STUDIO AIR
2016, SEMESTER 2, Caitlyn Yiwen Ma
TABLE OF CONTENTS PART A CONCEPTULISATION A.0 INTRODUCTION
A.1 DESIGN FUTURING
A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION
A.3 COMPOSITION /GENERATION
A.4 CONCLUSION
A.5 LEARNING OUTCOME
A.6 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
A.0 INTRODUCTION
My name is Yiwen Ma. I’m a second-year student in University of Melbourne. I’m currently majoring in architecture and construction under the Bachelor of Environments. I was born and raised in China.
Over the past two years, I’ve been practicing softwares such as rhino and autoCAD. I also get to know some basic ideas about digital design through my two years study. However, I’ve never used grasshopper before I took this studio. Grasshopper is quite different from the computer programs that I’ve ever used before. I need to think logically to make my idea work, which is quite hard for a beginner like me.
For me, digital architecture is about using computer programs to generate and test ideas. Digital technology has become increasingly important in 21 century. I think it is very vital to practice digital software in order to adopt the changing society.
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A.1 DESIGN FUTURING
CASE STUDY 1
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FIG.2
FIG. 2: King Abdullah Petroleum Studies
As you may noticed, the increasing population has already caused too much damages to the earth Our behavior is putting human-being into an unsustainable and defuturing situation. The rise of sea level, loss of biodiversity and deforestation etc. are threatening our living in several areas. As architects, it is important for us to reverse this situation and redirect people towards a sustainable mode.
The modern architecture in 21 century is no longer limited to appearance and style. Rather, the architects should consider redirecting the future through their design practice. For example, in the project the King Abdullah Petroleum Studies and Research CENTER, Zaha Hadid did not only apply technology onto the building, but also take the nature of form into consideration in order to achieve sustainability. 1 The idea of natural approach to form is still very influential many years after the KAPSARC was built.
Moreover, this building contributes to its inhabitants. This building is well-designed that it could capture the cooling northern wind and block the harsh western sun. This project creates a comfortable interior space for people to experience.
FIG.2: KING ABDULLAH PETROLEUM STUDIES AND RESEARCH CENTER
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CASE STUDY 2 Baubotanik tower is an excellent example which shows the combination of ecological environment and architecture. The plants are used as structural member in this scenario. The idea of constructing with living plants is very innovative. This also creates a sense of uncertainty which challenges the traditional viewpoint about architecture, which is the architecture is generally stable. It could be seen that this project explores the design possibilities as well as innovates the new construction methods (connect between the living plants).2 This tower is quite sustainable as it is made of trees and plants, which absorbs carbon dioxide. This ecologically friendly design focused on open up possibilities of what future could be and really challenges the boundary of architecture.
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FIG. 3: Baubotanical Tower
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A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION
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CASE STUDY 3 In 21 century, technology develops rapidly. Many of the technological methods are gradually adopted in more and more designing programs. Architectural theories begin to emerge in the intersection between science, technology, design and architectural culture. This shows that the relationship between design and technological-advanced tools are closer than before. This project is an exhibition centre in Milan. It is an example of parametric design. Design through computation is very efficient in terms of manipulate geometrics. In this project, computing soft wares are used to manipulate the cladding strips that forms the building envelope. During the design process, computing software helps form exploring.3 It is used to develop and test the length, radius and connections
FIG. 4: Milan E3 Exhibition Center 14
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between each strip and therefore generate different forms of openings, which allows the aesthetics and the engineering of the surface to be investigated. This new way of design breaks through the boundaries of traditional architecture. It is beyond what we can do through sketching and model making. The Milan E3 exhibition centre also encourages the experimentation of digital materiality in architectural practices. The shape of the exhibition centre was erected as a parametric model. The size, shape of each glue-laminated timber ribs are calculated through computation and integrated within the design. Thus, it could be seen that the martial and structural innovation facilitates the digital fabrication in architecture.
FIG. 5: Milan E3 Exhibition Center demonstration diagram
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CASE STUDY 4
The Entertainment Centre is located in the capital of Kazakhstan. This building is designed to protect people from the inclement weather with a sheltered climatic enclosure.
