STUDIO AIRVICTOR WONG 391192

01. UNEARTHING.DESIGN STUDIO EARTH PROJECT

02. CASA DA MUSICADISCOURSE AS A DISCUSSION

03. TREE OF LIFEDISCOURSE AS AN INNOVATION

04. HYPONOSIS ROOMUNIQUE INNOVATIONS THROUGH COMPUTATION

05. TIMES EUREKA PAVILIONCONSTRUCTION INNOVATION THROUGH COMPUTATION

06. LIVING MORPHOLOGIESExpressing contemporary scripting/programing cultures

07. ARTICULATED CLOUDReverse Engineering kinetic movement

08. MATRIX OF COMBINATIONSRhino & Grasshopper Experiments

09. CONCEPT(x)First Concept

UNEARTHING is a first year design studio subject involving Herring Island. The concept bands around a site that is an urban escape to the secluded bushland of the manmade island on the outskirts of the central business district. The concept for this design stems from the abstraction of graphing the conflict between nature and man. The jaggered exterior shows the physical non-linear relationship of humans (Through human intervention) and then nature striking back (In the form of natural events).

The buildings concept comes alive through computation. With the design intention to take a literal approach and extrude the graph into a snake-like structure that would be built on the edge of the island and take the visitors through the journey of discovery. This discovery is physical and as you walk through it, you experience and feel the conflict between humans and nature. Each jaggered end point becomes a node of discovery for the visitors.

01. UNEARTHING.DESIGN STUDIO EARTH PROJECT

Architectural discourse exists within the use of computational tools to translate the data which became the layout of the structure. The discussion was if computation was suitable for this project. It was sucessful in that it translated the concept strongly, that the complex geometry was brought alive by the use of computational tools such as Rhino and Grasshopper. An example of this is above where sized aperture holes were punched through the skin of the building to control the amount of light in the building. As visitors walked through the site, they would experience from dark to light from one end of the building to the other. It controls the experience of the visitors and shows how the building opens up to nature.

The project was presented in 2011 to a jury of two judges including the tutor, Michael Macleod. Although the presentation was presented well, the jury seemed to be in conflict in their feedback. The discussion was not direct to the project, but rather if the jurys preconcieved ideas and bias towards computation. The argument was towards if computation was a suitable expression for this concept. Regardless of their feedback, the design was chosen to represent the studio at Open Day 2011.

Coordinator: Janet McGawTutor Michael MacleodDesigned by Victor Wong

TOPInterior render with the difference of light from the different sized apertures

LEFTModel of the form of the building showing the angular concept

02. CASA DA MUSICADISCOURSE AS A DISCUSSION

Richard Williams writes:

Casa Da Musica by Rem Koolkaas and OMA amplifies the social realm of architectural discourse than it does as a built form. Although the main function of the building is a concert hall, it breaks the conventional confinement of what Koolhaas calls the Shoebox concert halls and creates a dynamic solid structure in the heart of Porto. The architecture itself is a heavy contrast to the sorroundings of Porto in Portugal but creates an ideal social driver in the busy streets of Porto. This building breaks the cultural normality of the local architecture and contrasts between the colour render of the small residential flats of Porto with a white concrete mamomth structure in the center of the city. The source of the discussion of discourse is derived from this contrast.

The building is much more than a concert hall but has become the central hub of the city. The social aspect of this architecture comes through with its sorrounding public space, opening up the building to the fabric of the city, invites youths to use its facilities and caters for community activities.

An amatuer video catches this discourse by asking the residents of Porto their opinions about the building. They all agree that the building is a large contrast, but are also signifying the social importance of a facility in Porto. The video shows the publics need to engage with architecture, a requirement of the Wyndham Gateway Project. There are complex levels of social engagement that needs to be addressed and the Casa De Musica shows us it can be achieved.

In the context of the Wyndham Gateway Project, we can draw another comparison with the buildings symbolism. Porto commissioned this design competition to revive its port-industrial city that have long been in decline (Ouroussoff, 2005). Like the Gateway project, a sense of reviving interest in the city of Porto.

