Journal ABP30048 | Architecture Design Studio: Air Amanda Ngieng | 377998
Contents 1.0 Expression of Interest 1.1 Case for Innovation 1.1.1 Architecture as a Discourse 1.1.2 Computing in Architecture 1.1.3 Parametric Modelling 1.2 Research Project 1.2.1 Matrix of Combinations 1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix 1.2.3 Reverse-Engineered Case-Study 1.2.4 Fabrication 1.3 Competitive Advantage
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2.0 Project Proposal 2.1. Project Development 2.1.1 Concept Development 2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising 2.1.3 Fabricating the Model 2.2. Final Project 2.2.1 The Physical Model 2.2.2 How It Is Experienced 2.2.3 The Real Installation 2.2.4 Conclusion 2.3. Taking It Further
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3.0 Learning Objectives and Outcomes 3.1 Personal Background 3.2 Learning Progress & Outcomes 3.3 Future Work
78 79 80 83
4.0 Additional Notes 4.1 Appendix A: Informal Narrative 4.2 Appendix B: Another Design Project 4.3 References 4.4 Credits
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1.0 Expression of Interest
1.1 The Case for Innovation
1.1.1 Architecture as a Discourse
Personal Project: Studley Park Boathouse
This boathouse, which I had designed in 2011 for the second year subject Architecture Design Studio: Water, was designed in the manner of Mario Botta as according to the design brief. The project promotes the study of the styles of masters of architecture, learning from precedents and following a list of formal rules as a framework to spark off ideas and inspirations, thus resulting in new, innovative designs. The study of precedents is important to the Gateway Project. The competition brief asks for “a proposal that inspires and enriches the municipality”. Studying precedents that successfully does exactly this would be an important starting point in determining the direction in which to take to design a compelling project; two examples as given in the brief is “Seeds of Change” in 2003, located at the Eastern Interchange of the Princess Freeway and “House in the Sky” in 2001, located at the interchange with the Western Ring Road. 5
Other Projects: House in the Sky
The first of a few roadside projects aimed at changing perceptions of Melbourne’s west, this project is a suspended wire 2D perspective representation. An illusion of a 3D object, it is perceived differently from different vantage points, and invites many potential readings. “In an ambiguous landscape of signs and symbols it is another form of advertising, a form of very accessible public art. As a Pop Art object, it raises the banal and ordinary to the level of the extraordinary and recognises the suburbs as a source of artistic and cultural inspiration. It is also a warped mirror of the ‘Great Australian Dream’ and the contradictions that this particular cultural condition entails.” (Architecture Australia 2012) Its multiple and ambiguous meanings spark off discussion and draw attention to it. This can be considered in the development of the Gateway project as a means to create a project that is successful in advancing architectural discourse.
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1.1.1 Architecture as a Discourse
Other Projects: Homeostatic Facade System
Decker Yeadon’s prototype, the Homeostatic Façade System, is made up of a smart material that flexes and bends in response to heat, effectively regulating temperature in the building. (Minner 2011)
Although intelligent facades are not exactly new, this façade has a notable difference – it does not require computer programming or physical adjustments, moving on its own in response to environmental conditions. The innovation here is in the material, dielectric elastomer, which uses electricity to change shape. It is another, different step into the development of green-building technology, focusing on materials instead of computer programming, hence making passive design techniques more automated and less reliant on computer systems.
Keeping up with and making use of the ever advancing technology is a way to create new, inspiring and unusual projects, simply because the designs made possible by these new technologies are new and not common. Grasshopper, which is the main tool I will be using for the Gateway project, is barely 5 years old and can be considered new in architecture. Through this parametric design modelling tool innovative designs can be generated.
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“In parametric design, it is the parameters of a particular design that are declared, not its shape. By assigning different values to the parameters, different objects or configurations can be created. Equations can be use to describe the relationships between objects, thus defining associative geometry.” - Kolarevic (2003, p. 17)
Parametric modelling turns design into an open ended search for new possibilities, instead of just problem solving. An example of this in the design of the façade of the new building for the Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning, which adopts a solar screening system that responds to the orientation of the building. Using parametric techniques, the spacing and angles of the panels have been designed to maintain protection from glare and solar heat gain while providing maximum day lighting. By setting the specific parameters to ensure effective solar protection, it was possible to play around with the overall aesthetics of the panels and to arrange them such that they direct specific views from the east façade – at and across the Elisabeth Murdoch building, and toward the tree lined Mason road. These parametric techniques were applied in Grasshopper.
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The New Faculty of Architecture Building and Planning
1.1.2 Computing in Architecture
““[T]he processes of describing and constructing a design can be now more direct and more complex because the information can be extracted, exchanged, and utilised with far greater facility and speed; in short, with the use of digital technologies, the design information is the construction information.” - Kolarevic (2003, p. 7)
Not only born out digitally, buildings are also being realised digitally through “file-to-factory” processes of computer numerically controlled (CNC) fabrication techniques. This has greatly impacted the construction and fabrication phase in architecture, speeding it up and freeing up design constraints. One good example of this is the Tverrfjellhytta, the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion by Snøhetta. Digital 3D models were used to drive the milling machines, creating the organic shape of the interior of the pavilion. This method of fabrication is also known as subtractive fabrication, which is the removal of a specific material from solids using electro-, chemically-, or mechanically-reductive processes; in this case 10 inch2 pine timber beams were cut down into their require shapes as specified by the digital models of it, which was then assembled in a traditional way using wooden pegs as fasteners to create the final form. (Henry 2011) Similarly, in using Rhino and Grasshopper, fabrication information can be contained within the Rhino file and sent directly to machines for fabrication. 9
ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011
This research pavilion was designed and constructed by the Institute for Computational Design (ICD), the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), and students at the University of Stuttgart, using computer-based design and simulation methods, along with computer-controlled manufacturing methods for its building implementation. The aim of the project was to integrate the performative capacity of biological structures into architectural design, developing a modular system which allows a high degree of adaptability and performance due to the geometric differentiation of its plate components and robotically fabricated finger joints. Through analysis of different biological structures, the plate skeleton morphology of the sand dollar was chosen to provide the basic principles of the structure. (Institute for Computational Design 2011)
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1.1.3 Parametric Modelling
“The designer who wants to be completely in control of the results must be in control of the process. To be in control of the process, the designer must be in control of the tools. The tools are computation; therefore a designer who wants to be in control must also be a scripter (or suffer the consequence of the unseen influence of using other people’s tools).” - Robert Aish (Burry 2011, p.67) Computational processes made it possible to effectively extend the recognised bionic principles and related performance to a range of different geometries, allowing the final structure to be constrained within the limitations of the material chosen as part of the design intent (extremely thin sheets of plywood). In this case, scripting automates the routine aspects and repetitive activities, thus facilitating a far greater range of potential outcomes for the same investment in time. Additionally, it was able to take into account the limitations of materials, effectively controlling the use of materials and using it as one of the drivers of the design.
