Part A:
Conceptualisation
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Introduction Hi! I’m Samuel, a second-year student, currently enrolled in the Bachelor of Environments and majoring in Architecture and Urban Planning & Design. One of my main hobbies is music and even though my schedule as an architecture student becomes hectic, I still find time to play the piano and sing. Being overseas from where I am is a whole new experience for me. It has been an exiting journey so far and I’ve heard many stories about Studio Air that has both intrigued me and frightened me in a way (from the workload). However, I can say that I am ready for what is ahead. As I am also pursuing a second major - Urban Planning and Design - the next few semesters for me will be one hell of a ride. There is a reason why I took the 2 major - besides the fact that I become more employable, I see how history plays a huge role in how our cities are being built and also how architecture has played a role in defining the city we live in. Through technological advancements, we’ve been able to create better cities and more impressive buildings that continue to recreate and redesign our city. As I came from a developing country (Malaysia), I’ve observed how certain parts of the city grew, developed and even collapsed. The history of our capital city is written by its architecture when we were under the British rule for a few years. We had our own vernacular architecture and many of them are still built today. Singapore, our close neighbour, was another country that I loved comparing our country to. As they always had a better public transport system and in general it was impressive to see how the urban landscape could accomodate 6 million people in one tiny island. Bjarke Ingles has been a growing inspiration in how I perceive design as he always practices good design - something that Malaysia should have as well. I strive to achieve this in all my work as well as an architect and an urban designer in the future.
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A.1 Design Futuring Design of the present might come to a halt. The end of our design could be near. As Fry puts it, as a human species, we have collectively reached a critical moment in our very existance.1 Why does he think so? The reason is because that we have been adopting design practices that produces a negative impact to the planet. The Earth’s natural resources are being used as if they are renewable and infinite. As we continue to modernise as a species, we will soon realise that what we created will not follow us into the future because of its unsustainable practice. This places in a state of defuturing where essentially, we realise that we have been destroying the planet and thus making us panic as we anticipate an end of an era or even worse, our species. As a reaction to this, Fry suggests and empowers the design community to rethink about how we design so that our current design doesn’t defuture. We need to think about what we can do with design, how it influences, the economy, politics, society and the planet. Very often our design is anthropocentric and it has come to a point where defuturing is seen as a plausible future.2 Therefore we need to explore our designs in many more possible scenarios to ensure that we as a species is prepared for and will continue to thrive as a species in those other possible futures.3 This is where design futuring takes place.
‘Design futuring’ is simply creating designs that possibly answers the question of ‘how a future can be secured by design?’. We are essentially, predicting the future with research and hoping that it becomes true. Fry continues this concept by saying that we as designers have the potential to create our own futures and we have the power (like the hand of God) to create designs that have the economy, political scenes, society and the planet in mind.4 We are always advancing, especially in technology, and this places us in an advantageous position because we have more knowledge of how we can design futures that stay and not leave. We have that potential now with Rhino and Grasshopper as we the age of the exploration of algorithmic design. This new advancement allows us designers to recreate design that has the ability to follow design that takes the inspiration of the natural environment.
(1) Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pg 4 (2) Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pg 4 (3) Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pg 5 (4) Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pg 3
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Amager Bakke Bjarke Ingles Copenhagen, Denmark
Bjarke Ingles is a great influencer for stressing good design in his work. His team BIG (Bjarke Ingles Group) have been working on a recent project called Amager Bakke. This state of the art plant sets a new standard for environmental preservation, energy production and waste treatment. It’s design is also influenced by the public’s interest as the residents of Copenhagen love skiing but would need to travel far to access one. By taking inspiration from that, they have designed a power plant that is attractive to society. Multi-purposing the use of the plant, enforces alternate designs that accommodate for more in a lesser space. It provides energy from waste and is an architectural landmark and a leisure facility. This improve the lifestyle choices of the public whilst initating the conversation of what defines a powerplant and how we can design undesirable buildings to be attractive landmarks to have as part of the city skyline. The power plant is designed with a sloped roof to imitate the terrains of a mountain top and utilising the roof space as spaces for leisure. Skiing will be the main attraction, meanwhile, hiking accomodates the faint of heart. Just by incorporating these design techniques, we have arguably created good design that could possibly tackle the risk of defuturing.
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The question only remains whether the project is of course sustainable one and how it will cope in the future. There may however be some debates about how feasible it will be to have leisure near a power plant as the reputation of these buildings are seen as unclean and pollute the air. The Amager Bakke plant is definitely one step towards the right direction in multi-purpose use and designing buildings for the future.
