Byrnes Connor 699147 finaljournal by Connor Byrnes

STUDIO AIR 2017, SEMESTER 2, Caitlyn Perry Connor Byrnes

WHO AM I?

Here is a short introduction into why I want to get involved in design, architecture and the like. During high school i was always very fond of communication design subjects and those which allowed me to express some of my thoughts and get them down on paper. It never really touched the idea of actual designing for buildings as such, but as I got to University my subjects led me in that direction. I hope to design in such a way where I can leave a positive urban footprint. Right now, learning methods on how to use proper materials and features is what I hope to follow through with in the future. I think it is an important role that designers should be taking, and break from the idea that design is simply for aesthetics (not saying everyone believes this but there are some who do). I hope to gain from this subject new ways to develop my design skills. My computer based skills are currently quite low so it is time for me to get an understanding on them. I feel as if within the design industry a lot of work is being done through technology now and I fear I will fall behind if I do not keep up. This subject already seems engaging enough that I will actually be able to enjoy learning these skills.

Table of Contents 1 PART A. CONCEPTULISATION 3 A.1 DESIGN FUTURING 4 A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION

PART A. CONCEPTULISATION

A1. DESIGN FUTURING In regards to articles ‘Timberfabric: Applying Textile Principles On A Building Scale’ (Yves Weinand and Markus Hudert, 2010) & ‘The Khaleesi Tower: Aesthetics and Politics’ (Mark Foster and Gage, 2016) The Timberfabric project which has been undertaken by IBOIS (The Laboratory for Timber Fabric) has radicalised and is continuing to radicalise people’s thoughts and ideas on the use of timber moulded into use as a construction fabric. Transforming the properties of the wood from our ideas of it being a hard, solid and rigid material, their efforts to weave it and turn it into instead a ‘textile’ toys with the idea that it has a singular property or ‘set of rules’. This ties into Dunne and Raby’s 1 idea that we have pro-conceived ideas of how we use something and that it is difficult to break those pre-conceptions. It has bent our ideas on construction methods through the use of materials and how we can actually use them. Being a sustainable viable option compared to many other well used materials, finding it a new use in which it can be both sustainable and purposeful has woven in the idea of intelligent design as it is purposeful over multiple facets. The process of design can be considered unique and perhaps revolutionary for this type of construction material. The process involves weaving two planar timber panels together which form a curved structural platform. I believe that although it is not perhaps the most groundbreaking idea to ever come out of design - and to be honest may be difficult in the present to integrate into modern design projects - it definitely gives the potential for new ideas and can perhaps have a shift in our approach to how we use materials. It leads into the Fry reading that we have to start designing around our environment, this new wave of ideas of how we can actually use the products around us has the potential to instigate change in the future. I personally hope to see this type of timber weaving become popularised as it could begin to provoke our thoughts on how 4

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to use renewable materials and draw people’s attentions to timber plantations and the importance of such products for us and our future. One reason I believe this project is so interesting is that it was actually built before it was designed. Although no buildings or anything large scale has been produced yet, the team who led the design did so before using computers to create it. Now it is the difficulty to try and use this geometry and find coding for an element that has not been used before. I do not believe it is important however that there is not a building to show for this project, as this idea continues to be explored it gives it the opportunity and the time frame to form new ideas and perhaps challenge our thinking on other constructive materials and how we can use them.

FIG.1: THE INTRICACIES OF THE TIMBERFABRIC PROJECT (HTTP://BETA.MARKUSHUDERT.NET/)

Without want of repeating myself, I believe the idea of the timber weaving will only gain appreciation over time as it is a new theory which breaks the boundaries of how we believe we can use design and that perhaps some elements of design only have multiple uses. Finding a flexibility to timber through this woven design allows it to be durable, I can see it in future being used like somewhere in Japan where Earthquakes are frequent - finding a strong construction material which can bend without breaking and hold its own could be incredibly influential in some areas of the world. Thats why I believe it will have an impact - not just on timber itself, but the exploration and use of how we may begin to integrate other materials into the design.

The fantastic part of the future on this is that it is open ended. As it is style almost a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;prototypeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; sort of design, there are still many ways it can be explored. For example, it is already mentioned how it can be used for furniture design as well as other markets. As it is still in research phases it is difficult to answer how far they will explore the possibilities. As it seems a durable and flexible approach to construction, I believe it will go down this path to try and integrate the timer into large scale commercial buildings, breaking away from our idea that commercial must be mainly steel, concrete and glass.

