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Digital Design Portfolio - The Pavillion of Respect

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S

e m e s t e r

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2018

DIGITAL DESIGN

PORTFOLIO ZHI CHARLES TEOH (899991)

STUDIO 01 | TUTOR: CHELLE YANG


CONTENTS About the author

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01

Diagramming Design Precedents

5

02

Generating Ideas through Digital Processes

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03

The Pavillion of Respect (Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion)

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23


About The Author Zhi Charles Teoh

Phone: (+61)4 5013 6930 | Email: teohz2@student.unimelb.edu.au | Website: https://zc970520.wixsite.com/ddportfoliocharles Address: Newman College (887 Swanston St, Parkville 3052, VIC)

Education:

Skills:

2017 - current

Rhino Grasshopper

Bachelor of Design,

Unreal

University of Melboune

Photoshop Illustrator

2010 - 2015

Indesign

AutoCAD

Singapore-Cambridge GCE ‘A’ Level,

Fabrication

Hwa Chong Institution, Singapore

Work Experience: Jan 2016 - May 2017 Assistant Technician & Plan Drawer - Assisted technician in measuring factory coordinates - Assisted in drawing of factory plans and elevations with AutoCAD

Awards / Exhibition: 2017

FOD:R Exhibition,

Andrew Lee King Fun Gallery,

Melbourne School of Design

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Author’s Reflection I view Digital Design as an integral part of my foundation leading up to my intended major, Digital Technologies, even as this subject is not listed as part of the prerequisite subjects or even part of the sample course plan. As my interest is in game design, I am of firm belief that the skills and knowledge acquired through Digital Design will build towards my skills in world building, an essential part of game design. With the understanding of modern design softwares such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and inDesign, Rhino, Grasshopper, and Unreal Engine, I am confident that I will be able to effectively utilise the skills attained in my future endeavours. Unlike other fields with rigid course structures, Digital Design has offered ample opportunities for me to utilise and demonstrate my own creativity with the extent of liberty it offers in the designing of structures. By letting us understand how technology has opened up a wide range of possibilities in design, it allows us to freely explore such seemingly unlimited possiblities that architects of the past could only dream of. While admittedly I get overwhelmed easily when, ironically, I am given too much liberty to create a design of my own, most of my designs start from an existing precedent, be it a part of nature, a part of an artpiece or a transformation of an existing design. For instance, my design for the Pavillion of Respect (Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion) is inspired from an assortment of elements: a clam, my interest in shadow art, and my own experience with Chinese calligraphy. Such unlikely combination is but a wee part of what is possible in design. Through Digital Design, my aspiration is to create structures that not only serve its purpose, but also as an expression of my own creativity - of what is in my mind. Ultimately, my dream as an aspiring game designer would be to ‘play God’ - to create my own world through story and design, and build a game based around my own creation. I seek from design a sense of ‘creating something out of nothing’, and it is my dream to bring to light of the public what kind of structures I am able to create. However, my journey in Digital Design is not without shortcomings. As mentioned above, I get easily overwhelmed ironically when I am faced with too much freedom in creating my designs. This has undoubtedly caused unprecedented delays without which I would have more time to perfect my design. In order to overcome this, I tend to pay attention to my surroundings and ather than chatting with my friends whenever I head out for a walk or for meals. Alternatively, a spark usually flashes when I am in the process of doing other assignments or things at my own leisure. It works well when your mind is suddenly blank staring at a white paper presented to you at the start of every design project.

Zhi Charles Teoh 3 June 2018

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01

Diagramming Design Precedents The introduction of technology to architectural drawing has undoubtedly revolutionised design in general. By utilising mathematical algorithms, simple concepts can be easily turned into complex designs through computer-aided drawing (CAD). Now, more than ever, it is possible to design very complex structures while still able to demonstrate them clearly to others. It opens up a whole new range of possibilities that architects of the past could only dream of.