There is a danger in scripting being used as a cloning tool with little originality, especially when it is used in a generative design approach using generic algorithms. This project, however, avoids this completely – the highly specific requirements of the project meant that customised scripts have to be written for it. Scripting systems were being made, not appropriated; it was used as a tool that adds value to the design product and process. The writing of the scripts were done by teachers and students who have learnt scripting specifically for architecture – the designer is controlling the design and expanding the possibilities of design though the help of scripts; it is not a scripted outcome that forces the design into a particular route. As the Gateway project will be developed using provided CUT definitions, it is imperative that Grasshopper does not just become a cloning tool. Instead, it should be used as a time-saver, utilising various combinations of relevant premade definitions as a basis to allow for efforts to be focused on the development of the design, where design concepts and required modifications can be applied to create a project that is original. 11
The plates and finger joints of each cell in the pavilion were cut with the use of the university’s robotic fabrication system. Custom programmed routines were employed, using the computational model to provide the basis for the automatic generation of the machine code that controls the industrial seven-axis robot, thus enabling the production of more than 850 geometrically different components, as well as more than 100,000 finger joints freely arranged in space. Without this file-to-factory production method it would not be viable to manufacture the pavilion; this technology liberates designers, reducing the restriction that the manufacturing process has on the design – this is also true for the Gateway project.
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1.1.3 Parametric Modelling
While new forms were made possible by computer-controlled manufacturing techniques, it does seem that all these forms tend to be strangely similar, even if the underlying script is different. Could this be due to a general desire for specific types of forms? If so, I personally feel that these similar forms are – at least currently – inevitable. There is trend throughout history from which specific building styles have emerged, and I believe that these forms are yet another kind of building style, and one adopted readily in this era because of the general positive impression it gets. Nevertheless, the Gateway project not only has to be “eye-catching”, but also innovative and inspiring. Can these strangely similar forms be considered innovative? In my opinion, this research pavilion can be considered innovative, and is definitely inspiring to me. As such, it will be possible to create an innovative form for the Gateway project, even if the fabrication methods are similar.
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1.2 Research Project
1.2.1 Matrix of Combinations: Generally, for this section, a combination of matrix is explored briefly before moving to the next. Each group member was assigned a few input definitions to start off with, which was then combined with association and output definitions. All combinations were decided independently, allowing us to explore in different directions, whichever we feel is more relevant, hence producing a range of results. In regards to Architecture’s New Media by Kaylay (2004), this would be catagorised as a breadth first search method. 1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix: This section documents in more detail my process of exploration. 1.2.3 Reverse Engineering: Each group member was assigned a different case study to reverse engineer, so as to provide a wider scope of exploration. We wanted to explore three main budding concepts - organic shapes, angles and rotation, and perforations, This was done by reverse engineering the Banq, the Winery Facade and the Spanish Pavilion respectively.
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1. Circles on Arbitrary Points 1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4
2.1
2.2
2.3
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
5.1
5.2
5.3
6.1
6.2
6.3
7.1
7.2
7.3
8.2
8.3
1.5
2. Circles on Boolean Patterning
3. Circles on Boolean Patterning
4. Rectangle Inputs
5. Rectangle Inputs
6. Blending Inputs
7. Surface Grids + Attractor Points + Circle
Using Surface Normals (Surface created by the Sum Surface component), Attractor Point, Data Driven Shading The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah.
8. Surface Grids + Attractor Points + Data Driven Extrusion 8.1
8.4
Using Surface Normals (Surface created by the Sum Surface component), Attractor Point, Data Driven Shading
9. Surface Grids + Streaming Text Files + Rotation
The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah.
9.1
10. Custom + Image Sampler + Data Driven Components
9.2
9.3
9.4
Using Surface Normals (Surface created by the Sum Surface component), Attractor Point, Data Driven Shading
ed by ace creat
the Sum
Surface
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Data Point, Attractor
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10.1
The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah.
10.2
10.3
10.4
11.2
11.3
11.4
als (Surf
ce Norm
Surfa that form ted a Data Driven ned nent genera a flatten ed with compo ah. combin , I rotated Surface The Sum ting whenform further form... blalabl the ing this was interes produc g. Taking Shadin of the data, version
Using
11. Surface Normals + Attractor Points + Data Driven Shading 11.1
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10.5
1.2.1 Matrix of Combinations
12. Surface Grids + Streaming Text Files + Hexagon 12.0
13. Curve Intersection 13.1
13.2
13.3
13.4
13.5
13.6
13.7
14.1
14.2
14.3
14.4
14.6
14.7
14.8
15.1
15.2
15.3
15.5
15.6
16.1
16.2
16.3
17.1
17.2
17.3
17.4
18.1
18.2
18.3
18.4
14. Explicit Grid 14.5
15. Overlapping Patterns 15.4
16. Applying 1D points onto a surface 16.4
17. Applying 2D curves onto a surface 17.5
18. Applying 3D solids onto a surface
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1.2.1 Matrix of Combinations
Index
1.1 Arbitrary Points 1.2 Arbitrary Points + Surface Divide + Attractor Point 1.3 Extrude according to Attractor 1.4 Rotate around mid axis 2.1 Boolean Pattern - true, false, true 2.2 Surface Normal + Cylindrical Plane 2.3 Rotating circles along Z axis
8.1 Little change to original definition 8.2 Two attractor points, relationship: subtraction 8.3 Change in distance between attractor points 8.4 Two attractor points, relationship: division
3.1 Curve attractor + Math Functions 3.2 Extrude according to Curve attractor 3.3 Rotate Circles 3.4 Rotate + Extrude according to Curve attractor
9.1 Little change to original definition 9.2 Stream Text affects offset distance and rotation 9.3 Steam Text file altered 9.4 Steam Text file altered
4.1 Curve Attractor + Sets 4.2 Image Association + Rotation 4.3 Math Function + Sets 4.4 Math Function + Rotation
10.1 Alteration of base curve 10.2 Alteration of base curve 10.3 Alteration of base curve 10.4 Alteration of Image Sampler 10.5 Alteration of Image Sampler
5.1 Boolean Pattern + Math Function 5.2 Data Driven Component 5.3 Overlapping Sets 6.1 Curves + Data Driven Components 6.2 Circles + Surface Normals 6.3 Graph Association (Bezier Graph)
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7.1 Little change to original definition 7.2 Remapped boundary reversed 7.3 Two layer of grids with slightly different parameters
11.1 Sum Surface to create base form 11.2 Rotation of base form around an axis 11.3 Multiple rotations 11.4 Alteration of base curve 12.0 Alteration in scale of polygons
13.1 Curve Intersection + Attractor Point 13.2 Curve Intersection + Polygon + Shader 13.3 Curve Intersection + Curve Attractor 13.4 Curve Intersection + Extrusion 13.5 Curve Intersection + Rotation + Shader 13.6 Curve Intersection + Rotation + Extrusion 13.7 Curve Intersection + Polygon + Rotation + Extrusion 14.1 Explicit Grid + Image Sampler 14.2 Explicit Grid + Polygon + Image Sampler 14.3 Explicit Grid + Shader 14.4 Explicit Grid + Maths Function 14.5 Explicit Grid + Sets 14.6 Explicit Grid + Rotation 14.7 Explicit Grid + Extrusion 14.8 Explicit Grid + Polygon + Image Sampler + Extrusion 15.1 Overlapping Pattern + Image Sampler 15.2 Overlapping Pattern + Polygon + Image Sampler + Shader 15.3 Overlapping Pattern + Graph Sampler + Maths Function 15.4 Overlapping Pattern + Image Sampler + Rotation 15.5 Overlapping Pattern + Image Sampler + Extrusion 15.6 Overlapping Pattern + Graph Sampler + Extrusion 16.1-16.4 Surface Normal + Image Sampler 17 .1-17.5 Curve Division + Remap + Pipe 18.1-18.4 Surface Normal + Image Sampler + Extrusion
ombined w that Shading. Ta ith Data Dri king the fo ven rm further, version of I rotated a the data, p flatt roducing th is form... bla enned lablah.