1. DUNNE, ANTHONY & RABY, FIONA (2013) SPECULATIVE EVERYTHING: DESIGN FICTION, AND SOCIAL DREAMING (MIT PRESS) PP. 1-9, 33-45

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THE KHALEESI TOWER

FIG.2

FIG.1 THE KHALEESI TOWER PROPOSAL FOR BALCONY SPACE

THE KHALEESI TOWER PROPOSED FOR NEW YORK CITY BY MARK FOSTER GAGE ARCHITECTS PUSHES THE BOUNDARIES OF THE MODERN DAY SKYSCRAPER AND QUESTIONS WHAT WE BELIEVE TO BE OR NOT ‘AESTHETICALLY PLEASING’. IN A MODERNIST WORLD WHERE WE ARE USED TO SEEING THE CITIES LARGEST BUILDINGS OFTEN AS TALL, GEOMETRICAL, AND QUITE OFTEN AS JUST A ‘USE’, IT BEGS THE QUESTION OF IF IT IS THE CORRECT IDEA WHICH DESIGN SHOULD BE TAKING. AS STATED BY THE ARTICLE1, IT DEMANDS US TO RECONSIDER THE POLITICS OF ARCHITECTURE AND PUSHES US TO THINK OF NEW IDEAS AND WAYS TO TREAT OUR DESIGNS. IT TIES IN TO DUNNE AND RADY’S2 BELIEFS THAT OUR ATTITUDES ARE WHAT IS NEEDED TO BREAK THE IDEA OF WHAT WE ‘KNOW’ TO BE RIGHT, WRONG OR OTHERWISE. THE PROJECT PROVOKES THE THOUGHT THAT IN DESIGNING FOR SUSTAINABILITY, THE WAYS IN WHICH WE DESIGN AND OTHER FACTORS ARE STEMMING OUR WAYS OF THINKING AND THEREFORE PERHAPS HINDERING SOME OF OUR CREATIVE FLOWS. 6

