ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO AIR
ANLAN CHEN 361100
CONTENTS 1 CASE FOR INNOVATION 01 ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE 02 COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE
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03 PARAMETRIC MODELING 15 04 INNOVATION CONCLUSION 17
RESEARCH PROJECT 05 SCOPE OF POSSIBILITIES 19 06 REVERSE ENGINEERING STUDY 22
PART 1 EXPRESSION OF INTEREST 26 PART 2 GATEWAY PROJECT REFERENCES
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ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE LECTURE
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“Certainly by the time you graduate and soon after, the change will be even more dramatic...two primary reasons are ecological sustainablity and the influence of technology.”
In my opinion the progession of technology has alway been a catalyst throughout the architectural history, but it is this humane approach towards design that has driven contemporary building industry into a new discourse. At the moment what also coexists is the so-called “starchitecture“ phenomenon that has swept across the globe, which somehow also seeps through today’s architectural education that could at times be a bit misleading.
“so pretty much what this course will means to you is to see that what this creative attitude towards computing might mean... “
By the time I’m writing this journal computing still seems like a narrow platform: to me the generation of an architectural scheme has alway been the product of human-machine interaction and the compromising between the two; to see what software can provide us and what are buildable. However this also applies to all design processes until one day we can literally materialize our ideas, when technology literally is just a vehicle without any bound attached.
“architecture is a cultural practice..... SO IT STRUCTURES HUMAN LIFE IN PARTICULAR ways... AND THE WHOLE IDEA BEHIND CONTEMPORARY DESIGN IS IT CAN EnGAGE WITH SOCIAL ENGINEERING... for all leading buildings this contribution is more important than the building itself. “
It is very interesting how architecture functions socially and politically in our world. And an implication of the last sentence could be that even a building is devoid of functionality it might still serve a society culturally, vice versa it is possible to design a building purely out
of literal intrepretation or even without materiality, and still be considered as architecture.
4 In conclusion when architects approach a project today they also have to examine the general cultural context apart from the buiding itself, whether to maintain it or change it, which will eventually bring economic and ecological benefits.
READING Williams, Richard (2005). ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press), pp. 102-116 The article discusses three common approaches towards architecture: as art, as a symbolic realm, and as spatial experience; and since none of them can define architecture by itself we should view architecture as a discourse on built environment ar large rather than just the physical building. Therefore we should bear these factors in mind when it comes to design our final project in order to form a well-rounded outcome. As stanislav addressed two primary concerns of the design studio are to advance our knowledge and creative capacities, and to contribute something to the contemporary architectural discourse on computation and its role in practice and education. The introduciton of digital computation can exhibit a new type of beauty, draw attention to both the installation and digital design, create a new experience for drivers as well as people who view it through media.
Schumacher, Patrik (2011). The Autopoiesis of Architecture: A New Framework for Architecture (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 1-28 The article describes that within the architectual discourse three factors interactive with each other: artefacts, knowledge and pratices, that make architecture an autopoietic system. Any new ways of communication such as scripting constantly update the system. The existing sculpture fulfills aesthetic as well as symbolic funtion, which can be superseded by parametric design in terms of improving these functions and adding more functions, such as addresses to browsers online or responds to the local climate.
01 ARCHITECTURE AS DISCOURSE
“design challenges evolved from: products - goods, services and identities - interfaces - multiuser systems and networks - projects- discourses”
VIRTUA
Like the Gateway Project Headspace also looks at disciplines beyond architecture, however if define architecture as the process and product of planning, designing and construction, it could also be viewed as micro-architecture for the head: it digitally explores free flowing forms, translates computerized concept into physical model, and tests out the functionality of design through digital fabrication. Though it is a begining subject to parametic design we have tasted the sweets of digital design: it allows for much more complex and detailed forms with ultraprecision, and throughout the process the design could be presented digitally, modified instantly and shared simulaneously, which has tremendously shortened the timeline of the design process and has made project coordination easier. Through the subject we can see how the profession has been immensely altered by computerization and is exploring more potentials within the realm of parametric design.
