Synthesis Design + Architecture 2017 by Synthesis Design + Architecture

WWW.SYNTHESIS-DNA.COM SYNTHESIS DESIGN + ARCHITECTURE 724 S. SPRING ST. #1101 LOS ANGELES, CA 90014, USA STUDIO@SYNTHESIS-DNA.COM TWITTER/INSTAGRAM: @SYNTHESISDNA

SYNTHESIS DESIGN + ARCHITECTURE WWW.SYNTHESIS-DNA.COM Synthesis Design + Architecture is a forward thinking and multi-award winning design firm based in Los Angeles, California with architectural licenses in California, Arizona, and Colorado. We have over 15 years of experience with a diverse range of project types and a diverse range of locations. international projects (Thailand, China, Italy, and the UK). We specialize in producing innovative design work that not only challenges convention through technological, material and computational innovation, but also work that purposefully enlivens the public imagination and makes a case for the role of innovated architecture in our contemporary creative design culture. Our office engages the discipline of architecture through the dual lenses of design and research at the intersection of technology, performance and craft - a territory that we explore through the design of architectural projects of all scales that experiment with computational design processes as a means of investigating the synthetic relationships between form, structure and skin. This creative practice works to expand the historical arc of architectural discourse through the production of original design that connects essential relationships between architecture and technology to the present and the future. By fusing the essential with the experimental the ambition is to exceed the norms of contemporary practice – both in terms of the work’s spatial qualities as well as the work’s value as design research. It is through the integration of experimental research interests with design practice opportunities that our architecture is materialized as both intellectual inquiry and cultural artifact.

HOW WE WORK. + HOW WE THINK. WE COLLABORATE. We design through collaboration. Our role is to facilitate the dialogue between architect, client, user, engineer, fabricator, and builder. By provoking an open dialogue and challenging traditional preconceptions we are able to extend our clientsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; ambitions and produce groundbreaking work WE ANALYZE. We explore design as an expression of contemporary society and cultural values. We seek to enhance the way people experience the built environment by capitalizing on the potential of time, space, and form to affect and inspire those who inhabit it. WE CHALLENGE CONVENTION. We see constraints as opportunities to question the status quo. We see design as an opportunity to pose a series of thought provoking questions that establish the problems to solve. We view each project as a unique opportunity to integrate diverse and often contending conceptions and constraints into a coherent whole. WE LEVERAGE TECHNOLOGY. We believe that the catalyst for every major advancement within the discipline of Architecture has been a parallel advancement of technology. We focus on the merging of creative, intellectual, and technological design processes with intelligent fabrication and construction techniques to create beautifully crafted designs. WE SYNTHESIZE. We believe in design that is driven by integrated performance. Though architecture is by nature static, its aesthetic, spatial, structural, material, environmental, economic and social affects are intrinsically dynamic. Integrated performance, the manner in which a single design actively fulfifills the full array of its intentions, defines the performative aesthetic for which we strive. These positions defines the design agenda of the office, which seeks to balance both the experimental and the visionary with the practical and the pragmatic to achieve the extraordinary.

EDUCATION 2002-2004 M. Arch, Architectural Association, London UK 1993-1998 B. Arch, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS 2016- Licensed Architect #C35877, California Architects Board 2012- Registered Architect #53260, Arizona Board of Technical Registration 2012- Registered Architect #402785, State of Colorado 2012- Member #38186919, American Institute of Architects PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 2011- Principal, Synthesis Design + Architecture Inc., Los Angeles, CA, USA 2008-2011 Director, Amanda Levete Architects, London UK 2006-2008 Lead Designer, Future Systems, London UK 2004-2006 Lead Designer, Zaha Hadid Architects, London UK 1998-2002 Designer, AECOM, Los Angeles, CA, USA ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS 2011- Associate Professor, USC School of Architecture, Los Angeles, USA SELECTED INDIVIDUAL & FIRM AWARDS 2016 American Institute of Architects California Council, AEP Young Architects Award 2016 American Institute of Architects LA Chapter, Presidential Emerging Practice of the Year 2015 Links International, 50 Under 50: Global Design Innovatorsz 2015 Perspective Magazine, 40 Under 40 Award 2015 Engineering Record News, ENR California Top 20 Under 40 2014 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, ACSA New Faculty Teaching Award 2013 Autodesk Small Business Success Award SELECTED DESIGN AWARDS 2016 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Design Awards - Pure Tension Pavilion 2016 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, ACSA Faculty Design Award - Durotaxis Chair 2016 The Plan Magazine, Plan Awards - Industrial Design - Durotaxis Chair / La Burbuja Lamp 2015 Perspective Magazine, A&D Trophy Award -Best Commercial Project - The Groove @ CentralWorld 2015 Architect Magazine, Research & Design Award - Pure Tension Pavilion 2015 SXSWEco Place By Design Award for Data + Technology - Pure Tension Pavilion 2014 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Design Awards, NEXT LA Award - Daegu Public Library 2014 Chicago Athenaeum International Architecture Awarbaltimored - Pure Tension Pavilion 2014 Exhibitor Magazine Portable/Modular Awards - Ziegler Award (1st Place) - Pure Tension Pavilion 2014 American Institute of Architects National Small Projects Award - Pure Tension Pavilion 2014 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture, ACSA Faculty Design Award - Chelsea Workspace 2013 Time Magazine’s Top 25 Inventions of 2013, Pure Tension Pavilion 2013 American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Design Awards, NEXT LA Award - Pure Tension Pavilion 2013 American Institute of Architects California Design Award for Small Projects - [C] Space Pavilion 2009 D&AD Award for Environmental Design - [C] Space Pavilion SELECTED DESIGN COMPETITIONS 2014 Los Angeles Metro Slauson Station Public Art Competition, 1st Prize 2014 Fuzhou Cultural Center International Design Competition, 3rd Prize 2013 Switch to Pure Volvo International Design Competition, 1st Prize 2013 Shanghai Wuzhou International Plaza Design Competition, 1st Prize

