DES I G N STU D I O A I R 2015
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CONTENTS ABOUT ME
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PREVIOUS WORK
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DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE
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A.1. DESIGN FUTURING
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One Central Park, Sydney-Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2014
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ROCK MELT- Jamie North, NGV International, Federation, 2015
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A.2. DESIGN COMPUTATION
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The nonLin/ Lin Pavillion, FRANCE- Marc Fornes-2011
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Helix Bridge, Singapore- Cox Rayner Architects, 2010
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A.3. COMPOSITION/GENERATION
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Khan Shatyr entertainment centre,Astana, Kazakstan-Foster & Partners, 2010
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Al Bahr Towers, Abu Dhabi, UAE- Abdulmajid Karanouh,2012.
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A.4. CONCLUSION
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A.5. LEARNING OUTCOME
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A.6. ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
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I am Naila Rahman, currently completing my third year at University of Melbourne, majoring in architecture. I am originally from Dhaka, Bangladesh and I am proud of it as I feel a lot about me has been shaped a lot through the rich cultural values and tradition thats comes with my nationality. However having lived in Australia for more than 9 years now it feels like a second home to me. I absolutely love traveling and exploring new places. My family and friends mean a lot to me, so I try to spend quite a fair bit of time with them whenever I get time off uni or work. Some of my hobbies include shopping, taveling, watching movies and scrapbooking.
PAST PROJECT- VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS Initially in my first year of uni I was an ameture at using computer softwares. However, throughout the years I had to get used to different computer programs for each of my design subjects which has developed my understanding of the importance of computation in desing.
For Virtual Environments, my partner, Ingrid and I had to develop a second skin given a folding fan which our design had to be based on. Our system was both skin and bone (i.e. timber ribs, paper fabricated skin) and a folding system. To generate this design we used rhino, which was our very first digital program used. It was a struggle to get a lot of things right. However, by the end of the semester we were successful in creating a second skin which allowed a sense of privacy and a blurry effect was intended to create a distance from the outside world.
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DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE
The emergence of new technologies redefines a man’s relationship to his environment. We are increasingly close to the technologies we invent and they have acquired considerable influence over our beliefs and symbolic relationship with the world. The concept of digital architecture does not find general consensus. Nowadays many architects use the range of possibilities offered by digital tools to design differently. Beyond the use of tools, the particularity of digital architecture is to be seek harmony with a certain state of mind, in the resonance between the project and what appears to be a digital thought process in the work. Certain projects establish technological tools in their implementation which appear to be imbued with a certain “digital” state of mind. For example the façades of Brisbane airport created by the artist Ned Kahn in collaboration with different architects comprised of metallic strips which oscillate in the wind, visually producing a responsive environment that reacts to climatic conditions.
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Facade of Brisbane Airport
PART A CONCEPTUALISATION 8
A.1. DESIGN FUTURING The ‘state of the world’ and the state of design need to be brought together. It can be seen that climatic change is the key driver for the problems in our environment which is leading towards unsustainability. Undoubtedly, there is a huge gap between urgently needed action and the current and forthcoming availability of the means to create, globally, the political, social and economic changes. These changes are our only hope to enable humanity and all it depends upon to be sustained. Even though there are technological challenges, a more significant challenge is creating the will and means to assemble appropriate technologies at the scale needed to make a real difference. Problems can only be solved through design. The important aspect depicted by Dunne & Raby is the ‘Cone of Futures.’ The future is seen as a series of widening cones extending from the present. The narrowest cone is the ‘probable,’ the limited range of futures that we are already heading for with no visions for alternate futures. However to start dreaming about alternatives, would give us a much wider cone, called the possible. Of course, some possible future visions are fairly unlikely, so the cone midway between the possible and the probable is the plausible. Their brief intends to affect design by creating space for different kinds of futures, or at least consideration of different kinds of futures. The aim is to use design to open up all sorts of possibilities that can be discussed, debated and used to collectively define a preferable future for a given group of people. Their theory is that through speculation and exploring alternative scenarios, reality will become more malleable and, although the future cannot be predicted, this will result in factors that will increase the probability of a more desirable future happening.
