Widjaja Sabrina 830982 Final Journal by Arianna Garay

STUDIO: AIR

SABRINA WIDJAJA 830982 TUTOR: DAN SHULZ SEMESTER 1 2018

CONCEPTUALISATION

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 INTRODUCTION

6 PART A.1

DESIGN FUTURING

14 PART A.2

DESIGN COMPUTATION

22 PART A.3

COMPOSITION/ GENERATION

30 PART B.1

RESEARCH FIELD

40 PART B.2

CASE STUDY 1.0

48 PART B.3

CASE STUDY 2.0

48 PART B.4

TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

60 PART B.5

MATERIAL STUDY

78 PART C.1

DESIGN CONCEPT

96 PART C.2

TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPES

116 PART C.3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL 140 PART C.4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

CONCEPTUALISATION

INTRODUCTION My name is Sabrina Widjaja and I am currently in my third year studying Architec ture and Construc tion Management. I’ve lived in several countries, spending most of my time in America and Australia. I have lived in Australia for the past six years and I graduated from the International Baccalaureate Program at Tintern Grammar. I’ve known I wanted to study architec ture throughout high school. During my fir t year of architec ture, I discovered my interest in construc tion and decided to pick up construc tion management. Since then, I have grown a larger preference for construc tion than architec ture. Despite my preference, I have enjoyed the studios that I’ve taken so far, as it has challenged me to explore my ideas and broaden my skills. I have learned a new program with each studio that I’ve taken, just like how I have to learn how to use Grasshopper for Air. I’ve found using programs such as Revit dif ficult before, so I hope I will be able to under take the challenge of learning Grasshopper and incorporate it into my designs.

CONCEPTUALISATION

A.1

CONCEPTUALISATION

A.1.1 TREE PRECEDENTS

The Oak Lawn at the Botanical Gardens showcases the oak tree that belongs to the genus Quercus, which comprises over 60 0 dif ferent species. Oak trees are t ypically found in the Nor thern Hemisphere, but the Botanical Gardens is tr ying to showcase the range of plant species they have to of fer. Oak trees are popular for animal habitation due to their large size, which can reach up to 30 meters in height and 3 meters in width. They also produce various t ypes of leaves that can be lobed, serrated or flat on the edges and acorns. The acorns are able to feed common animal species such as squirrels and deers. The base of the oak tree wraps around the base like muscles inter weiving. to form a large mass. When I obser ve the direc tions of the bark, they travel in various direc tions before they move up and out to create inter vieving branches. The pat tern of the bark mirrors the branches at the top of the tree.

CONCEPTUALISATION

THE OAK TREE ‘QUERCUS’ From the direc tions of the tree’s base, i noticed that it creates a swirly pat tern that could be a precendent for my final design. A canpy like struc ture that has legs to make it stand is what came out of the tree’s natural movement. I imagined the sec tion of the oak tree as hollows that has formed af ter it has experienced a fungal disease that caused the tree to rot. It would then create an inter weaving pat tern of hollows that are almost dark and c ynical, but creates a safe haven for lit tle crit ters. I also noticed the pat tern of the bark appears to resemble chipped paint, where it peels in an abstrac t pat tern. The pat tern creates a natural puzzle piece that is unique and can never be re created. I decided to have the oak tree as my precendent because I think of it as nature reusing itself from it being a tree and housing cer tain species of animals to losing its limbs and bark to house the species that live on the ground.

CONCEPTUALISATION

A.1.2.1 PRECEDENT 1

Bjarke Ingels was labelled as one of the most creative people in the world due to his innovation to change the current status quo through his designs. It’s no secret that Ingels is an architec t who pushes the boundaries through his large designs that has occupied par ts of the world. Through his designs, he has discovered a new architec tural st yle and thrives with the current issues experienced in the world— Hedonistic Sustainabilit y. Hedonistic sustainabilit y is defined as “sustainabilit y that improves the qualit y of life and human enjoyment”. Ingels developed this term through the Waste to Energy Plant located in Copenhagen, Denmark. The struc ture strives to be ‘sustainable’ in a way that it produces enough energy to generate heat and elec tricit y for 140,0 0 0 homes. The utilisation of the struc ture and the space it has makes it hedonistic, where the struc ture has created another form of enter tainment for the area. Through this design, Ingels has redefined the term sustainabilit y, as sustainabilit y is of ten associated with sacrifice. An example of this would be the fac t that if someone were to buy an elec tric car in order to be more environmentally conscious, they would have to give up power and speed. This is not the case with hedonistic sustainabilit y, as its aim is to improve daily lives whilst adapting to the needs of the current world today, one of which is the need to be more conscious of the environment due to our past ac tions.

CONCEPTUALISATION

WASTE TO ENERGY PLANT BJARKE INGELS His struc ture ser ves more than one purpose, which can later be a large inspiration for my design. Habitats for animals, should not be used for only one purpose, but it would challenge me to seek other forms of utilising the design in order to meet more criterias. The Waste to Energy Plant strongly reminds me of the oak tree, where it has a long life span and can ser ve more than one purpose — it creates homes for animals through withstanding damages such as the diesease that causes hollows to occur as well as contributing to the need for more trees in order to ‘absorb ’ the pollution from the air. With the rapid increase of technology and the expansion of civilisation, the need for trees is strong, as even though it doesn’t make a large dif ference, any ef fec t is granted.

CONCEPTUALISATION

THE EDEN PROJECT TIM SMIT/ GRIMSHAW ARCHITECTS The Eden Projec t was a vision that was brought to life by Tim Smit, who wanted a large piece of land in order to showcase the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most impor tant plants. That was how he discovered the large clay pit located in South West England in 1999. The clay pit was losing its economic value, so Smit took this oppor tunit y to revitalise the land. 83,0 0 0 tonnes of soil was transpor ted to the site in order to regenerate the soil. The construc tion period of the site was dif ficult due to the lose and silt y sand it was located on. Rain occurred consistently causing a flood to occur on the construc tion site. However, with the help of Grimshaw Architec ts, Smit was able to see the potential in the land.

A.1.2.2 PRECEDENT 2

The layout of the biomes were carefully calculated to ensure that they have the optimal environment for the plants placed in them. The layout reminds me of the cur ved branches of the oak tree- this is the contrast bet ween something that is natural and carefully placed.

Grimshaw designed t wo t ypes of biomesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D; the rainforest biome and the Mediterranean biome. The biomes were inspired by soap bubbles, as they are able to change its shape and adapt itself to the dif ferent sur faces it is in contac t with. The bubbles are also able to join together in order to form a larger shape, inspiring Grimshaw to create several joined domes. The biodomes were also inspired by the Climatron dome at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St Louis, USA and the Montreal Biosphere in Canada. Each dome is made out of a doublecur ved glulam (glue laminated) timber beams. Each dome has a hex-tri-hex space with t wo layers. The outer layer is made of hexagons roughly 11m across with a few pentagons. The inner layer comprises of hexagons and triangles bolted together. The biomes comprises of light steel that weighs slightly more than the air contained by each biome, so they are more likely to be blown away than to collapse.

CONCEPTUALISATION

From the model that I discovered in Rhino and Grasshopper, I took the wire frame of the model for my drawing. I liked the way the cur ves moved, as if it would dissapear at a momentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notice. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s why I decided to come up with a collage based drawing, to show that like th Oak Tree, our lifest yles has caused us to forget about the impor tant and simple things in life causing a deterioration to occur in nature. Even though Oak Trees have long lifespans that last even if they have contrac ted a fungal disease, they eventually die out. Without these trees, some species of animals would not have a habitat. Thus, from my first week, I have created a drawing that demonstrates the deterioration of nature and the power technology has on our lives.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY A.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

DESIGN COMPUTATION

CONCEPTUALISATION

VESPERS 2016 EXHIBITION A.2.1 RESEARCH

Computing has greatly af fec ted the design process over the last few years, as it allows designers to explore avenues that has never been explored before. Computing allows designers to broaden their horizons by saving time on cer tain aspec ts of design and focusing them on exploring more options and ideas. This has led computing to redefine prac tice by increasing the speed of innovation. Computation has also allowed architec ts to explore their ideas through programs such as Grasshopper, which can lead them to cer tain designs and shapes that would have never occurred through traditional design methods. This also allows them to use more advance programs to take more aspec ts into consideration when designing for a cer tain brief. One of the first forms of computation is parametric design. Parametric design is a process based on algorithmic thinking that clarif y the relationship bet ween design intent and design response. Thus, this has enabled the manipulation of material systems as something that has contributed to research-based design in architec ture. Neri Oxman is a loud advocate for computation by exploring the relationship bet ween biology and design. She has gathered a group of students in order to create pieces that exhibits the contrast bet ween the controllable and the uncontrollable. She helps us understand that nature is unpredic table and can only be manipulated to a cer tain ex tent. Thus, no t wo designs are the same. This is apparent in her Vespers exhibition, where the masks have a swirl of colours that was achieved through computation. 18

CONCEPTUALISATION

NERI OXMAN & THE MEMBERS OF THE

CONCEPTUALISATION

PHARE TOWER MORPHOSIS ARCHITECTS

The Phare Tower by Architec tural Technology Laborator y Venture (ATLV ) utilises parametric design tools in order to design a building that seamlessly integrated with its environment as well as expressing multiple flows of movement. Located in Paris, France, the struc ture aims to embody state of the ar t technological advances in order to become a cultural landmark. Through computation, the struc ture is a complex design that contains a skin that is able to adapt to the tower ’s nonstandard form while simultaneously responding to the large range of environmental and physical stressors. The Phare Tower has technologies that capture the sun and wind for the produc tion of energy, whilst selec tively minimising solar gain while maximising glare- free daylight. The skin of the struc ture is able to transform and adapt with changes in light, becoming opaque, translucent or transparent from dif ferent angles and vantage points.

A.2.2 PRECEDENT

The struc ture also contains technologies that has been integrated into the tower ’s face in order to harness the wind for the produc tion of energy and selec tively minimise solar gain while maximising glare-free daylight. The form and orientation of the struc ture is also a direc t response to the path of the sun. The dif ferent facades is a direc t contrast to the designs that were create during the 20 th centur y when there was an increase of high rise buildings. Now, we are able to design to the surrounding environment through the use of computation, allowing us to optimise the struc ture through the analysis of its surroundings.

