STUDIO AIR JOURNAL Part B. Criteria Design JAMES SCIESSERE 699068 Semester 1, 2017.
CONTENTS B.1 - Research Field Pages 4-5
B.2 - Case Study 1.0 Pages 6-9
B.3 - Case Study 2.0 Pages 10-11
B.4 - Technique: Development Pages 12-14
B.5 - Technique: Prototype Page 15-16
B.6 - Technique: Proposal Page 17-18
B.7 - Learning Outcomes Pages 19
B.8 - Algorithmic Sketches Pages 20
B.1 RESEARCH FIELD PATTERNING
Patterning is a technique which can be expressed in a multitude of ways, influenced by, but not limited to, many factors including culture, region and also temporal aspects. This technique has strong historical foundations as previous forms tended to be used in an ornamental manner on elements such as ceilings, columns and cornices. Classical architectural styles are perhaps the strongest illustration of patterning, chiefly the renaissance and baroque periods. As the style of the aforementioned time periods was largely dictated by religiously themed buildings such as basilicas, patterning was used as an expression of spirituality. Recurring motifs are not only present in christianity, but also in many other religions too - generating a profound spiritual aesthetic, present in buddhism for instance. The allusion through the use of pattern was that it an an innate ability to instil an effect - whether that be spiritual or otherwise. Adolf Loos, however, staunchly refuted the implementation of ornamentality during the post-modernist period. His proposed argument dictated that ‘ornament is crime’, essentially casting away the idea of beauty through effect. His view was that the beauty of ar-
chitectural form should be derived from structurally refined and resolved buildings. Whilst there is merit regarding this view, my proposal is that an effective middle ground between structure and sculpture offers the largest scope for architects to work within - enabling expression whilst informing the design through structural performance. ‘Ornament [being] necessary and inseparable from the object’ is a belief propagated post-Loos, and is a view that is inherently relevant to the use of patterning. With the emergence of parametric design, the expression of patterning and ornamentality has made a resurgence of sorts as designers are able to have more agency over their ideas. Through computational mediums, data structures are able to be analysed in far greater depth and manipulated to create complex geometries. Through this, architects are able to design in a way that satisfies the need for ornamentality without designing for the sake of designing. The case study that will follow illustrates this concept effectively, as Jeanne Gang of Studio gang uses inputs from her surrounding environment in order to generate a very meaningful and contextual reasoning behind the aesthetic of the building.
B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 PORTRAIT BUILDING - ASHTON RAGGART MC DOUGALL This project is a 32-storey residential tower located on the grounds of the former Carlton and United Brewery. The facade of the tower features an image of a portrait of indigenous leader William Barak. The image of Barak will be created using a striated balcony design, with undulations in the shape of the balconies outlining the features of the portrait so that, from a distance, the full portrait becomes visible.
MANIPULATING THE IMAGE Whilst it would be later found that if the algorithm could be run backwards, all of the iterations of the original image could likely be produced, it was a helpful excercise at it immediately illustrated how color or brightness impacts the generated image.
DENSITY This is manipulating the way in which the original surface is divided. The higher density of division, the higher the resolution that the image will be displayed, however, going too high results in overlapping of elements.
ORIENTATION OF MOVEMENT WIthin the algorithm, the direction that the points are moved is able to be controlled - and this instance in particular (Y-axis), offers room to incorporate other elements into the design that weren’t able to be present previously, such as depth.
CONTROLLING THE MOVEMENT In this iteration, the movement of the points is not mirrored, as with the surface acting as a reference, the points infront and behind the surface are able to be manipulated serperately.
MINIMUM MOVEMENT This effectively brings all of the points forward to a fixed point, effectively redefining what the color black is within the algorithm. Could be useful to reduce deviation if that was an intended design path.
B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 AQUA TOWER - STUDIO GANG Jeanne Gang’s Aqua tower combines 4 parameters in order to generate the ripple effect that runs down the facades of the tower. In principle, the topographic striations of limestone was a key feature that they
wishsed to replicate, present in the repeated concrete members that span up the tower, however the ‘rule’ for the length they protrude is derived from a topographic map.
REVERSE ENGINEERING STEP 1
STEP 2
STEP 3
Detailed here are the steps to achieve the ‘ripple effect’ seen in the Aqua tower: - Step 1 was to set the base surface as a reference point for the rest of the process - Step 2 was to divide the surface into a point grid - Step 3 was to input the contour used in the image sampler - Step 4 was to move each point from it’s original position depending on the brightness or white value of the image - Step 5 was to interpolate the curves, or to draw a line through each point - Step 6 was to create a loft between the original surface and the created curve
STEP 4
STEP 5
STEP 6
B.4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT
SPECIES 3 - TRUNKS This species was actually only effective in one orientation, as it acts like a tree trunk. In order to get the subtractive effect, the direction that the points are moved is inverted, and then with a minimum movement added - it is essentially the algorithm running backwards. Conceptual now, however, could be interesting to try and impliment.
SPECIES 6 - BIO-THING This result was very unexpected, and in a sense uncovered some of the latent potential within the algorithm. In changing the surface, the spacing of the surface division would be less uniform. However, it wasn’t until I flipped the data tree that this effect truly came to life, as the strips seemed to radiate out from an origin point.