Point, Data D
ri
1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix
Exploration: Surface Normals + Attractor Point + Data Driven Shading Using Surface Normals (Surface created by the Sum Surface component), Attractor Point, Data Driven Shading The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah.
The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. The attractor point was using to control the Using Surface Normals (Surface created by the Sum Surface component), Attractor P gradients of the colours.
Sum Surface component Taking the form further, I rotatedThearound one of thegenerated ends a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven of the form, expecting to produce a symmetrical flower. Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah. However, because the rotated data was flattened, not grafted, it produced I form I did not expect, and whose outcome I preferred than what I originally had in mind. Playing Using around Surface with Normals created Surface component), Attractor Point, Data Driven Shading the (Surface basic curve andby a the fewSum other parameters, I generated a few similar but different forms. The Sum Surface component generated a form that was interesting when combined with Data Driven Shading. Taking the form further, I rotated a flattenned version of the data, producing this form... blalablah.
Accidentally generating something better than what you were going for is all part of the voyage of discovery parametric design techniques can take you.
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Exploration: Custom + Image Sampler + Data Driven Components
This form was generated quite by accident through experimentation, where I tried disconnecting the curve component in the output definition from the one in the input definition, and assigning a new curve. Surprised by the complete change in form, I changed the input definition so that I will have more control over the density of the lines. Altering the base curve, I generated multiple different forms. Where no clear form is known, the use of scripts allow efficient form finding, where the simple alteration of base curves can generate very different forms.
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1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix
The form can also change quite radically by altering the bounds of the domain when remapping to a new domain in the associative definition. Image sampler is quite unlike traditional ways of designing, using the properties of images to affect various attributes of the design. In this case, it adds a sort of randomness to the density of the lines.
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Exploration: Surface Grids + Attractor Point + Circle
Top: Not much change to the original definition; remapped boundary is set at 0 to 0.8. This demonstrates the basic use of attractor points. Middle: Remapped boundary is reversed, and is set at 0.8 to 0. The circles now have a greater radius nearer to the attractor points, as was expected. Bottom: A second grid is placed on the top, both using different rows and columns but the same attractor point. This gives a similar but obviously different effect, which changes dynamically at different viewpoints - something that can be used in the Gateway project, where a static solid can be made to look dynamic.
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1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix
Exploration: Surface Grids + Attractor Point + Data Driven Extrusion
From top to bottom: First: Extrusion of circles according to attractor points; further emphasises the effect of the attractor point. Second: Experimentation with the possible uses of multiple attractor points; two attractor points, placed close together, were used in this case, with the relationship being subtraction. This resulted in some of the circles extruded in the opposite direction. Third: Same as the second image, but with attractor points further apart. Fourth: Two attractor points were used again in this case, however the relationship between them is changed to division, with the attractor points close together. These sequence of images explores the different effects of attractor points through the changing of parameters and slight alteration of code. It shows a gradual progression in form, and a metamorphosis of shapes - this could serve as an inspiration in the development of the Gateway form.
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Exploration: Surface Grids + Streaming Text Files + Rotation
From top to bottom: First: Little change to the original definition; a sequence of numbers in the streaming text file is used to rotate circles that have been offset (a fixed distance) slightly from the grid. Second: The streaming text file is used to affect the distance of the offset of the circles, in addition to rotation. Third & Fourth: The streaming text file is altered. This shows the effect of different data input into the streaming text file.
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1.2.2 Input/Association/Output Matrix
Exploration: Surface Grids + Streaming Text Files + Hexagon
Here the base shape used have been changed to polygons, with their number of segments based on the streaming text file. There is no rotation. This sequence of images demonstrates the effect that the alteration of scale has - the scale of the polygons were altered in fixed step intervals. They show a possible method in the generation of patterns. 25
Case Study: Gantenbein Winery Facade
The Martha und Daniel Gantenbein Winery in Fläsch, Switzerland by Bearth & Deplazes Architekten features uniquely textured brick walls. From the distance bubbles – or grapes – can be seen on the façade, while up close the various orientations of the bricks appear random.
The construction of this building was made feasible with the robot production method developed by the ETH (Zurich), which enabled all the bricks to be placed accordingly to their precisely programmed parameters. Without this technology it would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to create the building; determining the exact position and angle of every single brick manually would be very timeconsuming and is likely to have many errors. Robots have made complex brick walls a practical design possibility, bringing the design of brick buildings to another level. (Gramazio & Kohler 2006) 26
The textured brick walls are not purely for aesthetic purposes. The varying sizes of gaps in the bricks filter the sunlight entering the building, resulting in dappled light in the fermentation rooms; it allows natural light into the winery but protects the wine barrels from direct sunlight. This facade takes the techniques of stacking, rotation and image mapping. In this section I will explore the different variations possible while adopting these techniques.