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AL ENVIRONMENT 1
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01 ARCHITECTURE AS DISCOURSE
PERSONAL PROJECT
State of Art
CityHome
Architect: MIT Media Lab Location: Boston, NY Through a transformable wall system which integrates furniture, storage, exercise equipment, lighting, office equipment, and entertainment systems, CityHome, with a very small footprint (840 square feet), can literally function as an apartment two to three times that size. This not only provides a solution to the soaring urban sprawl, but also opens a new age of housing customization; for each occupant can engage in a process to personalize the precise design of the wall units according to his or her unique activities and requirements. Above all animation in this project effectively helped the architects envision how a robot controlled multiuse space might function.
http://cp.media.mit.edu/research/67-cityhome
In relation to our EOI, this project perfectly demonstrates how dynamic responses to the social/natrual environment could greatly enhance architecture’s functionality and livability, even under multiple restrictions. And this response could be precisely controlled by digital systems, in which much more complex adaptation can be simulated.
Neverthelss issues since the frame structures are made of high content, light-weight recycled material. This means comparatively they require less energy to produce, less cost to assemble, coming with a low maintenance/low environmental impact, and can be easily de-commissioned and moved to another location. Modularization, in my view, is the product of computerized design that combines programming and art together. It is also customized for mass production, so that each model can be transferred directly from computor to production factory. This has profoundly changed the architectural design process. As can be seen from this project architects and manufacturers today not only utilize modularization to standardize and simplify the design and manufacturing process, but they start to approach a project from this modularizing point of view, opening up more design possibilities.
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http://www.archdaily.com/97040/dirichlet-modular-decomposition-arthur-toth/
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State of Art
Dirichlet Modular Decomposition Architect: Arthur Toth Location: London, UK In mathematics, a dirichlet tessellation is a special kind of metric space decomposition that is determined by distances to a specified discrete set of objects in the space, by a discrete set of points. In this London competition entry, the designer with the application of dirichlet tessellation divided the room exterior into geometric algorithms, which at the same time matches its interior organization. The modular computational geometry can be easily introduced into computer-aided design and manufacturing, which in turn benefit from its 3D model accuracy and fast prototyping capabilities. Furniture can be designed to comply to its spatial subdivision, and can be integrated from early stages of modular construction.
COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE LECTURE “cAd might conspire against creative thought ... by encouraging “fake” creativity.” “For the first time perhaps,architectural design might be aligned with neither formalism nor rationalism but with intelligent form and traceable creativity.”
READING
One of the scepticism of design computation is that it will kill designer’s artistic intuition by mechanize the creative process, constantly copying and paste, or just adopt pattern that could be generated by the software, one of the examples being the popularity of voronoi. The way I see it is that like other technologies, by adapting to them we will always lose something old meanwhile gaining something new. Loss is inevitable, and byfar the diversity of modern architecture still can’t tell us whether we are progressing or not, or simply just changing.
Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 Encoding & Decoding of Information, Computerization: Instant sharing; More people involved;
Goal & Desirable performance Environmental, Social & Cultural Context Constraints Side effects & Aftereffects of solution
Brainstorm for solutions
Completion & Examination of solutions Choose the “tradeoffs”
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The Design Process
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• Problem Solving The problem in wydnham project is to find a solution that will meet requirement from the client - Wyndham City Council, the surrounding community/natual environment and Melbourne city as a whole, and addressing our goal - to produce an iconic gateway for Wyndham that will bring both cultural and finacial benefit. With so many criteria and restrictions at hand, what we as designers can do is to propose multiple solutions then test them against our criteria to find the optimal resolution. • Puzzle Making However what is addressed in the project brief is only a frame, therefore it is up to us designers to complete the puzzle, to find out issues that could help in shaping the solutions. In our EOI we looked for local climatic conditions and future urban planning schemes - pieces of puzzles that fit our design frame. Such data-driven approaches have been computationally represented as forward-reasoning search strategies: operators are applied to the current state of the problem with the aim of transforming it according to predefined sets of rules. • A Dialogue The interdependency between the goals, the solutions, and the design context creates a cyclical relationship between the two paradigms: design goals are developed that provide the process with a direction, then solutions are proposed that purport to accomplish them. This iterate process is an essential part during our EOI generation in that it helps us progressively refine our proposal getting closer and closer to what we are aiming for at the beginning.
