sailing and architecture - usc school of architecture can teach us much about the design of...

Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture / Arch 705 / SP 2015 / von Oeyen / Syllabus Draft - 2015-01-12 P1 of 8

Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture Arch 705 / Spring 2015 M / W / F, 2:00 – 6:00 pm USC School of Architecture Geoffrey von Oeyen

34th America’s Cup / Team Oracle USA / Griesier Photography

In the 2009 New York Times article “Love for Sail,” Greg Lynn, Frank Gehry, Charles Ray, and other noted Los Angeles architects and artists were interviewed about sailing their own boats. While their motivations for sailing were each personal, common to all was a fascination with the design and construction of sailboats. As Lynn stated, “architects and artists love that stuff—the rigging and the material culture of shell construction.” As architects and designers seek to rethink performance, reimagine spatial and formal configurations, and respond to dynamic environmental conditions, cutting-edge developments in sailing demonstrate innovative solutions to these design challenges. Sailboats, which mediate between the natural world and people directly, responsively, and in real-time, can teach us much about the design of architecture and objects. As demonstrated in the most recent America’s Cup regatta, in which ORACLE TEAM USA’s 72-foot catamaran hydrofoiled to final victory across San Francisco Bay at speeds exceeding 45-knots, the art and science of yacht design has developed unprecedented digital modeling, fabrication, and analysis technologies. These technologies have opened the broader design landscape to a vast array of techniques and processes that are beginning to influence buildings and objects in profound ways. New materials and techniques in sailing, particularly carbon-fiber composites, allow for designers to reconsider the multiplicity of spatial, formal, and environmental forces in architecture in important new ways. As we know, sailboats mediate between dynamic environmental conditions and the specific spatial and environmental needs of people in real-time, and they do so through forms and spaces that are adapted for multiple and simultaneous uses. Greg Lynn’s new trimaran main hull, for example, simultaneously addresses the complex formal requirements of fluid dynamics, interior architectural programs, mechanical systems, rigging configurations, and exterior deck layout requirements. The chine on this hull prevents nose diving, deflects spray, articulates and frames the cabin windows, and forms the interior sleeping, siting, and cooking surfaces. It was through a multidisciplinary design process that such a form was articulated to simultaneously serve several disparate environmental and architectural needs. The beauty of this synthetic design solution is self evident, and students could learn much by exploring the creative design process, high-performance composites, and architectural possibilities offered through this work.


Greg Lynn FORM / Courouble Design & Engineering / GF 42 Construction Documents Multidisciplinary Design Thinking Students will review contemporary yacht design, beginning with a catalogue of items displayed in the USC School of Architecture exhibition, Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture. Exhibition included work by: Greg Lynn FORM, Courouble Design and Engineering, Kreysler & Associates, Westerly Marine, North Sails, and Composites One.

USC School of Architecture / Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture / Event Poster / Exhibition Photo

Architecture, is, in practice, a synthetic application of multiple fields of knowledge. The concept of multidisciplinary thinking in architecture has been important since the beginning of the discipline. Multidicisplinary thinking may involve the use of problem-solving skills from one discipline to address a problem in another discipline in a new way.

FREDCOUROUBLE

!FC" LYNN BOWSER

!LB"

BILL KREYSLER

!BK"GREG LYNN!GL"

KURT JORDAN!KJ"

BILLPEARSON

!BP"

FREDCOUROUBLE

!FC"NEIL SMITH

!NS"

NEIL SMITH

!NS"BRUNO

BELMONT!BB"

RICK PAUER

!RP"

GEOFFREY VON OEYEN

!GVO"

SPONSORS

COFFEE AND PASTRIESHarris Hall Courtyard8am – 8:30am COMPOSITES WORKSHOP:PART 1 OF 3 (RP, NS, BK)Verle Annis Room, Harris HallCome learn how to design and build with !berglass and carbon !ber from industry professionals in this hands-on workshop8:30am – 12:30pm

CATERED LUNCHHarris Hall Courtyard12:40pm – 1:50pm PRESENTATIONS &PANEL DISCUSSIONHarris Hall Room 101 (Lecture Hall)2pm – 6pm(See right column) EXHIBITION OPENINGLower Rosendin and Lindhurst Galleries, Watt Hall6:30pmGreg Lynn (GL); Greg Lynn FORMBill Kreysler (BK); Kreysler & AssociatesBill Pearson (BP); Technical Director, North SailsKurt Jordan (KJ); Structural Design and Analysis, Oracle Team USAFred Courouble (FC); Courouble Design & EngineeringLynn Bowser (LB); Owner, Westerly MarineBruno Belmont (BB); Director of Product Development, Beneteau GroupNeil Smith (NS); Technical Support Manager, Composites OneRick Pauer (RP); Marketing Manager, CCP CompositesGeo"rey von Oeyen (GvO); Faculty, USC School of Architecture

