ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL MEDIA
ARCHITECTURE AND SOCIAL MEDIA 2925 RESEARCH TRAINING
Exchange Program Architecture Faculty of Architecture And Arts Hasselt University 2019/2020 7th JUNE 2020 Supervisors: Maria Gil Ulldemolins Jan Vanerie Authors: Ana Maria Álvarez Dominguez Cemre Guler Dominika Kłopotek Diva Nagu Chioma Obasi Maria Gago Regueira Matteo Rizzuto Asena Yaman Cover page: Jakob Owens on Unsplash
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUTION ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 5 The new social network; Digital Newspapers. A new way of understanding and teaching architecture Ana Maria Alvarez Dominguez ...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Self Isolated Social Gatherings. Finding Our Ways to Socialize Through Pandemic Cemre GĂźler ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 38 Parametric Architecture and social media Dominika Klopotek ............................................................................................................................................................................. 50 Human behaviors and perception related to architecture under social media Diva Nagu ................................................................................................................................................................................................. 75 Likes and Artifacts: Museums as Depicted on Social Media Chioma Obasi ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 100 Novel architects in Instagram a synthetic analysis on media through case studies Maria Gago Regueira ...................................................................................................................................................................... 129 Photography and Architecture. How the images could impact our perception of architecture Matteo Rizzuto ................................................................................................................................................................................... 158 Post-apocalypse Society Scenarios and Their Architecture Asena Yaman ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 174 CONCLUSION ................................................................................................................................................................................. 187
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INTRODUCTION “Social media is a term that refers to applications and computer-mediated communication technologies that allow and expect users to participate in the generation and sharing of content� (Osatuyi, et al, 2013). It consists of interactive computer-mediated technologies that facilitate the creation or sharing of information, ideas, career interests and other forms of expression via virtual communities and networks (Obar, et al, 2015). Social media has become part of our everyday lives and has made an impact on how we live. The effects of social media on architecture as well cannot go unnoticed. It has changed the way we perceive and value buildings. Museums, heritage sites, and even modern buildings are interpreted differently today than in the past. It has changed how we perceive architecture and created a new perception, new necessities, new comparisons between architecture and the digital world. It has even gone as far as creating virtual worlds that contest with the world we live today in. Whether it is as simple as changing the way buildings are photographed to the complexity of creating a brand new and interactive world, the internet has affected the way we perceive and interpret architecture today. This paper uses a collection of essays to investigate the effects of social media on architecture. By looking at social media through various domains, it aims to see how different spheres of our built environment has been affected.
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SOCIAL MEDIA AND PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE THE DYNAMIC OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE EXPRESSION OF MOVEMENT IN ARCHITECTURE
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ABSTRACT The computation-based approaches in design have become incredibly popular among architects and architecture students. The paper gives insights into the visual aspect of the parametric architecture that mirrors the dynamic of modern times. The speed and amount of information that we, in general, are exposed to, have increased dramatically. The paper searches for effects of the rise of usage and the expansion of the range of social media in terms of architecture. For the purpose of this paper, this board topic has narrowed down the discipline to the parametric and algorithmic design only as it is considered a current trend in architectural design processes. The reader is introduced to the topic gradually when the links between parametric and social media are being developed. Starting from the explanation of what the algorithm design is, ending on the final examples of esthetic that mirrors the pace of social media flow.
The main object of this paper is to determinate the degree to which the expression of the movement and complexity in Parametric Architecture are related to the users’ experience of the dynamic in the digital environment. The study is based on the examination of study cases, research papers and observations.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
2 ABSTRACT ABSTRACT 4 METHODOLOGY METHODOLOGY 5 INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION PART 1 | THEORY -
Design Language Algorithmic Design Parametric Architecture Parametric Architecture and role of the designer Architecture that mirrors society Architecture perceived in the context The dynamic in Parametric Architecture
PART 2 | STUDY CASES -
Parametric injection Parametric elevations Sectioning in Parametric Architecture
SUMMARY LIMITATION
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METHODOLOGY The method used in the paper involves theoretical studies and comparative analyses of architectural objects classified as a representation of parametric architecture. Gathered together to point out the importance of the visual aspect in parametrically designed buildings and to link it to the new esthetic that has bloomed recently. This phenomenon isn't just occurring due to advancement in the technology but also because of the new context that we live in. In this paper, social media, one of the most popular sources of information for humanity nowadays, has been defined as a creator of the new environment.
