JANICE LOBOSEMESTER 1, 2013

TUTOR:DAVID LISTER

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EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Contents

EOI.1 CASE FOR INNOVATION

Bio .......... 1Architecture as a Discourse .......... 4

Exploring Timber .......... 5Computerization in Design .......... 9

Parametric Structures .......... 13Grasshopper Experiments ......... 18

Conclusion ......... 19

EOI.2 DESIGN APPROACH

Design Focus .......... 23Case Study 1.0 .......... 27Case Study 2.0 .......... 29

Transition .......... 33Helicoid.......... 34

Technique Development ......... 36Prototypes ......... 37

Technique Proposal......... 40Algorithmic Sketches ......... 43

Learning Outcomes ......... 44

MeHello.

My name is Janice Lobo and I am a third year architecture student at the Uni-versity of Melbourne. I am of Indian orgin, but was born and raised in Dubai., UAE Both these places have a big impact on the architectural style that I am interested in. The discourse in both those cities is vastly different yet interest-ing because where one is an old country with a history of precedents to look to, the other is young and uninhibited by it. The difference was obvious to me as a young age and I would try to understand the cultural and technological influences behind them. Being raised in Dubai during the boom of its architec-tural exploration and development really inspired me to study Architecture.

The CompletedI first began my digital design journey by playing around in Illustrator and Photoshop. After I took an interest in architecture, I found AutoCad and 3D Max. These were the primary platforms that I chose to work in.

In Semester 2, 2011, I took Virtual Environments at the University of Melbourne. This is where I was first exposed to parametric modelling . We used Rhino to create a structure that was to interact with our body and draw influence from nature. Through this proj-ect I got to experience using parametric modelling and stud-ied the influence it is having in the current face of architecture.

Even though I enjoyed using it on a digital platform, when it came to fabrication, I was unsure about the materials that would work most effectively with my design, and I regret not going through a trial and error process to fully utilize the properties of different materi-als into my design instead of trying to morph them to fit my work.

This semester I would be interested in looking at how materi-als can influence design, but particularly how parametric tools could be used to most efficently use the materials available.

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EOI: 1CASE FOR INNOVATION

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Architecture as a Discourse

An ongoing discourse that is generat-ed by recent projects such as the Burj Khalifa, Dubai, is material efficency and structural properties. As we push boundaries and create structures that are more ambitous and more innova-tive that the next , we generate more discourse that leads to innovation. Dis-covering new material properties and structural techonologies have always led to a change in architecture. When Frank Lloyd Wright designed the Edgar Kauffman House, he used concrete and steel to create massive cantelievered slabs that were not believed to be pos-sible, but it was a success that led to other projects experiementing with these ideas. Similarly, material proper-ties that are constantly being discov-ered allows us to push our designs to areas that we wouldn’t consider before.

This semester we have been asked to look at the Western Gateway Proj-ect and use parametric tools create an optimum solution that reflects our area of interest.I would like to explore the materiality through strips and folding to help me achieve this goal.

“Free experimentation requires less detailed constraints and computation so archi-tects may turn to simulations with accuracy levels that reflect the stage of design.” 1

1. Fisher Al, “Engineering integration: Realtime Approaches to performative computational design.”, Archi-tectural design, 82 (2001), 112-117 < http://app.lms.unimelb.edu.au/bbcswebdav/pid-3815792-dt-content-rid-12070568_2/courses/ABPL30048_2013_SM1/Lectures/Studio%20Air%202013%20-%20Lecture%2004%20-%20Performative%20Design%20-%20slides.pdf > 4

Architecture is so embedded into our lives that we sometimes fail to see the effect it has on us. The creation and ma-nipulation of space can inform our emo-tions, productivity and well-being. For example, an open plan space can prove to be more effective in some office en-vironments in comparison to individual cubicle layout and hence increase pro-ductivity. Therefore it is important that architects take responsibility for the re-sponses their designs evoke in people.

