AIR_FInal

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ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR JOURNAL

NEISIVIKHO ZUTSO | 645771 TUTOR| FINN WAARNOCK SEMESTER 2| 2015

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Introduction:

My name is Neisivikho Zutso. Apart from being a student at the University, I like to train and compete in athletics events like triple and long jump. I have a modest understanding and knowledge of mathematics, physics and chemistry although I would need a revision to recall most of what I had learned. Relating to architecture, I have done theory based subjects mostly like foundations of architecture and Momo to Pomo which I found to be one of the most enjoyable subject. I have basic skills working with rhino which I had learned and cultivated my skills for that specific single studio I was in.

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Part A

CONCEPTUALISATION A.1. Design Futuring A.2. Design Computation A.3. Composition/Generation A.4. Conclusion A.5. Learning outcomes A.6. Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches Bibliography

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A.1.

Design Futuring Unité d’habitation Le Corbusier |Marsille |1952

This residential building block was built post WWII by Le Corbusier. The economy had been drained thin by the war and housing people was one of the big concern. With the expense of the war technological advancement had reached new heights in many fields and pre-fabrications was one of them. Le Corbusier used this to his advantage to create pre-fabricated concrete slabs. The off-form concrete used by the bomb bunkers during the war also inspired Le Corb to finish the building without rendering or plastering the slabs. By using prefabricated off-form concrete slabs, Le Corbusier managed to build an economical building without using just expensive steel frames. Although this building by Le Corbusier inspired groups or individuals in his near future like the works of the Brutalist in Britain who had badly copied his work, mostly aesthetics, without any of his focus in details, I’m more interested in how this building influenced the design approach today. This building is remarkable for its Brise Soleil and its ability to cool of the building, protection from the sun and also air ventilation. Situated close to the sea, the longer axis of the building is oriented normal to the sea which allows the cool breeze to enter the building at a larger scale of surface area.

The arrangement of apartment units with respect to one another also left room for sound insulation and also acted as air vents to cool of the building and removing stale air. This sort of approach to design was advance for it’s time of much of the buildings were still built without concerning it’s geographical and climatic context and thus, much later this similar approach, a sort of critical regionalism, came to be used. Today we know the works of the Jorn Utzon to be of critical regionalism. The Bagsvaerd church is a good example of it where we see not all but some essential bits of it. Built in the Bagsvaerd, Denmark, it embraces modern technology of prefabrication with the mix of local craftsmen’s skills. The economical exterior shell and the organic internal shell crafted by the local craftsmen. Works more close to home are those done by Glenn Murcutt, Marie Short house being a good example. The orientation of the house is built considering the local climatic conditions, the retractable louvre for controlling the amount of sunlight entering, air flow and also privacy without the use of expensive electrical devices. It used local material for its construction. This srong passive design makes it a very sustainable house.

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Bagsværd Church Jørn Utzon | Bagsværd |1976

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Marie Short House Glenn Murcutt |Kempsey |1975

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Fagus Shoe Last Factory Walter Gropius & Adolf Meyer |Alfeld |1912

Although it might not look much of a big deal today. This very building was one of the first seeds of modernism. It’s use of extensive glass and steel frame had placed itself to be a revolutionary building during the turn of the century. This although had been inspired by AEG turbine factory which Gropius had worked under Peter Behrens a year earlier. It demonstrated the revolutionary rejection of the 19th century historicism and eclecticism, breaking away from the perception how buildings were supposed to look. Radical not only to it’s time but also pioneered the future of avant garde modernist movement till the late 1950’s. The most prominent influence it had was probably the work done by Gropius himself again for the Bauhaus school in Dessau, Germany, completed in 1926. This uses the same extensive glass and steel frame façade, unique because it overhung from the roof. This extensive glass façade although did have backdrops like overheating during summers, it played a huge role in institutional school building, as in providing abundance of natural light for the classrooms and the studios.

Meis Van der Rohe who later became part of the Bauhaus had also had most of his works inspired by the glass and steel building, which in his own right developed his own style of beautifully composing the mixture of glass and steel to please the eye but not so much to the comfort of the user living inside. The Barcelona Pavilion, the S. R Crown Hall and the Seagram building are great examples of his work. This extensive use of glass and steel was evolved structurally and aesthetically by architects like Mies and others and as we know today most high rise buildings and skyscrapers have these signature elements, the capitalist materials. It may convey dominance and power of the company or corporation. Capitalism took architecture to a whole new level with the in pour of huge money, especially during in the late 50’s and 60’s. All may not be high rise but some huge scale project done especially by Eero Saarinen can definitely not go unnoticed. Eero Saarinen’s General Motors technical centre beautifully capitalized on it. Expensive glazed tiles adding to the beauty of the glass and steel. The interiors too had been evolved into a whole new level, this was the start of projecting the wealthy status of the corporation. 10


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GM Technical Centre Eero Saarinen |Warren |1955

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Seagram Building Meis van der Rohe |New York |1958

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A.2.

Design Computation

Human and computer symbiosis.

A mutual relationship which benefits both parties by each individual party providing whatever the opposite party is unable to produce on its own. Computers are the modern tools to design and strive for a better future. Its superb ability to tirelessly produce accurate arithmetic solutions and if cleverly programmed it is capable quickly analyzing simple or complex geometries or data which the human mind cannot comprehend by processing through a logical line of commands and reasoning or the algorithm set by the programmer. But the computer’s inability to conceive an idea on its own making it lack of creative abilities or intuition makes the magical machine futile. Thus making the computers always sit on the passenger seat and always requiring a driver to guide it. This is where we humans come into play the driver with our ability to create with our intuitive mind. Humans lack desired analytical ability which can be filled by the unprecedented ability of the computer’s. Thus this create a symbiotic relationship capable of solving complex design problems.

With the new generation of design inclining more towards computer technology, designers are now able to analyze, test and produce more complex geometries before being built which is unable to be done through traditional pen and paper thus, redefining the design industry. The ability of the computer programs to analyze and process construction processes - from manufacturing to fabrication to erecting perfectly fitting structure may help the construction industry to be more economical, efficient and save more time. Like in grasshopper, the ability of the program allows to build a logical line of connection between the commands which by default stores the history of the design process thus allowing the user at will to manipulate the past decision without starting over. This unique ability provides the designer an opportunity which may not have allowed the older generation with pen and paper.

