STUDIO AIR 2015, SEMESTER 2, TUTORS MARNEY PASSALAQUA 587179
CONTENTS 5 Introduction 6
Conceptualising
A.1 Design Futuring
A.2 Design Computation
A.3 Design Generation
A.4 Conclusion
A.5. Learning Outcomes
A.6. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches
14 Endnotes 15 Bibliography
WORK BY MARNEY PASSALAQUA, FOR DESIGNING ENVIRONMENTS, 2013
WORK BY MARNEY PASSALAQUA, FOR ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO: EARTH, 2015
WORK BY MARNEY PASSALAQUA, FOR ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO: EARTH, 2015 4
CONCEPTUALISATION
Introduction Marney Passalaqua Design and creativity has been a passion of mine of for many years which is why I have chosen to major in architecture in the Bachelor of Environments. However, the relisation that this was the course for me did not come imemeditely, as in my first two years of university I spent studying property. After completeing 2 years of this course and being utterly bored and uniterested by the prospects that lay ahead, I made the decisiong to change to architecture - a decision I have not regretted once. I have finally found what truly interests me and allows me to ignite my inner flair while challenging and stimulating me intellectually, a challenge which I am happy to take on with full entusiasm.
It is the endless design possibilities that interests me fisrt and foremost about digital design. I beleive it open up so many opportunities for design that would not be possible were it not for digital programs. In researching for my design studio last semester I came across a project which I was undeniably amazed by. This was the ‘3D Print Canal House’. This project involves a group of Dutch architects designing ahouse via digital program, after which it will be 3D printed and installed along the canals of Amsterdam. For me this is revolutionary, and has the ability to completely change the world of architecture, and our world in general. This is what makes me extremely ecited about digital design.
As I have only completed one semester as an architecture student, my experience with digital design programs is not extensive and my knowledge quite limited. I was exposed to Rhino3D for the first time in Architecure Design Studio: Air, a program which I found very interseting. My skills in using this program are limited, however I have a basic understanding of the program and I am therefore able to create basic models. I would beneifit greatly from a more in depth knowledge of how to use the program, which will be my goal throughout the semester. The only other digital design programs I have had the chanec to use is Revit, for which I completed a weeks course over the mid year break. While this course was very helpful and gave me the basic skills required to use Revit, my ability here can also be greatly expanded. For the most part througout my architecture major, I have relied upon physical model making and model photography for my design projects, which worked for me quite well. For me now however, I beleive it is time for me to extend my design skills to the digital world, to give me greater fleibillty throughout the design process and outcome, and t o prepare me for the digital world outside of university. CONCEPTUALISATION 5
A.1 Design Futuring
Figure 1. Villa Savoye by Le Corbusier, Poissy, France, 19311
Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye is a culmination of the ideas and themes expressed in his previous works, which exemplifies his ‘five points of a new architecture’. It is not however, a collage of pieces taken from his precedent works, but rather the creation of a new image, through which new possibilities of form and meaning were expressed. It is Le Corbusier’s embracement of new technologies which allows him to succeed in achieving the 5 points of new architecture in the Villa Savoye and thereby revolutionizing the common perceptions of architecture and its possibilities defined by historical conventions.
In the Villa Savoye, these pilotis are not only structural, but also form part of the buildings aesthetic, and become a heavily used aesthetic of modern architecture.5 The resulting non-structural facade allowed for the long strip window, one of the 5 points, which allowed the penetration of light into the interior and the vignette like snippets out countryside viewed from the inside.6 The maximization of space on the roof was an important part of Corbusier’s 5 points of a new architecture, and is maximized in all its entirety in the villa Savoye. This too becomes a major feature of modern architecture.