Architecture also has a big impact on the environment, built and natural. Compu-tational tools helps us to maximize ef-ficency of materials by exploring their contraints and working within them to create new and sustainable design. Parametric tools allows us to design in a responsible way by creating individ-ual panels that can be taken apart and transported easily. It also allows us to generate a multitude of designs based on the constraints of site, materiality and functionality. We can use it to cre-ate responsive architecture that uses materials efficently and in new ways that are environmentally sustainable.

Trada Pavillion,2013

Exploring TimberTimber is a material that is usually used for frames and straight line struc-tures. Due to its inefficency under tension, and its tendancy to warp and twist with changing weather conditions, it is not always the most ide-al material to use for curved and organic shapes. But timber is a light weight, organic and renewable material. It creates an emotional re-sponse of warmth and can be designed to be fluid structures in nature.

Parametric modelling can be used to to explore the possibilities of timber further. Curved structures can be panellized into flat volumes that can be easily laser cut and attached together using a large number of joining sys-tems. These systems are lightweight and have to be joined at the ground.

The Trada Pavilion designed by Ramboll Computational Design that is scheduled to be built for at the Ecobuild Exposition 2013. The structure used an algorithm to divide the structure into planar three-valence mesh that can be constructed using flat panels. The advantage of using a hexagonal mesh is that it has great-er structural efficencies and requires fewer connections. The panels are 15 mm thick and were fabricated using a three-axis CNC route2. The fabrication pro-cess included the drilling of holes for hinges, bolts and cutting the contours for the panels. Grasshopper was used to place the hinges in optimum locations3.

The pavilion uses ordinary flat timber panels and hinges, combined with an algorithm that provides the information required to design a free standing timber structure. This idea is can be easily applied in de-sign temporary shelters quickly and efficently in disaster zones. The showcase of this structure in an event such as Ecobuild generates dis-course and allows this building technology to be studied and publicized.

2. Admin, “Parametric Timber Pavilion” in evolvo, <http://www.evolo.us/architecture/parametric-timber-pavilion/> [accessed 25 March 2013]

3. RCD, “Trada Pavilion” in Ramboll Computational Design <http://blog.ramboll.com/rcd/project/trada-pavilion-completed.html> [accessed 23 March 2013]

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ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011

Similarly, the ICD/ITKE Research Pa-vilion at the University of Stuttgart uses computer based design and com-puter manufacturing methods to create an ideal structure using complex geom-etry derived from bionic principles of a sea urchin’s plate skeleton. The struc-ture is built out of thin sheets of ply-wood measuring 6.5 mm, fastened to the ground to prevent it flying away due to this extremely light weight. The join-ery used in this structure was also de-rived from nature. Computational de-sign tools were required in this project to derive the complex repeatiting ge-ometry, where the hexagons change is size depending on what is most strutur-ally viable and the local curvature. This structure also has the advantage for be-ing able to take it apart and transport4.

Like the Trada Pavilion, this structure is light weight, made of a sustinable materi-al and easy to construct. It creates a shel-ter space the evokes emotion through its repeated pattern and overall aesthetic. The cocoon like shape gives a feeling of protection, gowever it also shades from the views of the environment. This is compensated for by the large openings at the end which create a dramatic outlook.

These ideas would be useful to the Wyndham project because they would help convey an emotion to the travel-lers. Because the moment is so brief and fleeting, we would need to en-capsulate the drama that this struc-ture has with an ease of construction.

4. ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart” in dezeen magazine, <http://www.dezeen.com/2011/10/31/icditke-research-pavilion-at-the-university-of-stuttgart/> [accessed 25 March 2013]

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Computerization in Design

5. Frazer John H. (2006). ‘the generation of Virtual prototypes for performance optimization’, in GameSetAndMatch II: The Architec-ture Co-Laboratory on Computer Games, Advanced Geometries and Digital Technologies, ed. by Kas oosterhuis and Lukas Feireiss (rotterdam:episode publishers), pp. 208-212

6. Cilento Karen, “Al Bahar Towers Respnsive Facade” in archdaily <http://www.archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas/#more-270592> [accessed 28 March 2013]

“design computation is still only seen by many as ‘just a tool’ and remote from the real business of creative design” 5

Computerization plays an important role in responsive architecture. In the Al Bahar Tower designed by Aedas Ar-chitects, the skin of the building is a shading system that responds to the sun. The shades open and close to let in sunlight and provide privacy. It is designed for the hot UAE sun, so the entire skin moves along with the sun to shade different parts of the build-ing during different times of the day. Even though this may seem inefficent and expensive, the shading system is expected to reduce the buildings re-quirement for air conditioning by 50%.

