Komarzynski jacob 586329 finaljournal

Jacob Komarzynski 586329

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CONTENTS

4 Introduction

PART A: CONCEPTUALISATION

6 A1 Design Futuring11 A2 Design Computation15 A3 Composition Generation22 A4 Conclusion23 A5 Learning Outcomes24 A6 Appendix: Algorithmic Sketches26 References

PART B: CRITERIA DESIGN

B1 Research Field B2 Case Study 1.0 B3 Case Study 2.0 B4 Technique: Development B5 Technique: Prototype B6 Technique: Proposal B7 Learning Objectives & Outcomes B8 Appendix: Algorithmic Sketches

PART C: DETAILED DESIGN

C1 Design Concept C2 Tectonic Elements & Prototypes C3 Final Detail Model C4 Learning Objectives

REFERENCES

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Jacob KOMARZYNSKI3rd year Architecture Major, University of Melbourne.

Interested in investigating the theories and interpretations of temporary, tran-scendent and transformable architec-ture, as well as in the development of ideas through ‘paper’/theoretical archi-tecture.

Knowledge of Rhino 3D, Grasshopper to a beginners level, having been inter-ested in architectural design for some time now, I have been exposed to much digital architecture through personal research through the internet and expo-sure to other sources, such as architec-tural publications. To this point, howev-er,it must be said that I had relatively little understanding of how they were built.

Architecture as a design practice has been in a state of complex and con-sistent flux from the moment that we could shift from thinking about shelter as necessity, to monument as sig-nifier of cultural and societal forces. The Week 1 lectures and readings introduce the idea of architecture as a conceptual field that “contributes ideas to the ongoing disciplinary dis-course and culture at large”.

In saying this, the nature of (built)architecture, built by and large in a public domain, or at least in a do-main visible to the public (a domain that has extended infinitesimally with the proliferation of the internet), means that compared to other less experiential forms of expression, the cultural impact of a single construc-tion can have an effect much multi-plied, and therefore, influential in the diffusion of ideas, concepts and aes-thetics.

Architecture exists as an integral contributor to the dialogue of our dif-fuse cultures and societies.

Throughout the history of architecture as expres-sion (as opposed to necessitation), there have been hallmark projects, built or unbuilt, that contribute a well-reasoned and potentially paradigm-shifting con-cept to the dialogue at large, both within and without architectural discourse. These projects can have a distinct impact on the fields of ideas, patterns of think-ing and ways of living, and can contribute, alongsaide larger cultural forces and movements, to changes in societal behaviour/philosophy. One needs only to look at the impact that singular constructions such as Mies van der Rohs Glass Skyscraper concept of 1922; Etienne-Louis Boullee’s Cenotaph for Newton; or the undeniable impact of Frank O. Gehry’s Guggenheim Bilbao, to see that such projects can change the way people perceive, experience, and think about architec-ture.

In an analysis of architecture as creator and shaper of discourse, two projects will be analysed, one built, the other unbuilt, to consider and compare the influence of both on the architectural discussion, and the wider cultural debate that unendingly shifts and changes ac-cording to the contributions that unceasingly influence it.

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KISHO KUROKAWANakagin Capsule Tower, 1972, Tokyo, Japan.

Built in the Ginza business district of Central Tokyo, the Nakagin Tower was the first true constructed capsule tower. The idea of plug-in modules as a concept of interchangability and sustainability had been in exis-tence for some time in theoretical design discussion, including such ideas as Plug-in City, by Archigram, but the feverish flurry of activity inspired by post-war re-building, coupled with the conceptual strengths of the Metabolists meant that these ideas were pushed into practise by forward-thinking clients and designers alike. Despite Metabolism falling out of favour in the decades post-construction, a new resurgence in interest has emerged in the last decade, leading to Metabolism being a style ‘du jour’, similar to the cult of Brutalism.

However, the ideas that the design of the tower is based on (opposed to pure aethetic objectification) remain the most interesting, and lasting, contribution of the design to discourse. The Matabolism principles of “adaptable, growing and interchangable designs”1 are reflected in the materiality, the prefabricated and interchangable capsules, and the conception that a building need not be static, that it can be altered and changed according to needs and requirements

Whilst more radical designs were present in the Me-tabolist ouevre, the mere fact that the Nakagin Tower was built leads to its increased relevancy in the dis-cussion surrounding adaptable architecture. The fact that it is considered a ‘failed’ building is not a reflection of the irrelevance of the concepts behind it, rather a reflection on gaps in the application of these ideas into a built form. It is a symbol of, and a inspiration to, contemporary urbanism as we search for new forms for a new world. It is a symbol of an attempt to create building typologies that are able to adapt to “configure the building to a world accelerating towards a post-in-dustrial society”2.

In this strong theoretical basis lies the most important contribution of this project to the discourse surrounding futurist urbanism and architecture in general, for even as capsule towers and the like are thin on the ground, that this project was constructed led to it being cel-ebrated as a beacon of experimental design made physical.

1. Interior schematic of tower1

2. View of Capsule tower situated in Ginza2

3. View of typical pre-fabricated res-idential capsule. Interior furnishings, appliances and storage were all built in prior to installation. Howev-er, low quality materials were used agains Kurokawa’s wish, which led to accelerated ageing process3

Whilst deemed a relative failure in terms of both usability and upkeep, the dream of a prefabricated modifiable building has long been a point of interest among city futurists, architects, and wider society. In recent years, there has been a proliferation of proposed projects that take ideas of prefabrication and modular construction techniques, and attempt to apply them to modern needs.

Among those are nARCHITECTS prefabricated “mi-cro-apartments” proposed in New York, penda’s Pooja Crafted Homes in India, and Architectenbureau Marlies Rohmer’s Floating Houses in Ijburg.

Whilst strongly grounded in agreeable ideals, the reality of the tower was that a tight budget and time restraints meant that the design was both rushed and delivered to a lower standard than expected. Major complaints of the building being both too small for habitation and ill-suited for the everyday needs of the residents and users. The pods, designed to be replaced every 15 years, were neglected and fell into decreptitude.

4. Micro-Apartments, New York, nARCHITECTS4

5. Pooja Crafted Homes, India, penda5

3. View of design system of penda’s tower, with the macro-frame setting the physical boundaries of the project, with the spaces within to be infilled with customised modules chosen and modified from a pre-de-signed list. Other elements such as balconies and the like are then used to create visual interest within the macro-network6

These projects seek to use prefabrication and modu-larity to allow for greater flexibility and lower cost advan-tages that these ideas, in theory, strive for. Modern-day digital fabrication developments are perfectly suited to innovation in areas such as this, with the ability to adapt and change designs with ease, with minimal waste and fast adaptability.

Through the creative use and implementation of such ideas and techniques, design can take ”on a determi-nate life of its own - designed things go on designing (be they designed to or not)”3

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A1//DESIGN FUTURING

8 9The design “bears resemblance to the earth’s crust burst open or an apocalyptic landscape after an earth-quake. Eisenman and Hadid’s techniques of folding and tectonics evoke a prehistoric landscape that... For contemporary mankind... has entirely lost its homely connotations. In these architectural projects the ambig-uous relationship between the homely and the uncanny becomes clear”5.

The breaking down of construction “principles” can be seen as a rejection of historical precedent a la Post-Modernism and Classicism, and instead emerges a dynamic acceptance of contemporary technological and cultural advances, wherein buildings may not have to be explicit symbols of a culture in which they were constructed and inhabit, but may be more symbol-ic and meaningful in and of themselves, a removal of iconographic forms and shapes and an integration of philosophy and exploratory construction, an endlessly important stage for contemporary architecture to inhabit in the current digital age of societal fragmentation and amalgamation.

ZAHA HADIDThe Peak Leisure Club (unbuilt), 1982-1983.

