Ryan Hughes Masters Thesis

LDN LONDON FOOD BANK ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN THE AGE OF COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN AND ROBOTIC FABRICATION

RYAN HUGHES STUDIO DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION

LDN LONDON FOOD BANK

London Food Bank: Architectural Expressiveness in The Age of Computational Design and Robotic Fabrication Ryan Hughes Master’s Thesis Studio Digital Transformation Aarhus School of Architecture ryan.hughes.arch@gmail.com ryanhughesarch.com (+45) 50 20 40 25

THE INTRODUCTION

CONTENTS

4

THE INTRODUCTION

6

THE INTRODUCTION

8

THE PROBLEM

24

THE SITE

52

THE OPPORTUNITY

62

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

110

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

126

ROBOTIC FABRICATION

162

CURRICULUM VITAE

5

THE INTRODUCTION

LONDON FOOD BANK: ARCHITECTURAL EXPRESSIVENESS IN THE AGE OF COMPUTATION AND ROBOTIC FABRICATION

6

THE INTRODUCTION

THE GOAL

T

he goal of the London Food Bank project is to investigate the expressive potential of computational design and robotic fabrication tools in architecture by employing novel structural principles and material characteristics in a spatially engaging way. The project tests the vertical urban farm, using these digital tools as catalyst, as a typology capable of instigating a change in the relationship between the city and food production, returning once again to the symbiotic situation observed at the beginning of urbanity.

7

THE PROBLEM

THE PROBLEM: WE ARE RUNNING OUT OF FOOD.

8

THE PROBLEM

3BN MORE PEOPLE

Applying even the most conservative estimates to current demographic trends, experts predict that the Earth’s population will increase by 42%, from seven billion to ten billion people by the year 2050. Food production can not easily scale to meet this demand.

At present, NASA estimate that over 80% of the arable land across the Earth is being used for agriculture. Even as 100% productivity is approached, we are vastly short of our target.

TO GROW ENOUGH FOOD FOR THESE PEOPLE, WE NEED 20% MORE ARABLE LAND THAN IS AVAILABLE ON EARTH.

THIS EQUATES TO ONE HUNDRED AND TEN

Experts estimate that around 110 billion hectares of new land (about 20% more land than is represented by the country of Brazil) will be required to grow enough food for the increased population, if farming practices continue in the traditional methods we employ today.

BILLION HECTARES

9

THE PROBLEM

HOW CAN WE THEN FEED THE CITIES OF TOMORROW?

10

THE PROBLEM

MAYBE THE ANSWER CAN COME FROM INSIDE THE CITIES THEMSELVES..

11

THE SOLUTION

EXAMINING THE RELATIONSHIP BET WEEN FOOD AND THE CIT Y

O

utsourcing all our food production to natural areas outside of our cities is taking up a huge and ever-increasing proportion of our natural world, and even at the current stage, establishes many secondary problems such as pollution due to transportation and the loss of produce during post-processing.

12

THE SOLUTION

FOOD PRODUCTION AS AN INTEGRATED PART OF OUR CITIES

I

f we could re-establish the once strong and inherent relationship between urbanism and food production we could alleviate many of these problems. Through exposure and education, urban food production could change this relationship, and in turn allow some of our environment to return to its natural state.

13

THE SOLUTION

WHAT ABOUT OUR FOOD SUPPLY IN THE CASE OF A DISASTER?

A

s has unfortunately been seen time and time again in cities all across the world, disaster can strike and destroy buildings, transport ways and crops. If a city became innaccessible even for a short period of time, the lack of resources could be devastating.

14

THE SOLUTION

INTEGRATED PRODUCTION CAN OFFER CITIES PROTECTION

H

aving access to a maintable crop supply inside the cities could help to feed the residents until the normal production can begin again.

Case studies for this method can be found all over Japan, where certain plots of land are reserved for farmers in the cities. As well as creating a rich patchwork of green space they offer the cities protection and reassurance in times of need.

15

THE SOLUTION

CAN ENOUGH FOOD BE GROWN IN OUR CITIES?

A

ssuming you have four growing seasons and your harvest is 100% (all edible, no failures), 700m2 of conventionally-farmed land is required to sustain each resident in London.

Almost one third of this area is required for pathways and access, so centralising the food production already reduces this figure to 490m2.

By employing readily-available LED growing systems, yield can be increased by 200%, further halving the required space to 245m2.

2200 SQM.

NEW URBAN FARMING TECHNIQUES COULD FEED UP TO NINE PEOPLE FROM A TYPICAL URBAN PLOT.

16

THE SOLUTION

200,000 SQUARE METERS OR

ENOUGH FRESH PRODUCE TO FEED 820 PEOPLE THE PRODUCTIVE CIT Y

I

f we were to stack these micro-farms vertically, a building the same size as 30 St Mary Axe could provide around 200,000m2 of stacked growing area, or enough space to feed 820 people, as well as serving as an educational and inspirational facility for the wider population that would eventually support widespread change.

17

THE SOLUTION

SO HOW DO THE CIT Y AND AGRICULTURE BENEFIT FROM EACH OTHER?

P

aul de Graaf, a Rotterdam-based architect who’s work focuses on the relationship between architecture, landscape and ecology, in his essay ‘Systems Thinking in Practice’ sums it up concisely.

“

Finding sites for urban agriculture in the city means looking at urban space through the eyes of an urban farmer. At first glance: a landscape of asphalt, concrete, brick and soil; a range of microclimates with sunspots and shady corners, damp moist areas and dry, exposed surfaces. In this landscape one can find spatial and temporal niches that are ripe for cultivation.

At second sight there is another layer of opportunites hidden underneath its surface: sources of waste heat prolong the growing season, excess rain water and waste water provide irrigation and nutrition, sources of organic waste underpin the process of soil amelioration.

Urban agriculture can tap these (re)sources, make good use of them and offer multiple benefits back to the city in return: turning organic waste into food and positively influencing local microclimates. Strong excess rainwater for irrigation and evaporative cooling, for example, helps to reduce midsummer heat in dense inner city areas.”

His matrices of supply and demand overleap illustrate further the potentials of integrating agriculture into our cities.

18

THE SOLUTION

AGRICULTURAL NEEDS (DEMAND)

URBAN SUPPLY

Sunlight / daylight

Plenty of sun-exposed surface

Nutrition / fertiliser / irrigation

Waste flows (nutrition, irrigation, heat)

Soil / substrate Micro-climate / environment

Micro-climate

Space

Vacant / niche / temporary space

Loading capacity

Underused constructive capacity

Labour (intensive / extensive)

Labour force (employees)

Market

Customers

URBAN NEEDS (DEMAND)

AGRICULTURAL SUPPLY

Public green design & management

Aesthetics

Ecosystem services

Relative biodiversity

Education (nature, food, life skills)

Experience of seasons / hands-on exp.

