Spanish Pavilion by Foreign Office Architects Patterning has been one of the new design for the facades of the buildings. There were development of the patterning design , which now include different combination for the exterior look. Spanish Pavilion contains one of the most appealing facade in recent years. For the exterior look, it has thousands of tiles connecting each other, forming a colorful skin for the pavilion. The starting point of this design was based on traditional Spanish and Islamic lattices found in late-Gothic cathedrals, and different tiles represented different traditions.2 The theme fused together with the hexagonal geometries to form the patterning facade.
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The conceptual design of Spanish Pavilion was based on two different tiles, with and without center aperture. The two different tiles create a difference at the facade of the pavilion. And the choice of the conceptual design was based on red and yellow of the Spanish flag, also comes along with different distinctions, such as rose and sun.3 This pavilion provides some idea on the conceptual design implications of our AIR studio project. The patterns of a building need to have a reason to make the project has a explaination and reasonable flow of design process. Otherwise, the developement of the project would be very weird.
I m a ge re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p s : / / w w w. a rc h i t e c t u re . c o m / R I B A / A w a rd s / R I B A I n t e r n a t i o n a l P r i z e / 2 0 0 5 / S p a n i s h - P a v i l i o n . a s p x , h t t p : / / w w w. f a r s h i d m o u s s av i . c o m / n o d e / 2 7 # s p a n i s h _ p av i l i o n _ a t _ t h e _ 2 0 0 5 _ wo rl d _ e x p o _ a i c h i _ j a pan_27_8 A c c e s s e d a t 3 0 M a rc h 2 0 1 6
B . 1
R E S E A R C H
F I E L D
PA T T E R N I N G
“Patterns are the sense of paradigms and models, have served as points of reference for architecture since the Middle ages.�1
There are also different opportunities for the design of the patterns. Spanish Pavilion used tiles with different colors, dimension and content to make this appealing facade. Thinking oppositely, other than using large shapes, we can use small and density holes to make different patterning outcomes. For example, the Restaurant Aoba-Tei in Japan used perforated surfaces to create beautiful spaces. The use of dark and soft color, the density of different spaces can also create different great patterns. The opportunity is to based on the story and the idea of the design, then to discover and maximize the possibilities to create the patterns.
For the fabrication concerns, the work on connecting the tiles could be a bit tougher than the perforated surfaces. With the advance skill of machines, it is now easier to produce accurate surfaces for the facades of the buildings. However, for connecting tiles or other reality elements, the fabrication is a relatively easy issue, but the connection between them is more complex. For example, if the pattern of the facade consists of stone and steel reinforcing strips, like the Chokkura Plaza4, it will be a bit more labour intensive to build the surface out. So the fabrication concerns are also important issues to concern about.
1 . A n d re a G l e i n i g e r, P a t t e r n : O r n a m e n t , S t r u c t u re , a n d B e h av i o r, ( B i rk h a u s e r Ve rl a g AG, 2 0 0 9 ) , p. 5 5 . 2 . B e n Pe l l , T h e A r t i c u l a t e S u r f a c e : O r n a m e n t a n d Te c h n o l o gy i n C o n t e m p o ra r y A rc h i t e c t u re , ( B i r k h a u s e r G m b H B a s e l , 2 0 1 0 ) , p. 1 6 4 . 3 . I b i d . , p. 1 6 5 .
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B . 2
CA S E
Iteration 1
Oxagon
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S T U DY
1 . 0
Iteration 2
Iteration 3
Unexpected twist
Difference in sizes
Add Circle to intersections
Add attractor curve
Attractor curves
Add attraction point
Add attractor point
Unexpected twist outcome
Change of circle sizes
Change size of circles
Triangles oriented
Change of circle sizes
Add attractor square
Add sharp ends
MATRIX EXPLORATION Iteration 4
Iteration 5
Change base shapes
Add solid pentagons
Add repeatative circles
Change base shapes
Add multiple triangles
Add repeatative pentagons
Change base shapes
Add horizontal elements
Change the shapes
Add horizontal elements
Add large triangles
Add voids to the edges
Add triangles inside
Add intersecting lines
Repeatative of two circles
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MOST SUCCESSFUL ITERATIONS
Our brief is to design a bird hide, with the technique of folding and carving. Although these iterations are not totally based on these concepts, they can still be partly applied to the bird hide design.
