eoi kailing wang 514464 final report

ABPL30048 ADS_AIR SEM 2 2013 STUDIO 2+5 GROUP 2_KAILING WANG STUDENT NO. 514464

WYNDHAM CITY GATEWAY PROJECT

CONTENTS

1. PART A EOI: CASE FOR INNOVATION A0. INTRODUCTION &PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE A1. ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE A2. COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURE A3. PARAMETRIC MODELLING A4. ALGORITHMIC EXPLORATION A5. CONCLUSION A6. LEARNING OUTCOMES A7. REFERENCES

2. PART B EOI: DESIGN APPROACH B1. DESIGN FOCUS B2. CASE STUDY 1.0 DESIGN CONCEPT B3. CASE STUDY 2.0 B4. TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT B5. TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES B6. TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL B7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES B8. ALGORITHMIC EXPLORATION

3. PART C EOI: PROJECT PROPOSAL C1. GATEWAY PROJECT: DESIGN CONCEPT C2. GATEWAY PROJECT: TECTONIC ELEMENTS C3. GATEWAY PROJECT: FINAL MODEL FURTHER DEVELOPMENT C4. ALGORITHMIC EXPLORATION C5. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES C6. REFERENCES

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PART A

EXPRESSION OF INTERESTCASE FOR INNOVATION

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INTRODUCTION

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE

A0

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My name is Kailing Wang, and I am 20 years old. This is my third year architectural study in the University of Melbourne.

As an architectural student what has fascinated me the most over the last three years is drawing - the presenta-tion of ideas through hand sketches and computer-aided design softwares. Although I have very limited skills and knowledge of digital design tools and theory, I have participated in a Virtual Environments subject in my first year where I was exposed to Rhino. Learning the basic of Rhino I designed a lantern that could be worn or held. The forms and patterns of the lantern were abstracted from images of nature. I was fascinated by the design subject where computer software was used as tool to deliver a conceptual idea.

My design focused on the movements of ocean waves, especially the shaper of bubbles. For the fabrication, I used six three-dimensional triangular boxes to create a hexagon, and I used different colours to illustrate the arrangement of bubbles. The fabrication process of my lantern involved a total of one hundred triangular boxes, each slightly different and needed to be unrolled sepa-rately for cutting. I find my experiences from the lantern project able to be translated to this studio’s Gateway Project as they share the process of computational design. The further challenge to this studio is the use of Grasshopper which in addition to Rhino are powerful tools to explore the digital design world.

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ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSEMany people understand archi-tecture through its material, form and beauty, but in my opinion, the concept of architecture is more than this. As Jonathan Hill (2006) pointed out, architecture is just as immaterial as it is material. The im-material ‘idea’ of architecture such as the design concept and phi-losophy, the immaterial processes of architecture such as design and drawing, policy and regulations are all part of ‘architecture’ as a pro-cess and outcome. Dutton (1996) discusses a similar idea, stating that “Architecture, then as discourse, discipline, and form, operates as the intersection of power, relations of production, culture, and repre-sentation, to shaping how we know the world.”

Therefore, architecture is both the material outcome of construction and the immaterial carrier of mean-ings, values, ideas and philosophies. The evolution of these different ‘ideas’ of architecture is its dis-course, and presents the ongoing conversations of architecture put forth by architects, designers, users and the broader community.

The discourse of architecture can present different approaches to society and culture in different periods of history. In my opinion, architecture is composed of four essential components - form, struc-ture, material and performance. Architecture can through these four components communicate and engage society to elicit particular cultural values meanings. In con-temporary architecture, it is very im-portant to create new forms, struc-ture, materials and performances in order to propose new boundaries of architectural thinking.

In on of Greg Lynn’s essays - ‘Why Tectonics is Square and Topology is Groovy’, in Folds, Bodies & Blobs’ (1998), Lynn challenges the ideas of architectural form. Lynn asks the question of why architecture conforms to the idea of pure and idealized geometry, why buildings are generally designed with right-angles and are extruded upwards. Lynn proposes the ‘blob’ as a new idea of architecture form and puts forth new construction techniques that can make such a new archi-tectural form possible.

ResourcesDutton, T., ‘Reconstructing architecture: critical discourses and social practice’, 1996, Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, pp. 1-2Lynn, G. (1998). Why tectonics is square and topology is groovy. In G. Lynn, Folds, bodies & blobs: Collected essays (pp. 169-182).Hill, J. (2006). Drawing forth immaterial architecture. Architectural research quarterly, 51-55.

Air Studio is an opportunity to ex-periment and push for new bound-aries in architecture. Both in form making through form-generating softwares such as Rhino and Grass-hopper but also in how new forms can embody and propose new building performances. The brief of the project requires us to design a gateway sculpture on the highway to the Wyndham City that illustrates the connection between the urban area and the suburb, and stimulates interest for the local people in Wyn-dham City. The site which is situated in the interstitial spaces between two highways also presents the opportunity to use architecture to reflect on the landscape. Therefore, this project should demonstrate the understanding of the site and be able to capture meaning, through architecture, the people and place of Wyndham City.

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SEATTLE PUBLIC LIBRARYARCHITECTS: OMA AND LMN ARCHITECTS

The Seattle Central Library is the flagship library of the Seattle Library system known for its innovative dis-tinctive facade and interior design. OMA and LMN Architects are the principal architects for this build-ing. The Seattle Public Library is a radical building in its approach to translating the functional needs of the twenty-first century library into innovative architectural form.

The ‘skin’ of the building is both the façade of the building, the filter of natural light, as well as part of the structure of the building. The ‘skin’ is pushed and pulled by ‘program-matic volumes’ to create the form of the building. Thus, through the example of the Seattle Library, the relationship between architectural form and function is made possi-bility by new structural and pro-grammatic organisational systems (Archdaily, 2009). The library’s ‘Book Spiral’, which is a spiralling ribbon-like spaces that allows books to be displayed in the Dewey Decimal System without rupture, is another example of innovation based on function (Fig 1). The Book Spiral, echoes Lynn’s proposals of rethink-ing the flat, ninety-degree spaces; finding new forms to better capture the functional needs of spaces.

Koolhaas believes that the twenty-first century library should be a custodian rather than a repository for books, a place for dynamic user interactions, discussions and the creation of new information (Alstad & Curry, n.d). Additionally, the digital content of all libraries can be presented in the single library by using current technologies, thus “new forms of storage enable the space dedicated to real books to be contained; new forms of read-ing enhance the aura of the real book.” (ArcSpace, 2004)

The interior space of the library that was designed by Petra Blaisse is a kind of innovative system that sup-ports the communication between social, political and commercial relationships. The individual areas in the library are defined not by in-ternal walls, but through the use of textures and ornaments such as the carpet and curtains (Fig 2).

As a public discourse, the function of the library is not only to provide the best services and materials, but to stimulate user engagement in the library. Therefore, the huge, open warehouse-like interior space is a good example that people can engage with the whole space of library, because there is no internal walls to obstruct any part of the library. In the contemporary archi-tecture, the interior design of the Seattle Public Library is an innova-tive and risky idea that the soft furnishings are used to fix specific functions in a definite area.

ResourcesAlstad, C., ‘Public Space, Public Discourse, and Public Libraries’, http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres13n1/pub_space.htmArcSpace. (2004). Seattle Public Library, OMA. Retrieved from ArcSpace: http://www.arcspace.com/features/oma/seattle-public-library/Archdaily. (2009). Seattle Central Library / OMA + LMN. Retrieved from Archdaily: http://www.archdaily.com/11651/seattle-central-library-oma-lmn/

figure 2: The ‘library stack’ of soft furnishing.

