Air journal

Page 1

STUDIO

AIR

LEYUAN LI 2018 SEMESTER 2 JACK MANSFIELD-HUNG


A.0 Introduction

My name is Leyuan Li, preferably Renee. Currently I am a third year student in the University of Melbourne, majored in Architecture. My interest of architecture field originates from my enthusiasm in interior design, and during the two years study of architecture, I become very passionate with the form-finding process and would like to put more consideration about architecture experience.

Table of Contents A.0 Introduction A.1 Design Futuring A.2 Design Computation A.3 Composition/ Generation A.4 Conclusion A.5 Learning Outcome A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook Bibliography List of Figures

Moreover, I am also very interested in movie content and the animation process. Related back to the architectural field, I believe in most kind of movies, the structure, style and detail of buildings also play an important role of creating atmosphere and in the future, I would like to continue the research and study of that in the future.


A.1 Design Futuring

It is undeniable that the intelligence of humankind takes us deeply explore the vastness and infinite possibilities of nature world, but with the limited resources and population booms, recently people confronts a defuturing condition of sustainability1. Therefore, in order to stop the rate of auto-defuturing and redirect human towards a more sustainable habitation, for the designers in most fields, the speculative thinking during designing process could be a critical pathfinding approach to explore the future potentials and feasibility.2 Other than the speculative design, during the process of designing future, the relationship between the exclusiveness of specialization and the designing pluralization also need to be consciously balanced.3 On one side, in current society, the communication among different professionalization and disciplines is necessary to create design more broadly and globally, but at the same time, the openness of discussion and idea contribution also might bring public some superficial design, which blindly focus on the appearance. Designers should always be aware of the ideology is the spirit of design rather than the style or appearance and the ideology of the design would directly determine if the design could be potentially sustainable for the future.

1 Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) p.3 2 Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2003) p.3 3 Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) p.6


A.1 Design Futuring

To respond the “designing future” question, designers are required to have a precise understanding of the principle “dialect of sustainment”. In order to provide a design not defuturing, each designing action need to be very conscious to provide an efficient structure.1 Therefore, the decisions about the tectonic of structure and materiality are vital to define the sustainability of design. Invented by Fuller and normally used as architecture form, the geodesic dome has also been identified as a revolutionary breakthrough in the scientific field whereas compared with the scale and capability of overall structure, the technical components of geodesic dome seemed very primitive. As demonstrated by Fuller, he recognized his accomplishment as an discover of the principles operated in universe rather than an innovation2. Specifically, the structure’s tectonic and shape is originated from the biology pattern of nature and by connecting the structural beam as the way of cells being connected, the structure is capable of distributing stress equally with minimum material. The use of simple components in Fuller’s engineering theory has generated numerous possibilities of structure and scale, and the primitiveness of structure also make it feasible and efficient to create a large scale project like Montreal Biosphere.

Figure 1. Montreal Bioshphere

Figure 3. Dymaxion Wichita house Diagram 1. Tectonic similarity between geodesic dome and bio-structure

Figure 2. Drop City

Figure 4. Dymaxion Wichita house 1 Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) p.6 2 Ananthasuresh, G. Buckminster fuller and his fabulous designs. From Resonance: Journal of Science Education. (2015)


A.1 Design Futuring

The Hylozoic Ground, defined as a practical exercise of artificial forest by Beesley, is composed of an intricate lattice of small transparent acrylic meshwork links.1 Similar with the tectonic of geodesic dome, the formation of this reactive complex also takes the inspiration from the primitive and nature intelligence. By using subtle materials like electricity and chemistry as medium and mimicking the central nervous system of human body, the fabricated components are all interconnected as the way of neurons, and the attachment of reactive mechanisms over the meshwork links enable the all ingredients merged as a life architecture. 2

Figure 5. Hylozoic Ground strutcture

Although originated from different social and natural situations, both ideologies of projects demonstrate unique consideration of creating anthropocentrically sustainable design to increase the engagement between human and structure.3 The “using less produce more” principle of Fuller’s geodesic dome become an efficient habitant structure for the armies and paupers living in harsh environments. Moreover, on the social perspective, the emergence of drop city also identified that the feasibility of geodesic dome offers youngers opportunities to explore alternatives of lifestyle. On the contrary, currently the Hylozoic ground is still a practical experiment of architecture, but behind that, the idea of taking primitive intelligence of nature and human to create life structure, which aims to emotionally interact with people and link the animate and inanimate, provide us a pure and innovative ideology to speculate the possibilities of reactive architecture.4

Figure 6. Hylozoic Ground

Diagram 2. Comparison between the work flows of Hylozoic Ground and human nervous system 1 N.a, Hylozoic Ground, Living Architecture, < http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/sculptures/0929_Hylozoic_Ground_Venice/>, (accessed by July 29, 2018) 2 Beesley Philip, Philip Beesley, Hylozic Ground yotube video, ,< https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=v86B9Nz_LVU >,accessed by (July 30, 2018) 3 Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) 4 Beesley Philip, Near-Living Architecture, work in progress form the hylozoic ground collaboration, (Riverside Architecture press, 2013)


A.1 Design Futuring

The Dolphin Embassy was an architectural project aims to facilitate the communicate between the humankind and dolphins whereas because the insufficient funds the proposal hasn’t been transformed to reality.1 By locating the structure upon the ocean, inserting internal cetacean pool and combining media facilities with the mechanical structure, the Dolphin Embassy offer unprecedented opportunities to promote the communication between the human being and Delphic civilization. As a paper architecture finished in 1974, a decade that the environmental issue hasn’t been deteriorated severely, now it is not deniable to say that the proposal of blurring boundary between the human and nature is prominently speculative. As argued by Dunne that the design speculations can act as a catalyst for collectively redefining our relationship to reality, it is essential for current designers to make speculative assumption in the process of designing future.2 Instead of predicting the future, utilizing design as a speculative approach to explore various possibilities is the essence of speculative thinking and the recall of Dolphin Embassy demonstrate the various possibilities contained in paper architecture.3 The visionary design especially in the architectural field has often been improperly assumed as regressive and unrealistic, whereas indeed the design intelligence of some paper architectures provide us more alternatives to make crucial judgement, deciding whether they could increase or decrease the future potentials. 4

