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STUDIO APPROACH: The studio will research and re-imagine building envelopes to develop prosthetic building components and systems to enliven existing buildings. The building envelope has historically served as a site of speculation and innovation, and has been conceptualized in many garbs ranging from Semper’s membranes, to Leatherbarrow’s unscripted performances and Zaera-Paolo’s political-material readings. The contemporary concerns of sustainability and developments in digital building technologies introduce new trajectories in this discourse. With recognition that a significant proportion of built environment is already built, the studio will focus on speculative design explorations that develop prosthetic building components and systems for existing buildings to respond to one or more selected performance criteria such as light, heat, air movement, sound, harvesting energy or moisture, etc.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: I would like to express my gratitude to all those who gave me the possibility to complete this thesis. I want to thank the the Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, University of Melbourne for providing us a new computer lab to commence this thesis in the first instance, to do the necessary research work,group discussion and computer modeling. I have furthermore to thank my tutor---- Prof. Bharat Dave who led this thesis studio during the whole semester and encouraged me to go ahead when I faced the difficulties of digital design. I also want to thank Hugh O’Neil and Hao Truong for helping me to improve my design as well as my classmates in this studio.
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CONTENTS: pg. # PART 1: GROUP RESEARCH CARLTON AREA ANALYSIS CASES STUDY
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PART 2: INDIVIDUAL DESIGN THESIS STATEMENT
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MIDTERM PRESENTATION PART
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INTERIM PRESENTATION PART
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
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FINAL PRESENTATION PART
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REFERENCES
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CARLTON AREA ANALYSIS (GROUP 1 RESEARCH )
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ECOTECT ANALYSIS UNIT FOR BUILDING TYPE ANALYSIS
Our group work at the first begining is to use different approaches to analysis the street envelopes in Carlton area.We use Ecotect to gain the data and map of solar radiation,shadow,sun path as well as wind pressures during different periods to clear see the nature features on the facades. 5
STREET ANALYSIS
Facade Material for Each Buidling Type
BARRY STREET WEST FACADE
FACADE MATERIAL ANALYSIS 6
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Next step we use selected materials to analysis the street envelope by long street maps and make tables to highlight the most significant parts or materials on the strees facades. Then we drew some schematic diagrams of the different main materials of street envelopes to compare them and find out which part of the stree facade has the potential to be re-designed building skin.
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ALL STREETS FACADE ANALYSIS
CONCLUSION: Base on the schematic diagrams, tables and charts of the Carlton area streets, we can clear see the different features of different streets and find out why the building envelopes be designed like that. Then our group need to further discuss the analysis results and start to organise selecting the buildings to re-skin in City of Melbourne. OPENING/WINDOW CHART
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CASES STUDY
(GROUP 2 RESEARCH) The research from group 2 help us to study different ways of re-designing skin on an existing building and know new technology and materials for further design.
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PRECEDENT 1
Town Hall Hotel Architect: RARE Architect Location:London,England
Despite the building being on the at-risk register, rare’s considered approach to the project, a guiding concept of the development and use of traditional techniques and motifs within contemporary cutting edge design and manufacturing technologies, won the approval of English Heritage and planning permission was granted by Tower Hamlets in 2008. The extension to the building, a new wing that stands behind the original 1910 structure and an additional floor that sits atop the flat roof of the 1937 extension, provides a further 1500 square metres of accommodation. Wrapped entirely by a laser cut powder coated aluminium skin, no windows or doors are externally visible, allowing it to create a striking abstract backdrop to the original structure, while simultaneously making a definite statement as new architecture.
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The pattern cut into the skin was taken from a pattern book rare developed for the project. An original art deco feature in the Council Chamber inspired the parametrically defined pattern book, a design exercise apparent in not only the aluminium skin but many of rare’s new interventions in the hotel from radiator and air conditioning covers to decorative wall panels. The effect of the pattern cut into the skin is performative, allowing natural light into the rooms behind it, while also preserving the privacy of those both inside and out. The faceted form of the extension’s skin and roof was dictated by light and views that had to be maintained for neighbouring buildings. rare’s design response to these parameters is an example of their ability to provide harmonious elegance and functionality. The skin’s distinctive form is repeated in features including the hotel’s brass reception desk and corridor ceilings of the extension, again bringing together glamour and function.
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PRECEDENT 2
Dalian International Conference Center Architects: Coop Himmelb(l)au Location: Dalian, China
The urbanistic task for the design of the Dalian International Conference Center is to create an instantly recognizable landmark of the above mentioned urban development in Dalian. Situated at the terminal point of the future extension of the main city axis, the center will be anchored as its focal point in the mental landscape of the international community. The building has both to reflect the promising modern future of Dalian and its tradition as an important port, trade, industry and tourism city. The formal language of our project is not pictographic, but associative; it will combine and merge the rational structure and organization of its modern conference center typology with the floating spaces of traditional Asian architecture as well as with a design reminescent of the soft surfaces generated by the forces of the sea.
