PART A CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDIO AIR 2017, SEMESTER 1, TUTOR FINNIAN WARNOCK KWAN CHIN CHING

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CONTENTS INTRODUCTION

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A. CONCEPTUALISATION A.1 DESIGN FUTURING

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A.2 COMPUTATION

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A.3 COMPOSITION/ GENERATION

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A.4 CONCLUSION

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A.5 LEARNING OUTCOMES

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A.6 APPENDIX

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REFERENCE

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INTRODUCTION

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F.1 Cathy Kwan (Image by author, 2016)

I am Cathy Kwan who is in my third year majoring in architecture. I would not say I am really passionate about all different parts of architecture but I am more interested and focus in designing of a building.

For me architecture is an art piece that helps and involves in improving people’s living conditions and standard. A good architecture can create a mood and guide the way people move or action through its design in a subtle way. I believe design plays an important role in not just architecture but the future and this is the part I want to participate in.

I am also interested in interior design and furniture design because for me all of these elements work closely together to create the desired atmosphere. For me I always want to keep things subtle but interesting.

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F.2 Sleep Pod (Image by author, 2016)

Sleep Pod is a project that design a pod for sleeping at school under the exploration of the principle of panel and fold, aiming to create a portable pod that gives a sense of security.

Rhino is used throughout the whole process to build and test the sleeping pod from two dimensional idea to three dimensional form. The design is then produced using laser cut. This is my first design project that mainly depending on computerisation technique.

Auto CAD and Sketch Up are other digital program that I use to help me in experimenting with different forms. Especially Auto CAD is intensively used to produce plans and sections for each design.

I think digital architecture really help to improve one’s working efficiency and the quality of work. Digital tools help to control and produce design drawings accurately.

Communicating ideas become much easier.

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A CONCEPTUALISATION

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A.1 DESIGN FUTURING 11

PLUG- IN CITY Our human centeredness and treating the nature as infinite resources increase the rate of defeaturing (Fry, 2008). People just hope for a better future because it takes courage and action to dream. Architecture design is no longer about appearance, it is a solution to defuturing. I believe design should not just fulfil and satisfy the current situation but also act as open-ended search for new possibilities towards a preferable future.

To achieve this goal, we need to change our values, attitudes and behaviour (Dunne & Raby, 2013).

It is a long process to get a step closesr to the preferable future. Before that awarness should be raised to alllow poeple have discussion on the problem that we are facing. Speculative design is therefore required as a tool to bring up the concern, notice the mistake we made and redirect us towards the right path (Dunne & Raby, 2013). Plug- In City is a project designed by Peter Cook from ARchigram in 1964. It was based on the use of Metal Cabin Housing as basic component that place removable house elements into a megastructure (Merin, 2013). The scale and shape of the city could change easily according to the population and required services, which sets the architecture and city free from terrain concern (“Center for Experimental Practice�, 2010).

This project is not built but it was thought as radical design at that time. This is about the process but not the final form. In today’s point of view temporary architecture maybe known as unsustainable but it provides people a different method to manage and construct a city. This project catalyst people to discuss the preferable city they want, encourage us to investigate what happens if the whole urban environment can be restructured.

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F.3 Detail of connection between Metal Cabin Housing (“ Centre for Experimental Practice”, 2010)

F.4 Section of Plug-In City (“Plug- In City”, 2013)

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STIK PAVILION After redirection design intelligence is required to come up with a sustainable solution towards such direction (Fry, 2008). The Digital Fabrication Lab Research Pavilion is a project done by professor Yusuke and students in the studio called Advanced Design Studies in 2015 from Japan.

Instead of using normal materials, waribashi, a recycled material produced as by-product of the industrial production of chopstick is used for this construction. By understanding the characteristic of waribashi, a stable and complex structure can be obtained with the use of 3D printer (AD Editorial Team, 2015). This design is a response to the concern of defuturing. Recycle material is used instead and able to build complex yet stable structure without the use of nails and joints, which is different from normal construction.

It produces a new method to construct and gives an alternative method in building.

To conclude, we need to have innovative designs that stimulate the possibilities of solution.

While designing, crucial judgement should be made on actions to indicate the right decision for increasing futuring potential (Fry, 2008).

Thus, we can discover suitable alternatives that concern and balance all different aspect such as nature, culture and economy (Dunne & Raby, 2013). As this process repeat and repeat we get a step closer to the future world we desire.

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Fig 5. STIK Pavilion by studio team (AD Editorial Team, 2015)

Fig 6. Pavilion Close Up (AD Editorial Team, 2015)

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A.2 DESIGN COMPUTATION 17

SERPENTINE GALLERY PAVILION The importance of computing keeps increasing in architectural design process nowadays. Apart from being useful tool for plans and sections, computing now also involves in the formation of designs, changing the use of computer from computation to computerization.

Computing creates a uniform language that helps designers to express and communicate their ideas numerically and graphically to other participants like engineers and clients. By imputing rules and numbers, it can present a system or design accurately with shorter use of time (Kalay, 2004). Especially when handling complex problem, computer can minimize the errors in a large extent hence facilitate the design process.

In advance of technology, computation expands the possibilities of designing, enlarge and support the range of conceivable and achievable geometries. For example, the Serpentine Gallery pavilion by Toyo Ito used computation to set the geometry of the form of the cubic box (“Serpentine Gallery pavilion,” 2013). By applying algorithm as constrain, a desired ‘random’ geometric form is created. These scriptable geometric pieces are then treated as structural element or eliminated as openings. Apart from providing aesthetic to the pavilion, the incorporation of algorithm also minimized possible mistakes and uncertainties in the design process.

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Fig 7. Serpentine Gallery Pavilion (Temporaray Pavilion in London, 2013 )

Fig 8. Interior (Temporaray Pavilion in London, 2013 )

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ONTARIO’S CELEBRATION ZONE PAVILION Computation also re-define the way of design thinking (Oxman & Oxman, 2014). It can act more than a tool to represent ideas and participate in the creation of the design process. The Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion by Hariri Pontarini Architects successfully demonstrate the use of digital design in form finding and structural analysis in response to environmental context. It is a temporary pavilion for an open exhibition area.

In the design process, Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines and integrated parametric modeller (Issa, 2010) are used to calculate and create a form that satisfy aesthetic, demands of code and the wind loading of such large-scale structure (“IFAI,” 2016). Inflation pressure and compression load are the main concern of this inflatable structure, an accurate model is created to predict the deflection of structure when subjected to different possible conditions (“Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion,” 2015). With the use of computation, the design of structure can be optimized quickly, improve the aesthetic quality while maintaining confidence in their structural performance. Since the from of design also invloves engineering calculation, this strengthen the collabration between arhcitects and engineers.

To conclude, computation not only improve the quality of work and help communicating ideas, it also evolves as a medium that supports a continuous logic of design thinking and making, providing another effective method to reach a desired solution and allow archietcts engage more in the construction process.

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Fig 9. Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion (“Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion”, 2013 )

Fig. 10 Pavilion Interior (“Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion”, 2013 )

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A.3 COMPOSITION / GENERATION 23

SUBDIVIDED COLUMS

Generative design is becoming the new focus of architecture design. It is an integrative process that consider the environment, facilitate greater complexity with the use of algorithms. We are shifting into an era where architects use software to one where they create software (Peter, 2013).

The advance in technology has now enable architects script their own rules, overcome the human-limitation of handling complex design process, making the process of both design and fabrication intuitive and flexible.

The subdivide columns by Michael Hansmeyer employed computational design to generate a series of unique pattern that developed into independently design structure. This project involved the conception and design of a new column order based on subdivision process.

The Doric column was continuously subdivided in accordance to different local parameter settings (Hansmeyer, 2010). The process can be run with different parameters to generate endless variations. Complex columns were formed with a simple generative process. He created his own rules and logic where designers are designing the process of producing a column through the use of algorithms, rather than designing a column directly.

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Fig 11. Subdivied columns (Hansmeyer, 2010 )

Fig 12. Ornaments of a column (Hansmeyer, 2010 )

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TAICHUNG METROPOLITAN OPERA HOUSE The Metropolitan Opera House by Toyo Ito is an unconventional design that abandon the stereotype of the using ceilings, walls and columns for space separation. It is inspired by the idea of caves, the combination of walls and ceilings into surfaces forms different sound caves that horizontally and vertically connect to each other (Markus, 2017). The spatial complexity is based on a few simple geometric rules. With the underlying of geometric grid to accommodate the spatial and volumetric needs, a membrane is expanded and twisted three dimensionally to create continuous space in both direction (“Taichung Metropolitan Opera House�, 2013). By changing the parameters in the algorithms, variations can be obtained. This computation based minimal surfacae form finding method helps to create desired form efficiently and accurately.

By setting finite set of simple rules, algorithms can produce a series of variations within the given boundaries and constrains. This method increase the efficiency to figure out the most desired outcome undoubtedly but it can also limit the possibilities of designing. Algorithm is a finite set of rules (Robert & Frank, 1999) that eliminates the possibilities of other feasible solutions that cannot fully meet the given constrains. Therefore, generative design should be viewed as a useful supporting design tools but not the only solution to a problem.

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Fig 13. Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (Stott, 2016 )

Fig 13. Formation of caves (Moyosugi, 2011 )

Fig 14. Formation of caves (Moyosugi, 2011 )

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A.4 CONCLUSION Design is the process of problem-solving to improve not just human lives but also the environment. The final goal should beyond the satisfaction of current situation and involves in designing the preferable future. Through the evolution in technologies the application of computer changes from computerization to computation, designers can even create their own software to customize their digital design environment for designing. With the use of algorithms, this new design method helps architects to increase their capability to deal with complex problems, increases the efficiency of design process. Designers are no longer only involves in the parametric design but also participate in the performative design.

My intended design approach is mainly focus on sectioning and geometry. Sectioning allows the creation of a three-dimensional structure with two-dimensional segments. There can be no extra connection pieces required, which is different from the normal way of construction, it allows the structure be built easily and reduce material use. The patterns created also give a motion to the design. Geometry brings fluidity into the structure with the use of different materials to form surface. It changes the idea of architecture being symmetrical and square shape, which stimulates and provides new possible outcomes for a problem.

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Fig 15. Sleep pod pattern (Image by author)

Computation increases the flexibility in design to adapt changes. I understand that with the use of computation it can help us to reach a desired goal easier with all the given constrains. It can also provide inspirations through the generation of unexpected result. I would like to use this new knowledge of algorithm in grasshopper to form the folding pattern of my sleep pod in Digital Design and Fabrication. It is designed based on the idea of pannel and fold.

With the use of algorithm I can optimize the folding pattern without own calculation and even change the pattern size according to the curvature easily, which may improve the functionality of the pod. .

A.5 LEARNING OUTCOMES 29

A.6 APPENDIX

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ALGORITHMIC SKETCHES These structures are created using an attract point as guide to arrange the size and density of spheres throughout three curves. Once this algorithm is set, different parameter is applied to obtain variations. This idea is similar to the formation of subdivided columns and Taichung Metropolitan Opera House with a much simplified algorithm. The same algorithm applied with loft can create a form with minimal surface. Instead of sphere, other geometry such as cone is also used to give a different effect.

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TEXT REFERENCE AD Editorial Team. (2015). The Best Student Work Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily. com/771146/the-best-student-work-worldwide-archdaily-readers-show-us-their-studio-projects Centre for Experimental Practice. (2010). Plug-In City Study. Retrieved from http://archigram.westminster.ac.uk/project.php?id=56 Clement, K. (2015). STIK Pavilion. Retrieved from http:// archinect.com/intotheloop/project/stik-pavilion.

Dunne, A., Raby, F. (2013) Speculative Everything: Design, Fiction, and Social Dreaming. MIT Press Fry, T. (2008). Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg), pp. 1-16 Hansmeyer, H. (2010). Subdivided Columns- Design. Retrieved from http://www.michaelhansmeyer.com/projects/columns_info2.html?screenSize=1&color=1#undefined IFAI International Achievement Awards: Ontario’s Celebration Zone. (2016).

Retrieved from http://iaa.ifai.com/projects/ontarios-celebration-zone/ Issa, R. ‘Essential Mathematics for Computational Design’, Second Edition, Robert McNeel and associates, pp. 1 - 42 Kalay, Y.E. (2004). Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, pp. 5-25 Markus, E. (2017). Striking curves: Taichung Opera House in Taiwan. Retrieved from http://www. detail-online.com/blog-article/striking-curves-taichung-opera-house-in-taiwan-29477/ Merin, G. (2013). AD Classics: The Plug-in City/ Peter Cook, Archigram. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/399329/ad-classics-the-plug-in-city-peter-cook-archigram Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion. (2015). Retrieved from http://www. thorntontomasetti.com/projects/ontario_celebration_zone_pavilion/ Oxman, R., Oxman, R. (2014). Theories of the Digital in Architecture.

London, New York: Routledge, pp. 1–10 Peter, B. (2013). Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’. Architecture Design, 83 (2), pp. 08-15 Robert, A., Frank, C. (1999). The MIT Encyclopedia of the Cognitive Science, Definition of ‘Algorithmic’ in Wilson. London: MIT Press.

Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2002/ Toyo Ito + Cecil Balmond + Arup. (2013, March). Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/344319/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2002-toyo-ito-cecil-balmond-arup Taichung Metropolitan Opera House (2013). Retrieved from http://www.arcspace. com/features/toyo-ito--associates/taichung-metropolitan-opera-house/

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IMAGE REFERENCE AD Editorial Team. (2015). The Best Student Work Worldwide. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily. com/771146/the-best-student-work-worldwide-archdaily-readers-show-us-their-studio-projects.

Centre for Experimental Practice. (2010). Plug-In City Study. Retrieved from http://archigram.westminster.ac.uk/project.php?id=56.

Clement, K. (2015). STIK Pavilion. Retrieved from http:// archinect.com/intotheloop/project/stik-pavilion.

Hansmeyer, H. Subdivided Columns- Images (2010). Retrieved from http://www. michael-hansmeyer.com/projects/columns.html?screenSize=1&color=1 Moyosugi, S. (2011). Taichung Metropolitan Opera House in Taiwan. Retrieved from http://www.detail.de/artikel/taichung-metropolitan-opera-house-intaiwan-4493/ Ontario’s Celebration Zone Pavilion. (2015). Retrieved from http://www. thorntontomasetti.com/projects/ontario_celebration_zone_pavilion/ Plug-in City: Maximum Pressure Area, project (Section). (2013). Retrieved from https://www.moma.org/collection/works/797?locale=en.

Stott, R. (2016). Toyo Ito’s Taichung Metropolitan Opera House Photographed by Lucas K Doolan. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/796428/toyo-itostaichung-metropolitan-opera-house-photographed-by-lucas-k-doolan Temporarly Pavilion in London. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.detailonline.com/inspiration/temporary-pavilion-in-london-106495.html

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