Ma_Ran_788329_Part B by Ran Ma

STUDIO: AIR

RAN MA, 788329 2018, SEMESTER ONE, TUTOR: CHELLE

Table of Contents B1.0 Research Field 4 B2.0 Case Study 1.0 12 B3.0 Case Study 2.0 24 B4.0 Technique: Development 32 B5.0 Technique: Prototypes 38 B6.0 Technique: Proposal 48 B7.0 Learning Objectives and Outcomes 56 B8.0 Appendix - Algorithmic Sktetches 58 B9.0 Bibliography 62

B1.1 Research Field Form-finding The research field of our design is the form finding technology that uses flexible formwork to cast a geometry based on P_Wall project. Form finding is defined by Veenendaal and Block as “Finding an optimal shape of a form-active structure that is in or approximates a state of static equilibrium1.”

There are three methods of form finding process: 1.stiffness matrix methods; 2.force density methods; 3.dynamic relaxation methods2.

Form-finding Advantages: Form-finding method can save up to 40% materials of one structure with same strength compared with traditional works. The innovative technology helps sustainability, because the total embodied energy requirement is reduced. Meanwhile, some forms, such as shell structure cannot be designed by freehand drawings. The load-bearing analysis is too complex for conventional technology 3. Form finding simulation software can test the process of structure modeling. Although there are some differences between real situation and digital models 4. These simulating methods can inspire architects about parametric design.

However, every form-finding methods all has limitations that should be overcame. Stiffness matrix methods may case unnecessary computationally cost with uncontrolled structure. Force density methods are not constructionally tested sometimes. And dynamic equilibrium methods needs meaningless complex parameters to process. Fortunately, dynamic relaxation methods are cheaper and freer to be operated than stiffness matrix methods 5. We should decide the optimal methods for our model by considering the stability, casting difficulty, time-consuming and cost efficiency.

1. Lewis, Wanda J., 'Computational form-finding methods for fabric structures', Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 161.3, (2008), 139-143. 2. Maxwell, Iain; Pigram, Dave; Pederson, Ole Egholm & Larsen, Niels Martin., Fabrication Aware Form-finding: A combined quasireciprocal timber and discontinuous post-tensioned concrete structure(Proceedings of the 34th annual conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture: ACADIA Riverside Architectural Press, 2014), p. 37 3. Lewis, Wanda J., 'Computational form-finding methods for fabric structures', Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 161.3, (2008), 140-142. 4. Veenendaal, Diederik & Block, Philippe., A Framework for Comparing Form Finding Methods (Zurich, Switzerland: ETH Zurich , 2016), p. 3-5. 5. Veenendaal, Diederik & Block, Philippe., 'An overview and comparison of structural form finding methods for general networks', International Journal of Solids and Structures, 49 (2012), p748–752.

Criteria Design

Fabrication Formwork Formwork is the basement of our prototype. Because of the curvy shape of P_Wall, flexible formwork is more suitable for us. Flexible formwork could provide high strength with low cost. It is significant that permeable mold allows the air and water inside concrete to be evaporated. Then the prototype could be cast rapidly with a smooth surface. This type of formwork also provides more freedom of shapes to the model. However, the flexible formwork deformation should be limited during casting to hold the wet concrete and avoid the slump. The concrete self-weight, fabric wrinkling should also be predicted 6. The surface finish quality of concrete is one selection criteria of formwork materials. Keel mold beams K1, K2 and K3 applied fabric formwork: woven from nylon fibers in the concrete casting model7. The advantages of woven are reducing friction and durability. This could be one option for our fabric formwork. Reinforcement could be designed into the prototype to optimize the structure and increase the durability. Textile reinforcement is optional for thin curved casting models, which can not be constructed in a conventional way 8. However, the technology of reinforcement is too complex for us at this stage. Reinforcement is one option for our further development. Shape prediction should be completed first before casting. It can prevent an unexpected accident 9. The more complex the shape is, the more accurate formwork are required.

6. Hawkins, Will.; Orr, John,; Shepherd, Paul. & Ibell, Tim. , 'Fabric formed concrete: physical modelling for assessment of digital form finding methods', 11th fib International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering, 2016.08-29, (2016), 2-4. 7. Sobek, Werner , 'ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE SHELLS', UITVOERINGSTECHNlEK , 11, (1991), 23-24. 8. Sobek, Werner , 'ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE SHELLS', UITVOERINGSTECHNlEK , 11, (1991), 23-25. 9. Maxwell, Iain; Pigram, Dave; Pederson, Ole Egholm & Larsen, Niels Martin., Fabrication Aware Form-finding: A combined quasireciprocal timber and discontinuous post-tensioned concrete structure(Proceedings of the 34th annual conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture: ACADIA Riverside Architectural Press, 2014), p. 37

Digital Simulation The UV data of mesh in our definition should be fully considered, because the higher the UV data of the mesh, the smoother surface and more freedom of the digital model we can generate. However, higher UV data of digital model means more complex calculation. Then we would spend more time to get the final result form on Grasshopper. Our model should satisfy the static equilibrium on its surface. More uniform the load distributed, more stable the model will be10. Computational optimization is utilized to predict and load analysis the shape of our prototypes. An appropriate surface discretization is critical for tension structure11. Mesh of lines is the simplest way to get an accurate outcome of the model by controlling possible factors. The significant factors that we should test are the number of tension forces, elasticity, and variety of mesh lengths. Additional iterations might be required for further improvement. In P_Wall, locations of anchors are especially vital for us to analyze.