Serpentine Gallery Pavillion 2002

by Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmond with Arup Photo credits: Sylvain Deleu

This module looks at how existing designs - in this case the Toyo Ito Serpentine Pavillion - are conceived via CAD and how such designs are presented to the laymen such that even they too could understand the designs.


Diagramming Design Precedents

Top: Interior of the Serpentine Pavillion; Right: Pavillion modelling and conception diagram

Serpentine Gallery Pavillion 2002 Ths pavillion sits in the Kensington Gardens in London and now serves as a bistro restaurant. Designed by the famed Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmond, this pavillion was dubbed ‘a lesson in imagination’ by the Evening Standard*. Indeed, the alternate solids and voids on each wall and roof provides a dreamy feel that beckons to visitors to stay within the pavillion for a long period of time. Such an ingenious design, however, is actually conceived through a simple modelling process of playing with shapes. The modelling process of this pavillion starts small - a small square oriented at a certain angle on a plane. Another square with the same centre but slightly larger and oriented at a different angle is then drawn. Then, yet another larger, differently oriented square is drawn. This *Source: http://www.serpentinegalleries.org/exhibitions-events/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-2002-toyo-ito-and-cecil-balmond-arup

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Diagramming Design Precedents algorithm continues after a geometrical pattern forms, and thereafter each edge of all squares are extended to the edges of the boundary. This design is then made into a net and then folded into a cuboid Solids and voids - built in glazing to prevent rain - are arranged in such a way that the smallest, initial square is a void, and no adjacent spaces are alike, i.e. a solid space is never adjacent with another solid space.

Initial square

Such arrangement of solids and voids causes the sun to shine into the pavillion in a unique way such that thresholds are formed between where sunlight could reach and where it could not, as visitors are more inclined to sit under the sun within the pavillion. In addition, when the sun shines through the glazing, it forms a checkered pattern within the Pavillion. The rationale behind this design is to highlight the pavillion design, as the checkered pattern is able to highlight the boundaries between one space and its neighbours, thereby exposing the pattern to viewers. The entrance points are set not only such that each side of the pavillion has an entrance, but also such that the shortest possible circulation path is long enough for visitors to be able to admire the beauty of the architecture. As this pavillion is now used as a restaurant, dining areas are carefully situated around the circulation space. For example, the de facto ‘dining area’, which should ideally be unintruded by circulation paths, is at the largest area enclosed by the boundaries of the circulation space and the pavillion walls (see next page). The counter is, in contrast, strategically located in the middle of the circulation space to improve its accessibility for customers.

Isometric diagram of the pavillion

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Diagramming Design Precedents Diagram 01

Dining Table and Seats

Counter

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Circulation Diagram

Threshold Diagram

The circulation of the Pavillion is mostly shaped by the arrangement of the entrance points. Most visitors would tend to walk the shortest path from one entrance to the other. The ‘dining area’ is at the top corner while the counter is located in the middle of the circulation space. Interestingly, there are also a few dining tables situated in the middle of the circulation space, possibly to divert the circulation paths.

The arrangement of solids and voids (glazing) within spaces is such that no similar type of space could be adjacent to one another. When the sun shines through the glazing, it forms a checkered pattern within the Pavillion and hence the thresholds.


Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

02

G e n e r a t i n g I d e as T h r o u g h D i g i t a l P r o c e ss e s In 1637, René Descartes published an essay titled La Geometrie, or ‘The Geometry’. What he wrote in that essay would open up a brand new field in mathematics tying algebra and geometry together, in what is now known as coordinate geometry. Together with Pierre de Fermat, both would contribute greatly in establishing a relationship between algorithms and geometry that is now a consensus among all mathematicians alike. Little did they expect, what they discovered and established would later play a huge role in architecture and design. Modern technology is now able to simplify a complex structure by expressing it in a series of algorithms. Likewise, it is possible to construct a complicated structure by means of a series of algorithms on a computer, which then translates the algorithms into geometry, creating stunningly beautiful structures in real life. This module looks at how two different types of algorithms are able to create different structures, and also explores the use of Grasshopper in Rhino to create such structures.

