ABPL30048 ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO : AIR
weekly journal
Elsa Christian 377955
WEEK 1
CASE FOR INNOVATION: Architecture as a Discourse
FROM THE READINGS Richard Williams, ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture : Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 102 - 16. 2 interesting points about this reading: - architecture is a form of philosophy - architectural discourse can be engaged as visual culture The first point is an important one because it explains the existence of discourses in the world of architecture, as one’s perception will not be entirely the same to other’s. The second point is kind of intriguing for me, because I think that architecture is not always about visual or what can be seen. It is also about progress, meaning, emotion and many more. But, then again, I guess we can see this reading as a discourse as well.
THE LEGO TOWERS
BJARKE INGELS GROUP (BIG)
This proposal presents a new approach of tower design. The idea behind this proposal was to offer a new way of living in the modern world. This proposal lacked of plan and mainly only explored the design area, which might be because it was their intention in creating an architectural discourse. The focus is in the design, how it will look like, what looks good. As Bjarke Ingels mentioned in his interview with Wired Magazine (2011), his works is based on playfulness, which is taken to a higher level where it is really being thought through. Playfulness does not mean that we are being careless in doing our design, but rather, it has taken design into a whole new level where it is not being tied to anything (e.g. precedents, style, order). It creates a new challenging discourse in architecture, which is interesting because the principle is that there is no principle, just a lot of hard work, experiments and playing around.
“People always somehow misunderstand the light-heartedness of our discourse, the fact that we just play around. If you want to break the mould, if you want to do something surprising or different, [you need to do] three times the work to make it convincing. If you just follow the standard, you don’t need to make it up because it’s already done. You have to take the playfulness really seriously to get it to work.”
- Bjarke Ingels
THE DOME HOUSE
MCBRIDE CHARLES RYAN
The dome house is one of many examples that try to embrace the environment and bring it as part of the building. It is interesting as how architectural designs nowadays are trying to “fix� the environment and to blend with it rather than to keep it in complete separation like how it used to be. Indoor and outdoor environments mixed together.
WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL
FRANK GEHRY
It is one of the most famous deconstructive architectural designs that further express the discourse of architecture as ornamentation that can be achieved through playful ideas. The most striking feature of this building is its abstract shape. It can be said that it acts as an ornament for the whole city, and because of that, it catches many people’s attention. This building showcases the success of ornamentation as the main focus of a building. Started with only a messy sketch by Gehry, it further developed into physical models. And, as most of us have known, Gehry’s style is to do modifications here and there on his physical models according to his liking. The playfulness and thoroughness of his thinking about design really takes its triumph in this design and, again, proves and offers playfulness as the new way of thinking about architecture.
WEEK 2
CASE FOR INNOVATION: Computation in Architecture
FROM THE READINGS Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25. “Design, accordingly, is a purposeful activity, aimed at achieving some well-defined goals.” This statement can be true on certain times. However, sometimes when we design, we don’t really have any goals. We experiment with the design in order to find the best solution we can get for a problem, and we don’t know what the best solution is until we find it.
DIGITAL TEA HOUSE GSAPP
A simple interesting structure produced by computation in architecture. This project uses the same tool that we are using in this subject, which are Rhino and Grasshopper. This project also conveys that technonologies are not necessarily on different terms with culture. They can actually work side by side, and it has been proven through this project where the technolgy is used to compliment the (japanese) culture (designboom, retrieved 29th April 2012). The Digital Tea House sets a vision for the Gateway project that it is possible to use modern technologies to convey their cultural nature.
BRITISH MUSEUM
FOSTER AND PARTNERS
The design uses the most commonly applied form of triangulation on the planar tesselation roofing structure (Branko 2003). In this design, it shows how computational program can be used to make things easier for architecture. Imagine doing all of this without any help from computer program, it is definitely gonna take lots of time as each piece is different form another. This example further express the profits of using computation in architecture. It can save time and help in manufacturing materialls needed to build the design.
WEEK 3
CASE FOR INNOVATION: Parametric Design
FROM THE READINGS Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 71. The readings mentioned about how Parametricism is the first real style after the Modern Movement. It is not necessarily true, because I think Parametricism is still on the stage of experimentations and, therefore, it has not become a style yet; which is a good thing for the Gateway project, as if it is already a style, that means it is not as new and as exciting as before when people are still competing to find the best solution of it. It also means that Parametricism is still in high demand because not many are using it yet and we can become one of the pioneers in Parametricism.
IMMURING
DAVIDCLOVERS
This design explores the possibilities of wall cladding for Lunar House in Houston, Texas. It shows that architecture is slowly moving away from the Modern Movement; of which it was all about form follows function, simplicity, stripped down faรงade, etc. Here, architecture is used to explore murals, carvings, which in some ways kind of moving back to the classical era where architecture used to be full of ornamentation. Using Parametricism, it enables architects to not only further explore architectural ornaments, patterns, but also in other configurations of architectural detailing (e.g. tectonic, interior, structural) and it becomes the new style of architecture (Burry 2011). It is important as it shows the progression of architecture nowadays- where it is leading.
WEEK 4
RESEARCH PROJECT: CUT Develop
WEEK 5
RESEARCH PROJECT: CUT Case Study Definition
WEEK 6
RESEARCH PROJECT: CUT Case Study Fabrication
WEEK 7&8
EOI: Experiments
EOI: Presentation Summary
PROGRESSION AND WEATHERING BY NATURE Can be achieved by: - choice of materials -> use materials that can change colour when weathered, e.g. iron, zinc, etc - apply wathering layers on top of the main structure -> can be paint, moss, seeds (to be eaten by birds), chipping materials, etc Contral the movement of the weathering: - carved out a shallow pathway for, e.g., water to flow - rearrange the topographical landscape to and use the gravity to control the movement ROLE OF PARAMETRICISM - use to make a form that represents Wyndham, e.g. what they want to achive, which is to move away from their stagnant past -> parametricism is still relatively new and, thus, by using parametricism people can see the modernism in Wyndham ABOUT WYNDHAM - is an arts and craft community - famous for its agricultural area and Rose Garden - therefore, closely related to nature and aesthetic. AIM - to use parametricism to represent the culture of Wyndham and to show the progression of Wyndam moving away from their stagnant past.
REFERENCES: Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley). Designboom (2010). Digital Teahouse Workshop < http://www. designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/13531/digital-teahouseworkshop.html> [accessed 29 April 2012] Kolarevic, B (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York: Spon Press), pp. 3 – 62 Moussavi, F (2011). Form and Ornament [video recording] < http:// www.iaac.net/lectures/farshid-moussavi-155> [viewed 12 April 2012] Richard Williams, ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture : Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 102 - 16. Wired Magazine (2011). Open Source Architect: Meet the maestro of ‘hedonistic sustainability’ <http://www.wired.co.uk/magazine/ archive/2011/07/features/open-source-architect?page=1> [accessed 15 April 2012] Wyndham City Council (2012). Make Your Mark on Wyndham’s Art <http://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/aboutwyndham/pubmedia/ media/2012mediareleases/april_2012/indooroutdoor> [accessed 19 April 2012]