Architecture Design Studio: Air

CONTENTS_____Case for innovation

Introduction

A.1 Architecture as a discourse

A.2 Computational Architecture

A.3 Parametric Modelling

A.4 Algorithmic explorations

A.4 Conclusion

A.5 Learning Outcomes

References

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I’m Sarah and I’m currently in my third year majoring in Architecture. I’m from Mauritius and I’ve been in Melbourne for two years now. For those who’ve never heard of Mauritius, it’s a tropical island near South Africa.

I’ve always had an interest in Architecture. Having travelled all around the world since a young age, I’ve been exposed to various cultures and it triggered a will to discover more and broaden my horizon.

About me

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My first exposure to digital model-ling was in first year when I took Virtual Environments. Working with Rhino and panelling tools was quite an interesting adventure. It has taught me about the advan-tages and limitations of parametric modelling but also informed me about great works of renowned architects.

Past Projects

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There is a shift in the architectural discourse nowadays. It is no more a mere building that sits there to provide shelter but what it can contribute to society and the idea behind it. Ar-chitecture is about the positive change that can be shared around the world.

Computer-aided design plays a big part in the new discourse. We end up wondering if the architect is still the designer or the computer is. Computational design has grown as a fully inte-grated tool of the design process but the tools are not design-ing for us. The architect is the master and the brains behind the algorithms and codes. Architects are not mere users of the software but developers. They create geometries and perform form-finding through sketching with codes.

This leads to the concept of innovation. Innovation points to an attitude, which rises from the will to make a difference. It is about creating a positive impact and adding value to maybe change the world for the better. Innovation suggests that there is potential ahead; the sense that something more can now happen but has not yet.

There is a heightened sense of being part of a shared, distrib-uted project and less of a sense of being tied to convention, most particularly professional convention. It is a kind of cultural change that emerges with new technologies.

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Digital tools enable the breaking of rules and boundaries and broad-en the scope that can be explored.

“They’ve changed the way we produce, they’ve changed the way we craft, and given us less of a division between all areas of design”- Manferdini.

The way she engages in her design is by starting on a small scale first and then applying it to a larger scale. She claims that there are fewer constraints. Whatever difficulties encountered, they can be studied and fixed quickly and efficiently. Post modernists advocated free form but did not have the required technology to be able to deliver their ideas.

Fig 2: Elena Manferdini, Beijing Pavilion, Beijing Architectural Biennale, Beijing, 2006.

In 2006, Elena Manferdini was invited to design the West Coast Pavilion representing USA at the Beijing Biennale in the Chinese Millennium Museum. The laser cut dress, designed as part of the West Coast Pavilion, informed the design of the pavilion itself. The dress was actually a case study. She treats small scale projects as prototypes and incubators of ideas. The pavilion can be translated into a sandwich of undulating plastic layers that flows through and around its volume. The cuts and fringes in the walls of the Beijing Pavilion fool us in thinking that it is moving but are actually designed and built in rigid, still material.

Form finding is very experimental. The same pattern used on the dress gave a different overall effect because of the different material used. In this case, the cuts adapt to the movement of the body and the external environmental factors that create movements and deformations. The design is performed with precise care and attention but the final outcome can only be found by the free movement of the body.

Precedent __Beijing Pavilion, Beijing Architectural Biennale

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Fig 1: Elena Manferdini, Clad-cuts, Beijing Archi-tectural Biennale, Beijing, 2006

Precedent __Westfield London Shopping Centre

Computer aided fabrication methods are not just mere tools to ease life of de-signers. The introduction of computational design offers the potential to break through barriers of traditional model thinking and makes room for innovation. Firstly, it allows the development of new structural forms.

Westfield Shopping Centre roof consists of two parts and has a total surface of 18000 sq metres. The bolted connectors do not allow for any adjustment of the geometry during assembly.

Computational design and manufacturing enabled high precision for the lat-tice shell used for the roof of the shopping centre. It is made of thousands of plates of different geometry and different thicknesses, each one exactly ad-justed to the specific loading at the specific point of the structure. Everything has been accounted for and each component matches perfectly leaving no uncertainty or doubt.However, in practice, computational solutions are only useful to some extent. Depending on the project, new computational solutions need to be developed and adjusted accordingly. Each project has its parameters and restrictions, one program or technique that is used for one might not work for a different proj-ect. For example, for Westfield London, a planar grid was mapped on the 3D surface but for SBA International’s Expo Axis at Shanghai World Expo in 2010, a different (more complex) approach was necessary.