See Community Discourse on Youtube

Architecture is as much a philosophical, social or professional realm as it is a material one (2005)

10 years from now it might be sitting here quite perfectly, but right now its a bit of a contrast, but contrast is good Architect Rem KoolhaasFirm OMA / AMOCompleted 2005Awards Royal Institute of British Architects, European Award 2007

Architect Syirid Denis Gudzenko AnastasiyaCompleted 2005Awards Short listed winner Evolo skyscraper competition

03. TREE OF LIFEDISCOURSE AS AN INNOVATION

The eVolo skyscraper competition is described as forum for discussion, debate and development of avant-garde architectural design in the 21st century. The word virtual Forum they describe is a Roman public square where public discussion took place. The nature of this competition becomes a virtual platform of architectural discourse for where 4000 projects from 168 countries in the world come together to generate ideas and solutions that redefine the art of the skyscraper. This is through the implementation of new technologies, materials, programs, aesthetics and spatial organisations. It encourages studies on globalization, flexibility, adaptability and the digital revolution that are layered throughout the competition. In many ways, this virtual platform encourages and pushes the boundaries of architectural conventions.

Left: Tree Of LifeBottom Left Wrights Johnson Wax Building structural tree columnsBottom Right Concept for Tree of Life

Parametric Design calls for the rejection of fixed solutions and for an exploration of infinitely variable possibilities Kolarevic 2003

In many of the projects, digital parametric design has been utilised as the tool for this problem solving. As Kalay (2004) describes, different answers suggest different approaches to how solutions can be found. If you think about the complexity of parametric design, the solution to these problems can exist beyond conventional architecture. Parametric design calls for the rejection of fixed solutions and for an exploration of infinitely variable possibilities (Kolaervic, 2003). The history of associating design with past-precedent based design encourages to look towards architectural history for inspiration. But why do we use past based solutions for past problems when we have new problems to address? By using this platform of innovation we can see that by utilising the opportunities of parametric design, we can conceptualise more outcomes and therefore more viable future solutions.

The project entry, Tree of life shows the result of the competition as a discourse that encourages innovation. The project is an ecological hotspot that embodies large infrastructure where inhabitants live and work producing ecological products. The skyscraper encourages technology including using a geothermal energy, subterranean water purification plant, pneumatic elevators, geoponic greenhouses, solar technology and more. The project concept stems from a tree, much like Frank Lloyd Wrights Johnson Wax Headquarters (1930). Wrights inspiration was a tree, but the concept embodied more of the structural aspect of a tree. The tree of life shows that although you have the same concepts from the start, theres more opportunities in computation to push the boundaries.

In the Wyndham City Gateway Project, there is a call for an innovative and prominent indicator for this portal into the city. This innovation exists within the discourse of architecture. The discussion of the way innovation occurs happens in this discourse and the ability to use computation can aid this process to undertake an image for the Wyndham Community.

Architect Syirid Denis Gudzenko AnastasiyaCompleted 2005Awards Short listed winner Evolo skyscraper competition

03. TREE OF LIFEDISCOURSE AS AN INNOVATION

What do you call an architecture firm that draws inspirations from the most extreme aspects of nature and human psychology? Princeston Architectural Press Architect R&Sie(N)Firm Francois RocheCompleted 2005Published Princeston Architectural Press: Bioreboot

04. HYPONOSIS ROOMUNIQUE INNOVATIONS THROUGH COMPUTATION

The Hyponosis Room by Francois Roche is a conceptual hypo chamber brought to life through the innovations and advancements in CNC milling. The life size modular fliud structure breaks away from the conventions of architecture and branches off into a new idea stemming from sleep. The structure is an indoor chamber where hypnosis sessions occur and help the person experiencing the space escape from their alienated social condition.

The Hyponosis room shows how broad the field of discourse exists around digital design. The example shows how innovative thinking and new technologies can come together to combine for different outcomes. The designer has generated a extremely complex form, only made possible by the use of computational design. The design can then be translated into production through documentation that can express how to produce this geometry through computerized fabrication (In this case, CNC Milling).

Although this form is not a suitable scale for the Wyndham project, we can see in this example the innovations in computation design. We can see the designers clear intention (a dynamic web form) and it is further expressed in its materialisation 1:1 scale.

In many ways the Wyndham project brief encourages to propose new, inspiring and brave ideas to generate a new discourse. This is clearly the direction suited for the digital computational field. this brief objective and aim can be achieved. Complex forms can be appealing as it is strange and appealing. The fluid geometry can look more dynamic from different views and can have the characteristics of futuristic and flawless form.

Digital modelling software has opened new territories of formal exploration in architecture, in which digitally-generated forms are not designed in conventional ways (Kolarevic, 2003)

05. TIMES EUREKA PAVILIONCONSTRUCTION INNOVATION THROUGH COMPUTATION

The Times Eureka Pavilion is the winning entry by NEX Architecture and as a result was exhibited at the Chelsea Flower Show. The design patterning stems from the relationship between humans and plants, allowing users to explore the geometry of leaf patterning at a larger scale.

The concept was heavily influenced by the design brief of what materials could be used. This led to a timber structure and the use of biodegradable plastics (With different degrees of transparency and bend variations). As a result, this voronoi-like patterning frames the garden.