This positive environmental effect is something we can hope to achieve through the use of computational tools that would be must more difficult, or even impossible to create without.

The form of the shading system is called a mashrabiya which is an Is-lamic shading system. Using this as an inspiration, the design was computed into a digital modelling software in-stead of computerized which is the creation of design in a modelling soft-ware. In this scenario, the benefits of the computed system, allowed the designers to panelize the facade in a way that can be morphed - moved, opened, closed - to respond to the en-vironmental conditions. However the layout of entire skin and the forms it creates as it moves across the building was determined by computerization6.

This project is a combination of both computerization and computation, and is an embodiment of the idea that computer aided design leads to structures that combine aesthet-ics and functionality. This struc-ture is almost fits into Louis Sulli-vans idea of form following function.

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Al Bahar Towers,2012

The ContemPlay Pavillion is based on the principle of a three dimen-sional Möbius strip supported by a triangular truss. Digital modelling was used in this pavillian to ensure that the individual tubes do not in-tersect with each other7. They use digital modelling to vary the thick-ness of the tubes. Grasshopper was able to predict every connec-tion and joint accurately depending on the thickness of the structural members8. In this way, computerization has enabled the designer to explore possibilities that would have been near impossible to do oth-erwise. It has opened up the possiblities for creation instead of taking away the creativity. Using Grasshopper, the team was able to change the variables in the structure, giving them control of the outcome.

Digital software also helped bridge the cap between engineer-ing and architecture. Engineering computational software was used to realize the stress of compression and tension that the struc-ture would undergo and the information derived from this was in-puted into Grasshopper that checked that there were no interfer-ences with structural changes made. Computation has allowed for a platform and language that can be read across various professionals.

The ContemPlay pavilion was designed and constructed by Masters of Ar-chitecture students at the University of Mcgill. Their study into paramet-ric modelling allowed them to build a structure of this scale and effect.

It must be noted however, that if one is unaware of digital modelling software, it would be much harder to read and understand the program-ming code than hand-drawn plans. But the advantages of using these softwares in a professional environment by trained designers is lead-ing to a new wave of architecture that is only possible because of it.

C o n t e m P L A Y ,2012

7. Chang Lian Chikako, “ContemPLAY: Adventures in full-scale digital fabrication” in archinect <http://archinect.com/blog/ar-ticle/53814624/adventures-in-full-scale-digital-fabrication-interview-with-sophie-wilkin-from-mcgill-s-contemplay> [accessed 20 March 2013

8. Mingallon Maria, “ContemPLAY pavilion completes” in World Architecture News <http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/in-dex.php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=20684/> [accessed 22 March 2013] 12

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Parametric Structures

This project requires a sophistacted amount of control and it attempts to ma-nipulate a very harst environment into become habitable and comfortable. It attemots to preserve the lical ideantity and image, while still being innovative.The use of parametric tools allows us to set boundaries and constraints for the structure. It allows us to create a multitude of parts that can easily be sent to a local laser cutter to create stones of the extra shape and heigh. Be-cause of the smooth nature of the form, the precision is very imporanr here

Using Parametric tools, has allowed them to also control the light and shad-ow patterns and let the design be changed and influenced by this. In Wynd-ham, this is what our structure would do as well. It would constantly change, so that the way ts users interact with it can also be a changing experience.