There has been a shift in the process of erecting a building. The traditional sequence was form by the architect, structure by the engineer and fabrica-tion and installation by the contractor. Now all the disciplines work altogether throughout the whole process. There is often the need to send back drawings to and fro to be checked and amended accordingly. Computation makes the task of transferring documents precisely easy as all the disciplines work on one common centre point. This will elaborated later on.

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Fig 4: SBA International Expo Axis, Shanghai World Expo, Shanghai, China, 2010

Fig 3: Westfield London Shopping Centre, Benoy, 2008.

Fig 5: Westfield London Shopping Centre, Benoy, 2008. Roof Detail6

Emerging design approaches use computation as a design method.

Computerisation is the process of using the computer as a way of transferring ideas that the designer has in mind.

Computation is different in the way that the idea itself emerges us-ing computers. It allows the designer to design something complex he wouldn’t have been able to achieve using traditional methods. Computation has the potential to provide inspiration and go beyond the intellect of the designer, through the generation of unexpected results.

Architects use computers and computation as a medium of repre-sentation. With its increasing simulation capabilities, the computer lets architects predict, model and simulate the encounter between architecture and the public. Computation makes possible not only the simulation and communication of the constructional aspects of a building but also the experience and the creation of meaning.

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Precedent __Museo Soumaya, Mexico City

A central digital 3-D model has been applied throughout the construction phase. This made it readily accessible to the design team. There was a clear communication about the build-ing that everyone could understand. It was efficient because different aspects of the build-ing could be designed simultaneously and countless iterations of the design could be quickly studied.

The complex form of the building would not have been clearly represented in a 2D drawing, leaving room for interpretation.

A 3-D model makes it easier to understand the complexity and how the elements interact with each other.Through technology, complex architecture can be communicated clearly, hence different experts need to come together and work together.

Architects Fernando Romero and Armando Ramos from FREE have de-signed an iconic museum in Mexico City through the adoption of complex computational techniques.

The purpose of the Museo Soumaya was to host one of the largest private art collections in the world and also to reshape an old industrial area of Mexico City. It is still used for it’s original purpose, and attracts tourists from all over the world.

There is a great tradition of craft in Mexico that in my opinion this building has failed to reflect. Its artisans have a deep understanding of space, light and material. Skilled artisans are able to create almost anything from stone, wood and masonry.

It was quite an ambitious project because it was an innovative one that used programs none of the prec-edents had ever used in this country.

New techniques were developed us-ing laser scanning, parametric model-ing and other algorithmic techniques. A set of experts have been mobilized to work effectively on the project.

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Fig 6: Museo Soumaya, Mexico City, Mexico

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Precedent __Terminal 3, Bao’an International Airport

As mentioned previously, computational design changed the process of design. While in the past drawings were passed on in a linear sequence, nowadays, compu-tational design makes it necessary for all those involved in the design to work togeth-er simultaneously. There is the need for clear communication and accurate transfer of data. It is this breakup of traditional design strategies that has significant potential for innovation.

The new terminal in Shenzhen gave structural engineers a new role in the design de-velopment. Massimiliano Fuksas worked on the basis of a space structure covered on both sides by a perforated cladding in the form of a stretched metal sheet consisting of 60000 different façade elements and 40000 individual steel members.

The structural system is quite simple, it is the geometry of the cladding that is very complex. The double-curved shape makes it complex because of the evenness of the glass panes which restrict the boundary condition.

Fig 7: Massimiliano Fuksas and Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Bao’an International Airport Terminal 3, Shenzhen, China, 2012.

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There are two design parameters in this case. The size and slope of the glass open-ings. A parametric model has been set up using Rhinoceros and Microsoft Excel.These tools are simple and makes communication easier. Even if the person to whom the information has to be sent does not have any knowledge of these softwares, he can understand what is going on.

After generating and evaluating approximately 50 different models for the terminal roof, a very simple linear sequence of panels has been chosen. The challenge in this project was the set up of the parametric data model that could be shared among the different practices to allow a new form of communication and collaboration between architects and engineers. Computational design promotes new forms of interaction between various design-ers, architects and engineers involved.

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Parametric modeling broadens the scope of design even more than computer-aided software. It has fewer limitations than the latter.

