RESPONSIVE DYNAMISM By Jaslyn Lee
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CONTENTS PAGE Contents Page The Author Body Space Project
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CHAPTER 0.1: CASE FOR INNOVATION
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CHAPTER 0.2: DESIGN APPROACH
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CHAPTER 0.3: PROJECT PROPOSAL
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0.1.1 Responsive, Dynamic Architecture 0.1.2 Computational Architecture 0.1.3 Paramaticism 0.1.4 Learning Outcomes
0.2.1 Material Performance 0.2.2 Case Study 1.0 0.2.3 Case Study 2.0 0.2.4 Material Test 0.2.5 Prototype 1 0.2.6 Prototype 2 0.2.7 Learning Outcomes
0.3.1 Gate way Project 0.3.2 Design Concept 0.3.3 Final Design 0.3.4 Tectonic Elements 0.3.5 Further Development 0.3.6 Learning Objectives and Conclusion
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THE AUTHOR “When I see architecture that moves me, I hear music in my inner ear” - Frank Lloyd Wright
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I’m a third year student at the University of Melbourne, majoring in Architecture. Born in Singapore, I grew up around the hustle and bustle of a very vibrant city, whose landscape is constantly being developed and modified by the greats, I have always been intrigued with the surrounding skyscrapers that seemed to make my once the tallest building and church in Singapore seem like it is shrinking. Moving to Perth during my high school years later reassured my desire and passion for studying Architecture here in Melbourne and it has been the most exciting journey ever since. I have previously worked with the Software Rhino before, in my first year of Architecture, and from there I have been able to stitch it into other Architectural Design Studios used in University, as an excellent modelling software. As Frank Lloyd Wright once said, “When I see architecture that moves me, I hear music in my inner ear�- how then, can I create architecture that aims to inspire and move people?
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BODY SPACE PROJECT 2011
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In my first year of my Architecture degree, we explored the use of 3D modelling for the first time, using computerisation programme, Rhino. Following tutorials, we learnt how to transfer our idea and design, put it into the computer programme, Rhinoceros to be explored around with. This marked us our first steps into Parametric modelling, using computerization techniques to edit, deisgn and fabricate our models. It led me into thinking how these types of 3D modelling and other 3D printing devices can change the way we look at Architecture in the future.
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CHAPTER 0.1: CASE FOR INNOVATION 9
0.1.1 RESPONSIVE, DYNAMIC ARCHITECTURE
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Architecture, as an art is a dominant part of many people’s idea of what it is made up of, However, this excludes many types of architecture and their attached meanings, and this is where Architecture discourse comes into play. “Architecture needs to be thought of less as a set of special material products and rather more as a range of social and professional practice that sometimes, but by no means always leading to buildings” – Matthew Rampley. This will be my main source of inspiration and focus as I embark on a journey, to explore architecture as a discourse and as a universal language to be understood by the mass. I am interested in how Architecture can be changed and manipulated by power, culture and
how this constructs our identity. Architecture, as a discourse can contribute to their surrounding landscape, induce ways of thinking and seeing to different field of ideas. Architecture can also cause different changes to the world, whether in a positive or negative way with the different theory, process and response it evokes on users. As I explored this idea, I embarked on the discovery on how architecture could be more than just a shelther and enclousure, but one that may be able to interact with its users, whether statically or mechanically, literally or illusionary. A type of architecture that could be labelled as “Responsive, Dynamic Architecture.”
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Hylozoic Ground Series by Philip Beesley An example of a human-responsive architecture would be the Hylozoic Ground series, based on architect and sculptor Philip Beesley and biologist Dr. Rachel Armstrong. Each element of this sculpture glows, rustles and shivers, as a response to the surrounding environment of visitors that surrounds and interacts with it. 1 As a series of complex experiments, it is a statement relating directly to today’s challenges of climate chance and the need to later our current building practices through a responsive and selfgenerative architecture. The idea behind this sculpture was the biomimicry process, imitating natural processes and creating a carbon-negative architecture.
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http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/sculptures/1112_Hylozoic_Series_Stoa/PBAI_02.jpg
By also challenging environmental issues in our society, with the usage of lightweight scaffolding creating treelike columns, the sculptures collect moisture and particles from the air and uses chemical systems to capture carbon and convert it into a solid material that could be further used to reinforce building and foundations. 2 This precedent is one that relates directly to the environment and the society we live in. It is a direct statement of how conventional buildings that have been built, and how it should and could be built in the future. THe Hylozoic
Ground Series project have done this successfully by not only responding to the direct users, but also the environment in which we live today. I am facinated in the way the building not only extends it responsiveness to the direct users, but its indirect users and this is a topic that really interests me, on how I can bring this back into my design, thinking about the indirect users as well as the indirect implications my design will have on both its users and surroundings.
http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/sculptures/1112_Hylozoic_Series_Stoa/stoa_1.jpg
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BLOOM
by DOSU Studio Architecture
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A fine example of architecture that responses and interacts with the environment directly will be “Bloom”, a project by DOSU Studio Architecture. Here, “Bloom” acts as a sun tracking device, indexing time and temperature. It consists of small thermobimetal that responds to the sun and rising temperature. 3 Composed of hyperbolic stacked panels, the self-supporting structure challenges the capability of the materials to perform as a shell. The twisted panels shapes aid in the performance of the surface and challenges the digital and fabrication capabilities of parametric design. Within a single panel, portions of the surface directly face the sun, while the other side is in the
shade and requires no reaction or curling. With today’s search for a sustainable design, this material could be used for a dynamic surface material, expanding and challenging the use of dynamic responsive architecture. 5 This is a valuable project in terms of looking for a project that uses materials which directly interact with the environment it is in . As an Architecture that sits as a Discourse, its theory behind is looking at how buildings can be manipulated and redesigned to respond to the environment around it in today’s world, one that could expand further on the technology that we have in today’s world.
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HYPOSURFACE by dECOi Architects http://www.mediaruimte.be/digital_territories/projects/cybernetic/images/aegis-01.jpg
Designed by Mark Goulthorpe of dECOi Architects, the Aegis project consists of an interactive mechanical surface that deforms in real-time based on various environmental stimuli, including the sounds and movements of people, sound, light, and electronic information.6 The Hyposurface is comprised by a matrix of actuators, which is given information by electronic sensors that triggers a programme. The surface elevates by a mechanical system, making it seem like a fluidity of movement on the outside. It “radicalizes architecture with
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its dynamic form�, and challenges the way architecture moves dynamically within a surface, using digital technology. This project was developed for a competition for an interactive art-work for the foyer of The Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre. 7 This project is a good example of an active dynamic architecture, where mechanical technology is needed to move it, and thus contributes to the way we look at dynamic and responsive Architecture and sculptures.