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THE KHALEESI TOWER HAS INCREDIBLY RADICAL UNDERTONES TO ITS DESIGN. THE FIRM THEMSELVES WANTED THE PROJECT TO BE THOUGHT PROVOKING NO MATTER WHICH WAY ONE LOOKS AT IT - WHETHER THE SUBJECT OF ADMIRATION OR HATE - THE FACT THAT IT IS A TOPIC OF CONVERSATION BELIEVES THEY HAVE DONE A CORRECT JOB IN ONE OF THE ROLES ARCHITECTURE PLAYS, TO BE SUBJECTIVE AND INTERESTING. WE CAN LOOK AT DUNNE AND RABY’S EXAMPLE OF ‘CRITICAL ARCHITECTURE’ AND THE ROLE IT PLAYS IN COMING TO THE AID OF A DESIGN. ALTHOUGH CRITICAL DOES NOT MEAN WE HATE OR NECESSARILY DISLIKE, IT AT LEAST OPENS A CONVERSATION TO HOW WE ARE FEELING AND HOW WE CONTRIBUTE TO THE SUBJECT. I WOULD LIKE TO HOPE THAT A BUILDING LIKE THIS CAN INSTIGATE CHANGE - AND BREAK THE NORMS OF HOW WE FEEL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN MUST BE AND FIND WAYS TO ADAPT NEW IDEAS AND PRINCIPLES.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT IN THE MODERN DAY IN AGE IT IS POSSIBLE FOR A PROJECT SUCH AS THE KHALEESI TOWER TO BE BUILT. IT WOULD TAKE A PARADIGM SHIFT IN PEOPLE’S MINDS TO ACCEPT A BUILDING LIKE THIS AS WE ARE TOO CONDITIONED TO HOW WE IMAGINE A BUILDING TO LOOK LIKE OR BE. IT DRAWS ON FRY’S2 CONCERNS OF RUNNING OFF A TEMPLATE, THAT PERHAPS WITH THE TECHNOLOGY AT HAND AND THE TOOLS AVAILABLE TO US IT HAS BECOME TOO SIMPLE TO CREATE PERHAPS A GRIDDED FORM AND ELEVATE IT, WITH TWEAKS HERE AND THERE. PERSONALLY, I FEEL THAT THAT IS A STRETCH TOO FAR, BUT I UNDERSTAND THE FIRMS REASONING AS TO WHY THEY WANTED TO PROPOSE SUCH A BUILDING - IT HELPS TO CHALLENGE OUR IDEAS AND STEP AWAY FROM A TEMPLATE THAT SEEMS COMFORTABLE AND EXPLORE NEW WAYS TO INTEGRATE DESIGN. SO NO, I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WAS IMPORTANT THAT IT WAS NOT A BUILT PROJECT, AS IT SPARKED A CONVERSATION ON HOW WE NEED TO THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX AND TRY AND RENEW OUR CREATIVE THINKING. THE KHALEESI PROJECT WILL BE APPRECIATED AS IT ASKS MANY CULTURAL QUESTIONS - SOCIAL, POLITICAL, AND SO-ON. IT ASKS US TO BREAK AWAY FROM HOW WE KNOW THINGS TO BE, AND BEGS THE QUESTION OF HOW WE THINK THINGS CAN BE. IT USED THE THEORY OF CHANGE AND THE SOCIAL IMPACTS THAT WE HAVE ON MODERN DAY DESIGNS. WE EXPECT A BUILDING TO BE SOME WAY, THEREFORE IT SHOULD LOOK AND ACT THAT WAY. I BELIEVE A PROJECT LIKE THIS ASKS US TO THINK IN A MORE PRO-ACTIVE AND FORWARD WAY FOR THE FUTURE - NOT NECESSARILY IN A SUSTAINABILITY SENSE BUT INSTEAD THE PATH WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE DESIGN GO DOWN. THE DESIGN ITSELF AS IT IS FAIRLY RECENT HAS NOT ACTUALLY INSPIRED A NEW GENERATION OF BUILDINGS PER-SE, HOWEVER HIS USE OF LIMESTONE AND OTHER MATERIALS ON A MODERN BUILDING IS INSPIRING TO GRAPPLE WITH, AS IT SEEMS A FORGOTTEN FORM OF DESIGN ON A MODERN BUILDING. HAVING ‘GARGOYLES’ AND OTHER CARVED FEATURES GIVES AN ELEMENT TO THE FACADES THAT IS UNIQUE AND RARE IN THIS DAY AND AGE. DESIGNING DIFFERENTLY AND PUSHING FOR EXPLORATION IS A DYING ART WITHIN DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE. BY USING A STYLE TO EVOKE FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS BRINGS BACK THE IDEA OF ARCHITECTURE AS AN ART FORM. CREATING A UTOPIAN FORM, THE KHALEESI TOWER HAS OPENED THE FUTURE TO BREAKAWAY FROM HOW WE EXPECT A SKYSCRAPER TO LOOK AND FUNCTION, AND IMPLORES US TO PERHAPS DESIGN PURELY FOR AESTHETIC. I THINK IT BEGS AN IMPORTANT QUESTION OF WHETHER WE SHOULD ALWAYS BE DESIGNING TO A CERTAIN ‘SCRIPT’ AND INSTEAD ASK HOW WE CAN IMPOSE OUR IDEAS ON THE REST OF THE WORLD.

FIG.2 THE KHALEESI TOWER PROPOSAL AS SEEN FROM BELOW

1. MARK FOSTER GAGE, AESTHETICS AS POLITICS: THE KHALEESI TOWER ON WEST 57TH STREET, NYC., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) ARCHIT. DESIGN, 86: 26–33 2. DUNNE, ANTHONY & RABY, FIONA (2013) SPECULATIVE EVERYTHING: DESIGN FICTION, AND SOCIAL DREAMING (MIT PRESS) PP. 1-9, 33-45 3.FRY, TONY (2008). DESIGN FUTURING: SUSTAINABILITY, ETHICS AND NEW PRACTICE (OXFORD: BERG), PP. 1–16

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A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION

POPULOUS AND THE JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS TRAINING GROUND AND AMPITHEATRE The Populous design team has integrated computing design into their sport arena projects for a substantial amount of time. Many of these projects, mainly looking at the Jacksonville Jaguars amphitheatre and training facility, have in fact relied on computing for completion of the project. By integrating building modelling and design programs such as Grasshopper and Autocad, the team at Populous managed to effectively see how the building was working as a system and integrate computing to techniques to make the needs and aesthetics work in harmony. Computing has allowed for the process to change from one which was simply following a brief to using software to implement certain features which would be almost impossible to either think of and construct if designing by hand. Having the ability to integrate multiple programs (Rhino and Dynamo) also allowed for the project to be designed and tested for its efficiencies quickly, without having to re-design and recalculate. This takes out a massive step in the time frame of finding problems and therefore having to find solutions. Design practices and processes have continuously progressed for centuries. I believe computing can be merely the next step or next ‘norm’ for design. In some ways, it allows us to explore and integrate ideas and programs which previously were not possible. For example, having the ability to compare and utilise different materials against each other and see if they would work in the built form, is a process which otherwise beforehand would have taken many hours of manual calculation and labour. When looking at the Populous project, it has actually allowed the team to be able to continue working on the design whilst the project is under construction. This re-defines the idea of having a set of blueprints and working off, instead by integrating both the design and construction processes at the same time, it has the potential to reduce time constraints on the project whilst still allowing flexibility to the designer.

