2015 / SEMESTER 1 / BRADLEY ELIAS PAULINA PYTKA
STUDIO AIR
CONTENTS 5窶オNTRODUCTION 9
A.1 / DESIGN FUTURING 10
PRECEDENT #1 / BLOOM
13
PRECEDENT #2 / ORDOS ART CITY MUSEUM
INTRODUCTION
My name is Paulina Pytka and I am a third year Bachelor of Environments student majoring in Architecture at the University of Melbourne. From as early as my Victorian Cer tificate of Education I have been interested in context responsive design, that is, design that takes account of factors beyond aesthetics. Since commencing my ter tiary education I have had the oppor tunity to explore such interests theoretically in subjects such as Modern Architecture: MoMo to PoMo and practically through Designing Environments and Architectural Design Studio Ear th. I have been exposed to programs such as InDesign, Illustrator and Photoshop from the Adobe Creative Suite but most impor tantly I have worked with design software such as Rhino, Sketch up and Autocad. What I find par ticularly relevant about these programs is their ability to shape design to suite a set of context dependent constraints. In a world where nature has been taken for granted and our society is working towards a more sustainable way of living, I believe that this is the way to reducing our impact on the environment and approaching it with more sensitivity. Something that had a profound influence on my development as an architect was my recent exchange to Manchester. I felt it appropriate to focus my studies on urban planning in this city to understand its environmental degradation as a direct consequence of the industrial revolution. In doing so, I adopted a critical approach to the interplay between architecture and environment while drawing on a multitude of utopian ideas proposed by the likes of Le Corbusier and Ebenezer Howard.
A.1 / DESIGN FUTURING
PRECEDENT #1 / BLOOM DO|SU Studio Architecture “Bloom” is an architectural research design installation which was displayed at the Materials and Application Gallery in Los Angeles. Essentially, it is a suntracking instrument that is time and temperature responsive. The form is associated with that of a women’s corset, fur ther suppor ted by a pronounced stitching motif. However, the project is a much more complex experimentation with material and structure approached through computational techniques in effor t to engage with the environment. What is effectively a shell, consists of a approximately 14,000 laser cut pieces of smar t thermobimetal which contracts when heated to shade and ventilate specific areas from the sun. The fur ther 414 hyperbolic paraboloid-shaped stacked panels appear underneath. They interlock and fold as par t of an aluminium frame system to create an overall undulating surface. This geometry provides stability to the light weight and flexible self suppor ting structure. The reason why some panels are deeper while others thinner with more riveted connections is because they respond to different environmental conditions. This is believed to be an example of structural optimazation, especially when the structure’s peak performance was set to have been at the spring equinox 20/03/2012.
PRECEDENT #2 / ORDOS ART & CITY MUSEUM MAD ARCHITECTS The Ordos Museum has been designed not only in response to the environmental but also cultural aspects of this Mongolian par t of China. Though large in size, it’s overall form sits on the site with a sense of passivity in reflection of the Gobi deser t. It is the contoured pattern of the outer shell to whcich this effect is attributed. Essentially creating an urban terrain wrapped in polished aluminium metal louvres. The significance of this material, however, extends beyond the flush aesthetic and acts to resist harsh winters and sandstorms common to the region. A series of individual galleries are encased inside, mimicking the geometries of the greater complex. What is interesting to note is the way in which these govern the positioning of the skylights. The galleries act in a reductive manner, isolating the spaces in which canyon like corridors occur under powerful skylights. In this way light and shade can be said to have an active role in the circulation throughout this building. The design incorporates this feature as a guiding mechanism through its complex use of form and careful consideration for the site conditions.
A.2 / DESIGN COMPUTATION
BENEFITS OF USING COMPUTERS IN THE ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN PROCESS
The information age has been largely equated with the industrial age in terms of its potential for the revolution of design. As with any monumental shift in architectural practice, it surfaced as a rejection of it’s precedent. In the case of computation, the notion of fluidity has arisen in response to deconstructivism which, in the past, addressed specificity in a disparate sense, seeking out conflict and contradiction in building systems. What computer aided design has achieved, however, is the possibility of uniting a multitude of factors that had been previously treated in this way to revitalise their true interdependence. Effectively, computation allows for continuous experimentation, transforming shapes in response to set contextual and functional requirements. In this way, it can optimise outputs to meet specific needs beyond aesthetics.
