consuming particularly as there can be thousands of features and lots of code languages to create. Improvements to CAD have focused on reducing the number of commands necessary to define the eccentric shape and geometry of models (Bansal and Kumar, 2014).

This purpose of this paper is to investigate a design methodology for the manufacture of complex construction, the influential form of new architectural design which reflex to advanced technology. It also suggests a beneficial association between digital design CAD and CAM for manufacture emerging in recent contemporary architecture by showing particular case studies from some renowned architects.

The importance of CAD and CAM in recent architectural design methodology The radical change in architectural culture has been seen since computer-aided design (CAD) software spread to designers and architects, programs are be using to create eccentric geometry and discover new complex structure of building. Architects have been able to quickly generate large amounts of geometry by using relatively simple software (Davis and Peters, 2013). Due to efficiency and accurate of software, it is clear that nowadays computer-aided design (CAD) and computeraided manufacture (CAM) are playing important role of architectural development. CAD software can model and visualise any imaginable geometrical shape. By way of contrast, if looking back before CAD and CAM became usual in architectural design and manufacturing stages, some architectural design methodology was based on formal experiments inspired by the forces of nature (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008).

The Sagrada Familia by Antoni Gaudi is an obvious case in point. This building shows the clear contrast way of working from the past until now. At the present, the project is running by using new several programs such as Mechanical Desktop (Autocad application) and Rhinoceros which are used in 3D modelling (see image1). Architects continue the construction according to GaudĂ­'s original idea 1

Vasuta Chan – MSc Advanced Sustainable Design (Sagradafamilia.cat, 2014). 3D modelling software is not only assisting to understand these new complex forms, but is also helping in the complete manufacturing production. Mark Burry´s consulting for Antonio Gaudi´s Sagrada Familia have integrated parametric digital design with traditional stone masonry construction to complete Gaudi`s symbolic incomplete project (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008).

Combination of 3D modelling and simulation software into the design stages delivers the basis for resolving complex forms based on digital

sceneries.

architectural computers

Nowadays,

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created

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restriction,

whereas

construction techniques are limited by the physical laws and material features. It is accepted

that

traditional

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representation are difficult to produce complex architectural forms and environments but computer-based design are able to handle with

Image 1: Digital software is used to understand complex design of Sagrada Familia Image source: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat

any form of geometry (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008).

Furthermore,

one

possibility

to

structuring a CAD is to have it do everything: a single self-contained application that can take a design from developing stages to construction drawings, from creating geometry to rendering perspectives. By integrating all of these components, each part can make assumptions and guarantees about how the rest operate, saving the designer the turbidity of converting CAD files into different file formats and save budget from purchase various different standalone software (Davis and Peters, 2013).

Nevertheless, as we all know it is inevitable that software will become obsolete over time and from this point it should be kept up to date to ensure that we have the best software solutions for our needs, because an efficient decision-making needs some techniques such as artificial intelligence to be developed within the module. In other words, this regular upgrading and developing allows a system to calculate accurate results rapidly and effectively (Bigham, 2014).

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The role of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings.

CAD in the educational organisation The development of digital design as a new practice has been initiated by avant-gaarde architects such as Frank Gehry, Zaha Hadid, Greg Lynn, Ben van Berkel, and Peter Eisenman. Nevertheless, an awareness of the effect of CAD and CAM in architectural education is still unsuccessful. Many educational programs aim to incorporate digital tools in the design curriculum (Oxman 2008, cited in Salman et al., 2014). Nonetheless, the recent teaching in some of architectural schools failed in this respect (Salman et al., 2014) Jonson (2005), furthermore, suggested that sketching is not the most significant conceptual tool; instead, he supported verbalisation, or the combination of verbalisation and other conceptual tools. The integration of different conceptual methods such as modelling, sketching, words and CAD also reveals that design is a dialogue between verbal and nonverbal methods (see image2).