Therapeutic work

Therapeutic work

Water storage

Water intake & evaporation

Climate control at neighbourhood level

Evaporative cooling

Water improvement, soil and air quality

Purification of water, soil and air

Waste treatment and management

Organic waste treatment

Source: Matrices of Supply and Demand of Agriculture and the City by Paul de Graaf [1]

19

THE SOLUTION

THE TRADITIONAL FARM

T

raditionally, the farm is run by a full time staff, who become very experienced but often work long laborious days. Working as a commercial entity, there is often a lot of pressure to harvest, sow, and maintain at a very high pace, without these people getting a chance to enjoy the activity.

20

THE SOLUTION

THE COMMUNIT Y FARM

C

ommunity farming sees some of these full time employees maintaining and overseeing the production of the farm, while visitors get a chance to work and experience the activity. Working for as long as the user would like to visit the building, they are rewarded with the free use of the crops for their lunch, or a price reduction at the resteraunt.

21

THE SOLUTION

VERTICAL URBAN FARMING: A VIABLE WAY OF FEEDING THE CITIES OF TOMORROW?

22

THE SOLUTION

23

THE LOCATION: THE CITY OF LONDON

THE SITE

THE CITY OF LONDON

2.90KM2

7,375

T

3.1% OF THE UK GDP

he project is based in the City of London, a city and county within Greater London. The area constituted most of London from its settlement by the Romans in the 1st century AD to the Middle Ages, but the agglomeration has since grown far beyond the City’s borders. The City is now only a tiny part of the metropolis of London, though it remains a notable part of central London, as well as it’s financial quarters producing 3.1% of the country’s GDP.

25

THE SITE

GREATER LONDON

51°31’26” N 0°07’39” W

8.5 MILLION

26

12.5% OF THE UK POPULATION

THE SITE

THE CITY OF LONDON

2.90KM2

7,375

27

3.1% OF THE UK GDP

THE SITE

THE CITY PLANNING POLICY

T

he Local Plan is the strategy for planning the City of London. It sets out the vision for shaping the Square Mile in the future and contains the policies which guide planning decisions. The Local Plan was adopted on 15 January 2015 and replaced the previous plans for the City, which were the Core Strategy 2011 and the Unitary Development Plan 2002.

The current director of The Department of the Built Environment, Philip Everett describes the plan as follows:

‘‘The Local Plan sets out the City Corporation’s vision, strategy, objectives and policies for planning the City of London. It provides a spatial framework that brings together and co-ordinates a range of strategies prepared by the City Corporation, its partners and other agencies and authorities. It includes policies for deciding development proposals. It takes account of projected changes in the economy, employment, housing need, transport demand, and seeks to maintain the quality of the City’s environment and its historic environment. It provides the strategy and policies for shaping the City until 2026 and beyond.‘‘

T

he overarching strategy for the City is its sustainable community strategy, ‘The City Together Strategy: The Heart of a World Class City’.

The mission statement of the strategy states: “The City Together will work to support the City of London as a leading international financial and business centre in a way that meets the needs of its diverse communities and neighbours.” The Vision is supported by five key themes for achieving a World Class City, which: »» is competitive and promotes opportunity; »» supports our communities; »» protects, promotes and enhances our environment; »» is vibrant and culturally rich; »» is safer and stronger.

28

THE SITE

29

THE SITE

30

THE SITE

SECTION 3.14 - GUIDELINES ON TALL BUILDINGS

3.14.1 he City contains many tall buildings (defined as those which significantly exceed the height of their general surroundings), particularly in a cluster of the tallest buildings to the east. Tall buildings that achieve a world class standard of architectural quality and whose context and layout are carefully considered can help to enhance the City’s environment and economy, and contribute to London’s world city role.

T

3.14.4 Proposals for new tall buildings should take account of the cumulative impact of the proposed development, in relation to other existing and proposed tall buildings. The City Corporation will require proposals to maintain and enhance the provision of public open space around the building, avoid the creation of building canyons, which have a detrimental impact on amenity, and maintain pedestrian permeability.

31

THE SITE

32

THE SITE

THE CITY COUNCIL VISIONS FOR THE BANK AREA

Old Broad Street & Threadneedle Street Old Broad Street and Threadneedle Street have been considered together, not only because they are connecting streets, but because they also share similar attributes and issues. Threadneedle Street runs north-east from Bank junction to the Eastern City Cluster. Old Broad Street branches off Threadneedle Street leading north to Liverpool Street Station.

Both streets are very busy routes during the morning and evening rush hours. Pedestrians walking north-south from Finch Lane cross Threadneedle Street onto Old Broad Street to continue north. It should be noted that improvements made to one street could alleviate problems in the other and that any works should be considered in relation to the area and Bank junction as a whole.

33

THE SITE

SITE AREA

34

THE SITE

THE CONTEXT

35

THE SITE

SURROUNDING SKYLINE

36

THE SITE

NEIGHBOURING TALL BUILDINGS

37

THE SITE

VIEW OF NEIGHBOURING 122 LEADENHALL STREET

38

THE SITE

VIEW TO ROYAL EXCHANGE FROM CHEAPSIDE

39

THE SITE

CAN THE SITE HELP WITH RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND CONGESTION? Given the nature of the majority of the businesses located in the Bank area, rush hour pedestrian and vehicular traffic can bring the area to a halt. The city have identified three streets in particular that suffer from problems related to the flow of people: Threadneedle Street, Old Bond Street and Finch Lane, the project site.

40

THE SITE

All three streets are very busy routes during the morning and evening rush hours. Pedestrians walking north-south from Finch Lane cross Threadneedle Street onto Old Broad Street to continue north. The city council notes that improvements made to one street could alleviate problems in the other and that any works should be considered in relation to the area and Bank junction as a whole.

41

THE SITE

42

THE SITE

LONDON - THE MARKET CITY

S

ince its foundation as Londinium by the Romans c. 43 AD, London has been regarded a market city where people would travel to from far and wide. Even today as the city has evolved to become one of the leading financial centres in the world, it maintains its historic roots in the trade of produce. With markets, street food vendors and resteraunts to be found across the city, one thing is clear to see; Londoners love their food.

43

THE SITE

BOROUGH MARKET - A CASE STUDY IN PLACEMAKING The marketplace is a haven for anybody who cares about the quality and provenance of the food they eat - chefs, restaurateurs, passionate amateur cooks and people who just happen to love eating and drinking.

