Digital Design - Portfolio Semester 1, 2018 Jonathan Stathy
914203 Xiaoran Huang | Studio 8
Content:
04
Precedent Study
06
Generating Design Through Digital Processes
20
Queen Victoria Garden Pavilion
jstathy@student.unimelb.edu.au
Education:
Reflection:
2017 - current Bachelor of Design 2016 Graduated, Scotch College, Adelaide
I have greatly developed my digital thinking skills and technical ability during this semester in Digital Design. I was greatly motivated to frequently improve my Digital representation abilities on Grasshopper and Rhino during the semester. It was rewarding to produce something on the computer that was customisable and have it fabricated in its final form. I particularly enjoyed learning how to create my own scripts on grasshopper.
Awards / Exhibition: 2017
FOD:R Exhibition, AFLK Gallery
2016 University of Adelaide First year end of Semester exhibition (Semester One and Two)
Skills: Rhino Grasshopper Unreal Photoshop Illustrator Indesign
I aspire to better develop my technical abilities in Digital Design through technologies, such as real-time rendering and virtual reality. This is because they allow me to showcase my designs as well as my skills on the computer. I believe that I can improve my visuaal representation skills on Illustrtator and the Adobe suite for future studios.
Diagramming Design Precedent Precedent Study: Isometric Diagrams I started by modelling the general shape of the pavilion. I used Interp Curves and the rebuild command with control points to generate the overal slab and roof shape using the provided plans. Next, I scaled themodel with the assistance of tools on NearMap. I measured the length of the site at Hyde Park and compared it with the size of a line on Rhino, scaling the cutout and slab accordingly. I, further, added the columns to create an average diameter of 50mm, as per the technical drawing provided by the precedent I sourced information online through research where I learned that each column had a different height. From here, I found the height of each column, as well as the size of the pannels. That is, the height of the columns ranged anywhere from 1000 to 3500mm, while the panels had a dimension of 1500 by 3000mm. This was reproduced in Rhino, where I allocated points at their respective heights in order to quickly generate the columns in the design. These points were later used in order to generate a “patch” which emulated the topography of the pavilion’s roof. On the other hand, the panels were generated by projecting an array created from a series of 1500 by 3500 rectangles. Meanwhile, I used the images from the precedent study to approximate the height of the screens as well as the form of gravel landscaping which act as major facilitators of thresholds in the design. Overall, images of the Pavilion’s structural and landscaping elements, acted as the key concept of the precedent study and facilitated the thresholds in my reproduction. They identified SANAA’s strategic placement of pathways and gravel to facilitate a directional circulation of pedestrians throughout the design. Whereas, the glass curtain walls and lowlying end of the pavillion facilitated spaces of privacy and intimacy.
MODULE 2
Generating Ideas Through Process (Task 1)
Generating Ideas Through Process
Iterations The final result created a hexagonal pattern using two scripts which were run to create the design surface. The opposite side incorporated an attractor curve to create a dynamic panelling. Whereas the first side referred to earlier, adopted the shape and directionality of the surface which were complemented by the attractor curve.
Experiment 1
Chosen Loft
1.2
2.2
2.3
Loft Experiment 3
3.3
Experiment 3
Loft Experiment 2
1.4
3.2
Experiment 2
Loft Experiment 1
1.3
3.1
2.4
3.4
Experiment 4
Task 02 Matrix
2.1
Paneling
Paneling Grid & Attractor Curve
Lofts
1.1
The whale bone waffle structure which provides the platform for the external design patterns was crucial to my overall design. It informed the hexagonal panels by creating a broad dynamic framework, and it heavily influenced the oppposite triangular panels, as thos panels more closely followed the contour of the structure. The waffle structure comprises two flipped identical surfaces that emulate a sweeping motion from the bottom right corner to its top left corner. This is also reflected in the panneling design. The interor of the waffle structure along the horizontal part of the waffles has been filleted to create a smooth interior which can be viewed from above.
For the waffle structure, the FabLab ran out of the mountboard required to cut it. I purchased my own mountboard but it was .0.5 mm thicker than the ordinary stock held by the fab lab. As a result, to ensure the waffle structure was properly scaled, I needed to alter my initial Grashopper script to accommodate for the new scale (and size of the slot holes). I initially opted for an intricate design with more panneling, similar to the finaly-produced hexagonal structure. Unfortunately, after testiing how the shape woudl work I determined it would be too small to produce. Accoridngly, it would have been difficult to fabricate.
I used a script that allowed me to experiment with two different styles of geometric forms on my surfaces. These allowed me to develop the complexity of my surfaces.