Computerization can be used to predict environmental pat-terns.It can also be used to predict the ways in which a space will respond to the en-vironment depending on its wall thickness, height, etc.By treating the optimum environmental condition as a constraint in your de-sign, you can use paramet-ric tools to create a solution.

This housing proposal in Oman utilizes a rhomboid frame-work within two strips to produce the model. The sur-faces’ length, width and thick-ness is responsive to weather conditions, thickening up in high temperatures and mov-ing the panels to allow for in-creased ventilation indoors9.

9. Admin, “Eco-Sustainable Housing – Parametric Design” in evolvo <http://www.evolo.us/architecture/eco-sustainable-housing-parametric-design/> [accessed 21 March 2013]

Housing Competition,2007

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Parametric modelling allowing for the constant change in form through out the design process.

Parametric modelling can be used to create efficent structures have increased material efficency.

The basic structual system usied in the Bengbu City Opera/Music Hall is a gridshell. The quadrilateral grid is comprised of steel tubes and stiff-ened by steel rods to maintain the systems stability. Using parametric tools, they were able to optimize the curvature of the gridshell to mini-mize the curvature of glass panels that are expensive to fabricate10. This project utilizes the strength of steel as an informant for the design itself. The material performance of both steel and glass act as pa-rameters allowing for various pos-sibilities within their constraints.

The exterior concrete shell is pro-posed to be constructed using a steel frame with lightweight concrete pre-cast concrete panels on the outside and acoustical panels hung from the interior of the frame. This would re-duce construction time and avoid ex-tremely large loads that would be cre-ated from a monolithical approach.

10. “Bengbu City Opera House Final” in [n]igma <http://luisquinones-design.com/CMTA-Bengbu-City-Opera-House-Final> [accessed 30 March 2013]

Bengbu Opera Music Hall

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Parametric modeling was used here to cre-ate the three dimensional space for a res-taurant. This discourse around this struc-

ture is that it symbolizes the retail culture and the trappings of the mall context. It

was constructed using steel rods, fixed to plywood panels that allowed the leveling of the framework. The panels do not act purely as a roof covering and decorative element, it also merges into the ground

creating a shelving system that can be eas-ily used by the behind-the-counter staff.

sp+arch are focused on challenging the existing discourse, particularly through changing the socio-economic typologies. They used parametric modelling for their design Indigo Deli in Mumbai13.

One of the parameters that had to be worked within was the brand image of this chain restaurant. The client wanted to maintain the aesthetic feel of the restaurant and insisted on using copper and

timber elements14.

It is a hybrid structure that uses the combination of structural elements such as quasi-dome and quasi-structure to maximize the structural efficency within the constraints of the layout. The ar-

chitects use intersecting strips of timber that have been solved in using parametric modelling soft-wares13.

Indigo Deli, 2011

13. “Indigo Deli, Mumbai” in sp+a <http://www.sp-arc.net/> [accessed 15 March 2013]

14. Shah Dhanishta “sP+A Uncovered” in Home Review <http://www.home-review.com/2012/03/spa-uncovered/> [ac-cessed 15 March 2013]

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ZA11 Pavillion designed by students for the ZA11 Speaking Architecture event in Cluj, Romania. The purpose of the design was to attract people to the architecture festival as well as providing an interactive space that could also function as a shelter.

The major constraints of the design was the budget and fabrication techniques. Parametric modelling tools were helpful in this aspect because it allowed for the logical labelling of individual strips that could be put together on site11.

The students used Grasshopper to create the individual panel strips that were divided into 746 unique hexagonal pieces. The panels were of varying thickness to reduce and increase loads in required areas. In this case, timber proved to be a viable lightweight material that allowed the construction process to take place without the use of heavy vehicles11.

This project is interesting because it uses simple manufacturing and construc-tion techniques and an amature knowledge of parametric modelling tools, but is still a successful temporary structure that functioned as a pavillion space during the festival. This contrasts Woodbury’s theory that parametric tools in that hands of amatuer uses leads to amateur design because the soft-ware controls the user12, but in this case, proved to be the other way around.

