MYKEL HAMER 501423

Architecture Design Studio 3: AIR

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Architectural Discourse:Case studies in the advance of a craft

STUDY ONE: VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTS 2010MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY // PERSONAL PROJECTThe Headspace Project, completed as part of the Virtual Environments subject at the University of Melbourne in 2010, required a re-thinking of what we consider as ‘Architecture’ in that the goal was not to design a conventional building, but was instead focussed on designing a structure well suited to a new kind of topography - the designer’s head.

The reduced focus on facility and increased focus on site and form allowed designers to attempt more outlandish and wild designs, while the unique site highlighted the importance of structural stability and precision of design. The design itself was developed by studying the movement of an elected object, creature or phenomenon, and then adapting this movement into the development of an abstract form.

Models of the design were made out of clay, then covered in reference points - these were then used as reference in order to plot the form itself into 3D rendering software, providing a digitized version of the design. In a major departure from the norm, orthogonal drawings of the design were only produced -after- the finalization and completion of the three-dimensional digital model itself, and thus served only as references after the fact, rather than integral drawings that further inform the design process as they usually would.

Finally, the three dimensional model was ‘unfolded’ to form flat templates of the design’s faces, then these were printed and then reassembled in order to create a physical realization of a purely digital design. Such a process would have been unthinkable in decades past, and the possibilities it presents allow a new and much wider approach to architectural design.

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STUDY TWO: NAGAKIN CAPSULE TOWERTOKYO, JAPAN // KISHO KUROKAWA

Constructed in 1972, the Nagakin Capsule Tower is an example of truly progressive and innovative design - the tower is composed of a number of ‘capsules’ measuring 2.3m x 3.8m x 2.1m ‘plugged into’ a central concrete access shaft. These capsules were designed to comfortably accommodate single businessmen, are replaceable, and can be at-tached to the shaft with differing orientations in as per the resident’s desires. The capsules are also designed to be capable of being joined together to form larger living spaces.

This design is perhaps the most famous example of ‘metabolist architecture’- a movement begun in Japan in the 1950s that aimed to harness cutting edge technology in order to create structures or cities that were flexible and/or expandable in application and scope - and defies generally accepted ideas of buildings as an immutable, colossal ‘box’ that does not change - or even need to change - once constructed. The possibilities presented by this flexibility broaden the scope available to architects, and force one to rethink their preconceived ideas of what is possible when designing a built environment.

Sadly, the structure is currently facing demolition due to a lack of maintenance over it’s lifespan and residents fears regarding the asbestos used in it’s construction.

STUDY THREE: DANCING HOUSEPRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC // FRANK GEHRY & VLADO MILUNIC

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The Dancing House - Commonly referred to as ‘Fred & Ginger’ as it was designed to evoke the image of Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers intertwined in dance - was a controversial design during it’s construction, as it contrasts starkly with the surrounding Neo-Renaissance, Gothic and baroque designs. The project received huge support from the then-president of the Czech Republic, Vaclav Havel, whose house was on the adjacent lot. Havel envisioned the final purpose of the structure as a grand ‘cultural centre’, as well as a statement declaring the changing nature of the republic itself as it broke free from communist rule and began to forge a new path. The generally conservative Czechs were at first uncomfortable with this intrusion, but have grown to accept it since it’s completion in 1996.

This design is an example of deconstructivist architecture, the most famous examples of which are generally also designed by Gehry himself. The odd, curved shape of the structure required 99 concrete panels, each with unique shape and dimensions, and the technical aspects of the design’s stability could not have been resolved without reliance on computer software. In this regard, the Dancing House pushes against the limits of what was formerly considered standard architectural discourse by taking a curved outer shell - traditionally a design feature that generated wasted space and resources - and integrating it so wholly into the design that it does not impede the function or use of the structure.

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Contemporary Computation:Computational Design in the Present Day

INNOVATION ONE: BRIDGE THE GAPWEIMAR, GERMANY // STUDIO BANGThis design by Studio BANG is a deployable bridge - a prefabricated construct that can be transported to the necessary site by air, and then assembled by only two people in less than forty eight hours to form a sturdy path across a troublesome gap.