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Deutsche Bank Sphere Mario Bellini |Frankfurt |2011

This architectural piece is fairly a complex geometrical shape. It is formed by multiple circumferences of circles intersecting each other at the surface of a sphere or at the tangent surface of the sphere. This design I believe would have not been possible through traditional pen and paper architecture since it clearly requires a computer to analyze the geometry to every tiny detail of where the circumferences are intersecting each other and thus document the points for the joints for structural construction purposes.

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A.3.

Composition/Generation Algorithms maybe used for understanding and revealing large calculations, traffic patterns and projecting statistics for the future but it can also be used for creative design. Generative design is the technique of using algorithms to create and design. The codes applied to the algorithm is the driving force that handles the large amount of data and the same code if manipulated can be used for producing large variations of design and patterns. Lars Hesselgren puts it by saying that generative design is not about designing a building but it is really about designing the system that designs the building. Most top buildings designed today are usually designed by software specifically created for the exclusive project. The Beijing National Stadium or the Bird’s nest stadium used a parametric design software developed exclusively for itself. This would help in calculating extremely large and complicated numbers to provide an optimal form and geometry of the bowl to allow airflow to keep the grass healthy while maintaining a good sightlines for the spectators. This I believe was done through computing performance analysis and simulating real world environment by testing and experimenting virtually with materials, structural and environmental performance to create the optimal form.

The external surface, a biomimicry of a birds nest, also required the used of algorithmic software to calculate the twisting steel section fittings while them being on the surface of the geometry. Generative design is a great asset for the design process. Not only is it an automated process but it also accelerates design iteration without manually detailing models for each scenario. The Beijing National water stadium or the water cube uses a self-organizing genetic algorithms that are iterative which enabled the designers to explore alternative building forms. Growing from the simple members forming the outline of a single bubble the software enabled it to generate a structure with 22,000 steel membered connected to 12,000 nodes based on calculating the most efficient way to divide a space of cells with equal volumes with least surface are between them, 25% had a 12 sided shape while 75% had 14 sides. The use of generation in design process has multiple advantages but also its disadvantages. Some might see the design outcome being the calculated work of the computer rather than the creation by the creativity of the human brain thus bringing down the credibility or even questioning the value of it. I would rather like to think to it as adding another dimension to our brain as the computer coding was conceived out of our brain.

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Beijing National Stadium Herzog & de Meuron |Beijing |2008

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Beijing National Aquatics Center PTW Architects, Arup and Co. |Beijing |2008

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A.4. Conclusion The field of architecture has come a long way and changed radically overtime. The turned of the century can be marked as another radical shift for architecture from traditional use of pen and paper to using computers. The rise of parametric software for generating new designs using algorithm is rapidly and vastly changing the field of architecture not only is fast and efficient but it is producing designs that once Human minds had not thought of. I intend to use parametric or generative mode as a tool and as a design approach to assist my process. I believe it is innovative because it can produce iterations of different forms which are unique to itself and organic in nature. Thus, this will help me explore different forms with regards to structural, constructional, environmental or materials before making any decision before my next design decision. Not only will I be able to produce something which is non-conventional but also be able to produce which can never have been done through conventional method or procedure. Keeping in mind the brief and constrains but also an open mind, I believe both the client and designer can find not one but multiple ways to find the solutions to benefit all stakeholders of the project.

A.5. Learning outcomes Coming into this subject with little knowledge and theories about architecture prior to this century, I’m happy to filled some void of understanding for this century. I can differentiate how the field has shifted in terms of thinking and especially the use of architectural tool by this new generation, from pen to paper to algorithmic software used for designing. I believe this is the way forward as to using every inch of new technology available to add another dimension to our field of work. The algorithmic sketchbook has helped me tremendously to understand the practical use parametric mode of design and thus, has helped me with my practical knowledge of using parametric software. With the increase knowledge in rhino and grasshopper I would have definitely played and explored more of design options and forms as it would have helped me find better solutions.

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A.6.

Algorithmic Sketches

Changed the shape of the vase and added circles onstead of the spheres as the output to the surface divide.

Played around with the directions of the planes and sizes of the hexagons attached to planes.

Two attractor points acting on surface with multile soiidified points with set domain.

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Single attractor point acting on single simple multiple points surface

Animated shots of cones added as the referenced geometry to the surface extrusion which are acting to the movement of an attractor point at fixed domian on set along a curve.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY Pictures: Architectureurban.blogspot.com.au, ‘Architecture & Urban Landscape: April 2008’, 2008 <http://architectureurban.blogspot.com.au/2008_04_01_archive.html> [accessed 14 August 2015] Archrecord.construction.com, ‘Architectural Record - 2009 Honor Award: Gold Medal Glenn MurcuttSlide Show’, 2015 <http://archrecord.construction.com/features/aiaawards/09goldmedal/4.asp> [accessed 14 August 2015] Ariburling.com, ‘375 Park Avenue – Seagram Building’, 2015 <http://ariburling.com/1677/375-park-avenue-seagram-building/> [accessed 14 August 2015] Bellini.it, ‘Mario Bellini Architects’, 2015 <http://www.bellini.it/architecture/green_towers.html> [accessed 14 August 2015] Flickriver.com, ‘Beijing Olympic Stadium - Interior Superstructure - A Photo On Flickriver’, 2015 <http:// www.flickriver.com/photos/durbanbay/5850880311/> [accessed 14 August 2015] Suggestkeyword.com, ‘Fagus Factory Related Keywords & Suggestions - Fagus Factory Long Tail Keywords’, 2015 <http://www.suggestkeyword.com/ZmFndXMgZmFjdG9yeQ/> [accessed 14 August 2015] Triptod.com, ‘General Motors Technical Center By Eero Saarinen | Triptod.Com’, 2015 <https://www. triptod.com/printproject_569.html?T=Designs> [accessed 14 August 2015] uncube magazine, ‘The Radiant City Redux’, 2015 <http://www.uncubemagazine.com/ blog/10272227> [accessed 14 August 2015] Utzonphotos.com, ‘Church Of Bagsværd » Utzonphotos.Com’, 2015 <http://www.utzonphotos.com/ guide-to-utzon/projects/church-bagsvaerd/> [accessed 14 August 2015]

