ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO
AIR Semester 2 2013 514464 Kailing Wang
Contents Part A: Case of innovation A 1.0: Architecture as a discourse A 2.0: Computational Architecture
Self-Introduction My name is Kailing Wang. I come from Beijing, China. I am a third year student studying architecture in the University of Melbourne. I finished my high school study in Beijing, and I have been to Melbourne two years ago. I didn’t have any of the design experience until I come to the University. However, I am interested in arts and I like to use marker to represent the building and the surrounding environments. When I begin to study architecture in the University, I am quite confused about how to show my idea through my design and how to make my design idea more conceptual, or how to convert my conceptual idea into my design. The first time I began to use design software was in the virtual environment class. I found it is difficult at the beginning, but if you know how to use it, it should be more convenient than hand drawing. The picture above shows my project of virtual environment, it is a light and I finished that with Rhino. The original idea of my design is the wave of the ocean. Compare to software, I am more confident of my hand drawing, because I attend drawing class during every summer holiday. However, to be a good architect, design software is as important as hand drawing. Usually, hand drawing is more suitable for the initial idea, because the speed is very important during this stage. However, in the following stages, software can make a better presentation than hand drawing, for instance, the AutoCAD and Photoshop. Therefore, I will try to put more effort on the design software during the air studio because it is a good opportunity to practice more on the software.
A 1.0: Architecture as a discourse “Drawing may lead to building. But writing may lead to drawing, building may lead to writing, or drawing may lead to drawing, for example.” ---Jonathan Hill
According to my early experience, I think architecture is just to design a building related to clients’ According to mywhen earlyIexperience, I think is just to design is a building related clients’many need. However, begin to design by architecture myself, I found architecture a discipline that to includes need. However, when I begin to design by myself, I found architecture is a discipline that includes knowledge come from other discipline. Every architect seems to be an artist and he makes an effortmany to knowledge come from seems be an people artist and hethe makes an effort to design the building as aother piecediscipline. of art, notEvery only aarchitect refuge that canto protect from environment. design theLloyd building as aillustrated piece of art, nota only refuge that can protect peoplethe from the environment. As Frank Wright that goodaarchitecture should not break surrounding environAs Frank Lloyd Wright illustrated that a good architecture should not break the surrounding environments, the environments should look better than that before the building was built. ments, the environments should look better than that before the building was built. In my opinion, the idea of architecture discourse is roughly about how to represent the conceptual In mythrough opinion, the ideaand of architecture discourse roughly about how to represent the conceptual idea drawings books. Usually, client is can’t understand a building with only a picture of the idea through drawings and books. Usually, client can’t understand a building with only a picture of the final stage of the project. He should understand it through a lot of presentation, which include a lot of final stage of the project. He should understand it through a lot of presentation, which include a lot of draft and text to explain more about the building. Over the years, the drawing became very important draft and text topractice explainand more abouteach the building. Over begins the years, became very important to architecture almost good architect his the ideadrawing of the design with drawing, for to architecture practice and almost each good architect begins his idea of the design with drawing, for example, to use little parti to demonstrate his initial idea and lead him to the further design. example, to use little parti to demonstrate his initial idea and lead him to the further design. The first time I try to show architecture as a discourse was in the designing environments. We have a The first idea timeofI try show discourse was in for the me designing environments. We havethe a concept theto site, butarchitecture in that time,asit awas quite difficult to illustrate that idea through concept the site, but in that it was quite difficult for tutor me toand illustrate thatme ideaa lot. through drawingsidea andofdesign. However, I trytime, to discuss my idea with my she helps Thenthe I drawings and design. However, I try to discuss my idea with my tutor and she helps me a lot. Then I have some experience about how to draw some conceptual diagrams. Even in the virtual environments, have some how to drawinto some conceptual diagrams. Even in at thethe virtual environments, the idea of experience convert the about natural processes design patterns is also confused beginning. Howthe idea of convert the natural processes into design patterns is also confused at the beginning. ever, after I search a lot of good precedent, I found that the natural processes are good examplesHowof the ever, I search a lot good precedent, found that the natural processes are good examples of the initialafter ideas because theof building should beIharmonious with the surrounding environments. initial ideas because the building should be harmonious with the surrounding environments.
