AIRS | Architectural Design, Bartlett | UCL by Despina Grigoriadou

AIRS ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN RESEARCH CLUSTER 10

TEAM MEMBERS 20103492_CHEN YUE | 19059755_MAYUE GAO 20110307_SHANYI LI | 20155298_DESPOINA GRIGORIADOU

TUTORS VISHU BHOOSHAN | HENRY DAVID LOUTH FEDERICO BORELLO | PROVIDES NG

ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN RESEARCH CLUSTER 10

TEAM MEMBERS CHEN YUE | MAYUE GAO SHANYI LI | DESPINA GRIGORIADOU

CONTENTS

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 STUDIO AGENDA 1.2 CONTEXT 1.2.1 LONDON HOUSING CRISIS 1.2.2 AIRSPACE DEVELOPMENT 1.2.3 RESEARCH QUESTION

CHAPTER 2 THESIS & RESEARCH

2 4 10 11 13 17

2.1 THESIS STATEMENT 2.2 RESEARCH & PRECEDENTS 2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING 2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING 2.2.2 HOUSING CUSTOMIZATION 2.2.2 HOUSING CUSTOMIZATION

22 24 25 27 33 35

2.2.3 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY

2.3 DESIGN CONCEPT 2.3.1 AIRSPACE SITE CRITERIA 2.3.2 PROJECT PROPOSAL

CHAPTER 3 STAKE-HOLDER PARTICIPATION 3.1 GAME PRECEDENTS 3.1.1 TOWNSCAPER 3.1.2 BLOCK'HOOD 3.1.3 ARCHITECTURE-BY-YOURSELF 3.1.4 ARCHISTAR 3.1.5 PLAY NOORD 3.1.6 PLAY OOSTERWORLD 3.1.7 PORSCHES CUSTOMIZATION PLATFORM 3.1.8 BOMBARDIER AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATOR

48 49 53

70 73 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80

3.2 PLATFORM DESIGN 3.2.1 PLATFORM STRUCTURE 3.2.2 CUSTOMIZATION PROCEDURE 3.2.3 COMMUNITY INTERFACE 3.2.4 CONFIGURATOR INTERACTION 3.2.5 CONFIGURATOR ASSET 3.2.6 KIT OF PARTS ON SYSTEM GRID 3.3 SPACE PLANS 3.3.1 VARIETY OF SPACE PLANS 3.3.2 EXISTING STAKEHOLDER CHOICES 3.3.3 ADDS-ON OVERVIEW 3.3.4 QUALITY OVERVIEW 3.4 STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION 3.4.1 END EXISTING USER CHOICES 3.4.2 END USER CHOICES 3.4.3 PARTICIPATION PROCESS

CHAPTER 4 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN 4.1 ARCHITECTURE GEOMETRY CONCEPT 4.1.1 DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE AND ASSEMBLY (DFMA) 4.1.2 KIT OF PARTS THEORY 4.1.3 MODULAR AND BESPOKE 4.2 GENERAL KIT OF PARTS 4.2.1 INTRODUCTION 4.2.2 GENERAL COLUMN AND BEAM 4.2.3 BASIC COMPONETS 4.2.4 SIDES EXPANSION 4.2.5 COMPARISION OF FACEDE AND STRUCTURE 4.2.6 WINDOW AND WALL TYPES 4.2.7 ROOFTOP ELEMENTS 4.2.8 BALCONY TYPES

83 83 84 85 87 89 91 93 93 95 97 99 101 101 111 113

128 131 131 132 133 135 135 136 137 138 140 141 143 144

4.2.9 COMPLETE UNITS 4.2.10 AGGREGATION IN CONTEXT 4. 3 DGS KOP AND STRUCTURE 4.3.1 3DGS SIMULATION PROCESS AND ITS ADVANTAGES 4.3.2 3DGS COLUMN 4.3.3 COLUMN VARIATIONS 4.3.4 THE ADAPTATION OF WINDOWS AND WALLS 4.3.5 OTHER STRUCTURES 4.4 ADDS-ONS AND CHASSIS 4.4.1 CUSTOMIZATION STRATEGY 4.4.2 CHASSIS 4.4.3 ADD-ONS 4.4.4 ASSEMBLY AND FLEXIBILITY 4.5. UNITS 4.5.1 2/4/6 VOXEL HOUSING WITH FLOOR PLAN 4.5.2 DIVERSITY 4.5.3 FLEXIBILITY 4.6 IN CONTEXT 4.6.1 ADDS-ON CLUSTER 4.6.2 RAILWAY CLUSTER 4.6.3 BETWEEN BUILDINGS 4.6.4 ADAPTION TO TERRAIN

145 147 149 149 151 153 155 157 161 161 162 163 165 167 167 168 169 171 171 172 177 178

5.3.3 TECTONIC OF BESPOKE FACADE 5.4 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE 5.4.1 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE CATALOG IN CONTEXT 5.4.2 CONCRETE AND TIMBER NODE COLUMN 5.4.3 TENON AND MORTISE NODE COLUMN 5.4.4 METAL NODE COLUMN 5.5 PRE-FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY ON SITE

CHAPTER 6 PROTOTYPE 6.1 FABRICATION TASK OVERVIEW 6.2 PRECEDENT 6.3 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE PROTOTYPE 6.3.1 INTRODUCTION 6.3.2 FABRICATION IN CONTEXT 6.3.3 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_DIGITAL PROCESS 6.3.4 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_PHYSICAL PROCESS 6.4 3DGS COLUMN PROTOTYPE 6.4.1 INTRODUCTION 6.4.2 FABRICATION IN CONTEXT 5.4.3 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_DIGITAL PROCESS 5.4.4 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_PHYSICAL PROCESS

BIBLIOGRAPHY & IMAGE REFERENCE CHAPTER 5 DIGITAL FABRICATION 5.1 DIGITAL FABRICATION PRECEDENTS 5.2 MODULAR INTERIOR STRUCTURE 5.2.1 OVERVIEW 5.2.2 TECTONIC OF INTERIOR STRUCTURE 5.3 BESPOKE FACADE ELEMENTS 5.3.1 FACADE IN DESIGN CONTEXT 5.3.2 ROBOTIC BANDSAW CUTTING PATH PRINCIPLES

184 187 189 189 190 191 191 193

195 197 197 198 199 200 201

204 207 208 209 209 210 211 212 219 219 220 221 225

232

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 STUDIO AGENDA

Architectural Geometry focuses on the synthesis of shapes that guarantee optimal structureand fabrication. It is also closely aligned with the development of robotic and digitalfabrication technologies and design methods. In Research Cluster 10, we explore the relevance of this state-of-the-art design and construction paradigm applied to computational housing projects that adapt to local contextual aspects, including supply chains and fabrication technologies in concrete and timber.

B-PRO AD RCX HABITAT TECTONICS Design Tutor: Vishu Bhooshan, Federico Borello, Henry David Louth Theory Tutor: Provides Ng

This year, students will use the methods and algorithms used to produce Architectural Geometry in the design of modular, fast-to-assemble residential spaces. From this geometric basis and using the computational speed of Architectural Geometry methods, students will build browser and game-platform configurators that allow non-expert end usersto personalise and assemble prefabricated building components into custom homes. The content and tools used are representative of the imminent future of the industry as it shifts from building information modelling for documentation to a 'design for manufacturing and assembly' paradigm.

Image 1.2.1. Airspace community for existing cluster 5

Image 1.2.1. Airspace community for existing cluster 7

1.2 CONTEXT

The average household in the city of London is projected to grow by 7-10% in the year 2028 (Office of National Statistics), which entails each household would have a larger space requirement. This along with the lack land to meet the housing requirements in the city (National Planning Policy Framework), forms the basis of research for AIRS. The shortfall in new housing supply in London and more widely across the UK demands new ways to deliver new and affordable homes. Airspace development provides an innovative option to create new value in untouched locations, and furthermore alleviate both the financial and housing pressures for public bodies – not just in terms of new supply but also in terms of saving on maintenance and roof replacement programmes. Combined with advanced off-site modular construction, airspace development offers a unique solution to develop new and affordable homes in urban areas of tight density and land supply, in almost half the time it would take to undertake a traditional build, with minimal disruption to the existing residents and local community. The project, airs, in this context, first tries to look at housing precedents in certain domains, such as parasitic housing, housing customization and residential community. Then several proposals based on airspace developments are put forward. The whole project revolves around six core keywords- platform, massing, space plan, architectural geometry, kit of parts and fabrication.

1.2.1 LONDON HOUSING CRISIS

London is a world leader when it comes to culture, entertainment and business. However, the UK capital is a victim of its own success when it comes to cost of living. While London has excelled at creating jobs and opportunities, it has failed to build an adequate amount of homes than its workforce can actually afford. As a result, many Londoners struggle to get by, live in overcrowded properties and in unsuitable conditions. Home ownership isn’t even a distant possibility for many. [1] Christou, L. (2018, April 11). The extent of the London housing crisis. Retrieved from https:// www.verdict.co.uk/londonhousing-crisis/

Image 1.2.1. Airspace development tries to tackle housing shortage in London

Speaking to the Guardian, London mayor Sadiq Khan said: The housing crisis is a major factor in the high cost of living in the capital, as well as putting home ownership out of the reach of many young Londoners who fear they will never get a foot on the property ladder. In the worst cases, it can affect social cohesion, cause poor health and plunge residents into poverty. [1] Shortage of housing There are more people living in London than ever before. According to data published by the Official for National Statistics (ONS), London’s population surged to 8.8 million in 2017. The population in the capital has been growing by 1.1% on average annually since 2012. This equates to 96,000 additional people each year. However, according to the Greater London Authority’s Housing in London: 2017 report, just 20,030 new homes have been built in the capital each year on average over the last decade. The report states that homelessness in the capital increased by 7% between 2015 and 2016. Some 8,100 people are now thought to be sleeping on the streets. Likewise, the number of families living in temporary accommodation also saw an increase of 6% in the same period.

Image 1.2.2. Source: Greater London Authority’s Housing in London 2017 report

According to Khan, construction needs to increase to 66,000 new homes a year to cope with demand and solve the London housing crisis. Cost of housing Rent accommodation However, for many the problem isn’t a lack of housing, but the affordability of housing. Of the new properties currently built in the capital, the government classifies just 38% of them as affordable. However, solving the London housing crisis will require 65% of all new builds to be affordable. According to consultancy firm ECA International, London is the most expensive city in Europe for renting accommodation. Purchase a property Purchasing a house is also not an option for most. According to gov.uk’s UK House Price Index, the average cost of a property in London is £486,000 – at least £162,000 more than any other part of the UK and £294,000 more expensive than the rest of the UK on average. According to salary information website Pay-scale, the average London worker earns £34,900, or £27,900 after tax. This means that it would take at least 17.5 years of saving (should you avoid spending on anything else, including food and shelter, in that time) to afford a London property. A mortgage solves the need to save before you buy. However, this can still prove tricky for anybody that wishes to purchase a property on their own.

