RanLi Air studio PartB by Ran Li

AIR STUDIO PART B, 2017, SEMESTER 2 TUTOR DAN SCHULZ RAN LI, 828826

‘Biomimicry/Biomimetic as an approach to innovation that seeks sustainable solutions to human challenges by emulating nature’s time-tested patterns and strategies.’ 1

1. Archknow, “Biomimicry in Design — Takeaways for a designer”, 2017. < https://medium.muz.li/biomimicryin-design-takeaways-for-a-designer-8e2c537b7a78> [accessed 9 September 2017]

Learn from nature Biomimicry incubates innovations in architectural practice. A close observation of leaves can lead to the discovery that a leave grows along a strong petiole and the surrounding tissues are relatively loose and soft in structure. Such a combination gives the leave both strength and flexibility. When there is wind, the leave would waver but hold on tight to the stem. In comparison, a snailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s shell in static. The tiny spiral shell ensures enough space for snailâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s body, and at the same time its hard texture offers good protection, allowing weak snails to survive in the wild. Inspired by this, architects arranged stairs in a way as we see today.

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Another example is the human skin. With the microscope, we can see numerous fine lines on it. Those lines allow us to move and stretch to a certain extent without feeling bound, though further movements are limited by the deeper skeleton structure. There are countless interesting examples that we can find in the nature, and many of them would remind me of Skin and Bone, folder structure, many of which may also be originated from the nature. In plain English, Biomimicry is the imitation of elements, structures or systems found in the nature to solve problems in human life.

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When I first came across the term “Biomimicry”, I thought it was something very abstract, like chemistry

or advanced math, something I would never be interested in. However, after some research, I was amazed at how relevant it was to our daily life, and we could find the application of this idea in architecture and product designs. For example, invention of Velcro by George de Mestral in 1948 was inspired by the burrs. Once when George de Mestral and his dog returned from a hike, he found many burrs on his clothes and on the dog. Examining those under a microscope, he discovered a unique structure of made up of hooks and loops, which later became the prototype of Velcro, a synthetic fastening system. 2

2008, HOK, an architecture firm, and the Biomimicry Society established a long-term partnership and later in 2013, HOK and Biomimicry 3.8 released the Genius of Biome report, a textbook for how to apply biomimicry in design. Biological entities are the best solution, waiting for discovery. Janine Benyus once proposed that “when we look at what is truly sustainable, the only real model that has worked over long periods of time is the natural world.” 3 Animals, plants, microbes and ourselves are the best ‘engineers’ in the 3.8-billion-year history of nature, which has already found solutions to many of the problems that we are now facing. 4

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There’s a rise in multidisciplinary collaboration, which

calls for the team work among biologists, architects, mechanical engineers, and materials scientists. 5 Design and structure is morphing together: the structure offers solutions to the problems along the process of design, and hence they are becoming a cohesive whole. Architecture is now developing towards the focus of computational design. With advanced computer technology, especially computation and parametric modelling, the construction information is integrated into the design process. Such an idea is thoroughly expressed by the software Grasshopper, requiring an architect to be able to think also as an engineer.

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2. Badore, Margaret, 2013. “Genius of Biome Report: A Biomimicry Primer” [accessed 9 September 2017] 3. BIOMIMICRY INSTITUTE, 2017. <https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/> [accessed 9 September 2017] 4. CNID, “Biomimicry Explained“, 2017. < http://www.cbid.gatech.edu/biomimicry_defined.html > [accessed 9 September 2017] 5. Zach Mortice, Redshift, “Nature Does It Better: Biomimicry in Architecture and Engineering” 2016. <https://www.autodesk.com/redshift/biomimicry-in-architecture/> [accessed 9 September 2017]

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B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

SPANISH PAVILION WORLD EXPOSITION 2005 FOREGIN OFFICE ARCHITECTS LOCATION: JAPAN FIGURE 6

The walls of the Spanish pavilion at the 2005 World Exposition are made up of irregular hexagons in various

colours, and the matching colours are of the same hexagonal shape. The hexagonal grid ensures that each edge precisely adapted to the hexagonal edge. Such a colour-coded design made the appearance of the building visually powerful. Moreover, there is a “half-in-half-out” space , formed by the separation between the “outer skin” walls and the inner pavilion. 6 One may wonder that why some of the hexagons are closed while others are left open. We may find the answer to this question by breaking down the design process and re-engineering in Grasshopper. In this re-designing process, the pattern of the façade interested me the most, on which I spent a lot of time and efforts. Firstly, I used Grasshopper to change the density, scale, height, and size of the hexagons. Secondly, I changed the hexagon into other irregular shapes, such as circles and ellipses. Finally, I focused on the extrude directions: some were horizontal extrusions in same direction while others were crossed. Sometimes, even wrong connections could give rise to a good outcome. Through this exercise, I was pleased to see that I could produce and play with the geometries such as the hexagonal cells, the structure of facades.

