Week 2 journal

STUDIO AIR 2017, SEMESTER 1, LINDY HAYTER NATALIE CAIN

Table of Contents DESIGN FUTURING 5

INTRODUCTION

MY NAME IS NATALIE CAIN AND I AM AN ARCHITECTURE MAJOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MELBOURNE. I AM IN MY THIRD YEAR OF THE BACHELOR OF ENVIRONMENT COURSE.

MY INTEREST IN ARCHITECTURE STEMS FROM MY LOVE OF ART AND THE VARIETY AND BEAUTY THAT BOTH FORMS ENCOMPASS. IN MY OPINION, ARCHITECTURE IS A FORM OF ART INSTALLATION, WITH WHICH LIVING THINGS EXPERIENCE AND BECOME AFFECTED BY. WE DISCUSS THE WAY A PIECE OF ARCHITECTURE MAKES A PERSON FEEL THE SAME WAY WE DISCUSS ART. MY ARTWORK ‘UNTITLED’ EXHIBITED AT NGV, IS BASED ON THE RORSARCH TEST, WHICH CHALLENGES VIEWERS TO INDIVIDUALLY MAKE SENSE OF THE INK BLOTS AND PAINTS ON THE CANVAS. I THINK THIS RELATES TO ARCHITECTURE IN THE WAY THAT PEOPLE EXPERIENCE AND APPRECIATE DIFFERENT STYLES AND MOODS IN A UNIQUE WAY, AND THIS SHOULD BE CELEBRATED. ESSENTIALLY, ARCHITECTURE IS A GENERATOR OF DISCUSSION AND DEBATE THAT HAS THE ABILITY TO INFLUENCE PEOPLE. THE DEVELOPMENT OF COMPUTATIONAL SOFTWARE HAS ADVANCED THE INDUSTRY OF ARCHITECTURE DRASTICALLY. NO LONGER ARE ARCHITECTS LIMITED TO WHAT THEY CAN DRAW ON PAPER, COMPUTATIONAL SOFTWARE ALLOWS PEOPLE TO EXPERIMENT WITH FLUID AND IRREGULAR SHAPES CREATING DIVERSITY IN DESIGN. THIS HAS RESULTED IN AN EXPLOSION OF NOVEL IDEAS THAT PROVES TO BE AN ENTICING AND EXCITING FIELD FOR STUDENTS SUCH AS MYSELF. 4

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A.1 - DESIGN FUTURING

“DESIGNERS SHOULD BE THE FACILITATORS OF FLOW”

IN THE STATE OF THE WORLD TODAY, ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN IS VITAL IN THE PUSH TO EDUCATING AND CREATING A PLANET THAT IS ONCE AGAIN SUSTAINABLE AND ECOLOGICALLY PROSPEROUS. HUMANS TODAY HAVE CREATED AN “ANTHROPOCENTRIC MODE OF WORLDLY HABITATION” THAT PRIORITIZES OUR SPECIES OVER OTHERS. THIS WILL NOT ONLY ULTIMATELY DETRIMENT OUR SPECIES, BUT THE REMAINDER OF THE ECOSYSTEM. DESIGN FUTURING IS VITAL IN CHANGING OUR THINKING ABOUT THE FUNDAMENTAL NATURE OF DESIGN, WHILST SLOWING THE RATE OF DEFUTURING. COMPUTATIONAL SOFTWARE AND ITS AVAILABILITY TO THE MASSES HAS TRIVIALISED DESIGN TO ITS AESTHETICS. IT IS IMPORTANT AS ARCHITECTS, THAT WE ARE CRITICALLY INFORMED ABOUT HOW ARCHITECTURE CAN IMPROVE THE ECOLOGICAL SITUATION OF THE TIME. DESIGN FUTURING DOES NOT DEMAND AN IMMEDIATE AND HARSH CHANGE, IT MERELY ASKS FOR A REDIRECTION OF IDEALS IN ARCHITECTURE. ONE WAY TO DO THIS IS THROUGH SPECULATIVE DESIGN, WHEREBY PEOPLE USE DESIGN TO STRIVE FOR IMAGINABLE PREFERABLE FUTURES. AS ARCHITECTS, WE HAVE THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE THE “FACILITATORS OF FLOW”, TO ALLOW THE ECOSYSTEM TO PROSPER, FOR BOTH HUMANS AND ALL LIVING ORGANISMS.