11. Jett , Megan. “ZA11 Pavilion / Dimitrie Stefanescu, Patrick Bedarf, Bogdan Hambasan” 05 Jul 2011. ArchDaily. Accessed 04 Apr 2013. <htt p://www.archdaily.com/147948>

12. Woodbury, Robert F. and Andrew L. Burrow (2006). ‘Whither design space?’, Arti fi cial Intelligence for Engineering Design, Analysis and Manufacturing, 20 , 2, pp. 63-82

ZA11 Pavillion,2011

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For this course we are to use Grasshopper in Rhino for our Gateway design project. Following the weekly tutorials, I have chosen these 3 experiments because they are most relavent to my field of interest, even if they are not the most successful.

Fig. 1 uses point attractors on delaunay mesh surface to create a series of cylinder of varying heights and diameters. This approach would be useful in creating my major assignment because it would enable my group to vary strips of thickness’ and widths at points for either aesthetic value or structural and material value.

Fig. 2 extracts the edges of a delaunay mesh and converts them into individ-ual planar quadrilateral meshes that follow the form of the initial curve. This method would be valuable in creating individual panels that can be divided into easily fabricated panels.

Fig. 3 also works on the framework of a series of curves. It uses a conditional statement that offsets theres curves based on the length of the curves and forms a triangulated delauney mesh that is derived from the geom-etry of the initial loft and the offset-ted loft. This experiment was based on the ContemPlay design, one tha I would like to further explore using additional plugins such as Kangaroo.

My design approach will utilize material properties as constraints for my design, and by this, expanding the possibilities in which the material can be used, as can be observed in the Trada Pavillion and ContemPlay, where the designers used the material strengths and weakness as constraints to create new and innovative designs. My approach will also be framed by exploring strips and folding methods such as the Mobius strip. It is sig-nificant to design in this way because it uses the knowledge of exisisting material properties and geometries to create a new and innovative struc-ture that push the boundaries of the basic elements of the structure itself.

Conclusion

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Learning Outcomes

I have always had an appreciation for computers as a design tool. This course taught us that are merely tools in the designers hands, the same way a pencil works as a tool and therefore does not control the design, merely guides it and helps to provide new outcomes. However learning about parametric modelling has changed my outlook towards designing. It has allowed my to realize that the computer can also be used to solve problems and force us to design within constraints which would cause us to push our creativity within possibilities instead of designing creative won-ders that our impossible to construct and leading us to compromise fur-ther on in the design process and ending up with designs that are much less successful. By setting up the limits initially we can design structures that can be easily constructed and maximize time and material efficency.

This design approach would have been useful in past projects because it would allow me to make changes further on in my design process with-out affecting the overall constructibility of my model and drawings.

EOI: 2DESIGN APPROACH

For the Western Gateway Project, we were put into teams with a particular research focus. My team will tackle this project from the perspective on Strips and Folding. However within the parameters of that topic, we have broken it down further to al-low us to each focus on our own individual ideas and then bring them together to form a cohesive whole. This idea was derived from our understanding of how architectural practices work, and delegating the work, as well as inspired by the design pro-cess of a previously mentioned project, the ContemPlay Pavilion.

In the ContemPlay Pavilion project they split the work into gen-eral aesthetic/design, structure, details and materials con-straints. We thought a similar approach would function well for us, and the area I was assigned was material constraints. I went about this by conducting research on precedents, and through a process of fabrication with different materials.

Using Computational software I attempted to generate a natural environment in Grasshopper to test the performance of materials under specific conditions such as the changing sunlight and wind.

I believe this holistic view is ideal for Wyndham to take to best respresent its city and create to generate a dis-course about the place and ideals associated with it.

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ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010

Design Focus

Using computer software in combi-nation with fabrication, they tested the bending properties of different types of timber. Even though we do not have the se sofisticated tools available to us, we can visually ob-serve the materials and try to gen-erate the closest effect possible.

This pavilion was designed and constructed by the Institute for Computa-tional Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE). The structure aimed to portray recent developments in com-putational design in regards to material performance and new processes in fabrication. The structure is a system of very thin, bent plywood strips.