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSITildy5h7v0EYSrpw8Ej1YJQYuR50jvlvLb0UWV_7M1Afjc8qDQ
JS BACH MUSIC HALL by Zaha Architects
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/Pictures/web/e/e/I/zaha_bach_illust_rweb.jpg
The JS Bach Concert Hall in Manchester holds a very interesting form. This structure is made up of a lightweight synthetic fabric that held up by an internal steel structure. The ribbon also acts like a cocoon, wraping and brings the stage and the audiences closer together in one single space. However, the ribbon does not only serve the function of a skin. It also engages with its purpose, being able to provide clear acoustics for performances held in the music hall. To do this, careful attention had to be paid to ensure that the material, bend, and quality of the ribbon would only
enhance the musical acoustics in this music hall. 8 This architecture not only responses to the site it is in, but also responses to its function, as a music hall. As a selfsupporting structure, it helps open up my thinking and reaction to the different types of ways architecture could be responsive to the users, function and environment, in this case, an example of indirect responsiveness to its audiences and its direct response to its function is adhered to.
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References: 1. “Hylozoic Series: Sibyl”, Philip Beesley, University of Waterloo, accessed 7 March 2013, http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/sculptures/1036_Sibyl/index.php 2. “Hylozoic Ground”, Emily Lo, Katerva for a sustainable tomorrow, published 05 May 2011, http://katerva.org/nominees/regenerative-and-responsive-architecture/ 3.”Responsive Architecture Interacts with the Environment”, Emma Hutchings, PSFK, published 17 April 2012, http://www.psfk.com/2012/04/architecture-interacts-with-environment.html 4. “Bloom/DOSU Studio Architecture”, Alison Furunto, Arch Daily, Published 11 March 2012, http://www.archdaily.com/215280/bloom-dosu-studio-architecture/ 5. “Spark Galleries”, Spark International Design Competition, accessed 18 March 2013, http://www.sparkawards.com/galleries/index. cfm?entry=9C589B67-B432-A12BBCFDE9363C1151C 6. “Aegis Hyposurface”, Blaine Brownell, Transmaterial-Material that redefine our physical environment, published 26 October 2009, http://transmaterial.net/ index.php/2009/10/26/aegis-hyposurface/ 7.”Aegis Hyposurface”, Spatial Information Architecture, Royal Melbourne Institue of Technology, accessed 20 March 2013, http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/ Projects/Aegis_Hyposurface.php 8. “JS Bach Chamber Music Hall”, Zaha Hadid Architects, accessed 22 March 2013 http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/js-bach-chamber-music-hall/
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0.1.2
COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURE Computerization is the method of conceptualizing and forming the physical model first, then digitises it using the help of a computer. Computation on the other hand is the process of building the physical model with the help of the computer, from the very start. Design methods, using computers allow a flow of line and reasoning into a logical conclusion. Computers never tire, and they can store heaps of information. Design is a process that we engage in, to transform the current situation to a desired situation, through various ways. This process of designing can be sectioned into phases of analyzing the problem, coming up with a solution synthesis, evaluating the problem and results and then communicating the idea. Computational architecture thus, can help us as designers and architects to achieve our desired results in a quicker time in the whole process, saving time, money and resources. 9 Computers and programmes are thus essential as I focus on finding a form that is dynamic and responsive, a kind of architecture that would need the aid of computers to output unconventional forms in my research. 19
DEFINING DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE
Greg Lynn’s architectural approaches (above) moves away from the ‘logic and conflict and contradiction’ to a more ‘fluid logic of connectivity’. He uses topological conception of form and the ‘rubber-sheet’ geometry of curves to aid his expressions. This folding effect is an architecture of ‘formlessness’ that will build space, aesthetics and utility all in one. This idea could be linked back to the 1960 and 70’s idea of using less concrete, and going with plastic for a more ‘blobby’ and free shape. 10 The digital generative processes outlines that the emphasis in digital architecture now has moved from ‘making’ to ‘finding’ the form. Computational and digital architecture has defined these concepts of topological geometries, and the structures that have blurred both what is ‘inside’ and what is ‘outside’. With the innovation of parametric designs, the parameters of the design are now configured using equations and computer language, based on a principle of codes, that will sometimes produce effects that are non-intentional, yet better than expected, pushing the boundaries and limits on what can and what cannot be envisioned. Thus the change to digitally design, fabricate and construct process is unavoidable. Digitally-produced has brought out many new ways of thinking about architecture, and the options are limitless, as far and as wide one’s imagination can spread.
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With the use of digitization, Frank Gehry’s design for the large Fish Sculpture in Spain was able to come to a quicker and more ideal geometry for his design, focusing on precision in the assembly and fabrication, conquering the constraints from both financial and time shortages. This is one of the first projects to be manufactured digitally. This project can also help me to understand the possibilities that digital design have evolved from. 11
http://www.mimoa.eu/projects/Spain/Barcelona/Fish
“Performative Architecture Installation” project by the University of Melbourne Master students consists of an inflatable structure, where the installation responses to movement to entering the structure with ‘emotional’ responses of lighting, sound and movement of texture. It consists of rapid-deployment inflatable structures, digital fabrication, computer vision, interactive applications, generative systems, complexity, digital simulation with ubiquitous computing.12
http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/tm/2008/07/barcafishWEB_428x269_to_468x312.jpg
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References: 9. Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 – 25 10. Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 – 28 11. “Vila Olimpica Fish Sculpture Hotel Arte”, Barcelona Spain, Arcspace, accessed 21 March 2013, http://www.arcspace.com/gehry_new/olimpic/olimp. html 12. “Performative Architecture Installation”, 2012 Melbourne Deisgn Awards, accessed 25 March 2013, http://melbournedesignawards.com.au/mda2012/entry_details.asp?ID=11054&Category_ID=4725
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0.1.3 PARAMATICISM
Parametric designs and modelling has allowed designers in today’s world and whole new stream of opportunities and possibilities. It is about the use of variables and algorithms to generate mathematical and geometric relations that eventually leads to generating a design. This process allows both designers and thinkers to explore and go into geometries and shapes never gone into before, eliminating repetitive tasks, calculations and allows for easy changes and editing to be done in a way once not possible before. It represents the shift from using computer-aided designs as a representation device to a device used to design, 13 which is also the process of computation in Architecture, where processes are conceptualized in the designer’s minds, before entering it into the computer.
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NEW YORK
by Frank Gehry
At 870 feet tall, New York by Gehry is the tallest residential tower in the Western Hemisphere. Gehry uses the language of the classic Manhattan high-rise with waves of stainless steel that reflect the changing light, transforming the appearance of the building throughout the day. 14 During the design and construction, Gehry employed the use a 3-D building model containing critical construction information that enabled a more automated design-to-fabrication process, which achieved a more cost-effective project outcomes with higher quality and more value.
