Air Journal Final

Xincen Jiang 613814

Air StuDiO

2 CONCEPTUALISATION CONCEPTUALISATION 3

table of Contents

INTRODUCTION 1

KNOWLEDGE OF DIGITAL DESIGN 2

PART A CONCEPTUALISATION 3

DESIGN FUTURING 5

REFERENCE 9

iNtrODuCtiON

Hi. My name is Xincen Jiang, a third year architecture student in The University of Melbourne. I was born in Hangzhou, China and came to Melbourne when I was 18. I am always thinking of doing something meaningful and fascinating, which brings me to architecture. It is a thing that contains full of opportunities and challenges, which is worth doing for rest of my life. I am not good at using computer to do the design and have limited knowledge of parametric and algorithmic thinking. But I am still looking forward to the outcomes after I learn the grasshopper. As to parametric design, my first thought would be the Beijing National Stadium, Walt Disney Concert Hall or Greg Lynn’s Blob-wall. And just a glance of these projects, you can feel their futuristic. It is a challenge to learn the expression of parameters and rules, but I believe the experience will be surprisingly good and bring me a new version of architectural design.


PArt A CONCEPtuALiSAtiON


Walt Disney Concert Hall was completed in October 23, 2003. Since then, its curved metallic surfaces become a symbol of future design. This undulating form brings aesthetic pleasure to users and conveys the beauty of music rhythm. Gehry’s idea of using stainless steel to structure the surface challenge the builders and they decided to rely on the technology. The team use an aerospace software called CATIA (Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application) to piece the steel beams together. Nowadays, technology is acting as a expression tool between idea and reality. Design is not simply about concepts but feasibility. Parametric thinking gives more efficient design process with more impressive outcomes, which caught the trends of future.

The repeated experiments of constructing a successful building is inevitable. As for the concert, designers modelled audiences in each seat and test the acoustic effects from the stage for the occupants. Besides, the wooden material of interior hall highly against the exterior, which provides a warm and comfortable environment for the listeners.

DESiGN FuturiNGFrank Fehry

Walt Dissney Concert Hall 2003

When you enter the Ralph M. Parsons Foundation Atrium Hall at Disney Hall, there are three large Douglas fir columns can be easily noticed. These columns represent the appearance of tree trunks, which expresses the communication between the nature and design. More than that, the working system inside the columns takes the responsibility of delivering air conditioning and lighting to the building. And the public garden with orchestrated fountain also should be mentioned. In order to create a mosaic for the fountain, Gehry broke hundreds of vases and tiles to bring the rose to live. Although the tree trunks and rose fountain are the tributes for Lillian Disney, it gives people an idea of taking nature into the building form.


Guangzhou Opera House is an unique design that located down stream of Pearl River. The building is using changing volume to define a space, meanwhile connect each space by fluent lines and curving forms. And She uses a large area of glass to integrate the building with surroundings. Before entering the Architectural Association School of Architecture, Zaha is a mathematics student at American University of Beirut. It is easy to imagine the connection between her powerful design and her parametric thinking of design. It brings the idea that design is not about something irrational combined randomly, but the consequence of logical thinking.

Haza’s design is untraditional and contradictory with features of irregular layout and symmetric structure. The space she created is passionate. She abandon the normal design with horizontal and vertical lines, but use creative shape with twist and curved lines instead to form space. The surface curve she created is prefect without any flaws, even the joints have to be exactly right with no gaps in between. In order to construct such a large scale smooth surface, the working team use a new material named GRG (Glass Fibre reinforced Gypsum). This material has characteristics of strength and ductilibility, which is also good for fire resistance. The use of the material achieve the curves she wanted and standard the clients required.

The combination of multiple culture in design is one of the trends of future architecture. Just like the Guangzhou Opera House, the design has to meet the requirements of combining the Chinese opera and western opera. But the challenge is the features of these two kinds of performance are totally different. With the western opera, the focus is on natural acoustics which takes precedence over the drama. While Chinese opera is more about the dramatics with the audio relying on the audio tools. Similar to the Walt Disney Concert Hall, a series of acoustic experiments are set out.

DESIGN FUTURINGZaha Hadid

Guangzhou Opera House 2010


A.1 Design Computation

With the desire of approaching to the future, computing design is inevitable. Computing thinking bring designers’ creation into a actual form and free the ideas that limited by unattainable. The thinking process which is associated with computation helps designers to explore the use of computing design and gain the knowledge of it. Now is the point when architectural design shift from drawing or modelling to the algorithm computing. You cannot judge the computing design by looking at it, only people who understand it and do use it as a design tool can make comments.

