ABPL30048 ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN STUDIO: AIR SEMESTER 2 2017 TUTORIAL 4 - BRAD ELIAS AMANI ELJARI - 757362
Table of Contents
Introduction Part A: Conceptualisation
A.1 Design Futuring
A.2 Design Computation
A.3 Composition/Generation
A.4 Conclusion
A.5 Learning Outcomes
A.6 Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches
FIG.1: MOSQUITO WIREFRAME SKETCH
Introduction
FIG.2: IMAGE OF MYSELF
My name’s Amani and I’m a third year architecture student at the University of Melbourne. My interests are very much based in the architecture field, hence my major! I’m enthusiastic about all things design and constantly seeking new ways to enhance my own skills. As I progress with my studies I am coming to further understand the incredible effect that digital design is having on architecture. Furthermore how digital design is beginning to overlap the stages of concept and production in the form of digital fabrication. I love this aspect as I find it gives you more control over your work and allows numerous trials and prototypes to be done with greater ease and efficiency. The further I get in my degree and through producing my own work, I come to realise that the gap between concept and production grows ever smaller. As mentioned in Oxman1, there is a digital continuum from design to production that could not be achieved from the man-machine relationship. In the past I have predominantly used Rhino 3D but had never used Grasshopper before Air, so I am excited to discover its potential. The next page shows some of my previous work that was highly related to
1 Rivka Oxman & Robert Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), p.2. 4
CONCEPTUALISATION
FIG.3: ME WEARING THE FINAL MODEL
FIG.4: RHINO MODEL OF BASIC SHAPE OF FRAME
This second year subject focussed on both designing and fabricating digitally using Rhino and laser cutters. Through exploration of a simple waffle system and observation of case studies such as the C-Space Pavillion I arrived at this shape that aimed to demonstrate the idea of personal space around a person’s body. Over the term of this subject my skills with Rhino improved enormously and it really made me come to realise the gains that the architectural world is making from digital design methods.
CONCEPTUALISATION 5
A.1 Design Futuring
It can no longer be assumed that humans have a future1. If we reflect on the world we live in today, it is easy to recognise that we, as a species, have sacrificed the sustainability of our planet. This is as a consequence of our population, technologies, and economy, among other things. The most plausible strategy to provide some kind of future for us is through design; ‘the state of the world and the state of design need to be brought together’2.
1 Tony Fry, Design Futuring: Sustainability,
Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p. 1
2 Tony Fry, Design Futuring: Sustainability,
FIG.5: MOSQUITO BY FRANÇOIS ROCHE AND R&SIE(N) (2003)
Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), p. 4
Much of François Roche’s work heavily incorporates environmental aspects into architecture by using morphogenetic and parametric techniques. Using Mosquito as an example, the main aim of these works is to demonstrate that nature cannot be domesticated and predictable, it must bring some aspect of fear or repulsion. The link between nature and construction is one that has become vital in recent times as we start to question the future of humans on Earth. Ideas that were once radical have now become common practice; we need to live more sustainably. Digital design has expanded the possibilities for architects who can now design a lot more specifically. Programs such as Grasshopper can also enable us to design more sustainably through use of environmental analysis, circulation analysis, and structural optimisation. The computability of a design now dictates the constructability1.
1
Branko Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003).
FIG.6: MOSQUITO ELEVATIONS
6
CONCEPTUALISATION
The Italian group ‘Superstudio’ was at the heart of architecture and design during the late 60s to 70s; they were known to challenge the way architecture was considered in previous decades. They questioned architecture’s ability to change the world, the possibility of design being the only way for us to have a future. They raised awareness of the potentially negative effect of architecture on the environment at a time when these issues of sustainability were rarely contemplated. The ideas of Superstudio, along with other like-minded designers, were revolutionary in that they knew that something had to be done in order for us to open up possibilities for a more preferable future for humankind1. This may have seemed radical at the time since it is often hard for us to sense how bad things will really get. It seems this idea of de-futuring our species is likely still radical to many people since if it wasn’t, there would be a lot more effort to save our planet. Despite this, Superstudio’s work did enlighten many people and although the below precedent ‘Niagara’ was not a built example they still had an impact through multimedia techniques. The uncertainty of our future has been an urgent push in current architectural practise; architects are much more aware of sustainability and how to design more passively to limit damage to our environment. Earlier works like that of Superstudio were definitely very influential.
