JOURNAL architecture design studio: air 2012
Judit Zomer • 598298
06 innovation.
ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE
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Me 08 Experience in digital architecture 09 Previous studio work 10 Architecture I love 12
COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE
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The opportunity of computational architecture 16 Examples within a discourse 18
PARAMETRIC MODELLING
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24 cut case study.
Examples within the parametric discourse 20
GROUP ARGUMENT
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Personal experience so far 26 Biomimicry 27
CUT CASE STUDY 1.0
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Examples within the biomimicry discourse 28
CUT CASE STUDY 2.0
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44 eoi.
Rebuilding process 36 Matrix 38 Outcome and the design 40 Reflection 42
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MID SEMESTER REVIEW
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50 gateway project.
SITE
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STRUCTURE
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ELEMENTS
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SHAPE
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END SEMESTER REVIEW
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Bibliography 68
CONTENTS. 05
Grass • hop • per /'gras häper/ A plant-eating insect (family ' Acrididae, order Orthoptera) with long hind legs that are used for jumping and for producing a chirping sound. e
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INNOVATION. 07
I am an architecture student in my third year at the University of Technology Delft. I was born and raised in the Netherlands but as of July 2012, I live and study in Melbourne to broaden my horizon and enjoy architecture at the other side of the world. Besides architecture, I am interested in graphic and furniture design. Other hobbies include playing ports (tennis, korfball, volleyball, running, skiing and snowboarding), shopping and travelling.
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ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE
In the Bachelor degree of Architecture in Delft, students are introduced to digital architecture in three ICT subjects. So far I have completed two of them and in these I have started to learn how to use the software Maya, AutoCad, Rhinoceros and Grasshopper. So far I have had a hard time incorporating computer software in my design process. One of the reasons, I think, is that I was first introduced to digital architecture by Maya. While I think Maya is a wonderful program for rendering, I believe it is difficult for modelling your design because dimensions are relative rather than absolute and the interface is just so overwhelming - especially for a beginner in digital architecture software. Finding Maya so hard to understand, I developed my drawing skills instead and by now I only use the computer for creating plans, sections and detailing in AutoCad. Another reason for not incorporating the use of the computer in my design process, is that I generally enjoy the look of a drawn perspective more than a 3D rendered image. The only programs I do frequently turn to are the Adobe Creative Suite ones. I use Photoshop, Illustrator and Indesign to make my drawings just that bit more presentable and neatly organise them for presentation panels. In Studio Air, however, I would like to make a brandnew start with digital architecture and explore how it can help me in designing buildings. What I mean by that is, that as present, I only see computer software as means to generate images of how my design would like AFTER I finish the design. And since I actually prefer the feel of hand drawings, I didn’t see the use of programs like Maya and Rhino for me personally up until now. I am curious to learn how digital software can help my smooth out my design process, lead to different design decisions, undiscovered possibilities and maybe even a wholly different design aesthetic.
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BRIEF
Design Studio 1: House and Settlement
The design of a little neighbourhood of 10 houses and the development of one of these houses including a studio and garden. Focus is the link of this dwelling to its new neighbourhood and a close relationship to public space, other parts of the city and the natural surroundings. Spatial design is aimed towards finding the right relation between program and context.
DESIGN I tried to incorporate the famous nearby
dunes in both the urban and architectural design. The houses are ‘randomly’ placed on the site, ensuring private gardens for each. The house is open plan and is supposed to feel spacious and ‘exciting’ because of the different volumes protruding in and out of the main glass box and the bridge connecting these rooms.
BRIEF
Design Studio 3: City and Housing
Design Studio 2: Building and Construction BRIEF The design of an exhibition centre on an
artificial island used as a deposit of silt pollution. Focus is the handling/use of site specifications like smell, the absence of a direct connection to the mainland etcera. The main structure, key details (window frames, joining of beams and columns etc.) and climate design are also to be designed and calculated for feasibility. Sustainability is important.
DESIGN
In this studio I came up with a design concept and tried to make it visible in all levels of detail. The building is to be a metaphor for the site it is on: an absolute shape which encloses a ‘dirty’, fluid substance. In the end this came to 4 large concrete rectangular slabs on different levels in which an organic object was randomly placed enclosing the actual exhibition space within.
Design Studio 4: Small Public Building
The transformation of a former industry site to a residential area. Focus is the understanding of the relation between the ‘urban’ – morphology of the city – and the ‘architectural’ – typology of the residential buildings. The new area is to respond adequately to the varied characters of the adjacent neighbourhoods, to be easily accessible and to integrate different living environments with suitable building typologies. Sustainability is key.
BRIEF
DESIGN
I didn’t want to ‘undermine’ the existing building which is, I think, quite beautiful and majestic. Therefore I tried to apply a similar typology for the new wing but execute it in a more modern way. The final result is a large corridor in which the lecturehall and library are placed as objects with a different scale, form and facade material.
The design focuses on a central axis which points in the direction of the famous landmarks of the older, inner city close by. Another key was the remaining of the old industrial buildings on the site and incorporate them in the plan by using them to divide different building typologies and living environments.