Through site analysis, the building’s façade is also inspired by the neighbouring motor way and rail link that is bisec ted by an existing pedestrian walkway. The struc ture is also surrounded by a glass façade building. Thus, the Phare Tower mends the site by connec ting the surrounding urban space in order to create a coherent sense of place. The Phare Tower aims to create a scheme that complements the existing levels of urbanism and circulation, transforming the area into a center for commerce and recreation. The 30 0 meter tower straddles the site to meet he ground through the one splayed struc tural leg. This leg reminds me of the movement of the base of the oak tree which I previously explored.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY A.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

COMPOSITION GENERATION

CONCEPTUALISATION

CCTV HEADQUARTERS A.3.1 PRECEDENT 1

OMA / REM KOOLHAAS

I choose the CC T V Headquar ters to be one of my precedents, as it shows how the shif t towards generation has created a building that could improve the lives of those operating in a single system. Thus, I would like to take this CC T V defies the t ypical building, as it comprises of and incorporate it into my design by looking t wo lean towers meeting with t wo parallel towers. at the charac teristics of the specific tree, This building aims to take all aspec ts of the large the behaviour of the tree and the behaviour T V making business in China into one centralised of the species inhabiting the specific tree. distric t. With the collaboration bet ween European The behaviours that is t ypically associated and Chinese engineers, the building is a result of with the tree can then inspire my design. computerisation. The t wo towers are not parallel and a skewered in order to distor t ones sense of perspec tive and realit y. With the combination of the steel skeleton encircling the struc ture, it is impossible to get a grip on the building’s size.

Koolhaas imagined a building whose three dimensional form of fer CCT V staf f to per form the functions within a “continuous loop” like a closed circuit television. Koolhaas took site analysis into a whole other dimension by placing a priorit y on per formance objec tives. The company’s behaviour was analysed in order to determine the amount of space that woul;d be dedicated to the specific task. Thus, the space usage was split bet ween administration, program of fices, news produc tion, broadcasting, program produc tion, staf f facilities and parking. It was decided that the lobbies would be on the ground and top floors, recreation on the bot tom and there would be elevators in both towers. All the dif ferent tasks are put together to transform a program that was once func tioning in separate locations into a single system.

CONCEPTUALISATION

FRACTAL FOREST (â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;MONALISA) PAVILION MADE EXPO 2012 A poplar ply wood company financed Woodlab in order to design a pavilion to exhibit and promote their architec tural, sculptural and furniture produc ts. The design team decided to take the charac teristics of the poplar tree into consideration, let ting it inspire the final design. Poplar grows from its seed in order to become a young plant before it turns into a woody tree. Poplar trees are also known to live together in a family, forming a forest before they are transformed into ply wood. The stor y of the poplar tree was integrated into the final design through dif ferent mathematical design vocabulariesâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;algorithms and frac tals. Algorithms were used to represent the grow th, whereas frac tals helped to represent nature. The seed was represented through a small ply panel that continued to grow in increasing sizes before it buds into t wo new small branches. It would then continue to grow before it star ts forming into the shape of a tree with the increase in branches. The designers took the smaller ply that was used to represent the seed and formed it into chairs, whereas the large branches would form the feeling of shelter under the shadow of a poplar tree.

A.3.2 PRECEDENT 2

The shape of the trees were scripted in P y thon, where the arrangement of the trees and branches were done through Grasshopper. I found the precedent to be relevant to the brief we have been given in class, as we are supposed to take inspiration from the charac teristics of a tree. I can take similar design techniques in order to transform the inspiration into a design form that is cross bet ween a pavilion and a habitual space.

Computational and parametric techniques through programs such as Rhinoceros, Grasshopper and Phy thon was used in order to transform the concept into design form.

The shape of the trees were scripted in Py thon, where the arrangement of the trees and branches were done through Grasshopper.

CONCEPTUALISATION

A 5.4.2 DESIGN TASK

CONCLUSION Computerisation has changed the way architec ts and designers create, as it allows them to go beyond their initial ideas. It increases the abilit y for designers to erase, draf t and modif y their designs with much less time. Innovators such as Neri Oxman took the idea of computerisation from the initial star t of parametric design and shif ted it into the colliding world of design and biology. This allowed people to understand the beaut y in unpredic tabilit y, as it creates forms that may not have been thought of before. Thus, the rapid shif t from composition to generation has â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;easedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the jobs of creators in order for them to be inspired by other forms of insight. The implementation of computerisation in design will only get larger due to technological advancements.

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONCLUSION LEARNING OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES Despite the fac t that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had to learn new design programs over my universit y career so far, I found Grasshopper the most challenging due to the algorithms. The algorithms may create ease in design, but it is taking me some time to get used to this new method of design. I hope to fur ther improve my skills over the duration of the semester. I look for ward to taking this brief of exploring the charac teristics of a tree for my design and combining it with this computerised form of design in order to fur ther explore my ideas. Despite finding it dif ficult to use Grasshopper, I am aware that it has broadened my abilit y to design.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.1

RESEARCH FIELD

STRIPS AND FOLDING CASE STUDY 1.0

B.1.1 RESEARCH FIELD

The idea of folding large planes were then implemented into various other materials in order to understand how they reac ted. With the rise of computerisation, new ways of design can be explored without large consequences. Designs can be combined with materials and loads in order to discover what would work best. Struc tural engineers then began exploiting this idea and used existing applications of origami struc tures for designs such as shock absorbing devices and deployable struc tures. More complex designs can also be explored through innovations such as the Origamizer, which is a computer based design method that is able to obtain a folding pat tern for a 3D objec t from a plane paper. Small ideas such as the Origamizer is then taken into larger scale projec ts by companies such as IBIOS from the École Ply technique Fédérale de Lausanne.

Strips and folding can be of ten seen as paper architec ture —where a piece of paper is folded and manipulated to form a sculpture and when translated into a space becomes architec ture. This can also be known as origami—a word derived from the ancient ar t of folding a single paper into shapes without stretching, gluing or cut ting. Thus, the idea of taking a single planar sheet and manipulating it through tears and folds is implemented into parametric design, allowing a new way to study the complex and largely unexplored phenomena in cur ved folding. The first implementation of folding in design can be seen in the Orly Airpor t, built in the early 20 th centur y. 2 This was a new way of design, as engineers were comfor table with how domes and vaults behaved under load. It was then discovered that folded plates were initially mostly used in struc tures with large spans, since it’s the most ef ficient and cost- ef fec tive option.

Thus, folding planes in parametric design has allowed architec ts to gather inspiration from unique shapes from nature. From the designs I’ve seen, I can see the cur ving of the base of the oak tree that was discussed in Par t A .1.1. I can take inspiration from the oak tree’s charac teristics and behaviour and combine it with the idea of strips and folding as well as new found research from Merri Creek through parametric design methods.

ht tp://publications.lib.chalmers.se/ records /fulltex t /2220 02/2220 02.pdf 1.

ht tp://arquiscopio.com/archivo/2013/02 /02 / hangares-para- dirigibles- de- orly/ ?lang=en 2.

CONCEPTUALISATION

THE DOUBLE AGENT WHITE MARC FORNES AND THEVERYMANY

The Double Agent White by Marc Fornes and Thever ymany is a continuous sur face composed of an intersec tion of 9 unique spheres. This projec t comes from a series of protot ypical architec tures and uses objec t orientated computing to generate developable par ts for the fabrication of double cur ved sur faces, allowing a maximum degree of morphological freedom with a minimum amount of components. The struc ture is composed of t wo parallel but divergent sets of distributed agents that describe the sur face condition. The first is a controlled macro set that generates the overall geometr y of the struc ture whilst keeping the minimum number of elements to be cut within specified flat sheets of aluminium. The second involves an even more expressive set of higher resolution and morphologies that craf ts aper ture as ornament. The t wo sets are then able to inform each other simultaneously by following the logic of assembly mobilit y. I choose this as one of my precedents because it has a similar struc ture to one of my previous precedents the Eden Projec t due to the interconnec ting spheres. However, the design of this projec t is much dif ferent due to the use of computerisation, which allowed a far more sophisticated form of design. Unlike the Eden Projec t, where a flexible material was used over a grid shell, the Double Agent White is composed of folding small pieces of ridging materials to form the large struc ture.

ht tp://w w w.evolo.us/architec ture/ double-agent-white-in-series- ofprotot ypical-architec tures-thever ymany /

B.1.2 PRECEDENT 1

B.1.2 PRECEDENT 2

The research pavilion was designed by the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Struc tures and Struc tural design (ITKE) in order to demonstrate the latest developments in material- orientated computational design, simulation and produc tion processes. Thus, computerisation has increased our abilit y to push simple materials such as timber in order to discover new design and construc tion techniques, as this would not be possible through generation. The strips and folding design method was used in this pavilion, as the timber was cut into strips before it was folded and assembled to create the umbrella like form. However, due to computerisation, the form was largely inspired by the system of internal and ex ternal pressures and constraints that the timber showcased. The design team took the pressures of timber as their main source of inspiration, by utilising the fac t that in the vir tual processes of computational design, form and force are usually treated as separate entities unlike the physical world where form is always connec ted to ex ternal forces.

THE RESEARCH PAVILION INSTITUTE OF COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN (ICD) The pavilion demonstrates a new approach to computational design where the computational generation of form is direc tly driven and informed by physical behaviour and material charac teristics. The pavilion is entirely driven by the elastic bending behaviour of birch ply wood strips that were robotically manufac tured as planar elements and subsequently connec ted. This was achieved through the embedding of relevant material behavioural features in parametric principles. These parametric dependencies were defined through a large number of physical experiments that focused on the measurement of deflec tions. The final pavilion is then a result of 640 0 lines of code that derives all relevant geometric information and direc tly outputs the data required through computational processes. I have chosen this precedent, as it could help me have a more material based design. I would have to take the charac teristics of the animal chosen and the existing site into consideration in order to find the most suitable material.

ht tp://icd.uni-stut tgar t.de/?p=4 458

CONCEPTUALISATION

ANIMAL RESEARCH FIELD SITE ANALYSIS When I first walked through the Merri Creek trail, I avoided looking up at the sk y due to the bright sun that was seeping through the canopy above. However, I heard a distinc t loud bell sound that continued to echo from various direc tions. Af ter sit ting down in one spot for a while, I was finally able to see a few birds and take pic tures of them. I doubted whether the birds I saw were the source of the loud whistles because when I looked at them they made ver y sof t chirping sounds. Af ter a bit of research, I discovered that the bird I saw were known as Bell Miners.

The Bell Miner is the smallest form of miner and is a medium-large and solidly built honeyeater. They are identified through their bright green appearance that has a shor t downcur ved bright yellow bill. However. Despite their bright appearances, they are of ten more heard than seen. This explains why the sounds they made were the first things I noticed.