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CASE STUDY 1 NAME : BARN HOUSE ARCHITECT : CO+LABO RADOVIC DATE : 2012

THIS BARN HOUSE IS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF A MOMENT WHEN HUMANS HAVE RIDDEN THEIR MINDS OF OUR ANTHROPOCENTRIC SOCIETY AND DECIDED TO TREAT AN ANIMAL WITH EQUALITY. THE ARCHITECTS HAVE DESIGNED A HOUSE IN WHICH HUMANS AND HORSE COEXIST UNDER THE SAME ROOF. THE HOUSE PROVIDES BOTH WITH THE FUNDAMENTAL NEED OF SHELTER, AND REDEFINES THE ROLE OF THE HORSE.

HISTORY TELLS US THAT A HORSE HAS ALWAYS BEEN A TOOL OR A SLAVE TO THE HUMANS NEEDS, THEREFORE, THIS IDEA CHALLENGES THIS, AS THEY DEVELOP AN INTERDEPENDENCE ON ONE ANOTHER. THE HORSE WILL ROAM THE FIELDS AND ENJOY THE SUNSHINE IN THE SUMMER, HOWEVER, DURING THE WINTER MONTHS, IT WILL SEEK SHELTER IN THE BARN HOUSE. THE MANURE PRODUCED BY THE HORSE IS USED FOR COMPOST WHICH PROVIDES ENERGY FOR HEATING INSIDE IN THE WINTER MONTHS, AS WELL AS FERTILIZING PLANTS. THE BUILDING ITSELF IS COMPRISED OF CHARCOAL, WHICH IS MADE OF SAWDUST. WHEN THIS MATERIAL ABSORBS THE AMMONIAC FROM THE URINE OF THE HORSE, IT BECOMES A CERTAIN FERTILIZER, WHICH WHEN EXPOSED TO SUNLIGHT, CAN BE USED FOR HEATING AND MELTING THE SNOW. THIS EXAMPLE DEMONSTRATES THE INTERDEPENDENCE HUMANS HAVE ON OTHER SPECIES, WHICH IS MIRRORED TO A GREATER EXTENT IN THE ECOSYSTEM. THE BREAKDOWN OF ANY SPECIES CAN HAVE A DRAMATIC EFFECT ON THE REST OF THE FOOD CHAIN. THIS THEORY EXTENDS TO FLORA, AND INDEED THE ENVIRONMENT AS A WHOLE. HUMANS HAVE THE ABILITY TO CHANGE THE MENTALITY AWAY FROM HUMAN EXCEPTIONALISM, TO CREATE A WORLD WHERE THE ECOSYSTEMS COHABITATES WITH INCREASED EQUALITY.

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CASE STUDY 2 NAME : PETTING FARM ARCHITECT : 70F ARCHITECTS DATE : 2005-08

THE PETTING FARM RESPONDS TO ITS RURAL NATURAL ENVIRONMENT AND SITS ON THE CONCRETE FOUNDATIONS THAT HOUSED THE PREVIOUS PETTING FARM BEFORE IT BURNT DOWN. THE BUILDING AIMS TO HAVE VERY LIMITED IMPACT ON ITS SURROUNDINGS, WITH AN OPEN FAÇADE SYSTEM ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF THE BUILDING TO ALLOW FOR WIND VENTILATION THROUGH THE BUILDING AND THE REST OF THE FARM. THIS CASE STUDY HAS A SIMILAR IDEA OF COHABITATION, WITH THE PETTING FARM QUARTERS ON ONE SIDE OF THE BUILDING, AND AN OFFICE ON THE UPPER LEVEL ON THE OTHER SIDE. THE BUILDING IS DESIGNED FOR THE ANIMALS, AND THUS DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY DOORS. IT SIMPLY HAS SHUTTERS, THAT OPEN AND CLOSE AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THE SUN RISES AND WHEN THE SUN SETS. THE SHEEP GROW TO UNDERSTAND THIS ROUTINE AND CHOOSE WHETHER THEY WISH TO COME INSIDE OR NOT. THE MOST INTERESTING ELEMENT TO THIS PROJECT IS THE WAY IN WHICH IT LIGHTS UP DURING THE NIGHT. AS THIS IS LOCATED IN DEN UYL PARK, IT IS UTILIZED AS A GUIDING LIGHT OR AN ICONIC LUMINOUS INSTALLATION THAT DRAWS PEOPLE TO THE OTHERWISE RELATIVELY DARK AREA. HERE, WE CAN IDENTIFY THE WAY IN WHICH BOTH HUMANS AND SHEEP CAN BENEFIT FROM A PIECE OF ARCHITECTURE. BY CONSIDERING OTHER SPECIES OTHER THAN OURSELVES, WE CAN PRODUCE NOVEL PIECES OF ARCHITECTURE THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE ECOSYSTEM.