Average monthly rent on a three-bedroom apartment (2018)

The house price by UK region (January 2018)

Increase in property cost and wages in London (2012-2017)

Image 1.2.3. Source: ECA International

1.2.2 AIRSPACE DEVELOPMENT POLICY SUPPORT & BENIFITS The research has been undertaken within a context where severe housing pressures exist in London. Around 49,000 new homes are required every year in London over the next two decades [1].although some sources refer to the need for up to 60,000 [2] homes per annum. The Government’s focus is very much on brownfield land to deliver housing, but there is wide recognition that more varied and innovative methods of delivering housing need to be considered, as the ever mounting pressure increases. More creative and lateral thinking needs to be applied to how we can increase the supply of housing.

[1] Mayor of London, Housing in London, 2015, p. 81.

[2] Quod in partnership with Shelter, February 2016, When Brownfield isn’t Enough: Strategic Options for London’s Growth, p. 4.

Rooftop development is recognised as one of many innovative housing solutions that can contribute to the delivery of more homes. It is not the solution but one of many allowing new entrants into the market to deliver housing. Numerous researchers, policy makers and designers, and others have previously explored and highlighted the potential of this concept. Currently, only 2% of new homes per year in London come about as a result of an element of ‘upward extension’[3]. Following the recent planning policy consultations on rooftop development, now is the time to seriously consider both the potential of this type of development in further detail, alongside the technical constraints that will need to be overcome, to realise more of this type of development on a far greater scale. It is recognised that rooftop development is not an opportunity without obstacles. As with brownfield development sites, rooftop ‘sites’ have various complex and challenging constraints that need to be overcome to realise this kind of development.

Image 1.2.4. Source: National Planning Policy Framework, 2019

Image 1.2.5. Source: London’s Rooftops: Potential to Deliver Housing . Retrieved from http://www. apexairspace.co.uk

OFF-SITE CONSTRUCTION

Image 1.2.6. Benefits of Airspace Development

REDUCTION IN SERVICE

REDUCED CARBON FOOTPRINT UPGRADE BUILDING FACILITIES

BRAND NEW ROOF GUARANTEED FOR 20+ YEARS

[3] DCLG and Mayor of London, Consultation on Upward Extensions in London, February 2016.

Strategic Benefits • Delivery of much needed new homes supply to meet London’s housing needs • Enhancing asset value and use of existing properties • Creation of new funding stream to assist affordable housing delivery • Innovative – use of off-site homes manufacture to speed delivery and reduce disruption to occupants • Green – potential opportunity for use of renewable energies to reduce energy consumption Financial Benefits • Creation of significant windfall payment for freeholder, linked to market value of the new apartment(s) • Reduction of maintenance burden for freeholders/ leaseholders • Improvement to the kerb appeal of properties through associated improvements to façade and elevations • Creation of new ground rent income for freeholders

INCREASE IN LEASEHOLD VALUES

1.2.2 AIRSPACE DEVELOPMENT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Image 1.2.8. Apex Airsapce, The modules, are 8090% complete whilst in the factory (off-site), ready to be transported to each development.

Image 1.2.9. Apex Airsapce, Modules are then delivered to site where installation takes place in often just a matter of days

Taking place off site, the manufacturing process is undertaken in a controlled assembly line environment, manned by highly skilled operatives who are ably supported by quality control and technical guidance personnel. During the modular construction process the finalisation of all internal finishes, insulation, external finishes, windows and required mechanical and electrical details are applied in the factory. The modules, and new homes, are 80-90% complete whilst in the factory (off-site), ready to be transported to each development.

Image 1.2.7. Rooftop Development Process Source:Ooshuizen, R. (2016). London’s Rooftops: Potential to Deliver Housing . Retrieved from http://www. apexairspace.co.uk

Modules are then delivered to site where installation takes place in often just a matter of days, including all final corrections under a stringent, organised and rigorous procedure. This ensures minimal intrusion to existing residents, neighbours and the local community, including over 80% fewer vehicle journeys to and from site. This method of modular construction ensures a major reduction in the site delivery programme, with build times often reduced by 50% compared to traditional construction. It also ensures a high-quality and consistent finish to all apartments, with much lower risk compared to traditional construction and a certainty of both the programme and cost.

1.2.3 RESEARCH QUESTION

Image 1.2.10. Housing in airspace Image 1.2.11. scarcity of construction land

Based on the London housing crisis's introduction, the Mayor believes that the only way to release this crucial situation is to construct more good quality and affordable homes. Doing so will require action to unblock stalled housing sites and increase the speed of building. It will require steps to diversify who is building new homes, as well as where and how they are built and for whom. However, things will never be easy to solve. Some tricky challenges still exist during the construction of new affordable houses. Firstly, the scarcity of construction land results in the government not having enough space to meet the requirement. They must promote higher density schemes. Secondly, in a traditional construction way, the construction cycle is quite long; in this case, the housing construction rate cannot match the rate of population growth. In addition, because the design methods are also relatively traditional, it is often impossible to achieve the optimal plan for land and space utilization.

Image 1.2.12. Traditional building organize method Image 1.2.13. Long construction cycle

What is more, sometimes the voices of the citizens are easily ignored. That is to say, a large part of citizens cannot convey their requirements to the relevant government agencies or need a long time to get the feedback from such staff. It will affect citizens' participation in society. All in all, the government still need to solve these kinds of problem and provide a more effective scheme to meet the citizens' requirements. Involving local people and future residents in the development of new homes leads to stronger communities and empowers individuals. In many cases communities can build where others might find it difficult, or can galvanise support for more homes than might otherwise be possible. Many community led projects have been initiated by grassroots or existing community organisations, however there could be more developers and housing associations initiating projects, and inviting groups to form around projects, to shape and take ownership of them once they are built.

Image 1.2.14. Citizens' voices are ignored

Image 1.2.15. Community led housing

CHAPTER 2 THESIS & RESEARCH

2.1 THESIS STATEMENT

The average household in the city of London is projected to grow by 7-10% in the year 2028 (Office of National Statistics), which entails each household would have a larger space requirement. This along with the lack land to meet the housing requirements in the city (National Planning Policy Framework), forms the basis of research for AIRS. The project, proposes to create Add-Ons to existing residential units and activate multiple airspace strategies - roof-top, over rail etc to counter this dual challenge, It seeks to drive this development through the data gathering of end user requirement, made possible by a participation platform which builds on technologies in the gaming and automobile industries. In addition, the project explores the synergies of sustainably sourced digital timber with contemporary computational form finding, design for manufacture (DfMa) & Industrialised Construction technologies to create structurally efficient and fast to build parametric architectural components. AIRS showcases the deployment of these modular-bespoke kit of parts through a prototypical time line based scenario to create a sustainable housing development to increase density whilst seeking to activate the roofscapes of the chosen site to promote enhanced community interactions and well being.

2.2 RESEARCH & PRECEDENTS

Since current airspace development is actually a kind of parasitic housing, the research firstly starts by exploring housing precedents with different types of parasitic way to see if design can break the limitation of only building on the rooftops. Then it looks at how housing customization happened by decoding and encoding several famous cases which used modular method. These cases include Habitat 67, Metastadt, Colonnade and Walden7. Housing projects like Barbican Estate, Alexandra road Estate and Kanchanjunga apartments shed a light on how to make private and communal space well-organized to get high quality living environment. When faced with building upon existing properties, incremental housing gives hints about reasonable process to deal with adds-on. After choosing a site that contains various airspace types, the research further introduces certain proposals to develop the project.

2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING

Image 2.2.1 A parasitic project of modular units was imagined in Paris's La Grande Arche de La Défense (Credit: Studio Malka Architecture)

Image 2.2.2 A parasitic project of modular units was imagined in Paris's La Grande Arche de La Défense (Credit: Studio Malka Architecture)

A parasite is an organism that grows, feeds and sheltered by its host while contributing nothing to the host’s survival. Therefore parasitic architecture can be defined “as an adaptable, transient and exploitive form of architecture that forces relationships with host buildings in order to complete themselves.” (definition taken from parasitic architecture.) Parasitic Architecture can be thought of as a flexible and sometimes temporary structure that feeds off the existing infrastructure and build form. A parasite has to work with existing infrastructures and use them to its own end but can also be considered as an architectural intervention that materializes and transforms the built form. A parasitic construction redefines and reconfigures a built structure and provides a new perspective or orientation to the public and potentially offer a new space.

Imagine a world where housing has grown so limited that people revolt and construct their own parasitic homes on any available space they can -- like the interior of the famed Arche de la Défense in Paris. Pocket of Active Resistance is a modular complex designed by Parisian architect, Stéphane Malka, who sees existing buildings and infrastructure as the foundation for more sustainable and affordable housing. But to get to that point, we, the people, would hijack these buildings and take them as our own. Pocket of Active Resistance is a modular housing system stuck to the interior walls of la Défense that grows organically out of the insurrection and malcontent of the people. Homes consists of modules affixed to the interior walls of the building that are connected via catwalks and scaffolding. Modules can be connected together to create larger abodes. They look a bit ramshackle and scraped together from recycled parts and pieces, and Malka claims in his proposal that a housing module would only cost 3,000 euros.

2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING ROOFTOP EXTENSION

Image 2.2.3. 3BOX, Paris, France, Stephane Malka Architecture

Image 2.2.5. The Growing House, London, UK Tonkin Liu

Image 2.2.4. Paris, France, Stephane Malka Architecture

Image 2.2.6. The Growing House, London, UK Tonkin Liu

A densely-packed city with one of the strictest building regulations in the world, Paris is facing a housing crisis that is beyond compare. While most cities are replacing old buildings with sky-high apartment blocks, French architect Stephane Malka is challenging the system through his adaptable parasitic creations, while allowing Paris to retain its romantic skyline. Perched on top of traditional Parisian buildings, Malka’s prefab rooftop apartments address many of the housing issues felt by Parisians today. The structures are aesthetically pleasing, spacious, quick to build and affordable.

London's historic skyline is slowly being surrendered to a sea of shiny new skyscrapers, so it’s refreshing to see architects using parasitic architecture to create spacious housing solutions in overcrowded environments. Nestled on top of a Victorian warehouse in Central London, Tonkin Liu’s steel structure looks more like a greenhouse than a conventional home. Inside, sliding doors are used to create spatial dividers between its six bedrooms and open-plan kitchen/living area, which are spread over a compact space totalling 2,800 square feet. Wall-to-wall windows allow its inhabitants to make the most of natural daylight, while showcasing stunning views of the City of London’s skyline. Hanging plants on the exterior of the apartment provide natural shade, while creating an indoor-outdoor environment. 28

2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING IN-BETWEEN EXTENSION

Image 2.2.7. The Silver House, London, UK

Image 2.2.9. Chambre Suspendue, Gentilly, France

Image 2.2.8. The Silver House, London, UK

Image 2.2.10. Chambre Suspendue, Gentilly, France

A slim house has been slotted between two pre-existing properties in London in a space that had been left vacant for decades. With a street frontage of less than three metres, it’s no wonder the site had been left in this state for so long. Boyarsky Murphy Architects were faced with the challenge of fitting a home into a site measuring 118 by 80 square feet. Making the most of the limited space they had to work with, the architects created a series of boxlike forms, which were wedged into the vacant space in alternating angles. Inside, the property is a far cry from its slim exterior. Set over three floors, its designers have made the most of natural light sources by inserting wall-to-wall windows, which dominate the front facade of the structure. Frosted glass has been used to allow light in while retaining privacy for its inhabitants. 29

The ‘Chambre Suspendue’ is a minimalist studio space designed by NeM Architectes as a solution for cramped living conditions. A gap between a row of houses offered the opportunity for the architectural firm to construct an elevated studio space fit for one with just enough room beneath it for a car space. The interior has been designed with ample storage and surface space, while its large window provides natural light and a panoramic view of the city. The exterior is extended with a small balcony, which provides space for potted plants.