10. Lewis, Wanda J., 'Computational form-finding methods for fabric structures',Â Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 161.3, (2008), 140-143. 11. Maxwell, Iain; Pigram, Dave; Pederson, Ole Egholm & Larsen,Â Niels Martin., Fabrication Aware Form-finding: A combined quasi-reciprocal timber and discontinuous post-tensioned concrete structure(Proceedings of the 34th annual conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture: ACADIA Riverside Architectural Press, 2014), p. 37

B1.2 Horizontal Draping Fabric Forming Architect: Sheena Olimpo, Ivan Rodriguez, Yuna Kubota and David Vuong Location: University of California of Los Angeles Project Year: 2013

Horizontal Draping Fabric Forming is the most similar project to P_Wall. The two project both utilize fabric formwork in concrete casting to get softness surfaces. The flexibility, permeability and elasticity of the membrane texture is opposing to the hardness of cold concrete. These concrete panels are assembled on the wall. Prefabrication is another feature of these projects. The variety of fabric material, casting materials, reinforcements and attachment patterns are essential for the final outcome12.

The scale of HDFC is 2.4m height x 1.2m wide. It is approximately to the one small bike shelter. The size of the precedent could be a suitable reference of our design proposal. However, the weight of HDFC is 362kg. The prototype is too heavy to carry and cast13. According to this situation, concrete would not be an appropriate casting material for the our proposal. I would advice to apply some lighter material for casting.

FIG 6&7: The sketches of Philips Pavilion.

12.SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM. (2018).Â Horizontal Fabric Forming. [online] Available at: http://www. suckerpunchdaily.com/2012/05/03/horizontal-fabric-forming/ [Accessed 03 Apr. 2018]. 13.SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM. (2018).Â Horizontal Fabric Forming. [online] Available at: http://www. suckerpunchdaily.com/2012/05/03/horizontal-fabric-forming/ [Accessed 03 Apr. 2018].

Criteria Design

FIG 8: The photograph of Philips Pavilion.

Criteria Design

B1.3 Composite System: Sub-structure and Cladding There is one major issue of the P_Wall system. The initial precedent is a 2D wall, which is not a structure elements. Our design proposal works as a bike shelter that plays around with spaces. The shape of our models should be 3D form. To solve the problem of structure supporting of our design, we involve composite system into the design. The composite system of our bike shelter is combined by sub-strcuture and cladding systems.

Sub-structure: The main usage of sub-structure is supporting the load bearing of P_wall cladding system and forming the basic shapes of the pavilion. Grid structure is one suitable option of the sub-structure. Timber or steel could be utilized to construct the shell. The shape of the cladding depends on the geometric pattern of the grid. Normally, triangles or quadrilaterals are applicable. The cladding patterns are joined on the nodes of the structure. Our P-wall is made of cement or concrete, which has a large self-weight. The connections between the structure and cladding are significant as the failure might appear if the connections are not rigid enough. To strengthen the structure, bracing could be applied to reinforce the structure14.

Cladding: P-wall panels are the cladding system of our bike shelter. According to the modularity of cladding system, every iteration of P-wall cladding should base on one shape, eg. Triangle or square. The size of each panel should be similar. These assemblies are joined on one or two side of the sub-strcture. For more variations of our design, we focus on the iteration of single P-wall panel. Every pattern of P-wall is unique. We can also use different patterns as cladding panels on the bike shelter. Moreover, we can either fully cover the structure with cladding patterns or partially build the cladding patterns on the structure15.

14. Shell structures, Shell structures(United Kindon: Bath: University of Bath, Chris J K Williams), p. 1-32 in University of Bath, <http://people.bath.ac.uk/abscjkw/LectureNotes/what-is-a-shell.pdf> [accessed 10 April 2018]. 15.Matsysdesign.com. (2018). P_Wall (2013) « MATSYS. [online] Available at: http://matsysdesign.com/2013/09/02/p_wall-2013/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

Criteria Design

B2.0 Case Study 1.0

P_Wall Panel P_Wall is the basic theme of our bike shelter. Because it is a facade system, which does not contain any structure ability, our iteration of Part 2 is based on one plane and 2D geometry rather than 3D shape. Every pattern of the P_Wall precedent has some variations, therefore, we want to try as much as iterations to test the possibility of P_Wall patterns as well.

When we are considering the species of out iterations, we mainly pay attention to Generate the form to 3D; Maximum the distinctions of shapes; Arrange the spaces of the patterns; Show the material properties of concrete and fabric.

It is important to think about the final outcome of P_Wall cladding. Because each pattern of P_wall will be utilized as modular for our design proposal, the visual performance for one single panel would be significantly different with assembled cladding panels. During the iteration stage, we should foresight latent potentials and risks of each varietion. Meanwhile, iteration results are digital models, which might be dissimilar to the real situation. The variations of our iterations should base on workable changes in real life. And we will select some potential variations and test them as prototypes.

There are several species of the iterations: 1.Basic shape; 2.Numbers and locations of anchor points; 3.The depth of extrusion; 4.Elasticity; 5.Lines and shapes of anchors; 6.Trim meshes; 7.Release boundaries;

Criteria Design

FIG 15: The photography of Underwood Pavilion. Criteria Design

Iteration Species Basic shape of panels

Triangle

Paralle

Number & locations of anchor points

The simpliest panel

Criteria Design

Easier to fab

elogram

bric

Sqaure

Regular pattern

Interesting pattern (more variety of patterns, can send more information to visitors, good for university)

Criteria Design

Iteration Metrics - Depth of extrustion & Number o

The Depth of Extrution

Criteria Design

of anchor points

Number of Anchor Points

Criteria Design

Iteration Metrics - Elasticity & Locations and shapes of anchor points

Shape of Anchor Points

Criteria Design

For getting more obvious results of iterations, we choose larger range of elasticity. However, it is significant to find the real elasticity of the formwork materials that we use for prototypes.