In order to realize their goal of creating a sturdy portable bridge, the design itself was created by focussing necessary load data on 12 points at each end and the middle of the bridge’s span - the algorithms in use applied this data along with that of the materials available to ensure adequate cross-sectional stability over the entire bridge. The loft of the bridge itself was also calculated using the data active on these points, further strengthening the entire structure and ensuring that the bridge as a whole would be an adequately stable construct. The use of parametric design that focussed on this relevant load data allowed the design to be built of extraordinarily thin metal sheets without jeopardizing it’s ability to function, and also allowed for an informed rationale behind dismantling the design into individual panels for convenient and flexible portability.

The modular nature of the bridge means that it can be applied to a wide variety of scenarios or uses, and it’s ability to be dismantled for transport makes getting it to the necessary site in order to begin construction a possibility in almost any imaginable situation; a stark contrast to the generally accepted notion that specific site context must always be one of the underlying drivers of the design process. Overall, this serves as an example of how the use of raw data in conjunction with parametric design processes allows us to find new solutions to old problems by generating logical and informed structures that need not comply to conventional architectural design, construction or application methods.

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INNOVATION TWO: DRAGON SKIN PAVILIONTAMPERE, FINLAND // TAMPERE UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY

The Dragon Skin Pavilion was designed and created by students of three different universities in Finland, who were working under sponsorship of the producers of ‘post-formable plywood’ - a relatively new form of plywood that can be heated and moulded after being produced and cut.

The pieces that the pavilion is composed of are flat plywood squares of identical dimensions, which then have slots cut into them at points dictated by the overall design reached using algorithmic input together with computer software. These pieces are then pressed into a curved mould to create their dome-like shape, and slotted together to from the pavilion itself.

This pavilion serves as a very strong example of how relatively simple elements - panels of plywood - can be used to create incredibly complex and intricate forms through the use of algorithmic input and three-dimensional design software. A further lesson to be learned is the potential of modular construction - as with Bridge the Gap, the calculative power of algorithm-based design software allows such complex designs to be divided easily into modular components, ready for construction. The modular nature of the pieces that the design is composed of allows for far cheaper and simpler logistic arrangements during the construction process and the use of modules combined with the precision of the design software used ensures less waste and a far more sustainable outcome.

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Scripting Culture & Philosophy:Stated Intent vs. Realised Outcomes

EMBRACING LIMITATION: POLYMORPHICNEW YORK, USA // COLUMBIA UNIVERSITYPolymorphic is an interactive bench designed by ten architecture students at the University of Columbia; the goal of this design was an intention to push the limits and illustrate the potential of computational design in regards not only to architecture, but design itself as an overall concept. Composed of a single continuous form or body, the design defies conventional perception of what a bench is or should be capable of; intended to recall the kinetic motion of a seesaw and the reverberating motion of a slinky, it can be shaped our moulded to suit the needs of the user - be it to improve comfort, better utilise or fit within a designated space, or create a more pleasant aesthetic.

Parametric design was used to both subvert and embrace the conditions of the design brief for the project in several ways; used in conjunction with the design philosophy of it’s creators, this highlights Polymorphic as a very strong example of the advantages and future possibilities of scripted design methods.

The division of the overall form into 928 individual pieces that together realized to the design intent was handled solely by the Grasshopper software, as was the labelling of these pieces as well as the production of the joints that connect them - the superior calculative power computers have over human minds helped to quickly reduce a mortifying number of variables and potential results into a single set that allowed production to commence much faster than would historically have been possible for such an intricate design. In addition, the brief specified a limit of $1000 for expenses related to production - in order to comply to this, scripting software was used to dictate the arrangement of the pieces to be cut from the plywood sheets used for the design. The calculative power and holistic consideration of the software allowed optimal arrangement of these pieces, allowing the final product to be cut form only 28 plywood sheets which were used at over 90% efficiency. While these are undoubtedly notable advantages of the adopted design process, the more unconventional and surprising advantages are found in the more obtuse features of the design.