02 COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE
The Design Paradigm
http://www.generatorx.no/20080714/frozen-sound-as-space/
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Left: Le Right: t
frozen: sound as space
eander Herzog: sound structure, laser cut plastic structures based on sound analysis. the process of materializing the sound structures.
Frozen (part of the 5 Days Off MEDIA festival) is an exhibition of experiments in the representation of sound in media beyond the auditory.It examines the sound signal as a virtual space, presenting possible mappings that visualize or interpret the structures contained within the soundwaves. The designers’ representation of sound as spatial structures was realized as physical objects through the use of digital fabrication technologies, which literally freeze sound at a certain moment. Here owing to the developing digital techniques, image and sound are connected in a way that was previously unthinkable. Digital design - exact and manipulate meaningful data from audio analysis, and digital fabrication, including techniques such as rapid prototyping, CNC and laser cutting, were used in the project to directly translate soundwave into physical model. Likewise in the Wyndham Project we could also transform any abstract input into a physical sculpture, based on whatever we will be researching on or simply social/environmental characteristics of Wyndham.
Team: Andreas Nicolas Fischer & Benjamin Maus (DE) Leander Herzog (CH) Marius Watz Daniel Widrig & Shajay Booshan (UK) Sound: Freiband / Frans de Waard (NL) Sound: Alexander Rishaug (NO) Location: Amsterdam, Netherland
The design-build project began as a parametric exploration during the design process, and manufacturing of the unique sections began with CNC routing and systematic assemblage. Once connected, the element was hung from the overhead RCC slab from threaded steel rods which have been affixed into a double thickness vertical plywood panel; this connection allows for accurate leveling through the entire length of the interior. This is a case study that demonstrates what computerization is capable of: entities or processes that are already in the designer’s mind are entered, manipulated, or stored on a computer system. And the instant manipulation can be shared simutaneously among the design team. It offers designers with millions of virtualized solutions without the necessity of building actual models. Hence complex texture upon site-based forms could be easily generated with ultraprecision. And if the viewers are being envoloped within the structure, the lighting and ambience of it could also be controlled through varying forms.
cross sectional development - transformation through retail
section / dining area
paradigms of existing infrastructure
proposed armature
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indigo deli
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Architect: sameep padora and associates Location: mumbai, india
Dining area interior panorama
PARAMETRIC MODELING READING Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley) pp. 8-71 Parametric Modelling is the process of associating and exposing explicit parameters to computational geometry. And scripting, meaning lower-level computor programming, are increasingly being assimilated into today’s practices producing parametric designs. It provides a significantly deeper engagement between the computer and user by automating routine aspects and repetitive activities, thus facilitating a far greater range of potential outcomes for the same investment in time. Ideally it will free up architects to spend more time on design thinking, unfortuately it is leading a number of contemporary designers to merely appropriating scripting systems rather than make them. Moreover there also presents a tendency in the industry towards “generative design using genetic algorithms, or agent systems, or some other ‘system’, usually from the same stable.” These are exactly what we are trying to avoid in our design process, to reach beyond the analogous process in search for logical connection between our inputs and our design aim, meanwhile “seeking deeper access to our imagination”.
LECTURE “In both spreadsheets and design-based parametric modelling systems, work is divided between user and computer with the user defining the cell contents and network structure and the computer maintaining the values in the network.” Digital computation has profoundly changed the way the building industry operates. It also has led to the introduction of communication/colaboration softwares that allow various parties to be involved in real-time information sharing and exchange throughout the buidling process. Architect’s role in this process, therefore, is to orchestra the interaction and prompt the disciplines to work together, but not to the extent of master builder.
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One of the most distinctive advatages of parametric computerization is its adjustable parameters that provides both flexibility and precision for contemporary architectural design. It became an effective tool during the schematic design process to address multiple design requirements such as rain catchment area and sun angle at the same time, while producing a number of viarations that the team could choose from to select the best architectural and structural solution.