Whilst never built, the design for The Peak Leisure Club, to be situated on a hilltop overlooking Hong Kong was a historically important proposal that led to the advent of “Deconstructivism” and heralded in a new age of dynamicism in architectural design circles. The “unusual jagged shapes incorporated directly to the rock face on which the structure sat was dynamic, and seemed to reject gravity’s pull”4, and the striking nature of the design was the effective spark that start-ed Hadid’s career in earnest.

Influenced by the Russian Constructivism/Suprema-tism movement of the early 20th century, which includ-ed artists such as El Lissitzky and Kizimir Malevich. The importance lies in the almost agressive anti-historicism stance of the design, creating a building not out of post-and-

beam, but of abstract line and plane, a proposal markedly both anti-Modernist and anti-Postmodernist in theory and aesthetic. The result is a new architectural language that dismisses the inherent presumptions and dialects built-in to age-old forms through centuries of architectural discussion.

The design influenced an emerging movement (of sorts) coined as Deconstructivism, albeit not a move-ment that any of the constituents identified with on a personal level. Architects such as Rem Koolhass, Co-op Himmelb(l)au and Daniel Libeskind pushed for a rejection of form-over-function principles and opted for a chaotic fragmentation of surface and form that interrupted the pre-conceived concepts of what archi-tecture can be. It is, in short a rejection of the conven-tions of architecture, and an exploration of the use of architecture as a linguistic signifier in wider culture.

The unshackling of such constraints of Modernsim as readability of structural systems and the prizing of functionality over the exploration of form allowed a re-vival in visually striking architectural tectonics and form, and allowed the boundary-pushing forms of the age of digital design. This call-to-arms of rejection of tradi-tional principles has filtered back and forth in a dialogue between architecture, art and wider culture.

7. Painted render of The Peaks: Blue Slab by Zaha Hadid, 1982-837

8. One of the submitted drawings, note parallels with abstract minimalism and Russian Suprematism. Also note the way the drawing (a floor plan)contrasts against typical plans and sections8

9. Abstracted perspective of project, emphasising aesthetic justification over realistic representation9

10.Also note the presentation of the ground plane and the jet-black sky10

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A2 Design Computation

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The advent of computing in design, dating back from the 1960s, has ir-recovably changed the way in which one can consider, undertake, and conceive of the design process and solutions existing therein. The inte-gration of computers has “expanded access to information and opened up the design process”5, and has allowed the proliferation of styles and solutions the likes of which could not previously have been ever consid-ered.

With new steps forward in design computation, a new paradigm has emerged where, rather than mere-ly being a transcription tool, design computation tools can now be as much of an active part in the design process as the human user. As a entity that can accept, digest, and understand data input, the comput-er can now provide a “framework for negotiating and influencing the inter-relation of datasets of information, with the capacity to generate com-plex order, form, and structure”6

For much of modern civilisation, designers were taught, and excelled at, dealing with “ambiguous, ill-defined problems” 7, and were equipped with tried-and-tested techniques and encoded conceptual problem-solving that were taught through repetition and practise. This meant that for any given design problem, the likelihood was that through problem-analysis, and solution syn-thesis, at some point an satisfactory solution could be reached. However, this revolved around a thorough knowledge of the problem at hand, and a well-defined set of parameters prior to beginning the design pro-cess.

With the advent of computation, designers were sud-denly thrown into a situation where they were tasked with creating “unambiguous, well-defined, formal de-scriptions, syntactically correct to the last semicolon” 8. The rise of parametric CAD systems and the pursuant “blob” architecture led to increasingly complex forms, with a similar complexity in construction methods. The integration of knowledge of structure, materials, fab-rication and construction was required, and compu-tation so followed as the most efficient, and accurate (pending proper communication) way of handling such large streams of information. The information of many drawings “can thus be reduced into one well-defined algorithm and a thousand small sets of only a few pa-rameters” 9, but this requires in-depth knowledge of the coding and parametric environments.

Computing allows for the streamlining and integration of many facets of the design process, from cutting down on the number of specialist fields required, due to the integration of structural, performative, and physical testing environments in BIM modelling; to almagamating exceedingly complex fabrication techniques into dia-grammatric layouts that can be simply “printed”.

11/12. Rolex Learning Centre, 2010, SANAA11/12

Note the expansive unsupported concrete slabs, built with a 3-D model of the slab surface, resulting in detailed plans for all of the 1,500 formwork tables and the machine data for the CNC cutting of almost 10,000 individual cleats.

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An example of this can be seen in SANAA’s Rolex Learning Centre, a well-known example of the complex structural possibilities afforded by computation.

The impressive concrete forms would be quite unlike-ly to be so effective without the input of the structural modelling software to optimise the design.

A2//DESIGN COMPUTATION

More importantly than any shift in aesthetic style, the power of the “digital continuum” lies in the advances in fabrication techniques (and the simple transaction between design and production), and the encoding capabili-ties of the very software to input real-world data and parameters in order to acheive performative and functionality criterion.Computation allows for the exploration of previously unconsidered forms through its use of NURBS and Mesh geometries, and more so, makes it possible to actually fabricate these geometries.

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The search for ideal form in architectural theory has been constant, from the design of abbeys and churches in medieval England, to the Modernists dream of an idealised, simplistic, readable design. However, the tools at their disposal were often nothing but an interpretation of perceived needs and requirements, with no real feedback into the design process. Now, with performative design tools coming to the fore, actual integration of infor-mation into the very process, much like the input of directives into a GPS, allows designs to more accurately effect and be affected by, real-world parameters.

Wood Pavilion, by Wing Yi Hiu and Lap Ming Wong displays the potential of physics- and mate-rial-based performance simulations in computation tools, and how these tools may be used to push possible/alternate ways of seeing materials and how they may be used.

13. Wood Pavilion, 2010, Wing Yi Hui & Lap Ming Wong13

An exploration of the performance of wood in creating a “customization possibility” within the constraints of a “platform of standardization.”

14. Diagram of Wood Pavilion14

The computational tool predicted the approximate dimensions, geome-try and compositional curvature , combining the material performance with computer-generated data for further evaluation.

Computation has been increasingly used as a tool to incorporate evidence- and performance-oriented pa-rameters in designs in order to make them both more efficient and applicable to a specific context.

Through their use, “structural, material or environ-mental performance can become a fundamental parameter in the creation of architectural form” 10. Data gleaned from real-world testing can be input into systems and affect, in real terms, the overall form of a design in the search for optimised solutions. Finally, rather than designers designing for what they think might work, the design process integrates something of a scientific approach in the search for ideal solution, with testing and input of data, which then creates shifted goals and problem parameters.

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A3 Composition/Generation

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“By the mid-1990s an innovation had finally found its way from the French car industry into the CAD software used by designers. Splines and non-uniform rational B-spline surfaces (NURBS) developed at the laboratories of Renault and Cit-roën as mathematical defi nitions for curves and curved surfaces in the 1950s, suddenly appeared in the program menus of designing archi-tects. And apparently they liked it.” - Fabian Scheurer11

“While in the past, there was a strong allegiance for rigid geometrical figures, now, a conceptual definition of parametricism shows that “the new primitives are animate, dynam-ic, and interactive entities—splines, nurbs, and subdivs—that act as building blocks for dynamic sys-tems.” - Patrick Schumacher12

“Architectural form, instead of be-ing conceived as a stationary, inert construct, is conceptually a highly plastic, mutable entity that evolves dynamically through its transformative interactions with external forces”16

15/16. Greg Lynn, Port Authority Triple Bridge Gateway competition entry, 199415

The first architectural project to use animation software to generate form. ‘Forces’, represent-ing traffic/pedestrian flow were modeled, with particles (spheres) modeled with velocity and changing paths as an index of said forces.

This is a powerful example of how real-world data can be input effectively into parametric software to generate design solutions.