The step-by-step approach allows to guide the reader through the text and reveal only one part at the time. In that sense, literature-based research can be easily explained without an overwhelming amount of information.
Those methods allowed delving into reasons that lie behind the implementation of sense of the movement in architecture and purpose of exposing the visual richness of the data-driven, parametric design.
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PART 1 | THEORY
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DESIGN LANGUAGE “Architects do not make buildings; they make drawings of buildings” 1
Starting from the traditional drawing to CAD drawing and ending on the Algorithm based design, architects need a proper tool or language to speak their minds. “The traditional drawing is an additive process, in which complexity is achieved by the addition and overlap of independent signs traced on paper. (…) The internal consistency of a drawing is not guaranteed by the medium but is entrusted to the designer.” The similar process takes place when drawing in Computer-Aided design (CAD). The software increases the productivity of the designer, improves the quality of the design but again, it is based on adding and overlapping the drawings. “Similar to traditional drawing, CAD entrusted the designer to determine the overall consistency by adding digital signs or geometric primitives on a digital sheet/ space and controlling CAD layers;” 2
In this paper, I will focus on the more advanced method than those presented above. The algorithm-based design is strongly related to Parametric Architecture. A new language (or style) that is strongly related to the recent improvement of 3D modelling tools. On the basis of the literature, Parametric Design can be synthesized into a design process based on algorithmic thinking 3
The graphics on the next page illustrates the contrasts between each of the shortly explained designing process. The comparison is simplified to the essence, only that can reveal the main idea of adding an algorithm language to optimize work.
Robin Evans, ‘Translations from Drawing to Building and Other Essays’, Architectural Association,1997 A. Tedeschi “AAD Algorithms Aided Design Parametric Strategies Using Grasshopper®” 3 W. Jabi, Parametric Design for Architecture Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London, UK (2013) 1 2
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Indicating the shape through the hand-brain connection. Pen as an extension of the brain. (1) A mouse as a extension of the brain. (2)
Indicating the shape or the process that create a shape. Writing an algorithm that defines the geometry. Digital environment as an extension of the brain.
At the end of the day, the digital environment gives unlimited opportunities. It enables a designer to fully express themselves by simplifying the transition between the brain and geometry. The method that lets ones speak the mind. Transferring complex ideas through the algorithm environment (for example Rhinoceros 3d) to the physical environment.
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ALGORITHM DESIGN "Process is more important than the outcome. When the outcome drives the process, we will only ever go to where we've already been. If process drives outcome we may not know where we're going, but we will know we want to be there". Bruce Mau, 1998 Incomplete Manifesto for Growth,
Algorithmic design empowers architects to generate and control design-complexity that expand beyond human capabilities. Creates geometries that pose challenges for manual design tools. Buildings are defined by the algorithms (definitions) expressed in a programming language, for example, RhinoScript® in Rhinoceros®, MEL® in Maya® or Python® .Still, designer’s imagination plays a crucial role as she or he is the one to select the data to be implemented in the final design. Only the innovation (advancement) of the design relies on the computational power of the computer (the capacity).
Algorithm Design (AD) requires programming, and the architect can choose from using a Visual Programming Language (VPL) or a Textual Programming Language (TPL). VPLs, such as Grasshopper, are known for being more intuitive so easier to learn and explain. On the purpose of this research, I will explain the AD shortly, by the framework in (VPL), precisely the Grasshopper 3d software.
As designers, we work with two different environments – the “scripting window” and the “modelling window”. The architect inputs the script (definitions expressed in a programming language) in the “scripting window” (in this case Grasshopper) and the software produces the model based on the specific script in the “modelling window’. The final output can be easily modified as the script often defines the relations between parameters. As it follows the algorithmic design enables users to design a process and conditions of the design rather than just a single object.
The image on the next page shows a screen divided into two environments (Figure 1). One can indicate two points from the modelling window (in Rhinoceros 6 on the left) and ask for connecting them in the Grasshopper 3D window (on the right) by typing in the right command. This is the basic script that explains the connection between those two designing environments. The definition of design is anchored by setting a shared reference point or geometry.