ALVIN HUANG, AIA FOUNDER + DESIGN PRINCIPAL D.O.B: 6 September 1975 Nationality: USA E-mail: alvin@synthesis-dna.com Mobile: +1 323.698.7001 Alvin Huang, AIA is the Founder and Design Principal of Synthesis Design + Architecture and an Associate Professor at the USC School of Architecture. He is an award-winning architect, designer, and educator specializing in the integrated application of material performance, emergent design technologies and digital fabrication in contemporary architectural practice. His work spans all scales ranging from hi-rise towers and mixeduse developments to temporary pavilions and bespoke furnishings. His work has been published and exhibited widely and has gained international recognition with over 30 distinctions at local, national, and international levels including being honored as the Presidential Emerging Practice of the Year by the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles Chapter in 2016, being selected of as one of 50 global innovators under the age of 50 by Images Publishing in 2015, being featured as a “Next Progressive” by Architect Magazine in 2014, and being named one of Time Magazine’s 20 Best Inventors of 2013. He has been an invited critic, guest lecturer, and keynote speaker at various institutions in the US, Canada, Mexico, Chile, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Israel, Japan and China. Alvin received a Master of Architecture and Urbanism from the Architectural Association Design Research Laboratory (2004) in London and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Southern California (1998) in Los Angeles.

SELECTED PROJECTS (CURRENT & BUILT) 2013- Hakka Contemporary Cultural Center, Yongding, China, estimated completion 2018 2016 “Relaxation Station” Microlibrary, Los Angeles, USA, completed May 2016 2015-16 IBM Watson Showroom Feature Wall, San Francisco, USA, completed August 2016 2015-16 IBM Watson Showroom Feature Wall, Cambridge, USA, completed May 2016 2015 La Burbuja Lamp, Los Angeles, USA, completed 2015 2013-15 Central Plaza Rayong, Rayong, Thailand, completed 2015 2014 Durotaxis Chair, Los Angeles, USA, completed 2014 2013-14 Pure Tension Pavilion, Milan, Italy, completed 2014 2011-14 The Groove @ CentralWorld, Bangkok, Thailand, completed 2014 2011-13 Central Plaza Lampang, Lampang, Thailand, completed 2013 2013 Articulated Tensions Installation, Calgary, Canada, completed 2013 2012 Minimal Relaxation Roof Canopy, Shanghai, China, completed 2012 2011-12 Chelsea Workspace, London, United Kingdom, completed 2012 2007-08 [C]Space Pavilion, London, United Kingdom, completed 2008 SELECTED PROJECTS (THEORETICAL & UNBUILT ) 2015-16 “Field Formations” Public Art Installation, Los Angeles, USA 2014- Zen Saladaeng Mixed-use Development, Bangkok, Thailand 2015 “Aristochlia Composita” Public Art, San Francisco, USA 2015 Baltimore Redline Public Art Installation, Baltimore, USA 2015 NOMA Underpass Public Art Installation, Washington DC, USA 2014-2015 Koh Kwang Resort, Krabi, Thailand 2014 Cross-strait Cultural Center, Fuzhou, China 2014 Guggenheim Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland 2013 South Broadway Public Art Installation, Denver, USA 2013 Taichung Cultural Center, Taichung, Taiwan 2013 Tensioned Relaxations Pavilion, New York, USA 2012 Daegu Gosan Public Library, Daegu, South Korea 2012 Huatai Road International Plaza, Shanghai, China 2012 Keelung International Harbor Terminal, Keelung, Taiwan 2012 Lotus Pond Market Development, Chengdu, China 2011 Dream City Development, Xiamen, China 2011 New Taipei Art Museum, New Taipei, Taiwan 2011 Ocean City Visitor Center, Quanzhou, China 2011 Polyfold Partition, London, England 2011 Pushkinsky Cinema, Moscow, Russia SELECTED PROJECTS (PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE) 2007-2011 Central Embassy / Park Hyatt, Bangkok, Thailand, completed 2016 (AL_A w/ Alvin Huang as Project Director) 2008 Corian Super-Surfaces Showroom, Milan, Italy, completed 2008 (AL_A w/ Alvin Huang as Project Director) 2006-2009 Spencer Dock Bridge, Dublin, Ireland, completed 2009 (Future Systems w/ Alvin Huang as Project Designer) 2004-2006 Mediatheque du Pau Pyrenees, Pau, France (ZHA w/ Alvin Huang as Project Designer) 2004-2006 Soho Forum, Beijing, China (ZHA w/ Alvin Huang as Project Designer) 1998-2002 BMC Software Headquarters Phases III + IV, Houston, Texas, completed 2002 (AECOM w/ Alvin Huang as Project Lead)

