AIR STUDIO PART B WENYI YANG | 618 498 SEMESTER 1 / 2015 TUTOR: CHEN
An algorithm is a receipe, method, or technique for doing something. It is made up of a finite set of rules or operations that are unambiguous ad
Architecture needs mechanisms that allow it to become connected to culture. This is attained by constantly capturing the forces that shape the society as material to work with. In this digital age, the architect’s role is becoming increasingly specailised in the desgin of the outer shell yet contributing to the urban setting. 11
simple to follow. -Wilson and Frank 10
- Farshid Moussavi
PART B: CRITERIA DESIGN
FIG 1 : VOLTADOM BY SKYLAR TIBBITS
B1. RESEARCH FIELD TESSELLATION OVERVIEW
The field of study that I have chosen here is Tessellation. Tessellation, or otherwise known as tiling, is gaining more significance in the architectural industry as architects challenges to create more complicated forms and surfaces with different materials. Tessellation is defined by Lisa Iwamoto as “ a collection of pieces that fit together without gaps to form a plane or surface. It can come in any shapes and forms as long as they can piece together in tight formation.�1
I have chosen Tessellation because of its decorative and complex nature that fascinates me to look deeper into this vast and imaginative patternings.2 Digital designs have brought back the design interest in tessellation by equipping us with ways to explore further into patterns as it was once a time consuming and labour intensive enterprise. With the advent of digital technologies, it has allowed architects to form complex surfaces or meshes quickly. At the same time, it gives us an approximation of the smoothness and accuacy of the form. 3 Architects can now array custom made panels across a large surface to address different scales and curvatures. 4
B2. CASE STUDY 1.0 VOUSSOIR CLOUD BY IWAMOTO SCOTT
Voussoir Cloud is a collaboration project between Iwamoto Scott and BuroHappold’s Los Angeles office. The Voussoir cloud uses an ultra light material system. This installation is a landscape of vaults and columns made up of 3D thin wood petals that explores the structural paradigm of pure compression. These paper-thin wood laminate was folded along curved seams to give each petal strength and geometric interest. The curve produce an inflected and dished form which relies on the internal surface tension of the wood and the folded geometry of the flanges to hold its shape. The petals are wedge-shaped and act in compression. yet display a sense of light weightedness when natural lighting passes through. 5 BuroHappold uses form finding software to create this smooth curvature. The resulting process was highly mathematical incorporating geometry to understand how folding along a curve affected each petal and in turn the overall form. 6
FIG 2: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View FIG 3: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View
B2. MATRIX EXPLORATIONS PATTERNING : VORONOI, HEXAGRID, SQUAREGRID, TRIGRID, RECTANGULAR GRID, RADICAL GRID
OVERALL SHAPE TRIMMING
POINT
CURVY SURFACE
SUBDIVIDE PATTERN
FIG 4: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View
B3. CASE STUDY 2.0
ICD/ITKE RESEARCH PAVILION 2011 BY UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART This project is the collaboration of Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), together with students of the University of Stuttgart. This project looks into the digital transfer of biological principles of sea urchin’s plate skeleton morphology by ways of computer based design and stimulation methods, along with computer controlled manufacturing methods for its building implementation. 7 This pavilion is built using extremely thin sheets of plywood (6.5mm) using finger joints, similar to the ones on the sea urchin’s shell. Three plate edges meet together at just one point,a principle which enables the transmission of normal and shear forces but no bending moments between the joints. Due to the lightweight construction, the structure has to be anchored to the ground. 8 FIG 5: Single Panelling Detail (Left) FIG 6: Lofted Geometry Panelling (Right)
B3. REVERSE ENGINEERING
First, create a grid. Then, create an exterior curve to close up the grid. Using Region Intersect, bake the curves out. Set the curve into Grasshopper. And enable the Kangaroo function.
Set the 2 curves - opening constrain curve and exterior boundary curve into Grasshopper, so as to avoid the form to “fly� away when Kangaroo is enabled.
Adjust Rest Length, Caternary Strength and Pressure Level of the forces to stimulate the form from Kangaroo.
Find the discontinuities of the curves from the previous diagram. Region Union the base pattern. And vector2pt them, adding amplitude to direct the vector directions upwards. Move the points up and loft the area.
B4. MATRIX EXPLORATION
VORONOI
VORONOI
ANCHOR POINTS (TRIGRID)
ANCHOR POINTS (HEXAGRID)
ANCHOR POINTS (Negative)
ANCHOR POINTS (Negative)
SUBDIVISION PATTERNS
SUBDIVISION PATTERNS
B4. MATRIX EXPLORATION: SELECTED OUTCOMES
Cone Shaped Panels
Dynamic Hollow Structure
Double Domed Structure
Tectonic Panel Form
- native vegetations can be slotted into each cone.
- flexible and dynamic movement of the form
- A small singular opening - Spikey cones are inspired by the
- The form itself reminds me of native inhabitats.
B5. TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES
LASER CUT IVORY PAPER. This prototype is 1.2m long with 40 panels in total. I created small tabs to join each panels together. However, this material is not lightweighted in nature. Hence, unable to pull the weights. Hence, the use of clips to temporarily secure them in place to give an approximate look and idea. What I lack in this prototype ? I failed looking into a detailed joint to connect my panels together. I would like to throw out the finger joints introduced in the ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 or other alternatives. At the same time, I should try different materials. As they give different performance levels, which will finally affect my final design.
B6. TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL
Site : CERES Community Environmental Park The CERES Community Environmental Park is located at the Merri Creek, which stretches at about 70km. With the different varieties of my matrix explorations, I would like to look into the design concept of creating a playground for kids by placing a few of the models around the area. The above photo is an open space that wrapped between different functional houses in CERES. It will be a good gathering space for the users and a great playground for the kids.
B7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES Unlike past studio where the design step starts initially from analysising a given site, this algorithmic exercise begins with the use of computational methods such as Rhino and Grasshopper. These tools give digital quantitaive and qualitative performance-based stimulation to generate complex forms.9 Plug ins such as Kangaroo allow me to play with different geometries and anchor points that gives endless design possibilities that are both unexpected and interesting. In my matrix exploration, voronoi system is used to create varying patterns that gives interesting design outcomes. Through process such as reverse engineering and matrix exploration, I was able to learn about Grasshopper by studying different scripts and finding solutions to my problems. Both exercise forced us to take greater steps forward in exploring our knowledge about Grasshopper. As for the design proposal, I have modelled a form for my site. However, its feasibility and responsiveness has yet to be tested out.
B8: ALGORITHMIC SKETCH
IMAGE REFERENCE
BIBLIOGRAPHY
FIG 1: https://architecture.mit.edu/faculty/skylarFig 2-4 : http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIR-CLOUD Fig 5-6 : icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p6553
1-4 Iwamoto, Lisa ( 2009) Digital Fbrication : Architectural and Material Techniques (Princeton, New York). pp36-43 5 IwamotoScott Architecture and Buro Happold, ‘Voussoir Cloud’< http://www.burohappold.com/projects/project/ voussoir-cloud-1402/> 6 IwamotoScott Architecture and Buro Happold, ‘Voussoir Cloud’ <http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIR-CLOUD> 7-8 Universitat Stuttgart, ‘ ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011’ < http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=6553> 9 Kolarevic , Branko (2014). ‘Computing the Performative’, ed.by Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman, pp 103-106 10 Wilson, Robert A. and Frank C. Keil, eds (1999). Definition of “Algorithm. ( London:MIT Press) pp11 11 Moussavi, Farshid and Michael Kubo, eds (2006). The Function of Onament (Barcelona : Actar), pp. 5-6