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Figure 1 Rhinoceros 6 for IOS and Grasshopper 3d by author
Figure 2 Rhinoceros 6 for IOS and Grasshopper 3d by author
Figure 2 demonstrates a more advanced definition but based on the same principles as the previous one. Again, it’s based on one of the main features of the parametric design which is creating the relations between selected data. Building connections enables the architect to design objects in a repetitive way. As in this example, when making an array, one focuses on the conditions of the implementation of items, not the items itself. The designer decides about the spacing distance, the number of items (in this example cubes) and the direction of repetition. That makes the expression of movement easier to apply in the architecture (elevations, structure, etc.) than ever before. An algorithmically designed project benefits from great flexibility. The designer can explore a variety of ideas with no extra effort to model the design from scratch as relations between parameters remain untouched. Thanks to that more complex and flexible design solutions are present in the built environment.
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PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE 'The parameters and their interrelationships become [...] the code of the new architectural language, the "structure" in the original sense of the word [...]. The setting of parameters and their relation must be supported by the techniques and tools offered by the most current sciences, in particular by logics, mathematics [...] and computers. ".’ 4
The first definition for “Parametric Architecture" was invented in 1939. Luigi Moretti, the Italian architect (quoted above) exhibit his research on "the relations between the dimensions dependent upon various parameters" by presenting his models of stadiums for soccer, tennis and swimming at the 1960 Twelfth Milan Triennial. As Moretti said back then computers give the incredible possibility to express connections between parameters as a set of routines. His words seem to be still relevant.
Algorithmic Design and Parametric Design are two sides of a coin, both different but strongly related. Algorithm modelling techniques are completely based on a computer program, but parametric design depends on the overall control and modification of architectural shapes. The algorithmic techniques are to implement the architectural design by the program code – math instructions. Parametric design platform endues architectural geometry shapes with dimensions and parameters and modifying parameter values of local shapes can make overall changes 5
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L. Moretti, F. Bucci, M. Mulazzani Luigi Moretti: Works and Writings Chengzhi Yuan, Zhong Yi A Study on the Application pf Algorithmic Modelling in Architectural Space Design 2012
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Figure 3 Galaxy Soho designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. Picture by Iwan Baan
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Having said that, we can now move to the impact of the use of introduced methods. As Patrick Schumacher points out in his book “Digital Hadid: Landscapes in Motion” published in 2003: “The choice of a representational/design medium has a huge impact on the character of the design results. The medium is never neutral and external to the work. It constitutes and limits the design issues treated and the universe of possibilities for effective design speculation.”
Following that path, the design medium that has been increasingly used in the discipline of architecture affects the popularity of this kind of esthetic in the built environment. Applying this method in the design process to optimize the work is not enough. Some of the designs do exist thanks to the algorithm but the use of this method cannot be recognized (at least from the eyes of a typical user). For the purpose of this paper visibility of the use of the algorithms (definitions) expressed in a programming language is crucial. Examining the buildings in which the process has not been hidden somewhere inside the structure but, on the contrary, often proudly exposed to the broad audience.
https://images.adsttc.com/media/images/508e/e083/28ba/0d7f/e700/0009/large_jpg/ Galaxy_SOHO_ZHA_12-10_5805.jpg?1413941955 online access 07/05/2020 6
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PARAMETRIC DESIGN AND THE ROLE OF DESIGNER It is difficult to say if today’s architect is making a form or finding a form. Every architect has different interpretations of these two approaches to designing and has its own idea of designing. Thus, such an innovative design method which is parameters-based design cause some great changes in architecture practice that tips the balance towards “form choosing”.
We experience a shift in today’s architectural practice. In the aspect of parametric design, the designer is closer to the form-finding approach due to the emphasis on building performance. Architects are not tool-users only. The designer is the one who selects the data, chooses analyzes and drives the form by manipulating the parameters.. Out of thousands possible forms or irritations produced by software he is the one who finds the most accrue spatial answer.
