VIENNA CHEN
ARCH ITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO
AIR
Design Journal
C o n t e n t : 1.0
C a s e
F o r
i n n o v a t i o n
1.1 Introduction 1.2 Architecture as a discourse 1.3 Computational Architecture 1.4 Parametric modelling 1.5 Algorithmic Exploration 1.6 Conclusion 1.7 Learning Outcome
1 3 7 9 11 13 13
1.1 Introduction
My name is Vienna and I am c ur rent ly in my t hird ye ar of t he B achelor of Env ironment, maj or ing in archite c ture. B efore gett ing into t his cours e, I was study ing Inter ior Archite c ture and D esig n in Singap ore. Hence f ur t her ing my studies into archite c ture is a ver y excit ing exp er ience for me. I have a lways b e en a st rong b elie ver in dig it a l desig ning , b e c aus e it a l lows us to do complex desig ns quick ly and more ef f icient ly as comp are d to hand draw ings or physic a l mo dels. I am fami li ar w it h 3Ds Max and V-ray as I have us e d t hem in t he p ast. Howe ver, I do not have any pr ior exp er ience w it h p aramet r ic mo del ling . Thus I b elie ve t hat t his mo du le w i l l b e a g re at opp or tunit y for me to explore 3D desig ning and f ur t her my k now le dge of it.
The Shore residence Singapore
B efore p er using my deg re e, I sp ent ab out a ye ar in Singap ore work ing as an Inter ior D esig ner. The proj e c ts t hat we sp e ci a lis e d in were main ly resident i a l, but o cc asiona l ly we desig ne d show units for lo c a l prop er t y de velop ers. The Shore residence was one of t hos e rare proj e c ts. The p ersp e c t ive ab ove was an image of a master b e dro om t hat I cre ate d dur ing t he pres ent at ion pro cess. The fo c a l p oint of t his desig n was t he t r i angu l ate d p anels on t he b e d he ad and cei ling . The pur p os e was of t his was to cre ate an inter pl ay of lig ht and shadow, t hereby g iv ing t he i l lusion of r ippling shadows simi l ar to t hat of water.
1.2 Architecture as a Discourse “To make architecture is to map the world in some way, to intervene, to signify: it is a political act.” Dutton
Archite c ture c annot b e de duce d as a col le c t ion of shap es, draw ings or t he or ies. It is far more complex and has t he abi lit y to inf luence c u lture and histor y. [1 ]
We are div ing into t he he ar t of t he dig it a l age in t he 21st centur y, w here archite c ture is b e coming incre asing ly inf luence d by dig it a l desig ning .
Therefore, in order to dis cover t he b est archite c tura l s olut ion for t his proj e c t, we w i l l ne e d to f irst underst and t he role of archite cture in our s o ciet y. Archite c ture has of ten b e en des cr ib e d as an indust r y t hat involves desig ning and const r uc t ing bui ldings. Thes e bui ldings s er ve on ly a f unc t iona l and aest het ic pur p os e. Howe ver D utton and Man argues t hat “ To ma ke archite c ture is to map t he world in s ome way, to inter vene, to sig nif y : it is a p olit ic a l ac t.” [ 2]
The ne w for ms, mater i a ls and ways of conceptu a lizing archite c ture have g iven r is e to a ne w for m of dis cours e - one t hat is for ward t hin k ing and draw ing innovat ion f rom a l l s ources, t hereby cre at ing c u ltura l ly sig nif ic ant st r uc tures.
In ot her words, archite c ture cou ld b e anyt hing t hat generates dis c ussion and dis cours e. It do es not have any pre-re quisites, and it c an b e in t he for m of t he or ies or sketches. Archite c ture do es not have to b e a physic a l, bui lt st r uc ture to ma ke an imp ac t.