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A.2 - DESIGN COMPUTATION

DESIGN COMPUTATION ULTIMATELY UTILIZES TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE AND CREATE A DESIGN. IT BEGINS IN A DIGITAL MEDIUM, WHICH IS FREE OF A PRECONCEIVED CONCEPT. THROUGH THE ABILITIES OF THE PROGRAMS, WE CAN EXPERIMENT WITH GEOMETRIES, PROPERTIES AND PARAMETERS TO EVENTUALLY ARRIVE AT A DESIGN. NOT ONLY HAS COMPUTATION CHANGED OUTCOMES, BUT IT ALSO HAS CAUSED ARCHITECTS TO BECOME PARAMETRIC THINKERS. FOR EXAMPLE, DESIGNERS NOW THINK OF DYNAMIC RESPONSES TO ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS THAT CAN BE CALCULATED BECAUSE THESE PROGRAMS FACILITATE THIS KIND OF THINKING. INDEED, OXMAN SPEAKS ABOUT THE EMERGENCE OF A “VITRUVIAN EFFECT” IN DESIGN, AS A RESULT OF COMPUTERS. DESIGNERS HAVE NOTICED A SHIFT TO THE ORGANIC, WITH A STRONGER EMPHASIS ON NATURAL FORMS AND CURVILINEAR DESIGNS. IT IS AT THE BEGINNING OF THE DESIGN PROCESS, THAT ARCHITECTS ARE CONSIDERING OTHER PROPERTIES ASIDE FROM AESTHETICS. ELEMENTS LIKE STRUCTURE, GEOMETRY AND MATERIAL CAPABILITIES ARE BEING EXPLORED FROM THE OUTSET TO INFORM THE DESIGN, RATHER THAN ATTEMPTING TO FIT THESE INTO THE COMPLETED DESIGN. ENERGY AND STRUCTURAL PERFORMANCE CAN BE MEASURED AND EXPLORED THROUGH COMPUTATION, INFORMING US THE WAYS IN WHICH WE CAN DESIGN ENDURING, SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE.

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‘THE AGE OF THE EMERGENCE OF RESEARCH BY DESIGN”

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CASE STUDY 1 NAME : ICD/ITKE PAVILION ARCHITECT : ACHIM MENGES DATE : 2010