Figure 1: Book Spiral at the Seattle Library (Source: archdaily)

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figure 3: The open space of the library

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ION ORCHARDSINGAPOREARCHITECTS: BENOY ARCHITECTS

Ion is an iconic Singapore shopping centre situated on the Orchard road. This shopping centre was designed by British Architects Benoy with RSP Architects Planners & En-gineers, and received ‘‘best retail development over 20,000 square metres’ awards in 2010.

Giving the metaphoric context of ‘Orchard Road’, the design of the building’s façade and canopy was inspired by the contour lines of ‘fruits and nuts’ (agfacadesign, 2009). Adopting computer-aided parametric design, the monocoque facade and canopy structure was produced to help support both the loads of the building as well as act as a digital media wall for the shop-ping mall.

The design metaphor of fruits and nuts is further developed in the form of columns that resemble tree branches (agfacadesign, 2009), powerfully communicating the organic and free-form design of the shopping mall. Furthering what Greg Lynn has proposed as a new architecture of curves and blobs, ION Orchard is a striking example of how parametric design has assisted in the design and procurement of double-curvature building surfaces; producing both a visual statement of flamboyance and luxury suitable for the programmatic functions of a shopping mall, and pushing new boundaries in architecture design and construction.

Cartledge, the chairman of Benoy Architects said, “We are delighted that Ion Orchard has been rec-ognised for its outstanding quality and innovative design. Ion Orchard makes a meaningful, breath-taking urban contribution to the built envi-ronment” (Benoy, 2011). To extend the built value of ION Orchard, our design proposal at Wyndham City also aims to use digital design to produce a striking and break-taking urban contribution to Wyndham.

figure 3: Ion Orchard at night

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figure 4 Ion Orchard with lighting effects

Top: figure 5 Ion Orchard with lighting effects

Left: figure 6 ‘tree’ structure of Ion Orchard

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A2

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COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTUREBrady Peters (2013a, 2013b) in his articles in the journal - Architec-tural Design, asks the questions ‘how is computation changing the way architects design? How can computation create new forms of architecture? Is there an aesthetic to computational architecture? Are the design tools and methods related to the result?’ These ques-tions are important in the current practice of architecture where computers are an inseparable part of the design and documentation process.

In order to understand better the influence of computers on archi-tectural practice, several authors (Mengest & Ahlquist, 2011; Terzidis, 2012) draw the important distinc-tions between computerisation of architectural design and compu-tation design. Where the comput-erisation of design is the transfer of architectural ideas into computer languages; computation design is the use of computers and digital design software, as tools to gener-ate the architecture design. These two distinctly different approaches to computer-aided design create vastly different design outcomes.

The computerisation of design can improve the efficiency of the design process through the digitisation of design information for better design communication and coordination (Kalay, 2004). Computerisation also tends to encourage precision in documentation and construction, however, in terms of the initial con-ceptual design stages of a project, computerisation plays a relatively small role in helping to generate the design itself.

Computational design, on the other hand, is the approach of using com-puters and digital design software to create the design itself. Adopt-ing the algorithmic logic of digital software, design parameters are entered in the software to directly generate and/or calculate the de-sign. Computation design therefore has a direct impact on the design outcome, although the outcome, at this stage of the evolution of the practice of architecture, remains largely in form generation.

ResourcesTerzidis, K., ‘Algorithmic Architecture’, 2006, Boston: elsevier, p.xiPeters, B. (2013). Computation works: The building of algorithmic thought. Architectural Design, 08-15.Peters, B. (2013). Realising the architectural intent: computation at Herzog & De Meuron. Architectural De-sign, 56-61.Menges, A., & Ahlquist, S. (2011). Computational design thinking. John Wiley & Sons.

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BEIJING NATIONAL STADIUMARCHITECTS: Herzog & de Meuron

The Beijing National Stadium is a good example of both the comput-erization of design and computa-tion design. However, more notably computation design in terms of the use of parametric modeling to cre-ate the external mesh form of the stadium (Peter, 2011). More than 33 iterations of the ‘bowl-shaped’ ex-ternal mesh form were developed through parametric modelling to fine-tune the shape that of the stadium that would accommodate both the 2008 Olympic events.

It is important to note here that although the shape of the external mesh envelop can be regarded as an example of computation design, the mesh pattern itself was originally drawn from Chinese ceramics (Fig 7) and patterns of wooden windows (Fig 8), which in a sense can be regarded as comput-erized design because the ideas were translated into design through a computerization process.

Therefore it can be said that the en-velope mesh of the stadium is both the product of computation and computerized design. The mesh itself also serves as both the struc-ture as well as functional envelope of the building, including the partial shading structure for the spectator stands; reiterating my key argument that the added value of new com-puterized forms is the simultaneous offering of solutions to evermore complex functional problems.

ResourcesPeter. (2011). Beijing National Stadium. Retrieved from Designing buildings wiki: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium

Figure 8: Example of traditional Chinese wooden window patterning

Figure 7: Example of Chinese ceramic

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figure 9: Beijing National Stadium

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ABSOLUTE WORLD TOWERARCHITECTS: MAD Studio and Burka Architects

“The Absolute Towers stretch the limits of paired sculptural form to create a marker on the skyline for a regional center” (CTBUH, 2013). The Absolute World Towers project is located in Mississauga, Ontario Canada and was completed in 2012. As a high-end residential condominium skyscraper complex, the project design was conceived of through competition which was won by MAD Studio, based in China. The curvaceous form of the twin skyscraper is achieved through subtle twists in the oval floor plates. Twists of 1 to 8 degrees were applied to sections of floor plates in the first tower to create a total cumulative floor plate rotation of 209 degrees. In the middle section of the tower, 8 degree rotations create the most dynamic rotation form, recognized as the ‘hip’ of the building. In the second tower 4 degrees rotations were applied to individual floors for a total cumula-tive rotation of 200 degrees.

The rotational parameters applied to the design form, although exhibit a form of parametric design logic, should be understood more as computerized rather than compu-tation design. In the case of the Absolute World Tower, the archi-tect derived the design concept through ‘thinking like a parametric modelling software’ without actu-ally using form-generating software. Therefore what is interesting about this project is that the influence of parametric and computation design has far stretched beyond a design tool but has fundamen-tally influenced the thinking of architects. The form of Absolute World Tower also delivers functional benefits such as allowing distinc-tive views to the suburb of Toronto. The result of a building with natural, human sensibilities is evoked by the towers’ torsional form.

ResourcesCTBUH. (2013). Absolute World Towers, Mississauga. Retrieved from Council on tall buildings and urban habitat: http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildingArchive2012/AbsoluteWorldTow-ersMississauga/tabid/3840/language/en-US/Default.aspx

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Top: figure 10 Absolute World Tower

Left: figure 11 Conceptual diagram of torsional degrees of each floor

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A3

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Parametric modelling is an ap-proach to architectural form mak-ing that uses algorithmic param-eters to produce computational geometry. As a mode of computa-tional design, parametric modelling provides an alternative approach to design, as the designer is in-volved in the scripting of algorith-mic parameters that then produces the design (Burry, 2011).

Design as a set of algorithmic pa-rameters changes the approach to form-making as the designer has to consider the entire form as a system of inter-relating parameters. For in-stance, when the designer changes one parameter, other relevant pa-rameters are also recalculated to produce a new outcome. Paramet-ric modelling espouses to the idea that all elements of architecture are parametrically producible and malleable, therefore through para-metric modelling, the relationship between designer and architecture form is transformed through the pro-cess of scripting. The architect has become the designer of both the building and the tools for the design of the building.

However, there are also some disadvantages of parametric modelling. The first disadvantage is the disconnection between the designer and the design outcome due to the need to translate the design through parametric model-ling software. This additional step in design can limit design outcomes, as the architectural design is limited by the language and logic of parametric modelling. Another dis-advantage is the limitation of form making, as parametric modelling requires the final design outcome to be an integrated system. Any ‘non-conforming’ and random design decisions cannot be integrated into the rigorous system of algorithmic parametric modelling.