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The flexibility of the overall form and shape that comprises the design allows it to adhere to the size specifications of the brief, while still being capable of stretching and compressing to take up a larger areas - this exhibits how computers can be used not only to efficiently adhere to brief specifications, but also to extend our perceptions of how these restrictions can affect or indeed be affected by a design. In addition to this, the design subverts the standard view that a bench is simply a level surface for sitting on by being capable of being moulded to the desired shape; this flexibility was only made possible through the increased time frame for experimentation enabled by parametric design coupled with the ability to test and adjust designs instantly in a virtual environment rather than needing to construct iterative prototypes for this purpose.

Overall, scripting was used even more heavily in the production of the design than in the designing itself - this is a factor often overlooked when one envisions parametric or computational design as a process, however it is also a predominant factor in the efficient use of resources and potentially massive reductions in production costs. Polymorphic illustrates that the application of these design techniques themselves is as flexible as the goals or incentives that drive the design itself, and very firmly grounds parametric design as a method of achieving efficient and effective intricate designs in a measurable and interactive sense as well as a purely aesthetic one.

In studying this project, one cannot help but feel enthusiastic about the possibilities that parametric design presents - the flexibility and ability to adjust a design immediately in real-time cuts back greatly on production time, allowing more time than ever for design and experimentation in pursuit of the best possible outcome. The additional ability to use scripting to maximise production efficiency and reduce errors means that designs can be produced with far less risk and potentially greater rewards than ever before.

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Research Project - CUT / DEVELOP:Algorithms, intentions and a little bit of luck

EXPERIMENTATION:GRASSHOPPER // DEFINITIONSThe examples shown are as much a result of happy chance as deliberate engineering - in this regard they hover nicely between the Search and Rule-Based design methods as described by Kalay, but eventually emerged more as a result of Puzzle-Making; wrestling with an unfamiliar program lead to the simplest of goals taking wild journeys through unknown territories trying to make sense of the given ingredients before making their way back on track! This resulted in surprising and unexpected findings, a new understanding of some of the rules that were put to use, and the discovery of some tricks, quirks and shortcuts that could be taken within the software itself in order to realize design goals - or could plant the seed for new, unheard of ideas or possibilities that could be used in the design itself.

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> (Opposite) Organizing shapes in adherence to a grid wrapped around the target surface and extruding said surfaces generated a surprising and unexpected form - rather than the expected vertically extruded columns from the source shape, the result was a rib-like structure. Applying a further rotation component to these solids then twisted them between base and tip, causing them to merge and look more and more ‘fleshy’ and soft - almost like transition from bone to organ tissue, as illustrated.

> (Below top and centre left) The insertion of a curve attractor component along with replacing the previous circular shapes with squares led to the formation of these intimidating, monolithic solids. Despite the more rigid and straight edges, these forms communicate a sense of motion and fragility not present in the previous example.

> (Centre right) Applying a grid of points and an attractor point caused the arrayed shapes to cluster more densely and increase in size with their proximity to the point itself, resulting in this pattern that looks like the result of erosion or the trailing of beads of liquid down a surface.

> (Lower right) Applying an image sampler and further extrusion resulted in a series of tubes - the expected outcome of the first example provided (finally!) - that were arrayed by length in accordance with the alpha output of the source image. Here the experimentation process has come full circle, back to the intended outcome, but with a slew of intriguing alternate outcomes.

The techniques and technologies discussed in the prior studies can enrich the site of the Wyndham Gateway Project and potentially transform it into a world-class or notable site, while communicating the character of the area and enriching the municipality and it’s surroundings as a whole. Employing these techniques into the proposed design will allow Wyndham to show it’s constantly-evolving and forward-thinking nature to all who visit, ensuring their stay was one to remember.

Adopting parametric design in conjunction with the potential merits of modular or flexible built forms can push the envelope in regards to what is expected of public design projects, and allows almost limitless possibilities with more flexibility during the design process than ever before; this allows increased involvement from the Wyndham City Council and its citizens during every step of the design process itself, assuring a satisfactory result for all involved while minimizing the time or materials required to make changes.

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Expression of Interest:What it all means

THE WYNDHAM GATEWAY PROJECTWYNDHAM, AUSTRALIA // FORGING A NEW PATH