Architecture Design Studio:

A I R

NGAI Sum Ming Sam 395090 Semester 1, 2013 Studio 15

Index:

Self Introduction Part A. Case for Innovation 1. Architecture as Discourse 2. Computation in Architecture 3. Parametric Modeling

I am Sam, Sum NGAI, I am from Hong Kong. I am in my third year of university, majoring architecture. I studied sci-ence before I went into university, I love to play music and I like to drive and explore the nature. Although I did not have any architectural training before I went to university, I love architecture since I was a kid. My home town is a place crowded with buildings, 7-storey residential housing, skyscrapers, cottages, etc. I’m curi-ous of the design of buildings, in many cases they pack so many people in such a limited space. And as the land becoming more and more of a scarce in Hong Kong, new buildings need to be much more efficient. I think parametric design is the solution to this problem, parametric design is about breaking boundaries, to cre-ate designs that can response to the environment and perhaps to revolve under different circumstances.

Self Introduction:

My experience with computational design was with the Virtual Environments subject in the first year of university. I am not good at drawing so I found designing with computer is easier to express and visualize my design ideas. The images on the right is some of the outcomes from Virtual Environments. It is designed to wear on your body like a suit. And by designing that, I explore and learn from the nature. That was the first time using Rhino to design in a digital environment. I think parametric design is an efficient way of designing because you can quickly gener-ate an array of prototypes, evaluate them and take further actions. To conclude, I am looking forward to ex-plore another new design platform Grass-hopper and I hope I can make good use of digital design and be more competitive after finishing this course.

Architecture As Discourse: From the Exploring Visual Culture (2005), Richard William defines some perspectives of how people looking into architecture, and I am going to explore four of the perspectives he mentioned. Architecture as art is the most common perspective of all, a good building should be challenging, revolutionary and be aesthetic brilliance1. This can relates to parametric de-sign where designs are to be extraordinary and different from traditional designs be-cause parametric design can enable us to have delicate and complex detailing that is hard to achieve without the help of a com-puter. Richard also mentions the modernism has influenced the aesthetic attention has shifted from the facade to the relationship between the skin and structure1. The Fibrous Tower by Kokkugia2 is a good example of how parametric design is capable of mak-ing skin of a building that also work as a structural component. Another aspect for architecture is to be cli-ent oriented. I think it is true because archi-tectures rely on the funding of their cilents. Architecture is bounded by specifications, location and architects must work within the parameters. Parametric design can con-struct forms and spaces that architects can work more closely to the limits of the con-strains, thus, create better architecture.

Fibrous Tower 2008 by Kokkugia. Computational design to ensure the fibrous structure to transfer loads efficiently to the ground.

Richard also suggests architecture needs to be considered “less set of special material products and rather more as range of social and professional practices that sometimes, but by no means always, lead to buildings.”1 Rather than designing a building, but by looking at the social and the people around, and using those ideas to create a build-ing, a form of structure that reflects people around, this creates a discourse that involves everyone around the architecture. And by that, everyone will have their own experi-ence with the architecture, this experience is unique and evolving, and that brings me into the last aspect. Architecture as a reality reserve, this is often perceive as a retrograde aspect but I think it is very important that cannot be overlook. I think architecture is always suppose be a place for refuge and spiritual repose. And with parametric design we can create struc-ture that response to the temperature, the humidity and create almost like an organism that intereact with the surroundings, giving users a new experience everytime they en-ter or see the building. I think this is the direction of the discourse of architecture. Under parametric design, mak-ing structure that reacts to the environment and users, while borrowing ideas from the nature (fiber, trees, etc.).

Responsive Surface Structure by Steffen Reichert. Structure change its shape under different humidity and temperature, creating different experience for users.

Responsive surface by BLOOM. Another ex-ample of how thermal responsive structure can create under parametric deisgn that provides a skin-structure that suits modernism and satisfy as a reality reserve.