Figure1: Danone waters office
DANONE WATERS OFFICE
The interesting office that was illustrated in the above picture is the Danone Waters office. It is located in Tokyo, Japan and it was built in 2005. The designer was a group called Klein Dytham architecture. The theme for this project was water. The distinct sections are defined with coloured carpeting and separated by curved, translucent screens made from suspended plastic water bottles. The pattern for these is just these bottles and repeated. These bottles can divide the space and transfer the light at the same time. This is a kind of interior design, and the function of interior design is very important. Different types of functional activity have distinct needs; for example, a shop will need different facilities to a bar or an office. It is interesting to note though, that they may not require vastly differing quality of space.
SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARY
This is the Seattle Public Library and it is located in Seattle, USA. It was designed in 2004 by OMA and LMN Architects. This is a good example to illustrate the relationship between the architecture and the materials. Referring to Koolhaas idea of turning nature into culture and culture into nature, the interior space of the library was divided by the soft furnishings. At the beginning of the design, the architects have a question: “what, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, is a library for?� Because of the technological innovations of the twenty-first century, they want to design a library that quite different compare to the past ones. The individual areas of the library are defined not by walls and rooms, but through the use of ornament and texture. You can find that in the open space of the library, there are the huge graphic carpets delineate areas of the library, such as bookshelves and reading spaces.
A 2.0: Computational Architecture
Beijing National Stadium
The Beijing National Stadium is a kind of computational monumental architecture because it is the main stadium for the 2008 Olympic Games and it was designed by a computational design group: Herzog& de Meuron. The National Stadium is located on a gentle rise in the centre of the Olympic complex on the north of Beijing and it is also situated on the North- South axis of Beijing. According to the urban planning of Beijing, the buildings in this axis are all the landmark architecture such as the Palace Museum. The most important principle that the group state is to develop an architecture that will continue to be functional following the Games in 2008, in other words, to create a new kind of urban site that will attract and generate public life in this part of Beijing. And it has a nickname which is called ‘Bird’s Nest’ and it becomes a very popular space for visiting in China nowadays. The rounded space of the Stadium and the grid of the load-bearing structure and both be distinguished from a far distance. And the load-bearing structure encases the building and also appears to penetrate it. What is seen from afar as a geometrically clear-cut and rational overall configuration of lines, evaporates the closer one comes, finally separating into huge separate components. The components look like a chaotic thicket of supports, beams and stairs, almost like an artificial forest.
Beijing National Stadium
The plinth is another very important component of the stadium. The geometries of the plinth and the stadium merge into one element; it looks like a tree and its root. This plinth of the stadium represents the environment and the natural. Moreover, the ground of the city rises and forms a plinth for the stadium. The entrance to the stadium is therefore slightly raised, providing a panorama of the entire Olympic complex. The National Stadium’s appearance is a kind of pure structure. The structural elements mutually support each other and converge into a spatial grid-like formation, in which façades, stairs, bowl structure and roof are integrated. This facade of the stadium is not solid and enclosed and it allows the natural ventilation of the stadium, which is a very important aspect of the sustainable design of such a huge stadium.
Absolute World Tower
The Absolute World Tower is located in Mississauga, Ontario and its construction stage was completed in 2012. It is a residential condominium twin tower skyscraper complex. This project was designed by MAD Studio and Burka Architects. The both twist tower are around 160 metres to 180 metres with 50 to 56 floors. And the recreation centre is around 2800 square metres.
Absolute World Tower
This is a computational design architecture because its twist structure. The tower twists 209 degrees from the base to the top, making it very similar to Turning Torso in Sweden. The structure design was done by Sigmund Soudack& Associates, a Toronto-based almost 40-year-old structural engineering firm.
This table illustrates the rotation degrees in each floor of the Absolute World Tower one with 56 floors.