B.1.3 MERRI CREEK

Bell Miners feed as par t of a colony and live in the canopy formed by an inter weaving set of trees roughly eight metres from the ground. They are usually found in par ts of Australia, par ticularly where there are higher volumes of Eucalyptus trees, as it ac ts as their habitat and one of their food supplies. The Bell Miner mainly feed on insec ts such as psyllids and their lerps as well as the foliage of eucalypts. Psyllids are known as plant lice. They are tiny sap-sucking insec ts with ver y host- specific feeding preferences. Bell Miners maintain psyllid populations at high levels by protec ting them from other birds and by maintaining large territories so they donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t over feed. They also feed on nec tar and manna, which is found in the ground under the trees at cer tain seasons or in hardened drips on the sur faces of leaves.

ht tp://w w w.birdsinback yards.net /

species /Manorina-melanophr ys 2.

ht tp://w w w.birdlife.org.au/bird-profile/bell-miner

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

CASE STUDY 2.0

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.2.1 CASE STUDY 1.0

THE SEROUSSI PAVILION ALISA ANDRASEK The Seroussi Pavillion was designed by Alisa Andrasek, which was ‘grown’ out of self-modif ying pat terns of vec tors based on elec tro-magnetic fields. She used the logics of at trac tion/ repulsion trajec tories which were computed in plant and then lif ted via a series of struc tural microarching sec tions through dif ferent frequencies. A total of six dif ferent geometrical systems were used for design and are all steaming out of primar y trajec tories. Light / shading and programming of views is achieved through sine- wave func tions causing the parametric dif ferentiation of angle, orientation and the size of the aper ture. She created an ‘infrasrutural’ cocoon that squeezes together to create a pleating detail of tex tures.

This struc ture represents strips and folding due to the bending of the material from the centre of each cur ve. It uses a minimum number of joints and materials needed through the implementation of bending. Thus, through the script, I hope to adjust it to the needs of Merri Creek and the species that lives within the environment.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.2.2 STRIPS AND FOLDING

ITERATION MATRIX LENGTH OF FIELD LINES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

QUANTITY OF SEGMENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

POINT CHARGE AND SPIN FORCE DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

MULTIPLE POINT CHARGES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCENTRATION OF JITTER DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.2.3 SELECTED ITERATIONS

LENGTH OF FIELD LINES DESIGN POTENTIAL

The field lines were stretched to its maximum point, creating a denser and larger objec t. This result reminded me of what the tree canopies would be like before urbanisation. I adjusted the concentration of segments ex truding from the centre, creating a form that resembled the view a birds eye view of a tree canopy.

A point charge connec ted to a spin forces and merge fields component. The three additional components were then connec ted to the point charge in the original script. This created vec tor fields causing the design to interac t with the point. The result resembled the holes lef t in a Eucalyptus tree af ter a branch has broken of f. Bell Miners frequent those holes and adopted it as their habitat. From the results gathered before, I was deeply inspired by a tree canopy. Thus, I added four at trac tor points and arranged its position resulting in a more realistic tree canopy, as it demonstrated the inter t wining branches that the Bell Miner frequents. 18

CONCEPTUALISATION

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

QUANTITY OF SEGMENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

POINT CHARGE AND SPIN FORCE DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

MULTIPLE POINT CHARGES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

REVIEW: DESIGN POTENTIAL

Merri Creek has formed as an impor tant par t of Melbourne, due to the significance it had as forming the land to many treaties that were made bet ween the Aboriginals. However, industrialisation occurred and the land’s impor tance was quickly forgot ten. Throughout much of the 20 th Centur y, the creek was home quarries, landfills and accepting waste runof f from neighbouring fac tories. The years of abuse has resulted in the degradation of Merri Creek ’s ecology due to pollutants such as heav y metals and various greases being lef t behind. Vegetation and the toxicants in sediments in the Creek has reduced macroinver tebrate produc tivit y. This cuts of f the food sources for many species, resulting in the decreasing number of native animals. Despite at tempts to revitalise the land through at tempts such as the planting of native vegetation through groups such as the Merri Creek Management, there is a still a lot of improvements to be made in order to fully restore the creek ’s ecology. This can be achieved through the perspec tive of parametric design, where it can influence the behaviour of humans and animals in order to ensure the future development is to ac t against all unsustainable under takings. In this case, the degradation of Merri Creek was due to the involvement of ar tificial man- made ideas. Thus, it would only be appropriate that man- made designs would be able to improve the natural environment through a positive and ac tive interac tion. Therefore, there are five points that the design must meet in order to have a positive influence.

Design Potential The design was driven by the chosen research field—strips and folding. Thus, the struc ture must contain the essence of the research field whilst meeting other criterias.

The design of the struc ture should be able to take both the research field and the Creek ’s environment in order to integrate it fully into the environment.

Spatial Ar ticulation The design of the struc ture must accommodate the movement of a species, people or both. It must be able to interac t with the environment, or it would be a sculpture.

Construc tabilit y Like most projec ts today, there is a budget that needs to be kept in mind. For projec ts such as this one, there would be a tight budget so the labour and materials needed to construc t the design has to be heavily considered. The design would also be placed in a vulnerable environment where it would be threatened by rain, wind and the behaviour of cer tain animals. Thus, the material chosen must be ‘cheap’ and durable.

Func tionalit y The design’s func tionalit y must be analysed in order to understand and suit the behaviours of both humans and nature. They must work as one in order for the design to fully achieve its purpose. The design must take the size of the animals and what species into consideration. It is impor tant for the design to pose a func tion rather than an aesthetically pleasing pavilion.

Interac tion with the Environment Interac tion with the environment is an impor tant aspec t to consider when choosing the most suitable design. The ar tificial design is supposed to counterac t the ecological decay resulting from human interac tion. Thus, the design must integrate a harmonious balance bet ween human or urban interac tion CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.3

CONCEPTUALISATION

CASE STUDY 2.0

CONCEPTUALISATION

MOMA FABRICATION: AN INSTALLATION OF FOLDED STEEL PLATES NADAAA PROJECTS

B.3.1 PRECEDENT

The MOMA Fabrication installation in New York showcases the idea of folding a piece of paper through other materials in architec ture. This specific installation demonstrates the idea of strips and folding due to the folded steel plate technology. The folding technique is a way of blurring the traditional distinc tion bet ween struc ture and skin, while the triangulated geometries give the skin rigidit y. The folding of the struc ture is calculated according to cer tain optical and anamorphic principles, giving it par ticular spatial readings from dif ferent points. There is also a variation in per forations to lighten the steel struc ture as the geometr y unfolds in order to allow the passage light to the space below it. These varied strategies are done and construc ted in a â&#x20AC;&#x153;seamless and continuousâ&#x20AC;? fashion, underplaying normative tec tonic ar ticulations and dif ferentiations. This struc ture would have been created through the basis of a lof ted sur face. It could have been created through a mesh, where the sur face can be manipulated to create a undulating sur face. However, due to the multiple pieces that was shown in diagrams, I would assume that replicating a unit on a sur face would be more accurate.

ht tp://publications.lib.chalmers.se/ records /fulltex t /2220 02/2220 02.pdf 1.

ht tp://arquiscopio.com/archivo/2013/02 /02 / hangares-para- dirigibles- de- orly/ ?lang=en 2.

CONCEPTUALISATION

MOMA FABRICATION: AN INSTALLATION OF FOLDED STEEL PLATES NADAAA PROJECTS

B.3.1 REVERSE ENGINEERING

SRF

NUMBER SLIDER

BREP COMPONENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

DIVIDE

SBOX MORPH

BBOX

DEBOX

I recreated the shape of the undulating sur face that I would like to multiply over the sur face. This becomes the brep component.

I recreated the sur face of the precedent. I initially used a rec tangular sur face, but the cur ved sur face resembled the shape variation of the brep component.

The component is then placed on the sur face when connec ted to sur face box.

The base sur face is reparameterised in order to multiply over the sur face. The slider connec ted controls the amount of components on the sur face.

By connec ting the brep component, bounding box and the sur face box to box morph, the geometr y is multiplied over the sur face.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.4

CONCEPTUALISATION

TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.4.1 CASE STUDY 2.0

ITERATION MATRIX

CONCENTRATION OF SURFACES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

DIRECTION OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

HEIGHT OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCENTRATION OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.3.3 OUTCOMES

HEIGHT OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCENTRATION OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

From the iterations that came from the design, I decided that these t wo designs were the most similar to the precedent. I found it the most similar due to the movement in shapes across the sur face. They both represent a flat, but undulating sur face that gives a dif ferent perspec tive from dif ferent angles. The dif ferences would be that the precedent is composed of flat steel sheets, whilst the script I composed created a variation in the movement of the sheets over the sur face. I think of strips and folding, as creating a sur face that seems like it was folded without any cuts or seams. The folded steel plates installation was successful in doing so and I would like to take inspiration from the precedent and combine it with a tree canopy. This idea was a curation of all the previous design tasks, one of which was to create a set of arches for people to walk through in Par t A .

CONCEPTUALISATION

B5 PROTOTYPES

CONCEPTUALISATION

MATERIAL STUDY

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.5.1 MATERIAL STUDY PROTOTYPE 1 For my material study, I decided to look at the manipulated of metal sheets. I find the way these 2D materials work and bend in order to form a 3D shape interesting. In order to manipulate the folding of metal sheets, I used pieces of paper and explored dif ferent ways to fold them in order to create a 3D shape out of a 2D material without any scissors or glue. Since this is the first time Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve at tempted this method of model making, I decided to tr y doing t wo small protot ypes. The first one consists of a strip of paper that is folded into quar ters. I discovered that in order for the technique to be successful, I had to explore my options by folding them in any way. Then I would reverse fold cer tain par ts in order to create a fluid 3D objec t. Thus, by folding several strips of paper, I found t wo iterations that I found worked the best.

PROTOTYPE 1.1

PROTOTYPE 1.2

With the first successful model, I folded each square into t wo triangles and folded each triangle into t wo more triangles in opposing orientations. Af ter folding it, I was able to manipulate it into the shape through reverse folding where the blue lines shown in the diagram below would fold downwards and the red would fold up. This created a unique shape that composed of undulating triangles up and down.

For the second protot ype I decided to tr y folding the triangles in alternating orientations. I then did smaller folds (blue and orange) within each box in order create more movement. I then decided to reverse fold each square in alternating orientations in order to get the shape that I liked.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.5.2 MATERIAL STUDY

PROTOTYPE 2

For this model, I researched several dif ferent forms of origami. From that, I discovered that if were to create a fan like shape out of the piece of paper, I would be able to create an undulating sur face depending on where I place the minor folds. I tested a method of folding the folded paper and opened it top to discover the folds created a pat tern. I then reverse folded the struc ture with the blue lines folding up and the red lines folding down. This mimics the way strips and folding can be done through a tough material such as steel sheets.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.5.3 MATERIAL STUDY

PROTOTYPE 3

For my last protot ype, I decided to explore having more folds in the struc ture so I folded the piece of paper four times into a long strip and folded the strip three times in alternating direc tions. When I opened the piece of paper, the same pat tern that was seen in protot ype t wo occurred, but there was more. Thus, I continued with the reverse folding method and discovered this model.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4

CONCEPTUALISATION

DESIGN TASK 2

CONCEPTUALISATION

SUPERKILEN SUPERFLEX Superkilen is an urban park projec t in Copenhagen designed by SUPERFLE X along with a collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Topotek1. Superkilen is divided into three main areas: The Red Square, The Black Market and The Green Park. This unique park aims to engage residents around the park through a concept defined as “ex treme par ticipation” in Copenhagen’s most diverse and socially challenged neighbourhoods. The residents surrounding the park is composed of people from more than 50 countries. SUPERFLE X asked local residents to nominate specific urban objec ts encountered in either their countr y of national origin or in their travels abroad. The nominated objec ts would then be produce as a 1:1 scale copy or purchased and transpor ted to the site. Af ter travelling five groups to dif ferent countries to acquire the nominated objec ts and install them in the park, there is over 10 0 dif ferent objec ts from more than 50 dif ferent countries. With the range of ethnicities colliding, Superkilen is an area that contains rare fusion architec ture, landscape architec ture and ar t from early concept to construc tion stage.

