ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STUDIO AIR
2013 NICHOLAS COOPER
“applying the principles of science to solving the problems of humanity.� B u c k m i n s t e r
F u l l e r
Contents •
Introduction
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Parametric Modeling
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Personal Statement
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Achitecture as Discourse
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Tod’s Omotesando Building
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Foster’s Gherkin
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Natural Inspiration and Computer Generative Capabilities
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Grasshopper Challenge: Mickey Mouse
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Grasshopper Challenge
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Sectioning: Exploring Patterning
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Sectioning: Physical Examples
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Conclusion
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Learning Outcomes
6 7 8 9 10 12 14 15 16 20 24 26 27
Introduction Over the last 20 years technological advances have presented a range of new possibilities for architects. All students now learn some form of Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills at schools of architecture and it is now an accepted language in the discourse of the discipline. This technological advance has presented a whole new interface to describe architectural spaces and has allowed new sorts of architectural forms to evolve. A set of installations and architectural prototypes, it is aimed at developing a discourse about the design of interactive space and, more precisely, investigating ways of treating digital media as physical matter. The surface of a computer projection is unfolded onto a translucent structure, with the result that ‘layers of digital information, behaviour and ambience share projection territories’ and create the prospect of a ‘nonscreen-based computer environment’. Travelling through the pages of the magazine, one encounters different contributions, pictures, topics, just like scanning a landscape. There are pictures of interesting projects, boring projects. The process is not just a vertical one – going through a discourse or trying to see how the vertical layout is done in 1-D or 2-D. It’s also about 3-D, about creating a space itself, and I believe that you can no longer reflect upon this new practice of architecture by using the old media. You need to spatialise the medium, which to begin with can be achieved via the creation of action pages, event spaces within the magazine that trigger learning by acting and doing – it is full of these moments. To facilitate these, all the pages are perforated, ready for action. So this is 4-D publishing, hopefully anticipating a whole new chapter of further intellectual research and development. For a long time architecture was thought of as a solid reality and entity: buildings, objects, matter, place, and a set of geometric relationships. But recently, architects have begun to understand their products as liquid, animating their bodies, hypersurfacing their walls, crossbreeding different locations, experimenting with new geometries. And this is only the beginning. We will see more and more architects realising spatialised moments, through staging narratives, through event designing, working with effects and emotions. Of course there will be a need for shelter, so there will be a practice of making sheds. But, to use the famous dichotomy of Robert Venturi, the decoration will not be the facade. Things will be communicated, but not to glorify any past, nor to embrace any future. Things will be told in flashes, by flashes, through flashes. Architecture will still be about highlighting possibility.
Parametric Modeling It is born from the depths of mathematical equations that parametric models arise. These may be simple equations found in reference books or direct mathematical correlations with natural phenomena in which I began looking at a commonly found natural object this being the sea shell. It is noted that such a structure can be deciphered by looking at the fibonacci sequence.
These equations may be found through the development of computer modeling of which can be done within an architectural firm or contracted out to specialists in analysing structural systems. Project data derived from the design gives parametric modeling the validity it needs to have a profound effect of the overall design. The accuracy of the data analysis methods determines the varied sophistication of the design outcome. Uncertainty of outcome is common as well as desired to break free from the norm. Modeling produces a less bias towards rigidity of design generated within an older school environment in fact it produces a further advanced process. This enables an extensive feedback graphically which enables and includes support for traditionally risky areas such as input sizing and wizards.
