ADSair wenjunwei
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Wei Wen Jun The University of Melbourne Bachelor of Environments Architecture (3rd year)
My name is Wen Jun Wei, a third year architecture student born and raised in Taiwan. Since moving to Melbourne in 2012, I have developed a strong interest in creative designing and architectural theories throughout the course. My first exposure to digital design came in the first year whilst studying the subject, Virtual Environments. This course involved using Rhinoceros 3D digital modelling software in conjunction with panelling plug-in tool to manipulate designs. Throughout the course, I was able to transform a virtual design into a physical one from complex NURBS surfaces into rational surfaces for fabrication, in order to build an architectural art piece to the scale of human body. The experience with digital design was rewarding and it had attributed me insights into the complexity of digital world. Despite having the previous experience of digital modelling and paneling design, I consider myself still having a lot more to grow. I see Architecture Design Studio: Air as an opportunity to broaden in both theoretical and technical knowledge in architecture. Despite the knowledge of digital architecture I gained in the past two years, myself is still fresh to the parametric language, piratically in relation to Grasshopper. Knowing to comprehend this new language is not going to be easy, but I believe such tool will add my creativity and free my imagination in a computational sense.
Virtual Environments Model
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parta conceptualization
conceptualization
Design Futuring
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Part A1
Design Futuring Design Futuring l Land Art Generator Initiative
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he climate change and destruction of the planet’s natural environments are now being more widely recognized as challenges today. As a matter of fact, we human beings are facing our nemesis. We have created this condition unwittingly as we have been taking resources from the planet for granted. While innovative practices such as sustainable designs have emerged, efforts towards change remain unacknowledged. Fry argues this relation between creation and destruction is not an issue when a resource is renewable, but it is a disaster when it is not.[1] The notion of revaluing design as a world shaping force is vital in order to have a sustainable future. The reason being is that design plays a significant role in shaping every part of our lives. To understand the true power of design, we need to redefine its identity. In Fry’s words, design is not an independent entity but it influences, and is influenced by social, cultural, ethical and political means[2]; thus, design can be rethought as futuring, to acknowledge the move from passive consumption to
active participation. I agree with his view as followed by such way would reveal the power of design - to redirect practices to sustainability. In a much closer view, the reception of the importance of architecture seems continually growing as a decisive role in our future. I feel what makes architecture great is not about its capability of being sustainable, but rather an influential force to educate users being sustainable. This idea will be further elaborated in the journal. Going back to the notion that architecture as a design practice that contributes ideas to the ongoing disciplinary discourse and culture at large. To expand future sustainability, it is important for a degree of engagement to take place between the user and architecture itself. Certainly, I believe that design futuring is not about achieving a sustainable equilibrium, it is rather changing the attitude by which our lives are sustained.
Design Futuring
Design Futuring
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supertees Grant Associates Singapore 2012
The colossal Supertrees are found in the Bay South garden in Singapore. The Supertrees act as vertical gardens and are embodied with renewable energy and water technology integral to the conservatories. The government intends to transform Singapore into a vision of “city in a garden” in contrast to its dense urban environment. It aims to symbolize the importance of revaluing natural balance and raise awareness of the environment globally. Fig. 2 Bridge and Skywalk of Supertree by Grant Associates in Singapore (2012)
The very powerful picture behind Supertrees is that they breathe life into Singapore’s urban oasis and expands future possibilities. Supertrees are a rich fusion of nature and technology taking inspiration from the form of the orchid. They act as cooling ducts for conservatories, collect rainwater for irrigating vegetation and are embodied with photovoltaic systems to generate solar power on-site. These sustainable features are appreciated because they refocus society from passive material consumption towards an active participation by a mean of ethical use of design as a force in repositioning the habitats.
Fig. 1 Supertree by Grant Associates in Singapore (2012)
This is a successful project I believe in which it encapsulates the notion of design futuring, providing both leisure and education to the nation. The features of bridge and skywalks connect taller Supertress allow users to engage with nature from a spectacular height. Through the engagement with users, it changes the attitude by which our lives are sustained. In Fry’s words, ever design decision is future decision.[3] In light of contribution to the filed of ideas, this project is remarkable in educating sustainable energy rather than sustain energy.
Design Computation
Design Computation
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Part A2
Design Computation
Theories of the Digital in Architecture l Architecture’s New Media l Architecture in the Digital Age
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orking with computers to aid in architecture design process becomes apparent in this age. Digital modeling constantly changes the world of design and engineering, increasing the complexity and capability of what can be designed and built. It seems exploring and exploiting new methdologies to use computation is key to fabricating innovative designs that expand and perceive boundaries of possibilities.
The use of digital modeling software is shifting architecture from the drawing to the algorithms to capture and communicate designs. Brady describes computational design “attributes designer’s intellect to capture not only the complexity of building a project, but also the multitude of parameters that are instrumental in a buildings formation.” [4] Rather than designing in conventional ways, computational design has opened new territories of formal exploration in architecture in which forms are designed by generative process.
Kolarvic describes generative process as “digitally generated forms are not designed or drawn as the conventional understanding, but they are calculated by the chosen generative computational method.” [5] Designers become more akin to articulate an internal generative logic to generate a range of possibilities instead of modeling an external form. Computing becomes the dynamic transformation which replaces the static norms of convention in architecture design process. The evolution of digital in architecture in interaction with new technologies also causes ongoing changes within design and construction industries. Digital in architecture was merely the operative model of formal generation in design within the last decade, it had emerged beyond representation as Rivka and Robert suggests, “recognition of computational processes emerging technologies of materialization in generative processes.” [6]
In synthesizing materiality and technologies, the relationship within computer and architecture is redefined from ‘design to production’ to ‘form generation to fabrication’. The modeling of material as a tectonic system was adopted in integral part of the digital architectural design process, which resumes the architect’s traditional role that is empowered with the ability to digitally create in the material domain. As part of this emerging of digital materiality in architecture design process, the new relationship between conception and production is transformed to ‘digital materiality’ and ‘material fabrication’. [7] This implies that new digitally enabled processes of production changes the constructability in building designs to a function of computability. Complex geometries like NURBS curves and surfaces become constructionally possible by means of fabrication process, which opens up opportunities for the tectonic exploration of new geometries.
