Arch,Tech+Process Abel Cybernetic Factory

8/6/2019 Arch,Tech+Process Abel Cybernetic Factory

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/archtechprocess-abel-cybernetic-factory 1/10

APPENDIX

II

As with the Hong Kong Bank, some of the greatest challenges and most advancedtechnologies in the construction of the Swiss Re and GLA involved the produc-

tion of the cladding systems. Like Cupples, the fabricators for the bank’s cladding,

Schmidlin (Fig. AII.1), the Swiss-based company who made the cladding for both

the London buildings, also had to upgrade their methods and technology to match

Foster’s own methods and requirements. A well-established leader in the field,

Schmidlin already had a solid reputation for custom-made cladding systems, and

were used to working closely with their architect clients. As a progressive com-

pany, they also used CNC machines in their production lines. However, like most

manufacturers in the construction industry, prior to the Foster commissions, their

operation was still based on the production of detailed drawings for every com-

ponent in the traditional manner. In the same way, the CNC machines were man-

ually programmed for each job, a laborious process requiring someone totranslate the information from a drawing into appropriate data for the machine.

Also like Cupples, Schmidlin invested in new machinery at their Basel factory to

cope with the Foster projects, including additional CNC machines. However, by

far the greater investment went into software development. Uwe Bremen,

Schmidlin’s Head of Technology, soon recognized that the geometrical com-

plexity of the cladding systems and huge number of variations ruled out con-

ventional drawings, whether drawn by human hand or by computer. A single

cladding element, i.e. a glazed frame in the GLA building, for example, is com-

posed of over 200 components, including screws, etc., which all have to be

In his prescient paper, ‘Towards the cybernetic factory’, 1962, the British cybernetician StaffordBeer 1 described how computer-based production lines of the future would resemble responsive

organisms, swiftly adapting to the needs of changing markets and individual customers. Following

developments in other industries, flexible manufacturing systems are also now appearing in advanced

sectors of the construction industry. The following unedited passage is abstracted from C. Abel,

‘From hard to soft machines’, 2004.2

BIRTH OF A CYBERNETIC

FACTORY

Alis_App2.qxd 7/7/04 9:37 PM Page 237



accounted for (Fig. AII.2). Half of these components, such as corner plates

or glazing panels – only the profile is constant – also vary in some way from one

element to the next. Often, the variations are too small to be noticed by eye,

making it impossible to keep track of them with conventional methods. Multiply

all those variations by 650 times for the whole cladding system – every single

panel on the GLA is different by some degree – and you have potential chaos.

The transparency of both cladding and structure in each building – a defining char-

acteristic of most of Foster’s work – with all their highly visible connections, fur-

ther complicated matters, since nothing could be hidden or fudged; everything had

to be designed and made to the same high standards (Fig. AII.3). The helical struc-

ture and the cladding pattern of the Swiss Re also presented special problems of

their own, since both offsets and diagonal crossing points as well as other details

arising from the peculiar geometry had to be carefully worked out: the steelcladding of the helical frame, for example, also has a diagonal kink in it to accom-

modate the twisting of the structure around the circular plan (Fig. AII.4). The

consultative process between Schmidlin’s designers and Foster’s project architects

on the Swiss Re cladding alone lasted a whole year.

238 ARCHITECTURE, TECHNOLOGY AND PROCESS

AII.1 Schmidlin AG Head-

quarters, Aesch/Basel, Switzer-

land.Photo: Author.




Although the Swiss Re was designed first, differences in the scale and program-

ming of the two projects meant that the cladding contract for the GLA preceded

that for the former building. The sequence was fortuitous, since it gave Schmidlin

the opportunity to develop and refine their approach on the smaller contract

before tackling the larger and more complex Swiss Re project. As it turned out,there were significant changes between the way each contract was handled,

reflecting major differences in the production technologies employed. Taking the

architects’ initial surface coordinates as supplied in the Geometry Method

Statement as their starting points, Schmidlin’s cladding designers were able to

translate their own designs for the GLA cladding into more detailed numerical

data on the same spreadsheets (Figs. AII.5a–d). The same data were in turn fed

directly from the spreadsheets into the programmes for the CNC machines

without the need for any intermediary drawings.