ORIENTED AROUND MATERIALITY, THIS PAVILION WAS BUILT BASED UPON THE TENSILE STRENGTH AND STRESSES OF PLYWOOD. THROUGH SIMULATION AND PRODUCT TESTING, THE STRUCTURE CONSISTS OF ELASTICALLY BENT PLYWOOD STRIPS, LINKED TOGETHER THROUGH PRECISE DESIGN SLOTS BECOMING JOINTS. THE DESIGN IS INHERENTLY DRIVEN BY THE STRUCTURAL QUALITIES OF THE MATERIAL ORIGINALLY CHOSEN. THE STRIPS OF PLYWOOD ARE DESIGNED AND MANUFACTURED ROBOTICALLY, AND POSITIONED AND CONNECTED IN PLACE WITH ALTERNATING TENSIONED AREAS. THE “FORCE THAT IS LOCALLY STORED IN EACH BENT REGION OF THE STRIP, AND MAINTAINED BY THE CORRESPONDING TENSIONED REGION OF THE NEIGHBOURING STRIP” RAISES THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE PAVILION. THE STRUCTURE THEREFORE GIVES OFF THIS MESMERISING AND ENERGIZING FEELING OF INDIVIDUAL VULNERABILITY, YET COLLECTIVE STRENGTH. THE SYSTEM ITSELF IS VERY LIGHTWEIGHT, DUE TO THE STORED ENERGY IN THE BENDING PROCESS AND THE ALTERING JOINT LOCATIONS ALONG THE PLANAR PIECES OF PLYWOOD. THIS DESIGN COMBINES THE MATERIAL BEHAVIOURAL ELEMENTS OF PLYWOOD WITH PARAMETRIC THINKING AND PRINCIPLES. TO ESTABLISH THE ELASTICITY AND TENSILE CAPABILITIES OF THE MATERIAL, PHYSICAL EXPERIMENTS WERE CONDUCTED WHICH MEASURED THE DEFLECTIONS OF THE THIN PLYWOOD. UTILISING “4600 LINES OF CODE”, ALL GEOMETRIC AND STRUCTURAL INFORMATION WAS OUTPUTTED WHICH INFORMED THIS DESIGN. IN THIS EXAMPLE, WE CAN UNDERSTAND THAT THE ARCHITECTS ARRIVED AT THIS DESIGN THROUGH RESEARCHING AND EXPERIMENTATION. IN THIS CASE, THE MATERIAL PLYWOOD WAS CHOSEN, AND THROUGH THEIR STUDY OF ITS TENSILE PROPERTIES, THEY WERE ABLE TO CREATE A SELF-SUPPORTING STRUCTURE WHICH BOASTED STRENGTH, AS WELL AS LIGHTWEIGHT PROPERTIES. HTTP://ICD.UNI-STUTTGART.DE/?P=4458

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CASE STUDY 2 NAME : SERPENTINE PAVILION ARCHITECT : TOYO ITO AND CECIL BALMOND DATE : 2002

THE DESIGN FOR THE SERPENTINE PAVILION WAS FUNDAMENTALLY BASED UPON AN ALGORITHM OF A CUBE, OR RECTANGULAR PRISM. IT FEATURES BOTH SOLID AND TRANSPARENT GEOMETRIC FORMS THAT INTERSECT TO CREATE THE ILLUSION OF A DECONSTRUCTED CUBE THAT HAS MAINTAINED ITS STRUCTURE. ELEMENTS OF THE CUBE APPEAR TO BE DELETED, PROVIDING LIGHT INTO THE PAVILION. ARCHITECT TOYO ITO JOINED WITH STRUCTURAL ENGINEER CECIL BALMOND TO CREATE A STRUCTURE THAT WAS BASED UPON, AND GREW FROM ALGORITHMIC THINKING AND DESIGN. THE STRUCTURE CONTAINED A STEEL FRAME AS SUPPORT, AND THE CLADDING WAS ERECTED AROUND THIS. THE SPORADIC PATTERN OF THE OPAQUE TRIANGULATIONS AND TRAPEZOIDS CREATE A SENSE OF TRANSITIONAL SPACE, WHERE ONE FEELS NOT ENCLOSED, YET NOT NECESSARILY PROTECTED EITHER. THE ALGORITHMIC NATURE OF THIS PAVILION DERIVES FROM THE EXPERIMENTATION AND EXPLORATION OF DESIGN COMPUTATION. THE DESIGNERS BEGAN WITH A SIMPLE GEOMETRY, (A CUBE), AND MANIPULATED AND ALTERED IT UNTIL THEY CAME TO A CONCLUSION, OR OUTCOME. IN GRASSHOPPER, A POPULATED GEOMETRY CAN BE INPUTTED INTO A VORONOI FOR A SIMILAR EFFECT. THE VORONOI CREATES 3D CELLS IN THE GEOMETRY WHICH CAN BE MANIPULATED OR DELETED, SUCH AS IN THIS CASE. WHEN FLATTENED, THE SKIN OF THE PAVILION WOULD BE A SERIES OF INTERSECTING LINES THAT CREATE THE SHAPES FOUND HERE. THIS PAVILION REPRESENTS THE WAY IN WHICH NOVEL IDEAS CAN BE GENERATED THROUGH THE PROCESS OF DESIGN COMPUTATION.

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