PART OO week one
introduction of writter
Yufei Du
International student from China Bachelor in Environment, major in Architecture Never heard about digital architecture, never use computer to design and even hardly use computer software, but interested in digital architecture and happy to learn digital architecture technologies.
personal project This is my project for virtual communication in second year: a sculpture which inspired by clock, located in the park of CBD and served as a resting area. This different heights produced various shading when sun rise. At the same time, people could climb the sculpture and this made it playful.
PART 01 week one
architecture as discourse
“SHORT HISTORY OF DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE”
The “first wave” of digital architecture broke in the mid nineties. 90 percent of masters projects presented at Chris Bosse’s faculty were digital. At that time, most architects used computers only as drawing tools that had no impact on the form or the construction of their building. However, the postmodern theories of Robert Venturi initiated a ‘new wave’ of digital architecture and deconstructionism made architects explore digital technologies out of sheer practical necessary. Frank Gehry’s Fish sculpture for the Villa Olympic complex in Barcelona was a landmark in the history of digital construction technologies, and his work was achieved by CATIA, a software which used by the aeronautic industry.
ORGONE REEF
Author: Philip Beesley Location: University if Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 2006 Orgone Reef’s reflection to landscape though environmental, structural and material performances is one important feature of discourse. More specifically, Orgone Reef is an artificial reef that could support a living skin. This project is a hybrid geotextile, a new class of materials used for reinforcing landscapes and buildings. The details of this structure are designed to catch and hold the thing they contact, accumulating a thick, porous mass. The project functions with aggression, clamping and cutting into neighbor, draining and digesting the things contacted and converting this material into fertile soil. This structure would help a scarified landscape heal and grow new layer. In my point of view, this design could make full use of the land which once could not be built by traditional technologies. Besides, according to AD magazine 2010 ‘s New structuralism issue, I assume that Orgone Reef is a good example of what is called new structuralism rather than modernism.
Waterfront hotel
Dubai Waterfront Hotel re-conceives the arrangement of high rising hotel and construction of a skyscraper through the understanding and reworking of structure and systems in nature. The forms of individual modules were derived from studies of insect exoskeleton and wing structure. The multifarious ranges of “alternative” spaces which satisfy various function of hotel are transformed smoothly from complex natural ecosystem. Digital design process of Waterfront hotel could be divided into two systems: “generative” in terms of bottom-up production of space and “operative” in terms of organizational effect.
JERRY TATE ARCHITECTS
For “generative” elements, what raise my interest is this proposal is constructed from three distinct modules each associated with different program activities. Generally, it is impossible to distinguish three module types within one proposal as there is a smooth transition. In order to make all transitional states between three modules remain tectonically navigable space, a series of exploratory diagrams and MEL-scripting were used. For the “operative” parts, they refer to those which are used to steer “generative” system. A three dimensional dynamic fluid-field was created and linked to transitional states of generated modules. Personally, this study shares little similarity with modern movement. Modernism suggests a free façade with no ornamentation like the horizontal glazing in Mie’s glasshouse. To be contrast, façade of Waterfront Hotel is structural and at same time providing ornamentation for building itself. At the same time, this practice of Jerry Tate architects indicates a level of dexterity and put Tate in a small group of international practitioners.
PART O1 week two
in architectural computing
Computer and
Design process From my point of view, Kalay suggests that the designing process is sort of problem solving process. In “Architectures New Media”, it clearly describes the designing processes undertaken by Architects to solve problem. However, the outcome cannot be reliably predicted due to various constrains like site condition, cost, climate, internally drawn inspirations and so on. Therefore, computer had been introduced for communication reason. During problem analysis, computers are used as superb analytical engine. Basically, Computer could help represent solution graphically and numerically and communicate it to other partners or clients in the design process. In “Architecture New Media”, Kalay indicates there are two systems for computer. One is analytical systems with enough “understanding” o f the data to be able to provide rational appraisal o f human designers’ solutions. However, this system could only mathematical problems. Another one is knowledge-based, “intelligent” design systems that can actually propose design solutions for appraisal and further development by human designers. I understand those two systems as computerization and computational system. For most of people, computers’ role is limited in drafting and modeling systems: drawing
lines and other geometric no meaning to the comp computer as a tool for org And this is called comput fifty years, computation more assistance to ar process. Computational d as an actual design sys realization and creation Meanwhile, thousands o could be found by using c approach. Along the way, developed that offer storage and query capab that help human designer one another.
Besides, computers could construct the resulting b even help us manage the have been constructed, m the engine of a car or in buildings. Kalay also computers could provi “space” for hum an inh called cyberspace— which stage for hum an activitie commerce to entertainme
cal entities that have puter. They just use ganizing information. terization. Over past nal system provides rchitects in design design use computer stem to aid in both n of design ideals. of potential solution computational design , systems have been design information bilities and systems rs communicate with
d help fabricate and buildings. They could e buildings once they much as they control r monitor elevators demonstrates that ide an alternative habitation— the soh could offer a new es, from education to ent.
Geno-Matrix
The central feature of this project is the developments of a deformable structure that exhibits characteristics o f a living organism, with the potential for evolution in a manner similar to the larger cityscape. Geno-Matrix is a genotype driven structure for skyscrapers which according to the changing spatial requirements, can produce potentially infinite scenarios. It can deform itself at the current inhabitation culture. Rather than using the conventional architectural design process to generate the form, Geno-Matrix comes from genotype, phenotype, mate crossover, morph, mutation and selection process. In the design process, genetic computing and evolution techniques have been applied with the emphasis on their potential of creating forms that are useful in the production of architectural novelty and originality. The inspiration of Geno-Matrix’s fabrication comes from Leo blocks. Within a modular building system, large quantity of cubic units are fabricated and assembled into a lattice system. those units can be ‘pulled’, ‘pushed’ or ‘combined’ on the lattice grid along the axis and form infinite typological feature.