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Digital morphogenesis - the derivation and transforma-tion of form - has been the hallmark shift in architectural discourse and practise of the digital generation. Whilst organic form and curvilinear structures have existed in some way for centuries - whether it be vernacular or avant-garde - the advent of computation, be it algorith-mic thinking, parametric modelling and scripting cul-tures, allowed for the reprisal of “forgotten geometries lost to us because of the difficulties of their representa-tion”13.

Taking cues from ship-building and aviation design, contemporary design finds its inspiration and design creation through the “legitimization in their exploitation of the latest technological advances, new digital means of conception and production, and the corresponding aesthetic of complex, curvilinear surfaces”14. From early parametric example in the 1990s, including UNStudio’s Mobius House (DATE) and work by Greg Lynn, such as the Port Authority Bus Terminal competition project, the dynamic, generative forms of parametricism and topo-logical modelling have heralded a distinct shift from the old guard of composition of forms and geometry, to the avant-garde of generative form-finding, that is, a state of affairs where the “the stable is replaced by the variable, singularity by multiplicity.” 15

Greg Lynn’s Port Authority Bus Terminal is a clear and well-considered approach to incorporating data into de-sign processing, which, whilst the aesthetic result may not pander to mainstream taste, is a boundary-pushing example of the form-finding capabilities of data-stream inclusion in generative design.

Generation - wherein ”designers articulate an internal generative logic, which then produces, in an auto-matic fashion, a range of possibilities from which the designer could choose an appropriate formal proposi-tion for further development”17- comes back to a more principle-based architecture, one where form is not driven through mere plan nor section, nor adherence to tectonic system, but one where potentiality is key, where multiplicity allows near-on infinite design solu-tions

A3//COMPOSITION/GENERATION

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17. Kolatan/MacDonald, Resi/Rise, 199917

The morphology, size, programme, functions, materials, servicing and furnishing of each pod are indeterminate and depend on the options of the users, and on the programmatic scenarios and parameters laid down by the architects.

18. UNStudio, Moebius House, 1993-199818

The organizational and formal structure of the private house is based on a double-locked torus, the mobius loop.

19. Shigeru Ban, Centre Pompidou Metz, 201019

1,800 doublecurved wooden glulam seg-ments,individually CNC fabricated to braid the structure.

20. AA+ETH, Pavilion, 201220

Based on bending behavior under the self-weight of over-sized plywood sheets of up to 11 x 2.5 m.

“Architects are designing not the specific shape of the building but a set of princi-ples encoded as a sequence of para-metric equations by which specific ex-amples of the design can be generated and varied in time as needed. Parametric design calls for the rejection of fixed solu-tions and for an exploration of infinitely variable potentialities”20

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Computational design allows “material elements (to be) defined by behaviour rather than shape18. The direct impact of this can be seen in architectural practise and discourse, emerging in the 1990’s with a flour-ishing of deformative, dynamic forms from the like of MVRDV and Frank Gehry, exploring the possibilities of forms detached from a “building-block” mentality, and moving towards a non-Euclidean paradigm where forces and environmental factors can shift and change designs in an almost organic fashion. A proliferation of architectural literature, most importantly Greg Lynn’s “Folding in Architecture”, an AD Special Issue in 1993, demarcate the increased interest in the ideas sur-rounding parametricism and algorithmic thinking, and the possibilities allowed by “models of design capable of consistent, continual and dynamic transformations, replacing the static norms of conventional processes” 19.

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21. Achim Menges, Aggregated Lamination, 201020

Engineered three-dimensional matrix of lamination whose reaction is as predictable as a manufactured composite but whose performance is as particular as that of natural wood, when exposed to humidity.

22. Detail of Aggregated Lamination struc-ture22

The global geometry is informed by the accu-mulation of local angles.

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Whilst by no means the major stylistic or even con-ceptual design tool used in wider contemporary ar-chitecture, parametricism and scripting cultures are increasingly in collaboration with forward-thinking and conceptually-minded firms and designers. The cultures themseves, however, are burgeoning in both size and capability, magazines such as AD and online publica-tions such as CUMINCAD are hugely influential in their reach and in their proliferation of algorithmic thinking as a new paradigm in design.

Whilst there have been criticisms on the apparent sty-listic homeogenity of its designs, Patrick Schumacher, a partner at Zaha Hadid, explains: “Although aesthetic appearance matters enormously in architecture and design, neither architecture as a whole nor its styles can be reduced to mere matters of appearance…The new style poses many new, systematically connected design problems that are being worked on competitively within a global network of design researchers.”23

Generative design techniques enacted a shift from architecture that is strictly “problem-solving” to one that is more “goal-solving”. With a pre-conceived idea in mind of what is desired, a generative designer is required to algorith-mically create, through a well-defined design strategy to create a “a highly complex hierarchy of interdependences could be parametrically modeled, allowing iteratic refinement, i.e. the dimensional fine-tuning of the project in all stages of its development, from conceptual design to construction”21

A4 Conclusion

A5 Learning Outcomes

A6 Algorithmic Sketches

This allows the creation of mass-customisable, infinitely-unique solutions that can be shifted and changed depending on parameters, be they structural, requisite performative goals, or enviromental/physical factors. Through this, performance-enhanced struc-tures and forms can be optimised in a way unlike any seen before (nonwithstanding aerospace industries and the like).

In addition to this, alongside the emergence of digital fabrication tech-nologies, the “design information is the construction information”22, and it is not too far from the reality, that, simply by typing in a line of script one could effectively send it to be fabricated on the spot. Indeed, in the last two decades, many major firms, be they Foster and Partners, Grimshaw, and SOM, have set up in-house computational designers to allow for the increased efficacy and inventivity to be more effectively integrated into the design continuum.

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Through Part A, the readings and material relating to the theory and practise of archi-tectural computing was vastly educational as it gives one a background to a way of designing that has been in existence, and at the forefront of architectural discourse for almost as long as I have lived. It it beneficial to see how advancements in technological computation have gone hand-in-hand with advancements in design approaches, and fabrication systems, all of which have come to a head in the emergence of the “design continuum”.

My understanding of architectural comput-ing has certainly developed from the start of the semester, as I have been revealed the extent to which computation can allow designers to optimise not only the aethetic and form-based aspects of a design, but also the material performance, the design logic, and the design efficiency, and even ranging to the creation of new ways of building and experiencing architecture. I now more fully understand the overarching reach of the computation spectrum, and the possible applications of these technol-ogies.

In considering how these ideas could com-plement a past design, I certainly see how performative and material-logic data inputs could benefit human- and traffic-flow in such important applications such as hos-pitals and pedestrian transport hubs, and would certainly like to consider how such research and data collection could impact on usability and efficiency in high-impact environments. Also, the aanlysis of structur-al loads and the impact on certain materials would also be of much interest, particu-larly in applications such as high-density housing and small-site applications where space and costing is of the essence.

23-28. Achim Menges, Responsive Surface Structure, 2006-0723

Explores the possibility of utilising the dimen-sional changes of wood induced by changes in relative humidity in the environment.

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Part A - CONCEPTUALISATION - was about the research and justification of of the value of a computational approach to the design challenge at hand. It consists of constructing a convincing argument extolling the values in how such a method may lead to design solutions that satisfy the requirements set out in the design brief. The theoretical background and research lays the groundwork for the formulation of a strong argument in moving towards an algorithmic and computational approach to design ideation.

Part A.1 introduces architecture as adesign practice that contributes ideas to the ongoing disciplinary discourse and culture at large, in which I analysed two preexisting projects, one built, the other theoretical, and their contributions and expansions on the larger design discourse surrounding forward-thinking ideas utilising new technologies.

Part A.2 & A.3. involve the analysis of com-putation and generation as elements of the design process and the benefits they can bring to architectural thinking.

The design approach I intend to follow in the Part B - CRITERIA DESIGN - is to continue analysing material performance and data input systems and their relevan-cy to the design process, in particular in utilising the embedded material logic and aspects to their best advantage, i.e. using the inherent qualities of timber, or plastics to create performative designs.

It is important to design in this way be-cause it allows the best and most efficient use of materials in a given application so that a minimum of wastage and structural weight is acheived.

In this contemporary world, it is required that we use our dwindling and precious resources to their best advantage in order to achieve a more democratic and efficient way of designing and building.

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A4//Conclusion A5//Learning Outcomes

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Contour + Loft + Divide Curve (Week 01)

Rotate +Scale + Loft + BoxMorph (Week 03)

Rotate +Scale + Loft + Divide Curve (Week 03)

Scale + Rotate + Project (Week 02)

Move + Project + Loft (Week 02)

Move + Project + Rotate + Loft (Week 02)

A6//Appendix: Algorithmic Sketchbook

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Sources

1 “AD Classics: Nakagin Capsule Tower / Kisho Kurokawa”, ArchDaily, 2011 <http:// www.archdaily.com/110745/ad-classics- nakagin-capsule-tower-kisho-kurokawa> [accessed 8 March 2016].

2 “A Year In The Metabolist Future Of 1972 — Failed Architecture”, Failedarchitecture. com, 2016 <http://www.failedarchitecture. com/nakagin/> [accessed 7 March 2016].

3 Fry, Tony (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1–16

4 “The Peak Leisure Club | How Creatives Work”, Howcreativeswork.com, 2016 <http://how creativeswork.com/tag/the-peak-leisure-club/> [accessed 7 March 2016].

5 Bart Van der Straeten, “The Uncanny And The Architecture Of Deconstruction”, Image & Narrative, 2007 <http://www.imageandnarrative. be/uncanny/bartvanderstraeten.htm> [accessed 7 March 2016].

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1 Matos, Irina, Case Study <http://www. irinamatos.com/#/casestudy-1/> [accessed 7 March 2016]

2 Arcspace, Nakagin Capsule Tower, 2011 <http://www.archdaily.com/110745/ ad-classics-nakagin-capsule-tow er-kisho-kurokawa> [accessed 7 March 2016]

3 Arcspace, Capsule Interior, 2011 <http://www.archdaily.com/110745/ ad-classics-nakagin-capsule-tow er-kisho-kurokawa> [accessed 7 March 2016]

4 nARCHITECTS, New York Micro Apartments, 2015 <http://www.archdaily.com/602157/new- york-to-complete-first-prefabricated-micro-apart ments-this-summer> [accessed 8 March 2016]

5 penda, Pooja Apartments, 2015 < http://www. archdaily.com/772181/penda-to-build-modu lar-customizable-housing-tower-in-india> [accessed 8 March 2016]

6 penda, Pooja Apartments Design, 2015 < http:// www.archdaily.com/772181/penda-to-build-mod ular-customizable-housing-tower-in-india> [ac cessed 8 March 2016]

7 Zaha Hadid Architects, Painting, 1983 <http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architec ture/the-peak-leisure-club/> [accessed 7 March 2016]




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

7 Peters, Brady. (2013). ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2, pp. 08-15

8 Scheurer, F. (2010). Materialising Complexity. Archit Design, 80, pp. 86–93

9 Ibid.,, pp. 86–93

10 Ibid.,, pp. 86–93

11 Peters, pp. 08-15

12Scheurer, pp. 86–93

13 “Parametricist Manifesto/Patrik Schumacher”, Arch-Daily, 2011 <http://www.archdaily.com/64581/parametr-icist-manifesto-patrik-schumacher> [accessed 8 March 2016].

14 Fleischmann, M., Knippers, J., Lienhard, J., Menges, A. and Schleicher, S. (2012), Material Behaviour: Embedding Physical Properties in Computational Design Processes. Archit Design, 82. pp. 44–51

15 Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: De-sign and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003) pp. 13

16 Kolarevic, pp. 18.

17 Ibid., pp. 7

18 “Parametricist Manifesto/Patrik Schumacher”, Arch-Daily, 2011 <http://www.archdaily.com/64581/parametr-icist-manifesto-patrik-schumacher> [accessed 8 March 2016].

19 Kolarevic, pp. 7

20 Ibid., pp.13

21 Ibid., pp.19

22 Ibid., pp.4

23 Ibid., pp. 5

24 Ibid., pp.13

11 Iwan Baan, Rolex Learning Centre, 2010 <http://www.arcspace.com/features/sanaa/rolex-learning-center/> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

12 Iwan Baan, Rolex Learning Centre, 2010 <http://www.arcspace.com/features/sanaa/rolex-learning-center/> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

13 Wing Yi Hui & Lap Ming Wong, Wood Pavilion, 2010 <http://www.archdaily.com/68446/wood-pavilion-wing-yi-hui-lap-ming-wong> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

14 Wing Yi Hui & Lap Ming Wong, Wood Pavilion, 2010 <http://www.archdaily.com/68446/wood-pavilion-wing-yi-hui-lap-ming-wong> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

15 Greg Lynn FORM, Port Authority Triple Bridge Gate-way Render, 1994 < http://glform.com/buildings/port-au-thority-triple-bridge-gateway-competition/> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

16 Greg Lynn FORM, Port Authority Triple Bridge Gate-way Render, 1994 < http://glform.com/buildings/port-au-thority-triple-bridge-gateway-competition/> [Accessed 16 March 2016)

17 Sulan Kolatan & William J. MacDonald, Resi/Rise (ver-tical mode), 1999, <http://www.archilab.org/public/2000/catalog/kolata/kolataen.htm> [Accessed 16 March 2016]

18 Christian Richters, Mobius House, 1998, <http://www.unstudio.com/projects/mobius-house> [Accessed 16 March 2016]

19 Centre Pompidou Metz, 2010, <http://www.binderholz.com/uploads/tx_frsupersized/Centre-Pompidou-gross_02.jpg> [Accessed 16 March 2016]

20 EmTech (AA) + ETH, Pavilion, 2012, <http://www.arch-daily.com/221650/pavilion-emtech-aa-eth> [Accessed 16 March 2016]

21 Achim Menges, Aggregated Lamination, 2010, <http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=5011> [Accessed 17 march 2016]

22 Achim Menges, Aggregated Lamination Detail, 2010, <http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=5011> [Accessed 17 march 2016]

23-28 Achim Menges, Responsive Surface Structure I, 2006-07, <http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4411> [Ac-cessed 17 march 2016]

28

B1 Research Field

B2 Case Study 1.0

30 31

29: Heinz Isler, Wyss Garden Centre,Solothurn, Switzerland, 1962.

Concrete shells found through form finding prinicples similar to those by Otto and Gaudi24

Main: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010

A bending-active structure made entirely of extremely thin, elastically-bent plywood strips. 25

“Any material construct can be considered as resulting from a system of internal and external pressures/constraints. Digital design processes are rarely able to reflect these intricate relations. . . virtual processes of computational design form and force are usually treated as separate entities, as they are divided into processes of geometric form gener-ation and subsequent simulation based on specific material proper-ties.”24

The chosen research field is that of Material Perfor-mance, regarding the process of form generation and optimisation through the study of physical and mateial characteristics. Through using the embedded perfor-mative strengths of selected material, such as Iwamo-toScott’s Voussoir Cloud and the ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion of 2010, both aesthetic and efficient structures can be created through manipulation of material.

Whilst this area of research does allow for optimisation of physically performative structures, oftentimes this minimisa-tion of constructional elements to that which is puresly necessary is tiring, as it borders more perhaps on material engineering as opposed to architecture per se.