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http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvqq9oU3dV1qe06meo1_500.jpg
The project team employed several key strategies to economically deliver this unique building skin, including a mix of conventional and unconventional geometry realized through the mass customization and modular prefabrication of the curtain wall panels. The digital connection from design to virtual construction allowed the team to continually visualize and price the curtain wall system during its design, to better inform their decisionmaking. 15 During fabrication, the firm used that same building model and information to automate its production. The precise nature of the model also enabled the team to exactly model and coordinate all the concrete slab edges and the fixtures required for installation. This close collaboration stemming from digital design and construction processes resulted in almost no errors, comparable costs and a very low number of RFIs—just 200 versus the standard 5,000 that is typical for a project of
this size.16 This project is a prime example of a building that uses paramatricm to respond not only to the site it is in, but to its users. It can also be seen as dynamic with a slightly more unconventional shape to the outward appearance of the building, which will seem to move as one goes round the building. The waved surface also brings a viewers eyes across the building from top to bottom or bottom to top, inducing a feel of fluidity and dynamism. This aspect could be brought to my design as I search for something that perhaps does not need to move physically, but comes out as a form that manipulates the way viewers see it from the outside, be it by the angle they stand from the building or the sun’s light and shadow path that creates a sense of dynamism of the transforming appearance in the structure.
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http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lvqq9oU3dV1qe06meo1_500.jpg http://4.bp.blogspot. com/-DzfBCx5AmYk/TVPSFNoypNI/AAAAAAAAEQM/hkc2sA1N4a4/s1600/sprucestreet2.jpg
MERCEDES-BENZ MUSEUM by UN Studio
The Mercedes-Benz Museum situated in Stuttgart, Germany is designed by the UN Studio established by Ben van Berkel and Caroline Bos in Amsterdam in 1988. The dynamic architecture of the museum is based on a unique cloverleaf concept using three overlapping circles and the centre removed to form a triangular atrium. The outer is draped in aluminium and glass. 17 Strained by a very tight schedule, the design and construction team based information by a 3D drawings and 2D drawings.Parametric modeling was used to coordinate the planning steps, and developed thousands of plans from this parametric 3D-model during the building process. 18 The art of this building is that it binds together different spatial principles together, and as a result generates a whole new typology. In UN Studio’s work, they have focused on the use of oblique as a 26
means to stimulate mobility, direction and communication between people in buildings. As one descends from the top of the museum, the chronology of the car unfolds, unleashing a sense of movement, fluidity and without boundaries. 19 This building is a total work of art. As I personally visited it myself, I can say that the interior speaks so much for itself. The intertwine of space and objects makes the visitor feel as if brought to another place in outer space. This feeling of being brought to somewhere out of this world is something I would like to use in my design as I explore a stream of design that could play with the response of users themselves, without actually having to physically and directly responding to users.
References: 13. “What is Parametric Design?” Parametric Design and Generative Modelling workshop, Parametric Camp, accessed 25 March 2013, http://www.parametriccamp.com/en/what-is-parametric-design/ 14. “New York by Gehry”, accessed 27 March 2013, http://www.newyorkbygehry.com/mobile_index.html 15. “BIM in the Big Apple”, Dennis Shelden and Sameer Kashyap, Construction Business Owner, published 1 August 2012, http://www.constructionbusinessowner.com/topics/software/project-management/bim-big-apple 16. “8 Spruce Street”, Steel Institute of New York, accessed 27 March 2013, http://www.siny.org/media/projects/Spring11_8Spruce_web.PDF 17. “ Mercedes-Benz Museum - Witness the Voyage of Automotive Discovery, Carazoo, accessed 28 March 2013, http://www.carazoo.com/article/0704200901/Mercedes-Benz-Museum---Witness-the-Voyage-of-Automotive-Discovery 18. “Tech Briefs”, Joann Gonchar, Architectural Record, accessed 28 March 2013, http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0611dignews-1. asp 19. “Hugo-Haring Prize- Mercedes-Benz Museum”, e-architect, accessed 29 March 2013, http://www.e-architect.co.uk/stuttgart/mercedes_museum_stuttgart.htm
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0.1.4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES As I have explored Part A: Case for innovation, I found interest in how Architecture could respond to human, environmental and cultural factors, and yet be dynamic in its response, whether literally or mentally in its users. The past projects and precedents I have looked at really gave me a good understanding of where architecture have developed so far in terms of how architecture can have different responses to different factors. Architectural computing, is also very important, because most of the projects I have looked at, in fact all, needed the help of computers in order for them to reach their full potential in terms of reaching their goals and purpose. With this in mind, my design approach will be one that looks into Architecture that could probably manipulate the way it is looked at. I don’t want to design a sculpture that like most sculpture do, sit there statically and tell a story. I am looking and searching for a sculpture that will not only interact with its users, it will manipulate the way users see and think about it as they pass 28
through it, or pass by it. By using computering in architecture, I also hope to be able to map out the way users experience passing by or through my sculpture, to enhance their experience and interaction with it. A sculpture that could be both responsive and dynamic.
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CHAPTER 0.2: DESIGN APPROACH 31
0.2.1 MATERIAL PERFORMANCE
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Our second discourse we focused on was Material Performance. Material Performance is the evaluation of materials in different environments, with companies that test Material Performances assessing environmental cracking, compression, decompression, strain and stress and corrosion environment testing. 20 In our experimentations, we chose to focus instead on the natural bending of plywood, and its natural properties without having to change its moisture or heat content. Plywood, is chosen as a material that we really wanted to work on. There are many different variations of plywood in the industry today, and because Wyndham city itself is a city that focuses on preserving nature and its resources, and their large recycling efforts, plywood is a suitable material that the people living in Wyndham city can easily connect and associate themselves with. Not only is it a natural material, plywood has so many outstanding properties, if used correctly with technology, that could create a structure that we are confident Wyndham city can’t reject.
Architecture and structures has always been seen as something that is static and solid. So much, such that Johann Wolfgang von Goethe has described “Architecture is frozen music, and the tone of mind produced by architecture approaches the effect of music”. 21 However I believe that this isn’t totally true, and architecture is dynamic and can be both static yet with dynamic properties in its own rights. In the design, as a group, we looked towards something that could change over the course of the day and night, or in seasons. Just like how Wyndham city is a small city, yet set out to create an iconic structure for themselves, our research went on to test how simple and basic materials, combined with sophisticated software computation technologies can bring that simple material into something that can create the effect we set out to achieve, and thus a design that not only engages with our discourse, but one that can be easily read and understood by the people of Wyndham City.