PARAMETRIC MODELLING

ResourcesBurry, M. (2011). Scripting cultures: architectural design and programming. Wiley.

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SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILIONARCHITECTS: ALVARO SIZA AND EDUARDO SOUTO DE MOURA WITH CECIL BALMOND

Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura’s pavilion for the Serpen-tine Gallery in 2005 is a temporary structure, parametrically designed to respond to the natural land-scape of the parkland where the structure was sited. The Pavilion is constructed out of 427 custom wooden panels, joined together in an almost waffle pattern to cre-ate a blanket structure, housing a café. The timber structure as well as the curvaceous form of the pavil-ion responded well to the natural setting of the parkland, while the waffle patterning stood out against the natural setting to reveal the mechanical and engineering logic behind the almost free-flowing form. In order to provide shading for the café, additional polycarbon-ate panels were fixed onto the grid structure as a translucent skin.

. The form of the pavilion was de-rived through parametric design; the parameters being the number, density and thickness of the waffle structural system. Although these parameters are effective at cre-ating free-flowing forms, they do present certain limitations. One limitation being the inverse rela-tionship between the openness of the waffle system and the smooth-ness of its curvaceous form – the smoother the curve, the greater density of waffles needed, which will compromise the porosity of the structure and the light penetration into the internal spaces. There-fore, in any parametric modelling system, the parameters chosen for manipulation can also present shortcomings within its own param-eter qualities.

As part of the discourse of archi-tecture, Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura’s pavilion is a good example of evolving a new architectural language through parametric modelling. Although the idea of a wooden pavilion may seem traditional, the adoption of a wooden waffle system to create a landscape-inspired form is both conceptually and technically in-novative.

ResourcesBrooker, G., ‘Basics Interior Architecture’, 2010, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, pp. 58-59

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Top: figure 12 Serpentine pavilion 2005

Left: figure 13 detailed waffle structure of the pavilion

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SNOWFLAKE TOWERARCHITECTS: Laboratory for Visionary Architecture

The Snowflake Tower is located in Abu Dhabi and it was designed by LAVA – Laboratory for Visionary Architecture. The conceptual idea of the Snowflake Tower was influ-enced by the geometrical order of a snowflake (LAVA, 2013). No two snowflakes are ever identical but each follows the same geometric parameters that dictate the overall form. The cross sectional form of the Snowflake Tower follows the natural patterns and geometric organi-zation of snowflakes. In addition, LAVA also drew inspiration from the aerodynamic form of Formula 1 race cars to design a building that incorporates the sense of speed, fluid dynamics and futurism. The Snowflake Tower is a good example of parametric modelling, where the geometric forms of snowflake are translated into algorithmic param-eters to produce the cross sectional form. As shown in Fig 14 to 16, the form of the snowflake can be changed by controlling the param-eters of their geometry.

The parametric design philosophy adopted in the Snowflake Tower exhibit some benefits in this type of high-rise buildings. By altering the parameter of each floor, the overall extruded form of the building can be algorithmically calculated without the need for the designer to individually design each of the intermediate floors. However, the disadvantage of such parametric modelling is that spatial volume of each floor is influenced by all other floor plates in the building, making it difficult for one floor to stand out as a ‘separate design’ to the rest of the tower, i.e the need to separate-ly design penthouse floors to look for luxurious.

ResourcesLAVA. (2013). LAVA - Snowflake Tower. Retrieved from Green building and sustainable strategies: http://gbssmag.com/2013/04/lava-snowflake-tower/

figure 14: parametric form of snow-flake



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figure 17: example tower with corresponded snowflake configurations and parameters

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A4. ALGORITHM EXPLORATION

Lofting and offset surface

In the first three weeks, I have learnt the basic parameters in Grasshop-per, and I tried to write some simple definitions with these parameters. This is a very important stage that allow us exploring the ideas by using parametric modelling tools. In addition, this is the first time that I touched this design area, which the outcomes are controlled by the parameters in Grasshopper.

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A5. CONCLUSIONThrough readings on architectural discourse, computational architec-ture and parametric modelling and the study of design precedents, I am beginning to appreciate the importance of this new trajectory in architectural thinking and design. Innovations in form making to solve complex problems and to chal-lenge the boundaries of traditional architectural thinking are all made possible through these new tech-nologies in modelling and compu-tation. These new tools for design allows us to create and refine new design ideas as well as reconsider the design process with a greater involvement of high-capacity com-puter software.

The exploration of precedents in particular, has been helpful for me in understanding how such digital design processes have already contributed to the built environ-ment. Through the examples of precedents I also found many com-putational design techniques useful for my exploration of the Gateway Project in Wyndham City. Going forward on the Gateway Project, I would like to first explore the rela-tionship between the site and the residents of Wyndham City. Identify-ing any new functions needed for this Gateway Project and investi-gating new forms that can achieve such an outcome.

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A6. LEARNING OUTCOMESInitially, I felt incredibly challenged by the project brief, the proposed methods for the formulation of the design concept and how it relates to the practice of architecture. However, after the readings and lectures, I began to understand that the emphasis of this project is less on the direct design of the building or structure but more on the design or the ‘design param-eters’ informing the architectural outcome.

From the first part of the project, I have learnt how individual design projects can and needs to engage with the larger architectural dis-course. This allowed me to recon-sider how I think about design and how my design is relevant to the his-tory and evolution of architecture thinking as well as new technolo-gies involved with computational design. Through reading, thinking and designing, I am able to better grasp the advantages of computa-tional design and parametric mod-elling and how these techniques can be of value to the proposed Gateway Project in Wyndham City.

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A7. REFERENCESagfacadesign. (2009, September - October). ION Orchard singapore’s most iconic mall opens. Retrieved from agfacadesign.com: http://agfacadesign.com/images/Layout-on-ION-Orchard.pdf

Alstad, C., & Curry, A. (n.d.). Public Space, Public Discourse, and Public Libraries. Retrieved from Curtin University, LIBRES: http://libres.curtin.edu.au/libres13n1/pub_space.htm

Archdaily. (2009). Seattle Central Library / OMA + LMN. Retrieved from Archdaily: http://www.archdaily.com/11651/seattle-central-library-oma-lmn/

ArcSpace. (2004). Seattle Public Library, OMA. Retrieved from ArcSpace: http://www.arcspace.com/features/oma/seattle-public-library/

Benoy. (2011). Benoy’s ION orchard, Singapore receives quality building award. Retrieved from Benoy.com: http://www.benoy.com/press/benoy%E2%80%99s-ion-orchard-singapore-receives-quality-building-award

Brooker, G., ‘Basics Interior Architecture’, 2010, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, pp. 58-59

Burry, M. (2011). Scripting cultures: architectural design and programming. Wiley.

CTBUH. (2013). Absolute World Towers, Mississauga. Retrieved from Council on tall buildings and urban habitat: http://www.ctbuh.org/TallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildings/FeaturedTallBuildingArchive2012/AbsoluteWorldTow-ersMississauga/tabid/3840/language/en-US/Default.aspx

Dutton, T. A., & Mann, L. H. (1996). Reconstructing Architecture: Critical Discourses and Social Practices.

Hill, J. (2006). Drawing forth immaterial architecture. Architectural research quarterly, 51-55.

ION orchard. (n.d.). About ION orchard. Retrieved from ionorchard.com: http://www.ionorchard.com/en/about-ion-orchard

Kalay, Y. E. (2004). Architecture’s new media: principles, theories, and methods of computer-aided design. Cam-bridge: MIT Press.

LAVA. (2013). LAVA - Snowflake Tower. Retrieved from Green building and sustainable strategies: http://gbssmag.com/2013/04/lava-snowflake-tower/

Lynn, G. (1998). Why tectonics is square and topology is groovy. In G. Lynn, Folds, bodies & blobs: Collected es-says (pp. 169-182).

