Rawlings laura 695220 finaljournal by Laura

STUDIO AIR 2017, SEMESTER 1, CHRISTOPHER FERRIS LAURA RAWLINGS

C O N T E N T S 2

INTRODUCTION - Self introduction

PART A. CONCEPTUALISATION - A.1 Design Futuring

- A.2 Design Computation

- A.3 Composition / Generation

- A.4 Conclusion

- A.5 Learning Outcomes

- A.6 Algorithmic Sketchbook

PART B. CRITERIA DESIGN - B.1 Research Field

- B.2 Case Study 1.0

- B.3 Case Study 2.0

- B.4 Technique Development

- B.5 Virtual Prototype

- B.6 Technique Proposal

- B.7 Learning Objectives and Outcomes

- B.8 Algorithmic Sketchbook

PART C. DETAILED DESIGN - C.1 Design Concept

102

- C.2 Tectonic Elements & Prototypes

116

- C.3 Final Detail Model

128

- C.4 Learning Objectives and Outcomes

149

INTRODUCTION

SELF INTRODUCTION

ello, I’m Laura, I’m in my third year at the University of Melbourne, studying a Bachelor of Environments, majoring in architecture. I moved to Melbourne from the North-West coast of Tasmania after having a working gap year. I’m a lover of fine food and wine, live music, the beach and good friends. Many factors pointed me in the direction of architecture. I’ve always been a very creative person, with a fascination with drawing and craft from an early age. I also enjoyed math and science in high school but could never bring myself to pursue a career that wasn’t creative as I feared I wouldn’t enjoy it. So, to me architecture is the perfect combination of

creative and practical and I take delight in the problemsolving nature of the discipline. Architecture in my very humble opinion is the creation of emotion provoking space. Be that fear, comfort or excitement, good architecture should make you feel something. It should also be dynamic, engaging and ever more innovative in its construction methods. At this stage I am unsure which direction I want to take architecture. So, I’m looking forward to this studio as digital design is something I haven’t had a great deal of exposure to and I’m hoping it’s something I take interest in and carry through my career.

PREVIOUS WORK Throughout this degree, I have developed my visual communication skills with the help of various programs. I predominately use Autocad for drafting, although I have experience using Adobe Illustrator as well. Learning Adobe InDesign early on in this degree has been invaluable for journals and presentation layouts. Also, Adobe Photoshop for touching up images. The steepest learning curve however has been Rhino, used for 3D modelling of my architecture studio projects. I find the interface quite user friendly, and good for modelling things of which you already know the specifications. However, I think it is limiting in its capacity for experimentation and form finding. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m hoping that the Grasshopper plug in will fill this gap for me and improve my overall design process and open up more possibilities.

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO

Studio Earth: Secrets Project, Semester 1, 2016

Digital Design Fabrication: Sleeping pod, Semester 1, 2016

DIGITAL DESIGN FABRICATION

The biggest exposure I have had to digital design came from the subject Digital Design and Fabrication. The brief was to design and fabricate a 1:1 scale sleeping pod. Through this I experienced all the challenges of converting a digital model to a beautiful and functional physical model. We used Rhino to design our sleeping pod and laser cutting and craft techniques to fabricate it. Obstacles were encountered when finding materials that would behave the same way in the physical realm as the digital realm. Also, Joining and fixing of materials in a neat and tidy fashion. Even after this short experience using digital fabrication techniques, I believe that design will definitely head in this direction. Laser cutting, 3D Printing and CNC Milling open up so many opportunities as a designer and as technologies continue to improve they become more widely accepted and accessible.

CONCEPTUALISATION

A.1

A.1 DESIGN FUTURING

“

‘design futuring’ has to confront two tasks: slowing

the rate of defuturing... and redirecting us towards far more sustainable modes of planetary habitation.1

he Human world is reaching a critical point with the rise of capitalism and global warming, meaning that the Earth can no longer sustain our current ways of living. When faced with the enormity of this problem, it is at times too easy to take up the opinion that the world as we know it is doomed. This is quite extreme however, and there are alternatives to this opinion. One being that we can in fact design ourselves out of our current situation and ensure that there is always a future for generations to come. Tony Fry refers to ‘sustain-ability’ as an objective that sustains not only nature, but human life, culture, ideas, knowledge and all aspects of this world we have come to know. Suggesting that we have become too dependent on the artificial environments we

have created and occupied to return to a primitive way of living that is often suggested as the only solution to the current global crisis.2 Instead Fry argues that through the redirection of the profession of design we begin can imagine alternative futures in which human kind doesn’t have to give up everything we have come to know and love.3

”

We often limit design by disallowing ourselves to dream and imagine all the possible futures in which we could design for. Instead we are caught up in what is practical for right now. Speculative Everything suggests that this is in fact detrimental to design and instead of looking to the present as inspiration we should be looking to dreams, fiction, cinema and art for solution to current problems.4

1. Tony Fry, Design Futuring (Oxford: Berg, 2009), 6. 2. Fry, Design Futuring, 3. 3. Fry, Design Futuring, 6. 4. Anthony Dunne and Fiona Raby, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2013), 3.

A.1 DESIGN FUTURING Often the most unsustainable thing to do is demolish existing infrastructure in order to construct something new. No matter how “energy efficient” or how many “green stars” the new building may have, it will never give back as much energy as it took to be built in the first place. This is why when tasked with the redevelopment of the site of Bombay Sapphire Distillery, Heatherwick Studio approached the project with the intention to restore and reshape the existing infrastructure instead of demolishing it and building something new. The site of the Bombay Sapphire Distillery is located in the village of Laverstoke which runs alongside the River Test, one of England’s famous chalk streams. Originally a corn mill, the complex had expanded into a sprawling confusion of industrial buildings. Heatherwick Studio worked with English Heritage to create order and restore the historical buildings on site, only removing derelict industrial structures that were covering the river which over time had become neglected

and lost.4 They also worked with English Nature to restructure the banks of the river, ensuring that the unique wetland habitat could thrive once more. 5 The distillery also adopted many measures to make their practice more sustainable, winning them the BREEAM Award for Industrial Design in 2014. 6 These measures include using renewable energy sources, harvesting rainwater and the recycling of byproducts from the distillation process. With one of the more exciting being the re-purposing of hot air for use in glass houses that create Mediterranean and tropical climates for the growing of specific 7 herbs and spices used to infuse the gin. The conservation of buildings and wildlife is one of the simplest thing we can be doing right now to reduce the rate at which we are damaging our planet. Although relatively small scale, the ideas and values in this project are ones that should be adopted more often in redevelopment projects as to sustain not only our environment but our history too.

Redistrabution of hot air to glasshouse

5.“Bombay Sapphire Distillery”, Heatherwick, accessed March 5th, 2017, http://www.heatherwick.com/distillery/ 6.“Ecology and Sustainability”, Bombay Sapphire, accessed Marth 5th, 2017, http://distillery.bombaysapphire.com/thedistillery/laverstoke-mill/ecology-sustainability 7.“Ecology and Sustainability”, Bombay Sapphire, accessed Marth 5th, 2017, http://distillery.bombaysapphire.com/thedistillery/laverstoke-mill/ecology-sustainability 8.“Bombay Sapphire Distillery / Heatherwick Studio”, Arch Daily, accessed March 5th, 2017, http://www.archdaily. com/554750/bombay-sapphire-distillery-heatherwick-studio

Heatherwick Studio // Bombay Sapphire Distillery

A.1 DESIGN FUTURING The rapidly changing climate means that natural disasters are becoming more frequent. This can be absolutely devastating to the low socioeconomic classes who are often left with nothing when a disaster hits, such as was the case when an earthquake struck Chile in 2010, killing over 500 people and flattening 80% of buildings in the city.8 Along with creating a new master plan for the city of Constitución, Elemental was hired to design houses for people displaced by the disaster. Their solution was controversial but revolutionary none the less, they designed half houses.9 The two-story houses are constructed in neat rows, with one side of the house complete and identical to its neighbor, and the other side incomplete. The houses are low cost, well designed and well insulated but only have the bear minimum of what a family requires. The idea being that families can expand the house to fit their individual needs with their own income. Everything that families would have difficulties construction is

already provided such as footings, plumbing and electricity, they need only provide their own labor and construction materials. Residents receive a manual outlining a number of ways to expand the building using standard materials and construction methods, they also have the opportunity to attend workshops facilitated by elemental. The result being empowered residents who can then take pride in the home they create with their own two hands. 10 Elemental has used the concept of the half house not only for disaster relief, but as extremely low cost housing solutions.11 They have now also made the drawings for the half house available for free download from their website, with the aim to provide local governments with the means to create low cost, well designed social housing.12 It is very uplifting that a high profile architectural firm is giving away their designs for free for the benefit of people in need. This is a concept that could go a long way to help solve many social and economic issues that we face in modern day society. .

9.“Half A House Builds a Whole Community: Elemental’s Controversial Social Housing”, Arch Daily, accessed March 5th, 2017, http://www.archdaily.com/797779/half-a-house-builds-a-whole-community-elementals-controversial-social-housing 10.“Half a House”, 99 Percent Invisible, accessed March 5th, 2017, http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/half-a-house/ 11.“Half A House Builds a Whole Community: Elemental’s Controversial Social Housing”, Arch Daily, accessed March 5th, 2017, http://www.archdaily.com/797779/half-a-house-builds-a-whole-community-elementals-controversial-social-housing 12.“ELEMENTAL’s “Half-Finished” Housing Typology: A Success in All Circumstances”, Arch Daily, accessed March 5th, http://www.archdaily.com/450958/elemental-s-half-finished-housing-typology-a-success-in-all-circumstances 13.“Alejandro Aravena makes housing designs available to the public for free”, Dezeen, accessed March 5th, 2017, https://www.dezeen.com/2016/04/06/alejandro-aravena-elemental-social-housing-designs-architecture-open-sourcepritzker/

Elemental // Half a House

A.2

“

A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION It is in the computational modeling of natural

principles of performative design of material systems that we can potentially create a second nature

eon Battista Alberti was the first to make the distinction between building and architectural design. Stating that the proper proportions and orders for architectural design can be derived from the ancient Greek. Hence came the invention of scale drawing, plans, sections and models to aid architects in designing these properly proportioned works. The definition of what is considered ‘good design’ has changed in accordance to major events in history, influential figures and general shifts in popular opinion. Arguably the biggest shift however, came in the 20th century when Louis Sullivan proclaimed that “form follows function” marking what was to become the basis of modern design. Despite radical changes in architectural design throughout history, the means by which these designs have come into being has remained much the same until the invention of Computer aided design in the 1960’s. Since then there has been this idea of Computerization vs. Computation.

Computerization is where the desired form has already been realised and CAD simply helps the designer in documenting and communicating this form. This method is particularly useful in documenting designs that perhaps can’t be fully understood in 2D or converting something curvilinear or organic in form into something that can be understood and built mathematically.

”

Computation on the other hand is the realisation of a design from a set of constraints or parameters. For example, if you needed to build a structure to a specific size and you knew the structural propertied of the material of which it is to be built, a variety of optimal structures could be generated by plugging in this information and running the appropriate algorithms. This is opening up many opportunities to the modern designer, with programs now capable of analysing structural performance and energy efficiency, also the generation of Pseudo randomness and biomimicry.

14 Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (Routledge, 2014),6. 15.Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s new media: Principles, theories, and methods of computer-aided design (MIT Press, 2004), 6. 16.Kalay, Architecture’s new media, 11. 17.Rivka Oxman and Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture,1-2. 18.Rivka Oxman and Oxman, Theories of the Digital in Architecture,3-4.

A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION Through the use of computation, architects can now create more efficient structures than ever before. Combined with the use of sustainable materials, economic and environmental issues that typically surround large construction projects can be dramatically reduced. Japanese architect Shigeru Ban is renowned for his innovative approach to structure and material use. He uses ordinary materials such as paper, wood and fabric to create extraordinary structures and spaces.19 Ban has stated that “The material must also be loved. That’s very important. If it’s loved it can be permanent.”20 This is the attitude that has allowed him to rethink the use of materials and become a leader in innovative structural design. The Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club House is a great example of this, in which Shigeru Ban draws on traditional South Korean construction methods to create new optimised structural systems.21 In the main clubhouse space, columns are comprised

of laminated timber members that curve as they climb vertically to become horizontal members forming a hexagonal grid on the roof. The timber grid structure is then enveloped in a glass curtain wall that is able to be opened completely to the outside.22 The thickening of the timber members to pass fire resistance standards allowed for the system to stay exposed.23 Without computation and Digital fabrication techniques such as CNC milling used in this projects, one could not begin to imagine such a large structure being made from timber. Provided that the timber is sourced from a plantation in which it is renewed, it offers a more sustainable and economic alternative to traditional mass construction materials such as steel and concrete. In addition to this, the inherent qualities of timber and the geometries achievable can create warm and inspiring spaces that are in fact a stark contrast from what is more often than not associated with digital design.

19.“Spotlight: Shigeru Ban”, Arch Daily, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://www.archdaily.com/792108/spotlight-shigeruban 20.“Architecture in Extremis: Shigeru Ban receives the Pritzker Architecture Prize. Does he deserve it?”, Boston Review, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://bostonreview.net/arts-culture/stephen-phelan-shigeru-ban-pritzker 21.“Nine Bridges Country Club / Shigeru Ban Architects”, Arch Daily, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://www.archdaily. com/490241/nine-bridges-country-club-shigeru-ban-architects 22.“Nine Bridges Country Club / Shigeru Ban Architects”, Arch Daily, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://www.archdaily. com/490241/nine-bridges-country-club-shigeru-ban-architects 23.“Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Clubhouse”, Area Arch, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://www.area-arch.it/en/haesleynine-bridges-golf-clubhouse/

Shigeru Ban Architects // Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club House

A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION London City Hall is a very significant building in the history of digital architecture. With construction beginning in 1998, the project used the most advanced computer-modelling of the time to not only radically rethink architectural form, but generate a performative building. 24 Changes to the London’s Local government in the 1990’s called for a new city hall building that would become symbolic of the new-formed governing body and ultimately change in London. The building was to promote democracy and transparency, and it was these ideas in combination with an energy-conscious design which won Foster and Partners the commission. 25 Heat build-up in the almost entirely glass building is controlled in a number of ways. The spherical shape, realised through thermal mapping technology, reduces the surface area meaning less heat loss in winter and less heat gain due to direct sunlight in summer. The angle at which the building leans reduces the area exposed to direct sunlight further, and the staggered nature of the levels acts as a shading system for

the floors beneath. Furthermore, cool ground water is brought into the floors of the building through bore holes, reducing the need for airconditioning. photovoltaic panels are also used on the roof to provide the building with power. 26 Foster and Partners were amongst the first firms to push computation in their designs, and in doing so marked themselves as leading innovators in the field of architecture. Although technology has advanced since the London City Hall was built, the project symbolised a shift towards performative and sustainable design. Understanding the performance of a building before it is built through the use of software is now common practice. Computation empowers architects by forcing them to intricately understand each individual element of a design and in turn hold them accountable for the ecological, social and environmental implications of that design. The profession has hence been re-defined completely with the computer as its newest tool, with the architect now taking on a role which is increasingly similar to an engineer.

Thermal mapping of the building

Measures of controlling heat build-up

24.“City Hall”, Foster and Partners, accessed March 11th, 2017, http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/city-hall/ 25.“London City Hall: A Holistic Design Approach”, aedesign, accessed March 11th, 2017, https://aedesign.files. wordpress.com/2010/06/london-city-hall-andrea-gonzalez1.pdf 26.“About our Building”, London, accessed Marth 11th, 2017, https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/our-building-andsquares/about-our-building

Foster + Partners // London City Hall

A.3

A.3 COMPOSITION / GENERATION

“

When architects have sufficient understanding of

algorithmic concepts, when we no longer need to discuss the digital as something different, then computation can become a true method of design for architecture.27

he role of the Architect is undergoing a great change due to computation. Computation being the use of computers and in particular algorithms to process information and output various solutions.28 An Algorithm being a list of simple operations for a computer to follow in order to take input information and output new information.29 This is fundamentally changing the role of the architect, with the ability to script and use programs now considered desirable skills in the profession. Architectural outcomes that were once impossible are now very much possible as computation dramatically extends our abilities to deal with complex design issues. Architects are increasingly using computation to analyse the performance of a building before it is built. This is done by inputting information about material properties, environmental factors

”

and construction parameters in order to gain understanding about the performance of the building and generate new, better performing solutions. It is also possible through computation to simulate the user experience of a building in order to better understand spaces and the creation of meaning and emotion.30 It is clear that computation enables new modes of design, and these modes will continue to expand as new technology and techniques come into practice. There is however the fear that with all these new tools and possibilities, designs could begin to divert from the initial objective and instead become purely a celebration of skill and of what is possible. It is essential that computation does not become an isolated craft and instead stays an integrated part of the architectural process.31

27. Brady Peters, “Computation works: the building of algorithmic thought.” Architectural design 83, no. 2 (2013): 12. 28. Peters, “Computation works”, 10. 29. Wilson, Robert Andrew, and Frank C. Keil. “Definition of ‘Algorithm’” in The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (London: MIT Press, 1999), 11. 30. Peters, “Computation works”, 13. 31. Peters,”Computation works”, 15.

A.3 COMPOSITION / GENERATION Generative design means that, the architect is no longer designing with a pen and paper or even through a CAD program, but instead through defining procedures that generate form. The resulting forms are more complex and rich than what could be achieved by hand, and with the combination of additive fabrication these new geometries can easily become physical, with richness of form achievable at no additional cost or labour. Hence the combination of computational design and digital fabrication is dramatically opening up opportunities to architects and designers that have the courage to take advantage of them. Michael Hansmeyer uses new computation algorithms and fabrication techniques to create new formal outcomes, that in turn change the way we perceive space and the emotions we experience. The Digital Grotesque uses algorithms to generate forms that are perceived as both artificial and organic, and challenge the balance of chaos and order as experienced by the user.32 The algorithm used in this project takes simple geometry and recursively refines and enriches it. The refinements are deterministic, however

Dimensions of Digitally Grotesque instillation

the results are not entirely predictable and still have an element of surprise. The final geometry consists of hundreds of millions of individual faces, and reaches a level of complexity that is only just perceivable by the human eye.33 The process of bringing these complex geometries into the physical world is more simple than one would originally expect. The project uses sand printing, a relatively new additive fabrication technique, which allows fabrication of large scale elements with extremely high accuracy. The printer uses powdered sandstone in combination with a resin, printing in thin layers to achieve the extremely complex geometries.34 These fabrication techniques, despite proving revolutionary to the design process, are still used primarily in small object design and not architecture. This is perhaps due to scepticism of new processes, risk factors and a generally slow acceptance period to new ideas in the architectural field. Michael Hansmeyer is however choosing to be a pioneer by showcasing one of the numerous possible outcomes of these technologies in his Digital Grotesque project.

Sand printed element, showing hollow cove and joining details

32. “Dital Grotesque”, Michael Hansmeyer, accessed Marth 16th, 2017, http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/projects/ digital_grotesque_info.html?screenSize=1&color=1#undefined 33. “printing Architecture”, Michael Hansmeyer, accessed Marth 16th, 2017, http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/ projects/digital_grotesque_info2.html?screenSize=1&color=1#undefined 34. “Fabrication”, Michael Hansmeyer, accessed Marth 16th, 2017, http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/projects/digital_ grotesque_info5.html?screenSize=1&color=1#undefined

Michael Hansmeyer // Digital Grotesque

A.3 COMPOSITION / GENERATION Computation now allows architects to create buildings that are not only performative, but adaptive to variations in their immediate environment. Through the employment of recursive algorithms that imitate natural form, we can now create artificial environments that not too dissimilar to natural environments. This suggests that the merging of technology and nature is in fact the way forward for architecture. Lumen is an environmentally responsive structure, that changes in relation to densities of bodies, heat and sunlight. By night, visitors are immersed in a colourful knitted light and by day, lumen responds to heat and body density by dispersing a cooling mist on visitors. The structure is built using a fabric that is made with recycled photoluminescent textiles that collect solar energy and convert it to light.35 The fabric is digitally knitted to

form tubular structures and a canopy of cellular components. The materials are lightweight, high performing, form fitting and adaptive.36 Lumen combines theories of biology, material science, mathematics and engineering, with the main objective to explore the transformative and adaptive capabilities of architecture. This is done through generative algorithms that are informed by the sun, site and materials.37 This interdisciplinary experiment produces and sensory experience, full of splendour, but more importantly explores performative and adaptive architecture through the employment of natural principles. Although used in a fairly novel way, the form finding methods and materials from this project contribute to the field of new ideas that ultimately aim for a less detrimental approach to architecture.

35. “Jenny Sabin to create robotically knitted canopy for MoMA PS1 young architects program 2017”, Dezeen, accessed March 16th, 2017, https://www.dezeen.com/2017/02/20/moma-ps1-jenny-sabin-studio-young-architects-program-yaplumen-installation-new-york-usa-news/ 36. “Lumen”, Jenny Sabin, accessed March 16th, 2017, http://www.jennysabin.com/lumen 37. “Lumen”, Jenny Sabin, accessed March 16th, 2017, http://www.jennysabin.com/lumen

Jenny Sabin // Lumen

A.4

he architecture of today and into the future is a product of many determining factors. Two of the biggest being the development of technology and the current environmental crisis. Architecture as a profession is constantly adjusting to the major changes in society and searching for solutions to the new design problems that arise as a result. Sustainable design has been a topic of great debate in architectural practice, but it is clear that understanding sustainability is going to be an integral part of the design process from now on. As seen in the Bombay Sapphire Distillery restoration by Heatherwick Studio, it is now important that we work with what we already have, recycling and restoring as opposed to demolishing and building something new. We also need to conserve nature and be conscious of the effects architecture has on local ecosystems. The rise of capitalism and natural disasters due to global warming is going to mean devastation and poverty for more people in the future. Hence It is of utmost importance that we use design to help people in need, adopting a humanitarian outlook like Elemental did when creating their Half a House design for disaster relief in Chile.

A.4 CONCLUSION The invention of CAD has affected the way we document and communicate design. Furthermore, computation has dramatically changed the form finding process, opening up many new opportunities to architects. Shigeru Ban took advantage of computation to create a structurally optimised timber construction in the Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Club House. Foster and Partners also use computation in their designs to find forms that optimise thermal and energy performance in their buildings, this is seen in the in the London City Hall project. Both example show the advantages of what can be achieved through the use of computational design processes. Finally, it is imperative that we continue to experiment with new technologies, integrating them into the architectural practice. New generative algorithms and digital fabrication techniques are yet to be pushed to their full potential and are still rarely used at architectural scale, despite the potential demonstrated in Michael Hansmeyerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Digital Grotesque projects. Also, we should aim to create architecture that is adaptive and can change in accordance to the current needs of the inhabitants, such as Jenny Sabinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Lumen instillation, hence creating architecture that can transition gracefully into the future.

A.5

A.5 LEARNING OUTCOMES

y design will aim to incorporate elements of all themes discussed in the conclusion. I will design with the sustainability of local ecology at the centre of my thinking. I will also use computation techniques to find and optimise forms. Most importantly however, I will adopt an experimental mindset, using the knowledge I have gained and will continue to gain throughout the semester, in regards to computation skill to create something that is complex and rich in form and ideas. My attitude towards design has already begun to shift through the reading and precedent study

undertaken in studio air. I no longer consider technology and computation as new, different and perhaps even threatening to the integrity architecture as a profession, but an opportunity to explore and design better structures than ever before. I believe this attitude could have been used to improve my design thinking in the past as a tend to adopt a very practical mode of design, drawing of buildings of the past as inspiration for form. Allowing myself to instead imagine all the possibilities of architecture into the future will hopefully allow me to create more original and innovative designs.

A.6

A.6 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

VASE

SHELF

The first algorithmic sketchbook task was to create a series of vases using lofted surfaces in grasshopper. I used a variety of open and closed curves at various angles of rotation to create my five vase design iterations. The second was to create a series of shelving units by manipulating and patterning lists of points in grasshopper. I used triangular and rectangular patterns as a base point s for my designs, manipulating them to create breaks in the pattern.

CRITERIA DESIGN

B.1

B.1 RESEARCH FIELD

Tessellation: a repeating pattern of shapes closely fitted together with no gaps or overlaps.1

essellation is a commonly used technique in computation design, with one of its biggest advantages being that it allows complex forms to be broken up into smaller less complex parts for fabrication. As well as this, tessellation means that a structure can be made from a single repeating element, hence making it easier to understand how something will perform structurally as well as reducing the

number of different joints required. Tessellation however is more often than not limited to surfaces and would be tricky to apply to three dimensional objects and spaces. The aesthetic outcome can sometimes be repetitive, cold and mathematical and hence the technique should be used in careful conjunction with interesting materials and movement.

1.â&#x20AC;&#x153;Definition of Tessellationâ&#x20AC;?, Maths is Fun, accessed March 27, 2017, https://www.mathsisfun.com/definitions/tessellation. html

B.1 RESEARCH FIELD S

Vuossair Cloud by IwamotoScott Architecture was created using the reverse hanging method, invented by Antonio Gaudi, to form find the entirely compressive vaulted structure. In order to build the structure, the vaults were then divided into cells using Delaunay tessellation, where the cell density became greater towards the base and edges of the vaults for increased stability. The cells were then filled with four repeating elements with zero, one, two or three curved edges, depending on the number of adjacent void spaces. Each object varies in size and thickness relevant to its positioning in the vault.1 In this example tessellation allows a complex form to be broken into smaller repeating elements that are simultaneously modelled using grasshopper and rhino to fit the pre-specified structure. The objects are then simply unfolded, laser cut, refolded in physical form and cable tied together. This allows for the simple construction of a large complex shape using lightweight repeating elements, saving on time and materials. R

The Dragon Skin Pavilion was designed and built in just seven days, taking advantage of digital design and fabrication techniques to create a structure out of repeated post formed plywood elements. The regular elements are connected by gradually changing joint elements to create a curved volume that is indicative of a portion of dragon scales. 2 An obvious advantage of tessellation, as seen in this project, is that you can create something from the same repeating element. This would be particularly useful when you have lots of the same object or material to use up. A disadvantage however, it that the resulting form in this instance is one of cold mathematical precision, 3 perhaps losing any humanistic qualities.

2.“Vuossair Cloud,” IwamotoScott Architecture, accessed March 27, 2017, http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIRCLOUD 3.“Dragon Skin Pavilion,” Design Playgrounds, accessed March 27, 2017, http://designplaygrounds.com/blog/dragonskin-pavillion/ 4.“Dragon Skin Pavilion,” Arch2o, accessed March 27, 2017, http://www.arch2o.com/dragon-skin-pavilion-students-oftampere-university-of-technology/

B.1 RESEARCH FIELD M

Fermid by Behnaz Babazadeh takes advantage of tessellation to create an object that explores natural movements found in living organisms. The underlying shape of the sculpture is curvy and fluid, which is them made physical by the separation of the surface into small repeating elements, fabricated from thin, flexible material and fixed using pin joints to allow for movement. The resulting structure can then be pushed and pulled to simulate breathing movements.4 Tessellation can hence allow for objects to be fabricated for movement. Opening up possibilities for forms that imitate human or animal movement, or perhaps adapt to changing environmental factors. However, the aesthetic outcome of this project and many others that use tessellation is sharp and fractured even when used to build shapes that are originally smooth and fluid. S

Hyposurface by dECOi is a display surface, expanding the possibilities of display to become movable and interactive. The surface is divided up into small triangles that allow for movement made possible by a bed of almost 900 pneumatic pistons that create dynamic terrains on the surface. The surface also has the ability to deform as a real-time reaction to environmental conditions such as light, movement and sound. 5 In this example tessellation is simply used to allow a flat surface to move and change into a contoured surface. The repeating element used in a tessellation pattern allows the surface to look continuous and uniform, however does not add much interest in this instance, despite the aesthetic capabilities seen in previous examples.

5.“Fermid by Behnaz Babazadeh,” Design playgrounds, accessed March 27, 2017, http://designplaygrounds.com/ deviants/fermid-by-behnaz-babazadeh/ 6.“Aegis Hyposurface,”Mark Burry, accessed March 27, 2017, https://mcburry.net/aegis-hyposurface/

B.2

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

IwamotoScott Architecture // Vuossair Cloud Distillery

uossair Cloud is an exploration of an entirely compressive structure in combination with a lightweight material system. A program simulating the hanging chain method, first made popular by Antoni Gaudi, was used to give the catenary curves that were then used to define the entirely compressive vaulted structure. The paper-thin material is then used as a contradiction to the compressive structure. In order to make this possible, the vaults are divided into cells using Delaunay tessellation. The density of the cells becomes greater at the base and edges of the vaults, strengthening the system, while the upper vaults have more gaps, reducing weight.7

The cells are filled with one of four repeating elements with zero, one, two or three curved edges, depending on the number of adjacent void spaces. Each object varies in size and thickness relevant to its positioning in the vault. The repeating elements are modelled in grasshopper, unfolded, laser cut, re-folded in physical form and cable tied together. Using a grasshopper definition similar to the one used in this project, the next part will explore the possibilities of the definition, changing parameters, base geometry and components. Attempting to produce different and unexpected outcomes that can perhaps inspire further design.

7. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Vuossair Cloud,â&#x20AC;? IwamotoScott Architecture, accessed March 27, 2017, http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIRCLOUD

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

SCALE / MOVE

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

CHANGE INITIAL POINTS / GEOMETRY B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

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B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

MANIPULATE DEFINITION

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0

SURFACE PANELING

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES

For this outcome, the curves defining the narrow end of the cones were moved further away from the top curves, creating a stretched mesh. Although a simple change, the form starts to look more architectural, like you could walk underneath or stand on top of it. It also looks as though it is taking inspiration from nature as it somewhat resembles a bunch of flowers. I imagine this form separated into its individual columns or â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;flowersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and scattered through an area of trees, with each column around the same size as the trees, playing with ideas of scale and nature vs. artificial nature.

In this example, I played around with the base geometry, widening the boundary curve, moving points around and in some instances moving them outside the boundary curve. Because everything was widened, the overall form is flatter, with softer mesh curves. I imagine this form being climbed upon, with the form moulding and springing underfoot. Perhaps it is something that could wrap around the base of trees, creating a very different forest floor experience.

B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 2

The grasshopper definition used for these examples has components from the kangaroo extension which use physics to optimize structure. In this particular case, the components are taking the mesh as an input and running something similar to the reverse hanging chain method to find the end form, ultimately pulling up and curving the mesh. For this outcome, I changed the forces acting on the mesh so it would not only pull up, but sideways as well. The result is something that is less regular than many of the other outcomes, taking on an aesthetic of something squished or distorted.

For this outcome, I took the mesh that was outputted from kangaroo, triangulated it, exploded it, found the centre and plane of each exploded face and used them to place discs on to the mesh. I then varied the diameter of the discs using fields. I Like this example because it allows the mesh shape to remain visible, while having gaps in the system, creating something that you could look through.

B.3

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

SOFTlab // Behancestillery

his is a permanent instillation in the Behance offices in New York. As the offices are quite stark white, the aim of the project was to add some fun to the space and have something that would act as a three-dimensional stained glass window, casting colours around the space. The site for the instillation in the central stair case, so it is viewable from both levels of the office.8 Aside from being colourful, the aesthetic achieved in this project

is somewhat drippy or stretchy like chewing gum or putty. This shape is what I believe adds the most interest to the project. The stained-glass idea doesn’t appear to have been very successful in the final outcome, with no photographic evidence of any colours or shapes being projected into adjacent spaces. For this next part I will attempt to reverse engineer this project, focusing on the overall shape.

8. “Behance,” SOFTlab, accessed April 6, 2017, http://softlabnyc.com/portfolio/behance/

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

FIRST ATTEMPT: Start with the top and bottom curves.

Create voronoi cells within the top and bottom curves.

TECHNIQUE PRACTICE: I decided to reverse engineer another SOFTlab project that is a less complex version of the Behance project.

Begin with a low resolution mesh.

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

Using the center points for the voronoi, move points and use for circle centers.

Attempt to loft between voronoi cells and circles didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work. Dead end attempt.

Divide mesh faces, fix naked points as anchors, convert lines into springs.

Run the Kangaroo solver to create a tension mesh.

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

MESH A lot of the problems I occurred were due to original low resolution mesh used to create the tension structure. The process of building a mesh in grasshopper from a set of points is really long and tedious, so I opted to build it in rhino. This meant that once the mesh was built and referenced in grasshopper, it was difficult to make changes to the original mesh and hence the final outcome without starting the process all over again. The other problem I occurred was with meshes that weren’t comprised of an even grids of points, for some reason this effected which points were considered ‘naked points’ and hence affected where the structure was anchored from (see images to right).

Uneven mesh grid.

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

Uneven mesh division.

Anchor points effected by uneven mesh division, changing the edge shape of the mesh.

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

FIRST MESH: Mesh originally made from surfaces

Surfaces then converted to Meshes

SECOND MESH: the second mesh has more area at the top and bottom, which changes the final mesh shape.

Surfaces converted to low resolution mesh

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

Meshes joined and divided, naked points used as anchors, fixing corners but allowing other naked points to spline.

Lines converted to springs and kangaroo solver used to create the new mesh shape. This mesh needed to be move relaxed at the top and bottom to better resemble the Behance project.

Meshes joined and divided, naked points used as anchors, fixing corners but allowing other naked points to spline.

Lines converted to springs and kangaroo solver used to create the new mesh shape. This mesh is a better representation of the Behance project that the previous attempt. 57

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 FINAL PROCESS: As previously explained I found I couldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t find an efficient way of creating meshes within grasshopper, so I made a series of points within rhino, used those points to create surfaces and then converted the surfaces to meshes. I then referenced the meshes into grasshopper and joined them into one mesh. This mesh was then divided, using a weaver bird plug in component that allowed corners to remain fixed and other naked edges to spline, reflecting the edges of the Behance project. The mesh lines were then converted to springs and the naked points were used as anchors for the springs. Instead of the lines or springs trying to reach a length of 0, and creating a completely tensile structure, the springs were trying to reach a length of 0.2. This meant that the long thin parts of the mesh were not reduced to a single line. Finally, the springs, anchors and divided mesh were plugged into the kangaroo solver, outputting the final mesh.

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B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0

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B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 FINAL MODEL

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B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 OUTCOME:

ue to the nature of the way I was creating my model it was quite difficult to make quick changes to the final form of the mesh without going back to the start of the process. This meant that my final form had a few differences to SOFTlabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Behance project. The three thin elements joining the blue section are perhaps longer in my model and lack a variety of thicknesses, whereas in the Behance project these elements are shorter and vary in thickness. The Behance project has circles as anchor points where

as in my model they are more like squares with filleted corners. I Think they would have become closer to circles in my model had I been able to up the degree by which the mesh was divided without crashing the definition, creating a higher resolution mesh. Although my definition was probably very different to SOFTlabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s I believe their process would still begin with a low resolution mesh, divided and relaxed somehow to its final form.

B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 DEVELOPMENT:

really like the kangaroo plug in and the use of real-world forces to effect forms, as used in this definition. I would like to explore different forces that can be simulated in kangaroo such as compression, tension and gravity. I like the colourful, drippy

aesthetic of SOFTlabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s projects and will continue to look to their work for inspiration for my design development. Finally, I would like to go back to the idea of tessellation and find ways of incorporating this with the meshes I create.

B.4

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

CONFIGURATION

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

The first change I made to the SOFTlab Behance model was to extend all the tube elements to the base. This made the mesh more continuous, with only the top and bottom acting as anchor points for the kangaroo simulation. The result has a sticky/ gooey aesthetic, resembling something like chewing gum being pulled from the ground by the sole of a shoe. Architecturally this mesh could be used a bridge or tunnel as it would be interesting to walk through and weave between the tube elements.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

For this example, I altered the placement of the tube elements in the Behance project, making some project upwards as well as downwards. I think this would make for a cool hanging structure, perhaps between trees or even wrapping around trees. This example in particular reminds me of a climbing structure which is an element I want to bring into my final design. Climbing would change the perspective of the user to something that is closer perhaps to a birdâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s perspective.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

STRETCH AND DELETE

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

For this set of iterations I started with my practice tension mesh where I reverse engineered a simpler version of SOFTlabâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s behance project. To begin making changes I put anchor points on the mesh and moved them when the kangaroo solver was running, stretching and changing the mesh. This example reminds me of outstretched wings and has a smooth aesthetic.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

To make further changes to the mesh I begun deleting mesh quads. This made the once smooth edged object into a very jagged one. This example has a dynamic quality as it appears to be rotating around a central axis much like plane propellers or a pinwheel. I imagine this form would be most interesting as a loose hanging element allowing it to catch the wind and spin around.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

MESH OPTIONS

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

To explore meshes and kangaroo forces further I decided to start with a flat square mesh and see what I could do to it. This first attempt, although simple is one of the most successful. I triangulated the mesh, converted all the mesh lines to springs and fixed their lengths, I then put anchor points on the mesh and moved them when the simulation was running. This created something that resembles paper folding or origami. Architecturally these would be rigid object, perhaps platforms or roof structures.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

For this example, I once again started with a flat, square mesh. Firstly, I divided the mesh into smaller mesh faces and deleted some of the faces creating holes in the mesh. I then anchored the mesh with points along the edge and applied a force in the z direction creating a parachute shape. I like the idea of creating holes or breaks in meshes. This could be applied to more architectural meshes such as the first 10 iterations.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

ANCHOR POINTS

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT 3

For this set of iterations, instead of using naked points as anchor points, I set them to corners only. This resulted in the majority of the structure collapsing to a much smaller size than in previous examples. To take this further, I moved the anchor points while the kangaroo simulation was running, stretching the mesh. Architecturally, I think this could have an advantage, as a structure could be fixed from very few points.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT 3

This example was actually a mistake. I created a mesh that was intended to be pulled in to tension. However, when running the simulation, the anchor points I had set for whatever reason didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work and the whole structure begun to collapse into a single point. By baking the mesh while it was collapsing I got this iteration. Practically this would be extremely hard to control, but I like the aesthetic it has and how it collapsed in such an orderly way (as seen in iteration 40, the same mesh collapsed further). As it was a symmetrical mesh, it remained symmetrical until all that was left was a single point.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

SYMMETRY / REPETITION

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

For this last set of iteration I started making meshes from tunnel elements that were joining at right angles in the x,y and z directions. When made into a tension mesh all the angles smooth out and the tunnels become more like joining strings between joint points. I like the symmetrical nature of this example and think it would make an interesting standalone object.

B.4 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

For this last example, I begun with a single square mesh and added more square meshes following a pattern that expanded the mesh in all directions. When ran in kangaroo, it created something that resembles a 3D snowflake. It reminds me of something achieved with the anemone plug in, which would perhaps be my next progression, using anemone to generate meshes.

B.5

B.5 VIRTUAL PROTOTYPE

or my video, I wanted to tell a story. The flythrough camera is intended to be perceived as the user experience of my design and scenario. My scenario is creating a link between my animal, the Southern Boobook Owl, and humans in the way in which they can both act as predators of the night. In my video, the user starts out wandering through the forest, then comes across my design.

They approach the design, and in doing so spot a figure across the river. However, as they look to the sky they see an owl circling in the sky as if it is watching, waiting to strike. Moving forward, they make their way through the design and towards the mysterious figure. Just as they are about to reach the person they look to the sky once more to see the owl swoop down and the scene fades to black.

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B.6 TECHNIQUE PROPOSAL

In the dark, we are predators. We watch with perfect night vision as constellations of light explode between dancing figures below. From platforms high in the sky we lock in our target and prepare to swoop. At once or senses heighten, we hear the rise and fall of the beat, see the blur of colours come into focus, mouth-watering with anticipation. Then at last we stretch out our fingertips to grasp our prey, feeling the soft flesh mould under our touch. Finally, we tuck it safely under our wing and take to the wind, unafraid, triumphant. Blissfully unaware, the world above suddenly comes into view. Great luminescent beams reach to the night sky, overlapping at violent angles, distorting and meshing until all that can be perceived is glow. A piercing stare breaks though, eyes orange and wide, scanning for their next victim. We stop dead in out tracks, everything fades to black as the colour draws from the once vibrant night. Something lurks in the dark, making its way closer and closer until at last we feel the cool breath on our neck, a shiver ricocheting through our bones. Just as we are about to hand our self over to fate the first light of morning filters through the scene and at once we are safe again.

B.6 TECHNIQUE PROPOSAL

HUMAN AND ANIMAL INTERACTION The animal Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m focusing on the Southern Boobook Owl. With my design, I am trying to engage the users in the major themes and activities of the of the owl. These themes being that they are nocturnal, they are predators and they have exceptional night vision To do this I have incorporated ideas about luminescence, transparency, levels and perspective into my design. I envisage that people would visit the site at night for a party or even a sleep out, potentially interacting in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to dissimilar to an owl and its prey.

B.6 TECHNIQUE PROPOSAL

DESIGN

INTENT

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What I have created, is a mesh structure that will wrap around the existing vegetation and span across the Merri Creek. Simultaneously molding to the landscape and dramatically juxtaposing it. Although I have outlined the envisaged usage of the design, it has the potential to be very multipurpose. It acts as a bridge across the creek, a climbing frame and a shade cloth. The structure is multilevel giving users a range of different perspectives and it is designed such that it can be used in both the day and night.

B.6 TECHNIQUE PROPOSAL

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The technique that have primarily used is the transitioning of a rigid mesh to a mesh in tension. For materials, I imagine that it would be constructed of a luminescent rope or wire and colourful plastic panels, with gaps in the panels to facilitate climbing and the idea of transparency. Finally, my design is intended to be multipurpose and fun, with the form and materiality being inspired by the owl and ideas about nocturnality, night vision and predators.

B.7 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

R E F L E C T I O N The way this subject and part B in particular is structured allowed me to rapidly develop my skills in grasshopper and unity. Now with an understanding of how some computer-generated forms are made, I am beginning to gain an appreciation for what is valuable digital architecture and what in not. However, the highly-structured nature of part B at times hindered my creative process. I think I was so focused on learning the tools and getting work on paper that I forgot to design! Designing for human and animal interactions at the site of Merri creek makes for an extremely rich and exciting brief. A large part on me would like to start this project over, conduct a site analysis from the beginning and really delve into the brief without the very structured requirements of part B looming over my head. I believe the process of choosing a research field, and two case studies without any consideration to the brief locked me into a design that was perhaps not very responsive to the brief. In saying this, part B was a great learning experience and I now have a design which hopefully I can begin to critically analyse and adjust to better respond to the brief. If I continue with this project I would ideally like to go back to the brief and design something, perhaps not even using grasshopper and then attempt to incorporate a grasshopper technique/ research field that I believed was most suitable.

B.8 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK WEEK 4. RECURSIVE DEFINITION

WEEK 5. CHROMODORIS

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PART B REFLECTION In order to begin group work for Part C, it was necessary to do a quick analysis of each group memberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Part B design, noting the most and successful aspects and areas that could be improved upon. My part B design for the Southern Boobook Owl was based around a scenario where I envisaged people visiting the site at night for a party or even a sleep out, potentially interacting with each other in a way thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not to dissimilar to an owl and its prey. I think I set up an interesting scenario, however there was a disconnect between this and the form, as there was little to no real reasoning for the chosen technique. Some interesting ideas that came out of my design that could be explored further were luminescence and designing for night. Although this may be challenging to physical prototype. I think my biggest challenges were coming up with a meaningful reason to design for the Southern Boobook Owl and designing a form that the owl would want to interact with.

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Image 1: My Part B design

Image 2: Part B design By Faiz Kadir

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Image 3: Part B design By Jessica Broad

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

Faizâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Part B design was centered around the Damselfly and the process of metamorphosis. He created a walk way in which humans would experience a similar transition to the damselfly metamorphosis. Insects proved problematic to design for as they are so small and often allusive, however Faiz did well to draw out an interesting scenario in which the relationship between human and animal was purely symbolic. His form related back to his scenario with the inner corridor referring to the body of the damselfly and the outer corridor referring to the exuviae which is left behind in the metamorphosis process. The form however was perhaps too literal in its representation as it was painted the same colour as the damsel fly itself. The technique used also was relatively simple. Jessâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Part B design was interesting as she proposed a scenario where her animal, the Kingfisher would leave the Merri Creek and be introduced into an urban environment. Through this she aimed to bring the Kingfisher into the sight of humans, hopefully increasing their understanding of the bird and emphasizing the need to protect the Merri Creek and all its non-human inhabitants such as the Kingfisher. She did this by creating safe habitats for the kingfisher to nest in, and implemented them into urban environments. Her biggest challenge appeared to be the overall form of the object, as her chosen technique of biomimicry directed her to a form not to dissimilar to a tree. This was problematic as the site she chose for her design already had trees in which the Kingfisher could build their nests.

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Image 4: Scenario: Credit Faiz Kadir

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

NEW CONCEPT Moving forward we chose to design for my original animal the Southern Boobook Owl, but changed the scenario to the one Jess set up. Meaning in our new design we would try to encourage the Southern Boobook owl out of the Merri Creek and into a new environment. The owl would need a reason to leave its original habitat so we began our research by finding out the what the Southern Boobook owl’s food source is. As it is Australia’s smallest owl, reaching a height of only 27-36cm, it feeds on very small mammals such as the common house mouse and insects, such as moths. We thought about a place where the owl’s food source would be in abundance, and came up with the CERES Environmental Park. Located just off the Merri creek, CERES focuses on sustainable farming practice and education. Due to the production of food and waste from the farming process, we believe the park would attract plenty of small mammals and insects for the Southern Boobook Owl to Prey on. It is also an area busy with human activity which would assist our aim of bringing the owl onto sight of humans to emphasize the need to protect all non-human inhabitants of the Merri Creek. During our research we also found that Owls when in an urban context will hunt form a vantage point such as a fence of a telegraph pole. This information will be used to inform the overall form of the object we create. As an average telegraph pole is about 12 meters high, we will create something slightly higher, as to be the tallest vantage point in the area.

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Image 5: Digital model: Credit Jessica Broad

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT DESIGN PROPOSAL What we are proposing for our design is essentially a tower or vantage point upon which the Southern Boobook Owl can hunt from. The form will consist of horizontal panels, vertical rods for structure and string running through the panels (string not seen in images). The shape of the panels transitions from a triangle at the base to a circle at the top. The panels also rotate as they go up, creating a twisting effect. The structure has three sections, top, middle and bottom, which correspond to owls, insects and small marsupials respectively. It is understood that small marsupials such as the common house mouse will interact with the structure at ground level, insects up to about three meters and owls in the top section. Taking this into account, the spacing between the panels is scaled in each section according to the scale of what is interacting with the structure. So, it will transition from medium spacing at the bottom for marsupials, small spacing for insects in the middle and large spacing at the top for owls. The panels will also have perforations which get smaller as they go up, meaning the panels become more solid towards the top, allowing for owls to perch at the top of the structure. Each perforation will also have a circle of small holes around its perimeter which string will be run through. This will mean that the density of string will become greater towards the top of the structure. At this stage, we are still in discussion about how to/ if we need to attract the owls prey to the structure. For small marsupials, we have considered making the base more enclosed to allow for nesting or sheltering, or alternatively using the base as a compost bin, hopefully attracting the animals. For insects we have discussed using a light which will attract the insects at night time, or alternatively spraying the string with a sugary substance that the insects would feed upon.

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Image 6: Digital model highlighting structure: Credit Jessica Broad

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Image 7: Digital model plan view: Credit Jessica Broad

Image 8: Digital model showing variation of plates Credit Jessica Broad

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Image 9: Materials diagram

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

MATERIALS AND CONSTRUCTION We want to create a contrast with the natural surroundings so the structure will be white. To achieve this, we will laser-cut the panels from white perspex or MDF which will be painted for the desired finish. The laser-cut panels will have holes that will fit snugly around the structure, to stop the panels from sliding down we will use a washer at each fixing point. For the vertical elements creating the main structure, we will use either PVC tubing of timber dowels spray painted white to match the lasercut panels. The final step will involve running string through the whole structure. For this we will use fishing line as it is strong and white/clear in colour. For the Construction of our design, we will firstly line the panels and washers up with the main structure. Secondly, we will slide the washers over the structure to the desired position then slide the panel down until it rests on the washers. This will be Continued until all the panels are on the structure. Finally fishing line will be run through the structure using the holes in each panel.

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Image 9: Construction sequence

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Image 10: CERES Environmental Park

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C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPES SITE We decided to place our design for the Southern Boobook Owl in the Ceres Environmental Park, located in Brunswick East off the Merri Creek trail. The park places a strong emphasis on education and is used by the local community to practice sustainable gardening and farming. It offers an organic grocery, cafĂŠ, nursery and education facilities, therefore enabling a variety of activities such as shopping, socializing, exercising and volunteering. Although the Southern Boobook Owl is one of the most common species of owls within this area, we believe that educating visitors of this species and allowing them to see them when they are often well hidden will add knowledgeable value to the area. It will also raise awareness about the importance of returning Merri Creek to its indigenous state and preserving the native flora and fauna of the surrounding environment. Hence, we chose the Ceres environmental park as our site as it has a lot more human activity than other areas within Merri Creek, giving our design more exposure and hopefully providing an opportunity for our design to become a tool for educating people on themes surrounding the Southern Boobook Owl. Another reason we chose the Ceres Environmental Park was that there would be an abundance of food for the Southern Boobook Owl, which feeds primarily on the common house mouse and other small mammals and insects. Their prey would be concentrated around the park due to the generation of food waste and the presence of livestock living around the park, creating an ideal habitat for their prey. The design therefore has the potential to create a co-dependent relationship between the humans tending and visiting the park and the owls, as human activity in the Ceres Environmental Park invites unwanted rodents and insects on which the Southern Boobook Owl feeds upon.

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Image 11: Design Progression

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DESIGN PROGRESS We received feedback on our design during the week 10 tutorial, which led us to keep the tower form but change the technique we were using. To begin this process, we looked at some precedent pictures, choosing two particular examples to begin to inform a new technique for our design. At this stage, we are very concerned with what we can achieve in two weeks with our grasshopper and fabrication knowledge. The first was a project out of Bond University for a livework tower in the Brisbane CBD. The project features long vertical elements running the length of the tower and smaller horizontal elements seen between the vertical lengths. Obviously out project doesn’t need to accommodate a plan, so we only used the exterior aesthetic of the long vertical elements and short horizontal elements to inform a new design. The second precedent was a pavilion designed by Tamás Lévai for the 2010 shanghai world expo. The pavilion featured long vertical timber rods, seemingly placed along the façade according to a mathematical rule. We then translated this idea into a second design, using vertical rods and horizontal fixing plates. As a team we decided that this design had more potential for exploration than the first option, so this is what we pursued in our prototype.

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Image 12: Fabrication digital model Credit Jessica Broad

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FABRICATION For a first prototype, we kept the same shape as our original design, but reduced the amount of horizontal plates. We also changed the design to allow the structure to be hollow and changed the perforations to either 3mm or 6mm holes. These panels were then laser cut out of 3mm thick MDF and spray painted white. For the vertical elements, we used 3mm and 6mm diameter clear acrylic rods. These were cut to length by scoring with a stanley knife and snapping. Three 10mm diameter clear acrylic rods were used as structure up until the fifth plate. These rods were cut using a hack saw and sanded smooth. To assemble the model, we started from the bottom, sliding the first plate on to the 10mm rods, keeping it in place with small clear elastic bands wrapped around the 10mm rods. The second plate is then put onto the structure in the same way. We then ran the 3mm and 6mm diameter rods through the two plates. This process of, wrapping elastic bands around the 10mm rods, sliding the plate onto the 10mm rods to rest on elastic bands and then feeding the 3mm and 6mm rods through the plates continues until the fifth plate. After this point, the 3mm and 6mm rods become the structure instead of the 10mm rods. This meant the plates needed to be held in place while the rods were glued to hold the plates at the right distance apart. This continued to the top of the structure.

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Image 13: Plates after laser-cutting and spray painting: Credit Faiz Kadir

Image 14: Acrylic rods cut to length

Image 17: Completed structure: Credit Faiz Kadir

Image 18: Close up of jagged effect created by the angled rods

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Image 15: First five plates on the 10mm structural rods, with some 3mm and 6mm rods in place.

Image 16: End of 10mm rods, 6mm rods now being used for structure

Image 19: When the rods were pushed through at to great of an angle, it caused the MDF to break

Image 20: Holes too close to the edge of the plates also caused the MDF to break

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Image 21: Completed structure: Credit Faiz Kadir

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PROTOTYPE The Prototype was a great learning tool, as it created many good and not so good outcomes. The main challenge we encountered was that the holes did not line up vertically, which we initially didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think would matter as the acrylic rods had a bit of flexibility in them. However, as the holes in the MDF were straight, and the rods were coming in at an angle, it often meant that they were hard to push through and sometimes splintered the MDF (as seen in image 19). Holes that joined at too great of an angle proved impossible to push a rod through and ended up staying empty. So, moving forward the holes should line up vertically for neatness and ease of construction. Past the fifth plate, the 10mm structural rods stopped, meaning the 6mm rods now had to act as the structure. This was problematic, as unlike the 10mm rods, the 6mm rods did not line up vertically. Not only did we not know how to line up the plates any more without the 10mm holding them in place, but it was impossible to glue the plates properly with angled rods. To get past this, we had to had to line to 6mm rods up straight with the below plate, which resulted in a change in the overall form of the top of the structure. It was no longer straight and lost its twisting effect (as seen in image 21). An aesthetic issue that arose was that the white MDF plated were very heavy looking and seemed to be what the eye focusses on. This was not ideal as the plates primary function was to provide fixing points, not aesthetics. We really wanted to focus to be on the effect created by the acrylic rods. Moving forward we will use clear acrylic for the plates as well, as to draw attention away from the vertical rods. Hopefully, this will create a transparent, dreamy aesthetic for our final model.

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DESIGN PROGRESS Learning from the prototype, we altered the design so that all the rods were straight, meaning that the problem of the rods not fitting through the holes was alleviated. We also changed the overall shape so that the structure no longer twists as it goes up. This will make lining up the plates during fabrication much easier. The first iteration of the new design (iteration 3) is quite wide, meaning the slender, elegant tower form is lost. This final iteration therefor is slenderer, drawing attention to the immense height of the structure. In the final design, there is also the addition of an attractor points to vary the arrangement of the rods.

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04 Image 21: Design iterations Credit: Jessica Broad

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Image 13: Plates after laser-cutting and spray painting: Credit Faiz Kadir

Image 14: Acrylic rods cut to length

Image 17: Completed structure: Credit Faiz Kadir

Image 18: Close up of jagged effect created by the angled rods

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Image 15: First five plates on the 10mm structural rods, with some 3mm and 6mm rods in place.

Image 16: End of 10mm rods, 6mm rods now being used for structure

Image 19: When the rods were pushed through at to great of an angle, it caused the MDF to break

Image 20: Holes too close to the edge of the plates also caused the MDF to break

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MODEL In comparison to the prototype, the final model was much easier to construct. However, it wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely without its difficulties. Once again, the panels that had the larger structural rods running through them were far easier to keep in the right position while the smaller rods were glued. Once the large structural rods ended, the panels needed to be held in place while the small rods were glued in place, making it a minimum two-man job. To construct the model as quickly as possible, one person constructed from the bottom up and another from the top down. This resulted in some discrepancies between the two pieces as the pattern from the top down was far more difficult to follow than the bottom up. There is therefore gaps in the top section of the model that werenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t meant to be there. The overall effect of the clear acrylic rods and plates is however far cleaner than our previous prototype. The transparent plates definitely leave the focus on the vertical rods, which when looked through, achieve the dreamy effect we were aiming for

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SCENARIO To begin to define the form of our design we looked both at the food source of the Southern Boobook Owl and the way in which the owl hunts. In an urban context such as Melbourne, the Owl hunts from any vantage point it can find such as fences and telegraph poles. Due to the nature of the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hunting patterns, we have deducted the need to design a structure that will provide a high vantage point on which the owl could rest upon and visualize its prey. This is why we have chosen a tower form for our design, which reaches a height of 13 meters, meaning it is greater than the height of an average telegraph pole. When situated in the centre of the Ceres Environmental Park, the Owl will therefore be able to look over an increased area within the park. Part of our research regarding the Southern Boobook Owl brought us to look into the dimensions of its prey, for example, field mice and various insects, which in turn have been used to define the spacing between elements in our final model. As small mammals will be interacting with the design at ground level the design has larger spacing here and as it goes up to where insects will be interacting with the design the spacing between elements become smaller. This is generated in grasshopper using attractor points which bunch the vertical elements closer together at the centre of the tower.

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STRUCTURE The tower consists broadly of four different elements. The main structure comprises of three rods that span through the plates up until the fifth plate. The twelve horizontal plates, which act as fixing points for the vertical elements. The inner skin of vertical rods, which are of the smallest diameter are evenly spaced, and finally the outer skin of vertical rods of a larger diameter which are space according to attractor points in grasshopper.

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MATERIALITY The Ceres Environmental Park is full of really quirky structures, all made of natural materials, inspired by indigenous and organic forms. For our design, we wanted to create a stark contrast with the surrounding structures and environment. We therefor created a very geometric form and used transparent plastic for the material. The structure itself is not transparent due to the mass of the object and amount of overlaid parts meaning it is not hazardous to the owl and other animals. The effect the materiality creates is a distorting one, as the environment as viewed through the round tubes will become disfigured, almost like looking at a warped mirror.

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REFLECTION I think the strongest aspect of our design was the idea of creating a vantage point for the Southern Boobook Owl to hunt from. However, this seemed to be the only thing driving idea driving the form of our design, and with the only requirement being a specific height, our options were very open. This did not sit well with any of us, so we attempted to add richness to the project by thinking about the different scales of prey, adding the idea of levels to our form. In reflection, this idea did not add to the project, as it was made clear in our final presentation that our use of attracter points to vary that spacing of objects was not well read by the panel. Another comment we received was that if our design was only serving one function, why did we choose the technique we did and not something more complex. To this I would say that at the time we were so caught up in trying to have a reason behind everything we did as to justify our design, when really all we needed to do was create a beautiful object. The materiality was also problematic, as the transparency of the tower may have resulted in it becoming a hazard for birds. Also, realistically over time the structure would become covered in bird poo, meaning it would require constant maintenance. Ideally the structure should be made from something more natural like timber so that a bit of bird poo wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t look so out of place. Moving forward we needed to simplify our approach, stop over thinking everything and just create a vantage point that is also a beautiful object that people will enjoy seeing and interacting with.

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DESIGN PROGRESS Moving forward we did a set of iterations using one definition. We were happy with the effect of the definition but needed to find an interesting form. Our most successful iteration (as seen below) moves away from the tower form that we were originally thinking and creates something that has a vantage point but interacts far more greatly with the ground plane. Architecturally, this will reach almost the same height as our previous design, meaning it will span a much larger area. It also lifts off the ground at a couple of places allowing people to walk through and climb on the structure.

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MATERIALITY The structure will be made from bamboo, a sustainable product, conforming to the ideals of The Ceres Environmental Park and complementing its natural setting. It will not be transparent like the previous design stopping its potential to be hazardous to birds. Over time the structure will weather and soften, this process is considered natural and beautiful meaning the structure will require very little maintenance.

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STRUCTURE The original input for our design is a surface, so using the contours of the plan and section of that surface, we will make a steel grid frame to act as the primary structure for our design. The Bamboo will then be constructed in sections using flexible joints between the bamboo pieces and fixed to the frame which will hold the pieces in their desired position.

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FINAL DESIGN Our final design aims to create a mutual relationship by catering for both humans and animals on site at the Ceres Environmental park. Its primary function is to create a vantage point for the Southern boobook to hunt from within the park, as due to the farming activity, there will be an abundance of food source for the owl, such as mice and insects. These are often considered pests in the agricultural practice, so by introducing the Southern Boobook Owl to site we hope to also create o co-dependence between human and owl. As well as being a vantage point for owls, it is a permanent art instillation which add interest to the flat ground plane. People can climb on the design and walk through the tunnels that frame views out to the landscape. Finally, the sustainable materiality and organic form fits well with the existing philosophy of the park and blend well to the natural landscape.

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