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0.2.2
CASE STUDY 1.0
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VOUSSOIR CLOUDby IwamotoScott with Buro Happold
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An installation created by IwamotoScott Architecture and Buro Happold, Voussoir Cloud explores the structural paradigm of pure compressive forces, blended in with an ultra-light material system in its use of materials, birch plywood. The result of this is a design that is not only structurally strong due to the vaults that rely on each other and retain their pure compressive form, but a design process that is done through the unconventional material of lightweight wood. 22 Being digitally modeled, the pieces are laser cut and then folded and zip tied to one another. This structure attempts to deconstruct the idea that is linked to normative architectural typologies to do
with wood and mass compressive structures. 23 This is an effective precedent in our project. It not only uses a natural material of wood, but it pushes the boundaries and limits of how plywood can be used as a material, in this case, imitating the way concrete mass structures would sit and act in compression to one another forming arches and curved surfaces. In our design process, we try to push the limits of what wood can do. How much it can resist bending, how it can possibly support itself structurally on its own and yet at the same time how it can be part of a design that attracts, engages and interacts with its users. 37
CASE STUDY 1.0 Unary force
Size of column
Radius of column
Height of column
Surface patterns
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Matrix Exploration In the Case Study 1.0 matrix exploration, we looked at how the different factors can affect the way we respond to how a structure functions and is formed. However, this matrix exploration lacked a specific direction and focus, as we were just playing around and exploring with the inputs and outputs of Grasshopper and its plugin, Kangaroo Physics. We were trying to explore and see what parametric modeling could bring us to, in terms of having various different outcomes from a basic form. The different inputs we used was chanigng the Unary force (bounce-like feel by the plug-in Grasshopepr), the Size, Radius, Height of each cloumn and the surface patterns on it. I wanted the number of columns to be something that was consisted throughout, the constant that we can base our explorations upon. With each input changed, we looked at how different forms and different shapes would affect the way the structure looks like overall, and it gave me an understanding of why the current shape was chosen as their final design. The optimum design of our matrix exploration consisted of one that best
suited what we thought was most aesthetically pleasing, personally, and one that fitted most into our discourse that could be further developed upon. The Grasshopper plug in of Kangaroo Physics was one that was really interesting, because as we edited the inputs and manipulated the forms, we had a toggle that would actually find the ‘balance’ of forms within this structure and come to a point of stabilization before ‘baking’ the ‘balanced’ form. This was useful, as we developed our skills within Grasshopper. This Matrix exploration was quite an interesting task, as it did allow us to change the way each of the inputs and output’s values were. It also gave us a chance to learn about how I can actually create and edit plug-ins within Grasshopper. It did allow me also to understand what parametric modelling on the computer could do, and allowed me to freely edit different componenets in a design until a desired result was reached.
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Further Explorations Following on with the experimentation of attractor points, I was quite intrigued by it and thus I decided to carry on finding out and experimenting with it. I found that these attractor points in Grasshopper in Rhino could produce pretty interesting effects, and I liked it how even in a 2D format it looks like there is a three dimension to it. When an attractor point was brought close to it, the magnetic field caused the points around it to shift away from the attractor point, as if the responding to the ‘magnetic fields’ this attractor point gave out. This experimentation is interesting, and could be used in my design as we try to ‘manipulate’ the viewers eyes with a sense of 3D movement, even from a 2D surface.
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0.2.3
CASE STUDY 2.0
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ICD/ITKE RESEARCH PAVILION 2010
by the University of Stuttgart
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The entire structure of the ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010 was to demonstrate the latest developments in material-oriented computational design and production processes in architecture. The structure is solely made up of elastic, thin plywood strips. Computational design and form were used to stimulate different material properties of plywood. This is done based on the behavior of these birch plywood strips, such that the tension in each strip will support the structure system, through its stored energy. This allows the system to be very lightweight, with 6.5mm plywood being used. Using parametric principles, this structure represents pure planar distribution, with the locally stored energy being in equilibrium and
the structure’s form was thus a result of the different pressures contained within each strip of plywood. 24 The ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010 is very interesting the way they really researched and explored what their material of focus, birch plywood could give them. This approach of design is something that I was most interested in, and as a group, we decided to embark on. From first choosing and understanding a material we want to work with, then exploring and testing the material, we can then know our constraints within this material, to develop our final outcome. The final design and outcome will then be a factor and result from this exploration and experimentation. 45
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The Case Study 2.0. For this case study, the project was given and we recreated our own algorithm in Grasshopper for the project. The first dead end we encountered was trying to find a way to allow the strips to intertwine with one another. We figured out how to split a curved surface into strips, then taking out alternate ones so that they end up being two different sets of strips that
curved between one another. These dead-ends that we encountered helped me to understand the 3D Modeling Programme Rhino and Grasshopper more, and allowed me to look into different tools to achieve our final definition. By trying to re-create this case-study, we were then able to dive deeper into researching within the material we have chosen. 47
CASE STUDY 2.0 Matrix Exploration
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In our matrix explorations, we aimed to try and search for a way where plywood could be bent, individually or as a group to create an effect. This is only greatly
dependent on how much plywood itself as a material could be bent, and thus led us on to exploring and physically testing the material itself.
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0.2.4
MATERIAL TEST Individual Strips
Plywood with grains Perpendicular bending Test
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Plywood with grains Parallel bending Test
Veneer with grains Parallel bending Test
Our Algorithm of testing plywood strips, where green are areas with least tension and red being the most amount of tension, at breaking point.