This is the project where digital theories are applied in architectural practice. A new design process is adopted for this particular building. At the beginning, physical models are used to explore the structural behaviour and cable arrangement of the building. This traditional way of designing things is used in this case to determine the shape of the cable net. Then, the overall shape of the model and the cable arrangement are modified in computing programs. The process of form generation includes both computing and model making. Moreover, this project use 3D printing and rapid prototyping machine as a design tool to replace the traditional physical modelling method as the shape of this project is too complex to build without machine. Therefore, it is clear that the digital fabrication in tectonic practice increases the efficiency.
The design process of the Entertainment Centre illustrates the idea of digital continuum: the form generation, morphogenesis, materialization and digital fabrication form a continue loop, which makes up the digital design principle.
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FIG. 6: The Entertainment Center
A.3 CPMPUTATION/GENERATION
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CASE STUDY 5
FIG. 7: National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters
The National Bank of Kuwait Headquarter is an environmentally responsive building. In this casestudy, algorithmic thinking and parametric modeling are integrated during the designing process.
Through parametric modeling, many geometrical solutions could be produced for the building.For instance, the primary parametric modeling software named ‘GenerativeComponents’ is used to simulate the structural, environmental, functional and operational performance of the building.4 The level of curvature and the shape of the fins are tested via software, Eventually, the fins act as a shading device
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and the structural support for the floor plates. Hence, by using this software, continuing to investigate geometrical solutions would become possible. In other words, algorithmic thinking enable people to modify the code, which leads to the exploration of new ideas as well as find further design potentials.
Parametric model is used to generate multiple variations of the building shape. It also helps create new design opportunities. The trend of using parametric modeling as a method of design is growing rapidly in the past few decades. We should embrace this change and break theboundry of traditional architecture.
FIG. 8: National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters
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The Galaxy SOHO is a project that is designed through computation. Digital technology is used in this project to codify a design, so the the design is geometric and mathematical related. The algorithmic thinking not only facilitate the form generation but also open up our imagination and let people explore what is once unimaginable.
At the digital form-generating stage, the material is simulated along with the parametric geometry. This is to show the overall building performance at various stages, so the designers can get feedback and explore new design opportunities through out the whole designing stage.
FIG. 9: Galaxy SOHO
In terms of form generating, the Galaxy SOHO project overlays several layers of models in CATIA to generate a higher geometric definition.5 They also created a developable surface to justify the shape of the building to make it aesthetically pleasing. Moreover, material computation is a vital part in this project. It is regarded as part of the geometric solution. And it determines weather the project is constructible.
FIG. 10: Galaxy SOHO
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CASE STUDY 6
FIG. 11: Galaxy SOHO
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A.4 Conclusion To sum up, this 3-week exercise really helps me understand the digital design. I think computation programs are becoming more and more important nowadays. Thus, learning how to use the equipment to design seems to be vital. I plan to further develop my grasshopper skill and get familiar with the commands in the program. I’ll try to create some interesting geometry by using the command that I’ve learned.
A.5 Learning outcomes After read the three weeks readings and went through the grasshoppers videos, I started to get a better understanding of digital design. The ideas about algorithmic thinking and commutation that are mentioned in the reading really changes my point of view towards architecture. Especially in the article ‘design futuring’, the author discussed about how the design can reshape the world and the role of architects in the society is much more complicated and more important than I thought.
I found it a little bit hard to deal with grasshopper as I’ve never used this software before. But after 3-week practice, I gradually understand how this system works. I also think this program is quite useful because in this program, I could create things that could never be done through drawing and model making. The digital design gives me a new perspective of looking at architecture.