Personal Statement My name is Nicholas Cooper, I am 39 years young. I am a third year Environments student majoring in architecture. I have completed a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design in which I gained experience with digital design programs such as AutoCAD, 3D Studio MAX, Page Maker and Photoshop. I have had limited experience with Illustrator and Indesign. I have a keen interest in architectural design, interior design and industrial design, as well as sculpture and fine art. It has been a long time wish of mine to study Architecture with the aid of digital design tools as I am passionate about a career in which I can be involved in an imaginative blend of Art and Science in the design of environments for people. Naturally I am a decision maker and I revel in team leadership and creativity. In choosing Architecture with the use of digital design tools as I am interested in the fact that people need places in which to live, work, play, learn, meet and shop all of these enabled by the evaluative nature of these tools. At a young age I was a Designer using CAD, I am trained in the art and science of building design and I long for the privilege to be licensed to protect public health, safety and welfare. In the future I hope to transform these needs into concepts and then develop these into building images that can be constructed by others through the use of a virtual environment. In doing so, I will satisfy my personal need to communicate between and assist those who have needs. I believe my talent lies within a role that will involve computer generation of architecture as well as interaction with clients, users, the public as a whole and those who will make the spaces that satisfy those needs. Whether the projects I tackle are single rooms or a new building or the renovation of an old one, as an Architect I am interested in providing professional services, ideas, insight, technical knowledge, drawings, models both physical and computer generated within the virtual world. I am confident in my ability to deliver a balance of an extraordinary range of functional, aesthetic, technological economic, human, environmental, and safety factors. As an Architect I will be in a position in which I have the opportunity of finding a coherent and appropriate solution for the needs at hand. Interest in a career as an Architect comes easily, and it began early. By learning to see buildings, spaces, and their relationships, I am sensitive to things that concern Architects. I notice the effects of colour, texture, light, and shape. I consider how spaces feel when we are in them. I look for rhythm and pattern, simplicity and ornament, old and new in our environment. As an Interior Design Student I visited the design studios of schools of architecture, toured the offices of a local firms and read books and magazines on architecture to gain a broad understanding of the nature of an Architects work and the values of the profession. An Architecture curriculum is intensive and demanding, however I know that I am capable of putting in the required hours of late-night effort. The most exciting thing for me about the prospect of Architecture study is the opportunity to participate in a digital Design studio.
Achitecture as Discourse Over the last 20 years technological advances have presented a range of new possibilities for architects. All students now learn some form of Computer Aided Design (CAD) skills at schools of architecture and it is now an accepted language in the discourse of the discipline. This technological advance has presented a whole new interface to describe architectural spaces and has allowed new sorts of architectural forms to evolve. A set of installations and architectural prototypes, it is aimed at developing a discourse about the design of interactive space and, more precisely, investigating ways of treating digital media as physical matter. The surface of a computer projection is unfolded onto a translucent structure, with the result that ‘layers of digital information, behaviour and ambience share projection territories’ and create the prospect of a ‘nonscreen-based computer environment’. Travelling through the pages of the magazine, one encounters different contributions, pictures, topics, just like scanning a landscape. There are pictures of interesting projects, boring projects. The process is not just a vertical one – going through a discourse or trying to see how the vertical layout is done in 1-D or 2-D. It’s also about 3-D, about creating a space itself, and I believe that you can no longer reflect upon this new practice of architecture by using the old media. You need to spatialise the medium, which to begin with can be achieved via the creation of action pages, event spaces within the magazine that trigger learning by acting and doing – it is full of these moments. To facilitate these, all the pages are perforated, ready for action. So this is 4-D publishing, hopefully anticipating a whole new chapter of further intellectual research and development. For a long time architecture was thought of as a solid reality and entity: buildings, objects, matter, place, and a set of geometric relationships. But recently, architects have begun to understand their products as liquid, animating their bodies, hypersurfacing their walls, crossbreeding different locations, experimenting with new geometries. And this is only the beginning. We will see more and more architects realising spatialised moments, through staging narratives, through event designing, working with effects and emotions. Of course there will be a need for shelter, so there will be a practice of making sheds. But, to use the famous dichotomy of Robert Venturi, the decoration will not be the facade. Things will be communicated, but not to glorify any past, nor to embrace any future. Things will be told in flashes, by flashes, through flashes. Architecture will still be about highlighting possibility.
Tod’s Omotesando Building
Toyo Ito’s building is particular interest as it as well is derived from something found in nature this being the tree. It is presumed that the facade was generated from analysis of the branch structure, however irregular this may seem it is noted that the building contains both upright and oblique. It is particularly apparent at night when artificial lighting enables viewing of the interior as light filled cavities create voids as irregular as branches create within a tree. Though – irregular they may seem – there is an underlying pattern which is obvious when observing the branches of the tree.
The TOD’s building by Toyo Ito has underlying patterns of structure that allow for loads to be distributed towards the foundation. They are positioned throughout the building’s skin which allows openings in the façade. This treelike structure brings the external in and projects the internal out.