ALVIN HUANG, AIA SELECTED PROJECT EXPERIENCE

SELECTED LECTURES 2016 Now, Next, Future Conference, AIA California Council, UCLA, Los Angeles, USA 2016 Urban Intelligence Symposium, Architectural Association, Shanghai, China 2016 Indian Institute of Architects, Bangalore, India 2016 Museo Tamayo, Mexico City, Mexico 2015 Alaska Design Forum, Future Tense Lecture Series, Anchorage/Juneau/Fairbanks, AK 2015 Monterey Design Conference, Emerging Voices, Asilomar, California 2015 Ottawa Architecture Week / Carleton University, Forum Lecture Series, Ottawa, CA 2014 Urban Formations Symposium, Architectural Association, Shanghai, China 2014 Radical Tectonics Progressive Architecture Symposium VIII, Mexico City, MX 2014 Digital Skins: Tex-Fab 5, University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA SELECTED EXHIBITIONS 2016 Specificities: AAVS Shanghai Ten, Hong Kong University SSC Gallery, Shanghai, China 2016 Out Side: AA Public Works, Architectural Association, AA Members Gallery, London, UK 2015 Architectural Xenotypes, Design Matters Gallery, Los Angeles, USA 2015 Celebrate Los Angeles, A+D Museum, Los Angeles, USA 2015 Global Renaissance 2.0, ZKM | Centre for Art and Media, Karlsruhe, Germany 2014 Urban Stories: In + Out, Salone del Mobile, curated by Mosca Partners, Milan, Italy 2013 Appropriate/Mutate/Innovate, Beijing Architectural Biennale, Beijing, China 2013 Informed Form: Synthesis of Geometry, Performance and Craft, Kasian Gallery, Calgary, Canada 2012 MOCA Mock-ups: The Art of Spatial Architecture, MOCA Shanghai, Shanghai China 2010 Input/Output: Adaptive Materials & Mediated Environments, Temple University, Philadelphia USA 2009 Digital Architecture London, The Building Centre, London UK 2009 Digital Thinking: Parametric Prototypes, Jia Xingwa Museum of Arts, Xian China 2009 Advanced Architecture Settimo Tokyo, CASARTARC, Tokyo, Japan SELECTED PRESS 2016 Connection: Journal of the AIA Young Architects Forum, “Now Next Future: Alvin Huang, AIA” 2016 The Architects Newspaper, USA, “SDA’s Sophisticated Addition to CentralWorld” 2016 Line/Shape/Space Magazine, USA, “5 Ways Architects are Modernizing Craftsmanship” 2015 Architectural Digest, USA, “5 Boundary-Pushing Designs That Make the World a Better Place” 2014 AIArchitect Magazine, “Future Tense” 2014 Architect Magazine, US, “The DNA of Digital Craft” 2014 Artworks Journal, UK, “Building Firm Foundations” 2014 Dwell Magazine, “The Future of Mobility” 2013 Time Magazine, “Top 25 Inventions of 2013” 2013 Fast Company Co.Design, “Volvo’s Solar Panel Puts The Sexy In Station Wagon” 2013 Surface Magazine, USA“Analyze Bliss: Synthesis uses number crunching to profound effect.” 2012 Dwell Magazine, “Hidden in Plain View” SELECTED BOOKS 2016 Integrating Innovations in Architecture: Design, Methods and Technology 2015 50 Under 50: Innovators of the 21st Century 2014 Paradigms in Computing 2014 eVolo_06: Digital & Parametric Architecture 2014 Material Innovation: Architecture 2012 Interdisciplinary Design: New Lessons from Architecture and Engineering 2012 Contemporary Digital Architecture 2: Further Explorations 2011 FABRICATE 2010 Contemporary Digital Architecture Design + Techniques

