AIR 2016 | SEMESTER TWO | BRAD
NATASHA FONTE DEVOS
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C O N T E N T S A0 INTRODUCTION 4 A1 DESIGN FUTURING 6 PARKVIEW GREEN 8 THE CONTINUOUS MONUMENT 10 A2 DESIGN COMPUTATION 14 AUSTRIAN PAVILION 16 EXPANDABLE SURFACE PAVILION 18 A3 COMPOSITION/GENERATION 20 SILK PAVILION 22 ENO HENZE 24 A4 CONCLUSION 28 A5 LEARNING OUTCOMES 28 A6 APPENDIX 30 REFERENCES 30
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My name is Natasha Fonte de Vos and I am a third year architecture major student at The University of Melbourne. I have a keen interest in all things design and I have always had a passion for architecture. What I would like to get out of this subject is a better understanding of the programming used in the architecture field and to see the possibilities it can create. As I have very limited experience with both Rhino and Grasshopper, I am happy -yet nervous- to be thrust into the deep end for this subject. I chose to study this course because I want to have a solid base understanding of
the architectural world, to one day hopefully have a career in the field. My interests have changed greatly over the years that I have been studying Environments at Melbourne. Initially, I was mainly fascinated with the light filled Scando inspired residential architecture that is featured so often on ArchDaily and the like. However, after taking subjects like Urban Environments, EBS and Momo to Pomo, I have discovered a much broader spectrum of the Building and Planning faculty that interests me.
A0. INTRODUCTION 4
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A1
CONCEPTUALISATION 6
It is impossible to ignore the ecological footprint left by our species, growing exponentially larger and more devastating since the industrial revolution. As population numbers soar, so too does our insatiable appetite for space, comfort, and material wealth. There will be a point at which there will no longer be enough natural resources to provide the population with the luxuries that they have been accustomed to, Fry states that renewable resources are being used at a rate 25 per cent faster than can be renewed.[1] Continuing in this trend will leave us with a very questionable future, if our actions have not already cemented our destiny as an extinct species. Design futuring is a reorganization of thoughts, it is a call to all people not just architects to make choices that will benefit not only the needs of the present, but those too of the future we are together designing.[1] Dunne and Raby suggest that all design to some extent is future oriented.[2] Architecture especially requires great insight into the future of both the inhabitants of the building and the site in which it sits. Architecture is expected to last decades,
if not centuries, so it is not unrealistic to imagine an architect to be some kind of clairvoyant who can look into the future and predict the contextual surrounds of their design. Of course, architects cannot see into the future, however it can be argued that it is in fact their duty to imagine a future in which their building will continue to be functional – and design accordingly. In every act we choose to play out - every plastic bottle that isn’t recycled, every light switch left on all day – we are collectively and unconsciously designing a future that we will have no choice but to live in. The following precedents are examples of architects who have designed for the future. While the designs at first glance have nothing in common, upon closer inspection they both share the sentiment that the current beliefs and values are unsustainable, and there must be an alternative.
‘...THERE MUST BE AN ALTERNATIVE...’
A1. DESIGN FUTURING 7
PARKVIEW GREEN Parkview Green in Beijing, designed by Winston Shu of Integrated Design Associates is a project that challenges the conventions of large mixed-use commercial developments. At the China-EU Summit in 2009, Chinese Premier, Wen Jiabao guaranteed that China would commit to reducing levels of carbon intensity by 40-45% by 2020. Taking this on board, Shu was determined to provide users with an internal environment that is strengthened by nature to create microclimates that would give comfort to users in the extreme temperatures reached in Beijing, and also reduce the overall energy consumption of the building. Analysts predict that China will see 400 million people move into the cities over the next 15-20 years, the need for sustainable design is paramount if they want to reduce their carbon footprint. Parkview Green is the first structure in Beijing designed to be environmentally sustainable, it has been ranked Platinum under LEED(U.S. Green Building Council) certification, one of the very few to have reached this level. The building itself is described as being a ‘hyper-structure’ comprised of four buildings and spaces
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contained within a large pyramidal form made of steel, glass and ETFE (ethyl tetra fluoro ethylene) pillows on the sloping roof. ETFE is tough, transparent and lightweight, it is a better insulator that glass and it is much more resistant to the effects of sunlight. The interior space acts as a solar chimney, drawing warm air up and out of the building. The retail and office areas are ventilated through underground ducts, using the naturally stable temperature of the earth, and chilled ceilings. It was designed to not require the use of an air conditioner, greatly reducing the carbon footprint. This structure is a fantastic example of Design Futuring. The innovative use of ETFE on the exterior shell protects the interior from the extreme weather and air pollution issues that plague Beijing, without sacrificing views, daylighting or thermal comfort. As Fry has noted, a multi-disciplinary approach is the way toward utilising new technologies to design functional and sustainable spaces. The engineering team at Arup along with architect Winston Shu came together to find solutions to the challenges that face modern cities today.
