NATURAL BREUR

Course: Building Modeling

Instructor: Merica Jenson Alfonso Olivia

Software: Enscape, Grasshopper, Revit, Rhinoceros

A class that explores optimization using Galapagos from the Grasshopper plugin. The final project asks for an intervention into the Met Breur that allows more sunlight into the gallery floor, using Galapagos as a catalyst.

This intervention into the Met Breur introduces a living wall on the fourth floor gallery level of the building. The prompt for this intervention asks to bring more light into the building while limiting the amount of materials discarded. Thus, the living wall is given a circular cutout to serve as a window that lets in the maximum amount of sunlight into the gallery. Tree branches carved from mahogany are added to bring the wall to life.

Semester: Fall 2022

The Subject: A circular cutout confined to the dimensions of the third and fourth floor gallery wall, facing the street. Branches will radiate away from this cutout.

The Goal: Optimize the shape and location of this circular cutout such that, when fitted with a window, it will let in the maximum amount of sunlight into the fourth floor gallery.

The Problem: Multivariable optimization - How do we maximize the amount of sunlight while minimizing the area of the circle?

The Workaround: Run Galapagos twice. Once to minimize the amount of sunlight and again to maximize the area of the circle.

The domain of the surface is remapped to 0 through prevent the circular cutout from leaving the surface. amount of time Galapagos will run for, saving