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One Central Park, Sydney
One Central Park, Sydney-Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2014. One Central Park comprises two residential towers and a lower retail podium which sits on the western edge of Sydney. French architect teamed up with botanist to create these plant-covered built forms that reflect light into their lower levels with a huge cantilevered panel of mirrors. A defining feature is the ‘monumental cantilever’ expressed as a Sky Garden extending from level 29 of One Central Park’s taller East tower. The cantilever supports a light-reflecting heliostat system, while the large vertical gardens clad the exterior facades. The heliostats track sunlight and redirect it deep down into the mass of the building. Also onto overshadowed parklands, passing solar energy to places which cannot be reached by direct sun beams. Another interesting feature consists of the 320 glittering reflectors cantilever 42m from the East tower, introduces the concept of remote solar power plants to their inner city neighbourhood. This residential intends for plant life and redirected sunshine to be used in new, sustainable ways to improve the quality of high rise living. With the use of hydroponics and heliostats, vegetation and daylight can be accessed into all the unreachable places of the building. Ateliers Jean Nouvel explains: “Beyond the functional convenience, their towering green presence is also a universal signal of life on Earth. This knowledge that vegetation means life is so deeply engrained in human perception that parks and gardens have at all times been the most desirable places to live next to.” One Central Park is the most ambitious ‘living architecture’ projects in Australia. It can inspire future urban projects to also use urban greening to create more environmentally and socially sustainable cities. This urban precinct is sustainable in many aspect, in the selection of durable materials and planting, the reuse of waste water for irrigation and ease of maintenance.
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Rock Melt- NGV International, Federation, Melbourne.
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ROCK MELT- Jamie North, NGV International,Federation,2015. Court, 2015 Rock Melt is an artwork by Sydney-based artist Jamie North consisting of six large monumental columns which features plant life growing from concrete pylons in an apparent state of erosion. Rock Melt is currently being exhibited as part of the NGV’s ongoing series of Federation Court commissions. Rock Melt is inspired by native flora growing randomly from mortar cracks in buildings and the aesthetics of mineral extraction and industrial waste, exploring the relationship between nature and architecture, decay and regeneration and the traditions of cultivated gardens. The project takes its name from the Karl Marx quote, ‘All that is solid melts into air’, which is also a key conceptual inspiration for the work. Fundamental to North’s practice is his exploration of the relationship between nature and architecture. His inspiration for ‘Rock Melt’ comes from the enduring strength of common flora; small shoots growing through cracks in the concrete and growing into holes in walls. This innovative artwork is constructed from recycled slag, which is a bi-product of an smelting iron ore and concrete. The columns appear aged, their heights staggered, with the tallest towering at five metres. Each of these columns vary in height, rising from a solid base to a condition of reduced materiality. Also, local plants play a key role in North’s practice and in this work he sourced a Melbourne native vine, the ‘pandorea pandorana’ also known as Wonga Wonga.. “North’s work elicits an elegant dialogue between the natural and the industrial. These sculptures look ancient, like ruins, an especially clever effect given that the sculptures are in fact modelled from a bi-product of an industrial process.”
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A.2. DESIGN COMPUTATION The most remarkable technological transformation is the invention of electronic computers in the mid 20th century. The automation of repetitive arithmetic, logical tasks and the speed at which they are executed is definitely advantageous in today’s world. With computers, came a change in the way different professionals communicate, collaborate and perceives tasks. Not to forget the architectural industry has been significantly reshaped ever since computers were introduced. Design teams progressively rely on computer technology as an aid to virtually represent their ideas and vision. It is obvious that with the change in design media, came a reorientation of the design process as everything is influenced by the environment within which it exists. There are various perception of the influence of computation, it is considered an intellectual revolution for architects. With the help of computation, the accessibility of advanced programs is ever increasing. The development in digital designing programs present a promising future for architecture. There are very few firms in the world that still rely on tiresome methods of hand drafting. The importance of ‘digital architecture’ is more prominent in the field with the development of computer interfaces. Each year more and more innovative electronic devices are emerging and circulating. Architecture firms are more easily gaining access to 3D plotters and BIM programs. Assuming this trend continues, there may be a day where architecture is entirely governed by the computer. Maybe someday the process of construction could be entirely automated which would allow for increased cost-effectiveness and accuracy.