It was Le Corbusier’s belief that the 5 points of a new architecture would replace the 5 orders that governed the language of classical architecture, and would revolutionize the traditional relationship between structure and living space in which the facade and interior space could be free and open without being dictated by structural elements.2 In the Villa Savoye, the interior elements such as the stairs and the ramps are independent elements, free from and relationship to the walls.3 This was facilitated by the pilotis, which strongly dominated the language of the Villa Savoye at both the interior and exterior.4
The Villa Savoye was revolutionary in changing historical perceptions of architecture and its relationship between form and structure. The influence of Le Corbusier’s 5 points of architecture, as seen in this building, influenced many architects who followed, and the open plan, free facade, pilotis and strip windows are seen repeatedly thought modern architecture. An example of this is the Villa VPRO in Hilversum by MVRDV. This building employs Le Corbusier’s 5 points of architecture which can be seen clearly in the design, achieved through the separation of structure and form.7
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Figure 2. Saynatsalo Town Hall by Alvar Aalto, Saynatsalo, 19518
Alvar Aalto’s Synatsalo town hall Alvar Aalto’s Saynatsalo Town Hall is an example of the architectural style of ‘New Regionalism’.9 The town hall is a re-imagination of peasant vernacular and indigenous building combined with modern language design. It shows respect for ‘place’ in reflecting local climate, culture, topography and craftsmanship. In order to blend modern architecture with local topography, Aalto’s town hall displayed elements that became characteristic to his genuine style, of splayed volumes, stratification, layers of platforms and steps.10 This building with its site and the contours of the land, the direction of sunlight for example, to produce a sensitive appreciation of place.11 The town hall, with its centering around a courtyard is an expression of one of the archetypal building configurations Aalto believed expressed the basic forms of human society. This was formed by the inward-facing perimeter building on three sides, linked to its surroundings by a flow of levels and steps.12 The variation of fenestration and texture created through the offset of timber against brick, against slatted windows and smooth balconies became key to Aalto’s style, celebrating the local craft and materials.
The Saynatsalo town hall represents a revolutionary change in the concept of architecture. While modern architecture strove to achieve ‘universal’ prototypes that could be applied to any situation, Aalto strove to achieve an architecture which was marked by a unique response to place, client and human behavior.13 Although Aalto’s design such as the town hall created a language of themes and typical forms, it was not the suggestion of a ‘type-form’ that could be used en masse, but rather one that had to be rethought and changed in respect to its local situation.14 Aalto’s ideas and themes influenced many, who mostly reproduced the external mannerisms of his designs without understanding his underlying philosophy.15 This was not the case for all however, with some extending Aalto’s principles and complexities, and reworking them in the own way. An example is The Otaniemi Chapel by Kaija and Heikki Siren, which demonstrates the tactility of timber and rural qualities or the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art by Jorgen Bo and Vilhelm Wolhert which embodied Aalto’s sensitivity to topography with his splayed plan.16 CONCEPTUALISATION 7
A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION Furthermore, the scripting of algorithms as seen in parametric design was revolutionary in the design process, as it enabled research based experimental design. In the many examples of architecture that were founded upon experimental design, such as the Serpentine Pavilion by Toyo Ito, the form of the design was derived from performance.26 This ability for experimentation through instant generation and manipulation of forms dramatically improved the design process and allows aesthetic and tectonic outcomes that had not been possible before. Figure 3. Serpentine Gallery Pavillion by Toyo Ito, London, 200217
Advancements in digital technologies is redefining the architectural world, and is largely based around design computation. This phenomenon defined a new age of architecture in which digital tools revolutionised the design process and exploded the possibilities of design, fabrication and construction.18 While computers have aided architects for many years, the design process has remained analogue as computers merely aided the transition of preconceived ideas and geometries into digital forms.19 Design computation however, is revolutionary to the design process as the generation of architectural form arrives through algorithmic logic.20 Digital technologies are changing architectural practice in unforeseen ways, not only in the designing stage, but also in the construction of architecture.21 With the advancements in CAD and other digital technologies, architectural firms are increasingly focused on digital design process, which has given rise to new architectonic possibilities and increased complexity in construction possibilities.22 Computation allows the architect to engage with highly complex situations, as it enables the design possibilities to extend past the designers intellect, and generated unexpected results.23 A significant medium of design computation is parametric design, a design technology focused on the definition of algorithms, parameters and rules to dictate parts-and whole relationships and generate complex order, form and structure.24 This new form of design logic is significant in the advancement of architectural design, as it enables the capacity to modulate differentiation at large scales. A positive outcome of this is the ability for graduation of building façade elements.25 8