1.2.3 Reverse Engineered Case Study
This matrix shows a variation in form by simply changing the scaling of the data from the image sampler. In regards to the Gateway project, it brings forth the concept of going from uncontrolled (rural) to organised (city). 27
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1.2.3 Reverse Engineered Case Study
Left: Exploration of using a fixed number of rows while changing the number of columns. Because the depth of each building block has been set to vary according to the density of the columns - thinner when denser to avoid overlaps in the blocks - the blocks are quite thin lower down in this series, This has the result of actually reducing the clarity of the image after a certain point. Center: Exploration of using a fixed number of columns while changing the number of rows. Compared to the exploration on the left, the effect of this method is the creation of forms that appear to look more three dimensional and blob-like. Right: Exploration of using the same number of rows and columns, going from sparse to very dense. After some point the increase in density makes little difference. Finding the optimal point can save in terms of time spent fabricating and assembling the Gateway, should this method be used. Note that the individual components are stacked one on top of the other; the idea here is not to create a brick wall, but a wall of panels, each column of panels held by a central rod structure system. This is to give flexibility to the base shape of the wall, allowing it to arch if necessary, should this method be used in the design of the Gateway project. 29
These different orientations of the same object shows the dynamism contained within it. It is a method that can be used to create a static object that nevertheless appears to be dynamic to the cars that travel on the freeway. Although only the first half of the orientation will be in the view of the driver, the full effect can be appreciated by passengers such as kids in the backseat.
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1.2.3 Reverse Engineered Case Study
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Reverse Engineer Fabrication: Banq
Of the three case studies my team did, we decided to choose the Banq to further develop in the fabrication process. This is as Banq’s organic form, with its series of progression planes, appeared to be the most relevant in showing the progression from rural to city. We wanted to mimic this form of progression and further understand its transition though fabricating it. Also, like the Winery Façade in Section 1.2.2, the Banq project also has a progression of views, where different orientations of the form has greatly differing effects – it moves from a solid organic structure to a linear slit form. We wanted to explore the diversity of views from its form which is seen from various perspectives such as a driver would view an object from the car. Fabrication would enable us to explore shadows and movement around the structure.
1.2.4 Fabrication
610 x 910
The curves used in the reverse engineering process was extracted and reorientated on the XY plane in Rhino. It was then rearranged and nested for fabrication. For this model, it was not necessary to label the components as it is relatively small and has been fabricated in order. The nested curves were then sent to the FabLab to be cut using the laser cutter. A relatively thick clear plastic was chosen as the material to explore the effects such curves would have with light.
First
As seen in the image above, the light refracted through the width of each curve produced an intriguing dappled light effect, The protective paper covering of the plastic have been left on. This interesting effect of light through a thick layer of clear plastic is perhaps something we could use in the Gateway project.
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Perforated Organic Surface
This paper model too made use of the laser cutter. It was created to try out the fabrication of a complex, organic surface, with perforations. This made use of a premade definition to triangulate the surface, unroll it in strips and add simple tabs.
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Here, I made the mistake of taking advantage of grasshopper to lay out hundreds of little circles, the sizes of which are controlled by an image sampler component. With �file-to-factory� fabrication processes, such complex shapes can be fabricated in a relatively short time. However, the model ended up to be very brittle, especially where the perforations are very dense - unlike digital models, there is tension in the paper and gravity is also acting on it. It was also very expensive to cut.
1.2.4 Fabrication
Voronoi
Again, this paper model made use of the laser cutter. Having decided to use voronoi as a means to create a pattern that goes from rigid to loose, we decided to fabricate the pattern we’ve created to explore the shadows it makes and the effect of having two layers of the same skin (refer to Section 2 for more details on the development of the design concept and the pattern).
This pattern was cut on a single flat surface, which was quite straightforward as there was no need to account for the curves in complex surfaces, such as the one in the previous page. There was no need for tabs nor triangulation.
Further development and rationalising of the form is out of the scope of this section, and will be continued in Section 2 of the journal.
With just the pattern, however, it becomes apparent that something has to be done to create a structure that is much more compelling. 35
1.3 Competitive Advantage
Parametric design brings to us new and diverse avenues to explore our design ideas. The Gateway project needs to advance itself and ensure that it is up to date with the ever advancing technology so as to create a new, inspiring and iconic project. Simply because of how modern and unutilised these new parametric technologies are, innovative and ground breaking designs can be generated. Efficiency in the design process is also another strong point for parametric modelling. The integration of parametric software can save the designer a lot of time by processing menial and repetitive tasks, and Computer Aided Manufacturing allows the fabrication of precise and large numbers of units through the use of computers. This gives us an extreme amount of efficiency in the Design to Construction process, thus benefitting the stakeholders of Wyndham City and the industry as a whole. Prefabricating the components off site and optimising them for transport would be an essential part of reducing the cost of construction on site, both in monetary terms and time.
whole range of factors, making the design itself more relevant and site specific. It gives us the possibilities to explore multiple parameters of data efficiently and link its performative features effectively to the design process. Using these technologies we can establish stronger relations between the design itself and the context of Wyndham City. With the ease of obtaining premade definitions, care must be taken so as to ensure that this feature is not exploited as a cloning tool but is instead used as a time-saver. Various combinations of relevant premade definitions can be used as a basis to allow for efforts to be focused on the development of the design – design concepts and required modifications can be applied to create a project that is original. All in all parametric design as a design tool brings vast avenue of benefits to both the designing and construction process. It not only expands various possibilities in efficiency and design freedom, but also develops a whole new depth for the design itself in its functionality and greater site value.
Parametric modelling also allows us to develop relationships between a
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2.0 Project Proposal
A few core ambitions and challenges as extracted from the design brief are:
“an exciting, eye catching installation at Wyndham’s Western Gateway” “upgrade the condition and aesthetics of its streetscapes” “propose new, inspiring and brave ideas, to generate a new discourse” “a proposal that inspires and enriches the municipality” “have longevity in its appeal, encouraging ongoing interest in the Western Interchange by encouraging further reflection about the installation beyond a first glance” In summary, the project has to be exciting, attention grabbing, inspiring and innovative. To achieve this, we have chosen to use parametric techniques due to its advantages as summarised in Section 1.3. We also believe that as it is installed at the gateway, a key objective is to create a project that exemplifies the change from Wyndham to Melbourne.
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2.1 Project Development
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2.1.1 Concept Development 2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising: From the start of the modelling process, we decided to take into account the fact that the design will have to be fabricated, preferably though the use of laser cutting. As such, this limitation was inevitably one of the drivers for the design - in this section, the completed form and its structure were designed such that they could be fabricated through laser cutting. As this section is quite technical, for the sake of making it not harder to follow than it already is, I’ve omitted all frustrations and problems encountered. These can be read in Appendix A: Informal Narrative. 2.1.3 Fabricating the Model: This section includes both the fabrication process and the problems encountered.
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The Concept
Our concept is one of change, from organised (city) to disorganised (rural/nature). As such, the gateway is one that is experienced over a distance on the freeway - the end nearer to the city should represent something that gives an idea of the city, and the other end should give an impression of nature. It should be obvious, yet perhaps not something too literal; in any case, it should be an eye-catching structure that can be appreciated by all ages. The series of diagrams on the right represent our conceptual idea. We looked at and abstracted nature and the built environment, their skylines, and their plans. This solidifies our concept, bringing us to the next stage of our project development - an exploration on ways to achieve this mess-torigid effect. We decided to focus on voronoi patterns as the basis in which to achieve this effect.