1 N.A, Dolphin Embassy, Hidden architecture < http://www.hiddenarchitecture.net/>, (accessby July 29, 2018) 2 Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2003) p.8 3 Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2003)p.8 4 Sadler Simon, Archigram: architecture without architecture. (Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, c2005),p.24

Figure 7. The Dolphin Embassy

Diagram 3. Programs arrangement of Dolphin Embassy


A.2 Design Computation

From few decades till current, computing gradually becomes an unneglectable character of design among most fields. Beyond representation, the computation design, specifically the parametric design, which a new form of digital design thinking, emphasizes the logic and relevance among components and the parts-and-whole relationship of a system.1 Influenced by the generative thinking, the process of design has been transformed from form-making to form-finding and during this process, more complex “free-form� geometries have been produced and viewed as varies selections of result. 2 Other than the designing methodology, the advancement of computation also enables new fabrication media and technological productions during construction process, such as CNC and 3D-printing. To some extent, such development of fabricating techniques not only resolve the conflicts between the designing conception and constructing feasibility, but also enable designer to accomplish lot theorized projects and explore more possibilities of structure and function.

1 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge) p.1 2 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge)p.2


A.2 Design Computation

A.2 Design Computation

The Swarm Urbanism is a speculative urban-designing proposal of the Melbourne Dockland, which based on the emergent behavior of swarm intelligence. By applicating the logic of swarm intelligence in a perspective of urban-planning, this new approach of thinking enables the self-organization of urban structure and the adaptive interaction happened in the agents-based system increases the flexibility of urbanism to correspond the constant changes in local society.1

The significance of adaptive behaviour has also been emphasized on the perspective of self-organization in the Swarm Urbanism. Instead of using traditional methodology of urban designing, which prefers master-plan, the project aim to create a self-generative urban system by rethinking the formation of city to an algorithm process. To be specific, like the formation of termite colony, each decentralized agent will in charge of one certain zone to generate infrastructure and circulatory network.1 By using algorithm principle to generate form, the resulted structure would be equipped with metabolic capability, which make the urban network more flexible with the unpredictable environmental and social changes.2

Similar with the coordinated group behavior founded in the biology and ecology, here the urban system has been subdivided into autonomous agents and each of them is interconnected to achieve a harmony balance among the decentralized units.2 Different with traditional urban design, the swarm logic requires a high-level micro interaction between local agents, which means each local decision or transformation of agent need to be built based on the previous or adjacent decision in the bottom-up system.3 At a macro scale. this application of swarm intelligence in urbanism help to build an emergent system which is appropriately adaptive.

1 N.A, Kokkugia, Swarm Urbanism, < https://www.kokkugia.com/ swarm-urbanism>, (accessed by Aug 1, 2018) 2 Johnson Steven, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, (Scribner, 2001) p.13 3 N.A, Kokkugia, Swarm Urbanism, < https://www.kokkugia.com/ swarm-urbanism>, (accessed by Aug 1, 2018)

However, based on current techniques, the Swarm Urbanism is more like a utopian blueprint but the shift from master-plan to algorithm-plan demonstrates that the generative thinking in computation is also workable for the designing process. As a more fluid logic of connectivity, parametric thinking in this project emphasize the potential of parametric design and the flexibility and adaptive ability of urban structure should also become unneglectable factors to consider during the urban development in the future.

Diagram 4. The adaptive behavior in bird’s swarm intelligence

Figure 8. The Swarm Urbanism

1 2

Johnson Steven, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, (Scribner, 2001) p.17 N.A, Kokkugia, Swarm Urbanism, < https://www.kokkugia.com/swarm-urbanism>, (accessed by Aug 1, 2018)


A.2 Design Computation

The development of mass production and industrial revolution promote the system of production line gradually maturing. To maximize the efficiency of production, the structure of products has been divided into a series of components been separately designed and produced to serve different function of a system.1 From last several decades, the research of biomimicry brings the world lots extraordinary creations but because of the technological lack, we’ve never succed in transferring the generative capability of nature to designing field, which is creating a multifunctional structure. This situation has been broken by the pneumatic biomaterials deposition. The tool is composed of a positioning robotic arm and a multi-syringe pneumatic deposition system. The operative structure of this system is capable of producing mesh-free geometric primitives with localized control and the scale of heterogeneous product generated by the pneumatic biomaterials deposition is unprecedented.2

Diagram 6. The “ecological circle“ happened in the process of project

With this computing fabrication as a technological medium, the water-based digital fabrication platform unprecedentedly creates a heterogeneous material system serves multifunction included transformation of carbon dioxide, nourishing marine creatures and plants.3 Moreover, the proposal application of this project indeed make the project become something can inspire and change the nature and the process of accomplishing the goal strongly emphasizes the importance of fabrication technologies and digital materiality.

Diagram 5. Traditional production process

1 Oxman Neri, Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology, Neri Oxman, (TED Talk, 2015) 2 N.A, Mechanic Biomaterials Deposition, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/tools/details/mechanic-biomaterials-deposition>, (accessed by 5, Aug, 2018) 3 Oxman Neri, Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology, Neri Oxman, (TED Talk, 2015)

Figure 9. The water-based platform


A.3 Composition/ Generation

The composition could be recognized as the content of structure and the local relationship between components existed in structure. Recently, the focus of design has been gradually moved from the topic of composition to generation. Rather than studying the results, designers demonstrate more interests in the field of generating process and the bottom-up methodologies happened in the structure of natural objects. Specifically, the emergent behavior, form structure from low level rules to proper sophistication, happened in generation has a complex adaptive system which potentially could become a self-organizing system similar with the natural generation.1 In the architectural field, some practical exercise about generation has been developed in the following two case studies.

