final journal submission 558451

JOURNALABPL30048 Architecture Design Studio: Air

JAMES CHIN KAH GOH 558451

ABOUT ME

I’ve had experience with Rhino in virtual environments back in year one and I quite liked using it as a design tool. I actually quite like using computer aided design because of the control it gives me over certain tasks. I see Grasshopper as an excit-ing tool to learn and use given the greater amount of control it gives me in comparison to Rhino. As seen below, one of my recent project has lead me to use rhino where it allowed me explored the concept of branching elements within natural minerals from an idea to a digital form then finally to reality.

hello, I’m James. I’m currently in the bachelor of Environments majoring in architecture. I’ve always had an interest in design which is why I’ve chosen to pursue Architecture.

ABPL30048 Architecture Design Studio: Air - Journal Introduction

CONTENT.101. discourse

02. computerization & computatIon

03. algorithmic thinking & parametric modelling

04. algorithmic explorations

PART A. EOI I: CASE FOR INNOVATION

05. conclusion & learning outcome

DICOURSEArchitecture is more than a piece of art, instead it should be thought of as a range of social and culture conceptual ideas that eventually lead to the physically three dimensional fabrication of a building which can be admired, used and understood by the general public.

ABPL30048 Architecture Design Studio: Air

Discourse in architecture can be explored as one of three categories; art, symbolic realm and spatial experience.1. Architecture as art2. Architecture as a spatial experience 3. Architecture as a symbolic realm

Architecture as artArchitecture should be an individual’s own personal work that expresses their inner creative thoughts which should be permanent and unchanging. Thus archi-tecture should not only embody the qualities of art however must bear the stron-gest aesthetical meanings and forms of art. The design process should take into consideration the social and urban context of the building not only the physical fabrication.The key is finding the right balance of spatial design as well as expression of vi-sual value.

Architecture as a symbolic realmShould architecture incorporate universal symbols? After all architecture is for the general public to admire and educate them on architectural trends, not only for arts critics and architects. However the question is how easily understood the sym-bol should be, too simple and it risk being too mundane and pedestrian but too complex it becomes alienating to the general public. After all the knowledgeable expect it to be revolutionary in certain way and challenge notions and ideals while the public simply want it mainstream, legible and understood by everyone.

Architecture as a spatial experience

Architecture exist within a three dimension plane, it exist and functions as a build-ing; subjected to the use of humans. Given this basic fact shouldn’t architecture be designed as a three dimensional experience in which the users can interact with the given surroundings? Architects must be able to predict and visualise hu-man interaction with site.

“Although aesthetic appearance matters enormously in architec-ture and design, neither architecture as whole nor its styles can be reduced to mere matters of appearance.”Patrik Schumacher

http://www.patrikschumacher.com/Texts/The%20Parametricist%20Epoch_Lets%20the%20Style%20Wars%20Begin.htm

Personally I would regard these three elements as the focal point for any good architecture. A balance of expressing an aesthetically pleasing symbolic form with elements of spatial analysis deeply rooted in its design.

PRECEDENT 01BEACH & HOWE MIXED-USE TOWER/BIG

Seen in the above diagrams, the goal of this tower was to symbolize the entrance into the city by being ‘built around’ the bottleneck of entry; accounting for the amount of vehicle/foot traffic passing by every day.

This 49 story tower desinged by Big Studios embodies both the art and symbolic realm of discourse in Architecture. It symbolise an entry into the city as well as a statue of distorted glass bending from the highway, inviting people in as they enter the city from the bridge.

It is both a unique structure and a symbol of a gateway into the city. This tower is the city’s fourth tallest building and is a mix of commercial and retail space. 600 residen-tial units occupy this 49 story tower. It is shaped after the area’s complex urban en-vironment interacting with the city’s occupants as well as passing drivers. The design invades the certain area as it towers the bridge, gracefully bending to the bridge. It is a symbol of its city, art & sustainability . This may not be a universal ‘symbol’ in the sense that everyone will recognize the meaning be hide the structure. However to the people that walk or drive by this building on a daily basis will come to ‘recognize’ it as an entrance into the city. This concept of experience and recognition will gradually become a part of a person’s journey to work, home and into the city. It invades their lives, becomes a norm, an acquaintance. Therefore architecture as a symbolic realm doesn’t necessarily have to be understood universally, only to its users.

IS ARCHITECTURE A SYMBOLIC REALM ? BEACH & HOWE MIXED-USE TOWER/BIG

What did this building contribute to the field in terms of ideas? The patterns of the living, the way humans travel through a bottle neck to get to somewhere, the way they can get attached and find symbolic meaning in something they walk or drive by every day. Its contribution to the overall scheme of thing is not obvious, not to us outsiders. Richard William points out in the very first paragraph of Architecture and Visual Culture that ”Architecture is the most public of arts. It is in-escapable on a daily basis for anyone living in an urban society. Works of architecture frame ours lives; we inhabit them; they define our movement through cities; they moralise and discipline, or attempt to.” How is it relatable to this particular project? Well, the building essentially built around that very notion. It takes advantage of that location and how architecture is public and presents itself to us every single day thus influencing our opinion of it. Ultimately the buildings contribu-tion to its city and its inhabitants depends on how much personal symbolic worth it is to each individual’s that walks or drives by.

http://www.archdaily.com/226466/beach-and-howe-mixed-use-tower-big/

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

PRECEDENT 02HOUSE 8/BIG

The 8 House is 61,000 square meter of mixed-type buildings considering of residential housing, re-tail and offices. It aims to replicate a lively urban neighbourhood in with it has both suburban life and city life. It is a perfect example of spatial experience which architecture can offer. It offers spectacular views, sunlight and fresh air, small pathways and gardens, sheltered open spaces, merges with life on the street with the occupants thus creating a special sense of community within this given space.

“8 House is a perimeter block that morphs into a knot, twisting and turning to maximize the life quality of its many inhabitants,” Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.

8 House is an experience, a space, an environment in which what is offered is not only aesthetics but the feeling and experience of a small community town.

It is quite evident that BIG studio has a high understanding of spatial experience and user interaction techniques which enhances the quality of their designs in more ways than just aesthetic value. It is shown that in these two projects alone tremendous thought has gone into these issues and the result speaks for itself. These creations aren’t simply buildings but environments that people understand and like being in.

HOUSE 8/BIG

“8 House is a three-dimensional neighbor-hood rather than an architectural object.”

Bjarke Ingels, Founding Partner, BIG.

These architecture pieces are more than just art, aestheti-cally piece pleasing to the eye. It is a community created by consideration of spatial experi-ence, passive design and social context. It is designed for the interactions and gatherings of humans within a common space. The clusters of tightly packed apartments are based inwards towards the center. It is a living example of what a spatial experience in archi-tecture should represent. The feelings that certain spaces should evoke in people. House 8 is not just an enclosure of cluster of buildings built like a town. What it is, is much more. It captures what makes a community a community; a physical embodiment of what a community should represent.

http://www.archdaily.com/83307/8-house-big/

COMPUTERIZATION & COMPUTATION


Computerization

Computation

This method is more akin to the traditional design process where the architect ex-plores possible ideas through the media of pen and paper. The only difference is the refinement section where the idea is finalize and brought to life through technical drawings within a digital space. This approach accepts technology as addition more so than a replacement of design process.