2.2.1 PARASITIC HOUSING WALL EXTENSION

Image 2.2.11. Wozoco, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, MVRDV

Image 2.2.13. Rucksack House, Leipzig, Germany

Image 2.2.12. Wozoco, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, MVRDV

Image 2.2.14. Rucksack House, Leipzig, Germany

Challenged with the design brief of creating an additional 100 homes in a pre-existing block of apartments, MVRDV expanded on their Didden Village project by designing a series of parasitic structures that extend outwards from the surface of the original building. The result is a series of spacious living units, which appear to be glued onto the surface of the pre-existing structure. Allowing each of the new units to protrude outwards meant that additional balconies and larger windows were included in the design scheme. The decision to attach each unit in this manner allowed for the exterior communal space to remain intact.

Designed by Stefan Eberstadt, the Rucksack House is a parasitic structure that allows its owners to create additional rooms in a pre-existing space through the addition of strap-on extension units. Each structure is mobile and light with a minimalist, spacious interior. Owners can make the most of natural light during the day through its abstract windows. There’s no reason to stop at one either, as multiple structures can be stacked above, below and beside each other.

2.2.2 HOUSING CUSTOMIZATION METASTADT

Image 2.2.15. Metestadt 1969, Richard J. Dietrich

Image 2.2.18. Decoding method Mayue Gao & Yuan Chen's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.16. Kit of parts Mayue Gao & Yuan Chen's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Metastadt was designed by architects Richard J. Dietrich and Bernd Steigerwald in the 1960s, as a response to the urban sprawl of cities which appeared to be growing at an alarming rate. It was a modernist utopia, designed to be built over existing urban spaces, by incorporating highways, parking, and could bridge over existing highways. The system incorporates everything a citizen could require, such as leisure facilities, museums, retail, public spaces, and hundreds of residential units. All of these functions would be located within a rigid modular grid 4.2m x 4.2m and 3.6m in height. Each module could be open and connected, or separated using movable and interchangeable walls, ceilings, and façade systems, all of which could be altered to allow for maximum flexibility and future growth.

Image 2.2.17. Unit variations Mayue Gao & Yuan Chen's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Based on the voxel, we assembled these kit of parts. So there are more variations for customization needs and coping with surrounding contexts. We tried to restore the original units via the voxel thinking. The structure was a steel rigging system, made from prefabricated steel components, which made up the individual modules. There are seven variants of windows in the same grid, which are used in different contexts. Shades, handrails and flower boxes are all divided as 3 parts in a voxel. Decoding and encoding process are the most important thing that we learned from this precedent. In voxel, each colored faces or lines is represented the specific kit. It means the color in voxel contains the information of kit of parts and location. In computer version, they are abstract colorful faces and lines. But in human version, they show as a very accurate model.

2.2.2 HOUSING CUSTOMIZATION HABITAT 67

Image 2.2.19 Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie

Image 2.2.21. Decoding precedent, Chen Yue & ZhengQing Zhang's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.22. Kit of parts, Chen Yue & ZhengQing Zhang's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.20 Habitat 67, floor plan, Moshe Safdie

Habitat 67 was constructed from 354 identical and completely prefabricated modules (referred to as “boxes”) stacked in various combinations and connected by steel cables. The apartments vary in shape and size, since they are formed by a group of one to four of the 600 square-foot “boxes” in different configurations. Each apartment is reached through a series of pedestrian streets and bridges, along with three vertical cores of elevators for the top floors. Service and parking facilities are separated from the tenant’s circulation routes, located on the ground floor. By stacking concrete “boxes” in variant geometrical configurations, Safdie was able to break the traditional form of orthogonal high rises, locating each box a step back from its immediate neighbor. This ingenious method provided each apartment with a roof garden, a constant flow of fresh air and a maximum of natural light: qualities which were unprecedented for a twelve story apartment complex. Habitat 67 thus pioneered the integration of two housing typologies—the suburban garden home and the economical high-rise apartment building.

The prefabrication process of the 90-ton boxes took place on-site. The basic modular shape was molded in a reinforced steel cage, which measured 38 x 17 feet. Once cured, the concrete box was transferred to an assembly line for the insertion of electrical and mechanical systems, as well as insulation and windows. To finalize the production, modular kitchens and bathrooms were installed, and finally a crane lifted each unit to its designated position. The research try to decoding the kit of parts, and based on this parts re-design the component, enable us know the concept of decoding and encoding.

2.2.2 HOUSING CUSTOMIZATION THE COLONNADE

WALDEN 7

Image 2.2.26. Walden 7, Spain, Ricardo Bofill, 1975 Shanyi Li & Le Xu's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.23. The Colonnade Condominiums, Singapore, Paul Rudolph, 1980

Image 2.2.24. Architecture after decoding and encoding, Grigoriadou & Vasiliki Sargkani's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.27. Architecture after decoding and encoding Shanyi Li & Le Xu's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.25. Decoding method, Grigoriadou & Vasiliki Sargkani's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image 2.2.28. Encoding kit of parts Shanyi Li & Le Xu's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Rudolph referred to these replicate units as the "twentieth-century brick," a means of construction that would seemingly make construction of large scale buildings more feasible. However, as Rudolph came to find upon the time of construction, technical and financial reasons expelled the possibility of the prefabricated units. Instead, the Colonnade was built of pour-in-place concrete, which still successfully conveyed the appearance of his initial design goals.

In Walden 7, the organization of spaces is of wide variety. The units consist of different combinations of 30sqm units distributed over one or two floors. Dwellings range from single module studios to four module apartments. The most interesting aspect of the project is the atypical way in which the housing block is approached. Eighteen towers, seven courtyards, a modular but unsystematic grid, and extensive public space create a vertical labyrinth with no repetitiveness or uniformity.

2.2.3 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY BARBICAN ESTATE

Image 2.2.29. The Barbican Estate / Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Architects

Image 2.2.32. The Barbican Estate / Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Architects With its coarse concrete surfaces, elevated gardens and trio of high-rise towers, the Barbican Estate offered a new vision for how high-density residential neighbourhoods could be integrated with schools, shops and restaurants, as well world-class cultural destinations. The architects – Peter Chamberlin, Geoffry Powell and Christoph Bon – sought to create a complex that created a clear distinction between private, community and public domains, but that also allowed pedestrians as much priority as cars.

Image 2.2.30. Part of Section

The site had been left almost entirely demolished by bombing during the second world war, so the architects were tasked with developing an entire city plot from scratch. Designs were finalized in 1959, construction extended through the 60s and 70s, and the complex was officially opened by the queen in 1982. The basis for the design came from a vision for a podium, a car-free realm raised up over the city's busy streets to allow visitors and residents to explore the site on foot. Brick pathways indicate different routes, while landscaped gardens and lakes offer a pleasant outlook for residents. Flats were distributed between three 43-storey towers – known as Shakespeare, Cromwell and Lauderdale – and a series of 13 seven-story blocks. Aimed at young professionals, the residences feature simple layouts with compact kitchens and bathrooms. Balconies branch off bedrooms and studies, as well as living rooms, and give the towers their unique profiles. Built in Brutalist style, the complex has a monolithic aesthetic of poured in place concrete with varied textured finishes, giving visual unity to the whole. The Barbican offers a balance of public and private spaces in which a residential community has been able to cultivate conveniently and pleasantly; a city within a city.

Image 2.2.31. Surrounding View

2.2.3 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY ALEXANDRA ROAD ESTATE

Image 2.2.36. Part of section model of Alexandra Road Estate, undergraduate students' work. The Sheffield School of Architecture

Image 2.2.33. Alexandra Road Estate, London Borough of Camden, Neave Brown， 1978

Alexandra Road is London terrace house with the design of high-density public housing. Alexandra road represents the application of the terraced theme on an enormous scale. The long site is consisted of three parallel rows of dwellings. Two rows of terraced apartments are aligned along the tracks with the higher 8 story stepped building designed to block the noise of the trains. A lower, 4-story block runs along the other side of a continuous public walkway that serves both terraced rows of buildings. The third row of building, along the southern edge of the site, parallels another public walkway between this row and the existing earlier buildings of the Ainsworth Estate and defines an open public park between the second and third row of dwellings.

Image 2.2.34. Neave Brown/LBC, Alexandra Road under construction, view from west, c. 1978. [RIBA Collections]

A community center that includes a school, reception center, maintenance facilities and the heating plant mark the entrance to the site from London Road to the west and open to the park areas. The lower buildings contain maisonettes with shared access, terraces, and gardens. Maisonettes also occupy the top two levels of the large slab with entrance from a continuous gallery at the 7th floor. The dwellings in the lower floors in this block are flats that are entered from open stairs serving two dwellings per floor. Parking is located beneath the building along the tracks. Alexandra road received much criticism during and after construction because of enormous cost overruns caused by the complicated construction, unforeseen foundation problems and inflation.

Image 2.2.35. Architect’s drawing of the estate

2.2.3 RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY KANCHANJUNGA APARTMENTS

Image 2.2.37. section of several housing units, Kanchanjunga Apartments, Mumbai, Charles Correa, 1983

TYPE A

TYPE B

TYPE C

TYPE D

Image 2.2.40. four main types of housing units By developing climatic solutions for different sites and programs, Indian architect Charles Correa designed the Kanchanjunga Apartments. Located in Mumbai, the U.S. equivalent of New York City in terms of population and diversity, the 32 luxury apartments are located south-west of downtown in an upscale suburban setting embodying the characteristics of the upper echelon of society within the community.

Image 2.2.38. exterior of the apartment

In Mumbai, a building has to be oriented east-west to catch prevailing sea breezes and to open up the best views of the city. Unfortunately, these are also the directions of the hot sun and the heavy monsoon rains. The old bungalows solved these problems by wrapping a protective layer of verandas around the main living areas, thus providing the occupants with two lines of defense against the elements. Correa pushed his capacity for ingenious cellular planning to the limit, as is evident from the interlock of four different apartment typologies varying from 3 to 6 bedrooms each. Smaller displacements of level were critical in this work in that they differentiated between the external earth filled terraces and the internal elevated living volumes. These subtle shifts enable Correa to effectively shield these high rise units from the effects of both the sun and monsoon rains. This was largely achieved by providing the tower with relatively deep, garden verandas, suspended in the air. Clearly, such an arrangement had its precedent in the cross-over units of Le Corbusier's Unite d' Habitation built in Marseilles in 1952, although here in Mumbai the sectional provision was achieved without resorting to the extreme of differentiating between up-and-down going units. The building is a 32 story reinforced concrete structure with 6.3m cantilevered open terraces. The central core is composed of lifts and provides the main structural element for resisting lateral loads. The central core was constructed ahead of the main structure by slip method of construction. This technique was used for the first time in India for a multistory building.