The benefits of digital thinking:

- understand what kind of problem can be dealt with computation

- understand the limitation and possibilities of computation

- apply the computation to a relevant use or creative use

- understand the opportunities and challenges of using computation

Beijing National Aquatics Centre

As for Beijing National Aquatics Centre, digital technology is a powerful tool of expression. When the equation and parameters are given to computer, the algorithms will generate every possible configurations. The digital tool provides opportunities for designers to construct something impossible and gives knowledge of how to solve problem through computation and fabrication technology. More than that, the digital thinking helps to calculate the most efficient way of construction such as material use, structural assembling and even the electricity use. Therefore, the computing also bring a sustainable future design for the world.


Entry Paraidse Pavilion

The pavilion shows a new version of digital design. The form of the pavilion is a kind of derivative from natural forms such as foam, sponge or soap bubbles. This three-dimensional space is shaped by digital tool and the form can be changed by computer flexibly. Without computing design, the project needs long time experiments to test the feasibility and manage the assemble process. It is more efficient with digital thinking, which enables the design can be easily divided into different components with various combination. The pavilion is made by lightweight material and can be structured within an hour.

A.2 Composition/generation

Computation provides opportunities for designers to construct creative projects, but it is not simply digital tool that transform your idea into algorithm. Like Brady Peters says in the reading, computerisation and computation are totally different things. Computation requires further consideration of how to make the digital design becomes integral to the design itself. Rather than a tool of improve the precision of design, computation also can provide inspiration and help designers to gain some unexpected positive results. Learning knowledge from the computation is very important, which enables designers adapt the algorithms into their own design. For instance, Grasshopper provides knowledge to users through digital tool and codes, designers can rationally and logically develop the new form by using these existing knowledge into design project. Computation gives designer an opportunities to think algorithmically and work with parametric model. It tends to lead the building form from using traditional straight lines or right angles to twist lines with smooth surface.


Blob-wall Pavilion

Bricks are the essential elements of building construction. It is interesting to develop a solid, heavy and rough unit into a lightweight object that can be coloured and shaped into different version. This contemporary wall system with vivid colour is made by plastic and each unit has a tiny computer to control the light. Considering this as an example of thinking computation. Computation is not a tool that works for managing the length or width of the existing brick and calculate the dimension precisely. But a tool that can enable designers to innovate and generate an idea like Blob-wall, which is really into the computation.

Bionic tower

The Bionic Tower is a design inspired by nature. In order to conceive a building both efficient and elegant, the parametric modelling is used to optimise the building system during the design process. The precise model details all the components of the building with calculating the structural feasibility and energy efficiency. The surface of the building is an intelligent system with an ability of controlling air pressure, solar radiation, temperature and air pollution. The features of building skin is quiet similar to the biological performance, which brings the technology to a new level.

A5.0 APPENDiX - ALGOritHMiC SKEtCHES

Create NURBS Surface > Using Grasshopper > Geometry > Set Multiple Geometry > Populate Geometry > Number Slider > Octree > Number Slider

Octree is a tree data structure. Applied to Grasshopper, it has a density exploration function. By proper adjust, it can generate an optimised grid density which is based on algorithmic analysis.

Octree starts with a single cube that contains all the points in it. When these points are overload, the cube is subdivided into eight smaller cubes evenly and the new cube will repeat the process mentioned above. Therefore, you cannot control the size of these boxes but manage the points number in a cube would be helpful to influence the form that octree produced. For the Sydney Opera House model, I set two number sliders. A large number of count slider, the cubes are more likely to form the shape, while group slider is just the opposite.


A.3 Conclusion

A.4 Learning Outcomes

Computation creates more opportunities for the designers. The way it connects to fabrication and construction turns the ideal form to possible. Computer controlled building system, new variety of building materials and natural related design form become the features of digital design.

Computation is a new way of thinking problems and creating new forms design for the future. Algorithmic thinking and parametric modelling provide more efficient way to bring the concept into reality. I learn that future design changes its style from traditional form into more modern way such as using the curved and twist surface and the concept is associated with nature and sustainability. For my later project, I will think the design in a more sustainable way and do the experiments to test the idea if it is feasible by using digital tools.