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A.6 Appendix - algorithmic sketches
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Refernece
1. Cristiano Ceccato, ‘Material Articulation: Computing and Constructing Continuous Differentiation’ , Architectural Design, 82 (2012), 96-103. 2. DaeWha Kang, ‘To a Curator of Beautiful and Healthy Lives: A Note to Myself’ , Architectural Design, 85 (2015), 122-127. 3. Dusanka Popovska, ‘Integrated Computational Design: National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters’ , Architectural Design, 83 (2013), 34-35. 4. Olver Storz, ‘Living Systems: Designing Growth in Baubotanik’ , Architectural Design, 82 (2012), 82-87. 5. Wolf Mangelsdorf, ‘Structuring Strategies for Complex Geometries’ , Architectural Design, 80 (2010), 40-45. 6. Wolf Mangelsdorf, ‘Structuring Strategies for Complex Geometries’ , Architectural Design, 80 (2010), 40-45.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PART B CRITERIA DESIGN B.1 RESEARCH FIELD
B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0
B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0
B.4 TECHNICAL: DEVELOPMENT
B.5 TECHNIQUEL: PROTOTYPES
B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL
B.7 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
B.8 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
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B.1 RESEARCH FIELD PATTERN
Patterning is an interesting field to research as it is a vital part in the architectural history. The role of pattern in architecture are always changing through out the history. Traditionally, ornaments and patterns could represent symbles in a culture. It is related to religion and power. The ornaments on the builidng shows the social status of a house as well as highlight the supreme power of religion. For example, Mosque as a place for worship for the Islam followers is heavily decorated to indicate it’s importance. Nowadays, the function of pattern has shifted from its origion. It is an element that emerages from the material substrate. There are three aspects that need to be considered for ornamentation: depth, material and expression. The depth and material of a pattern will eventually affect the expression of a building. With the rise of technical revolution, the algorithms allow architects to design and generate patterns in a more logical way. The parametric design really pushes the limits as well as makes people think what is the real function of pattern and ornamentation. Patterns also occur in the natural world. The rocks, trees, rivers all have its unique pattern. The organic forms in the natural world is able to be analysed and created through digital programs. The research of patterning is a good way to explore the natural world system, from whitch architectural practices could take further.
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B.2 CASE STUDY 1.0
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ITERATION SERIES 1: MOVE THE SLIDER
ITERATION SERIES 2: INPUT VARIANCE
At the beginning, I keep changing the input of the slider to see what chages it will make. The reason for doing this is to get familiar with this algorithm. I want to know the function of each sider and also which part does it control. Changing the sliders is intuitional and simple in terms of manupulating the algorithm.
In the second iteration, I replaced the merge field with break field. I did this to test how the field work. I also tried some other field tools. Most of them does not work. At this stage, I was still trying to figure out the meaning for all the inputs and outputs. Therefore, it is very common to see some errors occur during my experimentation.
ITERATION SERIES 3: INPUT VARIANCE
ITERATION SERIES 3: INPUT VARIANCE
In this section, I replaced the circle input with arc, polygon etc. I was trying to create different patterns by changing the input geometry. The final apperance looks less similar to the origional shape. However, the small segaments which forms the pattern are still lack of variation.
I experimented several grpah types and replaced multiplication tool with addition, power and division. The change is quite large and obvious. I’ve created some interesting patterns under this series.
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I also added a image sampler in this algorithm to see more unexpected results.
ITERATION SERIES 5: INPUT VARIANCE
ITERATION SERIES 6: SURFACE
I replaced the ‘move’ componemnt with some other similar commands such as rotate, rotate axis and orient. The patterns that I create under this series looks like plants and flowers. The expansion and contraction of the line makes the pattern look very dynamic.
I started to add inputs to this algorithm to create surfaces. This series was mainly focused on exploring surfaces. I was interested in the idea of overlapping and repetation. It is easier to see how the patterns are overlapped by observing the surfaces rather than the 2d lines.
ITERATION SERIES 7: MESH I added some mesh command after the interpolate curve.Again, this is to test what kind of mesh surface could be created from curves. It is quite interesting to see this project growth from points to curves and then to surfaces.