Image 2.2.39. Organization of space and modularity

The concrete construction and large areas of white panels bears a strong resemblance to modern apartment buildings in the West, perhaps due to Correa's western education. However, the garden terraces of the Kanchanjunga Apartments are actually a modern interpretation of a feature of the traditional Indian bungalow: the veranda. 44

2.2.3 INCREMENTAL HOUSING QUINTA MONROY

VILLA VERDE

Image 2.2.41. Quinta Monroy, Chile, Alejandro Aravena, ELEMENTAL, 2003

Image 2.2.44. V i l l a Ve r d e , A l e j a n d r o Aravena, ELEMENTAL

Half a good house is better than a bad house The Chilean government offers each household a subsidy that allows it to buy a home. But the homes are of poor quality. To solve this problem, architect Alejandro Aravena and his team at Elemental offer housin "to be completed". Residents can carry on building gradually, depending on their means and their needs. The initial structure responds to all the local antiseismic requirements and includes the kitchen and bathroom. To allow people to extend the bedrooms or to create new ones without affecting the strength of the building, the size of the volumes to be completed is calculated with reference to standard construction elements. Each family can thus build the house it needs, at its own pace and to its own taste. What is incremental housing? It is a house that grows with its owner. It changes as your needs change and is designed to expand over time via a patented structural system. Quinta Monroy was, on completion, one of the most celebrated social housing projects of the early 21st century, capturing the attention of the architectural community and propelling the Elemental architecture firm, and media-savvy director Alejandro Aravena, towards ‘starchitect’ status.

Image 2.2.42. Plans and sections of Quinta Monroy

Meshing both Modernist and self-build ideologies, Elemental’s own approach uses contractors to mass-produce ‘half-houses’ to be then ‘completed’ by residents harnessing their own productive capacity. While not the radical solution claimed by many, this incremental approach was identified by Elemental as the way to accommodate the residents’ aspirations against meagre government housing subsidies.

Image 2.2.43. Incremental housing. Retrieved from https:// moduledesign.weebly.com/ incremental-housing.html

2.3 DESIGN CONCEPT

The project, proposes to create Add-Ons to existing residential units and activate multiple airspace strategies - roof-top, over rail etc to counter this dual challenge, It seeks to drive this development through the data gathering of end user requirement, made possible by a participation platform which builds on technologies in the gaming and automobile industries. In addition, the project explores the synergies of sustainably sourced digital timber with contemporary computational form finding, design for manufacture (DfMa) & Industrialized Construction technologies to create structurally efficient and fast to build parametric architectural components. AIRS showcases the deployment of these modular-bespoke kit of parts through a prototypical time line based scenario to create a sustainable housing development to increase density whilst seeking to activate the roofspace of the chosen site to promote enhanced community interactions and well being. AIRS revolves around six core keywords - they are platform, massing, space plan, architectural geometry, kit of parts and fabrication.

2.3.1 AIRSPACE SITE CRITERIA

Air community

SITE ANALYSIS & AIRSPACE TYPOLOGY

Air community

Image 2.3.2. Type A: On the rooftop

Type A: On the rooftop

Type B: building side

Image 2.3.1 Site Location

Location: Ingestre Rd, Kentish Town, London NW5 1UX The historical project, Ingestre Road Estate, is located at Kentish Town designed by John Green for Camden Architects’ Department and Built 1967–71. There are some potential airspace types in this area. According to the classification of airspace types, the project selects the site that contains at least four of them, which are above the railway, rooftop, building side and space between buildings.

Air community

Type A: On the rooftop

Type A: On the rooftop This is the typical airspace, based on the existing roof for construction. In London, many house owners have spontaneously started roof renovations.

Image 2.3.3. Type B: Building side

TypeA: B:On building side Type C: Large structure Type the rooftop

Type B: D: building Above the Type sideRailway

Urban Airspace

Type B: Building side There are always some walls with less windows. So, new construction may attach to the side of existing buildings. Type C: Large structure Between the gap of building, It has potentials to be some large structure to connect several rooftops.

Type A: On Type D: Above the Railway Typethe C: rooftop Large structure Some large structure with platform on the railway, can hold lots family units. Urban Airspace

Type TypeB:D:building Above side the Railway Type C: Large structure

Urban Airspace

Image 2.3.4. Type C: Large structure

Type D: Above the Railway Bartlett AD RC10

Image 2.3.5. Type D: Above the Railway 49

Type C: Large structure Urban Airspace

Type D: Above the Railway

Bartlett AD RC10

AIRSPACE ADAPTATION

ON THE ROOFTOP

ABOVE THE RAILWAY

BETWEEN THE GAP

ON THE HILL

Image2.3.6. Different situations depend on locations 51

2.3.2 PROJECT PROPOSAL TIMELINE-BASED DEVELOPMENT OVERVIEW

Image 2.3.7. Project proposal- Step 1

Image 2.3.9. Project proposal- Step 3

Image 2.3.8. Project proposal- Step 2

Image 2.3.10. Project proposal- Step 4

The project proposes to create Add-Ons to existing residential units and activate multiple airspace strategies - roof-top, over rail etc to counter this dual challenge. For our airspace proposal, we base on timeline development that initially starts with the existing building block, then extends and constructs above the railway.

TIMELINE-BASED DEVELOPMENT IN EXISTING CLUSTER

Image4.6.11. Timeline development step1

Image4.6.13. Timeline development step3

Image4.6.12. Timeline development step2

Image4.6.14. Timeline development step4

Air spaces propose a prototypical timeline-based scenario to create a sustainable housing development to increase density whilst seeking to activate the roofscapes of the chosen site to promote enhanced community interactions and well being. The starting point is the expansion of the existing housing with add-ons. When there are enough additions, the extension will be shifted to the rooftop. Once the extension of the existing housing is completed, new housing can be added on the top floor and invite new customers and residents in the neighbourhood.

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN

Image 2.3.15. Configurator for the personalized and responsible real-estate development, image courtesy by Zaha Hadid Architects

Image 2.3.16. Configurator for the personalized and responsible real-estate development, image courtesy by Zaha Hadid Architects

Mass production has been the defining characteristic of consumerism over the last 100 years, the significant shift in the marketplace today is towards mass personalization. In short, customers want customization, and companies are giving it to them. F o r m a n y b u s i n e s s e s , o ff e r i n g p e r s o n a l i z e d o p t i o n s h e l p s e x t e n d product lines and increase sales. The most well-known example is the automotive industry, where automakers offer dealership and web-based configurators that enable buyers to customize cars before purchasing. H o w e v e r, p u r v e y o r s o f e v e r y t h i n g f r o m b i c y c l e s , s n e a k e r s , w a t c h e s , c l o t h e s , f u r n i t u r e , a n d m o r e a r e n o w o ff e r i n g c u s t o m e r s the ability to put their stamp on purchases before they buy. What if you could do the same when buying a residence? That’s the idea behind an innovative configurator built by Zaha Hadid Architects. The world-renowned architectural firm has pioneered a new, highly personalized way of buying property for development on an island in the Caribbean, 40 miles off the coast of Honduras.

The project seeks to drive this development through the data gathering of end-user requirements, made possible by a participation platform that builds on technologies in the gaming and automobile industries. Configurators provide a gamified, intuitive decision-making process for people outlaying a significant investment, one that enables the inhabitants to explore the implications of each decision on location, layout, and features of their house in real time. Moreover, it is not just the end buyer who benefits from a configurator approach to real estate sales. All stakeholders on the project can get a photoreal understanding of the product being bought, designed, and invested in. For developers, that means there are assured buyers before significant investments are made. For architects, engineers, and fabrication teams, it means there is a highly coordinated brief, together with performance specifications to design for and reliable pre-orders to procure against. Finally, configurators also make it easier to convert/update the 3D data used in the design and construction into an operational digital twin.

GEOMETRY DESIGN METHOD As the geometry design method, historically, graphic statics in 2D was used for large structures like bridges, which is structurally efficient and Spatially interesting. For the housing domain, this project tries to explore it further, and uses it as 3 dimensional digital tools, to help structures jump over rooftops and railways, and to take advantage of its structural and spatial features.

Image 2.3.17. Salginatobel Bridge, Robert Maillart, 1929

For bridge design, Robert Maillart had an intuition and genius that exploited the aesthetic of concrete. He designed three-hinged arches in which the deck and the arch ribs were combined, to produce closely integrated structures that evolved into stiffened arches of very thin reinforced concrete and concrete slabs. The Salginatobel Bridge (1930) and Schwandbach Bridge (1933) are classic examples of Maillart’s three-hinged arch bridges and deck-stiffened arch bridges, respectively. They have been recognized for their elegance and their influence on the later design and engineering of bridges. 3D Graphic Statics by Ognjen Graovac is a structural form-finding method for generating compression-only spatial forms. This plug-in has been developed for Grasshopper. In 3D graphic statics, the static equilibrium of structures is described by using two reciprocal diagrams and their geometric relationship – form and force. The change in one diagram will affect the geometry in other. Therefore, designers have direct control over the form and the forces at the same time. In short, the force diagram is represented as a set of closed convex polyhedral cells, and each polyhedron represents one node (within the form diagram). Two polyhedral cells sharing the same brep face are equal to two adjacent nodes, interconnected by the rod. The intensity of the force in the rod is proportional to the area of the brep face, while the orientation is generated iteratively until its direction coincides with the normal vector of the face.

Image 2.3.18. Hedracrete, Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Polyhedral Structures Lab, School of Design, University of Pennsylvani

The main goal of developing this tool was to automate the process of generating force diagrams, to rapidly examine different design solutions as well as to explore the possibilities of connecting 3D Graphic Statics with other Grasshopper tools. The plug-in provides components for subdividing polyhedral cells, form-finding processes, computing forces, generating cross sections, etc. With this digital tool architects, engineers, students and researchers can create a parametrically driven system that can generate optimal structures of a particular aesthetics. This tool has been developed for future academic research. Most of the algorithms are based on the scientific articles done by Block Research Group (http://www.block.arch.ethz.ch/brg/research).

Image 2.3.19. Three-Dimensional Graphic Statics, Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Polyhedral Structures Lab, School of Design, University of Pennsylvani

DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE & ASSEMBLY Richard Harpham ponders if today’s design-centric BIM solutions are the right tools and, indeed, if architecture is the right discipline to take this on? It looks like the industry needs a new process Process vs design In this magazine’s May 2019 article on digital fabrication, Martyn Day asserted that, “there are few architects who fully understand the digital fabrication limitations of building fabrication systems. Design for Manufacture and Assembly (DfMA) is a separate discipline within itself and requires a holistic view of what is possible, what’s available and the cost implications of early design decisions such as processes, material use and serviceability.”

