Wyndham City Gateway Project EXPRESSION OF INTEREST ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO AIR 2012 Stephanie Dodd 527233 | Tutor: David Lister
I. ARCHITECTURE AS DISCOURSE
“The consumption of architecture may be thought about in two ways: first, the understanding of it as sign, or symbol; second, in terms of it as spatial expcrience.” (Williams 2005)
Williams, Richard (2005). ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press), p. 108
ARCHITECTURE AS:
traditional and state of the art design techniques combined
QT LANTERN, Melbourne | Stephanie Dodd | 2011 QT Lantern was a project developed for Virtual Environments, a first year subject that is part of the Bachelor of Environments (Architecture) course. Similar to the Wyndham Gateway Competition, this brief required a sculptural object that inspired contemplation of the ideas behind it after first glance. A connection to site was also a criteria of the brief, the site of the lantern being the human body. By exploring the complex natural process of quantum tunnelling, the design attempted to challenge viewers’ interpretation of the form to go beyond first glance. This process was then related to the body in order to inform both the positioning of the lantern on the body and the nature of the design. The design concept was initially developed manually using clay modelling. The physical model was then digitised using Rhino 3D, through which the faceted, panelled nature of the final lantern was developed. The digitised model was then able to be manufactured using computer aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques by unrolling of the 3D model into a 2D surface which then able to be cut out by a laser cutter before manual construction completed the process. By engaging both traditional manual modelling techniques and cutting edge digital design and manufacturing, this project examined the way the discourse of architecture has changed since the advent of CAD and CAM. The project advanced the discourse of architecture by exploring the limitations and benefits of traditional and contemporary design techniques.
“any serious “rethinking” of architecture at the start of this century cannot be undertaken without upsetting the structure and emphases of the traditional profession, of traditional typologies, and of traditional modes of envisaging the architectural subject ” Vidler, 2000
Vidler, Anthony (2000) ‘Review of Rethinking Architecture and The Anaesthetics of Architecture by Neal Leach’, harvard design Magazine, 11, pp. 1-4, p. 3
ARCHITECTURE AS:
structure and aesthetics combined
“digital design should be viewed as an extended form of expression in architecture” Kotnik, 2005-6
SERPENTINE PAVILLION, London | Toyo Ito | 2002 The annual design brief for the Serpentine Pavillion requires a structure that exemplifies the current state of architectural discourse while being accessible to a wide public audience. The 2002 Serpentine Pavillion by Toyo Ito is an example of how computational design can produce form that is both aesthetically beautiful and structurally optimal and efficient. The Pavillion’s design is based on complex geometry, specifically an algorithm designed by engineer Cecil Balmond, that involves the rotation and scaling of a series of squares around a central axis. CAD was used such that the building does not have a façade distinct from its structure, rather it is pure structure - like a crystal or a snowflake. This ground-breaking building demonstrates how the discourse of architecture continues to examine and attempt to imitate nature where, arguably, the most efficient design exists, and how the application of state of the art CAD techniques has allowed architecture to get closer to optimal efficiency in design. As Kotnic argues, digital design should be viewed as “an extended form of expression in architecture”, allowing architects to design more complex forms and integrate aesthetics and structure into the design. The Serpentine Pavillion advances the architectural discourse by answering the question “Why is the attention to the facade less viable that to structure? Why is either worth the effort and attention?” (Williams, 2005) by addressing both with equal importance and in parallel. http://www.dezeen.com/2009/07/11/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-from-2000-2009/ T. Kotnik, ‘Algorithmic Extension of Architecture’ (unpublished postgraduate thesis, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich, 2005/6) Williams, Richard (2005). ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press), pp. 102-116
“computers will contribute their inform the facade of the building, which becomes a patterned climatic screen that regulates the solar impact superb rational and to improve the sustainability of the building. search abilities, and we humans will This design is an example of how human creativity and the power of computational analysis can be combined contribute all the to advance the architectural discourse with respect to solar performance and ornamentation, at a time when creativity and intuition “the “screen” might be the most contemporary category needed to solve design through which building expressions currently emerge” problems” Kalay, 2004 (Moussavi, 2006).