Generating Ideas Through Process
Grasshopper
I chose to develop a simpler iteration of the bottom right paneling experiment in order to generate this hexagonal facade. On the other hand, I developed the attractor curve in 2.1 and applied it to my design on the opposing side. Both of these options facilitated iterations that I believed would be practical in shape and scale to fabricate.
MODULE 2
Generating Ideas Through Process (Task 2)
The 2D isometric view considers the distribution of centroid grids as well as the distribution of each boolean segment. I finally settled an oval shape of an array of boolian segment differences inside the cube. I considered a polar arranged but I appreciated how my chosen design focused on the centralised placement of each spehere. the model is a static model but I wanted to emphasise the placement of each boolean difference by using a negative attractor point which repelled each boolean sphere from the centre of the cube, and emphasised that movement.
In the process, I also considered what each space may represent, its scale and considered how each spehere could be functional - a private space. Perhaps for study, eating or even a network of offices in a commercial structure. Alternatively, it might also be a reference to open public space which transition to smaller private spaces for individual consumption.
2.1
Sphere Transformation
1.1
Sphere Distribution
Grid Points
Grid Manipulation
Attractor / Control Curves
3.1
Chosen Loft
Experiment 1
Experiment 1
1.2
2.2
3.2
Loft Experiment 1
Experiment 2
1.3
2.3
3.3
Loft Experiment 2
Experiment 3
Experiment 3
1.4
2.4
3.4
Loft Experiment 3
Experiment 4
Experiment 4
Experiment 2
Centroid Script
Here, I attempted to experiment with the distribution of the centroids and interior grid of the structure to create a range of boolean shapes inside a cube. I considered my design in the context of real life scale and I aimed to create a design which avoided an “open space�theme. I therefore began to consider how my design might incorproate private realms for private interactions.
Generating Ideas Through Process
Grasshopper
Final 3D Print Submission for Task 2. The 3D Print was simple and achieved without any issues.
MODULE 3
Queen Victoria Garden Pavilion: “Infinity”
Queen Victoria Gardens Pavilion The Infinity Pavilion
The final Pavillion was created to sit on the site so that an elevated mound would lead into its central part. The notion was that the speaker would stand on the mound and present on it, to the audience below. On the other hand, this may also be performed for performances. For example, an orchestra could sit inside the Pavillion, performing to a surrounding croud. I was especially attracted to the effect that the Pavillion would have inside the park. Rather than masking the sound, the openings in the structure would allow music to flow out of it, unintruded, like a wind instrument. The space inside facilitates its own ergonomic seating area, and the floor is covered by a thin layer of glazing.
The Infinity Pavilion
Iterative Process: Solar Analysis
My iterations were driven by the solar analysis I performed on the structure using Heliotrope. This involved the use of an attractor point to govern where the holes opened up more on one side, compared to the other. Where the mesh glows red, it receives more solar insulation on an annuallised basis. As opposed to those areas which are lighter in colour. This largely influenced my design decision concerning the placement of the holes.
The 3D printing process was difficult because of the amount of infill material requried by the machine, to construct the model successfully. This significantly impacted the time that it would take to print the model and I had to work within the time limit assigned for this process. As a result, I used a mesh split script on Grashopper. This allowed me to make an accurate section cut to scale and print a part of the Pavillion.
Interior view of the pavilion, highlighting the twisted nature of the Mobius form and its ergonomic potential.
The script above governed the general starting shape for the Pavillion. I initially used a circle, in order to create a 3D closed mobius strip Pavillion. However, I believed an arc shape would create better thresholds within the design and open it up as a Pavillion.
The script above facilitated the twisting form of the half mobius form. Using the number sliders, I was able to control the kink in the Pavillion, which influenced the interior ergonomic form of the Pavillion.
This part of the script (hole variation) was essential to my iterative design process, as it allowed me to play with the porosity of the structure. This was essential to the design corresponding to the solar analysis. The function on the right, facilitated the thickness of the structure, as well as the circular shape of the holes. This was achieved Weaverbird’s mesh thicken function. The script on the bottom was a mesh script function used to cut a hole in the middle of the structure, and it also allowed me to create a section cut of the design for 3D printing.
*It is important to note that the script was disabled in these images, as it could not be captured while enabled without crashing Rhinoceros.
The solar analysis scripts analysed solar irradiance, as well as shadow, based on the location of the Pavillion and weather data. A bubble called ‘sun angles’ was found on-line as a pre-programmed Python script which would accurately inform the rest of my solar analyis script based on the input weather and location data. The insulation analysis was achieved by baking a mesh input from which several thousand vectors would input for the calculation of insolation against each side of the Pavillion. A gradient function was finally used to visually represent the solar irradiation of the structure.