ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN STUDIO: AIR S1, 2015
[DESIGN JOURNAL PART A SUBMISSION] ANNA VASSILIADIS 639571
ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO: AIR
ANNA VASSILIADIS SEMESTER 1, 2015 [639571]
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
Introduction
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Design Futuring A1: Design Computation A2: Composition/Generation A3: Conclusion A4: Learning Outcomes A5: Appendix: Algorithmic Sketch Examples
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References
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About Anna I am a third year Bachelor of Environments student, with a passion for architecture, and urban planning. I love learning about new ways to perceive architecture and go about design within given constraints and limitations, and hope my experience of Architectural Design Studio Air 2015 is memorable, challenging and informative.
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DESIGN FUTURING One World Trade Centre, 2013
“GHESKIO shows the world that it is possible even in the most difficult environment”
It many respects, the One World Trade Centre (completed 2013) can be said to redefine the skyline of Lower Manhattan with a permanent symbol of renewal and hope following the destruction of the World Trade Centre towers in 2002. The construction of the One World Trade Centre overlooking Lower Manhattan not only redefined the cityscape, but extended to becoming a display of engineering and aesthetic marvel, and most importantly, revolutionised commercial building safety and sustainability of New York.
- Jeffery L.Sturchio, President & CEO of the Global Health Council
GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Centre (under construction) Following an earthquake in 2010, a great outbreak of Cholera spread across Haiti, with temporary health tents appearing to assist with recovery, and many patients in need of "dignified health care"3 to prevent against further spread of the disease. The great need for treatment facilities particularly given Haiti's climate and difficulty in managing smaller, less sanitary and less permanent health centres, saw the MASS Design Group design and construct a treatment centre to assist with the effects of Cholera epidemic.
The felt need for increased safety following 9/11, and new levels of social responsibility expected from new buildings of recent times saw the One World Trade Centre as far more than just a landmark, but largely a catalyst for change among high-rise construction. By adopting both rigid and redundant materials to form the structure, yet allowing for maximum span, through the use of a "concrete core"1 and "blast-resistant walls at the base"1, there is greater incorporation of new age safety systems aimed at saving more lives and minimising injury that will act as precedent for increased safety in commercial buildings. Similarly, the use of materials in the One World Trade Centre and their responses to natural phenomena and services brought about sustainable implementation with a focus on reducing "waste and pollution"2, as well as better water management, improvements in "air quality"2 and reducing negative externalities as a result of the construction itself. Completed in 2013, the One World Trade Centre can be regarded as a turning point in changing the functionality of the space, but interestingly people's perception. With proposals to create a Mass Transit Service connection at the new Trade Centre in future, giving the site greater importance within buildings of Lower Manhattan.
This very philanthropic aspect to constructing a treatment centre prompts for great change in the health care system with an aim to treat 60,000 Haitian residents residing in local areas. However, prevention is key in eradicating disease, evidenced by MASS's great deal of attention given to "on-site wastewater treatment"3 facilities, as well as the provision of appropriate ventilation and lighting to meet needs of ill patients, and promote wellbeing. MASS has also worked closely with local craftspeople to locally produce furniture, thus showing great regard for the current and future sustainability of local resources. In many regards, the GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Centre can be said to be the first of its kind in Haiti, as a permanent treatment facility, as described by the Global Health Council as a centre offering "first-class health care"4 in an extremely challenging environment, but as an example to be replicated, and ultimately catalyse systematic change in similar health care systems on a global scale.
Under construction: GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Centre, © MASS Design Group (Source: MASS Design Group)
However, along with a permanent structure as a omnipresent display of courage and hope, the One World Trade Centre does not divert nor conceal the horrors of 9/11, but rather uses them as a point of reference and embracing the footprints that mark the absence of the Eastern and Western towers. This in turn can be said to have given the people of Lower Manhattan a sense of hope and courage, but also a sense of purpose in having multiple uses for the space, focussing on future opportunity as opposed to past tragedies.
Left: One World Trade Centre under construction, © Alfred Hess 2013 (Source: Flickr)
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A1: DESIGN COMPUTATION ICD + ITKE Research Pavilion, 2011
Council House 2, 2006
The ICD + ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 derived its complex structure and geometries from the skeletal system of sea urchins, and had to respond to a series of constraints posed by the potential use of the space by surrounding contexts. In this respect, computing affected the design process as the structure not only had to stand, but be lightweight and allow for people to pass freely within the space it enclosed, as well as allowing for the natural passage of light and air.