This project is innovative and relevant because is demonstrates a new ap-proach to design. It emphasises the importance of considering materials properties as they are always a factor in built projects. In my Case for Inno-vation, I explored the new kinds of design and forward thinking approaches that result from considering material properties. This pavilion is an example of that aprroach. The design of the structure is driven by the performance of the materials - in this case, the elasticity of plywood strups. These strips are manufactured robitically and connected to allow for tension along their length. It was key to use computer software in this structure because de-pending on the stresses, the strips and joints were changed resulting in 500 geometrically unique parts. This approach however allowed for a very light-weight system that is constructed from 6.5 mm thin birch plywood strips.

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13. Menges, Achim. “ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010” 2010. University of Stuttgart. Accessed 06 May 2013. <http://icd.uni-stutt-gart.de/?p=4458 >

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Moire Effect

The moire effect occurs when two sets of grid-lines are overlaid on each other. It creates an illusion of depth and movement across the surface. By incorporat-ing this into a method of strips that our overlaid, we can create a smooth and calming effect.

The Moire effect created here is in the facade of the building. It adds a level of dynamism to the structure. An interest-ing point about this building is that it is windowless. There are verticle black stripes painted onto the facade, and then aluminium slats added over the top. This has allowed it to create differ-ent interference patterns as you move around the buiding. It also means that the moire is independant of light and shadow, but engrained into the structure.

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14. Brzezicki, Marcin. “Designer’s controlled and randomly generated moiré patterns in architecture.” 2011. GA2011 – XV Genera-tive Art Conference, Accessed 06 May 2013. <http://www.generativeart.com/GA2011/marcin.pdf>

Biothing Pavilion

This project was good to explore because it was comprised of in-dividual strips that could be changed. I experimented by chang-ing the length of the strip, the Fline number, manipulating the nth strips in size and warping the entire surface around another shape.

These particular influences were chosen for a reason. The strip elonga-tion was to play around with the form to achieve an interesting result that would suit the material properties of timbe - a material that I desire to construct my project out of because of flexible properties, performance in tension and sustainable source of material. I found 3 and 4 to be too short and therefore the stress no distributed prop-erly, 1 and 6 to be too long, required much more material that would make the structure heavy. Iterations 2 and 5 were most pleasing, however I would choose iteration 2 purely because of its orientation.

The second test was to change the Fline number. This changed the overall size of the instances. The higher the number, the great-er the size. Number 5 would be more interesting as it would for long strips that could act as a shelter and still be self supporting.

The third test was to change every second strip to be a horizontal straight plane. This would create a dynamic effect and allow for every odd member to be utlilized for another purpose, structural or aesthet-ic. It also allows you to play with the length of those strips indepen-dant of the others. I felt that all the iterations were successful in their own way, but number 3 offers potential to use the alternate strips for other purposes and generate a more complex lighting pattern.

The fouth test is interesting because it allows us to change the form of the pavilion as a whole. Using the pull curve func-tion, we could generate the natural environment and pull the curves to fit within it and even mirror thegeometries.

Case Study 1.0

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

You created this PDF from an application that is not licensed to print to novaPDF printer (http://www.novapdf.com)

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Elongation of strips Fline N Changing Nth strip in each instance

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Pull curves to a surface

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To begin our design process we reverse engineered an exisit-ing project in Grasshopper. The project my group chose was the previously mentioned ContemPlay Pavilion. We chose this project because it related back to our Case for Innovation. The project is a Mobius strip - which is a strip with one conti-nous edge that runs along the entire shape. We created the strip using LunchBox. This overall shape is divided into equal strips, various methods of generating surface divisions were attempted but we decided to go with the one that would best lead us into the next stage of the design. The third step was extrating individual panels from the strips. The final stage was creating the second layer to acheive the Moire effect.