Menges, A., & Ahlquist, S. (2011). Computational design thinking. John Wiley & Sons.

Peter. (2011). Beijing National Stadium. Retrieved from Designing buildings wiki: http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Beijing_National_Stadium

Peters, B. (2013). Computation works: The building of algorithmic thought. Architectural Design, 08-15.

Peters, B. (2013). Realising the architectural intent: computation at Herzog & De Meuron. Architectural Design, 56-61.

Terzidis, K. (2012). Algorithmic architecture. Taylor & Francis.

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ILLUSTRATIONSFigure 1: http://www.archdaily.com/11651/seattle-central-library-oma-lmn/

Figure 2: Brooker, G., ‘Basics Interior Architecture’, 2010, Switzerland: AVA Publishing, p.57

Figure 3: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Seattle_Public_Library.jpg

Figure 4: http://www.shkp.com/Pages/press-release-detail/1266

Figure 5: http://www.shkp.com/Pages/press-release-detail/1363

Figure 6: http://www.flickr.com/photos/naterobert/4008129237/

Figure 7: veniceclayartists. (2012). veniceclayartists. Retrieved from Crazed-bowl: http://www.veniceclayartists.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Ian-Clare.-Crazed-bowl.jpg

Figure 8: thedesignquest. (n.d.). Hanshan Temple. Retrieved from thedesignquest: http://www.thedesignquest.com/uploads/859407_859407_hanshan-temple2.jpg

Figure 9: http://www.pixhd.net/wonders/View/1/preview4.html

Figure 10: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?p=5951440

Figure 11: http://archweekpeopleandplaces.blogspot.com.au/2012/12/mad-architects-in-mississauga-ontario.html

Figure 12: http://architecture.about.com/od/outdoorart/ss/London-Pavilions_7.htm

Figure 13: http://www.flickr.com/photos/megapiksel/59985013/

Figure 14-16: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/photo/snowflaketower7-1?context=album&albumId=2985220%3AAlbum%3A22665

Figure 17: http://www.grasshopper3d.com/photo/snowflaketower18-1

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PART B

EXPRESSION OF INTERESTDESIGN APPROACH

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B1

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DESIGN FOCUS

In this section of the journal, a combination of case studies were exploded to explain our initial design ideas and approach. There is a variety of material systems that we can choose from for our design. To begin with, our group wanted to design a gateway that was striking, breath-taking and of monumental proportions. We began experi-menting with the ‘grid and lattice’ system and focused on the repeti-tion of basic geometries to develop forms that we believed suited the site. Through the exploration of precedents in Part A of the report, we found that the best way to ap-proach our gateway design was to look at not one but multiple prec-edent projects, in order to extract what were most relevant for our gateway design. In this initial stage of experimentation, the analysis of the material system case studies gave us a strong understanding of parametric modelling and how to use the Grasshopper plug-in.

We found that by adopting the grid and lattice system for the design of the gateway project at Wynd-ham City, we could approach the concept, form and structure of our gateway all at the same time.

Since the grid and lattice system is the structure as well as the form of the project, the architecture could be considered simultaneously to the structural design and the entire project will could be a single system. In approaching the project through parametric design, it allows us to understand how structure can dictate the form in order to support our concept for the Wyndham City Gateway.

Our design response to the gate-way project in Wyndham City was to provide a unique sculptural gate-way that would identify with the place of Wyndham as well as sym-bolize the local community. Given that the site is situated in the intersti-tial space between two highways, we also wanted the gateway to be appealing to motorists and visi-tors to the area. Two projects – the Canton Tower by Information Based Architects and ‘B of the Bang’ by Thomas Heatherwick studio were particular sources of inspiration for our project. The following pages of Part B will discuss in more detail our experimental case studies, the two projects that served as inspiration to our gateway design, and our proposed design drawing from this process of exploration.

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B2. CASE STUDY 1.0-- LUNCH BOX

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In case study 1.0, we tried to cre-ate as many design variations as possible through controlling and experimenting with different pa-rameter combinations in Grasshop-per. Working on a grid and lattice system we tried to find particular parameter combinations that would serve as an interesting and suitable approach for the gateway project. We used 3D truss structure to find the most effective design solution to the project.The highlight-ed solutions were more successful than others, not only in its form, but also in the density of the structure. The other solutions that had larger numbers of controlling points were too dense to construct.

After producing a series of study in a matrix format, we found that the ‘Lunch Box’ case study we have been experimenting with was very limited in terms of the degree of manipulations possible on the form. So we decided to abandon the Lunch Box form and opted for other forms more susceptible for manipu-lation in Grasshopper.

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DESIGN CONCEPT

figure 18: people was isolated by barbed wire

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At the outset of the whole design, we were inspired by a fictional nov-el called ‘Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Canoe’ (Macauley, 2012). This novel depicted some serious social issues facing the life experiences of people living in isolated suburbs. The sense of neglect and discon-nection to the city can create a string of negative emotions. In the fiction, as the old neighbours move out of the community, residents left there are unavoidably becoming more and more hopeless, empty and aggressive.

They huddle tightly but stand lonely and fearfully in that forgotten wild. Their life looks like a journey to death. The issues associated with isolated suburbs resonated strongly with our impression of Wyndham. Drawing from ideas in the novel, our initial design approach was to use the gateway as a metaphor to raise awareness of the anxiet-ies of isolation and offer a solution by building a gateway that would attract attention and connection back to the larger community of Melbourne.

ResourcesMacauley, W., ‘Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Canoe’, 2004, Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company

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B3. CASE STUDY 2.0CANTON TOWERArchitects: Information Based ArchitectsThe Canton Tower is a building that was designed by Information Based Architects. The most visible feature of the tower is its twisted structure. The design of the Canton Tower illustrates the potential for structure to also be the skin and the main aesthetic feature of the building. Inspired by such functional and beautiful structural form, we tried to create similar versions of the Canton Tower structure through Grasshopper. Through experiment-ing with different geometric param-eters, we tried joining two ellipses together in a twisting motion, then rotating it around a central point.

We then created a grid using ‘divid-ed curve command’ in Grasshop-per and rotated it using the ‘slider’ command.

In the Canto Tower, the connec-tions between the twisted curves and the straight supports were able to achieve twisted grid mesh structure. Taking inspiration from the idea of a series of twisted and con-nected curve structures, we found the idea translatable to the sense of a tightly knit community while at the same time communicating people’s anxiety through living in an isolated suburb such as Wynd-ham.

RESOURCEShttp://www.archdaily.com/89849/canton-tower-information-based-architecture/

CURVE GRID BRACED LINE PIPE LOFT SURFACECURVE REVERSE SURFACE GRID BRACED LINE PIPE

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figure 19: the structure of Canton tower

EXPLORATION OF MAKING STRIP PIPES

EXPLORATION OF MAKING SPIRAL PIPES

EXPLORATION OF MAKING SPARIAL CUSTOM RECTAN-GULAR LATTICE

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B4. DESIGN TECHNIQUEMATRIX

VARIATION 1: 0

2 3 5 10

VARIATION 2: 45

2 3 5 10

ROTATIONAL DEGREE NUMBER OF LINES

DIVIDED POINTS ON CURVE

1

3

6

9

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VARIATION 3: 90

2 3 5 10

VARIATION 4: 180

2 3 5 10

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B 4.1 TECHNIQUE: DEVELOPMENT

After experimenting with a series of parameters based on the struc-tural idea of the Canton Tower, we discovered that in order to create greater depth to the project we needed another structural system to work in tension with the Canton Tower-inspired structure. Drawing inspiration from the sculpture - ‘B of the Bang’ by Thomas Heatherwick Studio, we found the explosive and aggressive shape of the sculpture would create a powerful tension with the Canton Tower-inspired structure.

The sculpture by Thomas Heath-erwick inspired us greatly. We believed the sculptural form communicated the inner anxiety and frustration of people living in isolation. We considered using the ‘thorns’ of the sculpture to repre-sent the people living in Wyndham City.

