CONSTRUCTING BEAUTY RYAN R. COLLIER, AIA, LEED AP BD+C PORTFOLIO 2012
“Atmosphere and affect are aspects that the architect has traditionally maintained the agency controls. In fact, affect is a highly determined feature of architecture, whereas much of the importance ascribed to program is intractable - like sand going through your fingers. The affective dimension of architecture not only influences use; at the level of order it also describes zones of intensity that, while real, nevertheless may be experienced in wildly divergent ways. Program by contrast limits these. As (a) measure of people’s practices, rather than what architecture can do, programming is a drain on freedom, on the possibility for selection, and thus on information.” -Jesse Reiser
“Effects are actions and they emanate from relations. The best effects which architects can produce in the contemporary world are those that are proliferating and moving, effects that are anticipatory, unexpected, climactic, cinematic, time-related, non-linear, surprising, mysterious, compelling, and engaging.” - Ben Van Berkel
TABLE OF CONTENTS PORTFOLIO 2012 01_SWELL 02_ASEMIC GEOMETRY & THE HIGH RISE 03 _SPÜLENKORB 04_URBAN INTERVENTION 05_THINKERING SPACE 06_EDUCATION AND SENSATION 07_SOLARSTUDY
SWELL DIGITAL FABRICATION STUDIO
Professor Gabriel Esquivel Ryan R. Collier – Project Manager Jeremy A. Harper | Nick Cignac | Matt Richardson | Todd Christensen | Mitch S. Rocheleau | Chris Gassaway “Life is nothing but instability and disequilibrium... a swelling tumult continuously on the verge of explosion.” ~ Georges Bataille “Swell” emerged from the posture of presenting an argument emerging from architecture itself. Is it possible to talk about architecture from its own discourse? This project fits within the continuum of architecture through references from works of the classicists to early modernists. A significant part of the research revolved around the discussion of classical ornamentation: a layer of architecturalization that was perhaps best articulated by the early modernist Louis Sullivan as seen in his intricate, highly articulated Guaranty Bank corner to cornice detailing. Not unlike the Baroque, there is a sense of levitation and anticipation – a feeling that the swell condition will either a) cause the entire beam to ultimately invade the floor and spread as a viscous fluid, or b) explode under the pressure of the aforementioned systems. Ironically, although the swell condition creates the illusion of weight, the project is - because of geometry, castellation, and material studies - quite the opposite. Furthermore, the form can be understood as an exaggerated moment diagram, as if the weight of the interior is causing deformation about the middle of beam. This project addresses a classic architectural problem of the column/beam or more literally the corner/beam condition, a swelling condition in this case. The space includes a logic of ornamentation through aggregation of apertures and voids about the surface. To the benefit of the whole, two subservient (submissive) systems work concurrently, interdependently to erect an affect of Swell. Arguably, the one system without the other would be beautiful, but without any sense of abjection. Abject then is the state in which the object begins merging with the subject, literally dissolving the boundary between the two; the abject replaces the object. As the two systems invade the other and create such interaction, the composite condition begins to swell under pressures, literally ripping the surface: apertures graze the surface where there were none. The micro condition of the porous appears taut via stretching of certain geometries, ultimately achieving a high porosity the swelling turning into poché. This poché is the condition of the surface against the softbodies, a system beginning to distend: an infinite cleavage, a condition of invaded interstitial spaces. The interstitial space, implied or contained is interpreted as a suppression of the paradox of physics and metaphysics of space that aims for an argument of desire, or that of the seductive void. The void then can assume various shapes/relations. The question is whether or not the void is understood as a condition of interiority or exteriority. Our subjective affiliation to the project could be explained as the classic repression exercised by the superego, exposing another way to look at it in terms of the “other,” in which otherness is present within the subject: a condition of abjection. “The interiority of exteriority is not understood until the internalization of absolute alterity disrupts the self conscious subject by revealing the presence/absence of an unconsciousness that can never fully enter consciousness”. Since the outside is always inside, the self is, in some sense, forever outside itself. The seductive “within” is not merely a need that can be filled by the possession of an object: the discourse of the other signifies an insatiable desire. “Swelling” is presented as a disruptive condition that argues emotional possibilities, from its sensual and ominous ornamentation to questions whether it is psycho sexual, an explosion, or simply a disruption of the condition of the surface? Project featured on architecture blog SuckerPUNCH and Theoremas.