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Vertical Glass House Atelier FCJZ Shanghai, China The Vertical Glass House is situated along the west bank of Shanghai’s Huangpu River. This bunker-like building is a 13.5 metre high concrete tower with rows of horizontal slit windows that make the floor. The building is quite deceptive in terms of the play of materiality. When observed outside, the tower appears to be sturdy and strong to withstand the harshes weathers. However, when entering the building, we find that the glass floors imposes the impression of lightness in the interior. You can see the floors above you and acts as a natural skylight with continous interior view to the ceiling. As the beholder ascends upwards, the vibes of the space change from one that is corporeal to an ethereal atmosphere. Yung Ho Chang, the architect of this buliding, argues that the his creation influences inward-looking residence, both phyically and metaphysically. The house provides little to almost no privacy between what is normally known as public to private spaces. Naturally, his design serves as a critic to the Modernist theory transparency where a glass house always opens to landscape and provides no privacy. On another note, he also expresses the fact that this house is temporary and hosts temporary artists and architects during the next West Bund Biennale of Architecture and Contemporary Art. The argument stresses that buildings need not be occupied for it to be considered a house because if it was then the purchased-but-uninhabited units of so many other Shanghai apartments would not be deemed houses. His message essentially with this piece of design tests the limits of livability in a home and creates debate in whether we are creating houses for everyone and not just the rich. Even if the rich bought houses, Not all will stay in it and that is a dilemma where many cities around the world face.
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A.2 Design Computation
Our technological advancem us to produce complexity o called computational design pared to design computeriz confused as both are almo to distinguish between the engages with our creativity vide the variable that at w to process and generate re
The parametric design proc ductivity and creativity of d ier to produce something s done by traditional method have been some debate ab computation sets up a bou the design industry. But as thinking is the ability to un ate and create algorithms�
Computational design also collaborative design among the performance simulation tive and accurate. It is ther parametric design has rede as a thinking generation th rithm6.
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ments today has allowed out of simplicity. This is n and is always comzation which is is often ost similar. A simple way two is that the former y and therefore we prowhich the latter takes over esults.
cess has improved prodesign. It has become easso complex that cannot be ds of design alone. There bout it, however, that undary and a standard for s Kalay puts it, “algorithmic nderstand, execute, evalu5 .
provides a new level of g designers which allows n to become more effecrefore safe to say that efined the design practice hrough the logic of algo-
(5) Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 (6) Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10
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DonGdaemun Design Plaza Zaha Hadid Seoul, South Korea
South Korea is no surprise to anyone for its adoptions towards new technology and redefining its design practice. This plaza is the first project in Korea to utilize 3-D building Information modelling softwares. The design process was that the building needed to have a set of inter-related spatial relationships that define the social interactions and behavioural structure inside and around the building. Having used parametric building information modelling software and design computation, they were able to continually test and modify the design towards the client’s brief and changes to it, as well as integrating engineering and constructure requirements. Through this, the designers were able to maintain great control over the design and details with greater precision. The facade cladding system features a field of picilation and perforation patterns which creates dynamic visual effect depending on the light conditions and seasonal changes. This complex cladding design is something that cannot simply be done by hand as this frame and infill design has been algorithmically computated. We wouldn’t know when to place small panels or larger panels or ones with a mesh in it but the computer can generate this for us. And as mentioned earlier, the design brief can sometimes change and therefore, computational design systems are efficient enough to adapt to new information, far better than the conventional methods of design.
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One Main Street Decoi Architects Cambridge, USA This design project is yet another example of how computational design is changing the design industry drastically. This project was for the penthouse offices of an investment group in green building and clean energy technologies. The aim was to mill all the elements of the interior from sustainably-forested spruce plywood using numeric command machines. Essentially, the project comprises of 2 planes - the floor and the ceiling, both of which are articulated as continuous surfaces inflected by function. The curvilinearity expresses both the digital genesis and the seamless fabrication logic, with the architect providing actual machineing files to the fabricator. The development of the project was nuanced parametrically and milled using a small 3-axis CNC router, which efforlessly carved the ply sections according to the prescribed paths generated from the computer. Effectively, the process was error free and highly accurate which makes assembly straightforward. It is even more impressive that only the tooling paths were only provided by dECOI without any plans or sections of how the design would look like. Without parametric design tools, this project would have been much harder to complete as we cannot gauge with precision about each curve and replicate a unique curve onto thousands of sheets. The process would have been wastefull by hand but with the help of paramatric design, the wastage was only 10%. dECOI
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A.3 Composition/ generation
Parametric design, our now plex designs has never be understanding its coding sy search into organic design we are able to replicate th These processes have the ration and go beyond the through generative design ed results that seem intri a tree as a simple exam tree takes its form, by und why each branch is wher ate a result similar to tha
This means that all we hav set of commands that can erative form that looks eer Composing this form of des thinking and design approac ties in the design process, fa
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w new tool to create comeen as editable as ever. By ystem, and with much rens from the natural world, hem into the digital world. potential to provide inspie intellect of the designer n that produces unexpectiguing and engaging. Take mple - by studying how a derstanding the pattern of re it is helps us to generat of nature in these tools.
ve to provide is a rule, or a help in generating the genrily close to the real thing. sign enables new ways of ches and creates opportuniabrication and construction.