This def init ion of dis cours e is in line w it h t he proj e c t br ief of t he Gate way Proj e c t, t hat “ The inst a l l at ion shou ld cre ate a fo c a l p oint of iconic s c a le and pres ence and encourage a s ens e of pr ide w it hin t he lo c a l communit y. The Wester n Gate way shou ld prop os e ne w, inspir ing and brave ide as, to generate a ne w dis cours e.” In ot her words, to cre ate a st r uc ture of c u ltura l and physic a l imp ac t.
This t rend c an b e s e en t hroug hout histor y, such as t he mo der nist movement in t he 1920s and t he S ov iet Union’s const r uc t iv ist archite c ture. A l l of w hich had many desig ns t hat were ne ver bui lt, but nonet heless ext remely imp ac t f u l, e ven t i l l to d ay.
1. Alberto Pérez-Gómez. (n.d.). Hermeneutics as architectural discourse. Retrieved from http://www.mcgill.ca/files/ architecture-theory/hermeneutics.pdf 2. (2008). Pour nous n°2 : Le hiéroglyphe métropolitain. (2008). [Print Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.tumblr.com/ tagged/digital architecture
Nuragic and Contemporary Art Museum, Cagliari, Italy
Z a ha Hadid is one of t he most celebrate d archite c ts of t he 21st centur y. Her st y le is s e en as b old, organic and innovat ive. She pushes const r uc t ion te chnolog y to its limits and ne ver desig ns s omet hing ‘ordinar y’. Therefore, I w i l l examine her award-w inning bui lding , t he Nurag ic and C ontemp orar y Ar t Mus eum, as p ar t of my dis cours e. This proj e c t aims to cre ate a c u ltura l no de t hat s er ves as a sig na l to announce one’s ar r iva l in C ag li ar i f rom t he s e a. This was achie ve d t hroug h t he interconne c t ion of inner circ u l at ion sp aces, g re en sp aces and public ro ads. [1]
Much li ke ot her bui ldings desig ne d by Z a ha Hadid, t his bui lding fol lows an organic for m t hat res embles a concrete re ef. On top of t hat, t he prof i le of t he bui lding app e ars to lie clos e to t he g round, a lmost as if it has g row n out of t he l and. This low and hor izont a l prof i le cre ates har mony b et we en nature and t he bui lt env ironment. The Nurag ic and C ontemp orar y Ar t Mus eum is one of t he many bui ldings in t he 21st centur y t a k ing on an organic for m, cha l leng ing t he b ound ar ies of te chnolog y and t he interac t ion b et we en p e ople, nature and t he bui lt env ironment.
1. NMA Modern New Architecture. Nuragic and Contemporary Art Museum in Cagliari, Italy. Zaha Hadid. Retrieved from http://www.newarchitecture.biz/2010/12/blog-post.html
1.2 Architecture as a Discourse
Gardens By The Bay Singapore
Gardens by t he B ay is one of t he l argest climate cont rol le d pl ant cons er vator ies in t he world, and it is desig n by Wi l k ins on Ey re Archite c ts. It has a ls o re cent ly won t he overa l l world bui lding of t he ye ar award at t he world Archite c ture Fest iva l (WAF) 2012. This v isu a l sp e c t acle cost ing an astounding SGD$1 bi l lion was t he cent re of much deb ate among Singap ore ans in 2012. Whi le s ome felt t hat it was a waste of mone y and l and, ot hers s aw it as a go o d addit ion to t he cit y’s sky line. Howe ver, ver y litt le was ment ione d ab out t he gover nment’s intent ions of emb ark ing on t his l arge proj e c t
L e e Hsien L ong s aid, “ This is just one example of how we are t ransfor ming Singap ore’s liv ing env ironment. It may b e a dens ely p op u l ate d cit y, may b e one of t he dens est in t he world, but we are deter mine d t hat our p e ople shou ld b e able to live comfor t ably, ple as antly, g raciously.” [ 3] Thus, it c an b e infer re d t hat t he Singap ore gover nment w ishes to cre ate garden sp aces t hat are e asi ly access e d by t he p e ople in order to cre ate a more comfor t able liv ing env ironment.
