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ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR

1.1 CASE OF INNOVATION

Jie Ren (Jessica) 539452_Studio Air

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR 1.1 CASE OF INNOVATION

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR _ INTRODUCTION

Hi all,

my name is Jie Ren. You can call me Jess. I am from China. I am a third year student in Bachelor Of Environ-ments, majoring in Architecture. I did virtual Environment on my first year, found Rhino program quite hard but interesting. I am looking forward to exploring more about rhino and grasshopper.

My life statue at the moment is: FORTUNE FAVOURS THE BRAVE!


Understanding the course

ARCHITECTURE AS DISCOURSE

Architecture is a product of the desire on the part of social and political authorIity to update the pub-lic realm in the context of unprecedented prosper-ity.

Richard Williams, 2005


Understanding the courseArchitecture as discourse

How do we define architecture?

Since the late 19th, architecture always has a dominant social statue in history. Compare to poetry, painting and sculpture, architecture defines itself as unique, more professional and more sophisticated. This is due to its variation to different perspectives, which maintains artistic innovation, geometry, mathematics, techni-cal drawing, material use, and now-days digitalization. As a discourse, there are always unlimited contexts adding on to architecture theory.

Richard Willians stated that archi-tecture needs to be thought of less as a set of special material products and rather more as range of social and professional practices that some-times, but by no means always, lead to buildings.(Richard Williams, 2005)Whether in my understanding of ar-chitecture, architecture in discourse is always renewing and changing due to different aspects of impacts around it. Apart from social and visual context, architects also need to consider their design referring to economic, moral, religious environments and so much more.

Therefore architecture is in-tegrated into different aspects and varieties of representa-tions in the society. It could be a Greek or a Roman temple, it could be a monument gather-ing all the remembrance of the World War 2, or it could be a millionaires villa residence showing luxury and richness. Buildings with no capacity to change can only become slums or ancient monuments. ( bbc Productions, 1966)Thus, architecture is no longer just a building, but has to be flexible with vary aspects of context.



The Beijing national aquatic center tbuilt: 2004 - 2007Architects: PTW Architects, CSCEC, CCDI and Arup



The Beijing national aquatic center is located in Beijing Olympic Green for the use of the 2008 summer Olympic swimming competition. This piece of work is also nicknamed as water cube, in terms of its overall cubic form. This building is designed to compromise a variety of purposes, functional, sustainable and specially, it achieved the sense of visual cul-ture. (Richard Williams, 2005)

In terms of visual culture, in or-der to highlight Beijings culture and identity, it formed itself a perfect cuboid box in relation to the traditional Beijing quadran-gle courtyard. Then the designers create bubbles to symbolize wa-ter flowing.

In terms of functionality and sus-tainability, it is using a steel space frame, and it also involved ETFE clad structure. This ETFE clad structure is the bubbles system, which was covering the whole cubic surface. The bubble skin functions as not only a simple faade. But also enables the struc-ture to gather more light and heat penetration than traditional glass, resulting 30% decrease in energy costs.

Thus, Architecture in discourse in this case will be the engage-ment of the environment, the Chinese culture, Olympic game, art and sustainability.


Richard Williams men-tioned architecture is as much a philosophical, so-cial or professional realm as it is a material one, and it is through the consid-eration of architecture as discourse that one can en-gage with it as visual cul-ture. (Richard Williams, 2005)

Each bubble includes a filter in-side it that can also control the temperature, when it gets really hot and releases heat when it needs to dissipate from build-ing. It also gathers rainfall on the roof of the building and pushes in within the building.

BMW Welt, Munich, Germany, 2003-2007Architect: Coop Himmelb


BMW Welt is situated in Munich Germany. Similar to the water cube, it successfully achieved its purpose of a unique, geometrical functional and sustainable structure. More importantly, it is con-structed on the purpose of respecting and engaging more with the environment and landscape.