This method can essentially replace the traditional design process in that the whole approach is radically different to say 10 or 20 years ago. The restriction are much more obvious but the given the sandbox approach it’s easier to know what to do given the tools you have to work with. The time taken for process of idea development will however take longer. The ideas will be pumped out at a slower rate and also has to be restrained to the given restriction of the software.

Personally, I don’t seem to think so. Simply put, restraints give us directions and helps narrow out our approach to a given problem. It can often lead to meaningful forms and well thought out structures. While perhaps in the design stage the tools used were slightly restrictive in what could be done, the result is not at all that. Because the architects were working within a boxed environment, anything that could exist within those rules could exist in real life. Hence even at that early stage we can see how it could be actually done. If we look at the traditional way of the design process, many architects would discover that the proposed design did not work in the real world and hence compromises had to be met in order for it to function. So while the pen and paper development stage does seem more flexible and free, when it come to the real world development stage the design may have to compromise and conform to rules anyway.

If we refer to the Sydney opera house as a case study we can see that the architect, Jorn Utzon’s main proposal had indicated thin wavy shell like elements as the roof-ing of the opera house. However due to the real world restriction it was impossible to construct. Would he have run into the same problem with computation design? Most likely not. Complex geometries is more easily achievable in a virtual space and the ease of transition from idea into reality is far better than the pen and paper ap-proach.

If we were to dive into the world of parametric design we must impose the con-straints and rules on us earlier to allow it to help shape our design. Otherwise if we leave it too late like the process of computerization to simply refine the form; the final form does not retain anything from parametric design, it simply uses it as a dig-ital tool to refine it as it is. Which can be either good or bad depending on whether you want to adherent to a more traditional style or parametricism.

Does designing within a set of given restraints hinder our creativity?

“there is no design without parameters”Daniel Davis, Parametricism , 2010.09.25.

http://www.nzarchitecture.com/blog/index.php/2010/09/25/patrik-schumacher-parametricism/

ComputerizationThe whole dramatization and exaggeration of shapes is quite evident in Frank Gehry’s masterpiece. The bending and twisting of simple geometry suggest a very modernism approach. It feels and looks modern but is it really? Perhaps not.

As said by Branko Kolarevic it is probaply the “best known example that capture the zeitgeist of the digital information revolution.”

However the method in which this building was designed was very traditional; give or take a few exceptions. Yes, computers were used but as a design approach or a design tool? Most likely the latter. The use of computation only contributed to the refinement of the project not the innovative personality of the building. However it is unfair to say it did not succeed in capturing the spirit of the digital information revolution but it is not ‘true’ parametric design in terms of methodology.

If I were to make a Grasshopper model of a building like Alvar Aalto Säynätsalo Town hall, would that make it parametric architecture? No, the design is still true to its designers design intent and its modernism roots. It is the exact same for Guggenheim Museum. Just because the design is subjected to computerization does not make it parametric design. That being said in this case it can be slightly confusing to separate it from the parametric style as its form does retain a lot of similar characteristics like the soft form of parametric design. But at the end of the day computerization is the same tradition approach of architecture but with the added benefit of digital tools to refine the final product.

PRECEDENT 03GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM/ FRANK GEHRY

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

PRECEDENT 04BLOOM/DO|SU STUDIO

ComputationThis architectural piece was designed and developed using grasshopper. Its thin, soft shape suggests a parametric ap-proach.

As an experimental architecture, it is very interesting con-cept to say the least. Experimental computation architec-ture can tease out a method and style before it is applied in a commercial environment.

This is ‘Bloom’, described as an architectural research exper-imentation of both material and structural intent; it forms a computational pattern/shape. One of the main experimental materials used is the ‘Smart Thermo Bi-metal’; a sheet of metal that twists when exposed to heat. The result of using this material is that specific areas on the ‘Blooms’ surface area response to the heat of the sun’s rays, extending the ability of the materials to act as an interactive shell.

http://www.archdaily.com/215280/bloom-dosu-studio-architecture/

“The project acts as a sun track-ing instrument indexing time and temperature, with a shape allud-ing to a woman’s Victorian-era under garment” Alison Furuto, Archdaily

With the help of rhino and grasshopper, the exterior is made up of 14,000 laser cut fragments. These laser cut fragments challenge the notion of parametric deign especially computation in that it pushes the boundaries of what it can achieved, in terms of digital and fabrication in parametric design especially if used on a much larger commercial scale. This ‘soft’ form is hugely dependent on the fact that both materials and geometry work together otherwise it won’t achieve optimal stability.

These small experiments show us the possibilities of architecture; especially how building materials and forms can/should be used. With every project, the use of computation especially for industry use becomes clearer.


Branko Kolarevic’s definition of parametric architecture during that week’s reading made me think of this project. It described it as a “New way of archi-tectural thinking, one that ignores conventions of style or aesthetic although in favour of continuous experimentation based on digital generation and transformation of forms that respond to complex contextual or functional influences, both static and dynamic.” This has no historical precedent, no con-ventional thinking and is probably not real architecture, well not yet. But the fact is that it is an important step preceding the commercial interpretation, simply because the limits of these forms and materials are still unknown.


DOES EXPERIMENTAL ARCHITECTURE BENEFIT THE COMMERCIAL INDUSTRY?

ALGORITHMIC THINKING & PARAMETRIC MODELLING


“A set of equations that express a set of quantities as explic-it function of number of independent variables, as ‘param-eter’” Weisstein

The digital age has brought along many things to advance how we approach a problem and architecture is no difference.

Parametric design offers wonderfully complex structures & in itself does govern a certain sort of style. More often than not it is described as ‘Parametricism’ , a style governed by parametric design. It can be often very easy to spot a building designed using a parametric approach. The very notion of parametricism suggests that every architectural aspect and form is flexible and malleable, resulting in these ‘soft’ shapes. One can see how ‘soft’ the shape of the building is in comparison to traditional architecture with its heavy shape, thick walls, linear elements and overall ‘hard’ figure. This is because of the underlying elements of the forms used in para-metric design; these new architectural forms like splines & nurbs can adapt and interact with the designers leading to more organic shapes. These forms and ideas are in stark contrast to the traditional notion of geometrical shapes and linear form like cubes, cylinders and pyramids. Whether or not this departure from traditional forms is considered ‘beautiful’ is subjective as it is just like art. However these forms do bring offer more advantages than disadvantages.

‘Parametricism is the great new style after modernism’Patrik Schumacher

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/the-critics/patrik-schumacher-on-parametricism-let-the-style-wars-begin/5217211.article

The process from idea to reality is very different. There are more things to con-sider, more restriction in place. The technology we choose to use limits our freedom within that virtual space but in turn refines the transition from idea into existence. We have a better understanding of the idea within a three dimensional space. Furthermore we are able to play around and build from the existing idea, learn from prototypes, refine and share the form with other digital tools.

“The consistency of the style as a collective design research programme depends upon the unfailing adherence to these strictures and impositions.”Patrik Schumacher

However with all the benefits that parametric design brings, the downfall is the parameters that parametric design brings. I mentioned before that working within a given box is great for focusing the design intent and everything is possible, any-thing is possible within those given parameters, that is. Anything outside what the software can do is taboo and therefore cannot be reached. The result is that para-metric design is limited to a certain kind of look and evolution of that is limited to what the software can achieve.