By using the sculptural forms of the ‘B of the Bang’ we felt that the gateway would be visually engag-ing and powerfully representative of the issues of isolation-cause anxi-ety and aggression.

Therefore, in this stage of the de-sign, our gateway consisted of the reverse engineering of the Canton Tower-inspired structure as well as an inner structure inspired by the form of the ‘B of the Bang’ sculp-ture. In addition to these two struc-tural and formal systems, we were also drawn to the metaphor of the ‘life of star’ as shown in Figure . The metaphor of the exploding star, as a spherical ball of energy building in energy and exploding to release its inner tensions, translated well our intensions with the gateway design. With this metaphor we took on the spherical form for the outer struc-ture for our gateway project.

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Top: figure 20 the B of the Bang sculpture

Left: figure 21 the self-compression energy of the star

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B 4.2 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENTMATRIX OF THE NETWORK SURFACE

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In developing the idea of isolation, we considered using the spherical form as a ‘cage’ to encapsulat-ing within it ‘thorns’ that represent people living in isolation. As if living in a circular cage, disconnected to the outside world, the gateway both exhibited powerful tensions of inner and outer worlds and the op-portunity to break free.

B 4.3 TECHNIQUE DEVELOPMENT

In developing the idea of individual ‘thorns’, we translated each thorn into 3D triangle segments, each representing the residents experi-encing anxiety and frustration living in isolated suburbs. The triangular segments were then ‘arrayed’ into a strip to represent the continuous life experience of residents. We de-cided to organize all the strips into a central point, the centre of the outer spherical structure; which for us represented the compressional energy of an ‘exploding star’. We believed that such an organization maximizes the tensional energy of the project.

In the next stage of the project, we wanted to connect the other ends of the strips to the outer spherical ‘network surface’.

We wanted the number of the strips to represent the different groups of people in Wyndham City, such as cultural groups and neighbour-hood groups. We also wanted each of the thorned strips to represent a force against the spherical outer surface, capturing the tension of the rupture and the desire to break out of isolation into the open world. Developing this idea of explosion, we faced technical difficulties of connecting the strips to the outer surface. In the following section, we discuss the prototypes we built in an attempt to solve the problem of connections.

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THE CONNECTION TECHNIQUE OF ‘PEOPLE’

The process of construcing the net-work surface is really difficult. There-fore, we consider to use the bas-ketball as a reference. However, the size of it is too small and out of the scale. Then, we used a box as a reference to make a plain network and then bent it into a curve.

MATERIAL AND METHOD TO PRODUCE THE NETWORK

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B5. TECHNIQUE PROTOTYPES

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After exploring the design ideas in Grasshopper, we made some physi-cal prototypes to test the build-ability of our design. For the proto-types, we focused mainly on using different materials to achieve the desired outcome. We experiment-ed with connecting each thorn strip to the outer surface by wire. Using the metaphor of the ‘barbed wire’, each connection was secured by a wire knot, similar to the barbed wire effect. However, this idea did not work effectively due to the triangu-lar shape of the strips which gener-ally got in the way of the sphere surface.

We also tested other materials for the strips such as MDF and clear plastic, thinking that the different materials could represent people that had different experiences liv-ing in Wyndham, such as those that were happy living in isolation. Using a variety of materials could better represent the diverse experiences of people living in Wyndham.

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B6. TECHNIQUE PROPOSAL

In siting our gateway proposal, we considered a few key conditions. We wanted the project to be highly visible and impactful from the motorists’ point of view. We also wanted the project to be in the motorists’ sight lines for some time, so it would stimulate intellec-tual or emotional reactions. With these conditions and the fact that we wanted to propose a project of ‘monumental’ proportions, we ended up choosing Site A. We believe Site A offered motorists views of the whole project from both sides of the freeway, espe-cially when they were going into Wyndham City.

In further developing the proto-type in digital software we faced challenges in trying to tie both elements of the gateway (the sphere and the strips) into Grass-hopper. The connection details between the strips and the outer surface were particularly chal-lenging to build in Grasshopper. We needed to write a definition in Grasshopper to connect both elements as a whole structure in order to make it strong and stable.

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B7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

Feedbacks from the mid-semester presentation pointed towards two issues prompting us to revisit the whole scheme entirely. First, the critics suggested that the overall scheme was too negative and criticising of Wyndham as a place. It was recommended that we find a way to express the positive side of Wyndham and to capture the positivity through a more harmoni-ous proposal and connection to site.

Second, the critics suggested that the thorn strips were too ‘strong’ and would obscure the visitors’ understanding of the whole proj-ect. It was suggested that we find another formal expression for the people of Wyndham. We were also encouraged to think about how the project would be lit at night and how it could be built and presented to the public.

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B.8 ALGORITHMIC EXPOLRATION

Blue BlockThe definition in the blue block represent the first stage of the waffle system. It divided the surface into x and y direction and created a box with 8 corners. And then divided the curves on the x-plane and y-plane. Next, it oriented the planes in it direction of each divi-sion point according to the reference point A.

Green BlockThe definition of the green block is made so you can set up the number of sections in the X and Y axis sepa-rately , also you can set up the height of each sections as well as the thickness of the mate-rial you are going to work with.

Pink BlockThe next stage is to make the x and y oriented plane into a surface to form the waffle system. Finally, the lattices in the x and y direction are created the grid of the waffle system. Then, we can bake the planar surface in the x and y direc-tion to form the waffle system.

Red BlockThe definition in the red block shows the method to create the gap for the construc-tion of the physical model. Finally the definitions orients al the parts to the X-Y axis with an ID tag so you can easily organize them and get them ready for the CNC mill or the laser cutter.

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Y direction

X direction

Perspective view Top view

Right view Front view

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THE SWARM

The exploration of the swarm struc-ture is very important in our design approach because the form of the people was abstracted from the in-dividual part of the swarm structure.

REFERENCEShttp://www.archdaily.com/89849/canton-tower-information-based-architecture/

Macauley, W., ‘Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Canoe’, 2004, Melbourne: The Text Publishing Company ILLUSTRATIONS:

Figure 18: http://www.blackbirdtree.co.uk/Barbed%20wire.html

Figure 19: http://wordlesstech.com/2010/12/19/canton-tower-guangdong-china/

Figure 20: http://www.kakinan.com/alex/archives/2009/06/Dismantling-B-of-the-Bang.php

Figure 21: http://scitechdaily.com/colliding-neutron-stars-produce-gold/

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PART C

EXPRESSION OF INTERESTPROJECT PROPOSAL

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THE VINE

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A MANIFESTATION OF THE GENIUS LOCI FOR THE WYNDHAM CITY

THE VINEA MANIFESTATION OF THE GENIUS LOCI FOR THE WYNDHAM CITY

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C1.0 DESIGN CONCEPT INITIAL CONCEPT MAP

Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Canoe

The Death Process of Neutron Star

William Heatherwick StudioThe B of Bang

CONTEXT and IDEA

STRUCTUREPRESENTINGGRAVITY

PROCESSREFERENCINGFORM

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figure 22: Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Canoe

figure 23: The B of the Bang

figure 24: The death of Star

CONTEXT and IDEA

STRUCTUREPRESENTINGGRAVITY

PROCESSREFERENCINGFORM

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CONCEPT

STRUCTURE

FORM

WIRED DOME

C1.1 DESIGN CONCEPT PRECEDENT RESEARCH

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Figure 25:— A number of points — Evenly spaced— Predictable, symmetrical — Inefficient

Figure 26:— An 8% over-length — Messy, chaotic, inefficient

Figure 27:— Merge and cluster — Large voids open up — Idealization and contingency

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The feedback from the mid-semes-ter presentation were negative towards our design focus which was centred on the problems of living in isolated suburban areas. Since we wanted the gateway project to be a dynamic symbol of the present and future of Wyndham City, mov-ing forward, we decided to shift our design focus to the idea of growth. Growth, especially the process of organic growth was chosen as the idea to represent the growing com-munity of Wyndham City. In shifting our design focus to a more positive idea, we found our current gate-way design inadequate because the wired spherical outer surface created a sense of the limitation of growth.

The wires were tangled together and were not effective in commu-nicating the concept of random connection and growth.To find inspiration for the idea of growth we looked at the wool experiment of Frei Otto. From Otto’s first two wool experiments, we found that evenly spaced rings, made the result efficient and predictable. Otto’s third and last experiment however, had a more organic pattern. The threads of wool merged and clustered to form major and minor paths, opening up voids to create what we saw as a good geometry of contingency and natural growth. This system is what we want to apply in our project.

WOOL EXPERIMENT FREI OTTO

C1.2 DESIGN CONCEPT SITE RESEARCH

Figure 28: The current city boundaries of Wynd-ham, Melbourne and Geelong

Figure 39: The Princess Highway which connects Melbourne, Wyndham and Geelong

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Figure 39: The Princess Highway which connects Melbourne, Wyndham and Geelong

Figure 30: The expected urban expansion --- Convergence of metropolis

Before the refinement of the con-cept, we did a map analysis that showed the expansion and growth of Wyndham, especially the linkag-es between the larger suburb and the central city. These diagrams illustrated the relationship between the Wyndham City and the sur-rounding urban area. Currently, Wyndham City is growing at a rate of 7.1 %, with an 187,788-people population. According to the State Government of Victoria, Wyndham is the largest and fastest growing suburb in Victoria and third fastest in Australia.

As we researched further into the background of Wyndham City, we also learned of its consistent rapid-pace development. We wanted the gateway design to be a monument that represented Wyn-dham’s great potential as an up and coming suburb and city, rather than a knell of decay. In addition, we wanted the gateway to repre-sent the growth of the city in order to also highlight to the local govern-ment, issues related to the isolation of the larger Wyndham suburban area.

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LINKAGEISOLATIONGROWTH

LINKAGEISOLATIONGROWTH

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C1.3 DESIGN CONCEPT REFINEMENT

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In the previous stage of the design, our initial concept for the gateway was inspired by a novel called “Blueprints for a Barbed Wire Ca-noe”. From this novel, we explored the idea of isolation and hope-lessness associated with distant suburbs. From the novel we initially adopted the idea of isolation, as a problem of Wyndham City, which the gateway could address and bring awareness to. We also refer-enced the precedent project - the ‘B of the Bang’ by Heatherwick stu-dio, as a sculpture that powerfully communicated explosiveness, ag-gressiveness and gravity. Combined with the death process of a star, we came up with the idea of a spheri-cal dome-shape that represented the sense of self-compression and the emotions of inner conflict and turmoil. Within the spherical dome, strips of arrows symbolised the people of Wyndham, their individu-alities and their communities.

However, after our research on Frei Otto’s wool experiments and the growth rate of Wyndham City, we began to realise that Wyndham City has developed quickly over the years and may no longer be as ‘isolated’.

Therefore, with the encouragement of the feedbacks from the mid-semester presentation, we decided to shift our focus away from the negative emotions of people living in isolating areas to instead use the gateway to reflect the growth that Wyndham has made over the last few years. Through the shifting of our design focus we also found our approach to be better because by focusing on the positivity of growth, we believed our design refinement also became an indirect solution to the problems of sprawling develop-ment and isolation. Therefore, by incorporating inspirations from Frei Otto’s wool experiments, our final design concept for the gateway project is a concept based on the development and growth of the communities in Wyndham City.

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C1.4 DESIGN CONCEPT THE VINE INSPIRATION

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Fallen leaves [voids]representthe isolated individuals

Linkages of branches representthe connection within community

Growing progress of the vinerepresents the growth of Wyndham

Fallen leaves [voids]representthe isolated individuals

Linkages of branches representthe connection within community

After we refined our design con-cept, we considered the natural process of vine growth as a dia-gram for the expansion of Wynd-ham City. We believed that the idea of vine growth also captured the sense of community in Wynd-ham as the form was a diagram of connection. Therefore, vine growth, as a secondary inspiration of the idea of growth is also adopted for our Gateway Project.

As seen in the growth of vines, we considered using the linking of branches to show the connections between the growing communities in Wyndham City.

The ‘hidden message’ within this diagram of growth is the gaps and voids ‘between’ the branches which we believed also communi-cated the idea of ‘isolation’. As the branches divide and grow, the void spaces found in between the vine branches become smaller; which communicates the idea of the long-term growth and the bridging of gaps, which also translated to the eventual diminishing of isola-tion.

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Growing progress of the vinerepresents the growth of Wyndham

C1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHOD

GROWTH

LINKAGE

COMMUNITYCONNECTION

INTERSECTION

RELATIONSHIP

NEIGHBORHOOD

RESIDENTS

DESIRE

HOPEPOTENTIAL

FUTURE

MOVEMENT

ENVIRONMENTAL

IMPROVEMENT

GREEN

VEGETATION

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C1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHODC1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHOD

VORONOI METHOD

C1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHODC1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHODC1.5 DESIGN CONCEPT REDEVELOPMENT OF PARAMETRIC DESIGN METHOD

VORONOI METHOD

CHAOTIC SYSTEM

VOID PATTERN

ORGANIC FORM

MERGE STRUCTURE

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In order to produce the concept of the project, we adopted paramet-ric design methods to create the forms that can communicate the ideas of branching and growth. As mentioned in the previous part of this report, in the Case of Innova-tion, parametric design adopts a system’s approach to design, using algorithmic calculations to create variations on design. If we change a single parameter, the whole outcome can change. We believe this feature of parametric design also reflects our design idea, in that communities in Wyndham City are connected to one another in a ‘system’ of relationships.

Although the relationships between communities may be complex, the consequences are logical as changes experienced in each community can also affect the en-tire population of Wyndham City.

To convert these design ideas into a 3D form, we worked out a Voronoi system in Grasshopper to visual-ise these connective forms. This method features chaotic system, organic form, merging structure and void pattern - qualities of which satisfy our design intent. We adopted Grasshopper as a plugin for Rhino to produce these ides in 3D. The parameters in Grasshopper focused on the function of each component and the interactions between one other.

C1.6 DESIGN CONCEPT GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION DIAGRAM

Define a box in 3d region and populate it by discrete points

Voronoiin box

Decompose the brep into component parts

Create mesh

Produce the whole structure

Cull the box to get central skeleton

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Extract points in groups forming the joints of voronoi skeleton

C1.6 DESIGN CONCEPT GRASSHOPPER DEFINITION DIAGRAM

Voronoiin box

Cull the box to get central skeleton

Scale the box of voronoi into two different levels

Extract points in groups forming the joints of voronoi skeleton

Use Weaverbird to make the skeleton lighter and smoother

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C1.7 DESIGN CONCEPT EXPLORATION OF PARAMETRIC MODELLING FORM FINDING

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Digitalization of the growing process of vine[Main parameter: discrete points numbers]

Through manipulating the param-eters, we discovered a series of possible outcomes. From these outcomes, we selected a geometry that best fitted our expectations. The geometry selected reflected the early stages of growth as a sign of potential for expansion.