ALVIN HUANG, AIA LECTURES, EXHIBITIONS + PUBLICATIONS

CAN A BUILDING CAPTURE THE VIBRANCY OF AN ALLEY? THE GROOVE @ CENTRALWORLD Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

Bangkok, Thailand Central Pattana Ltd. Co. Completed 2014 Retail, entertainment, & lifestyle center 12,000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), David O Wolthers, Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Behnaz Farahi, Timothy Harmon, Joseph Sarafian A49 Architects(Local Architect) Kulsiri Chadrangsu - Ferrand (Structural Engineer) MITR (MEP Engineer) WithLight (Lighting Consultant) Façade Associates (Façade Consultant) TROP (Landscape Designer)

This project is an expansion of the existing Central World Shopping Center in Bangkok, one of the largest malls in the world. The challenge was in adding an extension to the massive indoor fully air conditioned mall while providing an outdoor oasis of calm energy. With 4,000 sqm of enclosed retail and 8,000 sqm of restaurants and bars facing an open-air protected courtyard, the project looks to capture the sophistication and atmospheric vibrancy of “al fresco” dining in European cafe culture and pair it with the energy and intimacy of the Soi’s (alleys) of Bangkok to define a new contemporary Soi culture of sophisticated outdoor dining and lively pedestrian streets for Central World. Given the unique position of the project facing the high traffic condition of Ploenchit Road and the BTS Skytrain and Skywalk, the facade and roof serve as a the graphic identity of the building while acting as a veil which reveals and conceals views. The primary driver of our formal organization and design concept in particular for the facade was the continuous flow of pedestrian and vehicular traffic along Ploenchit Road. The facade is articulated with continuous horizontal lines which change height to accommodate openings for restaurant and retail shop fronts as well as terracing areas. The facade construction is a back lit aluminum panel system which incorporates lighting, graphics, identity and visual performance into a beautiful and elegant skin. A dynamic LED backlighting system creates a unique facade glow effect during the night making the building stand out in the busy Bangkok street.

CAN CULTURAL HERITAGE INFORM CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE? HAKKA PERFORMANCE CENTER + HOTEL Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

Yongding, China Jin Ma Media Group In construction, estimated completion 2019 Performance hall, boutique hotel, retail, & dining 12,000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), David O Wolthers, Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Behnaz Farahi, Timothy Harmon, Joseph Sarafian Beijing Institute of Architecture & Design (BIAD)

Situated on a prime hilltop site overlooking the Yongding River, the design of the building seeks inspiration from the continuously looping traditional homes of the Hakka Minorities. However, it also looks to re-interpret the closed and introverted forms of the Tulou by seeking parallel inspiration from mathematical models of continuous inversion found in the mobius strip, klein bottle, and lorenz attractor. In direct opposition to the conventional approach of the Tulou which sit as platonic and inward facing closed objects dropped onto the landscape, the project seeks to integrate itself with the contours of the surrounding landscape. Its dramatic looping roof form peels away from the terraced hilltop to create a continuous loop which is both plaza, faรงade, and roof. It simultaneously creates an inward facing enclosure toward its central performance stage, while maintaining an outward facing view over the surrounding hillside and the hundreds of historic Tulou which dot the local area. The apparent free-form geometry of the building is actually defined by a series of rational arcs, all of which are developed through associative geometric models which rely on a decomposing the parameters of a collection of simple polylines. The spiraling circulation path of the performance hall drive a series of parameters which define the plan distribution of seats. This plan distribution in turn defines a sectional condition which is constrained by the sight angles required by each visitor. The roof of the building has been rationalized through associative modeling techniques to define its apparent free-form geometry as a series of rational and easily describable compound arcs. The relationships between the edge conditions are constrained by linear connections which define the roof as a developable surface which can easily be constructed by linear elements with no double curvature.

CAN VISUAL COMPLEXITY BE MASS-CUSTOMIZED? CENTRAL PLAZA LAMPANG FACADE Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

Lampang, Thailand Central Pattana Ltd. Co. Completed 2012 Feature facade for a shopping center 7200 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), David Wolthers, Thomas Jensen, Jurgen Strohmayer M.A.A.R Co. Ltd. (Local Architect) RVK (Structural Engineer) MITR (MEP Engineer) WithLight (Lighting Consultant) Northcroft (Quantity Surveyor) Façade Associates (Façade Consultant) PASA Landscape Co. Ltd (Landscape Designer)