1 Johnson Steven, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, (Scribner, 2001)


A.3 Composition/ Generation

Conceptualised as an urban toy, Bloom is an urban toy, generated from the various aggregation of Bloom building cell. The opened-end structure intents to lead more interaction and participation between creatures and structure and since the composition of Bloom is a series of simple cell, the system allows people to generate unique structure by their personalized tectonics. 1 Similar with the conception of the Drop city, the feasibility of generating form through primitive rules enable generals to engage in the emerging process of creation and such participation could potentially generate numerous possibilities of composition, each structure with uniqueness become an identification of personal creativity. Other than the social engagement, the Bloom game also provided us an example of sustainable structure with more flexibility. Without wasting any material, the architectural intent and form could be changed by rearranging the aggregation of building cells and such tectonic enable the emergent system become adaptive when facing unstable environments and social requirements.

Figure 10. The Bloom Game

Diagram 7. The generative process of Bloom structure

Figure 11. The elevation of Bloom structure

1 Andrasek, Alisa and Sanchez Jose, Bloom by Andrasek, Alisa and Sanchez Jose, < https://issuu.com/bartlettarchucl/docs/andrasek_01_bloom_s05_update >, (accessed by Aug 8, 2018)


A.3 Composition/ Generation

During last few decades, the natural intelligence such as swarm intelligence and generative system becomes a resource of inspiration for people to generate more efficient design. However, the developing advanced techniques and rapid growth of parametric design signify the coming of age of new fabrication media and technologies of production, 1 and in this new era, the nature should no longer being as a guide of design, instead the collaboration between the creature and advanced technologies would become a new approach of providing generative design.2 The composition of Silk pavilion could be divided into two-interconnected parts. The primary structure is made of geometric panels generating by CNC laying down the silk threads and the secondary structure will be finished by the cocoon generated by 6,500 silkworms.3 The ambition of project is exploring the relationship between the digital and biological fabrication and created by the both the artificial and natural products, the material synthesis generates a woven seamless structure in architectural scale. 4

Figure 12. The Silk Pavilion

The pavilion is an unprecedented structure built through the collaboration of both human and animals. Different with the water-based digital fabrication platform, which is also a project by Oxman’s team but aims to mimic the generating approach of producing multifunctional in a single structure, the Silk Pavilion utilize the silkworms as an biological printer to create generative structure and the succession of this project, to some extent refute the argument set by Fry that the design of future should be anthropocentric.5

1 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge) p.2 2 Oxman Neri, Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology, Neri Oxman, (TED Talk, 2015) 3 N,A, Silk Pavilion, Mediated matter, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/environments/ details/silk-pavillion>, accesed by Aug09, 2018 4 N.A. CNSILK - CNC Fiber Deposition, Mediated matter, < http://matter.media.mit. edu/tools/details/cnsilk>, accesed by Aug09, 2018 5 Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) p.13

Figure 13. Detailed structure of Silk Pavilion


A.4 Conclusion

A.5 Learning Outcome

Because of the technological development and the decayed environmental sustainability, currently the designing field is moving toward to a new era. During this process, many projects demonstrate their interests in the generative intelligence of natural environments and in order to stop creating defuturing structure, the design should no longer be recognized as anthropocentric. The collaboration between the artificial techniques and animal intelligence offers the design field an unprecedented to zone to explore and different with the biomimicry projects during past decades, the generative design could potentially provide structure with more adaptive abilities and such flexibility of structure indeed would be capable of achieving the goal of “design inspire nature�.

Before this semester, I’ve never been engaged the study about generative design and the algorithm thinking give me a chance to rethink the designing process in a bottom-up perspective. Such designing methods give me new inspiration of future designing and through the research study during past few weeks, I become more interested in the field of cohabitation between human and animals, also about how we can use design and technologies to build a better balance between the human being and creature. The study about these fields is very enjoyable and I believe the understanding of these contents can help me generate better proposal in the project of Merri Creek.


A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook


A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Rule

Rule

A = Joint B to Joint C

A = Joint B to Joint C

B = Joint B to Joint A

B = Joint B to Joint A

A = AB

A=B

B = BA

B = AB


A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Geometric Protocol

A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Recursive Protocol


A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Conditional Protocol

A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Branching Protocol


A.6 Appendix - Algorithm Sketchbook

Multiple Protocols


Bibliography

Bibliography

Andrasek, Alisa and Sanchez Jose, Bloom by Andrasek, Alisa and Sanchez Jose, < https://issuu.com/bartlettarchucl/docs/andrasek_01_ bloom_s05_update >, (accessed by Aug 8, 2018)

Figure 1. Retrieved from https://www.azuremagazine.com/article/buckminster-fuller-montreal-biosphere/

Beesley Philip, Near-Living Architecture, work in progress form the hylozoic ground collaboration, (Riverside Architecture press, 2013) Beesley Philip, Philip Beesley, Hylozic Ground yotube video, ,< https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v86B9Nz_LVU >,accessed by (July 30, 2018) Brady, Peter. ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2 (2013) Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona, Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2003) Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008) Johnson Steven, Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, (Scribner, 2001) Kalay, Yehuda E. Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004) N,A, Silk Pavilion, Mediated matter, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/environments/details/silk-pavillion>, accesed by Aug09, 2018 N.A, Dolphin Embassy, Hidden architecture < http://www.hiddenarchitecture.net/>, (accessby July 29, 2018) N.a, Hylozoic Ground, Living Architecture, < http://www.philipbeesleyarchitect.com/sculptures/0929_Hylozoic_Ground_Venice/>, (accessed by July 29, 2018) N.A, Kokkugia, Swarm Urbanism, < https://www.kokkugia.com/swarm-urbanism>, (accessed by Aug 1, 2018) N.A, Mechanic Biomaterials Deposition, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/tools/details/mechanic-biomaterials-deposition>, (accessed by 5, Aug, 2018) N.A. CNSILK - CNC Fiber Deposition, Mediated matter, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/tools/details/cnsilk>, accesed by Aug09, 2018 Oxman Neri, Design at the Intersection of Technology and Biology, Neri Oxman, (TED Talk, 2015) Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge) Sadler Simon, Archigram: architecture without architecture. (Cambridge, Mass: MIT Press, c2005)