03 PARAMETRIC MODELING
The Milad Complex is a structure that sits within the urban environment of Tehran and incorporates commercial, office and hotel spaces. The main challenge the design team faced was to come up with a propasal that could cater to different functional needs of each compartment without compromising the overall spatial integrity. Therefore an integrated mass with six courtyards punching through emerged as the final scheme to elimate the mental feeling of high-rise, instead of having seperate buildings surround a plaza. The team then employed parametric computerization, after the desired physical form was registered, to explore the optimal structure that would best interact with its environment, the criteria being the local climate, the urban setting and the future expectations suggested by the municipality of Tehran(left top).
Milad Complex Proposal
Architect: ContemporARchitectURban Designers Group Location: Tehran, Iran
http://www.archdaily.com/212767/milad-complex-proposal-contemporarchitecturban-designers-group/
In conclusion...
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open up possibilities of design solutions. With computerization designers can play with solutions and test multiple criteria against the goal they had in mind, hence free up their imagination to produce designs that is unthinkable before, hence iconic has shifted architectual discourse not only in design approach but also in design mode, which is real-time information sharing and interdisciplinary cooperation saves up time and labour when integrated with digital prefabrication
04 INNOVATION CONCLUSION
The Gateway Project asks for a visually engaging landmark, and parametric design can create one... for it
SCOPE OF POSSIBILITIES Extrusion
BOOLEAN PATTERNING IMAGE SAMPLER
EXPLICIT GRIDS MATHS FUNCTIONS
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20 05 SCOPE OF POSSIBILITIES
SURFACE NORMALS CURVE ATTRACTOR
OVERLAPPING PATTERNS USING SETS
Having our theme for EOI in mind, we found that surface normal, image sampler and curve attractor may be the three most useful definitions when producing undulating, large-scale installation. With infinite combination and variations, it is possible to incorporating multiple parameters at the same time and play with their interactions. However when experimenting with the Output technique of Extrusion with various Inputs and Associations, it became evident that this was a powerful tool in influencing parametric design and a point or points which could be represented in various ways provided interesting manipulations to surfaces.This task of puzzle making was performed during this stage of experimentation as there was no goal at the start of the exploration yet once the technique was explored it became clear that this technique could simulate growth in design which was an area of interest within the exploration.
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21 05 SCOPE OF POSSIBILITIES
SURFACE NORMALS MULTIPLE MATH FUNCTIONS
BANQ RESTAURANT Architect: Office dA Location: Boston, USA
BANQ Restaurant is brilliant example of architectural precedence that our group intend to utilise for inspiration in the frabrication design process. Using Grasshopper, our definition allows for pieces to be fabricated in panels to create a free dimensional product using two-dimensional panels. This is a key to creating efficient and sustainable architecture that can be fabircated in a factory environment. Three-quarter-inch birch plywood is the material used to create the pieces and its comparison to a puzzle is heightened as there is only one possible location for each unit. This may be useful for fabricating the pieces together on site because it gives the build-ers a definite direction as to what needs to be done.
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06 REVERSE ENGINEERING STUDY
One of our attempts is to replace the undulating forms with tubes, as we did in the matrix. The result was surprisingly interesting for it opens up possibilities to add in more parameters. Using straws with various colours, which are meant to test the effects of differentiating transparencies, we made a mock up model imitating our desired curvatures.
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25 06 REVERSE ENGINEERING STUDY
To allow different modes of sun penetration, we also tested out another viaration of the case study - paper strips. Considering the practicality of the two, we agreed that the latter might be more visually engaging and easy to construct in real life situation, which also has stronger light / shadow contrast.
WYNDHAM GATEWAY PRO
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PART 1: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
OJECT
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http://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/building_planning/strategic
WERRIBEE SOUTH GREEN WEDGE
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OUR PROPOSAL
PART 1: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
In accordance with the Melbourne 2030 Metropolitan Strategy, Wyndham Council proposed a South Werribee Green Wedge Policy and Management Plan in 2010(left), in which our site will be sitting between non-agricultural area and western treatment plan in 20 years. As we believe our site has more potential than being an injunction between traffic routes, we proposed a green hub that will connect surrounding planning zones, attracting more visitors thereby opening up economic and cultural potentials of the land.