While the use of the spreadsheets had the great advantage of eliminating the

need for detailed drawings, the only way to check the accuracy of the final prod-

uct for the GLA was to preassemble each element on an adjustable rig at the fac-

tory before delivery to the site – an effective but costly and time-consumingprocess in itself. Special dies also had to be made for testing the accuracy of

some components, which could not otherwise be measured. While such meth-

ods were acceptable for the smaller GLA contract, the same approach would

have resulted in unacceptable delays on the Swiss Re job.

APPENDIX II 239

AII.2 GLA Headquarters,

London. Installat ion of

cladding. Norman Foster,

1998–2002. Photo: Foster and

Partners.






APPENDIX II 241

AII.4 Swiss Re, London,

England. Diagonal kink inmetal cladding of structure

necessitated by twisting geo-

metry is clearly visible from

interior. Foster and Partners,

1997–2004. Photo: Norman

Childs.




Schmidlin’s solution, as anticipated in the SMG template, was to create their own

detailed 3D computer model of the cladding system, bridging spreadsheets and

production line. Adapting existing software systems to the firm’s needs,

Schmidlin’s computer staff built up a complete 3D model of the Swiss Re


AII.5 GLA Headquarters,London,England.Variations in size and geometry of cladding were pre-

cisely documented on spreadsheets: XYZ coordinates marked on corners of preassembled cladding

units (a), 3D diagram of cladding (b), part of spreedsheet showing XYZ coordinates for four corners of

each unit shown in photo (c), diagram showing variations of cladding units on main levels as laid out

flat (d).Norman Foster,1998–2002.Source : Foster and Partners.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)




cladding in two-storey sections, including every nut and bolt, enabling both archi-

tects and cladding designers to examine every facet of the system for accuracy

or potential clashes, or any other problems in complete confidence, prior to

actual production (Fig. AII.6). Like the spreadsheets, the 3D model also incor-

porated parametric features, enabling both Foster’s and Schmidlin’s people to

make changes right up till the last moment, automatically updating the project

data as needed.

Finally – and crucially for speeding up production – with the help of additional

computer expertise, Schmidlin wrote their own special software linking the 3Dmodel directly to the CNC machines on the production line, so doing away with

conventional programming. From numerical spreadsheets, to 3D modelling, to

the CNC machines on the factory floor, the entire process of production for the

Swiss Re cladding was computer controlled in one form or another, each step

being directly linked to the next (Fig. AII.7).

APPENDIX II 243

AII.6 Swiss Re,London, England.Cladding systems for Swiss Re were designed and manufactured

with customized 3D software: complete two-storey section of Swiss Re includes all cladding compo-

nents including triangular floor edges around stepped skycourts (a), detail showing structure before

cladding (b),detail showing partly clad structure (c), detail showing glazed unit in place (d). Norman

Foster, 1997–2004.Source : Schmidlin AG.

(a) (b)

(c) (d)





AII.7 Swiss Re, London, England. Glazed cladding unit being hoisted into place. Norman Foster,

1997–2004.Photo: Norman Childs.




The implications of Foster’s and Schmidlin’s joint achievements for the future of

architectural production, and for the way we regard mechanized production ingeneral, can hardly be overestimated. No longer the province of abstract theory

or futurist speculation, the operational characteristics of Beer’s cybernetic fac-

tory are clearly discernable in the computer-based design studios and produc-

tion lines at Schmidlin.

APPENDIX II 245





Date post:	07-Apr-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	eudrado-reguer
View:	219 times
Download:	0 times

Arch,Tech+Process Abel Cybernetic Factory

Documents