CONCEPTUALISATION

The design industry is experiencing a new wave of ways to think about our generation of design and the abilities in which computers and computer generated design can positively impact our generation process. There is a conception within the design field that perhaps computation limits our ability to be ‘creative’. However it is necessary to look at how perhaps instead they are just new tools and skills which need to be honed in order to create similar or in fact improved outcomes on previous design skills we have applied within the industry. Computer generation has allowed for algorithms and geometries to allow for certain forms to be developed and create more calculated relationships between certain elements of the design. I believe it has made it easier to generate multiple designs to work in cohesion as the computer and programs let the user see where certain geometrical elements works or perhaps do not work. This further helps to develop multiple geometrics which either could not be created simply through drawing and mental design as the calculations are too sophisticated to conceive of otherwisee. When taking the Jackson Jaguars amphitheatre for an example, they managed to integrate the use of drainage, lighting, natural ventilation and the structural properties of the building by using real generations of the fabrics used to mathematically create solutions which may have caused problems during the construction phase. It is necessary to look at how many old architectural theories believed in a model of strict planning to conceive of a design. Originally, construction was the design process, before off site planning became a practice and a notified skill. However nowadays i believe that the two are again beginning to exist alongside, as projects such as the one undertaken by Populous proves that the design process can still be integrated during construction. It allows also for the integration of designers over multiple platforms to work in synchronisation, by using the same if not similar programs to complete projects that deliver both aesthetics and solutions (such as architects and engineers), as proven once again by the team at Populous. Computation has allowed designers to mimic certain materials as well, allowing for better understanding of connections between the connection and building process. I believe this has allowed for accelerated design without necessarily cutting any corners. We can now use algorithms and geometries not previously thought of or being able to be used as it gives us a clearer understanding to “solving the puzzles” of a design.

CONCEPTUALISATION

ROSS LOVEGROVE Ross Lovegrove’s computer based designs break the idea of technological designs as being ‘un-organic’. His designs use advanced algorithms and geometrics to help create nature inspired and free-flowing features to his outcomes. Many believe that computing holds us back from the idea of form and makes every aspect of the design a mathematical equation rather than a design. However, it is evident to see that we can in fact have the best of both worlds. By using algorithms which mimic nature and its materials, we have in fact found a way to use computers to very beautifully re construct the world around us. First we must know how to understand the algorithmic process before we can put it into practice. Looking at his design of Twin’Z electric car for Renault France,1 the unordinary car design could easily be mistaken for an insect we would find in the garden. I believe it proves that if we follow the patterns of nature, computation allows us to more easily generate a symmetrical piece of the living world. This stage of computing has re-developed the idea of using the natural world to influence our designs. Too often we get stuck on a grid or ‘program’ which tells us how we must design and by following a set of guidelines or rules. I too think it is easy to get caught up in a computer and the wonders it can do and get carried away, but as Lovegrove has proven we must be the master of our designs and simply let

CONCEPTUALISATION

FIG.1 LOVEGROVE’S CAR DESIGN FOR FYAT

the computer take us to where we want to go. It re-defines the idea that it is limiting - in fact, it allows us to breathe life into new designs through mediums which we did not previously think possible. Lovegrove has mimicked the process of cells in nature and other forms of natures to help to generate these ideas. I do not personally believe these would be anywhere near as possible simply through pen and paper. Furthermore, although we may be able to figure out the algorithms, I do not believe that we could put them into practice by creating form. This is how computers have helped to re-define our design practices, as we can watch algorithms come to life. One of the biggest changes we are currently facing is the ability to enhance our knowledge on textiles and materials within the design world. Fabrication through 3D modelling allows us to experiment with materials perhaps not commonly used within the architecture world. The idea of off-site fabrication and construction makes the design process coincide with the construction process. Lovegrove goes further as to say that the future is heading towards biologically growing and forming materials (such as a telephone). Perhaps it is his wild imagination and love with nature which makes it more of a wish than a foreseeable outcome, however the way in which the industries are heading with advancements like 3D printing and robotic fabrication perhaps makes it seem that little bit more real.

