CHINA-METRICREALIZING NEW FRONTIERS IN A FOREIGN LAND
It may be difficult to conclude the impact parametric methodology of design has on architecture in China. Accounting half of the world’s concrete and a third of steel, China is currently in its twelve “five-year plan” with unprecedented investment over numerous ambitious projects. The pace, scale and complexity of projects required a more computational workflow in a 3D- interactive environment. Spending approximately $375 billion on construction annually, cities like Shanghai, Beijing and Hong Kong has place themselves firmly on the world architecture map with breath-taking architecture master pieces like CCTV, Shanghai Tower, Olympic Stadium, West Kowloon Terminus, etc. The planning, design, fabrication, construction and management of such projects are extremely complex undertaking that involve multiple stakeholders and consultants. To communicate idea accurately, holistically and quickly, experience alone is inadequate. Smarter 3D design tools and efficient system of information
communication becomes a necessity in such projects. Under this circumstances, fluency in computational skills are being seriously consider as a vital ability of an architect. The ability to communicate ideas in 3D, to describe complex geometry with setting out document, understanding of the logic of programming, to manage a computational workflow, to elaborate a BIM standard, execute sequencing in 4D modeling, special visualization ability like rendering and 3D printing, etc. Digital tools in this computational age have favor films that are able to adopt to continuously reinvent their workflow. To push the urgency of the matter, The formation of Digital community and the China BIM standard under the China Institute of Architect has formally put parametric, BIM and similar aspect of computational design into an institutional recognized position. As an educator and practitioner myself, I believe it is both necessary and unavoidable that design technologies like parametric, BIM, 3D printing, advance fabrication techniques, etc would ultimately replace and change the game of design. Through sharing of west Kowloon terminus, a project Sam previously responsible for as Head of Parametric in Aedas and a recent research project, the Generative Bamboo House, Sam collaborated as Director of Advance Architecture Lab in HuaZhong University of Science and Technology, this short presentation would like to bring you one step closer to the world of parametric in the land of the red dragon.