Central Plaza Lampang is located in Northern Thailand, just outside of the famed city of Chiang Mai. The facade design of this 60,000sqm shopping center attempts to capitalize on the buildings freeway-side location by promoting a sense of visual movement and moiré through the installation of a dynamically evolving aluminium composite dia-grid lattice. The dynamic arrangement of this lattice is carefully calibrated to transform from opaque to transparent to expose and reveal deliberate moments based on the perspective of the viewer. The open lattice is backlit to create a 3D effect within the flat façade. Color changing LED up-lights are utilized to create kinetic effects that activate the wall with dynamic patterns. In order to maximize efficiency and optimize costs the entire façade was rationalized into 5 pre-fabricated panel types which can be rotated to produce 10 panel variations. The main feature façade system consists of a non-linear grid of quadrilateral hoops (loops, ribbons) suspended in a discrete framing system offset from a uniform precast enclosure. The precast is lit resulting in a backlighting effect visible through the grid of hoops. The quadrilaterals are formed in aluminium composite panel (ACP) sheet material and each has rounded corners with radiuses defined by the angle formed by the adjacent edges. Trials were conducted with material suppliers to establish minimum achievable radii for the bending process. Each loop consists of 2 to 4 pieces depending on the radius of the edges of the quadrilateral. It proved difficult to fabricate flat sheet ACP into a loop in a single piece due to typical rolling equipment configuration and ‘springback’ of curved corners after rolling.

CAN MOVEMENT BE MATERIALIZED? CENTRAL PLAZA RAYONG Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team:

Rayong, Thailand Central Pattana Ltd. Co. Completed 2015 Feature facade for a shopping center 130000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Kais Al-Rawi, Timothy Harmon, Joseph Sarafian

Situated along a major highway just south of Bangkok en route to the resort town of Pattaya, the design of the facade for the Central Plaza Rayong facade explores the potential of the facade to provide a visually engaging and seemingly kinetic appearance to attract the attention of passers by. Defined by a series of 2D CNC plasma cut aluminum profiles which are mirrored and nested to gain optimum material efficiency, the undulating ripples within the facade reference the rippling waves of the adjacent beach front. The result is a moire like effect, which appears to shape shift as one drives by and provides multiple readings from various vantage points.steel grid is offset back from the edges of the ACP quadrilaterals such that it is typically concealed. The grid is open and allows for drainage and ventilation between the quadrilaterals. The major frames are attached through the precast building enclosure directly back to reinforce the primary structure. The system, though offset from the building was designed for appropriate local seismic criteria. As the major surface area of the faรงade is in fact perpendicular to the elevation plane wind loading criteria was developed to ensure that worst case wind load conditions (wind at acute angles) were accommodated in the design.

CAN DESIGN BLUR THE LINES BETWEEN ARCHITECTURE (ENCLOSURE), FURNITURE (UTILITY), AND ART (DECORATION)? CHELSEA WORKSPACE Location: Client: Program: Area: Status: Design Team: Collaborators:

London, United Kingdom Private Bespoke desk and storage system 7 sqm Completed 2011 Alvin Huang (Principal), David O. Wolthers, Thomas T. Jensen, Jurgen Strohmeyer Cutting Edge UK

This home office for a private personal investment advisor responds to the clients brief of a discrete yet sculptural design solution for a home office by conceptually draping a dynamic surface over an orthogonal arrangement of the required home office elements including a work desk, storage units, printer, paper shredder etc. Set within a tiny 7sqm room in the client’s Chelsea flat, the design intent was to minimize the imposing presence of the boxy storage requirements the client required by disguising them within a sinuous form that emerges from the walls of the room. As the owner desperately wanted to reduce the visual clutter of “stuff” within his work space, storage for books, filing cabinets, printer, shredder, electrical cabling, phone, internet, and lighting controls are all concealed within the volume of the construction. The space is organized around the lone window in the room, in order to provide the client with a pleasant view and ample natural daylighting. The glow of natural light from the window further serves to articulate the geometry of the installation through the play of light and shadow. Constructed with a strict budget of 7000GBP, the fluid geometric form is articulated as a series of alternating CNC milled birch plywood ribs which are pre-fabricated into modular units and spray finished with a clear lacquer. These units are hung on a series of z-clips bolted to the interior wall, and held in place by self-weight. Horizontal spacers, which stabilize the open ends of the plywood ribs, are arranged in a pixelized graphic pattern representing a world map, where the owner (a seasoned world traveller) can map out his travels.