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References: Arkinstall, Mark Andrew, Tristram G.A. Carfrae, and Xueyi Fu, ‘Integrated Multidisciplinary Design And Construction Of The Beijing National Aquatic Centre, China’, Structural Engineering International, 21 (2011), 217-223 <http://dx.doi.org/10.2749/101686611x12994961034615> Curtis, William J. R, Modern Architecture Since 1900 ([London]: Phaidon, 1996), pp. 437-451 Frampton, K. (1983) Towards a Critical Regionalism: Six Points for an Architecture of Resistance. In, Foster, H. (ed). Postmodern Culture. London; Pluto Press. pp.16-30. 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 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 REN, XUEFEI, ‘ARCHITECTURE AND NATION BUILDING IN THE AGE OF GLOBALIZATION: CONSTRUCTION OF THE NATIONAL STADIUM OF BEIJING FOR THE 2008 OLYMPICS’, Journal of Urban Affairs, 30 (2008), 175-190 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9906.2008.00386.x Tessmann, Oliver, ‘Sphere, Deutsche Bank Frankfurt’, Computation in Design, 2013 <https://olivertessmann.wordpress.com/2013/03/21/sphere-deutsche-bank-frankfurt/> [accessed 14 August 2015]

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Part B

CRITERIA DESIGN B.1. Research Field

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B.2. Case Study 1.0

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B.3. Case Study 2.0

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B.4. Technique: Development

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B.5. Technique: Prototypes

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B.6. Technique Proposal

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B.7. Learning Objectives and Outcomes

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B.8. Appendix- Algorithmic Sketches

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Bibliography

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B.1.

Research Field STRUCTURE I’ve chosen structure to start off as a research field because I think it is pregnant with great potential for any design. Not only rational forms which maybe boxy, straight and rectangular be created through calculated truss or member system but smooth, curvy and graceful which is organic in nature can be produced. The canton Towers built in Guangzhou by IBA Architects manages to incorporate the idea of feminine stature over the dominant male stature. This not only indicates the field of architecture moving ahead but also sets as a milestone for collective human mankind progressing in terms of intellectual and informed concern for the perception of gender and what might its role be. This sophisticated notion obviously materialized through the advancement of parametric designing and it uses lattice structure as an architectural language to convey it. For the structure to be built, two horizontal ellipses were generated; one at the foundation and one at the height of 450 meters and these ellipses were connected by lattice structural system. The building than attended it’s final from when the ellipses were twisted forming a “waist” in between producing the smooth curved feminine figure.

This form was also achieved and informed by checking the performance of safety and strength of the structure through multiple wind, fire and load testing. Through the use of structure, I’ll have an opportunity to explore organic and free flowing forms which will break the barrier of preconceived idea or perception of boxy and strict forms. This method of form finding will also provide an opportunity to make intangible and theoretical concepts or ideas upholding universal and concerns for humanity, social or moral implication more tangible. Testing safety strength form trough environmental conditions. This would again give me the opportunity to explore geometries without worrying about material performance and perhaps achieve a sustainable design, after all it is encouraged. This may however put constrains or ease the process of fabrication. Complex forms if not carefully design can end up being difficult to produce while designing with a goal in mind which is well planned may be easier to produce.

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Canton Tower IBA |Guangdong |2010

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B.2.

Case Study 1.0 Matrix Summary

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SPECIES 1:

Expressive Structure

a

b

Geodasic defination applied Grid structure applied from lunchbox. c

d

Multiple radius’ inserted.

e

Loft surface between the geodasic curves running across the surface of the sphere. f

2D Truss added to the outer shell.

Attractor point added. h

g

Braced truss system added to multiple radius’.

3D Space truss structure used. 30


SPECIES 2:

Column Grid Structure

a

b

PLayed with the U and V values to play with the numbers of beams and columns.

Hexagonal grid applied with two extruded ellipses. d

c

Simple truss structure

Braced truss structure.

e

f

Morphed grid system.

g

Ellipses rotated several times at both ends.

Diagrid structure and 2D truss system.

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SPECIES 3:

Lattice Structure

a

b

Brace structure.

Simplest diagrid structure. c

d

Braced truss structure

e

Geodasic curves applied along three curves. f

Diagrid structure with minimal horizontal members.

3D space truss structure apllied.

g

Mulpitple horizontal curve with Diagrid system.

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SPECIES 4:

Waffle Structure

a

b

Limited horizontal members.

c

Increased horizontal members with meber thickness along z-axis decreased. d

Increased number of horizontal and vertical members and also increased dimension of the member size.

Distance between each notch increase and also dimension along x-axis (width).

f

e

Changed form to a single radius sphere.

g

Decreased the dimensions of the waffle members making it as minimum as possible.

Waffle sections running through both horizontal and vertical axis fo the sphere. h

Sphere structure with two radius havong minimum thickness of added waffle members.

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Final Outcome

Process:

Speculation:

I started the iteration looking at 4 different species which I created using lunchbox feature in grasshopper since I chose to explore the field of structure. These virtual species were informed by existing architectural structures in the real world. Four basic types of ‘structure’ are the lattice, waffle, expressive and the column grid system. With these four different components within the same branch, it allowed me to experiment or explore with from finding. Mostly I tweaked around with various definitions and at times added external definitions to see what it produced.

I based the selection criteria based or informed by the primitive but intended brief that I set myself which was to create a nest or a structure for bees to create its hive within the structure to habitat which will be used for cultivating it for its honey.

Selection criteria:

Optimal surface area for the bees to peg its hive. Flexibility for potential change. Shelter/haven for peaceful breeding Possibility of the structure working in real life.