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2.1.1 Concept Development
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Focusing on Voronoi Patterns
Here we begin focusing on voronoi patterns as a way to portray the concept of change from organised (city) to disorganised (rural). 1st and 2nd column: Varies the random movement in the horizontal direction and vertical direction respectively. 3rd column: Combination of the previous two columns. This explores the effects of overlaying similar but different voronoi patterns.
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2.1.1 Concept Development
We then experimented with ways to increase the density of the grid to further emphasise the concept of change. These sequence of images show the addition of points according to the distance from one end of the pattern to further control the density of the pattern. From top to bottom: Addition of points throughout the grid to no addition of points. Unfortunately, the addition of points resulted in patterns that look spoilt by diagonal lines; they look better without the addition.
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Form Finding Before further development of the use of voronoi patterns on the project, it was necessary to decide on the type of form to use, and where it should be located.
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1. The site 2. Direction of traffic along the freeways 3. Site boundary 3
4. Chosen location for the installation: As the design should be one that is exciting, eye-catching, and improves the aesthetics of the streetscapes, we decided to locate our design along the middle of the three roads, in the shape of a (ridiculously) large tunnel-like form which seeks to have an impact on all three roads.
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5. Multiple experiences possible: Taking into account the location of the installation, and the three roads, we decided to aim to provide different experiences between those travelling through the form on road B, and those travelling alongside on roads A and C. To do so we decided on incorporating two layers into the form.
2.1.1 Concept Development
Rethinking “change” as a concept
With the installation acting as a gateway, one of our key design objective is to create a project that emphasises the change from Wyndham to Melbourne, the transition of space into the city. However, we realise that “change” is a very vague concept. Hence, we decided to focus on two aspects of change: 1. Change that is gradual, and 2. The contrast or difference in two areas that indicates a change in location. When one travels from place to place, the change is gradual. In the context of our site, there is the gradual increase and decrease of the density of buildings that define a city. Yet there is also a definite contrast in the two different places. These two aspects of change can be expressed in the two layers of the form. In the following section, these two layers will be referred to as the interior form and the exterior form.
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Interior Form | Gradual Change
To show a gradual change, we decided on an interior form similar to that of the Banq, which we have reverse engineered and fabricated previously (refer to Section 1.2.4).
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1. First, the isocurves were extracted from a surface which was modelled in rhino. Due to the way the surface was modelled, however, the isocurves were not neat and well spaced; note the curves that look more like squiggles than the arches they should be. 2. These isocurves were rebuilt to three control points so that they will all become planar arches. 3. Given that these isocurves will have to be slotted into rakes eventually, the orientation of the curves was modified for that to be possible. Note the lines drawn between the end points of the curves - the curves were orientated such that these lines become parallel.
2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
Altering depths of panels
To create an impression of a gradual increase in density of people and buildings between the two regions, the depth of the panels were increased such that as one moves towards Melbourne, the form appears solid for a longer period of time.
Altering distances between panels
To further emphasise the change in density, the Grasshopper definition was altered to allow control over the spacings of the panels. This was done using a graph mapper. The panels are placed at decreasing distances from one end to the other, with them closer together at the Melbourne end.
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Altering lengths of horizontal extensions
As the panels will have to be held in place by a rake that can be fabricated through laser cutting, the ends of the panels have to be extended out to meet the rake. A Grasshopper definition was written to allow the lengths of the extensions to be adjusted. After experimenting with a few different lengths, we decided on one that is as short as possible, cutting into the thicker panels.
Altering lengths of rakes
To create the notches, points were moved accordingly before being joined up. This resulted in a very crude rake, which had to be baked and trimmed manually in Rhino. The ends of the rake were extended and adjusted to a suitable length.
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2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
Due to time pressures and a requirement to work on the exterior form, we decided that for such a small number of panels, it was quicker to label them manually than to figure it out in Grasshopper. This was also true for the manual trimming of notches in the panels. This method is, however, extremely not parametric. A change in scale, or change in material, will mean that all the notches have to be adjusted manually, A change in shape or form meant that everything had to be trimmed again. A better method to create notches was found later on in the development of the exterior form. Once nested, it was ready to be sent for laser cutting.
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Exterior Form | Contrast of Change
To show the contrast of change, we decided on implementing voronoi patterns on the exterior form. Previously looked at in Section 2.1.1, we felt that the rigid shapes of voronoi was a good representation of the city, and the more organic shapes with filletted edges was a good representation of nature or rural areas. To express the contrast, we decided to cut out the middle section that shows gradual change. As a result, the exterior form is divided into two.
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2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
The image above gives a sense of what the exterior form will look like placed over the interior form. The following few pages will be focusing mainly on the development of the organic half of the form.
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First, it is necessary to get the required voronoi shapes, which can be done easily in Grasshopper through the use of a grid of random points. Unfortunately, Grasshopper’s Region Intersection component doesn’t seem to work very well. Occasionally voronoi curves will disappear, giving results such as those in the series of images on the left. Playing around with a few parameters allowed for the creation of one with curves missing only on the edges, giving an overall unbroken voronoi form.
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2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
The voronoi curves were then filleted, scaled, and morphed onto the surface of the form.
While the shapes have been morphed onto the surface, their midpoints have not. To get the midpoints, the curves had to be rebuilt, and a component used to find the average of the closed polylines. The midpoints are then used make the voronoi curves planar for fabrication.
As the panels cannot just float by itself, it needs to be on some kind of internal structure. Rather than connecting it to the interior form, we decided to use a separate structure. To do so, the midpoints are used to create a grid using the Delaunay triangulation method, the lines of which are automatically generated by Grasshopper. While quick, this method resulted in some lines that are unwanted or in the wrong position. To allow the lines to be easily modified, the lines in Grasshopper were baked, edited in Rhino, and referenced back into the definition. 55
The lines were then extruded according to their vector normals to the surface, their thickness adjusted accordingly to the thickness of the material.
As the structure is now much more complicated, the same crude method used to draw in the notches for the internal structure cannot be used here. Instead, the solid difference component was used to cut the notches.
The curved profiles of the solids were then extracted.
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2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
For the joints, circles were created and extruded to the required material thickness.
Once again, the solid difference component was used to cut the notches into the joints.
And the curved profiles of the solids extracted.
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With the definition already written, the rigid half of the exterior form can be generated quite quickly. Here is one of the time savers of parametric modelling in play.
After the generation of the shapes for the panels, the shapes were morphed onto the form and made planar for fabrication.
The same Delaunay triangulation method was used to create the grid of lines required for the structure.
