Ira Yap Computational Design portfolio

COMPUTATIONAL DESIGNER Expecting Architecture Graduate at the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde with interests in algorithmic modeling, fabrication methodologies, simulations, and developing digital tools for designers and architects.

Has worked on various design projects for the Center for Campus Art (DLS-CSB), National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), and with other practitioners in the design field. Tackles at least one major extracurricular project every academic term.

Capable designer with a passion for digital tools and finding new ways to apply them in architecture. Operates with a systems based mindset with strong analytical skills. Leans towards efficient and effective solutions to tackling design problems.

Core competencies include: • Works cohesively and well with a team, a highly competent individual that can make strategic decisions • Very strong understanding of computational design tools • Is able to program algorithms that perform tasks ranging from fabrication, building information management (BIM), • and structural analysis environmental simulation, • Strong understanding of digital fabrication with Laser Cutters, 3d Printers, and other Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines • Able to create detailed architectural scale models • Proficient in Rhinoceros3D and adept in the plugin Grasshopper3D. • Strongly data oriented and research driven.

• Adequate speaking and presentation skills

01 ADVENT TREES (2017) PROJECT TYPE LARGE SCALE INSTALLATIONS POSITION DESIGN | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN | FABRICATION PROJECT STATUS COMPLETED EXHIBIT RUN DECEMBER 2017-FEBRUARY 2018 TEAM IRA YAP CHAI CABANEZ

PROJECT BRIEF:

The Christmas tree is a symbol of the season; a symbol of peace, gratitude, and love. At the same time, the Christmas tree can also be seen as a space. When the tree is present, people gather around it, a beacon of festivities, creating this congregation of a community coming together to celebrate the season of giving.

By inverting the silhouette, the typical Christmas tree becomes a parasol, tapering downward instead of upward. Pulling the weight towards the top, it opens up the bottom for more space, and interaction underneath the tree.

With this abstraction, it becomes a true representation of SDA: innovation, creativity, and distinction that only Benilde can offer as an institution.

Sketches by Chai Cabanez

Diagram by Chai Cabanez

Sketch model prototype

01 ADVENT TREES (2017)

Proposed Site

PROCESS:

The creative process reflects the institution’s hands-on approach. The trees were designed using Grasshopper for Rhino, an algorithmic historic based modeller that allows one to write parametric definitions that are editable in real time to come out with infinite variations in design.

Computational Design is used for digital manufacturing techniques to overcome older fabrication hurdles, allowing for the ease of construction of complex designs. Thanks to the parametric system used, the three trees took only three weeks to put up and the working drawings only took 5 seconds to produce

Construction Process

Rhino/Grasshopper Model

Grasshopper Algorithm

01 ADVENT TREES (2017)

Taft Campus Tree

SDA Campus Tree

01 ADVENT TREES (2017)

Angelo King Center Campus Tree

Photographs by The Benildean Yearbook

02 FUTURES OF A PAST (2018) 2018 VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNALE PHILIPPINE PAVILION PROJECT TYPE INSTALLATION | SPECULATION EXHIBIT RUN VENICE: MAY 2018 - NOVEMBER 2018 MANILA: JUNE 2019-OCTOBER 2019 POSITION COLLABORATOR | FABRICATION PROJECT LEAD XAVIER TICZON OTHER MEMBERS IRA YAP JOHN GO NOEL NARCISO BIEN ALVAREZ

PROJECT BRIEF:

Futures of a Past presents to the audience a juxtaposition of four alternate realities, to engage them in a dialogue about the Philippine urban condition, what it is, what it can be, and what it could have been. Taken from specific turning points in Philippine history these speculations aim to ultimately address the constant negotiation of our love-hate relationship with our colonial roots.

These four alternate realities form a travelogue into the futures of a past, ruminating on ideas of memory and place, touching on everything from the trajectory of civilization to the limits of culture.

Sketch by John Go

Promotional posters by Xavier Ticzon, John go, Gab Brioso, Cammile Cruz

Brainstorming at Delab Collaborative Inc.

02 FUTURES OF A PAST (2018)

PROCESS:

The 2018 “Futures of a Past� model that was showcased at the prestigious 6th Venice Architecture Biennale in Italy. With elements of 3D printing, laser cutting and more, it allowed us to sharpen our model-making capabilities.

Recognizing the repetetive patterns present in each city, several grasshopper scripts were used to generate models in different architectural styles and prepare them for either 3d printing or laser cutting. The models were then painted to create a distinct look for each speculative city

3d printing process Painting of 3d printed models

Fabrication and assembly at Delab Collaborative Inc.