Weisstein, Eric, 2003, CRC Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics. Second. Florida: Chapman & Hall/CRC. doi:10.1201/9781420035223-18

PRECEDENT 05GUANGZHOU OPERA HOUSE/ZAHA HADID ARCHITECTS

http://www.archdaily.com/115949/guangzhou-opera-house-zaha-hadid-architects/

“Like pebbles in a stream smoothed by erosion, the Guangzhou Opera House sits in perfect harmony with its riverside location.” Alison Furuto, Archdaily

This Opera House lives at the center of Guangzhou’s cultural center. The Guangzhou Opera House design is inspired by how natural river valleys are molded by erosion and the notions that surround this process. Its design enriches the city by opening it to the river, complementing the adjacent cultural buildings and towers. This landscape analogy the design refers to is used in all the aspects of this building from the sharp dramatic interior and exterior to even the po-sitions of windows to allow natural sunlight to seep into the building.

If we look at the drawing to the right we can see the ‘unfolding’ of the primary steel structure not unlike my previous rhino project where i had to unfold my design in rhino when it was time to bring the digital form into reality.


However is this true parametric architecture? Honestly i don’t think so.

It may present itself as parametric architecture and share certain char-acteristics but personally I agree with Daniel Davis in saying this is not true parametric design. On the surface the style approach and definition of the project screams parametric design. However it was mentioned by Neil Leach [Neil Leach, Digital Morphogenesis, 2009] that the method that was used was “still traditional, devoid of computers, top-down and post-modern.” This would make it more akin to a computerization process like Gehry did with Guggenheim Museum.

The result is something that is somewhat more modernist than parametri-cism. It is after all clean, simple, minimal ornaments, visual importance on linear elements. Personally, i see little to none of the ‘soft’ form, no dra-matic manipulation of form. Of course it isn’t really a modernist building but to me it really isn’t parametricism in either form or process.

The sharpness forms the buildings corners and shape. The continuality of form flowing from horizontal planes to vertical planes. The thin abstract metal frames that form around the building like a tightly spun spider’s web. All these thin fragile elements created & made possible by computers.

WHAT IS TRUE PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE?

PRECEDENT 06Burnham Pavilion/UN Studio

Parametric architecture retains a ‘soft’ approach to the ex-pression of shape and figure as seen in the Burnham pavilion by UN studio. The shapes and curves simple ‘melt’ and mold much like putty would in human hands. Here we see architec-ture simply shed it restrictive linear design that traditional architecture would of done.

This project explores the complex association of the existing form of a stiff linear geometry with soft elements within a multi-directional space. It positions itself to the flow of the city by directing the stream of visitors through the park. It highlights the juxtaposition of the park with the surrounding city.

This particular architectural piece links back to the concept of exploring architecture discourse as art. This can be essen-tially seen as a pure expression and product of an individual. However if we think about the parametric concept, we can see the form adherents to no linear formality instead con-forming to an endless continuity.

Burnham Pavilion/UN Studio

http://www.archdaily.com/33429/burnham-pavilion-un-studio/http://www.unstudio.com/projects/burnham-pavilion

Parametric architecture marks the departure from tradition forms and shapes as seen in this project. Even the general public can and will easily recognize that this is not the same architecture from previous generations, it is visually very different and fairly easy to dis-tingue from other architecture style.

This is probably a good example of how this soft form has already been presented in our society for the past decade or so; due to the new technology. However it has only been accepted into architectural culture during the last few years as mentioned in Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing. The reason could be that this familiarity of form benefits new architecture because it has both familiar and new elements that the general public will recognize and love. While these forms are familiar for manufactured day to day goods, when applied to architecture it appears as something radically different even though it maintains some regularity simply because architecture has never been seen in this way before.


IS THE ‘SOFT’ FORM NEW IN ARCHITECTURE?

ALGORITHMICEXPLORATION

http://everypersoninnewyork.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/man-sitting-at-metropolitan-museum-of.html

The processes that lead to the shape of the sofa went like this:1. Brief2. Rough idea3. Inputs in Grasshopper4. Idea formed within Grasshopper5. Refinement of form/idea within Grasshopper6. End design in Rhino

Going by definition this would have been more akin to computation than com-puterization. However to me it didn’t really feel that much different. I mean i was still implementing an idea that formed in my head; the process was just slightly different. But when I looked back at the process with computerization I would have tackled the idea in this manner:1. Brief2. Rough idea3. Idea formed on paper4. Refinement of form on paper5. Inputs in Grasshopper6. Minor refinement of form/idea within Grasshopper7. End design in Rhino

If i had approached it the traditional way i would have spent at least half of my time developing my idea using pen and paper. By the time i moved my design into Grasshopper the design development would be essentially finished and all that would be left would be a little bit of refinement and the simple copy and paste transition into the digital space. That being said knowledge of the parameters and function of grasshopper was paramount to the process. Without it, it wouldn’t be possible. It makes sense that to create more com-plex shapes and form we too must advance our knowledge of the programs that help us do so. The point I’m trying to make is to fully grasp the ideals of parametric design one must fully immersed their design process within the realms of the digital space, not just at the end otherwise it just isn’t paramet-ric architecture.

01

0203SOFA

IDEA

REFINEMENT

LEARNING OUTCOME+ While it is important to express your personal ideals in architecture, architecture is not just art+ Architecture is a three dimensional experience in which the user should be able to interact with the site+Architecture should be a symbol, how universally understood that symbol will be, will depends on who you want to alienate or disap-point. The goal is to get it right in the middle, satisfying both parties; critics and the general public+ The balance of the three elements within architectural discourse to create better architecture+ Computation and computerization are almost in stark contrast in terms of ideals+ Working within constraints isn’t necessary bad; it can help you focus your idea+Parametric design is the ability to move forms around, shedding the rigidity of linear forms within a given parameter +To simply involve parametric software in the design process is not enough to make it a ‘real’ parametric design; the design process has to conform to the ideals of Parametricism to allow it to influence your design

CONCLUSIONWhat I’ve learnt is that regardless of style or design method/approach good architecture takes into account the three elements: architecture as art, spatial experience and symbolism. These elements work together to form excellent architecture as seen in the BIG studio building examples which can be applied to parametric architecture and more importantly; my design for this project. This means my approach will definitely be more experimental in terms of spatial experience. I feel like i can use the soft forms of parametric design to create a real spatial experience. The emphasis on this aspect in addition to symbolism or aesthetics will really take advantage of the ideals of parametric design especially the continu-ous, malleable soft forms.

These forms can be created in the digital space; it even encourages you to do so and to push the limits of these forms as it is essentially the op-timal tool for flexible design within the given parameters of course. Thus I will approach the project like a true parametric designer and attempt it purely using a computation method. Because to simply involve para-metric software in the design process is not enough to make it a ‘real’ parametric design; the design process needs to conform to the ideals of Parametricism to allow for it to influence the design. At the end of the day I will take what I’ve learnt and attempt to create parametric archi-tecture that takes into account the three elements within architectural discourse; using the computation method.