FIG.2 LOVEGROVE’S ALUMINUM CHAIR

As stated earlier, computation has given us a new platform to use algorithm to create form and further play with that form. I thoroughly believe that design should be an enjoyable process, and this is an interesting way to blend both mathematics, science, and creativity. We have achievabley turned mathematics into aesthetics, two words which normally would not blend together. Furthermore, Lovegrove’s projects highlight how these geometries are blending with materials not previously used for this field of design work. His project DIATOM, a parametric aluminium chair(fig.2), has used geometry to create a stronger connection between points on the chair to give it a greater strength without actually using any more aluminium than normal. The blend of geometry and materials allows us to further get the best result from a material and enhance our knowledge on how we can use those materials. Lovegrove’s innovations and projects highlight to us that using intelligent algorithm we have the ability to get the best we can out of the materials and elements around us. By coming to understand nature and algorithms we can begin to use them in different ways to psoitively effect the performance of our designs in some circumstances. Lovegrove’s “Gravitational Shoes”(fig.3) use an effective algorithmic method of using “attraction and repulsion” algorithms to fully strengthen the shoe whilst still making it stable and stylish for the wearer. It is a two birds with one stone situation, by creating resilient shoes with a new-wave and futuristic aesthetic.

FIG.3 LOVEGROVE’S LONGITUDINAL SHOE DESIGN 1. ROSS LOVEGROVE, ‘SUPER-NATURAL’: PARAMETRICISM IN PRODUCT DESIGN. ARCHIT., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) DESIGN, 86: 100–107

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A.3. COMPOSITION/GENERATION

FIG.1THE ORIGINAL DRAWINGS TO HELP DEVELOP COMPUTER PROGRAMMING FOR 3D BUILDING

CONCEPTUALISATION

FIG.2 BABAK BRYAN AND HENRY GROSMAN FROM BANG STUDIOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S COMPUTERISDE LINE WORK