44

THE SITE

45

THE SITE

46

THE SITE

BOROUGH MARKET - A CASE STUDY IN PLACEMAKING Borough Market is London’s most renowned food market; a source of exceptional British and international produce. But it’s not just the sheer quality of the food on offer that makes Borough Market special – it is also about the people and the place.

Hosting daily cooking lessons for customers and passers-by, the market goes beyond its retail function and becomes an open, welcoming social space for the community.

47

THE SITE

48

THE SITE

BOROUGH MARKET - ABOUT THE MARKET “Borough has long been synonymous with food markets and as far back as the 11th century, London Bridge attracted traders selling grain, fish, vegetables and livestock. In the 13th century traders were relocated to what is now Borough High Street and a market has existed there ever since.

In 1755, the market was closed by Parliament, but a group of Southwark residents raised £6,000 to buy a patch of land known locally as The Triangle, once the churchyard of St Margaret’s, and reopened the market in 1756. The Triangle, where you’ll find Northfield Farm and Furness Fish and Game, is still at the heart of the market today.

The market still feeds this core community and has grown to over 100 individual stalls. Alongside the original fruit, veg, bakers and butchers we now sell a huge variety of British and international produce.

All of our traders share a love of food and many of them make, grow or rear the produce they sell so now, just as in 1755, our customers know exactly where their shopping has come from.

The market ensures high standards of produce by employing a food quality panel of impartial experts who ensure that the taste, provenance and quality of foods sold here are all regularly measured and maintained and we support small traders to meet these standards.

With its vibrant and friendly atmosphere, Borough Market will always be at the heart of the local community. Its unique standing within the area has recently been marked by a Blue Plaque, voted for by the people of Southwark, marking its place as London’s Oldest Fruit & Veg Market.”

- The Borough Market [boroughmarket.org.uk]

49

THE SITE

50

THE SITE

USING THE MARKETPLACE TO INCREASE INTERACTION IN THE BUSY CITY Given the nature of the site, interaction among pedestrians and businesspeople is usually limited to formailities and quick ‘hello’s’. A marketplace could become a hive of interaction and discussion in the busy financial district, as is seen at the Mespil Road Lunchtime Market in Dublin, Ireland. A great success, the marketplace brought people together from businesses in the surrounding areas.

51

THE OPPORTUNITY

THE CREATIVE OPPORTUNITY: RE-IMAGINING HOW WE BUILD

52

THE OPPORTUNITY

U

nlike conventional typologies, the vertical farm necessitates a certain freedom with regards to it’s form, layout and the structural system employed. This topological difference permits a more direct and integrated use of computational design tools, which greatly increase the field of complexity manageable by the designer. In the past, this topological complexity presented a challenge with regards to fabrication, whereby manufacturers were, in general, incapable of producing a large amount of topologically and structurally unique components. Advances in CAD-CAM software, and the introduction of the industrial robot into the architectural production process have, by and large, alleviated this problem, and allowed the architect to participate on a more involved level in discussions surrounding the fabrication processes and logics employed.

“This topological difference permits a more direct and integrated use of computational design tools, which greatly increase the field of complexity manageable by the designer.�

53

THE OPPORTUNITY

MULTI-SCAL AR MODELLING: AN ALTERNATIVE DESIGN METHOD

54

THE OPPORTUNITY

WHAT IS MULTI - SCALAR MODELLING? Multi-scalar modelling is a design modelling technique where material is specified locally to meet global performance requirements. When we speak of multi-scalar modelling we generally refer to three scales: the macro, meso and micro, which are traditionally recognises as structure, element and material, respectively.

MACRO

MESO

MICRO

S T RUC T URE

ELE MEN T

MAT E RI A L

WHY IS IT RELEVANT HERE? Due to time, complexity, and economic constraints, structures are traditionally built from identical, industrially-produced building elements that are made in production runs of millions of elements; or alternatively, using raw materials in-situ that require a huge amount of labour and preparation.

These contraints, in turn, generally restrict the designer to forms and spaces that share common characteristics and structural principles.

Harnessing the power of computational design and robotic fabrication tools, it has become possible to use these once labour-intensive materials in innovative ways and to customise building components at a massive scale.

Using these tools alongside a multi-scalar modelling approach holds formal, structral and atmospheric potentials unlike those we have seen before.

These tools and methods could allow the decorative and performative object to return to architectural design once again.

55

THE OPPORTUNITY

1

2

3

A traditional workflow generally proceeds systematically from the macro scale through the meso and concludes with considerations at the micro scale.

This approach leaves little room for feedback between the scales and design decisions made early on in the process become very difficult to change later on in the design process and therefore tend to be final.

A multi-scalar modelling approach, on the other hand, suggests that there is much more feedback between the scales. Beginning at a given point in the design space, information in constantly added and exchanged between the scales. A change made at the micro scale informs the overall form at the macro scale and vice versa. A much more informed system, the multi-scalar method allows for a much larger scope of complexity, provided the designer has the tools to manage said complexity.

56

THE OPPORTUNITY

CRITERIA OF SCALE

What properties are at play here? And what sort of information would each criteria require in order to have a design output?

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

EMBEDDED KNOWLEDGE

MACRO

• •

BUILDING / CONEXT RELATIONSHIP EXPRESSION OF FORCES THROUGH RESULTANT FORM DEGREE OF GEOMETRIC EFFICIENCY

•

• •

ENVIRONMENTAL FORCE DATA CONTEXTUAL INFORMATION • BASE GEOMETRY

•

FABRICATION CONSTRAINTS • ASSEMBLY LOGIC POSITION IN DISTRIBUTED SYSTEM

•

CHARACTERISTIC MATERIAL STRENGTH

MESO

•

RESPONDS TO SPECIFIC BUILDING PROGRAM • EASE OF ASSEMBLY

•

MICRO

•

•

•

SPECIFIC DEPLOYABILITY ABILITY TO MODULATE LIGHT LIGHTWEIGHT CHARACTERISTICS

57

THE OPPORTUNITY

HOW DO EACH OF THESE SCALES RELATE TO THIS PROJECT?

58

THE OPPORTUNITY

THE MACRO SCALE

A

t the largest scale, the building is initally formed and morphed in relation to site and wider-urban forces. Site position, views, sunlight, overshadowing and reflections are parameters that come into play at the larger scale.

59

THE OPPORTUNITY

THE MESO SCALE

I

n the tower, the meso scale mediates between the considerations of views, sunlight, and transparency at the macro scale and the structural and material possibilities at the micro, building up an exoskeleton that permits the farm its open floor plan and interesting views of the skyline to the users.

60

THE OPPORTUNITY

THE MICRO SCALE

M

aterial concerns at the micro scale can have a large impact on the overall topology and the building componenets themselves. Here, investigations into new materials, such as natural and man-made fibres and resins, and concepts of construction, such as fibrous tectonics, have had a large impact on the meso, or module scale.