Figure 2. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/113786328065031306/ Figure 3. Retrieved from https://www.archdaily.com/401528/ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminsterfuller/51dee1f6e8e44eb808000010-ad-classics-the-dymaxion-house-buckminster-fuller-image Figure 4. Retrieved from https://alastairgordonwalltowall.com/tag/wichita-house/ Figure 5. Retrieved from https://www.designboom.com/architecture/canadian-pavilion-at-venice-architecture-biennale-2010/ Figure 6. Retrieved from http://meonline.hu/en/archivum/hylozoic-ground/ Figure 7. Retrieved from http://www.hiddenarchitecture.net/2016/02/dolphin-embassy.html Figure 8. Retrieved from https://www.kokkugia.com/swarm-urbanism Figure 9. Retrieved from http://matter.media.mit.edu/tools/details/pneumatic-biomaterials-deposition Figure 10. Retrieved from https://archello.com/project/bloom Figure 11. Retrieved from https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/67342956898750304/?lp=true Figure 12. Retrieved from http://ndagallery.cooperhewitt.org/gallery/65096955/Silk-Pavilion Figure 13. Retrieved from https://inside3dprinting.com/news/mit-researchers-build-silk-pavilion-using-silkworm-3d-printer/5306/


STUDIO

AIR

LEYUAN LI 2018 SEMESTER 2 JACK MANSFIELD-HUNG


B.1 RESEARCH FIELD - TESSELLATION Recently, the sustainability has gradually become an unneglectable perspective of design and architectural field, the rapid development of computation design also encourages an increasing number of designers to involve generative process during the creative process. With the environmental concern and technological advancement, tessellation, which traditionally been more recognized as an approach of patterning for decorative motifs, now has been redirected in three-dimension perspective to create a structural unity with repetitive elements. Employing computation design with the conceptualization and fabrication, the tessellation enables a single architectural form performs both structurally and aesthetically. Moreover, by using parametric design in tessellation form, the designer can have a better control on the balance between form and material. Correspond with the idea of “use less produce more� by Buckminster Fuller, like the geodesic dome, using tessellation as the foundation of designing process increases the ease and efficiency of full-scale installation and fabrication, and the low-restriction on materiality of tessellation also enable more flexible form been created. However, the works generated through tessellation normally require a more specific and concise tectonic method to ensure the integrity of overall structure. Till now, there are lots predominant tessellation productions in design field, and the success of these projects in creating satisfied spatial atmosphere with minimum material promotes more people to use this approach


B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 - Voussoir Cloud


B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 - Voussoir Cloud Although the tessellation structure encourages flexible and efficient fabrication and installation process, the tessellated structural form requires sophisticated form-finding process and cell design. This Voussoir Cloud is an invited, site specific project designed for the Southern California Institute of Architecture gallery in Los Angeles. Physically, this project could be recognized as a paradigm of pure compression structure using repetitive modules, and this resulted cannot be achieved without the computational form-finding process and the appropriate decision about the petal design. Choosing hollow vault as the structural strategy, the Voussoir Cloud aimed to create a form can could be both experienced from within and above, which was been delivered by using both computational hanging chain models to refine and adjust profile lines as pure catenaries, and the form-finding programs to generate the purely compressive vault shape. Besides, even though all the petals share identical principle, to connect the space above and under the vault, and avoid structural collapse, the modules have been re-arranged to create hollow space between units to allow lights running through and distribute smaller and denser modules at the edge of columns and vault to take larger compression. Other than the scale and distribution of petals, to achieve the balance between architectural intent and physic restriction, the look-alike petals actually have four categories which are differentiated by the number of curved edges, each type acts differently in this structure to take compression and the curvature of petals produces an inflected form that relies on the internal surface tension of the wood and folded geometry of the flanges to hold the structure. By using thin wood and connecting by plastic cable tie, the weight of structure has been largely reduced and the petals has been tightly compressed together.


B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 - ITERATION 1 - Width - Scale of bottom

2 - Depth - Unit Z factor

3- Stiffness of form

4 - Unary force

Scale = 0.2

Unit Z = -0.35

Stiffness = 100

Fx = 4.1 Fy = 2.6 Fz = 5.1

Scale = 0.305

Unit Z = -1.36

Stiffness = 2

Fx = 5.6 Fy = 5.7 Fz = 0.2

Scale = 0.493

Unit Z = -9.10

Stiffness = 0.888

Fx = 1 Fy = 1 Fz = 0.9

Scale = -0.432

Unit Z = -10

Stiffness = 4.529

Fx = 1.2 Fy = 1.3 Fz = 0.2

Scale = -1

Unit Z = 5

Stiffness = 50

Fx = 1.2 Fy = 1.3


B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0 - ITERATION 5 - Subdivision of pattern

6 - Extrusion of pattern

Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential Compared with the original form, this structure is more exaggerated and flexible, potentially could be easily fabricated with different kind of designed cells to form structure. In materiality, the structure also could be achieved by using material like timber stick.

Triangulation

Triangular face extrusion Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential

Triangular subdivision

Pyramid extrusion

The subdivided hexagon pattern enable another potential of form and with simple sets of cells, the structure could potentially developed further. Similar with Voussoir Cloud, the subdivision of module allow the light to penetrate through the structure and facilitate the spatial atmosphere above and under the vaults.

Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential

Polygon subdivision

Straight extrusion

With pyramid shape extrusion, this iteration offers the structure more potential in three-dimension and the structure of cells also is very flexible with most tectonic such as the finger joints and cable ties.

Structural flexibility

Hexagon subdivision

Pyramid subdivision

Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential With polygon-shape void between the structural cell, the triangular cell provides a simple three-dimensional cell with straight extrusion. Materially, the cell’s shape enable a relatively easy fabrication process.

Triangular tessellation

Triangular straight extrusion


B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 - ICD/ITKE RESEARCH PAVILION 2011


B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 - ICD/ITKE RESEARCH PAVILION 2011

Aiming to implement structural form by biological innovation and computation process, the project is a biomimicry research pavilion together finished by the ICD, ITKE and the students at the University of Stuttgart. Conceptually, this project intents to combining computation design and computer-controlled manufacturing strategy to integrate the biological structure and tectonics with full scale architectural design. For the biomimicry perspective, the project employees the both the skeletal shell and he finger-like calcite protrusions to achieve the high performance and adaptivity of structure, and rather than the generate form based on the function, the resulted form is largely dependent on the performance of each plate cell and the finger-joint connection. To implement the biological morphology in architectural scale, the structural design process of pavilion has been closely related with the physic form-finding program and the production of plates and finger joints also employing the robotic fabrication system. When all the plates been assembled, three plate edges will always meet at one point, which enable the emission of bending moments between joints. In my view, this project could be recognized as a paradigm of integrating the biological principles with the structure and computation-designed system, especially its transformation of tectonics and the use of various geometries of plates also enable a high adaptivity of structure.


B.3 CASE STUDY 2.1 - REVERSE ENGINEER

Region Intersection Curve

Surface

Hexagon cell

Join mesh Trim

Mesh edges Curve

Curve Control points

Control points

Remove duplicate points

Bake in rhino

Vec 2Pt Kangaroo physics

Polylines

Curve

Connect curve

Springs from mesh

Polygon center Join

Scale Scale

Curve Polygon center

Move

Fill mesh hole

Loft

Gravity

- Reference the curve in rhino to determine the boundary of structure

- Use intersection tool to find the control points of the exterior hexagon cells

- Generate the hexagonal grid in grasshopper by using lunchbox plugin

- Bake those control points in rhino and then referenced back in grasshopper to get local control of anchor points in kangaroo physics

- set the stiffness and gravity of form - the hexagonal grid now has been transferred to the basic structure of research pavilion - connect the contol points on the edge with polylines

- scale the hexagonal cells, the center point of each cell should be established by using “polygon center“ - offset the hexagonal cells and find another set of polygon center points - use above two sets of points to create the moving vector - move the scaled curve through the determined direction

- loft the two original cells with the scaled cells - enclose the lofted mesh - join two sets of mesh together


B.3 CASE STUDY 2.1 - REVERSE ENGINEER The main aim of this reverse engineer exercise is using the form-finding tool to generate pavilion structure. Through learning, the final outcome correctly imitate the structural cell of pavilion and the exterior physic structure. However, I still haven’t figure out how to generate the pavilion structure with a hole on the top and current results also didn’t reveal the tectonic strategy between modules. In the interior side of the pavilion, the subdivision of plywood panel also have been created, some other types of subdivision attempt will be listed in the B.4 iteration matrix to promote practicing.


B.4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT Twist loft

Scale = 0.2

Scale = 0.305

Scale = 0.493

Scale = -0.432

Scale = -1

Explore form

Extrusion

Reverse extrusion

Pattern of cell

Subdivision of cell

Add unary force


B.4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential The structure still keep using the hexagon as the basic plate but the void on the top plate of each cell potentially could facilitate the architectural atmosphere like the Voussior Cloud and for the bee embassy it could become an entrance for the bees.

Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential This structure demonstrate a more complex subdivision of plate pattern. The complexity of surface pattern could potentially create an attractive light result under the structure. Even if the subdivision is relatively complicated, with computer-controlled fabrication it will not be very difficult.

Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential Compared with other three selection, the cell of this structure has twisted side surface, which enables the structure more flexibility and adaptivity. However, this type of design brings more restriction on the fabrication and materiality.

Structural flexibility Aesthetic quality Module quality Fabrication potential The cell in this form employees a reverse strategy to create structure, and the previous space under the pavilion has been transformed towards the exterior. Compared with previous iteration, this form required more sheet material and the large area potentially probably will experience more bending force.


B.5 TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPE PROTOTYPE 1 - Finger Joint (failed)

PROTOTYPE 2 - Tie Connection Inspired by the plastic cable tie connection in Voussoir Cloud to form the cell and overall structure. In the second prototype I would like to try tie connection. By cutting two holes at each side of polygon, this exercise I will try to test the how the steel wire connection will influence the moment of structure.

Used components

This finger joint connection was been used in case study 2.0, which has been computationally pre-fabricated. However, because of the poor understanding about the finger joint and the assemble principle of hexagon, the design of this prototype has been failed since the components can only connected in plane rather than in three dimension. The finger joint is very suitable to form the tessellation structure, however, the degree and the joint need to be carefully design to avoid this kind of situation or the form collapse. Besides, the plate of this failed prototype is too thick for this scale, next time should try thinner material.

Trial connection with two plates Trial connection with three plates


B.5 TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPE

With only one tie connected the plate on each side, the structure of the cell is highly unstable and the degree need to be carefully controlled when connected.

The structure becomes more solid when it has double tie on each side.

When connecting two cells as an integrity, only placing one tie also will cause the deformation of cell structure.

Detailed connection between two cells.