Foster’s Gherkin
The Gherkin Tower situated in London is a reconisable piece of architecture which fits on the global scale as a master piece. It has many interesting features, the most obvious is its skin which is hexagonal and is derived from the Venus Flower Basket Sponge. This sponge, a beautiful part of nature has a lattice exoskeleton that appears visually translucent in its underwater home. Stresses upon the organism in many directions become the driver for the evolution of its geometry. The pressure distribution on its exoskeletal structure is reduced by its rounded shape. The reduction of forces due to underwater currents was applied to Foster’s design of the tower.
The Gherkin Tower situated in London is a recognisable piece of architecture which fits on the global scale as a master piece. It has many interesting features, the most obvious is its skin which is hexagonal and is derived from the Venus Flower Basket Sponge. This sponge, a beautiful part of nature has a lattice exoskeleton that appears visually translucent in its underwater home. Stresses upon the organism in many directions become the driver for the evolution of its geometry. The pressure distribution on its exoskeletal structure is reduced by its rounded shape. The reduction of forces due to underwater currents was applied to Foster’s design of the tower. The TOD’s building by Toyo Ito has underlying patterns of structure that allow for loads to be distributed towards the foundation. They are positioned throughout the building’s skin which allows openings in the façade. This treelike structure brings the external in and projects the internal out. When studying these two buildings there is a similar design process in that the vertical structure are accompanied by angular elements portraying natural phenomena as indicated by the Gherkin Tower as a sponge and the TOD’s building in the image of a tree. This far-reaching design was possible due to parametric modeling in several programs.
“The models allow you to play around with certain features of a building without having to re-calculate all the other features that are affected by the changes you make. This makes them extremely powerful design tools.” http://plus.maths.org/content/perfect-buildings-maths-modern-architecture (10/04/13)
So, the design becomes a host to the parameters that the designer has set whilst allowing other features that you do not want to change creating a strong basis for abstract angles and curves.
Natural Inspiration and Computer Generative Capabilities When studying these two buildings there is a similar design process in that the vertical structure are accompanied by angular elements portraying natural phenomena as indicated by the Gherkin Tower as a sponge and the TOD’s building in the image of a tree. This far-reaching design was possible due to parametric modeling in several programs. “The models allow you to play around with certain features of a building without having to re-calculate all the other features that are affected by the changes you make. This makes them extremely powerful design tools.” (http://plus.maths.org/content/perfect-buildings-maths-modern-architecture (10/04/13)) So, the design becomes a host to the parameters that the designer has set whilst allowing other features that you do not want to change creating a strong basis for abstract angles and curves. Architecture as a profession has been using computers to generate forms and analyse structures for 50 years. The second example, the Gherkin Tower shown above, is an example of the power of this type of programing. Parametric modeling allows changes at all stages of the design process each of these having an effect on the other elements of the project. Geometrical parameters can be altered whilst retaining the overall integrity of the project. Parametric modeling allows an otherwise unavailable interaction with nature letting the form of the Venus Flower Basket Sponge to guide designers in producing such a building. Malleable design process that is tolerable of changing variables enables a landmark curved building as a result of experimentation with generative form creation. Tree-like algorithms allow the generation of building features similar to the oblique tree branch inspired structural skin within the TOD’s building. These computer generated branches optimised for structural and architectural merits. Unfounded opportunity lies within parametric design tools, especially when used in designing such buildings as we are mirroring nature.
Grasshopper Challenge Mickey Mouse
1. Circle 2. Copy x2 top
3. AreaCentroid 4. Scale 5. Loft
Left
Front
1. Rotate3d 2. Cap
top
3. BooleanDifference 4. Extractsrf
Left
Front
1. Rotate3d 2. Rectangle
top
3. Split 4. Scale1d
Left
Front
1. Mirror 2. Dupborder
top
3. Planarsrf 4. Split Left
5. Extractsrf
Front
Grasshopper Challenge 1. Extractsrf 2. Rectangle 3. Curve 4. Rotate 5. Arraycrv 6. Sweep1 7. Split
top
Left
Front
Grasshopper Challenge
Sectioning Exploring Patterning
In this exercise we discuss the geometric patterns underlying certain pursuit and prey-capture phenomena in nature. Is it possible to suggest feedback laws that explain such patterns. My interest in this arises from the study of a motion camouflage (stealth). Models of interacting particles, developed prove effective in formulating and deriving biologically plausible feedback laws that lead to observed patterns. While the primary focus of this project is on pair-wise adversarial interactions. There is a possiblity that through the study a suggestion of ways to synthesize interaction laws that yield cohesion in collections of particles in nature and in engineered systems might arise.