COFFEE AND PASTRIESHarris Hall Courtyard8am – 8:30am COMPOSITES WORKSHOP:PART 2 OF 3 (RP, NS, BK)Verle Annis, Harris Hall8:30am – 12:30pm

LUNCHHarris Hall Courtyard12:30 – 1:30pm GUIDEDEXHIBITION TOUR (GL, FC, BK, GvO)Lower Rosendin and Lindhurst Galleries, Watt Hall1:35pm – 2:55pm COMPOSITES WORKSHOP:PART 3 OF 3 (RP, NS, BK)Verle Annis, Harris Hall3:00pm – 6:00pm

USC School of Architecture

American Riggers

Greg Lynn FORM

Kreysler & Associates

NAOS Yachts

Bob GrieserPhotography

David Gerber, Alvin Huang, Jose Sanchez / ACADIA

PRESENTATIONS &PANEL DISCUSSIONHarris Hall Room 101(Lecture Hall)2pm – 6pm(Exact presentation times are estimates and subject to change) Introduction to Performative Composites: Sailing Architecture (GvO)2:05pm – 2:15 pm Performative Composites and Architecture (BK)2:20pm – 2:40 pm #e Design and Engineering of Girlfriend (GL, FC)2:45 – 3:15 pm #e Construction of Girlfriend (LB)3:20pm – 3:40pm Structural Engineering for Oracle Team USA (KJ)3:45pm – 4:05pm #e Development of Production Wing Sails (BB)4:10 pm – 4:25 pm Sails and other Structures (BP)4:25 pm – 5:05 pm Moderated Panel Discussion5:10 pm – 6:10 pm(All Presenters, GvO Moderator)

Audience Q&A with Panelists6:15pm – 6:30pm

##$% ##$&PRESENTATIONS &

PANEL DISCUSSION

##$% & ##$

&

USCArchitecture

PERFORMATIVE COMPOSITES:

SAILING ARCHITECTURE

##$%'##$&

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 -TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4

Watt Hall & Harris Hall


In perhaps the most important architectural manifesto of the twentieth century, Towards an Architecture (1923), Le Corbusier writes three essays under the topic of “Eyes Which Do Not See.” We will examine these essays regarding the appropriation of design thinking from ocean liners, automobiles, and aircraft, and consider how sailboats might be an appropriate corollary for the twenty-first century. Students will evaluate contemporary manifestos and monographs regarding the appropriation of design ideas, materials, and technologies from other disciplines and consider their usefulness as we explore this topic of sailing architecture.

Le Corbusier, Toward an Architecture, Cover and excerpt Greg Lynn FORM monograph, Cover

Design Process: Sailing Architecture We will research regarding the ways we can transfer contemporary sailing techniques and knowledge into architecture. We will examine the following composite design and fabrication concepts from sailing: Hull design/construction Rigging Design and Construction Sailmaking Design and Construction Design Analysis Techniques And we will consider how they relate to architectural problem solving for issues such as: Program Site conditions Daylight Views Wind Mechanical Systems Like sailboats, can we build architecture that leverages the natural environment to our advantage? Software Student will need to work in Rhino, with Grasshopper as a tool for parametric modeling. CATIA may be used by those who know it. Drawings may be produced and revised in AutoCAD. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign may be used for graphic layouts.


Drawings Students will develop a design language of drawing that expresses material components, assemblies, and processes using black and colored ink on white paper. Drawings will reference model cuts, but the drawings themselves will be generative design tools. Digital Models Students will keep an active and organized archive of digital design work with names and dates of iterations. Physical Models

Geoffrey von Oeyen Design, Casa Dunas, 3D Printed Model (photographs) Physical Models will be an essential part of this course. Models will be designed and produced at various scales, levels of abstraction, degrees of finishing, and will carefully reflect design investigations (i.e. building massing versus wall section detail). Physical modeling will focus on the following techniques and objectives:

3D Printing We will be working on large, 3D printed models using the large-bed color printer. Color will become an important criteria for symbolic and spatial representation.