Image 2.3.20. Design for constructability, posted by Richard Harpham

Combining this with the impact of contract liabilities raises the question: are we seeing the inevitable removal of the role of a ‘master-builder architect’? There would appear to be many general contractors that already are operating from this assumption. But this seems in conflict with concept of design for constructability, manufacturing, assembly, carbon loading and all the other outcomes we want to deliver from building production. At the very root of manufacturing is ‘design’, not design intent. In manufacturing, the product is not the replicable physical item, but the process and the IP. The very makeup of how it is built. What we have discovered is that the current ‘model-centric’ approach is solely focused to provide a mere graphical representation which just isn’t enough. We need more consideration of the constructability. Less focus on drawings and more on the process and the actual design of the object and how it is built. We have spent so much effort and time focused on the 3D digital twin generation and loading the BIM content that we have missed an opportunity to own and commoditise the process. The real value is in the process, not the static object. The legacy of the era and evolution of BIM may be that we have had too much focus on the design intent, drawing layouts and mitigating the overall responsibility for how it is actually built. Rather than tackling the problem at its roots, we have focused on the during (MMC and robotics) and after (digital twin) without identifying the value of the before (DfMA). Design is the key to unlocking efficiency, not robots and manufacturing automation. So actually, yes, we do need architects, but the role of the architect is being redefined. The same will be true of the technologies needed.

Image 2.3.21. Circular Factory, Zaha Hadid Architects

Design for constructability, it is not only about robots and machinery, or economic scale and mass customization, it is about collaboration and creating a building production plan that can be systematically tuned for increased productivity.

2.3.1 PROJECT PROPOSAL TIMBER BENEFITS

Image 2.3.22. carbon footprint and timber technics

This project chooses timber as the main materials for construction. The traceable life cycle of timber can ensure zero carbon emissions to the environment, while the techniques make the structure have strong performance.

Compared with traditional materials like concrete, timber techniques have much lower net carbon footprint, and are easier to be prefabricated and delivered. The reduced weight allowed 35% more apartments to be built.

GLT and CLT are both natural wood products that share many advantages: Fire and seismic performance/ Natural insulator / Excellent strength to weight ratio / Consistency of performance/ A sustainable material/ Prefabrication/ Durability/ Good for the body and brain

A reliable building material Despite being five-times lighter than concrete, CLT has comparable strength per weight ratio to concrete and the multi-layer wooden panel spans in two directions. Each layer is placed cross-wise to the adjacent layers to increase its stability and strength. Buildings using mass timber carry the same strength as concrete while minimizing cost and building time. This strength also allows modern connection engineering to dissipate seismic forces in a highly effective manner, enabling mass timber buildings to commonly outperform other systems in terms of cost and life safety in earthquake zones.

Designing with GLT is flexible because it can be produced in a variety of sizes, shapes, profiles and curvatures. On the other hand, while CLT is more static, the thickness of the panels can be increased by simply adding more layers, and the length of the panels can be increased by joining panels together. Both GLT and CLT are engineered solutions, and practical design advice is readily available to provide peace-of-mind throughout the design and construction stages.

Image 2.3.23. comparison with concrete a residential CLT structure built by B&K Structures, London

Cutting costs Buildings using cross-laminated timber are cost competitive to those built with steel and concrete. The largest contributor to cost savings is prefabrication. Faster on-site construction Compared to concrete, CLT structures can be installed in a shorter time period. In fact, more than 15,000 square feet of CLT can be installed per day, dramatically cutting construction schedules. Sustainability Unlike concrete, building with mass timber has a number of environmental benefits. Life cycle assessments show that wood outperforms both steel and concrete in terms of energy, air pollution and water pollution.

MODULAR AND BESPOKE

OVERVIEW

Image 2.3.24. Bespoke parts

Image 2.3.25. Modular parts

Kit of parts’ system, which consists of modular and bespoke parts, contributes to forming various housing units in Airs. For the interior chassis and straight components, they are fabricated as dimensional lumber. The curved facade and the bespoke part use robotic digital fabrication, such as robotic bandsaw cutting.

Image 2.3.26. Project proposal overview diagram

CHAPTER 3 STAKE-HOLDER PARTICIPATION

3 STAKE-HOLDER PARTICIPATION The project seeks to drive this development through the data gathering of end-user requirements, made possible by a participation platform that builds on technologies in the gaming and automobile industries. It is enhanced user participation in decision making and find solutions to complex urban problems. The game aims to answer some important problems of residential. Multiple existing and new stakeholders are involved in the problem-solving process and can design their houses from scratch or upgrade their existing houses according to their needs. The game also considers the power balance between agents, investors, developers, experts and residents and the interaction between them in a democratic way.

3.1 GAME PRECEDENTS 3.1.1 TOWNSCAPER

Image3.1.1. Townscaper. Source: https://store. steampowered.com/ app/1291340/Townscaper/

3.1.2 BLOCK'HOOD

Townscaper has no inherent objective or story, and has been described by developer Stålberg as "more of a toy" than a game.Users are able to construct an island town, following specific rules, which determine the appearance, placement or removal of colored blocks. Townscaper based on a large distorted grid set in an infinite sea, which enables an organic an unstructured organization. This method of rule-based decoration allows arches, gardens, and stairways to be created without specific user instruction.Townscaper's underlying algorithm automatically turn those blocks into cute little houses, arches, stairways, bridges and lush backyards, depending on their configuration.

Block’hood is a city building simulator video game that focuses on ideas of ecology, interdependence and decay. The game invites players to envision a neighborhood, by building structures out of a catalog of 200+ blocks. The player is challenged to maintain an ecological balance as each block placed will consume and produce resources of different kinds. Blocks that are not provided with their required input will slowly decay and deteriorate to the point of collapse. Player creations will attract inhabitants, both humans and animals, that will populate your neighborhood. It is in the hands of the player to provide a positive environment for inhabitants to prosper.

Image3.1.2. Block'hood Source: https://www. plethora-project.com/

3.1.3 ARCHITECTURE-BY-YOURSELF

Image3.1.3. Architecture by Yourself Source: N.Negroponte,G. Weinzapfe, ARCHITECTURE-BYYOURSELF,An Experiment with Computer Graphics for House Design

In 1977, a research project called “Architecture by Yourself: An Experiment with Computer Graphics for House Design”,was conducted by the Architecture Machine Group(AMG) at MIT and headed by Nicholas Negroponte and Guy Weinzapfel. The goals were, therefore, multiple: how architectural relationships can be given mathematical description. Also, how to guide the user in a nonindicative manner and help them through the process. The interface was totally the user-machine communication was entirely graphical. Users could manipulate objects on the screen by pointing at them with their fingers. Furthermore, the user could adjust the size of a space by pointing at the "area arrow" and sliding it to a new position. While he did this, the numerical value was updated in real-time.

3.1.4 ARCHISTAR

The Archistar is an online platform through which each user can find, select and manage sites. Moreover, he has the potential to design buildings displayed in real-time in 3D. It is essential that users learn the interface and adjust the different features to design their dream building.

Image3.1.4. Archistar Source: https://archistar.ai/

3.1.5 PLAY NOORD

3.1.6 PLAY OOSTERWORLD

FEEDBACK LOOP

STAKEHOLDERS IN DESIGN PROCESS

Image3.1.5. Play Noord Source: https://www. playthecity.eu/playprojects/ Play-Noord

City game in Amsterdam Noord is creating a specifically designed tool to stimulate and facilitate communication between different stakeholders in determining urban issues, allowing a more transversal expression from the bottom up. Through playing, users transform spaces into other alternatives, such as tourism or work and mixed living development, as the land gains value. In conclusion, it is not a fixed typology set in a plan but rather acknowledging the strategic value of using the empty land and allowing it to change in use as interest increases. Players representing investors and collectives joined forces with entrepreneurs to realize the big housing task in the game by integrating retail, offices and leisure.

Play Oosterwold is an urban design experiment testing whether a City Game could supply required feedback for the implementation phase of an urban plan. They hypothesised that this input would emerge from real stakeholders, playing according to the plan’s rules and enacting this experimental settlement process. Accurate feedback could be ensured by diversity in the groups of players and the continuity of the play sessions. The aim is not to track the value of private property but to survey the investment behavior of entrepreneurs with the obligatory spendings in sustainable technologies, public infrastructure and public spaces that partaking in the plan implies.

Image3.1.6. Play Oosterworld Source: Ekim Tan, Negotiating and Negotiation and Design for the SelfOrganizing City. Gaming as a method for Urban Design

3.1.7 PORSCHES CUSTOMIZATION PLATFORM

3.1.8 BOMBARDIER AIRCRAFT CONFIGURATOR

OTHER INDUSTRIES

Image3.1.7. Porsche configurator Source: https://www. porsche.com

One of the most well-known automobile manufacturers, Porsche, is providing his clients with the opportunity to personalise Porsche through his configurator. The essential feature in this platform is the real-time rendering of the car in different scenes, through which the client is able to understand exactly how his car will be in reality.

The Bombardier company enables its customers to choose their private plane through their website using the configurator. The customers can select from a wide variety of cabin layouts, materials and finishes to create a private airplane interior and exterior design that matches their desire.

Image3.1.8. Bombardier configurator Source: https:// businessaircraft. bombardier.com/en/ configurator#!/aircraft

Image3.1.9. Airspace platform interface 81

3.2 PLATFORM DESIGN 3.2.1 PLATFORM STRUCTURE

Image3.2.1. Platform Strucutre

The gaming platform supports equal the intelligence of all players. Taking into account the human factor, the game revelas the vision of the community and aims to create a neighborhood, which is outcome of all stakeholders. The above diagram describes the power relation of the agents and residents in the decision making. The goal of the game is to create a self-organizing system that allows the contribution of all agents in the creation procedure. It is enhanced the participation and interaction between agents and feedback exchange. Based on the feedback of existing residents it is aimed to be created a community between existing and new residents, increasing community interactions and promote communal activities.

3.2.2 CUSTOMIZATION PROCEDURE

AIRS is a game system, which enhances ordinary resident’s participation. On this platform, residents are able to participate in the decision making highlighting their choices and based on their social life and needs. The first step, when a new user login in to our platform, is to choose the main voxel. According to that selection, the neighborhood is affected, creating different massing strategies. A variation of space plans is generating, which is completely user driven and enables customisation and adaptation. More specifically, the user can control the quality of his selection. The participant can easily transform it from economy to standard or to the luxury one while maintaining the same square meters and also adding extra space. The final step is defining the geometry by choosing a kit of parts and adding a rooftop.

