AIR
Semester One 2013
architecture design studio
Stephen Khalek_538235
Digital Design Theory
As a third year level Architectural design student, I have previously learnt to engage with my design through physical methods. Primarily, I developed skills throughout high school using technical manufacturing methods such as vacuum moulding, lamination, fibre glass modelling and various fusions of other techniques. This gave me a passion for realistic and physical interactions with my projects in which I have, thus far, continued into the first two years of architectural design. One skill that I have found engages similarly with designs is the use of watercolours. I have learnt the effectiveness of this method to engage with and emotionally evoke responses in viewers, teaching me the importance of multi-media presentation. Resultantly, I hope that this course will allow me to develop my ability to
utilise digital design theory and tools to engage in a different aspect of design, allowing me to engage in the realistic and the physical, however now in 3D conceptual spaces. From this past work with Rhinoceros 5, my interest to engage with 3D digital design tools has grown at a phenomenal exponential rate. As I learn about the abilities of the program through the extensive use of the online tutorials, my conceptual framework for design possibilities has been networking uncontrollably. I can start to see and design within my head possibilities that would have been constrained by the use of modelling, sketching and the use of watercolours. I can thus realise how the use of digital design theory can create discourse for design.
‘To make architecture is to construct knowledge’ - Architecture is an Identity. Dutton & Lian Hurst Mann, 1996
The identity of architecture has to be considered as a constantly varying and developing set of rules and languages. Historically, the architectural mindset was narrowed to only use formal architectural language though conventional design methods. However, the fusing of ideas, norms and cultures through globalisation, coinciding with the development of technology that offers new design methods, allows the architectural language to diversify. Resultantly, the previous design ‘formalities’ no longer stand, new materials can be utilised and unconventional designs are being explored and constructed. In essence the identity of architecture has changed forever through the process of continual discourse. Wilson (2000) suggests that the finite algorithmic principles that CAD programs are scripted to should constrain design to unambiguous convention. However, ipso facto, the opposite stands true as CAD’s “effective procedure” (Wilson, 2000) enables a rooting in reality without distracting the architect’s mind. In turn, this will allow responsive designs that demonstrate innovation, environmental response and relevance. CAD has already revolutionised the way designs are conceived, birthing limitless depth and breadth of conversation and communication into new design perspectives. CAD and more precisely, parametric modelling allows the exponential growth of architecture through discourse.
Contemporary Arts Centre Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
The Contemporary Arts Centre in Córdoba, Spain is a representation and interpretation of traditional geometric laws and recurring patterns as seen in traditional Islamic architecture. The complex 3D fluidity of the tessellating hexagonal shapes rejects the conventional ‘container’ building metaphor. Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos describe the homogeneous four walls and a roof shape to be ill-fitting for its globalised market of viewers. Resultantly, a building that has characteristics similar to a warehouse or factory; large concrete pre-cast panels, continuous concrete floors and minimal windows creates an intervening sensation in comparison to other arts centres. This arts centre’s interest is on the non-linearisation of the interior yet the mimicking mirroring effect of the connecting rooms. Furthermore, constructing small perforations to channel beams of light from the facade not only makes the walls glow with the backlit illumination but also metaphorically questions the impenetrability of the uniform pre-cast concrete. Playing with light in this form is a reminder to Louis Kahn’s work in the National Assembly Building, Dhaka, Bangladesh, whereby he selectively utilises light to subconsciously warm interiors and create spatial hierarchy. The strict control of light flow was initiated during the modernist period and has been centralised by many famous designers since. It is especially seen in Tadao Ando’s work in the Church of Light. Throughout this period and continuing in the arts centre, the prioritisation of light has allowed a new dimension of design discourse to develop to better incorporate humans into the built environment.
Precedent 1.1
‘Church of Light’ Tadao Ando
‘National Assembly Building’ Louis Kahn ‘Contemporary Art Centre’s Interior Hall’ Nieto Sobejano Arquitectos
Ordos Art and City Museum
MAD Architects
Precedent 1.2
A more radical discourse away from the era of container construction is MAD Architects’ Ordos Art and City Museum (2005). The exterior continuous surface was a conception of the “ever-evolving digital design tools” (Schumacher, 2011). Ordos is similar to the Contemporary Arts Centre in the way it appears to be impenetrable. The continuity of the outer shell and the minimised entrance suggests a sense of hostility. However, through the perspective of the interior, the light that pierces through the shell breaks down this conception. Resultantly, it opens to a seeming oasis of softwoods and omnipotent lighting from above. The similar conversational discourse of the hierarchical prioritisation of light through limiting its use demonstrates an architectural age whereby human interaction is the paramount prioritisation in design.