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Design of an extension for the Faculty of Architecture in Delft which includes a library and lecture-hall. Focus is the divide between a more functional and architectural approach to design. Building costs, managing aspects and the detailed and extensive desirable program are important in the design process and should be integrated with the ideas and wishes of the architect.
DESIGN Because the final design is an extension,
ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE
innovation.
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ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE
Of all the achievements of the famous modernists of the twentieth century like Corbusier, Aalto and Frank Lloyd Wright, I like the Farnsworh House (1945-1951) by Mies van der Rohe the best. The house is a one-room weekend retreat of 140 m2 situated near the the city of Plano, Illinois, US on a private, secluded site. This design especially speaks to me because of its integration with nature. The glass walls spanning from floor to ceiling ensure a full view of the surrounding woods and the large and fragmented terrace leading up to the entrance makes for a less defined distinction between inside and out. The house also seems less invasive of the site because it is raised 1,5 m above the ground, making it seem even lighter and more airy. This is not for aesthetics alone, the house is situated on river banks which are occasionally flooded. I believe choosing to place the design here instead of on ‘safer ground’ higher up makes the house even more a part of the natural conditions of the surroundings. Another aspect I like is that the ‘weightlessness’ look of the exterior of the design is continued inside by its open plan living. The kitchen and other utilies are situated in a core placed off-centre in the plan making the rest of the room a fluid space free to organize in any way one would like. The resulting flexibility and spaciousness is something I try to realise in my own designs as well.
Something I really appreciate about this design by by Mies van der Rohe is its ‘honesty’ and ‘clarity’. What you see is what you get, less is more and the construction of 8 thin steel columns supporting the concrete floor and ceiling slabs is visible, practical but also part of the overall concept. I think Farnsworth House is a interesting piece of architecture to consider when thinking about digital architecture. Obviously, being built almost 60 years ago, the house is designed by hand, without any help from computer software. And by looking at it, this seems very do- able; it looks simple. I think, however, to make a simple design like this look clean and beautiful, detailing like window frames, joining of beams etcera have to be extra carefully designed to avoid them interfering the bigger visual effect Using computer software to quickly try different variations of these aspects in the design might turn out to be quite helpful. You obviously don’t need a computergenerated 3D model to imagine how a raised, glass box would look like in real life. However, because of the easy zooming in and out features of this kind of software, it seems to be a perfect way to see how little details like different window frames affect the appearance of the design as a whole. I don’t think architects should strive for complicated buildings just because it is possible to create them in computer software, but instead, these kind of programs can be used to perfect more simple designs as well.
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An architect I have only recently discovered but really admire the work of is Glenn Murcutt. His design philosophy actually draws quite a bit of similarities with Mies van der Rohe’s. Both highly regard the relationship to nature and properties of the site and both are known for their influence on their homeland architectural culture (Australia and the US respectively). I think Murcutt takes the integration with nature-aspect even further than Mies van der Rohe, his main objective being “to touch the earth lightly”. Murcutt’s buildings are true examples of vernacular designs and incorporate Australian traditions, sustainable measures and natural resources where Mies van der Rohe is more famous for his use of glass and steel and the exploration of these new technologies. “A building should be able to open up and say, ‘I am alive and looking after my people,’ or instead, ‘I’m
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closed now, and I’m looking after my people as well.’ This to me is the real issue, buildings should respond. They should open and close and modify and remodify, and blinds should turn and open and close, open a little bit without complication. That is a part of architecture for me; all this makes a building live.” One of the designs of Murcutt I like, is the pritzker price winning Simpson-Lee House of 19891994. The residential building is found on Mt Wilson and works with the local environment while capturing majestic views of the surroundings. The house is oriented to face NE, sheltering from cold W/SW winds. The treatment of materials and construction techniques try to mimic the filtering of light through foliage, characteristic of the Australian bush. Elements like the louvred north face (completely restractable) emphasise the intimate relationship between buiding and landscape.
ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE
Water is collected from the roof and used for drinking water and to flush toilets. Excess water is stored in a reflecting pool which also serves as a water supply in case of bush fire (note, sprinklers are located on the roof, not in the building). Lighting and ventilation is easily controlled with the North-East wall which can be closed from view or completely opened. The blinds on the exterior of the house block the hot summer sun outside of the building envelope, so the heat never makes it into the house. Mies van der Rohe’s and Murcutt’s ‘clear’ architecture is something I am starting to appreciate more and more now I am getting bored with the flashy architecture which seems to be the norm of our time. I think this growing dislike is something interesting to explore in relation to me studying digital architecture. If one takes for example the work of Libeskind, Gehry and Zaha Hadid, I think their
designs are hugely depended on computer software. The kind of shapes they use, how they combine them, intersect them; it is so complex, you have to design these kind of buildings in 3D. They are hard to describe with just plans and sections. I am therefore curious how these kind of architects work; what is their design process like? How do their first sketches look? These are the kind of questions I ask myself and I like to see answered this semester in studying digital architecture. How do their first ideas relate to the final 3D digitally designed outcome? When and how did they switch from sketching the first outlines to modeling them on the computer? How do you start modelling and editing curves, surfaces and solids when they seem to be based on some random lines on paper? And what can the role of architecture design software be in my own design process which tries to steer away from these kind of shapes?