01. design approach

02. case study 01

03. precedent 01

05. design diagrams & explorations

06. fabrication explorations

Part B: EXPRESSION OF INTEREST STAGE II: DESIGN APPROACH

07. precedent 02

08. conclusion & learning outcome

04. fabrication research

CONTENT.2

DESIGN APPROACHmaterial performance

We picked material performance as our approach simply because material brings multiple sensory experiences in comparison to other approaches. For example, the approach of patterning will only be focusing on visual experience. I believe the properties of materials will result in a more dynamic form.

To us, the approach of material performance will not only satisfy the two above create but do it in cohesive way merging the two elements to forma an interest-ing gateway. We feel that this approach will not only be interesting but also a challenge. We want the material performance of the material to drive the form. However the issue with the gateway project is that the users (the drivers) will only experience the gateway for a short period of time and within the confines of their cars. It has to capture their attention and provide a spatial experience within a given time frame. Therefore with material performance approach the user experi-ence/spatial experience will most likely have to rely on sight, sound, lighting and recognition/familiarity, more so than touch or feel. Which basically helps narrows down our design direction and we will able to focus on the limited number of pos-sibilities.

THE GATEWAY NEEDS TO:

2. ‘CONNECT’WITH ITS USERS(DRIVERS)1. AESTHETICALLY PLEASING/SYMBOLIC

WITHOUT THEM LEAVING THEIR CARS, BUT STILL ENFORCING AN EFFECT ON THEM

The key considerations and issues to be resolved and addressed in the develop-ment of the design include:

Prominent location of the site at the entry to metropolitan Melbourne;Back dropped by a large scale service centre;Consideration of how the installation integrates with and/or sits in the immediate and surrounding landscape;Iconic feature;Appropriately scaled;Dialogue between sculpture and landscape to compose the Gateway;Original and engaging in form;Objects centred individual sculpture or a more experiential approach;Literal or abstract;Adherence to the regulations imposed by VicRoads in relation to siting, view lines, setbacks, materials, colours etc;Daytime and night time viewing; and Safety, ease of maintenance, materials and longevity.

Materials we are in love with:

1. Sustainablity culture like durability, recycled resources & local material 2. Representing local community like historical events, geographical characteris-tics, demographical characteristics

Our options:Wood Aboriginal culture and arts - Incorporating wood hand crafting techniques into grasshopper (simulation).

WaterProperties of water, its fluid quality as well as transparency. Dynamic...It relates to all natural cycle (Rain).Water is defined to be more than a material. It contradict to common sense which attracts people's attention.

The materials we are in love withThe gate way project Brief

CASE STUDY01Voussoir Cloud/IwamotoScott

However I am more interested in the transformation from this rigid linear shape into this wonderfully curvy form that could really show any bending, curves,deflection or stretching of most given materials. In terms of grasshopper definitions it was fairly straight forward; it really represent the actually real life installation accurately and while spatial experience is not really reflected in the digital model as of yet I can see with a little help of material exploration how everything would fit together and what that space would feel like.

01 02 03 04

PROGRESS

Shape Kangaroo physics

In this case study I decided to continue even though it was mostly likely not going be relevant to our intention. This is due to the nature of using tabs to join and form the shape. In this case studying I’m assuming these tabs are meant to represent the wooden blocks used in real life. I did however learn how make and lay these tabs out in grasshopper in case we do decide to use a similar method of joinery.

However like I said before these tabs at this stage seem irrelevant to the performance of wood as I’m leanings towards, it may be of use if we decide on exploring the properties of water. Therefore I decided to play around with the grasshopper definition and to treat the them as box panel which gave the form more ‘volume’ The result is much more dynamic and free, which I like.

Applying the form on a much larger scale therefore treating each form like a three dimensional panel.

PRECEDENT 01A community hammock /Numen

The spatial experience unconventional: The concept was to create an unstable and levitation experience as opposite to the predictable and limited ground level experience.

How does it create more op-portunities for us?

The form expressed with the changing curve of the material quality is dynamic and expand to all three dimensional space. It interacts with people and cre-ates a multi-sensory spatial experience rather than focusing on visual experience.

“Transparent Landscapes; to recreate the sensation of flying. to create a public balcony, a transparent space, accessible to a population alienated by suburban living, reconnecting backyards

to form community spaces.”

http://www.archdaily.com/218341/public-art-installations-from-numen-for-use-design-collective/

FABRICATION RESEARCH

Timber over fabric1. Timeless consideration (structure stability,easy to stabilize and generate

interesting forms)2. Responding to the surrounding - wildness3. Sustainability concern (lowest embodied energy among all building mate-

rials, readily available in Australia)4. More precedents for us to study on5. Easier transition from grasshopper to reality6. Material is easier to work with

Material performance1. Has the potential to be more dynamic and flexible in nature Enhances

communication and coexistence thought experiencing the architecture 2. New source for achieving self-satisfaction, eye catching visually3. voussoir cloud achieved dynamic through visualizing material physical

material performance

Parametric DesignBy input material properties collected from physical experimentations into grasshopper, to generate buildable and accurate form.Advantages:1. Integrate computer into the process of form generation.2. Close the gap bw conception and fabrication.

ConclusionDynamic artwork, showing the material properties of natural timber, that connect the users to the site.

CASE STUDY02Textile Hybrid M1/IDavid Cappo

The two final/most relevant attempts to to reverse engineer the project.

This case study showed us how the performance of a material can em-body the aesthetics and form of a architectural installation. In this case the form is created y the stretching forces applied to the fabric creating tension it its form. However in this case, the problem is that wood and fabric and two very different materials. While the defining feature of fab-ric is stretching, for wood it is deflection. Therefore the amount of plas-ticity in form is different. Fabric can easily adapt to jus about any form shown in this project but wood is different thus forcing us to get familiar with the boundaries of its deflection during this exploration process.

Material performance recreation

PROCESS

At this point it wasn’t so much as about mimicking the form of the case study but recreating that flexible, dynamic form. Firstly, I created a mesh consisting of panels before imposing the kangaroo plugin on the form. I tried selecting a group of points manually ( ab.1 - ac.2)but the result form was bid deformed and not very uniform in its surface. Then I tried grabbing only a few individual selected point( ac.1 - ac.2) and the result was so much better; giving me a more consistent surface to work with.

a1 a2 ac.1 ac.2

ab.1

01

ab.2

THEN

01

02

However to give me more control and variation in grasshopper I attempted to recreate it again using another method. The result yield a better uniform smooth form and gave me more control options in grasshopper without worrying about selecting manual points in rhino and assigning them via grasshopper.

b

DESIGN DIAGRAMGrasshopper explorations method types

02.01

02.02

02.03

02.04

03.01

03.02

01.01

01.02

01 DIGITAL EXPLORATION

DIAGRAM METHODSGrasshopper explorations explaination

02.01

02.02

02.03

02.04

03.01

03.0201.02

01.01

“Mesh relaxation using kanga-roo plugin on a mesh surface, relaxation based on the open ends of the mesh.”

“Mesh relaxation using kanga-roo plugin on a sweep curve surface, relax-ation based on the open ends of the form.”

“Mesh relaxation using kanga-roo plugin on a paneled mesh surface, relax-ation based on manual point.”

“A sheet of lofted strips as-signed to axis x/y/z and con-trol vertically, horizontally ac-cording to those points.”

“Use of tape-worm script to curl large lofted sheet that curls based on the in-puts, one end is anchored down to a point.”