‘Computing effectively revolutionised the design process like paper revolutionised construction’
Problem Solving or Goal Networking?
rule based and constraint satisfaction methods of design and matches them with the unlimited imagination of its users. This new design process demKalay (2004) highlights that architec- onstrates a highly generative method ture originated when conception and of thinking and allows the communication skills of design to match the construction were separated. This dissection allowed for the questioning user’s thought process so that no idea of the practicality of building. It revo- is lost amongst the way. However, this traditional perspective still only lutionised a process that was purely centralised around constructing with- perceives computing to be a tool that in the known realms of structures. In aids design. In reality, computing has this case, the tessellating capabilities developed to be a design process in of the square and the truss nature of itself that allow ideas to be produced the triangle were the only fundamen- that would not have been conceived. Interactions with the pliable and maltals of construction. leable interface produce new ways of interacting with planes. Previously However, paper allowed dea plane or surface had only been signers to test the realms of considered to be a 2D interaction. conceivable design and create Through computing, a surface can outside the paradigms of real- be considered a 3D unconventional platform; this plays with the idea that ity. it could be unconstrained by planar lines. Escher’s fascination with optical illusions and his ability to characterise When considering the design process, the impossibility of reality into someit can be classified either as problem thing seeming plausible on paper solving design or puzzle making deis the perfect representation of the sign. The major difference being that opportunities that paper design alproblem solving encourages rational, lowed. Computing in the design process effectively did the same thing that paper did to design conception. Computation has allowed for greater abstraction of the design process. It allows the realms of reality to be further tested and realised. Without knowing where the boundary between reality and fiction is, it is impossible to build to the edge. Computing revolutionises the regularity of space that has been design, into a space that is purposeful. It fully utilises the
Penrose Triangle, Mc Escher
convergent thinking. Design needs to be a network of possibilities; it needs to incorporate divergent and creative thinking to achieve a goal. When discussing design perspective’s aim to solve a problem suggests there is a singular eventuality that needs to be achieved and once reached, it can no longer be satisfied. However, through designing to reach a goal, there are “generalized precedents, metaphors and symbols” that direct the design solution. It is therefore that all of these things are considered and a network forms to express the possibilities that may eventuate. The ideology of the goalbased design perspective is that it is an evidence orientated design solution. The endless possibility for the network of goals has instigated a paradigm shift in design that prioritises continual improvement.
Precedent 2.1
Transitionally speaking, designers are not only designing physical spaces but they are also designing the tools to design the physical spaces (Peters & Kestelier, 2013). Through the process of writing and modifying algorithms, the way in which spaces are designed is changing and is stylized by the computing designer. For instance, Kalay (2004) suggests that the design process is primarily an analysis of a problem, secondarily, the synthesis of a solution and finally a process of evaluation. Computation allows the analysis of the problem and the evaluation – the rational processes, to be minimized and largely incorporated into the phase
of solution synthesis. This will allow time to be allocated to the divergent thinking process of creation, thus allowing for a greater investigation into what could be created. The development of this process is no longer stagnant. The reliance on computing has only been around for a short time in comparison to architectural design. However, already we have seen radical innovations that though traditional design methods, would have never been conceived. Not only this, but the process of design is radically increased. Thus, large-scale construction projects, such as Skidmore, Owings & Merrill’s Infinity Tower, Dubai, 2012 can be-
come feasible to create. The complexity of this building, in itself, could not have been constructed without the utilization of computation fabrication, thus we see unification between the design and construction. Ironically, this almost seems cyclical as it was for this very reason, as argued above, that architectural design was developed in the 15th century, so that conception and construction could be separated. However, today, architectural design has reached a point that it should be a holistic ensemble rather than dissected components, thus proving the necessity for computational design.
Infinity Tower, Dubai, Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Lines of Continuity Museo Soumaya Ferdanando Romero
The perfect proof that continuous development and design through computation can have incocievable outputs, unimagined by those before us. This building encapsulates the practicality of construction with the innovation and conceputalisation of an architect.
Precedent 2.2
Role Of Computation Computational methods were critical in the design of Museo Soumaya, not only for the aesthetical balance and parabolic geometries but further for the structural design. In the different computational models we can see various elements being tested, including the interactions of wind, the load bearing elements and the ventilation paths. These models could have been calculated almost simultaneous to the design of the building, allowing the form to be integrated into the function effectively. This is a revolutionary parametric way to think about design and enhances consistency for a holistic proposal rather than one segmented through the varying stages of hand drawing or 2D CAD design.
Precedent 2.2
The Transition of Design Paradigms When considering the design process, it can be classified either as problem solving design or puzzle making design. The major difference being that problem solving encourages rational, convergent thinking. Design needs to be a network of possibilities; it needs to incorporate divergent and creative thinking to achieve a goal. When discussing design perspective’s aim to solve a problem suggests there is a singular eventuality that needs to be achieved and once reached, it can no longer be satisfied.