PROCESS The entire project was designed using Maya, architecturalized in Rhino, and fabricated using a computer numerically controlled (CNC) milling machine. The structure consisted of vorinoi-like castillated ribs guilded with 720 panels, which were then organized using a 3d model for adjacency and a set of construction documenation coupled with alphanumeric code. The interior condition, or softbodies, were planned and placed in reference to certain research. Intenal lighting was designed about the structure and consisted of simple LEDs while external lighting was designed using stage lights with color filters. The project, from design to realization took two weeks and sevearal hundred man hours.
ASEMIC GEOMETRY & THE HIGH RISE THESIS 2009 This project discusses the Asemic as a generator for certain geometries, certain spheres of sensation, while providing a paradigm for economically viable urban housing and integrated transit. Asemic geometry denies signification in favor of the emotion of the glyph: that through the serialization certain geometries emerge, invoking sensations which are referential (perhaps) but maintain their independence from meaning. Exploitation of these tendencies, these geometries, yield techniques which allow for fluid conditions to exist between indices, largely defined by the line or curve. The project is situated in Detroit just north of the Detroit/Windsor tunnel and will serve the dual purpose of a primary transportation hub for a 10 billion dollar rapid transit corridor proposed over the next several years, and a larger residential element situated atop this transportation plinth. Rapid transit will begin to connect the largely disparate suburbs of the Detroit Metro area, bringing residents back into downtown and into the recently redeveloped riverfront district. This high-rise will act as the mediator between the newly defined district and the transit system. Economically, the project will be subsidized through a housing authority and deed restricted, reducing risk to the contractor (cost) and the government while providing an infrastructure and housing solution to the locality (similar to the Dutch Housing Act of 1901).
spülenkorb TEXFAB DIGITAL FABRICATION COMPETITION ENTRY Ryan Collier, Gabriel Esquivel, & Michael Tomaso
There is a vast precedent in fabrication projects that deal with the idea of weaving, however within those projects there are more specific techniques. This project concerns itself specifically in the spiral or coil. In “Tooling” Aranda/Lasch describe this technique as, “the spiral (which) is not so much the shape as the evidence of a shape in formation.” This idea implies constant movement as a desired effect - something to which architecture has historically aspired. Aranda/Lasch continue the argument in terms of spiral lattices as multiple woven points weaving producing stability: this gives the potential of using the technique as a way to assure the structure of the project’s form. To employ such a technique, one would have to use materials and tools that provide a ribboning or woven methodology. When we began to research more about weaving techniques we looked at “coiled” baskets and “plaited” basketry. Baskets are categorized by Technique; we found diagonally plaited as producing a more contemporary effect. At the same time, coiled baskets provide more stability in that they employ a technique of bundle strands or rods stitched into a spiraling oval or round form with a thin, flexible element to create a coil. Numerous variations of stitch types and embellishments (such as imbrications) can afford a wide range of possibilities. Spülenkorb is a combination of both techniques. Spülenkorb literally means a coiled or spiral-form basket. The interest in a coil-spiral-weaving technique is the idea of movement - a propelling force that make things operate - a pattern and certain geometries referential to physics and chemistry as well as in popular culture, music, and film - all while being sensitive to architectural logic of elegance in structure and form. The initial form then was conceived as a Möbius rind*, a geometry based on non-orientable surfaces by MC Escher [3]. For initial investigation we worked with the tool TopMod, a topological manifold mesh modeler which handles multi-genus geometries, to model the