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With the Dalian International Dalian Conference Center, these systems work like a hybrid city within a building. For the technical infrastructure of the building this means, that we have to consider a huge amount of people circulating inside the building at the same time, who expect high standards in circulation and comfort as well as a state of the art building with respect to high flexibility, low energy consumption and low use of other natural resources. Technical areas in the basement supply infrastructure within a rectangular grid, mainly inside the vertical cores. Air blowout units inside the stairs will ensure consistent air distribution. Due to the thermal uplift, the heat of the people ascends to the ceiling and is extracted by suction.Cooling in summer times will be provided by radiant ceiling panels which can additionally be used as radiant heaters in the wintertime.
FACADE ANALYSIS 14
PRECEDENT 3
Prism Gallery Architect:PATTERNS Location: West Hollywood,Southern California Prism is a new three-story contemporary art gallery located at the heart of the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood. The mission of the gallery is to become a cornerstone of artistic experimentation, carving a new niche for the arts in Southern California. Alongside the exhibition space, the galleryalso houses a bookstore with a curated selection of texts and products. While PATTERNS’ involvement was limited to the envelope and interior,fxe this project presented the possibility of true material innovation: to be the first facade in the nation to be constructed entirely out of a resin-based composite polycarbonate. The project’s legal status as a renovation of an existing structure placed unique restrictions upon the scope of work and the inflections within the facade’s surface. An existing steel column grid left from a previous renovation predetermined floor-to-floor heights, and areas of existing stucco exterior walls from the original building provided opportunities for playful exchanges and guided the development of the design. 15
The facade will be the first in the nation to be constructed entirely out of a resin based composite polycarbonate. Inspired by automotive design supple forms, streamlined detailing and plastic finishes; the faรงade has a dual aesthetic performance associated to its plastic materiality and responsive to the lively energy of its context: it behaves as a reflectively glossy surface during daylight and as a translucent skin at night. Building surfaces are lift up and down, opening the interior while suspending its mass over the strip and producing a sense of weightiness over passerby pedestrian and vehicle traffic approaching from downhill.
INTERIOR VISION ANALYSIS
Its formal logic is the outcome of a productive negotiation between the ordering column grid of the existing building and the intense social and physical dynamism of the context.
EXTERIOR VISION ANALYSIS 16
INDIVIDUAL DESIGN
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THESIS STATEMENT The potential in the application of new complex envelope on an existing building rests on the advancement of fabrication technology. A number of silo structures in Melbourne that have long history but lacks function present a posibility to be rejuvenated through new programming and re-skinning. Inspired by the natural form, the new faรงade has a dual aesthetic performance associated to its materiality and responses to the environment and views. The understanding of a variety of construction technology, the environmental and the cultural context, I aim to explore the potential benefit that parametric design offers and move towards the production of performative architectural solutions.
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SITE ANALYSIS 19
SHADOW ANALYSIS 20
WEST ELEVATION ANALYSIS 21
VISION ANALYSIS
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SOLAR ANALYSIS
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MIDTERM PRESENTATION OPTION 1 The idea of the new skin is informed by its immediate locality. As the silo is surrounded by Porsche car showroom, I took a similar direction by looking into the dynamism of movement. The quickly moving cars and the aboriginal drawing inspire me about movement, the speed and the freedom. Through testing, the dynamic form is a result of calculation undertaken on Galalogas with the help of BIM modeling. The best result from the software testing shows a strong potential for solar energy gain, which can be converted into electricity to power auxiliary functions - such as the powering of electric cars. Furthermore, the top part of the skin also acts as wind turbines that will convert energy to electricity. This dynamic form is specific to this silo due to its reference to the immediate surrounding. 24
Building skin form
PROCESS OF FACADE 25
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OPTION 2 The new skin derives its form by marrying the reference to its immediate surrounding and the media technology. There is a possibility to turn the facade into a media wall for advertising and to catch people’s attention. With the increased ubiquity of smartphone and 3D naked eye technology, there is a high potential of different kind of visual media that can displayed on the facade. The dual media unit can be fitted with PV panel to gain solar energy in order to power itself and the activities inside the building. The silo’s main facade are facing east and west along Victoria Parade that gives the facade major exposure to the street. 27
MODULE MEDIA UNITS 28
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Module 1
Module 2
Module 3
CONCEPT SKETCH 30
Module 4
Module 5
CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT 31
CONCEPT MODULE MODELS 32
MODULE SCALE ANALYSIS 33
INTERIM PRESENTATION
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FACADE PROCESS 36
FACADE DETAIL AND SECTION 37
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT This approach is based on the abstraction of the existing building geometry and history as well as function of the silo structure. The span of the covering requires the facade to work as modules, of which several shapes were then selected. By using different analysis (based on Wind ,Solar & Vision analysis) of the west elevation of this silo, the facade pattern on this elevation was generated iteratively with the help of softwares, such as Karamba in Grasshopper. This new process results in the layering of the new facade on top of the exposed silos, and gives a sense of formal as well as functional clarity.