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The Morning LIne Aranda Lasch This project, commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, is a project conceived by Ritchie as a collaborative platform to explore the interplay of art, music, architecture and cosmology. It looks as if to portray a ruin from the future. It is a drawing in space, where the design rules apply - each line connects to other lines to form a network of intertwining figures and narratives with no single beginning and end. The product of the design is as such that the movements around multiple centres together trace a dense web of ideas concerning the history and structure of the universe and our place in it. Essentially, the paramatric design used has been coded with simple instructions to produce complex shapes and design that has resemblance of the universe and questions our very existance. Not dezeen
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VoltaDom Skylar Tibbits MIT, USA
This installation was created for MIT’s 150th anniversary celebration and FAST Arts Festival. It is one of the firms recent experiments in computational design. The project aims to revisit a historically paramount structural element - the vault, attempting to find its contemporary equivalent through various assembly and fabrication techniques. It is reminiscent of the vaulted ceilings of the gothic cathedrals and can be seen from inside and outside equally, creating spectacular views. The VoltaDom also attempts to expand the notion of the architectural “surface panel”, by intensifying the depth of a doubly-curved vaulted surface, while maintaining relative ease in assembly and fabrication. The further combination and orientation of multiple vaulted structures into one corridor further enhances the effect of the paramatric design portraying a biomimicry effect that resembles an unidentifyable creature. This is the power of generative design and what it can produce with just simple ideas, concepts and of course rules that the computer generates into complex forms. Dezeen
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A.4 conclusion In this journey through parametric design so far, we have come to realise how our traditional design forms are at risk of defuturing and as designers, we intepret our own futures for the society. We need to save sustainable design practices that can last forever. Algorithmic design is one possible way to look into our future as we attempt to save our old design practices with technological advancements that greatly improves our effiency and with the ever changing desires of society. Without doubt, the introduction to computational designs has brought a great deal of interesting structures, installations and buildings into the world of architecture. The question of design defuturing still remains as to whether this pathway for 21st century design will become something of the past in a few decades as we continue to further improve our technology and design techniques. I sometimes see it as a vicious cycle. As we keep improving the more we refine our techniques and tastes for design. Another question to ask is whether we already know everything there is to design, Will we ever know everything about it? This question remains unanswered, and we will never know for sure but all is left is to keep searching and keep progressing into the future with design. The precendents that I leans towards elements linked with patterns, geometry and biomimicry. I find them inspiring to look and and fascinating. The amount of precision and efficiency that comes from technology has changed the face of architecture.
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A.5 learning outcomes Part A has provided me with a good foundation and understanding of the world of computational design. I used to wonder how people like Zaha Hadid or Bjark Ingles produced such fantastic and awe inspiring work but having gone through the first 3 weeks of Air has really taught me about the fundemantals of parametric design and how these architects produced works like these. The world of parametric design is a pretty fun one with the endless of design outcomes that can be produced in even just a simple code. I am amazed at how much you can manipulate in just simple curves or even just a dot. I would say so far, that the grasshopper has been abit challenging to use at the beginning. As usual, I was expecting a learning curve quite similar to rhino. Slowly, I begin to realise that many of the commands that are used in grasshopper shares some similarities with Rhino. Things like loft, surfaces and curves all have the same function in rhino as in grasshopper. However, I still find data trees a challenge. Parametric design, let alone, grasshopper, takes 3D modelling to another level with coding techniques and knowing your end goal. It is an interesting approach to producing complex design. So far, I feel the limits are endless with what we can produce with this powerful software. Reflecting back on my previous work from other studios, I slowly realise how I could have used the skills learnt here to shorten my time in producing designs that are similar to parametric designs produced from coding. I am still awestruck by how quickly these designs take to produce and it just justifies how coding and parametric design is spearheading the architecture industry in the 21st century7.
(7) Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pg. 11
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A.6 Appendix - Algo
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orithmic Sketches
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BiBliography Aranda\Lasch. 2013. Aranda\Lasch - Work - The Morning Line. Accessed August 11, 2017. http://arandalasch.com/ works/the-morning-line/. ArchDaily. 2015. Dongdaemun Design Plaza / Zaha Hadid Architects | ArchDaily. May 31. Accessed August 11, 2017. http:// www.archdaily.com/489604/dongdaemun-design-plaza-zaha-hadid-architects. ArchDaily. 2014. Vertical Glass House / Atelier FCJZ | ArchDaily. January 30. Accessed August 11, 2017. http://www.archdaily.com/471261/vertical-glass-house-atelier-fcjz. B&W Volund. 2017. Amager Bakke / Copenhill waste-to-energy plant, Copenhagen, Denmark - B&W Volund. Accessed August 11, 2017. http://www.volund.dk/Waste_to_Energy/References/ARC_Amager_Bakke_Copenhagen. dECOi architects. 2016. dECOi architects >>One Main. Accessed August 11, 2017. https://www.decoi-architects.org/2011/10/ onemain/. Grozdanic, Lidija. 2011. VoltaDom Installation / Skylar Tibbits + SJET - eVolo | Architecture Magazine. November 22. Accessed August 11, 2017. http://www.evolo.us/architecture/voltadom-installation-skylar-tibbits-sjet/. Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16 Dunne, Anthony & Raby, Fiona (2013) Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press) pp. 1-9, 33-45 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10 Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25 Peters, Brady. (2013) ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15
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