CNC Milling Students will use CNC milling to create larger models and mock-ups.

Vacuum Forming Students will create vacuum formed molds using CNC milled parts

Mock-up Production Students may create mock-ups using composite techniques in fiberglass and or carbon fiber. Mock-up requirements to be determined per course budget and material availability.

Physical Model Photography Students will regularly photograph their physical models and display them as part of their design process.

3D Print ModelCasa DunasIsabela, Puerto Rico


Prototypical Housing Since Vitruvius, architects have sought to distill and outline key ideas and techniques for designing. In modernity, housing became the primary typology in which these ideas were explored. Beginning with Le Corbusier’s Maison Domino and his Five Points of a New Architecture, architects have sought to redefine a new way that housing can be designed and constructed. Cultural aesthetics, economic constraints, and means of construction are a few of the various aspects of reality that were considered by the modernists. Like Le Corbusier, Mies van der Rohe, and others, successful modernists considered prototypical housing at multiple scales, from the single family dwelling to multi-unit aggregations. While modernists successfully reinvented housing in many regards, in other ways their prototypes were substantially criticized in retrospect by post-modernists who argued that modernity ignored various domains of reality that are culturally required for successful architecture. Today, the problem of housing is far more complex. Issues of sustainability in response to climate change cannot be ignored. Every aspect of housing, from material transport to sustainable systems, must be explored as part of the total design process. Further, as climate change creates natural disasters that displace people for decades, destroy arable land, reduce fresh water supplies, and destabilize local economies, emergency housing has become a necessary compliment to our existing housing stock of today. Students will develop prototypical housing techniques that can be applied to the following applications: Emergency Relief Shelter (approx. 250 sf) Single Family House (approx. 2,500 sf) Multi-Unit Housing (approximately 12 units, areas vary) All housing applications should use the same concepts/techniques, and these should be derived from the investigation of sailing. Students will develop their own points of a new architecture (written), prototypical housing techniques and components, i.e. kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, bedrooms (drawn and written), and prototypical applications in the form of an emergency relief shelter (drawn and modeled), single-family house (drawn and modeled), and multi-unit housing of approximately 12 units (drawn and modeled). Each student will compile their work in an 8.5”x11” portfolio that will have text, drawings, renderings, and model photographs that will serve as an architectural manifesto for your idea of a new sailing architecture. Scheduled Review Dates: Midterm Review: March 6, 2015 (To Be Confirmed) Final Review: April 30 or May 1, 2015 (To Be Confirmed)


Required Texts: Required reading and writing for this course will be assigned by your instructor and must be completed in a timely manner. Studio Progress Binder: Students are required to maintain a design process binder for this studio. It should be a three-ring binder containing 8.5”x11” sheets (or folded 11”x17”) sheets indicating your design progress. It is meant to be a thorough and well-organized record of and instrument for critical inquiry and design process. The notebook is to include (freehand and/or digitally produced) generative diagrams and design sketches, print outs of drawings and model views, notes/diagrams/sketches/mark-ups from desk crits, graphic analysis of relevant precedents, class/lecture/reading notes, as well as any other material relevant to design exploration in this course. Date and label all entries clearly and in a consistent manner. Notebooks may be collected and evaluated periodically during the semester. All entries should be annotated and dated. Grading: Midterm review (30%), Final Review (40%), and Final Portfolio (10%) will contribute significantly to your final grade. The studio notebook documenting your progress will also contribute to your final grade (10%). Constructive engagement and active participation with your instructor and your studio colleagues can also count positively toward your final grade (10%). Work will be evaluated at midterm so that you have an indication of your progress. Unsatisfactory performance warnings will be issued to students whose work does not meet minimum requirements. A minimum grade of ‘C’ is required to continue on to the next semester in the studio sequence. Consult University polices for IN (incomplete) grades and deadlines for withdrawal (‘W’ grade). University guidelines on plagiarism pertain to original design work. Students are expected to do all of their own design and presentation work. Substantial assistance in the form of model construction and drawing preparation, or deliberate appropriation of the design work of others will be considered non-original work and will be treated as plagiarism. See “Academic Integrity” section below for more information. Attendance: It is essential and required for all students to be on time and present for all studio meetings, class lectures, field trips and reviews. Lateness and absences will be recorded and can seriously affect course grades. A maximum number of three absences are allowed without direct impact to the student’s grade. A student’s overall semester evaluation may be lowered by up to a full letter grade for each additional absence. Excused absences must be in writing and must be approved by the studio instructor. It is always the student’s responsibility to seek the means and make up for work missed due to any type of absence.