SPECIES 8 - EXTRUSIONS This series of iterations revolved around extruding the curves in different axes. The Z-axis was the most successful orientation, as it lead to a form which could be effectively made using the available tools - specifically laser cutting. The Y and X axes produced curves that wen’t back in on themselves, creating an un-fabricatable form, and were therfore less effective.
SPECIES 9 - SPHERES Achieved by placing a sphere at each point on the surface, and then designating the radius of the sphere to be the distance that the point is moved by the algorithm, it creates a very interesting effect. The main drawback of the spherical nature of this design is, with the tools available to me, there is not much possibility that I would apply this specifically to a real life design as it would be too difficult to fabricate.
B.5 TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPE STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES
The process of making a prototype was an integral part of providing real-world context to the overall design. It allowed us to generate a greater understanding of how proposed materials affect the overall performance of the design as well as identifying shortcomings that the current iteration of the design has. Some of these shortcomings were made clear through the material performance. The accuracy of the laser cut was lower than expected, as pieces were not cut clean through, compromising the faceplate that the curves were joining to. Also, manipulation of the material itself (the application of timber stain), further compromised the same piece. As a result, areas of deflection and flex were made apparent. The joins also showed some flaws in In hindsight, it should have been apparent that the repeated openings in one direction would make the material weak to bending. Therefore if this element remains present, some sort of lateral bracing will be required to ensure the installation remains straight.
The first concern was that the effect of having the wave run through the prototype could potentially be lost, as the effect was made apparent through the manipulation of the viewing angle on the 3D model. However, at this scale and density, it translates effectively at this scale. It will definitely be a consideration when applied to the proposed ballroom, as it will most likely need to be altered to accommodate for the viewing distance and area of the ceiling. Overall, the prototype was successful in illustrating the intended effect at this scale, as well as exhibiting general aesthetic properties. Through further refinement, there is definitely potential to meet design goals set out. The key takeaways from this stage of the design were to further explore the scale of the model as well as identifying a more suitable means of assembly, namely how the pieces join together. It also opened up the avenue of combining this technique with paneling in order to create a more complex, real world solution.
B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL GENERATION THROUGH FLUID
One thing not present throughout the entire generative process thus far was a consideration for the image being sampled. Whilst the image of the wave creates a desired effect, it is not informed by any source. In order to address this, the proposal is to generate an image through the medium of fluid simulations - trying to preserve the effect of movement whilst giving agency to design within the context of the space.
a greater understanding will be achieved of how the existing infrastructure, such as the screen will affect the flow within the space. One effect in particular I wish to pursue is the implementation of a lighting feature, potentially a form of contemporary chandelier. If the water hits the surface at a direct angle, it will splash back in a way that will create a central focal point where the ripple will radiate out of. It will be at this point where I believe there will be the most scope to explore an idea like this.
The depicted simulation is just a tentative attempt in trying to set of a series of parameters in order to get the simulation to work. Through further development of this technique, factors such as the ‘basin’, or how the water is caught, the flow and other external influences will be able to be controlled in a way relevant to the design. It is intended that in order to relate to the space more successfully, the ‘basin’ for further simulations will be the ballroom itself inverted. Therefore,
Finally, both the technique as well as the implementation may need to be reevaluated, as even though they create an interesting aesthetic, it is a concern that the technique may be too simple for the intent of the brief, while the implementation may not be entirely relevant on a grander scale.
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The confines of this simulation are a catchment area, designated by an invisible cube, the basin and finally the angle and velocity of the water.
B.7 LEARNING OUTCOMES The learning outcomes throughout the studio thus have have had an undeniable correlation between computational design and architectural form. The specialisation within this assignment has created a focal point in order to create a sense of understanding of the greater idea of parametric design. I believe that there was not a huge scope to illustrate understanding of the brief without straying too far from the conceptual nature that seemed to make up most of Part B. However, through considerations of scale and application I addressed key areas of it, expressing a base level of understanding. The physical prototype was the most successful instance where this occurred, as it was the part of the assignment that seemed to be an experimental process informing the overall form that could be implemented, rather than an overall form that could be designed without constraint. It also effectively identified both weaknesses as well as opportunities within the design. I felt like we had a lot of agency to essentially do our own thing in this assignment - especially through the iterative manner in which we worked. Going into the assignment, the matrix task felt like it was going to be a matter of filling in the rest of the matrix without much thought after finding an initial path to go down. However, it wasn’t until after redoing it that I realised
the broad range that it forced us to work in. This assignment further developed me as a designer, as in having some sort of understanding about computational design, albeit an entry level, it has opened my eyes in a sense. Rather than just looking at new projects, I find myself wondering how the designer managed to get to that point - thinking especially about their workflow and if I could replicate it to a degree. Whilst there is still much to learn and to further refine, it feels like a more than solid foundation to begin with. The reverse engineering exercise was almost like a ‘eureka’ moment, whereby the realisation of ‘I can do this’ felt like all the work previously was justified, and that I had a new set of skills that I developed and could apply. My design proposal at this juncture has left a lot of room to push it much further. This gives me an avenue to even further develop and refine my own skills in digital modelling, acting as an agent to further enhance and define my proposal in Part C. I feel like the next assignment will be heavily influenced by multiple prototypes, however, in my case it will also carry on the iterative design method at the very start too.
B.8 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES