Studio AIR
Leanne Wong [359847]
progress_journal
ARCHITECTURE
as_discourse
“We tend to view architecture as permanent, as aspiring to the status of monuments.”
ALLISON ARIEFF, NY Times
The idea of architecture as art is one of the most familiar and prevalent definitions of architecture. Previous stylistic forms have tended to be more concerned with aesthetics, rather than more spatial aspects of architecture, its relationship with its surroundings or its use. In this vein, this old school paradigm considers architecture as a hermetic, apolitical activity and we thus expect buildings to leave unique, lasting impressions as individual works of art. Architecture has often been synonymous with permanence and completion, but should it be? The problem with this definition is that it ignores the complexities involved with buildings being so intrinsically tied to society and arguably, leaves little room for adaptability. Architecture should be thought of less as a set of material products and more as a range of social and professional practices which can eventually, but not always, lead to buildings. Though contradictory, this perspective can lead to new technologies and approaches in architecture by encouraging a more global focus. And if new digitally-generated forms are anything to go by, this discourse design generates in the world heralds the paradigm shift from “a passive space of static coordinates to an active space of interaction” (Greg Lynn).
Previously conceived for an earlier design, this concept model sought to challenge pre-existing notions regarding architecture as simply being a set of material products. In particular, this model represented an ephemerality by being made of discrete, interlocking components suggesting portability and an ability to be deconstructed, and thus recreated. Additionally, the use of balsa wood was representative of the idea of taking conventional materials (such as timber, concrete etc), and re-conceptualizing them in new ways to create novel building forms.
CONCEPT MODEL | PERSONAL PROJECT
In the context of the Gateway brief, this rebellion against the notion that artistic and contextual architectures are mutually exclusive is particularly pertinent. The brief requires that the design “explore placemaking aspects”, whilst still being “eyecatching”, therefore this new discourse is of significant personal interest and relevance.
Located in Covent Garden, the Bridge of Aspiration links the Royal Ballet School with the heritage-listed Royal Opera house adjacent. This award-winning design has been widely recognized for addressing a number of complex contextual issues to create a bridge which acts both as a fully integrated component of the two buildings, and as an independent architectural element. In this manner, the Gateway Project brief demands a similar resolution: an installation which “integrates with the immediate and surrounding landscape” (Wyndham City Council). Designed by computer with engineers Flint and Neill, the simple idea of a rotating box was difficult to achieve and was produced using complex CAD geometry and hand-crafting, As noted by Sara Hart from Architectural Record, “the footbridge, in the form of a concertina, twists from one facade to the other, becoming more sculpture than architecture.” This design therefore advances architectural discourse by highlighting how architecture can be functional and act as an artistic “focal point” (Wyndham Council) within an urban context. Additionally, aluminium was chosen for its lightness, with each component dimensioned on the computer so that assembling the prefabricated parts only took two hours for workers to achieve. Though fundamentally being quite geometrically simple, the Bridge of Aspiration shows how advanced geometry and digital tools can be used to push the boundaries in design, not only structurally (with its square portals), but also materially, by testing the limits of fairly innocuous aluminium. This idea, from a personal standpoint, of taking a traditional material and then shaping it into an aesthetically intricate design is something which greatly appeals as it appears to respond to two of the Gateway Brief’s seemingly contradictory notions: that of having “longevity” whilst also proposing “new, inspiring and brave” ideas.
“We look for a combination of efficiency and visual pleasure in our designs.” CHRIS WILKINSON
BRIDGE OF ASPIRATION | WILKINSON EYRE 2003__Royal Ballet School_England
Upon completion, the Bridge of Aspiration won multiple awards, with the most significant being, in relation to the Gateway Project, an award for Best Public Space. This bridge therefore not only connects with its client and their patrons, but evidently also with the general public.
SIGNIFICANT_AWARDS - AluProgetto Award 2006 - Footbridge Award (aesthetics/short span) 2005 - Aluminium Imagination Awards 2003 - British Construction Industry Awards 2003 - FX Awards, Winner of Best Public Space 2003
“Architecture should speak of its time and place, but yearn for timelessness.” FRANK GEHRY
Almost from the moment it opened in 1997, Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was hailed as one of the most important buildings of the 20th century. Gehry’s Guggenheim visually links the Basque city to the surrounding landscape and delivers a significant piece of Bilbao’s redevelopment puzzle. In this regard, Gehry’s design showcases the ability for a structure to be an “identifier for the municipality”, something which distinguishes the landscape from other areas and “encourages a sense of pride within the local community” (Wyndham City Council). As emphasised by one author, the Guggenheim Bilbao highlights the “power of a single building to instigate urban renewal and perform an architectural miracle” (Joseph Zulaika, Guggenheim Bilbao Museoa). Technologically speaking, Gehry’s ability to create such a spontaneous, organic design is due to what was a ground-breaking new computer advancement, CATIA (Computer Aided Three Dimensional Interactive Application). This software facilitated the engineering aspects of the project, processing data and integrating material specifications to calculate the mathematics of the construction. The material advancement that accompanied the software was titanium, chosen because it is an extremely corrosion-resistant, low-density metal that is more malleable than steel, without sacrificing any strength. Most importantly, titanium can be curved, allowing for the complexity of Gehry’s design. Like Wilkinson/Eyre’s Bridge of Aspiration, the design took the possibilities offered by the material composition and reworked it to achieve a new repertoire of surface effects. The resulting architecture is sculptural and expressionistic; relevant and highly contextual whilst still being extremely distinctive.
SIGNIFICANT_AWARDS
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM | FRANK GEHRY + ASSOCIATES 1997__Bilbao_Spain
- Time Magazine’s Best Design 1997 - European Museum of the Year 2000 - Communication Award, in recognition of the Museum’s contribution to spreading a positive image of the Basque Country 2000 - Prix d’Excellence, underlining the role played by the Museum as a fundamental element in the city’s urban revitalization 2001
COMPUTATIONAL
d e s i g n
“The current transition from Computer Aided Design (CAD) to Computational Design in architecture represents a profound shift in design thinking and methods.� ACHIM MENGES
Computers, by their nature, are extremely effective analytical machines. They can identify goals/constraints/parameters of the design, highlight inconsistencies or flaws, represent the solution graphically and numerically as well as assist with maintenance of the built form afterwards. As seen in the previous Wilkinson/Eyre and Gehry case studies, computers were used more to aid design, rather than actually simulate it. In contemporary architectural design however, digital media is increasingly used not merely as a representational tool for visualization but as a generative tool for developing form. In a radical departure from traditional architectural design, digitally-generated forms are not designed or drawn depending on the architect’s own aesthetic, but rather calculated by the chosen computational method. This then allows for a range of possibilities are produced from which the designer could then choose to further develop. Consequently, the relationships between design and representations are being reshaped to include computationally-generated complexities; innovations which are opening up new opportunities for conceptual, formal and tectonic exploration.
SURFACE EXPERIMENTATION WITH PAPER | PERSONAL PROJECT 2004_to present
VARIOUS PROJECTS | ATELIER MANFERDINI
Atelier Manferdini is a design firm which undertakes tectonic experimentation using a variety of materials and textiles. They take an interdisciplinary approach to design, delving not just into architecture, but also industrial design, engineering and fashion. Significantly, this interdisciplinary approach seems to be particularly pertinent as the project doesn’t exclusively demand an eye-catching, exciting structure, but rather something sculptural which reflects the fact that “art has become woven into the fabric of everyday life and a central thread connecting people and Wyndham” (Gateway brief). Materials, and their ability to be crafted to produce thoughtprovoking designs have always been of a personal interest to me, an interest which has only been reinforced upon investigating new digital design techniques. In this case, most of Elena Manferdini’s work is based on the idea that subtle techniques can turn a flat piece of material into a shape or structure, and heavily relies on computer-aided manufacturing processes such as laser-cutting to create intricate patterns. Her work is an example of the way computing can aid the construction of more complex forms. Not only that, her approach demonstrates the way architecture can be enriched by merging multiple disciplines to consider new opportunities and forms for materials, rather than simply viewing them as construction materials. It should be noted though that Manferdini’s approach is limited mainly to producing two-dimensional effects, rather than actual structural forms, so the legitimacy of some of her works in the context of producing a structure for the Wyndham Gateway is debatable. Perhaps therefore we should take a leaf out of Atelier Manferdini’s book and use an interdisciplinary approach to merge structural theory with surface effects.
Whilst Atelier Manferdini tends to focus on surface effects, Matsys’ C_Wall demonstrates an integration between structural considerations and visual performance as a a part of ongoing research into honeycomb and voronoi geometries. In this case, computational tools are used to generate form, not merely assist manufacturing processes. The voronoi algorithm can be particularly useful as it can easily adapt to local contingent conditions and respond to inputted parameters, marking a shift away from static, permanent architecture. Through this process, it becomes much easier to produce structures that are responsive to local performance criteria/parameters, allowing for multiple possible solutions to be generated. However the C_Wall was not purely created using an algorithm, Matsys also had to integrate basic structural considerations to ensure that the wall could stand and support its own weight (the zigzag wall plan creates structural stiffness). Similarly to Manferdini, digital tools were then also used to aid in cutting out the numerous openings, allowing for a more delicate use in material, as well as assist in the assembly process. The complexity of the C_Wall demonstrates how computing can be used to create complex, intricate forms which are “original and engaging in form” (Gateway brief). Something which requires further consideration; Matsys’ method of generating multiple possible solutions marks a profound shift away from the old school paradigm of the individual design process and producing architecture on a caseby-case nature - are the two necessarily mutually exclusive?
C_WALL | MATSYS
2006__Ohio State University_USA
“Complex surfaces with integrated structures promise a quantum leap of engineering elegance and intellectual satisfaction.”
JOSEPH GIOVANNINI
This personal interest in materiality has inevitably led to research regarding monocoque construction. Previously developed to manufacture planes and automobiles, monocoque construction is now being applied to architectural forms due to the ability to create sinuous, streamlined forms - this construction technique supports structural loads by using an object’s external skin, rather than using an internal structural frame.
MONOCOQUE 1 | NERI OXMAN 2007__MOMA_NY
This project demonstrates the generation of integrated systems through design-authored computational processes. Therefore, unlike Manferdini’s and Matsys’ forms, Monocoque 1 goes beyond manipulating surface effects to promote heterogeneity and differentiation of material properties. Its innovative 3D printing technology provides for the ability to print parts and assemblies made of multiple materials within a single build, as well as to create composite materials. It too uses a voronoi algorithm to generate its form, however the vein-like surface lines also embody shear-stress lines and surface pressure, rather than merely being for effect.
CONTEMPORARY
scripting_cultures
“With a generative approach to creative production it is possible for there to be a clear distinction between what is generated and what generates, between the code and the resultant objects.” MARK BURRY By any definition, scripting is a fairly fluid term. It can offer new opportunities in the way of allowing operators to adapt and customise parameters around their own interests and methods of working. And for that reason scripting can afford the possibility of far richer outcomes for the same investment of time for the Gateway project, as well as help us escape the strictures inherent in using just any modelling software. Significantly however, scripted code also readily changes hands - a design force influenced by the innate human desire to share knowledge. The implication of such is the potential risk that code may become a cloning tool for less knowledgeable users to mimic their more talented counterparts. Or even more detrimental, the fact that scripting may only be used on a purely superficial level, and without the contribution of the narratives, references and history that enrich design. Therefore in digital design it seems that if scripting is to be fully beneficial to our project and allow a deeper engagement between the computer and user, design must remain at its core. As noted by Roland Snooks from Kokkugia, our interest as designers should be “how an algorithm, loaded with design intent, emerges from the design problem rather than simply the architecture emerging from a known algorithm.”
SIGNIFICANT_AWARDS - Love Lace International Award Lace Award [Digital Category] 2011
PRICKING | MESNE + SUPERMANOEUVRE + INDAE HWANG 2011__Powerhouse Museum_Sydney
MESNE’s Pricking engages with ideas regarding complexity, ephemerality and materiality within architecture. This interdisciplinary installation comprising of a real-time interactive multi-touch table and digital projection re-conceptualizes the connection between the ideal and the actual, medium and materiality through force directed algorithms. A collaboration between MESNE design studio, Supermanoeuvre and Indae Hwang, code was collectively written and shared on a collaborative database which allowed them to work simultaneously between Melbourne, Copenhagen and London. The designers used behavioural-based computational models embedded with material intelligence to allow visitors to re-design lace motifs in various different styles of lace; including knitting, tatting, crochet etc. Users are then invited to engage in and influence the ongoing generative process that can be evidenced on the table by designing their own lace patterns. A selected number of works are then cut out from sheets of paper using a lasercutter and displayed in the gallery adjacent to the table - an attempt in answering the question: “what happens if you apply computational processes to the historical notion of craft?” As noted by the designers, one unanticipated and interesting byproduct of these delicate cut-outs is that their material behaviour is no longer that of paper, but rather transformed into that of a fabric, just like actual lace. Consequently, since the system allows for completely fluid, unexpected interaction, limitless designs for lace patterns can be created and owned - by the audience. The simplicity of the visual effects conceal months of very complex programming to create this interactivity where technique and design inform each other.
“The agency of our work exists in its capacity to cross-pollinate the worlds of architecture, performing arts, material and computer science, fabrication technologies and engineering.” MESNE
MESNE’s design philosophy is focused around the idea of a trans-disciplinary approach to design. Connections between and across demains such as architecture, engineering, computer science and other arts are valued in order for contemporary architecture to be realised at an urban as well as detailed design scale. As seen in pricking, MESNE also believes in actively engaging with industry in order to challenge pre-existing notions regarding process, aesthetics and modes of production. This philosophy could possibly be advantageous as one of the main criticisms of scripting, as previously mentioned, is the fact that designers may take a superficial approach to computational design rather than forming their own design intent. MESNE’s collaborative approach also opens up new opportunities for combining scripting code greater than the sum of the individual. Conversely, it should be noted that most of MESNE’s work is purely speculative. One significant challenge of scripting is the transition from the creation of inventive patterns and small-scale installations to full-scale architectural projects where scripting can influence an entire realm of opportunities for architectural space. The
VARIOUS PROJECTS | MESNE
issue of “style over substance” therefore is inevitably raised, though debatable considering the interactivity, thoughtfulness and complexity Pricking achieved. Pricking is perhaps a combination of two of Burry’s scripting cultures: experimentation by scripting to “the answer” and a voyage of discovery. Hence something which also requires further consideration - what is the validity of using a computer program/algorithm to produce design solutions? Is it still design if everyone uses the same parametric equation, or is it the way we apply it to make it contextual and responsive which matters? The latter answer seems particularly applicable to the Gateway Project. Despite the pre-conception that scripting is only comprised of cold, hard logic, the previous cases for innovation show that scripting tools, similar to Grasshopper, can present opportunities that other forms of modelling cannot. For my interests and the EOI, scripting can capture material logic, provide deeper access to the imagination, engage with complexity, and even more specificially for my design and learning process, delve into the unknown. Therefore another aspect worthy of note is that the benefits and implications of scripting seem to be entirely dependent on the designer and as varied as each of their individual approaches. For the most part, my research has focused on the link between scripting and materiality, mainly because it is of personal interest. Just as I can be assured of the fact that of hundreds of design students, each of their scripting approaches will be dissimilar and varied, depending on their own predilections. Of all design inputs, whether they be digital or literal, the most precious to us as designers is our intuition. “We each have a unique story to tell.” (Burry)
DIGITAL EXPERIMENTATION | MESNE