INPUT
speed limit
topography
wind orientation
day&night lighting
sunpath
The theme of our group is landscape, fo surroundings. It is not only because the also due to our considerations over div urban with natural environment, in thi it extends the urban boundary by nat will bring multiple environmental ben the city. Secondly the economic value o beneficiary will be the Wyndham coun and commercial districts will be built u population. Thirdly it will be bridging will greatly convenient local residents a north-south bound traffic to the exsitin socializing spot for local residents, or dr factors will be contributing to the publi asked for by the competition.
views
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As a pr regard with t possib based to our topogr forms views openin
or as aforementioned we want to connect the site with e existing site condition as non-agricultural land, but verse content of neighbourboods. The integration of is point of view, seems like the best solution. Firstly tural elements instead of concrete and glass, which nefits in the long run while attracting visitors from of the surrounding land also rises up, whose ultimate ncil. The chain effect of this is that more residential up around our proposal, which in turn attracts more the tourism district with the residential area, which and draw tourists to Wyndham, by means of adding ng routes. Fourthly it provides a relaxing resort and rivers who were tired of long-hour driving. In all these icity of our site, responding to the initial requirement
rototype for our proposal we tried inputting parameters ding exsiting site conditions, as an initiative of engaing he local landscape, into Grasshopper and tested out ble variations. We found that by inputting functions on the site’s topography we could create strips similar r Case Study models. This means that by utilizing raphy as the basic parameter, we could generate that integrates other factors such as lighting, wind, and speed by controlling the size and orientation of ngs between strips.
PART 1: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
PARAMETRIC DESIGN
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OUTPUT
Our initial concept was to integrate our undu existing freeway. Unfortunately due to techniqu not get exhibited from the final model. Therefor interweave local traffic with our proposal adding e such as the amount of traffic during different ho between strips, therefore should be decided by and characteristics of the freeway. Moreover we expand our proposal to connect the freeway wit roads so as to truly connect the city.
Laser cutting is an effective fabrication technique in that it simplifies the production designs with repeatitive and complex textures, and it could deal with hard materials such as plywood with ultra precision. Like other digital fabrication technique it saves a lot of labour and extensively shorten the time frame of projects, which as a consequence also cut down the overall cost.
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PART 1: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST
ulating proposal with ue difficulties this did re our next step, is to even more parameters our of a day. Distance both climatic factors e are also considering th adjacent suburban
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REVIEW One of the most beneficial aspect of this course is that it introduces us to a new design methodology: which is design through research. We were introduced to a complex series of steps that ensures we have the necessary skills and framework before being asked to compile those sets of understandings and skills to innovate and more importantly, learn from your process, critique it during your progress, and learn from your process and mistakes. Compared to other design subjects, we are more exposed to fabrication techniques and qualities of materials and what is possible with these material qualities. With our own research that is set at our own pace and direction, we have learned the different properties of materials. Fabrication techniques has limitations. Sometimes using computational tools lets you in on a false notion that everything can be computer automated and fabricated. But really, most of it is still you driving the process. The com puter still does not design for you, and it does not think. It merely shows you your thinking efforts, but in the end it is up to you to drive teh process and make it happen.The techniques of fabrication , mainly laser cutting are very limiting in terms of the geometries that we can produce. By far the most creative extendsion we can get from laser cutting is creating molds to achieve a solid 3D form. A huge part of this course revolves around structuring your arguments and building a coherent design narrative that wioll give you and your team a competitive advantage to get comissioned to do the project. Making coherent design anarrative and argument requires a synthesis of (technical: grasshopper) knowledge, space, placemaking, deep understanding of the brief, knowledge of Wyndham city character, understanding of archietcture as a discourse fabrication techniques material qualities implications of forms generated with parametric tools.
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PART 1: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST