Architecture Design Studio: Air

Journal

Tarik Celikovic - 390950

Contents:Part I: Expression of Interest

01. advancing architectural discourse

personal & world renowned projects incorporating contemporary computational design:

capability & potential of this technique

02. innovation through computational design

designs that are breaking barriers and revolutionizing contemporary architecture & design

03. contemporary scripting cultures

projects using scripting techniques to create innovative and purposeful designs

04. case study: gantenbein vineyard facade

replicating completed projects - expressing capabilities of computational design

05. research prjoect: fabricate

fabricating grasshopper designs - testing capabilities for production

Part II: Project Proposal

06. wyndham city gateway project

- analyzing the brief; prompting design ideas & restrictions

- analyzing the site; prompting design decisions

07. preliminary design

initial design intent; purpose, model

08. final design

final design; development, construction, model

Part III: Reflection

08. reflection

learning objectives & outcomes

Headspace Project

Virtual Environments

Tarik Celikovic

2010

In the Headspace project, parametric design and physical models were used to create headpieces which were produced and worn by the students themselves. Using paramteric design in Google SketchUp, students designed these headpieces, printed them and then assembled them into a physical medium (paper).

This project shows the power and capabilities of computational design, even in the use of first year students. Being able to physcially produce a computer-based design in a relatively short period of time, without previous knowledge of the programs used, is somewhat revolutionary. The possibilities are endless with how complex the design can be and if this could become a more common practice, globally, it would be fair to say that it could lead to some amazing and ground-breaking work, which would ultimately benefit and maybe change the trend of current architectural discourse.

The concept of this project is relevant to the Gateway Project as it underpins the potential of contemporary computational design. For the Gateway Project to be considered state-of-the-art and become a part of the discourse of architecture around the world, a new and exciting way of design must be used. This is the perfect opportunity for computational architecture to step into the limelight and show its potential.

advancing architectural discourse

01.

advancing architectural discourse

Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao, Spain

Frank Gehry Architects

1997

One of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a masterpiece and perfect example of what computational architecture is capable of achieving. Architect Frank Gehry uses CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) modelling to create the various complex curvilinear forms and the iconic metal ‘skin’. This building contributes to architectural discourse in the way that it epitomises the capabilities of computational architecture, especially in terms of the potential in complex form making and the use of dynamic materials to achieve unique finishes.

As the brief of the Gateway Project states that the design must be ‘exciting, new and aesthetically pleasing’, the use of contemporary computational design allows for exactly this; extremely unique, organic and dynamic forms that work structurally, which cannot be achieved in any other way.

advancing architectural discourse

Louisiana State Museum

Natchitoches, USA

Trahan Architects

Due to be completed - 2012

The Lousiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame uses Grasshopper as an integral tool in its design. Grasshoper is used to design the complex steel frame and the interior elements of the building. This building contributes to the discourse of acrhitecture as it shows how computer modelling is also relevant to complex structural systems and designs, not just the exterior or facade. The smooth, flowing interior partitions are also designed through computer modelling to maximise material effectiveness and use while also looking aesthetically pleasing.

The effective use of materials and creation of a structural system through computational design can be applied to the Gateway Project as well. Creating the structural components and design features efficiently leads to effective use of budget and an overall aesthetically pleasing design.

innovation through computational design

Contemporary computational design techniques allow for more than just the creation of a static designs. The Aegis Hyposurface for example, deforms according to electronic stimuli from the environment (movement, sound, light etc.) . The piece is a facetted metallic surface and is driven by a bed of 896 pneumatic pistons.

This allows for greater interaction between people and the spaces they use. Through contemporary computational architecture, it could be possible to create dynamic environments that alter with the changing use of space.

This is relevant to the Gateway Project as movement is a key factor, the site being adjacent to a highway. Although the brief does not specifically state that the design must be dynamic, it would be a good thing to consider.

Aegis Hyposurface

Birmingham, UK

Mark Goulthorpe

1999-2001

“The piece marks the transition

from autoplastic (determinate) to alloplastic (interactive,

indeterminate) space, a new

species of reciprocal architecture.”

02.

innovation through computational design

“Bubble” BMW Pavilion

Stuttgart, Germany

Brnhard Franken

1999

The BMW Pavilion, or better known as the “Bubble”, by Bernhard Franken, is a great example of the use of contouring in digital design and fabrication.

The concept behind the design was a drop of water, where a drop simulator was used to create the form.

The structure of the pavilion was designed by bi-contouring, which essentially means cutting the design vertically and horizontally at regular intervals in a computer porgam and devising the shapes and lengths of the parts needed to create the ‘shell’.

This project was one of the first in the world to be created totally by digital means, from the design through to construction.

This is the aim of computational architecture, to create an coherent structure and design. This technique of bi-contouring could be applied in the Gateway Project since the design does not specifically need to be a buiding, thus the design’s structure could form its exterior/skin which could be easly produced and assemlbed.