“Strips of differ-ent lofted strips assigned to the same line and controlled with-out the ends moving from the set points.”

“A large lofted sheet that bends and curls based on two poles that can only bend so far.”

“Mesh relaxation using kanga-roo plugin on a paneled mesh surface, relax-ation based on 3 point.”

Mesh Relaxation 01

USED:Kangaroo physics plugin

Weaverbird plugin

The basis of case study 1.0 and the most simple method of application. This command basically ‘melts’ any linear forms into something that easily show the bending move-ment of wood. It ‘relaxes’ the shape according to the open ends of the shape. 01.02 is more ‘three-dimensional’ its more then a 2d lofted sheet, it has more volume in form and more grounded in terms of shape.

01.01

01.02

Control strips 02.01

These strips act as one curving and bending according to the y,x,z axis. This creates very interesting and doable forms that highlight the bending and twisting that only wood could achieve perfectly. However the form is a little basic though has potential.

Control points


Weaverbird plugin

Control strips 02.02

wrinkled linear form mesh relaxation smooth achievable form

This bendable, playable mesh in the middle is controlled by the two pipes. Given this fact we can physically see the amount of deflection in these poles and use it to mimic in reality the ratio or how far the wood can bend. The result is a bit rough around the edges unsuit-able for the deflection of wood thus mesh relaxation was applied using kangaroo to make the form smooth.

Sweep arc 02Sweep arc 01

Sweep arc 03 Sweep arc 04

Sweep arc 05 Sweep arc 06

Arcs 02.03

Each individual lofted strip is controlled by the curves (01-06) , assum-ing we can achieve a certain ratio of deflection with timber, we can re-input those values back into Grasshopper. Please note that this is a more visual approach in terms of grasshopper modeling as opposed to method 02.01 .

Assigned to a strip which act accordingly


Weaverbird pluginTapeworm script

Held down at these points

EVOLUTION

The resulting forms are a bit 2-dimensional and while the bending properties are there, its form just isn’t dynamic or really pushing the boundaries of that deflection movement.

Tapeworm script 02.04

Control Length, width and GainDensity of ribs Curling movement

Kangaroo control points 03.01


Weaverbird plugin

Similar to method 01.01 but user retains result has less plasticity and more refined form. However method is use is still pretty similar. The form retain its structure nicely as well as potential to show the curves and bends of the wood but at first glance it doesn’t really push that deflection affect all that much and my initial thought was that other materials can easily achieve that form and that it doesn’t really highlight the deflection force in the wood. However after tweaking the sliders,the form really explodes into this dynamic bundle of curves.


Weaverbird plugin

Kangaroo manual control points 03.02

In attempt to recreate case study 2.0 which is similar to 1.1 & 3.1 in terms of using the kangaroo plugin to relax the mesh. However in this case I’ve tried select the point its relaxes around and attempt to use smaller panels to create the form. The result is unsatisfying The surface looks uneven and would be better suit for a different material like fabric as it shows stretch rather and deflection. More importantly on closer inspection of the fablab requirement and the properties of timber, it appears the wood panels with tabs would un-likely work given that the wooden tabs will be unable to fold. Even if it does work, the panel arrangement would not mimic the bending properties of wood only the form therefore it will most likely end up as a failure. However this is pure speculation and perhaps it may work for grooves & joints instead of tabs. If this were the case the panels would need to be of larger span to accommodate the deflec-tion of the wood.

DESIGN DIAGRAM

02.01

02.02

02.03

02.04

03.01

03.02

01.01

01.02

02.01

02.02

02.03

02.04

03.01

03.02

01.01

01.02

Matrix

CONCEPT

GRASSHOPPER

MATERIAL PERFORMANCE

One thing my group discovered is with the material performance approach we needed to work back and forth with grasshopper and the physical material to

transfer information between digital and reality. This is because Grasshopper cant fully incorporate the specific properties/details of wood/our model, we’re substi-

tuting it with material exploration to gather more infomation to provide a refined and well-rounded design; both digitally & physically. For example what we will

information of the deflection property of the wood will be needed in grasshopper to build a realistic digital model that can be fabricated.

PRECEDENT 02Camera Obscura / AA Visiting School Eugene 2012

“The spiraling veneer surface peels away from the central structure, creating a small entrance into the camera. This creates a relationship between occu-pant and structure upon entering the camera. To maximize the impact of the structure, emphasis was placed on heightening the experience of the senses inside. An oculus with a manual trap-door open-ing draws the gaze upwards to the canopy and sky above. Once the door is shut, eyes adjust to the dark and begin to notice the striking details of the upside-

down projection on the wall.”

Using 2 controlled set views, the perspective of the user is manipulated to allow them to observe the forest in a totally different way. A fully manual operated oculus helps pinpoint the attention onto the canopy, which ultimately allows the penetration of light and shadows/movement of leaves to be seen experienced in a separate independent space than the outside. In our case, we were to achieve the same effect using a form that highlighted the properties of timber much like this project it was be seamless and great design. This is an reflect example to strive for because number one; it uses the deflection and bending properties of timber to enhance the spatial experience of the users and secondly; it moulds itself and changes with the land-scape. In terms of how these individual strips blend and connect together could be an lesson for us in it produces this really nice swirling seas of bent timber but the overall cylinder form is quite boring and passive. If however we could produce the same pattern/texture and impose that onto a more plasticity form that was be perfect.

http://www.archdaily.com/282952/camera-obscura-aa-visiting-school-eugene-2012/

“In years to come, the structure will transition and change as a result of weather and animals, giving students a firsthand

glimpse at how structures react in their environment.”

DIGITAL-TO-REALITY TRANSITIONtimber strips

OR

Break the form into strips to be fabricated back into its original form in reality.

The strips that can transfer into real-ity without the form being broken up, best choice due to the accuracy of form.

01

02

Fab-lab preparation and technique

Plywood (strip form) over MDF1. Maximize the deformation of the timber material 2. Plywood is made up of layers of wood as compare to MDF which is

made of timber grains. Plywood has more strength3. Plywood can reach irreversible deformation , called elasto-plastic

deformation

grain direction

900

600

For maximise strength the strips needs to be laid out vertically

details

Plywood = softwoodMDF( Medium-density fibreboard) = hardwood

PRECEDENT 02Wood experimentations /Alvar Aalto

When it came to fabrication and experimentation with these timber strips i im-mediately thought of Alvar Aalto and his experiments with timber. Using water, steam, using different wood to bend and twist the form. In relation to the gate-way we need to also think on a larger scale and how it will influence its users. How will the pieces connect to form something bigger and better?

I needed a way to not only demonstrate the properties of the timber but have a visual representation of the deflection stress occurring in the wood. This lead me to the notion of using string to number one, help bend and hold the wood and two be a visually represent the deflection stress occurring in the wood. Hence the exploration of this began.

wood explorations

FABRICATION EXPLORATIONplywood

joints

bending properties

These experiments will be aimed at increasing and maximiz-es the bending and defection properties of plywood to allow for a more dynamic form. This is not only about the most efficient to cause deflection in plywood but also to gather information about the properties of its deflection so that it may be of use in out Grasshopper definitions.

These experiments will be aimed at creating and forming joints are both secure and help turn the individual strips into a cohesive form as well as ensuring what is transferred from Grasshopper can be achieved in reality.

