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APBL30048 ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO AIR 2017 - STUDIO 10 Manuel Muehlbauer ZHUYUN WANG 755396
CONTENTS
Introduction 2
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Part A. Conceptualisation Part B. Criteria Design Part C. Detailed Design
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Introduction ABOUT ME
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I’m Zhuyun, a third year student major in Architecture at the University of Melbourne. When I entered the university, my major was Commerce, then after one semester’s study, I decided to transform to Bachelor of Environments, and started study architecture. This is because I have an enthusiasm for architecture design. When I was young, I enjoyed the feeling of appreciate buildings in my life and always imagine that someday I could design a house for myself. This belief made me decide to learn to be an architect in the future. For me, architecture should contribute to both human satisfaction and environmental sustainability, and how building creates a nice relationship between users and surrounding environment. Thus, to study all the subjects provided in University is not only to achieve good marks but also to have the ability to be a mature and comprehensive architect. For example,
how Le Corbusier influenced the whole modernism movement in architecture history. I especially love the architecture history subjects, such Global Foundation Architecture and Modern Architecture MOMO to POMO. From history, we can learn from masters and the way they were thinking. After reading the subject guide from Studio Air, I realize my capacity to form brief, design with a full working flow and digital design with grasshopper is poor. To be honest, there is pressure for me to learn all of these objects, however, it is a great opportunity to challenge myself and push my ability in architectural design to a higher level. I am exciting to be trained and pushed to be more skilful in design with grasshopper and more confident to design with important working flow system.
A PRECURSOR
From the process of producing the product of sleeping pod, I have learned some several major things. A full experience on how to design a mature product from the very beginning. Inspired by the skin system of pineapple, I generate some initial ideation about the concept of spiralling (Module 1). In the next stage, making a prototype is the first step when I turned some ideas from the digital model and sketching into 1:1 scale prototype. I realized there is a gap between ideation and realization (Module 2). It is the time to figure the problem and push the initial design into the real model. Indeed, the most challenging aspect of this project is the third stage, when improvements and careful fabrication are expected (Module 3). At this stage, I learned how to develop a design properly and to make the final model carefully. The challenging point here, actually, is to define what aspects need improvement. There is a missed opportunity in not fully understanding the strengths of chosen
material, the foam and wire,and their inherent properties. The issue is that we probably focused too much on the details such as joints and adjustable belt. Though we do think the detail of joint is one of the key points to make the product work well. Anyway, I analyzed the material system again at the end of Module 3 process. In that part, I explain the two systems in the product as well as the reason why we choose different systems for different purposes. After the analysis, it demonstrates that our design brief clearly in terms of the property and system of the chosen material. The most attractive part of the design that I experienced in this project is that there is always space to find out the weakness and space for further improvement. This is the main way that I learn how to design and how to improve myself. Overall, this process is engaging and inspiring that I push myself to finish a whole process of designing a product and reflection of it.
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PART. A CONCEPTUALIZATION
A.1. Design Futuring
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Conceptualization
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A.2. Design Computation
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A.3. Composition/Generation A.4. Conclusion
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A.5. Learning Outcomes A.6. Appendix - Algorithmic A.7. Bibliography
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Precedent
Billion Oyster Pavilion BanG studio - New York 2015
The Billion Oyster Pavilion Project is going to be built at New York temporarily, aiming to create a large art space which will help local people and visitors to see change of New York City’s future permanently. The local background is that Oyster reef used to be flourished, but vanished by 1906 because of pollution. In recent years, the revival of oyster reef is proposed and the pavilion is designed relating to this theme. The project expresses some crucial theories for the dripline of design, and it is also one of the great examples to show the idea of design intelligence 1.