In terms of its visual cul-ture, BWM Welt has an eye-catching irregular shape of the architecture is a torque, achieved by triangular geom-etry. It is actually inspirited by the Acropolis in Athens. We translated the geometry of constantly changing cloud into architecture says wolf D. Prix. T The BMW Welt could be an example of a modernist archi-tecture, according to its plain shape, use of large amount of glass, and the lack of orna-mentation.




BMW Welt, Munich, Germany, 2003-2007

It is described as a dynamic construction of semitransparent glass structure with corrugated steel roof and one ending in a double twist in form of a cone in official website of designers. Its semi transparency unified itself as a visionary architecture, to gather maximum sunlight, and create maximum view to the surrounding.

In terms of sustainability, BMW Welt managed varies groups of 16,500 square meters of solar panels in-stalled on the roof, to receive nature solar energy for daily basis.


1.1 CASE OF INNOVATION ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR

1.1 CASE OF INNOVATION


SPIRAL EXERCISE

PYLLOTAXIS AND EXPRESSION


COMPUTATION

It is possible to claim that designers creativity is limited by the very program that are supposed to free their imagination

Terzidis, Kostas, 2009.I disagree! Computation will not limit designerss imagination, but absolutely in opposite, it pushed designers ideas into extreme, and create more opportunities.


COMPUTATION

What is the difference between computerization and computation?

Computerization helps to digitalize concepts in ones mind, while manipulate and store this data into computer system. For example, scan a existing drawing into a computer, or putting an essay into a world document. Whereas, computation belongs to a more technical designing field, allows more opportunities, more imagination, and more efficiency, accuracy and sophistication. In other words, computation could be argued as an integrated design tool, which satisfies different designing desires and innovations.

Whereas,Computation could be used in different design fields, such as 3d model construction, design tool cre-ation, and generate and explore architecture and space.

In order of function,

Computational technique is accurate and sophisticated. It is not only smart in dealing with num-ber data, but also more importantly flexible enough to be able to adapt changing environment. It helps designers to stimulate building performance, including materials, tectonics, and parameter of production machinery. It is also good at dealing with the complex, which one dominating example would be digital fabrication. It involves great calculation, which the human would take forever to cal-culate.

In order of imagination, Computation create a free space for designers to develop and experiment their design in practice. It gives designers more opportunities to produce more response design, because it allow designers with more design options, and also helps them to analyse architecture decisions during design process.


COMPUTATION

Foster + Partners, National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 2007

The National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters is an environmentally responsive building which involves complex geometry. The fin of the architecture is not only a visual component, but also holding an important role in functionality.

In this example, designers achieved a complex building by starting with shape, and adding and refining details to form such a massive fluent shaped architecture. Computation is contributing to a great part of the structural process. Computation is in use to produce a parametric model, to show overall building in a 3d view and also extract all 59 floor plans and many sections. This purpose is to have multiple variations of the building shape for designers to explore and develop more ideas, in terms of aesthetic purpose and function-al component. Furthermore, this is also used to prepare models for calculations such as solar, wind and acoustic analysis. it was possible to extract all 59 floor plans and many sections that were used for further development such as space planning and details.


COMPUTATION

Foster + Partners, National Bank of Kuwait Headquarters, Kuwait City, Kuwait, 2007

The major elements that drive the overall geometry of the design are the orientation of the fins, profile of the edge fins, saw-tooth cladding between the fins, and the arcs that form the north facade. The fins are oriented to provide shading for the east and west facades, as wellas structural support for the floor plates, and add to the experience of the internal space, dividing it and fram-ing views back over the city.

- Computer works- the building of Agorithmical thoughts


COMPUTATION

SPAN (Matias del Campo and Sandra Manninger with Federico La Piccire-lla and Filippo Nassetti), Hong Kong Shenzhen Border station competition entry, Hong Kong, China, 2011

GECO allows the user to export complex geometries, evaluate the designs performance in Ecotect, and import the results back into Grasshopper, without reworking the model repeatedly.