02 FUTURES OF A PAST (2018)

Photographs of final models by Bien Alvarez

Models Exhibited at the 2018 Venice Architecture Biennale

Photographs by BluPrint Magazine, PAVB

02 FUTURES OF A PAST (2018)

03 HABI PAVILION PROJECT TYPE THESIS PROJECT| LARGE-SCALE INSTALLATION POSITION COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN | COLLABORATOR | SCALE MODEL FABRICATION PROJECT STATUS CONSTRUCTION EXPECTED OCT. 2019 PROJECT LEAD IDR. HANNAH GALANG-DUMLAO OTHER MEMBERS IRA YAP

PROJECT BRIEF:

In the Philippines, the design development of bamboo products is still considered to be far from what is being produced in its neighboring countries as there is a lack of exploration, tools, and knowledge in different techniques in utilizing this material for design and art production This project aims to explore contemporary methods of designing with bamboo as a medium for site-specific installations. Probing on fundamentals of Phenomenology, Biomimicry, Parametric design, and site specific art; this project has three goals: to contemoporize the use and design paterns of indigenous material; to encourage future collaboration between industry practitioners, students, and craftsmen; and promulgate collective learning through the lived experience of the Bamboo in the Philippines

Photogrpahs by IDr. Hannah Dumlao

03 HABI PAVILION

PROCESS:

Relationships between each axis are determined through rigorous data tree management. The information that was carefully sorted into branches withi grasshopper is then applied onto laid-out pieces of the members of the digital model. The script evaluates the intersections between the skin (X and Y) and the structural frame

Tension analysis for scale model

Numbering of individual pieces

Fabrication Process

03 HABI PAVILION

Sample Layout of individual pieces

Final scale model photos by Bien Alvarez

03 HABI PAVILION

04 GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL (2018)

INSTITUTE OF ADVANCED ARCHITECTURE - CATALONIA (IAAC) PROJECT TYPE WORKSHOP DELIVERABLE POSITION COLLABORATOR | FABRICATION | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN PROJECT LEAD XAVIER TICZON OTHER MEMBERS IRA YAP JOHN GO NOEL NARCISO BIEN ALVAREZ ALTHEA BALLESTEROS PAOLO MAPOY MATTHEW GAN MAISIE RIVERA NATHAN FALLER BEA VILLORIA

PROJECT BRIEF:

The esteros of Manila are essential to the progression of the city, what began as an element of utility has decayed into a toxic liability - it here that we must focus our efforts.

In this age of “digitization� where Broadband connectivity, cloud computing, social media, sensors are coming together, changing the way we interact, consume, and transport, shaping a new urban landscape blurred by digital and physical stimuli, how must we then levy these tools to affect the way we design, live, and interact with new habitats, and ultimately shape a new digital consciousness of our environments?

Proposed site

Community

Workshop and brainstorming Photograhs by Matthew Gan

04 GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL (2018)

PROCESS:

The GSS Team, formulated a solution, which understood the estero as an evolved public space.

Using building technology, the team developed a structural mesh net that when held in tension would provide a public space above the estero allowing for multi-programmable spaces to grow. For maintenance purposes, the team developed a second level net that would provide shade, the net heights and form were determined by a scoring system that tabulated a hierarchy derived from the hotspots of user activity, trash build up, accessibility, and the significance of present landmark spaces, were translated into numbers and used as parameters in a form-finding algorithm that simulated the reactions of tensile fabrics, here form follows data.

Arduino based sensor mechanism

Scale model assembly with GSS 2018 team

04 GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL (2018)

Visualization by Chai Cabanez

Final scale model photographs by Matthew Gan

04 GLOBAL SUMMER SCHOOL (2018)

05 ADVENT TREES V.2 (2018) PROJECT TYPE LARGE SCALE INSTALLATIONS POSITION COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN | FABRICATION PROJECT STATUS COMPLETED EXHIBIT RUN DECEMBER 2018-FEBRUARY 2019 TEAM IRA YAP XAVIER TICZON LOUIE KIU NOEL NARCISO CHIARA MARQUEZ BIEN ALVAREZ

PROJECT BRIEF:

Themed “Trees of a Trinity,” it is the institution’s take on the iconic holiday symbol which adapts its Catholic background, its trio of campuses, and Benilde’s 30th founding anniversary.

Every aspect of the design was influenced by the “rule of three,” from the formation of the geometry to the parameters used in creating the system.

The creative process reflects the institution’s hands-on approach. The trees were designed using Grasshopper for Rhino, an algorithmic historic based modeller that allows one to write parametric definitions that are editable in real time to come out with infinite variations in design.

Photographs by the Center for Campus Art (CCA)

05 ADVENT TREES V.2 (2018)

06 BRAIN DRAIN (2019) STATIONS OF A NATION V.4

PROJECT TYPE LARGE SCALE INSTALLATION POSITION DESIGNER | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN PROJECT STATUS ONGOING TEAM IRA YAP JOHN ROBERTSON GO

PROJECT BRIEF:

This art piece represents a commentary on the draining of our country’s metaphorical brain. By representing the country's intellectual organ as a skeletal frame of its supposed form, we show how our brain is being emptied out and becoming a hollow shadow of itself. The abstracted flags seen in some of the cells around the structure depicts the countries where most of our countrymen emigrate to, informing the audience of this reality with basic statistics of the brain drain of our country

Visualization by John Go

06 BRAIN DRAIN (2019)

07 THE NEW PLUG-IN METROPOLIS (2020)

JONATHAN GAN ARCHITECTS PAVILION AT ANTHOLOGY FEST 2020 PROJECT TYPE LARGE SCALE INSTALLATIONS POSITION DESIGN | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN | FABRICATION PROJECT STATUS COMPLETED EXHIBIT RUN ONGOING TEAM IRA YAP MATTHEW GAN MICHELLE GAN XAVIER TICZON NOEL NARCISO BIEN ALVAREZ

PROJECT BRIEF:

How does the democratization of urban development affect our cities? This pavilion serves as an experiment and research into how a city evolves by a community of architects without a standard means for communication.