Image2: CAD is used for integrate design strategies

On the one hand, CAD was formed to develop and use modelling and software tools to improve decision making. The next generation of scientists and engineers are significant to promote and develop simulation program within the stakeholder community, so academic institutions have to train and produce competence person to responding the demands. Therefore, developing an appreciation of and skill sets that deal with multi-dimensional problems, allows for a more holistic and systematic understanding. A key aspect of the implementation is that solutions to common issues and challenges reflect community-wide participation and acceptance (Laniak et al., 2013). On the other hand, even though recent CAD and CAM are advantageous for detailed joint design and complex form of structure, they do obstruct junior designers' creativity due to their intuitive idea limitation. The study also found that although conventional manual hand sketching is beneficial for 3

Vasuta Chan – MSc Advanced Sustainable Design providing rich intuitive design concepts, they have restrictions when junior designers need to resolve complicated design problems. (Ibrahim and Pour Rahimian, 2010).

According to Oxman (2006), presentation in architectural design has four main stages of interactivity.

Designers interact with: firstly, a paper-based representation: at this level of interaction, the designers work directly hand-skill object such as drawing or physical model. Secondly, a digital representation construct: at this level of interaction, the designers interact with CAD by means of a digital drawing and presentation, both in 2D or 3D format. Thirdly, a digital representation generated by software: at this level of interaction, the designers work with CAD through a group of rules and design solutions to generate a digital structure, design possibility. Finally, a digital environment that generates a digital representation: at this level of interaction, the designers deal with ‘the operative part of a generative design mechanism’, where the designers ‘can interact with the computational mechanism that produces the digital representation.’ This is arguably mediated by more advanced information and knowledge.

Architect in the role of software developer Throughout decades, digital manufacturing technologies are important for developing new and complex structure of architecture. Architects become the formulators rather than just the end users of programs (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008). Frank Gehry is a great example about architect in the role of program developer, with his Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao in 1997. He used the nontraditional constructive processes, manufacturing tools, building experts and his own architectural software to make his projects become a reality. The museum was opened to the public, and that

was the time that the most sensational buildings in the style of deconstruction were built in the world. It has represented an architectural meaning to public and also played with the human perception by communicate meaning of presence and absence, of solid and space, of each curves and lines this language is architecture itself.

It was start while he was working on a monumental fish sculpture for the Summer Olympics in Barcelona project in 1992, his own architectural software was developed by his office to organise the complexities of the project and made project easy to control of the design and construction phases.

Then, during the design of the Guggenheim Museum, they dedicated this software into what became Digital Project. By 2002, Gehry Technologies (GT) was announced. It has been separated from his design office; GT provided the expert software to architects that became from realising 4

The role of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings.

Image3: GT help contractors better understand complex design of building Image source: http://www.triptod.com

Gehry Partners' complex buildings (Beaman, 2014). The co-founder of Gehry Technologies believe that GT has been developed to decrease many of the problematic challenges that were present within the design industry and to improve best practices for each new building project. As a result, the technologies and processes that GT has developed over the decades have been critical in assisting to achieve the impossible project while also providing great value to clients (Beaman, 2014).

In addition, software also plays in the role of computer aided manufacturing (CAM). It helps contractors better understand the requirements of Gehry’s increasingly complex designs and produce exact measurements of the structure and material needs in a project (see image3). By connecting numbers of such suppliers on a single software platform, the construction of complicated building becomes more efficient (Palmeri, 2003).

From Simply to Free-Form Architecture In the last few decades, methodologies have been used by many groups of architects, they have focused on develop complicated buildings using digital design technologies. Computer-aided design tools are complemented by computer numerical control (CNC) machines for the construction of complexity that would have been difficult and required high budget to build. Computer-assisted manufacturing (CAM) and architectural design based on these construction technologies have brought about a shift not just in the conceptual design and creation of architectural forms, but also influenced in the physical law in which architectural projects are calculated and constructed (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008).

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Vasuta Chan – MSc Advanced Sustainable Design

Image4: Evolution of Zaha Hadid projects from 1970s- recent Image source: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.ezproxy.is.ed.ac.uk

Zaha Hadid, one of the most successful architects in this century, is a clear exemplar. Her projects from the past until recent are demonstrated the expression of potential contemporary building. It can be seen that edges and curves (free-form) of her building currently are individual signature of her design, but if looking back to the early projects, her buildings are not exactly as free-form as this day. Unsurprisingly, her works could be easy to demonstrate the change of contemporary architecture which results in advanced software (CAD and CAM).

“There are 360 degrees, so why stick to one?”

Zaha Hadid According to Woods (2008) the evolution of Zaha Hadid’s work from the 1970s to the present, tracing the great changes in her work from a Suprematist-informed fragmentation in the 1980s to a more contemporary fluidity and a preoccupation with complex curvilinearity (see image4). From the initial projects, she has used drawing to an uncommon degree, as a means of visualising her concept.

