Nicholas Wilton Studio Air

AIR nicholas wilton

AIR nicholas wilton

I am a third year architecture majorin the bachelor environments at Melbourne University. Transferring from a major in philosophy, I was drawn to architecture for the incredibly complex and theoretical world of design. My practice in philosophy has helped me understand the basics of architectural discourse - but with each new thing I learn, ten more questions inevitably appear. It is this wealth of the unknown that pushes me forward in architecture, as I constantly seek out understanding in the field - such as why do we percieve things as beautiful, and what it is that makes good architecure so instantly noticable. I would describe my style as always wanting to find new ways to make sense - to reach objectives without simply copying the aesthetic of another. It feels as though I am a still long way off achieving my own true purpose in architecture, and It has occured to me that this road is a very long one, but also incredibly enjoyable to travel down. With each passing year I can feel my grasp on architecture getting tighter and tighter.

siza inspired sketches

A.1. design futuring A.2. design computation A.3. composition/generation A.4. conclusion A.5. learning outcomes A.6. algorithmic sketches

PLUG IN CITY

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PLUG IN CITY

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eter Cook’s “plug in city” (1,2) is a good basis with which to address the essence of design futuring. It’s radical rethinking of architecture in relation to science and society is synonomous with the type of revolution required from today’s designers. While entirely theoretical, the plug in city represents an approach to design that faces core societal issues where many others concede. Essentially, Peter Cook imagined a modular city whose future-proofing and efficiency would far surpass its competitors. The proposed upgradability of transport modules, along with the changeability of many of a cities functions, where direct asnwers to the problems that Cook saw in society. In this same way, design futuring

now focuses on a design revolution that seeks to address one of societie’s greatest threats: environmental sustainability.

In essence, design futuring must: . Design for an ongoing future . show the Ability to challenge the current design concencus . Show a rethinking of the status quo . Face the challenges our world creates . See architecture as synonmous with science and society . Recognize flaws in our way of living them and seeks to address them

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PROSOLVE FACADE

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PROSOLVE FACADE

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ithin contemporary examples of design futuring, such as the prosolve facade pictured, we can see how architecture can be informed by the changing human condition just as much as it is by beauty. By using modules coated with superfine titanium dioxide, the material seeks to neutralize air pollutants.

In this way, the design is informed primarily by the concern of environmental issues, rather than the “superficiality” of design purely for design’s sake. While perhaps not more than a stepping stone to a sustainable future, this represents a great shift, much like Peter Cook’s “plug in city”, in the thought process of a designer. It is not merely to change a design, but to change the designer all together

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DESIGN COMPUTATION

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DESIGN COMPUTATION

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esign computation has a great bearing on the process of architecture. The condensing of complicated, disjointed processes with the aid of computation creates possibilities that are inachievable without the raw precision and calculating power of computers and machinery. It is with the computer that designers can further their control of outcomes - but it is also so much more than this. Figures 6, 8 and 9 show the construction of a facade, aided with computers throughout the process of its design. The data from the model shown in figure 9 was able to be directly transferred to the machine in figure 8, cutting out any possibility of human communicative error and resulting in the building shown in figure 6. Furthermore, the “grapes” (round objects in figure 9) were not of human composition, but rather using algorithms to fit them inside the square object. The implication of this is that perhaps design is becoming less about the end result, and more about the process with which a suitable result is achieved. In other words, computers don’t just help us design, but inform the designer too.

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his idea is also visible in the ICD pavillion in figures 7 and 10. With a starting geometry, algorithms were used to ensure “cell sizes are not constant, but adapt to local curvature and discontinuities” and “the cells stretch and orient themselves according to mechanical stresses.”

These rules are met by the computer, creating a design that is not composed wholly by the designer, but with the inexchangable hand of the computer.

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COMPOSITION/ GENERATION

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COMPOSITION/ GENERATION

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enerative design can be understood as composition through process rather than intention. The two examples featured, Jackson Pollock’s artwork (11) along with the BOIDS (12, 14), are linked in that their final composition is the result of an allowance of variables, but constrained by certain rules. In the case of pollock, the artwork is governed by both the paint and the size of the canvas, and the composition is generated within these two elements by the randomness of Pollock’s arm movements. In this way, He is intentionally letting the rules of physics express themselves on the canvas.

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ast forward 60 years, and we can see generative design take on a much more calrified form. The computer generated flock of birds are governed by three seperate rules (13), and left to form the compositions featured below and bottom. What pollock created through a complex randomness has been clarified through computers and alogorthims to be representative of the rules of birds. The implication of this is that future design no longer has to be necessarily bound by compositional efforts of the human brain, but rather composition that is implicit within the rules of nature. This creates the possibility to revolutionize design efforts in the same way that technology has revolutionized science - by letting computers do the work not always possible by man.

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Conclusion Part A introduced (very rapidly!) a whole new world of architecture to me. The usage of computers can change the way we think about design.. a necessary shift considering the environmental issues the world faces today. I intend to use this new design knowledge to create a composition that embraces this idea of shifting paradigms in the architect’s process. Furthermore, I want the informant for this design to be the environmental conditions of the brief, looking at how we can construct both practical and symbolic respect for the future in architecture.

Learning Outcomes The content produced in part A has introduced more design knowledge to me than has been in my entire life. Before this semester, I had been rather confused about the purpose of an archiect, and what it means to design something, and why certain designs are special. Computational designing has shown me that there are various frontiers of design in which we have room to discover more than just how to design “pretty space,� but how to begin looking at designing the architecture of the future.

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

PIPES INTO CENTRE POINT

VORONOI MASS

PIPES FACING OUT

COMPOSITION/ GENERATION

DIRECTIONAL PIPES INTO MASS

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

DIRECTIONAL PIPES INTO MASS

IIMAGE SOURCES/ REFERENCES

11 - http://www.jackson-pollock.org/autumn-rhythm.jsp 1, 2 - http://www.archdaily.com/399329/ad-classics-the-plugin-city-peter-cook-archigram 3, 4, 5 - http://www.prosolve370e.com/ 6, 10 - http://www.gramaziokohler.com/web/e/bauten/52. html gantenbeinvineyardKoher 7, 8, 9 - http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=65532011icdpavilion 12, 13, 14 - https://vvvv.org/contribution/boids-3dBOIDS INFORMATION FROM LECTURES AND TUTORIALS Chen, C. (2016). Tutorial 1,, Architecture Studio Air Melbourne University.

Chen, C. (2016). Tutorial 2, Architecture Studio Air, Melbourne University.

Roudavski, S. (2016). Lecture 1, Architecture Studio Air, Melbourne University Roudavski, S. (2016). Lecture 2, Architecture Studio Air, Melbourne University Roudavski, S. (2016). Lecture 1, Architecture Studio Air, Melbourne University