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ITERATION SERIES 1
ITERATION SERIES 2
ITERATION SERIES 3
ITERATION SERIES 4
ITERATION SERIES 5
ITERATION SERIES 6 (extrud surface tools )
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ITERATION SERIES 7
SUCCESSFUL ITERATIONS
This iteration gives me ideas about how I might arrange and join the segments for my own design. The overlapping and repetition of a single geometry creates complex and dynamic patterns. Moreover, the circles are distributed unevenly, which creates a curvy effect. My project will be designed for Merri Creek, a waterway in the southern part of Victoria. This iteration reminds me of ripples in the creek. It is a pattern that relates to the natural environment of that area. I could further explore this potential later for my own project.
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This iteration provides many directions for material experimentation. It reminds me of the lines on fabric. The interlaced lines shows the texture of the fabric. Furthermore, this iteration could be seen as 3 layers overlapping together to form a pattern. The first layer is made of rectangles, distributed around the edge of this pattern. This layer looks very rigid, therefore, hard materials such as MDF and bamboo could be used to express the rigidity. The other two layers looks very soft, so I can use polypropylene to show ductile property.
This iteration highlights the boundary of the geometry. This emphasis the individuality in a group. However, this iteration might be hard to fabric as the lines within the boundary are quit messy. All the lines are twined together , which gives a feeling of disorientation.
This iteration again shows the repetition of one geometry that forms a pattern. Except this time, the size of the geometry varies. This iteration is easy to fabric. However it is not very dynamic. It is very hard to make a pattern that is both fabricable and aesthetic at the same time. I will try to achieve both requirement by applying the discoveries that I summarized in this exercise.
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B.3 CASE STUDY 2.0 REVERSE ENGINEER - AQUA TOWER INTRODUCTION Aqua Tower is an 82-storey residential building located in Chicago. The apperance of the facade was inspired by the striated limestone outcroppings of the Great Lakes region. Moreover, the weaving terrace offers shading for this building. The balconies also emphasis the connection between people and the city. Since the shape of each floor slab is differ from each other, some digital cpomputer programs such as CAD is used in this project for a more accurate and precise outcome. This tower is mainly made of concrete and glass. The concrete is painted white which highlights the contour lines on the facade and also contrast with the dark shading that is created by the curvy balconies. Further, concrete usually gives a sense of heaviness whereas the Aqua Tower breaks up our impression about concrete. The facade looks very soft and malleable. The basic shape of this building is cubic. Glass windows are attached to the flat facade. The curvey concrete slab is intersecting with the cubic. The cubic shape and the curvey slabs may be created separately in grasshopper and then be conbined afterwards.
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METHOD ONE The first method was to use contour command in grasshopper to create the curvy effet of the facade.
SURFACE
CURVE DIVIDE
ITEM
DECONSTRUCT BREP
CONTOUR
CURVE CLOSEST POINT VECTOR 2 POINT
END POINTS
AMPLITUDE
VECTOR 2 POINT EXTRUDE
MOVE
INTEROLATE
INTEROLATE LOFT CONCEPTUALISATION 39
METHOD TWO
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POINT
RECTANGLE
HORIZONTAL FRAMES
DECONSTRUCT PLAN
POINT
RECTANGLE
HORIZONTAL FRAMES
PERLIN NOISE
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REVERSE
AMPLITUDE MOVE
INTERPOLATE CURVE
EXTRUD CURVE
CAP HOLES
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I tried to use image sampler to create the curvy facade, but it doesn’t work. So I found the command called perlin noise to create the dynamic facade. The result was quite good.
METHOD THREE I traced several curves from the plan of Aqua tower. I planned to extrud curves and then divided the surface into layers to create the tower, however, the outcome was not satisfied as I was not sure how to divide the surface and the surface is less curvy than i expected.
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B.4 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT ITERATION SERIES 1
ITERATION SERIES 2
ITERATION SERIES 3
ITERATION SERIES 4
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ITERATION SERIES 5
ITERATION SERIES 6
ITERATION SERIES 7
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B.5 TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES The choose of material for digital fabrication is vital as it could affect how a building is expressed. When use different materials to fabricate a project, the outcome might be very different. In this section, I chose MDF and polypropylene to test how materals affect the apperance of a project. I also tested various joints in order to find the suitable ones that could be used for my project.