As her practice has changed over time, her drawing style has changed. Most remarkably new systems of her projection were required for formulating in spatial terms her complex thoughts about architectural forms and the relationships between them. These new projection ways were generally copied in their time, and affected the computer-modelling culture (Woods, 2008).

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The role of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings.

However, the key reason which influenced her work in the late nineteenth century and that was the developing distinction of the computer-aided design (CAD) and computeraided manufacturing (CAM). Everyone related to construction sector such as clients, engineers and contractors expected the accurate result from computer visualisation that could be readily exchanged between them and directly translated into the computer-aided manufacture of building elements (see image5). This development Image5: The relationship of CAD and CAM from the conceptual design phases to construction stages.

coincided with the radical change in her designs, and clearly gave it impulsion (Woods,

2008). She was increasingly interested in complexly curvilinear, fluid dynamic forms that can be drawn by conventional hand methods. The real action, however, had moved to the computer phases.

In one sense it liberated the architect, enabling her to create the unusual shapes, which nowadays become her obvious signature. Consequently, it can be said that manufacturing processes that build unique curved pieces is the vital role of the ability to easily design a complexly curved surface.

Manufacturing machines are generating new research around their capability to strengthen architecture’s ability to make projects into a reality, so CAM is very significant for complicated design (Dujovne and Montoya, 2008).

Conclusion To summarise, it is useful to recall at this point that contemporary architecture had a great shift in the way of architectural practice. The literature reviews support that the direction of contemporary architecture has changed over the period of time and technology has a big impact to the construction techniques, allowing new complex form and complicated geometry can be built a reality. In other words, architects and designers could design out of physical laws which are impossible in the past. Looking at the point of architectural education, CAD and CAM can be detrimental for novice designers. It could block the imagination of design solution; even it allows them produce advanced final products. However, it also has much more benefits, software goes far 7

Vasuta Chan – MSc Advanced Sustainable Design from tool-maker, as creation, modification and coordination of the design methodology becomes a combined part of the design product. The conceptual design methods of which the architect is now part-author must be flexible and have the ability to assist the technical changes, and this shows an important shift from junior designers to talented architects collaboratively shaping their own design.

To this point, one cannot deny that computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) have much potential for the expression of current architecture, because it can encourage the development of eccentric forms which can be seen from many case studies in this paper. However, in the future digital software should connect the material properties, dimensions verified by a structural analysis, to the specifications of the manufacturing machines.

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The role of computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufacture (CAM) in architectural design and expression of contemporary buildings.

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Davis, D. and Peters, B. (2013). Design Ecosystems: Customising the Architectural Design Environment with Software Plug-ins. Architectural Design, 83(2), pp.124-131.

Dujovne, D. and Montoya, C. (2008). Digital design and manufacture based on Chiloean boats.International Journal of Architectural Computing, 6(3), pp.317-333.

Ibrahim, R. and Pour Rahimian, F. (2010). Comparison of CAD and manual sketching tools for teaching architectural design. Automation in Construction, 19(8), pp.978-987.

Jonson, B. (2005). Design ideation: the conceptual sketch in the digital age. Design Studies, 26(6), pp.613-624.

Laniak, G., Olchin, G., Goodall, J., Voinov, A., Hill, M., Glynn, P., Whelan, G., Geller, G., Quinn, N., Blind, M., Peckham, S., Reaney, S., Gaber, N., Kennedy, R. and Hughes, A. (2013). Integrated environmental modeling: A vision and roadmap for the future. Environmental Modelling & Software, 39, pp.3-23.

Oxman, R. (2006). Theory and design in the first digital age. Design Studies, 27(3),pp.229-265.

Palmeri, C. (2003), 'Frank Gehry's High-Tech Secret', BusinessWeek, no. 3852, pp. 134-140.

Sagradafamilia.cat, (2014). The Sagrada Família » Architecture » Present process » New technologies. [online] Available at: http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_instit/proces3.php [Accessed 18 Dec. 2014].

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Woods, L. "Drawn Into Space Zaha Hadid." Architectural Design 194 (2008): 28-35. Arts & Humanities Citation Index. Web. 19 Dec. 2014.

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