1. Anchors can be both points and lines. 2. Anchors can be both regular and irregular.

Elasticity

Criteria Design

Iteration Metrics - Trim meshes & Release boundarie

Connect four corners only

Release Boundaries

Connect several points on the boundaries

Release several bourdaries

The results of release boundaries have some tall columns. If the model can be utilized as a whole structure, these opened and closed spaces can be used as bike shelters. However, due to technical restriction, it is a big challenge for us to cast such big pavilion as a whole. We would choose to apply each iterations as small sizes panels. Therefore, the released boundaries is not suitable to our design proposal. 20

Criteria Design

Iteration Metrics - Load Force

The load forces increase form 50 to 2000. The differences between results are obviously. The higher load force iteration can be used as column in the bike shelter.

Tilt trim meshes Trim Meshes Trim meshes with certain area Trim meshes with selected points Trim half meshes Trim meshes with planes Trim meshes is a good solution to arrange different types of spaces in one P_Wall panel. However, concrete is difficult to be trimmed techniqually. Meanwhile, modularity is the theme of P_Wall. Trimmed panels are hard to assembled and arranged. Therefoer, trimmed meshes will not be Criteria Design 21 considered as our prototypes.

Iteration Selection: Four Successful iterations

Random Anchor Points The basic theory of P_wall is extruded anchor points on the panels during casting. This panel is the iterations that closest to the real form of P_Wall and easy one to be constructed. Its curvy surface is interesting. The panel can be developed deeper. However, it should be mentioned that the extruded anchor points should not be moved during casting. Also, the depth of extruded anchor points is distinct. These two fabrication limitations will increase the difficulty of casting.

Criteria Design

Regular Anchor Points Comparing with the left iteration, this iteration has more regular arranged anchor points. The single panel of the iteration is not very special. However, when we assemble this panels on the structure, the result is amazing. All the anchor points are well arranged. The aesthetics of modularity could be shown. Meanwhile, this iteration is easier to be built as we only need to connect the anchor points on one board. Than supporting these points underneath the panels during casting. But the depth of each anchor points are still required to be considered.

Selection Criteria: The panel is connected to the strcuture elements. The basic shape of selected panels is easy to connect with the strcuture(eg. square) and allocated on the locations. The panel is cladding system. it does not support the weight. It is important to Weight (light) decrease the wirght of panel for avoiding structure failure. We try to increase the variability of the panels to makes the shelter more Variability intereseting and having more usages. The selected panels have more potential alternative forms. The scale of panels will influence the workability, constrcution ability, usage and Scale outcome performance of out bike shelter. The same as scale, the height of panel will effect the workability of the shelter. If Height panels are too high or too plane, the practicality of this pavilion will be achanged. Workability

Anchor Lines

Cross of Anchor Lines

Instead of utilizing points as anchors, we employ lines as anchors in the iterations. One advantage of line anchors is easier to control. We only need to connect the line on the edge of the panel during casting. Meanwhile, by altering the thickness and numbers of lines, the iterations could have more outcomes.

This iteration is the easiest one to be fabricated of the four iterations that I selected. Most materials of formworks and casting are adopted for the panel. The curvature of each bubble depends on the elasticity of fabric materials. I would recommend using more stretchable formwork. Then the shape is more similar to P_wall.

But the materials of casting and formwork should be fully researched because the lines could not be removed after casting if the casting material is too brittle. If the elasticity of fabric is not suitable, the formed shape of this iteration will be too plane.

However, this iterations should be assembled with other iterations on the cladding. The shape of this iteration is too simple, it cannot show much variety of P_wall panels. More complex shapes of line anchors are suggested.

Criteria Design

B3.0 Case Study 2.0 In the case study 1.0, we make the definition of our P_Wall panel and create plenty of iterations to test the potential of P_Wall panels. However, when we start to suppose the geometry of the shelter, we find that our P_Wall panels cannot work along as a shelter. For supporting the P_Wall panel as cladding system rather than structure elements, we develop our system to composite system that is composed of P_Wall cladding system and grid structure. The grid structure is critical for our bike shelter as it will affect the overall shape of our shelter. The spatial arrangement and functions of our design are determined by the grid structure as well. When we create the grid structure, it is vital that the structure is strong enough to support the entire weight. Therefore, the rigidity of the geometry is significant. The grid structure is a kind of strong structure that has lightweight. It has fewer material restrictions. Also, we can fabric grid structure faster in the fab lab. These are the benefits for us to choose grid structure. Grid shell is one type of grid structure that utilize form-finding methods to find the geometry. Except for grid shell, we can use preformed grid structure either. In case study 2.0, we tend to find possible forms and types of our grid structure. Meanwhile, we will generate different basement shape of the grid structure to exam what the most adaptable shape of our bike shelter.

Timber Grid Shell 16. Shell structures,Â Shell structures(United Kindon: Bath: University of Bath, Chris J K Williams), p. 1-32 in University of Bath, <http://people.bath.ac.uk/abscjkw/LectureNotes/what-is-a-shell.pdf> [accessed 10 April 2018]. 24

Criteria Design

The connection between grid structure and panels are critical.

The P_Wall panel with be connected to the nodes of grid structure by each corner. P_Wall Panel

Grid Structure

Steel Grid Structure

Criteria Design

B3.0 Case Study 2.0 - Grid Structure Iterations Grid Structure 1

Grid Structure 2

Grid Structure 3

Grid Structure 4

This model is to test the extrude grid structure.

Criteria Design

Grid Structure 5

Grid Shell 2

Grid Shell 1

Grid Shell 3

This model is a grid shell that created by random curves. We want to exam the workability of freeform.