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To state that the temporary pavilion will have permanent contribution to New York, it has several reasons. It contains several qualities of good design. What is meant by design, Fry stated that “to be understood anthropologically” and “prefigure what we create before the act of action” 2. In addition, he suggested that sustainability must be considered in the design process. It means that we should consider both action of creation and destruction for materials we used for design 3. Scrutiny at the Pavilion Project, these two factors are involved in the design. Firstly, the designers know clearly what they are doing. The materials used for the Pavilion are mostly cast concrete and woven for
base and canopy respectively. These two materials will be reused for house building as reef balls and metal cages for oyster after uninstallation. It suggests that the material selection is not random, Instead, carefully considered during design process. In addition, to use recycled materials is a support for sustainability. It shows that the negative impact of destruction can somehow be concealed by the characteristic of recycling. These two factors demonstrate that the project has a great idea in design, and a thoughtful technical workflow to reuse materials. The second aspect of the project is its design intelligence. The design intelligence defined as efforts of design science or cultural theory. It demands the designed object to express and act “beyond their mere function as material or immaterial objects” . In the Billion Oyster case, it will be a focal point during art festival and make public be aware of the history and positive future of oyster reef. Firstly, its construction with materials which will be recycled to build home for oyster in the future, shows some crucial technology of reef construction. It transforms important information for the public in terms of technology. Secondly, it makes public stop and take notice of the
A. 1
world. In addition, it conveys a concern and confidence for solving environmental problems of oyster reed by generating mood feeling and atmosphere. In fact, the pavilion will attract visitors and generate memorable moments and make the public aware of environmental pollution as well as encourage positive solutions. For the relationship between the pavilion and the site, it perfectly responses to the environment by using elements that will be applied to construction of oyster reef.
FIG.1
The project is revolutionary, because it combines design with concern of local environmental solutions and issue of sustainability. It is important as it shows what a good design should be like. To design with conscience and prefigure, to design with sustainability, to design with conveying some belief beyond the design itself to the public. It will inspire the following meaningful design on the world and make the word ‘design’ filled with more possibilities. Actually, it can be said that this project does have change the world in a good way.
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FIG.3
A. 1
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FIG.4
Precedent
Pulse Pavilion Bamboo Sculpture Students from the University of st joseph - Macau 2013
The Pulse Pavilion built at Macau was a combination of materials of bamboo rods, interwoven fabric panels and interactive LED lighting system, which intended to be involved on the site, surrounded by colourful casino buildings 5.
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The first point to be noticed was the great effort put into design in terms of the concept of sustainability. The tension between artificial creation and environment destruction increased over the years, and the issue of to be sustainable in architecture is important. According to Fry, we all should have a deep understanding of future, which humans only won finite resource in this finite world 6. If we still divide the present from future, we will end up with scarce amount of resource in the future. Thus, to practice for design with sustainable materials is necessary. The materials of bamboo of Pulse Pavilion is a more sustainable material comparing to timber, and bamboo is encouraged to be used in architectural industrial recently. It shows the Pavilion did appreciate the thinking of being sustainable. In addition, a good design is not a cluster of materials but to conceal the material nature of objects 7. The complexity of design can be seen from
the transformation of materials. For example, the continuous meatball surface is constructed by splitting bamboo woven. The suspended structure is accomplished through suspended stretch fabric. It is a collection of multifarious characteristic of materials that leads to a comprehensive quality. To achieve this affect, the team work on digital model, prototype and physical type, with parametric software techniques. This process indicated that the system design may be used in this design. Moreover, the design of pavilion is through collective perspectives 8. Unlike most architectural design, the visual effect and motion sense were important parts of design. Apart from the pre-programmed light-shows, the bamboo lattice is designed to correspond with LED light change with a motion sense as people move around and go pass the Pulse Pavilion. In this case, the pavilion is no longer a static object, but an entity that can interact with people movements. It makes moving visitors become part of the pavilion. From this point of view, the pavilion is revolutionary as it relates to both visual effect and sensor detection. Also, the theory of design intelligence is involved in this project 9.
The design intelligence is a design that contributes to cultural theory, where there are both functionality and symbolism. In this case, the symbolism of the pavilion is strong. the Pulse Pavilion correspond and boost the local macau building culture. As macau is famous of casino and spectacular casino architectural forms, the light show of pavilion interacts with dynamic lighting affect on the casino building. The visual effect of pavilion reinforce the visual identity of macau and cooperate within the whole cultural theme very well.