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Besides the obvious advantages of using computer software in the design process like the exploration of new shapes, visualisation & presentation and speeding along and smoothing out the design process (repetition, variations are easier and faster to create by computer than hand, fabrication), I believe the biggest opportunity of computational architecure is its role in designing sustainable architecture. Especially parametric design seems very useful in designing facades which can react on the environment like wind and sun conditions and so, regulate climate design in a environmentfriendly way. When the facade of a building, for example, becomes more open or closed according to sunexposure, less air conditioning/heating is required which means lower energy bills. In other words, adaptive architecture.
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There are already numerous examples of designs across the world in which weather responsive building skins are applied. A common example is the use of louvres adjustable according to sunangles but other, more advanced techniques have already been used as well. I think the Media-TIC building by Cloud 9 architects in Barcelona is an interesting example. The two facades who receive the most sun, are cladded with special EFTE components which can be inflated with air/nitrogen which create a shade effect/filter the sun like a cloud respectively and keep the heat outside of the building. Instead of adaptive architecture, computational architecture design can, for example, also be used to optimise material use, minimising waste and achieve more sustainable design in this manner.
COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE
innovation.
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COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE
Another example of computational architecure I appreciate, though part of another discourse entirely (non-euclidian geometry), is the Norwegian Wild Reindeer Centre Pavilion by Snohetta Oslo AS of 2011. The 90m2 building is located on the outskirts of Dovrefjell National Park, overlooking the Snøhetta mountain massif and serves as an observation pavilion. This unique natural, cultural and mythical landscape has formed the basis of the architectural idea. The building design is based on a rigid outer shell and an organic inner core. Considerable emphasis is put on the quality and durability of the materials to withstand the harsh climate. The rectangular frame is made in raw steel resembling the iron found in the local bedrock. What I think is interesting about this design in the digital discourse is its use of material and the
the production process. Wood is not the most obvious material to work with when designing curved (or even double-curved) surfaces and while wood has been used in multiple non-euclidian projects before (mostly in the form of plywood sheets), this design is build from pine timber beams. To be able to do so, not only the design itself is modelled with the help of computer software, also the fabrication process makes use of intensive software programming. Using digital 3D-models to drive the milling machines, local Norwegian shipbuilders created the organic shape from the beams. The wood was then assembled in a traditional way using only wood pegs as fasteners. This mix of modern techniques and local traditions makes the building, according to me very interesting. A remark could be that this way of using wood in the design is quite wasteful..
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In Mapungubwe, located on South Africa’s northern border with Botswana and Zimbabwe, Peter Rich has designed a 1,500 m2 Mapungubwe Interpretation Centre (2012) which includes exhibition spaces and offices. The key aspect of the design are a series of stone cladded, self-supportive vaults. The vaults have been designed using a 600 years old construction system based on compression alone, most familiar to us by Gaudi’s design of the Sagrada Familia. This way of construction is low on economical and environmental impact and does not requite any steel reinforcement. In this particular case, stone vaults also created local labor and set in motion a poverty relief program by training men to produce the over 200,000 tiles necessary in the construction of the domes. The design of the vaults was done by using Thrust Network Analysis (TNA), a new graphical formfinding tool for exploring three-dimensional compressiononly shapes. This new analysis/form-finding method has been introduced, developed and implemented by Philippe Block, under the guidance of Prof. John Ochsendorf, as part of his PhD dissertation at MIT. According his site, “Thrust Network Analysis was originally developed to assess the safety of historic structures in unreinforced masonry, specifically for understanding and explaining the equilibrium of
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three-dimensional vaulted structures with complex geometries. TNA allows for example the exploration of different assumptions on how forces could be travelling through the structure or the incorporation of structural discontinuities such as cracks, while visualizing the internal forces in the system in a clear manner using comprehensible force diagrams. Thrust Network Analysis is most powerful for the design of compression-only structures, particularly for structures with self-weight as dominant loading which is the case for masonry structures. The method allows you to explore different force patterns, manipulate the internal distribution of forces by interactively tweaking the force diagrams and define and constrain the design spaces. All these levels of control result in a flexible form-finding method to explore new and exciting shapes for compression-only structures. By learning from the historic masterpieces in unreinforced masonry, this method now allows new possibilities for this honest and sustainable building material, stone.” This sounds very exciting and for me, is a new way of using parametric design in high tech software is ued to renew old construction principles. However, it begs the question whether we really need a computer to calculate the shape of self-supporting domes when Gaudi has already succesfully done so 600 years ago, obviously without a laptop by his side.