61

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

62

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

BUILDING AS CATALYST

A

t it’s core, the project is concerned with it’s potential impact on the city as an urban element. Not only does the user interact with the building while inside, they also perceive it from afar, and take the information and experience that they have gained there out into their daily lives. In this sense, the building acts as a catalyst for a change in peoples relationship to food.

63

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

T HRE

A DNE

EDL E

S T.

SITE

CORNHIL L

FINCH LANE

T

he project is situated at Finch Lane, a lot connecting the Cornhill and Threadneedle Street, and adjacent to Royal Exchange, a 16th century centre of commerce founded by the merchant Thomas Gresham. The streets have a strong historic connection to food in London, as they both served as thoroughfares for the transport and retail of fresh produce and animals.

64

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

SITE

URBAN PLAN

T

he outline of the site is pulled back from the existing buildings to the East and west to create two pedestrian streets, responding to the cities ‘Visions for the Bank Area’ plan, in which they identify the improvement of pedestrian flow across the area as being of utmost importance.

65

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

URBAN SPACES

C

onsequent of creating these two pedestrian thoroughfares are new urban spaces that act both as event, gathering, concert and market places as well as raising interest in passers by, and giving the building a stronger connection to the city.

66

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

AUXILLARY AXES

T

he spaces also create entrance points to the building and provide a natural flow through the site and neighbouring buildings. Landscaping helps to further accentuate these points and provides some shelter from noise pollution and the busy streets whilst maintaining transparency across the site.

67

NATURAL AXIS

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

NATURAL AXIS

A

natural site axis emerges from the positioning of the surrounding context, of major streets and the movement of pedestrains between these. Responding to these would create the best relationship between the building and the context but leave the building oreinted the worst possible way for glare as well as losing out on the southern sun to maximise food production.

68

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

OPTIMAL AXIS

OPTIMAL AXIS

A

secondary axis exists which relates to the city on a larger scale, defined by the sites relationship to the River Thames as well as other major pedestrian areas, roadways and landmarks. This axis also provides more optimal conditions for people to be in, such as better views and minimal glare due to the low morning and evening sun from the East and West, and at the same time maximises exposure to the south at the middle of the building where the production takes place.

69

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

70

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

ITERATIVE SKETCHING

I

nitial design sketches and forms were reproduced in-context in 3D. Working with a digital history and a parametric system allowed each of the initial sketches to later be evaluated along with all of the design developments made up to that point.

This parametric method of generating floor slabs, structural details and facade systems allowed design to be easily compared under the same parameters.

71

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

EXTRUSION

F

irstly, the building outline is extruded to a height that fits in with views of the cities’ skyline and the neighbouring tall developments. The height also takes into account considerations of slenderness and structural stability. Based on the available contact area with the ground, anything above 300m was deemed too slender.

72

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

PROFILING

F

or structural, overshadowing and aesthetic reasons, the building tapers towards the top. This creates an elegant form and slightly differentiates each floor from the next, giving each its own character and personality whilst preserving the overall form.

73

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

MACRO ORIENTATION

T

he building then twists around its area centroid, rotating the top half of the building so that it begins to face South, towards the River Thames and the sun, referencing growth and the nature of the buildings program. The reorientation also provides optimal views and minimises glare from the east and west towards the office space and resteraunt on the top floors.

74

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

LEANING

F

inally, the building gestures out at its centre, leaning towards the sun and responding to the wind conditions on the site. Whilst this is not a topological aerodynamic optimisation, it acts to minimise the build up of large pressure eddys on the facade, distributing the forces across the building envelope and becomes a representation of the forces acting on the building.

75

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

260 250 240 230 220 210 200 190 180 170 160 150

Height [m]

140 130 120 110 100 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Wind Speed [m/s]

76

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS

m/s 17.50 15.75 14.00 12.25 10.50 8.75 7.00 5.25 3.50 1.75 0.00

Wind Rose Diagram London Gatwick, United Kingdom Wind Rose Diagram 1 Jan 1:00 - 31 Dec 24:00 London Gatwick, United Kingdom Hourly Data: Wind Speed (m/s) 1 Jan 1:00 - 31 Dec 24:00 Calm for 6.82% of the time = 597 hours.

Hourly Data: Wind Speed [m/s] Each closed polyline shows frequency of 1.3%. = 117 Calm for 6.82% of hours. the time = 597 hours.

Each closed polyline shows frequency of 1.3% = 117 hours.

77

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

MARCH 21ST - 09:00 MARCH 21ST - 09:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

MARCH 21ST - 12:00 MARCH 21ST - 12:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

78

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

MARCH21 21STST--15:00 15:00 MARCH SOLAR SHADING SOLAR SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM

MARCH 21ST - 18:00 MARCH 21ST - 18:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

79

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

JUNE 21ST - 09:00 JUNE 21ST - 09:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

JUNE 21ST - 12:00 JUNE 21ST - 12:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

80

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

JUNE21 21STST--15:00 15:00 JUNE SOLAR SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM

JUNE 21ST - 18:00 JUNE 21ST - 18:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

81

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

AUGUST 21ST - 09:00 AUGUST 21ST - 09:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

AUGUST 21ST - 12:00 AUGUST 21ST - 12:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

82

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

AUGUST21 21STST--15:00 15:00 AUGUST SOLAR SHADING SOLAR SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM

AUGUST 21ST - 18:00 AUGUST 21ST - 18:00 SOLARSHADING SHADINGDIAGRAM DIAGRAM SOLAR

83

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

FLOORPLATE FLOORPLATEDIVISION DIVISION

PROGRAMMATIC PROGRAMMATICDISTRIBUTION DISTRIBUTION

84

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

STRUCTURAL CORES

WATER WATERSTORAGE STORAGETANK TANK

85

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

SKYPARK WATER COLLECTION

SKYPARK WATER COLLECTION +243.000 LEVEL 54

+243.000 LEVEL 54

RESTERAUNT

RESTERAUNT

+239.500 LEVEL 53

+239.500 LEVEL 53

KITCHEN

KITCHEN +234.000 LEVEL 52

+234.000 LEVEL 52

+229.500 LEVEL 51

+229.500 LEVEL 51

RESEARCH CENTRE WATER STORAGE

+225.000 LEVEL 50

RESEARCH CENTRE WATER STORAGE

+225.000 LEVEL 50

+220.500 LEVEL 49

+220.500 LEVEL 49

NURTRIENT DISTRIBUTION

NURTRIENT DISTRIBUTION +216.000 LEVEL 48

+216.000 LEVEL 48

+207.000 LEVEL 46

+207.000 LEVEL 46

+198.000 LEVEL 44

+198.000 LEVEL 44

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+189.000 LEVEL 42

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+189.000 LEVEL 42

+180.000 LEVEL 40

+180.000 LEVEL 40

+171.000 LEVEL 38

+171.000 LEVEL 38

+162.000 LEVEL 36

+162.000 LEVEL 36

STABILISING FLOOR

STABILISING FLOOR +153.000 LEVEL 34

+153.000 LEVEL 34

+144.000 LEVEL 32

+144.000 LEVEL 32

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM +135.000 LEVEL 30

+135.000 LEVEL 30

+126.000 LEVEL 28

+126.000 LEVEL 28

LOBBY SERVICES

LOBBY SERVICES +117.000 LEVEL 26

+117.000 LEVEL 26

+108.000 LEVEL 24

+108.000 LEVEL 24

+99.000 LEVEL 22

+99.000 LEVEL 22

+90.000 LEVEL 20

+90.000 LEVEL 20

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+81.000 LEVEL 18

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+81.000 LEVEL 18

+72.000 LEVEL 16

+72.000 LEVEL 16

+63.000 LEVEL 14

+63.000 LEVEL 14

+54.000 LEVEL 12

+54.000 LEVEL 12

+45.000 LEVEL 10

+45.000 LEVEL 10

+40.500 LEVEL 9

+40.500 LEVEL 9

PRODUCT CLEANING PACKAGING

+36.000 LEVEL 8

PRODUCT CLEANING PACKAGING

+36.000 LEVEL 8

+31.500 LEVEL 7

+31.500 LEVEL 7

+27.000 LEVEL 6

+27.000 LEVEL 6

STAFF AREA

STAFF AREA

+22.500 LEVEL 5

+22.500 LEVEL 5

LEARNING CENTRE

+18.000 LEVEL 4

+13.500 LEVEL 3

+13.500 LEVEL 3

+9.000 LEVEL 2

+9.000 LEVEL 2

MARKETPLACE ENTRANCE

+4.500 LEVEL 1

LEARNING CENTRE

+18.000 LEVEL 4

MARKETPLACE ENTRANCE

+4.500 LEVEL 1

+0.000 LEVEL 0

+0.000 LEVEL 0

PROGRAM LAYOUT

VISITOR AREA 86

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

SKYPARK WATER COLLECTION

SKYPARK WATER COLLECTION

+243.000 LEVEL 54

+243.000 LEVEL 54

RESTERAUNT

RESTERAUNT

+239.500 LEVEL 53

+239.500 LEVEL 53

KITCHEN

KITCHEN

+234.000 LEVEL 52

+234.000 LEVEL 52

+229.500 LEVEL 51

+229.500 LEVEL 51

RESEARCH CENTRE WATER STORAGE

+225.000 LEVEL 50

RESEARCH CENTRE WATER STORAGE

+225.000 LEVEL 50

+220.500 LEVEL 49

+220.500 LEVEL 49

NURTRIENT DISTRIBUTION

NURTRIENT DISTRIBUTION

+216.000 LEVEL 48

+216.000 LEVEL 48

+207.000 LEVEL 46

+207.000 LEVEL 46

+198.000 LEVEL 44

+198.000 LEVEL 44

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+189.000 LEVEL 42

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+189.000 LEVEL 42

+180.000 LEVEL 40

+180.000 LEVEL 40

+171.000 LEVEL 38

+171.000 LEVEL 38

+162.000 LEVEL 36

+162.000 LEVEL 36

STABILISING FLOOR

STABILISING FLOOR

+153.000 LEVEL 34

+153.000 LEVEL 34

+144.000 LEVEL 32

+144.000 LEVEL 32

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+135.000 LEVEL 30

+135.000 LEVEL 30

+126.000 LEVEL 28

+126.000 LEVEL 28

LOBBY SERVICES

LOBBY SERVICES

+117.000 LEVEL 26

+117.000 LEVEL 26

+108.000 LEVEL 24

+108.000 LEVEL 24

+99.000 LEVEL 22

+99.000 LEVEL 22

+90.000 LEVEL 20

+90.000 LEVEL 20

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+81.000 LEVEL 18

URBAN PARK VERTICAL FARM

+81.000 LEVEL 18

+72.000 LEVEL 16

+72.000 LEVEL 16

+63.000 LEVEL 14

+63.000 LEVEL 14

+54.000 LEVEL 12

+54.000 LEVEL 12

+45.000 LEVEL 10

+45.000 LEVEL 10

+40.500 LEVEL 9

+40.500 LEVEL 9

PRODUCT CLEANING PACKAGING

+36.000 LEVEL 8

PRODUCT CLEANING PACKAGING

+36.000 LEVEL 8

+31.500 LEVEL 7

+31.500 LEVEL 7

+27.000 LEVEL 6

+27.000 LEVEL 6

STAFF AREA

STAFF AREA

+22.500 LEVEL 5

+22.500 LEVEL 5

LEARNING CENTRE

+18.000 LEVEL 4

LEARNING CENTRE

+18.000 LEVEL 4

+13.500 LEVEL 3

+13.500 LEVEL 3

+9.000 LEVEL 2

+9.000 LEVEL 2

MARKETPLACE ENTRANCE

+4.500 LEVEL 1

MARKETPLACE ENTRANCE

+4.500 LEVEL 1

+0.000 LEVEL 0

+0.000 LEVEL 0

GROWING AREA

COMMERCIAL AREA 87

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

TRANSPARENCY MAPPING

Iteration 1.0

Iteration 1.1

Iteration 1.2

Iteration 1.3

100 7 10

100 7 8

100 7 5

100 7 4

Un Vn t bezier

Un Vn t bezier

88

Un Vn t bezier

Un Vn t bezier

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

TRANSPARENCY MAPPING

Iteration 2.0

Iteration 2.1

Iteration 2.2

Iteration 2.3

100 7 10

100 7 8

100 7 5

100 7 4

Un Vn t bezier

Un Vn t bezier

89

Un Vn t bezier

Un Vn t bezier

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

SOUTH EAST IRRADIANCE ANALYSIS

SOUTH WEST IRRADIANCE ANALYSIS

90

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

NORTH WEST IRRADIANCE ANALYSIS

NORTH EAST IRRADIANCE ANALYSIS

91

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

250M

225M

200M

17 5 M

150M

125M

100M

75M

50M

25M

0M

WEST ELEVATION

SOUTH SOUTHELEVATION ELEVATION

92

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

EAST ELEVATION

NORTH NORTHELEVATION ELEVATION

93

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Deformation Model: c.Length: 265.7[m] Nodes: 3972 Elements: 6096 Materials: 2 Cross sections: 3 Point-loads: 3972 Point-masses: 0 Mesh-loads: 0 Gravities: 1 Loadcases: 3 Supports: 42 BeamSets: 0

94

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

Deformation Model: c.Length: 265.7[m] Nodes: 3972 Elements: 6096 Materials: 2 Cross sections: 3 Point-loads: 3972 Point-masses: 0 Mesh-loads: 0 Gravities: 1 Loadcases: 3 Supports: 42 BeamSets: 0

95

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

MODULAR MICRO FARMS

R

ather than spread the food production out over expansive, flat areas, urban farming methods employ multiple, stacked hydroponic micro farms where water and nutrients are circulated in a closed loop. Doing so allows the buildings users to move around the farms and manage the production from there.