COMPUTERISATION OR COMPUTER GENERATED DESIGN IS STILL A RELATIVELY RECENT ADVANCEMENT IN NOT JUST ARCHITECTURE BUT ALL BASES OF DESIGN. IN A WORLD WHERE ALGORITHMS AND GEOMETRY HAVE CREATED A NEWWAVE OF PARAMETRIC DESIGNERS, IT BEGS THE QUESTION AS TO WHETHER WE ARE ‘LOSING TOUCH’ WITH INNOVATION AS A MACHINE SEEMS TO BE ABLE TO GENERATE EVERYTHING WE CAN, IF NOT MORE. IN THIS DAY AND AGE, IT IS NECESSARY TO REMEMBER THAT WE MUST MERELY BE THE MASTER OF OUR NEW TOOLS AND NOT BECOME SLAVE TO THE MACHINE. FIRSTLY, IT IS NECESSARY TO DISTINGUISH WHAT EXACTLY IS GENERATION. IT IS NOT THE IDEA, BUT THE INITIAL CREATION OF A PROJECT. THE ACT OF BRINGING IT TO LIFE, WHETHER IT BE THROUGH ALGORITHM OR PEN AND PAPER. MANY WOULD ARGUE THAT COMPUTATIONAL GENERATION IS ‘CHEATING’, OR PERHAPS DESERVES LESS MERIT THAN GENERATING SOMETHING SOLELY USING YOUR OWN TOOLS WITHOUT TECHNOLOGY. BUT IS THIS NECESSARILY TRUE? WE MUST REMEMBER THAT THE USE OF ALGORITHM AND OTHER EQUATIONAL METHODS STILL MUST BE INPUT BY A HUMAN, WITH OUR PROCESS OF ALGORITHM HELPING TO GENERATE LINES AND MODELS PERHAPS PREVIOUSLY UNACHIEVABLE WITHOUT THESE TOOLS. NOT EVERY ALGORITHM WILL COME OUT THE SAME, EITHER. WE CAN USE A SINGULAR ALGORITHM IN A MULTITUDE OF WAYS, TO CREATE MULTIPLE GENERATIONS, EACH ONE DIFFERENT TO THE NEXT. THIS THEREFORE SHOULD NOT NECESSARILY BE A HINDRANCE OR LOOKED DOWN UPON WITHIN THE DESIGN PROCESS. IN FACT, IT COULD BE ARGUED THAT THIS STREAM OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN OPENS UP OPPORTUNITIES FOR CERTAIN OUTCOMES WHICH WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN POSSIBLE BEFORE. HOWEVER, DOES COMPUTER GENERATED DESIGN ‘LIMIT’ OUR ABILITY TO BE CREATIVE? NO, IN MY OPINION IT IS SIMPLY A NEW TOOL TO BE LEARNT. BABAK BRYAN AND HENRY GROSMAN FROM BANG STUDIO ARGUE THAT DRAWING IS AN ACT OF TIME, AND THE LINES WE ARE DRAW ARE INFINITE1. WHETHER BY HAND OR BY COMPUTER, WE HAVE GENERATED THESE LINES, THESE MOMENTS IN TIME, WHICH ARE GOING TO EVENTUALLY CREATE FORMS AND MODELS. THE DIFFERENCE IS, THEY ARGUE, THAT A COMPUTER SIMPLY ALLOWS US TO USE ALGORITHMS AND GEOMETRICS TO BEND THOSE LINES AND TRANSFORM THEM, A NEW MEDIUM TO WHICH WE CAN BEGIN TO GENERATE. SO WHETHER IT BE THROUGH A PEN TO PAPER OR US TELLING A COMPUTER WHAT TO GENERATE, EITHER WAY WE ARE THE ONES WHO ARE GENERATING THESE LINES AND FORMS AND ULTIMATELY CHOOSING HOW WE USE THEM. ONE OF THE EARLIEST USES OF COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN WAS AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY IN 1967, IN WHICH A TEAM DECIDED TO TRY AND CREATE A MACHINE WHERE ‘‘A DESIGNER AND A COMPUTER CAN WORK TOGETHER AS A TEAM ON DESIGN PROBLEMS REQUIRING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS’’2. I BELIEVE THIS QUOTE STILL STANDS STRONG AS TO HOW THE TREATMENT OF COMPUTER GENERATED DESIGN SHOULD BE VIEWED - THE COMPUTER CAN BE USED AS A PLATFORM TO AID OUR DESIGN THROUGH MIMICKING FABRICS AND MATERIALS AS WELL AS GIVE US OTHER GEOMETRIC CALCULATIONS WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN TOO DIFFICULT TO CONJURE WITH PURE BRAIN POWER (OR AT LEAST ALLOW US TO SERIOUSLY SPEED UP THE PROCESS). ALTHOUGH THE ORIGINAL PROJECTS HELD BY THIS TEAM WERE OF COURSE VERY SIMPLE TO TODAYS COMPUTER GENERATION, IT NONETHELESS PAVED THE WAY FOR DESIGNERS TO SEE COMPUTERS AS A TOOL RATHER THAN SIMPLY JUST A MACHINE WITH NUMBERS AND ALGORITHMS. I BELIEVE THAT ALGORITHMIC AND PARAMETRIC DESIGN IS AN INCREDIBLE NEW PLATFORM FOR DESIGNERS. IT HAS OPENED UP A NEW WAVE OF IDEAS FOR GENERATION AND ALLOWED US TO EXPLORE IDEAS WHICH WERE NOT POSSIBLE BEFORE. WE HAVE TO REMEMBER TO TREAT CAD WITH CAUTION - AS NOT TO GO TOO FAR DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE AND BE CAUGHT HAVING THE COMPUTER DESIGN FOR US. IF WE CAN CREATE A BALANCE OR LEARN TO MASTER ALGORITHM, THEN THERE IS NO REASON WHY THIS NEW USE OF GENERATION CAN NOT HAVE ANY LESS MERIT THAN ANY OTHER USE. SIMPLY PUT, I BELIEVE COMPUTER GENERATED DESIGNS MUST BE RESPECTED AND HONED, OTHERWISE OUR CREATIVITY HAS THE ABILITY TO BE LOST AS WE CAN INSTEAD GET TOO USED TO HAVING THE COMPUTER DESIGN FOR US. WE MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THE DISTINCTION.