B.5.4.1 PRECEDENT

Superkilen reat tributes motifs from garden histor y where it showcases the movement of an ideal or the reproduc tion of another place is a common theme through time. E xamples of this would be the way the Chinese reference the mountain ranges with miniature rocks and the Japanese would reference the ocean with rippled gravel. Thus, Superkilen is a contemporar y urban version of a universal garden. The conceptual star ting point of Superkilen is to divide the park into three zones. The dif ferent colours are integrated to form a new dynamic surrounding for ever yday objec ts. The park connec ts the neighbourhood to surrounding infrastruc ture by creating new connec tions through the likes of bike paths and bus routes. ht tps://w w w.archdaily.com /286223/superkilentopotek-1-big-architec t s-super f lexht tp:// ht tp://denmark .dk /en / lifes t yle/architec ture/ superkilen- celebrates- diversit y -in- copenhagen

CONCEPTUALISATION

SUPERKILEN

CONCEPTUALISATION

The Green Park is a park for picnics, spor ts and walking the dog. This par t of Superkilen was designed around a quote from Bauman where he once said that “spor t is one of the few institutions in societ y, where people can still agree on the rules”. Thus, it takes the idea of spor ts in order to bring people together due to the fac t that no mat ter what you believe or which language you speak, people can play a spor t together. This par t of the park became green due to the residents requesting that there be more green.

The Black Market is the classic square with fountain and benches. This is where the locals meets around the Moroccan fountain, the Turkish bench or under the Japanese cherr y trees, forming the hear t of the Superkilen Masterplan. The square can be located through the bright, dentist neon sign from Doha, Qatar. The space includes Brazilian bar chairs under Chinese palm trees and Nor wegian bike racks with a bike pump. Unlike the bright colours that illuminate the Red Square, the Black Market has white lines that are all moving in a straight line from Nor th to South, cur ving around the dif ferent furniture to emphasise them.

The Red Square designates the modern, urban life with café, music and spor ts. This is an urban ex tension of the internal life of the hall, as a range of recreational of fers and the large centre allows residents to connec t through physical ac tivit y and games. The coloured sur face is integrated both in terms of colours and material with the Nørrebrohall and its new main entrance, where the sur face merges inside and outside in the new foyer. Facades are also incorporated visually in the projec t by following the colour of the sur face, folding upwards to create a threedimensional experience. The space is amplified through the confinement of a street either side of it as well as the use of red trees. This brightly lit space has a multifunc tional rubber sur face for games and spor ts. Thus, it also forms as the set ting for an urban marketplace which at trac ts visitors from other suburbs ever y weekend. CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4.2 DESIGN TASK

I used at trac tor points to create the movement in each sur face. I took inspiration from the contours in the Green Park from Superkilen as well as Merri Creek.

I used the graphmapper input to change the heights and orientation of the objec t.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4.2 FINAL DESIGN

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.1 DESIGN AIM

The aim of this proposal is to create a struc ture that provides a form of habitation and suppor ting the needs of the Red Wat tle Bird. The design will be based upon the idea of a feeding nest for the Red Wat tlebird. We will reflec t on Merri Creek ’s vision, where it aims to suppor t biodiversit y and increase ecosystem produc tivit y. They also aim to provide educational oppor tunities for visitor to learn about the local environment. Af ter Merri Creek ’s histor y of suf fering from urbanisation, the design aims to increase the awareness of local issues such as the degradation of Merri Creek ’s ecosystem due to pollution.

The Red Wat tle Bird is a noisy bird that is able to grow up to 34 to 36 cm. It is known to be among that largest honey eaters in Australia. They feed on nec tar that is obtained by probing flowers such as Eucalypts and Banksias where the nec tar can be easily accessed. The Red Wat tle Bird is charac terised by an aggressive and territorial personalit y. They are protec tive of their food source, par ticularly against other honey eater species. From this information gathered, we consolidated our design ideas and direc tions to this point and divided up the amount of work that was needed to be done.

CONCEPTUALISATION

BBQ

Cob

urg

Lak e

526 MURRAY RD

561

Community Contemplative Garden

Coburg Olympic Swimming Pool

B.6.2.1 SITE ANALYSIS

513 527 903 BELL ST

Bowden Reserve

EDNA GR ENTRANCE

512

HARDING ST ST ENTRANCE

COBURG

KENDALL ST ENTRANCE

Cable Suspension Bridge

W.H. Robinson Reserve

HALWYN CR ENTRANCE

A.H. Capp Reserve

Strettle Wetland Beau Mende Reserve

Mayer Park

BRUNSWICK

Northcote Public Gold Course

Roberts Reserve

Crane

CERES Centre for Education and Research in Environmental Strategies BLYTHE ST

16 ARTHURTON RD

Phillips Reserve H BBQ

Wales St Quarry Old Weir

Wildlife of Merri Creek

SUMMER AVE

BBQ

H Summer Park

Merri Park

S RD

508

ALBION ST

ST GE

503

ORGE

510

FYLFE ST ENTRANCE

17 MORELAND RD Abarahams Reserve

BBQ

506

EPPING LINE

Hall Reserve SPENSLEY ST ENTRANCE

CLIFTON HILL

Yambla Reserve Quarries Park RAMSDEN ST ENTRANCE

Dights Falls

BBQ

THE

CLIFTON HILL STATION

HEIDLEBERG

12 NADE

QUEENS PDECoulson Reserve

WESTGARTH STATION Oldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Garden

A ESPL

HI GH

HURTSBRIDGE LINE

E AD AR E C EP TH RAN T EN

M HA NIG NCE CUN NTRA E ST

RUSHALL STATION

RO S EN S ST TRA NC E

NORTH FITZROY

158 246 250 251

GE O

RG ES

MERRI STATION

ROSENEATH ST ENTRANCE

BBQ

T.H. Westfield Reserve

Walker St Reserve

Ramsden St Reserve 10

ERN

EAST

FWY

CONCEPTUALISATION VICTORIA PARK

B.6.2.2 MERRI CREEK

Merri Creek is water way in Vic toria, which flows through the Nor thern suburbs of Melbourne. The creek begins near Wallan Nor th of Melbourne and flows south for 70km until it joins the Yarra River at Dights Falls. The land where the creek meets the river is located was originally the location for large gatherings of the Wurundjeri people. However, with the rise of industrialisation, the land’s value was forgot ten when the creek was transformed into a site of heav y industrial use. Throughout much of the 20 th Centur y, the creek was home quarries, landfills and accepting waste runof f from neighbouring fac tories. The years of abuse has resulted in the degradation of Merri Creek ’s ecology due to pollutants such as heav y metals and various greases being lef t behind. Merri Creek is also surrounded by a large vast of urban grow th, which could be the cause of low storm water conditions, low vegetation qualit y and low qualit y of water for the environment. However, there has been a shif t in perspec tive over the last few decades, as some deem the land as valuable. This has resulted in various at tempts to revitalise the land through volunteer groups who are dedicated to protec ting and regenerating the creek ’s ecology. Though, despite their ef for ts, there is still a lot of improvements to be made. On the positive note, the regeneration of native vegetation has resulted in the return of cer tain species such as the Kookaburras, Kingfishers and so for th. There has also been repor t of plat ypuses in the upper Nor th regions. Water qualit y was thought to have been insuf ficient to allow repopulation by Plat ypus. This was thought to be because toxicants in sediments in the Creek have reduced macroinver tebrate produc tivit y to the point where there is insuf ficient food to feed a population of plat ypus 54

CONCEPTUALISATION

Parks Vic toria has also managed to establish recreational venues along the banks of the river. These facilities include football and cricket ovals, tennis cour ts and playgrounds. The Merri Creek Trail also intersec ts with the CERES Communit y Environment Park, where they make an ef for t to bring nature back into a communit y that has been urbanised. Melbourne Water has also been involved in a willow control program to improve water flows and allow for the revegetation of sites with indigenous plants and species. From the information gathered from the site, it shows that there is a high volume of people travelling and interac ting through the area. However, despite the amount of people utilising Merri Creek, the site is experiencing a number of threats. This shows the social ignorance that people choose to set tle upon themselves. Despite the number of volunteer groups such as the Merri Creek Management making at tempts to replant native vegetation, the number of volunteers have been decreasing each year.

ht tp://w w w.mcmc.org.au / index .php?option=com _ content& view=ar ticle&id=31:wur undjeri&Itemid=216 ht tp://w w w.mcmc.org.au / index .php?option=com _ content& view=ar ticle&id=78&Itemid=18 4

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.3 DESIGN PROPOSAL

ITERATION MATRIX CONCENTRATION OF SURFACES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

DIRECTION OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

HEIGHT OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCENTRATION OF COMPONENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.1 PROTOTYPE 1

For our first protot ype we tested a rigid material due to the fac t that we wanted to see if it would be able to hold its shape without any other reinforcements. Thus, we used luan ply wood. Af ter get ting it laser cut, we separated each piece and placed them together with inter t wining rigid edges. For tunately, our protot ype was successful in terms of holding its on shape. Despite, this, we werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t sure whether the chosen material suited the clientâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s brief. Thus, we decided to continue on and test another t wo protot ypes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.2 PROTOTYE 2

We decided on a more flexible material for our second protot ype. Thus, we decided on polypropylene due to its flexible yet durable charac teristics. We wanted a more flexible material, as the top par t of our struc ture is composed of a bouquet of hexagons with per forations for the birds to perch on and hopefully make it its new habitat in Merri Creek. We punched holes onto each side of the polypropylene mesh and used zip ties as a way of connec ting the separate pieces together. The zip ties did its job, but we wanted to tr y a more durable connec tion method with out second protot ype. We were quite happy with the per formance of the material in this protot ype, so we decided to use polypropylene again for our third protot ype. Since this one was a success, we decided to build it in a larger scale.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.3 PROTOTYPE 3