- Computer works- the building of Agorithmical thoughts


COMPUTATION

In contrast with the previ-ous example, Span is also a architecture work benefit-ted by computation. In this example, GECO was used to help the designers with complex geometry, to create efficiency in exploring and analyse modelling.

As explained above, The program helped design-ers to evaluate a solution of vertex colour or watt-hours per square in a form of algo-rithm. This helps designers to de-velop a complex and sus-tainable geometry, which is the solar roof system with consideration to roof open-ings and landscape.

Basically what this Grass-hopper plug in does is, to create a link between 3-D modelling software and analysis platforms, while solve complex geometrical problems and giving per-forming feedbacks.


COMPUTATION


PARAMETRIC MODELING

A set of equations that express a set of quantities as explicit functions of number of independent variables, known as pa-rameters.

Weisstein 2003, 2150


PARAMETRIC MODELING

What is parametric modeling?

Parametric modelling is a design tool to manipulate design objects with com-puter techniques, and en-able designers to see the re-lationships and interactions between varies components in a design.

This is specialized in par-ticularly mechanical de-signs and building designs, in terms of maintaining the constant changes in design feathers digitally, to gain more efficiency for design-ers.

Programs like catia, genera-tive components and grass-hopper are considered as parametric designing tools.


PARAMETRIC MODELLING

The Taichung Metropoli-tan opera house is still in construction located in Taiwan. It is designed by a Japanese Architect Toyo Ito. What Toyo Ito tries to achieve, is distinguish this metropolitan with its own significant identity with its unique parametric struc-ture and in merge with Taichungs own culture.

Impossible?

But we are making the impossible possible.

- wu chun-shan, president of lee ming construction

Because itos work has been highly concerned with the notions of an all-encompassing, ever expanding space. This de-sign is very much a open system. The construction is overwhelmed by con-tinuous curved walls and inlaid floors. This large amount of opening creates more opportunities to cus-tomers, for them to have a better connection with the surrounding.



In order to manage such a complex geometrical struc-ture, a large amount of steel bar reinforcement and steel trusses will be needed to stabilize the whole system.

Because this is such an irregular shape, paramet-ric modelling tools has to be used for sure, to help to explore and evaluate suitable amount of ma-terials to support such a complex system. In re-sulting, large amount of steel frame and trusses together with shotcrete to achieve a free form struc-ture as this.



Various Architects' project "Yorkshire Diamond


Various Architects project York-shire Diamond was a finalist in the open international compe-tition for a mobile pavilion for Yorkshire Forward. It is special-ised in its unique atomic dia-mond style and also its flexibility.

The Yorkshires Diamond Pavil-ion has a diamond, with 20 x 26 x 10 meter diamond grid. It is light weighted, and could change its form if wished. Therefore, custom-ers could use it for different pur-poses in different seasons.

At night the translucent shafts and outer skin radiate light in all colours and directions like a diamond twinkling in the sunlight.

Dezeen magazine 2009





The complex repeating in-flatable tubes will not be achieved without polarimet-ric modelling tool. Each ac-curate tubes were made and cut by CNC.

Different sustainable tool were installed within the system, such as solar panels and wind turbine to achieve maximum environmental friendly.

The structure is tested and analysed with computation tools. This involves exami-nation of appropriate grids, light gathering and mini-mum structure weight.


PARAMETRIC MODELING


Referring to history, Architecture developed from carpentry to profession-al practise of art and craft. It is constantly upgrading its social statue and formed itself a stable position in the society.

Just as leach stated, architect has moved away from only a building construc-tion, but more about art and social practise. (Leach, 1997) Nowadays, ar-chitecture is constantly reshaping and refining itself, in relations to visual, social, religious, moral and so much more. Until today, Architecture as dis-course has become more flexible and comprising since computation was in-troduced. It also shows itself in more variety of aspects of forms and shapes.