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The nonLin/ Lin Pavillion, FRANCE- Marc Fornes-2011 Designed by French architect, Marc Fornes from ‘The Very Many’, nonLin/Lin Pavilion is an aluminium pavilion which resembles a giant piece of coral. It is a part of the FRAC centre in Orleans, France. Beyond its visual insight of sculptural and formal qualities, the prototypes are built forms established using custom computational protocols. The parameters of these protocols are based on form finding (surface relaxation), form description (composition of developable linear elements), information modelling (re-assembly data), generational hierarchy (distributed networks), and digital fabrication (logistic of production). It is assembled from 27 components which results in a four metre-high structure. The nonLin/Lin Pavillion is flexible in the way it’s built, i.e. the parts can be taken apart and reassembled in different locations. This prototypical structure is an exploration of transformations from one state to the other. Members within the structural system open up and recombine themselves into larger openings while their reverse side is generates a surface condition provided that as density increase eventually results in the person evolving within a sensation of enclosure. The pavilion project refers to its own scale. Its structural integrity does not rely on any camouflaged cables and it can resist water. It is light yet very strong. One could sit on it, even hang or climb it. It is scalable to a degree. It is not produced through academic facilities. It is a prototypical architecture. Fundamental in this pavilion design is the pattern shift from linear spaces (tube or donuts alike), not only on a formal level, but rather to engage a diversity of social situations – pushing further than “bi” or dual alike. The project is conceived as a resultant product of a very explicit research line, investigating the design and build component of a coherent environment. Aims to engage people to experience the idea of limitation, filtration, and spatial depth. The structure follows an unconventional creation where a pattern of elements such as openings and dimensional measurements turn out of scale where the audience are exposed to cultural references and correlations from nature (i.e. corals, flowers). The nonLin/Lin Pavilion is a very detailed experiment towards constructability within a precise economical and cultural context.
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NonLin/Lin Pavilion, France
Helix Brigde, Singapore
Helix Bridge, Singapore- Cox Rayner Architects, 2010 The Helix Bridge is one of the few, if any, bridges in the world to be named after its structure. Providing a connection across the head of the Singapore River between the city’s existing CBD and its new Bay front district. The bridge design is the outcome of devoted partnership between architect Cox Rayner and engineer Arup. The concept intended to curve the bridge in an arc so that it flows fluidly into foreshore walkways on each side. Pursuing a delicate, lightweight contrast to the vehicular bridge, the concept evolved around a double helix structure. This form enabled the canopy, required by the brief, to be integrated as segmented panels of glass and perforated steel, unlike other bridge structures. The structural typology also proved highly effective in working to a curvilinear plan, and in generating an intriguing sense of movement flow along the journey. The great intrigue of the structure is derived from its ability to curve in plan and section while maintaining continuity of its dual spiral over the 280 metre length. The design was generated through a process of highly sophisticated 3D computer modelling, through which the proportions and connections were progressively refined. To emphasise the ribbons of structure, LED lighting is incorporated along both spirals, and in ground lighting embedded to highlight the combination of glazed and perforated steel canopy segments. The design intent of the bridge is to optimize pedestrian experience of the bridge as new urban place as well as of its role as a vital connector between Singapore’s major existing and emerging urban precincts.
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A.3. Composition/ Generation The practice of architecture is being redefined by computation. Architects are developing digital tools that create opportunities in design process, fabrication and construction. ‘Computation’, on the other hand, allows designers to extend their abilities to deal with highly complex situations. The term ‘computation’ means the use of the computer to process information through an understood model which can be expressed as an algorithm. This results in the exploration of new ideas: computation enhances the understanding of the designer and increases capability to solve complex problems. Algorithm is a key function for solving design problems. It is a set of instructions which can understood by the computer, i.e. code. Algorithmic thinking refers to a revealing role to understand the results of the generating code, knowing how to modify the code to explore new options, and speculating on further design potentials. There is a shift from an era where architects use software to one where they create software. “When architects have a sufficient understanding of algorithmic concepts, when we no longer need to discuss the digital as something different, then computation can become a true method of design for architecture.”