For our third protot ype, we printed larger meshes to form the basis of our final model. We laos printed out connec tion joints in order to test out other connec tion methods. In this case, we decided to rivets, as it was a material weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all never used before, The rivets posed to be successful in terms of holding each hexagon together, but it was not ideal for the connec tion of all individual pieces. zip ties, might have been a bet ter options to use when connec ting all the hexagons together, as it would not have been seen.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.5 FINAL DESIGN

This projec t was intended to establish a habitat for the species inhabiting Merri Creek. With thee vitalisation of the land through the planting for more native vegetation, more animals are making their way back to their native land. Despite ef for ts to regenerate the ecological system, there is still a long way to go to deconstruc t the damage that ar tificial ideas has caused. Thus, with the use of our design, we are able to counterac t the negativit y surrounding ar tificial objec ts by using it to give Merri Creek a new form of habitation. Parametric design has been criticised for being a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; fakeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; form of design, as it only paves a way for designing through an easy method. However, parametric design has proven to have a great positive impac t on the way we design and construc t during modern day times-- one where urbanisation is booming. Thus, in order to prevent the complete destruc tion of the ecological systems, we are able to use new techniques and design methods to accommodate to the flora and fauna that once occupied the land. That is why we created this model-- one inspired by the charac teristics of the red gum and the Red Wat tle Bird. We have also included the idea of Post Modernism, where we took literal symbols and implemented it into architec ture. In this case, we took the form of the Silver Banksia and used it as a source of inspiration. We have also coloured the struc ture pink, as Red Wat tle birds are more at trac ted to bright colours and stray away from dull bland colours such as grey, brown and black. The per forated holes also pose a feeding hole where insec ts are able to crawl up the struc ture. This is where the Red Wat tle Birds would gather their food resources. 64

CONCEPTUALISATION

Overall, our final rpoposal is a result of all of our design ideas and the impor tance of Merri Creek converging into one struc ture with the aim to do one thing-- revitalise Merri Creek. I think this struc ture relates to my design so far, as I have looked at tree canopies. This forms as a t ype of a tree canopy, as the per forated hexagons ac t as the hole in a tree.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.7 OBJECTIVES: For our final presentation model, we needed to keep in mind that what we created for our protot ype might not be what would come from the construc tion of the Grasshopper model. This is due to the fac t that out protot ype was not accurate. If we had designed the struc ture in a 1:1 scale for the Red Wat tle Bird, we might have gained a bet ter understanding of the struc ture and its outcomes. We should have also utilised the flexibilit y of parametric design by adding the per forations of our struc ture through the model. This would have avoided the fac t that the hole might have not been the right size for the birds. Each of our models and protot ypes looks like it came from four dif ferent projec ts and this is something to work on, as this could happen to the final design at the end of the semester. With the amount of precedents and research fields being looked at, it is impor tant to keep them all in mind in order to create a harmonious final design.

CONCEPTUALISATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES: This par t of the semester has caused me to think about the dif ferent ways of designing, as there are now new methods and way of going about cer tain tasks. With the rapid grow th of urbanisation it shouldn’t be hard to design for animals, as we’ve learned about them from a young age, but I realised that no mat ter how much we study their behaviours and charac teristics, we will never fully understand them. Even if we designed a struc ture that catered to all the behaviours of a cer tain species, there is no guarantee that it will be utilised in a way that we intended it too. This is because animals are wild and they can’t be tamed. They have formed a behavioural pat tern over the last billions of years in order to adapt to their environment, so it might not be impossible for them to cater their lifest yles to an ar tificial mode of habitation. However, wit hthat in mind, I would just have to keep my designs flexible and allow any changes that might be made. Thus, the final design for our interim presentation might not be the most ideal, as it restric ted the Red Wat tle Bird’s food source to one that is dependent on whether insec ts will be willing to adapt to the struc ture. If they do not, then the struc ture would be moot and would form as another piece of plastic being lit tered in Merri Creek. From Par t B, I would like to continue on with my designs in Par t C with the idea that animals can’t be tamed and we can neve really fully predic t their behaviours and charac teristics

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

Af ter the completion of our interim, the class has been organised into four new groups in order to develop our ideas even fur ther. Two of the four groups are exploring the idea of (re) tree where we take cer tain par ts of our designs and exploring it even fur ther through material and form testing. The â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;newâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; projec t will be based on the Lava Void, the Nonlin/ lin pavilion by Marc Fornes and the Under Magnitude installation by The Ver y Many. Jacinta, Carla and I looked at our t wo interim designs and looked for similarities and dif ferences in order to merge the t wo design concepts together. Af ter fur ther material testing, research and protot ypes, we concluded that the t wo groups had similar outcomes. Thus, we combined the t wo (re) tree groups in order to create one final form. With the number of members in our group, we were able to analyse our previous designs and refine them. Due to the large group, we took advantage of the amount of members available and decided to take various aspec ts into consideration. We took the ecology of Merri Creek and tried to understand the basics of the environment through data gathering, research and testing.

The interim design by Jacinta and I introduced an animal habitat that integrated human interac tion in order to fur ther help them understand our environment and the toll our ac tions has caused. We liked the aspec t of bringing the t wo world together, but we also understood the implications of bringing an unusual form of interac tion that both humans and animals might not enjoy, Thus, we aimed to change our form into one of a more realistic scale.

INTERIM DEVELOPMENT REFLECTION

IMAGE BY JOO LIEW

The feedback gathered from Carla and Sherr yâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interim design was that it was far too ambitious. Their design did not understand their clients enough for them to build to the correc t scale. Some renders were also not informational enough to give an understanding of the scale and func tion of the design. The multiple species located in a small area has also been taken into consideration.

Adrian, Ar wa and Ariannaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design received feedback during their interim presentations, which suggested that they focus on a more homogeneous form. They needed to have a bet ter understanding the materials chosen for their design and how it can be implemented for the animal species. They were also told to explore their script more thoroughly before coming to a design conclusion.

C.1.2 TREE RESEARCH

Despite having dif ferent designs across the three groups, we all had similar feedbacks. One of the most prominent ones that resonated through all groups was the fac t that we are unable to influence the behaviour of animals in order for them to use our habitats. Thus, this means that we have not taken enough time and care to understand our clients and what they expec t from our designs. In order for us to gather a bet ter understanding of our clients, we tried to fur ther expand our perception of our ecology. Thus, we designated a tree for each member to research before we travelled to site in order gather data of trees.

CONCEPTUALISATION

BOX IRON BARK

Box Iron Bark is found on flat, undulating landscapes of rock y and auriferous soils mainly in Central Vic toria. The Box Ironbark thrives in Central Vic toria, as the altitude range is bet ween 160m and 60 0m above sea level. The Box Ironbark is charac terised by a dense sparse canopy and can grow up to 25m tall. They are among the most prolific flowering eucalypts and relies heavily on the integrit y of its flora. They are a major source of nec tar and pollen for honey eaters, lorikeets and many kinds of inver tebrates. The tex ture is uniform with a grain that is usually straight and sometimes interlocked.

STRINGY BARK

Stringy Bark can be found from Eastern Vic toria ranging to Cof fs Harbour. The concentration of Stringy Bark changes dramatically from Nor th to south in accordance with the amount of rainfall experienced. They are a ver y tall straight tree that reaches up to 40m tall. They have a fibrous and stringy tex ture with a crisscrossed appearance towards the base of the tree. The tree has leaves that are highly distinc tive with flowers appearing in the duration of Februar y to September. Their leaves are popular among koalas, whilst the flowers are more popular amongst flying inver tebrates, as they have a low nec tar flow with a high pollen volume. They also have a life expec tanc y in excess of 10 0 years. However, they are a ver y popular choice for timber used in general construc tion such as residential framing.

BLUE GUM

MESSMATE

RIVER RED GUM

The Messmates are a sensitive t ype of tree that relies heavily on environmental fac tors. Their preference for a region varies and heavily influences its height. Messmates usually grow within the range of 50 90m in height and produces large amounts of nec tar during its peak flowering period. Small white flowers begin to bloom during mid-Januar y and lasts for about 6 weeks. The tree is popular amongst ants, as the uneven stringy bark allows the ants to travel through the tree. This species is also fireresistant due to the presence of lignotuber, which allows the tree to regenerate at a fast pace af ter experiencing a fire.

The River Red Gum creates the understorey layer and can be found in various areas of Vic toria. They are much more common than other trees, but do prefer areas near rivers in sunny conditions. They rely on periods of par tial flooding to bring seeds to high ground for them to take root and grow. They are able to grow up to 20 35m tall with a 1-3m diameter trunk. Their charac teristic composes of t wisted branches and an exposed root system with patches of light grey and brown bark. They produce white flowers in the summer and is able to self prune by dropping its branches, creating hollows in the trees. This causes the tree to be a popular choice for habitation amongst animals such as birds, but ter flies and insec ts. The flowers and honey provides food for birds and insec ts whilst the hollows provide nesting spaces for native birds. CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.3 TREE RESEARCH

The group decided to go on a site visit in order to understand the ecology of clients a lit tle bit bet ter. We decided on Brimbank Park, as it is a close nature park that had a wide range of plant and animal species. Brimbank has been managed by Parks Vic toria since 1976 and suppor ts more than 50 0 indigenous plant species and 196 animal species. The trail that we walked on was along the Maribyrnong river. Thus, there were mass amount of River Red Gum trees. River Red Gum trees are highly protec ted and maintained in this park specifically, as there are various insec ts, birds and brush tailed and ring tailed possums. We decided to obser ve its charac teristics an the ef fec ts of its surroundings. We found many insec ts that found its way into the outer bark of the tree.

MARIBYRNONG RIVER

BRIMBANK PARK

SITE VISIT

LEGEND BRIMBANK PARK MARIBYRNONG RIVER VISITED SITE 82

CONCEPTUALISATION

Whilst we were on site, we came across multiple trunks that lit tered the site. This implies that there has been various environmental fac tors that caused the trees to wilt away. Some logs have been maintained to make it â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;safeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for people to come encounter them, whilst some had not been maintained.

SITE VISIT RESULTS BRIMBANK PARK We noticed that there was a prominent log on site due to the spider that was located on the trunk. We assumed that the log had fallen down due to the angle at which the trunk was in. Upon fur ther research, we discovered that the site was prone to flooding. This led us to conclude that the tree had grown in an angle due to the pressure of the water ac ting upon the log for long periods of time during its grow th. The weight of the tree had caused itself to collapse. Due to the smooth sur face of the trunk, we concluded that the trunk was cut down previously. However, the tex tures on the smooth sur face showed that ex ternal fac tors such as rain had caused a natural form of rustication to occur. This was also apparent on pieces of bark that we found on the ground. We found the hear t of the trunk interesting due the crevices that was created due to deterioration. We noticed that there was a spider building a web, creating a funnel like form. This led us to research more about tree ring grow th and spiders.