Matthew Smith, an architect working in Ian Simpson Architects, explains that, in parametric design, the process of decision making is much easier because of the range of solutions available:
“I think one of the good things is that it makes you think about the relationships between the different elements of design, the relation in the context with various parameters... You do not think about a fixed solution, you are thinking about ‘what are the factors and influences and things that can shape this building or this project?’... You can make lots of different decisions.” 7 To give an example, a data set like a sun exposure map that maps the radiation-intensities of a facade during a given time period can serve as data input for the adaptive modulation of a sunshading system. As the system of shading elements wraps around the facade the spacing, shape and orientation of the individual elements gradually transform and adapt to the specific exposure conditions of their respective location on the facade. The result is a gradient, continuously changing facade pattern that optimizes sun protection relative to light intake for each point on the facade. 8 Architects need to learn the methods of researching, analyzing and evolving parameters that control the project to be fully aware of the software’s potential and use it wisely.
Y. Zarei (2012) The Challenges of Parametric Design in Architecture Today: Mapping the Design Practice, School of Environment and Development 8 Patrik Schumacher, London, December 2010 , Introduction to TOTAL_FLUIDITY by Studio Zaha Hadid 7
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ARCHITECTURE THAT MIRRORS THE SOCIETY The prevalent institutions and communication patterns of society have undergone momentous changes during the last 30 years. Social communication has become more dynamic, differentiated and intensified. The Domo in its seventh edition of Data Never Sleeps has presented (in a very pleasant way) how much data is generated in every minute of every day with some of the most popular platforms and companies in 2019.
That illustrates how active, as a society, we are online. The global internet population is growing, at an annual rate of more than 7 percent, but year-on-year growth is much higher in many
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developing economies. More than 4.57 billion people around the world now use the internet – close to 60 percent of the world’s total population. The total number of internet users around the world grew by 301 million in the past 12 months – more than 800,000 new users each day. 9 Digital technologies are dissolving the boundaries between industry sectors. The Digital Era makes its mark on the field of Architecture too. Along with the development of the access and growth of popularity of the Internet, buildings as the vessel of human life have been changing.
Architecture has been always about the generating of the new, seeks to create the original or innovative. Nevertheless, it has to be approved by the society and the cultural context which it is addressed to. Frank Chimero a writer and designer said it straight to point “People ignore design that ignores people”. The Digital Era among creating amazing methods to improve the design, still produces a new user, a client with present problems and needs. The modern social values are manifested through special forms and structures. Architecture critics progressively shifted away from what was called architectural theory in the previous paradigm and the understanding of the way social values were transmitted into forms made a significant contribution to comprehending architectural creation. 10
The static organizing principles of Fordist mass society – separation, specialization, and mass repetition – have been replaced by the dynamic principles of self-organization of an emerging postFordist network society: variation, flexible specialization, and networking. 11 The dynamic of times should be taken into consideration while designing a human habitat (and more than often is). We live in a constantly changing environment and we challenge architects to adjust to today’s pace of life. On top of that, in 2010 Patrick Schumacher published “The Parametric City” in which he has come to the conclusion that thanks to Parametric Architecture, Architecture has finally found the pertinent theoretical inspiration to answer this challenge in complexity theory analyzing and simulating selfregulating systems ranging from simple, homeostatic feedback mechanisms via organisms to evolving ecosystems. 12
DataReportal,( 2020) Digital 2020 April Global Statshot Report April 2020 https://www.slideshare.net/DataReportal/digital2020-april-global-statshot-report-april-2020-v01 online access 20.05.2020 10 Maria Voyatzaki (2014) (Ad)ventures of Doctoral Research in Architecture, Maria Voyatzaki “Doctoral Education in Schools of Architecture across the Europe”,ISBN 978-960-9502-15-3 11 P. Schumacher (2011) The Autopoiesis of Architecture, Volume II: A New Agenda for Architecture ISBN-13: 9780470772980 12 P. Schumacher, (2010) “The Parametric City” , London , Zaha Hadid – Recent Projects, A.D.A. Edita, Tokyo 9
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ARCHITECTURE PERCEIVED IN THE CONTEXT This new language (or style) of architecture seems to be based upon the adoption of a new generation of 3D modelling tools. Indeed, a lot of commentators tend to construe a direct causal link from this new paradigm back to the IT revolution that has transformed the discipline in last the 10 years. However, I shall argue and demonstrate that such a simple reduction of the new type of work to the availability of computing in architecture would be a fallacy.