The technological shift of computation also contributes changes among parametric and performative orientated designs. The growing capability for scripting algorithms of generative variability is also capable of performative behaviors such as structural and energy performance studies. [8] This new linkage establishedsan new environment for interactive digital generation and performance simulation as a collaborative design between the architect and the engineer. [9] In a more concise discucussion ‘Form generation informed by materialization, tectonics, fabrication and performance are emerging as integrated processes in the digital design’ is the argument that formulates the basis of my research, in seeking to the benefits of using computers in the architectural design process.
Design Computation
Design Computation
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Yellow River Art Centre we architect anonymous
Yinchuan, China 2014 Fig. 6 Yellow River Art Centre (2014)
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Fig. 5 YRAC Design Concept (2014)
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The Yellow River Art Centre has been designed in such a way to inherit the destructive capacity and volatile character of the riverbank. The design put attention on the geomorphology - an observation of natural land formations.[10] Its wavy massing and textured facade were inspired by the undulations and distortions of sedimentary layers of eroded riverbank. Digital in architecture seems redefining the practice of architecture which emerges design approaches to either computerisation and computation. In Terzidis’s discussion on Algorithmic Architecture, he describes “computerisation is the use of computers to digitise existing procedures with entities that are preconceived in the mind of the designer.” [11] The mode of working in this case study thus can be argued as ‘computerisation’ as its design form was driven by emulating the aesthetics of riverbank during conceptualization of the design. On the one hand the other approach ‘computation’ is described by Oxman’s argument that it allows designers to extend their abilities to deal with highly complex situations [12], which will be discussed later in the second case study.
In this case study, parametric techniques were employed to visualize layers and texturise the facade to implant an identity that echoes characters of the riverbank. The use of parametric design suggests its significance in the contemporary digital architectural form and the gradation of elements in building facades. This supports Oxman’s argument that parametric design indeed is a critical facility for the control of topological relationships enables the ‘creation’ and ‘modulation’ of differentiation of the elements of a design. [13]
The Yellow River Art Centreis is constructed with GRC (Glass reinforced concrete) technologies. This construction technique allows for the seamless transition of data from digital materiality to fabrication, removing human error from the construction process. It was employed with CNC milling machines, in which each panel was fabricated as a form to which concrete was poured with fiber-glass to create a very thin strong mould. [14] This allows building to be constructed on site and sealed to give a seamless finish. This suggests that emerging of a digital materiality in design, ‘fabrication technology’, has became a leading technological and design issue in the architecture design process. As Mouzhan Majidi has said: “This hasn’t simply transformed what we can design – it’s had a huge impact on how we build.” [15]
Design Computation
Design Computation
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Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport
Massimiliano Fuksas Architects Shenzhen, China 2013
The Bao’an International Airport in Shenzhen is the largest parametrically defined free form structure and facade in the world. Dr. Milos Dimcic developed the software in which complex algorithms were used to automatically generate the geometry of the 60.000 aluminum-glass facade elements over a double curved surface. As well as the geometry of the entire structure with more than 350.000 unique steel members. [16] In this case study, architect’s inspiration was visualized as a double layered facade where the honeycomb shaped pattern is recognized. The basic element of facade was defined by a number of its variations in which they were parametrically populated over the inner and outer surface making a closed structure together with steel construction. The structure was to enable light to come through from the outside as well as view to go through the structure from the inside. It is remarkable that the architects designed their own system incorporating the ray system and excel control to accommodate
Fig. 7 The Ray System
quick changes of element, pattern or surface for facade generation. The ray system was developed to perceive solution that enables light to come through and view to see through the structure. As shown in the illustration, these rays started at different points on the eye-level line resulting in intersection of four surfaces (inner and outer; structure and façade), which became the driver for further form generation. [17] This suggests ‘computation’ approach augments the intellect of the designer and increases capability to solve highly complex situations. Computational approach also has the potential to provide inspiration and go beyond the boundary of intellect. This is supported by Brady Peters’s discussion of algorithmic thinking as he describes that when an architect writes a computer program to solve a design problem, further options can be explored through modifications to the program - ‘sketching by algorithm’. [18]
Fig. 8 Parametric Developed Facade and Structure
Fig. 9 Shenzhen Bao’an International Airport
This notion is evident in the development of the basic element. The image shows the definition of basic element is transformed by two facts of the angle of plates and size of the glass. With excel control and light distribution anlysis, developing fast definition of element distribution became possible. Colors are transformed as input information for a script that generates the form of facade.
Fig. 10 Excel Control
It is also apparent to see the performative quality in this case study. The architect designed the form without detailed elaboration of the structural system and many changes in form and basic element were made along the way. Physical analysis of light distribution changed element disposition and light distribution analysis changed the form and facade. This echoes Oxman’s argument that “the growing capability for scripting algorithms of generative variability is capable of performative behaviors such as structural and energy performance studies.” The digital in architecture in fact had reformed the architectural design process. It established an new advanced environment for interactive collaboration between ‘parametric’ and ‘performative’, that is the architect and the engineer.