Move to the stage of digitalization enable designers to think more freelSy and madly than ever before. Computation could create more complex and free structure that human could not achieve as it used to be, which creates much more response to innovation and more possibility.

traditionally, architectural discourse has been largely a discourse of form. in general it has been dominated by debates that revolve around questions of style. these debates have tended to be grounded on little more than moralis-tic arguments that seek their authority in terms such as sincerity and appro-priateness. such debates have been trapped within the realm of symptoms.

-Leach, neil , 1997


Footing:

Richard Williams, Architecture and Visual Culture, in Exploring Visual Culture : Defi-nitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh Univer-sity Press, 2005), pp. 102 - 116.

Leach, neil, ed., (1997). Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory (Lon-don: routledge), p. xiii

Williams, richard (2005). architecture and Visual Culture, in Exploring Visual Cul-ture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew rampley (edinburgh: edinburgh University Press), pp. 102-116, p. 108

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

Computation Works - The Building of Algorithmic Thought, p19-20, p 136- 137

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

Designboom architecture: http://www.designboom.com/architecture/toyo-ito-tai-chung-metropolitan-opera/

Dezeen Magzine: http://www.dezeen.com/2009/02/28/the-yorkshire-diamond-pavil-ion-by-various-architects/


EOI II: DESIGN APPROACH


DESIGN FOCUS


DESIGN FOCUS

Wyndham city distinguish itself as a place riches by nature, cultural, social and historical characteristics. My argument is 'space relation', which is focusing on the interaction between different perspectives of space. So one thing has to be included in our approach, is the contrast between rural landscape expression and rapid urban development. This is the key theme that dominates the dynamic movement of the Wyndham city. Apart from finding the connection between spaces, our group is interested in the relationships between individuality and population dynamics. So we are looking for something that is repeating and heterogeneity. We also focus on how individual pattern articulate the complicated surface. Also of consideration is the high speed movement of traffic along

the Princess Highway, our project should come out largely. Its patterns should be distinctly revealed, and to be captured from a far distance. Its connections of movement should be smooth and continuous for people to see in a accelerate motion. So tessellation is the field we pick as a starting point to explore the heterogeneity out of a complex geometry. Out of preference, we also like to manipulate the patterns by certain rules, in order to act continuous and dynamic.

For the purpose of heterogeneity, our group has chosen Haresh Lalvani s mapping Morphology as our precedent. His metal folding work is our mainly forced target.


CASE STUDY 1.0


CASE STUDY 1.0

VoltaDom, by Skylar Tibbits

VoltaDom is an installation that populates the rational corridor spanning building 56 & 66 on MIT s campus. This project combines monumentality with computation design, to form such a digitalized light-weighted sculpture.

Voltadom is a typical example of tessellation. The overall form is defined with hundreds of articulated surface panels: vaults. This doubly- curved ceiling revisits historical elements, and at the same time, the holes helps to gather maximum views and light. This installation was also made fabricated by transforming complex double curved vault construction to simply rolling a sheet of material.


In this section, I did not really have a clear direction of changing the definition, but to experiment it in varies different approaches. I started with changing the shapes of the grids in both 2d and 3d perspective, to see how the cones will act among different grid distributions. One of them did end up with a very interesting tortuosity that I did not quite expect. I further explored them with image sampling, to see more possibilities with different densities. In order to develop more textures out of the Voltdom definition, I then tried to transfer the cones into different forms of geometry: rings, cylinders, sphere, and box morph. I liked the

box morph result because I gives me a very strong visual perception of aggregation. Then I moved my exploration into line and stripe work, just because I think the transformation of lines will add more texture to the object. So I mainly forced on field expression and voronoi patterning. Compare these two results, voronoi patterning experimentation came out much more morphology with the change of numbers, whereas field is more three dimensional and more concentrated. Voronoi is definitely approaching closer to Lalvani s mapping morphology.