However, through designing to reach a goal, there are “generalized precedents, metaphors and symbols� that direct the design solution. It is therefore that all of these things are considered and a network forms to express the possibilities that may eventuate. The ideology of the goal-based design perspective is that it is an evidence orientated design solution. The endless possibility for the network of goals has instigated a paradigm shift in design that prioritises continual improvement.
Design should follow the ideological belief of Gemba Kaizen - the ideology of continuous improvement - Masaaki Imai, 1997 -
Necessity for Organics... the blue planet - 3XN
Precedent 3.1
As designs begin to encumber many human aspects into their form, they should begin to become more natural. By undertaking an organic form, the constructs will be a valued part of the domain, effectively fusing the built and biological to create symbiosis within the architecture and an environmental ecosystem.
Precedent 3.2
Agora Gardens, Taipei Vincent Callebaut Architectures
The Future of Humanistic Parametric Design
Organics: Designed with a Double Helix structure
Precedent 3.2 The design space is a very important concept in association to the feasibility of designs through the process of computation. The available design space through conventional design methods is narrow and a template design is usually decided upon early within the design process. The introduction of parametric modeling has allowed this to change so that the design space is very divergent and expansive. Furthermore, a more regular occurrence is that many different template designs will be explored before a final solution is actually concluded upon. This allows a much broader design perspective that will allow for the integration of complex design ideas.
Symbiosis in Design This has been seen in Vincent Callebaut’s Agora Gardens, whereby we can see the successful integration of a very humanly associable DNA like structure, a sustainable ecosystem and the compartmentalisation of each apartment to promote individuality in this densely constructed apartment block with a fixed central core. This design (currently under construction) shows the feasibility, innovation and ingenuity that allows parametric modeling to be so positively diverse.
Generic forms of irregularity are beginning to emerge as a norm in parametric design. Parametric design, can be considered to be stemming two paths; the first being a new design style like modernism or brutalism. Alternatively,
the generic type produced by parametric design could in fact be a limitation of the design method.
The problem is that it creates a flexible but singular and uniform object. Through conventional design methodology it was possible to segment, disjoin or break up the design.
Convention Centre, Tanggu Skidmore, Owings & Merril
The single uniform principle is a regular occurrence as already noted in; Ordos art and city museum, Museo Soumaya and The Blue Planet. Furthermore, there are other structures that look almost identical, for example, from objective analysis, Melbourne’s Southern Cross Station looks almost identical to Skidmore, Owings & Merril’s Convention Centre in Tanggu, China, 2009. This reintroduc-
es the idea of ‘the container’ and proposes the container no longer has four walls and a roof
but instead the ‘new container’ is a parametrically designed single surface. This is a result of genetic algorithms.
Southern Cross Station Grimshaw Architects & Jackson Architecture
Uniformity in Discourse
MusĂŠe des Confluences, Lyon, France
Precedent 3.3
Coop Himmelblau (2001-2014)
v
Discourse:
The development of the multisensory parametric modeling into geometries
The rough sketches for MusĂŠe Confluences started as humani rounded and soft. With the intr duction of the parametric mod ing allowed the design path to altered to analyse strict geome whilst retaining the ultimately h erogeneous design.
Precedent 3
Experimentation in Grasshopper The experimentation into Grasshopper demonstrated to me the flexibility of the designing interface. The manipulability of objects is the key strength of this parametric modeling type. In comparison to conventional hand drawn methods, a lot of the designs and details that we have seen above could not have been constructed without the insight of parametric modeling. It instigates a paradigm shift that shifts into a whole new framework of considering three dimensional design. However, the most important aspect of parametric modeling is its ability to rapidly expand ideas based off a goal. For example, to design in an organically progressive style, small elements can be changed to have large affects on the core design.
Conclusion: Through the formation of this investigation of the expression of interest, the role of parametric design has been discussed to investigate the current organic discourse in architectural design. The birth of parametric design allowed for more holistic and realistic creation of buildings. The design process of architecture is no longer slow and stagnant but now diverse and dynamic. Resultantly, this should allow for the creation of buildings that also follow this principle.
A Design Intervention: Jan Gehl describes cities based off pace. There is the 5km hour city or the city at a walking pace, the 60km hour (driving pace) and the city from a bird’s eye perspective. His ideology stipulates that the pace in which humans transcend cities is too fast. Therefore, it is necessary to slow down. Gehl aims to create liveable cities. His ideas were implemented in the closure of Swanston Street in the heart of Melbourne becoming a non-driving street and he has had a large influence in the Danish model of a riding city. He aims to create cities that are far more liveable. However, what he neglects is that even at 5km/hr people are too preoccupied with the multisensory complexity of street level living that they neglect to look up. This makes it impossible to appreciate the true architecture of the city. Why should this be neglected and why don’t architects attempt to change this perception? The reason for this may be the lack of continuity between the earth and buildings. The buildings should be organic and seemingly spawn from the ground. Therefore, if there are no lines of disruption and no planar discontinuities then there is no reason that there should be a visual disruption. People will therefore begin to appreciate buildings as a whole. Lynn (1998) begins to discuss these ideas when discussing blobs, Architectonics and Topology. By fusing boundaries like Alejandro Zaera-Polo & Farshid Moussavi in their Yokohama Port Terminal, it is possible to achieve this organic appearance. Conclusively, this will hopefully be achieved through the utilisation of parametric modelling as conventional boundaries and lines are always reinvented through continual discourse.