Constraints and opportunities makes the proposal more interesting. Parametric design shows us limitations and possibilities of parameters in order to find a solu-tion for the complex built environment today.

With computational tools, the designer is now able to interact with the con-straints and opportunities exposed through design parameters. It enables the discussion of otherwise abstract and subjective issues. It bridges the gap with other disciplines and the wider public.

Grasshopper has become a true design tool. There is no need for specialists in programming. Parametric design enables the generation of an endless stream of configurations and combinations emerging from data and rules, and pro-vides insights in previously unseen problems and potentials. Parametric design is more than generating endless streams of possible outcomes, it is a way of think-ing.

Certainly, it comes with a lot of limitations. A slight change might break the whole model and it may take hours to fix it. Also, in some cases, the building ends up being designed to satisfy the limitations of the software not the final product that the architect wanted to achieve. Which brings us back to the question as to whether the architect is the designer or the computer is.

Sharing might be the biggest disadvantage concerning Parametric Modelling. The person who designed it has to change it. Not anyone can, certainly not someone who does not understand how the software works.

“The use of parametric techniques and BIM processes allows archi-tects to incor-porate asmany aspects into the design process as can be quantified or simulated.”

The design intention of the stadium was that it could be appreciated from near and afar like a Swiss watch. Each part had its own function and beauty, however each part was interrelated and when the building is viewed holistically, it has a beautiful composition. Computational design process interlinks these, allowing architecture to be more than a collection of singular building elements and become a beautiful functioning whole. Populous architects worked together with engineers Buro Happold through a shared model environment. This made it easier work together and simulta-neously. It allowed the design development of engineering and architectural detail-ing to be created independently and yet on the same base, keeping a coordination between the offices.

Even if the design undergoes a slight change, it is quickly picked up and data is amended accordingly so that the whole process does not need to be done all over again.

The use of parametric platforms enabled the design to be tested and driven to a high level of detail from which each subcontractor could work independently.

Parametric design allows the designing of parts accurately at an early stage and cre-ates new methods of delivering construction information.

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Precedent __Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland

Fig 8: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland

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The Raffles City mixed-use development had a few parameters that need-ed to be dealt with at the design stage. Some of which were sustainability goals, social and economic constraints and fabrication methods. For this project, a series of softwares have been used, such as Grasshopper, Rhino-Script and Gehry Technologies Digital Project. Specific functions of each software have been used to contribute to the final design in the most ef-ficient way possible. The design model has remained the main driver of the project and the use of the mix of softwares has led to the processing and assimilation of a greater amount of parameters to achieve a simpler, more efficient design solution.

Grasshopper and RhinoScript performed form-finding following the project’s twisting geometry embedding environmental and economic constraints. Floor areas and heights are accounted for and both the geometry and data are the base of the building information model (BIM). Gehry Technolo-gies Digital Project studies another aspect of the design which is sustain-ability, fabrication and installation with an aim to minimize costs and simplify fabrication. All in all promote efficiency. The mathematics of optimisation interacts with those of design requiring more tools to accommodate both on the same platform in order to perform to even higher expectations. In the end, there are several parametric tools, each specialising in one particular domain to produce a central amalga-mation of a design end-product.

Even after meticulous computational design and a lot of testing and check-ing, it is essential to visualize the project and to do so, prototypes are carried out. To understand the relationships and meaning of form and material at the right scale is essential because materials may not behave the way they have been assumed to. Small projects are key testing grounds for computa-tional strategies.

Precedent __UNStudio, Raffles City, Hangzhou, China

Fig 9: UNStudio Raffles City, Hangzhou, China

Grasshopper has enabled me to design sever-al iterations of a vase. This is quite an innova-tive vase because of the curvatures that have been achieved from the use of parametric tools. I also included my experimentation with voronoi3D cells. Once you get the hang of it, computational design is quick and efficient. Several proposals can be showed to the cli-ent without wasting much time or money.

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Fig 10: experimenting with voronoi3D cells

Fig 11: Five iterations of a vase

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After having studied several precedents and read academic texts, my understanding of the Architectural discourse is now clearer. Architecture is not simply a building, it speaks for itself through the unique designs each building has. It seeks to change the view soci-ety has and participate towards a positive change. Innovation has been the key element towards the change in the discourse.