B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL


B.6 BLUE BANDED BEE (AMEGILLA) Temperate Habitant and Physical Habitant Buzz pollination – flowers hide pollen inside capsules, the bee can grasp the flower and shiver her flight muscles and cause the pollen to shoot out of the capsule. large bulging eyes have multiple lenses mid segment is furry red-brown thorax

Glittering stripes of blue or whitish hair across their black abdomens (hind segment) and as they get older, the fur on the thorax becomes more sparse. Besides, the number of bands could be used to distinguish the gender, the male normally has five whereas female has four

The blue banded bee are australian native bees, normally are 11mm long and have bands of metallic blue fur across their black abdomens. By snipping nectar from flowers with her long tongue – particularly like purple and blue flowers, the blue banded bee already become one of the most dominant creatures that can help the pollination of tomato. The buzz pollination is a special capability of blue banded bee, because flowers hide pollen inside capsules, the bee can grasp the flower and shiver her flight muscles and cause the pollen to shoot out of the capsule. Then the bees will collect and carry pollen for her nests and carry it from flower to flower for pollination.

The blue banded bees are solitary bees, which means each female bee mates and build a solitary nests by herself (in a shallow burrow in clay – place like soft sandstone cliff, soil or sometimes in mudbrick, soft mortar of old brick building or the soft earthen banks underneath houses). Secondly, they particularly like the dry shaded area under houses that are raised off the ground to keep the home cool but mortar or mudbricks with a high concrete content usually discourage them.

Although they are solitary creatures, many of them may build their nest burrows in the same spot, close to one another, like neighbouring houses in a village. Female blue banded bees build their nests underground, but males don’t build nests. They roost for the night clinging to plant stems, and are often observed sitting in a line along the same stem. In Australia, blue banded bees could be found in every state of AU except Tasmania

Buzz pollination is particularly helpful for tomato flowers. Besides, blue banded bees are also good garden pollinators, and works for crops like – tomatos, eggplants, kiwifruit, native plants such as hibbertia, senna, solanum) A flower’s stamen is its pollen-producing reproductive organ, and attached to the stamen is the anther, which is a one or two-lobed formation that holds onto the pollen. In some plants, the pollen is held so firmly by the anthers that it needs a little extra help breaking free, which is where solitary bees like the blue-banded bee come in handy. These bees will grab onto the flower, and shake their entire bodies rapidly, causing both the flower and its anthers to vibrate. This shaking movement causes the pollen to be dislodged from the anther, and then be collected by the bee.

Lift Cycle and offspring Life cycle is short and seasonal and without manipulation, 25% of blue-banded bee offspring develop into adults within 50 days, while 75% develop after a rest period. Larvae that ‘rest’ take 100 days or more to develop into adults. Females use their jaws to dig burrows. Inside the burrows, they create oval-shaped cells lining them with waterproof secretions.

Social Habit

Even in anthophoriae family, the blue banded bees are stilil active forager, each will visit around 1200 flowers per day – have a limited foraging range of 300m and Female have been observed to make at least nine foraging flights per day. Adult blue banded bees fly only in warm months of year (Apr - Oct) and adults die as cold weather begin (but still have some present in cold weather, which are young, immature bee inside the nest and stay until spring coming). Therefore, the actively forage between temperatures of 20 and 40 degree. After the forage during daytime, a blue banded bee jostling for a position on a roost in the evening. The males often sleep in groups like this at night, clinging to a twig or grass stem with their jaws. Habitant prone to a fungus called chalkbrood, which is lethal to develop larvae.

Wildlife Value Because of blue banded bee predominant ability in buzz pollination, nowdays there are a lot of farmers would like to use them as pollinator for the growth of australian tomatos in greenhouse. In order to protect the existence of blue banded bee and the growth of other relative plants , it is important for us to reconsider the relationship between creatures and people.


B.6 MATTED FLAX-LILY (DIANELLA AMOENA)

B.6 SITE ANALYSIS

The Matted Flax-lily is a perennial, tufted, mat-forming lily. Plants are rhizomatous and can form loose clumps up to 5 m wide. Rhizomes are yellow and slender (4 mm wide), with shoots arising every 10–30 cm. Leaves are grey-green, dull crimson at the base, narrow and tapering, grow to 45 cm long by 12 mm wide, and are broadly V-shaped, with a prominent abaxial keel along the midrib and loose clasping leaf sheaths. Blades, sheaths and midribs usually have small, irregularly spaced teeth. Leaves are deciduous in summer if plants are water-stressed. The inflorescence is erect, 20–90 cm long, with a slender, arching scape that bears several bluish, star-shaped, nodding, sweetly fragrant flowers. Perianth segments are pale to deep blue-violet, recurved, elliptic, grow to 10 mm long by 3 mm, the outer tepals with five veins, the inner tepals with three veins. There are six stamens, that grow to 7 mm long, with pale yellow filaments, orange strumae and pale lime-yellow anthers, while the style is whitish-translucent and grows to 6 mm long. Fruits are ovoid purple berries approximately 7 mm long, and seeds are shiny black and smooth and 3 mm long. Flowering occurs from October to April

Based on the research about the blue banded bee and matted flax lily, Merri creek is very naturally suitable for the bee and lily to habitant and grow in the grassy area around the river. The site CERES park located next to the Merri creek and in order to promote the pollination of blue banded bee without restricting by everyday foraging capability, the site potentially need a flexible and naturally friendly structure to be placed in different spots. However, since the bee are still potentially aggressive, when choosing potential spots should avoid crowed public space like school or shopping mall.