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Material design was another benefit that arrived at the hands of Design Computation. This involved the integration of research based design digital materiality, in which material qualities and characteristics became an integral part of the design process, as opposed to a consideration after a form had been generated. The ability to experiment and observe material performance throughout the design process gave rise to new material tectonics such as weaving, knitting braiding and knotting.27 The revolution of design computation has left in its wake a mass of projects generated through digital processes. The Research Pavilion designed by ICD/ITKE at the University of Stuttgart is design produced through digital computation. The pavilion’s construction was primarily conducted as a research project into biometric design and material and morphological principles, made possible through computational design and the ability to simulate material properties and discover their tectonic possibilities.28 The Bao’an International Airport Terminal 3 in Shenzhen, China, designed by Massimiliano Fuksas and Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, is an example of the complex form that can arise from design computation. The terminal’s structure is covered by a perforated cladding composed of 60,000 different façade elements and 400,000 individual members. The design of the complex structure was made possible through parametric modelling, which dictated the size and slope of all openings, which were defined by the requirements of daylight, solar gain and viewing angles.29 These buildings are characteristically complex and are united in that they embody new architectural tectonics due to digital design processes, exemplifying the possibilities of design computation.30
Figure 4. Bao’an International Aiport by Studio Fuksas, Shenzhen, 2013 31
Figure 6. Research Pavillion, ICD/ITKE, Stuttgart, 201232
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A.3 COMPUTATION/GENERATION
Figure 7. The British Petrol Headquarters, Sunbury, designed by Adams Kara Taylor form generation variations33
Computation, as explored in A.2 has greatly increased architectural potential, by redefining the possibilities of design through digital processes. Generation, a form of design computation, is a tool used for capturing and communicating designs through the generation of unexpected results based on algorithms – a finite list of unambiguous rules that describe a process that is applied mechanically by a computer, in the case of architectural generation.34 There are many approaches to computer-based generative designs including Geometric constraints-based form generation, performance driven form generation or evolutionary methods.35
The architect with the help of computational designers, can use computer programs, possibly written specifically for their design project, to solve design problems, and explore multitudes of options through simple modification to the algorithm in a short amount of time.37 This process of understanding the algorithms and the implications of making modifications in order to explore and speculate on further design potentials is known as ‘Algorithmic thinking’.38 Furthermore, parametric design which has become increasingly popular with the emergence of CAD technologies, provides innovation and potential as a means of design and form generation.39
Generation has become an integral part of the design process for many firms, such as Foster + Partners, Herzog & de Meuron and MOS. These firms have shifted the design practice to become heavily dependent on incorporating generation into their design process, through the use of computer programs reliant on algorithms and scripts, from which outcomes are produced. Generation has many advantages for the design process over traditional design, namely its ability to provide inspiration for design outcomes that surpass the designer’s capability.36
Parametric design is advantageous in the design process as it allows designers to explore and modify many design options through scripting.40 It has been argued that this is fundamental to the design process as it allows for design exploration during conceptualisation, and the variation of outcomes by altering parameters, topological relationships and algorithms.41
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Figure 8: Fondation Louis Vuitton Museum, Gehry Partners, Paris42
Despite the potential of design generation through algorithms and parametric design however, there are fall backs to this design process, most prominently as a result of the lack of understanding for design strategies associated with algorithmic sketching.43 This results in demand for practices to introduce specific training for the use of programs that can be costly, and in need of regular updating as technology advances.44 A further disadvantage arises due to the fact that complete multi-criteria (that is the entire building) generation is not possible as performance criteria can contradict itself throughout the building. It therefore is mostly limited to the generation of the building envelope.45 The Fondation Louis Vuitton Museum, Paris, by Gehry Partners exemplifies the possibilities of parametric modelling.
Parametric scripting was used not only to generate the structure and enclosure systems of the building were developed, dictated by system performance constraints, but also in the fabrication and installation process.46 The British Petrol Headquarters, Sunbury, designed by Adams Kara Taylor, demonstrates the advantages of parametric modelling as a tool for allowing exploration of many design solutions through the automatic and instantaneous generation multiple outcomes.47 As can be seen in figure 7 a parametric model was employed and manipulated resulting in the generation of multiple variations of the form.48 Figure 7 is an example of these variations produced during exploration for the form of the roof structure. This process allowed the designers to easily update the overall design geometry.
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A.4 CONCLUSION The advancements of digital texhnology is greatly shifting architectural practice to be heavily focused on computation. Many firms have shifted to generation as a means of form finding as a crucial part of the design process, through the use of computer programs dependent on algorithms and parametric models. Design generation has dramatically changed the process of design allowing designers greater exploration of possibilities and variations in a short amount. This allows for material experimentation and simulation, revolutionizing the design process to encorporate material properties from the intial stages. However while digital computaion has many benifits to architectural design, it still presents drawbacks in relation to the lack of understanding associated with new technologies.
A.5 LEARNING OUTCOMES
After completing Part A of Design Studio: Air my knowledge and understanding of Design computation has expanded dramaticall. I am now aware of the digital process responsible for the creation of so many contemporary projects that rely on algorithmic scripting, generation and parametric modelling as a means of form generation. The most interesting thing I have found through my exploration into design computation is that buildings created using digital programs may not aways be ‘digital architecture’, as the design process may still be analogue. The process of creating my algorithmic sketchbook has also helped in this understading by as I am becoming more knowledgeable of the program grasshoper, what it can be used for, how to use ie at and the possibilities for architectural dsign that it presents.
