Journal of Deisgn Studio Air

ABPL30048

Studio 10Yao (Brian) Han,

2013 Semester one

Content

Previous experiment with digital deisign --------------------- 4

Architecture as discourse --------------------- 6

Comnputational architecture ------------------- 10

Parametric Modelling ------------------- 14

Algorithmic Explorations ------------------- 18

Conclusion ------------------- 21

Learning Outcomes ------------------- 22

Content

Previous Experience with Digital Design

I took four studio subject and three of final projects is represented with digital technology. Rhino is the first digital software that I know for the model making that is introduced in the virtual environment.

In the virtual environment, we used surface paneling tool to deisgn the lamp for bodys. And in my first trial with digital modeling, it is mainly forcus on the surface creation rath-er than architectural desin. It is sure that digital design with architecture is more complicated than digital art.

In the second year of architec-tural studio, we made real design of archictectural building. But teh second year’s project were con-ducted by the other digital making software, 3Ds max. With 3Ds, I mainly experienced my design with rec-tileanear shape which is less interest-ing compare to project with rhino. So in this case I have less opportuni-ties playing around with different complex geometry.

And now moving on to the Grass-hopper and Rhino....

‘Reading betweent the lines’ is a project done by Gijs Van Vaerenbergh on September 24th, 2011. The project is costing 30 tons of steel and 2000 columns to build up a transparent church structure on top of fundament of armed con-crete.

According to the reading of ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’ by Richard Wiliam this project would be describled as piece of art work rather than the architecture which is situated in the public space, constructed in the form of church and does not contain any well-defined func-tion. The ‘church’ lead us to a visual experience of what a transparent building would look like.

From the form of this building, of which it cre-ated a sculptural, visually transparent design by layers of steel, the whole idea of that is about a place of reflection and introspection rather than a actual church. It can be read as a heri-tage related reflection on the present vacancy of churches in the area and their potential artistic reuse.This design expresses an existence between the reflection of past and vacancy of the present.

Architecture as Discourse

Related back to the site, the whole site is sitting on natural landscape where is basi-cally covered under the green space. And the use of material, almost red ‘rusting‘ steel, make the project standing out from its surrounding environment. The signifi-cance of steel not only selected as the structural feature, conducting ideas of the lightness of structure, but also it might suggest that it tries to link the project from the past to the present. Old rusting steel reflects the age of old, recently demolished pro-totype. Steel, a innovative material for the construction of the church, connects to the present and introduce a new existence of the project which pass message of this church from the old time.

‘Glass Farm’ conducted by Dutch architects MVRDV at Schijndel, the Netherlands, a square between the church, town hall and main street, it is another project that reflects the architecture in the past with modern expression of both material and structure. Schijndel’s market square suffered from Operation Market Gar-den damages during the Second World War and experiences numerous proposals before this one.

The buidling form of ‘Glass Farm‘ represents a traditional form of Schijndel farm. The whole images of the historical farm is pro-duced by 1800m2 glass facade, resulting in a reflection of stain glass in the chruch. The print is more or less translucent depend-ing on the need for light and views.

What this building bring to the site is a historical image of past as the site has significance of traditional images. The whole build-ing image is out of scale, 14 metres tall for two storey farmhouse and 1.6 times larger than the original proportions, symbolizing a growing of village into the town. In additions, when adults passing by the building, they can experience toddler size again, possibly adding an element of nostalgic remembrance to their reception of the building.

The construction of the building represents the mini-malism in style with the modern technologies of printed glass. With less interest in the strutural component, it provides a special focus on the visual experience on the glass and adjacent conditions. The voids on the surface of the buildingsuggests that building is a part of this urban environment and an interactive roles to-wards the cultural and historical view of this city which quite satisfied with it functions. This building is now ser-viced as Cafe and small shopping mall where people would like to gather and be reminded of the historical significance.

ComputationalArchitecture

We have already acknowledge and experience that digital technology pro-vide great improvement in the area of de-sign providing another perspective view towards the world of nature.

The famous precedence for BLOB architecture design, Montreal Biosphere, that created by visionary architect Rich-ard Buckminster Fuller in 1990s, this struc-ture, biomimetic structure, can never be archieved without the involvement of computational technologies. By creating this dome, it provides new thinking of art design and philosophy, how people sur-rounded by universe. And I believe digital technology is help with the structural and geometric design of the dome. With natu-ral load sharing ability of perfect sphere and rigidity of triangular structure.