ASTANA NATIONAL LIBRARY, Kazakstan | BIG | 2009 BIG won first prize in an international architecture competition to design the new National Library in Astana. The brief required an iconic form that would inspire the public’s engagement with national literary resources. The building is in the complex form of a Möbius strip and state of the art technology has been used to map the thermal exposure of the building envelope (see diagram below, left). This data has then been used to parametrically
ARCHITECTURE AS:
creativity and analysis combined
THERMAL EXPOSURE www.big.dk http://www.archdaily.com/33238/national-library-in-astana-kazakhstan-big/ Moussavi, Farshid and Michael Kubo, eds (2006). The Function of Ornament (Barcelona: Actar), pp. 5-14
PATTERN AS CLIMATE SCREEN
ARCHITECTURE AS:
revitalisation and identity NORTH AND SOUTH ELEVATIONS
KLEIBERG HOUSING PROJECT, Bijlmermeer, the Netherlands | Greg Lynn | 2006 The project was a renovation of an existing 500-unit social housing block, built in the early 1970s on the outskirts of Amsterdam. The project was intended to revitalise the housing estate, making it more socially accessible by dividing the block into neighbourhoods of 10 units. A series of more than 150 parametrically designed vertical steel trusses, each unique in their form, is applied to the facade as an external cladding with the intention of providing a recognisable, organising form for the new ‘neighbourhoods’. The cladding also encloses the external circulation routes of the blocks. Parallels between this project and the Wyndham Gateway Project can be drawn in the social agenda of the projects - both are intended to provide a sense of identity to its inhabitants and spatial organisation (though the Wyndham Gateway is on a much larger, regional scale). They are also intended to revitalise an existing place, to inspire forward thinking and raise the profile of the area. The use of parametric computational design processes in this project can be aligned with the goals of regeneration and revitalisation. Application of current and forward-moving technologies spell out a clear message that this housing estate contains up to date amenities as well as opportunities for growth now and into the future.
http://integrationandincompletion.blogspot.com.au/2009/06/greg-lynn-greg-lynns-work-in-early.html I.M. Rocker, ‘Calculus Based Form: An Interview with Greg Lynn’, AD Vol. 76 pp.88-95
CASE FOR INNOVATION Computational design has contributed to great advances in the architectural discourse in recent decades. As parametric modelling programmes become more advanced, contemporary scripting cultures have resulted in the relationship between architects and engineers becoming more integrated. Whilst parametric modelling is often applied as part of the architectural design process, when used by engineers for structural decisions it also often leads to tangible impacts on building design; thus efficiency in structure and sustainability is optimised whilst architectural form (for example, Toyo Ito’s Serpentine Pavillion) or ornamentation (for example, BIG’s Astana National Library) is also favourably altered. The collaboration of engineering and architecture has also been fuelled by ambitious and innovative architectural design using computational techniques that have produced complex forms unbuildable by traditional means. Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum (Bilbao, 1997) - though initially designed traditionally by sketch concept - was ground-breaking in its application of CAD and CAM techniques that were previously the domain of aeronautic and automotive design, to construct a complex form. Since then, CAD and CAM has developed to become an integral part of the contemporary architectural discourse, contributing to advances in structural and material efficiency. As Williams (2005) states, architecture is something that can be consumed by all, in which everyone can participate. This is what makes architecture a discourse. We hope to contribute to the architectural discourse by generating a design for the Wyndham City Gateway Project that is open to multiple interpretations from each of the thousands of individuals that will experience, and on each of the occasions that they experience it. In this way, we hope to contribute to both the architectural discourse, through the use of innovative parametric design techniques, and to Wyndham’s cultural and community identity.
GLA Headquarters, London | Foster + Partners | 2002 The GLA Headquarters building in London was designed by Foster + Partners as part of an international competition. After winning the contract, Foster + Partners worked with engineers to model the acoustical performance of the building and this led to a refining of its form. These design alterations, a direct product of scripting cultures, also contributed to the design’s thermal efficiency as it has 25% less surface area than if it were a cuboid form of identical volume. Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003) pp. 25-26 Williams, Richard (2005). ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press), pp. 102-116
II. RESEARCH PROJECT
Kalay, Yehuda E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press), pp. 5-25
MATRIX:
explore
Applying our skills using Rhino 3D and Grasshopper, we developed a matrix of possible candidates for further exploration. The matrix was developed as a result of a search process which tested different combinations of input, association and output scripts in Grasshopper. The use of parametric modelling techniques has allowed us to explore a wide range of possibilities and explore those effects which prove more interesting in more detail. This search process is described below, in reference to Kalay’s text ‘Architecture’s New Media’ (2004).
