Module 3 Journal

Foundations of Design : Representation, SEM1, 2018 M3 JOURNAL - PATTERN vs SURFACE Hayley Cottrell

995093 Liang Hu, Studio 20

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WEEK 6 READING: SURFACES THAT CAN BE BUILT FROM PAPER IN ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY Question 1: What are the three elementary types of developable surfaces? Provide a brief description.

The three elementary types cylinders, cones and tangent surfaces of space curves. A cyclinder is made up of parellel ruled surface that rest perpendicular to the profile curve. The cone, has a single vertex that all rulings lead to. Tangent surfaces have are formed by planar quads or squares The most important thing to note about all of them is the aspect that makes them developable: that they all have rulings where for each has a planar tangent to the surface which extends over the entire ruling.

Question 2: Why is the understanding of developable surface critical in the understanding of architectural geometry? Choose one precedent from Research/Precedents tab on LMS as an example for your discussion.

Impact that having an understanding of developable surfaces as an architect is on the form and structure of the buildings they design and build. For example, Greenhouse, by Plasma Studio, has used large triangles created by a pattern of smaller triangles to make up the entire surface of the exterior, which are planar geometries. This allows for a realistic yet complex architectural form to come to fruitition.

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PANELLING PATTERN

2d Panelling, Pattern: Triangular

3D Panelling

3D Panelling

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VARIABLE 3D PATTERN

Panelled grid with the 4 modules used, applied with no attractor points or curves.

Panelled grid with the 4 modules positioned with the use of an attractor point.

Panelled grid with the 4 modules positioned with the use of an attractor curve.

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3D PANEL TEST PROTOTYPE & TEMPLATE

Trial net for a potential module shape. This shape was not used in the end for the final model.

The initial idea for individual modules to resemble rocklike or crystal form, making the pattern organic and less rigid whilst also relating to the the original starting point for this module: the typography.

With wanted to do this, many issues arose in terms of how to manually build a model of what was represented on Rhino out of paper. Due to the complexity of the shapes, it became difficult to unroll them. Many itterations of the modules where created until they were able to be unrolled by at least individually. In order for one such module to work it had to be spilt into two.

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WEEK 7 READING: DIGITAL FABRICATION

Question 1: What is digital fabrication and how does it change the understanding of two dimensional representation?

Digital fabrication is similar to the traditional method of drawing a it is a medium in which architects and other designers can use to generate their ideas for design which can then be transformed into a three dimensional product. This here, is how the creation of this type of technology and programming changes how practitionors within the design industry use and understand two dimension representation in their work - it allows for a complex, detailed model to be created digitally and for this model to be used to construct a final product to the exact complexity.

Question 2: Suggest two reasons why folding is used extensively in the formal expression of building design?

Folding is highly utilised in architecture due its ability to manipulate a flat, two dimensional surface into a three dimensional object. Through folding something, such as paper, form is created which enhances a no longer rigid surface, making a design more visually interesting an appealing to the eye. Also, it has it’s benefits from a financial point of view, where the folding of a material can reduce the cost of a project and therefore makes meeting a client’s budget easier.

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EXPLORING 3D PANELLING

3D custom panelled typography with modules displayed next to the computerised model.

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UNROLL TEMPLATE OF YOUR FINAL MODEL

Variants of each module’s net. These were the version used to cut, fold and create the module, with the difference in line indicating a different action.

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Due to the complexity of my modules, when it came to unrolling each individual panel had to be unrolled as a single net, or in the case of one type of module, unjoined by the edge then unrolled in two bits. Overall, there are more than 100 nets from the 10x10 grid.

PANELISED LANDSCAPE

fig. 1

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Each image shows different views of the model created out of card in order to show the different aspects of the patternisation.

The overall surface is very complex and detailed, so the close-up shots create not only a view of more of these details but also a more intimate and emersed experience with the viewer. The transition and flow of these models was important in order to make in not look stagnated. Through the photo taken directly above the model, this transition that was achieved with the use of offseting the points and an attractor curve can be seen clearly.

Something that can be taken from all the images is the effect that the angle that some of the pyramids have on the overall rigidness that the model could have had.

The overlapping that is created removes the sense of a 10x10 grid defining this pattern, making it organic and also full of movement.

fig. 2

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Figure. 1

Close-up shot taken from one of the corners of the image.

Figure. 2

Birds-eye view of the entire handmade model.

Figure. 3

Additional close-up shot taken from within the model.

fig. 3

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APPENDIX

An intial idea based of of using basic pyramids to create a rocklike formation.

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Idea from previous drawing expanding upon with increated complexity in it’s form.

Scan of one of the ideas for how to extrude different forms in Rhino.

Development and refinement of one of the modules, simplifying it and making a base module for al others to be based off of.

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The four refined modules, with one of them spilt in half, both the polysurfaces and meshes which were being prepared to be used in the model.

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The typography which has been used to create the 10x10 grid. The grid points have been offset and different heights inorder to vary the height of the different panels, with in being shorter in the lowers sections of the landscape and taller in the peaks.

Bounding boxes had to be placed around each of the modules in order to be placed onto the grid two create the overlap and organic effect desired.

From left to right, the order of the modules are 1, 2, 4 and 3 based on height.

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Different variations of the panelised landscape in order to work out the best way to place the panels to achieve a smooth transition between the high and low, which effects the overall relationship between the individual variations of modules and the typography. By utilising the curves in the geography of this section of Tasmania, the landscape flowed and panels changed to represent different features and create a meaningful pattern, turning chaos into somewhat of an organised landspace.

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Ideas for photographs to display the various module and the overall pattern they create and how they work together.

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