“The Bubble was one of the first structures in the world which was completely created by digital means, from the design through to construction.”

Professor Achim Menges, the lead designer for the ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion, uses contemporary computer scripting to embed the features and capabilities of certain materials, in this case timber, and uses this principle to computationally model the design.

The timber’s qualities were tested in the physical world and then translated into virtual data. This means that only through computer modelling, a structurally viable and working design is made without

ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion

Stuttgart, Germany

Achim Menges - ICD/ITKE

2010

having to test it in the physical world. “The computational design model is based on embedding the relevant material behavioral features in parametric principles.”

This is extremely valuable in terms of the Gateway Project as it allows for a clear picture as to the capabilities and potential of a propsed design. It thus also allows for efficient use of materials and budget, which allows for further elaboration or experimenation.

“The research pavilion demonstrates an alternative approach to computational design: here, the computational generation of form is directly driven and informed by physical behavior and material characteristics.”

contemporary scripting cultures

03.

contemporary scripting cultures

FissurePort

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Biothing

2010

FissurePort was a project for a port terminal in which complex vertical fissures in the building symbolised the sharp cliff formations of the local town, Kaohsiung.

The key scritping concept behind this design was the interaction between the users and the terminal floors and walls. “LED light systems embedded into floors/ceilings could be programmed to respond to increased crowd movement” which could distribute passengers in faster and more legible ways through lighting signalling systems.

This once again plays with the idea of movement impacting the visual qualities of a structure while also providing users with information, a very powerful tool in terms of the Gateway Project. This same technique could be applied to regulate traffic and provide relevant information to people driving by, even so in a symbolic rather than literal manner.

04.

case study: gantenbein vineyard facade

Gantenbein Vineyard

Flaesch, Switzerland

Gramazio & Kohler - Berth & Deplazes

2010

For the Gantenbein Vineyard facade in Flaesch, a digitally-guided robotic assembly technique was used to create a brick wall where the bricks were palced at an offset according to specific pre-programmed parameters. Each brick was arranged at a specific angle to produce the evident bubble pattern as light hit the structure.

We tried to reproduce this facade but found it difficult. We managed to stack and rotate the wall, but when we tried to use the image map, the pattern would not apply properly and would leave the wall looking fairly innaccurate.

research project: fabricate

05.We also tried to recreate the Gantenbein facade physically, by arranging the blocks into a masonry-like wall. As we predicted, it was nowhere near as accurate as the robotic assembly system and thus realized the need for some kind of parametric system for this type of design to be accurate and effective.

This relfects back to the idea that some designs require a process and accuracy only achievable through computational design.

Referring to the material itself, we used wooden blocks to fabricate the facade, which is very different to the real life design that is composed of masonry. In our physica model, focus was mainly put on trying to arrange the forms in a manner that could create a similar pattern, rather than recreating the materialistic conditions. When considering other factors such as texture and lighting conditions, further complexity can be added to a design through these factors, as is evident in the vineyard interior. The focus in our main design will be the latter; connecting people through the use of light and motion.

Fabricate

Wyndham City Gateway Proposal

Werribee

Wyndham City Council

06.

The above extract is from the Wyndham City Council project document . It enforces the idea that the main purpose of this design is to create interest and attention, make passers by remember it and ultimately Wyndham council as well, and thus in a way creating discourse, similarly to the ‘Seeds of Change’ project already existant in Wyndham council (pictured left).

Upon further analysis of the breif, it states that; “the installation need not be literal or didactic in its references, as it may capture a more abstract,aspirational intent and feeling. However, it should aim to be accessible to a wide public and shouldexplore place making aspects and qualities.” This project therefore asks for a dramatic, eye-catching design, without any real limitations (design wise), thus making it very suitable for the application of contemporary computational design techniques in the hands of beginner level students.

“Wyndham City is seeking responses from design professionals for the design and documentation of anexciting, eye catching installation at Wyndham’s Western Gateway. . .(that)encourages and challenges you to develop a proposal that inspires and enriches themunicipality.”

wyndham city project: analyzing brief

wyndham city project: analyzing site

There are three sites where the design can be situated: site A, B and C. By looking at the respective sites, it could be said that site A and B would receive the most traffic, and thus attention, especially site A as it would be exposed to both the north bound and south bound traffic equally.

All three sites are fairly flat, with the exception of a minor hill existing in the centre of site A.

Our group decided to focus the placement of our designs on site B due to higher traffic flow and exposure to the petrol station

Preliminary designinitial design intent: concept

The main concept behind our design was influneced by the case studies of interactive architecture. Since the brief sought for something ‘eye-catching’ and dramatic, we decided to further develop how we could make our design as dramatic as possible, but also incorporate the actions/movement of the users of the gateway as well. We decided that the most interactive aspect that we wanted to explore was light; in particular, how the headlights of passing cars could be used to interact with our design/structure. To accomplish this, we devised a system which works as follows; when a car is driving along the section of the gateway of Princes Highway at night, the light from their headlights is caught by light catchments that are arranged on each side of the road close to the tarmac.