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i. | ii. | iii. The shape of the letter W was explored as a simple and, in this case symbolic, image association. The top three rows (left) show how the IMAGE SAMPLER ASSOCIATION was combines with a GRID INPUT and EXTRUDE OUTPUT (i). The image sampler was also connected to radii of the perforations(ii and iii). iv. INPUT: Surface Grid | ASSOCIATION: Image Sampler | OUTPUT: Extrude v. INPUT: Surface Grid | ASSOCIATION: Maths Functions (graphs) | OUTPUT: Rotate vi. INPUT: Surface Grid | ASSOCIATION: Streaming Text Files | OUTPUT: Extrusion
explore
The matrix shows a series of search processes which illustrate how our search process started in a ‘depth first’ direction and then progressed to a ‘breadth first’ process as capability improved.
MATRIX:
SEARCH PROCESS Initially, our explorations followed a ‘depth first’ search process, as we experimented with new scripts and came to understand how they worked and what type outcomes they produced. As our skills in using Grasshopper developed, we were began to follow a broader ‘breadth first’ approach as we understood how to use a wider number of components to reach the outcome that we desired.
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viI. INPUT: Surface Grid | ASSOCIATION: Point Attractor vi. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Image Sampler | OUTPUT: Extrude vi. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Image Sampler | OUTPUT: Rotation
explore
vi. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Maths Functions | OUTPUT: Rotation
MATRIX:
OUTCOMES As we explored various script combinations, our design ideas began to develop and take a more targeted direction. We started to focus on producing outcomes that could be considered for use in a perforated screen design. We had particular interest in offset boolean patterns of geometric shapes arranged in a grid formation. Initial exploration was using circles however polygonal shapes including triangles and hexagons were explored as our capability increased. We found that polygonal shapes can be used with rotation output scripts to produce interesting overlap effects. Some of the perforation patterns were parametrically associated with an image.
MATRIX:
develop
1. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Image Sampler | OUTPUT: Extrusion This sequence started with an overlapping grid of hexagons, the size of which was parametrically linked to the brightness of an image. The density of the grid and range of the radii of the hexagons were then adjusted to produce various interesting overlapping patterns. The extrusion output was applied, however it was decided that the 2D contrast of the grids was more effective than any extrusion technique.
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2. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Image sampler | OUTPUT: Rotation This sequence started by parametrically associating the size of a grid of triangles according to the brightness of an image (2.2). The density of the grid was adjusted to produce different results (2.3). Then a rotation output was added to one layer of triangles to produce interesting overlapping patterns (2.1 and 2.4).
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2.3
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2.4
3. INPUT: Surface Grid | ASSOCIATION: Streaming Text Files | OUTPUT: Extrusion This sequence of designs used an association with a text file that contained a Fibonacci sequence of numbers. The size of the sequence was adjusted to produce a denser (3.1) and a sparser pattern of circles (3.2). An extrude output script was then attached to the script, whereby the height of the extrusion was parametrically linked with the radius of the circle (3.2 and 3.4).
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3.2
3.3 3.4 4. INPUT: Overlapping Patterns | ASSOCIATION: Maths Functions | OUTPUT: Rotation This sequence involved distribution of overlapping grids of circles according to a random maths function. The inputs of the function were adjusted, as were the radii of the circles to produce different effects.