With the chosen outcome, I believe lead it to make it a suspending structure which may be fluid or rigid. Fluid by making it a mesh or rigid by continuing developing it to be a ‘rational’ structure. I could also test different material performances against the structure which would help me inform my future decision to find form, as to why I would chose a material over another when one seem to be producing aesthetically pleasing and a sound structural system but the other performs well against environmental conditions. This will help me tweak and explore forms which better suit the materials I choose to work forth with. If I choose to carry on and develop towards a ‘rational’ structure, it can still be flexible and capable to change and adapt. The important aspect of this studio is to keep in mind of sustainability while designing, thus developing the structure for the natural site to adopt it as a natural element unlike the precedents I have chosen to start off with.

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1f

The expressive style produces aesthetically pleasing structures but my selection criteria needed something that could work in real life providing good amount of appropriate surface area, thus this iterration was chosen over the rest.

2b This iteration unlike the others have good sizes of the hexagonal grids which can possibly act as shelves to insert beehives in it.

Unlike the other iterations, this one does not have excessive members witihin it’s lattice grid which may prove to be expensive and unecessary. It also seems to provide some kind of shelter for the bees to inhabit it.

3e

4c

This waffle system already provides an good surface area over the others and a reasonable shelter. The solid members could be subsituted for frames in order fro the bees to attach and built it’s nest within the frame. 35


B.3.

Case Study 2.0 Japan Pavilion Shigeru Ban| Hanover| 2000

The World Exposition EXPO held at Hanover, Germany, in 2000 ran under the theme of “Humankind Nature - Technology: A new world arising�. The Japan Pavilion built by Shigeru Ban based his Pavilion on the concept of a sustainable design having the ability to mitigate harm to the environment through the use of material. The structure was built using paper tubes and necessary wooden joints for the connections .The goal of using paper as the primary material was to recycle or reuse most of the material after the pavilion was dismantled which would reduce waste into the environment and thus, making a design reasonably sustainable. The primary skeleton of the structure is based on the lattice grid system. Another aim of the pavilion was to construct the pavilion with low-tech methods wherever possible.

The lattice grid formed a triangular structure at the most primitive and rudimental level, each member of the paper tube being connected by two separate member at the intersection connected by the wooden joint. These elementary structures would join together at a calculated angle to form the gentle movement of the paper tube members which would seem rotated. Although the pavilion set out to accomplish a honourable motive to safe the environment, the project suffered setbacks in the real world situation. Due to fire safety regulations, the vunerable paper pavilion needed to protect itself from being burnt down. It used PVC layers which also happened to be waterproof. However, the PVC used in conventional membranes could not be recycled and when burned, it emitted harmful gases, thus not alllowing the pavilion to achieve it’s original intend.

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Reverse Engineering

1 I started off by creating three equal semi-circles.

2 Then I created another set of four smaller equal semi-circles. The semi-circles were placed alternately size wise.

3 Then I lifted the semi-circles from Y-axis to Z-axis which added another dimension to the 2-dimentioanl figure.

4 Then I created three curves outlining the silhouette of the figure by letting the curves run across the perimeter.

5

After dividing the curve into equal length of segments, I exploded the data tree into it’s individual branches. This allowed me to make the arcs using the 3-points arc component.

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7 I divided the arcs into equal length segments and flipped it to swap points between rows and columns. Then I created a series of the points after measuring it’s length. I set fourth to create a line to connect the first arc to last passing through each and every arc. In order to connect each arc at an offset point from the previous arc, I had to use the shift component and had to retrieve a specific item from the data list. This connected each arc at an offset point producing the spiral curve. The drawback of this method was that it produced a continuous curve which at specific interval ran through the ground before connecting the point on the next arc.

8 I connected few more lines by specifically extracting item from the data list for each line that needed to be created.

9 For the lines criss-crossing the existing lines, I created another set of similar definition connected to the arc but this time the only difference was that I had to reverse the shifting pattern. This produced the result I was aiming for.

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10 I completed the diagrid structural system after creating some more lines running across each other.

11 The outer shell was lofted at alternating intervals creating a gap after each lofting.

12 Finally the otuer shell was placed on top of the diagrid structural system.

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Final Outcome

Apart from my re-engineered attempt at the Japan Pavilion not having the excat scale of the calculated dimensions of the original, I’ve managed to emulate the use of the principle structural form reasonably well which is the use of the diagrid system. The original also incoporated several other layers which I have not incoporated because of it’s insignificance by not relating to field of structure and aesthetics.

The diagrid structure is quite a flexible and I intend to use it for exploring and experimenting new forms. The fact that it so flexible and quite reliable,I hope, in it’s structure promises a great deal to perform which I hope will be able to deliver in the real world scenario.

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B.4.

Technique: Development 1. Horizontal Structure

a

b

c

2 nodes truss along a surface.

2 nodes structure along the arcs. e

d

Waffle structure.

f

Diamond panels (surface). h

g

Type a- 3 nodes along the arcs.

Diamond grid (frame).

i

3 nodes along the arcs with more nodes across the arcs.

Developed by emphasizing the structure to be elongated horizontally. I’ve played with around with number of node connections along and across the arcs.

Attractor point acting on the surface.

4 nodes along the arcs.

There are also several types of surface elements that I’ve tried to incorporate along with type of structural system.

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2. Canopy Structure

a

b

c

Single sided canopy structure with variation in degree of overhead canopy it extrudes to.

e

d

f

Double layered/level of extended overhead canopy from single surface. Variation in type of structural grid it possess.

g

h

i

j

Organic overhead canopy with different structural system.

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3. Vortex Structure

a

b

c

Folded panels swirling around a central force. Thickness and number of panels around the central force developed. e

d

Solid Panels

g

Solid panels

f

Rigid frame structure

Relaxed mesh

h

Grid structure

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4. Spherical structure

a

b

c

d

e

Developed from a semi-sphere, instead of curves forming the boundary of the shape, straight lines were employed. Solid panels reacting to two attractor points.

Spiral series of organized triangular panels within a sphere. Three node system (triangle) located at the tangent of the sphere.

Surface of the sphere transformed into solid irregular panels.

Solid panels transformed to a system of grid-framework.

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5. Vertical structure

b

a

e

i

f

j

Developed this set of iterations emphasizing on the verticality of the structure. Explore single layered surface wrapping around a volume of space, surface mutilated by making it spiral from the bottom to the top, folding solid panels and extruding surface from multiple attractor points.

c

d

g

k

h

l

These set of iterations were also experimented with different types of structures and the number of members and connections which formed the overall structure.