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The bird hide facade can work well with the use of patterning. In this pattern, it allows the sunlight to get in and produce interesting shadows. The difference of the circles also creates a cool surface.
The use of the hidden circle can produce a special facade to the bird hide. The size of the circles are different throughout the design. This can create a repetitive pattern which will be quite interesting.
The most significant feature of this pattern is the contrast of the base and the circles. The dark and light area creates a special pattern and allow people to peek out from the bird hide.
This pattern is pretty different from the other three ones. This pattern mainly uses the positions of the straight lines to create a pattern. It also increases the density when the lines go to another end.
SPECULATION
Figure 1.
Figure 2.
Iterations from this design exercise helps me to explore many design possibilities of different geometries. Other than simply being the facade of different buildings, the patterning shapes can also be the structure of some projects (Figure 1). Considering the shape of the outcomes, it is definitely possible to use it as the structure of a pavilion, where the whole structure is linked together to provide strength to itself. For example, using the 4 outcomes in the previous page, they can combined to create a pavilion which allows sunlight to penetrate through and create interesting shadows. The shadow places can be used as spots for people to rest and chat with each others.
I m a g e re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p : / / w w w. evo l o. u s / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 5 / p o l a n d - p av i l i o n - s h a n g h a i - 2 0 1 0 . j p g ( F i g u re 1 ) , h t t p : / / d e s i g n a n d m a ke . a a s c h o o l . a c . u k / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 4 / p av _ s wo o s h 1 . j p g ( F i g u re 2 ) Accessed at 1 April 2016
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Figure 1.
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Figure 3.
B. 3
CA S E
S T U DY
2 . 0
Galleria Centercity by UNStudio The Galleria Centercity is a building located at Cheonan, South Korea. One of the most amazing feature of the shopping mall is its amazing facade. The architects use some designto create some effects that creates some curves and patterns. There are some changes of the patterns that seems to fold the exterior of the building and create some light difference within it. There are two layers at the facade, the vertical profiles of the top layer are straight while the back layer was angled.1When people view the building at different angles, they have different kinds of wave-like appearances.
The design intent of the project was to expand the social and cultural experience to the visitors. As the facade of the building was so unique and special, I reckoned the aim of the design intent was achieved as the impression of the facade was so successful that it creates a remarkable memory for every visitor. Creating such a beautiful pattern enables it to become one of the most eyecatching building and can be one of the landmarks of that area, even in the country.
Figure 1.
R i c h t e r s , C h r i s t i a n , G a l l e r i a C e n t e rc i t y Fa c a d e , < h t t p : / / w w w. u n s t u d i o. c o m / p ro j e c t s / g a l l e r i a - c h e o n a n > [accessed 1 April 2016] I m a ge re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p s : / / s t a t i c . d e z e e n . c o m / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 1 / 0 3 / d z n _ G a l l e r i a - C e n t e rc i t y - by - U N S t u d i o _ 8 . j p g ( F i g u re 1 , 4 ) , h t t p : / / d e s i g n a n d m a ke . a a s c h o o l . a c . u k / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 4 / p av _ s wo o s h 1 . j p g ( F i g u re 2 , 3 ) Accessed at 1 April 2016
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Reverse-engineering of Galleria Centercity Diagram of process of re-producing, different parametric tools
2. Divide Surface and setting attractor points
1. Create Surface
3. Deconstructing and evaluating surface
4. Extruding rectangles
5. Rotating rectangles to according angles
Recording of process (six steps)
Creating the surface of the wall. The wall was created by lofting, creating a surface component.
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Dividing the surface into multiple grid lines, using number sliders to control the number of them.This will create different edges and surfaces on the wall.
Getting the points of all the intersections of the small rectangles and creating a list item, which results in producing the horizontal lines.
Figure 1.
By deconstructing the plane, we get all the intersecting points and small planes that we need for the extrusion of the rectangles.