The outcome is paradoxical as it is both more context and function specific but simultaneously more formless than ever before because parameters are declared before shape. This fluid logic is considered to be more holistic in its approach to systems modelling as is echoed in the key term “folding” which is based on the complex continuities that can be achieved with curves. NURBS curves are central to computational design. These are not only dynamic in terms of transformation but better approximated for manufacture. With this, architects are becoming increasingly engaged in the construction process. The dimensioning features of design softwares enable 4D models integrate conception and production. Therefore, it is the rapidly improving possibility to manage qualitative and quantitative information that is changing the role of the architect.
KHAN SHATYR ENTERTAINMENT CENTRE
The form of the Khan Shatyr Enter tainment Centre in Khazakhstan was found by Foster + Par tners using an algorithm. This formed the basis of the parametric model though which the building was developed.
GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM
Frank Ghery’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is an example of the was that a relatively primitive method of scrunching paper could be translated into a 3D computer design buy translating the physically obtained forms into NURBS curves through the process of computerization. The point of this was to obtain a high level of complexity and precision that would facilitate the communication and construction processes.
A.3 / COMPOSITION/GENERATION
CRITIQUE OF GENERATION There exists a misinterpretation of the term algorithm that, perhaps, undervalues the role of the architect in computational design. Essentially, it can be viewed in a static sense, as a set of commands for a computer program to carry out, or more accurately, dynamically, whereby it is the formulation of these commands is under examination. The formation of the aforementioned commands defines algorithmic thinking. However, it is concerned with generation just as much as interpretation, thus forming a new language of design. It is interesting to observe the way in which generation is being incorporated into architectural practice. There are varying degrees of how involved the architect can be from composing an idea that goes on to be modelled using computer software in a topdown approach, to the generation of a design bottom-up, negotiating the relationships between set constrains until a form is computed via parametric modelling as a solution. The ability of the architect to work directly in a program is similarly encouraging their par ticipation in software formation and hence changing the discipline to one much more technology orientated. Despite this, the profession itself remains one heavily founded on the ideas of representation, it is only the means by which this is achieved that is changing. However, a criticism of this is that it runs the risk of being treated as a craft, missing the greater integrating potential of combining qualitative and quantitative data for manually as well as computationally driven manufacturing.
LANDESGARTENSCHAU EXHIBITION HALL This University of Stutgar t exhibition hall is assembled from 243 robotically prefabricated beech plywood plates. Each panel was cut by CNC and finished by a robotic arm to a 2 inch thickness with interlocking finger connections. These types of joints are responsible for the overall structural stability of the hall and thus, the panel systems functions as a structure in addition to a skin.
A.4 / CONCLUSION
In understanding the logic of algorithmic thinking and parametric modelling, one can see the way in which architecture is retaining its value as a problem solving discipline. Accordingly, my design approach will be one that addresses my site in a bottom-up manner. In this way, I intent to address contextual factors that interact to influence my design. By treating them as the interrelated system that they are collectively, I intend to create a framework that will facilitate my design generation process. I believe that this holistic approach will help me obtain an optimal design solution but also make it one that is dynamic in the way that it responds to its environment .
A.5 / LEARNING OUTCOMES
What has really stood out for me, in learning about architectural modelling, is the completely new perspective on building that it presents. I have always been interested in the modernist concepts of form over function but I’d never fully considered how far back aesthetics can be receded to allow this functionalism to fully manifest itself. It is particularly rewarding to see how a structure and its environment interact through 3D modelling and how they effectively shape one another. It ultimately removes any biases concerning how something looks and works towards optimization over everything. Should this produce an interesting form, then that is a bonus.
Bauhaus School of Design is one of the earliest modernist attempts at functionalist architecture.
A.7 / APPENDIX
ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES My most recent entry into my algorithmic sketchbook was an exploration with the Kangaroo Grasshopper plug in. This software facilitates the modelling of deformation as produced by the application of a force onto a surface mesh. The two screenshots on the left illustrate the way in which reset length affects spring tension. This could be useful in prediction the way in which a particular material would behave. The screenshot on the right similarly explores the degree of unitary force exerted onto my design. The image displays the surface’s response to a positive force in the direction of the z-axis. However, using negative figures, this type of function would help to predict the impact a potential user’s weight would have on the structure, modelling its downward, sinking-type deformation into the negative z-axis.
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