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A.6 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
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ENDNOTES 1. http://www.fondationlecorbusier.fr/corbuweb/morpheus.aspx?sysId=13&IrisObjectId=7380&sysLanguage=fr-fr&itemPos=73 &itemCount=78&sysParentName=&sysParentId=64 2. Marta Ubeda, “The new foundations of modern architecture: The representation of Le Corbusier’s 5 points and MVRDV’s last projects”, Revista De EGA, 9 (2004): 173 3. ibid 4. William J.R. Curtis, Modern architecture since 1900, (New York: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996) 276 5. Marta Ubeda, “The new foundations of modern architecture”, 174 6. Curtis, Modern architecture, 177 7. Marta Ubeda, “The new foundations of modern architecture”, 176 8. Aalto, Alvar, Synatsalo Town Hall, 1951 <http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1998/aalto/timeline/saynatsalo_thall_ img.html> [accessed 9 August 2015] 9. Curtis, Modern architecture. 455 10. Curtis, Modern architecture, 458 11. Curtis, Modern architecture, 456 12. Curtis, Modern architecture, 458 13. Curtis, Modern architecture, 458 14. Curtis, Modern architecture, 456 15. Curtis, Modern architecture, 456 16. Curtis, Modern architecture, 462 17. http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2002-toyo-ito-and-cecil-balmond-arup 18. Brady Peters, “Computation Works: The Building of algorithmic thought”, Architectural Design, 83 (2013): 10 19. ibid 20. Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman, eds, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge, 2014), 3 21. Branko Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), 3 22. ibid 23. Peters “Computation Works” 10 24. Oxman and Oxman, Theories of the Digital, 3; Peters “Computation Works” 10 25. ibid 26. Oxman and Oxman, Theories of the Digital, 4 27. Oxman and Oxman, Theories of the Digital, 5 28. “ICD/ITKE Research Pavillion”, Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart, accessed 14 August 2015, http:// icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=12965 29. Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age, 15 30. Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age, 4 31. http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/2014/03/1403-Shenzhen-Bao-An-International-Airport-Terminal3-Studio-Fuksas-slideshow.asp?slide=4 32. http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=8807 33. Dino İpek Gürsel, “Creative design exploration by parametric generative systems in architecture”, METU Journal Of The Faculty Of Architecture, 29 (2012): 211 34. Peters “Computation Works” 11 35. Yasha Jacob Grobman, Abraham Yezioro, and Isaac Guedi Capeluto, “Computer-Based Form Generation in Architectural Design -- a Critical Review.” International Journal Of Architectural Computing 7 (2009): 542 36. Peters “Computation Works” 11 37. Peters “Computation Works” 11 38. Peters “Computation Works” 11 39. Lee JuHyun, Ning Gu and Anthony Williams, “Parametric design strategies for the generation of creative designs’, International Journal of 40. Architectural Computing”, 12 (2014): 265 41. JuHyun, Gu and Williams,“Parametric design strategies”, 265 42. http://www.unjourdeplusaparis.com/en/paris-culture/fondation-louis-vuitton-art-contemporain-paris 43. JuHyun, Gu and Williams,“Parametric design strategies”, 265 44. JuHyun, Gu and Williams,“Parametric design strategies”, 265 14
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BIBLIOGRAPHY Alvar Aalto, Saynatsalo Town Hall, 1951 <http://www.moma.org/interactives/exhibitions/1998/aalto/timeline/ saynatsalo_thall_img.html> Brady Peters, “Computation Works: The Building of algorithmic thought”, Architectural Design, 83 (2013): 8-15. Branko Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), p.3-62 Dino İpek Gürsel, “Creative design exploration by parametric generative systems in architecture”, METU Journal Of The Faculty Of Architecture, 29 (2012): 207. Dusanka Popovska, “Integrated Computational Design: National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters.” Architectural Design, 83 (2013): 34-35 Lee JuHyun, Ning Gu and Anthony Williams, “Parametric design strategies for the generation of creative designs’, International Journal of Architectural Computing”, 12 (2014): 263-282 Marta Ubeda, “The new foundations of modern architecture: The representation of Le Corbusier’s 5 points and MVRDV’s last projects”, Revista De EGA, 9 (2004): 172-177 Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman, eds, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge, 2014), p. 1–10 Robert Wilson and Frank Keil, eds, Definition of ‘Algorithm’, The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Scences (London: MIT Press, 1999) William J.R. Curtis, Modern architecture since 1900, (New York: Phaidon Press Limited, 1996) Yasha Jacob Grobman, Abraham Yezioro, and Isaac Guedi Capeluto, “Computer-Based Form Generation in Architectural Design -- a Critical Review.” International Journal Of Architectural Computing 7 (2009): 535-553
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