1. BABAK BRYAN, HENRY GROSMAN, DRAWING IN TIME: PROCESSES OF DESIGN AND FABRICATION., ED. BY HELEN 1. CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) ARCHITECTURE DESIGN JOURNAL, VOLUME 86, P. 98–107 1. 2. DANIEL CARDOSO LLACH, ALGORITHMIC TECTONICS: HOW COLD WAR ERA RESEARCH SHAPED OUR IMAGINATION, ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2013) OF DESIGN. ARCHIT DESIGN, 83: 16–21

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A.4. CONCLUSION

Conceptualisation has proven that computer aided design and geometric and algorithmic design is a new-age design process which is exploring our ideas on how we conceive design and the ways in which we use the tools given to us. Parametric design is currently seen as the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Avante-Gardeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; style of architecture being popularised due to the paradigm shift toward computation and CAD. These algorIthmic and geometric design practices open the opportunity to explore new fabrication methods, materials, generatIon methods and textiles to a world which perhaps was previously limited to only a few certain methods. It has given us the freedom of using these algorithms in a multitude of ways to help to expand our designs and ease us into moulding the generation and construction process. It is a certain element of the future which is being generated now due to these new innovations and architectural styles which could not previously exist.

CONCEPTUALISATION

I intend to approach my design by trying to create a beautiful geometric design which could mimic the design of nature. I do not believe anymore that computational design has to be mere lines and shapes, but that we can use algorithms which copy the world around us to use its beauty to generate new ideas. I hope that my design will be so real that it is in fact surreal, beautiful enough that it looks surprising to be made by a machine. I believe it is necessary to try and find a balance in computational design whereas we do not get caught up in the fact that we are signing through a computer, and still generate designs which look real enough to belong in the real world. This could benefit by breaking the habit of idea that hand drawn and geometric generation can be easily differentiated between, and perhaps blur the line between one generation method to the next.

A.5. LEARNING OUTCOMES

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A.6. ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES - APPENDIX

SO FAR THE ALGORITHMIC SKETHBOOK HAS BEEN DIFFICULT TO WRAP MY HEAD AROUND. I HAVE NEVER PREVIOUSLY USED RHINO OR GRASSHOPPER SO IT HAS PRESENTED A NEW EXCITING CHALLENGE. MY FIRST FEW DESIGNS LIKE TTHE DELAUNAY AND VORONOIDS ARE VERY SIMPLE, AS I STILL STRUGGLE GRASP A FEW OF THE CONEPTS. I WAS HAPPY TO MAKE THE 3D VORONOI WITHOUT A TUTORIAL, AND HAVE A GRASP ON THE ORIGNAL WEEK OF LOFTING, HOWEVER THE INPUTS AND OUTPUTS AND TRIANGULATION AND MESHING I STILL STRUGGLED WITH. I PLAN ON USING THE NEXT WEEK OR SO TO REALLY JUST GET A GRIP ON BOTH RHINO AND GRASSHOPPER. I BELIEVE THE SHAPES IVE MADE SO FAR ARE INTERESTING HOWEVER THEY ARE QUITE SIMPLE TASKS WITHIN THE PROGRAM. NEXT JOURNAL I HOPE TO BE ABLE TO GENERATE MORE COMPLEX SHAPES AND SYSTEMS AND TO HAVE LEARNT HOW TO WORK WITH MESH AND WRAP AROUND MESH SYTEMS AND UNDERSTAND THE TERMS WITHIN GRASSHOPPER AND RHINO MORE. I CHOSE THESE DESIGNS AS THEY ARE BASICALLY JUST MY BEGINNER WORK. AS I LEARN TO USE THE PROGRAMS, THESE PRETTY MUCH REPRESENT THE BEST HOW I STILL HAVE A WHILE TO GO. ALTHOUGH NONE ARE PARTICULARLY INTERESTING OR INTRIGUING, I AM GLAD AT LEAST TO HAVE GENERATED SOMETHING, HOWEVER I KNOW I HAVE A VERY LONG WAY TO GO.