CAN DATA BE ARTICULATED AS DESIGN NARRATIVE? OPTICAL TOPOGRAPHIES Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

San Francisco, USA IBM Watson Estimated completion 2016 Data Driven Feature Wall 35 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), Mo Harmon, Farnoosh Rafaie Arktura LLC, Los Angeles Gensler, San Francisco

Data Moiré is za large-scale feature wall designed and installed for the IBM Watson Experience Center in San Francisco, California (the project is currently being fabricated with an estimated completion date of July 2016). The project merges the territories of “data spatialization” and “data narrative” by using using the cognitive computing capabilities of IBM Watson to inform a data-driven generative design processes. The result is a digitally-fabricated physical installation that illustrates monthly spending cycles by mapping the growing influence of mobile devices on all digital sales from 2013-2015. The data is materialized as a CNC milled, double layered aluminum, back-lit screen wall, producing a moire like effect through abstract visual interference patterns generated by the overlaying of two mappings of the same data set. The resultant project is simultaneously an abstract representation of Big Data that offers a uniquely spatial marketing narrative, as well as a dynamic architectural feature with a visual experience that is amplified through the movement of visitors through the Experience Center. The paper reviews initial research and data mining, digital mapping and visualization studies, and the development of tectonic including spatial logics which have proved effective both representationally and atmospherically.

CAN ARCHITECTURE BE AN ACCESSORY (RATHER THAN A DESTINATION)? PURE TENSION PAVILION Location: Milan, Bologna, Venice, Rimini (Italy) Moscow (Russia) Palms Springs (USA) Guanghzou (China) Client: Volvo Status: Completed 2014 Program: Portable solar-powered pavilion Area: 35 sqm Design Team: Alvin Huang (Principal), Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Behnaz Farahi, Yueming Zhou Collaborators: Buro Happold, Los Angeles Fabric Images, Chicago Ascent Solar, Houston

The Pure Tension pavilion challenges the conventions of the typical automotive trade show pavilion design (a pre-fabricated modular garage) by thinking of the pavilion as an accessory (that could be transported by the car itself and actually provide power to the car itself) rather than a destination (which the car drives to and requires it’s own power). The result is a portable, solar-powered tensile membrane structure commissioned by Volvo Car Italia for the new Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid electric car which not only charges the car but also flat-packs to fit in the trunk of the car and assembles in less than one hour. The Pure Tension Pavilion It is an experimental structure that, similar to a concept car, is a working prototype that speculates on the future of personal mobility and alternative energy sources while also exploring digital design methodologies and innovative structural solutions. The pavilion is an expression of the tensioned equilibrium between its elastic membrane skin and rigid perimeter frame. The perimeter frame of the structure is defined by 24 CNC bent aluminum pipes with swaged slip fit connections, while the skin is materialized as a pair of vinyl encapsulated polyester mesh membranes with a zippered seam and spandex sleeves that wrap the frame. The entire pavilion collapses neatly into two 65”x15” x15” ‘B-cases’ and weighs 150lbs in total and can be assembled and taken down in just under an hour by a team of two to three people.

CAN YOU FLAT-PACK A PAVILION? [C]Space Pavilion Location: London, UK Client: Architectural Association Status: Completed 2009 Program: Temporary pavilion Area: 25 sqm Design Team: Alvin Huang & Alan Dempsey Collaborators: Adams Kara Taylor Rieder CC

[C]Space is the winning entry in the AADRL10 Pavilion competition. It was selected by the jury for the proposals radical use of material, it’s expression of form as a continuous transformation of furniture to floor, walls and roof structure; and it’s constructability within a tight schedule and budget. The design was proposed to be entirely constructed from Fibre-C, a thin fibre reinforced cement panel that is normally used as a cladding solution. The striking presence of the pavilion invites inspection from a distance and upon closer interaction reveals its ambiguity through the merging of sinuous curves, structural performance, and programmatic functions into a single continuous form. As you move around, the surface varies from opaque to transparent, producing a stunning threedimensional moiré. The surface encloses while also providing a route through for passing pedestrians blurring the distinction between inside and outside. The jointing system in the pavilion exploits a simple interlocking cross joint which is tightened by a set of locking neoprene gaskets. Consultation with the Fibre-C technical department, structural engineers AKT, and extensive material testing were required to develop the design. In parallel to the digital modelling, numerous rapid prototypes, scale models and full scale physical mock-ups were built to develop the design of individual elements and test the tolerance and fit of entire assemblies. Since its erection in 2009 the pavilion has been widely published and exhbited as a seminal project within experimental architectural dis¬course, particularly in regards to digital fabrication and parametric modeling techniques.