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6. Mesh Relaxation

a

b

c

d

e

f

g

h

These set of iterations were developed using the mesh relaxation component in kangaroo. They were developed by subjecting the experiment to forces acting on different axis of plane (x,y or z).

i

They were also subjected to the different strength of the force, flexibility of the material and also the length of the members forming the mesh structure.

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Final Outcomes and Speculations:

Selection criteria:

Optimal surface area for the bees to peg its hive. Flexibility for potential change. Shelter/haven for peaceful breeding Possibility of the structure working in real life.

Speculation:

Sticking to the previous selection criteria, I‘ve chosen the more successful iterations over the others. I have added another consideration for the selection since I had to it down to fit and suit my brief more appropriately. My brief requires me to deal with bee farming to design the most efficient shelter or pods which will allow and encourage the bees are able to produce honey. Bee keeping however poses several issues and one primary issue I’ll be trying to tackle is CCD (Colony Collapse Disorder) phenomenon. CCD is a mysterious phenomenon where there is a death of large numbers of honeybee colonies.

We all know the crucial role that bees play in our planet’s ecosystem band in the past few years there has been a tremendous amount of decline in bee’s population due to CCD and currently there has no proven solution to prevent it. I am however trying to follow one theory which relates CCD to the importance of entry ample amount of sunlight and heat in its hive. Thus, with my design selection, I have chosen those which will allow ample amount of sunlight through its materiality or its structural form. Through materiality, entry of light can be explored through its property of being transparent or opaque. It can also aid in capturing and using heat for a longer period of time or disallow excessive overheating. Through structural forms I might be able to explore the surface area that allows and exposes it to sunlight or allow certain parts of the structure to be exposed only during specific period if the day. At this stage of the design I’m keen on exploring with the idea of individual bee shelter hanging from a mesh like canopy structure. The web like nature of the mesh structure will allow penetration of sunlight which will expose the shelters to sunlight and thereby heat. The pods overhanging would also mean preventing ants and other ground animals interfering and disturbing the beehive.

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1d

2d

4c

5f

5h

This waffle structure is flexible in nature and can be develop through the course of it’s design. Provides good amount of favorable surface area for the bees to peg tier hives in and also provides some degree of shelter.

This canopy structure is a favorable structure to habitat bees in, provides shelter and also enough surface area for the bees to attach their hives in. But the problem lies within the potential scale of this structure.

This triangulated panels arranged in a series from a central point too has a good amount of (required) surface area for the bees to fix their hive in. The solid panels can and maybe substituted for ‘frame’ structure.

This one has a lot of potential to develop into a nest for habitating bees to fix their hives in. It provides tiny openings at the tip of the cone like shape which is encouraged while farming bees.

This iteration meets with the design selection criteria and seems to be holding the structure quite well for itself thus, a good possibility to be fabricated and assembled.

6d This loose mesh was chosen over the other iterations because of it’s reaction to somewhat real life conditions, considering the strength of the force and elastic property of the material.

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B.5.

Technique: Prototypes

For the prototypes, I’ve taken a decision to laser cut the materials and assemble them through handcrafted weaving. I’ve tested few styles of weaving materials together testing their flexibility to fit into the form of the structure and while also keeping the brief requirement in the back of my mind. For the first prototype I begun by laser cutting 1.0 mm box board into long strips mimicking bamboo’s skin strips. The reason for mimicking bamboo strips, although box board does not hold the same material properties, was to ease the materials to be weaved against each other because of the shape and thickness of the strips. I laid out 6 longer strips of horizontal strips of laser cut box board on a flat table. I started to weave the shorter strip across the horizontal strips by letting it run vertically. The vertical strip was made to go beneath the first horizontal strip and then come out and go above the second horizontal strip, this alternating process of the vertical member running across the horizontal strip continued till the last strip.

Similarly for the horizontal member after a gap of twice its breadth, if a previous member started to run above the first horizontal strip and continued to alternate across the horizontal members then the following member was directed to run underneath the first horizontal first member and then to alternate on the following horizontal members. This alternating intertwine of the horizontal and vertical strips ensure a strong overall structural integrity. The overlapping nature of the strips provides the strength as more surface area is able to interact in an interlocking formation. This closely knitted strips thus provides a strong overall structural integrity. This first prototype however was not to be used for it was the first step of exploring the field of weaving. This was however an integral part of understanding how the strips would intertwine and interlock each other to produce the structure.

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PROTOTYPE 1

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52


53


PROTOTYPE 2

The third prototype was built with by keeping the brief in mind whilst also considering its structural integrity. A third layer was added. This third layer comprised of a group of 45 degree angled long strips running across the intersection between the horizontal and the vertical members. Similar principal was applied for the third layer of strips. They were stitched or woven by alternately running them over and below the intersections of the horizontal and vertical strips and the following strip would start over or below which had to be alternate to its predecessor. This as mentioned provided strong structural integrity while also allowing the structure to be more light permeable.

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PROTOTYPE 3

The second prototype was made considering the brief and the issue I had to tackle like the entry of light. Thus, he horizontal members were separated at a distance of one and half width of the strips. This would allow the structure to be more transparent and allow entry of light inside the pod. However the structural integrity was compromised and it would not be as strong as the previous prototype. A third prototype was needed.

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PROTOTYPE 4

The fourth prototype was built to improve the structural flexibility while still maintaining its strength. I started by laying 6 longer horizontal strips separated by a gap size of one and a half the width of the strips and two layers of shorter angled strips were to be weaved across the structural strips. Still maintaining the same weaving principle of alternately running the positively angled strips over and below the horizontal strips and the negatively angled strips to start weaving with the same principle but alternate to the closest positively angled strip. This alternate intersection thus, provides a better structural system and holds the structure well together. The reason for making this fourth prototype was also to create the virtual iteration tangible which was following the diagrid pattern which was developed as technique over the course of this subject.