Criteria Design

B3.0 Case Study 2.0 - Basement shape Iterations

Triangle Basement Shape

Criteria Design

Sqaure

We generate the grid structure with triangle, square and hexagon basement to find the most suitable shape of the grid. Meanwhile, we use a simpler method to simulate the final outcome of the bike shelter after we put the panels on the grid structure.

e Basement Shape

Hexagon Basement Shape

Criteria Design

Iteration Selection: Four Successful iterations

Grid Structure 1 This structure has more open spaces than other forms. The inner space could have more communication with the outer environment. There is a heritage tree on the site. The hole of the grid structure can circle the tree and protect the tree. Then the heritage site will be linked to the public. This grid structure is cute. It looks like a mushroom. However, for a parametric design, more architectural performance is required. We might need to further generate the geometry.

Criteria Design

Grid Structrue 5 The openness is straightly going cross the bike shelter, it is good for circulation. Because both sides of the structure are sited on the ground, its structure capability is qualified. The shape of the structure is similar to a tube. The next step is to give the geometry more functions and improve the outlook of the shape.

Selection Criteria: The gradient of structure will effect the structure ability of the gridshell and the sapce arrangement of our shelter. If the gradient is too large, we would consider to use materials that has high strength(eg. steel). There will be numberous panels of caldding on the structure. Due to the high Structural capability density of metrial of casting, every panel have large weight. The primary issue of sub-structure is load the overall weight of whole shelter without failure. The number, loactions and sizes of openneses will influence the circulation of our Openness pavilion. The shape of opennesses will alter the aesthetics of the shlter as well. The main usage of the pavilion is biking bicycles. If the shape is strange, or some Practicality sapce is too norrow to go through, the practicality will be effected. The overall shape of our shelter depends on the structure element. We should Spacial consider how many spaces we need? Is there any private or public spaces in the Arrangement shelter? How are the spaces be circled? Etc. Gradient

Grid Shell 1

Grid Structure 2

This is one of the grid shells. This shell has a large openness. It is convenient for visitors entering the bike shelter. However, the efficiency of space would decrease.

This grid structure is the most complex one. It is less likely to be constructed in a short time. But I appreciate the geometry of it. It likes a pavilion. We can put more functions on the form.

Comparing with a simple grid structure, grid shell requires more skillful technologies to be formed. We are not familiar with grid shell form-finding methods at this moment. If we want to test the shape, it is better to do more further research.

The four opennesses are sitting opposite each other. It is good for transportation but will disturb the practicality of the bike shelter. If we employ this shelter, we need to consider the way to stop the bicycles and what's the other functions.

Criteria Design

B4.0 Techique: Development - System Analysis

Advantages:

Disadvantages:

1.Our system is a composite system. The sub-structure is used for standing weight and the cladding system is for enveloping the structure. When we are designing each system, we can straightforwardly focus on the most significant aspects of each system. Comparing with the single system, our shelter might have larger load bearing capacity and more outstanding performance.

1.The construction load of the two systems is heavier than one system. We would need more construction time to build two systems and assemble them together.

2.The two system work individually. Once one panel is broken, we can simply replace the panel without affecting the workability of the whole structure. 3.The iterations of our panel have high variety. Several iterations have high workability. We can make and use them as prototypes. 4.Our systems modify the P_Wall system from 2D form to 3D structure. They bring more possibilities of spacial arrangements of our shelter. We deal with the problem of the roof by utilizing the two systems together. 5.The size of our shelter can be redesigned to fit the adjacent environment. 6.Our composite system can be prefabricated in the factory. Then they are transported to the site. The construction process will not disturb the surrounding operations and environment.

Criteria Design

2.Although replacing broken panels are easy, fixing the structure system becomes harder when the substructure is covered by panels. The sub-structure system works as a whole, once damage appears, its load bearing ability will be greatly influenced. Repairing the structure element means taking off then repaving all the panels. It would take a long time and massive labor forces. Therefore, I would recommend use materials that rigid enough. Meanwhile, reinforcing the connections between panels and the structure. 3.Although some iterations are useful, there are some iterations that cannot be constructed, for example, the trimmed meshes and release boundaries iterations. All the iterations of digital models should base on the real situation. 4.The composite system produces more difficulties in our design. We are required to consider more aspects of the panels and structure. We should think about how the panels fit with the structure? Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the curvature of the panels and structure? Etc. We also need to analyze both of the systems. 5.The composite system requires high accuracy of dimensions and curvature of each elements. If the dimensions and curvature of panels and sub-structure are not match with each other, the shelter would collapse.

Our composite system shows a great potential for load-bearing capacity. The scale of the overall shelter can be recreated easily, as the cladding system is assembled. Our system also has a big variety of space arrangement. We can build several types of shapes with both opened and closed spaces. However, the design process will be more complex than P_Wall system itself. The materials of gridshell are restricted to certain types, which should be strong enough and easily joined. The materials of panels are one constraint as well. We try to minimize the weight of each panel to reduce the load of sub-structure. However, the kind of material that has low density, such as plaster, is not rigid enough for casting. The prototype casting results of plaster are underestimated. Concrete and cement are suitable for casting, while they are too heavy to use. Moreover, the joints between gridshell and panels will be problematic. The concrete or cement panels are difficult to trim. We need to leave holes for joints before casting. It will bring technical difficulty for casting. The fixing type of joints should be considered as well. What kind of fixing is adaptable for the shelter? Bolting or welding? To improve the composite system, I think we should fully examine the available materials of the structure and panels. We should not only think about the weight and strength of each material, but also the side effects of the materials. For an instant, if we use steel bolts as joints of the composite system, how can we deal with the corrosion of this type of material? Are the materials of panels and gridshell can work together? Will they damage each other? Besides the materials issues, we should think over the accuracy of each element in our shelter. How to precisely control the fabric variations during construction? On the other hand, the fabrication process would be complex. Is it possible to simplify the fabrication? How can we decrease the construction time? The propose of our design is to construct a bike shelter for the new precinct of Melbourne University. The major user of the bike shelter would be students in the region. The bike shelter can be a public space for not only stopping bicycles but also for communication. The shelter could be utilized as an open environment for students to rest and entertain. Meanwhile, we hope the organic outlook of this shelter would bring feeling about fashion and innovation to the site. However, I would suspect the number of spaces we can create. Because of the limitation of the scale of the site, our shelter is around 20sqm. We cannot design many closed rooms in the shelter, otherwise, each space will be to crowed. At the point, we would choose to make a large open space for the shelter rather than several small rooms. For further development, we will concentrate on optimizing the geometry of our shelter and testing more variations of panel patterns. At the same time, we should select the most adopted materials for our design.