1 6.
Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2013) p.
FIG.7: SUPERSTUDIO - NIAGARA/THOUGHTFUL ARCHITECTURE (1970)
CONCEPTUALISATION
7
A.2 Design Computation
Has design computation jeopardised our ability of creative thought by encouraging ‘fake’ creativity? I have to question whether this concept of fake creativity has only emerged with the rise in design computation. When architects hand drew they were also copying elements from precedent structures, thus the emergence of such distinct architectural styles throughout history. Computational thinking enables us to bend computation to our needs so we can understand the aspects of a problem that work with computation and what the limitations and benefits of the computational tools and techniques may be. Computation is the procedure of calculating and determining something by mathematical or logical methods. Computation expands the human intellect through our need to problem solve, as opposed to computerisation, which is simply entering already conceptualised ideas from the designer’s mind into the computer to be stored.
FIG.8: GRASSHOPPER OCTREE COMMAND PERSON 8
CONCEPTUALISATION
FIG.9: GEHRY SKETCH DESIGN OF GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
FIG.10: GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM, BILBAO - GEHRY, 1997
Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao was an influential design marking transformation at the end of the century. It was analog in design and digital in production; contrary to common practice where architect’s design digitally and then produce by manual labour. His initial sketches were computerised by his team of architects as they simply entered his idea into a computer system to be stored. However the way that they then went on to manipulate the form to find the final Guggenheim was a process of computation. They explored with reasoning and logic to to arrive at the finished product. Migayrou formulated a theory of architectural design as the inherent mutations of matter in which geometry and production are an integrated process of variable actualisation1. Through parametric design thinking they were able to think about the structure in parts and as a whole to arrive at the optimum outcome. The Vitruvian effect descibes a digital continuum from design to production, which transcends the man-machine relationship that humans have known for hundreds of years 2. This continuum of conception, generation, and production is a digital cycle of procurement that aims to eventually remove the need for human assistance and multiple drawings. This will ultimately move towards having everything included in one 3D digital model, completely redefining current practice. The name Vitruvian is in reference to Roman architect Vitruvius who wrote the Ten Books on Architecture, which outlined architectural fundamentals. In a way we are now rewriting modern day fundamentals of architecture in a digital sense. This shift to digital conceptualisation, generation, and production has replaced a lot of human input in the production field. Not long ago architect’s would be on site tellng humans what to do, now we use digital counterparts, computers. Digitally, we can be ‘on-site’ designing things and manufacturing though digital fabrication. This benefits the welfare of humans who were made to work as well as increasing ease for the designer to make lots of trials and prototypes.
1 2
Rivka Oxman & Robert Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), p. 2 Rivka Oxman & Robert Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), p. 1
CONCEPTUALISATION 9
A.3 Composition/Generation
FIG.11: GENERATION OF SETS OF LINES INTO SKELETON-LIKE FORM
The shift from composition to generation has been quite recent, however has been a major changing factor in modern practise. Composition can be a playful, abstract thing; it is the way a whole design is made up. The alternative however is to generate form. This means to actually create something. Digital design has enabled us to generate form through computation. The difference between these two terms can be likened to the opposing methods of modelling a tree by Aristid Lindenmayer and Thomas Gainsborough. Where Gainsborough described the tree once it was grown (composition), Lindenmayer grew the tree (generation)1. Computation has allowed architects to generate rather than compose. Computers follow algorithms, which are an unambiguous, precise list of simple operations applied mechanically and systematically to a set of objects. However, this obliterates the crucial notion of a virtual machine, while subtly reinforcing the idea of a ‘ghost in the machine’2.