1. (2012). Gardens by the bay. (2012). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/324309/cooled-conserva tories-at-gardens-by-the-bay-wilkinson-eyre-architects/ 2. ArchDaily. (2012). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/254471/gardens-by-the-bay-grantassociates/ 3. SPEECH BY MR LEE HSIEN LOONG, PRIME MINISTER OF SINGAPORE. (2012). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.news.gov.sg/public/sgpc/en/media_releases/agencies/micacsd/speech/S-20120628-9.html
The Gardens by t he B ay was desig ne d w it h sust ainabi lit y as its ke y fo c us. For inst ance, t he 16-store y hig h ‘sup er t re es’ are emb e dde d w it h te chnolog ies li ke s ol ar p anels and rainwater col le c t ion systems to a l low t he t re es to f unc t ion simi l ar to t hat of a re a l t re e. Thes e t re es a ls o s er ve as an exhaust system to help co ol t he cons er v ator ies. [6 ] The archite c ts and desig ners of t he Gardens by t he B ay embraces te chnolog y and nature, ma k ing us e of te chnolog y to cre ate a more ‘natura l’ st r uc ture.
Gardens By The B ay is a considerably l arges c a le proj e c t t hat has now b e come an archi te c tura l icon in Singap ore, cre at ing a ne w dire c t ion for ward w hereby st r uc tures are no longer just energ y consuming b ehemot hs, but inste ad ‘s elf-sust aining’ ent it ies t hat ut ilizes sust ainable energ y. Thes e ide as c an b e applie d to t he Gate way proj e c t, w here its desig n c an s er ve b ot h f unc t iona l and v isu a l pur p os es.
6. (2012). Gardens by the bay. (2012). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily.com/324309/cooled-conserva tories-at-gardens-by-the-bay-wilkinson-eyre-architects/ 5. (2012). Contemporary Gardens by the Bay, Singapore (2012). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.adelto.co.uk/ contemporary-gardens-by-the-bay-singapore/
1.3 Computational Architecture
As comp are d to a de c ade or s o ago, computers now pl ay a huge role in archite c ture’s desig n ing pro cess. C omputers are now able to help desig ners pro duce not on ly pres ent at ion and const r uc t ion draw ings, but a ls o a l low t he desig ner to ana lyze t he const r uc t ion fe asibi lit y and ot her concepts of a bui lding . For t he p ast fe w centur ies, archite c ts have slow ly b e en remove d f rom many asp e c ts of archite c ture. Archite c ture has b e come a profession w hereby t he main j ob of t he archite c t is to desig n, and have a l l ot her asp e c ts of a bui lding b e hand le d by ot hers. It has re ache d a p oint w hereby t he cre at iv it y and imag inat ion of a desig ner is limite d by rest r ic t ions made by t he st r uc tura l eng ine er, t he fac tor ies t hat mass pro duce const r uc t ion mater i a ls, and ot her p e ople. [ 2]
The t houg ht of c ustomizat ion cou ld prove to b e d aunt ing , as it me ans bre a k ing a l l t he ‘r u les’ and of ten comes w it h a hef t y pr ice t ag . Howe ver in re cent ye ars, computers have a l lowe d us to retur n to t he role of t he ‘master bui lder’, enabling archite c ts to ana lyze t he bui lding and its const r uc t ion, t hereby remov ing t he b ound ar ies s et by ot hers. On top of t hat, dig it a l fabr ic at ion te chnolog y a ls o a l lows desig ners to c us tomize for ms and st r uc tures w it hout inc urr ing to o much cost.
1. Parametricism. (2008). [Web Photo]. Retrieved fromhttp://www.patrikschumacher.com/Images/Digital%20Cities/ Istanbul_block-type_2_sm.jpg 2. Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 71.
“ t h e an t i d o t e t o s ta nd a rd isa t i on forced by a n a mbi t i on t o l ower p rod u c t io n c o s t s, ra t h er t ha n a ny more sophi st i ca t e d mot i va t i o n : t h e p rev io u s ly e l usi ve oppor t uni t i es for mul t i pl e ve r s i on i n g a nd b e s p o ke p roduct i on ca n now be consi dered mo re s e r io u s ly thro ugh t he use of scri pt i ng� Bur r y Ma r k ( 2 0 1 1 )
1. Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 71.