Criteria Design

B4.0 Techique: Development - P_Wall Panel Analy

Wokability:

Weight:

Variabilityďź&#x161;

Scale:

Height:

Criteria Design

ysis

Wokability:

Weight:

Variabilityďź&#x161;

Scale:

Height:

Criteria Design

B4.0 Techique: Development - Grid Structure Ana

Gradient:

Structural Capability:

Opennessďź&#x161;

Practicality:

Spacial Arrangement:

Criteria Design

alysis

Gradient:

Structural Capability:

Opennessďź&#x161;

Practicality:

Spacial Arrangement:

Criteria Design

B5.0 Techique: Materials Research In the beginning, we decided to apply plaster to casting the prototypes, because plaster is lighter and quicker to cast. However, after several testing of prototypes, we find that plaster is too fragile to be used for casting. Then we chose cement to cast another three prototypes. The cement is excellent adhering ability. It is durable and workable. The results of the last three prototypes are overestimated. Therefore, we decided to use cement as our casting material. We also tried three types of fabrics as our flexible formwork. The three fabrics are polyester that made from woven and cotton, silk and nylon. All of them show the potentials and restrictions on fabrications. We would choose the fabrics depends on the situation and requirements of casting.

Fabric Materials Polyester that 1.This type of fabric has the highest density. Therefore, the permeability made from is very low. When we apply this material, we need to consider the time woven and consuming of casting. It is useful when the cement is too watery. cotton 2.The texture of this fabric is not very visible. It will create a smoother surface on the prototypes. 3.The elasticity of this fabric is the lowest17.

Silk

1.Silk is a very soft material. It has medium elasticity. 2.Silk can cast the most smooth surface of the prototypes. Meanwhile, it is easy to peel silk from casted prototypes. 3.The permeability of silk is adaptable for casting. Silk can be seen as suitable fabric for casting if there are no special requirements. 4.However, the price of silk would be slightly higher than other fabrics18.

Nylon

1.These type of fabric has the higher elasticity than other two fabrics. 2.This fabric has a similar structure with mesh. It can be used as a unique reinforcement in a panel. However, when this type fabric is used as flexible formwork of the prototypes, the casting material might leakage through the holes of Nylon. It is significant to control the ratio of water when casting with Nylon. 3.The texture of Nylon that cast on the prototypes is very beautiful and unique19.

17. Fibre2fashion.com. (2018). Cotton and Poly Cotton Fabric : Know everything. [online] Available at: http://www.fibre2fashion. com/industry-article/5001/cotton-or-poly-cotton-fabric?page=1 [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018]. 18. Inserco.org. (2018). Silk - An Introduction. [online] Available at: http://inserco.org/en/silk_an_introduction [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018]. 19. Fabricforcosplayers.com. (2018). Introduction to Fibers: Nylon – Fabric For Cosplayers. [online] Available at: https://fabricforcosplayers.com/introduction-to-fibers-nylon/ [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Criteria Design

Plaster

Casting Materials 1.Plaster is a material that used for protective and decorative coating proposes. It is not used as casting materials normally. 2.The lightweight plaster is an advantage for casting. 3.The set period of plaster is too fast to control. We should try to pour the plaster as fast as possible before it becomes dry. 4.The surface of the plaster after casting is not smooth enough. Sandpaper is required to clean the surface. A benefit is the texture of the fabric is easier to be casting on the panel when we use plaster. 5.The plaster is very fragile. There are cracks in the panels. The workability of plaster is not adaptable to be used in the real situation20.

Cement

1.Cement is a kind of binder in concrete. It can be utilized to adhere, set and harden with other materials for construction. 2. The type of cement we use is hydraulic cement. 3. For hardening the cement, we can put aggregates with cement during casting. 4. For adding colors or more texture to the panel, we can mix the cement with some small pieces of siltstone or marble during casting. However, it is significant to control the workability and strength after altering the ingredients.

Concrete

5. Cement is the most suitable materials for casting our prototypes. It has stronger and smoother surface than plaster. Comparing with concrete, cement cost less time for curing and easier to control. The only issue is the weight of cement is a little bit high21. 1. The workability, durability and ultimate strength of concrete are affected by several factors. Such as the ratio of watercementitious, the shape of aggregates, and the curing methods. Well designed concrete will bring very optimized outcome, but a professional skill of curing concrete would be required. 2. Concrete will finish casting 25% during first 24 hours and spend 28 days to cast the rest of part. Due the time consuming, concrete is not considered as one option of our casting materials unless we find a solution to reduce the casting time of concrete. 3. Concrete is strong in compression but weak in tension. Reinforcement is required when we use this material. However, we aim to thin the layer of our panel as much as possible. Putting another layer of reinforcement will increase the weight of each panel22.

20. Designingbuildings.co.uk. (2018).Â Plaster - Designing Buildings Wiki. [online] Available at: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Plaster [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018]. 21. Members.cement.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://members.cement.org/EBiz55/Bookstore/EB001.16-Ch.1-Intro-to-Concrete-LR.pdf [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018]. 22. Daily Civil. (2018).Â Types Of Cement and Their Uses In Construction - Daily Civil. [online] Available at: http:// www.dailycivil.com/types-of-cement-and-their-uses/ [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018]. Criteria Design

B5.0 Techique: Prototypes - Process

Stage 1: Sawing the formwork of our prototype into suitable size.