In today's changing world, computers and computation are heavily relied upon for the innovative generation of form and overall performative functions of buildings over time. Particular focus is being given to the use of natural phenomena in a way that is both beneficial and responsive to internal and external contexts, essentially regarding the built form as a "living organism"5 given life by its dynamic systems. For example, in the research stages of Council House 2, environmental constraints were able to become opportunities to formulate new design, resulting in an emergent design concept that makes use of multiple systems to shape the form, as oppose to having form and function as separate entities. The notion of "overlapping systems" is not only very interesting, but in some respects can be said to have redefined nature as not being restricted to simply visual and functional contexts, but rather as a "measure"5 of what does and doesn't work in wider environments, and a "mentor"5, providing a sense of realisation that there is yet more to learn. Very detailed digital modelling was used to explore and build upon the importance of incorporating natural process, and allowed for quick alternatives ideas and solutions to be produced from a given set of information. Ongoing and incoming changes within the design and construction industry can extend to the greater use of environmentally responsive materials following recent pressures on becoming more environmentally responsible in recent decades. Rating systems and softwares such as FirstRate, enforced by the Green Building Council of Australia has made it voluntary for buildings of various zonings to be built to a minimum standard, to encourage more sustainable building. This is of great benefit to the design and construction industry, as compliance with GreenStar ratings not only allow the building to function more sustainably, but also allow the firm to gain recognition as being environmentally responsible. As technology develops, there is greater understanding into new materials, particularly their strengths and limitations, yet in many respects are not fully resolved by computation alone. It can therefore be said that computation is greatly beneficial to generating a range of designs based on particular information, however is somewhat limited in the ability to understand “digital materiality”6 in predicting system performance and respective responses to the given context.
Computation and construction of its resulting geometries is not based on trial and error, but rather a series of "rule based"7 instructions understood to have a beginning and an end by the computer, which can assist greatly in manufacturing materials needed to later assemble the structure in a logical manner. The very nature of computational design however allows for changes to be made and hence the design to adapt, providing a range of solutions to particular or emergent design constraints, and as Kalay suggests, should be viewed as a "dialogue between the goal and the solutions within the context of the problem"7. Connection details (also fabricated by computer systems) had to fit specific pieces of geometry, and more importantly had to be tested experimentally over time, once again highlighting the real life limitations of computer-generated design where construction is concerned. In some regards, this process of “trial and error”7 allows for points of evaluation to design responses during the process, which may provide opportunities for emergent design modifications to further resolve the project. This process can be extremely useful in further cases as a precedent study, whereby similar issues of joinery of broken down geometry may be a real concern for other projects. The process of figuring out how to overcome a design hurdle plays a large role in achieving the intended overall outcome, but allows for degrees of flexibility and gives rise to emergent properties that may arise in the process of solving one of many design problems. In this sense, it can be said that there are many design approaches and potential solutions, yet it is often one solution that is chosen over others as it resolves the majority of design concerns to a point where they are generally acceptable.
Design to Computation: Analogy derived from the protective nature of bark and need for adaptable and adjustable shading and natural air filtration for all seasons (Source: City of Melbourne) Realisation: Council House 2 façade © National Library of Australia
Yet, through further developments, it may be that there will be greater reliance upon programs such as CNC (Computer Numerically Controlled) printing, allowing for more precise and more complex geometries to be fabricated from computer inputs in less time than previously known, and may extend to the development of new materials responsive to the surrounding contexts, thus fulfilling performance requirements predicted with greater accuracy by computer systems.
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Source: University of Stuttgart Computation: Use of computational technologies to predict typical tensile and compressive forces with on geometric forms. Images © University of Stuttart
A2: COMPOSITION / GENERATION 40 Albert Road (The Szencorp Building)
Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville
Increased use and development of technology as a tool and platform has allowed for the design process to become much faster, giving rise to the ability to generate more solutions with a series of interchangeable inputs and processes. But more importantly, advancements have also allowed or solutions to be generated for pre-existing buildings to make them responsive to current and future contextual needs.
Completed in 2012, the Royal Children’s Hospital has paid particular attention to the use of resources, and how they may be generated and reused to meet other needs, of which are innumerable in such a large hospital. This extends to their adoption of “cogeneration”9, by which one system’s emissions can be used to run another system, such as heating for warmth or water. Coinciding with their sustainability focus, the Royal Children’s Hospital can be seen to be reducing energy wastage, as well as providing for stable and secure supply of resources such as “energy and steam”9 over time.
The recent redevelopment of the Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville can be seen as a project of great architectural expression and green-agenda, with the primary focus on improving the health and perceptions of hospitals for ill children.
When discussing the shift from the stages of composition to generation in an architectural project, it is imperative to include the vast development of technology, that continues to influence algorithmic thinking and in turn, parametric design.
This is typically the case with 40 Albert Road, South Melbourne (commonly known as the Szencorp Building) which completed its green-agenda refurbishment in 2005, and ultimately paved the way for greater environmental responsibility of commercial buildings (and their occupying companies) in Melbourne. In achieving their goals of reducing the building’s reliance on water and electricity, it is interesting to note materials were also of great concern, as they play a large role in managing the loss and excessive gain of resources such as natural light and heating.
However, it is important to consider that sustainability is an ongoing process, never truly attained, and relevant to a particular finite moment of time. In this case, it is largely the role of technology, “custom tools”10 derived from generative techniques, and management systems to closely monitor contributions to environmental efficiency. Importantly, technology become able to “predict and evaluate”7, adapt, and generate solutions to changes in environmental contexts in order to maintain relevance as a “sustainable building”11 over longer spans of time.
The notion of zoning is key to this example, as “passive”8 natural ventilation, lighting, humidity, air quality and areas in use, are all monitored by a Building Management System (BMS), allowing for certain areas within the building to be automatically shut down for more efficient use of power and water resources.
“The implications of the design success at the New Royal Children’s Hospital are major, because, if this level of sustainability can be achieved in such a large and complex healthcare design project, then the rest that follow will have no excuse for failure,”12
It can be said that the BMS in this example is largely reliant upon generation, as it has a predetermined way of manage the building as a complete system. Yet is not limited in the sense that it has the ability to generate information of its own to warn of deviation from generated component behaviours, and hence must be able to quickly adapt to changes and ultimately “solve the problem”7.
- Setting an example: A Judge’s comments from the 2012 Sustainability Awards Right: Passive responses to the environment, a skylight and HVAC system to minimise the need for artificial lighting, as well as the energy usage of additional heating and cooling. Source: Szencorp
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Left: Incorporation of passive systems; natural light, transparency and colour used throughout the newly developed Royal Children’s Hospital, Parkville Source: Royal Children’s Hospital Blogs
A3: CONCLUSION Overall, Part A has been an interesting experience in developing a greater understanding into technology, and how computation can be used to assist in the design process, to ultimately arrive at a composition. Generation is largely derived from this process, by which provides greater opportunity to explore specific design ideas, and create a multitude of iterations, which can vary in geometric complexity.
A4: LEARNING OUTCOMES Learning about theory and practice of architectural computing over the past few weeks has, in many ways, challenged and inspired me to further explore design computational methods. Although having some limited experience in softwares such as Rhinoceros, Grasshopper has provided a new dimension of thinking and going about design, but also allowing for quick adaptability and multiple forms from the one idea.
A5: APPENDIX: ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES
Above: Smoothing following a 3D Voronoi process in Grasshopper
REFERENCES
Above: Gridshells This algorithmic exploration was probably my favourite of all the tasks, as Grasshopper allows a great degree of variation by connecting together different components, that ultimately give rise to the emergence of unique forms.
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Above: Mesh Geometries This algorithmic exploration was very interesting, as it almost creates a sense of deductive geometry, whereby a series of interconnected command and components control the rigidity or fluidity of the defined form, and subsequent iterations. Above: Divide Length This algorithmic exploration was fascinating, as it allows for a lofted surface to be divided by a series of points, which can be used to break down quite complex forms in smaller, straight parts for fabrication.
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Robert Sullivan, Architectural Digest, < http://www.architecturaldigest.com/architecture/2012-09/one-world-trade-center-new-york-david-childs-article>, accessed 7th March 2015 The Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, World Trade Centre, < http://www.panynj.gov/wtcprogress/index.html>, accessed 7th March 2015 MASS Design Group, GHESKIO Cholera Treatment Centre, < http://www.massdesigngroup.org/portfolio/ctc/>, accessed 7th March 2015 John Donnelly, Global Health Council, < http://globalhealth.org/and-the-winner-is-gheskio/>, accessed 7th March 2015 Stephen Webb, The City of Melbourne (2005), < http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/Sustainability/CH2/DesignDelivery/Documents/CaseStudy_CH2.pdf>, accessed 16th March 2015 Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds (2014), Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge), pp. 1–10 Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture; New Media: Principles, Theories and Methods of Computer-Aided Design, 2004, pp. 17-18 Szencorp, The Szencorp Building [40 Albert Road, South Melbourne], < http://www.ourgreenoffice.com/project.html>, accessed 15th March 2015 Department of Health and Human Services, State Government of Victoria, Sustainability in Healthcare, <http://www.health.vic.gov.au/sustainability/energy/cogeneration.htm>, accessed 15th March 2015 Brady Peters, ‘Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, (Architectural Design, 2013), p. 10 ‘Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital wins top Sustainability Award in 2012’, Architecture and Design Australia (2012), < http://www.architectureanddesign.com.au/news/royal- childrens-hospital>, accessed 15th March 2015 Norman Disney & Young, ‘RCH crowned Australia’s most sustainable building for 2012’ (2012) < http://www.ndy.com/news-events/awards/rch-crowned-australia%E2%80%99s-most- sustainable-building-2012>, accessed 16th March 2015