B1//RESEARCH FIELD

29

The interesting facet of this area of computational design is that it harkens back to analogue design pro-cesses in pre-digital design work. The embedded ma-terial logic of physics engines such KangarooPhysics is analogous to the constructional experimentation of designers such as Frei Otto, Antoni Gaudi and Heinz Isler, except faster, easier and the ability to be speedily manufactured through the digital design continuum.

This inherent logic embedded within the computa-tional process also allows for the exact consideration of physical forces that may act upon a given form, allowing for a structure that can be constructed pre-cisely to site-specific considerations, potentially leading to ultimately efficient structures with minimal waste.

As such, it is perhaps necessary to consider both aes-thetic implications of highly performative structures, for as elegant as they appear in the examples highlighted, an approach based purely on these principles lends itself to a relatively homogenous physical manifestation of forms and structures. However, as both program-mers and programs become more adept, so too can the resultant designs of material computation.

32 33

“Architectural form, instead of being conceived as a stationary, inert con-struct, is conceptually a highly plas-tic, mutable entity that evolves dy-namically through its transformative interactions with external forces”26

VOUSSOIR CLOUD//IwamotoScottInstalled in SciArc Gallery, Los Angeles, the over-all design came from the work of Buro Happold using both computational hanging chain models and form finding programs to determine the compressive vault shapes. The structural and material strategies were intentionally confused through the use of lightweight veneer modules (voussoirs).

Consisting of a Delaunay tessellation that both embraced and befuddled structural logic with “greater cell density of smaller, more connec-tive modules, or petals, ganged together at the column bases and at the vault edges to form strengthened ribs, while the upper vault shell loosened and gained porosity”25.

A reknowned example of the possibilities made available through computational physics simu-lation, Voissoir Cloud is an elegant and effective solution to resolving a generated form through computational means. The shortcomings of the project result from the extensive construction time made necessary through the ennumerous voussoirs and the subsequent time needed to dissassemble. This could be improved on, as well as the need for cable-ties to hold the mod-ules together.

B2//CASE STUDY 1.030

31

25: IwamotoScott, Voussoir Cloud, 201426

26: Detail of “voussoir” panels at top of vault27

Below: Diagram of panel design, note curved edges and folded geome-try28

Main: Overhead view of Voussoir Cloud project, note tabbed construc-tion29

34 35

Spec ies 1a. s t i f fness = 10b. s t i f fness = 3c. s = 3/unar y fo rce y-ax isd. s =3/negat i ve g rav i t y fo rcee. invers ion, g rav-i t y fo rce

Spec ies 2a. increase in anchor po in tsb. he ight depend-ing on po in t charge, s t rength =1c. s t rength = 2d. re lease o f anchor po in tse. lo f t between peak

Spec ies 3a. image map po in tsb. he ight dependent on co lour x .25c. he ight dependent on co lour x1.0d. he ight dependent on co lour x2.0e. po in t move accord ing to vector, shade dependent

Spec ies 4a. sca le/move/ lo f t pane lb. t r iangu la te/sca le/brep-cur ve in tc. t r iangu la te/ex t rude to po in td. wB boxmorph sqe. wB boxmorph pr ism

Spec ies 5a. de laurnay edgesb. ex t rude f rom ptc. ex t rude, charge dependentd. wB ste l la te/cumu-la t ione. po in t pro ject ion on pane l dependent o f po in t fo rce

36 37

Iteration 1.5 (top left) was deemed as a interesting force exploration of KangarooPhysics that could be further developped and refined to create a cohesive ceiling installation.

Iteration 2.2 (middle left) was deemed as amore com-plex and visually arresting idea that, if correctly fabricat-ed, could enable a wholly successful solution in regards to lighting/patternation and very successful in wooden veneer.

Iteration 5.5 (bottom left) was deemed as an interesting solution to iterative patternation of a surface that could be easily altered to create more interesting design solu-tions. The number of apertures increasing in regards to distance from a point is an idea that could be pursued to great effect.

In creating sequences of geometric variation, it was chosen that in a definition such as the IwamotoScott Voussoir Cloud example, it was less wide-ranging and experimental to stick to smaller manipulations of parameters which in effect only differentiate one iteration very arbitrarily from the previous.

Instead it was chosen to range wildly in the different species and the geometric, tectonic and patternative ideas present.

B2//ANALYSIS

Does the form and geometry lend itself in such a way as to be used as a ceiling installation in a commercial office?

Do the possible lighting/patterna-tion effects still allow the installation to perform as required (regarding acoustic and usability requirements)?

In the given medium (wooden ve-neer), how does the outcome lend itself to constructability?

Main: IwamotoScott’s Voussoir Cloud, 200830

38

B3 Case Study 2.0

B4 Technique: Develop-ment

40 41

In constructing geometrically simple building ele-ments that allow the construction of a lightweight and resource-efficient, the project has been mightily successful. However, for a temporary structure, the finger-joints still require the drilling of screws between the planar elements. It would be interesting to see how this could be possibly avoided, to perhaps create a structure that does not require any exterior fasteners other than fabricated digitally.

Loft surface between two curves

Panelise surface with Hexagon Cells

Find intersection events for base curves and Hexagon Cells

Explode cells and find start/end points to estab-lish geometry to move

Attach SpringsFromLine, AnchorXYZ and Unary Force to KangarooPhysics

Use Control Points, Closest Point and List Item components to remap hexagon cells

Use wBVertices, List Item and Convex Hull com-ponents to planarize panels

ICD/ITKE/University of Stuttgart Landengartenshau Exhibition Hall

B3//CASE STUDY 2.0

Top: Detail of finger-jointed construction, note panel pla-narity31

Bottom: Landengertenschau Exhibition Hall32

The Landengartenschau Exhibition Hall introduces an innovative lightweight timber plate construction system made of 50mm beech plywood. The computational process allowed the plate system to form the structure and envelope at the same time. The structural loads that occur around the plate’s edges are transferred effi-ciently by robotically fabricated finger joints27.

44 45

Stiffness:30 Stiffness:60 S:30 S:20 S:20 S:20 RestLength:4 RL:4 RL:8 RL:8 RL:8 RL:8 Unary:Z-50 UF:Z-50 UF:Z-50 UF:Z-100 UF:X-100,Y-80,Z-60 UF:randompoint/amplitude

UF:200randomreduce UF:220r.r. UF:600r.r. UF:750r.r. UF:950r.r.,randomz-axis Cull5thitem,645r.r., Cellcountincreaae force(-200to+200) UF:Z-(-200to+200)

Populategeometry(100),Voronoi Popgeo:650 R.R:550 R.R550 AdditionalcentralA.P.:40 Decreaseincellcount Randomreduce:400 Anchorpointr.r.:33 AdditionalA.P.:4 CentralA.P:4

Spec ies 1

or ig ina l de f in i t ion, changes in s t i f fness, rest length and unar y fo rce

Spec ies 2

di f fe rence in unar y fo rce, cu l l ing a f fect-ed geomet r y

Spec ies 3

change in ce l l ge-omet r y (hexgr id to Vorono i ) , a l te ra t ion o f anchor po in ts

B4//TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT

46 47

Tri-grid,centralA.Pcull:105 CentralA.P.cull:80, Cellcountincrease,A.Pcull:60 PeripheralAPcull:total Cellcountincrease,P.A.P.cull:60 P.A.Pcull:70,UF:Z-100

V.F:Normal-(-10to+10) V.F:N(-10to+10) V.F:N(-50to+50) V.F.:N(-50to+100) V.F.:N(-50to+100) V.F.:N(-100to+100) UseofP.O.Ctovarygeo. Randomfacecull Hexgridinput

wBtri-prism wBtriangulate wBtri/chamferedges wBtri/chamfer/extrudeedges celldecrease cellincrease

