DESIGN AS
DISCOURSE AS DESIGN
ADS3 Alexandra Gower 201443
Part One
Discourse as Design:
-Wyndham City Council brainstorm -Herzog and De Meuron; Ornament -Computerisation, mass customisation -Callum Morton; Art interpreting architecture -R&Sie(n), dynamism and emotion Part Two
Design Devices - Bio-mentor - Brainstorm - Inspiration - Diagram of inputs - Case Study CUT - Solution Development - Matrix Part Three
Fabrication - Fabrication - Performance Part Four
Refinement
Contents
- Communication
Society is changing. The continuing growth of the population on the limited surface of the world and the reduction of distance within the world through fast methods of travel and instant communication has resulted in a shift in society’s relation to space. Space is becoming a valuable commodity. Advances in design tools and construction techniques has also altered how and what space is defined. Architecture is also changing. The introduction of parametric modeling allows designers to respond factually to site factors and removes many assumptions to allow a new freedom in design. Parametric design therefore enables the designer a fresh appraisal of their project, site and context and the ability to respond to the issues in a directly cause and effect manner. As a suburb in flux, Wyndham is moving through these issues of space and it’s new meaning in 2012. In many ways this rapid change of a community can be perilous. Community identity can either be strengthened when guided in the right direction or completely broken down by the disturbance. It is therefore important for Wyndham to create an icon that engages with contemporary notion of space exploration and encourages discourse. As only through discourse can a positive direction be discovered.
PART ONE
discourse as design - Wyndham City Council brainstorm - Herzog and De Meuron; Ornament - Callum Morton; Art interpreting architecture - Scripting Culture and emotion - R&Sie(n), dynamism and emotion - Computerisation, mass customisation
Wyndham City council
Great Australian Dream of the detached house = Urban sprawl Fastest growing municipality in Australia by % Per week: 60 babies born and 120 new rubbish bins requested
Rose Garden, Fibonacci sequence
Site for filming one of the car chases from Mad Max, great Australian cultural icon with comments of the sustain ability of our preoccupation with cars, petrol and speed.
Former orchard farming area, mostly family run. Only pockets now remaining
The Country Suburb
Werribee Mansion: -Historic landmark -Former nationwide recognized art competition, suspended due to financial difficulties
Melbourne’s outer west suburb
Werribee open range zoo, African animals with strong fur patterning
Yarra river referred to the spine of the country by local indigenous population
Werribee Races; former cultural event appreciated by general population, suspended due to track reorientated as quarantine for Melbourne Cup horses.
Innovation in Architecture
Herzog and de Meuron - Ornament
Ornament has consistently been a point of contention in architecture. The Art Nouveau and Art deco styles illustrated with ornament the new dynamism and energy of the modern period. These previous explorations in ornament predominantly focused upon ornament as an applied fixture, very separate from the mass of the building. As a result, ornament was rejected by the International style as a extraneous trapping of past styles and not to be included in a new rational architecture based on the economy of industry. Architecture materializes an extensive range of elements, some pragmatic but also many arbitrary, interrelated but often contradictory idealizations. These aspirations, while not entirely related to function, are what differentiates humanity from the animal kingdom and are a vital inclusion in our built form. It is due to these competing factions that successfully balanced architecture, is by nature complex and cannot be comprised of a singular element. Nor can elements exist in isolation, as highlighted by the International style, as units such as ornament consequently loose
all significance without context. It is only when individual units are in dialogue as a whole that the distinction between them dissolves and each alters the conception of the next to create an entirely new architectural expression. Herzog and DeMeuron re-frame ornament, form and structure to investigate how ornament in this manner shifts the conception of space to something transientl. The two dominant walls of the Ricola-Europe SA, Production and Storage building are constructed with translucent poly carbonate panels which have been printed with a repetitive plant motif. Although weight bearing, the effect of the patterned panels is more like a curtain or robe. Light filtered through the patterning transforms the appearance of the internal space during the day, as the volume seems to shift and recede. At night, the facade material dominates, closing and sealing the volume within the confines of the form and becoming more akin to the concrete capping ends. Australia’s current insistence upon separated space such as the