As a physics imitator, Kangaroo is useful for design modelling. It is inspired by the creation of masonry arches. When a chain is hanging freely, it is pure tension. But if you flip it over, it will be a pure compression form which is perfect for the arch. And the chain net like what we are using now is a further developed product of the chain.

By doing practice this week, I find Kangaroo is very flexible and natural. It simulates the natural wind gravity and by controlling force volume and direction, you can create a feasible model you want. It is an impressive tool that allows designers to learn from nature and brings design work closer to nature.

KEEP THE REST OF DATA SAME, JUST CHANGING FORCE UP, DOWN AND DIAGONAL.

KEEP REST OF THE DATA SAME, JUST CHANGING THE WIND FORCE TO 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 AND 1.


B1.0rESEArCH FiELDin this part, i will develop a particular technique using computational methods through case-study analysis, parametric modelling and physical prototypes.

Geometry is a classical discipline of math which concerns measurements studies, relative position of figures and properties of space. Its integration with architecture was found by Marcus Vitruvius in the early time. He is the first person who brings geometry and architectural design together and appreciates symmetry and proportion as the fundamental rules of building temples.“For without symmetry and proportion no temple can have a regular plan.”[6] (De architectura - Ten books on Architecture) And as a modern architect, Frank Lloyd Wright also believed in the importance of geometry. He said that geometry can have a cosmic meaning and its use for architectural design provides the harmony between the individual society and the universe.[4]

Nowadays, free-form shapes and structures with a high geometric complexity plays a significant role in contemporary architectural design. It is everywhere, from the accurate initial form-finding stages to the efficient final construction. And by associating with parametric computation, it provides more possibilities for designers to create efficient design and manufacture complex forms. As an essential element of architectural design, geometry has ability to produce endless possibilities. And without geometry, there are no forms that can be successfully constructed. Therefore, it is interesting to think about the development from some very basic and simple geometry to all the impressive objects it creates, which is also the reason why I’ve chosen it as my research field.

GEOMETRY

[4]GUGGENHEIM, ‘GEOMETRIC SHAPES’, <HTTP://WWW.GUGGENHEIM.ORG/NEW-YORk/EDUCATION/SCHOOL-EDUCATOR-PROGRAMS/TEACHER-RESOURCES/ARTS-CURRICULUM-ONLINE?CATID=730&ID=119&vIEW=ITEM> [ACCESSED 20 APRIL 2015]

[6]NILOY J. MITRA, ‘ADvANCED IN ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY’, <HTTP://ARHNS.COM/WSH/LITERATURA/AAG_2008.PDF> [ACCESSED 20 APRIL 2015]

THE PICTURE ABOvE IS A TAP INSTALLATION DESIGNED BY NUMEN/FOR USE 2010

30

B2.0CASE StuDY 1.0

Green Void installation is a digital design created by LAVA and located at the restored heritage Customs House in Sydney. The idea of this three dimensional shape derived from nature by thinking of the cells, crystals and soap bubbles and realised in a lightweight fabric with latest digital fabrication techniques to achieve the aim ‘more with less’ which refers to a minimal surface. The connection points within this 20 meter-high sculpture was decided by LAVA who takes account of the mathematical formula as a base to determine these points.[1] The installation was finally achieved with a successful use of flexible materials that follows gravity, tension and growth, which is similar to a spider web or a coral reef.[5]

LAVA-GREEN VOID (2008)

[5]LAvA, ‘GREEN vOID’, <HTTP://WWW.L-A-v-A.NET/PROJECTS/GREEN-vOID/> [ACCESSED 22 APRIL 2015]

PICTURE ABOvE IS GREEN vOID IN THE SYDNEY CUSTOMS HOUSE.