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Khan Shatyr entertainmen stan- Foster & P British architects Foster and Partners have completed the world’s tallest tensile structure in Astana, Kazakhstan. The Khan Shatyr entertainment centre stands 150 metres tall, covers 10,000 square metres and is to become the capital’s major civic and cultural venue. The massive tent-like cable net structure is clad in ETFE, allowing light to wash the interior spaces while sheltering them from extreme weather conditions. ETFE, Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, a fluorine based plastic, was designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a wide temperature range. At the core of the building is a large flexible space that forms the cultural hub of the centre, accommodating a diverse programme of events and exhibitions.
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nt centre,Astana, KazakPartners, 2010 There were a lot of challenges in building this centre. Firstly, challenged with creating a giant, free-spanning enclosure with minimum support, engineer Buro Happold felt a single-masted cable net in a conical form was the natural choice due to the simplicity and efficiency of the material being used. The construction of the roof skin is in tension and uses cables to carry the load. The envelope was designed using a ‘form-finding algorithm’ to generate possible designs for the cable skin structure and to come up with refined structure design. In addition, with the aid of parametric modelling, where these intricate algorithms were analysed, this entertainment centre was generated. The Entertainment Centre, situated at one end of Astana’s main axis is a strong ‘iconic’ form on the skyline, providing a much needed place for Kazakhstanis to meet, socialise and shop, or relish the more exotic attractions of an indoor beach and pool.
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Khan Shatyr Entertainment Centre, Kazakhstan
Al Bahr Towers, Abu Dhabi, UAE- Abdulmajid Karanouh, 2012. The innovative Al Bahar Towers, a great invention of Abdulmajid Karanouh, consist of two 29-storey towers, 145 meters high. What stands out about these towers is the advanced screening system (the skin) which was designed to integrate the building with its cultural context and respond directly to the climatic requirements of the region. Corresponding to Abu Dhabi’s weather conditions which can be quite extreme, reaching temperatures above 100 degrees. The “mashrabiya” form of the screens directly anchors the buildings in the Islamic tradition of the Middle East, while the dynamic movement of each of the individual units evokes the response of natural plants. This system comprises a series of transparent umbrella-like components that open and close in response to the sun’s path. Each of the two towers comprise over 1,000 individual shading devices that are controlled via the building management system, creating an intelligent façade. This approach was facilitated with the use of highly developed modern technological methods using parametric and algorithmic modelling. The screen operates as a curtain wall, sitting two meters outside the buildings’ exterior on an independent frame. Each triangle is coated with fiberglass and programmed to respond to the movement of the sun as a way to reduce solar gain and glare, so, in the evening, all the screens will close. “The façade has an interactive relationship to the environment which is reminiscent to the opening of a morning glory flower to the sun.” - Richard Cook, CTBUH 2012 Awards Chair, Cook+Fox Architects The design information in the manual is based on associative wireframe geometry and semantic rules attached to the geometry. While the wireframe model sets out the building form and defines the relationships between different elements (e.g. façade panels and the shading device), the attached semantic meta-data specifies the required performance parameters and acceptable construction tolerances.
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Al Bahr Tower, Abu Dhabi
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A.4. CONCLUSION “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.� United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development 1987. During the course of this assignment, I have developed a good understanding of computation. Hence, I intend thinking in a dynamic way and exploring ideas with the aid of grasshopper will expand any restrictions during the exploration/ ideation phase. In terms of the site analysis and designing in response to its context, things that need to be considered are, the natural environment, social and cultural environment. All these have a story,which creates a frame for the design process to unfold and to propose creative and innovative solutions which take into account the four principles of sustainable architecture: cultural, social, environmental and economic. I want my design to be based on the main concept of this studio, to design futuring, something which will be sustainable and dynamic in its form and construction.With the structure being structurally flexible and adaptable to climatic changes, along with space expansion and stainability, fluid architecture could be the answer to the this design approach.