PARAMETRIC MODELLING
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PARAMETRIC MODELLING
In the same light, though with an aethetically very different outcome, two students from the Kassel University completed The Kassel ‘selfsupportingframework’. In this project students Mischa Proll and Andreas Günther found a way to breath new life into a eight hundred years old construction technique called the reziprocal frame or mandala roof. The first documenting of such a framework, they claim, dates back to the twelth century when the Buddhist monk Chogen used this technique in his temple designs which still influence the dome-like architecture found in China and Japan today. A reziprocal frame work is based on short wooden joists carpentry-joined which, when consistently applied with the same beam length, profile etc., can create a self supporting dome shape. This is, in other words, a static system. Proll and Gunther, however, have developed a calculation principle wich allows the construction of almost randomly formed, highly stable surfaces using this system of carpentry-
joined joists. They found that by variating individual parameters, for example changing the joint between two wooden beams, this leads to a change in all the other connected joints as well. Varying the length of the joists and where they join turns this static system into a variable one which makes free geometric forms possible. Using computer software has shown that even when using a traditional construction technique, high complex forms can be created with wood (a renewable building material) and this is very much a technique of our time. This design fits with the growing interest of recent years in carpentry-oriented joinery. For the last few decades, the use of these kind of joinery has declined as it was too expensive compared to steel nail plates. The increased use of CNC-driven manufacturing techniques, however, makes these techniques more cost effecient again and so, argues for a revival of this sophisticated use of wood joinery for load-bearing constructions.
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Grass • hop • per /'gras häper/ A term that refers to one who is ' a novice, a greenhorn, a student, a disciple, a subordinate, or just simply ignorant. e
Has its origins from the ‘Kung Fu’ television series from the 1970s, starring David Carradine as the Shaolin priest Kwai Chang Caine. As a young student at the Shaolin temple, Caine, in his youthful ignorance, takes pity on a blind Shaolin master, believing the master’s blindness to be a terrible affliction. The master quickly corrects Caine, illustrating that despite his blindness, his awareness of the world is much higher than Caine’s - for example, the master takes notice of the grasshopper at Caine’s feet whereas Caine does not. From that moment on, the blind master befriends Caine and becomes a mentor to him. He gives Caine the nickname of ‘Grasshopper’ in an affectionate reference to this first encounter. “I’ve never used Rhino before. How do you start?” - “Ah, watch and learn, Grasshopper...”
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CUT CASE STUDY. 25
After four weeks of studying computational architecture, my opinion is defnitely not as negative as it was before I started this subject. I have come to the realisation that digital architecure is so much more than the fancy shapes and blob architecture I believed it stood for. In the examples I found, the use of computer software has really added something to the final output which otherwise would not have been possible. High tech software which actually breathes new live in forgotten or neglected techniques of the past, who would have thought. So far, I have been enjoying the use of Grasshopper immensely. I like figuring out what the different components can do and as of now, I prefer Grasshopper over more traditional modelling software like Rhino and Maya because it is seems so straightforward; input, command, output, done. I am a long way from creating an actual design in Grasshopper, let alone making full use of the possibilities and advantages of a parametric workflow, however, I am looking forward to the rest of the semester and discovering something new and exciting every day.
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GROUP ARGUMENT
We think biomimicry is a very interesting discipline within parametric architecture because mankind can learn a lot from nature. Trees, flowers and plants mostly have very effective structures which we can apply in architecture for efficient building constructions. Also, animals and plants have been able to adapt to extreme environmental conditions. In designing the climate control of a building, using the same principle for example plants use to cool down, a project will benefit of a cost and energy effective climate system. But most of all we chose biomimicry as the discourse for our design because we want our sculpture to make sense. Animals and plants don’t just have a double curve there or a useless 15 degree angle there, every part of their form has a reason and has evolved into the shape most effective for that function. Something which should be true for all architecture as well. When we take a look at the Wyndham City Gateway we can apply biomimicry in a very interesting way. At this moment Wyndham is a small suburb outside Werribee where you can find the Werribee zoo and park. It’s a pretty unknown suburb and it can be put on the map by creating a visually interesting image that will mark the start of the Great Ocean Road. As the Great Ocean Road is known for its breathtaking natural scenery, an eyecatching design derived from nature makes sense.
cut case study.
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Minister of Municipal Affairs & Agriculture building by the Aesthetics Architecture Go Group in Qatar, better The
known as the ‘cactus’ building, is famous for its ability to adapt to the dessert climate just like a cactus. The building has a few interesting aspects that we will explain, after that we will explain how we should build this model in Grasshopper. The cactus building is a great example of biomimicry in architecture because of its facade system. The hundreds of smart shades on the outside that open and close depending on the strength and direction of the sun are really fascinating and well considered. We think this is a great example of biomimicry because the designers have learned from the local nature on the site. Qatar has a very strong desert climate and by observing and learning from it
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you are able to apply its advantages in a building. The cactus is a great example of vegetation that is able to adapt really well to the hot climate. The designers used its advantages very well and created a building that has similar properties as a cactus. If we have to design a building like this in Grasshopper we have to start with the basic shape of the building. We think you have to start with a basic circle surface, after this you copy these circles and place them above each other, the space between the circles will be the storey height. After that you can change the size of the circles separately, when we have done that we can loft the several circles into the building shape. When the basic shape is build we have to design the shading elements and attach them to the shape its surface.
CUT CASE STUDY 1.0
cut case study.