PRE-EXPLORATIONS

Based on my research and curiosity, we attempted to trail using timber sticks but the deflection rate seem pretty minimum not to mention it was going to be very difficulty to create an accurate grasshopper model that used these stick like members and be transferable from grasshopper into reality using the fablab.

timber poles

string+

plywood strip

Wood’s propertiesdefinition

Based on the realize from my previous precedent I realize how to show the visual relation between the force being applied to timber and the resulting shaped. Using string could the answer. Is string more than a joinery method? Is showing the force more beneficial than showing the re-sulting form? The answers to these questions will be more clear once a form has been put together.

visual representation of the deflection force being ap-plied

resulting form

force being applied

plywood strip

Fabrication explorationbending properties & joinery methods

BEGINNING

Steaming the plywood has a similar effect to hot water and doesn’t weaken the structure of the wood that much, retaining its new form with existing material performance.

These cut/tabs don’t help the deflection of the form,simply because it makes the overall form weaker/more prone to breakage.

Stronger strings could be usd however for these inital ecperiments, these have sufficent strength.

1. String - Force2. Plywood strip -

Resulting form

Everything beyond this will be a tweaking of joints and deflection rate, playing with notions to increase or maximise this shape. More importantly how it can all fit together to form an actual cohe-sive shape.

This is the starting point of all my our experi-ments and most basic interpretation of our initial idea of working with wooden strips.

These screws and the guards allow the individual strips to move and interact with each other, in reac-tion to these turning movement the strings act accordingly and tighten or loosen depending on its location.

Judging on how tightly secures the joint was it was safe to safe this is mostly likely the best way to covered the ends of the string as well as joining individual strips together.

Laminated wood has a great deal of advantages that conventional, solid wood does not. For instance, laminated wood is resistant to warping or twisting due to its manufac-turing process. Laminated wood can be made of hardwood or softwood depending on the needs of the customer, or from different kinds of wood to mix and match their strengths (such as the outer layers of a softwood for a certain look with the inner layers of a hardwood for strength). Laminated wood is also vulnerable to coming apart if the glue is exposed to moisture, insects, heat or any of these combinations. However it is more than likely that we will need to use this method to create certain forms while still maintaining its bending properties.

Overlap of strips using screws, idea gained from predecedent 03, nice solid form, is not a bit rigid.

01 PROTOTYPE PIECES

ADVICEand considerations

Based on the feedback we got in the crit, we now have clear idea of where we need to go. I feel that we need to gathering information and forms at this point and need to focus on refinement of form and begin to build it physically. We already know how we will approach it; by using kangaroo physics and how each piece will form and connect according to our material exploration. The first step in the next part is definitely where we stop exploring and learning and focus on refine-ment of a form.

1. Develop beyond the idea of strips and further refine the form

2. Spend more time taking what we learnt from case studies and exploration and focus in form making

3. Get back into grasshopper with more consideration of how forces are resolved. Previous exploration in grasshopper is not direct and clear.

4. Choosing where a direction from our physical exper-imentation, that is string and screws. Now need to analyze them in terms of tension and forces.

5. Think more clear about the connection to the site, in terms of context, motion, cars, users

6. Think about scale may inform our form making pro-cess

7. Think about how to structural supports in reality be-cause in prototypes its different in terms of bending

8. Push the oscillation between computation and phys-ical exploration

9. Refinement of details

Crit feedback:

POSSIBILITY?

LEARNING OUTCOME

CONCLUSION

+ how the approach material performance can be explored and achieved in grasshopper+ how others explored the approach; material performance+ properties of timber strips+ transition from digital to reality+ joinery methods+ how to work back and forth from grasshopper and reality+different methods of using grasshopper to create a plasticity form +best methods of using grasshopper to create a plasticity form+how to use kangaroo plugin and tapeworm script+how to combine grasshopper definitions and adapt them to plugin and scripts+advance of grasshopper skills in general

What I’ve learnt is basically what works and what doesn’t in terms of both grasshopper and reality. Given that I spent first 2 weeks on defining our material approach and how we as a group wanted that element to be expressed in our form. This was done as we learnt the ins-and-outs of the case studies and how they explored the material performance approach. After which was spent exploring different aspects of that method os application with a few expectations that tested a few other methods of bending and twisting. I know how to control a form so that it can bend according to my specifica-tions and how not to deform the shape too much so that it is applicable when it is transferred into reality. All in all, I have an clear idea what my final design needs represent and what works and what doesn’t; both digitally and in reality.

CONTENT.301. design concept

02. tectonic elements

03. ditgital model

05. final gateway project

Part C. PROJECT PROPOSAL

04. physical model

CONCEPTThe gateway has to demonstrate the deflection of wood, that much

is clear. However for the user to fully experience it is not only needs to be an visual feeling but a spatial feeling as first explained

in part B. The answer to such demands would be for the user to be apart of this force/form notion. The users should not only see

the forces being applied in the wood but also feel like their driving is part of that force, interacting with the deformity even for the

slightest seconds in which they pass through the gateway.

SITE A DRIVER’SDIRECTIONAL FORCE

SITE B

SITE C

Cars seem to act as the force that is applied to the wood causing it to deflect. Hence to the users(Cars), it feels like they are pushing the gateway forward and causing it to bend or essentially through a gateway imposed by forces within its members. This notion will definitely help push the flexibility & ‘’flow’ of the creation of the form as well as help with the gateway work with the context of the site.

Direction of the cars (users) = Visual repre-sentation of the force applied to the strips

CONCEPT

string force+

plywood stripvisual representation of the ATUAL deflection force being applied

resulting form

force being applied

plywood strip

plywood strip

Resulting form visual ILLU-SION of drivers impact on the deflection force applied

REFINEMENT

Based on our feedback from part B and further form finding we decided to not only ‘show’ but also ‘include’ the users by perhaps not using string as a visual indicator but instead solely focusing on the pure form and performance of wood as not to make the inten-tions of our gateway unclear. String/cables may still be used in the construction process as they are every useful in helping maintaining the form of wood.

AFTER

BEFORE

Slave slaves follow the Master slave we can control, casing it to bend and twist.

FORM

• MASTER STRIP• SLAVE STRIPS

• The force applied to this strip ( bending and twisting) shows the properties of wood to an certain extend. We had to limit the amount of bending & twisting according to our information gained from our research, so that in reality the type of wood we used would be able to achieve that. Now given this fact we were able to create a GH definition where the form would follow the forces applied to one singular strip(master strip). Hence this means we control one and the others will follow. This will achieve the spatial experi-ence we are after; making the user feel like their driving is the force that pushes the form of the gate into deformity.

HOW IT WORKS• Tapeworm Script

• SLAVE STRIPS• MASTER STRIP The slave strips grow from the master strip and are never entirely separate from it.

“This tapeworm script deals with the surface as if it were a long series of connected planar quads and then outputs the vertices of those flat surfaces as two lists of points. These points can be made into either polylines or interpolated curves, result-ing in either a faceted or a smooth surface. The two most important inputs for the script are ‘bend’ and ‘twist’. They should be lists of values that determine the curva-ture for each segment and the direction of this curvature.”