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STRUCTURE ANALYSIS 39
FINAL PRESENTATION
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Divide silo into standard accommodation floor height
New opening
Add new opening as balcony on silo based on programs and vision analysis
Preliminary new skin area
Use new skin to cover the opening area
FACADE PROCESS 1 41
New structure connection between protrusions 3D form of protrusion map based on the size of opening
Average solar radiation map generate new facade
FACADE PROCESS 2 42
Form--Building mass
New Skin--New shading area baseon the opening
Frame--Subdivide each reskin area
Plants--Different plants grow alone the oasis on frame
Atmosphere-- New environment inside provided by new skin 43
STRUCTURE ANALYSIS Steel support
Primary steel frame
Secondary steel frame
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DETAILED STRUCTURE ANALYSIS
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WATER RECYCLING 48
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Solar shading
Gray water filtration
Air quality
FUNCTION ANALYSIS 50
Vertical farming
1.Installation phase/Prefiltration phase
2.Original seedings---- 1st year phase
3.Longterm growth---- 5th year phase
PHASES OF FACADE 51
As stated, the redesign the facade is to boring a new life to the unused, heritage silos by rejuvenating its appearance, function and performance. The final stage of the design focuses on analyzing the processes rule-based facade generation and the explanation of the structural system. Through diagramatic and data analysis, different elements and design rules can influence the final formal outcome of new skin, and this is the target of the studio - the defining of Scripted Performatives. The diagrams show how the new skin looks and functions, for example the way vegetation filters gray water to improve water recycling system. The rendering images show how the scale of the modules of the envelope system can provide for different possible activities to occupants. A similar re-skinning approach will then be tested to the other two silos to see the different possibility of outcome.
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SILO BUILDING 2----NYLEX Silo, Richmond The richmond silos have been vacant for many years.The Nylex Clock is an iconic neon sign sitting atop malting storage silos in the suburb of Cremorne, Victoria, Australia. It is located adjacent to the northern bank of the Yarra River and the Monash Freeway and displays the time and temperature alternately. The text also alternates displaying the words ‘Nylex Plastics’ that changes to ‘Nylex Every Time!’. It is visible from many parts of Melbourne, particularly the Melbourne Cricket Ground. EXISTING ISSUES: 1.No one use it 2.Only have advertising on roof top 3.Big landmark,much higher than surrounding 4.Boring West elevation 5.Huge concert structure 6.Closed to freeway WHAT IS POSSIBLE ELEMENTS FOR THE NEW SKIN? 1.Interesting facade related to culture 2.New skin for office or museum building 3.Technological skin,gain solar and wind 4.New skin system provide interesting view to the park 5.Reduce noise or converting noise into electrical energy
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Add new opening as balcony on silo based on aesthetics and noise level map
3D form of protrusion map based on the size of opening New structure connection between protrusions
Contour the protrusion map based on human scale
SITE 2 FACADE PROCESS 58
Average solar radiation map generate new facade
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SILO BUILDING 3----Allied Mills Silo, South Kensington The Allied Mills silos have been seating for many years in South Kensington. The firm still use them during the period but they are planning to transform the function of silos as less using for storge wheat dialy. The silos are the remarkable concrete structure in this area and their east elevations are easy to be noticed from citylink tollway and Arden Street. EXISTING ISSUES: 1.No one use it 2.Historical structure 3.Big landmark,much higher than surrounding 4.Boring East elevation 5.East elevation faces to the river WHAT IS POSSIBLE ELEMENTS FOR THE NEW SKIN? 1.Interesting facade related to culture 2.New skin for office building 3.New skin system provide interesting view to the river 4.New connection for the two silos 5.New space between the old structure and new skin for activities
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3D form of protrusion map based on the size of opening
New opening based on aesthetics and vertical plant map
New structure connection between protrusions
Contour the protrusion map based on human scale
SITE 3 FACADE PROCESS 62
Good view direction
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REFERENCES: pg. # 11 & 12 http://www.archdaily.com/132945/town-hall-hotel-rare/ pg. # 13 & 14 http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/architecture/featured/?search&category=36 pg. # 15 & 16 http://www.archdaily.com/40149/prism-gallery-patterns/ http://www.p-a-t-t-e-r-n-s.net/prism-gallery/ pg. # 27 http://www.ignant.de/2013/05/23/kunsthaus-graz/ pg. # 65 & 60 Google Earth
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