OBSERVATORY

SEMESTER 1, 2015

AIR - PART C

INGRID AAGENAES

STUDIOAIR

CONTENTS

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPES

C.3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL

C.4 LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

SITE ANALYSIS

10 POTENIAL LOCATIONS ON SITE

FOOT TRAFFIC

TREE DENSITY

The site analysis was divided into two primary criterias which deter-mined ten potential zones on site:

1. Human activity in relation to the bicycle path 2. Tree and vegetation density

The concentration of activity on site determined where we proposed to place the observatory installations on site, primarily the installations require a moderate to high amount of activi-ty to achieve a successful rate of in-teraction with pedestrians, however the installations are also designed to create connectivity between ac-tive and inactive zones on site, thus supporting the design in responding to issues such as fragmentation in relation to human activity on site. In order to satisfy both aspects of -hu-man activity and interaction, a mod-erate tree density bracket was select-ed. By placing the installations in moderate tree density zone, a fusion of both objectives can be achieved: the re-connection of inactive zones without discouragement caused by dense vegetation and tree lines.

Tree and vegetation density further-more influences how the installations can be placed on site as the design shall be hung or attached to/or from an object such as trees or existing struc-tures (walls). Tree density affects where we could place our location zones as the density cannot discour-age the approach to the installations as this shall compromise the success of interaction between users and site.

FABPOD

PART B

OLIVIA

INGRID

ANNA

Anna's project feedback primarily supported her response to on site issues such as litter pollution - By taking this example we have researched into social onsite issues: Connectivity, fragmenta-tion and human interaction on site appears only within certain spots along Merri Creek, moreo-ver transitional activities such as running and cycling are the most common actions on site.

FABPOD From Ingrid's precedent project, the Fabpod al-gorithm was adaopted to drive Part C. This was the most developed grasshopper script. We shall continue this throughout our new design pro-posal as this also best represented the aesthetic and structural qualities of the Fabpod algorithm.

Context sensitivity, green surfaces (incorpo-rating vegetation) and creating a relationship based on the significance of site and user was positively pointed out from Olivia's prece-dent project, which we shall continue through-out the new design development for part C.

C.1 DESIGN CONCEPT

The initial design start of Part C began from reflecting upon the key feedback points from the Part B interim presentation:

The new project focuses upon context sensitivity in regards to making users aware about the existence and significance of the ecological components that essentially create Merri Creek. By capturing a selection of ecological elements that users can physically observe up close, an interactive relationship between site and user is formed and the ecological system of Merri Creek can be publically valued and appreciated. Currently on site there appears to be a lack of interaction with the natural

system of Merri Creek, and we feel that this social issue shall be addressed with the new observatory design installation. The design installation is designed to encourage engaging interaction as opposed to others observed such as transitional interaction: cycling or running. Recycled plastic bottles shall be used to facilitate how ecological elements shall be placed within the design and furthermore adopting a material re-using system, supporting sustainability in regards to material life. The project shall be proposed as a head-height installation, which allows users to enter the enclosed space and observe contents within the head space.

from the external side each bottle shall feature a bio-focal lens within the neck of each bottle, allowing users to observe the ecological elements at a macro scale. However from the internal side, the base of each bottle shall feature as a coffered like ceiling feature show casing each element from the eye. The observatory targets any user on site, without limitation to language, gender or age. As a spot for observation, each ecological bottle can provide a form of engagement between children, teenagers, adults and the elderly which fundamentally provides a wide audience and likewise suggests how important the installations can be on site.

The project shall be designed so that plastic bottles will sit within each panel. Nine panels shall create the complete model. Within our design the largest panel contains thirteen openings, created to hold thirteen recycled bottles and therefore, hosting thirteen different varieties of Merri Creek s ecological system. The project overall shall feature bottles and natural elements. The value of the project shall be that the installation can exist independently or with a collection of other installations. The purpose for this is so that the model can customize its quantity according to a space. The installation can be observed from the external and internal side,

As we wanted the design to be a mini museum that could hang from the trees we ex-plored three different ways it could be used related to the overall shape.

1. A design that for multiple people used as a hanging tent.

2. As a second skin that cov-ers the whole body.

3. As a headpiece. A mini-mu-seum for one person.

Best related to our design was the headpiece for one person. As we wanted our design to be ap-proaching and self-explanatory number two would be difficult to get into and with number one people not want to get into the design if a stranger is already there. The third is easy to get into something that makes it ap-proaching.