rind. We then continued to develop the mesh in Maya to include vortex apertures and variable, ornamental perforations, in an effort to test the robustness of the weaving algorithm [figure 1]. Once the basic geometry was developed, the project was then passed through a series of subdivision routines to help determine which might provide the type of weaving that we ultimately desired. The team selected a base cubic pentagonalization routine because of the flower-like aperture treatment and the relationship between the various ribbons [figure 2]. There was also a strong consideration of the necessity of the final algorithm: weaving the mesh required inclusion of mesh based knots and links. These links can be represented in various ways, and can be passed through a subdivisionextrusion-reevaluation procedure to produce the desired woven effect. The final state of the project includes a series of six continuous ribbons of various lengths [figure 3]. Additionally, none of the ribbons are straight, nor do they maintain their width - these variables are determined by the geometry, the algorithm, and the further parametric variables provided in the algorithm. Each ribbon includes several hundred developable surfaces, all with a unique four-sided condition. Because these surfaces are developable, they can be accurately unrolled in Rhinoceros and prepared for CNC machining [figure 4]. It is because of these specificities, and because of the recent development of the tools that such a project can be conceived, digitally or otherwise. In conclusion, that while up to this point much of the study in digital fabrication research has been based on tessellated surfaces typically derived from some abbreviation of the Catmull-Clark subdivision routine, this proposal supersedes these current studies by providing new solutions and challenges through the use of emerging tools (such as TopMod) and algorithms (such as cubic pentagonalization and weaving) providing an opportunity to experiment and new directions. *E. Akleman, V. Srinivasan, and J. Chen, “Interactive Rind Modeling,” Proceedings of the Shape Modeling International 2003, pp. 23-23, Seoul, Korea, May 12-15, 2003.
figure 1: basic geometry in Maya
figure 2: subdivided rind in TopMod
figure 3: woven geometry in Maya
figure 4: fabrication preparation in Rhinoceros
Interior Perspective
URBAN INTERVENTION As architects, we look for irregularities in the urban fabric - places of interest - as locations for study. This project proposes an “urban intervention” located between the gross scalar dissonances of campus and suburban landscapes. Despite the shear quantity of space located about the suburban campus, the quality of public space is largely absent. Poche as an urban strategy will be employed in order to contain such an expanse and return it to the subject. To create aggregation which is inherient in the poche, a system was developed to act both perfomatively and affectually Though intense, the invervention is a dual system composed of a beautiful surface and the hyperindexical condition of the column and the figural superstructure. The fluid affect references certain aspects of the Baroque, that being the painterly effect, while the aesthetic references the move from absolute to relative clarity (Wolflinn). In contrast to Modernism (and the Renaissance) the project is not divisible to a kit of parts or collage of building elements, and favors a system of difference and repetition. Affectually, the condition is quite extreme and sublime. The amalgamation of visual anatomical references is rooted in the abject, if not the grotesque. Such affect can be understood as a continuum of works ranging from the Villa d’Este through the recent Fleshology Studio by Diaz-Alanzo and Pincus (http://www.arch.columbia.edu/Studio/Spring2005/Alonso/). Project featured on the architecture blog Theoremas.
AN URBAN POCHÉ The benefit of using pochÊ as an organizing strategy is that it is scale independent and thus the methodlogy is transferable. Figural poche was initally introduced as a way to understand plan, but has been used since in figural landscapes (such as Villa d’Este) and now as an urban strategy. The master plan to the left is an extreme: a final derivation would include something to this aesthetic but would restrain its existance to need.