1 2
10
Bradley Elias, Lecture 3, 2017. Robert A Wilson & Frank C Keil, Definition of ‘Algorithm’, (London: MIT Press), pp. 11, 12
CONCEPTUALISATION
FIG.12: CONTOUR LINES MADE WITH GRASSHOPPER
Architects can use algorithms to turn meaningless arrays of lines or patterns into more tangible objects such as Fig.11. When birds flock each one follows the ones to either side but don’t actually know where they are going. This natural pattern of a bird flock can made into an algorithm by understanding the concepts of separation, alignment, and cohesion1. Then the question becomes what to do with this algorithm now. Generation allows for numerous different versions using the algorithm to be done, so the designer can experiment. From there, like the journey from Gehry’s sketch to the finished Guggenheim, the pattern can be reasoned with through problem solving in computation to arrive at an optimum design.
1
Craig W Reynolds, Flocks, Herds, and Schools:A Distributed Behavioral Model (1986). FIG.13: BIRDS FLOCKING - SHOWS HOW TO GENERATE IDEAS FROM NATURAL PATTERNS
CONCEPTUALISATION 11
A.4 Conclusion It can no longer be assumed that we, as humans, have a future on Earth. The importance of designing for the environment has taken a long time to be this prominent in societal thinking. The link between nature and construction has become vital along with the expansion of digital design, which has allowed architects to design more specifically. Design is possibly the only way for us to live sustainably, the only way for us to have a future. Computation has become the future for design, it expands our ability to problem solve. We are working towards a state of digital continuum through concept, generation, and production, known as the Vitruvian effect. This will eventually eliminate the need for human assistance, going beyond representation; having everything to do with a structure in a single, unified, 3D digital model. Digital design has enabled us to generate form through computation rather than just compose a form of already preconceived elements. By following algorithms, computers can imitate natural patterns such as the bird flock. This pattern can then be evolved into a design through reasoning and problem solving. I intend to approach my design in a generative manner as opposed to compositional. I believe that generation is the future of design and is important for understanding the impacts of design on the environment. It would be extremely difficult to design this way without computers, but algorithms and parametric design allow architects to better understand the way things work together. This is leading us to a more innovative future where we are not as much reliant on composing elements of past work into our own. In this sense, generative design will increase our chances of having a future on Earth, being beneficial to our planet and therefore us. We must come to terms with the fact that design is the only way to provide us, as a species, with a future.
FIG.14: GRASSHOPPER PLANAR SURFACES MODEL 12
CONCEPTUALISATION
A.5 Learning Outcomes I have enjoyed learning about the theory and practice of architectural computing, it has always been a subject that interests me. I found that I was familiar with the importance of creating sustainable design on our future and the close link between design and fabrication that has recently emerged. However there was so much that I did not know before this semester and it makes me eager to continue with the subject and discover even more that I don’t know. I am starting to see the real potential of architectural computing along with the concept of the continuum between conceptualisation, generation, and production and how far this concept can go. In regards to some of my past work, such as the one presented in the introduction, this knowledge could have been really helpful. In essence, that project was distorting the human shape but it does not even scratch the surface of the potential of what can be achieved using programs like Grasshopper.
FIG.15: GRASSHOPPER TRIANGULATION ALGORITHM
CONCEPTUALISATION 13
A.6 Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches
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CONCEPTUALISATION
CONCEPTUALISATION 15
REFERENCES Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2013). Elias, Bradley, Lecture 3, 2017. Fry, Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg).
Oxman, Rivka & Oxman, Robert, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge). Reynolds, Craig W, Flocks, Herds, and Schools:A Distributed Behavioral Model (1986). Wilson, Robert A. & Keil, Frank C, Definition of ‘Algorithm’, (London: MIT Press).
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