Image3.2.2. Customization Procedure

3.2.3 COMMUNITY INTERFACE

Image3.2.3. All addon in the existing building 85

Existing building Addon 86

3.2.4 CONFIGURATOR INTERACTION

Existing building

Addon

Developer additions

Image3.2.4. Developer addition 87

Addon

Occupier additions

Image3.2.5. Occupier additions 88

3.2.5 CONFIGURATOR ASSET

Image3.2.6. Columns Variation

3.2.6 KIT OF PARTS ON SYSTEM GRID Canopy

Walls

Ballustrades

Columns

Image3.2.7. Kit of parts for users' choices

D 91

3.3 SPACE PLANS 3.3.1 VARIETY OF SPACE PLANS Voxel representation

Space plans 2Bedrooms

Voxel representation

Space plans 1Bedroom

Image3.3.1. Five types of space plans

3.3.2 EXISTING STAKEHOLDER CHOICES 3D

Line graph

Existing building

Addon

Plan

Image3.3.2. Existing stakeholder choices 95

3.3.3 ADDS-ON OVERVIEW 20 m²

37 m²

47 m²

50 m²

Line graph

Interior

Window

Addon

Entrance

Window

Plan

Image3.3.3. Adds-on overview 97

3.3.4 QUALITY OVERVIEW 80 m²

Economy

Standard

Luxury

Line graph

Interior

Window

Addon

Plan

Entrance

Window

Image3.3.4. Quality overview 99

100

3.4 STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION 3.4.1 END EXISTING USER CHOICES INTERIOR CHOICES

EXTERIOR CHOICES

wall

front glass

Curved facade

Line graph

Plan Image3.4.1. Existing user interior choices 101

Image3.4.2. Existing user exterior choices 102

INTERIOR CHOICES

EXTERIOR CHOICES

wall

balustrades

Line graph

3DGS column

Plan Image3.4.3. Existing user interior choices 103

Image3.4.4. Existing user exterior choices 104

INTERIOR CHOICES

EXTERIOR CHOICES

sunshade

balustrades

wall

Line graph

Existing building Addon

Plan Image3.4.5. Existing user interior choices 105

Image3.4.6. Existing user exterior choices 106

INTERIOR CHOICES

EXTERIOR CHOICES

wall

balustrades

Line graph

Existing building Addon

Plan Image3.4.7. Existing user interior choices 107

Image3.4.8. Existing user exterior choices 108

Image3.4.9. Existing user choices overview 109

110

3.4.2 END USER CHOICES

User details

Choose unit site

Select basic unit type

Choose space plan

Select geometry

Save your selection

Options menu

Preview of choices

Confirm selection

Image 3.4.10. Platform Menu Overview

111

112

3.4.3 PARTICIPATION PROCESS

Step 1: Select Basic Unit type

Step 5: Rooftop customization

Step 2: Choose house quality

Step 3: Select Addon Unit

Step 4: Kit of Parts customization

Image 3.4.11. Participation process

113

114

Step 1: Select Basic Unit type

Image 3.4.12. Basic unit type selection 115

116

Step 2: Choose house quality

Image 3.4.13. House quality choices 117

118

Step 3: Select Addon Unit

Image 3.4.14. Addon unit selection 119

120

Step 4: Kit of Parts customization

Image 3.4.15. Kit of parts customization 121

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Step 4: Kit of Parts Customization

Image 3.4.16. Kit of parts customization 123

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Step 5: Rooftop customization

Image 3.4.17. Rooftop customization 125

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CHAPTER 4 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

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4 ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Using the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) concept and user participation, it can transform the traditional modular building strategy from mass production into mass customization to achieve large-scale production with controllable costs. This airspace housing system is mainly composed of modular and bespoke kit of parts. Through the user's selection of chassis parts and add-ons parts, it can be adaptive for the expansion and upgrading of existing buildings or the construction of new airspace. In addition, the application of digital techniques such as 3D graphic statics (3DGS) and robotic fabrication, effectively solve some practical problems of airspace housing in DFMA such as structural adaptability, cost control, and production efficiency.

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4.1 ARCHITECTURE GEOMETRY CONCEPT 4.1.1 DESIGN FOR MANUFACTURE AND ASSEMBLY (DfMA)

Image4.1.1. ETH Zurich robots use new digital construction technique to build timber structures

Using the design for manufacture and assembly (DfMA) concept and user participation, it can transform the traditional modular building strategy from mass production into mass customization to achieve large-scale production with controllable costs. Based on the historical precedent research of modular construction and the current case study of digital platforms for industrial products and building games, this paper explored an airspace housing system based on user feedback. This airspace housing system is mainly composed of modular and bespoke kit of parts. Through the user's selection of chassis parts and add-ons parts, it can be adaptive for the expansion and upgrading of existing buildings or the construction of new airspace. In addition, the application of digital techniques such as 3D graphic statics (3DGS) and robotic fabrication, effectively solve some practical problems of airspace housing in DfMA such as structural adaptability, cost control, and production efficiency.

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4.1.2 KIT OF PARTS THEORY

The strategy, designing Kit-of-parts with unified interfaces and standards, brings great flexibility to the building construction. Just like Lego, limited variations of units can be combined by users to create more possibilities. For architecture, the construction must ensure its rationality and safety. So, the main modular part with structure is a choice within a certain and very limited range, which is more similar to the processing of vehicle products. For the same type of a car, the choice of a core frame is very limited and even single, which determines the basic length and width of the car. But even so, due to the rich accessory collocations, including dozens of options such as tires, lights, interiors, rear wings, seat layouts, car colors, etc., with thousands of collocations, it will ultimately not affect the personalized choice for users.

Image4.1.2. Kit of parts theory in a concept of potable classroom, designed by Studio Jantzen

In the airspace housing system, kit-of-parts, which consists of modular and bespoke parts, contributes to forming various housing units. For the interior chassis and straight component, they are fabricated with dimensional lumber. For the curved facade and the bespoke parts, we used robotic digital fabrication, such as robotic bandsaw cutting.

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4.1.3 MODULAR AND BESPOKE

Image4.1.3. Bespoke parts in the railway type of airspace

‘Kit of parts’ system, which consists of modular and bespoke parts, contributes to forming various housing units in Airs. For the interior chassis and straight components, they are fabricated with dimensional lumber. For the curved facade and the bespoke parts, we used robotic digital fabrication, such as robotic bandsaw cutting. For architecture, the general idea is similar. The core modular space, called chassis, defines the main function and usage of the space. Connecting with the necessary but additional customizable add-ons, the boundary of the building and its function is finally confirmed. Within this add-ons system, there can be both modular parts and customized parts. The modular add-ons parts guarantee

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the production efficiency of the process of industrialized buildings. The bespoke add-ons parts through robotic digital fabrication on a large scale can maximize its production cost and efficiency. Of course, at present, because robotic digital fabrication technology is still expensive, the cost of using it to process products on a large scale seems not real. The cheaper price and large scale of robotic digital fabrication technology will be a common approach in the future. Just as the high-speed performance of smartphones, the prices have dropped dramatically. It is foreseeable that in this era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, this kind of workflow can be automated on a large scale and eventually become a cheap technical method.

Image4.1.4. Modular parts in the railway type of airspace

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4.2 GENERAL KIT OF PARTS 4.2.1 INTRODUCTION

Image 4.2.1. Exploded view of kit-ofparts in a specific unit.

4.2.2 GENERAL COLUMN AND BEAM

In this process, it embodies the design concept of modular and bespoke strategy. It shows how to achieve mass customization through the digital platform and user participation. Just like the functions of the platform in automobiles or other industrial products, it can improve product adaptability, production efficiency and reduce costs.

Image4.2.2. General column and beam in a specific unit.

It provides residents with a variety of tectonics to choose kit-of-parts and customize their houses. Users have the option to select different types of modular and bespoke elements, including walls, slabs, columns and balustrades. And the different manufacturing processes provided.

Image4.2.3. General column and beam in a specific unit.

Image4.2.4. The perspective views of conventional structure. 135

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4.2.3 BASIC COMPONETS

Image 4.2.1. Basic components of the facade and balcony.

To make maximum usage of DfMA and achieve low carbon footprint, this project chooses timber as the main materials for construction. The traceable lifecycle of timber can ensure zero carbon emissions to the environment, while the techniques make the structure have a strong performance. Compared with traditional materials like concrete, timber techniques have a much lower net carbon footprint and are easier to be prefabricated and delivered. The reduced weight allowed thirty-five percent more apartments to be built. (reference) Timber has a good value with its less stiff and low density. Compared to common modern materials such as steel or concrete, it is light enough.

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4.2.4 SIDES EXPANSION

So, it will need less labor and trucks to be delivered. Also due to its portability, low density and it is easily machined, which brings convenience to factory prefabrication. And using some time techniques, like CrossLaminated Timber (CTL), Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam) and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), make the structure have a strong performance.

Image 4.2.2. Front and back components for assmbly Image 4.2.3. A display of the front and back parts assmbly.

As the main material of modular and bespoke strategy, the less stiff with lowdensity cause timber can be safely delivered and quickly assembled. Therefore, for high customization based on the DfMA strategy, timber is the material that can best play its characteristics.

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4.2.5 COMPARISION OF FACEDE AND STRUCTURE

Image 4.2.4. Side expansion Image 4.2.5. Housing unit

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Due to the entire project being more than 50 years old, the old architectural form and the advanced requirements have not matched for the residents in this area. Therefore, the project itself needs to be updated. But unlike conventional developer-driven project, in this platform, it will be a building update led by individual end-user. The role of the designer and developer is to provide a strategy, a renewable building kit. The role of the producer is to provide the manufacturing process. The specific replacement of modular unit will completely

Depend on the actual choices of users. Due to the entire project is more than 50 years, for the residents in this area, the old architectural form and the advanced requirements have not matched. Therefore, the project itself needs to be updated. But unlike conventional developer-driven projects, in this platform, it will be a building update led by the individual end-user. The role of the designer and developer is to provide a strategy, a renewable building kit. The role of the producer is to provide the manufacturing process. The specific replacement of modular units will completely depend on the actual choices of users.

Image 4.2.6. Aggregation Image 4.2.7. Comparison between facade elements and structure

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4.2.6 WINDOW AND WALL TYPES

Image 4.2.8. Exploded view of different types of wall

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The key step is choosing the suitable kit of parts. In this process, it embodies the design concept of modular and bespoke strategy. It shows how to achieve mass customization through the digital platform and user participation. Just like the functions of the platform in automobiles or other industrial products, it can improve product adaptability, production efficiency and reduce costs.

Image 4.2.9. Six types of windows&walls for customization

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4.2.7 ROOFTOP ELEMENTS

Image 4.2.10. Four types of rooftop for customization

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Some coexistence and social interaction between existing and new residents were created, according to the building context. This level of participation is driven by the design and developer to set public space for end-users to connect new units with the upgraded existing housing. So that existing users and new users can interact here, as a large public space for rest.

4.2.8 BALCONY TYPES

The platform will display the size and location of the unused airspace in the neighborhood. Users can choose the airspace size that suits the practical demands. At the same time, their choices will affect the neighbors and this whole community. This will make full use of the real-time dynamic characteristics of the platform to synthesize this information and provide the data to users.

Image 4.2.11. Three types of balcony for customization

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4.2.9 COMPLETE UNITS

Image 4.2.12. A typical unit after assembly

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After a new user registers, the platform will display the size and location of the unused airspace in the neighborhood. Users can choose the airspace size that suits the practical demands. At the same time, their choices will affect the neighbors and this whole community. This will make full use of the real-time dynamic characteristics of the platform to synthesize this information and provide the data to users.

The next step is the choice of floor plan. User-driven enables the customization and adaptation for their habits and preferences. The core area selections are relatively limited whole voxels, called chassis, which determine the main area and the domain of floor plan types. Then, choosing add-ons has a high degree of freedom. Although the volume is small compared with the main voxels, there are various functions and sizes. Users can combine chassis and add-ons to form a more suitable floor plan.

Image 4.2.13. Unit variations after the end user chioces.

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4.2.10 AGGREGATION IN CONTEXT

Image 4.2.14. The perspective view of housing attached to the existing building.