MATERIALS
POLYPROPYLENE
MDF
JOINTS
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COPPER SADDLE
CABLE TIE
STRINGS
WIRE
PLAN WEAVE
COPPER HINGE
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METHOD 1: COPPER SADDLE CONNECTION
COMMENT: This connection type is very rigid. It is not benefical to use this connection as I would like my garment have drape effect. However, this connection could be used between layers to creat a multi-layer effect.
METHOD 2: CABLE TIE COMMENT: The cable ties are very easy to assemble. However, I found that it might affect the aesthetic of the project. Moreover, it is hard to make sure the spacing between each connection is the same. Therefor, I might not choose this type of connection as its lack of accuracy.
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METHOD 3: COMBINATION COMMENT: The combination of several joints could creat the drape effect that I want. However, I found it hard to use these joint to separate different layers.
METHOD4: PLAN WEAVE
COMMENT: This type of connection is very useful to use for my project. This is due to the flexibility and bendability of this material as well as the patterns it could generate. Next step, I will use this type of connection to fabricate the iteration that I chose to further develop in the reverse engineering development section. I will also also try to use polypropylene to fabricate joints to connect the edge strips. Further, I will try to make multi-layers of patterns at next stage.
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DEVELOPMENT COMMENT: After the experimentation with all kinds of joints, I started to create the pattern that I explored in the iteration exercise. After the test of materials, I found the polypropolyene is good at bending. Therefore, I choose this material to make joints to divide different layers. The outcome is generally good. Only I didn’t expect the middle part could sink due to the lack of support. Next stage, I will add
more support between the layers, not only at the edges, but also in the middle parts. I will also find other connection joints lighter than bolts, because they are quite heavy, it makes the strips deflect signifacantly. Further, I found taht the strips that connect the different layer sometimes rotate as it has a pin connection rather than fixed connection. I’ll fix this by finding a more tight connection.
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B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL Merri creek is natural site which contains a various of natural patterns that could be explored. The rocky cliff face on the east part of the creek is a good place to exlpore patterns. The origional rocks in this area are Silurian rocks. Another layer is the baslat layer. This layer is created by the lava flow. Two different types of rocks intersecting which creates dynamic overlapping patterns. I would like to mimic the natural multi-layer pattern for my own design. The iteration I choose to further develop also have multi-layers. This is the area the I want to further explore with. I would like to combine the natural pattern with the garment-like iteration to explore more opportunities. Pollution is a vital issue for this site. It is also an opportudity to create a project that focuse on pollution and environemntal protection. In order to let visitors experience how serious the environmental is, my design proposal would be to create a garment which rises people’s awareness of environment protection.
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B.7 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES After done all the exercises for part B, I found that my grasshopper skill has improved a lot. I am able to use grasshopper to generate differnet forms and manupulate the definitions. I tend to creats less error when I’m doing the B 4 iterations than B 2 iterations. I thinks I have a better understanding of algorithm than before. I’m more familiar with the inputs, outputs and data trees. I found the relationship between ornamentation, culture, architecture, pattern and digital fabrication are quite complex. They are interleated. The grament is actually an architectural product. Creating grament by using grasshopper really helps me understand the algorithm as well as the materiality and ornamentation & patterning.
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B.8 APPENDIX - ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
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Refernece ‘Aqua’, <http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/aqua/886>, [accessed 15 September 2016] ‘Aqua Tower’, <http://studiogang.com/project/aqua-tower> [accessed 8 September 2016] ‘3D print art’, <http://3dprintart.tumblr.com/post/88001086860/mesonic-fabricsalgorithmic-states-explored-by> [accessed 1 September 2016] ‘Explore Moroccan Turkish Persian, Persian Mosaic and more‘, <https://au.pinterest. com/pin/143200463125427883/> [accessed September 2016] Farshid Moussavi, ‘The Function of Ornament’, 2006, <https://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/ pid-5394042-dt-content-rid-20257229_2/courses/ABPL30048_2016_SM2/ABPL30048_2014_SM2_ ImportedContent_20140709012321/Moussavi%20-%20The%20Function%20of%20Ornament%20 _2006_%20COMMENTED%20SR%2C%20pp%205-14%281%29.pdf> [accessed 10 September 2016] ‘Merri Creek Geological Sites: Site 26 Galada Tamboore Campbellfield - Unconformity’, <http://www.mcmc.org. au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176&Itemid=272/> [accessed 1 September 2016]
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TABLE OF CONTENTS PART C DETAILED DESIGN C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT
C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPES
C.3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL
C.4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES
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C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT
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RE-ASSESSING DESIGN PROPOSAL
Realising the material polypropylene offers a large opportunity for exploration, our group members decide to mainly use polypropylene as our digital fabrication material. After reviewing everyoneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s part 2 prototypes, we found that our prototypes have some similarities - we all tried to test the bending capacity of polypropoylene. Based on the feedback from our interim presentation, we decide to create a garment that fully express the materiality of polypropopylene.