Dates called out in the syllabus as review dates are considered examination periods. Absences on project review dates may lead to automatic failure of the assignment unless pre-approved by the instructor. Such an absence may only be due to personal illness, family emergency or religious observance. The University recognizes the diversity of our community and the potential for conflicts involving academic activities and personal religious observation. See: http://orl.usc.edu/religiouslife/holydays/ Studio Protocol: Apart from lectures, reviews and trips, instructors will meet with their sections in studio. It is imperative to respect the quality of this unique creative environment and the work of others, during and outside of class hours. Work Area – Students are to immediately set up and maintain a fully operational work space for drawing and model-making. It is strongly encouraged that students make studio their primary work space for this and all other courses, so that they may fully participate in and benefit from the productive exchange of ideas, informal discussions and critical dialogs that are central and unique to the studio environment. Hours – Apart from lectures, reviews and trips, students are expected to be present in studio and productively engaged in studio work for the duration of the class meeting time (2 - 6pm Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays). Students should budget a minimum of two hours of work time outside of class hours for each hour spent in class. Music, Noise and Cell Phone Use – Studio is a shared work environment. Students shall demonstrate courtesy to others by always wearing headphones when listening to music, and by keeping voices low. Ringers are to be turned off and phones put away during class. Absolutely no calls, texting, tweeting, Facebooking or emails during class, lectures or reviews. Outside of class hours, students are to keep ringers on low and take all calls outside of studio. Computer Use – All assigned work is required to be printed in time for (i.e. well before) the beginning of class, rather than reviewed on screen. Digital Resources – A limited number of desktop computers, printers and a plotter are provided in studio, for work and digital output. Additional machines are available in other studios and in digital labs on campus. Time management and consideration of others is strongly advised in the use of these shared, finite resources. Access - Swipe card access to studio with a USC ID is provided as a safeguard for students and their possessions. DO NOT PROP OPEN STUDIO DOORS. As a general precaution, students are to be mindful of their surroundings and watch for suspicious activity or unfamiliar faces. Students may contact the University’s Department of Public Safety at (213) 740-4321 to report suspicious activity and/or request security personnel. Clean-up, Trash and Recycling –Trash and recycling bins are located throughout the studio. Students are advised to make use of them by sorting and disposing of trash in the appropriate receptacles and to keep their studio spaces clean. Knife Blades - Used knife blades pose a danger to University cleaning staff and others. DO NOT place used knife blades directly into the trash bins or leave them on the ground or work surfaces. Collect used blades in a sealed container and then discard. Graffiti, Defacement of Property – Defacement of property belonging to the school or others will


not be tolerated. Make use of provided butcher paper for messy tasks. NEVER SPRAY INDOORS. All aerosol sprays (glue, paint, etc.) must be used outside in conjunction with drop cloths to contain overspray. Academic Integrity USC seeks to maintain an optimal learning environment. General principles of academic honesty include the concept of respect for the intellectual property of others, the expectation that individual work will be submitted unless otherwise allowed by an instructor, and the obligations both to protect one’s own academic work from misuse by others as well as to avoid using another’s work as one’s own. All students are expected to understand and abide by these principles. Scampus, the Student Guidebook, contains the Student Conduct Code in Section 11.00, while the recommended sanctions are located in Appendix A: http://www.usc.edu/dept/publications/SCAMPUS/gov/ Students will be referred to the Office of Student Judicial Affairs and Community Standards for further review, should there be any suspicion of academic dishonesty. The Review process can be found at: http://www.usc.edu/student-affairs/SJACS/ Disability Accommodations Students requesting academic or physical accommodations based on disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. Letters of verification for approved accommodations from DSP must be delivered to your instructor at the beginning of the semester. DSP is located in STU 310 and is open 8:30am to 5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Phone DSP at (213) 740-0776 Sustainability Initiative The School of Architecture has adopted the 2010 Initiative for Sustainability. Solutions to design problems must engage the environment in a way that dramatically reduces or eliminates the need for fossil fuel. NAAB Accreditation The USC School of Architecture’s five year B.Arch degree and the two year M.Arch degree are accredited professional architecture degree programs. All students can access and review NAAB Conditions of Accreditation (including student performance criteria) on the NAAB website: http://www.naab.org/accreditation/2009_Conditions.aspx