LEFT IS THE SURFACE PIECES OF GREEN vOID

RIGHT IS GREEN vOID WITH LIGHTING SYSTEM

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tABLE OF itErAtiONS

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 3

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 3

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 4

THICkNESS 3

NODE SIZE 7

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 2

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 5

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 7

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 2

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 6

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0.8

SPACING 0.3

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 6

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 4

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 3

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

ITERATIONS 1： Create new geometry input and change the values of parameters

ITERATIONS 2： Change the values of parameters

SIDE 10

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 2

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 2

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 5

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 6

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 2

GOAL LENGTH 0.3

SIDE 5

THICkNESS 2

NODE SIZE 6

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 2

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 3

kNUCkLE 1

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

33 34

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 3

kNUCkLE 3

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.3

ITERATIONS 3： Change the values of parameters and stretch selected anchor points

ITERATIONS 4： Select the end points as anchor points and stretch them

ITERATIONS 5： Stretch selected anchor points

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.4

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.1

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 1

NODE SIZE 0

kNUCkLE 0

SPACING 1

GOAL LENGTH 0.5

SIDE 3

THICkNESS 6

NODE SIZE 8

kNUCkLE 10

SPACING 30

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

SIDE 10

THICkNESS 6

NODE SIZE 3

kNUCkLE 10

SPACING 30

GOAL LENGTH 0.8

35 36

Selected iterations

B3.0CASE StuDY 2.0

37

By considering the selection criteria below I selected four iterations:

- Difference from initial iteration

- Potential of further development

- Practicability of the form

First Iteration: This one is resulted from slightly dragging some selected anchor points. Although it is not quite different from initial geometry, the crumpled surface still has potential for further development. The form is standard compare to others, which would be feasible for construction in real life.

Second Iteration: This one is created by dragging the end points all together, which still keep the shape of openings. Dragging end points is very easy to see the limits, after few times of dragging, you will find the shapes are more and more similar. But the form is interesting and has design potential.

Third and fourth Iteration: These two are resulted from dragging selected anchor points and drag one point at a time. It is hard to see the original shape and these holding points can be considered as holding points for net design.

38

Tuft Pula (2012)

[2]ARCHI20, ‘TUFT PULA, FLOATING SCULPTURE’, <HTTP://WWW.ARCH2O.COM/TUFT-PULA-FLOATING-SCULPTURE-NUMEN-FOR-USE/>

[ACCESSED 25 APRIL 2015

[3]DESIGNBOOM, ‘NUMEN/FOR USE: TUFT PULA’, <HTTP://WWW.DESIGNBOOM.COM/DESIGN/NUMENFOR-USE-TUFT-PULA/> [ACCESSED 25

APRIL 2015]

THE PHOTO ABOvE IS THE PUFT INSTALLATION INSIDE A CHURCH 2012

THE INTERIOR SPACE OF THE INSTALLATION WITH RED CARPET COvER

rEVErSE-ENGiNEEr

Method 1

39

This giant installation is created by the designers at Numen/For Use inside a former church in Pula. It is made of thousands of adhesive tape and covered with carpet shell. The whole structure was made in a Croatian factory in Regenarcija and then transported to the site and suspended 4 meters above the ground by using tension cables.[3] Different from Green void, Tuft has cozy interior space that people can crawl inside and relax on the tape made curved base. The warmth interior environment created by red carpet was visual contrast to the exterior industrial feel, which attracts people to go inside. The tape creates a flexible and transferable self-standing structural framework, which subverts people’s idea of tape using.[2]

40

Step 1:

Create few mesh boxes in Rhino and union them into one. Then delete the four mesh surface to have the opening.

Step 2:

Set the mesh box as an input mesh in Grasshopper.

Step 3:

Use WbEdges, Springs and kangaroo physics as main objects in Grasshopper. Then select edge points as anchor points, use toggle and timer to control and relax the mesh.

Method 2 Final model of reverse-engineer

41

Step 1:

Use curves as input geometry in Grasshopper and connect with Brep. Different from method 1, you can set various of geometry rather than just mesh.

Step 2:

By using Brep Explode, surface and surface mesh, convert Brep into a mesh. After that, the output lines can be used in springs.

Step 3:

Select edge points as anchor points. Anchor points help to hold the geometry in place. And by stretching anchor points, you can adjust the relaxed geometry to the shape you want.

Step 4:

After relax the geometry, you can use Goal Length to set the tension. The number slider for Goal Length is from 0 to 1 and the number more close to 0 the shape is more different form the original one.

Step 5:

kangaroo Physics connects to toggle and timer, which allows the control of relaxation. Double click the timer, you can capture the moving moment of relaxation.

42

B4.0tECHNiQuE DEVELOPMENt

43 44

Select a part of the original geometry and move the curves to have different interior space.

Select some anchor points, different from the edge points and stretch the geometry.

45

Select the edge points as anchor points and stretch them.

46

Change the values of parameters of Exoskeleton.

Selected iterations

B5.0tECHNiQuE: PrOtOtYPES

50

First Iteration:

This one is resulted from slightly dragging selected end points. The form is quiet standard without a big change form the original one. But the interior space the shape created would be very useful in my design.