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REFINING DESIGN CONCEPT
Merri creek as part of the ecosystem provide invaluable services for human being. It helps maintain air quality as well as clean and store fresh water. We see the creek as a garment as it protects human being from all kinds of dangers such as air pollution, water shortage etc. Meanwhile, it gives us a comfortable living environment. However, the creek ecosystem is in decline due to human impact. In order to raise peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s awareness of protecting our fragile and precious ecosystem, we intend to make a garment which highlight the protection function.
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PRECEDENT SELECTION I found several strip based structure in order to study the way they manipulate strips. It is also interesting to see the creative ways of connecting strips in different projects. Les Danseurs Du Tailor Marc Fornes
- Metal sheet strips - Self-supporting structure - Two layers of strips overlapping to create complex tailoring and sewing patterns - Use human body envelope to generate the form of the garment - Create a 3D puzzle on human body - Use small bolts for connection
Basket Weaving - Friction based basket weaving method - Bamboo weaving - light and jointless - Different strip width, strip density offers different visual impact - possible to create complex patterns
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TECHNIQUE DIAGRAM CURVE
DIVIDE CURVE MOVE
GENE POOL
POINT
UNIT Z
MOVE GENE POOL
UNIT Y
INTERPOLATE OFFSET
CURVE LOFT
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TECHNIQUE DIAGRAM POINT POINT
INTERPOLATE CURVE
DIVIDE CURVE
ARC
ROTATE 45 DEGREE
POINT
CONSTRUCTION PROCESS DIAGRAM
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NON-TEACHING PERIOD
WEEK 10
- Decide the form of the garment - Try to create it in grasshopper - Send some work to fablab to laser cut - Assemble the garment and discuss how to improve
- Try to manipulate the strips in grasshopper to see what changes we can make - Test how to apply self-rotating strips onto the garment structure - Send the refined garment to laser cut - Assemble the garment and test it on human body
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PLANAR
AMPLITUDE NEGATIVE
MOVE ALONG A VECTOR MOVE
LOFT
ROTATE
WEEK 11
WEEK 12
- Manipulate the strips further to create more complex patterns - Create the self-rotating strip definition in grasshopper - Test different connection joints - Send the updated version to laser cut - Assemble and refine
- Finish the garment definition and render it - Make some changes if needed - Assemble and photograph it - Prepare the presentation slides
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C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYP 72
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PES CONCEPTUALISATION 73
PROTOTYPE 1: STRUCTURE
The first prototype was an attempt to create a main structure underneath as the supporting layer and strips on top to be attached to the structure. Therefore, our group members tried to use waffle grid definition to create the arm structure in grasshopper. The material we use was perspex. After we assemble everything together, we found that this idea does not went well as it is too heavy for a person to hold up. Also, perspex would easily break while notching together. After this experimentation, we decide to give up this idea and start over again. The reason that we failed was because we did not understand the materiality of perspex very well. Since weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve all explored the characteristic of polypropylene for part 2 exercise, we decide to use only polypropylene to create the volume and shape.
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PROTOTYPE 2: FORM FINDING
Realising the similarity between the garment and Merri Creek, which is they both have protection function, we decide to create a garment which have a rigid appearance to highlight this function. By connecting the four ends pf the strips together, the 2D plain weave has transferred to a 3D object. Then we start to test how the number of strips would affect the appearance of the garment.