HOW DO YOU DESIGN A 3D PRINT...RATHER THAN 3D PRINT A DESIGN? DUROTAXIS CHAIR Description: 3D printed multi-material rocking chair Dimensions: 50cm x 60cm x 800cm Materials: Objet VeroCyan Digital Material & Objet VeroWhite Digital Material Client: Stratasys Fabricator: Stratasys Photo credits: IMSTEPF Films

The Durotaxis Chair is a fully 3D printed multi-material dual position rocking chair designed by Synthesis Design + Architecture and manufactured by Stratasys. The chair is inspired by the biological process of the same name, which refers to the migration of cells guided by gradients in substrate rigidity. The chair is an ovoid rocking chair which has two positions, as an upright rocking chair and as a horizontal rocking lounge. The volume of the chair is defined by a densely packed three-dimensional wire mesh that gradiates in size, scale, density, color, and rigidity. The chair capitalizes on the multi-material printing capabilities of the Stratasys Objet 500 Connex3 to produce gradients of material performance. The varying gradient conditions are expressions of the combined formal, ergonomic, and structural properties of the chair. Commissioned by Stratasys to produce a piece that would not be possible at all without 3D printing, Synthesis took the challenge a step further to produce a piece which more specifically would not be possible without the Stratasys Objet 500 Connex3. The complexity and density of the three-dimensional mesh of the Durotaxis Chair would be ridiculously laborious in any other conventional manufacturing process, however the gradient distribution of material properties and performance which would be impossible without the Objet Connex3. As an extension to an on-going body of design research which explores the reciprocal relationships between form and performance - the chair provides an opportunity to explore a design and fabrication process that articulates both visually and materially what the chair is doing structurally and ergonomically. The chair is thicker and more rigid where it needs it, and thinner and softer where it needs it.

CAN NATURE AND CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURE CO-EXIST? ZEN SALADAENG Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

Bangkok, Thailand ZEN Group Design Development Mixed Use 10000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Timothy Harmon, Joseph Sarafian, Farnoosh Rafaie MAAR (Local Architect) KCS (Structural Engineer) On Ground (Landscape Architect)

Zen Saladaeng is a 10,000 sqm mixed-use development that is designed around the presence of two significant existing trees on a corner site in the dense Bangkok district of Saladaeng.

Situated within the lush and leafy Bangkok district of Saladaeng, the project is a 20,000 sqm mixed use development designed as a local neighborhood retail, dining, and entertainment destination that utilizes passive design strategies to enable a unique experience that blurs the line between indoors and outdoors. Architecturally, the building is conceptualized as a field of fluid lines that emerge from the site to form a collection of surfaces that bifurcate, peel and fold to divide the building into a series of intimate indoor/outdoor spaces, deep overhangs and fluid circulatory conditions. The sequence of stacked open plan spaces are choreographed as a series of folding exposed concrete surfaces that respect and respond to the presence of three magnificent specimens of existing banyan trees which define the site and anchor the building. These trees also serve as the formal inspiration for the unique design of the articulated branching of the pre-cast concrete facade and the leafy pattern of the fritted glazing system. A simple material palette of exposed board formed concrete, locally sourced Teak decking, patinated copper fascia, and architectural bronze railings give the building a character that is simultaneously raw and modern yet warm and inviting.

CAN MOVEMENT BE MATERIALIZED? ASICS FLAGSHIP STORE NYC Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team:

New York, USA Asics USA Conceptual Deign 2016 Retail store 6,000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), Suky Ho, Daniel Valentin

Asics is a brand that represents the best of sport as a way of life. A way of transforming ourselves both physically and mentally. A sound mind is produced by a body in movement. These images from Asics â&#x20AC;&#x153;Sound mind, sound bodyâ&#x20AC;? campaign illustrate the dynamic movement of athletes through a trail of thoughts that is transformed through their movement. For the Asics Flagship store in New York City - we propose an identity embodied by movement and and an experience activated by it. Movement is materialized as a feature facade consisting of two layers of CNC bent stainless steel pipes inspired by the movements of runners and athletes. The two fi elds of two-dimensional profi les are overlaid to collectively produce the illusion of a dynamic three dimensional surface and a dynamic moire effect. The bespoke visual display system acts as a third internal layer of dynamic visual interest by arranging an array of Asics trainers into a vector fi eld alligned with the movements of the outer skin. The display system utilizes a system of tensioned stainless steel cables and custom fi ttings with 3 axis rotation. Collectively, the entire assembly works together s a choreography of movement and experience to provide the dynamic and iconic identity that Asics deserves.

CAN A BUILDING BE DEFINED BY AN ERGONOMIC LANDSCAPE? DAEGU PUBLIC LIBRARY Location: Daegu-Gosan, South Korea Client: Daegu Metropolitan City Suseong-gu Office Status: Competition entry, 2012 Program: Public Library Area: 3200 sqm Design Team: Alvin Huang (Principal), David O Wolthers, Filipa Valente, Chia-ching Yang, Behnaz Farahi, Timothy Harmon, Joseph Sarafian Collaborators: Buro Happold (Structural Engineer)