From Case Study 2.0, taking out a selection of individual strips we then went on with a different approach as to knowing our limitations with how much the plywood could bend, and thus the possible outcomes of matrix designs that could actually work with natural bending. This led us on to testing different bending properties of plywood, first with it being parallel to the grain, then with it being perpendicular to the grain, with then layering different types of veneer, which is more suitable for the scale we have used, to test out the different bending properties of each material. We then mapped out our results with
Grasshopper, so that we could use this further in constructing the constraints of our design. By laminating the Veneer strips at each end, we were able to create a thinner surface in the middle, which resulted in being able to control the section of which where the strip of Veneer bent. However, problems raised due to not being able to glue the Veneer strips together properly that resulted in warp and curvature between pieces. Aiming towards a sleeker look, we then looked towards creating a design that could be bent by thinning the strips on their own, with cutting shapes through them to produce the effect of bending. 51
Model Prototype 1 shows the first step we took towards developing this idea using veneer strips, allowing the wood to bend at particular places in its natural bend, and by changing the location of bending that occurs, it will also be able to create a different experience for users of this road. Veneer strips were used because they were more suitable for our scale of testing, compared to plywood. Just like how Wydnham city is a small city, of about 100,000, 25 wanting to stand out of the crowd with a structure that would not only engage with users, allowing an experience alongside a sense of pride, by using simple materials with a complex design system of integration, we hope to achieve a structure that the City of Wynaham can relate to easily. Our design focused on the experience of users as they zoomed through it along the highway. It will stretch the length of the highway, and the holes that mark where the material bends will create a sense of dynamic fluidity as the vehicle passes through the sculpture. This sculpture is to be placed running over the stretch of both roads running in and out of Wyndham City. We used veneer in our prototypes and tests because it best represents the reduced scale version of plywood. Plywood can be bent into a permanent shape, when heated so it could not only be structurally strong, but self-supporting. This can be best described in the project done by Emmi Keskisarja, Pekka Tynkkynen & LEAD of the Dragon Skin Pavilion. 52
0.2.5
PROTOTYPE 1
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DRAGON SKIN PAVILION
by Emmi Keskisarja, Pekka Tynkkynen & LEAD
This Pavilion is an architectural installation that challenges the possibilities of materials, and the revolutions in digital fabrication and manufacturing. The skin is very porous and light, as plywood is used, and the light and views are slowly filtered and revealed as one moves along the pavilion. This pavilion is interesting in that the design method allowed a totally off-site communication method, and there is a balance between the repeating framework and panels in the structure itself. The material, Grada Plywood, is pre-heated and shaped into place before applying the algorithmic scripts to each component and choreographed together to assem54
ble the structure. This project allows me to understand further how much plywood can be stretched and put under stress, in this case, took the shape of the mold and by heating, it stayed in its shape. 26 This project is also just based largely on tessellations, with the connections between each piece placed together just slipped into each other. Yet this produced an effect and a strong sculpture that was self-supportive. This makes me want to research and look deeper on plywood as a material, opening up more possibilities of how I can integrate this material and play around with its properties into my final design.
THE WINNIPEG SKATING SHELTERS by Patkau Architects
Another factor we had to deal with was the constant wind loads caused by the large open plains and the stream of cars that zoomed by every second on the freeway. A precedent that best deals with this, using the material of plywood as its base structure and skin, is The Winnipeg Skating Shelters by Patkau Architects. Set out in a wide and open space, the Winnipeg Skating Shelters is an intimate cluster of shelters, accommodating only a few people at a time. The interesting fact about this design is that they use the light and thin material of plywood, focusing on the flexibility of
plywood, use it as a skin and structure to form their design.27 Being able to resist temperatures of minus 40 degrees and strong winds in the flat land area that the sculpture sits, this project really triggers my interest in what plywood can do. Not only is it light and flexible, it is also strong and durable as a material, and thus one that I want to dwell deeply upon and experiment with thoroughly throughout my design process.
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ROSKILDE DOME 2012 Kristoffer Tejlgaard & Benny Jepsen
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This dome is related to Biomimicry as it uses construction that optimizes the use of resources, imitating the family of carbon molecules in the construction of this geodesic dome. By doing so, they achieve great strength and stability, and used minimum building materials and energy consumption for the heating because of its minimum surface form. Known as ‘Buckyballs’, Buckminster Fuller saw the scarcity of resources we are facing today and developed this geodesic dome, that was an alternative to architecture today. The architects of this done ‘focused their design on geodesic domes and their potential as
buildings of the future’28 Using purely plywood as its structure, this dome was light and easy to assemble, and thus very suitable for its purpose in the Danish music festival of Roskilde Festival. This shows how easily assembled and yet structurally strong plywood can be, and how it can tie in neatly with the minimal usage of precious earth materials and energy usage, yet is able to stand out so boldly as a structure. This is a very relevant theme in our design, as we continue to dwell upon the properties of plywood that makes this material one that we want to base our design on.
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PROTOTYPE 2
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Thus, in our model, we wanted to engage a simple material with cutting edge practices, eg. By using grasshopper and Rhino as a software to further integrate our parametric modeling. By integrating the theme of Air into the sculpture, we now want to look how air and wind can affect the way one thing moves, producing a sculpture that responds to it, by changing over time, and encouraging a sense of dialogue and interest between users and sculpture over time. We have also started to look at how we can incorporate the characteristics and limitations on the material of plywood, on where it can bring us, and yet where we can stretch it to also.
Our design had largely answered most of our goals we had in mind, making each individual strips bend at different points in a flowing manner, to allow a sense of fluidity from the users passing through it. We also looked into having the rings of the holes lined with fiber optic material. Viewed at night, from a distance, the sculpture can reflect the shimmering light of cars passing through, but yet at the same time create an effect for the users passing through the sculpture itself. We played with the idea of dynamism and responsiveness in a static way, yet achieving results because of the way the sculpture itself will be experienced from. 61
GOING FURTHER
There are so many different types of plywood in the plywood industry. From structural, to exterior, to formwork, film faced or interior plywood, the options are endless. However, we chose this over researching other types of woodbased composites, because it is best suited to our project, as it is slightly more a flexible material compared to glued laminated timber. We also looked at Laminated Veneer Lumber, which is made up of veneer strips, laminated parallel to one another rather than perpendicular to one another in a plywood strip. LVL has a highly predictable, and is a uniform product, removing natural defects and splits in its assembly. It has much more superior qualities to that of glued laminated timber, doubling in both bending stress and modules of Elasticity.29 Since it does not warp, it has minor changes to humidity and being a uniform product, LVL does not shrink any further after hot pressing as compared to glued laminated timber. However, these characteristics of both 62
the Laminated Veneer Lumber and the Glued Laminated Timber did not satisfy what we were looking for, as we wanted something lighter and more flexible, one that is able to be built, whether over a large span or by smaller elements, able to deliver the effect of lightness with stability. The modelmaking process did end up with some flaws like the splitting of wood at points which were weaker, due to the thin nature of veneer. With the process of fabricating and laser cutting our model, it informed us about the limitations we had with the digital model, as it did not turn out as close to the digital model as we thought would have. We intend our structure to be one that is self-supported, with few or little screws to hold it in place. The structure will also incorporate a strong self-supporting frame in order not to collapse and to stand strong against wind, rain and other external forces acting against it.
0.2.7 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES The theoretical research tasks from Part 2 of this project have increased my knowledge in computation in the design process. Computation can really help a designer in terms of adjusting, manipulating and creating new outcomes, improving and adjusting the design. With Rhino, and Grasshopper as a plugin, I was able to play around with a given Algorithm and also learn to create my own set of Algorithms following a project given. From there, I was then able to test out constraints and try out different design patterns or possible
outcomes and possibilities that could further enhance and develop my design. I was particularly also able to map out how our chosen material, Plywood, performed on our Algorithm, and thus was able to use the knowledge gained from this area to push our design further. This is really helpful as I continue to develop and bring our project further in this course, into the project proposal in Part 3 of this project.