Second Iteration:

By dragging anchor points, this one is twisted. It is interesting to look at the wire-frame at the twist part, which could be further developed to be a line frame for my web design.

Third Iteration:

This one has both large and small openings and the form is a quiet different from the basic shape. The space is divided irregular and uneven, which could may inspire me how to distribute the whole web into few small parts randomly.

Fourth Iteration:

By dragging one opening into another opening, the form becomes more complex. It makes me to consider about the whole form of the web design and the balance between practical and complexity.

51

At the beginning point, i try to use tape as the material to form a surface like the tuft pula. But it is difficult to make a smooth curve surface without any elements to support inside. i first use balsa wood to make the frame base to wrap tape on it and it is failed because of the wood is not solid with certain weight. then i choose metal to do the frame, which is more reasonable than wood and at least can support the wrapped tape to have a certain shape.

- the support columns are sticking into the foam base.

Columns are the main elements that to hold the whole structure in place. they can be sticked into the ground vertically or with few angles.

- use rubber band to fix the net fabric on the columns.

- Fix the fabric edge to ground by using screws.

the lightweight stretchy fabric can form various of shapes by choosing different points to fix its edges.

As for this model, columns are the main support elements, while the flexibility of the fabric membrane also contributes to the equilibrium of the structure. this one piece fabric was wrapped around the columns and its flexibility allows alteration and form different shapes.


B6.0tECHNiQuE: PrOPOSAL

44 CONCEPTUALISATION CONCEPTUALISATION 45 53 54

My site is a bridge which is located near the Collingwood children’s farm. i think bridge is interesting because it is supported by the earth above the water and suspended in the air, where earth, water and air are the most basic elements to form the park. Earth is solid, water is fluent and air is almost no weight. in order to combine all these features, i want to create a web system with solid structure, fluent space and form with the use of lightweight fabric material.

the bridge is an exposed space with no vegetations block the view, which gives people a very open feel. You can see the full scene of this part of creek which is a very nice view. For most of people, bridge is just the path way that connects both banks. Many people run through the bridge, others may ride bikes without looking at the nice view. the users are living close and around this park area, they are familiar about the path way and

access. But this feature makes people forget to look at the view along the path or just focus on their exercise with headphone on. i want to make a web design that can stop people for few seconds to have a look of the surrounding environments and enjoy the nice natural view.

the technique is about how to have a relaxed surface with minimal use of fabric membrane. the existing bridge structural elements can be the supporting structure for the web. And hanging points that bond with the bridge are more like the anchor points in Grasshopper.

THE vIEW ABOvE IS FROM GOOGLE MAP


B7.0LEArNiNG OBJECtiVES AND OutCOMES

Objective1

interrogating a brief

The brief formation process is highly associated with these weekly tasks of technique development. And by studying the case study and creating possibilities, I found the main thing I want to achieve in my design is a solid structure with relaxed surface. But I still didn’t have a clear direction of how to achieve this by associating with the site conditions. I think I need to revisit the site and do further thinking of how to apply the technique to the actual design.

Objective 2

Developing ‘an ability to generate a variety of design possibilities for a given situation’.

Since it is my first time using grasshopper, the way how it structures some possible forms is very new to me. I have no idea of what is the right way to adjust the parameters in order to generate a useful design result. And sometimes I also feel this computational design limited my design ideas because I cannot operate it well. But after doing the matrix for both case study 1.0 and technique development, I understand my lacking knowledge is the real thing that limit my design and what the grasshopper can do is very impressive.

Objective 7

Develop foundational understanding of computational geometry, data structures and types of programming.

Different from other software, grasshopper requires the full understand of objects connections to achieve the wanted geometry. Reverse-engineer is a very important part that helps me to understand the data structures and computational geometry from Green Void definition and further applied to the Tuft Pula. I spent a long time to achieve the final result of Tuft Pula. For me, the process is more like a test, I tried many different objects and connected them together but error connections always appeared. Therefore I used the ‘Help’ button to get more knowledge of each subject which is very helpful and finally I figured out how to get the right output geometry. The error connection in Grasshopper made me feel upset at some time, but what I learned from these mistakes bring me closer to the aimed output.

Objective 8

Begin developing a personalised repertoire of computational techniques.

Grasshopper is a useful digital tool in equipping me with the skills I needed for the net design. Especially the kangaroo plug-in, which enables the possibility of create relaxed surface like Green Void. However, I need further development of the skills, because I still cannot use these objects freely to make something I want. I’ve chosen few different projects for case study 2.0, but my limited skills made me fail to achieve a successful result. I think I need to look at more sources about grasshopper technique learning and practice more in order to meet the requirements of ideal design.