This project is building a game system, which enhances ordinary resident’s participation. On this platform, through an additive strategy, residents are able to participate in the decision making and expand their existing houses, highlighting their choices and based on their social life and needs. Based on the feedback of existing residents, this project aims to create a community between existing and new residents, increase community interactions and promote communal activities. Airspace housing proposes a prototypical timeline-based scenario to create a sustainable housing development to increase density whilst seeking to activate the roofscapes of the chosen site to promote enhanced community interactions

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and well-being. The starting point is the expansion of the existing housing with add-ons. When there are enough additions, the extension will be shifted to the rooftop. Once the extension of the existing housing is completed, new housing can be added on the top floor and invite new customers and residents in the neighborhood.

Image 4.2.15. The perspective view of housing attached to the existing building.

At the beginning of implementation, perhaps only a few households chose to update. as time goes by. The updated unit in the venue itself became the best advertising slogan, promoting more users to participate in this upgrade. The realization of this platform strategy provides a foundation for mass customization. Integrate end-user information and data, and provides design and manufacturing strategies.

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4. 3 DGS KOP AND STRUCTURE 4.3.1 3DGS SIMULATION PROCESS AND ITS ADVANTAGES

As the geometry design method, historically, graphic statics in 2D was used for large structures like bridges, which is structurally efficient and Spatially attractive. For the housing domain, we try to explore it further and use it as 3-dimensional digital tools to help us jump over rooftops and railways and take advantage of its structural and spatial features.

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Image4.3.1. 3DGS column simulation process

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4.3.2 3DGS COLUMN

Image4.3.2. Explored view of Force geometry pieces

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As a digital design method of this project, 3DGS as a special kit of parts effectively solve the problem of structural rationality as an additional module. Generally, the kit of parts is a relatively fixed system, but the applied airspace contexts are very complicated, such as the problems of how to connect the existing building structure. The role of 3DGS parts, as an intermediary, is cooperated with both the existing structure and the modular structure. This project is mainly reflected in two aspects: the connection problem with the existing structure, and the other is to solve the problem of large structures above the railway.

It effectively negotiates the problem of the boundary connection of the building and the symbiosis of the original structure and the new structure. When the existing building components are upgraded, the replacement and expansion of existing facades often require the intervention of new structures to meet the load requirements in order not to damage the original building structure or bring excessive loads to the original structure. The flexibility of 3DGS makes this possible, especially when using timber as a manufacturing material. To meet the structural rationality of the chassis and add-ons, it has good performance using the new additional structure as an intervention while maintaining the interestingness of the space.

Image4.3.3. Timber column from the 3DGS simulation result

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4.3.3 COLUMN VARIATIONS 3D view

Type_A

Type_B

Type_C

Type_D

Type_E

Type_F

Top view

Elevation

Image4.3.4. The variations of 3DGS column for different context 153

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4.3.4 THE ADAPTATION OF WINDOWS AND WALLS

Image4.3.5. The variation of window and walls to cope with 3DGS column

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4.3.5 OTHER STRUCTURES Polyhedra Packing

Force Diagram

Form Diagram

Polyhedra Packing

Force Diagram

Form Diagram

Image 4.3.6. 3DGS typology study 157

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Force Diagram

Image 3.3.7. Different types of bridge structures

Form Diagram

Final Structure

For the railway structure, we developed four different types of force diagram that can combine with the house structure and allow trains to pass.

Image 4.3.8. A combination of brige structure and transition structure

Above the bridge structure, we add another transition layer to bear the load of housing units, making the whole structure system combine well with the housing structure.

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4.4. ADDS-ONS AND CHASSIS 4.4.1 CUSTOMIZATION STRATEGY

4.4.2 CHASSIS Image4.4.2.1: The conventional column and beam as main body of chassis

Image4.4.2.2: The chassis with slab and small stairs

Image4.4.1: The concept of the mass customization

Image4.4.2.3: The chassis with furniture

The core modular space, called chassis, defines the main function and usage of the space. Connecting with the necessary but additional customizable add-ons, the boundary of the building and its function is finally confirmed. Within this addons system, there can be both modular parts and customized parts.

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4.4.3 ADD-ONS Sides (add-ons)

Image4.4.3. The chassis combined with add-ons as the complete units

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Chassis

Front (add-ons )

Units

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4.4.4 ASSEMBLY AND FLEXIBILITY

Image4.4.4. The assembly and flexibility in chassis and add-on stretagy

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Assembly and Changing Process 01. The chassis as main function 02. The chassis with side parts 03. The chassis with rooftop as a complete unit A 04. A new complete unit B 05. A new complete unit C (changing rooftop) 06. A new complete unit D (changing rooftop)

Image4.4.5. The assembly and flexibility in chassis and add-on stretagy

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4.5. UNITS 4.5.1 2/4/6 VOXEL HOUSING WITH FLOOR PLAN

Image4.5.1. The floor plan for the user groups

The needs of contemporary individuals are diverse, and each family's needs for housing are also different. In the existing roof construction or renovation, some have been transformed into roof gardens, or bedrooms, living rooms, etc. And these renovations or potential user needs are in a discretely distributed state.

4.5.2 DIVERSITY

Compared with conventional developer-driven projects, this user-driven mode is more flexible with a longer life cycle and lower costs. The designers only provide a solution strategy, and the user will participate in the decision-making process for the purchase, manufacturing, and assembly of the original parts, which reduces the risk and cost of management and decision-making by the developer.

Image4.5.2. The diversity 3D results after representing by architectural geometry

To meet the discrete demands of users requires an effective digital platform to provide a channel for individual voice, just like graffiti works. It becomes a convenient channel for users to interact with the building construction. This project seeks to drive this development by gathering the end-user requirements and making it possible by a participation platform that follows the strategy from building gaming and automobile industries.

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4.5.3 FLEXIBILITY

Image4.5.3. The flexibility for 3D results after changing by architectural geometry

Changing Process as Flexible Features 01. A complete unit A Changing the add-on parts for larger space

Image4.5.4. The flexibility for 3D results after changing by architectural geometry

02. A new complete unit B Changing a larger rooftop 03. A new complete unit C Changing the wall and balcony parts for spatial demands Changing the rooftop and back part for spatial demands Changing the rooftop for spatial demands Adding a garden 04. A new complete unit D

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4.6 IN CONTEXT 4.6.1 ADDS-ON CLUSTER

Image4.6.1. Adds-on housing cluster

Residents of the complex will have access to a digital parametric platform to customize the size, arrangement and furnishings of their housing module. This digital platform adapts varying configurations of standardized parts to create individual residences that suit each homeowner. Through the interactive platform, residents select the location and size of their personalized unit using "voxels", the name for the three-dimensional volumes of occupational and exclusion right space granted to the homeowner with their selection.

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4.6.2 RAILWAY CLUSTER

An individual voxel measures 20.25 square metres and is 3.3 metres high. Homeowners can choose just a third of the voxel or use up to two to add more space based on their existing housing unit. As part of the process, users choose their unit's layout and select from several rooftop sets and modules.

Image4.6.2. Housing clusters above the railway

Besides, the materials and building method allow for fast assembly and disassembly, offering residents the freedom to reconfigure or recycle any part of their unit.

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Image4.6.3. Housing clusters above the railway 173

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Image4.6.4. Section of whole site, showing the 3DGS driven structure and traditional timber structure 175

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4.6.3 BETWEEN BUILDINGS

Image4.6.5. A housng cluster between buildings

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The space between the buildings also provides 3D graphic statics with the flexibility to generate new space. 3dgs can develop a spanning structure that acts on the floor slabs of the building to support the load of the newly added house. This frees up the frame structure system that needs to be extended upwards from the ground so that the ground floor can be used as a public activity area for newly-added residential units.

4.6.4ADAPTION TO TERRAIN

The adaptability of 3dgs is also reflected in the handling of complex terrain. In the face of hillside terrain with height differences, 3dgs can develop a structure that balances height differences, so that the upper structure is still at the same level, and the assembly of modular houses becomes easy. The advantages of this technology are concentrated in the significant savings in the cost of handling terrain and foundations.

Image4.6.6. Housing clusters above the railway

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Image4.6.7. Housing clusters between buildings gap 179

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Image4.6.8. Housing units in the terrain area 181

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CHAPTER 5 DIGITAL FABRICATION

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5 DIGITAL FABRICATION In this chapter, the research mainly focuses on using the appropriate fabrication approach to release the construction of the kit of parts that the booklet mentioned in the previous chapter. Some new fabrication technologies would be utilized in the construction process, achieving a highly efficient and economy of scope fabrication procedure, addressing the long construction problem in the housing crisis, and enabling users to realize customization for their home.

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5.1 DIGITAL FABRICATION PRECEDENTS CNC-CUTTING & CLT

Image5.1.1. Wood Innovation Design Centre / Michael Green Architecture. Image © Ema Peter Image5.1.2. Custom-made solutions for high capacity CLT production, Kallesoe Image5.1.3. CNC cutting,KLH

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ROBOTIC BANDSAW CUTTING

Laminated timber is the result of joining boards to form a single structural unit. While they can be curved or straight, the grains are always aligned in one direction. With CLT, however, the stacking of boards in perpendicular layers allows the manufacture of plates or surfaces – or walls. It's a plywood made of boards that can reach enormous dimensions: between 2.40 m and 4.00 m high and up to 12.00 meters long. When a project is started in CLT, everything is completely decided and predetermined at the factory, and it's not possible to make adjustments on site. So, more than builders, the people who work with CLT are assemblers, who must articulate virtually perfect pieces. CLT behaves with the precision of a piece of furniture, working with margins of error of 2 millimetres.

This project is a large-scale Unstrained Grid Shell made of Glulam, which tried to test the capacity of robotic band-saw in mass-customization of large-scale plane curved wood elements.

Image5.2.2. Robotic Wood Tectonics, DigitalFUTURE, bandsaw cutting process, 2016 (left)

The goal of this study is to determine the robotic bandsaw for cutting irregular wood beams, including both plane and space curved beams. Glulam was used as a testing substance due to practical reasons. The manufacturing process imposes constraints on the design by requiring the surfaces of beams to be designed as ruled surfaces. Except for that, the beams may be built in a broad range of shapes, from plane curved to space curved, with sections ranging from uniform to ones that vary depending on other factors such as the inner stresses (Chai and Yuan, 2018).

Image5.2.3. Robotic Wood Tectonics, DigitalFUTURE, wood pavilion, 2016 (right)

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5.2 MODULAR INTERIOR STRUCTURE 5.2.1 OVERVIEW

5.2.2 TECTONIC OF INTERIOR STRUCTURE

In the housing interior structure design, it provides users two different structure which is the traditional column and beams, and the other one the 3DGS structure system. For the conventional structure, CLT and CNC cutting technicals were widely used.