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THE CONTINUOUS MONUMENT 11
Formed in 1966 in Florence, Superstudio’s most prolific architectural designs were not just unbuilt, they were unbuildable. The group began their careers in a country that was still recovering economically from world war 2 and were part of a generation of architects who had no chance of seeing their designs through to completion. It was also a time where the soulless white modernist architecture of the early 20th century had become mainstream and played out. This gave the group the economic and cultural push towards conceptual architecture, specifically their series of photomontages entitled The Continuous Monument. Much like the ideas described in Dunne and Raby [2] Superstudio had taken this opportunity to imagine a certain future and let that be the basis for their work. Superstudio’s manifesto sug gests a complete rejection of design for capitalist gain and architectural hegemony. The Continuous Monument explores a future where a single continuous built environment engulfs entire Earth, with collages showing many culturally significant locations wrapped in the monumental grid. Superstudio’s legacy to the world was not only a series of both serenely beautiful and utterly terrifying photomontages,
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but also an ambiguously satirical and critical exploration of architecture and design in the late 60’s. While The Continuous Monument did not prescribe a tangible future conception of architecture, it did -and still does- open a dialogue for designers in every field to contemplate possible alternatives to the current world, and use their designs as stepping stones into a positive future.
All pictures are part of Superstudio’s ‘The continuous Monument’ photomontage series.
“...if design is merely an inducement to consume, then we must reject design; if architecture is merely the codifying of bourgeois model of ownership and society, then we must reject architecture; if architecture and town planning is merely the formalization of present unjust social divisions, then we must reject town planning and its cities...until all design activities are aimed towards meeting primary needs. Until then, design must disappear. We can live without architecture...” -SUPERSTUDIO 1969
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We live in a digital age - computer aided design has played a role in architecture since 1964 when ‘the mouse’ was invented. However, architects and artists had invented tools to aid them in drawing for centuries before computers. It can be argued that these tools -such as the grid system, or the eraser-were just as significant in enhancing the capacity of designers as that of 3d modelling programs that are in use today. In order for architects to satisfy the many economic, environmental and cultural constraints that exist when designing spaces, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to do so without the use of computational technologies that are available today. The fundamental difference between computerization and computation is the necessity of the computer upon the conception of design. Design computation begins and ends digitally, after the constraints and preferences are entered into an algorithm, the computer generates variations of form that can be modified easily before fabrication. Computerization begins with an analogous concept and is actualized by modelling or drawing with digital aid. It is a common argument that the digitalisation of design, especially architecture, is
stripping away the very essence of humanity. While it is possible for an algorithm to produce designs autonomously, when used to its full potential computational design is limitless. Oxman and Kalay agree by having the opinion that computers can be used as a medium that supports a continuous logic of design thinking and making [3][4]. For an architect to truly design for the future, it would be impossible to ignore the vast and infinite possibilities that an exploration in computational design offers. Experimental computational design is an exciting and inspirational field of architectural thought. The precedents I have chosen to explore show interesting developments in structure and material usage. Advancements in the way we can efficiently use materials is crucial if architects are to design for a sustainable future. The idea of maximising the potential of materials is in no way a new concept, it is merely an extension of the ‘form follows function’ ethos of the 20th century’s push back to applied decoration. However, computational analysis provides designers with limitless possibilities that would otherwise be unachievable without taking full advantage of the technology available.
A2.DESIGNCOMPUTATION 14
A2 CONCEPTUALISATION 15
AUSTRIAN PAVILION Acoustics is the force driving the design of the Austrian Pavilion for the EXPO in Shanghai 2010. SPAN architects employed computational methods to design this pavilion with specific requirements relating to sound and music. The main qualities for the project formed the parameters of the topological surface. Oxman [3] helps us to understand topology as the spatial properties that are preserved under endless deformations such as bending, twisting or stretching of geometries. The application of topological forms as a mode of material organisation was adopted by SPAN architects to maximise functionality of space. The outputs from the parameters set through computation
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consisted of an extensive array of subtly varying surface conditions. The iterations varied in regards to the sizing of spatial pockets, load bearing qualities of curvilinear conditions and were scrutinized for their performance as fulfilling the intended specific purpose of maximising acoustic quality.
Clockwise from left: the topologic shell, dimpled surface, interior.