A new design continuum, a direct link from design through to construction, is established through design technologies Kolarevic (2003)

Firm Nex ArchitectureCompleted 2011Awards Winning Design Competition for Eureka Pavillion

Paul Loh from Power to Make presented this project at a lecture at ex-lab and talked about the complexity of the design process to the construction process. Use of computation aided the process of fabrication, allowing for the designers to articulate exactly what each fabricated panel contained. The calculations for each wooden segment was made to be fabricated and each plastic element was labelled and manufactured to size. The construction process shows an innovative approach to design. No longer is the designer only in charge of the designing, but also the construction process. Kolarevic describes this as a new continium, this relationship between design and construction through design technologies.

In relation to the Wyndham Project, the Eureka Pavilion shows a simple project that can be materialised through the use of digital computation. It shows the continuation of the design process into the construction process by the designer. Therefore the design concept is not lost through the practicalities of the construction process.

This project shows how a digital model can be translated into the real scale of the world. It is a great advantage of computation to have a complex design that can be expressed through construction detailing through digitally modelling.

Living Morphologies is a hundred-square meter conceptual proposal designed by David Pigram of Supermanoeuvre. The project is based in New York, a 1.5 billion dollar project that is a future interpreation of apartment dwellings defined by Parametric modelling. The project intergrates the use of morphogenetic algorithms, a technique where an element in space continually changes its state based on the states of those around it, giving rise to emergent patterns. The series of scripts run based on simple rules that give rise to these emergent patterns. These rules defined the site response and the topology of the dwellings, giving life to the expansive form stretching from New Yorks dense urban infastructure into the water. A example of this rule is that the script would act like a bird and this bird could know a good smell from a bad smell, a reference to New Yorks industrialisation and polution of air. This would later influence the views, ventilation and built court yards of the concept.

Designer David PigramFirm Supermanoevure

The limits of my language mean the limits of my world Ludwig Wittgenstein Philosopher 1922

06. LIVING MORPHOLOGIESExpressing contemporary scripting/programing cultures

David Pigram (Supermanoevure)Masters of Science in Advance Architectural DesignExhibited: UN Habitat World Urban Forum National Museum of Australia Beijing BiennialAwards: RAIA Chapter Medallion Marten Bequest Travelling Scolarship

The use of programming is an essential part of this design. Described by Kaijima (AKT Architects), programing is a useful tool for handling information beyond our perceptual capabilities (Burry, 2011). This project in many ways shows the advantage of scripting through morphogenic algorithms that factor in issues such as polution, space and effiecency to produce an emergent design. The design is quite graphical as it is has a complex form, but the same algorithmns can be used to produced contemporary housing in any situation. They handle complex issues of site and context at a different level than traditional architects.

The gateway project site is very unique as the context plays a vital role in the design outcome. The site context has very complex systems through it, but not at a localised level. Things such as wind patterns, sun paths, weather, etc. All these factors can contribute in how the design can change over time. Exact information values can feed the design program to generate different simulations.

Programming is useful in handling information beyond our perceptual capabilitiesSawako Kaijima, AKT ArchitectsDesigner David PigramFirm Supermanoevure

07. ARTICULATED CLOUDReverse Engineering kinetic movement

Articulated Cloud by Ned Kahn is an Art work represented in the facade skin of the Pittsburg Childrens Museum. In many ways this facade takes a tangent on predictable and still architecture and pushes it to be dynamic, changing and unpredictable. Kahn commits to questioning nature and approaches is designs as a scentific experiment. This facade is a larger scale materialisation of many smaller works and works with creating an interesting visual experience and makes people question about complexity and the intricacy of nature. It also experiments with taking wind currents, an invisible force of nature, and express it in a constant complex visual experience. It produces a emergant affect creating waves, verticies, sound and colour (Sound and colour through materialisation)

Architects play a lot with transparency, translucency and reflectivity but heres something that does all the same things, but its the atmosphere that makes the decision Ned Kahn, 2010

Name Articulated CloudDesigner Ned KahnCompleted 2004Published Princeston Architectural Press 2008

Although this can be seen as a unpredictable reaction of nature on the skin facade, we can still simulate a environment that can make the facade interact with different forces. Reverse engineering for this facade was challenging, as it could be thought of as a rotational square surface that had to interact with a force that would go through it. The process began at finding the primitive base of the facade: A surface divided by squares that were joint at the top (To simulate it being on rails). The next stage was to begin to stimulate movement.