Image5.2.3. Modular house interior structure tectonic

Image5.2.1. Modular house interior structure in housing cluster

Image5.2.2. Modular house interior structure

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5.3 BESPOKE FACADE ELEMENTS 5.3.1 FACADE IN DESIGN CONTEXT

Image5.3.1. Curved facade elements for existing stakeholder customization

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Image5.3.2. Curved facade elements in one voxel unit

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5.3.2 ROBOTIC BANDSAW CUTTING PATH PRINCIPLES

Image5.3.3. End effector coordinates

Image5.3.4. Robot bandsaw cutting path

Image5.3.5. Robot bandsaw cutting simulation 193

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5.3.3 TECTONIC OF BESPOKE FACADE

Image5.3.6. The bespoke curved facade

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Image5.3.7. The bespoke curved facade tectonic

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5.4 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE 5.4.1 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE CATALOG IN CONTEXT

concrete notching node

timber notching node

concrete metal node

timber metal node

timber tenon and mortise node

metal node

Image5.4.1. Spatial structure node typology research

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5.4.2 CONCRETE AND TIMBER NODE COLUMN

Image5.4.2. Concrete and timber type node for spatial structure

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5.4.3 TENON AND MORTISE NODE COLUMN

Image5.4.3. Tenon and mortise node column Image5.4.4. All tenon and mortise timber segments

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5.4.4 METAL NODE COLUMN

Image5.4.5. Metal node column

Image5.4.6. 3D print node prototype

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5.5 PRE-FABRICATION AND ASSEMBLY ON SITE

Image5.5.1. Pre-fabrication in factory

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Based on these fabrication approaches, each factory can in change of different elements and pre-construct these then transported to the site. Depending on to this method, it can fast assemble that reduces the amount of time for the construction cycle.

Image5.5.2. Pre-fabrication and assebly process

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CHAPTER 6 PROTOTYPE

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6 PROTOTYPE In this chapter, the research mainly focuses on two prototypes: the developable spatial structure node as a foundation and one 3DGS column in 1:3 scale. The fabrication strategy starts with the digital process and then move to physical making. The prototype-making process illustrates the constraints of the physical model compared to the digital making and helps the group learning how to convert digital to physical.

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6.1 FABRICATION TASK OVERVIEW

Image6.1.1. The prototype making process

The prototype making in this chapter comprised three aspects: the developable surface structure node and 3DGS column. Moreover, for each one, the booklet would illustrate the key process and experience conclusion. Developable surface structure node 1. Test workflow transform the polyline to ruled surface node and timber segment. 2. Unroll surface and test connection notches. 3. Grasshopper script about generate notches according to outline. 4. Casting process learning.

6.2 PRECEDENT

In this project, it focus on the developable spatial structures and emphasis the benefits of using mesh representations in the generation of the architectural geometry and integration with the contemporary digital fabrication pipelines (Bhooshan et al., 2019). Learning from this precedent, the basic digital workflow about creating the spatial developable surface and unroll these developable elements and the fabrication technique detail is acquired.

Image6.2.1. Spatial developable structure, ZHCODE

3DGS column 1. Test workflow transform the polyline to ruled surface node and timber segment. 2. 3D print settings. 3. Male and female notches test. 4. Timber segment fabrication.

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6.3 SPATIAL STRUCTURE NODE PROTOTYPE 6.3.1 INTRODUCTION

Image6.3.1. Plywood mould

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6.3.2 FABRICATION IN CONTEXT

In this part, the fabrication mainly focuses on this spatial developable structure node as one part of the 3DGS structure. The fabrication research was divided into two sections, one is the digital process, and the other one is physical. In the digital process, the research illustrates the essential workflow based on the 3DGS force diagram to transform these polylines to the developable surface geometry and the strategy to design the connection notches in the unroll surfaces’ outline. Moreover, the physical procedure shows the approach assembly of these plywood sheets and casting detail.

Image6.3.2. Concrete foundation as railway support structure

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6.3.3 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_DIGITAL PROCESS

A. Digital Process

1. Creat force geometry 2. Get the force diagram 3. MultiPipe the polyline 4. Detach the edges 5. Rebuild the top and side meshes 6. Convert mesh to polygons 7. Make geometry be ruled 8. Unroll the ruled surfaces 9 - 1 0 . Te s t t y p e L c o n n e c t i o n notches

Image6.3.3. Construction workflow: digital process

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6.3.4 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_PHYSICAL PROCESS

B. Physical Process

01. Digital node 02. Nested unroll parts on sheet 03. Plywood parts laser cuts 04. Part soaking 10min in water 05. Interlock & assemble mould 06. Seal endcaps node 07. Fill with void forms (bottles) 08. Prepare fibrocem mix 09. Cast fibrocem in mould 10. Cure hempcrete 4 hours 11. Extract node from mould 12. Physical node

Image6.3.4. Construction workflow: physical process

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Image6.3.5. Casting process 215

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Image6.3.6. Image5.3.6: perspective Concrete foundationcasting view ofconcrete prototype node 217

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Image6.3.7. Image5.3.7: perspective Concrete foundationcasting view ofconcrete prototype node 219

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6.4 3DGS COLUMN PROTOTYPE 6.4.1 INTRODUCTION

Image6.4.1. 3DGS column prototype

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6.4.2 FABRICATION IN CONTEXT

For this column, the fabrication will have two different parts, kinds of timber segments and ten types of joint. Consider the existing timber section size and the 3D print time and size limitation for this column prototype. The prototype size is around 1.3meters high and 1.4meters wide.

Image6.4.2. Types of 3DGS column and facade elements in railway cluster

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5.4.3 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_DIGITAL PROCESS

A. Digital Process

1. Creat force geometry 2. Get the force diagram 3. MultiPipe the polyline 4. Detach the edges 5. Rebuild the nodes 6. Divide the timber part 7. Output all the nodes to Cura 8. Save the g-code file 9. Creat the timber cutting list

Image6.4.3. Construction workflow: digital process

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Image6.4.4. All types of node in 3DGS column 225

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5.4.4 CONSTRUCTION MANUAL_PHYSICAL PROCESS

Node fabrication process B. Physical Process 01. Digital node input 02. 3D print process 03. Print all the type 04. Clean the 3D print support

Timber fabrication process

01. Cutting the timber segments 02. Cutting the timber in the list 03. Classify all the timber segments 04. Design the notch cutting mould 05. Cutting the notches 06. Assembly top part of prototype 07. Add tension 08. Assembly bottom part of prototype

Image6.4.5: Construction workflow: physical process

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Image6.4.6. Quarter of column prototype 229

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Image6.4.7. Close view of 3DGS column 231

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BIBLIOGRAPHY &IMAGE REFERENCE

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Image 1.2.1. Airspace development tries to tackle housing shortage in London. Retrieved from https://www.airspacedeveloper.co.uk/ Image 1.2.2. Source: Greater London Authority’s Housing in London 2017 report Image 1.2.3. Source: ECA International Image 1.2.4. Source: National Planning Policy Framework, 2019 Image 1.2.5. London’s Rooftops: Potential to Deliver Housing. Available at: http://www.apexairspace.co.uk Image 1.2.7. Rooftop Development Process Source:Ooshuizen, R. (2016). London’s Rooftops: Potential to Deliver Housing. Available at: http://www. apexairspace.co.uk

Architects Image 2.2.33.- 2.2.35. Alexandra Road Estate, London Borough of Camden, Neave Brown, 1978 Image 2.2.36. Part of section model of Alexandra Road Estate, undergraduate students' work. The Sheffield School of Architecture Image 2.2.37.- 2.2.40. Kanchanjunga Apartments, Mumbai, Charles Correa, 1983 Image 2.2.41. - 2.2.43. Quinta Monroy, Chile, Alejandro Aravena, ELEMENTAL, 2003 Image 2.2.44. Villa Verde, Alejandro Aravena, ELEMENTAL

Image 1.2.8.- 1.2.9. Modules Installation. Available at: http://www.apexairspace. co.uk Image 2.2.1 - 2.2.2. A parasitic project of modular units was imagined in Paris's La Grande Arche de La Defense, Studio Malka Architecture Image 2.2.3. - 2.2.4. 3BOX, Paris, France, Stephane Malka Architecture

Image 2.3.10. - 2.2.11. Configurator for the personalized and responsible realestate development, image courtesy by Zaha Hadid Architects Image 2.3.12. Salginatobel Bridge, Robert Maillart, 1929 Image 2.3.13. Hedracrete, Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Polyhedral Structures Lab, School of Design, University of Pennsylvani

Image 2.2.5. - 2.2.6. The Growing House, London, UK , Tonkin Liu Image 2.2.7. - 2.2.8. The Silver House, London, UK, Boyarsky Murphy Architects Image 2.2.9. - 2.2.10. Chambre Suspendue, Gentilly, France, NeM / Niney et Marca Architectes

Image 2.3.14. Three-Dimensional Graphic Statics, Dr. Masoud Akbarzadeh, Polyhedral Structures Lab, School of Design, University of Pennsylvani Image 2.3.15. Design for constructability, posted by Richard Harpham Image 2.3.16. Circular Factory, Zaha Hadid Architects

Image 2.2.11. - 2.2.12, Wozoco, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, MVRDV Image3.1.1. https://store.steampowered.com/app/1291340/Townscaper/ Image 2.2.13. - 2.2.14. Rucksack House, Leipzig, Germany, Stefan Eberstadt Image3.1.2. https://www.plethora-project.com/blockhood Image 2.2.15. Metestadt,1969, Richard J. Dietrich Image 2.2.16. - 2.2.18. Encoding & Decoding. Mayue Gao & Yuan Chen's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image3.1.3. N.Negroponte,G.Weinzapfe, ARCHITECTURE-BY-YOURSELF,An Experiment with Computer Graphics for House Design Image3.1.4. https://archistar.ai/

Image 2.2.19. -2.2.20. Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie, 1967 Image3.1.5. https://www.playthecity.eu/playprojects/Play-Noord Image 2.2.21.- 2.2.22. Decoding precedent, Chen Yue & ZhengQing Zhang's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image3.1.6. Ekim Tan, Negotiating and Negotiation and Design for the SelfOrganizing City. Gaming as a method for Urban Design

Image 2.2.23. The Colonnade Condominiums, Singapore, Paul Rudolph, 1980 Image3.1.7. https://www.porsche.com Image 2.2.24. -2.2.25. Architecture after decoding and encoding, Despoina Grigoriadou & Vasiliki Sargkani's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL Image 2.2.26. Walden 7, Spain, Ricardo Bofill, 1975 Image 2.2.27. - 2.2.28. Architecture after decoding and encoding, Shanyi Li & Le Xu's work in term1, RCX, Bartlett, UCL

Image3.1.8. https://businessaircraft.bombardier.com/en/configurator#!/aircraft Image4.1.1. ETH Zurich robots use new digital construction technique to build timber, ETH Zurich, 2017 Image4.1.2. Kit-of-parts theory in a concept of potable classroom, Studio Jantzen, 2012

Image 2.2.29.- 2.2.32. The Barbican Estate, Chamberlin, Powell and Bon 237

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Image5.1.1. Wood Innovation Design Centre, Michael Green Architecture. Image © Ema Peter Image5.1.2. Custom-made solutions for high capacity CLT production, Kallesoe Image5.1.3. CNC cutting,KLH Image5.2.2-5.2.3. Chai, H. & Yuan, P.F., 2018. Investigations on Potentials of Robotic Band-Saw Cutting in Complex Wood Structures. In Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design 2018. Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 256–269. Image6.2.1. Spatial developable structure, ZHCODE

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