96

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

HUMAN LEVEL INTERACTION

T

he stacked farms are stacked in levels of three or six for tending to by the public and the workers and nine or twelve when the stage of the production allows for a degree of automation. Here, robots and drones can be used to plant, water, prune and remove plants and fruit from the farms.

97

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

98

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC MEETING SPACE

C

onnected to the street -level plaza at Royal Exchange is a covered public market space featuring a flexible plan that can accommodate its daily function as well as cookery classes and indoor events. The location serves the community as a lively meeting space, with the facade acting as a weather screen to provide a safe, sheltered space. The fibres create a rich pattern that modulates light into the markethall and creates a comfortable environment for traders, passers-by and visitors.

99

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

PUBLIC ATTRACTIONS

T

he building is organised in a similar fashion to a lot of large, horizontal public buildings, with key ‘anchor’ programs situated at the top and bottom of the building, driving pedestrian traffic between the two and giving people a reason to travel to the top, other than amazing views.

100

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

THE VISITOR AS FARMER

T

he urban farm acts not as a commercial entity with a full staff of employees, but rather as an open community building, with visitors being encouraged to interact with the farm and use its produce. There are two models for this interaction taking place.

101

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

102

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

LONDON FOOD BANK - VIEW OF THE CITY SKYLINE

103

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

104

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

THE VERTICAL FARM AS AN URBAN ELEMENT

T

here has been a tendency as of late for concepts of sustainable urban tower developments to be flamboyant. London Food Bank aims to show that the typology can fit into the modern skyline of any city without distracting from the architectural history surrounding it.

105

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

106

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

VIEW OF THE RESTERAUNT SPACE AND SKY TERRACE

107

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

108

DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

THE LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE PERMITS CITYWIDE PANORAMAS

O

ne advantage of adopting a lightweight exoskeletal structure is the reduced repitition of structural members and their assosiated thicknesses. The more slender, distributed structure frames views in a more natural way.

109

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

DESIGN INTENT

BASE GEOMETRY NURBS SURFACES

PARAMETRIC MODEL • • • • • •

DESIGN PARAMETERS VIEWS & CONTEXTUAL DATA

FLOORPLATES CORES EXOSKELETAL STRUCTURE NODES [POINTS] MEMBERS [LINES] GLASS PANELS ANALYSIS GEOMETRY

OPTIMUM GEOMETRY

ENVIRONMENTAL ANALYSIS • • • •

EPW WEATHER FILE CONTEXT GEOMETRY

WIND FORCES SHADING DIAGRAM GROWING SUITABILITY VIEW DIRECTIONS IRRADIANCE VALUES MEMBERS & NODES DEFORMATION

STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS • • • •

MATERIAL INFORMATION

MEMBER DEFORMATION MEMBER STRESSES NODAL DISPLACEMENT STRUCTURE WEIGHT FACADE CELLS

IRRADIATION ANALYSIS LOCATION & SUN POSITION

• •

CELL IRRADIATION VALUES RANGE-BASED SYSTEM VALUES CELL OUTLINES

FABRICATION DATA GENERATION

FABRICATION LIMITATIONS

• • • • •

FIBRES STRUCTURAL FRAMES CONNECTION DETAILS ROBOT CODE MATERIAL DIMENSIONS

USER ADDED DATA

FEEDBACK

111

PROCESS

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

VARIATION

F

rom a small amount of parameters, a huge amount of variation can be achieved.

Using a basic system of subdivision of a cell into edges and the repeated matching of lists of points, a flexible, repeatable system emerges that gives quite a complex effect. This complexity is manageable and can be used to give certain spatial effects throughout the building.

112

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

ADAPTATION

T

aking this simple system and adding a small amount of contextual information, in the above case the x coordinate of the cell centroid, a structure emerges to respond to the change in position inside the system. The structure appears to change based on some external force, yet the observer can still read certain shared attributes.

113

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

DISTORTION

I

n the above example, the control points of the cells have been moved away from the area centroid based on their proximity to an attractor point.

114

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

DISTORTION

T

aking the stardard system and manipulating the base parameters, such as the actual cell geometry generates further visual and lighting effects. Here the cells themselves have been scaled based on their proximity to attractor points.

115

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FIBRE GENERATION

O

nce a cell has been analysed for solar irradiation and structural deformation, the data is passed to a fibre generation script that creates the structural fibres and robotic fabrication code for each cell. The below code is an example of the python, but is shortened for demonstration purposes. import rhinoscriptsyntax as rs import Rhino as rc outLinesGlass = [] outLinesCarbon = [] divisions = 10 inputCur ves = rs.GetObjects(“Please select input cur ves.”) if inputCur ves is not None: #Fibreglass Thread Distribution for c,iC in enumerate(inputCur ves): edges = rs.ExplodeCur ves(iC) numCur = len(edges) shift = 2 for i,cA in enumerate(edges): pointsA = rs.DivideCur ve(cA, (divisions*glassWeight)) cB = edges[(i + shift) % numCur] pointsB = rs.DivideCur ve(cB, (divisions*glassWeight)) divPts = rs.DivideCur ve(cA, 2) for n,Pt in enumerate(divPts): numEdges = (len(divPts) / 3) print numEdges for j,pA in enumerate(pointsA): pB = pointsB[ j] lineAB = rs.AddLine(pA, pB) rs.ObjectColor(lineAB, glassFibreColor) outLinesGlass.append(lineAB) rs.Redraw() #Carbon Fibre Thread Distribution for c,iC in enumerate(inputCur ves): edges = rs.ExplodeCur ves(iC) numCur = len(edges) shift = 1 for i,cA in enumerate(edges): pointsA = rs.DivideCur ve(cA, (divisions*carbonWeight)) cB = edges[(i + shift) % numCur] pointsB = rs.DivideCur ve(cB, (divisions*carbonWeight)) for j,pA in enumerate(pointsA): pB = pointsB[ j] lineAB = rs.AddLine(pA, pB) rs.ObjectColor(lineAB, carbonFibreColor) outLinesCarbon.append(lineAB) rs.Redraw() else: print “No valid cur ves selected. Script Aborted.”