Extruding the rectangles from the intersecting points of different small planes. The extruded rectangles now only faces one direction.
Rotating the extruded rectangles will be able to create different patterning effects. The x,y,z direction can make a big difference to the outcomes.
I m a ge re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p : / / u n s t u d i o c d n 2 . h o s t i n g. k i r ra . n l / / u p l o a d s / o r i g i n a l / 2 e 0 c 7 b 7 b - 2 6 9 4 - 4 f 1 e - 9 0 8 1 - 1 d e e b 3 6 f b 2 6 8 / 2 6 1 9 5 5 8 6 0 4 ( F i g u re 1 ) Accessed at 7 April 2016
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Final Outcome of Reverse Engineering Four images of final outcome of the Galleria Centercity.
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The outcome of this reverse engineering was pretty surprising. As the major control of this design was the two attractor points, there are many unexpected outcomes and the visual impact was satisfying. There is patterning and there are contrasts between different areas which is quite similar to what I expected to have before starting the exercise.
The similarities between these outcomes and the Galleria Centercity are the contrast of the dark and light area, which forms the pattern of the facade.The exploration uses rectangles to form the patterning design, which is also similar to the Galleria Centercity. The void of the curves form an interesting outcome to the facade. On the other hand, there are also some differences between them. The lines used in the facade of the Galleria Centercity only point to the vertical direction, while the rectangles in my exploration points along with the curve. There are more flexibilities and it is more possible to create different designs.
The form of this patterning exercise has a lot more potential to be developed. Other than simply being a vertical facade, I believe that there will be ways of using rectangles to connect each other and form a structure, for example a shelter. Also, the patterns can be explored even more in order to create facades that are really unique that can respond to the brief accurately.
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T E C H N I QU E : D E V E L O P M E N T
Base on smooth contrast and curves
Base on huge contrast of lines
Technique 3
Technique 2
Technique 1
B . 4
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Base on mass and density
Technique 5 Technique 6 Technique 4
Base on thin lines
Base on densities
Base on smooth contrasts
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Selection Criteria As our brief is to create a bird-hide, or some similar pavilions or cover, it is a great chance to explore more patternings in order to make it part of the design. If the patterning design can become the structure of the pavilion, it will be a great bonus. From this exercise, I would like to explore the difference of the density of the patterns. How would the pattern change with replacing different parameters? How can I produce different contrast of the surface when changing the parameters? These are some of the important questions in my mind when exploring this exercise. Ultimately, I would like to create some patterns that can coherent with the theme of building a pavilion with a shelter, such as allowing sunlight to pass through, allowing visitors to peek out.
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Most successful iterations of the Galleria Centercity.
The contrast of this pattern is less significant comparing to the others. However, as the outcome of this pattern is a bit milder, it might provide a smooth surface and feeling to the others. It might be the best outcome as our site will be based on a greenland, so the feeling of it will match our brief perfectly.
The contrast of this pattern is the most significant among the three outcomes. The difference between the density really makes the facade stands out from the others. It is believed that this contrast of the pattern will make the facade of our project to shine in the dark.
Among the three outcomes, the curve of this pattern is the most significant. A clear path can be witnessed at the middle of the pattern.There is also a dark area at the top of the curve which provides some density to the outcome. Hence there will be more contrast to our facade and make it more special.
Unsuccessful iterations of the Galleria Centercity.
The contrast of the patterns are too exaggerated. The connection between the lines are weak and there is no fluent flow from the patterning design. There is also a messy spot at the centre of the outcome which makes the facade looks strange.
The density of the outcome is too high which makes the rectangles can not be distinguished. As a result, there is no flow between them and no vague flow can be seen from the design. It is too hard to see the patterning.
The rectangles in this outcome are too obvious which makes the design look a bit strange. The distance between them are too wide. Also, there is no flow from the patterning although there is some density difference.