6. Simon Glynn, “Spanish Pavilion 2005 World Exposition Aichi Japan,” 2005. < http://www.galinsky.com/buildings/spainaichi/> [accessed 9 September 2017]

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The Morning Line by Aranda Lasch Concept: Recursive fractal growth Imagination of the future inspired by history and structure of universe. 7 The blocks are arranged into a modular structure by the technique of aggregations . Blocks are interchangeable and even removable as needed in different sites. Such a design was only possible with the parametric tool. It arranges those fractal blocks into series which could develop from lines to 3D structures. With the help of Grasshopper, edges and faces of blocks can be trimmed and scaled, therefore fractal blocks can be arranged into various forms. Hence, it can be seen that this project is both rational and practical with the help of computer technology in the process of patterning and structure-organizing. 7. Designboom, â&#x20AC;&#x153;the morning line by matthew ritchie with aranda\lasch and arup â&#x20AC;&#x153; 2017. <https://www.designboom.com/art/the-morning-line-by-matthewritchie-with-aranda-lasch-and-arup/> [accessed 9 September 2017]

(1.2)

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Fabrication: The final design used another technique to create blackened frames and its pattern was generated on surfaces of blocks in the shape of tetrahedron. Such change in the technique resulted in fractal lines and frames, different than the initial design, but the functions and principles remain unchanged. FIGURE 8

This was my first attempt in Part B, which unfortunately failed as the structure of this design was very difficult to control in Grasshopper.

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BEST 4 TESTING RESULT

This

pattern was also based on hexagons. Different from previous one, the hexagons used in this model are almost of the same scale, with the height changing in the similar direction with the first one. SAFETY COMFORTABILITY APPEARANCE WEARABILITY FLEXIBILITY VULNERABILITY FABRICATION POSSIBILITY

This

pattern is based on hexagons. The largest hexagon is located at the central. The difference between scales became less and less from the central to the edges. Same with this sequence, the height of the hexagons is also the tallest at the central and shortest upon the edge. And on the other edge, inside the hexagons, there is more and more repetition of hexagons in different scales. SAFETY COMFORTABILITY APPEARANCE WEARABILITY FLEXIBILITY VULNERABILITY FABRICATION POSSIBILITY

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This pattern, at the same level, is made up of two

formulas in grasshopper. The smallest hexagons are at the edge of the two sides, and biggest one is located in the middle. The pattern of each row also changes. Moreover, at some of the edge points, there are circles. This is the most complex one among four designs, and I used ‘list item’ to figure out the problems. SAFETY COMFORTABILITY APPEARANCE WEARABILITY FLEXIBILITY VULNERABILITY FABRICATION POSSIBILITY

Also based on the hexagons, the infills grow thicker and thicker gradually.

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FANTASY AND REALITY (#1-3) As I mentioned in Part A, architecture as design practice is now heavily influenced by computation tools and processes. Accordingly, the outcome is very different with past traditional architecture, though at present in some countries, architecture still remain at the level of the traditional build. In my Collage, I want to express the idea of “Fantasy and Reality”. The human in the collage is an aboriginal. The society she lives in the same world with us, but our live styles could not be more different. We live on the same planet, and perhaps this is the only thing that we have in common. This is similar to the relation between the computational design and the traditional architectural design. They are both architectural design in nature but their means are worlds apart. However, we cannot judge which one is better as there is no right and wrong in the field of architecture design. Only time can tell which one is more useful and suitable in our society. I think some of the ideas in this filed are not universally applied in today’s society yet. Like the part which I showed in my third collage, the bird drink coffee. This idea is impractical and ridiculous in today’s society. However, 100 years ago, who could have imagined that so many people would drink coffee on daily basis? Maybe in 100 years, bird drink coffee will become nothing unusual. Everything is possible.