117

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

CELL 123

CELL 122

CELL 121

CELL 120

CELL 119

CELL 118

CELL 117

BASE GEOMETRY

T

he module base geometry is extrapolated on a member & node-by-cell basis from the nodes and lines of the structural model. This method is preferred, as opposed to using the base input geometry, to preserve corrections for deformations in the structural model and to keep list matching and data handling logical.

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TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

N-123[4] N-123[3] N-122[4] N-123[5] N-122[3]

N-121[3]

N-123[2] N-121[4]

N-122[5]

N-123[1] N-121[5] N-120[3]

N-123[6] N-122[2] N-120[4]

N-120[5] N-122[1] N-122[6] N-119[3] N-119[4]

N-121[2]

N-121[6] N-120[2] N-121[1] N-118[4] N-118[3] N-120[6]

N-119[2] N-119[5] N-117[4]

N-118[2]

N-120[1] N-118[5] N-117[3] N-119[6] N-117[5] N-118[6]

N-119[1]

N-117[2]

N-118[1] N-117[6] N-117[1]

DATA MANAGEMENT

O

f utmost importance in the project was to continually monitor the data management methods to ensure that information could be shared between professions on the project if needs be. An example of this was maintaining consistent notation of nodes for the transfer of structural data using Karamba, a common structural analysis plugin used by both the architect and engineer.

119

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

STRUCTURAL FRAME OFFSET

T

he first operation for each cell on the structural was to use the base cell geometry and the structural analysis feedback to generate a unique structural concrete frame for each element. Using a standard concrete mix of C90, the members were analysed for deformation and stresses and sectionally sized appropriately.

120

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

WOVEN STRUCTURE

W

hen assembled, the divisions in the woven panels can be read as running through multiple modules continously. The overlay of the two fibre types and directions gives the modules a sense of intricacy that is to be seen in few construction systems.

121

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

ME MB ER i

MEMBE R i+ S

WEAVING LOGIC

A

lthough a huge amount of possibilites for weaving patterns exist, one was chosen that offered good structural performance and created an intricate pattern across the structure whilst maintaining common readability throughout.

The pattern was developed by simply exploding each cell into separate members, then subdividing these into n divisions, based on the structural performance and shading properties required. Given a starting point of i[t], the end point of the fibre becomes i+s[n-t], where s is the shift value.

CrvSp = i[t]; CrvEp = i+s[n-t]; where i = 3; t = 1; s = 2 & n = 30.

122

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

LOOPING

T

he logic is repeated in a nested loop, whereby the same sequence of code is executed for each line in the cell. The repetition of this simple code generates the final weaving pattern. As well as outputting the fibre line geometry, the code outputs start, intermediate and end planes for each line, which will later be interpreted by a separate block of code that transforms them into robotic toolpaths.

123

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

PRIMARY REINFORCEMENT

O

nce the entire secondary structure (the layer that deals primarily with transparency and view-making) has been put in place, a primary reinforcement layer is added using a similar logic. Here we see that the pattern has shifted, owing to the fact that s now has a value of one. This minor change in the code alters the pattern quite a lot, and the result of both sequences can be seen here overlayed.

CrvSp = i[t]; CrvEp = i+s[n-t]; where i = 3; t = 1; s = 1 & n = 30.

124

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

LOOPING

A

gain, the block of code is repeated until the module is completed. If extra strength is needed in any particular panel, the entire sequence or even certain parts can be run again for additional reinforcement / screening.

125

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

ROBOTIC FABRICATION

126

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

127

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

128

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING HYBRID ROBOTIC PROCESSES OF FORMWORK FABRICATION Inherent in every machining process are advantages and disadvantages in a range of characteristics such as precision, cost, speed and material limitations. With robotic hotwire cutting great speed and precision is achieved at a low energy cost. However, geometric limitations such as the restriction to geometries describable by ruled surfaces, and low aperture resolution are frequently encountered.

129

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

130

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

131

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING HYBRID ROBOTIC PROCESSES OF FORMWORK FABRICATION Similarly, CNC milling and other numerically-controlled, self contained digital fabrication tools, while being very capable of fine resolution work, are plagued by limitations of speed and portability, as well as being generally quite specialised in their respective application.

132

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

133

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING HYBRID ROBOTIC PROCESSES OF FORMWORK FABRICATION Over the past few months, a hybrid-machinic process was tested, whereby robotic hotwire cutting was used to rough out expanded polystyrene formwork panels, which were then removed from the robotic work cell and transferred to the CMS Athena 5-axis router for post-processing and the adding of detail.

134

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

135

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING HYBRID ROBOTIC PROCESSES OF FORMWORK FABRICATION For this transition to be completed precisely enough and without extensive manual calibration, an image recognition system was conceptualised. Using a series of work-cell mounted cameras and image processing techniques, the material is scanned and recognised in both environments, so that precision is easily maintained when transferring a work object from one process to another.

136

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

137

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

INVESTIGATING HYBRID ROBOTIC PROCESSES OF FORMWORK FABRICATION Using this system, expanded polysterene, a recyclable, cheap and lightweight material, can be used to generate a large amount of complex concrete elements that can be cast on site and lifted into place when needed.

The ability to work with complex geometries and not only ruled-surfaces greatly expands the design space and possibilites for the building to respond to its environment on the macro and meso scales.

138

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

139

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

PREPARING EXPANDED POLYSTYRENE FORMWORK FOR CASTING While there are many benefits to using expanded polystyrene (EPS) for the purposes of creating complex architectural concrete formwork, it also has many downfalls. As well as being prone to damage in transport, its porous surface is not readily castable. Along with Anders Kruse Aagaard, PhD-Fellow, cand.arch at the AAA, numerous experiments into the treatment of the surface were performed, with promising results from a number of test products.

140

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

141

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

COMPLEX CONCRETE FORMWORK

T

his hybrid robotic formwork production method allows us to design complex, unique components and structures and fabricate them quickly, at low expense and without much material waste.