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B . 5
T E C H N I QU E : P RO T O T Y P E S
Prototype 1.0
As the attractor point and the attractor curve are the major sources that lead to the outcome of the patterning, which means there are no intersections between the rectangles, it is a bit hard to create a rigid model without a solid grid base. As the reverse engineering mainly consists of lots of small rectangles to create the vague curvy patterning effect, the most effective way is to connect the rectangles to the base grid. In order to have some bending effects, thin timber planes would be an ideal choice to build the pattern out. There are two types of joints that I tried in this prototype. The first row I tried to cut the cardboard with a cutter and to join it with the timber plane. However, I found out that this approach does not provide suitable angles to my rectangles, although it provides a rigid base and the rectangles will not move easily. Therefore I tried for another joint approach, which is using two pins to connect the planes to the base grid. This method is much more effective because it does not only provide a firm connection to the grid, the two adjustment pins can help me to tune to the ideal angles in order to create the pattern easier. Since the reverse engineering requires a lot of rectangles in order to obtain the patterning result, this model only consists a small area of the case study. Also because attractor point and curve were used in that process, it is harder to obtain similar outcome in physical modelling. However, we can still see that change in angle and direction of the timber planes that lead to the formation of the vague pattern, which is not a bad result. 44
Prototype 2.0
Other than using a vertical base grid, another approach is to explore the feasibility of connecting rectangular plates to the bending base. This rectangular planes are pinned with a small triangle in order to create an angle from the base. Similarly, there are two pins to connect the planes to the base as to make a rigid connection and make it not to move easily. However, in both of the prototypes, the pins used make the appearance of the model a bit weird, if shorter pins were used it will have a better result. The major reason of creatoing a bending base is because of its flexibility is higher than the vertical grid base. This bending feature allows the design to suit into the topography of the site and make a more fluent connection to the gruond. This prototype only consists of a small proportion of the whole structure. In reality, it should be much longer and wider so the patterns can be seen easier. However, through this prototyping exercise, the rectangular planes prove that it is possible to sit on a bending base and can create a pattern while allowing people to peek out. Hence, it is not a bad exploration.
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B . 6
T E C H N I QU E : P RO P O S A L
Site plan (1:500)
“To design a retreat space that focuses on the contrast of natural and manmade sound.” Brief site analysis
During the site visit at Merry Creek, I found out that most of the activities people do there were jogging and cycling. One of inspirations after visiting the site was that people do not really utilize the site. They were literally passing by and ignoring the beauty of this preserved natural area in Melbourne. Base on this idea, we want to produce a project that allows people to focus on the sense of hearing of Merry Creek. And this is the major reason we choose this site, since it combines both natural and manmade sound sources and it is very easy to feel the contrast at this spot. By using the sources of the difference sound inputs, such as the noise level on the road and the Merry Creek, they will be used to help us with the form-finding issue. Different directions of the sound can also be utilized as an inspiration of the patterning skills. Locating between Fitzroy North and Northcote, this area under the St George Road provides a perfect spot of feeling the manmade and natural sound. From the above brief site analysis, we can tell the site is surrounded by multiple sound sources. The unwanted sound, which is the manmade noise, is mainly directed from the St George Road, including both trams and cars. On the other hand, the natural sound mainly consists of the water current and birds’ sound at the spot. The contrast of the sound is significant at this area. 46
Conceptual model side view Combing the previous investigations and the proposal, the idea of this project is to disable most of the views inside the pavilion. This allows people to really rest in the area, and most importantly to feel the site with hearing the surrounding sounds. They will gradually find out that the manmade noise is not a pleasant sound while the natural sound is much more appealing. To achieve this effect, only the roof partly allows sunlight to pass through. Visitors can not easily peek out when they are at this retreat area.
Proposed site location
Site overview
The idea of this pavilion is based on the design futuring reading. Through allowing people to feel the contrast of manmade noise and natural sound, it is hoped that people will realize the beauty of our nature.We have damaged the enviornment seriously and it is now time to start protecting it. Sustainability is an approach to do so. Hence, timber is used in this to make this temporary pavilion as the timber planes can be reused for making furnitures at the site. Also, there are different organizations nearby the site, such as the CERES community park. Timbers will be useful for them to deal with the repair issues.