Call Main()
Sub Main() Dim strCopyObject, ArrStrGroups, ArrCurveCentroid, strNewCopyObject Dim ArrBoundingBoxCopyObject, ArrBoundingBoxCurve Dim pt1, pt2, pt3, pt4 Dim i Dim dblDistanceCopyObject, dblDistanceCurve, ScalerRatio strCopyObject = Rhino.GetObject(“Select object to Copy...”) ArrStrGroups = Rhino.Get bjec s(“Select objects to scale to...”) Dim ArrCenterCopyObjec ArrCenterCopyObject = O j ctCentroid(strCopy bject) Call Rhino.EnableRedra False) For i=0 To Ubound(ArrS rGroups) ArrCurveCentroid = Rhino.CurveAr troid(ArrStrGroups(i)) strNewCopyObject = hino.C yO j ct(strCopyObject, ArrCenterCopyObject, ArrCurveCentroid(0)) ArrBoundingBoxCopyObj t = Rhino.BoundingBox(strCopyObject) ArrBoundingBoxCurve = Rhino.BoundingBox(ArrStrGroups(i)) pt1 = Array(ArrCenterCopy t(0),ArrCenterCopyObject(1),0) pt2 = Array(ArrBoundingBoxCopyObje t(0) 0) ArrBoundingBoxCopyObject(0)(1),0) pt3 = rray(ArrCurveCentroid(0)(0), ArrCurveCentroid(0)(1) 0) pt4 = Array(ArrBoundingBoxCurve(0)(0), ArrBoundingBoxCurve(0)(1),0) dblDistanceCopyObject = Rhino.Distance(pt1, pt2) dblDistanceCurve = Rhino.Distance(pt3, pt4) ScalerRatio = abs(dblDistanceCurve*1.5/dblDistanceCopyObject) Call Sc leFromCentroid(strNewCopyObject,ScalerRatio) Next Call Rhino.EnableRedraw(True) End Sub Function ObjectCentroid(strCopyObject) Dim arrBBox Dim arrMinCorner Dim arrMaxCorner Dim minX, minY, minZ Dim maxX, maxY, maxZ Dim midX, midY, midZ Dim strCmd arrBBo ino.Bound gBox(strCopyObject) If IsArray(arrBBo en arrMinCo ar x(0) mi X = ar r 0) Y = arr er(1) minZ = arrM er(2)
arrMaxCorner maxX = arrMaxCo maxY = arrMaxC maxZ = arrMaxCo
rBBox(6) r(0) (1) (2)
midX = (minX+maxX / 2 midY = (minY+maxY) 2 midZ = (minZ+maxZ) 2
End If ObjectCentroid = Array(midX, midY, mi
)
DETAIL RENDERING
THINKERING SPACE KIOSK With the advent of ‘no child left behind’ and the subsequent loss of creativity in standardized American pedagogy, this project seeks to reacquaint children to the act of creativity by the blending of space and surface to create a topological place for digital play. Each metasphere contains an environment which is constantly engaged not only with the subject, but also with the surrounding environments. Consider an fully emersive Google Earth or Spore paradigm which promostes student to media and media to media interaction. Through the blurring of the two, new conditions emerge. As magician and manipulators, subjects are allowed to negociate digital media through physical interaction with the senispheres, or non-regular touch surfaces.
PROGRAM/SURFACE Here one can witness the Roman Colosseum, a solartarium, a western scence, or a fully topological finger painting extravaganza. The surface is ornamented with aperatures based on morphogenic geometries. Geometry wraps the surface, equating a distance to size ratio value for perforation radii.
Option Explicit ‘Script written by Ryan R. Collier and Jeremy A. Harper ‘Script copyrighted by Texas A&M University ‘Script version Monday, February 09, 2009 9:52:34 PM Call Main() Sub Main() ‘select circles ‘find center of circles ‘select curve ‘find shortest distance from center circle to curve ‘scale circle by a factor of the distance times a coefficent Dim arrStrCircles Dim StrCurve Dim CircleCenterPoint Dim Distance Dim i Dim ClosestPoint, dblCrvParam Dim ScaleMult ‘snag some circles and a SINGLE curve... multiple curves later... arrStrCircles = rhino.getobjects(“select circles”,4) StrCurve = rhino.getobject(“select curves”,4) Call Rhino.EnableRedraw(False) For i=0 To Ubound(arrStrCircles) ‘Find the center point of the current cirle CircleCent rPoint = Rhino.CircleCenterPoint(arrStrCircles(i)) ‘Determine the p rameter for the point on the curve for EvaluateCurve dblCrvParam = Rhino.CurveClosestPoint(StrCurve,CircleCenterPoint) If IsNull(dblCrvParam) Then Call Rhino.MessageBox(“Something is missing here...”) End If ‘Return a 3D point based on the parameter above ClosestPoint = Rhino.EvaluateCurve(StrCurve,dblCrvParam) ‘Determine the distance from the center point of the current circle ‘to the closest point on the curve Distance = Rhino.Distance(ClosestPoint, CircleCenterPoint) ‘I found that circles with center points extremely close to the curve ‘resulted in a division by something less than 1, making the circles ‘scale to something larger. Adding 1 turned out to be insufficient ‘becau e the scalar value was at or very near 1. By adding 10, ‘anything with a distance less than 1 is reduced in scale by a LOT. If Distance < 1 Then ScaleMult = (Distance - 1)/(Distance+10) Else ScaleMult = (Distance - 1)/Distance End If ‘Go ahead and scale the circles based on criteria established above, ‘and proceed to the next circle in the array. Call Rhino.ScaleObject(arrStrCircles(i),CircleCenterPoint,Array(ScaleMult,ScaleMult,ScaleMult)) Next Call Rhino.EnableRedraw(True) End Sub
INTERIOR PERSPECTIVE Note the Colosseum on the left and the solartarium on the right.