Here, the manual modification of lines proved to be very useful, allowing for the structure to be modified into a rigid grid, so as to better express the rigidity of the panels.
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2.1.2 Digital Modelling and Rationalising
After continual adjustments to the diameter of the joints, the depth of the notches, and the grid structure, the curve profiles to be laser cut is orientated onto a flat plane, ready to be sent to the FabLab.
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Knowing that we will have to wait approximately a week for FabLab to laser cut, we decided to quickly label all the components using integers, instead of a more elaborate labelling system that references the components to each other.
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While the panels have the same number labelled as the circular joints, the rest of the structural members had messed up numbers. This meant that when putting the model together, we will have to refer to the digital model to know which structural member connects to what. It is a rather time-consuming process, but worth it in exchange of guaranteeing that we will be able to put our model together. 1. We began by sorting out the components and laying them out on the table in numerical order.
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2. Bolts were inserted into all the panels and the nuts tightened. 3. For the rigid panels, an error from the laser cutting process resulted in the panels not being labelled. We had to match each panel to their respective joints manually by making reference to the digital model.
2.1.3 Fabricating the Model
The panels were connected to the circular joints, and the structural members glued to the circular joints methodically. Piecing together the pieces was quite a frustrating process, with the panels coming loose, the joints refusing to stay in place, the structure bending out of shape and occasionally falling apart. Despite having unique notches that theoretically hold the structural members at the right orientations, the members can still move a little in their notches. While they cannot move by much, when putting the whole structure together, the small margin of errors add up, and there were times when it felt that putting the model together was going to be impossible. Thankfully, with effort and time, it was possible after all, and we managed to piece the entire model together. The structure, while looking nice and strong in the digital model, is hardly the same in the physical model. The glued joints are not particularly strong enough to hold the entire structure together, and it was not as self supporting as we had hoped. As the interior structure, made of Perspex, was quite fragile, we had to avoid putting any of the weight of the exterior form on it. Since the exterior form is not grounded to the base, the structural members are not held in tension and the form does not hold itself in the right shape. To solve this we tied the ends of the exterior structure with string, a crude solution, but one that worked. To provide additional support, we had to use make-shift columns to support the exterior form. Also a crude method, but one that worked. 61
2.2 Final Project
2.2.1 The Physical Model 2.2.2 How It Is Experienced 2.2.3 The Real Installation 2.2.4 Conclusion
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2.2.1 The Physical Model
Views
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2.2.2 How It Is Experienced
As mentioned in Section 2.1.1, our design features two layers, aiming to provide different experiences between those travelling through the form, and those travelling alongside it. These two layers are used to express two aspects of change: gradual change in the interior form (experienced primarily by road B), and the contrast of change in the exterior (experienced primarily by roads A and C). A and C: With the middle section of the exterior form removed, the contrast of the two ends is apparent. Through the gap, it is possible to catch a glimpse of the interior form, suggesting the different experience on road B. B: As one travels through the form towards Melbourne, the wide gaps in the interior form progressively becomes smaller, until the form appears to be solid.
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Light and Shadows
Image on left: The exterior form can also be experience when travelling through the installation. On the Wyndham end where the interior panels are placed further apart, there is a disorganized dappled pattern in the light and shadows. It then becomes brighter with the gap in the exterior form, then increasingly darker again with the increase in thickness of the interior form. Image on right: At night, we envision the structural members of the installation to glow. We propose three possible ways to achieve this: 1. The use of phosphorescence coating on the structural members - a plausible method, although unlikely to be as bright as in the image. We will assume this method in Section 2.2.3. 2. Installation of solar panels on the upper panels to convert solar energy into electricity, which is used to power fluorescent lights wrapped around the structural core of the members. 3. Establish electrical connection on site. However, it must be noted that as stated in the design brief, the electrical establishment cost is approximately $50,000, excluding additional costs for connection and luminaries. Design concepts are explicitly asked to consider alternative lighting. 68
2.2.2 How It Is Experienced
Elevation
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Jointing Method The jointing method for the full-scale on-site installation is similar to that used in our physical model at 1:200. In the physical model, the plywood structural members are held together by circular joints with unique notches, which hold the members at their correct orientations. Panels are held away from the joints through the use of screws and bolts, a panel directly above each joint. In the full-scale installation, the plywood structural members and screws will be replaced by steel rods with phosphorescent coating, and the joints replaced by CNC machine forged steel nodes. While the structural members were glued together in the physical model, the steel members will be welded together.
Fabrication Documents The fabrication documents are quite different for the real installation compared to the physical model. While the physical model is made of plywood and Perspex, the real installation will be made primarily of steel. These two materials require very different information for fabrication. To laser cut, we produce lines from the digital model. To cut steel rods, we need to provide the numerical lengths, and to mould steel nodes we provide the 3D model to be moulded. 70
2.2.3 The Real Installation
Assembly On Site
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The many unique panels and joints are prefabricated in factories, arranged and sorted before being transported to the site to be assembled. This series of images shows the overall sequence of construction on site: 1. First, structural columns are placed over pile footings, over which the rake of the internal structure is placed. 2. The panels of the internal structure are connected to the rakes (footings omitted from diagram).
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3. The exterior steel structure then goes over the interior structure, it’s edges connected to the rakes by horizontal metal rods - they do not touch the panels of the interior form. 4. Unlike how the physical model was put together, the panels are placed last over the steel structure.
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2.2.4 Conclusion
Overall, as required by the brief, the design aims to encourage ongoing interest in the Western Interchange by encouraging further reflection about the installation beyond first glance. An existing roadside installation which has been successful in doing so is the “House in the Sky” project (refer to p. 6 for more details on this project), whose multiple and ambiguous meanings sparked off discussion and drew attention to it. This method was applied to and is evident in our design.
Wyndham out? What is the obvious discontinuity of form trying to imply? Incompleteness? That things continue to change?
While the organic end of the form can be considered to be representing Wyndham (relatively rural), and the rigid end Melbourne, it is also possible that the gap in the exterior form is actually representing Wyndham as a transition point between Melbourne and other, more rural areas.
All these ambiguous meanings and possible implications is likely to help generate discussion about the project, drawing attention to the project and contributing to architectural discourse.
In its representation of Wyndham and Melbourne, the design can pose many meanings and implications. If the gap does indeed represent Wyndham, could the exterior form be implying something by leaving
Traveling through the interior, it gets darker on the city end. Does that have a deeper meaning other than an increase in the density of buildings? There could also be disagreements with the form, with some believing that the more messy end of the form should be representing the energy and activity of city life.
There is no actual name for this project. Officially named “Change”, there are many other names that can be given to it, depending on the person’s own opinions on what the design is. This is, of course, subjected to change. At the time of writing this, I would personally call it “Layers of Change”.