Spec ies 4

change in ce l l ge-omet r y ( t r i -g r id ) , cu l l anchor po in ts

Spec ies 5

change in geomet r y ( lo f ted sur face to sur-face in box ) , po in t -on-cur ve cont ro l led

Spec ies 6

change in ce l l geom-et r y, change in ce l l shape, in te rest in const ructab i l i t y

48 49

I te ra t ion 1.6

Var iance in the shape and s ize o f the pane ls/ce l ls c reates v isua l in te rest and dynamic ism to or ig ina l fo rm

I te ra t ion 2.4

Fur ther d i f fe rent ia t ion in topography leads to sense o f phys ica l movement that can be fu r ther deve lopped

I te ra t ion 3.4

Change o f base geomet r y and s imp l i f ica-t ion o f fo rces creates aesthet ica l l y p leas-ing fo rm, eas i l y fabr icated

I te ra t ion 5.6

Pane l i za t ion s imp l i f ied, in te rest ing geom-et r y but hang ing s t ructure means ease o f const ruct ion is not max im ised

I te ra t ion 6.3

Pane ls homogen ised, eas ie r to fabr icate and in tegra te l ights, but not as in te rest ing aesthet ica l l y

Cr i te r ia Aform & geomet r y

Cr i te r ia Bl ight ing & acoust ics

Cr i te r ia Cconst ructab i l i t y

B4//ANALYSIS

Main: Interior of Landengartenschau Exhibition Hall33

50

B5 Technique: Prototyping

B6 Technique: Proposal

52 53

B5//TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPINGThe speed in which we were required to submit a prototype sample for fabrication meant that we were unable to develop our chosen design in time. How-ever, we decided to send in some tests of tectonic/connective studies so as to see if our chosen area of compresssive construction in the vein of Iwamo-toScott’s Voussoir Cloud was fabricable.

Below, a series of pictures display our prototype for hexcells that would constitute the cells of a potential early prototype.

From the prototype we were able to understand the tectonic details required to fabricate such a design. Through this, we were impressed by the ease of attachment, and the solid but simple details it gave the design.

Moving forward from this prototype we established that hexcells, whilst simply constructable, were not the direction we desired to head in due to the homogenety of the results, but established that compresive construction methods were perhaps a design direction in which we would potentially like to continue pursuing.

Obvious points for improvement for this prototype would be the improvement of the jointing procedure, as these were merely adhered together. More desirable would be a system in which perhaps within the cells themselves there was a way in which to adhere them together, such as tabs, or slots, so as to minimise the need for exterior adherents.

Top Right: Example of possible tabbing option to connect elements

Bottom: Views of prototype

54 55

Hachem Office Ceiling Installation,BrunswickOur design proposal “COMPflexion” aims to address the inherent qualities of timber veneer in constructing a tectonic that uses it to all of its inherent strengths, whilst minimising its weaknesses.

Building upon precedent studies such as Iwamo-toScott’s Voissoir Cloud, and the theoretical back-ground of the Landengartenschau Exhibition Hall, our proposal aims to use the internal surface tension of wooden panels to construct modules that once bound together in configuration, work together to create a structure kept in compressive force in the Hachem offices.

B6//TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL

Top right: Close-up of cell render

Bottom left: Occlusion render of design in room

Bottom right: example of cell nesting

Bottom opposite: examples of wooden veneer. Due to time constrainsts for submission appropriate render photo-graphs were not included in the interim presentation, but will be further developed along with prototypes.

Timber veneer has traditionally been used for its cos-metic advantages in furniture and product design as a cost-effective and lightweight way to present the view-er with the aesthetic qualities of timber without the heft. As such the material properties of veneer were never bought to the fore, an idea we take as our primary design direction in this project. The juxtaposition of the mental construct of the veneer, and construction fact.

By utilising the qualities of veneer when folded, qualities created through the flexive qualities of veneer, a larg-er-scale compressive design can be manufactured. In effect, each panel gets its strength doubly from the folds of its own material, and the force enacted from neighbouring panels, making it more than the sum of its parts.

56

B7 Learning Objectives & Outcomes

B8 Appendix - Algorithmic Sketches

Bibliography

58 59

Throughout Part B, extensive research of computation-al processes and the enacting of said principles has allowed me to develop a much more in-depth view of the roles and benefits of computation in the design process.

Through the reverse-engineering of B4: Case Study 2.0, Objective 8: “begin developing a personalised repertoire of computational techniques” was clear-ly reached as this process entailed many hours of attempting to recreate the project from scratch, using my own scripting knowledge, borrowed scripts and algorithms, and customisation of existing algorithms to reach the end goal. Having no pre-existing definitions to base my reverse-engineering off, this entailed exten-sive research.

Through the iteration stage of B2: Case Study 1.0, I generated and explored a multitude of design possi-bilities using parameter manipulation, versioning and comparative analysis with matrices, thereby fulfilling the requirements of Objective 2. Throughout B2 I also re-searched a variety of computational techniques of my own accord in order to further push the definition.

Through establishing a design direction once we were placed into groups, we discussed the shortcomings and limitations of proposed approaches and designs by turning an objective eye towards our developing design, and the same can be said for the develop-ment of the matrices in both part B2 and B4, wherein the most successful designs were established and worked upon in order to create a project proposal.

B7//LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

Due to time limitations enacted because of a need to develop a cooperative project, the number of proto-types was lower than anticipated, as was the testing opportunities that we affoded ourselves. I imagine that prior to beginning Part C in earnest it will be requisite for us to develop a number of new prototypes and enact testing upon them in order to be able to develop our design to the point that is desired at the end of the semester. Issues of fabrication and assembly, whilst considered at length, have not as of yet been proto-types, and will be required to do so in coming weeks. As such, Objective 3 has not been as successfully fulfilled as i would have hoped, but it will be something that we will act upon in successive weeks.

Finally, I believe that in terms of developing a founda-tional understanding of computational geometry, data structures and types of programming, as per Objective 7, Part B has been a successful one for me. Spend-ing many hours in the laboritories to develop ideas that were perhaps not even relevant directly to the project at hand, but developed my understanding and knowledge of Grasshopper and parametric modelling further, I feel that, in general, a fairly cohesive and practical knowl-edge of said programming has been reached, render-ing me able to develop a fairly considered approach to digital design

Main: Achim Menges, HygroScope 201234

60 61

A6//Appendix: Algorithmic Sketchbook

62 63

Sources

24 “ITKE Research Pavilion 2010”, ICD/ITKE, 2010 <http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=4458> [accessed 28 April 2016].

25 “Voussoir Cloud”, deMagazine.com, 2016 <http:// www.demagazine.co.uk/architecture/vous soir-cloud> [accessed 27 April 2016].

26 Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: De sign and Manufacturing (New York; Lon-don: Spon Press, 2003) pp. 18

27 “Landengartenscahau Exhibition Hall”, ICD/ITKE/IIGS University of Stuttgart, 2014 <http://www.domusweb. it/en/architecture/2014/06/26/landesgartenschau_ex hibition_hall.html> [ac-cessed 28 April 2016].

28 Bart Van der Straeten, “The Uncanny And The Architecture Of Deconstruction”, Image & Narrative, 2007 <http://www.imageandnarrative. be/uncanny/bartvanderstraeten.htm> [accessed 7 March 2016].

Images

24 Chilton, John, “Heinz Isler’s Infinite Spectrum: Form-Finding In Design”, Architectural Design, 80 (2010), 64-71 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ad.1108>

25 Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010, 2010 <http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=4458> [accessed 28 April 2016].

26 IwamotoScott, Voussoir Cloud, 2008 <http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIR-CLOUD> [accessed 28 April 2016].