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References: 20. Material Performance, ITS Testing Services, England, last accessed 1 May 2013 http://www.capcis.com/advancedtesting/materialsperformance.html 21 Gallery of Architectural Quotations, Ergo Architecture, last accessed 3 May 2013 http://www.ergoarchitecture.com/quotations/ 22 Voussoir Cloud,Triangulation Blog, published 7 june 2011, http://www.triangulationblog.com/2011/06/voussoir-cloud.html 23 Voussoir Cloud,Triangulation Blog, published 7 june 2011, http://www.triangulationblog.com/2011/06/voussoir-cloud.html 24 ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010, Institute for Computational Design, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning, Universitat Stuttgart, last accessed 3 May 2013 http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=4458 25 Environment and Sustainability, Wyndham City, Victoria, Australia, last accessed 4 May 2013 http://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/environment/environmentsustainability 26 Dragon Skin Pavilion/Emmi Keskisarja, Pekka Tynkkynen & LEAD, Arch Daily selected works, published 10 March 2012http://www.archdaily.com/215249/ dragon-skin-pavilion-emmi-keskisarja-pekka-tynkkynen-lead/ 27 Winnipeg Skating Shelters/ Patkau Architects, Arch Daily selected works, published 17 May 2011, http://www.archdaily.com/135302/winnipeg-skatingshelters-patkau-architects/ 28 Roskilde Dome 2012/ Kristoffer Tejlgaard + Benny Jepson, published 8 April 2013 http://www.archdaily.com/355536/roskilde-dome-2012-kristoffertejlgaard/ 29 Laminated Veneer Lumber, Department of Forest Products Marketing, Kymenlaakson Ammattikorkeakoulu, last accessed 8 May 2013, http://www. hochstrate.de/micha/finnland/reports/replvl.html
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CHAPTER 0.3: PROJECT PROPOSAL 67
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0.3.1 GATEWAY PROJECT
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‘Wyndham City invites the submission for the Wesern Gateway Design project to create a Gateway into Wyndham for city bound traffic on the Princes Freeway. This project should capitalise on the success of “Seeds of Change” Gateway, located at the eastern interchange, and create an equally compelling installation’ . In recent years the City has been addressing issues with regard to upgrading the aesthetic componenets of its streetscapes, open places and parks, and this Gateway project will be one that is part of this development. The Proposal for the site brief calls for an installation that “will enhance the physical environment through the introduction of a visual arts component, longevity in its appeal, encouraging on-going interest by further reflection about the installation beyond first glance” To do so, we embarked on a journey that first used simple materials, something that even
the most common man could relate to, one that will be able to connect with the users and the people of Wyndham City. Plywood, as a natural earth material from timber, is also a material that have been previously less used in the area of parametric design, suggesting this refreshment and renewal in the associations or connotations people always had with parametric designs and materials used with it. Using creativity, innovation and a high degree of spatial quality and resolution, we want to create an equal or more compelling installation than that at the eastern interchange, one that redefines the way users and viewers previously looked at sculpture and art, as something that could be physically experienced, inducing a constant sense of awe and ongoing interest in the design with a vast amount of possibilities gained from different perspectives used in the design, ultimately resulting in a sense of pride within the local community of Wyndham City.
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From previous consultation with our tutors and as a group, we decided to focus and build on the technique of laminating and the material of plywood, as the basis for our design. We wanted a design to ultimately be able to sit in contrast to the site, and sit as a metaphor of change. Just as how the City of Wyndham is a city that has much potential to grow, it has large focuses on the environment, even as a small city. Thus, with this idea, even with its small city, it could be a metaphor of change that other cities can look to as an example.
To Melbourne CBD
Our model, with the idea of using plywood developed with technologically advanced computer techniques, we want to be able to develop a design that is based on very simple and down-to-earth materials, but still stand out as a strikingly outstanding structure, because of the way it is tested and designed. In the same way, it will sit as a metaphor in the way Wyndham City could be something that using simple approaches, be a City that others will look up to, a city that can try and achieve more.
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PAVILION
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Plywood as a precedent, is shown to be successful and could be seen with the ETH and AA student’s joint collaborative efforts of this timber construction is based on Alvar Aalto’s and Charles Eames’s experiments in plywood bending and cutting to achieve curvature. Based on a systematic investigation to the parameters, sheets of 18m thickness of plywood have been used, with cuts influencing the bending of the sheets and length, together with layers in alteration of directions used to generate a system of self-stabilizing vaults. Cables are then put into place to allow the loads to be distributed evenly within the edge strips. The work of the design team was informed by material testing and studies conducted by the students themselves, following closely towards Alvar Aalto and Charles
Eames’s experiments. 30The axial forces generated by this design is described with the colours, where the red areas represented more axial force and blue, less. Thus, the value of parametric modelling is clearly shown in this project, that it is successful and can be successful, once the right parameters are applied onto the design correctly. From its concept illustrations, to its render and test on the computer, physical installation and maintenance, this precedent is very useful in informing us about the direction we were heading into- one that made use of the natural bending properties of veneer itself, and how it can achieve effects and outcomes that we desire, just by using the right tools and knowledge of computer programmes.
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0.3.2 DESIGN CONCEPT
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Following from where we left off in Part B that was based on a series of strips of veneer bent at certain angles to achieve a particular result, we continued to search on for a design that would really stand out and would best represent our objectives and design focus. We focused on the way lamination will help develop the way the curve would bend, according to the natural way plywood itself will bend, and focused instead on looking for a design that can present the our ideas of the natural bending of plywood, with its material properties the best. Closely sticking to the exploration and design largely based on the material properties of plywood was challenging, as it really limits the extent our design could go to, having to always constantly revert ourselves back to how much plywood can bend naturally, and setting that as our constraints in our design. From previous research and material testing with regards to how much the wood can be bent, we came up with a conclusion and a decision
to use plywood, and with its properties, how it can inform and be what our design circles around. The technique of lamination will then be added on strategically and specifically to produce an effect that brings the design into a particular direction that will really push how we can use the effect of computational aided device to further inform and develop our design. We know that from previous laminations tests, the results were constant and thus the materiality of veneer did give us a good and stable result that was reliable. The lamination experiments have proven to be successful in terms of making each strips itself stronger, with more layers added to support and stiffen the veneer strips used as a prototype. Through this technique, and with the aid of Grasshopper as a plug in on Rhino, we wanted as a group to be able to use it and evolve into producing a design that can respond to the context, client and people of Wyndham City. 79
Design Exploration translation factor 0 50 100 150 0
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The point attractor was something that we have been basing our design upon, one that comes closer at it goes towards a point, and as it spreads further out from a point, it will in the same way also spread out more. We felt this method related best to our concept of wanting design that not only opens up as it goes away from the main source. This resulted From a matrix of explorations, using the skills learnt from Case Study 1.0 and 2.0, we were then able to work out and explore around, playing with a few ideas of experimentations leading on to our final design. With the few ideas, we wanted to look at how different strips could be put together to achieve and
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provoke different responses. As our explorations progressed on, Sketch Design 1 was based on the idea of an increasing in size of the panels as the tunnel went along. However, this design did not produce the effects we had in mind of fluidity, and thus Sketch Design 2 was developed, based on the idea of the triangulated panels being curved rather than straight, but still it was a problem with having to think of how the structure and panels would stand on its own, as we want a structure that isn’t heated and moulded into that particular shape.