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.4 TREE RESEARCH

Tree ring grow th is heavily influenced by environmental fac tors such as drought, excessive rain, fire, insec t plagues and more. The rings reveal the events that has happened in their environment. The rings begin at the star t of its growing season—t ypically during spring. The tree grows in a diameter around the center because it manufac tures new cells. This is when the cambium produces numerous large cells with thin walls. The ring’s grow th begins to slow down at the end of the growing season. The ring begins to form the summer wood, which alters the colour to darken. Therefore, one year ’s wor th of grow th is represented by a light ring surrounded with a darker ring. A s the tree ages, the old wood dies and the inac tive cells begin to form the hear t wood. Depending on the tree’s age and species, the diameter of the hear t wood can range from 1.5 to 7.5cm.

CONCEPTUALISATION

SITE VISIT RESULTS TREE RINGS These were the results gathered from the measurements of a Red River Gum. We gathered this data to fur ther understand the scale of our clients, as a large feedback from our interim presentation was its scale and how it didn’t accommodate our clients.

Narrow uneven rings signif y a lack of sun exposure.

Slanted uneven rings indicates the tree was exposed to harsh environmental fac tors such as strong winds causing it to slant during its grow th. This is what we suspec t happened to the trunk we discovered.

One year ’s wor th of grow th is represented b y the lighter and darker ring. The lighter ring is the spring wood formed during the beginning of the growing season and the dark ring is produced at the end of the growing season

The hear t wood, representing the first

Ver y broad rings indicates a ‘good’ growing year where the tree experienced lots of rain and sunlight. CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.5 SPIDER RESEARCH

During our site visit, we came across a peculiar looking spider on the log. Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve never seen this form of spider before, so we took the oppor tunit y to measure it. The spider was roughly 3- 4 cm wide and had a back that was able to blend in with the log. We were also able to witness the spider creating a web along the logâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crevices. The webs appeared to create lit tle funnels that travelled through the crevices. Due to this, we decided to look more into the spider we saw and other species that surrounded the area.

Wrap Around Spiders are easily distinguishable due to the shape of their bodies. They have a concave underbelly that allows them to contour themselves onto a tree branch. They also have a distinc tive colour and pat tern on their backs that allows them to camouflage against a tree. They are known as a mimesis, which is a species that is able to camouflage as a general need for protec tion from predators. Wrap Around Spiders are non-venemous and belongs to a family known as araneidae. 86

CONCEPTUALISATION

TOP 5 MOST VENOMOUS SPIDERS IN

SYDNEY FUNNEL WEB SPIDER

FUNNEL WEB SPIDE

- Deadliest spider in Australia commonly found in NSW - Of ten Burrow in humid sheltered places - Quite aggressive when threatened - Fangs larger than a brown snakes and power ful enough to punc ture through nails - Venom can at tack the human ner vous system and alter the func tioning organs

- There are about 40 species, but only 6 hav been repor ted to caus severe envenomation w vic tims generally aroun southern Queensland and Nor thern NSW - Up to 30 - 40 people are bit ten ever y year, b antivenom has proven to be ef fec tive, as ther are no known deaths

MOUSE SPIDER - Found all across Australia and t ypically found in burrows, of ten near rivers or water ways and can occasionally be found in suburban areas - Venom similar to funnel-web spiders, but no deaths have been at tributed to them

- Can c for hum only lo nausea - Cause - Bites/ precau

SITE VISIT RESULTS VENOMOUS SPIDERS

N AUSTRALIA:

ERS

ve se with nd

but

RED BACK SPIDER - Redback Spiders are found throughout Australia and inhabits many places, par ticularly residential areas - They of ten hide in dr y, sheltered place such as garden sheds, mailboxes, etc. - About 20 0 0 bites are repor ted each year and about 250 receive antivenom, but no deaths have been recorded since the antivenom became available in the 1950s

TRAP DOOR SPIDER

cause only minor symptoms mans, generally inflic ting calised pain, but sometimes a, lethargy and malaise es only minor symptoms for humans / venom is treated with the same ution as mouse and funnel web spiders

LEGEND LOW MODERATE HIGH Research showed that Australia has some of the most poisonous spiders in the world. However, due to the high threat they impose cer tain measures have been taken in order to prevent them. Despite the fac t that there are issues with spiders and their venoms, they are quite harmless. The last death due to a spider bit in Australia was recorded in April 2016, which was the first death since the creation of anti venom in the 1950s. Spider bites are also known to be less troublesome than bee stings, which has a higher recorded death rate due to allergic reac tions. Most spiders also have fangs that are too small to elicit any form of reac tion, they are intended for smaller prey and are of ten delivered in smaller quantities. Thus, introducing something that can reintroduce humans to spiders can create a much more harmonious environment for CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1. 6 RESEARCH MATRIX

RAINFALL DATA

We were interested in the rings and deterioration of the log, so we decided to delve fur ther into understanding how ecology ef fec ts trees and in turn the animals. Thus, we looked at rain fall data over the last 36 years and the amount within each month.

ADULT TREE LIFE SPAN

ANNUAL RAINFALL EXPERIENCED

1983

708.6

1984

670.2

1985

825.8

1986

577.5

1987

688.9

1988

671.8

1989

811.6

1990

633.4

1991

681.5

1992

871.0

1993

419.0

1994

405.0

1995

791.0

1996

824.1

1997

363.2

1998

665.0

1999

554.8

2000

403.3

2001

289.6

2002

436.4

2003

491.8

2004

525.6

2005

297.2

2006

331.8

2007

408.6

2008

432.0

2009

415.0

2010

700.6

2011

862.8

2012

618.8

2013

665.3

2014

479.2

2015

362.8

2016

678.9

2027

639.2 CONCEPTUALISATION

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.7 FINAL FORM

DESIGN EXPLORATION This is a way to recreate a habitat that a specie is used to, as a tree would take several years to grow. The final aim of our design is to recreate the habitat of an animal based on their ecology in a mater of a week.

From the data gathered, we concluded that since it is almost impossible to influence an animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behaviour. Thus, we used the data gathered and found way to input them into our final form. This is our way of recreating the ecology in which the animals live in instead of forcing them to re-adapt to a new and foreign environment. Carla, Ar wa and Arianna were designated the task of exploring dif ferent scripts in order to find the bed solution. The group gathered inspiration from the log we saw at Brimbank Park due to a sculptor that Dan brought in give us feedback on what we have explored for our final designs. We decided to cut the radius of the wood in order to unroll it to create a straight form. This then shows the rings of the tree clearly, representing each year of the treeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life and its experiences. Thus, our tree would have 36 rings from the 36 years wor th of annual rainfall data that was gathered before. Due to the spider and funnel webs we saw on site, we concluded on the idea that this would be a spider habitat.

CONCEPTUALISATION

PSEUDO CODE

0 1 2 3 4

3.6M

825.8

708.6

PANEL GA 3.6M

4.5M

3.6M

577.8

2.7M

4.5M

688.9

3.6M

670.2

Raw rainfall data from 1983 to 2017

Cull pat te in order t the panel the gap w

Data remapped to fit a standard panel thickness ranging from 9mm to 45mm.

Sweep sur face was created through the use of edge cur ves.

Of fset by panel width through list item func tion.

Create boundar y lines from cur ve to rainfall cur ve. Then join them to create a sur face.

PANEL 3.6M

0 1

Join all sur faces.

CONCEPTUALISATION

4.5M

ADD = 7.2

GAP 0

3.6M

2.7M Add panel width and gap width.

ADD = 14.4

Process of creating panel one was repeated.

C.1.8 FINAL FORM 1983 36.3

1983 - 36.3

-1

53.5

- 53.5

48.0

- 48.0

688.9

- 688.9

LAP 3.6M 2.7M

ern was used to separate l widths from widths.

The raw rainfall data was changed to negative numerals in order to represent the sof ter wood due to the erosion it experienced,creating deeper cavities.

Interpolate first cur ve based on month data, divide into 35 points and move points based on yearly data.

Divide base cur ve into 12 points to represent each month of rainfall data. The points are moved up and down depending on data.

1983 507.658

530.0

496.772

500.253

Monthly rainfall data remapped to suit maximum panel height and mini cur ve height determined by timber planks.

2 2

1 New panel was moved in the x direc tion according to the sum of panel and gap width.

1 Merge Data

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.1.9 FINAL FORM

The cur ves first produced were jagged cur ves that was produced from the 12 points created initially. They were then moved in accordance to the rain fall data. More points were placed along the cur ves to create a smoother cur ve for each panel. However, our feedback was to make the cur ves more jagged to replicate the crevices found in the log.

CURVES ON EACH PANEL:

CONCEPTUALISATION

SITE VISIT RESULTS SPIDERS FINAL FORM: The 18 panels will create one component where it can be stacked and repositioned to create new forms. All the data is plugged into a script in order to create the 18 panels. We will continue exploring various protot ypes and material before coming up with a connec tion system for our one to one model. The final form would need 36 panels in order to ‘recreate’ the log’s rings. Each panel would var y in thickness depending on the amount of rainfall experienced during that year. However, due to financial and time constraints, we decided to have only 18 panels with 17 gaps var ying in thickness’s in accordance to the annual rainfall. Thus, the amount of rainfall experienced is represented by a panel with the following year being represented by a gap. This is also similar to how one year of grow th is represented by a light and dark ring.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

TECTONIC ELEMENTS AND PROTOTYPES

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.2.1 PROTOTYPES

The script creates one component that represents 36 years wor th of rainfall data. The overall form is created from various components. The components can create various forms depending on the scale that is needed. We decided to do a small laser cut version out of MDF to demonstrate the various ways each component can be created. Due to the small scale and the time the protot ype was construc ted, there was no connec tion joint demonstrated on the protot ype .We used wood glue to join each panel together before they were clamped and lef t to dr y. This was out way of discovering if the components would work in a large scale before the 1:1 model is construc ted. Due to time and cost constraints, we were only able to construc t one full scale model on site.

CONCEPTUALISATION

FINAL FORM

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.2.2 PROTOTYPES

Once we had the form, we decided to take the time to fur ther understand the ecology and charac teristics of trees. We explored various rustications and ways to apply them to our final form. In order to create a habitat for spiders, we need to understand their ecology. From the behaviour of the spider on the log and the webs in the crevices, spiders prefer a more rusticated sur face. No mat ter what material is chosen to create the form, it would be a smooth sur face that needs to be manipulated in order to replicate the spider â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s natural habitat. Ar wa, Adrian and I decided to tr y image sampling images of trees and bark tex tures in to Grasshopper to see what rustications would occur. We were given the task of CNC milling each pat tern with dif ferent overlays to explore various methods of fabricating a rusticated sur face. From the task we were given, I decided to create rustications based on the charac teristics of a tree. Ar wa and Adrian focused more on depth from the dif ferent images that represented the ecology of a tree. We also explored various ways to manipulate materials in case there was a more appropriate way of utilising cer tain materials for our form. Arianna explored ker fing pat terns through laser cut ting on MDF to see if it would allow us to make the material more flexible. If successful, it would allow us to explore dif ferent and new forms.