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B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 Water cube, Beijing 2008 The Water Cube’s breathtaking architecture is matched by engineering innovations in fabrication, materials and environmental management. -Dr Geoff Robinson, Chairman, MacRobert Award judging panel The building’s form was inspired by the natural formation of soap bubbles. It was proposed by Arup’s designers and structural engineers that the structure developed from elements resembling the shape of soap bubbles would be highly repetitive and the overall appearance would give people a sense of organic and random.8 The Watercube’s structure was not only feasible but also highly efficient in energy usage. It can maximize the capture of solar energy, which would be later used to heat the inner space and even the pools. By collecting rainwater, recycling and other advanced systems, the water can also be used with high efficiency in the Watercube.9 8. ARUP, “A form inspired by the natural formation of soap bubbles”, 2017. <https://www.arup.com/projects/chinese-national-aquatics-center> [accessed 9 September 2017] 9. “Watercube – National Swimming Centre”, 2017. <http://www.ptw.com.au/ptw_project/watercube-national-swimming-centre/#> [accessed 9 September 2017]

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When I started creating this building in Grasshopper, I found there was a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Plug inâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; which could help build this model. However, at that time, I wanted to challenge myself, so I made a model without using the function. At last, I had to give up as I was blocked at the step of changing a line into a curve to make the bubbles.

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LINE DRAWINGS OF THE FINAL OUTCOME

RECORD PROCESS Step 1 started from ‘Pop2D’ Step 2 used “Voronoi” to create the pattern of irregular hexagons. Step 3 used “Scale’ to build the shape of bubbles. Step 4 used “Area” to find the central points of the hexagons. Step 5, with “Surface closest point”, “evaluate surface”, “multiplication” “move” and finally “extrude point”, irregular hexagons were made into bubbles. Moreover, “Deconstruct Brep”, “Nurvs Curve(Flatten)” and “extrude point” were used to make bubbles based on irregular circles.

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REVERSE-ENGINEER MODEL

ORIGINAL BUILDING

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Attempts of using Grasshopper to change the colour of the model turned out to be successful.

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B.4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT In B.2, my work focused on the density, scale, height, size of the hexagons. In this part I wanted to find alternative patterns to replace the hexagon.

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Our group focuses on the arm, which I think is closely related to fashion, jewelry design and robot body. The clothes brand that gave me the most inspiration , is the genius work of the Japanese designer “ISSEY“. I love the flexibility found in it. Secondly I learned from jewelry design of its focus on visual power. As to robot body, I love the unique connections used in it.

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This design is the result of an inspiration by a sunflower. The petals could collect the solar energy, which will be saved in the branches for later use. After the sunset or during the night time, the petals will be luminous. At the same time, they can generate heat to warm up the wrist and promote local blood circulation. This is beneficial, especially for people who work outside or ride bicycles during the night time, offering both illumination and protection.

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This design is the result of close observation of Octopus. It can be used to hold things. We often find ourselves wanting to hold several things using our only two hands. For example, in the morning when I am heading for the classroom, I need take a cup of coffee, newspaper, my handbag and phone, and something will â&#x20AC;&#x153;inevitablyâ&#x20AC;? drop onto the ground, causing more trouble for a hectic morning.

With a suction

In such cases, I always want an extra pair of hands to help me and this design can make our life much easier by holding many things at once as the position of the fingers can be adjusted as needed.

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B.5. TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES In this part, our group tested one of the design made by Thai, and I also chose to build one of my designs. For the fabrication part, our idea focused on three parts: - The frame - The infill - And the connection However, in the first testing, all of the three parts failed. We found that material selection was very important. For example, when we printed the infillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s with a 3D printer, the model was very fragile and some of the part were already broken.

The infill made by 3D print

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Processing of my own design - Frist try The paper I used in the photo also has great potential as it could connect all the small pieces, so there is no need of glue.

With good flexibility, the shape of the model can be changed as needed. Moreover, due to well-chosen material, it is very light, easy to carry around. However, this work is more like a fashion design, with limited practical functions. 48

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Processing of my own design - Second try

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I decided to use iron wires to group failed in our first attemp in Thaiâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rhino model. The mo planned, but this brought abou ends of the wires might hurt p extra protection at the connec

The iron wires have good pote difficult to mode them into a d Through research, I found mo to examine and improve my d

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build the model as our pt to put pieces together odel was easily built as ut another problem: the peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s skin. Therefore, ction part was necessary.

ential though it is desired shape. ore perspectives design.

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B.6. Technique: Proposal Most of groups chose laser cutting, flex-agony and 3D printer to make models. After mid-term oral presentation, I found our groupâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s physical model need substantial improvement. Therefore, learning from previous failures, I made a new model, and this time I examined the design closely in the aspect of resilience, aesthetic, vulnerability and cost before actually making it. The material selection and the connection are of great importance in our site. I also considered using luminescent coating, mirror or light to scale up visual affects. I am happy with the outcome.

