ARCHITECTURESTUDIO AIR2013 SEMESTER 1

ABOUT MEMy name is Huimin Xu. I come from China. I am a third year architecture student of the University of Melbourne. I have studied Virtual Environments in my first year and really enjoyed making digital model in Rhino although that was a really hard time for me. Later on I applied the technical and conceptual skills in building 3D digital model in Studio Water and Visual Communications. I think architecture is full of fun and at the same time it is complex with infinite unkonw to explore.

ARCHITECTRE AS A DISCOURSE

Architecture has many definitions. It can be just a place for human activities. In this studio, architecture is more interpertated as a discourse. It is not only an expression of structures, materials and forms but more in expressing the concept that why people choose these structures, materials and forms.

Parameteric design as a emerging concept of design process, it brings a lot possiblities and flexbilities to architecutre. Parameter is a factor that helps to define the overall limits and performance of a system in the use of the specific algorithim. Such algorithm can be regarded as a langauge and a discourse. In Grasshopper, we use a series of containers and constructor to store and operating data which may be some points, lines and geometry.

ARCHITECTURE COMES FROM NATURE IN TERMS OF STRUCTURE, PATTERN AND FORM BECOMING A MEDIA OF CULTURE.

"Architecture, then, as discourse, discipline, and form, operates at the intersection of power, relations of production, culture, and representation and is instrumental to thee construction of our identities and our differences, to shaping how we know the world."1

----Dutton, Thomas A. and Lian Hurst Mann, eds (1996)

Beijing National Stadium (Bird’s Nest)I n te rms o f d i scour se aspect , the architecture, Beijing National Stadium is a good percedent project expressing the idea of "bird nest" inspired by the chinese "crazed pottery".2 Frank Gehry,

It is designed by Arup Engineers as well as Herzog and Demeuron. Architecture as a discourse that can visually express the a need and initial design concept. The dynamic geometrical shape is defined by a set of parameters. It is also charting global societal developments as a international stadium to identify urgent societal tasks for architecture’s attention.

Zakout writes, “A method of intelligently designing architectural objects based on relationships and rules using the computer… def ined in parametr ic software and are easily manipulated to quickly generate multiple iterations of the design in 3D.” Parametric design is arguably the most powerful and useful product of the digital age in architecture as a discourse.

Guangzhou Opera House

Guangzhou Opera House was designed by Zaha Hadid finished i n 2010 . Th i s a rch i tecture i s c o m b i n i n g C a n t o n c u l t u r a l traditions with a contemporary approach. The structure creates a dialogue within the emerging new town acting as a culture exchange space. The bui ld ing features undu la t ing and cu rvaceous geometric forms that move along with vis i tors as they navigate through the whole space.

The surfaces are manufactured un ique ly by t r iangu la r s . The computation ski l ls provided a easy-controlled methods for us to manifest and create geometrical architectures.W e c a n u s e v a i r o u s r u l e s , commands and algorithms to express our thoughts which is discourse.

Design as an epitome of intelligent is unique in human world. it is a process requiring both rational and creative abilities. And computer as a superb analytical engines can do precise and repetitive procedures which can list and store all the goals and changes. Additionally, it can represent the outcome graphically and visually by the programming setting by people. 1 Therefore, changes emerged. people take good use of computer to improve architectural design process instead of only intuition and imagination.

The evolution of design process by computation strongly asist the design process and outcome, such as systemize the geometry and transfermation tool which is conventional to operate.

Terzidis claimed that designer's creativity is l imited by the very programs that are supposed to free their imagination.2 It is true that the computational design is just one of the 'infinite' arrangement and alteration of parameters. It really did if we don't define the idea we want to convey from our design. Furthermore, design is a purposeful activity aimed at achieving some well defined goals. The computational design process should start after the initial design concept come up. The parameters should be defined according to and also accomplish the goal.

As there may be 'infinite' possibilities defining lines, shapes or planes, it may result an unexpectably conceivalbe geometries which may be beyoud the construction techniques. Consequently, computation leads to technical progress.

COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURE

The installation ‘Voussoir Cloud’ is a landscape of vaults and columns consisting of clusters of three dimesional petals, which are formed by folding thin wood laminate along curved seams. It is a site specific installation designed for the Southern California Institute of Architecture gallery, Los Angeles.1

It uses the form of petal as basic element of the structure. The complexity of the composition and installation becomes clear considering that each petal has a slightly different geometry where it is difficult to calculate every single piece of petal. A computational script was developed to calculate the curvature of each piece. Each vaults rely on each other and the three walls to present its natural ppure compressive form which need to precisely calculate the edge length, area and curvation of the petals.

"Voussoir Cloud" explores the natural structural precedent of pure overall compression with the initiral material system. Each vault is comprised of a Delaunay tessellation that both capitalizes on and confounds the structural logics — greater cell density of smaller more connective modules, or petals, gang together at the column bases and at the vault edges to form strengthened ribs, while the upper vault shell loosens and gains porosity.

Delaunay tessellation (the Delaunay triangulation in the plane) is another fundamental computational geometry structure. The Voronoi diagram and its dual Delaunay triangulation are shown on the right.

http://www.personal.kent.edu/~rmuhamma/Compgeometry/MyCG/CG-Applets/DelaTessel/delacli.htm

Voussair Cloud

From the rearsh last week, I become intersted in the natural structure. Fibrous tower is one of the kokkugia architecture studio's recent project exploring structures based on fibrous skeletons. It is based on algorithmic design methodoloies, explor ing ornamental, structural and spatial order. This project compresses the structural and tectonic hierarchies of contemporary tower design. It is believed that the shell itself is load bearing without columns each floor.

I t is a good attempt to creat a structural surface instead of just a visual surface, although someone may doubt its rigidity. This skeleton structural surface is designed asisted by computation. The initial topology of the skeleton shell is algorithmically generated though a cell division procedure regarding to the town geometry.

http://www.kokkugia.com/

Fibrous tower

PARAMETRIC MODELLING

Parametric modeling has enabled us to create new complex geometries which become the new page of contemporary modern architecture. Parametric desing is based on the multiple variables and their relations. The script in the computer can then come up a visual geometry result.

The complex geometries that were created by computer bring numerous problems in architecture industry and challenges in construction. With algorithms we can input the defining properties of a component as a parameter and deliver a computational model as an output.

As in previous architectural industry, we produce brick, tile in volume production. While in parametric modelling, each piece got their unique size and shape, which increase the amount of time and money to design. It brings us amazing geometries instead of just a cube. Or make a sphere by parametric modelling is to seperate the curved surface into several flat triangular pieces.

Carpenter center puppet theater used parametr ic modeling to triangulate the exterior surface by creating an algorithm to systematically layout a series of diamond panels across the surface. The diamond panels are now filled with vegetations. The panels were digital ly fabricate off site, transported and then assembled on site. There are 500 panels fabricating from a flat sheet of polycarbonate and then folded carefully one by one to create space.

Each panel unique in shape as shown in the bot tom images. The seams need to be fastened together. T h e m e t h o d s o f w h o l e installation are completed precisely through computer. There also the changes in design process as a result of parametric modelling.

Carpenter center puppet theater

ArupSport , the designers, based the building’s unique structure on a natural pattern of organic cells and the formation of soap bubbles. Without parametric modeling these design elements would have been inconceivably difficult.

Designers don't just perfer the visual outcome of such parameter design. They do think it in an engineering way and make it functionable.

B e i j i n g N a t i o n a l Aquatics Centre

The bubble cladding lets in more light than glass and thoroughly cleans itself with every rain shower.

The design, engineering, and construction of the Beijing National Aquatics Centre, or Water Cube, also depended heavily on parametric design.

REFENRENCE2.http://www.arup.com/Projects/Chinese_National_Stadium.aspx

http://www-scf.usc.edu/~eprins/catia.html

http://www.archivenue.com/voussoir-cloud-by-iwamotoscott-with-buro-happold/