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/tapeworm-a-script-for-creating

After the first general exploration in ‘Part B’, we delve deeper into the tapeworm script to discover its

further potential as our design appraoch.

MASTER STRIPExplored in PART B, we revisited Tapeworm but now because we have chosen it to represent our material performance approach we have broken the definition apart to really understand how it functions and how it can work for us. Here we have bro-ken up the first part that defines how the master strip “bends” & “twists”.

Like with twisting, the movement applied are pretty straight forward and fairly easy to manipulate, in conjunction with the twisting we pretty much have full control in terms of manipulating the form and actions

Twisting

Bending

As seen to the left, we can control the movement of this strips using this graph which is an helpful visual indictor of how it interprets the lines we draw and how it applies these twisting movements to the form.

SLAVE STRIPS

Twisting

Bending

a

b

a

b

Because these slave strips are anchored down to the master strip, there is only so much they can bend. As seen below they are reluctant to move, hence this command will have little effect on the overall shape.

This basically works the same way as it does for the master strip but the difference here is these salve strips are ties to the master strip and cannot deviate from it. They can bend and twist but cannot move. This limits the range of movement it can achieve but there are other ways of forcing this strips to act in a certain way or achieve a certain shape directly through the master strip commands.

As mentioned above, these strips have one end anchored to the master strip. In this case we will refer to this point as a. and the other free end as b. Here we are dealing with mainly b because a is anchored and its movements are restricted.

LengthWidth of SplineGain

MASTER STRIP

01

LengthWidth of RibsNumber of Gates

SLAVE STRIPS

02We were only concerned with the gain and number of gates as this dynamic relationship be-tween the master and slave strips were the most effective way of creating the form.

GRASSHOPPERMaster & Slave strip relationship

GainMASTER STRIP

GatesSLAVE STRIPS

STRIP RELATIONSHIP

As shown above, anything beyond step two is a huge mess. Hence anything beyond this value to useless as it just creates a messy, confusing form. The choice in this matter is somewhat more straight forward, as the gateway spans over the course of 3 roads, the limitation would imply that anything beyond 2/3 would be impractical and nonfunctional. Hence we decide to stick with two as the form was cleaner and more practical for the context of this site.

Basically, what I’ve done is set the slave strips gate at a set interval and increased the gain of the master strip with specific intervals. Essentially what has been proven is that gain is most likely the most important in determining the overall shape and how the strips intersect with each other. Given these set of forms I can see that step 4/5 manages to produce a nice flexible form without drowning the form in a sea of strips. Anything before 4/5 doesn’t necessarily enforce that concept of deflection shown in wood.

}

Top View

Front View

Top View

Front View

CHANGEABLE VARIABLES SUMMARY

Given the nature of this form and the interconnecting strips, this is not a full interpretation of the grasshopper definition instead it is a diagram indi-cating the main changes available to us in relation to the material perfor-mance of wood.

explanatory diagram

TAPEWORM SCRIPT

TAPEWORM SCRIPT

LENGTH

WIDTH

NO. OF GATE

LENGTH

WIDTH

GAIN

SLAVE

MASTER

DENSITY OF RIBS

SMOOTHNESS OF RIBS

T

TTWISTING

BENDING

TWISTING

BENDING

02 DIGITAL MODEL

• JOINTS

• 1. Exactly like shown above in the digital form2. Not actually joining at those intervals but instead help

determine where each strip will be positioned. While the former is definitely possible as shown in out first initial material explorations, it may not only destroy the in-tegrity of the form but limits the potential of bending and movement. The latter will help us create a more free form.

These joints in the digital model can be interpreted into reality in two different ways:

Digitally, this form seems fine as it captures the essence of the meaning behind deflec-tion highlighting the bending and twisting of its form. Physically however, it seems achiev-able but as mentioned in PART B wood can be a little unpredictable and can often be hard to control accurately so a prototype will need to be made to see what the transition will result in.

SITECONSIDERATION

The drive preceding the gateway location for all three roads are long & straight hence a low level of distraction, therefore to take advan-tage of this fact. The scale of the installation has to be obvious from a long distance.

This point in comparison to the road preceding here is very busy. We have not only a curve in the driving direction but three roads all turning at slightly different angles at close proximity.

02 PRE-PROTOTYPE MODEL

On the left is how we decided to lay out the model. We only had to measure and pin down the structural strip which was the only strips touching the ground, all the rib strips “grew” and ‘finished’ on the structural strip. They were never subject to be anchored down into the ground. They were essentially held and act in mid-air with only the ends being connected to the structural strips.

We even at-tempted to steam the veneer to force the two veneer strips to lami-nate together. ( The veneer strips have dry glue applied to one side)

At first, all seemed well. The strips of veneer were flexible enough and seem strong enough to maintain its shape.

However as we added more strips, the weight of each added strip not only push the structural strip down by the other rib strips along with it, destroying the free form into a bundle of mess.

Hence after this little stint we decided to consult some specialist into whether or not veneer would be a appropriate material for such a form.

MODEL SET-UP

Veneer

Hence our solution was simple. As with the digital model we decide to mimic how it functioned digi-tally by having the structural strips and rib strips act as the master and slave strips in grasshopper.

Rib strips

Master strip Sturtural strips

Slave strips

DIGITAL PHYSICAL

VS.Hence the plywood being more struc-turally strong acted as the master/structurally strip while the more flexible veneer acted as the slave/rib strips.

PlywoodAfter consultation with a wood specialist at university, our tutors and the timber veneer store, we decided to incorporate the use of wood veneer as we foresaw problems with the flexibility of plywood.

However the weight of the slave strips would fall upon the master strip to keep the form and not collapse under the weight, which meant we couldn’t build the whole physical form solely out of veneer strips which was quite evident in our test.

Veneer

02 PROTOTYPE MODEL

After the plywood has been steamed and bent holes were drilled at spe-cific intervals to indicate where the veneer will be joined.

Large 28 mm “H” shaped paper fasteners were used to connect the strips of veneer to the two structural plywood steamed strips that were anchored to the ground.

Replacing most of the plywood strips was the wood veneer. It was much more flexible.

Roughly 20 strips of veneer was cut in preparation.

The plywood is steamed to a cer-tain shape akin to the digital form. The plywood is screwed into the

base board.

Strips of wood veneer connected to the holes on the the two ply-wood strips with paper fasters.

Adjustments were made each indi-vdual strip as the form progessed.

Final form notes:

1. Some strips were unpredict-able in bending

2. Some strips were be pushed by other strips die to the close proximately some strips

3. The “H” joints are too big and obvious

4. The veneer strips need to be solidified after the form is created.

Different connection pins

Veneer lamination

01

02As mentioned previously the “H” paper fasteners were too much and drew too much attention thus we decided to use these smaller less obvious paper fasteners which were much less stron-ger.

As tested previously in PART B we revisited the concept of lami-nation in order to stiffen the final form and to compensate for the much weaker small paper fasteners as shown above.

change of construction methods

Refinement03 FINAL MODEL

PRECEDENTSPavilion / EmTech (AA) + ETHCentre Pompidou-Metz / Shigeru Ban

How does it work in reality at full scale?In reality the shape would be reluctant to hold its shape thus much like this projects interconnecting strong duty cables would needed to be attached in between each strip to withhold the form integrity. In addition to this fact, its very likely that such a long span of a singular strip of woods would not hold even if it has been laminated several times over. In the event that this does happen, shorter spans of wood could be used, by overlap each other and secured with bolts.