The proposal for the Daegu Gosan Public Library challenges the conventional understanding of the spatial and social experience of a public library as a series of discrete reading rooms with defined thresholds and cluttered stacks, and instead conceives of the library as continuous ergonomic landscape. We propose an intelligent, open, and integrated library experience which supersedes the media storage methods of the past and changes the library space into a hybrid landscape environment through ubiquitous information resources, integrated furnishings and active communal social spaces. The architecture is designed to enable and embody the spirit of open-source exchange and collective knowledge through free-form geometries, open plans and integrated amenities. We have minimized the thresholds between spaces, floors, and functions to consider the library as an active, continuous, and fluid field of social, cultural, and intellectual discourse. The ground field of the site swells, peels, and multiplies vertically as a continuation of the adjacent park and urban fabric. This constant sectional change is articulated as a smooth vertical gradient which merges floors, ramps, stairs, terraces and furnishings into an inhabitable and ergonomic landscape culminating in an open-air roof-scape lounge and terrace overlooking the city of Daegu. The boundaries between floors are blurred, as the continuously walk-able surface which unifies the many spaces of the library facilitates circulatory, physical and visual connections both internally within the network of spaces and externally with the surrounding context.

CAN ICONIC ARCHITECTURE BE CONTEXTUAL? GUGGENHEIM HELSINKI Location: Client: Status: Program: Area: Design Team: Collaborators:

Helsinki, Finland Guggenheim Trust Competition entry, 2014 Museum of art & design 75,000 sqm Alvin Huang (Principal), Chia-ching Yang, Filipa Valente, Timothy Harmon Arup (Structural & Environmental Engineer)

Our proposal for the Guggenheim Helsinki seeks to simultaneously define the building as both an exclusive world-class fine-arts museum that will attract visitors from around the globe, AND as an engaging cultural center and civic space that encourages regular visits from the residents of Helsinki. Designed as an elevated museum hovering over the site, all of the ticketed programs of the museum (galleries, auditorium, event spaces) are placed at the upper levels of the building while the entire ground level is open to the public (retail, dining, etc). Private and public areas are both visually and spatially connected by a dramatic top lit central atrium space which will host a revolving series of public events, performances and exhibitions. Three open-air roof terraces/viewing decks sit at the top of the museum with each overlooking a different aspect of Helsinki (city center, waterfront, park) The central atrium drives the organization of the entire building as vectors are drawn from the 3 primary site conditions (city centre, waterfront, park) to tangents around the atrium perimeter to create an interlocking pinwheel diagram which torques around the atrium in a clock-wise direction. This warping 3D diagram drives the entire design concept, as the building circulation, programmatic organization, and structure all begin with this diagram of three interlocking reciprocal structures. The formal language of the building is also informed by this diagram, as all geometries are defined as hyperbolic ruled surfaces - entirely composed of straight lines warping in space. These striated surfaces are informed by both a structural logic (inspired by the work of Felix Candela), and a fabrication logic of constructing a reinforced concrete structure with a permanent formwork of Finnish timber.

CAN BIOLOGICAL INSPIRATATIONS INFORM FORMAL, PERFORMATIVE, & POETIC NARRATIVES? FUZHOU CROSS-STRAIT CULTURAL CENTER Location: Fuzhou, China Client: Jin Ma Media Group Status: 3rd Place competition entry (invited), 2014 Program: Concert Hall, Opera Hall, Exhibition, Cinemas, Multi-Function Halls and Offices Area: 250,000 sqm Design Team: Alvin Huang (Principal), Chia-ching Yang, Filipa Valente, Joseph Sarafian, Kais Al-rawi Collaborators: Beijing Institute of Architecture + Design (Local Architect)

The project is a “cross-strait” cultural center in Fuzhou, China to commemorate the connection between China and Taiwan. The project is divided into two buildings, with each building conceptually representing a “tree” of Chinese culture, with three levels of articulation. The first is the Roots, these define the ground plane, landscaping and lower levels of the buildings and illustrate that Chinese culture emerges from the earth of China. The coordinated movement of the two root systems (cultural versus commercial) on the site becomes one network, unifying the site into a fluid and articulated park like condition with many moments of contemplation and pockets of space. The second is Branches, the branches grow from the roots to wrap the “cultural fruit/seeds/tree houses” that float above the roots and connect the different components to make them one unified whole. This unifying skin uses the graphic effect of a porous network of branches to define and articulate the skin of the building in two ways - as a perforated white reinforced fiber concrete facade system (which is back-lit in the perforations), and as a white translucent lightweight tensile membrane roof system which at night glows from within and by day, glows internally. Finally are the Fruit/seeds/tree-houses - these are the varying programmatic contents (the cultural fruit ie. seeds that are spread) of the project that are each positioned in a radial arrangement pointing out of the tree towards various destinations of cultural significance to Chinese heritage in the world (ie. Beijing, Taiwan, SE Asia, etc). The seeds in the earth grow to become the fruit - ie. the cultural by products of the culture itself - opera, film, music, art, commerce, food.