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Shoulder Piece We use 20mm wide strips to make the shoulder piece. It appears that the wide strips give a heavy appearence. We would like to continue use 20mm wide strips to emphasis the concept of protection.
Chest Piece Use longer strips to make the chest piece. The more strips we add, the more puffy it becomes. Also, it becomes less flexible when we add on strps. We use thinner strips to allow more strips to be added.
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PROTOTYPE 3: GARMENT DEVELIPMENT
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1.In order to create a more
organic pattern for shoulder piece, we decide to use curvy strips, which mimic the form of the merri creek for our garment fabrication. However, the shoulder piece became loose and messy once we assembled the strips together. Thus, we need to update our grasshopper definition to make the strips more controllable.
2. With the chest piece, we
made some strips transform from 10mm to 2omm to give the middle a more concentrated and fuller look. Then we started to add some strips on the chest piece to create a self-rotating pattern.
3. The idea of head piece was
developed from the self-rotating characteristic of polypropylene. The self-rotating strips is a metaphor of liana. Having the rotating strips wrap around human body to represent the liana which lives by the river also provide protection to human. CONCEPTUALISATION 79
PROTOTYPE 4:GARMENT REIFNEMENT
2. We also did an iteration which the
strips are enlarged towards each end. It is less puffy however, the curvy strips create a more uniform pattern.
1. After we developed the grasshopper
definition for the shoulder piece, we found that the strips are more controllable than before. It allow us to get a better outcome in terms of fabrication. We also reduce the width at each strip end to match the width of the strips of chest piece 80
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3. We wanted to keep the pattern while make it more puffy, so we widened the strips.
4. Instead of having the strips
transform from 10mm to 20mm, we make the strips transform from 10mm to 17mm to make the pattern looks more exquisite.
In the previous iteration, the vertical strips were too thin so the structure was not strong enough to hold the self-rotating strips. So we use wider strips to add more strength to the structure. Then in the third iteration, we rotate the supporting strips to get a more complex appearance. We also add an extra strip at the bottom to make the head peace more stable.
For the chest piece, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve developed a pattern using self-rotating concept. Having the strips cover the whole structure to mimic the growth of liana.
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POINT POINT
INTERPOLATE CURVE
DIVIDE CURVE
ARC
ROTATE 45 DEGREE
POINT
EXPLODE TREE NEGATIVE PLANAR
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DIVIDE CURVE CONSTRUCT DOAMIN
AMPLITUDE
MOVE
POINT RANDOM
MOVE
PLANAR
AMPLITUDE NEGATIVE
LOFT
ROTATE
MOVE ALONG A VECTOR MOVE
LOFT
ROTATE
UNROLL
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PROTOTYPE 5: JOINT SELECTION ROUND HEAD PIN
At first, we use the round head pins to join the polypropylene strips due to its flexibility. It can be easily pull off when we want to rearrange the strips. This style of connection is good for experimentation but not good to use on our final model as the sticks might hurt people. Moreover, the stick is too short to keep many stirps together and it sometimes come off accidently, which makes it less desirable.
BLACK DRAWING PIN
We thought using black connection joints could make the garment look more uniform and the joint would be more invisible. After we compare the black pins with the brass plated pins, we decide to use the brass plated round head pin because golden pins looks like jewels decorate on the black garment.
EYELET
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We found this type of joints hard to use. We need to use hammers or other equipment to put them together. Moreover, the eyelet is a very rigid joint, once it is hammered on, it would be very time consuming to pull it off, and it could not be reused afterwards. In addition, it does not contribute to the aesthetic aspect of the garment, as the empty hole in the middle is very rough due to the knock of the hammer.
BOLTS
This is so far the best connection joints we can get. It has different sizes so we can use longer bolts to connect more strips together. It is reusable and easy to screw together.