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57


58


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PROTOTYPE 5

The last prototype although it failed, it was an important step to develop the design further in terms of prototyping. As I was able to experiment with the flexibility of the structure while still maintain a strong structural integrity. I had used 1.50 mm aluminum wire to replace the horizontal strips which would allow me to see if the how the diagrid system would perform when it the form were to change into different one. Overall prototyping allowed me to develop my physical model further into design process through experimentation. Prototyping allowed to test one form and develop the next prototype by working on weakness of the previous one. An important step not only for developing the process further but also understanding the limits of the real world conditions when the virtual iteration was to be made tangible.

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61


B.6.

Technique: Proposal

I set myself a brief to help CERES produce enough honey from their own backyard. Up to now, CERES markets honey collected from bee keeping set ups all over Brunswick and some neighboring suburbs. I wanted to CERES to be independent and market honey cultured from their own background, after all they take pride in being independent (or self-sustaining). Thereby by default, the site that I’ve chosen is CERES and to be specific the beekeeping ground. CERES being an educational site promotes and encourages ideas that are innovative and strive for sustainability. My design is innovative in way because I have chosen to break out from traditional beekeeping pods or habitations. A box house containing rows of frames stacked together is used for bee farming. The box which is enclosed on all sides has a small opening for the bees to move in or out the box and the frame within the box are for the bees to hook their honeycomb nest in.

62


SITE CERES

N

63


However with recent issues arising such as CCD in bee farming, there has been major colony deaths in the bee farms. Although there is no solution, some believe that it might be because of the less heat and sunlight entering the nest. Thus, in order to expose those honeycomb nest I have devised a solution which may be able to help tackle the issue. Each of the frame containing the honeycomb nest are treated individually and not in groups by this I mean each frame gets its own pod and are exposed thoroughly to sunlight and thereby heat. This will not only help the bees from dying but also result in the bees performing better at what they do best, collecting nectar. Each pod will be hung on a canopy structure. This canopy structure exist solely for the purpose of carrying the pods above ground. It will be a mesh like structure which will allow sunlight to penetrate it easily and thus allow the pods to be exposed to sunlight and not block it.

It is essential that one mesh may contain pods equivalent or even less than a standard frames in a bee house. The innovation that my design possesses lies in the process of incorporating the method of traditional handcrafted weaving technique to assemble the parts rather than using mechanical assistance. The precedents that I’ve looked trough are mostly of larger scale than what I am designing, thus, most have had to used mechanical assistance and while I can pursue to use other method which will make it different from them. The prototypes also have a lot to be developed, as of now I was exploring the weaving pattern and methods. I will be exploring and improving the use of material. I’ll also be looking at how each strip dictates the shape of the overall shape, making most of the strips unique and this will be a good challenge for further development.

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B.7.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

It was important to look for the right precedent but knowing them in them in details was more important. All though a design may look simple in its surface, if we looked closely it would be loaded with complexity. The devil is in the details, in terms of design intent and execution because surface wise it may appear to be something else other than the intended purpose guided by our preconceived perception. This may lead our design process to a misguided and “un”-meaningful execution. Thus, it was important to choose a right precedent, after all most ideas we’ve though have already been though of and also been polished further, with a similar design intend and carry it forward in our own. The studio session and feedbacks were important for guiding and informing the decisions made in the design process. New ideas were been suggested and old ides had to be re-considered and it critical to the process.

Without doubt I have gained a lot of knowledge on computation and parametric design but application of the knowledge on my design still needs some polishing. It’s like doing maths, the more you keep in touch with the formulas and content the better you get at it. All that said, it made me more aware of what I was trying to achieve or how to achieve a similar technique of an existing parametric design. Another challenge I face was fabrication, how to make a virtual model tangible, so much more learning went into it. The process of also changing the design slightly to be able to fit the pieces in real life. Not only thinking of whether the model will stand in the real world situation but also know what material and what thickness was to be used and which type of printing should it be done with. Overall, this part of the process has been very engaging with researching, developing technique, prototyping, site visits and engaging with personnel. Looking forward to developing and refining my design further in the next part.

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68


B8 APPENDIX ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK

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WEEK 4| IMAGE SAMPLING

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71


WEEK 5| L SYSTEM

Random radients inputs with multiple repetition.

Strict radients inputs

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Multiple sets of radient inputs with multiple repition

45o and 90o radients with controlled repetition. 73


WEEK 6| MESH RELAXATION

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Bibliography: Arup.com, ‘Canton Tower | Arup | A Global Firm Of Consulting Engineers, Designers, Planners And Project Managers’, 2015 <http://www.arup.com/Projects/Guangzhou_ TV_Tower.aspx> [accessed 24 September 2015] Blog.arteecraftee.com, ‘Mizoram : Land Of Traditional Weaving / Bamboo Art. - Arteecraftee’, 2012 <http://blog.arteecraftee.com/2012/01/mizoram-land-of-traditionalweaving-bamboo-art/> [accessed 24 September 2015] Craftandartisans.com, ‘Cane And Bamboo, Cane And Bamboo Design Ideas, Cane And Bamboo Craft Items, Cane And Bamboo Artisans, Work, Products, Information, How To Crafts & Artisans’, 2015 <http://www.craftandartisans.com/cane-and-bamboo> [accessed 24 September 2015] Designboom.com, ‘Japan Pavilion, EXPO 2000, Hannover, Germany’, 2015 <http://www. designboom.com/history/ban_expo.html> [accessed 24 September 2015] Ellis, Jamie, Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) In Honey Bees (Gainesville, Fl.: University of Florida, Cooperative Extension Service, 2007) En.wikiarquitectura.com, ‘Japan Pavillion Expo 2000 Hannover - Architecture Of The World - Wikiarquitectura’, 2015 <http://en.wikiarquitectura.com/index.php/Japan_Pavillion_Expo_2000_Hannover> [accessed 24 September 2015] Higgins, Rusty, ‘Sun Or Shade: Which Is Best For The Bees?’, Honey Bee Suite, 2015 <http://www.honeybeesuite.com/sun-or-shade-which-is-best-for-the-bees/> [accessed 24 September 2015] Hornitzky, Dr Michael, ‘Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) Of Honey Bees’, 2015 http://www2.epa.gov/pollinator-protection/colony-collapse-disorder, 2015 http://www.ars.usda.gov/News/docs.htm?docid=15572, 2015 Interschoolmathematics.pbworks.com, ‘Interschoolmathematics [Licensed For Non-Commercial Use Only] / Our Inspirations’, 2015 <http://interschoolmathematics.pbworks. com/w/page/68225822/Our%20Inspirations> [accessed 24 September 2015] Kosut, Mary, and Lisa Jean Moore, Save The Bees!: Beekeepers On The Frontlines Of New York’S Urban Environmentalism (New York: NYU Press, 2014)