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Digitalization of the growing process of vine[Main parameter: density]

Digitalization of the growing process of vine[Main parameter: strength of branches]

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C1.8 DESIGN CONCEPT EXPLORATION OF PARAMETRIC MODELLING DIGITAL MODEL

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C1.8 DESIGN CONCEPT EXPLORATION OF PARAMETRIC MODELLING DIGITAL MODEL

The result of the digital model is one that demonstrates the flexibility in connection, the order of organisa-tion and the potential for growth. As shown in the final outcome, the entire structure expands from the central joint. This final outcome re-flects our design concept strongly; the proportion of branching and connections in relation to the area of void represent the relationship between expansion and develop-ment as compared to the isolated areas of Wyndham City respec-tively. From the final digital model, it is easy to see that the voids within the structure eventually becomes smaller and smaller from the centre of the structure; which as men-tioned previously, represents the growing community connection in Wyndham City. Through growth, the idea is that communities also eventually become more and more tightly knit. The final outcome is a form that suggests infinite expan-sion, as each joint can also expand by further branching – this commu-nicates the idea of the continued development and expansion of Wyndham City.

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C1.9 DESIGN CONCEPT STAGES OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IN YEARS

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C1.9 DESIGN CONCEPT STAGES OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IN YEARS

In order to create a really ‘dy-namic’ gateway, we decided to incorporate actual vines into the gateway design, so that growth can be literally witnessed through time. We researched into features and qualities of vine and discov-ered that it naturally climbs up structures, becomes intertwined with one another and roots where possible along its climb. These fea-tures vine growth serve our design intent. Hence, we decided to plant Hedera Algeriensis in each of the connecting joints of our gateway structure to facilitate the natural growth of vines. These diagrams illustrate the growing process of vines and how they are planted in each joint of the structure. It is the intention that after several years, the vines will cover the whole gate-way structure to powerfully reflect our idea of growth and develop-ment.

The irrigation of vines on the project also reflects our idea of linkage and growth. The growth of vines will rep-resent the continued growth and development of Wyndham City. In addition, the ‘live’ vines will better represent the concept of the gate-way than an inanimate sculpture. As the vines grow, they will also begin to close the gap between the sculptural branches which will further communicate the idea of a well-connected and close-knitted community. We also believe that having vegetation on the gateway will further assimilate the project into the natural surrounding.

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C2.0 TECTONIC ELEMENTS STAGES OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IN YEARS

Movement

Model on site

C2.0 TECTONIC ELEMENTS STAGES OF DESIGN DEVELOPMENT IN YEARS

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Model on site Viewing

In order to allow the project to be more visually striking, we investi-gated its siting and scale. From the site analysis, we decided to sit the project on the eastern slope of site A in a large size, to draw the at-tention from the majority of visitors travelling on the motorway. Given that the gateway is of monumental proportions (26 meters high and 23 meters wide) it was also impor-tant to consider how it would be grounded in order for the gateway to be stable and safe.

C2.1 TECTONIC ELEMENTS FOOTING SYSTEM

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figure 32: footing system of Dudai Tower

C2.1 TECTONIC ELEMENTS FOOTING SYSTEM

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Part of the reason for the monu-mental scale of the project was to offer the small town of Wyndham a sense of significance and magnifi-cence. However, to safely fix such a large structure, we need to first con-sider its footing design. This diagram shows how the gateway will be fixed onsite. The footing of the gate-way extends into the ground and is secured through bolts into the con-crete slab. To ensure the stability of the foundation, several reinforced-concrete piles are extended from the slab into the ground.

The design of the footing system is inspired by the foundation designs of the Burj Dubai Tower which is the tallest building in the world. The Burj Dubai Tower is around 800 meters high and has an elaborate founda-tion system to support the super structure. The tower sits on a thick triangular frame foundation, which was supported by 192 rounded steel piles. These piles extend 50 meters into the ground. As our project has a large and irregular structure, we decided to use a similar foundation concept to that of the Dubai Burj.

figure 32: footing system of Dudai Tower

figure 31: bolted footing system

C2.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF JOINT

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C2.2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS CONSTRUCTION METHOD OF JOINT

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We continued to investigate ef-fective materials and detailed connection methods for our gate-way structure. For the branching structure, we choose to build it out of wireframe for its durability and plasticity in allowing free-flowing forms. The wireframe also allows a support for the climbing of vines.

For the design of joints, we decided to have steel rings with holes in it, welded to the mesh branches and further connected to two rings with bolts. A circular cap with a small hole allows water pipe to go through watering the vines. In addi-tion, the soil in the joints is stored by HDPE (High Density Polyethylene) with small openings to allow the vines to grow up and out.

C2.3 TECTONIC ELEMENTS PROTOTYPE WITH SITE CONTEXT

This is a trial prototype for our proj-ect. For this trial prototype, we used clay to test the practicability of the form, and the relationship with the site. Because of the topography of site A, it is very important to con-sider how the structure will integrate with the site. Site A is a gently hill with an elevation from 14 meters to 18 meters. Therefore, the joints that touch the ground should be care-fully considered against the existing elevations of the site. For this pro-totype, clay was used to make the joint and then connected with wire. In addition, we used melted glue to make the connections stronger. In the next stage, we decided to use 3D printers to make the high quality physical model on site. Since our project has an organic form, we used the 3D printer to produce the model in order to allow for greater accuracy, as the physical model will be translated directly from the digital model.

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C2.3 TECTONIC ELEMENTS PROTOTYPE WITH SITE CONTEXT

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C2.4 TECTONIC ELEMENTS JOINT PROTOTYPE

We used the detailed prototype to test the connection method for the joints. During the modelling process, we used clay instead of soil be-cause clay allowed us to produce the geometry more easily and could be dried by air. In addition, we used clay to make the con-nection rings for the joints and the pipes. The aim of this clay prototype was to test whether or not the joint design will work and whether the form of the connection ring could be achieved. The clay prototype was also used to test the connec-tion method between the ring and the pipe. Additionally, we used chicken wire to make the wireframe pipe. The workability of chicken wire allowed us to easily form the geometries to produce the proto-type models. One of the shortcom-ings of our clay prototypes was the brittle nature of clay. Although we were able to test the form with clay, we were not able to put screws and nuts onto the clay rings, because the clay would crack and fail in the load of the whole structure.

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C2.4 TECTONIC ELEMENTS JOINT PROTOTYPE

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C3.0 FINAL MODEL DETAILED JOINT

In order to better test the joint connection methods, it was very important to fabricate a better detailed model with the connec-tion rings. We decided to make the joint model out of foam because it is lighter than clay and could sup-port the weight of the rest of the model. We trimmed the joint design into layers in Rhino and reproduced the joints using layers of foam. Each layer was cut and sanded before being stuck together to produce the overall shape. Next, we used plaster cloth instead of the HDPE cover in order to protect the ‘soil’ in the middle. Plaster cloth allowed the joints to be harder and stronger and shared similar features to that of HDPE. We then covered the joint with wireframe and connected the wireframe to the connection ring. The connection ring was digitised in Rhino and fabricated using a laser cutter. We chose MDF to fabricate the connection ring. However, we used silver spray paint to illustrate the effect of the rings in the real situation. Finally, we connected the rings with bolts in order to show the connection in detail.

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C3.1 FINAL MODEL MODEL WITH SITE CONTEXT

3D printing was used to fabricate the final model with precision in order to test its performance of the gateway within the site context. Testing the physical model on the site, we found that the proportion of the gateway design met our expectations. The gate-way was large enough to be visually striking but not too big to overpower the site. Before we decided to 3D print the gateway, we tried other method such as clay to fabricate the physical model. However, in the end we went to 3D printing as we found it was dif-ficult to fabricate the gateway accurately with clay due to the organic geometry.

However, to produce the 3D printing file was another challenge on its own because the Voronoi method in Grasshopper can only create the form using hollow tube. The 3D printer however, requires a single con-tinuous mesh which needed be exported to stl file. Therefore, we needed to cover the opening of the hollow tubes in Rhino in order to convert the Voronoi form into a continuous mesh. In addition, we also need to make sure that the smallest part of the digital model is no less than 2 millimetres in order for the 3D printed model to be firm.