Hence to sum up, in reality:1. Lamination2. Shorter overlapping spans of timber

(if needed) 3. Cables

01 02 03

01

02

03

Given these techniques shown in the case studies above it will be possible to construct our gateway even at the large scale.

http://www.archdaily.com/221650/pavilion-emtech-aa-eth/

http://www.treehugger.com/interior-design/sculptural-functional-furniture.html

REFINEMENT

• After our physical prototype, further refinement was done in grasshopper to achieve number one; a better ‘flow’ in the form and number two; a more easily bend form that would not be as messy as the first. In addition, the struc-tural strip/master strip size was scaled down to enhance the overall harmony of strips that create the form. This form is more ‘balanced’. Which was done so by reducing the density of ribs in the given form which would also help in reality we thought as less strips more a more cohesive, clean design. However when I say cohesive & clean form, I don’t mean it was be perfectly aligned with 99% accuracy as we have foresee the nature of wood and do except this form is come with a certain level of ‘rawness’ and messi-ness as one would expect from an object subjected to bending & twisting. This only enforces the nature and his-tory of wood as a raw material.

A evolution of the digital form

03 FINAL DIGITAL MODEL

01 PROTOTYPE PIECES

01 DIGITAL EXPLORATION

02 DIGITAL MODEL

0102

0302 PROTOTYPE MODEL

0403 FINAL DIGITAL MODEL

0503 FINAL MODEL

06

Best GH Method picked based on results 01: Tape worm Created digital model using on the following factors:1. Density of ribs 2. Bending of the strips3. Length & width of strips4. The gain & number of gates 5. Relation between master strip and slave strips

Using results in step 02, made the transition from digital to reality in the following ways:

1. Steaming2. Lamination

3. Joints4. Type of Wood picked: plywood, veneer.

Wood exploration - general properties and application of woodDeflection in reality when helped by external factors like steaming, stringslamination or even type of wood; plywood, veneer,MDF.Joinery methods

GH exploration - best options & how to show the proper-ties of wood in GH

TIMELINE

Refinement of joinery technique, adaptation to new re-fined digital form.

DIGITAL FORM GAINED

PHYSICAL FORM GAINED

New refined digital form, made to work better in reality.

review

• “The overpowering form shows the forces working in the material, en-ticing the users to really experience the performance of the wood.”

Project Proposal

03 FINAL MODEL Project Proposal

SITE PLAN

PERSPECTIV

ES

ELEVATIONS

• “Driving through this experience will force the users not only from a dis-tance but up close as they will witness first hand these flexible timber mem-bers extend-ing and grow-ing from the sides of the road, above and all around them.”

• “During the night, the effect of these wooden mem-bers gets stronger. At night the lights move along the curves exposing only the flow of these strips while other parts will be hidden in the night. It will be im-pressive to say the least when drivers drive through and pass huge floating bending strips of wood bathed in darkness and light.”

ADVICEand considerations

Based on the feedback I feel like I need to address this issue in more depth in my journal. I feel the enormity of this gateway is more of a strength than weakness because they need to expe-rience the full effect of just an monolithic installation of pure bending and twisting, something they can see in the distance and the closer they approach the gateway the more they are en-ticed by it as mentioned previously during the site consideration part (pg.64).

Based on precedents, I think its fairly safe to assume a project like this would be achievable, all the construction joints that we proposed (pg.69) apply to my gateway and with careful detailing & construction would definitely be buildable.

As for the nature of these wooden members and how they slight-ly differ from the digital model, we wanted to retain some of its raw character (pg.70).That’s why we work in between the digital & physical realm, as to accommodate for the fact that it was not going to be 100% clean, to promote its physical nature as a feature as well as being able to control the general form. The physical model really captures that feeling & spatial of awe and wonder at such simple force acting within those wooden mem-bers.

1. Scale2. Constrution in reality3. Nature of these strips

Crit feedback:

LEARNING OUTCOME

CONCLUSION

+ the limits of parametric design+ how to transition from digital to reality and vice versa+ how to refine the form digitally and physically and how the that tran-sition functionsinto that process+ the limits of timber+ how the properties of wood act when applied to a more complex form+the types of techniques to successfully control timber;to an extend+ how to successfully mimic the properties of wood in grasshopper to an extend, and how to create a form from that+ grasshopper skills

What I’ve learnt is basically the essence of what computa-tion is and how this method differs from computerization. Working solely in the digital realm has its benefits but can often dissolute one from reality and its rules. That being said computation;specifically grass does allow and accommodate for such factor as it can try to mimic the rules & properties of real-ity. But in our cases this was not enough as we because grass-hopper could not achieve precise enough information hence leading us to substitute that last bit of information with mate-rial exploration in reality. Working in both digital and reality allowed us to create something unique though on closer inspec-tion, grasshopper is the real hero of our design, the creator of our form.

FINAL WORD

CASE FOR INNOVATION

PROJECT PROPOSAL

DESIGN APPROACH

Looking back at my process in the realm of computation and parametric de-sign I found myself always questioning whether or not it would work in reality.

This I think is an important way of approaching this type of design because while

Exploration into the research method and experiment and just immerse one in information about a material and just exploit its strength for your design. You learn how to use it as a tool, specifically in conjunction with digital software. The properties of wood become an extension of the project & concepts, its

strengths & weakness becoming one with the project.

At the end of the project I feel like I’ve learnt a lot about not only how to use grasshopper but how parametric design works and how concept and ideas are

born from it.

in order

REFERENCEShttp://www.patrikschumacher.com/Texts/The%20Parametricist%20Epoch_Lets%20the%20Style%20Wars%20Begin.htm

http://www.archdaily.com/226466/beach-and-howe-mixed-use-tower-big/

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

http://www.archdaily.com/83307/8-house-big/


Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 28http://www.archdaily.com/215280/bloom-dosu-studio-architecture/



http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/the-critics/patrik-schumacher-on-parametricism-let-the-style-wars-begin/5217211.article

Weisstein, Eric, 2003, CRC Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics. Second. Florida: Chapman & Hall/CRC. doi:10.1201/9781420035223-18

http://www.archdaily.com/115949/guangzhou-opera-house-zaha-hadid-architects/



http://www.archdaily.com/33429/burnham-pavilion-un-studio/

http://www.unstudio.com/projects/burnham-pavilion


http://everypersoninnewyork.blogspot.com.au/2008/09/man-sitting-at-metropolitan-museum-of.html

http://www.archdaily.com/218341/public-art-installations-from-numen-for-use-design-collective/http://www.archdaily.com/282952/camera-obscura-aa-visiting-school-eugene-2012/http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/tapeworm-a-script-for-creating

http://www.archdaily.com/221650/pavilion-emtech-aa-eth/

http://www.treehugger.com/interior-design/sculptural-functional-furniture.html

A most sincere thank you to my other two team members; Tim Chen & Shelley Xu and my tutors; Daniel Davis & Adam Markowitz.

The University of MelbourneArchitecture, Semester 01, 2013

final journal submission 558451

Documents

design tool

design process

computer aided design

general public

dimensional experience

spatial experiencearchitecture

symbolic realmarchitecture

categories art