Stage 2: Drilling each parts of timber formwork together.

Stage 3: N flexible fab top of timbe

Stage 6: Stirring the water with powder until the powder solute in water completely.

Stage 7: Pouring the mixture on the flexible fabric.

Stage 8: W the prototyp

Criteria Design

Nailing the bric on the er formwork.

Stage 4: Measuring the amount of water.

Waiting until pe fully dry.

Stage 9: Removing all the nails on the boundaries of the timber formwork.

Stage 5: Measuring the accurate weight of casting materials(eg. plaster, cement or concrete). It is important to control the ratio of water and powder, because the ratio will affect the workability of casted panels.

Stage 10: Stripping the fabric from finished prototypes.

Criteria Design

B5.0 Techique: Prototypes - Special Techniques

SawingFabrics

Release Boundaries

For testing the different elasticity of each fabric, we saw the two distinct fabrics together. Then we put the sew fabric as one single flexible formwork to pour one prototype. Therefore, this prototype has two types of textures on the surface. It also has different curvature at each half side.

We try to test the release boundaries iteration as one prototype. The first step is cutting a fabric that has large elasticity into a smaller piece. Then tieing each corner on the corners of the timber formwork. At this moment, there are four anchor points on the prototype, which are the four tied corners.

Criteria Design

Anchor Lines

Flatten and thin the layer of prototype

This prototype is used to test the third selected iteration of Part 2. We utilize cement as casting material rather than plaster this time. We employ steel wire, which is more stiff than fabric, to create the anchor lines on the panel. The steel wire is allocated on the back of the fabric. Then the wire will stick in the prototype after pouring.

The layers of our prototypes are always very thick. The original P_Wall has sandwich concrete layers that are both strong and thin. If the panel is not thin enough, the prototype will be too heavy. We want to thin the layer of our panel and flatten the surface. However, the result is not outstanding. We still need to tackle the problem in further research.

Criteria Design

B5.0 Techique: Prototypes - Analysis- Sucessful t Plaster 1&2

Cement 1

These two prototypes are made by plasters. Plaster is very brittle. It has a low workability. The powder is difficult to store for a long time. Meanwhile, it cannot stand the extreme weather. The surfaces- of the plaster panels are full of cracks. However, we still get some effective results form plaster prototypes. The first plaster prototype is used to test the elasticity of fabric. It has two kinds of fabric textures on each side and the curvature of each edge are distinct. The second plaster prototype is testing the location of anchor points. The bending surface is interesting. 44 Criteria Design

This is the prototype that used to test the locations of anchor points. Its material is cement. Comparing with the left prototype, which is also about locations of anchor points but made by plaster, the cement prototype has a smoother surface. There are fewer cracks in the prototype. This model has greater workability and durability than the plaster one. However, the model is extremely heavy. The curvature on the top of the prototype is too flat. The texture of the fabric is not shown clearly on its surface.

testing Cement 2

Cement 3

The prototype is about testing the fourth selected iteration in Part 2, which is about cross-line anchor lines. The result is overestimated. Its surface is smooth and the curvature of the extruded bubbles are outstanding. The texture of the fabric, even the folds are displayed. The only thing we should deal with is the thickness of the anchor lines. For standing the heavy weight of the prototype, we use timber sticks as the anchor lines. We can try steel wire(as the right prototype) next time.

This model is about the third selected iteration in Part 2. We use thinner steel wires as anchor lines rather than timber sticks this time. Both of the anchor lines prototypes are constructed by cement. However, the surface of this prototype is not as smooth as the left one. There are some tiny holes and flaws in the model. Its shape is not as regular as the left one. The possible factors are the distinct ratio of water and cement, and the materials of fabrics.

Criteria Design

B5.0 Techique: Prototypes - Analysis - Issues Failure 1

Failure 2

This is the first prototype that we made by plaster. The scale of this prototype is very large, which is around 50cm x 50cm. The scale of the prototype refers to the actual size of one panel. However, the curvature of the prototype is not satisfactory. Because the extruded load is not large enough or the elasticity of the fabric is low, the surface of this prototype is a little flat. Meanwhile, when we strip the panel from the fabric, there is much plaster residue on the fabric. The edge of this model is broken. To avoid this issue, we change the size of prototypes to 15cm x 15cm and replace plaster by cement for other prototypes

This is the back of our first prototypes. To make thin and light layers of panels, we try to smooth out the plaster. The layer of the panel is not too thick on the large panel, because the large panel is easier to control. But the thickness of the small panels become problematic, especially the cement prototypes. We might need to apply some tools to level the surface of our panels.

Criteria Design

Failure 3

This is one of the most successful prototypes. However, it still contains some drawbacks that should be resolved in next stage. The shape of the prototype is irregular. It is difficult to connect the panels together on the structure if the dimensions of each panel are not accurate. The load bearing of the structure might be uneven or the panels might squeeze together. Although the curvature and texture of the fabric are outstanding, there are cracks and holes on its surface. They will influence the aesthetics of the shelter. Moreover, its workability and durability would be affected.

Failure 4

When we are pouring the sew fabric, the plaster is too dilute and the holes on the right side fabric are too large. The mixture of the plaster and water drips through the fabric. It is hard to form the shape of the prototype on the fabric. Then we increase the ratio of plaster with water. The mixture of powder became thicker. The thin fabric can hold the casting material now. But because of the low ratio of water, the plaster became dry very quickly. We cannot control its shape. The prototype is very fragile. Therefore, plaster is not the most adaptable material for casting in this situation. Criteria Design

B6.0 Techique: Proposal - Site Analysis The new student precinct is located in the south-east corner of Melbourne University. The primary propose of reconstruction this region is bringing more convenience to visitors. The previous site has old infrastructure and equipment. Some necessary facilities were destroyed. Meanwhile, the students all gathered at libraries or union house. This place was not fully used at this moment. Management staffs of Melbourne University want to reuse the spaces as an innovative area for students and visitors for meeting and communication23.

Original Site Context

23. unimelb.eu.au. (2018).Â New Student Precinct. [online] Available at: https:// students.unimelb.edu.au/student-precinct/home [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Criteria Design

The new student precinct has a superior transportation source. It is close to the tram station that on Swanston Street. The main road to union house and Baillieu Library also goes cross the new precinct. Therefore, the population of the site would be extremely high, especially for the peak periods. The circulation of this site might be an issue as the site is too crowded. As architects, we want to solve the problems of spaces and make peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s life easier. We want to design a bike shelter for the new student precinct by applying parametric architectural design techniques.

Map of Leveling & Flattening

Initial Map of Excavating & Renovating

The largest restriction of site analysis is limitation of sources. Because the site is currently constructed, we are not allowed to visit the site. The easier way for us is to analysis the excavated and renovated area of the site first. Mapping the leveling of soil. Then we would have a general sense of the geography of the site. Afterward, we list the renovated areas and new circulation to find the opportunities of the site. Finally, we decide three regions as the alternative design areas. Criteria Design

Map of Renovating Areas

Circulation & Infrastructure of the New Student Pricinct

Criteria Design

B6.0 Techique: Proposal - Criteria

Site Selection: 1. The site is beside the openness of Sidney Mayer Asia Centre and the social hangout place. It is a meeting place for the public. A bike shelter could bring convenience to the visitors in the building. However, people tend to stay here for a long period. Siting a bike shelter might block the traffic and make the site more crowded. 2. This region has an old tree and an existing cafe. The bike shelter can service for visitors from the food beverage retail and cafe. Moreover, the shade of the tree is good to shade the bike shelter during summer. 3. This is a lawn area near the main gate. The advantage of the site is closer to major flow of people. However, it might destroy the landscape of the heritage site. Final selected site location: 2.

Potential locations of the design proposal Main User: Students, teaching staffs, visitors Main Usage: 1. Biking bicycles; 2. Public meeting place; 3. Visitors Rest and entertain area 4. Supporting circulation; 5. Bring more feeling about fashion and innovation to the region. The scale of design proposal: 20-25sqm. Location: Between GSA building and the new building. It can adjacent a wall or the existing tree. It can also circle the tree. The existing tree is not allowed to be removed as it is heritage. Requirements: 1. Directly linking to the tram station on Swanston Street; 2. Cannot block the circulation of the existing road; 3. Having enough biking spaces(For 20-30 bikes). Fabrication Technique: Composite system. The grid structure and P_Wall cladding panels. Criteria Design

Criteria Design

Design Proposal 1.0

Criteria Design

Design Proposal 2.0

Criteria Design

B7.0 Learning Objectives and Outcomes Digital iteration

After the four weeks learning process of part B, I realized that confirming the definition of one iteration is the priority. I did not know how to make the iterations of P_Wall before we affirm its grasshopper definition. After I get the definition, I understand how to change the variations of each iteration by playing with the digital model. The second step is setting up the lists of variations of iterations. Then I can make matrix iteration to compare the results. However, some of my variations are detached with the real situation. Many iterations could not be constructed. These null iterations let me remembered that the selection of variations should be processed before iterating.

Prototype Fabrictaion

We also met some difficulties during fabrication. The materials of casting are hard to control. The first material we used is plaster. However, the casting process is not as easy as we thought. The quality of our first prototype is invalid. However, we did not notify the main problem of fabrication was the plaster. We tried to reduce the size of formwork and change the fabric materials. The results are ineffective. Then we started to think about materials and cast the model by cement. Cement is a more adaptable material for our prototype although it still has some issue that we should tackle with. The last three prototypes of our group have much improvement than before. Therefore, it is critical to fully research the properties of every available material. And do not to forget to examine the possible reason when the failure of fabrication appears. It is wiser to testing more materials. Every material has benefits and drawbacks. We need to select the most proper materials of prototypes under certain selection criterias.

The Composite System

At the beginning of Part B, I was very confused about the system of P_Wall. Because unlike the other self-standable form-finding geometry, the P_Wall is a 2D form. I feel puzzled about how to transfer the system of P_Wall to 3D. In the previous learning exercises, I have not researched much about structure and cladding system. I thought form-finding geometry should be one single element as a whole. Meanwhile, the article of P_Wall introduced it as a modular iteration. I misunderstood the meaning of modular and applied one iteration of P_Wall as a whole pavilion in the first design proposal. These mistakes could be prevented if I could think about the load-bearing capacity of the single panel earlier. It is hard to cast 20sqm cement pavilion. We did not put any reinforcement material in the P_Wall. How can the pavilion stand by itself? The idea of using one P_Wall iteration was not feasible at all. If P_Wall cannot be used as structure, we would need a structure element to support these panels. The P_Wall panels could act as a cladding system on the sub-structure. One appropriate structure of form-finding is grid structure. There are several precedents of the composite system that employ grid structural and panels. After researching these case studies, I started to be familiar with the composite system and understand this technique. We listed the benefits and considerations that we should know to avoid mistakes. After finishing the preparation work of modeling, we generated the form of our composite system. The result of our bike shelter is successful at the last time. I started to know that the work direction of parametric design was vital. The digital models should work for the real situation. No matter how fancy the digital models are, without linking to real life, they means nothing. I should always think about the feasibility and structure ability of one design proposal. Moreover, when I meet the trouble about building systems, I should search for precedents. There are plenty of excellent parametric designs that could inspire me. And there must be one can solve my problem. I should never be afraid of failures, cause failures will push us closer to success. After Part B learning experience. I have had a clear design direction for our bike shelter. I would like to explore more digital modeling and fabrication techniques of parametric design to develop my design proposal. I have get ready to continue my explorations in Part C.