1

2

3

OVERALL SHAPE:SELECTION

PROCESS:GRASSHOPPER

The geometric rules used in the FabPod project, estab-lished by Daniel Davis, guar-antees planar intersections between the hyperboloids(1). All the hyperboloids are then distributed on a sphere point-ing towards the spheres center. Several spheres that are intersected is the founda-tion for the final form of the project. Where the mid sphere is left and the others trimmed away. The shape is panelized using a spherical algorithm(1).

The middle sphere worked as a cutting object leaving all the surfaces of the other spheres.

By using the same trimming method as the FabPod when creating the overall shape it ensured us planar surfaces. To start off with, we created 9 points to be the center of 9 intersecting spheres.

Reference:1. Davis, Daniel. FabPod. June 2013. Found at http://www.danieldavis.com/fabpod/

The middle sphere worked as a cutting object leaving all the surfaces of the other spheres.

The bottom part of the geometry left is then timed away by a bound-ing box, leaving the geometry with the right size. As the design is a headpiece the height we set for the geometry was just under a meter.

Each of the nine surfaces have to be dealt with separately. To be able to cre-ate a vornoi pattern we referred back to the sphere center. Drawing lines on to the surface from the center point.

Reference:1. Davis, Daniel. FabPod. June 2013. Found at http://www.danieldavis.com/fabpod/

A vornoi pattern is created us-ing the lines as a guide . This pattern is determining the cone location and density.

Two Layers of cones is creat-ed. First from the vornoi pattern and then offset to another layer.

In order to create opening in the cones, cylinders are created with chosen di-ameter to use as a trimming object.

In order to create opening in the cones, cylinders are created with chosen di-ameter to use as a trimming object.

The finalized surface: two set of cones with different size open-ings responding to a bottle.

All nine surfaces put to-gether to the final design.

GRASSHOPPER:CUSTOMIZING THE MODEL TO BOTTLE DIMENSIONS

Length / Distance be-tween cones = 18.5mm

Radius = 36.62mm

Radius = 14.5mm

Length / Distance be-tween cones = 18.5mm

EXPLODED DIAGRAM

BOTTLED

ECOSYSTEM

1210

79

4

865

11

32

1

13

HIERACHY OF THE ECOSYSTEM 1-13

MORNING VINE

LEAF MIX

MAPLE TREE PODS

MOSS

ALGAE

PLANKTON

GRASSES

FENNEL

NETTLES

BUTTERFLY

LONG WATER REEDS

kk

EARTH WORM SYSTEM

GROWLING GRASSIFROG SPORN

MORNING VINE

LEAF MIX

MAPLE TREE PODS

MOSS

ALGAE

PLANKTON

GRASSES

FENNEL

NETTLES

BUTTERFLY

LONG WATER REEDS

kk

EARTH WORM SYSTEM

GROWLING GRASSIFROG SPORN

2

7

5

13

MATERIALITY

BALSA WOOD (3.0 MM)

SIMPLE TABS

INTERLOCKING TABS

BUTTERFLY PINS

WHITE POLYPROPELENE (0.6 MM)

CONNECTION POINTS

C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPESMATERIAL AND CONNECTIONS

C.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS & PROTOTYPESMATERIAL AND CONNECTIONS

BUTTERFLY PINS

INTERLOCKING TABS

PROTOTYPE: CONE STRUCTURE

SIMPLE TABS

BUTTERFLY PINS

INTERLOCKING TABS

END RESULT: CONE TEMPLATE FOR MODEL FABRICATION

SIMPLE TABS

CONNECTIONS:DISC CONNECTIONS AND TABS

SIMPLE TABS X 3 PER EDGE

BUTTERFLY PIN CONNECTIONS

FABRICATION PROCESS: PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF THE MODEL

FABRICATION PROCESS: PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF THE MODEL

Three elements of the model con-sist of MDF, Polypropelene and recycled plastic.

The MDF framework and disk con-nections create the structural shell of the model - A sturdy, non-brittle material that successfully works in compressive and tensile forced was required to hold the structure and cone system in place.

Polypropelene was required due to its flexible nature and light weight - Two material characteristics are required to successfully hold the concave and convex shape of each cone system without failure from material characteristics such as brit-tleness or elasticity. Polypropelene in this case is the most appropriate material choice for the model after prototype experimentation.

Recycled plastic make up the bottle system in which facilitates the concept of material recycling and furthermore holding fragments of the local ecological system at Merri Creek.

