Student Journal by Sarah Tan

studio air ABPL30048: STUDENT JOURNAL SARAH TAN 541324

CONTENTS Introduction Part A: Case For Innovation A1.0 Architectural Discourse A1.1 A1.2 Danish Pavilion, Bjarke Ingels Group A2.0 Church of Saint Pierre, Le Corbusier A2.1 A2.2 Computational Architecture A3.0 Geco A3.1 A3.2 Weaver Bird

A5.0 Mercedes Benz Museum, UN Studio Part B:nonLin/Lin Design Approach Pavillion Marc Forbes/THEVERYMANY B1.0 Conclusion B2.0 B3.0 Appendix B4.0 B5.0 B6.0 B7.0 B8.0 Part C: Project Proposal C1.0 C2.0 C3.0 C4.0 C5.0

Architectural Discourse

A4.0 Parametric Modelling

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INTRODUCTION

I am Sarah Tan. Currently a 3rd Year Undergraduate Student, undertaking the Bachelor of Environments degree and majoring in Architecture.

interpreted and rationalized into a purposeful form. I was fond of this way of design thinking, taking inspiration from such not only gives a sense of connection to the world but has a idea of technical stability through imitating the physics & behaviour of natural occurrences.

My experience with digital design theory is still only beginning to take form although I have experimented with digital design tools before in previous work or in my personal time. My proficiency of Adobe Illustrator, Indesign and Photoshop ranges from basic to above average in the respective order. However, my knowledge of more Architectural based programs such as Rhino is much more limited to the fundamentals I gathered from my studies at the University. As such, I have no prior understanding of Grasshopper.

For my design I decided to use the process of combustion as the point of focus. towards an arm guard design. Taking inspiration from the methods of Coop Himmelb(l)au the form was extracted from a psychogram of the process.. My idea explored the momentum of flames engulfing the arm, using protrusions for dynamism. It would be eventually be rationalized using Rhino, going through steps of contouring, lofting, panelling, to unravelling and reconstruction in the creation of the final model. I found the whole project to be very rewarding in the end from the translation of a 2D representation into something I could touch Appendix - Algorithmic Explorations Appendix - Algorithmic Explorations with my own hands.

My first exposure to the method of digital fabrication stems from my time in the course â&#x20AC;&#x153;Virtual Environmentsâ&#x20AC;?. The design project (pictured below) required choosing a natural process which would then be

PART 1: CASE FOR INNOVATION

A1.0 ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE Architecture is a discourse, beyond the boundary of their physical manifestations is a world full of discussion on design theory and philosophy within built forms. A piece of architecture can create an experience and a means of social connection. It can stand as a marker or symbol of something, such as a Church as a place of worship. Understanding this is crucial to how we design a building to function. Architecture can be considered abstractly as a spatial experience which lends it idea to a broader spectrum of built forms not just limited to buildings. And so, through it is through these values to which the proposal for the Wyndham Gateway Project will be evaluated and addressed.

DANISH PAVILION BJARKE INGELS GROUP

The Danish Pavilion, designed by BIG (Bjarke Ingels group) for the Shanghai Expo and an exhibition centre that seeks to give the public an opportunity to experience various aspects of Danish city life. It accommodates elements of Danish life through provision of a multitude of activities within using an innovative multi-functional structure designed in the form of a double loop. It is an interesting design solution for circulation in the way it acts as an infinitely continuous path, allowing visitors to bike up and down the elevation. Within the centre of the pavilion lies the Little Mermaid statue and iconic public sculpture imported from the Netherlands. Built of perforated steel, during the night the pavilion becomes an apparatus for illuminating light. It gives life to the structure, animating the city skyline all lit up with LED lighting. The disparity between the widths and densities of the façade’s perforations lead us to presume that they are related to the mechanics of illumination, each fabricated through the use of randomly generated parametric exploration. Such complex forms of architecture, utilise digital technology in order to realize their designs and the external perforations are just one example of how parametric tools have helped develop and enhance the design. The building pays respect to its users in consideration of how they travel through it, it revolves around bicycles as a means of transportation embodying the lifestyles of the Danish. The form’s capacity to capture dynamism and movement within the space is what makes this project.

10 Figure 1 Exterior of Danish Pavillion

CHURCH OF SAINT PIERRE LE CORBUSIER

The Church of Saint Pierre was the last major project made by Modernist Charles-Edouard Jeanneret (Le Corbusier), completed after his death in 2006. The church uses some of Corbusier’s five points of architecture, mostly the usage of pilotis, free façade and an open floor plan; it also uses Corbusier’s signatures of ramps as the main method of movement throughout the building. It’s large open plan can only have been achieved with the new technologies of the time of an open plan and a free facade; pilotis is used to support the building and the free façade is used in order to open up the space of the building, thus allowing for large open spaces. While the church seemingly does not hold the traditional dome and spire, it has actually been reinterpreted by Corbusier. The main building form seems to mimic that of a traditional spire and when looking inside the building, a dome like form appears inside similar to that of traditional churches. The church’s main interest point is its control of external light and the way it bends to create a spectacular vision of a stream of lights. Inside the building, creating waves of light or holes of light creating an effect of a star lit night. Controlling of light has been used throughout history in churches as a manner of creating mystical atmosphere inside the church, using ambient light in order to evoke a sense of spirituality.