References: 1. Richard Williams. ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 102-116 2. Kukkugia. Fibrous Tower 2008, http://www.kukkugia.com 3. Stetten Reichert. Responsive Surface Structure 2006-2007, http://www.achim-menges.net/?p=4411 4. BLOOM. Responsive Surface 2012, http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/bloom-making-building-skins-responsive-with-thermally-smart-materi-als/50090/

Computation in Architecture: “Design is a process we engage in when the current situation is different from some desired situation, and when the actions needed to transform the former into the lat-ter are not immediately obvious.”1 And com-putational design is a tool that enables you to review your processes, as well as modify the process, and create an array of different solutions. Moreover, computational design makes free flowing structures and complex geom-etries more accessible, helping architects to extend their creativity by defining the com-plex parameters and let architects to focus on the creativity based on fine tuning and tweaking these parameters. At the other hand, an interesting question would be how computational design af-fect the conventional types of geometries that can achieve without the help of a computer. The Torus House2 has a structure that an undulating pattern conjuncts with a long rectangular structure. And these two components form as a complete continuous structure. In this case, this long rectangular structure is fundamentally different, this is because computational designs are gener-ated by processes based on topological space, isomorphic surfaces and parametric design.3 The ‘conventional’ shaped compo-nents are essentially different, they are pur-poseful for the whole parametric design to create a coherent structure as a whole.

Torus House 1998-1999 by Preston Scott Cohen INC.

The Buddhism Temple, 2011 by Miliy Design4 is another interesting example of computa-tional design. The Shape of the building is based on a mobius stripe, where there is not a point of starting or ending, this relates to a core buddhism idea ‘輪迴’4, which refers to an endless cycle of rebirth. the Buddhism Temple clearly benefited from computa-tional design because the complex mobius pattern is used to match the Buddihism ide-alogy. The vast amounts of prototypes created with the computational design also give an opportunity for architects to explore more design outcomes. And computational de-sign also contribute to evidence, perfor-mance based design because it converges designing, representation, production and constructing into one place2, which trans-form the architectural industry to become the coordinator of an architeccture project.

References: 1. Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25 2. Preston Scott Cohen INC. Torus House 1998-1999, http://www.pscohen.com/torus_house.html 3. Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 28 Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 28 4. Miliy Design. The Buddhism Temple 2011, http://www.miliy.com/2012/06/06/taichang/taichang.html

The Buddism Temple 2011 by Miliy Design

Parametric Modeling

Parametric modeling is a new way for architects to explore and design. This is ac-tualized by defining a set of parameters that refer and transpose into geometries, which enable architects to generate new ideas and outcomes. With parametric design enables a collec-tive trade of models and techniques. This means quicker design because architects can design based on a ‘template’ and fur-ther modify and generate their own design under their own design parameters and con-strains. Another advantage of using parametric design is the capability of its form searching ability, architects can achieve forms that are not practically reachable before. History of design is a ever-changing process of form finding, parametric design is a good tool to keep finding new shapes and forms. Take a look at the Zaha-Hadid Architects’ project of Galaxy Soho 2009-2012. Curvilinear shapes and continuity lines are the outcomes of parametric design’s form finding. Galaxy Soho 2009-2012 by Zaha Hadid Architects

Another new aspect working with para-metric design is the defer decisions. This is a design feature that unheard before. This is because parametric design can sustain the design outcome, and enable architects to change it in a later stage if their designs. This brings much more convenience to the de-sign, also provide architects more chances to review their designs, as well as finding dif-ferent viable solutions and outcomes. But parametric design also comes with its disadvantage, because parametric design is driven by parameters(mathematics), if the user’s input is unclear or uncertain, the out-come will be unfavorable.

References: 1. Woodbury, Robert (2010). Elements of Parametric Design (London: Routledge) pp. 7-48 2. Zaha Hadid Architects. Galaxy Soho 2009-2012, http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/galaxy-soho/# 3. Zaha Hadid Architects. Liquid Glacial Table 2012, http://www.zaha-hadid.com/architecture/liquid-glacial-table/#

Liquid Glacial Table 2012 by Zaha Hadid Architects.