Computer-aided design has evolved over the years and is incor-porated into the designers and architects’ routine nowadays. An important change that can be noted is that different professions now work with each other simultaneously on the same platform. Computational design offers the potential to break through the barriers of conventional model thinking to embrace process design and new forms of interaction. Computation’s primary potential lies in its flexibility to communicate design across multiple disciplines via associative data.

What the latter are engaging themselves into now is parametric modelling which broadens their scope. Digital tools break the rules and boundaries, offering more in the end. With computers, new forms can now be investigated and what people in the past want-ed to create can now be achieved. It fills the mind of the designer with endless possibilities and gives rise to new creative opportunities in space making, optimization and constructability. Post modernists advocated these types of designs but did not have the tools re-quired to erect them.

However, they are not free of limitations. As mentioned earlier, there are multitudes of limitations with computation that makes us ques-tion whether the design is the work of the architect or the comput-er. There are so many limitations that we tend to work around them and amend the design to fit into the parameters and in between forget what our main drive was. Nonetheless, its advantages sur-pass its limitations. With simulation now, it is possible to know how the design will perform under several circumstances. And with the world being increasingly environment-centered, these tools are advocated by several. Furthermore, ideas can be adjusted quickly and precisely to meet the client requirements saving time and money.

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Through precedents and practicing with parametric tools like Grass-hopper, I am now able to understand better why computational de-sign is so important today. Whether we like it or not, the architectural

discourse is changing, and along with it so are the methods of design-ing. People are now utilizing computers and softwares more and more

and we have to catch up with experts and use them as well. Other-wise we will always end up being behind. My only past experience

with computational design was in first year when I did Virtual Environ-ments. I encountered a lot of difficulties that maybe I could have

achieved if I were using Grasshopper because of the opportunities that lay in this program and the variety of commands it can execute.

I am looking forward to investigating more into this in order to make my Gateway an interesting and eye catching design. In order to do

so, I will have to use parametric tools because innovation is the key to get an interesting design. The designer himself does not know what

this can lead him to, it is exciting and there is an element of eagerness attached to it.

REFERENCE

IMAGES

Cover and Back page: Kings Cross Station Concourse,Retrieved from: http://www.clinkhostels.com/sites/default/files/King’s%20Cross%20Station.jpg, on 2 April 2013

Fig 1,2: Pavilions by Elena Manferdini for the Architectural Biennial, Beijing 2006.Retrieved from: http://www.sciarc.edu/news_archive.php?id=867, on 2 April 2013

Fig 3, 5: Westfield London, Retrieved from: http://sabinalucia.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/Westfield-and-Rubys-Easter-Party-016.jpg, on 25 March 2013

Fig 4: SBA internaional expo shanghai, Retrieved fromL http://www.archdaily.com/57749/shanghai-2010-boulevard-knippers-helbig/, on 25 March 2013

Fig 6: Museo Soumaya, Retrieved from: http://static.worldarchitecturenews.com/news_images/16533_1_ext_11Museo%20Soumaya%20FREE_Fernando%20Romero%20EnterprisE_photo%20by%20Adam%20Wiseman.jpg, on 16 March 2013

Fig7: Bao’an International airport terminal 3, Retrieved from: http://simbiosis-group.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/61.png, on 2 April 2013

Fig 8: Aviva Stadium, Retrieved from: http://chasingmysunshine.blogspot.com.au/2010/11/aviva.html, on 18 March 2013

Fig 9: Raffles City, Retrieved from: http://s245.photobucket.com/user/z0rgggg/media/others2/20081113_69ecf72842d7a5d4fbceXW8kXF.jpg.html, on 3 April 2013

Fig 10, 11: Screengrabs from Rhino interface

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TEXTS

Architecture Design, Computation Works - The Building of Algorithmic Thought

Architecture Design, The Innovation Imperative - Architectures of Vitality

Elena Manferdini, AIA/LA Design Conference, http://www.aialosangeles.org/home-page-latest-news/elena-manferdini-to-speak-at-the-aia-la-design-con-ference-on-june-23rd#.UVxEZ46OiSQ

Architectural Record, Atelier Manferdini, retrieved from http://archrecord.construction.com/archrecord2/design/2010/january/Atelier-Manferdini.asp, accessed on 2 April 2013

Sublime Bodies, retrieved from: http://deepornamentss10.blogspot.com.au/2010_07_01_archive.html, accessed on 2April 2013

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