Process one:

The first process was controling the facade rotation through calcuating distance through an attractor point. It suceeded in generating a rotation angle relative to the attractor point, but failed as it did not relate to wind motion. Logically, if wind went through it, it would push the flap upwards. But if you simulate an attractor point going through, as it calculates the distance, it would be a short distance and the rotation angle would be smaller.

Process two:

Stepping out of the conventional grasshopper tool kit, using Kangaroo Physics simulated the wind perfectly. Kangaroo is a live physics engine for interactive simulation that can be done directly in Grasshopper. It takes the primitive base established and incorporates forces such as weight (Particle), wind and gravitational forces (Unary Forces) in combination with the Kanagroo Plugin that simulates other variables. The edge points of the surfaces become the anchor points, so the simulation shows these flaps fluttering in the modeling space anchored at the top to simlulate the hinges of the shingles.

This example shows an unpredictable side of architecture that is really interesting. It interacts with a force that is a variable in every environment but the variations in wind give us a different outcome. Since the context of the Highway Monument is quite bland and interaction can be limited, a moving facade moving with something like wind can be very interesting. It stimulates visual experience and causes people to think and question the complexicty and intricacy of nature.

08. MATRIX OF COMBINATIONSRhino & Grasshopper Experiments

Arbitrary Points, Boolean Patterning, Curve Intersections, Surface Grids

The Matrix of Combinations is an introduction to experimentation with Grasshopper3D. These examples show the different variety of combinations that can be achieved with simple grasshopper scripts under inputs associations and outputs. Many of these show the same associations being used, but with a different input. This reaffirms Kolvarevics view:

An entirely new way of architectural thinking ... continous experimentation based on digital generation that respond to complex contextual or functional influences ... Kolarevic (2003)

Square grids works almost like a surface divide, but is more equal in both directions. Patterns can emerge out of using the image mapper script. It leads to the type of decoration or ornament mostly seen in commercial buildings. What would be interesting is the use of these square grids to give off the same style image mapper, but in 8-bit style. Square rectangular extrudes that portray information or colours.

Explicit Grids: Square

Arbitary Points functions using points and a surface. The points within the surface (Both drawn in rhino) respond and can be manipulated to have certain outcomes. Can be used as marking site boundaries and plotting suitable areas for geometry to morph out of. The points interacted with a point attractor, measuring the distance between and altering the radius to match. The more distance away from the attractor, the bigger the circle.

Arbitrary Points

Curve intersection extracts the existing information for points (Such as existing overlapping lines). From these points, they can be manipulated to interact together and to map more interesting geometries. This technique can be used with the existing information on the site, extracting intersecting areas (such as contours) and carve out geometry from it.

Curve Intersection

Boolean (data type being true or false) patterning shows how more patterns can emerge out of the simple selection of points. It selects points based on the boolean pattening (In this case, True, False, True) to create a diagonal gap throughout the pattern. This patterning can be associated with finishing a geometry and to detail it in a closer scale.

Boolean Patterning

Square grids works almost like a surface divide, but is more equal in both directions. Patterns can emerge out of using the image mapper script. It leads to the type of decoration or ornament mostly seen in commercial buildings. What would be interesting is the use of these square grids to give off the same style image mapper, but in 8-bit style. Square rectangular extrudes that portray information or colours.

Explicit Grids: Square

Hexagonal grid extract more interesting sets of points that can be manipulated. The use of large geometry can produce interesting intersections. It works almost like boolean, but has less control. This type of detailing is more used for finishing an exterior.

Explicit Grids: Hexagonal

PLOTTING REFERENCE POINTS ON THE SITE

Circle GeometryLoft

ScaleLoft

Geometry RotationLoft

Surface DivideList ItemsTriangular SkinTessalations

Surface DivideOrient Boxes

Arbitrary PointsTranslation Vector

DIMENSIONING/EXTRUSION

EXTRACTING VARIATIONS

ROTATION VARIATION

SKIN (A)

SKIN (B)

Concept embodies reference to the RAAF origins of Wyndham. It is derived from the path of a fighter jet, decending down onto the site and manuvering through a section of the site. It depicts dynamism, a reference to the constant moving motions of the freeway and the speedlines of modernism.

09. CONCEPT(x)Rhino & Grasshopper Experiments

Shape (Amplitude/Pitch/Fall): Graph Mapper

Width and sizes of Extrusion: Maths Function

Rotations of extrusion: Range Function

09.1 ATTRACTORBuilding up using topography

09.2 SONIC BOOM

09.2 SONIC BOOMReference to the RAAF innovation and history

References:

Ouroussoff (2005) - http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/10/arts/design/10ouro.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&sq=casa%20da%20musica&st=cse&scp=1