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The Shadow Pavilion, which is placed in the Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, is a very interesting biomimicry project because in first instance you don’t really recognize biomimicry in the design. The pavilion by PLY Architecture consists of a lot of metal cones that are all working together to make it a self supporting structure. The reason why this pavilion is a biomimicry project is because of this self-supporting system, the structure is based on the arrangement of flowers and leaves that are using the same principle to be self-supporting. This phenomenon is called phyllotaxis; phyllotaxis is the arrangement of leaves along the plant stem. This phenomenon is not very common, that’s why in first instance people won’t recognize this as a biomimicry project. We think this design is very well considered and put together
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because all the cones are working together in the same way as the leaves of some plants are working together. Besides the self-supporting system this pavilion is special because of the second function of the cones. The cones are not only structural but they are also exaggerating the different natural elements as sunlight, wind, sound and moisture. The sunlight gets exaggerated because of the reflecting properties of the material it is made of, when the wind is going through the cones it makes a noise what implicates a stronger wind then it actually is, the same thing goes for sound as the outside sounds seem to be louder then they really are and last but not least the moisture is exaggerated because of the sound it makes when it falls on all the different cones.
CUT CASE STUDY 1.0
cut case study.
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CUT CASE STUDY 1.0
The Mangal City by Design Team Chimera harnesses biomimetic principles borrowed from a range of sources. The characteristics for this design are flexibility and adaptability. The spiraling skyscrapers structure are modeled after the complex ecosystems created by Mangrove trees. The project is an urban ecological system composed of modular pod capsules that shift to adapt to environmental and contextual conditions. The space is being divided following a logic of cellular aggregation, embedding neighboring relationships at different scales, and is also the ground reference of the urban housing massing negotiation. Models from nature such as branching and phyllotaxis have been the driving paradigms to create a parametric
machine which is able to create a responsive urban ecology. The technology makes it possible to generate a complex geometry and surfaces whose organizing principles are borrowed from nature. In Grasshopper, one could perhaps start with a curve to create the central ‘stem’ and use commands like pipe and offset to give it volume and thickness. Next the surface can be divided to create points which can be used to cut the shapes from the ‘stem’ and as starting points for the ‘branches’. Using one of the rotate commands these branches can than be aligned according parameters like the angle of the sun.
cut case study.
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The 2011 research pavilion at the University of Stuttgart is an example of biomimicry because it has a very special structure. By doing a lot of research on different structure in nature the people from the University of Stuttgart came up with a really special and effective structure based on the Sand Dollar. This dollar refers to an extremely flattened surface, therefore they are better known as sea biscuits. By using a structure based on this sand dollar it became possible to create a really thin but still a very strong structure, by using this structure the people of the University of Melbourne have saved a lot of money on material. Besides the low construction costs the lightweight material also makes it really
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easy to assemble, disassemble and transport. All different elements the pavilion consists of are created based on the transmission of mechanical stress, by optimizing this transmission it became possible to create the very thin but still effective and strong structure. The elements are all produced by a robotic system that made it possible to create the perfect elements. In short, this is a great building that has used a natural element very well to construct a very effective construction. The thin material, the great transmission of mechanical stress and effective use of the computer made this a very successful project that the student of the University of Stuttgart can be proud of.
CUT CASE STUDY 1.0
cut case study.
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We chose to rebuild the Mangal City design because modelling it in Grasshopper seemed like a helpful challenge to us. In the end, it turned out to be easier than expected but in doing so, we hugely improved our Grasshopper skills anyway. Keeping the simplified step-by-step plan we proposed in the cut case study 1.0 research in the back of our minds, we started out with designing the edges which would later be used to form the three rotated surfaces and the trunk in the centre. We decided to design these shapes using Rhino because it was faster and easier for us this way and would still be sufficient for this particular task. The next step was setting these curves in Grasshopper and dividing them in equal divisions. We than connected each of the division points on the surface curves with the horizontally similar point on the trunk curve. After that we transformed these sets of lines to actual surfaces. The trunk curve was given some volume by using the pipe command and a realistic radius. We lofted the facade surface and floorlevel curves together and added some thickness by
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using the offset component. The biggest challenge proved to be selecting the right lines to be combined to surfaces and we had to use the pathmapper component and graft- and simplify options a few times to reach the desired effect (which in the beginning was more like a trial and error process than thoughtful and solid problem solving). Now the surfaces were done, we focused on the elements which were to be attached to these. As earlier, we designed the curves for these shapes in Rhino, set them in Grasshoper and used the Edgesurface command to give them volume. Next, we moved one of each module to the division points on the facade surfaces and than culled out a few of them so they would not extend over the edge of the surfaces. We oriented the elements according the normal vectors of the surfaces and our Grasshopper model now resembled the original Mangal City design to a satisfying extent. One of the biggest differences between our rebuilded model and the actual design is the lack of perforations in the surfaces of our model which we did not succeed in realising.
CUT CASE STUDY 2.0
cut case study.