Criteria Design

B8.0 Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches

This is one of my P_Wall iterations. I like the pentagram pattern on the panel. The way I make it is drawing the pattern on the mesh of P_Wall and setting the pattern as anchor lines. We can use the methods to create more interesting patterns on the panel.

I utilize mesh splitter component in this sketch. The mesh split component can control the size of split areas and the slope of each splitter. It is why the highest column is not split but the lower bubble is split. The component brings more possibilities for the form of the mesh. However, the split edge is not smooth enough. I should generate a complete shape of the split mesh.

The topic of this iteration is release boundaries. Comparing with other models, anchor at the boundaries work as series points. The shape of the edge looks like a series of vaults. I could generate the shape as vault corridors. The geometry would-be fancy.

Criteria Design

There are several grasshopper components can trim the meshes, eg. Mesh Split Plane and Mesh Split components. Some of them can control the directions and regions of splitters. These components are used to set the mesh into the appropriate shape. I would explore them in further study.

Criteria Design

B8.0 Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches

The composite system of our bike shelter is combined by grid structure and P_Wall panels. This is the sketch of gridshell that I created.

This model is the developed model for the first gridshell. Instead of using regular curve to set the mesh of gridshell, I drawing a random line as the basic shape of the gridshell. I am surprised that it still works. The shape of the new gridshell is attractive. I would like to explore more potentials of gridshell by applying irregular shapes.

This model is another method to create grid structure. It is not a 'gridshell'. The conventional gridshell is constructed by the form-finding method. However, the grid on the geometry is found by using the geodesic component. This method of grid structure still works for our substructure system, because our structure system is not restricted to gridshell. We can use all types of structures as long as it can stand the overall load. I want to find more solutions of the structure system. Then we can choose the most proper one to make. 60

Criteria Design

Bibliography: Cauberg,Niki.; Tysmans, Tine.; Adriaenssens, Sigrid.; Wastiels, Jan.; Mollaert, Marijke.& Belkassem, Bachir., 'Shell Elements of Textile Reinforced Concrete Using Fabric Formwork: A Case Study', Advances in Structural Engineering, 15.4, (2012), 676-689.

Daily Civil. (2018). Types Of Cement and Their Uses In Construction - Daily Civil. [online] Available at: http://www.dailycivil.com/types-of-cement-and-their-uses/ [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Designingbuildings.co.uk. (2018). Plaster - Designing Buildings Wiki. [online] Available at: https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Plaster [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Fabricforcosplayers.com. (2018). Introduction to Fibers: Nylon – Fabric For Cosplayers. [online] Available at: https://fabricforcosplayers.com/introduction-to-fibers-nylon/ [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Fibre2fashion.com. (2018). Cotton and Poly Cotton Fabric : Know everything. [online] Available at: http://www. fibre2fashion.com/industry-article/5001/cotton-or-poly-cotton-fabric?page=1 [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Hawkins, Will.; Orr, John,; Shepherd, Paul. & Ibell, Tim. , 'Fabric formed concrete: physical modelling for assessment of digital form finding methods', 11th fib International PhD Symposium in Civil Engineering, 2016.08-29, (2016), 1-8.

Inserco.org. (2018). Silk - An Introduction. [online] Available at: http://inserco. org/en/silk_an_introduction [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Lewis, Wanda J., 'Computational form-finding methods for fabric structures', Proceedings of the ICE - Engineering and Computational Mechanics, 161.3, (2008), 139-149.

Matsysdesign.com. (2018). P_Wall (2013) « MATSYS. [online] Available at: http:// matsysdesign.com/2013/09/02/p_wall-2013/ [Accessed 15 Mar. 2018].

Criteria Design

Maxwell, Iain; Pigram, Dave; Pederson, Ole Egholm & Larsen, Niels Martin., Fabrication Aware Form-finding: A combined quasi-reciprocal timber and discontinuous post-tensioned concrete structure(Proceedings of the 34th annual conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture: ACADIA Riverside Architectural Press, 2014), p. 375 - 384.

Members.cement.org. (2018). [online] Available at: http://members.cement.org/EBiz55/ Bookstore/EB001.16-Ch.1-Intro-to-Concrete-LR.pdf [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Shell structures, Shell structures(United Kindon: Bath: University of Bath, Chris J K Williams), p. 1-32 in University of Bath, <http://people.bath.ac.uk/abscjkw/LectureNotes/what-is-a-shell.pdf> [accessed 10 April 2018].

Sobek, Werner , 'ON DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF CONCRETE SHELLS', UITVOERINGSTECHNlEK , 11, (1991), 23-27.

SUCKERPUNCHDAILY.COM. (2018). Horizontal Fabric Forming. [online] Available at: http://www. suckerpunchdaily.com/2012/05/03/horizontal-fabric-forming/ [Accessed 03 Apr. 2018].

unimelb.eu.au. (2018). New Student Precinct. [online] Available at: https://students. unimelb.edu.au/student-precinct/home [Accessed 07 Apr. 2018].

Veenendaal, Diederik & Block, Philippe., A Framework for Comparing Form Finding Methods (Zurich, Switzerland: ETH Zurich , 2016), p. 1-6.

Veenendaal, Diederik & Block, Philippe., 'An overview and comparison of structural form finding methods for general networks', International Journal of Solids and Structures, 49 (2012), p741–753.

Criteria Design