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Shigerubanarchitects.com, ‘SBA_EXPO Japan Pavillion’, 2015 <http://www.shigerubanarchitects.com/works/2000_japan-pavilion-hannover-expo/index.html> [accessed 24 September 2015] The Australian National Botanic Gardens, Aboriginal Plant Use In South-Eastern Australia (Clunies Ross Street, Acton: Education Services Australian National Botanic Gardens, 2015), p. 14 Weeks, Jonny, ‘Architect Frei Otto’s Best Creations – In Pictures’, the Guardian, 2015 <http://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/gallery/2015/mar/11/architect-frei-ottosbest-creations-in-pictures> [accessed 24 September 2015]

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Part C

DETAILED DESIGN C.1. Design Concept 80-87 C.2. Tectonic Elements & Prototypes 88-103 C.3. Final Detail Model 104-109 C.4. Learning Objectives and Outcomes 110-

79


C.1.

Design Concept

Design Definition: CURVES

SPLIT CURVES

EXPLODE TREE

ARC THROUGH 3 POINTS

DIVIDE CURVES

LIST LENGTH OF A SERIES

OFFSET ITEM IN LIST

RETRIEVE SPECIFIC ITEM ON LIST

CREATE A POLYLINE CONNECTING THROUGH THE POINTS IN THE CURVES 80


Reflection

Re-evaluation of the site:

With the interim presentation, I had proposed to assemble and construct my design through weaving. The shortcoming of my interim prototypes was that I was not able to produce an overall structure through weaving. The reason behind the shortcoming was that I did not think of or planned to create a skeletal structure that would allow the secondary elements to envelope the skeletal structure when brought together to be assembled. For the interim I had just explored the many methods of weaving and had not considered or experimented with actually weaving them in structure of the prototype.

I’ve decided to change my site from the honey lane site to the community gardens. The community garden as the name suggest is maintained by individuals who are interested in growing their own garden. The reason to place the bee hive is that, I believe that the bees might help pollinate and propagate the plants and also will cut the distance for the bees have to travel to collect nectar for the same amount of honey. This may not have a high percentage of benefits but none the less, a better reason to change the site.

Thus, through this feedback, I decided to fabricate the elements of my structure and weave them into the form of my proposed structure. Firstly I needed to create a skeletal structure to allow the secondary elements into desired shaped. Secondly these secondary weaving elements which were to be fabricated and assembled would address the contours and curves of the surface area while also covering or enveloping every inch of the surface area. These secondary weaving elements would be irregular and independent to each other arising by responding to the contours and curves of the structure and will cover every inch of surface area of it.

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SITE: CERES

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N

83


Beehive Evolution

A conventional Beehive An enclosed box containing frames where the honey combs are built.

The internal area where heat through sunlight is not penetrable becomes cold. This causes bees to be less productivity. The cold temperature may also be one of the major reason for CCD; colony collapse disorder where the entire colony of bees die when the worker bees leave the nest.

In order to tackle this problem, I have decided to open up the box and expose each frame containing the honey comb be directly expose to sunlight.

For better performance each frame is set to be independent and individually form its own colony.

84


The individual frames encourages the bees to build their comb organically meaning every inch of the comb is only built where sufficient sunlight is received unlike the artificial frames which forces combs to be built even where insufficient sunlight is received.

These customized structure are built which will sufficiently house the individual frames and will allow the bees to naturally build their comb not constrained by the rectangular frames. These structures will also protect the bees from unfavorable weather and environmental conditions such as protection from strong winds, rain and from predators.

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Final structures:

STRUCTURE 1

STRUCTURE 2

86


STRUCTURE 3

STRUCTURE 4

87


Fabrication: STRUCTURE 1

A1

A2 B4 B3

A3

B1

B2

B5

B6

A4

A5

A6

A7

A8 A9 A10 A11

A12 A13

A14

These are the pieces broken down to be fabricated. Each individual pieces is irregular and independent as the respond to the surface area of the structure they are attached to. There is no exposed surface area as these pieces envelopes or covers every inch of the structure.

88


STRUCTURE 2

G1

G2 G3 G4

H1

H2

H3

H4

H5

H6

G5

G6 G7

G8

G9

G10

G11

G12

G13

G14

G15

The A elements are the horizontal pieces where each individual piece will be rolled from one end to the other. After each piece is attached from one end to the other they’ll be put through vertical B elements. The A elements will be woven into the B element. The weaving technique hopefully retains and maintains the structural integrity of the desired from.

89


STRUCTURE 3

X1 X2

X3

Y3

X4 Y2

Y4

Y1 X5

Y5

X6

X7 X8 X9 X10

X11

X12

X13 X14 X15

Similarly all these different elements of different structures will assembled the same method.

90


STRUCTURE 4

M1

M2 M3 N1

M4

N2

N3 N4 N5 N6 N7

M5 M6 M7

M8

M9

M10 M11

M12

M13

M14

M15

91


C.2.

Tectonic Elements & Prototypes

There comes a big problem with weaving irregular pieces together. The vertical element running across those irregular horizontal members disallows the pieces to form the desired structure. The thickness of the each individual pieces dictate which position they should be in thus these individual pieces take the most convenient position the piece can withhold. These causes each individual elements in the overall structure to not be in a controlled form but rather in all of them in undesired positions producing an unexpected and unwanted final form.

This issue would however be fix if I were to fabricate a form-work molded to the form of the structure. Each piece would be assembled by placing on the form-work and then weave the horizontal element carefully. However, due to constraints like time restriction and ridiculous budget needed to fund the four form work made it unfeasible to continue in that direction.

