STUDIO AIR 2016, SEMESTER 2, Matthew Xuehui Yang (Icey)
B
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CONCEPTUALISATION
Critical Design
CONCEPTUALISATION 47
1.0 Research Field
Geometry
I
n Part B, we focus on one fundamental aspect to do parametric design, “Geometry� is a research field I chosen. Geometry as the fundamental science influences the pattern, forms and transformations of architectural design. It plays an important role from the initial stage form-finding to the final construction. Figure 1 Walt Disney Concert Hall
Nowadays, free forms are becoming one of the significant trends. However, the fabrication of the free form on the actual scale is a really challenge. In order to guarantee the aesthetics of forms, the skins should be divided into manufacturable panels. It is benefit to provide support structures, such as the Walt Disney Concert Hall designed by Frank Gehry (Figure 1). In addition, the Geometry can form different patterns by combination, arrangement, which is an omnipresent aesthetic category in nature and art. Therefore, geometry pattern can make architecture harmonic such as golden section and the scaled geometry. For example, the San Gennaro North Gate (Figure 2) is formed by a series scaled geometry.
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CONCEPTUALISATION
San Gennaro North Gate (Figure 2)
As the mentioned, geometry is a good way to realize the freefrom surface, many architect such as Zaha Hadid try to explore cured shapes. They transfer surface to polyhedral meshes by CAD software and different type of mesh can achieve can produce different surface. In addition, the capabilities of material are an important factor to determine the types of segmentation1 . For example, glass, sheet metal and wood can be used for single curved in a certain extent. For example, the glass is more challenging because glass need high cost to bend into curved, while the wood has a good performance in bending so it can create perfect surface such as SG 2012 Gridshell (Figure 3). Compare with the single curved surface, double-curved freeform surfaces can be large and perfect smooth although it is more challenging. Digital tools such as rhino, grasshopper encourage these architecture form and fabrication. Use grasshopper to do the parametric design and try different geometric mesh to the curved surface, which explore different possible of form.
SG 2012 Gridshell (Figure 3)
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