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Sketch deisgn 3 was similar, using the idea of rectangular strips to eliminate the idea of the PROTOTYPE TEST B triangulated faces. sharpness produced with Finally, Sketch design 4 was based on the idea of how the amount of bent could be controlled with the amount of pull and force applied onto each strip, giving it much flexibility and allowing us to be able to control exactly how much and where each strip bends, with the use of lamination around the parts we want it to be straight. However, different from the Case Studies we 1 have done before, these could not be done on grasshopper directly by changing the inputs as we had to think behind every design sketch,
and make sure that they were in sync with what plywood as a material could do, based on knowledge gathered from previous material tests. Sketch design 5, 6 and 7 were developed after much consultation with our tutors, and we decided 2 to focus on the idea of fluidity and continuity as a sculpture. These sketch designs are based largely on the idea of one strip of veneer, bending and twisting at specific places to produce an effect we wanted, and Sketch Design 7 was the design that we followed our final design closely upon.
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Prototype A
RESEARCH DESIGN MATRIX
sketch design 1
Prototype A was tested, with bending the veneer attached onto a string, and with different forces applied to it, we were able to look at how the veneer would bend this way. This gave us very interesting results to work with, because of the flexibility of veneer that could be tested, and compared to previous tests, with a point force. This was one factor we decided to use in our final design, the idea of a point force.
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sketch design 2
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Prototype B was a possible way we could fabricate our model, based on the idea of cutting the strip at different places and then using the natural forces of the strips itself to stabilize it in place. Section 1 of prototype B was to be drilled into the ground (in the case of the prototype glued) and because the end of section 1 has a tendency to want to move downwards, section 2, which is the strip itself, counters this force with the upward force as a result of the bending moment in section2. Combined together, this will achieve quite outstanding results, of a smooth and curve that could be
easily shaped and bent at different degrees based on the placement and size of section 1 directly. However, this was limiting in that it ‘did not push the boundaries of what plywood or veneer in this prototype version could do’. We then looked into other fabrication and construction methods that would be able to stretch and push the boundaries of veneer. We then developed it into the idea of having a continuous strip on the top, and breaking it into parts to be laminated on the bottom.
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0.3.3 FINAL DESIGN
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Therefore, our final design was based on a continuous strip of plywood, bent and curved as a single whole strip. The idea was that it could give a sense of continuity and flow, of dynamism and because of its peculiar design;
it would be able to draw attention and interest in the design. This final design grows in the amount of curvature as one move along it, towards Wyndham City and creates a sense of ‘opening-up’. 85
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The design was then put back into Grasshopper, where we used computational techniques to test out the different curvatures within our design, and from there we were then able to modify it, as to ensure that the design will work according to how much plywood can bend. In Grasshopper, we used back the same gradient curve, but this time simply plugging our model into it directly. This results in a series of bands and colours, similarly, where there is red it showed breaking point and where the green and yellow parts are, those are the areas that plywood could be bent into. With this in mind, we then laminated the green and yellow parts, with three and two layers of lamination, because they were the straighter parts of the design, and ultimately the parts where laminating could be done, and known for sure
that it will not affect or cause more breakage to the structure. For the red coloured areas, and the dark yellow areas, there is little or no lamination done to ensure that those areas could be bent to its maximum potential and lamination is not done to increase stiffness in those particular spots. Grasshopper allowed an easy manipulation of inputs and outputs in our design, and from this computational device we were then able to achieve our result we know is reliable, because of the pretests on the computer itself. The coloured gradient on the Grasshopper definition is based on two parameters, one that was the amount of bending plywood as a material could withstand. Based on a prototype, it was measured to be the small scale version of what the final model scale might be like. 91
0.3.4 TECTONIC ELEMENTS
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The design includes 10 strips of plywood, laminated at different areas along the strip to produce different bending effects. The width, distance and curvature of the strips increase as one moves along the sculpture, suggesting a sense of building up and a welcoming sense of invitation to the observer. The strips are then laminated to one another with a joining piece of veneer at the bends, so to ensure and to achieve the look and feeling of continuity and flow within the structure. The lamination and the entirety of the structure will be made from the same material and colour of plywood, and sanded down to produce a smooth effect from both inside and outside, creating a sense of singleness and fluidity. With the fabrication of the 1:50 model, we positioned the laminates such that we could number and easily locate their positions before laying them out and sending them to the fablab to be cut. After cutting, the pieces were then glued to one another and the model pushed inwards to produce the final stand up shape. The fabrication of the design on the site itself will be a very similar process, with the strips pre-fabricated and brought on site, then laminated into the adjoining piece, before the layers are bolted onto the gravel concrete ground, ensuring that the bolts reach down to adequate solid foundation. Our structure really requires very little on-site materials, except for the construction and lamination of pieces off-site. The rest of the sculpture depends entirely upon the bolts that will hold down the curved edges of the sculpture, allowing the whole design to act in tension, and giving the curve, the bend its very own style and very much based on the material performance of plywood itself. Maintenance of the sculpture will be almost non-existent, as the structure will be made up of plywood that is resistant to water, thus mould formation.
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The Model will sit on site B, where it invites the users into Wyndham City, and makes best use of the sun rising and sun setting positions, creating an interesting effect in the play of shadows that will be observed passing through at different times of the day. On site B, it utilizes the area best, as it will provide both a welcoming and inviting experience for people passing into Wyndham city. The different type and sun shadowing effect throughout the day in Melbourne is also mapped out by a tool on Rhino itself, and the results are shown on the left.
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There will be an interesting effect in the use and play with lights and shadows throughout the day, as shown in the images. In the night, the effect will be more towards the glow of light, that we envision will be equally striking, when the dark and long highway gets a sudden soft glow of structure. This will create even more interest and sparks curiosity within drivers and viewers from the other side of the road alike. We initially thought of the idea of using fibre optical cables that will be able to give a different feel and effect at night, but then scraped that idea, staying true to our pure use of the basic material of plywood. The photo montage on the right shows show we predict the design will look like at night, with primarily of the lights coming from cars driving through and passing by the surroundings, creating it in itself a shadow and a structure that can be seen as the lights from cars shine on the structure at night.