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SURFACE VARIATIONS > B
C
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5 6
MODULE VARIATIONS >
4
3
2
1
A
CUT CASE STUDY 2.0
D
E
F
G
In this matrix, we started out with the grasshopper model of the Mangal City building, after which we varied the shape and size of the surfaces and modules to come to our own design . We began with simplifying the original, double-curved shape of the mangal surfaces [column A] so the modules would no longer interfere with each other (problem we encountered in modelling). After that, we explored some more random variations of the surfaces like differentiating each [B], creating one surface all around [C] and playing around with scale using simple number sliders [D]. Soon after that we started shifting away from the dominant vertical direction of the Mangal City design to a horizontal direction [E-G}. The idea was that our sculpture could overhang the road so drivers could not only enjoy the design as an object from afar but that it would actually influence their experience of driving the highway. In the final two steps we wanted the surface shape to evoke a feeling of ‘dynamics’ and ‘speed’ to link to the highway environment. For the modules we tried out shapes ranging from organic [1-2] to angular [3-6], from smaller [1, 3, 5] to larger [2, 4, 6]. We found that we liked the original shape we modelled for the Mangal City Building best [1] because we think its fluent form compliments the surface and it has enough ‘length’ to define itself but not control the overall design. From stage [F] onwards we skipped the modules on top of the surfaces as they can’t be seen well from the road anyway. cut case study.
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In the beginning of setting up our matrix, we had a hard time making design decisions and formulating our thoughts and justifications. The reason for this is, as mentioned before, that we chose the Mangal City as our case study project because it seemed challenging to rebuild in Grasshopper - not so much because it was the ideal starting point for our own design as we were not particulary excited by its concept or aesthetic. The further the matrix progressed however, the more we started to define our own ideas for this particular brief and we saw the possibilities to implement those in the design. In the end, we think we came up with a design which has come a long way from the original Mangal City surface shape, evoking a more dynamic feeling suitable for its highway environment and because of its placement over the road, ready to be further taken down a path of interaction with the drivers.
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To be able to manufacture a scaled model, we started out rationalising the double curved surface into an adaptable amount of subsurfaces by writing a simple Grasshopper definition. The subsurfaces were in their turn further divided into their individual components of which we used the edgepoints to create planar triangles. The result was a model technically able to be lasercut because it now consisted out of planar triangles instead of it being one whole, complicated double curved surface. Because of time and manufacture issues, we agreed together with Finn that 3D printing was the best way to go and we started making our definition 3D print proof. This turned out to be more time consuming than we thought and in the end the time spend on cleaning up the Rhino file is (more
CUT CASE STUDY 2.0
than) similar to completing a model by hand. The difficulty lies in that the design has to be one completely closed surface which means a whole lot of trimming and joining, up and till tenths of a millimeter. Besides this tiring process, we ran into some problems at the Fablab too when they told us they lost our model the day before the presentation. Luckily they were able to print it again in time but this resulted in a rather stressfull photo session on the presentation day itself. The resulting model was all worth it though, as we were very happy with the overall look of the design and we were amazed by the precision and detail of 3D printing - definitely something I would like to do more often in the future.
cut case study.
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CUT CASE STUDY 2.0
Starting out in the biomimicry discourse, we found that how further along we got in the design process, the more we were veering away from a biomimic concept for our sculpture. Though we still feel it is an interesting and very valuable approach to architecture and design in generall, we have come to the conclusion it may not be as applicable for this design brief. We think good biomimic designs are about more than a organic shape derived from nature but instead use nature’s intelligent systems to ideally suit a building to its particular context. Since we are designing a sculpture, we are not dealing with for example climate design and were are having a hard time to find a appropriate biomimic system to apply in the design.
and adaptive design for the elements attached to the surface from here on now. This means we would still like to keep with the technique derived from the Mangal City case study; surfaces with protruding modules and add to that a more complex, moving element which would actually be useful for our design instead of just aesthetically pleasing.
As briefly mentioned before, we are now growing an interest in kinetic and adaptive approaches which could interact with the passing cars and slightly change the design over time, making for an interesting, changing experience which is different each time you pass the project.
We think we could apply such a mechanism in our design to create different light expressions and shading patterns on the road at different times of the day. In the case of the Al Bahar towers the elements are controlled by a computer system but for our design, we would be after a more passive and simple system activated by, for example, changing wind conditions.
We are not saying we want to start over completely but instead we would like to dive deeper into kinetic
An interesting example of such adaptive elements are the mashrabiya modules used in the responsive facade of the Al Bahar Towers from Aedas Architects. These modules consist of folding triangles which, depending on sunexposure, can close or open up the facade regulating the amount of light and warmth inside.
cut case study.
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Grass • hop • per /'gras häper/ The equivalent to a hundred ' dollar note in Australian currency. e
- “My mate slapped a grasshopper on the bar and brought a round.”
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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST. 45
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MID SEMESTER REVIEW
The mid semester presentation turned out to be a very valuable experience for us as the panel confirmed we were on the right path and steered us in the right direction in the areas where we were still unsure about or not yet formed a definite approach to. Firstly, the panel recognised our technical ability in the software and appreciated how we used this knowlegde for our own design so far. They liked our overall concept and supported our ideas to develop a kinetic and responsive side to the design as well. Though we felt like steering away from biomimicry as a design approach completely, they suggested to look into this once more and commented on how our overall design evoked some biomimicry in its resemblance of stalactites hanging down in a cave. They also put forward the idea to think of intelligent, biomimic solutions for the structure of the design which would be a major design aspect for the continuation of the studio as there was none at the moment. They also mentioned self supportive structures so huge visible construction would not spoil the aesthetic appeal.
expression of interest.