CONCEPTUALISATION

BABAK BRYAN, HENRY GROSMAN, DRAWING IN TIME: PROCESSES OF DESIGN AND FABRICATION., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) ARCHITECTURE DESIGN JOURNAL, VOLUME 86, P. 98–107 DANIEL CARDOSO LLACH, ALGORITHMIC TECTONICS: HOW COLD WAR ERA RESEARCH SHAPED OUR IMAGINATION, ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2013) OF DESIGN. ARCHIT DESIGN, 83: 16–21 DUNNE, ANTHONY & RABY, FIONA (2013) SPECULATIVE EVERYTHING: DESIGN FICTION, AND SOCIAL DREAMING (MIT PRESS) PP. 1-9, 33-45 FRY, TONY (2008). DESIGN FUTURING: SUSTAINABILITY, ETHICS AND NEW PRACTICE (OXFORD: BERG), PP. 1–16 JONATHAN MALLIE, EXPANSIVE WORKFLOWS: DOWNSTREAM COORDINATION IN THE DESIGN OF SPORTING FACILITIES., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2017) ARCHIT. DESIGN, 87: 68–73 KALAY, YEHUDA E. (2004). ARCHITECTURE’S NEW MEDIA: PRINCIPLES, THEORIES, AND METHODS OF COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN (CAMBRIDGE, MA: MIT PRESS), PP. 5-25 MARK FOSTER GAGE, AESTHETICS AS POLITICS: THE KHALEESI TOWER ON WEST 57TH STREET, NYC., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) ARCHIT. DESIGN, 86: 26–33 OXMAN, RIVKA AND ROBERT OXMAN, EDS (2014). THEORIES OF THE DIGITAL IN ARCHITECTURE (LONDON; NEW YORK: ROUTLEDGE), PP. 1–10 ROSS LOVEGROVE, ‘SUPER-NATURAL’: PARAMETRICISM IN PRODUCT DESIGN. ARCHIT., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, (JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2016) DESIGN, 86: 100–107 YVES WEINAND, MARKUS HUDERT, TIMBERFABRIC: APPLYING TEXTILE PRINCIPLES ON A BUILDING SCALE., ED. BY HELEN CASTLE, ( JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD, 2010) ARCHIT DESIGN, 80: 102–107

CONCEPTUALISATION 17

PART B

B1. RESEARCH FIELD STRIPS AND FOLDING Strips and folding is a parametric technique which can be used in Grasshopper and Rhino (as well as other Computer Aided Design techniques) to help overlay and intersect different parameters of the design. The technique involves having many iterations of a similar design - perhaps only â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;tweakedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; through sliders and changing small components within the geometry - to create overall patterning and unison between the points. I believe the idea is to use similar geometrics and find a way to create a beautiful patttern which does not look forced and manages to have an even flow. Some fabrication techniques may include cutting or moulding a similar shape and fitting them together either via pins or simply twisting and knotting through each other at certain points to generate effect. Much like the scales of a fish, there are hundreds if not thousands of individual pieces which stand alone, however through a set of neutral points or layers are managed to fit together into a single harmonius generation. Howver generation could also be considered very difficult asnot only does it require a multitude of elements working in harmony, it is also to find a way to join them with fluidity and grace. As demonstrated by 10 Hills place by Amanda Levete Architects(1), strips and folding does not always require small strips working together (here larger glass panels were used). However, there is still the task of managing a way to weave the elements into unison. I believe it is a method which is probably more delicate than others simply due to the fact that each element must percetly co-incide with the next. I hope to use the strips and folding techniques to try and find ways to create patterns through similar shapes. I believe the synchronisation can be very beautiful when it works well, but hsa the ability to also look jagged and messy if not used well.

Intricacies of the strips and folding techniques on a large schale at 10 Hills Place, London. Image Source: https://www.dezeen. com/2009/09/10/10-hills-place-by-amanda-levetearchitects/

1 Rose Etherington, 10 Hills Place by Amanda Levete Architects, in Dezeen, https:// www.dezeen.com/2009/09/10/10-hills-place-by-amanda-levete-architects/ (accessed 1 September 2017).

B2. CASE STUDY 1.0 BIOTHING For the case study I chose the “Biothing” to explore and alter its peramters. I believe before I had even started it was already an interesting form to explore. As I played with different components I began to see how I could readily make changes. It was interesting to be given a ready-made Grasshopper definition to explore, it definitely opened my eyes as to how the program works and the way that multiple parameters can be used and pushed to create completely different forms from the same connections. My matrix I decided on was; Smoothness, Curves, Spread and Extrusion. All were graded out of four. Smoothness related to how well the ‘arms’ flowed together, or if they seemed to be pushing over the top of each other or not. The curves criteria was how much cirve there was in each of those arms. Obviously some went below and some were completely flat, so I was testing how to change that. Spread was the length of the arm and how far they seemed to travel - some looked like they would be ‘clinging’ as onto a branch of some sort, whilst others looked as if they were on a completely flat surface. Hence this criteria was to see whether or not they looked like they were bunching up between each other or spreading. The last was extrusion. This was to judge how each looked in comparison to height and in a sense as a pipe. Some of the iterations were quite jagged - by that I mean the base point started low and the curve went very high - creating a pipe sort of effect. That is how I judged my last criteria.