This project influenced a concept for a our design. We de-cided to explore the Moire effect further after the suc-cessful tests acheieved here. In terms of the materia

Case Study 2.0

Step 1: Mobius Strip Step 2: Dividing into strips Step 3: Creating panels

Step 4: Creating a second layer and rotating it to create moire effect

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Intial Explorations - We first tried to play around with the mobius strip, but divid-ing it up in different ways. Each iteration also led us to think about material. The ones we considered we metal, stone and brick, based on the shape we were getting. How-ever we d ecided that we wanted a more lightweight structure , and more importantly, one that creates the moire effect, and it would therefore have to be long vertical strips.

We then tried to add a wind element to the structure and hoped to de-rive a form from that. Even though this produced interesting effects, we couldnt mimic the stiff joints and overall structure that we wanted to. We de-cided that future wind experiments would be conducted once fabricated.

Strips - We then latched on to an idea of a bird taking flight, and using the form we derived from this idea, we attempted to use different methods of generating strips. We found the final version to be most effective in generating the effect we would like to create.

However we decided that this form was not idea for us, and therefore needed to do more research and form finding.

In our form finding process, we came across an idea of keep-ing the sides enclosed and opening the skies up. We experi-mented with an elongated strip form to generate this idea.

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Transition

The concept we developed is the idea of Transistion. Look-ing at the history of Wyndham and the values they are trying to create in the community. To passively delivery this message into the travellers mind we looked at forms that express this idea through the idea of transistion.

Sagrada Familia by Gaudi contains a series of helicoid shaped stairs. He uses the sinosoidal curve to represent the transistion between spaces. We intended on using this analogy to create a continous transistion of space.

The representation over a long area, combined with the moire effect that we intend on creating, will help deliver our message. That Wyndham has its own values of sustain-able development and a strong sense of community focus .

Transition through Form

Transition through Material

TimberTimber is a light weight sustainable material. It has an aes-thetic of warmth and the natural. We feel like it is a ma-terial that could appropriately be used to describe Wynd-ham. Therefore we decided that the side of the structure facing Wyndham would be constructed out of timber.

MetalWe want to represent the city as a place of industry and technology. It is a place of innovation. We don’t just want to create an excitement about Wyndham, but an ex-citement about moving through - transitioning - through these spaces and seeing the benefits of both. There-fore we decided to use metal on the side facing the city.

14. Sagrada Familia. “HELICOIDS AND CONOIDS ”, Accessed 05 May 2013. < http://www.sagradafamilia.cat/sf-eng/docs_instit/geo-metria5.php >

We experimented with turning the panels to the direction of the sun. This allowed us to experiment with different shadows created on the ground and change the direction of the moire effect was. Even though this experiment produced interest-ing individual results, it meant that the structure would only really be effective at a certain point in the day, and therefore we decided to go with the original helicoid structure.

Helicoid

We experimented by applying wind through this structure as well. Simi-lar to the other wind experiments, the entire structure was subject to it, like it was made out of paper. This struck a temporary idea to move in the direction of a folded structure that moves and bends with the wind. But our initial concept took over.

We created the helicoid shape us-ing the Lunchbox tool in Grass-hopper. We then applied the same paneling information that we had to the mobius. We experimented with different panel widths, num-ber of panels, and changing the widths at particular areas in the structure to achieve particular effects.

We attempted to copy the dou-ble layered mobius strip seen in ContemPlay with the heli-coid, but found it to be loud and distracting from the simil-icity of our idea. However this meant we needed a new way to achieve the moire effect.

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We found that the solution around creating the desired effect through-out the day was in rotating the position of the structure on the site so it sits at a diagonal. This would mean that at particular points along the drive, the user would see a moire effect. This creates a dy-namic element to the design, as well as opens it up for discourse .

We also decided to use a double helicoid, but instead of layer-ing one behind the other, we decided to inverse them, creating a long contious flow. Through fabrication process we also real-ized that there is an interference pattern created on the ground that the users would drive through. This would create a pas-sive relaxing effect. The individual panels would be constructed out to timber with each instance being an alternating material.The elements that are constructed out of timber would, by the na-ture of its material properties, be more flexible than the metal ones. We would create movement joints to allow the top portion of the timber to sway, but keep the metal steady and constant. This would represent a changing and dynamic Wyndham community.