ICD/ITkE RESEARCH PAvILION 2012


B8.0APPENDiX - ALGOritHMiC SKEtCHES

Green Void


- ‘Springs’ and ‘Kangaroo physics’ are two main objects in the Green void definition that helps to achieve the relaxed surface.

- By changing the parameters of exoskeleton, you can have different kinds of structures.

- Anchor points are elements that holding the structure. Different anchor points selection choice and stretching ways give the geometry unlimited possibilities.

incorporating the technique into my design, i will use the relaxed surface to create the net and anchor points as the connection points to my site bridge structure in order to achieve ideal net form.

Voltdom


rEFErENCE LiSt

1.ArchDaily, ‘Green Void/LAVA’, <http://www.archdaily.com/10233/green-void-lava/> [Accessed 22 April 2015]

2.Archi20, ‘tuft Pula, Floating Sculpture’, <http://www.arch2o.com/tuft-pula-floating-sculpture-numen-for-use/> [Accessed 25 April 2015]

3.Designboom, ‘numen/for use: tuft pula’, <http://www.designboom.com/design/numenfor-use-tuft-pula/> [Accessed 25 April 2015]

4.Guggenheim, ‘Geometric Shapes’, <http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/school-educator-programs/teacher-resources/arts-curriculum-online?catid=730&id=119&view=item> [Accessed 20 April 2015]

5.LAVA, ‘GrEEN VOiD’, <http://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/green-void/> [Accessed 22 April 2015]

6.Niloy J. Mitra, ‘Advanced in Architectural Geometry’, <http://arhns.com/wsh/literatura/AAG_2008.pdf> [Accessed 20 April 2015]

7.Numen/For use, ‘tuft Pula’, <http://www.numen.eu/installations/tuft/pula/> [Accessed 24 April 2015]

C1.0 DESiGN CONCEPt

54 CONCEPTUALISATION CONCEPTUALISATION 55 63

Perspective view of final design

CONCEPtAlong the Merri Creek, we can notice that many areas are developed to meet human’s requirements such as residential use, education use, entertaining use and industry use. Some of these exploited sites make the living natural environment become a lifeless built site, therefore it is necessary to create a living architecture which can make people to think about the importance of nature by being close with it or within it. With the consideration of remaining people the importance of nature, we want to find a certain thing between the developed site and undeveloped site to make people notice the differences between them. Because the special feature of having Merri Creek, we want people’s close experience with nature can be specifically with the water.

therefore, we chose the bridge close to the Collingwood Farm to be the site, which connects the developed site and undeveloped site. Normally, people can pass the bridge from the developed site with ample sunlight and broad view. We make a network under the bridge with the entry from the natural site. When you are crawling on the under bridge web, the cranky space with dark and shadow suspended above the river may stop you to keep going and back to the entry, which is also a metaphor of the feel when you try to develop the natural land. the wrapped bridge can be used for observing weather you are standing on it or trapped under it and learning the sense of protecting nature by experiencing.

Maintaing my research field of Green Void - relaxed surface, the form of our design is altered to suit its surroundings and by using the computational tools, i was able to visually analyse the way how my form perform on the site. the bridge itself has standard truss structure, thus we want to use non-standard geometric shape to make contrast with bridge which can let the form easily be noticed. the use of algorithm allows to change and alter the form flexibly and create complex and dynamic form.

the prototype in Part b does not suitable for the design, so we developed few strategies to make the structure can be successfully formed. Before the final presentation, we focused too much on the detailed connection in real construction and makes it industrially rather than creatively, e.g beams and bolts. Grasshopper provides more architectural way to fabricate the design and the use of leaser cut improves the quality of the model.

FOrM GENErAtiON

Fabrication


FOrM FOrMAtiON

Curve

Project Area

XYplane

Vec2Pt Amplitude

Move

Line

VecZ

Number slider

Divide Point

rotate3DHFrame

radrange

Scale

SubstractionSinMultiplicationrange

Domain

Loft Dispatch

Number slider

SurfaceBrep Components Mesh Surface Mesh WbJoin Mesh Edge

Springs

AxBVector

kangaroo physics

time

Mesh

toggle

Based on my research field of geometry, every complex geometric forms can be achieve by the transformation of simple geometry. the bridge is just a simple straight way, the thing that wrap the bridge should be the same way, therefore twist the wrap thing can vary the form to be un-standard. i pick few basic geometric shape to see how the outcome can fit the bridge and it surrounding environment.