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B.7. Learning Objectives and Outcomes Through the Part B studies, I become familiar to and even interested in Biomimicry. The mid-term oral presentation gave me both pressure and motivation, and therefore I decided to make some changes to the design. After the presentation, I started to rethink my Part B. I love the process starting from research to computer design and finally to fabrication. Through this journey, I was faced with lots of problems, and I loved the challenges to find the solutions. To be honest, this process was generally painful, but in the end, I was so proud of my accomplishment. Overall, I enjoyed part B. I loved the ideas, lectures and poems learned from the tutorial. I also found that it is important to develop personal strengths. Actually, I was not highly interested in Grasshopper, but I did not hate it. Therefore, I spent relatively more time on other parts such as Collage, drawing and fabrication. I am glad this subject is comprehensive and mult. We can not only learn to use Grasshopper but also have opportunities to express our ideas in our favourite ways.

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B.8. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches

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REFERENCES 1. Archknow, “Biomimicry in Design — Takeaways for a designer”, 2017. < https://medium.muz.li/ biomimicry-in-design-takeaways-for-a-designer-8e2c537b7a78> [accessed 9 September 2017] 2. Badore, Margaret, 2013. “Genius of Biome Report: A Biomimicry Primer” [accessed 9 September 2017] 3. BIOMIMICRY INSTITUTE, 2017. <https://biomimicry.org/what-is-biomimicry/> [accessed 9 September 2017] 4. CNID, “Biomimicry Explained“, 2017. < http://www.cbid.gatech.edu/biomimicry_defined.html > [accessed 9 September 2017] 5. ZACH MORTICE, REDSHIFT, “NATURE DOES IT BETTER: BIOMIMICRY IN ARCHITECTURE AND ENGINEERING” 2016. <HTTPS://WWW.AUTODESK.COM/REDSHIFT/BIOMIMICRY-IN-ARCHITECTURE/> [ACCESSED 9 SEPTEMBER 2017] 6. Simon Glynn, “Spanish Pavilion 2005 World Exposition Aichi Japan,” 2005. < http:// www.galinsky.com/buildings/spainaichi/> [accessed 9 September 2017] 7. Designboom, “the morning line by matthew ritchie with aranda\lasch and arup “ 2017. <https://www.designboom. com/art/the-morning-line-by-matthew-ritchie-with-aranda-lasch-and-arup/> [accessed 9 September 2017] 8. ARUP, “A form inspired by the natural formation of soap bubbles”, 2017. <https://www.arup. com/projects/chinese-national-aquatics-center> [accessed 9 September 2017] 9. “WATERCUBE – NATIONAL SWIMMING CENTRE”, 2017. <HTTP://WWW.PTW.COM.AU/PTW_PROJECT/ WATERCUBE-NATIONAL-SWIMMING-CENTRE/#> [ACCESSED 9 SEPTEMBER 2017]

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REFERENCES - IMAGES

Figure 1-3 https://biomimicry.org/biomimicry-examples/ [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 4 https://au.pinterest.com/pin/481955597600599482/?lp=true [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 5 “Mercedes-Benz Stadium | HOK”http://www.arch2o.com/mercedes-benz-stadium-hok/ [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 6-7 http://www.ceramicarchitectures.com/obras/spanish-pavilion-expo-2005/ [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 8 “ARANDA/LASCH” http://arandalasch.com/works/the-morning-line/ [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 9 “UNCUBE” http://www.uncubemagazine.com/blog/13220059 [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 10 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Soundskulptur_%22The_Morning_ Line%22,_Matthew_Ritchie_-_panoramio.jpg [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 11 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Construction_beijing_2008_water_cube_1.jpg [accessed 10 September 2017] Figure 12-13 https://au.pinterest.com/pin/216032113354580183/?lp=true [accessed 11 September 2017] Figure 14-15 “Watercube-National Swimming Centre”http://www.ptw.com.au/ptw_project/watercubenational-swimming-centre/ [accessed 11 September 2017] Figure 16 “Watercube – Beijing” https://aedesign.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/watercube-beijing/ [accessed 11 September 2017] Figure 17-18 https://au.pinterest.com/mihiteruarewa/issey-meyake-clothing/?lp=true [accessed 12 September 2017] Figure 19 “Simple Design of a 5DOF Robotic Arm with Robotis Motors”https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=msBVSFlgiwA [accessed 12 September 2017] Figure 20 “Curved pleats for Issey Miyake Spring 2016 Collection”http://www.perfold.com/ home/category/issey-miyake [accessed 12 September 2017] Figure 21 https://au.pinterest.com/sonam2906/jwelery/?lp=true [accessed 12 September 2017]

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