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Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

This part is done in two phases: the first, to create two lofted surfaces within a given bounding box and to append to the surface a grid design. The second, to create a skeletal structure - or a waffle structure, due to the skeleton resembling a pile of waffles - that holds the two lofted surfaces in place. The two phases utilises the Formative fabrication technique of directly giving shape to a certain material, thereby constructing the structure.

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Part 1 Formative


Lofts Lofts

1.1 1.1

Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes 1.2 1.2

{0,0,150} {112.5,150,150}

1.3 1.3

{150,37.5,150}

1.4 1.4

{150,0,150}

{150,75,150}

{150,150,150}

{37.5,0,150}

Key Key {0,0,0} {0,0,0}

{20,-33,0}

{110,-101,150}

{75,150,150}

{80,101,150}

{0,0,112.5}

{35,101,150} {20,56,150}

{0,150,150}

{150,0,75}

{0,0,75}

{20,-18,150}

{20,-18,150}

{20,11,150}

{150,150,75}

{0,150,75} {150,0,0} {150,0,0}

{75,0,0}

{20,26,0}

{Index {IndexSelection} Selection}

{20,86,0}

{75,0,0} {0,37.5,0}

{65,-48,0}

{150,150,0}

{35,-48,0}

{0,75,0}

{112.5,0,0}

{140,-48,0}

{20,56,0}

{150,75,0}

{150,75,0}

{150,150,0}

{20,-33,0}

{80,-48,0} {0,75,0}

{75,150,0}

{0,75,0}

{75,150,0}

{37.5,150,0}

{37.5,150,0}

Paneling Grid Grid & & Attractor Attractor Point Point Paneling

2.1 2.1

{Index {IndexSelection} Selection}

{Index {IndexSelection} Selection}

{Index {IndexSelection} Selection}

2.2 2.2

2.3 2.3

2.4 2.4

{111.4,251.9,201.4}

{85.3,100.5, 79.6}

{91,-93,136}

{93,35,74}

{217,35,0}

{218.0,-32.7,0}

{-60.2,8.4,44.9}

{93,35,-76}

Paneling Paneling

{Attractor {AttractorPoint PointLocation} Location}

{Attractor {AttractorPoint PointLocation} Location}

{Attractor {AttractorPoint PointLocation} Location}

{Index {IndexSelection} Selection}

3.1 3.1

3.2 3.2

3.3 3.3

3.4 3.4

+

Lofts

1.1

1.2

+

1.3

{150,37.5,150}

1.4

{150,0,150}

{0,0,150} {112.5,150,150}

Design Matrix 1:5

{150,150,150} {75,150,150} {0,0,112.5}

Key

1.4 {150,75,150}

{37.5,0,150}

{0,0,0}

Attractor / Control Curves {0,150,150}

{150,0,75}

{0,0,75}

Attractor / Control Points (X,Y,Z) {150,150,75}

{0,150,75} {150,0,0}

Grid Points

{150,0,0}

Surface Isocurves

{75,0,0} {75,0,0}

{150,75,0}

{0,37.5,0}

Surface Intersection {0,75,0}

{Index Selection}

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{150,150,0}

{37.5,150,0}

{75,150,0}

{0,75,0}

{1

{37.5,150,0}

{Index Selection}

{Index Selection}

{Inde


Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Lofted surfaces One of the surfaces seem more triangular than quadilateral. The

Waffle structure Unlike the original waffle example, there are no edge waffles on the top

triangular surface is also relatively ‘flat’ compared to the other surface.

and bottom of the structure. This is in consideration that the two waffle

In addition, the quadilateral surface has been reduced to a 4x4 panel

would not have held without using adhesives.

structure, and the triangular surface, 3x3. This was advised as using the default 5x5 structure would cause cut and etch lines to be too close to one another and causing the result to tear very easily.