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2.3 Taking It Further
2.3 Taking it Further
Feedback from the critics suggested other variations of the form. It is generally thought that the gap does not feel right, and is not the best design choice. While we still think that our design proposal sparks more interest, and works better as an iconic structure, this section is dedicated to the suggested variation in the design - a removal of the interior form, and a voronoi exterior that shows the gradual change from organic to rigid. (If there’s anyone who wants to contribute a couple of days and a few hundred dollars to construct this, feel free to get the fabrication files from anyone in the design team.)
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Panels Above & Below Structure
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2.3 Taking it Further
Panels Above Structure
Panels Below Structure
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3.0 Learning Objectives & Outcomes
3.1 Personal Background
I will begin this section with a bit of background about myself. Having taken Informatics as a breadth subject, I have had some knowledge on computer coding in Python. While this is quite different from Grasshopper, the understanding I have on data structures such as lists could be reapplied to some extent on Grasshopper, allowing me to pick up the graphical algorithm editor relatively quickly. I have also attended the Bend Workshop over the summer break, meaning that I’ve had some understanding of what Grasshopper can do from the very start of the semester, and also have had some knowledge on the usage Grasshopper beforehand. More information on the workshop can be found at http://www.exlab.org/2012/01/bend-workshop/
I have never really modelled in Rhino before, although to prepare for the subject I have gone through all the relevant videos I could find at lynda.com.
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Regardless of my prior knowledge of computing, I have learnt quite a fair bit during this semester. Doing the readings provided in the first few weeks and using them to write the EOI has taught me much about the benefits of parametric modelling. I knew from the Bend Workshop that Grasshopper can be used to create quite amazing designs, but I’ve never thought very deeply about it. The construction of an argument such as in the EOI was an interesting process. I have never heard of the term “Expression of Interest” before it was introduced in the subject. Now I have some experience on how to write one, even if all but one of the projects in it was not done by me. My skill in utilising Grasshopper has improved substantially. As mentioned before in one of the lectures, it will take years and heaps of practice before one becomes a master of any skill. With the generation of matrices, the reverse engineering, and the development of the design proposal, I have had many opportunities to develop my skill in Grasshopper. I’ve even had opportunities to help and teach fellow peers, where I’ve deepened my understanding through teaching.
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3.2 Learning Progress & Outcomes
Quite a fair bit of my Grasshopper explorations did not make it into the journal in the earlier sections. This is in the attempt to keep the journal readable. A few explorations I’ve done can be seen in the series of images on the left. Those involved 3D voronoi. While not used in the design eventually, the knowledge I’ve gained in creating them will stay with me. My improvement in Grasshopper can probably be best picked up from an informal narrative I have written when coding for Section 2.1.2 on Digital Modelling and Rationalising. This informal narrative can be read in Appendix A.
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3.2 Learning Progress & Outcomes
Practice in other programs such as Rhino, InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop has improved my competence in them as well. I have also learnt of the existence of this really awesome digital publishing website known as Issuu. How could I not have known about it? To be honest, I have not done much hands-on in terms of taking good photographs. But while I’ve known next to nothing about them before, I’ve now seen many examples of good photography, and I have also seen photography studios set up by students. I’ve learnt basic concepts about how to photograph models, such as no “God shots”, and the use of focus to get into a space. I am also inspired to take up photography over the winter break, and to develop this skill. Working in a group have brought annoyance, frustrations, and many misunderstandings. But I have also learnt plenty from them, including prioritising and time management, photography, rendering, layout styles, how to make use of FabLab, how to get to Forest’s house...
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3.3 Future Work
I’ve found that I really do like the benefits provided by Grasshopper, and that it is definitely a tool that I will continue to utilise in the future. In fact, the use of Grasshopper was (almost) instantly applied to another design subject I was taking concurrently - an immediate application of my knowledge gained from this subject. In that design project, the development of which began in Week 8, I made use of my understanding of voronoi gained in Section 2.1.1 on Voronoi Patterns (p. 44), as well as the Attractor Point definition we explored in Section 1.2.2 (p. 19, 22, 23). More on this project can be read in Appendix B.
All in all, the subject has been very demanding and expensive, but I have survived, and along with it made a couple of new friends and have further developed both new and existing skills.
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4.0 Additional Notes
4.1 Appendix A: Informal Narrative
Warning: Some parts of this narrative may be difficult to follow, unless you happen to be on the same wavelength as me. I have changed the original version as little as possible in hopes to capture my frustrations and thought process.
Developing a design and rationalising it for fabrication has taught me a lot about grasshopper. The creation of the Banq panels was surprisingly challenging. I was given a surface of the form to work with, from which I created the panels. First I extracted the isocurves from the surface – because of the way the surface was created, the isocurves do not run smoothly across the surface; to ensure that the curves are planar (since the curves will be used to cut the panes), I rebuilt the curves, giving them three control points each. I then scaled these curves according to different scaling factors to create the inner curved profile of the panels. Then came the problem of holding the panels together. My first thought was to hold it up using rakes. However, the shape of the surface meant that the rake not only have to curve in the horizontal direction, but also in the vertical direction. Yet, the curves will have to be cut out from a flat piece of material.
I tried breaking up the rake into portions – very time consuming, and challenged my understanding of how to manipulate data structures. But after looking at what I’ve generated, I realised that it wasn’t such a good idea. The structure will be too weak. Afterthought: I can no longer find the definition where I did this. I had thought I’ve saved a copy, but it seems not to be the case. In the future, I have to try to remember to save my futile efforts as well, or export images of them, even if I do not like to pause to take images for documentation when trying to solve problems in Grasshopper.
I reverted back to the idea of using a straight rake, extending the ends of the curve panels horizontally such that the ends line up and can be slotted into a single rake. With feedback from my team, I shortened the horizontal extensions. To create the notches, I grabbed the points and moved them accordingly, before joining them up. This resulted in a very crude rake, which was baked and trimmed properly in rhino by a team member.