It is true that the development of new tools – 3D modelling software - had a huge impact on improvement in Parametric Design. Another factor, that has been partly mention earlier in the text, is the context. I believe that the digital context of modern times needs no more explanation. Additionally, the context is what gives meaning to various parts of a building - the reference to its surroundings.
What links the virtual world and realty on daily practice, is a screen of a smartphone (or similar personal smart device like iPad). A computer-simulated environment (virtual) is being displayed but what people hold in hand occurs in reality. Smartphones have become a major, vital part of our lives as we rely on them for just about everything. The actual use of smartphone can be easily measured since a new tool, available from Apple’s iOS 12 update. It is the ability to track screen time usage. Since its release in fall 2018, Apple’s screen time tracking system has provided fascinating insights into how Americans use their smartphones 13. American adults spent about 3 hours and 30 minutes a day using the mobile internet in 2019, an increase of about 20 minutes from a year earlier, according to measurement company Zenith. 14
According to productivity software company RescueTime, top smartphone users currently spend 4 hours and 30 minutes per day on those devices. On top of that, nearly a third of Americans said they are online “almost constantly” in 2019. 15 Overall, 81% of Americans say they go online on a daily basis. Well, if we take the screen time in general (adding computer’s and TV’s screens into account) the US teens spend an average of more than seven hours per day on screen media for entertainment, and tweens spend nearly five hours, according to a report by Common Sense Media, a nonprofit organization that helps kids, parents and schools navigate media. 16 That kind of puts a different light on things. We are visually exposed to the new dynamic of screen. Scrolling down the screens, consuming an innumerous amount of information and stimulation. That leads to assumption that the built environment that we live in, might be compared to the https://simpletexting.com/screentime-smartphone-usage-statistics/ https://www.vox.com/recode/2020/1/6/21048116/tech-companies-time-well-spent-mobile-phone-usage-data 15 A. Perrin, M. Kumar“About three-in-ten U.S. adults say they are ‘almost constantly’ online” https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/07/25/americans-going-online-almost-constantly/ 16 https://edition.cnn.com/2019/10/29/health/common-sense-kids-media-use-report-wellness/index.html 13 14
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digital screen that we spent increasingly more time in as well. Furthermore, on the purpose of this paper, the comparison has been narrowed to the social media as one of the main reason of people being “constantly online�
Vectors created by freepik - www.freepik.com
Putting the puzzles together, the new style in architecture should reflect current needs and experiences of movement. But how do these buildings do that? Here is where the parametric architecture comes again.
THE EXPRESSION OF MOVEMENT IN PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE As we have discussed before, the advanced designing software relies on blending the data that architects implement in the definition. Complicated algorithms expressed in a programming language, create sophisticated buildings, which more than often are characterized by its complexity from the outside. The parametric design generally emphasizes a sense of movement, fluidity and
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rhythm of architecture. Most architectural space shapes by parametric design means are with strong visual tension and give a pleasant feeling. 17
‘Movement’ in Architecture can be defined in different categories. According to Adam Hardy and his research published in The Journal of Architecture titled “The expression of movement in architecture”, the term can apply to ‘contained movement’, where it is not the architecture that is thought of as moving, but the eye, mind, imagined body or forces; and ‘represented movement’, where there is an implication or illusion that the architecture is in motion.18
The illusion of movement makes Parametric Architecture so unique and relevant to the pace if modern times. It is thought-provoking and inspirational. It has its own dynamic and character. In the mind’s eye, one can fully and precisely imagine the building or building part in question passing through successive stages of displacement or transformation – that is exactly when the movement is ‘represented’ 19 It has been initially designed to be tempting, to set the rhythm.
One way to set the movement in space is repetition. Shapes modelled continuously convey motion, a single dynamic form does not generally constitute dynamic architecture: one bent stair does not make a cascade. 20 That is an array as a composition or order, not the single object in the array, that stands behind the effect. Moreover, there are many factors that influence the perception of the movement. When repetition has been increased, rhythms are faster - the number of parts is greater, and their frequency is denser.