FIG.5
In terms of its future possibility, it may be that other cities could follow the project to install temporary or permanent sculpture or art design, that reflects the visual identity of city and its cultural value. It would be an attracting focus for both local and international visitors. This is the reason this project is important and could somehow impact some cities globally. In addition, this multi-dripline design could inspire following works, that designers can explore the coporation between architecture and visual, movement, auditory and even thermal senses.
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FIG.6
In conclusion, it shows that the possibility of evolving sustainability of design and how human interaction in the project. FIG.7
A. 1
A. 1
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FIG.8
Precedent
ICD-ITKE Research Pavilion 2013-14 ICD-ITKE University of Stuttgart
The project is a bionic research pavilion which is constructed by the Institute Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) of the University of Stuttgart. This is a case which shows the potential of involving computation as an essential element during design process 10.
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The computation process is different from the concept of computerization, which is merely a process that using the power of computers to generate detailed components or elements of a building. While the computerization is a top -down strategy, the method of computation is a bottom – up process. It emphases the leading place of computing and parameterization. In this project, two major methods are applied: investigation of natural fiber composites shells and development of novel robotic fabrication methods as well as a multi-disciplinary teamwork between biologists paleontologists, architects and engineers. The biomimetic investigation is an important starting point of this project. Through micro-computed tomography, the designers can make high resolution 3D models of various beetle elytra. This deep analysis of internal structures of the insects generates into design rules for structural morphologies. Following
this abstracted biomimetic principles, designers continues to work on formation of the pavilion. The underlying logic of the design is the algorithm generated from biomimetic investigation. It is the formation that precedes to form and the design is a process of rationally architectural thinking 11. The computing process in this project re-define practice as it changes the way of architects’ thinking method. Architects are not restrained to build some prototype or sketch models in random, but to study existing rules from the nature. One important factor of this design method is that architects are not restrained by limited variation. Parametric design, on the other hand, creates variation following one settled rule. It is the unchanged logic that leads to multiple possible outcomes. It brings greater candidates and basically better solutions for a design goal. In addition, the research on materials in this project is noticeable. Architects have changed their traditional role to digitally creative in material realm. Materiality has come an essential part in the design, which is explored and manipulated to be suitable for this specific project. Take this project for example, architects use glass and carbon fiber reinforced
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polymers to be the building material. The fabrication process is robotic, using two collaborating 6 axis industrial robots to wind fibers. Through the cooperation between material, form, structure and fabrication, the design is generated through a mature computational design tool. The parametric design and use of computation in design precedes a new architectural theory comparing to traditional theory. In traditional practice, architects do not have clear digital or abstract logic to support their thinking, nor do they could generate a great number of candidates for the design. Nevertheless, the computation in design makes architects could follow a more creative way based on one solid principle. As for the ongoing changes, computing design method has more flexibility in further development and improvements comparing to traditional design method.
FIG.9
In conclusion, it shows that there are possibilities to regard design as a process of creating rather than a mere outcome of achieving a final goal. Indeed, design in the future could become more creative, more efficient, more possible to be improved.
FIG.10
A. 2
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FIG.11
Precedent
Mathematics Gallery for the London Science Museum Zaha Hadid Architects
A new space dedicated to the study and exploration of mathematics, The Winton Gallery, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects, was opened at London’s Science Museum. The design concept of this gallery, is based on mathematics and using mathematics to generate the design.
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The project is inspired by the Handley Page aircraft. Zaha Hadid Architects firstly observe equations of airflow used in the aviation industry, thus the outlines of the design represent the air movement that would have flowed around this historic aircraft during the flight. There is a symbolism of airflow around the aircraft by using mathematical logic in this space 12. In the history, mathematics applied in design area was used to secure the safety of the future of the aviation industry. Today, mathematics is applied in the architectural design to settle a new logic of design principle. These beautiful curves that around the aircraft is an application of mathematics in the real world.
principles from the theory of mathematical directly. Then, on the next step, the team use principles abstracted from the airflow to recreate structure of the space using some innovative technologies such as grasshopper. From this case, it could be said that the project is a product of pure mathematics, pure logical rationale. This design process also re-define architectural practice. Design is no longer a modelmaking exploration, but the derivation that uses pure logic and principle. It would inspire future architects, to observe rules from the nature and the technical area.