MIXED JOINT
Since we want the golden color to decorate our garment, and we also want our fabrication process to be efficient, we decide to combine the round head pin and the bolts together. Therefore, we firstly use bolts to fix the strips together, then we cut off the sticks on the pin, finally we use glue to stick the brass plated head onto the bolt head. We took the advantages of the two different joints and combine them together.
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C.3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL 88
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RENDERED MODEL
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FINAL MODEL FABRICATION
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FINAL OUTCOME
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C.4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES During this semester, I have learnt quite a lot about grasshopper. The online videos and weakly exercises are really useful in terms of helping me understand grasshopper and develop my own definition for the final project. After the whole semester study, I now start to see the benefits of using parametric tools in architecture practice. By manipulating the definitions in grasshopper, we could generate organic forms that we didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect. It is a very useful tool for exploration and form generation. Moreover, high level of accuracy is required and sometimes no margin for human error during fabrication. I found this quite hard to achieve, but I still tried to make the model as accurate as possible. Algorithmic design challenges peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s logic. Modelling in grasshopper requires a high level of logic thinking. I found that thinking clearly about the steps of creating a parametric model before actually creating it in grasshopper helps build up my logic system. Order is also very vital in terms of creating a grasshopper definition. Errors will occur if the arrangement of the parameters is wrong. As for digital fabrication, it is challenging to create an organic form that could be fabricated and assembled from 2d segments. Furthermore, the connection between small segments must be well designed to hold up the structure and maintain the aesthetic of the model at the same time. Sometimes the connection joints can be different from each other, which requires people to carefully label everything to make sure nothing goes wrong. Labeling is necessary especially when there are hundreds and thousands of unique pieces need to be assembled together.
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Refernece Part 1 1. Cristiano Ceccato, ‘Material Articulation: Computing and Constructing Continuous Differentiation’ , Architectural Design, 82 (2012), 96-103. 2. DaeWha Kang, ‘To a Curator of Beautiful and Healthy Lives: A Note to Myself’ , Architectural Design, 85 (2015), 122-127. 3. Dusanka Popovska, ‘Integrated Computational Design: National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters’ , Architectural Design, 83 (2013), 34-35. 4. Olver Storz, ‘Living Systems: Designing Growth in Baubotanik’ , Architectural Design, 82 (2012), 82-87. 5. Wolf Mangelsdorf, ‘Structuring Strategies for Complex Geometries’ , Architectural Design, 80 (2010), 40-45. 6. Wolf Mangelsdorf, ‘Structuring Strategies for Complex Geometries’ , Architectural Design, 80 (2010), 40-45. Part 2 ‘Aqua’, <http://www.skyscrapercenter.com/building/aqua/886>, [accessed 15 September 2016] ‘Aqua Tower’, <http://studiogang.com/project/aqua-tower> [accessed 8 September 2016] ‘3D print art’, <http://3dprintart.tumblr.com/post/88001086860/mesonic-fabricsalgorithmicstates-explored-by> [accessed 1 September 2016] ‘Explore Moroccan Turkish Persian, Persian Mosaic and more‘, <https://au.pinterest. com/pin/143200463125427883/> [accessed September 2016] Farshid Moussavi, ‘The Function of Ornament’, 2006, <https://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/ pid-5394042-dt-content-rid-20257229_2/courses/ABPL30048_2016_SM2/ABPL30048_2014_SM2_ ImportedContent_20140709012321/Moussavi%20-%20The%20Function%20of%20Ornament%20 _2006_%20COMMENTED%20SR%2C%20pp%205-14%281%29.pdf> [accessed 10 September 2016] ‘Merri Creek Geological Sites: Site 26 Galada Tamboore Campbellfield - Unconformity’, <http://www.mcmc.org. au/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=176&Itemid=272/> [accessed 1 September 2016] part 3 ‘13 Moss-Bureau’ <https://theverymany.com/constructs/13_moss-bureau/> [accessed 28/10/2016] ‘Tour de Force’, <https://theverymany.com/> [accessed 25/10/2016] Sanjeev Shankar, ‘earthquake resistant woven timber system’, <http: sanjeevshankar.com/wovensystem.html> [accessed 30/10/2016]
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