Site Analysis

Site features

in order to meet our concept of reminding people the irretrievable of developing natural land, we were trying to find a space which has certain connection between the developed and undeveloped landscape. thus, we chose the bridge that close to the Collingwood Children’s Farm. From the site features diagram above, it is easy to see the creek divide the park side and developed site and the bridge is the connection between them,

the sun provides the natural light and the light has the characteristic of variability, because different time the lightness is different and changes seasonally. the analysis of sun path can help to define the space under the bridge.

Since the under bridge web is lightweight, the wind features also contribute to provide different feelings when people were experiencing the net space.

Pink lines indicate the main noise

Blue lines indicate the main circulation


C2.0 tECtONiC ELEMENtS & PrOtOtYPES

Prototype

During the previous process of making physical model, we detailed every joints that some of them are not really necessary to consider and handmake model is failed to achieve the results we want. After the final presentation, we tried again by using grasshoper to help the fabrication and sent to the leaser cut, which is more effecient than what we have done before.


Prototype


C3.0 FiNAL DEtAiL MODEL

Final Model


Perspective views

View when standing on the bridge


Distant view


C4.0 LEArNiNG OBJECtiVESAND OutCOMES

this part makes me to understand how to balance the relationship between the computational model and physical model. the model we made by rhino can stand in any position but it is hard to really do the physical model in reality. So we took long time to do the physical model and try to achieve the outcomes we had in rhino but in the end, we failed to do so. thus, we change the digital model to make it easy to make but it is not really what we want. And during the design process, we focused too much on how to build the form and its structure in reality which made use to generate form based on building requriements instead of really following the concept.

Besides, it is my first time doing team work for design. A group can have many thoughts about how to achieve the best outcomes, but also has difficulties of reaching an agreement. We talked about many possible results but did not use experienment to test them and generate the best proper one. it is important to start working on it rather than just think about it. And the reasonable arrangement of time of meeting and discussion can benefit the team work as well. Since we cannot proper arrange the time we got the leaser cut late after the final presentation. All in all, i need to put more efforts on designing the project and make more communication with tutor.

Before learning the grasshopper, i always develop the concept by drawings and make some simple models. Grasshopper provide another interesting way to generate an idea and fabrication. And it is also the first time i use leaser cut to finish the model making, which i think highly improved the quality of model and make it more precise. the grasshopper performs logical and systemic relationship between input and output, which enhance the logical and algorithmic thinking during design process.

At the end of the course, i see the parametric design as a tool to generate some complex geometric forms that normal thinkings can hardly achieve. By engaging with the parametric design, i can think about the response to the brief with more open mind. it provides me more opportunities to achieve unexpected outcomes and i appreciate the enjoyment it brings to me. Although i was still not a good user of computational tools, i will keep learning it for finding more possibilities.

Learning outcomes


C5.0 APPENDiX - ALGOritHMiC SKEtCHES


1.ArchDaily, ‘Green Void/LAVA’, <http://www.archdaily.com/10233/green-void-lava/> [Accessed 22 April 2015]

2.Archi20, ‘tuft Pula, Floating Sculpture’, <http://www.arch2o.com/tuft-pula-floating-sculpture-numen-for-use/> [Accessed 25 April 2015]

3.Designboom, ‘numen/for use: tuft pula’, <http://www.designboom.com/design/numenfor-use-tuft-pula/> [Accessed 25 April 2015]

4.Guggenheim, ‘Geometric Shapes’, <http://www.guggenheim.org/new-york/education/school-educator-programs/teacher-resources/arts-curriculum-online?catid=730&id=119&view=item> [Accessed 20 April 2015]

5.LAVA, ‘GrEEN VOiD’, <http://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/green-void/> [Accessed 22 April 2015]

6.Niloy J. Mitra, ‘Advanced in Architectural Geometry’, <http://arhns.com/wsh/literatura/AAG_2008.pdf> [Accessed 20 April 2015]

7.Numen/For use, ‘tuft Pula’, <http://www.numen.eu/installations/tuft/pula/> [Accessed 24 April 2015]

rEFErENCE LiSt

80 CONCEPTUALISATION

Air Journal Final

Documents

Transcript of Air Journal Final