EDUCATION AND SENSATION Architecture for non-linear pedagogical therory (ie Montessori) derives a system of non-linear methodologies which ultimately shaped the logic of the form. The phenomenon of fluids (ie particulate matter) was employed create topological conditions which connect what would typically be the disparate indexical elements of the building. Each particle is a metaphor for thought - as they crash against one another, new conditions emerge that would otherwise be absent: an interdependent condition. Architecture should then reflect the ideology: more linear, standardized, compartmentalized pedagogical programs are best expressed through disparate parts - parts that seemingly work together at some compositional level but really never truly interact; this creates aesthetic but rejects affect. Because the Montessori method is based more on the drive of the individual and not the overall, top-down design of the typical American education program, a different logic is necessary. This project directly references (fluid) architectural precedents such as the Baroque through figual form and the condition of levitation. Such fluidity is best expressed through the juxtaposition between modern skyscraper boxes and the more figural facade of the school. We can understand modernism then as being representational of the high-renaissance - very calculated, calming, and proportional - while this project addresses a new emerging trend in architecture, one that rejects to the tired aesthetic of modernism in favor of affect. The project is situated in Dallas, suspended between Elm Place and Renaissance Tower. The connectivity to public transportation, the proximity to density, and the reclamation of urban interstitial spaces (such as the Wozoko project by MvRdV), as well as the relative proximity to Thanksgiving Square, the West End, and the proposed Trinity Valley project make the site useful to a developing educational program and a viable addition to the urban fabric. It should be noted that at the base of the tower, at the public drop off, there is a no-car zone, a rareity in a dense, downtown environment. Project featured on the architecture blog Theoremas as Education and Sensation.
INTERIOR PERSPECTIVES Includes the Upper Level education room (above) and the Toddler Area (right).
SOLARSTUDY For this study, I was asked to design a skyscraper who accommodates a system of panelization in which each panel is to be normal to the sun. One could think of these as either solar shades or PV panels. This condition allows for a level of sustainability about tall, topological projects, while still allowing the architect to control form while keeping the surfaces developable.
A number of steps went into solving the problem: 1. Planar surfaces where created from the NURBS surface using LIFT Architects Grasshopper Primer. 2. I then divided each panel into a 2x2 grid using U & V values, which yielded 9 points. I then extracted the corner points (1, 3, 7, and 9) and the middle points (5) into two distinct lists, or arrays. Logic Diagram Scan 3. To create surfaces normal to the sun, I used trigonometry based on the vectors between the sun and the center/corner points of the original diagrid pieces. Because the magnitude (length) of the preexisting vectors are known (both to the corners and to the center) as well as the angle between those vectors, a cosine function can be used to determine planar points along the corner vectors. Basically, as long as all end points of all lines draw a perpendicular vector to the existing central point vector, the surface, by definition, will be planar. 4. Once I had the four new corner points, I used a â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;surface from four pointsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; component and baked the geometry into Rhino. Because of the parametrics of grasshopper, one can view all possibilities of each panel, the number of panels, change the solar path relative to the building, etc. To find the solar data I used an excellent excel spreadsheet put out by Greg Pelletier through the Washington State Department of Ecology. Additional geometries can be explored which would do the same technique, in aggregation, which would perhaps give more variation to the work.
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