142

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

DIGITAL CRAFTSMANSHIP - THE ROBOT AS ANOTHER TOOL

143

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

144

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

145

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

ROBOTIC TOOLPATH

146

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

MODULE MainModule PERS tooldata SmallHotwire:=[TRUE,[[-1.3824,0.434,494.8692],[0.1513,0,0,0.9885]],[,0,0,0]]; VAR speeddata CuttingSpeed:=[200,30,5000,1000]; PROC Main() ConfJ \Off; ConfL \Off; MoveAbsJ [[73.485,4.66,32.498,-87.117,76.213,108.993],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[73.27,4.727,32.438,-87.255,76.042,108.994],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[73.055,4.794,32.378,-87.392,75.87,108.996],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[72.841,4.863,32.318,-87.53,75.7,108.998],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[72.627,4.932,32.256,-87.667,75.529,109],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[72.414,5.003,32.193,-87.805,75.359,109.004],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[72.201,5.074,32.13,-87.942,75.19,109.007],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[16.403,8.514,13.389,-132.095,3.364,186.515],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[16.379,8.748,13.171,-132.645,3.389,187.056],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[16.355,8.981,12.951,-133.177,3.414,187.581],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; MoveAbsJ [[16.331,9.214,12.731,-133.687,3.438,188.082],[0,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9,9E9]], CuttingSpeed,z1,SmallHotwire; ConfJ \On; ConfL \On; ENDPROC ENDMODULE

GENERATION OF FIBRES AND RAPID CODE

I

ntegrated directly into the generative model are sub-programs that take each cell and its assosiated solar irradiance and structural deformation data and remaps it to the robot working plane. From there, the geometric information is interpreted and translated in fibres, from which robot targets are extracted and the motion planning sequence is invoked. The output of this quite lightweight process is the fabrication data that can be streamed directly to the robots for fabrication.

147

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

DISPENSER

SPOOL HOLDER

ROBOTIC WEAVING TOOL

T

o facilitate the robot weaving process, a custom robotic end-effector was developed. Consisting of a sturdy, lightweight aluminium frame, a Schunk adapter and a fibre dispenser fashioned from a syringe, the tool is made specifially to deploy fibres from an ABB IRB 120 robot.

148

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

ROBOTIC WEAVING SETUP

T

he weaving process was tested on a custom setup as shown above. An ABB IRB 120, mounted to a HDF table, holds a custom weaving end effector, shown overleaf. For initial material tests, the fibres were wound onto stainless steel pins in a 21mm plywood sheet, attached to the table using suction cups, themselves mounted to the table.

149

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

TOOL DEVELOPMENT

150

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

151

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

FIBROUS TECTONICS

152

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

153

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

154

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

MATERIAL TESTING Early prototypes of the building elements were constructed at the robot lab at the Aarhus School of Architecture. Working with various fibres and resins, methods for developing structural elements and concrete formwork were tested and recorded.

155

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

156

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

157

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

158

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

MICRO-STRUCTURAL FLUID CONNECTIONS Just as we mould concrete, steel and wood at the meso scale, we can design micro and chemical processes to develop our tectonics. Using new techniques and tools, we could soon begin to once again use materials such as natural resins and fibres that were popular in a time where mass production was not the order of the day.

159

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

160

TECTONIC DEVELOPMENT

161

CURRICULUM VITAE

CURRICULUM VITAE

162

CURRICULUM VITAE

Curriculum Vitae Winter 2015

Ryan Hughes

B.Sc. Arch. Studies / Stud.Cand. Arch Address: Mejlgade 39, 3. th, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark.

Phone: +4550204025 Mail: ryan.hughes.arch@gmail.com Website: ryanhughesarch.com Nationality: Irish Born: 27/01/1992 RELEVANT EXPERIENCE

Aarhus School of Architecture Robotics Lab Coordinator Design, management and integration of robotic workshop facilities, including the implementation of robotically aided design and fabrication workshops into the under- and post-graduate curricula.

2015 - Present Arkitema Architects Model Builder / Architectural Assistant General architectural design work on a part-time, per-project basis, primarily the fabrication of high-quality presentation models for clients and presentation meetings, also including sketching, rendering, digital modelling, sun studies etc.

2015 - Present OOOJA Architects Intern / Junior Architect Intern at OOOJA Architects for the 8th semester of the Masters programme, where our team won first place in an architectural competition for a new community centre at Hasle church in Aarhus, Denmark. Following the internship, I was employed as a Junior Architect to complete the project, including construction drawings and detailing in ArchiCAD. 2014 - 2015

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CURRICULUM VITAE

164

CURRICULUM VITAE

EDUCATION

Master of Art in Architecture Aarhus School of Architecture 10th Semester - Studio Digital Transformation Tutor - Niels Martin Larsen Ph.D. Expected Graduation - February 2016 Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies Dublin Institute of Technology Tutors - Ryan W. Kennihan, Noel J. Brady, Steve Larkin.

Graduated - February 2011

WORKSHOPS

Robotic Fabrication of Topology Optimised Steel Space Frame Structures Asbjørn Søndergaard / Dana Maier Workshop tutor and technical development assistant.

Working with a team of engineers, software developers and architects, we developed a series of tools and processes for the optimisation and fabrication of steel space frame structures. The project led to the release of the Top-Opt plug-in for grasshopper. a-obverse / b-reverse Robotics Workshop Maya Lahmy / Dana Maier / Claudia Carbone a-obverse / b-reverse was a two week workshop held at the robot laboratory of the Aarhus School of Architecture in June 2015. Relations between computational drawing and robotic formation of clay were introduced and discussed as a generative enabler in the architectural design process.

Drawing With Light Robotics Workshop Maya Lahmy / Dana Maier / Claudia Carbone The Drawing With Light workshop was the first introduction course to robotics held at the AAA. Here, the students used route-mapping software to record a journey and robot-held LED lights to represent them as physical drawing.

165

CURRICULUM VITAE

166

CURRICULUM VITAE

TOOLS

Digital Modelling Precise digital modelling of architectural projects for the production of drawings, renderings and conversion to BIM. Software: Rhinoceros, SketchUp, 3DS Max, ArchiCAD. Robot Programming & Control Advanced robot programming for architectural production.

Software: HAL Advanced Robot Programming, RobotStudio, Rhinoceros.

Hardware: ABB Industrial Robots (IRB 120 & 6620) Rendering Diagrammatic and photorealistic architectural and product visualisation.

Software: Mental Ray, VRay, SketchUp, Rhinoceros.

BIM Building Information Modelling Software: ArchiCAD, Rhinoceros, Grasshopper.

CAM Computer Aided Manufacturing of models and full scale prototypes.

Software: AlphaCAM, RobotStudio, CutIt, Cura, Slicer.

Hardware: Ultimaker & Makerbot 3D Printers, 3-Axis Zund Lasercutter, 3-Axis Zund Digital Cutter, 5-Axis CMS Athena Mill, 6-Axis ABB Industrial Robots.

Scripting & Programming Algorithmic and computational design methods.

Software: Python, IronPython, and Grasshopper, including a large variety of plug-ins.

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AARHUS SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE JANUARY 2016

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