30 Cultural Kiosk, Voussoir Cloud, 2012 <https://dj-cadteam6.wordpress.com/2012/02/04/inspirational-imag-es-screens-and-layers/> [accessed 28 April 2016]

31 ICD/ITKE/IIGS University of Stuttgart, Landengar-tenscahau Exhibition Hall, 2014 <http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2014/06/26/landesgartenschau_exhibi-tion_hall.html> [accessed 28 April 2016].

32 ICD/ITKE/IIGS University of Stuttgart, Landengar-tenscahau Exhibition Hall, 2014 <http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2014/06/26/landesgartenschau_exhibi-tion_hall.html> [accessed 28 April 2016].

33 ICD/ITKE/IIGS University of Stuttgart, Landengarten-scahau Exhibition Hall, 2014 <http://www.domusweb.it/en/architecture/2014/06/26/landesgartenschau_exhibition_hall.html> [accessed 28 April 2016].

34 ICD/ITKE, Hygroscope, 2015 <http://www.baunetz.de/meldungen/Meldungen-Ein_Gespraech_mit_Achim_Meng-es_4259277.html> [accessed 28 April 2016].

64


C1 Design Concept

66 67

Courtesy of Chen Lin

Courtesy of Eddie Mastouri.

Courtesy of Katerina Katerimas.

Following the interim presenta-tion, the group was presented with feedback on which we were to reflect on. The primary points raised for our design were:

The tectonic solution was relatively inelegant due to the size of the panels;

The structural system was relatively similar to that of our precedent “Voissoir Cloud”;

The design did not sit well within the context of the office, both in scale and in the resolution of the back of the panels.

In considering these ideas we began to contemplate adjust-ments and changes to the design proposal in readyness for Part C. However, as part of a larger class group the deci-sion was made to collaborate as a single entity and proceed through Part C with a project determined from what were deemed the best aspects of each of the five Part B designs.

In the collective decision-making process, the following elements were cho-sen as design ideas that would be pursued:

The “flowing” reductive geometry seen in Fig. 35;

The “random” biomimetic-influenced form seen in Fig. 36;

The conceptual aesthetic of systemic growth algorithms as seen in Fig. 37.

In moving on from this point, the group was split into distinct areas of inter-est in order to develop the new proposal.

These areas were: Geometry; Patterning; Joints/Connections; Prototyping/Fabrication.

Of which I was personally involved in the Prototyping/Fabrication, and to some extent, the Joints/Connections. This involved readying files to be sent to the FABLAB, unrolling, nesting, and numbering elements efficiently and in an easy-to-read and comprehend manner, and the manual fabrication of prototypes and presentation models one the parts had been received.

C1//DESIGN CONCEPT

36

37

35In the consideration of a new design proposal, ideas were workshopped in defining a core idea or concept for the new ceiling installation to be based around. With the consideration of the elements that we wanted to develop further, seen to the right, the group land-ed on the idea of “FLOW” as a driving factor, comprising of the biomimetic and aesthetic implications of the chosen bases.

The concept of “FLOW” stems from a metaphor of the creative process, a process not unknown to the staff at Hachem. An em-bodiment of “FLOW” as the idealistic state of ideation is the concept which drove the genera-tion of the design proposal.

68 69

The geometry/form of the new proposal was then considered, with iterations being designed in a return to Part B, a selection of which can be seen to the right.

From this, several ideas were chosen (highlighted in red) that were seen by the group as con-ducive to the idea of “FLOW”, and were to be further developed.

C1//DESIGN CONCEPT

1 LIGHT EFFECT // SHADOW

3 MATERIAL PERFORMANCE

2 FABRICABILITY

4 BIOMIMICRY

Through this iterative stage, the results were considered against a series of selection crietria seen as relevant to the application and purpose of the design, these can be seen above.

Courtesy of Eddie Mastouri.

70 71

Further development of the design along the lines of the selection criteria and in contem-plation regarding the concept of “FLOW”, three geometries were shortlisted (38-40). From this, the final proposal was created as seen on page opposite. It was determined that this particular geometry solution encompassed all the elements that were seen as desirable in the response to the brief, as well as embodying the conceptual ideas set out earlier in the process.

C1//DESIGN CONCEPT

Design Proposal: Hachem Office Ceiling Installation

The design, whilst akin to designs that can be designed through agent-based programming, was done through a complex algorithm of point-based attraction/repulsion mechanisms. As a placekeeping strategy in need of further development, the forms were broken into strips,and served as a plausible way forward in resolving the tectonic system. The thinner, more rod-like pieces

were deemed as undevelopable through use of timber veneer, and so another method was sought out, namely rattancore cane, that could simulate curves. The following elements were put forward for development:

Strip/strip connections;

Formwork structures (ribs/ weaving methods);

Connections to ceiling;

Patternation;

Exploration of cane.

In developing the form further, it was deemed that a connections between the strips were of impor-tance, as well as determining a way for the strips to be structured in such a way as to create the free-flowing bulbous forms.

38

39

40

72 73

C1//DESIGN CONCEPT

FINALDEFINITION

NESTING/SUBMISSION

SUBMISSIONOF 3D JOINTS

FABLAB

FABLAB

COLLECTVENEER

COLLECTCANE

COLLECTCUT PARTS

COLLECTPRINTED JOIINTS

FABRICATERIBS

CONNECTSTRIPS/RIB

SEW 1/2STRIPS

UNROLL/CUT CANE

CONNECTJOINTS/CANE

SEW 1/2STRIPS/RIB

COMPLETED BULBS

COMPLETED RODS

COMPLETEGEOMETRY

INSTALLATIONCEILING CONNECTION

COLLECTRIVETS/THREAD

BREP(STRIPS)

BREP(STRIPS)

EXPLODETREE

EXPLODETREE

BREP/BREPINTERSECTION

BREP/CURVEINTERSECTION

DIVIDECURVE

LIST ITEM

LIST ITEM

EVALUATESURFACE

CIRCLE CNRSURFACE CLOSEST POINT

SURFACESPLIT

BREP(STRIPS)

RECGRID EXPLODETREE

UNROLL(FabTools)

AREA

FLATTENTREE

FLATTENTREE

TEXT TAG 3D

TEXT TAG 3D

SERIES

CONSTRUCTION WORKFLOW

UNROLLING/TAGGING

Due to the massive nature of the group undertaking, each person had a specific task to attend to. Rather than attempting to present the entire process here, I have rather taken a series of elements that I myself undertook and represented them in a workflow format.

78


C1 Design Concept

80 81

STRIP/STRIP CONNECTIONS

As the design was to be con-structed of strips, it was required that there be a simple, well-re-solved and homogenous way of connecting the strips to one another.

The main proposal was to consider designing with minimal structural elements and to create a tectonic in which the form was created through manipulation of the natural curving of the wood-en veneer.

The initial prototype was con-structed of polypropelyne and was analysing the tectonic solution of a relatively high density of overlaps strip-to-strip, with tabs holding the strips together.

in the ongoing prototypes there was a reduction in this aspect. It was deemed that this would more effectively correspond with our concept of “FLOW” and not break up the smooth undulation.

However it was found that the tabs tended to be unsuited to this tensile material system, and so another solution was required. Both the effectiveness and the aesthetic implications of having a high degree of overlapping meant that

Thesecond prototype tested the concept of a press-stud/rivet connection between the panels, wit a reduction in the number of overlaps per strip (to around 5/6 per element). This was construct-ed using a laminate-backed

required strength of connection. The number of connections per strip meant that a high amount of pressure was placed on each joint.

BASE GEOMETRY

STRIPS APPLIED TO BREP

PROTOTYPE 1: POLYPROPELYNE/TABS

PROTOTYPE 2: LAMINATE- BACKED VENEER/RIVETSWEAVING STRIPS TO INTERSECT

FINDING MIDPOINT OF INTS. TO CREATE CONNECTIONS

C2//TECTONIC ELEMENTS/PROTOTYPES

timber veneer with a thickness of 1.6mm, with a somewhat high compa-rable stiffness. However, the stiffness of the material meant that when in position, the stress enacted by the metal rivets caused the veneer to crack along the grain. Press-studs did not allow the

However through testing with the mate-rial and the proposed structural tectonic, it became apparent that this would be difficult to create in both the given time-frame and to a high degree of design resolution. As such it was decided to consider a rib system in conjuction with strip-strip connections to acheive form.