detached family home with specific room designation and private but often under utilized backyard space and consequent unmitigated sprawl is no longer sustainable. This new conception of space as transitory and flexible is an important consideration for the future society of Australia and in particular Wyndham as our fastest growing suburb. Notes 1. Ching, Jarzombek, Prakash, A global history of Architecture, New Jersy; Wiley and sons, 2011 2. Jean-Francois Chevrier, Ornament, Structure, Space. A conversation with Jacques Herzog, Basel, Winter 20063. Herzog de Meuron, Ricola Europe Storage Building, www.herzogdemeuron.com/index/ projects/complete-works/076-100/094-ricola-europe-production-andstorage-building.html 4. Perkins, ‘Health Fear on estates,’ in The Age, Melbourne, 2012
Design objective: The Transient nature of space
Computation
Mass Customisation
Design Units in dialogue to m
n objective: make whole
The International style as defined by Gideon, ****** something about wanting a style that was applicable to everywhere. The new prevalence of technology like ****** from WWII encouraged the more dogmatic Modernist architects to believe that this building type was applicable to all climates as a discrete unit, shut off from the environment and independently conditioned with machines to the ambient temperature of 24’C. Conditions were treated as black/white, yes/no, light and HVAC system on/off. Grey was not to exist. A suggested alternative model is the camp fire. With a gradient of heat and light, the inhabitant is able to adjust their comfort by their proximity to the fire. Additionally external influences such as airflow, drafts experienced by the inhabitant, type/condition of wood use etc will change the experience to create a more threshold/dynamic experience and offer a more flexible solution. More akin to the comprehensive needs of humans which includes emotional requirements is the this threshold manner. In order to convert this transient model into the conclusive mode of built form, a highly complex object must be created. Consideration must occur of both the unit scale and the whole, how each affects the other and is also affected by environmental factors. Parametric design is built around this notion of self organization, where the base geometry is populated by a unit that can be continually altered and updated. Elements respond and adapt to external stimuli which in turn affects the configuration of the adjacent component and the whole until equilibrium is achieved. An entirely unique space is created by an entirely unique manifestation of the form. In the case of Daniel Coll I Capdevila’s, ‘Strip Morphologies; Design Study for Environmentally Differentiated Healing Environments’ a unique wall configuration creates a specialized variety of conditioned spaces in the aim of terrorization to each hospital, ward (wall itself altered) and ultimately patient (choice of appropriate rooms). As stated by LAB; Industrialization in this case no longer equates to standardization but rather mass cus-
tomisation. Like a renaissance sculpture, the Wyndham gateway project will be viewed from a multitude of different angles and scales, both from those immediately going through the gateway and those viewing it from afar. It will also be viewed at a variety of different speeds and heights including pedestrian, car and truck cabin. With parametric design it will be possible to account for each of these instances and create a complex work that will be successful from all vantage points while still maintaining it’s character as a whole. Notes 1. Hensel and Menges, ‘Differentiation and Performance: Multiperformance architectures and modulated environments,’ in Hensel, Menges and Weinstock (eds), Techniques and Technologies in Morphogenetic design, London; Architectural design, 2005 2. Banham, The Architecture of the Well-Tempered Environment,Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1973. 3. Hensel, ‘Computing self organization: environmentally sensitive growth modelling’ in Hensel, Menges and Weinstock (eds), Techniques and Technologies in Morphogenetic design, London; Architectural design, 2005 4. LAB architecture, Federation Square Fractal Facade, www.labarchitecture.com
Innovation in Architecture
Callum Morton - Art interpreting Architecture
Design has always involved discourse. Subjective elements such as aesthetics traditionally compose a large portion of architectural composition. Innovation depends upon discourse for stimulus and refinement. Discourse as the final desired product of design however is a new phenomenon. To present ideas and stimulate discussion as ultimate purpose is a conceptual and luxurious notion. Poignant only to the first world, this form of architecture is concerned with the moral elevation of a society not their physical situation. Discourse as design is contrary to object prized architecture. It is common for architecture to be described purely as an aesthetic object, without critical reference to function, site or context. Although aesthetic objects do engage in the general discourse of architecture, they