Threat Weed invasion Habitat destruction Biomass reduction and fire regimes Pollinator replacement

Habitant in different states In Tasmania, the Matted Flax-lily occurs in native grasslands and grassy woodlands. In Victoria, the Matted Flaxlily occurs most commonly in lowland grasslands, grassy woodlands, valley grassy forest and creeklines of herb-rich woodland. Typically, the species occurs on well drained to seasonally wet fertile sandy loams to heavy cracking clays derived from Silurian or Tertiary sediments, or from volcanic geology


B.6 DESIGN PROPOSAL

B.6 DESIGN STRATEGY

An urban pollination structure that can facilitate the relationship among bee, plants and people. Based on the urban analysis and the restriction of foraging restriction, the bee embassy should become an urban bee-nest structure that can let both plants and bee coexisting to provide mutual benefit between species. Since must people still think is potentially aggressive, the bee embassy should also become an aesthetically exhibited structure to reduce the distance between people and animal, and potentially the coexisted plants could help to soft the edge of bee embassy to makes the structure less offensive in surrounding environments. To achieve this design proposal, the designed cell, which can formed larger structure by designed tectonics, need to have space that can let both the bee and plants to grow and the relationship between the bee and people could be facilitated by using some transparent material to reduce the sense of offense and fear. Among the previous project I’ve studied, I find out that the bee embassy and silk pavilion are both excellent paradigms that using design to eliminate the boundary between people and creature. In the silk pavilion, animals and designers play equally important roles in the formation of structure and it is unprecedented that the architecture has been built through the collaboration of both human and animals. Moreover, the Dolphin embassy, provided a more similar strategy to promote the communication between dolphin and people, and in my design proposal, I wish the structure could encourage people to understand more about the value of animals.

Elevation

Section AA

A

A

Plan

perspective of plain form

elevation of plain form

perspective of structural form

elevation of structural form


B.7 LEARNING OUTCOME

BIBLIOGRAPHY Voussoir Cloud, retrieved from https://iwamotoscott.com/projects/voussoir-cloud (accessby Sep 1, 2018)

Different with the previous research study about parametric design in Part A, this section offers me more opportunity to understand and practice the parametric design. Especially the process of practicing grasshopper in the iteration part is really helpful for me to experience in a totally different design field. Although I have to say the process to adapt this new design strategy is really time-consuming for me, but it feel totally worth it to finally create something I need. Through the learning and exercise of ICD/ITKE research pavilion, even if till now I am still not very confident with the form-finding process, the iteration I’ve tried make me become really interested in structure and I will keep developing this field in my later design. The prototypes I tried are not very successful but it did give more inspiration and understanding about the modular structure I want to design and how different tectonics could lead various results. Lastly, for my design part, currently the design of cell is still not very mature but after re-arranging my idea of design, now I think I have a clearer proposal, and in next part I would like to try more design possibilities .

ICD/ITKE research pavilion 2011, http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=6553 (accessby Sep 4, 2018) N.A, Dolphin Embassy, Hidden architecture < http://www.hiddenarchitecture.net/>, (accessby July 29, 2018) N,A, Silk Pavilion, Mediated matter, < http://matter.media.mit.edu/environments/details/silk-pavillion>, (accesed by Aug09, 2018)


B.8. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches


B.8. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches


B.8. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches


B.8. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches



C.1 PART B FEEDBACK

Through part B study, personally I gain more opportunity to learn and control grasshopper script, whereas the design part is relatively weak and current project is lack of deeper site analysis and form flexibility subject to urban-scale project. In part C, together with my group mate, we still insist the idea of combining plants and form together to create bee embassy to help blue banded bee to establish permanent colony around Melbourne. In order to do that, our project starts with different scale urban analysis and further we will discover more variety of structure based on Part B practice outcome.


C.1 FINALISED DESIGN PROPOSAL

One word: Rebuild One sentence: To rebuild the habitat of blue banded bee and to rebuild the relationship between bee and human beings.

Nowadays, animal extinction rate has been growing rapidly from last ten years. Many animals are going to extinction because of human actitivities. As human building up houses, cleaning up forests, filling up rivers, they are invading some animals’ habitat and by losing habitat, those animals could not live anymore.

One paragraph: The entire project will be considered as two parts. The first is to build the habitat for bees to rest. The second is to make the relationship between human and bees become closer and nicer. The project is set under an urban landscape. The reason for that is because the blue banded bee can only fly 300m a day and by placing various projects on various sites could help them to inhabit in more places at urban scale. Except for the bees, this project will also introduce plants to the structure. One reason for that is to dedicate the structure, reduce the feeling of fear when human beings directly facing a bee or a bee facing a human and another important reason is to attract bees to the chosen sites as accoding to researches, they particularly like matted flax lily, tomato flower, lavender etc.

Also, when human adore a particular animal, their predators or similar species will be affected which could also cause certain species go to extinction. If animals could talk, human beings will be considered as the most hateful enemy to them. It’s time to rebuild the relationships between people and animal as friends, allies of sharing the same world.

Diagram showing bee daily flying restriction

The blue banded bees are solitary bees, nest normally occurs in place like soft sandstone cliff, soil or sometimes in mudbrick, soft mortar of old brick building or the soft earthen banks underneath houses). Secondly, they particularly like the dry shaded area under houses that are raised off the ground to keep the home cool but mortar or mudbricks with a high concrete content usually discourage them.

In order to build the continuity between different potential site and to make the form better correspond with the surrounded natural environments, the route of this urban project will be cut by the urban circulation, such as the pedestrian pathway, railway or the natural barrier such as the Merri Creek. On the other side of circulation, the form will consistently wave and twist around the natural features like tree.

Storm King Wall by Andy Goldsworthy

Although they are solitary creatures, many of them may build their nest burrows in the same spot, close to one another, like neighbouring houses in a village. Female blue banded bees build their nests underground, but males don’t build nests. They roost for the night clinging to plant stems, and are often observed sitting in a line along the same stem.