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0.3.5 FURTHER DEVELOPMENT Axonometric drawing of the layers for the further design development old lamination
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From the final review feedback we got, we realized the amount of flaws that our model had. It not only lacked the reliability of how it looked like on screen, it seemed to be very different an outcome from what we had expected. Looking back and reviewing our design, we then realized the few flaws we had when we were developing and constructing our design. Thus, increasing the fidelity of our technique into our design, we then first went back to thinking of how the laminated areas could be adjusted, from just merely following the lofted line to form the shapes, we straightened out the lines so that the curve will not tend to lean to the right or left as a result of the slanted edges of lamination, but be more of one that is straight. We also increase the amount of lamination within our strips, allowing the areas we wanted to be straight to really work out as straight sections. We also adjusted the way each piece was laminated. Previously before, the lamination was based on colours on the grasshopper
definition, but then the stacks of laminations were roughly glued next to each other, creating a point of weakness in between each stack of lamination. We improved on this lamination method, by creating contours of the layers of lamination, such that there isn’t a point of weakness between each different thicknesses, and also allows the smooth transition between the colour gradients on grasshopper, increasing the number of laminations also to allow the reliability of our technique. The colours on our grasshopper definition was also increased to provide more clarity and precision in the transition between different colours. This axonometric sketch shows the way we did our final touch up prototype, using an increased amount of laminations and adjusted shape of laminations to increase the dependability of our technique of lamination.
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Pieces are laser cut
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The pieces are then bent into place, marked on its spot on the ground then glue-gunned into place 101
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Similarly The result of our design that was pushed further was one that was really interesting, and one we really liked. Not only did it stand up straighter and more firmly, it proved to be structurally more stable, and the curves did line up nicely without leaning to the left of right, due to the where we laminated and how the lamination was done. The result of a 5
layer lamination was thus proven more successful, however more consideration had to be done to the amount of layers, as we found 5 to be most optimum, and any more would cause the veneer to bend less, and overall be more rigid, and it might snap because of that pressure. 103
The laminations on the design will be sanded down, to achieve a look that is of continuity. Therefore this will be the new way of construction method that we will be using in our design, producing a spectacular and impressive structure that will not only stand out both in the day and night, it will be a structure that Wyndham City can have a sense of on-going interest and reflection, create the feeling of longevity in its appeal and steps forward as a design that not only sits as a metaphor of change, but one that achieves results and produces effects that plywood could be developed into. It is subtle and simple in the way it looks, but then there is so much more to the complexity in research and experimentation that has gone to it, creating a sense of welcoming and encapsulating effect for drivers going into 104
Wyndham city. With the focus of material performance and the idea of a dynamic and responsive outcome, our design did achieve and experience of building up and dynamism that came with the experience of continuity and the different responses to the sculpture, based on individual experiences and knowledge about the material and the area of parametric designs. By creating something that opens up and builds up toward the city, it creates the effect of a new future, a new perspective and a hopeful frontier of change. Our technique has proved that it really informed and through many different tries and alterations done, it has produced aesthetic outcomes, with complex performance behaviours that really brough the design to a whole new level.
Our final design did answer our initial ideas and goals, of a design that will not only stand in contrast to the surroundings, it also acts as a metaphor for both the city as a city that has much room for growth and change, and the different perspectives given to the area of parametric design. Do parametric designs always have to be linked to concrete or steel? Do they always have to be related to manipulation of materials into ways that are not of its nature? Our design proved that even just relying on the basic properties of (in this case plywood), the same effect can be achieved and it is possible to achieve the same effects of what parametric design does. We are positive that our design is innovative, using the simple idea of a continuous strip of plywood, but manipulating it in a way that doesn’t change its material natural properties, yet create an inspiring,
eye catching and influential installation, that can provoke different responses from viewers at different times of the day and even at night. Although our design is not perfect and still has room to improve, with every other design, we believe that this is the right path into looking for a design that is in line with what the brief was asking for, and I am confident that with more time to research and make even more developments and improvements, we could achieve a design that Wyndham City cannot easily refuse, one that sits in the city’s vision of “creating a healthy, safe, vibrant, proud community while respecting our environment”
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0.3.6 LEARNING OBJECTIVES/ OUTCOMES
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Throughout this whole course, I personally have learnt a lot. From the beginning, from knowing nothing about computer programming within Rhino, to now where I can fully be able to conceptualise a design, then research and put it onto Grasshopper where the result is a design that can be easily adjusted and modified simply with changing inputs and outputs from the grasshopper parameters. I have been able to fully explore the impact of what computation does on architectural design, and how it is changing the way architectural design in this world is done. This subject has opened up my knowledge on what form making processes and form developing processes were like, and what they are developing to become. I do feel that digital technology has been very influential on our creativity and our whole design process from the start to where we are at now of this project. With such computation techniques and approaches learnt in this studio, I am confident that I will be able to reapply this to other studios and other projects in the future with what I have learnt. The other objectives of Studio AIR was to first be able to interrogate a brief, and to us, it was to understand the way the brief was given to us, and how we were going to answer it using digital technologies. Generating a variety of design possibilities to a given solution was seen in the matrix and design explorations that we did, with the help of algorithmic design and parametric modelling used to help us define the way we search for a suitable design that worked for us. I was then able to learn much skills in different 3D media, by using plug-ins of the plug-in Grasshopper, like Lunchbox and Kangaroo, and to realise that there is so much tools and technically advanced computational programmes out there can really stretch and push your creativity and design thinking. From fabricating and making the actual model, I was then able to understand how different physi-
cal models are from the ones seen on screen, and there were quite a number of technical issues and things that had to be dealt with in the atmosphere. I was also taught about constructing persuasive arguments, focusing on the discourse we had, to be able to critically think and continually make adjustments and fine tune our technique. With the help of precedents, I was able to understand and analyse different projects, how they relate, how they are successful and how they can be of useful tools in terms of a dictionary of knowledge building up to my design. Lastly, it was the computational geometry, data structures and programming that I really enjoyed in this course. Previously in the first 6 weeks, where all we did was to play around and understand Grasshopper, but then throughout all these I would never have guessed that even computational programmes can map out curvature, test bending moments and even contain physics and math equations that can alter and shape different designs and outcomes. Thus, with this in mind, AIR studio has really prepared and shaped me for the future of an Architecture student and Architect, as I am now capable of learning programmes, researching for materials and reapplying this knowledge to subsequent projects in the future. I will definitely still continue learning and expanding my knowledge of Grasshopper, its plug-ins and Rhino as a software, to build up my computer knowledge vocabulary that will bring me along for a long time to come. I would also like to thank my group members, Yun Yun Ling and Benjamin Er, and my Studio Tutors, Michael and David, who has all been of very supportive group mates and studio leaders to work with, making this course and process much more enjoyable, and an experience that I will never forget. 107
References: 30. Pavilion/ EmTech (AA) + ETH , by Alison Furuto, published 31 March 2012, http://www.archdaily.com/221650/pavilion-emtech-aa-eth/
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