Camouflage is a primary defense of any animal or fighting machine. Camouflage was applied with one of two aims. Low-visibility camouflage schemes served to make the object difficult to pick out at a distance, or from specific vantages. Some schemes, for example, were most effective viewed from low angles. On the other hand, disruptive or “dazzle” schemes were intended to mislead the observer as to an objects size, speed and direction of travel. Two tiny species of tropical octopus have demonstrated a remarkable disappearing trick. They adopt a two-armed “walk” that frees up their remaining six limbs to camouflage them as they slink away from trouble. I have a fondness for security countermeasures in the natural world. As people, we try to figure out the most effective countermeasure for a given attack. Evolution works differently. A species tries different countermeasures at random, and stops at the first one that just barely works.
In some animals a wide spectrum of variants is tried. If one of them has an advantage in terms of differential reproductive success, it begins to predominate in the population. In this sense, you are driven to at least a local optimum. The problem with evolution as applied to technology is that you’re never guaranteed to arrive at an efficient (as in well-engineered) optimum. E.g., nature never evolved the wheel for locomotion.
The idea of evolutionary design and natural selection is the event with infinitely small theoretical probability of “discovering a technique or tactic which works� this does indeed happen, which gives that individual an advantage over its peers, and then gets passed down to its offspring either through genetics or memetics, who in turn have an advantage over their peers, thus, over time, forming a majority.
Sectioning Physical Examples Pictured physical models are a representation of what is commonly known as foils. These are representational of bird wings that enable thrust and directional movement and the ability to steer as well as stabilise in motion through air. I find these interesting in relation to my case study of the Gherkin and TOD’s buildings in that the form of the Venus Flower Basket Sponge moves in relation to the tides it is apparent that the Venus Sponge adapts and is harmonious with the micro currents that flow within the surrounding fluid. The comparison case study of the TOD’s building is representational of another part of nature being the tree. The light and form of the images show how movement may occur in relation to structures with such streamline features and colour variants. When speaking of this I am interested in the fluidity of forms like these through the air. An interesting comparison is how the images are representational of how fluid is comparable to air in that air is invisible and fluid is visible and to be distinct the movement of water over such surfaces and how it reacts in creating movement on a similar pathway as air. Fluid can be all objects in that each entity has movement within its particles and “solid” objects. We refer to such entities as solid due to the fact that they hold their form over a longer time frame. Fluidity has many different degrees of dynamism from the super solid state to a plasmatic soup somewhere between these two polar opposites sits air, of which its atmospheric entity is visually captured through the quality of light in these images.
These models are a second stage of development of the fins first stage of light and fluidity. Pictured here are forms that have interesting colour, transparency and relationship to wings on a bird. It can be recognised that there is some interplay of interaction between the forms. That leads me into my study of the Gateway Project where I am looking at bird’s habitation from pre-birth to eggs and hatching I find this interesting in that their environment has lots of factors that must be right for them to procreate. What is interesting is feathers in relation to movement, decoration, stability, warmth, attraction.
Conclusion As we have spoken about modification, assembly and location - flexible parameters that can be chosen to control the location and geometric constraints of modeling a design. The diligent generation of production and design enabled through parametric modeling reduces the occurrence of floors in assembly, reduces work and limits mistakes. So, buildings such as the TOD’s building and the Gherkin become feasible design proposals. Design of this type enables buildings of this nature to be produced and allows further exploration of more abstract design of natural examples of innovative architectural form, structure and space.
Learning Outcomes Despite some previous experience with computerized architecture, I have found out so far that in this studio that parametric modeling is far superior at generating forms in a fluid and free manner. In fact, I have found abstract expression of form and structure to be highly attainable through the use of Rhinoceros and Grasshopper. I am hoping to use Maya as an additional package to differentiate my design process from what the first two software packages allow. I hope to attain an affinity with nature in respect to my design for the Gateway Project. The case studies I have engaged in are generated through design concepts that are inspired by nature. This relates to my study of birds and their wings which will inform my design for the Gateway Project.