W
C U T
P R O J E C T
By Myke l Ha mer , A le x a G ow er an d K athleen Kop ietz
Herzog and DeMeuron Re-engineered For this Cut Exploration Project we decided to re-engineer the parametrically scripted facade of the De Young Museum by Herzog and DeMeuron for a series of reasons. The Museums facade is a strikingly prolific example of perforation, and is articulated in a strong weather hardy material that changes somewhat over time. We were interested and inspired by the discovery that the pattern projected onto the surface is very much an inherent characteristic of the unique surroundings the Museum resides within. The images that map the placement of the perforations and dimples are of trees that are growing surrounding the Museum. They are mapped in such a way that is intended on simulating the experience of dappled light filtrating through a canopy of trees. This strong link to the place that the building exists was something that we had all flagged previously in our journals as a driver that we needed to integrate somehow into our Gateway Project. We were all very much interested in ideas of “morphing” and “rates of change” in addition to this theme of place and as a result of some brainstorming we came to the conclusion that it was quite pertinent that the facade was constructed with copper panels that change in patina with time. This change is only a slight morph but it then lead on to our scrutiny of the script and how it had a variety of textures that create a illusion of the trees without explicitly copying them at all. The construction of a facade that can be textured morphing between cuts and dimples to create the feeling or experience of a natural phenomenon was again very compatible with ideas that we had explored in directions applicable to Werribee. This exercise has thus been a way of us defining some solid design drivers, taught us about using scripting to achieve versions of these conceptual intentions and brought up many interesting questions.
RE-ENGINEERING PROCESS Herzog and DeMeuron: Reverse Engineering and Recreation Shape
SURFACE NORMAL PIXEL DATA EXTRUDE
EXTRUDE TO POINT
LOFTING CIRCLES OF DIFFERING RADII
EXTRUDE PIXELS
ADJUST DEPTH TO IMAGE
EXTRUDING TO DESIRED POINT ALONG SHIFTED BASE PLAN
Emboss and Deboss
//ONLY POSITIVE SHIFTS AT THIS STAGE
Illustrate the pattern in 3d
FINAL REALIZED DESIGN IN PERSPECTIVE VIEW
Completed Recreation
OVERLAPPING PATTERNS
SPARSITY OF GEOMETRY ALONG BROADER GRADIENT
SECONDARY PATTERN ONLY AT POINTS OF DENSITY
INSPIRATION FOR REINTERPRETATION With the understanding and re-engineering of the Herzog script complete we sought to express our own design intentions with relation to the process involved with the Museum facade. Our ingredients or design drivers, as illuded to earlier were morphing of form/pattern and use of significant elements unique/characteristic of place - Werribee. Our morphing in form is a device that is derived from movement and the perception that one will be privy to when passing the installation. M.C Escher has become a strong influence for us in our research of this theme. The Zebra and rose are two very literal items that we have lifted directly from Werribee along with the “spine� concept pertaining to the meaning of the name the Aboriginals gave Werribee in their language.
DEVELOPMENT OF DESIGN Final Form Generation
Iteration One
Iteration Two
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED:
TRANSFORMATION APPLIED:
CURVES ALIGNED TO GUIDE CURVE AS PER IMAGE SAMPLER
Iteration Five
Iteration Three
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED::
Iteration Nine
TRANSFMORATIONS APPLIED::
3D ROTATION AROUND CURVE AS AXIS WITH MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES
CURVES REVOLVED PER AXIS CURVE WITH MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES
TRANSFORMATION APPPLIED: REVOLUTION OF CURVES ALONG A SURFACE AS PER IMAGE SAMPLERS
APPLIED TO SURFACE IN LIEU OF A CURVE
Iteration Six
Iteration Four
Iteration Seven
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED::
Iteration Ten
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED:
REVOLUTIONAROUND AXISCURVE WITH MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES
CURVES REVOLVED ALONG GUIDE CURVE WITH MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES - AMENDED
Iteration Eight
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED:
Final Form
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED”: REVOLUTION OF UNITS ALONG CURVE AS PER IMAGE SAMPLER
CURVES REVOLVED AND GRAFTED ON MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED: PRIOR ITERATION WITH ADDED LATERAL ROTATION AXIS FOR EACH SET
TRANSFORMATIONS APPLIED::
CURVES REVOLVED PER GUIDE CURVE WITH MULTIPLE PERP FRAMES
FINAL EXPERIMENTATIONAL FORM AWAITING APPLICATION OF CUT DEFINITION
development and standardisation
Our biggest issue was working out how we would actually fabricate the dimples that make up the texture component of the project. After several attempts at using pen lids and other found objects we settled on the fabrication of a fabricator; a uniquely constructed panel for the job. The simplest way to achieve the dimples was to drill a shallow semi-sphere out of custom wood with a power drill. To apply the information from the script to this manual technique we printed templates of the pattern and transferred them to the wood which was then cut. To achieve the flattened plane on the top we made another tool out of dowel with a curved surface and a flat top that was then uses to mould the metal sheet into the dimples.
To extend the use of the script to re-engineer the Herzog and DeMeuron Museum we applied it to a form that we had built in Grasshopper from new and appropriated scripting techniques. We then standardised the process by applying the patterns that we developed to fabricate-able strips that were unrolled and tabbed for construction. The panels could be printed with the pattern and then all that we needed to do was trace then onto our metal material, perforate and cut out to be built.
LI G H T & M O V E M E N T
M A T E R IALI T Y & T E X T U R E
DISTORTION & ATMOSPHERE