refer to ideas only familiar to those initiated and often use jargon to further alienate general society from reflection or input. However as stated by Williams, when discourse is the aspired to product, it purposefully seeks participation from all members of society. This egalitarian approach is a core objective of identified in the brief for this project. One method of materializing discoursed based design is replacing the focus upon the creation of an object with the creation of an emotional response. More subjective than aesthetics, this primal response cannot be validated by nor requires previous knowledge or specific language in order to participate. The psychological effect of architecture has been acknowledged since the C19th with the overwhelming affect of the new building typology of the soaring skyscraper in the 1880‘s. More recently, the sameness of suburbia and housing estates have encouraged a particular type of depression in many residents including those from Wyndham. The purposeful provocation of an emotional response, while popular in cathedrals of the Gothic period and contemporary art I feel is under utilized in current architecture. The art of Callum Morton works to highlight
Design objective: Egalitarian discourse through emotional response
our relationship to and interaction with the built environment. Public and private space are explored, with a focus upon how ‘we encounter, perceive or experience personal or communal space often unconsciously.’ Valhalla was Australia’s inclusion in the Venice Biennial and is 1/3 scale model of the Morton family home which Morton’s architect father aspired to provide. In its representation for the biennial, the building is not idealized as an object of perfect Australian Modernist architecture. Instead the badges of habitation and time are celebrated as Morton presents both personal and general stories of childhood, family and the society of the time, highlighting the positive as well as the not so. Morton hoped that viewers would respond, either sympathetically or critically, to the notions of life presented in this physical form and in this way the building becomes a ‘stage for the unpredictable passions and inevitable foibles of humankind.’ The design serves as a prompt for an emotional response and as a consequence, encourage discussion. Design orientated for emotional and sensory effect is therefore an appropriate device to encourage egalitarian discourse for the betterment of the Wyndham community. Notes 1. Williams, ‘Architecture and Visual Culture,’ in Rampley, Exploring Visual Culture, 2005 2. Perkins, ‘Health Fear on estates,’ in The Age, Melbourne, 2012 3. (Morton, ‘Babylonia,’ in ACCA Education kit, Melbourne; ACCA, 2005) 4. Wyndham CIty, Western Gateway Design Project, Melbourne; Wyndham city council, 2011
Scripting culture & emotion
R&Sie(n); dynamism and emotional response Parametric design offers architecture, as a profession, the opportunity to reconsider the role of computers in design. Predominantly, computers have simply been approached as alternative drawing implement to the pen and not to be involved in the conception stage at the risk of thwarting inspiration. Parametric design places focus primarily upon the process of creation in scripting instead of the final object. The eventual form of the design therefore becomes an inconsequential by product of this systematic application of best suited component to script to meet the objective. The postwar functionalists found that this rule based generation of ideas was important when designing new building types that were without precedent. Form was limited by their then current knowledge of what was possible and applicable. Alternatively, parametric design as rule based design can be a design tool whose determined focus upon the process enables systematic analysis of the site, brief and even concepts previously considered as ridiculous. Historical applications of this design mechanism include Lewis Carroll’s use of mathematics in his fiction, applying
mathematics principles of symmetry and proportion to his writing in order to rationally consider the absurd. R&Sie(n) explored the potential for Parametric design in creating new building types from existing functions. A code was scripted for the FRAC Center project which continued to grow and change from past performed iterations by further adding to it’s own future script. A machine controlled by the script was to adjust the location and extension of glass rods which projected into the courtyard space to form the circulation spaces for the building. The final outcome of the courtyard space is not a static object which can be idealized by the architects but rather a space which is informed by the history of the action of the machine. Although a changing space is impractical for a programme space such as the intended circulation space for FRAC, the idea of dynamism in both conception and manifestation is something sadly lost in architecture today. The progressive script also prevents the architect from manipulating the script in order to achieve a certain preconceived notion of form. This fraudulent approach to parametric design is at risk of becoming commonplace, as designers aim for the parametric aesthetic without comprehending the motivations and possibilities of the tool. As an ever unfinished space, almost alien in appearance as the rods protrude out to invade the private space of the occupant, R&Sie(n) believe people will respond strongly to the unique nature of the space. Whether this emotion is positive, negative, curiosity or apprehension is not important. The shock of the different and unapologetic change of conventional approach to space is intended to shatter the indifference with which many people view their built environment. Habits and conforming dull the senses of observation and reflection, so that subtle changes are not perceived. This is particularly prevalent in commuting driving where boredom and habit slowly reduces the alertness of the driver to external stimulus other than the road. The potential for a unique, unconditioned response to the Wyndham gateway project as provided by latest technology in Parametric design and its ability to compose radically unique forms without precedent, would reawaken many people to the project, encourage them to engage emotionally and reflect upon the concepts provoked by the piece. Notes 1. Inaba, Clouette, Unfinished Business, François Roche Interviewed, C-Lab Columbia laboratory for architectural broadcasting, 2006, http://c-lab.columbia.edu/0063.html 2. Herbert Matter, Charles Eames and R Buckminster Fuller, Prefabricated Housing, From Arts and Architecture, July 1944 R&Sie(n), Olzweg, Paris, 2006 www.new-territories.com/welostit.htm 3. Fornes, Scripted by purpose, Philadelphia; Fuel Gallery, 2007. http://scriptedbypurpose.wordpress.com/participants/rsie-francois-roche/
Design objective: Systematic approach to design
PART TWO
design devices - Bio-mentor - Brainstorm - Inspiration - Diagram of inputs - Case Study CUT - Solution Development - Matrix
Biomentor
3. Nature as Mentor – Biomimicry is a holistic way of viewing and valuing nature. It introduces an era based not on what we can extract from the natural world, but on what we can learn from it. Janine M. Benyus
The forms of nature are produced by complex principles. Rather than simply applying the given forms of nature, Architecture can examine and interpret the underlying principles as a method or script to derive highly sophisticated forms. Storey Hall was inspired by fractals, self similar patterns which are commonly found in nature inc Romanesque broccolis. The principle of self similar patterns was translated mathematically into the Penrose Tile pattern; flat and thin rhomboids which create a pattern that is identical at the finite small scale and the infinite large scale. At Storey Hall, the Penrose Tile pattern is utilized to organically cover and unite the expanse of the facade, walls, floor and ceiling. The points of inspiration obtained from Wyndham will be approached in the manner of bio-mentor. They will be broken down to their essential principle and this script will grow the form of the project. This will further extend the creative freedom produced by scripting through parametric design. Notes 1. Stuart Hanafin, Growth and Replication: Exploring Façade Subdivision based on Natural Processes, Geelong; Deakin University, 2011. 2. Janine M. Benyus, Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature, New York; Harper Collins, 2002
Brainstorming
Transitory Time Movement RAAF Cut: Build/destroy Momentary Historic Legacy Sameness Shadow Witty Novelty Inspiring Claustrophobic Reflect Wonder Unit Whole River as Spine Negative Space Community Cars Petrol Ornament Space Form Colour Mix primaries Monument Sound The country Suburb Art Community Commuter Holiday Freedom Materials Dynamic Kinetic 1950 Patterns Fur Engulfed Anti - indifferent Invoke emotional reaction Positive change Identity Great Australian Dream Reframe Car enabled Transform Meaning Innovative experience vs object refract
Innovation Novelty and Positive change Establishment in context, acceptance is vital Transforming meaning Brief New Identifier Arrival experience New discourse Integrate site inc service station Appropriately scaled Spatial Quality Efficiency
Deer Compensating application of graded colour. Darker on area likely to be lit by light and lighter on darker areas so as to appear flat.
Dazzle
Zebra: To confuse lions in chase. Difficult to estimate speed and direction and discern individual animal from pack
Disruption
Leopard: High contrasting, non-repeating pattern to disrupt recognizable shape outline of animal
camoflage
Countershading
Inspiration
The transition between completely different elements by illustrates how the many complex items of the piece unified through mo
The configuration of petals to create a rose is formed in accordance with the Fibonacci rule. Classification of Roses is established by a progressional change in cup shape and number of petals.
Materiality Brick: apart the flat surf to create the app Veneer is also ve and therefore ele lian Dream and is thermal mass.
y Escher may be orphing.
The Werribee River was referred to as the ‘Spine’ by the local Indigenous people. The spine has connotations of stability as the back bone structure and implies fluid linear direction
: Experimental House by Alvar Aalto breaks face on the house by manipulating bricks pearance of an undulating surface. Brick enerated in Australia as a more expensive evated form of house in the Great Austras thankfully well suited to our climate with
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Herzog and DeMeuron Re-engineered
Case study: CUT
Cut pattern is independent of the embossing. Circles on a grid are altered in diameter according to the contrast present in the image.
Ornament in this instance breaks up the solid appearance of the facade material to make a permeable skin that erodes the boundary between inside and outside of the building. This transient space within the project is a driver also identified as important to the Wyndham Gateway project. Reverse engineering the parametric design through which it was realized will inform the design process of the Wyndham gateway project. The erosion of distinction in space is further enhanced by the patterns conception from images of dappled sunlight through the trees immediately surrounding the site.
The embossing varies in depth according to the contrast present in a different image. Positive embossing where white was present, neutral as in the original flat material sheet for grey and negative debossing for black. This corresponded to the script as a remapped values of -1, 0 and +1 respectively
In learning this new program and application to design, it has been important to break the process down into stages and visualize the effect each component has upon the whole. Dramatic changes can even be made simply by altering the sequence of set components. A matrix enables clear visualization of which element in particular is working where and which parameters are related to another. The method of ‘Solution Development’ as outlined by Kalay, where parameters of method are defined as a systematic application of trial and error. Iterations were then compared to the end goal to determine their validity. This versioning has been able to make longer strides forward as my knowledge of the program, possible components and the grammar of the program has improved. Notes 1. Kalay, Architectures New Media, 2004 2. Burry, Scripting Cultures, 2011
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The parametric design tool, Grasshopper, repeats a list of simple task in order to create a complex item. The hierarchy between the whole and geometry which populates it facilitate the straightforward translation of small alterations to the modular to their application on the whole. Computerisation therefore enables quick visualization of forms and changes.
PART THREE
fabrication - Evaluation - Performance
fabrication
Evaluation according to Design Objectives
The first phase of design applied a systematic approach to all elements within the design. The various units that were included were brought together in dialogue due to the generative process of parametric design as one built upon the form of the one before. While the variety did produce a transient effect due to relation of the object to the moving spectator in the car, this design objective was not strongly communicated in the form. Neither was this utilized to provoke an emotional response and encourage dialogue.
Materiality
The two prototypes produced very disparate results. While the sliced form illustrated the transition between each unit but was not able to show the further break down from the intermediate unit to the detail. The metal paneled rosettes were able to be embossed, manipulating the surface to catch light in different ways according to the different position and intensity of the sun in the sky. These intermediate units however were not created in reference to the next unit and the transition between discrete elements was lost.
Performance Change in perspective
The form created was sliced and split apart to illustrate the gradual changes between two units. While this did enhance the sensation of movement as the form was broken down into rhythmic discrete objects, this experience created a distinct separation between the object and spectator. The design criteria of transitional space implies the idea that the experience is dynamic rather than simply the discrete object and so greater integration of car, site and sculpture is required.
Light
Studies performed in the car discovered that shadows produced in this manner would not interact with the car space as hoped but instead would be seen as a flicker due to the speed of the car. This model highlighted the power strips of light can have to create a spatial experience in a transient nature when singled out from surrounding shadow. This would effectively be seen in the car on the road infront.
PART FOUR
Refinement - Communication
COMMUNICATION As the Wyndham Gateway Project is an abstract sculpture without functional purpose, it is important to clearly articulate the message of the project through the object itself. As no clues can be gained from function, all elements including the structure, experience, detailed scale and large scale must contribute to and enhance this message. Each element must contribute to this message in dialogue with the other elements otherwise without context, that isolated seemingly separate message will erode the strength of the main message. For this reason, Phase two of the Design for the Wyndham Gateway project focused upon clearly and successfully communicating the intended message of the piece in both the small detail scale, experience of moving through the space, large scale of the point of observation from the other road and in relation to the site. Do to this clarity of message, some elements were not scripted to produce a systematic approach but instead created with the sole objective of enhancing the communication of the message.
surface treament, we want surface intereaction intergration, dialogue