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I then moved on to the task of joining the organic voronoi panels together. We decided on using a structural grid separate from the panels, which will be used to hold up the panels. This, like the previous Banq-like panels, proved to be far more difficult to create than I could have imagined. I believe that I learnt the most in creating this structural grid then on any other exercise. The main problem lies in getting the centre point of the voronoi panels after morphing it onto the surface of the form. With the centre points used to create the voronoi patterns, I thought it would be easy… I did not realise that the centre point will be lost when the voronoi is morphed onto the surface. With the surface being curved, the morphed voronoi curves are not flat – I need to flatten them by projecting them onto their unique planes. To get these planes I need the centre points of the voronoi surface, which I do not have. One way to get the centre points was to use the use the Evaluate Surface component with uv coordinates {0.5,0.5,0} – but I cannot get a surface from curves that are not flat. The Dilemma Goal: Make Curves Planar Method: Project onto planes Require: Centre points Method: Evaluate Surface {0.5,0.5,0} Require: Flat Surface i.e. Planar Curves
I then tried using a Delaunay triangulation method, creating a grid of lines
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using the voronoi centres and then morphing this grid onto the surface. With this, I can get the end points, which will be the centres of the voronoi morphed on the surface. (I believe this was a possible method suggested by Dave, although I may have misunderstood). Then came an unforeseen problem. The points, while in the right location, are in a completely different data structure as the voronoi panels. By this I mean that the item with index 0 of the list of points is different from that of the item with index 0 in the list of panels. As I need them to have the same data structure, I tried a variety of methods to reorganise the structure – testing for point containment in each curve is one of them. Suffice to say it did not work. Again the points are in a different order to the curves. Needless to say I was really frustrated by now. I looked through the components again – surely, surely there’s a way to compute the centre of closed curves?! After searching for a while, I found this component that finds the average of closed polylines. My voronoi curves are unfortunately not polylines, but that was easily remedied by rebuilding the curves – bam! Finally I have a series of points in the right data structure. With that, I was able to flatten all the voronoi panels. Hallelujah.
4.1 Appendix A: Informal Narrative
Now to create the grid structure. This I did using the Delaunay triangulation method. With the lines automatically generated for me, but with some lines I did not like, and having no data structure whatsoever, I was stumped. Putting some thought into it, I realised that I do not need the data structure of the lines to be the same as the voronoi panels. I only need the lines themselves to get their vector normals to the surface, which I will use for extrusion. As the line does not have to have any particular data structure, I can bake the lines, edit the structure, and reference the lines back into grasshopper. A simple solution, and one that took me some time to think – this made me reflect on my line of thought previously, and redefined my personal understanding of parametric. Previously, I’ve always thought that a good definition is one where you just need to put in a few simple inputs at the start, and the end result will be generated automatically, with a few sliders to further customise the output. The joints were simple enough, being a circle created from a radius and vector, which is the same vector I used to flatten the voronoi curves.
jointing method, I found that using the same method will be impossible. Without going into too much detail, I ended up using solid difference to cut the notches into the joints and joists. The next problem I had was to extract the curve profiles I wanted. I tried exploding the brep to get a surface (from which I can extract the curve profile for cutting), but surprisingly the faces I wanted have different indices in some breps. I then tried using a solid to trim a surface, but to my disbelief, there were curves to trim a solid, surface to trim a solid, and various other combinations, but no solid to trim a surface. Dumbfounded, I looked through the grasshopper components (and forum) again in hopes to find one that would work for me. Then I found a component that could extract a curve from an intersection between a solid and a plane. Another simple solution that have never occurred to me before, and one that I will remember. Afterthought: Thinking back, I believe this was covered in one of the exercises. How could I have forgotten?
Next was to create the notches for fabrication. Previously, I used points in the internal structure to draw the notches. In this more complicated
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Finally, with the curve profiles extracted, it was straightforward enough to reorient them onto the xy plane for fabrication. Quite a few tweaks were required to ensure that the joints and joists intersect correctly. This was the most time consuming process, as solid difference takes a long time. With the joists having a different data structure from the joints, it was improbable to devise a labelling system that indicates which joist should be connected to which joints. In the end, I simply labelled both the digital model and the curves for fabrication. We will have to refer to the digital model when putting the model together, but it should be possible. With the grid structure taking the same base input of points as the joints, and the possibility of editing the lines in the grid structure, the definition is one that can be reused again. Parametric techniques for the win! Afterthought: This was indeed reused, not only for the generation of the structure for the rigid panels, but also for the generated structures in Section 2.3.
MORE PROBLEMS Joints and joists are too big for the 1:200 scale! When making the joints bigger, they start to overlap. I managed to adjust it such that only one joint is ignored.
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only one ignored
4.1 Appendix A: Informal Narrative
The grid structure is weirder now, hopefully it will still be structurally sound. Material has to be thin, unsure if it will be able to hold up screws. Then the problem with invalid curves. For some reason, after reorientation to the xy plane, the curved profiles for my joints becomes invalid. Thankfully, a quick search on invalid curves resulted in http://www.grasshopper3d. com/forum/topics/problem-withinvalid-curves from the grasshopper forum, which provided a simple solution to the problem. Grasshopper is not a flawless tool. As I baked out the numbers required for the labelling, I looked again at the curves of the labels that I was supposed to etch. Not believing that each number has to have so many lines, I search for a reason as to why it is not a true single line font – only to find that it was because I did not have the font in my computer. Good grief. what I first got:
what it should be:
Until now, I still do not know what went wrong when I tried to adjust a parameter for the rigid panels. I had an output of trimmed surfaces, which I extruded. But not all extruded, and I ended up with something like this:
The darker green circles are closed breps that have extruded correctly. The lighter ones are surfaces that did not extrude. When baking in rhino, I could extrude them manually, but when referencing those newly extruded surfaces into Grasshopper, they were labelled as open breps, not closed breps. I’ve put it down as a Grasshopper flaw as I can see no other explanation for it.
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4.2 Appendix B: Another Design Project Explorations: Landscape Studio 1
The Potter Cafe Open Space Design
Exploding the site and freezing time To bring light underground To create an intriguing space to explore
BOOM.
To put it simply, for this project, we were required to design an intervention that provides a memorable experience and image of the site. There is a basement under the site which used to be the Physics Betatron Laboratory, and had been used for nuclear experiments, Not going into details, my key concepts are the explosiveness of nuclear power, and the bringing of light into the basement. To achieve this, I “blew� up the site. This project utilised the Grasshopper knowledge I had gained from Architecture Design Studio: Air, and applied it to create a project that was original and well accepted.
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4.3 References
Architecture Australia (2012). “RadarProjects”. ArchitectureMedia. Accessed 7 Mar 2012. <http://www.architecturemedia.com/aa/aaissue.php?article=8>. Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley). Gramazio & Kohler (2006). “Gantenbein Vineyard Facade”. Accessed 7 Mar 2012. <http://www.gramaziokohler.com/web/e/ projekte/52.html>. Henry, Christopher (2011). “Tverrfjellhytta / Snøhetta”. ArchDaily. Accessed 11 Mar 2012. <http://www.archdaily. com/180932>. Minner, Kelly (2011). “Moving Homeostatic Facade Preventing Solar Heat Gain”. ArchDaily. Accessed 7 Mar 2012. <http:// www.archdaily.com/101578>. Institute for Computational Design (2011). “ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011”. Accessed 19 Mar 2012. <http://www.archdaily. com/180932>. Kalay, Yehuda E (2004). Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press), pp. 5 - 25. Kolarevic, Branko (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press).
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4.4 Credits
A sincere thank you to the members of my design team, Qing Ping Lee Lim and Zhenghong Pan (Forest), and to my tutors Jerome Frumar and David Lister.
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