A2.0 COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURE The utilization of computers in the architectural practice had had an immense effect on the way we conceptualize, realize and fabricate

GECO

The Hong Kong Shenzhen Border Station is an entry to a competition regarding the new design of the border station. The entry utilizes a new computing technique and program, GECO is a prototype plug-in for Rhino. GECO is a computing device that allows users to â&#x20AC;&#x153;export complex geometries to evaluate the design performance of the project.â&#x20AC;? In using the GECO program, the architects were able to create a building that interacted with its surrounding elements. Especially concerning itself with sunlight, how to maximize sunlight and how to control it. It is similar to the program ecotect giving understanding of performance feedback of structures. concerning structural form or comfort of the building through heat and lighting is especially important in determining the success of a building as a spatial experience. Computation design is a new tool in which Architects have in expressing their art. Digital design is able to test the parameters on a digital medium without wasting resources, also able to create a continuous surface, fluid and uniform that otherwise cannot be reproduced18 by hand or produced less precise. There are, however, limitations to digital design, in using design we thus further limit ourselves in analyzing and understanding both the site and the design itself. The issue concerned with digital design is that the programs are making our lives easier, making it so that we think less about our design choices and rely more on the programs to do our work for us. This is not necessarily true; we still put a lot of cognitive effort into our designs through digital design. We are still aware of what we are doing, how each element affects and interacts with another element and we still place a high importance on thoughtful and conscious design however, we no lonÂŹger start considering the surrounding context of our and how our design might interact with the surrounding site not only functionally but aesthetically. GECO is a program devised to combat this problem, we can now analyze our site through the use of digital technologies, making this a huge leap forward for digital design. But this still raises the question of how much cognitive effort we place in our designs and if we are just relying too heavily on digital computation that needs to be managed so that we can continue to exercise our own analog creativity.

WEAVER BIRD

Convoluted Inferences, was formed through the experimental Rhino Plug-In, Weaver Bird. WeaverBird is a topological editor, focusing on creating hard to draw shapes that go beyond the established tilling patterns. The project itself was an experiment to test the realms of the program, testing morphology, organisation and how patterns can have dynamic behavioural effects and how the interact with their surrounding environment to create an “organic complexity.” “WeaverBird gives architects more geometric control and allows them to create comple surface structures that join in orderly ways, yet in arbitrary configurations.”Convoluted Inferences, was formed through the experimental Rhino Plug-In, Weaver Bird. WeaverBird is a topological editor, focusing on creating hard to draw shapes that go beyond the established tilling patterns. The project itself was an experiment to test the realms of the pro-gram, testing morphology, organization and how patterns can have dynamic behavioural effects and how the inter-act with their surrounding environment to create an “organic complexity.”WeaverBird refers to the real life animal the Weaver 19 Bird, where the male weaver bird creates intricate nests to attract a mate. WeaverBird hopes to emulate the “organic complexity“ of their nest,creating a repeating pattern that is hard to hand create and complex surface structures that join in an orderly way.

A3.0 PARAMETRIC DESIGN

Mercedes benz museum

Figure 9. Mercedes Benz Museum Exterior.

Mercedes benz museum UNStudio

Figure 11. Mercedes Benz Museum interior programme section

nonLin/Lin Pavilion

nonLin/Lin Pavilion UNStudio

CONCLUSION Architecture needs to be thought of as a discourse not constricted only to buildings. Through the study of precedents we can reinforce our knowledge on the vast role architecture plays in society. Architecture can be art, a symbol or an exploration of spatial experience, key concepts all which are relevant in integration with the vision of the Wyndham Project. The Gateway Project seeks be a symbol of progression and innovation, as one that reflects the global digital age. Parametric modelling captures such ideas being about change and flexibility and will indisputably be playing an important role in the future of architecture. The potential of these technologies will be acknowledged in the design of the Wyndham Gateway. Precedents will aid the development of the design by informing us of what fabrication methods are feasible while giving insight towards successful parametric projects. It is necessary to understand the theories behind parametric design in order to make conscious design decisions For this project we intend to see the Wyndham City Gateway Project as a symbol, on of both the present and the future. The effect it will have on onlookers of the present will be a representation of what we as a society strive for and how we continue to advance. As those of the future look to it, it will remain a symbol of the past and our roots.

APPENdiX