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They suggested we expand on our ideas for moving elements and think of how these could change the experience for each individual driver. We could use the wind caused by cars which would differ with different speeds or when based on sun exposure, our design could influence the mood of people frequently passing by because of different conditions in the morning (going to work) and the evening (going to home). Finally, the panel also gave some suggestions in respect to our model and how we could improve it for the end presentation. Combining lasercutting and 3D printing could showcase our ability in both disciplines and multiple materials would make for a more interesting model. A thicker base plate would add some sturdy-ness to the overall look of the model.
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MID SEMESTER REVIEW
expression of interest.
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Grass • hop • per /'gras häper/ A person who is lazy, or who lets ' someone else do the work for him. e
In reference to Aesop’s fable ‘the Grasshopper and the ant’ providing an ambivalent moral lesson about the virtues of hard work and planning for the future. The tale concerns a grasshopper that has spent the warm months singing while the ant worked to prepare his shelter and store up food for winter. When the season arrives, the grasshopper finds itself dying of hunger and begs to enter the ant’s house. The ant refuses, rebukes the grasshopper for its idleness and advises him to dance during the winter. And so the grasshopper starves.
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GATEWAY PROJECT. 51
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SITE
We decided fairly early on in the process about where exactly we wanted to place our design on the site. We chose to build it over the middle road as that is the road leading towards Wyndham, feeling that is the most appropriate when building a sculpture supposedly marking the city. Selecting the middle road also has the advantage that the design is best visible for drivers along the other two roads on the site. Placing the sculpture just at the beginning of the hill dividing the two main roads further ensures visibility.
gateway project.
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After the suggestions of the panel during the Expression of Interest presentation and talking about our own architectural preferences within the group, we decided we indeed wanted to go for a selfsupportive structure, ideally derived from a natural system. Lots of hours scourching the internet and books for information about about self supportive structures in general and what kind of restrictions this would have for the shape of the design turned out to be interesting but rather unhelpful for our project because we found it hard to actually apply and in the end we came back to one of the designs we studied in the cut case project part of the course for the basis of our construction,
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STRUCTURE
namely the 2011 Stuttgart Pavilion. As described before, the pentagonal structure of the pavilion is based on the sand dollar and is completely self supportive, the precise characteristics which we were looking for for own sculpture. After delving a little deeper into the theory behind this construction concept, we further developed it for application in our design. Instead of pentagons, we are using hexagons as the structural modules. Furthermore, we ‘upgraded’ the finger joints applied in the Stuttgart Pavilion to dove tails as these joints can handle both compressive and tensile forces.
gateway project.
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In the design of the elements, we wanted to add a responsive side to our design. As mentioned before, during our design process we felt ourselves distancing us from the biomimicry discourse and though incorporating it in the design again in a structural way, we wanted the sculpture to be equally part of the responsive discourse in architecture. The aim of the responsive elements is to create different experiences of driving underneath the same design. The core idea is that by opening and closing, these elements would cause different shading patterns on the road because of changing wind conditions inside the ‘tunnel’. We thought of different solutions for this opening and closing mechanism as illustrated by the sketches but in the end we found all these were either too
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ELEMENTS
expensive, too difficult to fabricate or not efficient or plain suitable for the effect we had in mind. The final design is modelled after the RMIT Design Hub on Swanston Street in Melbourne. The facade of this building consists out of glass plate circles attached to a rotating axis controlled by a intellectual system recording sun exposure. Turning the circles will ‘open’ or ‘close’ the facade regulating the heat and light reaching within the building envelope. For our design, we simplified this mechanism. We chose lightweight aluminium surfaces which would could be rotated by the wind caused by the passing cars within the sculpture. As visible in the section, these aluminium surfaces are not flat, but curved making it easier to catch wind and turn.
gateway project.
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SHAPE
To come to our final shape, we designed a Grasshopper definition which would populate any surface with the hexagonal surfaces we chose as our construction method. Depending on the selfsupportive-ness of this concept and the strong dove tail joints, we could basically design any shape we wanted and seemed plausible to able to support itself. Because ‘experience’ is a key word for our sculpture, it was pretty clear to us our design would have a horizontally oriented tunnel-like character to ensure drivers would have enough time to experience the changing shadow patterns. We further based the shape on site specifics like sun angle and existing green. Though in the beginning it seemed we were pretty free in designing our shape, making the hexagonal shapes work, took some effort because big cantilevers and openings would distort these shapes heavily. That is why the shape of the design evolved from an outward protruding shape we envisioned in the beginning to a more inward shape.
gateway project.
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END SEMESTER REVIEW
gateway project.