C.1 SITE ANALYSIS

Small grain Scale 1: 8000


C.1 SITE ANALYSIS 1. Forest

2. Playground

3. Lawn

4. Street green feature

5. Grassland

6. Riverbank

7. School playground

8. Basketball playground

9. Backyard

13. Community garden

14. Backyard

25. Children playground

20. Street green feature

26. Children playground

31. Street green feature

32. Park

15. Community garden 21. Grassland

10. Street green feature

16. Park

11. School playground

17. Farm

12. Riverbank

19. Backyard

18. Street green feature

22. Farm market

27. Playground

28. Street green feature

23. Street green feature

29. Forest

24. Riverbank

30. Merri creek

33. Street green feature

34. Park

35. Riverbank


C.1 SITE ANALYSIS

Medium grain Scale 1: 160000


1. Forest

2.Children Playground

3. Wetland

4. Natural reserve

5. Street green feature

6. School playground

7. Rail green feature

8. Street green feature

9. Merri creek

13. Backyard garden

14. Community garden

15. Community garden

10. School playground

16. Lawn

11. Community garden

17. Backyard garden

12. Community garden

18. Community garden

19. School playground

20. Natural reserve

21. Natural reserve

22. Park

23. Rooftop garden

24. Park

25. Street green feature

26. Merri creek

27. Community garden

28. Backyard garden

29. School playground

30. Football playground

31. Park

32. Rail green feature

33. Backyard garden and street green feature

34. Lawn

35. Street green feature


C.1 SITE ANALYSIS

Large grain Scale 1: 800000


1. Natural reserve

7. Forests

2. Golf club

8. Wetland

3. Wetland

9. Merri creek

4. Golf club

10. Street green feature

13. Backyard garden

14. Community garden

15. Reserve park

16. Farm

5. Cemetery

11. Cemetery

17. Park

6. Natural reserve

12. Riverbank

18. Race course place

19. Natural reserve

20. Cemetery park

21. Park

22. Natural reserve

23. Playground

24. Flower market

25. Wetland

26. Coast area

27. Botanic garden

28. Park

29. Highway green feature

30. Highway green feature

Matted flax lily

Tomato flower

Myrtle

Lavender


C.1 SITE ANALYSIS

Nature

Leisure facility

Street feature

Market

Sports playground

Among more than ninety potential sites, those could be subdivided into five categories based on their size, natural characteristics and social characteristics. In order to explore the variety of form deeply, we decided to choose two of them, the natural environment and leisure facility to do more specific design.

Design Selection Criteria: 1. Sandstone-like (structure more like sandstone in order to attract bee to rest here) 2. Adaptibility (can be applied to various site, change according to site conditions) 3. Interaction (interact with human beings in order to rebuild relationships) 4. Variety (variety of different scale of cell structure as flowers will also be considered) 5. Flexibility (cells are flexible to be renewed, changed and cleaned to offer good environment for bees to live healthy) Input: lines from the chosen iteration

Change elements: Domain (>300m or <300m)

The range of domain construct a list

Cut the list and the rest will be selected lines

Left selected lines to construct the overall form of the structure


C.1 FINAL DESIGN PROCESS DIAGRAM

Loft curve based on site iteration or construct the pavilion form by kangaroo

Surface to Mesh

Extract point. Apply Points on Mesh Use of Kangaroo to balance the circle packing

Sort Item to differentiate hollow cell and practical cell

Use split surface to generate the hollow surface

Set the area point to move from random distance

Cap List Generate patterning through circle packing Control of: 1. Numbers of circle 2. Random range of difference scale of circle pattern 3. Density of pattern on mesh

Hollow List

Extrude

Extract the original circular curve in different position

Scale down to create random cell form

Set the range of the move vector from original pattern Set domain of the moving pattern’s radium

Extract the settled circular curve in a random size

Form view in urban scale - distance between two site approximately 300m

Extrude

Adjust

Bake

Bake


C.1 FINALISED DETAILED FORM


C.1 FINALISED DETAILED FORM


C.2 PROTOTYPE OVERVIEW Aimed Cell structure

C.2 PROTOTYPE - MUD MOUDING Small cell (for one bee)

The use of clay correspond to blue banded bee preference of clay, the model process is quite sucessful but the result form is not smooth and the overall structure is quite hard control

Medium cell (form multiple bees ) Prototype overview

This structure try to explore the 3d cell interior structure to allow bees habitate, the interior space could be interconnected could be not, this one not very sucessful because of the overall structure is too plain

Medium cell (form multiple bees )

This prototype try to explore more flexible 3d interior cell form, the opening shows good result where as the overall structure remains not smooth and it is quite hard to control the result form.


C.2 FAILED PROTOTYPE PROCESS


C.2 PROTOTYPE - FINGER JOINT

The use of finger joint in large cell is quite good whereas later it shows that the finger joints structure is hard to cap on the top and bottom and because of the interlocking, which is the connection between different size of cell, the outcome structure become less strong and it is hard to support the weight of soil

C.2 PROTOTYPE - MUD MOUDING


C.2 PROTOTYPE - CONNECTION PLATE Prototype diagram

Assemble process

C.2 PROTOTYPE - MUD MOUDING Outcome of medium cell


C.2 PROTOTYPE - CONNECTION PLATE

C.2 PROTOTYPE - MUD MOUDING z

FINAL OUTCOME Connection process between different cells

To connect different size cells, another connection plate need to be put inbetween the connection plates from cells, the connection remain pretty strong and compared with finger joint prototype, this kind of cell is easier to cap and the result structure shows good capability of holding soil.


C.3 PROTOTYPE FINAL OUTCOME


C.3 FINAL OUTCOME


C.4 LEARNING OUTCOME

During Part C research and design, with my group mate, even during the process we still feel struggling about parametric design, because of the practice on iteration and deeper analysis on the urban site, we eventually decided to focus more on the overall flexibility and adaptbility of overall form to make the structure have more potential to be suitable with different sites. During the process of making prototype, the failed experience make me realize the importance and difficulty of practicing to transfer the digital form to actual structure. Even though personally I’ve been thought the parametric design rely to much on the digital software, but the process of making models make me realize other aspect of parametric design and the aim of this project also push me to have more consideration of designing future in later study.


APPENDIX


APPENDIX


APPENDIX


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