We believe that this movement would also localize the structure more. It would use the winds on site to produce an effect that would be unique to the site. On an open freeway, the change in materials would also instinctively let its users know where they are headed to.

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Technique Development

Prototypes

We chose to conceal the structure by cantelievering the col-umns from the ground. We required a stronger ground for this. In order to get the angle of the columns correct, we came up with a double ground system, where would would cre-ate two ground levels with slits for the columns. Therefore the columns would automatically adjust itself to the correct angle. This method proved to be very effective, however we are not sure of its success when we apply thicker materials.

Initial Prototypes

Final Prototypes

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In designing this Wyndham structure we have always kept in mind that we are de-signing for Wyndham. The timber obtained will be locally sourced, to enrich the representation of Wyndham. We achieve this representation by elongating the sculpture to fit the entire site, creating significant time period where the user will experience the juxtaposition between the Wyndham community and the city.

The contrasting materials act as an agressive method of mak-ing the users aware of the place, but the more subtle moire ef-fect that the would drive through would passively relax their sense. The tapering of the materials towards to respective side that they face act as arrows pointing the users in the direction of their transisiton.

Further improvement we are looking at making is consider-ing the experience of the sculpture at night; possibly by incorpo-rating light, implementing a sustainable construction technique when considering the manufacturing of the panels in order to ad-dress Wyndham’s sustainable and environmentally ideals and im-provising on the rudimentary movement joints that we have de-sign at the moment to acheive a motion that is gentle and effective.

Technique Proposal

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We were suprised at how much the computational tools used informed our design approach. Linking this back to my Case for Innovation where I discussed how the software is a tool that facilitates our design and creates new outcomes,

Grasshopper and the plugins we used in it allowed us to make design choices that we would not have before. The tools pro-vided to use through the tutorials allowed us to consider dif-ferent panelling systems, even through we chose to go with a basic stripped and divided form. We were able to ap-ply real life conditions like sun and wind to test different ef-fects that could be created through the natural environment.We were easily able to generate a helicoid form through the use of lunchbox, and this made us more inclined to test this shape that could have otherwise be an obstacle we would not have attempted to cross.

I would say that designing algorithmically is the rea-son our design process has ended up in this area.

Algorithmic Sketches

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The feedback receieved during the presentation directed us in the di-rection of exploring the relationship of the structure to the site fur-ther. Unsure about how to approach this, we decided to look at the Wyndham area further. We decided that we need to change our meth-od of construction. Currently our structure is comprised of unique mem-bers that would all need to be manufactured individually. This differs from the ideal sustainable solution that Wyndham is hoping to pres-ent. We considering standardising our members, however this would loose the exisisting effect. We also considered creating frames and us-ing a claddings system, but that would involve unrequired materials and complications. We are still in the process of coming up with the ideal solution, and hopefully by putting our heads together we will have one.

The theortical approach of studying precendents and understand-ing the way in which they used computational tools has been very useful in our design process. We have also attempted to use these tools to create and try methods that we wouldn’t have manu-ally. This has taken our design further and made it more holistic.

Using the tutorials on Grasshopper and Kangaroo provided to us in the course has been paramount in my understanding. I used it mainly as an outline or a referal when I got stuck in my design process instead of de-signing as I went along the videos. I felt that if I were to do that, my out-come would be identical to that of my peers, therefore I did not view the videos in a linear fashion, instead bounced around based on the stage of my design. A change I would like to make is to revisit the tutorials on data structures. Even though my grasp on Kangaroo Physics is better now, I still feel lacking in my understanding of the way the algothrim views that data, and a better understanding of this, would lead to a better design outcome. The most important lesson I learn however was the importance of fabrication. The next stages of our design will include a much larger amount of fabricated models, tests for materials proper-ties and structural issues to inform where our design goes next.

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Learning Objectives