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In the end, I think everybody in the group is proud of our final product after 12 weeks of hard work, immerging ourselves in theory about the different architectural discourses and analysis of example projects and familiarising ourselves with computer software like Grasshopper, Rhino, Photoshop and Indesign to aid in our design process. I believe that a design is never finished (at least not in studio courses like these) and I think the panel touched on some interesting points while discussing our final design. One of the first comments was about our project and the biomimicry discourse. According the panel, in biomimicry, design is based on a natural system and they feel such a concept is lost and/ or unclear in our project. While I agree with them to some extent, I have to say that earlier on we already felt like steering away from the biomimicry discourse because we thought it was less suitable for the design brief at hand, already signalling that biomimicry indeed was not a key factor in the design anymore for us. On the other hand, also influenced by comments of the panel during the Expression of Interest, we incorporated biomimicry in a structural way, basing the structure of the sculpture on the sand dollar and making it self supportive using an intelligent system - just like in nature. We actually
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believe this kind of biomimicry is most interesting and therefore appreciate biomimic projects like the Shadow Pavilion and 2011 Stuttgart Pavilion the best. The panel also raised some questions about the design being site specific. They thought our design was interesting, but could have been placed anywhere. And they are right, in this design course we took a different approach than tighly incorporating the direct surroundings in the project. Instead, we wanted to create something interesting and unique in the architectural discourse and challenge our skills of computer software and develop them to their full extent by designing this sculpture. Our design is not linked to the specific character OF Wyndham but its uniqueness is characteristic FOR Wyndham - fully overestimating ourselves, it is comparable to the Bilbao-effect. A question asked by the panel was whether we felt restricted or enabled by the computer software like Grasshopper and Rhino in our design process. I think this is a very interesting point because at the start of this subject, I thought these kind of programs actually made everything possible. But that is of course only the case if you know how to use them properly. I feel we were not so much hold
END SEMESTER REVIEW
back by the software as by our decision to create a self supportive structure of hexagons. While in our grasshopper definition, every shape was possible to construct in hexagons, the shape of the hexagons itselves became heavily distorted when pushing the design to extremes like cantilevers etcera. I think finding the right balance between an interesting shape and the chosen structure concept was actually really helpful in developing my design skills because in ‘the real world’, I believe the design process is not as free and accommodating as in architecture school. Restrictions like costs, time, customer wants and laws will always be limiting and the capabaility of finding the right balance is a huge asset for an architect. Though I was familiar with the software before this subject, I have definitely learned a lot about them in this studio. I am still a bit apprehensive about using the computer for designing but at least I now know of the possibilities they offer and using them from the starting point all the way to the finish in this design process, I can see how they are extremely helpful, not only for the design itself but also on the manufacturing side. Whether I will actively start using the computer in the future begs the question however. To me, still nothing beats a nicely handsketched, simple orthogonal design.
gateway project.
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END SEMESTER REVIEW
DESIGN_STUDIO_AIR_2012 - WYNDHAM_CITY_GATEWAY Hans Christian Baecker_Refke Gunnewijk_Pim Kleintjes_Judit Zomer
Grass • hop • per /'gras häper/ A graphical algorithm editor ' tightly integrated with Rhino’s 3-D modeling tools for designers who are exploring new shapes using generative algorithms. Unlike RhinoScript, Grasshopper requires no knowledge of programming or scripting, but still allows designers to build form generators from the simple to the awe-inspiring. e
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COVER PHOTO GRASSHOPPER magix.info/nl/sprinkhaan-2.image.536264.html ANATOMICAL DRAWING GRASSHOPPER cnx.org/content/m20629/latest/graphics2.png GRASSHOPPER DEFINITIONS google.com definitions urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=grasshopper
FARNSWORTH HOUSE / MIES VAN DER ROHE farnsworthhouse.org SIMPSON-LEE HOUSE / GLENN MURCUTT architectureweek.com/2002/0424/news_2-1.html MEDIA-TIC BUILDING / CLOUD 9 ARCHITECTS archdaily.com/49150/media-tic-enric-ruiz-geli/
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NORWEGIAN WILD REINDEER CENTRE PAVILION / SNOHETTA OSLO AS archdaily.com/180932/tverrfjellhytta-snohetta/ MAPUNGUBWE INTERPRETATION CENTRE / PETER RICH archdaily.com/57106/mapungubwe-interpretation-centre-peter-rich-architects/ THE KASSEL SELFSUPPORTING FRAMEWORK / ANDREAS GUNTHER., MISCHA PROLL architonic.com/ntsht/cnc-carpentry-the-selfsupportingframework-/7000526 MINISTER OF MUNCIPAL AFFAIRS & AGRICULTURE / AESTHETICS ARCHITECTURE GO GROUP designboom.com/architecture/aesthetics-architects-minister-of-municipal-affairs-agriculture/ SHADOW PAVILION / PLY ARCHITECTURE archdaily.com/192699/shadow-pavilion-ply-architecture/ MANGAL CITY / DESIGN TEAM CHIMERA inhabitat.com/spiraling-skyscraper-pod-city-for-a-future-london/ 2011 RESEARCH PAVILION / UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART archdaily.com/200685/icditke-research-pavilion-icd-itke-university-of-stuttgart/ AL BAHAR TOWERS / AEDAS ARCHITECTS archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas/ RMIT DESIGN HUB / SEAN GODSELL ARCHITECTS photo by Tanya Verduyn
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