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR Voronoi Patterning

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR Field Patterning


"Map all the role, universal change, Mapping every possible of shape we can change into". Haresh Lalvani

CASE STUDY 2.0


CASE STUDY 2.0

KEY CONCEPTS

Nature

- using force to script matter.- apply tension to surface.

Cells

- neighbourhood relationships- make them propogate using certain roles

Genetic

- internal force, fight the terminal knowledge.

Patterns - (regular to irregular through the change of numbers) just like the pattern of nature.


Lalvani's work is inspired by how Nature designs its incredible creations using generative principles and formal codes combined with forming processes. Logical genome and sculpting works derived from it's principles, resulting in compelling physical structures of genomic architecture. Therefore, in Lalvani's design concept, nature force is being strongly emphasized. He stated that "nature is using force to script matter", This suggests to us that nature is the best resource we could use to help us to expand our imagination. Lalvani uses internal force to decode existing thing, and to fight the terminal

knowledge. By creating a repetition of individual genes, and applying force into it, to therefore produce certain groups of ways of shape change. And then plant it, propagate with the role forever. Lalvani thinks that each neighbourhood cells have relationships with each other, If we make them to propagate using certain roles, we could create many different patterns: both regular to irregular through the change of numbers, just like the pattern of nature. The special identity about Lalvani's metal folding is that it only uses one sheet of material, he laser cuts it, and starts to twist and turn, and pushing it to its limit.


We adopted Lalvani's concept of creating gaps between patterns to allow surface to change and flowAccordingly, as well as imitating his Algorithm thinking to generate patterns. We tried to manipulateLalvani's idea of using natural forces to generate patterns on surface; in order for us to achieve this, weused Kangaroo plug-ins to stimulate the natural force. But we failed doing so, as we work on, we foundout that it is very hard for us to gain full control over the generated mesh and errors often occur whenwe tried to split the mesh

the shape didn't turn out as

dynamic as we would expected.


By following the concept of using nature force as a script, we chose union force in kangaroo plug-in to generate different forms of geometry. Initially, we were only using it to explore different forms, as we went on, we realized that union force works better on generating patterns. So Jun hand crafted a paper geometry, which its pattern looks very much like one of the product of union force script. This prototype is very elegant, and it shows us a sense of 3d articulation within only a small sheet of paper.

FLAT SURFACE SET GRIDS INTERNAL FORCE

PARAMETER PARAMETER INPUT

3D SURFACE

GAPSVARIOUS PATTERNS


Technique: Development

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR EXTRUSION RELATIVE ITEM

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR IMAGE SAMPLING

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR POINT ATTRACT AND REPEL GRID PINCH

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR LINE ATTRACT AND REPEL FABROCITY

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR VORONOI EXPLORATION


Through the exploration of matrix, we finally decided to use Voronoi cell as basic pattern.We generated Voronoi cells through rectangular seeds which leads to relatively regular and modular pattern.

At the begining, we focused on producing relatively identical pattern that can be mass produced and easily assembled. The Voronoi cell is modular but actually not repetitive, which satisfies what we think about the effects of subtle change and convience of construction.

Besides, it is a sophisticated area that frequently used in urban planning and arhitectural discourse to determine the relations between adjacent areas.

The reason for chosing this pattern, is because the pattern is dynamic and represents a sense of asymmetry. Its layout of lines is in between the boader of rational and irrational, which also satisfies our criteria of 'eye-catching' effect.


The final form was actually quite simple compare to the previous examples we explored. Thinking about the gateway approach, the connection between the city and its rural is another important thing we were looking at. So we wanted to create a doubly-curved geometry, in order to represent the connection between urban and rural, and also to show a dynamic change of shapes for the view point of drive through. Bring out the maximum expression of connectivity for people to capture from a far distance. Therefore, we finally decided to create a doubly-curved form with lofting two interlocking rings. Both of the rings represent the city and the rural.