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THE EXPANDABLE SURFACE PAVILION The Expandable Surface Pavilion was created for the SPOGA furniture design exhibition in Germany 2011, the architects of this project are Pablo Esteban Zamorano, Nacho MartĂ and Jacob Bek. The pavilion was a part of an ongoing research into expandable surface systems, where complex geometries are generated from plywood sheets. The architects, through computational methods, analysed the strength and resistance of plywood, and formulated simple algorithms to produce incisions in the plywood sheets that would allow for bending and reshaping without impacting the durability of the material. As shown in the diagram to the right, the sheets were cut by a lazer cutter, then attached to create the arching form, and finally expanded to the required position depending on use.
Clockwise from left: diagram showing fabrication process, the extendable surface, inside the space.
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A3 CONCEPTUALISATION 20
The next phase of the computational journey is generative design. This is where design is not based just on geometric principles, but on the algorithms set. It is giving the program a finite list of constraints and receiving a generated array of iterations for consideration. On first glance it appears to signify a complete detachment from previously sacred bonds between human and nature, critics can argue that such reliance on technology is in effect eradicating the necessity of humans in design. However, it can instead be looked at as finally introducing the organic, generative design process that is found everywhere in nature. Our DNA is a code, a set of rules that make up who we are. Fractals are the beautifully organic growth designs found on vegetation, shells, snowflakes and various other biological substances, which can be reduced to an algorithm that can generate millions of slightly different variations. It is unrealistic to separate the digital and organic worlds by order of value. The ambition of generative design and digital tools in architecture is to build a set of relations, which ultimately leads to a digital metabolism. Parametricism is the style of the future, were we find form not by composition, but by generation.
A3. COMPOSITION/GENERATION 21
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The Silk Pavilion by the Mediated Matter research group at the MIT Media Lab explores the relationship between biological and digital fabrication on an architectural scale. The structure was made up of polygonal panels made of silk threads laid down by a CNC (ComputerNumerically Controlled) machine. The project was inspired by the silkworm’s ability to generate a 3D cocoon out of a single silk thread. The group formulated an algorithm that assigned a single thread across patches of the structure to produce areas of varying density. Actual silkworms were employed as biological printers, themselves working to a naturally inbuilt algorithm as to where the silk was placed.
THE SILK PAVILION
The completed structure is as beautifully delicate as it is fundamentally symbolic of organic vs digital design theory. It is an interesting use of natural algorithmic design, and highlights in effect what generative design can achieve.
Clockwise from left: Silkworms producing silk threads, the exterior, varying densities.
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ENO HENZE
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Digital generative artworks are a contentious topic, while these drawing are visually stunning and employ dream like quality, they were done completely by algorithmic code. The algorithms allow variables such as the motion, geometry, colour, shape and linear qualities of the drawings and are altered over time. Eno Henze, the creator of these works state that basic rules are used, but iterated a great number of times to achieve complexity. Generative works gain a certain autonomy from the artist’s control once the script has been set, they are left to keep running. Henze has tried to develop forms that ‘look so divergent and error
strewn and unique, that you would think they are made by a human.’ But at the same time, the complexity of the line work is so precise that only the most controlled machine can achieve the geometry. This work bring upon a discourse, what does that mean for artists if we teach a machine to draw like a human?
All drawings created by Eno Henze.
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By first understanding the fragility of our existence here on earth, the continued understanding of computational design as a method designing for a sustainable future is not such a great leap. The advantages to using technology to follow a set of constraints and produce possible iterations for design are huge. Not only does it save hours of time and effort used in compositional form making, but the process unlocks limitless creativity, capped only by the laws of physics and reality. I am fascinated by the process of generative design, how even as the designer, you can be surprised by the final product of your algorithms. I intend to
A4. 28
look into the parametrics that are involved in insect place making. Beehives, termite mounds, cocoons are some examples of inbuilt code that dictate the formation of how insects are able to innately design these masterpieces. My understanding of architectural computing has significantly broadened after a month of this unit. The complexities of algorithmic design were once lost on me, and while I believe I have only just scratched the surface, I finally have a foundation of which I can build upon with my own explorations of parametric computation.
CONCLUSION
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CONCEPTUALISATION 29
REFERNCES Definition of ‘Algorithm’ in Wilson, Robert A. and Frank C. Keil, eds (1999). The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Sciences (London: MIT Press), pp. 11, 12 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 Issa, Rajaa ‘Essential Mathematics for Computational Design’, Second Edition, Robert McNeel and associates, pp 1 - 42 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 Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15
Algorithmic Sketches - top iterations and contour exp 30
pologic ploration. 31