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Solid panels create a definitive boundary between exterior and interior. Protruding forms create interest through light and shadow.

Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes Perforations on one face control the direction in which light can enter the volume.

Panels at this side form a triangular-shaped surface and are smaller at the bottom, increasing in size towards the top of the volume.

A hollow waffle structure allows for the creation of an interior volume.

Surfaces and waffles - construction through algorithms While creating a script on Grasshopper, a template is first made to create the surface iteration before altering the numbers and indices within the script to easily generate other surface iterations. Once a set iteration is chosen, a separate script is created to construct a waffle structure between two lofted surfaces so as to join them together and allow the two surfaces to ‘stand up’ in a 3D world. Within this script is a carefully generated subscript that allows the waffle structure to be constructed without the use of adhesives.

Exploded Axonometric 1:1 0

20

60mm

Finally, a final script is generated to explode the surfaces and waffles to allow printing on a flat material surface - in this case an ivory card for the surfaces and a mountboard for the waffles.

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Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Computation Workflow

Script creating the panelled surfaces. Includes the lofting of the two surfaces and subsequently panelling two modules onto the two surfaces respectively.

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Script creating the waffle structure. Includes insertion points where each individual waffle can join together without adhesives.

Script creating the laser cut file for the waffle structure. Includes script to label each individual part for easy identification.


Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Task 01 Laser Cutting Linework

Left: Laser cut files for actual construction (waffles at the top, exploded surfaces at the bottom) ; Top: Structure construction process

Laser cutting and construction Creating a Laser cut file requires separating the waffle structure into their individual components. While this is not too big an issue, the real challenge comes when it is time to create one for the surfaces. Firstly, there is a need to unroll the surfaces, but unrolling all at once would cause overlapping. There is hence a need to separate each surface into different parts. While the quadilateral surface is separated into 4 rows of 4 modules, the triangular surface is separated in an arrow-like manner into pieces of 5, 3 and 1 module(s) respectively. This is also reflected in the matrix.

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Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Task 01 Full Page Photo

16 model Finished


Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Part 2 Subtractive

This part, while seemingly resulting in a complex structure, is actually conceived from a much simpler concept - subtraction. Imagine a cubic slab of concrete. Say before it completely hardened, someone planted a few solids within this slab of concrete. Before long, just after it has hardened, an unknown alien matter zapped the solids with a disintegrating gun causing the solids to vanish. What would the resulting slab of concrete now look like? This fabrication technique is called the Subtractive method. True to its name, it is no more than subtracting a certain shape or solid from a slab of material, giving it the resultant shape.

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Grid Manipulation

Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes 1.1

1.2

{81.5,55.9,217.2}

{35.8,88.4,217.2}

1.3

Key

1.4

{0,0,0}

{0.7,-7.7,0} {176.5,-123.7,0}

{57.9,3.6,0}

{242.7,-84.1,0}

{190.3,144.8,6.5}

{142.1,221.8,6.5}

Boolean Cutter Distribution

{Curve Attractor}

{Curve Attractor}

{Curve Attractor}

2.1

2.2

2.3

2.4

{54.5,-94.2,148.3}

{Curve Attractor}

{28.1,77.2,34.7}

{30.8,151.7,-119.5}

Boolean Cutter Manipulation

{Point Attractor}

{Curve Attractor}

{Bent Curve Attractor}

{Random Attractor}

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

{Octagonal Prism}

{Octagonal Pyramid}

{Sphere}

{Square Dipyramid}

Design Matrix 1:5 Key

1.4

{0,0,0}

Attractor / Control Points (X,Y,Z) Attractor / Control Curves

18 {176.5,-123.7,0}

Grid Points


oolean Cutter Manipulation

3.1

3.2

3.3

3.4

Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes {Sphere}

{Square Dipyramid}

With the booleaned geometry contained mostly within the original shape the cube is still highly visible as a form.

{Octagonal Prism}

{Octagonal Pyramid}

Points at which geometry almost touches but does not creates a feeling of uncanny heaviness to the above structure.

