STUDIO AIR NICHOLAS DEAN 699066 SEMESTER 1, 2016 TUTOR: FINN WARNOCK
Table of Contents PART A: CONCEPTUALISATION A1 DESIGN FUTURING A2 DESIGN COMPUTATION A3 COMPOSITION/GENERATION A4 CONCLUSION A5 LEARNING OUTCOMES A6 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES PART B: CRITERIA DESIGN B1 RESEARCH FIELD B2 CASE STUDY 1.0 B3 CASE STUDY 2.0 B4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT B5 TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES B6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL B7 LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES B8 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES PART C: DETAILED DESIGN C1 DESIGN CONCEPT C2 TECHTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPES C3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL C4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES
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CRITERIA DESIGN
PART A CONCEPTUALISATION
CRITERIA DESIGN
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Since then, my architecture education has introduced me to new ways of communicating and visualising designs. I have been exposed to many forms of digital media, in particular, computer-generated modelling using Rhinoceros.
INTRODUCTION My name is Nicholas Dean, and I am a third year Architecture student studying at the University of Melbourne. I have always had a passion for art and design, sketching and drawing from an early age. It was not until Year 10 in Secondary School that I began to implement my drawing skills in an architectural sense when working on my Visual Communication and Design folios.
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CONCEPTUALISATION
My knowledge of the relationship between computer model and built form was further developed when undertaking the subject ‘Digital Design and Fabrication’, where we were required to study the notion of personal space through a ‘second skin’, representing this digitally at first in Rhinoceros, and then physically through a 1:1 model, taking advantage of the laser cutting services at the FabLab. Design Studio Air will be my first time studying parametric design, learning about the ways in which complex forms and structural joinery are carefully controlled by mathematical parameters. I look forward to learning the Grasshopper program within Rhinoceros and further developing my architectural knowledge through its use.
DIGITAL FABRICATION & DESIGN: SECOND SKIN REPRESENTATIVE OF PERSONAL SPACE
DESIGN STUDIO WATER: STUDLEY PARK BOATHOUSE DESIGN INSPIRED BY SANAA
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A1 DESIGN FUTURING
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CONCEPTUALISATION
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CASE STUDY 01 SUNNY HILLS | KENGO KUMA Known for his atmospheric and user-orientated designs, Kengo Kuma’s Sunny Hill project is a corner shop thats form is inspired by the shape of a bamboo basket. Posing as beacon for innovative construction and engineering, Sunny Hill incorporates the traditional timber joinery method called “Jiigoku-Gumi” whereby a lattice mesh is created by interlocking timber members. Kuma, however, combined these traditional techniques with parametric design as a means to create a very complex, yet delicate design. The unconventional joinery angles of 30 degrees are a unique aspect of the design, made possible through the opportunities provided by parametric computation.
It is evident through this project that there are many facets of parametric design, some that enable the exploration of form and spatial experience, and others that determine the constructability of a design, utilising the full potential of the desired materials. This practical application of parametric design is one that I previously did not consider. My knowledge of the topic was purely revolved around the notion of abstract form, creating complex structures that break away from the generic cubic buildings. It is through precedents such as this that I am made aware of the endless opportunities parametric design has to offer, both in a design sense and a construction sense.
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CASE STUDY 02 GALAXY SOHO | ZAHA HADID Galaxy Soho by Zaha Hadid is an office, retail and enetertainment complex that is defined by organic curved volumes that are separated in areas through atriums and courtyards, and linked in others through sweeping bridges and walkways. The fluidity of the overall design forms a structure that is bold, yet gentle in the reference to the transitions between spaces. In today’s day and age, digital technology has increased the speed of architectural exploration through the ability to codify a design as an algorithmic expression, allowing for mathematical manipulation of design parameters. This form-finding method of design is true for Zaha Hadid’s work, where organic surfaces and planes are manipulated throughout the design process to alter the spatial experience and constructability of a building. The Galaxy Soho is a prime example of the way in which parametric design and parametric computation is implemented within the design process as a means to foresee the physical outcome of a project. Parametric design grants architects with the ability to embed physical constraints into a digital model, outlining both material qualities and assembly constraints that are crucial in communicating a design to built form.