100

CONCEPTUALISATION

101

C.2.3.1 RUSTICATION #1

ITERATION MATRIX

IMAGE SAMPLING #1 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

POINT CHARGE AND SPIN FORCE

DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

IMAGE SAMPLING #1

DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

METABALL DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

IMAGE SAMPLING #3 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

102

CONCEPTUALISATION

103

C.2.3.2 RUSTICATION #2

ITERATION MATRIX C2 AT 3 + 8

DESIGN POTENTIAL

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY

FUNCTIONALITY

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

A2 AT 5 DESIGN POTENTIAL

DESIGN POTENTIAL

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY

FUNCTIONALITY

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

B4 AT 3 + C2 AT 5 DESIGN POTENTIAL

DESIGN POTENTIAL

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY

FUNCTIONALITY

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

A2 AT 3 + E4 AT 6 DESIGN POTENTIAL

DESIGN POTENTIAL

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY

FUNCTIONALITY

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

104

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

E4 AT 8

B5 AT 3 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

B2 + E5

D4 AT 6 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

A2 AT 8 +

A1 AT 3 + DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

B2 AT 8 +

A1 AT 8 + DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

105

C.2.2.3 RUSTICATION #3

ITERATION MATRIX X AT 3

X AT 10

X AT 3

Y AT 3

Y AT 10

Z AT 3

Z AT 10

106

CONCEPTUALISATION

X AT 10

Y AT 3

Y AT 10

Z AT 3

Z AT 10

MATRIX KPI DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

107

REVIEW: DESIGN POTENTIAL C2 AT 3 + 8 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY

DESIGN

FUNCTIONALITY

SPATIA ARTICU CONST

INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

FUNCTI

INTERA ENVIRO

DESIGN POTENTIAL

B4 AT 3 + C2 AT 5

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

DESIG

SPATI ARTIC CONS DESIGN POTENTIAL

B5 AT 3

FUNC

INTER ENVIR

SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

108

CONCEPTUALISATION

D4 AT 6

DESIG

SPATI ARTIC CONS

FUNC

INTER ENVIR

C.2.2.4 SELECTED ITERATIONS

N POTENTIAL

AL ULATION RUCTIBILITY

IONALITY

ACTION WITH ONMENT

GN POTENTIAL

IAL CULATION STRUCTIBILITY

CTIONALITY

RACTION WITH RONMENT

These were the iterations we felt were best to explore, as the four iterations done by myself explored the layering of pat terns to create new ones and Adrian’s and Ar wa’s iterations showed the layering of depth. We hope to explore these iterations through CNC milling, as it is a fabrication method that has not been explored by any of our group members. We took to this time to understand the way this fabrication method works and the dif ferent techniques to achieve the best outcome. We hope to have both iterations CNC milled with various drill heads sizes and at various depths on a large piece of ply wood to demonstrate the ef fec ts of rustication on a material.

GN POTENTIAL

IAL CULATION STRUCTIBILITY

CTIONALITY

RACTION WITH RONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

109

110

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C 2.3.1 RUSTICATION the group aimed to have a CNC Milled rusticated sur face. However, upon consultation in the FabLab, we discovered that it would be too costly and time consuming to CNC that many lines onto a piece of ply wood. The layering of image sampling pat terns and various other scripts made the pat terns too complicated to complete the protot ype in a realistic timeframe. Thus, we tried a dif ferent method of layering pieces of MDF on top of one another to explore the depth of each pat tern through laser cut ting. The scripts were far too complicated, so we decided to pick choose a sec tion of a metaball script before exploding it.

PROTOTYPE 1

We decided on the metaball script, as we felt like it was the most beneficial to explore for animals.

There was a lot of lines and small circles on the rustications created by Ar wa and Adrian, so we decided to use the region union component on Grasshopper to decrease the amount of lines. This created a more interesting pat tern due to the overlapping of holes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

111

STUDY C 2.3.2 RUSTICATION PROTOTYPE 2

Af ter speaking to the CNC Mill consultants in the fablab for a second time, we decided that CNC milling a few panels to explore this form of fabrication as well as the layered rustications. We decided to expand on the rustication iterations that we felt represented the ecoglogy of a tree the best. Twelve pat terns were chosen with eight placed on the outside and four placed on ever y second panel inside. We decided to use maxi birch ply wood, as we felt like this was the most suitable material for our rustication. Another option was film ply wood, but we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t want a film over our rustication. Thus, the layering was appropriate given that we were exploring the idea of rings in accordance to rustication. The edges of the panels were cut with a table saw in 22.5 degree angle in order to connec t them. We used wood glue that took three hours

112

CONCEPTUALISATION

113

PROTOTYPE 3

For our final form, we felt that buying MGP10 radiata pine from Bunnings would be the most cost ef fec tive way to buy materials. We bought a 45 x 95 x 120 0 piece of timber and cut it into thin pieces with a band saw. We then used a jigsaw to cut the cur ves, before gluing the pieces together to create a panel. Instead of digitally fabricating one of our rustication pat terns on the panel, we decided to tr y sandblasting, as we felt that it was the best way to replicate the natural contours of the bark we found in Brimbank Park. We found that the sandblasting removed the sof t wood to expose the hard grains. This resulted in a replication of the crevices we saw in the log. We also felt that the holes created in the panel resembled the metaballs we explored in previous rustication protot ypes. For these specific panels, it took roughly 15-20 minute of close sandblasting for the holes to appear. Sandblasting was experimented on various other pieces of wood to see how they would reac t. Some of the wood used

114

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C 2.3.3 RUSTICATION

The group decided to explore rustication in a dif ferent form through a ker fing pat tern. We thought of this as a way for rustication to create a dif ferent ef fec t on the material such as making it more flexible. The ker fing pat tern was originally created by koFac tor Lab. This allowed them to make stif f materials bend and flex without breaking. However upon testing out the dif ferent protot ypes, we noticed that the thinner pieces were able to bend easily as opposed to the larger pieces. The larger pieces were only able to bend in a cer tain direc tion to a limited ex tent due to the larger sur face area the pat tern has to accommodate for. This was why the larger piece broke when bent in a diagonal direc tion. By laser cut ting the ker fin pat tern on MDF, it allowed the material to bend. This could be another way of incorporating rustication into our final design. However, we discovered that buying larger pieces of timber and assembling them into panels might be more beneficial.

CONCEPTUALISATION

115

C.3

116

CONCEPTUALISATION

FINAL DETAIL MODEL

CONCEPTUALISATION

117

118

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.3.1 FINAL FORM

CONSTRUCTION MATERIAL RESEARCH

Low durabilit y timbers such as radiate pine is usually treated to increase their resistance to decay and termite at tack with Chromated Copper Arsenate (CC A) or Light Organic Solvent Preser vatives (LSOP). We decided that dressed timber would be the most beneficial, as the struc ture would have to withstand harsh ex ternal conditions. We thought of using undressed timber for the struc ture, as the aim is to have the struc ture deteriorate fur ther with the rain and other fac tors to resemble the trunk we saw in Brimbank Park. However, the timber must be treated, as untreated timber would not rot far too quickly. The group thought of various dif ferent material options, as we could have created each panel through a form of fabrication such as CNC milling or laser cut ting. However, due to time and cost constraints, we felt that buying pieces of timber would benefit the groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overall model the best. CNC milling is far too costly and time consuming. It is also a subtrac tive process, so there would be too much waste produced. Laser cut ting was an option, but there wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t a material available that we felt would suit that model. Thus, due to the large group we had, we decided to make use of the workshop and created all 18 panels through the connec tion of six pieces of timber

CONCEPTUALISATION

119

C 3.2 FINAL FORM

Adrian and I spent time to discover the best way of cut ting the cur ves and decided to test out various options. We initially used a scroll saw to cut the cur ves of each panel, but while it proved to be successful with thinner panels of timber, it continued to snap with thicker pieces. We then decided to tr y a jigsaw, but controlling the jigsaw during each bend made it dif ficult. We tried using a drill to drive movement holes above each line, but it was an inaccurate way of cut ting the wood. A band saw was also an option, but the saw was far too large to cut through the cur ves, making it an unsafe option.

120

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION FABRICATION TESTING

When we cut the cur ves closely with a jigsaw, the cur ves were jagged and inaccurate. We would have to sand it down in order to smooth out the cur ves, but it made the dimensions shor ter than initially planned. Af ter various tests, we concluded that the best method of fabricating the cur ves was by using a jigsaw. We would use the jigsaw to cut roughly around the cur ves before using a sander to sand down the excess wood accurately. We would use a larger sander for larger spaces before switching over to a round sander with a smaller diameter to sand the finishes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

121

CONSTRUCTION SANDBLASTING

The group decided to incorporate rustication through the use of sandblasting. We decided that sandblasting was a good method of rustication, as the holes exposed the grain of the timber and replicated the metaball that was explored previously. We also took inspiration from the spin force that resembled tree ring. We thought the lines that formed the spin force were too thin, so we image sampled the tree trunk and laser cut it onto a piece of 0.6mm steel sheet. We previously sent a steel sheet test that another group had for a test to ensure that the metal sheet was strong enough to withstand the pressure. We found a sandblasting company in Hallem called UBlast, which utilised an industrial strength sandblaster. This would speed up the process as opposed to the sandblaster in the workshop. There were five stencils made var ying in concentration dependent on the panel thickness. The thickest panel would have the most sandblasted rustication, as they represent the tree ring that experienced the most rain ,which in turn resulted in experiencing a higher amount of deterioration on the log. The group gave the sandblasters a budget of t wo hours and emphasised the need for depth and holes in some of the panels in order to replicate the crevices on the log the best.

122

CONCEPTUALISATION

Af ter testing the sandblasting on t wo panels, we noticed that the grain was best exposed when the gun was shooting at an angle. The sand used by the sandblasters also lef t a grey tinge on the timber, making appear more like the grey coloured trunk that we saw in Brimbank Park.