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The design in the future may also be changed. Designers could depend not only on their imagination, but also on the power of innovative technologies that people created. In this design case, the geometries created is not coming from someone’s mind or imagination, but from carefully and logically algorithmic computation. The geometrics in some way, is not a fully creation by designers, but by the power of rational calculation.
FIG.12
To analyze the importance of the computation, the focus is on the design process. Unlike some other examples of parametric design, which observe logic from the nature, this project observes FIG.13
A. 2
A. 2
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FIG.14
Precedent
Composition vs Generation
The use of generative approach in architecture industry has great impacted on architectural design idea and practice since the boom of computation.
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Architects used to design a building by considering its composition, that is its relationship between individual component, the meaning of diagramming and the connection of volume and the building. Nevertheless, there is a breakthrough in the architecture design area, that is approaching to design in another method: generation. Generation is a design method that mimic the rule and logic within nature and simulate that rule to generate a design result. Unlike composition is copying a pattern of a structure, the generation is about to digest the underlying logic and use this logic to mimic nature’s behavior. Architects adopt to this method by using algorithmic thinking and parametric modelling. The algorithm is basically a set of rules or operations that is used to making or doing something, it emphasizes on how a function is working rather than what the function is 13. With the use of generative approaches, there are certain advantages. By mimic the organic evolution, generative design tools can generate optimal forms of outcomes
without human intervention. Generative design has fixed parameters and computers will build and create all possible solutions that users can choose from. What designers will do is to select the most optimal solution from all possible options. This improvement of performance through computation, will change the relationship between designer and computer. As the tool, will generate a great number of options, designers’ role in the project has changed from a directive relationship to more of a curator. These generated organic shapes have their inherent strength because the outcome is a mimic from the nature. The nature is organic and in some way, is optimal efficient. Thus, whatever mimics from the nature will have inherited property – efficiency and strong logic. The generative approach provides many advantages. Firstly, it saves a great amount of time on design process, save material utility as the most effective structure selected, and thus the most economical way to build. However, there is also risk that the role of designers will be threatened by removing a large part of engaged participation in design process. Designers may feel ‘useless’ that they end up with only selecting between a set of options.
A. 3
Water Cubes
There are two precedents to support this idea. The first precedent is the Water Cube. Built during the 2008 Olympics, it is a precedent that relies on generative design in building’s design, engineering, and construction. Generative design is about designing the system that creates a building rather than create a building directly. It provides designers a new opportunity to explore new method to build a building without designing detailed model manually. In fact, the generative design is not building something that couldn’t be made previous, but it is about to enable designers to build project that would otherwise be very monotonous and taxing. The workload of generative design makes could take several lifetimes of a designer. Therefore, the generative design by using parametric modeling, algorithmic thinking and scripting cultures, has offered designer dramatic power to assist on their design.
volume while surface being minimized 14. In conclusion, generative design empowers the Water Cube by mimicking real soap bubble property. The result of this generation is well-organized and economical as the mimicked structure achieved the most efficient form.
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In the water cubes case, the soap bubble-like structure is an instance of this approach. The bubble-like façade is based on natural pattern of organic cells and the formation of soap bubbles. By mimic the natural property of soap bubbles, the generative design builds the structure that the most efficient way to divide a space into cells with equal
A. 3
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FIG.15
Precedent
Bionic Tower
“Architecture has to perform as an ecosystem within the organic tissue of the city”
itself organically, the tower’s system has the capacity to adjust the arrangement and control of energy flow. This project is a unification through construction, space and architecture design, by learning from nature and processing through advanced computation. By this method, LAVA architects may be able to achieve lightweight, efficient and practical features 15.
The project of Bionic Tower designed by LAVA, uses the method of generative design. The team firstly explore biological organization of the ecosystem and use this logic to build the structure of the tower, from the smallest unit to the entire system of the tower, the ultimate inhabitable structure.