Yong Bo Shao, Shu Guang Hao, Yu Ping Luo, Ji Bo Xing, Zhi Yong Liu, Advanced Building Materials and Sustainable Architecture, Trans Tech Publications Ltd, 2012 18 Adam Hardy, The expression of movement in architecture, The Journal of Architecture, Volume 16, Number 4, 2011 13602365 DOI: 10.1080/13602365.2011.598698 19 Adam Hardy, The expression of movement in architecture, 20 Adam Hardy, The expression of movement in architecture, 17
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PART 2 | STUDY CASES
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Taking the complexity of the designing process as a point of departure, moving to the complexity of the project (the form) makes perfect sense. Though, the presence of the sense of movement in a parametrically designed structures might need referring to some of the existing examples. In order to prove the various kinds of expressed movement in Paramedic Design, I will discuss why an individual form or space can be sensed as dynamic in the following part.
The presence of the parametrically designed building has increased in the past decade. More and more architects aspire to distinguish their projects form the rest. Along with designers, CEOs of big businesses desire to make a mark on the urban map. Parametric Architecture seems to be one of the best solutions to make a building stand out. It is eye-catching and stimulating due to its impression of movement. Furthermore, a figurative portrayal of movement that can be achieved in many ways for example by repetition with gradual change or a repetitive rhythm with growth (expanding repetition).
PARAMETRIC DESIGN INJECTION
Figure 4 Washington, DC, USA The Smithsonian Institution source: https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/smithsonian-institutioncourtyard/
The Smithsonian Institution by Norman Foster is a great example where an existing structure has been enhanced by parametrically designed injection. The Institution occupies the former United States Patent Building built between 1836 and 1867. It is one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. Walt Whitman described it as 'the noblest of Washington buildings'. One can say, that such a heritage doesn’t need any additional structure to glow moreover, an addition could take attention away from the historical legacy to new architecture – especially if it differs so greatly.
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Standing in the atrium, looking up, one can recognize the movement immediately. The sky is fragmented into rectangular pieces that all together recall a wavy grid. The divisions in the structure give this incredible sense of fluid movement thanks to the repetitive rhythm shaped in the wavy (bulb) form. t gives the sense of fluid surface that has been blown by the wind. The shadow on the indoor walls only adds to the overall experience of the space. Besides the functional improvement (additional indoor event space, a place that can host many people, no matter the weather), atrium got a strong visual feature – dynamicity. The space is popular on social media. The roof has been photographed from almost every angle by Instagram users. The new face of the Smithsonian Institution has settled down for good. The building received a brand-new perspective that is very much appreciated by the institution as well as by its visitors. Being a great example of implementing the parametric design in existing structures.
Figure 5 Washington, DC, USA The Smithsonian Institution, source: https://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/smithsonian-institutioncourtyard/
PARAMETRIC ELEVATIONS In architecture, the facade is one of the building's most important elements to achieve superior aesthetics. The facade sets expectations and defines the experience of the overall structure from the very first look. People are introduced to the building by looking at the facade from the outside. Although “you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover” and many world-class architects agree that architecture is not just about the form, the first impression forms a strong mental image of the building. A well-designed facade can contribute to making the architecture standing out from the crowd. Peter Zumthor, a Swiss architect once said: “I think space, architectural space, is my thing. It’s not about the facade, elevation, making an image, making money. My passion is creating space.” However, the attractive or provocative elevation is what invites people to enter the space.
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A parametric elevation is an additional structure that covers simple shapes like boxes or cylinders. It is the stimulating design of plane surface, often with extruded or pulled inside geometry. Nowadays, a lot of parametric solutions seem to be implemented only because of aesthetic. An extraordinary example is the Broad’s façade designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro that speaks for new qualities and new aesthetics in architecture. The Broad is a contemporary art museum on Grand Avenue in Downtown Los Angeles – pretty close to Frank Gehry's iconic Walt Disney Concert Hall. The Broad’s design is intended to contrast with (stand out from the crowd, again) its bright metallic perforated exterior 21. The museum distinguishes its marvelous “skin” that is made out of 2,500 (white) rhomboidal panels made in fiberglass reinforced concrete supported by a 650-ton steel substructure. 22
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Figure 6 Photo by Tu Tram Pham on Unsplash
A fine home for artworks, with deeply perforated cementitious wrapper, plays with sun rays. The honeycomb-like, elevation spans across the block-long building and such a long distance changes the perception of multiplied panels, particularly shadow gaps. It is not a big philosophy – some elements are closer to the viewer some are far away. The “sharpness” and the rotated toward horizon direction of the cut together with the rules of perspective carry the illusion of movement.