92


The problem with weaving irregular pieces which fit together when placed together end to end is that it causes irregularity in the desired form when the external element is introduced to weave through the perfectly fitted jig-saws like pieces. The external element disturbs and morphs in real life situation.

93


Prototype created based on the perfect fit jig-saw yet irregular shaped pieces.

94


These prototypes were unable to keep and maintain desired form. The weaving element breaking the balance and structure of the perfectly fitted pieces.

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STRUCTURE 1

Z1

U1 U2 U3 U4

Z2

Re-engineering pieces:

Z3 Z4 Z5

However, I decided to resort to a more reasonable and economical approach. This would obviously mean tweaking the pieces that were to be fabricated although they would still have the same integrity and assembled with the same intentions. Thus, I planned to use uniform pieces (only the breadth and the length would be measured to fit into the form) to weave the elements together. This would provide more control to pursue the desired form. Irregular pieces re-designed to uniform width strips for better performance for realizing the desired form.

Z6 Z7 Z8 Z9 Z10 Z11 Z12 Z13 Z14 Z15 Z16 Z17 Z18 Z19 Z20 Z21 Z22 Z23 Z24 Z25 Z26 Z27 Z28

Z29

Z30 Z31 Z32

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STRUCTURE 2

STRUCTURE 3

E1

Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4

P1

E2

F1 F 2 F 3 F 4

E3

P2

E4 E5

P3 P4

E6 E7

P5

E8

P6

E9

P7

E10 E11

P8 E12

P9

E13

P10

E14 E15

P11

E16

P12 P13 P14

E17 E18 E19

P15

E20

P16

E21

P17 P18

E22 E 23 E24

P19

E25

P20 P21 P22 P23 P24 P25

E26 E27 E28 E29 E30 E31 E32 E33

P26 P27

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STRUCTURE 4

L1 L2 L3 L4

K1 K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 K10 K11 K12 K13 K14 K15 K16 K17 K18 K19 K20 K21 K22 K23 K24 K25 K26

98


Re-engineered weaving technique.

Skeletal structure- secondary elements: In order to build my structure, I had to make a primary skeletal structure which would not only provide structural stability but also provide a guideline for outline the shape and form of the structure. Then the secondary elements would be assembled and fitted in to the primary structure through the technique of weaving. Each of the four structure would have the primary structure made up of four long vertical strips held together by split pins at measured points on other respecting horizontal strips. Each position where the split pins are used is measured accordingly and dictated by the form of the structure.

99


STRUCTURE 1

The Skeletal Frames: The dots on the strips are the points where the split pins enter t hold another strip element of the primary skeletal structure. The red dots are the points where the same strip overlap to complete itself as an individual element. The annotation of the dots displays which point correspond and joins with another dot in another strip or even the same strip.

U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U1

U4

U3

V2

V2

U6 U7

U2

V1

U5

U1

V3

V3

U8

V4

V1

V4

V1

100


U4

U3 U1

U2

V1

U3

U2

U4

U5 U1

U6 U8

U7

V2 V2

V3

V4

V1 X

X

V3

U5

X

X

V4

U6

U7

U8 X

101


STRUCTURE 2

U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U1 U4

U3

U1

V2 V3 V4

V5

U8

V2

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

V1

V2

V3

V4

V5

S1

S2

S3

S4

S5

R1

R2

R3

R4

R5

U1

U2

U3

U4

U5

V6 V7 V8 V1

V5

V4

V3

U6 U7

U2 V1

U5

V6

V7

V8

V1

S1 S2 S3 S4 S5 S6 S7 S8 S1

S4

S3

S2

S5

S1

S6

S7

S8

R1 R2 R3 R4 R5 R6 R7 R8 R1

R3

R4 R5 R6 R7

R2

R1

R8

102


U6

U7

U8

U3

U4 U5 U6

U2 V6

V7

U7

U1

U8

V5

V6

V8

R4 R3

V3

V4

V7

R5 R6

R2

R7

R1

V2

V1

V8

R8

S8

R6

R7

R8

U6

U7

U8

S3

S7

S2

S6

S1 S6

S8

S7 103


STRUCTURE 3

U1

U2

U3

U1 U2 U3 U4 U5 U6 U7 U8 U1 U3

U4

U5

U6 U7

U2 V1 V2

V2

U1

S1

S2

R1

R2

T1

T2

R1

R1

T1 T2

T2

S1

S1

R1 R2

R2

V2

V1

S1 S2

S2

U8 V1

V1

T1

T1

U1

U2

U3

104


U4

U5

U6

U7

U8

U4

U3

V2

S2

R2

U5

U6

U7

U6 U7

U2

U4

U5

T2

U1

U8

V1

S1

R1

T1

U8

105


STRUCTURE 4

U1

U2 U3

U4

V1

V2

V3

V4

S1

S2

S3

S4

U5

V5

S3

U2

V2

S3

U1

U2

V1

V2

S1

S2

S7

S6

V7

V2

U7

U2

U7 U8 U1

V7

S7

V8

S8

V1

S1

106


U3

U4

V3

V4

S3

S4

S3

S8

V5

V8

U5

U8

U1

U2

U3

U4

V1

V2

V3

V4

S1

S2

S3

S4

U5

V5

S3

107


The skeletal frames/prototypes in photos:

108


109


110


111


C.3.

Final Detail Model

112


113


114


115


116


117


118


119


120


121


C.4.

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

The beginning of this course also helped me conceptualize and have an idea of which path I was going to undertake. Investigating and analyzing different contemporary architecture precedents not only helped to progress my thinking towards design but also learned to link and incorporate ideas into my design. Producing different iterations and testing them to fit the criteria sharpened decision making skills. The algorithm developed during the iterations also allowed flexibility when the virtual model had to be translated into real life. Parametric modeling was helpful for re-engineering my design project to manipulate and optimize it for building it in the real world scenario.

This flexibility allowed by this experiment with fabrication before settling for the final mode or style of fabrication. Considering the level of skill and knowledge I had for computation and digital fabrication when I started off in this subject, I am confident that I have come far although I might not have attained the highest understanding. The key I found was to keep experimenting and working at it like one would do in the field of mathematics. I am confident that I can produce bespoke fabrication with the level of computational knowledge I’ve attained although it may not be very complex.

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