1.4 Parametric Design
Yorkshire Diamond
Yorkshire, United Kingdom The Yorkshire Di amond was a comp et it ion ent r y for t he Yorkshire For ward mobi le p a v i lion comp et it ion in 2005. This st r uc ture is const r uc te d f rom a net work of inf l at able tub es t hat are ar range d in a p atter n der ive d f rom t he atomic st r uc ture of di amonds. [2 ]
The tub es were pre cision c ut by a computer cont rol le d CNC machine to cre ate a w r in k le f re e pro duc t. A lt houg h t his proj e c t was not conceive d t hroug h comput at iona l desig n, s cr ipt ing pl aye d a big role in t he const r uc t ion pro cess of t he Yorkshire Di amond. [ 2]
The st r uc ture has a l and are a of 400 meters s qu are w hich c an b e def l ate d and t ransp or te d e asi ly.
We cou ld lo ok at t his example to underst and t he role of p aramet r ic desig n in archite c ture, It a l lows archite c ts to b e involve d in t he const r uc t ion pro cess, br ing ing us b ack to t he role of t he ‘master bui lder’.
The desig n was init i a l ly conceptu a lize d by sketches. Howe ver, in order to ma ke an inf l at able st r uc ture of t his s c a le, t he archite c ts made us e of p aramet r ic desig n to fabr ic ate t he tub e s.
1. The Yorkshire Diamond Pavilion by Various Architects. (2009). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.dezeen. com/2009/02/28/the-yorkshire-diamond-pavilion-by-various-architects/ 2. The Yorkshire Diamond / Various Architects. (2012). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.archdaily. com/14312/the-yorkshire-diamond-various-architects/
Taichung Metropolitan Opera House Taichung, Taiwan
The Taichung Met rop olit an O p era hous e is de sig ne d by Toyo Ito. The f luid cont inuit y of t he bui lding wa l ls are for me d w it h 58 indiv idu a l c ur ve d wa l l units, cre at ing a maze of interlo cking reinforcement ste el b ars and ste el t r uss es. The f luid wa l ls t hat b eing us e d in t his st r ucture are t hre e dimensiona l and it was t houg ht to b e imp ossible to fabr ic ate. Howe ver, by ma k ing us e of p aramet r ic desig n, t he st r uc tura l eng ine ers were able to desig n t he ste el b ars and ste el t r uss es to s er ve as t he b as e for m of t he concrete w hat wou ld e ventua l ly b e t he for m of t he op era hous e. 1. N. 147 TOYO ITO 2005-2009 (2005). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.elcroquis.es/media/public/img/Magazines/147/Opera_Taichung_big.jpg 2. Toyo Ito Wins the 2013 Pritzker Prize(2013). [Web Photo]. Retrieved from http://www.architectmagazine.com/Images/800652059_0313_AR_NEWS_ToyoIto_23_tcm20-1855794.jpg
1.5 Algorithmic Exploration
When I f irst st ar te d t his explorat ion, I wante d to lo ok into how a g r idshel l w i l l a llow me to cre ate a f re e for m chair t hat has a ratt an we av ing p atter n. Howe ver It did not g ive me t he desire d f inish. Therefore, inste ad of dwel ling to o much on t he g r idshel l, I cre ate d a lof te d obj e c t (w hich was t he for m of my chair) and div ide d t he sur faces into g r ids. Subs e quent ly, I cre ate d a subsur face comp onent w hich a l lowe d me to map my sur face onto t he div ide d g r id of t he lof te d obj e c t. Inste ad of draw ing my reference for m on R hino, I de cide d to attempt cre at ing t he p arameters of my reference obj e c t on Grasshopp er s o t hat I cou ld e dit t he sur face w it hout re-draw ing t he desig n on R hino. This le d me to res e arch on explo ding surfaces and how I was able to cre ate an e ditable sur face on Grasshopp er. Eventu a l ly I cre ate d a pip e sur face around a re c t ang le and mapp e d t hat into my subsurface, cre at ing a net li ke desig n for my chair. Throug h t his explorat ion, I am able to ana lys e in g re ater det ai l t he main st r uc tura l elements of my chair and how it may b e const r uc te d.
This E xplorat ion involve d using t he s e c t ioning p arameter to cre ate a f inish t hat app e ars to b e a roug h ly c ut s e c t ione d of wo o d. I f irst b egun by lof t ing my vas e for m, ke eping in mind t hat it has to b e able to store water. I t hen ext r ude d an of fs et of t he c ur ve I cre ate d, and f rom t here us e d it to s e c t ion my or ig ina l obj e c t, hence cre at ing a contour li ke p atter n on t he lof te d obj e c t. I re a lis e d t hat a lt houg h t his met ho d of cre at ing a s e c t ione d sur face was aest het ic a l ly ple asing , it did not s e em li ke a ver y prac t ic a l desig ning met ho d in archite c ture. This is b e c aus e to cre ate s omet hing li ke t his w i l l re quire t he s olid to b e l as er c ut as a w hole, and t hat is prob ably to o exp ensive to b e exe c ute d on a l arger s c a le in re a lit y.
1.6 Conclusion The Gate way is a proj e c t in Wy nd ham Cit y t hat aims to inspire and enr ich t he municip a lit y. It is an inst a l l at ion w hich shou ld en hance t he physic a l env ironment t hroug h t he int ro duc t ion of a v isu a l ar ts comp onent, and most imp or t ant ly must b e able to generate a “ne w dis cours e” As dis c uss e d in t he pre v ious s e c t ion of t he j our na l, archite c ture dis cours e lies in t he abi lit y to inf luence t he c u ltura l asp e c ts of t he site. It shou ld b e able to e voke for ward t hin k ing and must b e more t han just a v isu a l sp e c t acle. In ot her words, archite c ture is no longer just a st r uc ture, but a c u ltura l ly sig nif ic ant icon t hat is aest het ic a l ly complex. C omput at iona l desig n is one of t he ways to re a lize t hat v ision. It is not on ly a to ol to aid archite c ts in t he desig n pro cess, but it has a ls o b e come a me ans to re conci le t he archite c t w it h t he const r uct ion pro cess. For t he p ast fe w de c ades, t he cre at iv it y of t he archite c t has b e en limite d to t he rest r ic t ions prov ide d by t he fac tor ies t hat mass pro duce mater i a ls and wa l l p anels. Howe ver, compu t at iona l desig n a l lows t he archite c t to ana lyze how a ‘c ustomis e d’ c an b e bui lt w it hout inc ur r ing to o much cost. Therefore it is cr uci a l t hat we ma ke us e of p aramet r ic desig n to work out t he desig n p ossibi lit ies of t he Gate way proj e c t, s o t hat we c an cre ate a desig n t hat has an inter pl ay of a l l t he imp or t ant asp e c ts of archite c tura l dis cours e.
1.7 Learning Outcome Throug hout t his s e c t ion, archite c ture as a dis cours e and t he role of archite c ture in our mo der n s o ciet y was dis c uss e d. I have a ls o examine d t he way t hat comput at iona l archite c ture is able to reconne c t t he archite c t to t he role of t he ‘master bui lder’ v i a t he me ans of p aramet r ic desig n. D oing s o has bro adene d my p ersp e c t ive of archite c ture, and made me re a lize how archite c ts are more in cont rol of t he f ina l pro duc t, and are no longer weig he d dow n by t he rest r ic t ions s et by ot hers now. If I were to lo ok b ack at my p ast proj e c ts, I wou ld prob ably re desig n t hem w it h a ver y dif ferent appro ach. I wou ld lo ok at t he site as a bl an k c anvas and cre ate radic a l for ms w it hout wor r y ing to o much ab out mater i a l rest r ic t ions.