This captured light is transferred into a processor through fibre optic cables which redirects the captured light to a certain location within the structure (depending on position of the driver) to create a cloud-like effect ahead, in the driver’s direction of travel.

07.

initial design intent: model

Preliminary model

Grasshopper was used to create a random distribution of points on a non planar surface in which the arrangement is defined by the distance from an attractor point. Using attractor points, the surface was populated with random nodes in a gradually varying density to represent the changing effect of the light in a ‘vapor’ or ‘cloud’ effect. Each point represents a node of the end of a optical fibre cable. Points with higher density represent lit up fibres, whereas points with low density represent non lit fibres.

Heavy fishing line was used instead of fibre optic cable in this model so the result is not as good as it should be.

In our preliminary design, for the actual structure, the fibre optic cables would be held up by a steel mesh frame that could be assembled on site.

The optical fibre cable would be wound through the steel mesh frame and lightly attached.

While this design is primarily focused on performing at night, the structure of the mesh with intertwining optical fibre cables creates very interesting shadow patterns.in brighter conditions as evident by adjacent images .

The reflective nature of both the mesh and the optical fibre also create interesting views and effects as the sun hits them, thus allwoing the design to also be utilizxed during the day, not only during night time.

Final design

08.

The final design was heavily based on the ideas of the preliminary design, with some alterations. The final form was dramaticised and turned into that of a strip spiral, with perforations to allow for the optical fibre cables to penetrate.

The same principle of light catchments absorbing headlights still applies but this time the redistribution of light and its direction is much more clear and evident due to the change in form.

People will see the lighting effect more clearly since the spiral form is much more narrow and focussed rather than being dispersed widely and randomly around the site as was the case in the preliminary form. This spiral form will thus have a bigger impact on passers by, making for a more dramatic design.

These spirals would be constructed from flattened, prefabricated plywood sheets which could be folded together (as evident in image to left). This plywood structure will comprise the base, while the fibre optic cable would be threaded through the perforations and loosley attached to the structure.

These fibre optic cables would then project the captured and processed light that has been carried from underground, as was the case with the preliminary design.

final design: development & construction

final design: model

Final model

This model was digitally created in Grasshopper, flattened and then laser cut.

The spiral structure is composed of light, bendable cardboard while fishing wire was used to represent the fibre optic cables, as in the preliminary design.

We once again used a laser pointer to illuminate the wires and mimic the effect of headlights shining and the light being captured.

learning objectives & outcomes

Reflection

09.

This subject has been very challenging but also very interesting. Before starting this subject, I had only used architectural computational programs such as AutoCAD and Revit. Now that I have used Grasshopper and explored some of its features, it is clear that there is a very big difference between ‘generative’ and ‘representative’ architecture. This difference is the fact that through generative architecture, the entire system and process of design (from idea to construction) is very flexible as it considres many aspects (materiality, form, texture etc.), rather than just being a representative tool.

Although I feel like I did not acquire anywhere near the skills I should have in this subject, I feel as though this is the architecture of the future. By researching numerous ground-breaking projects/leaders in this field, I have discovered the high potential of this type of design/architecture.

From digital fabrication to interactive and performative architecture, this type of design could become the norm in the near future.

Personally, I will look at design very differently after taking part in this subject as it has shown me that traditional architecture is not the only option in this day and age.

I wil try to improve and utilize the skills I learned in this subject as I have a feeling that many spaces and buildings will be designed this way in the future.

Sources:

01.- Headspace: Tarik Celikovic

- http://www.archdaily.com/202678/in-progress-louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame-trahan-architects/- http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame- http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/25225

- Kolarevic, Branko, ‘Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing’ (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.2-5- http://www.arcspace.com/gehry_new/index.html?main=/gehry_new/catia/catia.html

- Kolarevic, Branko, ‘Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing’ (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), p.24- http://www.techniker.co.uk/projects/enlarge.cfm?iProject_id=121&sMedia=image&iMedia_id=none

02.- Kolarevic, Branko, ‘Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing’ (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.50-52.- http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Aegis_Hyposurface.php

- Kolarevic, Branko, ‘Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing’ (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), p.43- http://www.franken-architekten.de/index.php?pagetype=projectdetail&lang=en&cat=-1&param=overview&param2=21&param3=0&

03.- Burry Mark, ‘Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming’ (Chichester: Wiley, 2010), pp.40-42.- http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4443

- Burry Mark, ‘Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming’ (Chichester: Wiley, 2010), p.38- http://www.biothing.org/?cat=18

04.- Ben Pell, ‘Gantenbein Vineyard Facade’, in The Articulate Surface : Ornament and Technology in Contemporary Architecture (Basel, London: Birkhäuser ; Springer distributor, 2010), pp. 178 - 183

06.- Wyndham City Council, ‘Western Gateway Design Project’, (Werribee, 2011), pp. 2 - 6