Part B: EOI: Design Approach
AA - Driftwood Pavilion
B.1. Design Focus - Sectioning Contained within the design brief, it is stipulated that the design outcome will create an identity for Wyndham. The high speed view of the design concept will create a “focal point of iconic scale� and differentiate between the rural / urban fringe, Wyndham municipality and the Melbourne Metropolitan region. It has been concluded that the design focus of sectioning will create visual segmentation between the elements of the site, metaphorically representing the three different spatial transitions. However, this will further be suited to the nature of Wyndham as it is a highly dynamic location undergoing large scale urbanisation and therefore subjected to constant temporal change. The spatial and temporal change embodied within the Wyndham municipality shall be emphasised through the design focus of sectioning. Based on the nature of sectioning, deconstructionist techniques will be applied to the design process which will appropriately apply to the metaphor of spatial and temporal transitions. Through the analysis of parametric modelling techniques, it can be concluded that sectioning can be achieved through multiple different techniques of design exploration. Thus allowing for a diverse investigation into variable ways of representing sections within the site. The design focus of sectioning is an appropriate method for investigation as it represents a fundamentalist and reductionist approach. Due to the industrialised nature of Wyndham city, mechanisation and technological fundamentalism closely relate to the aura of the municipality. As this occurs, the design focus should centralise around rationalism rather than constructivist expressionisms such as Biomimicry, repetitive Tessellations or transformative Patterning.
Precedent B.1.1 An example of how reductionism can be applied through sectioning is in Denton Corker Marshall and Robert Owen’s ‘Webb Bridge’ whereby the complexity of form is centralised around the central curve of the bridge and is reduced as it passes through sections until the bridge straightens. This suggests that in areas of architectural noise, there is chaotic complexity, whereas at points of simplicity, there is simple formwork.
Precedent B.1.2 dECOi Architects’ design – One Main Street – Is an example of how complex forms can be constructed simplistically through sectioning and contouring. By changing a three dimensional curved surface – something that is challenging to construct with standard materials (Woods, Metals, and Plastics) due to structural composition of the molecular arrangement – into a two dimensional repetitive but slightly varied structure, one can interpret the same uniform appearance despite the variance in construction methods. This appearance of uniform surfaces in contoured sections is greatly intriguing and offers large potential areas for exploration.
B.2 Case Study 1.0 Offset Function
The exploration into the AA’s Driftwood Pavilion demonstrates the potential of sectioning through the offset function. The continual iterations of the Pavilion were shaped and altered in accordance to a base curve. This allowed for the exploration into two dimensional and three dimensional curvatures. The extractable aspect of fixing a brep to a curve allowed for the investigation into variations of core geometric shapes. With the investigation into the development of polar arrayed equilateral triangles lofted together over three dimensions, proposes a complex shape that is an abstraction of one of the most basic shapes. When sectioned in Grasshopper with the base algorithm for AA’s Driftwood Pavilion, a seemingly chaotic shape emerged. However, nonetheless, this was fundamentally an organic shape that was abstracted to divulge chaos. Ergo, proposing that in large expanses of chaos, there may be ways to finding the simple organic core. This development fits into the spatial and temporal metaphor of change for Wyndham as it tracks the development of space over time and can be considered to be representational of the chaotic complexity that comes with the urbanisation of a municipality.
Offset Function
Technique Prototype With the increasing amounts of chaotic development in the sectioning of the design proposal, construction techniques must be considered to investigate the physical limitations of designs. A: Cantilevered Rods B: Tongue & Groove C: Fractal Layering D: Spinal
A.
This investigation found that for vertically suspended elements that either technique ‘A’ or ‘D’ would be appropriate, whereas for vertical sections bound to the earth, ‘B’ might be more appropriate. As the design becomes more consolidated, the most relevant process will become more apparent for constructive purposes. The key to the construction however is hidden elements. Technique ‘A’ provides a greatly hidden element, thus potentially creating intrigue to visual observers who might be catching a glimpse at 100km/h.
B. C.
D.
D.
Fractal Layering
Fractal Layering
Python Script
For Loop 100 points 1 unit apart
Sin Wave Loop Sin Wave100 points 1 unit apart
Fractal Layering Starting Curve
Contouring