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A.5. LEARNING OUTCOMES Throughout the past few weeks the theory and practice of architectural computing has been quite intense and helpful. Initially the amount of online tutorials on grasshopper and its content was fairly hard to get a grasp on. However, I now have developed a good understanding of how parametric modelling can take our ideas to the next level by allowing us to explore various different tools which can generate our initial concept in a more enhanced, detailed manner. Having past experience in using Rhino assisted me to get a better experience of how to use the tools to process different topics that needed to be covered in the past few weeks. I feel grasshopper explains everything in a more logical and systematic way. A solid understanding of the theory and practices in grasshopper will allow me to develop a better understanding of parametric modelling and design, which could further help me and my design approach in the future. Whether it is triangulation which allows me to create innovative facades/skins or to generate designs rapidly using algorithm sequences, it all depends on the extent of exploration with grasshopper which will take me to the next level.
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A.6 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
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LOFTING
TRIANGULATION ALGORITHMS
TRIANGULATION ALGORITHMS
SKIN GENERATED USING MESH MESH & TRANSFORMATION USING
FORM GENERATED CONTOURS SURFACE SKIN USING USING CONTOUR
REFERENCES DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE - Sebastian Jordana, ‘UAP + Ned Kahn To Create Kinetic Artwork For Brisbane Airport’, ArchDaily, 2010 <http://www.archdaily.com/69219/uap-nedkahn-to-create-kinetic-artwork-for-brisbane-airport/> [accessed 10 March 2015]. A.1. DESIGN FUTURING - Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona (2013) Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press) pp. 1-9, 33-45 - Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16 One Central Park, Sydney-Ateliers Jean Nouvel, 2014. - Architecture And Design, ‘One Central Park, Sydney, Ateliers Jean Nouvel And PTW: Architecture In Focus [Video]’, 2014 <http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/one-central-park-sydney-ateliers-jean-nouveland-p> [accessed 12 March 2015] - Dezeen.com, 2015 <http://www.dezeen.com/2014/10/10/one-central-parksydney-jean-nouvel-vertical-gardens/> [accessed 12 March 2015] ROCK MELT- Jamie North, NGV International, Federation, 2015. - Green Magazine, ‘Rock Melt | Green Magazine’, 2015 <http://greenmagazine.com.au/rock-melt/> [accessed 14 March 2015].
A.2. COMPUTATION - Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 -Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10 The nonLin/ Lin Pavillion, FRANCE- Marc Fornes-2011 - Architizer, ‘Nonlin/Lin Pavilion’, 2011 <http://architizer.com/projects/nonlinlin-pavilion/> [accessed 12 March 2015]. - Dezeen.com, 2015 <http://www.dezeen.com/2011/08/02/nonlinlin-pavilion-by-marc-fornesthe-very-many/> [accessed 12 March 2015]. Helix Bridge, Singapore- Cox Rayner Architects, 2010 - AJ Welch and others, ‘Helix Bridge Singapore – Cox Rayner Architects’, e-architect, 2010 <http://www.e-architect.co.uk/singapore/helix-bridge> [accessed 14 March 2015]. A.3. COMPOSITION/GENERATION -Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-1 Khan Shatyr entertainment centre,Astana, Kazakstan-Foster & Partners, 2010 - AJ Welch and others, ‘Khan Shatyry Entertainment Centre, Astana’, e-architect, 2008 <http:// www.e-architect.co.uk/kazakhstan/khan-shatyry> [accessed 14 March 2015]. - Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15 Al Bahr Towers, Abu Dhabi, UAE- Abdulmajid Karanouh, 2012. - CTBUH- Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat, ‘Al Bahar Towers, Abu Dhabi’, 2013 <http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildingArchive2012/ AlBaharTowersAbuDhabi/tabid/3845/language/en-GB/Default.aspx> [accessed 16 March 2015]. - kyscrapercenter.com, ‘Al Bahar Tower 2 - The Skyscraper Center’, 2015 <http://skyscrapercenter.com/building/al-bahar-tower-2/9130> [accessed 16 March 2015].