Technique Proposal


When the overall geometry came out, we realized that our pattern in this time could only be a skin rather than a structural component which could support itself. So we thought about adding an extra layer of structure underneath the skin to fulfil its structure purpose. So we looked at different ways of fabrication methods. Firstly we looked at waffle structure, knowing it will be quite rigid and rather easily to construct. However, this aim

wasn't being achieved due to following reasons: waffle structure could not be completed because our form was too curvaceous to and too complicated to be fabricated in a waffle grid form; even if it could be fabricated out, its structure will be too much a hazard to our view of skin, as it will break the fluidity of our pattern; and one last very important reason is, it would not be as elegant as wished but too ponderous.


We found out a very interesting connection, which is 'stripe morphology'. This fabrication method is popular because in terms of design tendencies they are compatible with the current digital and parametric approaches for designer. Stripes are light weighted and easy to shape. They are capable to be attached together and generate pre-tensional or pre-shaped modules. Although they do not bear load individually, when they were placed together, bent, joined and articulate in certain ways using rather strong materials like metals, they could be rather rigid as a structure.

Technique: Prototypes

ARCHITECTURE STUDIO AIR Digitally we tested a useful stripe morphology script: stripe canopy. It is smart because the stripe structure is acting very functional. Basically it is sine graphed strips being mirrored, and being stacked in top of each other and extruded. The angle of extrusion corresponds to the rain path in order to prevent drop of water inside the canopy. So this example of tripe morphology plays both roles of a structural skin and a shelter, which we found it very useful We tried a few 'stripe morphology' prototypes to test how the light is being transferred through these patterns, and the shading result. We prototyped the connection technique where 3 steel plates join together as modular to generate pattern and allow the connection structure rigidity to be strengthened. However, the shade did not come out as fluid as we had expected, and the structure still seemed quite ponderous. We realized that it wouldn't be very economic efficient, as it uses too much material. Whereas from experimenting with the tab stripe morphology, we found out that it is not so rigid enough of being an structural skin, and the possible materials could be used are very limited. For example, it is very hard to use steel as the material for this structure.


There were some issues occurred during our fabrication. As you can see, the final fabrication model did not look exactly the same to our digital model. As I mentioned earlier, our final pattern is being projected to the surface form. Therefore it could not act as a structural support for itself but only as a skin. For our first fabrication trial, we used Polypropelene as the material, because we thought this kind of soft plastic sheet will be very flexible to fabricate such a curvaceous geometry. However

it failed because it was way too soft. The whole model could not hold itself and collapsed. Then, we had another trial on ivory hard. That worked better, but because the form of our digital model was too complicated, we could only fold it half way. We did fold it entirely eventually, but it turned out into a very hideous abstract shape, which we disliked very much. So we decided to fold the model half way, because that is the only method we could substituted witth to get the closest form in appearance.

Technique: Fabrication


CONCLUSION

Thinking back to our initial approach, there were things we did achieve and things we did not achieve. Our initial aim is to produce a dynamic geometry with repeating patterns. It should represent a connection between rural and urban, referring to my argument of space relation . It should also be a visual icon, which its dynamic movement could be captured by people in a speed motion, and people from far distance. By exploring different methods of patterns and forms, we were gaining more experience with computation technique. Also through

failures from fabrication, we realized the limitations with different materials. We also learnt from Lalvani s concept of using nature to script matter by engaging computation technique, which is using kangaroo plug-in to develop multiple patterning. Although we did not fully achieve Lalvani s concept of creating patterns with nature force. However, we did move apart from our lalvani, to be more flexible and more adaptable, with exploring different ways towards more pr cised and outcomes.


From tutors' feedback from presentation, next step we will be focusing on exploring the possibilities of materiality. We should consider the rigidity, cost, efficiency of construction and very importantly its elegance. We also have to start to determine the real scale of the installation. In order to get

the most appropriate amount of lights and shadows, and the best way of its motion, we need to start to calculate the best angle for each of the flipped panels. In addition, we need to consider different times of a day, different weathers and also different change of motions when cars drive pass.

OUTCOMES

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