SECTIONING IN PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE Orthographic projections — that is, plans and sections — are one of the most valuable representational tools architects have at their disposal. They are an indispensable communication and design device. 23
Holland Cotter (September 12, 2015), Review: The Broad Is an Old-Fashioned Museum for a New Gilded Age The New York Times. 22 Eddie Kim (September 15, 2015), How Architect Elizabeth Diller Drew Up The Broad Los Angeles Downtown News. 23 L. Iwamoto “Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques” 2009, Princeton Architectural Press, ISBN:978-156898-790-3 21
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Figure 8 One Main Office Renovation / dECOi Architects, photography by Anton Grassl
Even though the development of technology equipped architects in constantly improving designing tools, some methods that have a long history in the construction industry are still highly appreciated. For instance, objects such as airplane bodies and ships have been first defined sectionally for decades. They are brought to live by cladding a series of structural ribs with surface material. Nowadays, to design a complex geometries architects often use numerous cross-section that if perceived in proper density give an impression of movement and shape in one. In that way, the sectional assemblies can produce both surface and structure. The “Shadow gap” between single section enhances each part and only add to the experience. The method is called sectioning. In short, sectioning uses a series of profiles, the edges of which follow lines of surface geometry 24. Designers do not cover the structure but just opposite, expose it and often densify, for example, the steel frames (rotated), wooden section (supports, panels etc.). Fragmentation happens on purpose as it is seen as an action or process. It is perceived as a guideline for the eye to follow – simulation. It allows the brain to simulate a movement without executing it.
The modelling software’s sectioning or contouring commands come in handy in here. In Grasshopper 3D contour command can almost instantaneously cut parallel sections through objects at desirable length indicated by parameter. The process is opposite to lofting - the method that determines the shape of the cladding or surface panels by building between curved crosssectional profiles—is analogous to lofting in digital software. 25
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L. Iwamoto “Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques” L. Iwamoto “Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques”
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One Main serves as an impressive example of the capabilities the sectioning method delivers. When designing dECOi provided the actual tooling paths (over 1 million linear feet of cut), with no plans or sections, just 3D instructional files. Wastage was about 10%, pulped and recycled. 26
“The client asked that the work chairs be purchased for liability reasons, but all shelves, desks, benches, storage units, etc were accepted for direct fabrication in plylam via the same method. Ultimately we devised automated algorithms for generating actual milling files, passing from design to fabrication seamlessly and with high tolerances and extremely low percentages of error. (…) The developed design was nuanced parametrically in celebration of the indifference of the CNC machine to formal complexity. The entire project was nested onto 1200 4ft x 12ft plywood sheets and milled using a small 3-axis CNC router, which effortlessly carved the ply sections according to our prescribed ‘weeping’ tool paths. Well over a million linear feet of cut were issued, yet the machinic process was essentially error-free and highly accurate.” 27
SUMMARY ‘The brain is a biological forecasting machine. It follows that its pleasure consists of taking gambles. And it can only gamble on reality in motion, ever-changing. Shape, even motionless, is an opportunity for mind shifts, for imaginative changes of direction, which criminal architects would prevent us from enjoying” 28
This research seeks to indicate the influence that social media has on architecture. The broad topic has been narrowed down to the link between the very specific esthetic that grows on popularity nowadays – which is Parametric Architecture. Parametric Architecture remains unknown even within students of the field. Hence, part of the aim of this paper has been to showcase not only its basic characteristics, but its direct engagement with our current physical and digital landscape. I know from my own experience that even many architecture students are not familiar with this design method. The extensive explanation is extremely important to understand the opportunities it gives and how the expression of movement can be achieved. Throughout this paper, the tension between designer and tool has been centerstage. Ultimately, the feedback systems between parametric architecture, technology, and user are not limited to interactions once built, but instead are intertwined from its very conception
Text provided by dECOi Architects, online access 29.05.2020 https://www.archdaily.com/778976/one-main-office-renovation-decoiarchitects
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deCOi Architects online access 29.05.2020 https://www.archdaily.com/778976/one-main-office-renovation-decoi-architects Text provided 28 Berthoz, A., & Weiss, G. (2000). The Brain’s Sense of Movement. Cambridge, Massachusetts; London, England: Harvard University Press.