Conceptual model perspective view 47
B . 7
L E A R N I N G O B J E C T I V E S O U T C O M E S
Through the exercises and investigations in part B, we can tell that there are many ways of producing different design outcomes and the design possibilities are so unlimited. In terms of computational geometry, parametric modelling, the investigations of using different parameters in grasshopper really helped a lot for the process of devloping a proposal. In the two iterations exercises, the exploration of a variety of design possibilities is really a crucial element in this part. By substituting, inserting and editing different parameters, the design outcomes varies a lot and there are some unexpected results. For example, by plugging and changing an input of a parameter, the flow of the pattern differs a lot and its outcome was unexpectedly satisfying. By investigating the process of iterations, my skills and the concept of producing parametric designs are better and clearer. In addition, in the iterations exercise, there are many ways of creating the same design outcome. It is our choice to determine which one has more flexibility so the parametric design can have more unexpected outcomes,which enhance the quality of the final product. Although I could not produce physical prototypes that can connect each other rigidly, I started to gain a sense of the modelling that affects the appearance of the design outcome. For example, I tried two different approaches in the prototype exercise. The first one was to connect the timber plate to the base grid and the second method was to control the rotation and angle of the planes by having two pinnings. The outcome was that the latter was much more better since the control of the angles appeaered to be more flexible. It allows me to create the pattern I wanted to create and ultimately a smooth pattern occurs. Also, although the proposal at B.6 is slightly different from the previous investigations, we can still see that there are still some connections between different design context. For example, in the first half of part B, my major focus was to create a bird hide with patterning skills. However, later we changed the design theme to sound-oriented. Hence, I changed a bit to the parameters I used in the first half in order to suit the proposal, which is closing the planes so people can not peek out inside the pavilion. We can see there are flexibilities in parametric designing and there is always solutions to designing contemporary architecture.
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A N D
B . 8
A P P E N D I X
A n d re a G l e i n i ge r, P a t t e r n : O r n a m e n t , S t r u c t u re , a n d B e h av i o r, ( B i rk h a u s e r Ve rl a g AG, 2 0 0 9 ) , p. 5 5 . B e n Pe l l , T h e A r t i c u l a t e S u r f a c e : O r n a m e n t a n d Te c h n o l o gy i n C o n t e m p o ra r y A rc h i t e c t u re , ( B i r k h a u s e r G m b H B a s e l , 2 0 1 0 ) , p. 1 6 4 . I m a g e re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p : / / u n s t u d i o c d n 2 . h o s t i n g. k i r ra . n l / / u p l o a d s / o r i g i n a l / 2 e 0 c 7 b 7 b - 2 6 9 4 - 4 f 1 e - 9 0 8 1 - 1 d e e b 3 6 f b 2 6 8 / 2 6 1 9 5 5 8 6 0 4 ( F i g u re 1 ) Accessed at 7 April 2016 R i c h t e r s , C h r i s t i a n , G a l l e r i a C e n t e rc i t y Fa c a d e , < h t t p : / / w w w. u n s t u d i o. c o m / p ro j e c t s / g a l l e r i a - c h e o n a n > [accessed 1 April 2016]
I m a g e re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p s : / / s t a t i c . d e z e e n . c o m / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 1 / 0 3 / d z n _ G a l l e r i a - C e n t e rc i t y - by - U N S t u d i o _ 8 . j p g ( F i g u re 1 , 4 ) , h t t p : / / d e s i g n a n d m a ke . a a s c h o o l . a c . u k / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 4 / p av _ s wo o s h 1 . j p g ( F i g u re 2 , 3 ) Accessed at 1 April 2016
I m a g e re t r i eve d f ro m h t t p : / / w w w. evo l o. u s / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 5 / p o l a n d - p av i l i o n - s h a n g h a i - 2 0 1 0 . j p g ( F i g u re 1 ) , h t t p : / / d e s i g n a n d m a ke . a a s c h o o l . a c . u k / w p - c o n t e n t / u p l o a d s / 2 0 1 0 / 0 4 / p av _ s wo o s h 1 . j p g ( F i g u re 2 ) Accessed at 1 April 2016
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