Instructional sketch by Jonathan Gan

The city modules are divided into key categories: residential, industrial, commercial, health, education. and public space. Each visitor is then asked to do one of two things, to add a module anywhere in the space frame or remove an existing module in the pavilion Imagine shaping the future of cities. How would you design and locate elements of the city? would you consolidate building types into mega blocks? would you spread industries to create independent communities?

Diagram by JOG Architects

Instructional sketch by Jonathan Gan

07 THE NEW PLUG-IN METROPOLIS (2020)

PROCESS:

To add in the design of the pavilion parametrc design tools were used to execute rapid prototyping. The process involved a radical rethinking of conventional design methodologies, which would've been time consuming and inefficient. Computational design allowed the team to create dozens or responsive iterations within a small amount of time.

The design script also genereated a precise cutting, quantity and assembly list, in which every aluminum member of the structure was accounted for. this allowed for manufacturing and assembly time to be massively reduced.

Sample Cutting List

Sample Section

Fabrication and Assembly

07 THE NEW PLUG-IN METROPOLIS (2020)

Final Pavilion on site

07 THE NEW PLUG-IN METROPOLIS (2020)

Photographs by Bien Alvarez

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool for

Producing Dignified Housing PROJECT TYPE THESIS MENTORS AR. CESAR CONCIO III AR. HARRY SERRANO THESIS STRAND INNOVATION | COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN HOUSING PROJECT STATUS COMPLETED THESIS DURATION AUGUST 2019 - MAY 2020

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

Space Planning is an exhaustive process requiring constant analysis and repetition in order to properly execute the desired adjacencies, floor area, and relationships to meet the needs of the stakeholder.

In cases of standardised homes, the diligent process of space planning is undermined due to the lack of adequacy in the building code This study seeks to find a Computational Solution to the case of socialised housing to rationally generate spatially dignified homes bespoke to the needs of the end user.

Methodological Framework

ESTABLISH:

Analysis of Existing

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool

The Chosen project for test is Project Pagbangon in Homonhon, Eastern Samar.

Project Pagbangon focuses on rehabilitating and developing the partner communities in Panay and Eastern Samar who were survivors of Super Typhoon Yolanda.

TAO-Pilipinas, as the sole partner of PMPI for the Infrastructure Component was assigned to design and construct 120 sustainable shelters.

PROTOTYPE A - What Makes a Space Dignified:

The Algorithm will first consider the different spaces necessary as well as the furniture that comes with it then the different programmatic considerations.

Schematic UI of space planning algorithm

Sample generated layouts of Bedroom 2

Sample Space Syntax Configurations

Sample generated layouts of Dining Area

Schematic UI of space planning algorithm

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool

PROTOTYPE B- Adapting to Different Orientations:

The next step is applying the logic to different orientations. The algorithm shall try to maintain the program while considering different orientations

Sunlight analysis of furniture layouts for Bedroom 1

Sample generated layouts of PROTOTYPE 2

Sunlight analysis of furniture layouts for Dining Area

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool

PROTOTYPE C - Compromising ffor feasibility:

The considerations for feasibility of the project involve using the cost estimation values of Project PAGBANGON in order to come up with more feasible of the Dignified home.

Prototype C Massing Studies

Generated Layout and Cost Estimate using values of Project PAGBANGON

Script Breakdown

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool

CONCLUSION

Using computational design methods to articulate pattern languages into code is very efficient for formulating the minimum a house should be to be considered dignified.

Algorithms can look at design criteria more holistically and can be replicated, however they take much longer to define than doing the process traditionally.

But this system would only be useful for situations like socialised housing where there are multiple cases of the exact same problem Otherwise the time spent programming would be wasted on one or two cases only

Breakdowns of Prototypes A to C

Sample Generated floor plans

Comparison with Existing

08 A Recursion-Based Space Planning tool

REFERENCE PERSONS

Arch. Gerry Torres

Director of the Center for Campus Art (DLS-CSB) gerry.torres@benilde.edu.ph

Arch. Cynthia Y. Funk

Associate dean to the Environmental Studies Cluster (DLS-CSB) cynthia.funk@benilde.edu.ph

Christoper de Guzman CEO at Delab Collaborative Inc. hello@delabinc.com