FABRICATION PROCESS: PRIMARY ELEMENTS OF THE MODEL

MDF DISK CONNECTIONS

MDF FRAMEWORK

REYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

MDF DISK CONNECTIONS

MDF FRAMEWORK

WHITE POLYPROPELENE CONES

REYCLED PLASTIC BOTTLES

CONNECTION POINTS

MDF DISK CONNECTIONS PIN & TAB CONNECTIONS

BOTTLE FIXING & CONE CONNECTIONS ON FINAL MODEL

MODEL NO.1

THE ASSEMBLY PROCESS INVOLVED THREE PRIMARY CONNECTION COMPONENTSWHICH COLLECTIVELY, MADE THE COMPLETE MODEL:

FRAMING SYSTEM

CONCAVE / CONVEX CONE SYSTEM

CONE TO FRAME SYSTEM

3D POWDER PRINT

The purpose of the 3D print was to depict the complete model (all nine panels) as a head piece. Scale in relation to a user and the model is further depicted.

C.3 FINAL DETAIL MODEL

ON SITE AT MERRI CREEK

C.4 RESPONSE: FINAL CRIT PANEL

After reflecting on the fi-nal presentaton two main forms of criticism to the pro-ject were appointed: the vulnarability of the instal-lation to public vandalism and long term materiality.

In response to this, the fu-ture development of the project would focus upon solutions to these concerns. Firstly, negative social be-haviours such as grafiti can be resolved with the addition of a transparent graffiti proof vinyl or lacre (1) to the external and in-ternal skins of the instal-lations. By doing so this shall entirely eliminate the problem without compro-mising the clean, minimal-istic nature of the design. Furthermore additional in-frastructure such as locka-ble fencing could be placed around the installations to discourage acitivity during

night hours for example. Long term materiality of the design required deeper thought as this shall essen-tially influence the aesthetic impression to the public.

Two materials were chosen to repond to this issue: lam-inated wood and opaque fi-breglass. The two materials provide better performance against long term prob-lems such as weathering and furthermore can easily adapt to the geometrical nature of the observatory.

Two materials were chosen to repond to this issue: lam-inated wood and opaque fi-breglass. The two materials provide better performance against long term prob-lems such as weathering and furthermore can easily adapt to the geometrical nature of the observatory.

Reference:1. Spec-Net, Graffiti Proof Vinyl. June 2013. Found at http://www.spec-net.com.au/press/0714/vip_300714.htm

Reference:1. Spec-Net, Graffiti Proof Vinyl. June 2013. Found at http://www.spec-net.com.au/press/0714/vip_300714.htm

LEARNING OBJECTIVES & OUTCOMES

This subject have made me look at a de-sign process in a different way, or at least expanded the possibilities when designing. In relation to other studios I have had earli-er where the design is shaped by a picture in my head, the design process have now started with a response to an issue or an opportunity and from there the design have developed in order to optimize the design to its function.

The main thing I have learned from this subject is using grasshopper and algorith-mic design. It has been interesting to see how much my skills have developed in only 12weeks. It s a very different way of using a design program but I believe it will be more and more used by architects in the future.

The brief was very vague and in the first half of the semester I spent most of my time trying to learn grasshopper. My design proposal for Part B was therefore not well developed. On the other hand I had a solid understanding of parametric modelling and a script that I could use for the Part C.

The one thing that have surprised me is that by using algorithmic design I can now generate a variety of designs using the same scrip. The observatory can easily be re-design. If for example we were to put glass tubes in the openings instead of plastic bottles, this could be done by only changing 4 components in the grasshopper script.

Before I started this subject I did not un-derstand what air had to do with the design studio. This is one of the learning objectives for this subject and I now understand what this implies. I believe parametric modeling is a step towards a new era in architecture. We can use environmental factors such as wind direction and plug it into a program and use the information given to create a design that responds to this information in a way that the design is optimized.

The one thing that have surprised me is that by using algorithmic design I can now generate a variety of designs using the same scrip. The observatory can easily be re-design. If for example we were to put glass tubes in the openings instead of plastic bottles, this could be done by only changing 4 components in the grasshopper script.

Before I started this subject I did not un-derstand what air had to do with the design studio. This is one of the learning objectives for this subject and I now understand what this implies. I believe parametric modeling is a step towards a new era in architecture. We can use environmental factors such as wind direction and plug it into a program and use the information given to create a design that responds to this information in a way that the design is optimized.

REFERENCES

Davis, Daniel. FabPod. June 2013. Found at http://www.danieldavis.com/fabpod/

Spec-Net, Graffiti Proof Vinyl. June 2013. Found at http://www.spec-net.com.au/press/0714/vip_300714.htm