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REVERSE ENGINEERING: engineering case studies
AIRSPACE TOKYO, Tokyo| Faulders Studio | 2007 Airspace Tokyo, by architect Hajime Masubuchi of Studio M, is a mixed residential and commercial building. The urban presence of the building is defined by a double layer screen that envelopes the building. The screen references the previous landuse - dense vegetation - and creates a “protective airspace� that is supposed to mediate the transition from the busy. urban exterior environment and the more private interior. We recreated the screen in Rhino3D, designed by Faulders Studio, using a voronoi script in Grasshopper. This case study provides an example of how interesting, irregular patterns can be created using Grasshopper, and it represents an extension in our capabilities for patterned perforated screens, the previous examples being mostly regular patterns or those associated with an image sampler. The image below also shows the interesting light and shadow effects that occur when multiple screens of offset patterns are layered, a design concept we plan to explore in the Wyndham City Gateway Project.
http://faulders-studio.com/proj_airspace.html
DIOR GINZA, Tokyo | Kumiko Inui | 2004 The facade of the Christian Dior Building in Tokyo applied the pattern of signature “Lady Dior� handbag to create a double-layered, perforated plaid screen. A CNC milling machine was used to create the pattern on 10mm-thick aluminium surfaces. Fiber optical illumination in the space between the two screens creates a delicate, glow in the evening. The double layersurface was recreated in Grasshopper using line attractors and image samplers. This project is an example of how state-of -the art technology has been used to manufacture and then illuminate a form, the effect being one that immediately stands out from the rest of the harshly lit urban-scape.
B. Pell (2010). The Articulate Surface: Ornament and Technology in Contemporary Architecture (Basel, Berkhauser), pp.105-109
FABRICATE
MODEL 1: W Screen We fabricated this model to explore how parametric techniques and effects could add dynamism to a generic symbol. The model was fabricated by unrolling a double curved surface, adding tabs and having the strips cut by the FABLAB laser cutter. The strips were then manually assembled and glued together. This model was not as successful as hoped as the size of the tabs blocked were to large and so blocked some of the perforations. We also decided that the W symbol was too literal and boring for the project as we aim to create a dynamic scultpture that is open to multiple interpretations by the public.
MODEL 2: Circular Perforations This model was again manufactured using the laser cutter. Two surfaces with a random pattern of circular perforations and of different scale are placed one in front of the other. The light and shadow effects created by the interplay of light and space between the panels is an effect we intend to carry through to our design for the Wyndham City Gateway Project.
MODEL 3: Voronoi Screens This model, fabricated using the laser cutter, provides an example of more transparent screens where the perforations are larger than the dividing surfaces. The screens were placed in front of each other with a structural frame holding them rigid and vertical. The difference of illumination of one screen from behind the other provides an interesting effect. In addition the shadows that are projected onto the ground in front of the screen are striking. The larger scale of perforations in this model are perhaps more appropriate to the Gateway Project given that observers will be passing the sculpture at high speeds.
III. EXPRESSION OF INTEREST CONCLUSION Our vision for Wyndham is a dynamic sculpture that is more than just a landmark marking the entrance to Wyndham. It will be an experience that is not static but will be altered according to the time of day at which it is experienced, and the prevailing weather and atmospheric conditions. Many of the people who will experience the Gateway will be those who drive past it on a daily basis – whether that be residents of Wyndham and commuters on their way into and out of Melbourne city. It is for this reason that we believe it is paramount that the sculpture is dynamic. It will provide those who experience it regularly with different experiences and so will not become a boring, unnoticed part of the landscape. The competition for the gateway is in part a response to the Quality Community Plan 2007, which as a result of surveying residents of Wyndham found that residents felt Wyndham lacked identity – that is it was not well known by those who don’t live there. In particular a lack of cultural identity was felt, and the Community Arts strategy aims in part to cultivate an image that is to the benefit of Wyndham as a whole, develops a positive image of the locality and also helps it become recognised as an arts and culture hub. Wyndham is Victoria’s fastest growing municipality and, by employing cutting edge digital design techniques, our design looks towards the future. We are engaging with innovative design techniques that will, we hope, advance the architectural discourse. The associations that this will have for Wyndham City will be one that is progressive and moving forward. Architecture is something that is open to consumption and experience by all. If the Gateway Project is to have an impact on the wider Victorian perception of Wyndham City, it must be aspiration and responsive to the change that time brings with it. In this way, it will remain a relevant and powerful symbol of Wyndham City’s cultural identity now and into the future.