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As the mimic from the nature, some strength could be achieved. For example, the building has a structure of great lightness, efficiency and sophistication by using cutting-edge design techniques. Besides the organic structure, the tower aims to address topics of ventilation, solar access and water collection as self-preservation’s growth. This is the intelligent automation in façade design that equivalents to organic regeneration. The focus of this bionic tower is not on its fascinating façade appearance, but on its intelligent automation, its progressive structure and organic system that found in nature and adopted in architecture. The façade of the tower can make adjustment due to internal requirement in the areas of ventilation, sun access and water collection. Just like the nature’s ability to regenerate
In addition, new materials and advanced technology has increased architecture’s adaption, reaction and awareness to the environment. However, achieving an exact nature feature is almost impossible for architecture design. On outstanding difference between traditional architecture and this generative architecture is on façade’s reaction to the environment. The traditional façade has negative response to the surrounding environment and is lack of adaptive ability to the variation of environment. On the contrary, the generative design façade is positive for variation in environment and becomes a part of organic system in the city.
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FIG.16
In conclusion, from the smallest unit to the entire system of the tower, generative design enables the tower to have an organic system and be positive to variation in environment.
A. 3
A. 3
Conclusion
The part A is about conceptualization, the process to determine what is to be built and how it will be built. Though conceptualization is not the process of building, it has a crucial role of directing design’s position. In this stage, a guide of design is generated.
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outcome of achieving a final goal.
At A.1. section, design futuring pays attention to how to design with concern of local environment and issue of sustainability. Designing futuring is important as it shows what a good design should be, that is to design with conscience and prefigure, to evolve with sustainability, and to design with conveying some cultural message beyond the design itself to the public. This idea could have a great influence on the whole design industry, because it brings the design area with more possibilities.
At A.3. section, there is a shift in architecture area from composition to generation. Architects used to design a building by considering its composition, that is its relationship between individual component, the meaning of diagramming and the connection of volume and the building. On the contrary, generation is a design method that mimic the rule and logic within nature and simulate that rule to generate a design result. Unlike composition is copying a pattern of a structure, the generation is about to digest the underlying logic and use this logic to mimic nature’s behaviour.
At A.2. section, the most important concept is computation. The computation process is different from the concept of computerization, which is merely a process that using the power of computers to generate detailed components or elements of a building. The method of computation is a bottom – up process as opposed to the top-down strategy of the computerization. The computation concept shows that there are possibilities to regard design as a process of creating rather than a mere
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FIG.17
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Learning Outcomes
Through the study of Part.A. section, I have established a basic understanding on conceptualisation, a idea of what the design should be and how to process that design.
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This subject brings a very different view for the design process. We used to learn architecture, learn design through its composition. We would probably build a building by using some sketches and sketch models. In this method, humans’ imagination is limited and restrained, because people can only produce the most basic and simple geometry through sketch. Also, the method of composition merely pays attention on the relationship between each components of the building and the relationship between the building and environment. However, composition can be limited as merely copy a certain pattern from the nature or environment, such as symmetry or balances form. On the contrary, the part A study demonstrates a new approach of design – generation. Generation means we will digest the logic of organic system in the nature and apply this rule for architecture design. There are some famous examples of generative design. For example, L-system trees is a design that mimics the logic of tree growing and regenerate the simulated tree, a second-nature. In this system, the generated tree is on longer a copy or system of randomly selected branched.
Instead, it is a real tree which is designed in a tree-generation logic. This idea can inspire architect, to shift from coping pattern to generate pattern through basic logic. Another outcome I learn is the difference between computerization and computation. As already discussed, computation is differentiated from computerization because it emphasis on using the power of computer to generate outcomes rather than just presenting the design idea. What I need to do in this subject design is to involve this new concept into my design process and not stuck with the old method of computerisation.
A. 5
FIG.18
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Sketchbook
Cocoon Structure
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Frame Structure
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A. 6
References
BanG Studio, ‘Billion Oyster Pavilion’, Kick Starter (revised 2017) <https://www. kickstarter.com/projects/1386914221/billion-oyster-pavilion > [2 March 2017] 1
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008), p.3.
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring. p.9.
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring. p.2.
Thomas Daniell, ed., ‘Pulse Pavilion bamboo sculpture by the university of st. joseph’, Designboom (revised June 2013) http://www.designboom.com/architecture/ pulse-pavilion-bamboo-sculpture-by-the-university-of-st-joseph/ [2 March 2017] 5
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring. p.2.
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring. p.7.
Dunne Anthony, Raby Fiona Speculative Everything: Design Fiction, and Social Dreaming (MIT Press, 2013), p. 3. 8
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Fry Tony, Design Futuring. p.11.
Archidaily, ‘ICD-ITKE Research Pavilion 2013-14 / ICD-ITKE University of Stuttgart’, Archidaily (revised July 2014) <http://www.archdaily.com/522408/icditke-research-pavilion-2015-icd-itke-university-of-stuttgart > [9 March 2017] 10
Theories of the Digital in Architecture, ed. by Oxman Rivka and Robert Oxman (London: New York: Routledge, 2014), p. 3. 11
AD Editorial Team, ‘Inside Zaha Hadid Architects’ Mathematics Gallery for the London Science Museum’, Archidaily (revised December 2016) <http://www.archdaily.com/801015/insidezaha-hadid-architects-new-mathematics-gallery-for-the-london-science-museum> [9 March 2017] 12
Definition of ‘Algorithm’ in Wilson, ed. by Robert A. and Frank C. Keil (London: MIT Press, 1999), p.11. 13
Angus W. Stocking, ed., ‘Generative Design Is Changing the Face of Architecture’, Cadalyst (Longitude, revised 2016) <http://www.cadalyst.com/cad/building-design/ generative-design-is-changing-face-architecture-12948> [16 March 2017] 14
Keine Kommentare, ed., ‘Bionic Tower combines Structure and Ornament / LAVA’, Parametric generative design (revised January 2012) <http:// parametricgenerative.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/blog-post.html> [16 March 2017] 15
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Images
Figure 1 BanG Studio, ‘Billion Oyster Pavilion’, Kick Starter (revised 2017) <https://www. kickstarter.com/projects/1386914221/billion-oyster-pavilion > [2 March 2017] Figure 2 BanG Studio. Figure 3 BanG Studio. Figure 4 BanG Studio.
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Figure 5 Thomas Daniell, ed., ‘Pulse Pavilion bamboo sculpture by the university of st. joseph’, Designboom (revised June 2013) http://www.designboom.com/architecture/pulsepavilion-bamboo-sculpture-by-the-university-of-st-joseph/ [2 March 2017] 2 Halsall, ed., ‘The Text of Magna Carta’. Figure 6 Thomas Daniell, ed., ‘Pulse Pavilion bamboo sculpture by the university of st. joseph’. Figure 7 Thomas Daniell, ed., ‘Pulse Pavilion bamboo sculpture by the university of st. joseph’. Figure 8 Thomas Daniell, ed., ‘Pulse Pavilion bamboo sculpture by the university of st. joseph’. Figure 9 Archidaily, ‘ICD-ITKE Research Pavilion 2013-14 / ICD-ITKE University of Stuttgart’, Archidaily (revised July 2014) <http://www.archdaily.com/522408/icditke-research-pavilion-2015-icd-itke-university-of-stuttgart > [9 March 2017]
Figure 10 Archidaily. Figure 11 Archidaily. Figure 12 AD Editorial Team, ‘Inside Zaha Hadid Architects’ Mathematics Gallery for the London Science Museum’, Archidaily (revised December 2016) <http://www.archdaily.com/801015/inside-zahahadid-architects-new-mathematics-gallery-for-the-london-science-museum> [9 March 2017] Figure 13 AD Editorial Team. Figure 14 AD Editorial Team. Figure 15 Architizer, ‘Watercube – National Swimming Center’, Architizer (revised 2017) <http:// architizer.com/projects/watercube-national-swimming-centre/> [16 March 2017] Figure 16 Keine Kommentare, ed., ‘Bionic Tower combines Structure and Ornament / LAVA’, Parametric generative design (revised January 2012) <http://parametricgenerative. blogspot.com.au/2012/01/blog-post.html> [16 March 2017] Figure 17 Nicolas Fourny, ed., ‘Generative design architecture’, Pinterest < https:// au.pinterest.com/pin/316870523767166333/ > [16 March 2017] Figure 18 Adrian Henning, ed., ‘Generative design architecture’, Pinterest <https:// au.pinterest.com/pin/575053446141371405/> [16 March 2017]
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