Dean_Nicholas_699066_Studio Journal Part A

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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A.1 DESIGN FUTURING With the world’s population rapidly increasing, coupled with the fundamental nature of humans to be consumers of natural resources, we are witnessing an acceleration toward a defuturing condition of sustainability.1 Climate change, carbon emissions, rising sea levels, all of these factors are a result of a human centred view that results in decision making processes neglecting the environmental and social impacts.

Humans have an innate ability to prefigure what we create before the act of creation1, therefore, humans should have the capacity to direct their design in ways that will contribute to the betterment of society and the environment at large.

With the emergence of scripting and parametric design tools, architects now have the power to gather critical performance feedbacks from their computational models, and use that information as a means to redirect todays society towards a more sustainable mode of planetary habitation.1

1. Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16

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CONCEPTUALISATION

BBB Skyscraper by Juan Carlos Ramos Image Source: http://www.cgsociety.org/cgsarchive/ newgallerycrits/g30/505030/505030_1365558447_large.jpg

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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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A.2 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 MESSE BASEL | 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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A.3 COMPOSITION/ GENERATION There is a common misconception today within the design realm that using computers as a virtual drafting tool, purely to increase precision, is classified as ‘computation’, however, as outlined by Peters (2013), ‘computation’ refers to computers being harnessed to process information expressed as an algorithm that directly correlates to, and influences, an understood model.1 In the emergence of scripting, architects are able to move away from the notion of merely using design tools within architectural practice, like that of basic CAD drafting, and expand their knowledge and technical applications to actively create and control their own design software as an algorithmic expressions.

Such a far-reaching presence of the architect within the design process through the use of computation sees designers not only create 3D models, but also create new

environments that virtually simulate material properties and give performance feedback based off the model being viewed as a holistic entity.1 Whilst the computational application of algorithms within architecture are fairly young, the fundamental understanding of what an algorithm is - a process that occurs as a result of inputs being influenced by a particular operation in order to produce a set of outputs - has been studied and explored for decades, within fields such as mathematics and science.2 Whilst individual firms and practices have actively sought after the opportunities associated with design through algorithmic expression, a lack of sufficient understanding of the masse inhibits scripting from becoming a form of architectural computation that is fully integrated within the design process.

1. Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15 2. Robert A. and Frank C. Keil, eds (1999). Definition of ‘Algorithm’ in Wilson, The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (London: MIT Press), pp. 11, 12

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CASE STUDY 01 LOUIS VUITTON MUSEUM | GEHRY PARTNERS Integrated into computational design exists multiple simulation capabilities, whether it be material attributes or structural and environmental performance analysis.

Design that has been driven by such complex feedback tools can be seen within the Louis Vuitton Museum

by Gehry Partners. The structural and enclosure systems were formulated through parametric scripting, aspiring to achieve the optimal structural integrity and performance for the building.1 It is evident through the work of Gehry Partners that parametric scripting systems serve as both a form generator and envelope optimiser.2 I do fear, however, that whilst parametric systems incorporate analysis tools that consider form, material, performance and fabrication constraints, the design expression may get suppressed due to pragmatic limitations. I feel as though scripting must remain malleable and diverse in order to adapt and change to add value to multiple projects and designs.

1. Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp.

08-15 2. Ben van Berkel, ‘Navigating the Computational Turn’, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 82-87.

http://www.archdaily.com/555694/fondation-louis-vuittongehry-partners/5437471cc07a80f87c0000a1-11-_iwan_baan_ for_fondation_louis_vuitton_-iwan_baan_2014-jpg

http://www.archdaily.com/555694/fondation-louis-vuittongehry-partners/54374729c07a80e4c8000095-1-_frank_ gehry_fondation_louis_vuitton_-_-2014_todd_eberle-jpg CONCEPTUALISATION 23

CASE STUDY 02 THEMATIC PAVILION | SOMA ARCHITECTS The contested issue surrounding what differentiates ‘computerisation’ and ‘computation’ can clearly be outlined through the closed-loop feedback systems that are only associated within the realm of ‘computation’ . These detailed feedback systems offer insight into structural, material, environmental and performance analysis1 from the conception stage of the design process, allowing for much more complex and refined design outcomes being formulated.

It is made apparent through the emergence of such refined design tools that the boundaries of what is possible are forever expanding. With scripting, when a problem emerges, architects have the capacity to create an algorithm that satisfies the issue, thus widening the digital design environment 2 and expanding what is possible in the realm of the built form.

The expansive nature of architectural computation into the field of engineering and mechanical technologies is highlighted within the Thematic Pavilion by Soma. Despite being a facade system, Soma add complexity to their design through computation, whereby the glass-fibre reinforced louvres are studied virtually under compressive forces to determine the extent of maximum deflection, an aspect that was once considered by engineers as a form of material failure.3 Contradicting traditional engineering knowledge, the deformation of the louvres is mechanical controlled as a method to create a dynamic, deployable facade system. It is evident through this precedent that design computation can be seamlessly integrated within the design process in order to generate a resolved design that is justified within the physical, real world environment.

1. Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15 2. Daniel Davis and Brady Peters, ‘Design Ecosystems: Customising the Architectural Design Environment with Software Plug-ins’, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 124-131.

3. Jan Knippers, ‘From Model Thinking to Process Design ‘, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 74-81.

Image Source: http://www.archdaily.com/236979/ one-ocean-thematic-pavilion-expo-2012soma/5001234f28ba0d2c9f000af6-one-oceanthematic-pavilion-expo-2012-soma-photo

Images Source: http://www.soma-architecture.com/ index.php?page=theme_pavilion&parent=2 CONCEPTUALISATION 25

A.4 CONCLUSION Within Part A, the aspirations for a more sustainable future were outlined, and made achieveable through the emergence of scripting and parametric design, of which offers greater control and precision throughout the design process, with simulative feedback tools ensuring the creation of the best possible design.

Stemming from this, my intended design approach would be one that actively seeks to overcome problems through design, rather than chance or mindless exploration.1 I strongly feel that within such a technologically advanced society, computers should be taken full advantage of and integrated into the design process, creating a symbiotic system2 whereby the intrinsic creative qualities of the human are paired equally with the methodical and precise operations of the computer,

This is significant to the design process in that it retains the strong design intent put forth by the human designer, that is, that design remains a conscous process. Relating back to the desire for a sustainable future, if the human user remains the driving force behind design, then consideration into environmental and social impacts would be met.

Through this symbiotic system, architects no longer just construct models, instead, they play an important role in the structural qualities of the design, looking at material attributes and optimum performance.

Scripting and algorithmic expression is slowly dismantling the traditional lines of the design process, from architect to engineer, to contractors. I feel as though this is a welcome change as architects will operate in a wider scope and be able to produce holistic, and refined designs.

1. Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16 2. 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

ICD and ITKE Research Pavilion, 2010 Image Source: https://simonschleicher.files.wordpress. com/2010/07/img_0096_klein3.jpg CONCEPTUALISATION 27

A.5 LEARNING OUTCOMES Over the course of the first 3 weeks, I have learnt a lot about sustainability and design optimisation through computational design. This area of architecture was not one that I have previously studied, therefore, it was interesting to learn from real-life examples and theories of the ways in which computation is accelerating the design process.

I have been made aware of the many facets of computational design, and the way in which embedded performance tools can virtually simulate physical constraints. I find this area of computation quite intriguing and benefitial for design of the future, as it allows architects to accurately solve problems associated with site and structure within their design models.

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CONCEPTUALISATION

In reference to the weekly algorithmic tasks using Grasshopper, I have had fun exploring the unique forms and architectural arrangements that can be achieved. Having used Rhino on its own throughout my univeristy studies, I never understood the relationship between operations within the model, instead I was just drawing lines that appear to be correct and logical to create a form. After being introduced to Grasshopper, I can clearly see that the user has more control over the 3D model, and requires an understanding of the inputs and desired outputs in order to achieve a cohesive design.

Looking ahead, I am eager to continue to research and explore what computational design has to offer through more precedents and algorithmic exploration.

A.6 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

FIG.4: EXTRUSION BASED OFF ROTATED 3D PLANE ALONG A CURVE

FIG.1: EFFECT OF ATTRACTOR CURVE ON EXTRUSION

FIG.5: BIARC COMMAND FORMED LINES BETWEEN GROUND PLANE AND LOFTED SURFACE, PIPE COMMAND USED TO INTRODUCE LINE THICKNESS

FIG.2: SUBTRACTED THE DISTANCES OF THE ATTRACTORS

FIG.3: ATTRACTOR POINTS GENERATED THROUGH POPULATE 2D

FIG.6: A BENDING ARC WAS INTRODUCED TO FURTHER DISTORT THE PIPED LINES CONCEPTUALISATION 29

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References Ben van Berkel, ‘Navigating the Computational Turn’, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 82-87.

Daniel Davis and Brady Peters, ‘Design Ecosystems: Customising the Architectural Design Environment with Software Plug-ins’, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 124-131.

Fernando Romero andArmando Ramos, ‘Bridging a Culture: The Design of Museo Soumaya’, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), .

Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16 Jan Knippers, ‘From Model Thinking to Process Design ‘, Architectural Design, 83.2, (2013), 74-81.

Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of ComputerAided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10 Peters, Brady (2013). Realising the architectural idea: Computational design at Herzog & de Meuron (Architectural Design), pp. 56-61

Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15

Robert A. and Frank C. Keil, eds (1999). Definition of ‘Algorithm’ in Wilson. The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (London: MIT Press), pp. 11, 12

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