C 3.3 FINAL FORM

CONCEPTUALISATION

123

C.3.3.1 SANDBLASTING STENCIL

PANEL MATRIX

Panel 1 36mm

Panel 2 45mm

Panel 3 36mm

Panel 7 36mm

Panel 8 18mm

Panel 9 27mm

Panel 13 18mm

Panel 14 18mm

Panel 15 45mm

124

CONCEPTUALISATION

Panel 4 45mm

Panel 5 36mm

Panel 6 18mm

Panel 10 9mm

Panel 11 18mm

Panel 12 9mm

Panel 16 36mm

Panel 17 18mm

Panel 18 27mm CONCEPTUALISATION

125

C 3.4.1 FINAL FORM

1. We bought various pieces of timber in 45 x 90 x 340 0 lengths and cut them down to lengths of 120 0 in Bunnings to make them more transpor table. we then cut them down to 60 0mm lengths in the workshop with a handsaw before cut ting them lengthwise depending on the panel thickness.

2. We then cut them down to 60 0mm lengths in the workshop with a handsaw before cut ting them lengthwise depending on the panel thickness. There were five thicknesses: 9mm, 18mm, 27mm,36mm and 45mm.

5. Five panels were them glued together with the cur ved panel on the top before they are clamped down. We made sure to use a food safe glue, so it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t harmful for the animals.

6. Each panel had to be clamped on both sides in order to prevent it from flexing from the pressure exer ted. The panels took 3 hours to dr y completely.

126

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION FINAL PROCESS

3. We had 45 x 90 x 60 0 pieces of timber with cur ves on them based on the rainfall data of that year. We used a jigsaw and cut as close as we possibly could to the cur ves to ensure that we we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make any mistakes. Once it was cut, we sanded it down with a straight and round sander to get rid of the excess wood.

7. Once each panel had dried, we used hook nails to nail each panel together. This added a second assurance that the panels would stay together in case the glue failed.

4. All the wood was finished with a small round sander in order to ensure that the cur ves were accurate before they were placed and sor ted in accordance to the correc t panel thickness.

8. All 18 panels were completed over the duration of 2-3 days before they were transpor ted to Hallem where they were sandblasted.

CONCEPTUALISATION

127

C 3.4.2 FINAL FORM

Af ter the panels were complete, the group thought of various ways to connec t the panels together. We needed to find a connec tion system that implemented the various gap thickness to represent the annual rainfall of that year. We originally thought of a sec tioning system, where the panels would slide into set grooves. However, we felt that the grooves would lack suppor t unless they were suf ficiently deep. If the grooves were too deep, it would cover the lower half of the panels. Adrian then came up with a wedge system where dif ferent blocks of wood were cut into five dif ferent thicknesses in order to ensure that the gap represented the annual rainfall of that year.. They would then be drilled onto each panel before the panel is drilled on the wedge. This provided a secure connec tion joint for each panel.

128

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION CONNECTION JOINTS

The sur face is divided into 10 x 10 point grid and selec t 4 corner points

Rec tangles are created on the four chosen points

The four points are ex truded by gap width.

CONCEPTUALISATION

129

C 3.4.3 FINAL FORM

We have also created a diagrammatic model that represents the cur ves and their connec tion joints to fully demonstrate the modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design. We used this as a reference for our construc tion.

130

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION ON SITE The group decided to assemble the component on site, as the component would be too large to transpor t in a car. All the wedges were previously cut in the workshop and brought on site. Whilst in the workshop, we tested various ways to connec t the wedge onto the panel with a drill and screw. We had to drill the screws perpendicular to the grain, so there was a high chance of the wedges split ting ever y time they were drilled. Thus, we prepared t wo boxes of ex tra wedges in case they were to break during assembly. All wedges were grouped together to fit in bet ween cer tain panels. We screwed the wedges on the panels ver tically, as we felt that this was the easiest way to assemble the component. Once we have screwed all the panels on, we flipped it horizontally before placing it on site. During the construc tion process, we saw t wo spiders crawl along the panels when assembly was occurring. Unfor tunately, we were only able to get pic tures of one of the spiders. We were curious as to what the spider was and discovered the spider was an orange spider. Orange spiders are known to hunt for their prey on the trunks of trees or foliage, which would explain as to why it was at trac ted to the panels.

CONCEPTUALISATION

131

C 3.4.3 FINAL FORM

Arianna took the time to per form a cost analysis of each panel for the component.

6 Panels

3600mm 540mm We initially cut them into 120 0mm panel so they fit in the car and so that we have some excess in case of mistakes. The table saw at Bunnings is also inaccurate and panels of ten become 3mm-2cm of f target.

600mm

45mm 90mm The wood that we bought from Bunnings were MGP10 Struc tural Pine, with the dimensions of 90x45x360 0mm at $12.89 a piece. 132

CONCEPTUALISATION

Variable (Yr)

90mm

PANELLING COST ANALYSIS

VARIABLE (YR) Depends on the Yearly Rainfall Data Ever y second Value in a list of 35 years is culled.

VARIABLE LIST 0.9mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

0.9mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

1.8mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

1.8mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

1.8mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

1.8mm

WOOD CALCULATIONS

COST CALCULATIONS

4.5mm x 6 Panels 4.5mm x 6 Panels 4.5mm x 6 Panels

12 Pieces x $12.89 = 154.68

3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm

+ + + + +

0.9mm x 6 Panels 0.9mm x 6 Panels (0.9 as excess) x 6 Panels (0.9 as excess) x 6 Panels (0.9 as excess) x 6 Panels

2.7mm + 1.8mm x 6 Panels 2.7mm + 1.8mm x 6 Panels 1.8mm + 1.8mm + (0.9 as excess) x 6 Panels 1.8mm + 1.8mm + (0.9 as excess) x 6 Panels = 12 Panels needed altogether

PANELS TOTAL VALUE:

Plus, an additional fee of $2 per cut to 120 0mm. The machine can fit 3 pieces at a time and the first t wo cuts were free. 12/3 = 4 times x 2 = 8 cuts - - -> 2 from 360 0/120 0 = 2 cuts per timber 8 cuts - 2 free cuts = 6 cuts 6 x $2 per cut = $12

$154.68 + $12.0 0 = $166.68

CONCEPTUALISATION

133

C 3.4.3 FINAL FORM

Each piece could be cut up to 60 units of wedging. at $12.89 a piece.

90mm

Variable (YrW) The wood that we bought from Bunnings were MGP10 Struc tural Pine, with the dimensions of 90x45x360 0mm at $12.89 a piece. 134

CONCEPTUALISATION

60mm

WEDGING COST ANALYSIS

VARIABLE (YRW) Depends on the Yearly Rainfall Data The culled data determines the wedging widths

VARIABLE LIST 0.9mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

0.9mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

4.5mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

1.8mm

2.7mm

3.6mm

1.8mm

3.6mm

WOOD CALCULATIONS

COST CALCULATIONS

4.5mm x 4 Units 4.5mm x 4 Units

Technically, we can cut out all 48 unit pieces out of one single piece of timber, but during our testing stage of researching fix tures, that wood would almost snap into pieces around 25-50% of the time, so therefore the smar t thing to do was to have an ex tra 3 pieces per wedge.

3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm 3.6mm

+ + + + +

0.9mm x 4 Units (0.9 as excess) x 4 (0.9 as excess) x 4 (0.9 as excess) x 4 (0.9 as excess) x 4

2.7mm 2.7mm 2.7mm 2.7mm

+ + + +

1.8mm 1.8mm 1.8mm 1.8mm

x x x x

4 4 4 4

Units Units Units Units

1 Wedges + 3 pieces = 4 units 48 x 4 = 192 Units In this case, we bought 4 pieces of timber. 4 x 12.98 = $51.56

1.8mm + (1.8mm as excess) + (0.9 as excess) x 4 Units = 4 Units per measurement x 12 lines = 48

PANELS TOTAL VALUE:

$51.56 + $4 Cut Cost to 120 0mm = $55.56

CONCEPTUALISATION

135

C 3.4.4 FINAL FORM

Due to time and cost constraints, we were only able to produce one component. Hypothetically, this component would coincide with many others on our original site, Merri Creek. However, due to license and approval issues, we were unable to build on the site that was initially proposed for our interim. Thus, we decided to build our model on a vineyard in the Yarra Valley where there was a large piece of land available for us to use. The component will be lef t on site along with models designed by the other groups. Since this design brings together many prac tices, we are unable to see if it will be successful. Thus, we will re-visit the site in a few months time to see how our designs have progressed. This site allows us the freedom to track the modelâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s progress.

136

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION

CONCEPTUALISATION

137

C 3.5 FINAL FORM

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION

Our final form aims to recreate the ecology of a tree based of the experiences of a tree during its years of grow th. However, with many environmental fac tors, there are still many other things to consider. With the increase of pollution and urban densit y, there has been a inconsistent trend in weather, making it much more dif ficult to replicate the rings of a tree accurately. Despite this, the component aims to recreate the grow th of a tree that would take years to complete in a week. The final design is composed of multiple components that can be rearranged to create various forms. It aims to be flexible in order to adapt to various environments. This idea resembles a tree, as trees can be found in various par ts of the world and in array of various climates.. The model aims to build a new nesting habitat for spiders due to the inspiration we gained whilst on site at Brimbank Park. However, the design is flexible enough to accommodate various species or animals. This then would continue on the chain to produce food for animals such as birds. By approaching the design through researching ecology, we are able to create a much more flexible habitat that would not require the behaviour of animals to be manipulated, as that would be dif ficult to do so.

138

CONCEPTUALISATION

Thus, we aim to re-visit the site in a few months time to see if our model was successful. With all of the research and data gathered, it is not possible to know the outcome of the design right away. However, seeing t wo spiders on our panels during the construc tion period on site was hopeful.

CONCEPTUALISATION

139

C.4 OBJECTIVES: Our final design demonstrates the impor tance of understanding our clients. It was especially challenging due to the fac t that out clients were another species. Therefore, it was much more dif ficult to understand and anticipate their behaviours. This resulted in our need to understand the ecology of which our clients were used to rather than to manipulate their behaviour to adapt to a new form of habitation. The script construc ted by Carla demonstrates the flexibilit y of the data inputs. The components created can then be readjusted to mimic another form of tree. Despite being able to fabricate a component in one week, the process could be much faster if we had the means to construc t it entirely through digital fabrication. Despite creating a form that is designated to be an animal habitat, the component can be easily manipulated to form as other design intentions. A few ways to utilise the design is to introduce animal habitats to urban environments, placing it in a zoo as a designated spider habitat or to place it along a highway in order for it to ac t as a noise barrier. If we had the finances and the time to fabricate, we would create a few more components to fully demonstrate our design intentions.

140

CONCEPTUALISATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Studio: Air has forced me to expand my horizons by learning new programs and fabrication methods. This was the first time where I had to create a 1:1 model and it was interesting to per form our fabrication methods in the workshop. I could have never asked for a bet ter tutorial or group, as this wouldn’t have been possible without ever yone’s contribution and suppor t.

CONCEPTUALISATION

141

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CONCEPTUALISATION

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CONCEPTUALISATION

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