This was developed as seen below.

82 83


The main proposal was to consider de-signing with minimal structural elements and to create a tectonic in which the form was created through manipulation of the natural curving of the wooden veneer.

PROTOTYPE 1: CARD/RIVETS

An exercise in structural principle and constructional logic, the first prototype established that the elegant curves of the ribs were a well-resolved method of creat-ing a structural interior.

PROTOTYPE 2: VENEER LAMINATE/RIVETS

Keeping rivets as the method of fastening, the same construction method was constructed out of Ventech Rustic “Verdi” Veneer, a 1.6mm laminate-backed product

41The ribs were created using the original curves of the forms, prior to the lofting of the sur-face, so as to be fitted pre-cisely within the geometry. The placement of said ribs at left.

42The ribs were given structural sta-bility through the interplay of three elements. Two opposing undu-lating circules were riveted to a central core circle so as to create a semi-rigid form out of a non-rigid material, whilst also inkeeping with

However, problems arose when the card was altered during the manufacture of the prototypes, which led to shearing.

In veneer, the rib appears even more elegant as a solution, butagain, there were problems encountered with the bending of the material and the stresses this enacted, causing fracture.

the general concept of “FLOW” and the selection criteria. This was integral as due to the nature of the design, the ribs would in fact be a visible element.

84 85

C2//TECTONIC ELEMENTS/PROTOTYPESLADYBUG PLUG-IN

To analyse the effect of the de-sign on lighting and shadow in the room, the Ladybug plugin was used to determine the effect of different lighting configurations upon the design.

STRIPS/PATTERNATION

Exploration of weaving and stripping methods resulted in a variety of interesting visual effect, (43-45). However, due to the difficulty in enacting such design elements in such a short

time frame, they were deemed as too difficult, regardless of the benefits they might have bought to the design. In lieu of this, patternation on the strips them-selves was pursued as a more attain-able design option, resullts below.

The single linear strips running along the strips as seen in Option 2 was chosen in contemplation with the deisgn selec-tion criteria, and our overarching con-cept of “FLOW”.

Different lighting layout create different effects, and it allows a context-specific look into different configurations.

However, the plug-in is primarily used in built-form design, analysing the effect and interference of sunlight.

As such, in the utilisation of the plug-in in this design, relatively little was gleaned from the analy-sis, as it is a relatively all-encom-passing design that doesn’t allow a high thoroughfare of light from above.

OPTION 1: PERPENDICULARSLITS/ DENSELY PACKED

OPTION 2: PARALLEL SLIT/ SINGLE PER STRIP

43 44 45

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ROD CONNECTIONS

In re-creating the same flowing geometry as seen in the digital model, it was necessary to resolve the thin rod-like elements in such a way as to approximate as truthfully as possible the same form.

To accomplish this, rattancore cane was established as the most appropriate material to create this effect. Coming in a variety of diameters, it allowed a range of thicknesses to be approximated.

In order to bind the cane together in such a way as to approximate the digital geometry, 3D printed joints were prototyped to create similarly undulating/curving lines.


PROTOTYPE 1: 3mm Rattan Core// Plastic

The 3D printed connections, whilst time consuming, worked in approximating the undulating geometry of the forms, whilst also being of minimal aesthetic intru-sion on an otherwise relatively materially homogenous design proposal.

Problems were encountered with the behaviour of the previously-bound cane.

CEILING CONNECTIONS

Being a ceiling installation, it was required that the connections to the ceiling were considered. Whilst a vital constructional aspect, these connections were con-sidered to be of little aesthetic benefit to the design, particularly inkeeping with the design concept of “FLOW”. As such the following criteria were established as requirements:

Minimal aesthetic intrusion - should be scarecely able to be seen, but if so, should be elegant and inkeeping with the design concept;

Strength - a minimum of connections to the roof desirable, to minimise visual effect.

A selection of the iterations can be seen at right (46-48).

46

47

48

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In the culmination of the elements developed in C2, the final design is amalgamation of a variety of engineered elements, all cretaed to be an embodiment of the con-cept “FLOW”.

Each of these elements, ranging from the cane rods, to the veneer ribs, was developed by the team as a solu-tion to the construtional problems raised by the form.

Presented here, one can see the separate digital-ly-designed elements that cumulatively make up the final design. The way in which the form is presented is of the utmost importance, and despite the seem-ingly complex range of part required to create such a design, the geometries that constitute “FLOW” are such that it renders simpler solutions difficult, especially when presented in timber veneer.


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C3 Final Detail Model

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C3//FINAL DETAIL MODEL

2.

3.

4.

49The construction sequence was a relatively prolonged one, in part due to the number of parts re-quired in order to construct each of the elemetnta. Problems were raised in the constructing the junctioning between rib and strip.

50In response to the issues en-countered during the prototyping stage, a method of connection wherein the strips are veritably “sewn” together was enacted, creating an interesting dynamic between digital and hand-made.

1 .

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C3//FINAL DETAIL MODEL

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C4 Learning Objectives & Outcomes

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C4//LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

Throughout the entire design process, there has been a progression from work as an individual, to that in groups, to that in a single large team. As such, and particularly in Part C, there has been a movement away from a single entity having complete control over the creative output, to a collection of people who have a relatively small individual input into the colllective project.

As such, Objective 8: “begin developing a person-alised repertoire of computational techniques”, came to a head in Part B, where personal iterations were the key task, and the computation was largely individualis-tic.

This was not as requisite in Part C, as my task involved the nesting and optimisation of the files in order to make them able for manufacture. Nevertheless, the veritable operation that took place in amalgamating a large number of Grasshopper files and attempting to make the cohesive whole operational was a learning experience in itself.

The key principles that I engaged with particularly in Part C was that of Objective 3:

“developing “skills in various three-dimensional media” and specifically in computational geometry, parametric modelling, analytic diagramming and digital fabrication”;

With the assigned task of the amalgamation of multi-ple parametric scripts into a constructionally cohesive prject involved the understanding of the roles and methods involved in each of these individual scripts, so as to allow the proper function of all the parts.

This also involved trouble-shooting constructional problems, solving script variances and enacting deisgn choices late in the design process in order to opti-mise the form for construction, such as solving jointing issues and connection elements, detailed in C2.

In doing so, the key points of Objective 7:

“develop foundational understandings ofcomputational geometry, data structures and types ofprogramming”;

were also met, as throughout the process i was re-quired to integrate multiple design elements, such as ribs, connections, geometric variances and multiple streams of data, which required a substantial knowl-edge of the behaviour and structure of data trees and data flow in the Grasshopper interface.

Overall, the design project has, despite the shortcom-ings in the organisational aspect of 15 people coming up with a cohesive project in a very limited timeframe, actually deeply stimulated my interest in computational design. With the increased practical knowledge gleaned from many hours on the software, I have managed to develop somewhat of a skillset, however rudimentary, that allows me to develop form and structure of the Grasshopper interface, and in knowing this, I now have a deeper understanding of the role that computation can play in design, particularly architectural, processes.

The most exciting aspects of computation in my per-sonal opinion, through my interaction with it during this project would be the affording of effectivbely llimitless possibilities in designing and fabricating a complex and fully-developed project from the confines of a single computer. The manipulation and interaction of elements within the Gh interfvace allow a multitude of opportu-nities for design, opportnities that are afforded to me whenever i see fit. This is what is most important.

Komarzynski jacob 586329 finaljournal

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