Of course that, a great digital de-sign has to encounter with the issue on frabrication and construction as only now digital program is a analytical tool on the problems. Zaha Hadid office has great ability of expressing the idea of of fluidity, velocity and lightness. But in terms of construction, every large struc-ture has to be teared down into small piece and every large surface has to be consisted of small panels. Therefore, digitial technology show its expertise on ccalculations which enable modern architect such as Zaha Hadid to start an inovation on digital fabrication and 3D printing. This proposal for a museum and cultural centre is creating a future architectural language that meets new technologies in order to articulate complexities and forwards the ongoing innovation,

Chun Qing Li’s design of Kreod Pavilion has serious involvement with computational techologies. Contrast from the old time, modern architecture design require several representation to process the design. And the computer has the storage that enable us define the difference stage. In this case, I think the process of design mainly consist of two part. Firstly, it needs to come up with the overall surface of pavilion like the tensile fabric. Computer software would help us divide and map out the tenstion points that form the arcs. Then it can further introduce hexagonal structure on top

Wooden Kreod Pavilion by Chun Qing Li

In the four phases of architectural design, introduced by Kalay, computor are play the big roles. In first stage it re-veal the problem of the those complex geometry. With modelling in software, we can easily identify the workable parts and unconstructable setion simply by looking at the how well the sections are divided into simple geometry and the flatness it produced. In second, it can also provide alternative solution or method of creating patterns and joining the connections. Same rules applied to the evalu-ation part, rationalise and quantilize the aesthetic issue into the exact measurement and assessment. In this case how long is the each timber sticks and in what angle they joined together. Finally, 3D modeling and moder fabrica-tion techologies that heavily related with computer would provide great presentation of project.

Parametric Modelling

Parametric design in my understanding is a systematic approach towards of design. It provides a precise language that might involved series calculation to achieve and record the process of design. It allows de-sign to be visualized and able to commu-nicate the design with others. In particular, provides alternative solutions to each prob-lem that found during the process. In the Woodbury’s paper, he argues that para-metic design provides problem-research and problem-refining in addition to original design.

In parametric design, it is too easy to mod-ify your design in different way. Therefore with a simple geometries as beginning parts, parametric design could produce numerous results for designer to consider. The actions might involved lofting, twisting, triagulating, knotting and framing. In the case of Kaohsiung Port and Cruise Service Center by Reiser Umemoto at Taiwan, it is obvious that the design outcome has involved lofting, twisting and framing the surface.

Architecture design is about archieving the functional needs of building in a aesthet-ic way. With all the action that could successfully archieved by parametic modelling, it has more opportunities to add in design features to the projects. Also the fluidity of design is increased in parametric deisgn which can suit the design into more com-plex conditions and introduce more floating space into the volumes. For instance the stairway that connecting upper floors in the lobby of this service center provide both flows of beauty and flows of traffic way.

On the other hand, not only parametric design offer more designing approaches, but also it creat more problems that could delay the fabrication. Fluidity is great way of expressing natural component and it is possible to manufacture. But it requires larger amount of time to repairing the issues that comes up with it. It takes serious consideration of framing the elements and fabricating it out. And also the mathe-matical and algorithmic codes could be another difficulties in parametric modelling.

National Stadium of Beijing, Bird’s Nest, is one of most unique architectural expres-sions that involved the parametric modelling. The stadium has two independent structures, a red concrete seating bowl and the outer steel frame around it at a 50ft distance. What I have great interest about the parametric design is that parametric design seperates the outter facade from the inner structural and functional compo-nent. Parametric modelling helped to enhance the aesthetic quality produced for facade and keep the main body as functional as before. And what is unique about this project is the facade that contains the interwoven steel enclosure. It is designed to appear as a solid bowl from a distance in the concept shap of bird’s nest. From whole perspective view, the national stadium is seem to be consisted of layers of ir-rational geometries.

During the parametric modelling of the Bird’s Nest, the obvious issue come to the front is how to rationlize the steel wiring of the building of which some of the steel

components are interconneted with each other. From its scripting, it needs to have two main parts. One is the steeling wiring components and the other one is the hypo-thetical surface where the lines are running on. Then finally to merge this two com-ponets into one components that have all the steel wiring lies on a particular plane. Even that is archievable it is still a question how to run the line on the exactly the shape that expected. And how do we limited the angle the steel wiring would bend in to the shape. All of the parametric modelling require higher skills of practicing dif-ferent geometries with different combinations which bring up a shortage of paramet-ric design. Becasue there is infinitely possiblities of development, so there will not be any exact solution towards each problem. Finally, recent technologies of fabrication might be the main constraint of parametric design. Sometimes parametric design would bring out the results that seemed quite irrational, possibly the same situation as Bird’s Nest, therefore manufacturing the product such as that would come with ex-tremely high cost. That’s most likely why there is more proposals of parametrc design than the actual built one.

Algorithmic Explorations

In the section of algorithmic exploration, I am going to introduce my grasshopper experience with the para-metric modelling, especially related to the second precedence in the parametric modelling section, the National Stadium of Beijing. The reason why I chose to complete the exploration towards this bird’s nest struc-ture is that the National Stadium of Beijing has its unique expression with parametric design and during the parametric modelling secion, I had attempt to explain the designing process and issues on that projects. So it might be a good experience to have a try with that.

As my assumption in the last section, we need two dif-ferent components to complete this geometry. But the reality is more complicated in order to archieve this shape. Firstly, we need several curves and a loft surface to creat the surface of which steel wiring are running on. In the second stage, I introduced two random sets of points related on the loft surface that I just created.

The action that I used to create the random points is the bounding box and populate 3D. In order to make the line running irrationally, I introduced two sets of random points give different counts of points for each populate 3D command.

In the next stage, I would join the population points together graphically to define the numbers of lines that will join and provide the general directions, by normal plane command, for the steel wirings. To be aware that I generate 94 points in the first group and 46 points in the second group. This would result in some of lines are most likely share their starting points or ending points. But it is fine with my intension here. Once the random lines are created by brep command on the surface, it is easier just warp them up into volumes.kkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkTo summarise this exploration enabled me understand-ing how to creat the random distribution of geometries on the surface. I think it provides a better experience

than the general patternalizing or most commonly the tragulation of the surface. It provides the same concept of finding starting points on the different sur-face. But with the different number of counts in each group, it results in different outcomes and provide more knowledges in alorithimic thinking and problem solving. But there is one issues that could overturn the whole experiment which is the problem of rationalize and quantize the design into exact measurements. It is not impossible but it would require large amount of time to do so. For the rational patterns which I also have attempted with the same curves to begin with, I found that is more easy to control the aspects and it spent less time solving the difficulties that come with the random number.

Conclusion

In conclusion,architectural design is not just simply an art work expression. It has all the social, cultural and even the historical aspects that need to be consider. And the importance of reacting with surrounding site is another enssential factors that involved in ‘archi-tecture as discourse’. Move forward to the modern design process, it is not doubt that computer-aided design program has used widerly in the field as it en-hace the quality in problem analysis, problem solving, project modification and project representation. It improves both productivity and communication level, providing designer with apportunities to challenge more complex tasks.

The parametric modelling certainly is the one major computational technologies that forward our think-ing in both graphical design and structural expres-sion. It provides more actions in modifying the forms and shapes. it opens up variety in architecture de-sign. But the more range of choice it brings to us, the more chances we will encouter all the unknowns and uncertainty. And also modern limitation of fabrication techologies is another aspects that hold the back of parametric design.

Learning Outcomes

After four weeks of experiencing the parametric design, I felt a strong wave driven by modern com-putational program that provide innotative ways of thinking and designing. I understand how simple shaps such as points, curves and planes can be reform under different algorithm sets and produce a dymatic outcome. And mainly I learnt how to modify the surface pattern in a parametric approach. Al-though I had limited skill on rhino and grasshopper, and I constantly suffer with the technical difficulties, I still believe the parametric modelling has more ben-efits than its disadvantages. Parametric modeling really amazed me by providing the stages to com-plex geometries and the combinations that complex geometries would produce.

From the study of precedences and research, I think I would focus my design approach at the area where we can playing around the simple and light geom-etry to patternalize the surface facade, in which should be different solid and heavy structural compo-nents. Architecture is about designing toward differ-ent functions. Therefore the design for main structural body and additional aesthetic facade should be seperated and demostrating the different of needs.

Reference

Richard Williams, 'Architecture and Visual Culture', in Exploring Visual Culture : Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 102 - 116.

Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 28

Woodbury, Robert (2010). Elements of Parametric Design (London: Routledge) pp. 7-48

N.Shireen, H.Erhan, R.Sanchez, J.Popovic (2010), Design Space Exploration in Parametric Systems: Analyzing Effects of Goal Specificity and Method Specificity on Design Solutions Cross N and Dorst K Co-evolution of Problem andSolution Spaces in Creative Design: observations froman empirical study, Computational Models of Creative Design IV(1998), J Gero and M L Maher (ed),University of Sydney, NSW, Australia Visual News, 2011, http://www.visualnews.com/2011/10/03/the-transparent-church-read-be-tween-the-lines/

Archdaily, 2012, Reading Between the Lines / Gijs Van Vaerenbergh, http://www.archdaily.com/298693/reading-between-the-lines-gijs-van-vaerenbergh/

Archdaily, 2013, Glass Farm / MVRDV, http://www.archdaily.com/321503/glass-farm-mvrdv-2/

Dezeen Magazine, 2013, http://www.dezeen.com/2013/01/17/glass-farm-by-mvrdv/

A.L.Alperovich, 2012, Chun Qing Li’s Sustainable Wooden Kreod Pavilion Unveiled at London Design Festival, http://inhabitat.com/beautiful-kreod-pavilion-opens-today-as-east-londons-new-sus-tainable-architectural-landmark/

Key Data, 2013, Beijing National Stadium, ‘The Bird’s Nest’, China, http://www.designbuild-net-work.com/projects/national_stadium/