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C3.2 CONSTRUCTION: MATERIALS

C3.2 CONSTRUCTION: MATERIALS

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Soil protection: HDPE (High Density Polyethylene)

We decided to use high density polyethylene to hold the soil in the joint. HDPE is an effec-tive material for tensile structures. This material provides incredible strength and longevity features which are quite suitable for what we need as a pocket to plant the vines. The HDPE is also a good material choice because it has good plasticity and waterproofing qualities in terms of holding the soil in place. In addition, the plasticity of the material makes it easily to add openings in order to allow vines to grow out of the joints.

Bolted Joint

The stainless ring can be welded to the wireframe and then con-nected to the joint and pipe together with bolts. The stainless rings are designed with holes for screw and nut connections.

Reinforced wireframe

We chose steel wireframe for its qualities of durability and plasticity as well as the surface support it provides for vines to climb. The idea is that in several years’ time, vines will cover the entire structure and become an important part of the gateway design.

figure 33: Material HDPE application

figure 34: bolted joint

figure 35: reinforced wireframe pipe

FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

Although, the 3D printing method of fabrication lacks the ‘hand-made’ experience, the printing process follows the algorithm of the digital model and is more accurate because it is printed layer by layer. Therefore, this type of fabrication is an important experience of the parametric modelling.

Another aspect of our design that was questioned was the scale of our model. Although we knew the scale of our model, we did not present it well. A suggestion was made to incorporate drawings or referencing elements to define and visually communicate the scale of the project. For instance, we need to put people, cars or trees beside the model to illustrate the scale of the model. These important feed-backs helped me to think about more essential dimension of design, communication and fabrication.

The feedback we got from our final presentation was very important in highlighting the areas of our design that were undeveloped. As a sig-nificant public project in Wyndham City, the concept of our project and the idea of incorporating vine growth are efficient in reflecting the development and expan-sion of Wyndham City. Going into the presentation, we had a very clear concept and presented well through the use of many diagrams. However, the main criticism of our project was our detailed model, which did not transfer the idea from digital model accurately. We did the detailed model by measuring the approximate width and height of the joint in Rhino and then fab-ricating it with foam by estimation. Although we trimmed each layer of the joint as a reference in Rhino, the outcome of the joint is not accurate enough. In addition, the fabrication method was not innova-tive. The detailed physical model which we chose to fabricate using 3D printer was the most accurate as it follows the parametric model-ling fabrication method. In order to further develop the project, we can use 3D printer to fabricate the joint of the structure and then try the connection method to the joint.

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FURTHER DEVELOPMENT

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C4. ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES

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The algorithmic exploration of project proposal illustrates the voronoi definitions that we used in finding the final form of the project. However, these definitions are not successful and they can-not reflect our idea well, because the parameters can only be controlled in a limited aspect. For instance, the first voronoi definition is not successful because the connection between them cannot reflect the relationship in Wyndham City and it is the single surface that cannot form a structure. The second definition showing in the next page is better but the only strength of ‘branches’ can be controlled by the parameters. Therefore, after the exploration of the practice definitions, we worked out another voronoi 3D form that could be suitable to our concept of the project.

Both of them use the voronoi 3D definitions in grass-hopper. Variations are depend on the boundaries of the form, the density of each voronoi cell and the thickness of individual voronoi form.


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C5. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

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The Air Studio provided us the op-portunity to learn about parametric design as an innovative approach to the design of contemporary architecture. By researching precedent projects of parametric design, we are able to understand how architects around the world have already embraced this new approach to design through the development of new software such as Rhino and Grasshopper. The Snowflake Tower by Laboratory for Visionary Architecture is for me, particularly appealing in that pa-rameters of each floor section are controlled to influence the overall form and structure of the building.

During the exploration of the way to represent the idea of growth in our gateway project in Grasshopper, we decided to use Voronoi skeleton definitions and weavebird plugin to illustrate the growing process of the vine. However, we found that the outcomes of the Voronoi skeleton were significantly different by ma-nipulating with the parameters of the original definition. Using these various plugins have allowed me to understand better the intricacies of parametric modelling and manipu-lation.

I believe that the study of para-metric design this semester has developed and increased my knowledge and skills of architectur-al design. By analysing and emu-lating found precedent projects in Grasshopper, I have gained a lot of experience in using parametric modelling software. From the algo-rithmic explorations in Grasshopper, I have gained an appreciation of the various definitions and how to how to use them in different ways to produce a different outcome.

For instance, with the same design parameter applied to an object in Grasshopper, two designers can get an identical design outcome.

In this project, the idea of vine growth was illustrated efficiently through the exploration of the design both conceptually with the Voronoi skeleton form and ‘literally’ with the incorporation with vines. The natural process of vine growth was what we want to demonstrate in the project in order to repre-sent the development and future expansion of Wyndham City. In my opinion, architecture is a kind of language that captures what the architect wants to communicate through the project. Architecture, as a message, can therefore be used to reflect the present city as well as to record the changes that happen to the city over time. Through the design process of the Gateway project, we tried to use an organic form and organic growth of vines to both represent and record the constant growth of Wyndham City. As a contribution to the larger architectural discourse, our hope is that our gateway de-sign bridges both the past and the future by embracing both common elements such as using vines as a natural surface and embracing new design technologies to create organic forms. Somewhere in that marriage we believe is the potential for a new type of architecture.

Through the experience of para-metric design from the Air Studio, I found that the parametric de-sign tools are not only effective in producing a variety of design outcomes based on a similar family of ideas, but this design methodol-ogy also allows an efficient fabri-cation process as all the parts of the design are computerized and therefore can be directly ‘output-ted’ through fabrication tools such as 3D printers and laser cutters. Through digitizing our vine idea with algorithmic explorations in Grass-hopper, we had the opportunity to develop our design idea with the parametric design method. It was a good experience under-standing the difference between computational design and tradi-tional design methods. For instance, through computation design, design parameters can be manipu-lated to create a series of possible outcomes. As designers, we can select the geometry that best fits our design intent. Traditional design exploration by comparison, cannot produce variations on the design efficiently, therefore in the process of exploring variation can be more labouring.

Therefore, parametric design is an efficient way to produce different results with composition of software definitions. In addition, through the use of parametric design software, the fabrication process of irregu-lar forms can be quite easy with complicated shapes that can be ‘unrolled’ in Rhino Grasshopper for physical fabrication. However, the parametric design as well as the computational design also has some shortcomings. One of the main shortcomings is the limitation posed by the parameter design ap-proach itself.

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C6. REFERENCES

“HDPE Shade Structure”, About Bait Al Nokhada Tents& Fabric Shade, http://pvcshadestructure.blogspot.com.au/

“Skyscraperpage”, 2007, The Making of the World’s Tallest Building, http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=127449&page=2

“Wyndhamcity”, 2013, Demographics and Population of Wyndham, http://www.wyndham.vic.gov.au/aboutwyn-dham/wyndhamcity/demographics

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Figure 22: http://www.blackbirdtree.co.uk/Barbed%20wire.html

Figure 23: http://www.kakinan.com/alex/archives/2009/06/Dismantling-B-of-the-Bang.php

Figure 24: http://scitechdaily.com/colliding-neutron-stars-produce-gold/

Figure 25: http://berkshirereview.net/2011/02/08/tangled-in-webs/#.UnaMJI1NV38



Figure 31: http://blog.mechguru.com/machine-design/example-of-concrete-anchor-bolt-design-calculation-part-1-determining-steel-strength-of-anchor-bolt-in-tension/

Figure 32: http://forum.skyscraperpage.com/showthread.php?t=127449&page=2

Figure 33: http://pvcshadestructure.blogspot.com.au/

Figure 34: http://www.windenergynetwork.co.uk/enhanced-entries/neta-training-group/

Figure 35: http://www.made-in-china.com/showroom/shelleywin/product-detailAbBxyePoXfUK/China-Steel-Mesh-Skeleton-Polyethylene-Plastic-Composite-Pipe.html

eoi kailing wang 514464 final report

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