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The first part of the paper is dedicated to illustrating the influence of the designing tool on a single project as well as the discipline of architecture. I posed a question of the role of the designer when working with such an advanced design method. The method that significantly empowers an architect who at the end can or should (among much other relevant information) prioritize the user’s experience of project’s esthetic. From the explanation of what the algorithm design is and how it serves architects, the paper acknowledges the pace of social media flow. It tries to define the context in which architecture is perceived or the context to which is compared to. In part two, three different approaches of providing the sense of the movement in stable architecture were described. This section brings study cases that support the theoretical assumptions brought forward by part one. The parametrically designed buildings or its parts have been categorized in the way how the expression of movement can be achieved. I proposed the wavy parametric injection, the shadow gaps in parametric elevation and the sectioning method. In the end, I would like to recall the fragment of “The Brain’s Sense of Movement” book that inspired me to relate this research to the social context and the conditions of the modern environment so strongly. The quote indicates the need for the playfulness of architecture. The physiology of brain justifies new digital context as well as complicated parametric structures. The step-by-step explanation should allow to come up with conclusions individually and finally - prevent form “criminal” boring architecture.
LIMITATION This research is chiefly based on perception. As such, my own subjective interpretation is inevitably enmeshed in not only the proposal, but the execution. While there are obvious limitations that can come from such personal observations, I believe this can also be regarded as a strong point of this work. My main focus was on creating connections between clear facts that lead to fresh conclusions. The primary limitations to the generalization of these results are a time constrains and lack of previous studies in this research area. The topic is still very recent and literature review is a crucial part of any research. I found it hard to identify the studies that have been done so far in the research area.
When conducting a study, one can expand the assumption of a link between the expression of movement in parametric architecture and the dynamic of social media. I highly recommend exploring this topic by examining the users’ experience of such building esthetic, in order to conclude a valid research result. I believe that the larger control, the more precise your results will be. If users can define their experience or even expectation, it will be easier to identify significant relationships between digital and built (real) environment – so as social media and parametric architecture.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Robin Evans, (1997) ‘Translations from Drawing to Building and Other Essays’, Architectural Association, A.Tedeschi (2014) “Aad Algorithms Aided Design Parametric Strategies Using Grasshopper®” ISBN 978-88-95315-30-00 W. Jabi, (2013) Parametric Design for Architecture Laurence King Publishing Ltd, London, UK L. Moretti, F. Bucci, M. Mulazzani (2002) Luigi Moretti: Works and Writings Chengzhi Yuan, Zhong Yi A (2012) Study on the Application pf Algorithmic Modelling in Architectural Space Design Patrik Schumacher, London, (2010) , Introduction to TOTAL_FLUIDITY by Studio Zaha Hadid Maria Voyatzaki (2014) (Ad)ventures of Doctoral Research in Architecture, Maria Voyatzaki “Doctoral Education in Schools of Architecture across the Europe”,, ISBN 978-960-9502-15-3 Patrik Schumacher, (2010) The Parametric City, London 2010, Published in: Zaha Hadid – Recent Projects, A.D.A. Edita, Tokyo Yong Bo Shao, Shu Guang Hao, Yu Ping Luo, Ji Bo Xing, Zhi Yong Liu, (2012) Advanced Building Materials and Sustainable Architecture, Trans Tech Publications Ltd, Adam Hardy, (2011) The expression of movement in architecture, The Journal of Architecture, Volume 16, Number 4, 13602365 DOI: 10.1080/13602365.2011.598698 Holland Cotter (September 12, 2015), Review: The Broad Is an Old-Fashioned Museum for a New Gilded Age The New York Times. Eddie Kim (September 15, 2015), How Architect Elizabeth Diller Drew Up The Broad Los Angeles Downtown News. L. Iwamoto (2009) “Digital Fabrications: Architectural and Material Techniques”, Princeton Architectural Press, ISBN:978-156898-790-3
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