To me, the real-time feedback of digital modelling, more specifically parametric modelling, offers an accuracy and workflow speed that has never been seen before. With such control and speed, I feel as though architects have the ability to push the boundaries and explore forms that are daring and break away from the norm. With that being said, my belief on what architecture of the future should aspire to be, revolves around the notion of a relationship between built form and the natural landscape, where both are able to adapt and grow harmoniously together. I believe, therefore, that there are two forms of organic architecture, organic in terms of form, and organic in terms of a buildings ability to connect with the surrounding natural landscape. I view Zaha Hadid’s work as being more focused on organic form rather than a connection and celebration of the natural environment.
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A2 DESIGN COMPUTATION The realm of architecture has quickly expanded in accordance with the advancements in technology, with designers having access to many tools that allow them to visualise, examine and communicate their proposals. Architecture, by way of thinking, is a continual process of problem solving, whereby external imposed constraints are responded to and satisfied within the final design. Over the last 50 years, computation has been integrated into the design process, allowing architects to examine their concepts in both a design and practical sense. It has been acknowledged that design of the future is formed on the basis of a symbiotic design system, whereby the analytical abilities of a computer are equally matched to the creativity and intuition of the human user.1
1. Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25
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CONCEPTUALISATION
Museo Soumaya by Fernando Romero Enterprise,Mexico City Image Source: http://www.archdaily.com/452226/museo-soumaya-fr-ee-fernando-romero-ente rprise/5295422ce8e44ed126000019-museo-soumaya-fr-ee-fernando-romero-enterprise-photo
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CASE STUDY 01 MUSEO SOUMAYA | FERNANDO ROMERO (FR-EE) Computation within design has challenged what was initially thought possible within architecture, forming a design community that continually strives to achieve a refined, architecturally unique and user-oriented outcome. Such an approach was adopted by Fernando Romero, founder of FR-EE, within their design of the Museo Soumaya. Located in Mexico, the structure rises from the ground somewhat as a sculptural piece, echoing the artistic qualities of the interior gallery spaces.
Unique in its form and materiality, the double-curved exterior surface of the structure made it the most complex project attempted in Mexico. It is through computational design, in particular scripting algorithms like that used by FR-EE, that architects are able to formulate and visualise such ambitious and unique ideas without information being gathered and tested from architectural precedents. Computation offers a simple, integrated process of form exploration and constructability study as a means to understand complex geometries and design intents.
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CASE STUDY 02 x | HERZOG & DE MEURON Over the past decade, the introduction of innovative technology within many facets of our daily life has influenced the way in which we interact with other individuals and our surroundings. In the design field, these changes can be examined through preestablished forms of gathering and communication knowledge influencing the design process, namely, the integration of computational means of data collection, conceptual form generating, parametric design & digital materiality.1 With such a rapid integration of computational tools within architectural design, it is impossible not to consider the implications of one’s reliance on technology, whereby the intrinsic creative and intuitive qualities of the individual designer are somewhat lost or supressed due to the calculated and methodical nature of computation. A firm that strongly values the importance of the designer as the primary driving force behind architectural design within a digital era is that of Herzog & de Meuron. Kai Strehlke, head of the Digital Technology Group at Herzog & de Meuron strongly
emphasises that architecture is the marrying of the conceptual world of design and the pragmatic world of construction2 , therefore, computation must be viewed as a tool for designers to communicate and best develop their idea, rather than an idea generator itself. As seen within the Messe Basel, and many other projects by Herzog & de Meuron, a combination of primative and technological techniques have been employed as a means to encourage the design toward the built form. Whilst the structure is quite organic and adaptive in terms of its facade, the practicalities of the design include a wavy rainscreen that also controls the extent of views out to the street and into the building. Such portals within the facade also contribute to a shading mechanism to help regulate internal temperatures throughout the year. It is through such precedents that we are able to consider a technologically advanced era of architecture that retains the fundamental role of the designer as the key factor for architectural design, one that considers both conceptual and practical outcomes to achieve the a holistic and refined design.
1. Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10 2. Peters, Brady (2013). Realising the architectural idea: Computational design at Herzog & de Meuron (Architectural Design), pp. 56-61
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