The solids left behind can also be interpreted as space. If we invert the positive and negative space it creates a stretched/ pinched network of spaces.

Solids and voids - construction into 3D-printing

Where the intersecting geometry interacts with the surface envelope creates a lighter more open space.

A decision was made to use the octagonal pyramids to cut the solid. To prevent the 3D printing from taking too much time, there is a need to reduce the full 150x150 box to merely 1/8 of it. Unlike the spherical voids that are present in the sample model, the pyramidal voids in this model create corners within the spaces generated as well as sharp edges and vertices. The difference in void levels within a single row creates an elevation where possibly a person could sit on.

Intersections that do not interact with the surface envelope create heavier darker spaces.

Even though there are a few parts where the thickness of the model may not be sufficient enough to be stable, they should not pose a serious problem as it would not affect the stability of the model as a whole.

Axonometric 1:0.5 0

20

Solid boolean using 3.2 morph iteration. 60mm

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Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

Computational Process

Script generating a 3D grid within a given bounding box, dividing the box into 3 x 3 x 3 cubes. A curve attractor then attracts and manipulates the grid.

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Script generating a series of solids within the bounding box and a point attractor manipulates the sizes of these solids. These solids will then act as a cutter cutting (Boolean-ing)the box away.


Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

The 3D-printing process Interestingly, while the digital construction of the Boolean model is an example of a Subtractive technique (by emptying out the original bounding box with shapes), the actual 3D printing of the model is an Additive technique instead, as the model is printed layer by layer by the 3D printer. Printing time and costs vary according to how many layers need to be printed for a single model. Because of the very-slow process of printing, the original Boolean-ed model was not printed as a whole. Rather, it was reduced to approximately 1/8 of the

3D-print preview on Makerbot

original model. Even so, the model

shown here will require almost 7 hours to print. Since the cost of printing varies by layers, the model is strategically rotated so that the height to be printed can be reduced. In this case, instead of having the model stand up, it is ‘laid to rest’ here to minimise the model height. Since 3D-printing takes gravity into consideration, support materials (shown in orange) are usually printed to preserve the integrity of the model. They can be easily peeled off after the model finishes printing.

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Generating Ideas Through Digital Processes

22 model Finished


The Pavillion

of

Respect

03

Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion The invention of Virtual Reality (VR) does not just open up a whole new experience for gaming, but also for architecture and design. For the very first time, it is now possible to experience a design as a person walking into a life-sized structure even when it has not been constructed in real life. This module requires a pavillion design in a limited space in the Royal Botanic Gardens of Melbourne. This design, dubbed the Pavillion of Respect, blends creativity with practicality, in that it is both an expression of creativity and also suits various functions as deliberated in the module requirements. Inspired by a range of different elements, the Pavillion of Respect promises to be an architectural marvel as well as a bearer of an important message of respect towards the original natives who rightfully own the land.

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

whereas the podium is an ideal place for a presenter to speak to those present.

Project Name:

The Pavillion

R e sp e c t

of

The underlying concept behind the Pavillion of Respect is mutual respect. The natives of the land, by opening up their lands for visitors to explore, show a fundamental level of respect even to strangers. In turn, the visitors, whilst being accepted by the natives, ought to rightfully show respect for the natives of the land. On a fundamental level, this pavillion retains its capability to host a variety of functions. The pavillion itself dips into the ground which defines the space and the threshold of itself. The pavillion is surrounded by a roof and terraces that further demarcates the pavillion interior from the outside. This space is one in which the required functions of the module can be held: the base level is large enough to host 15 people 24 for the lunchtime seminar,

In addition, the structure of the pavillion resembles a concert hall ideal for performances, with the terraces accommodating audiences and the podium being an ideal stage for an evening quartet. Furthermore, the curved structure of the roof, with its three layers, causes the sound of the performance to reverberate within the pavillion such that it enhances the sound effect for the audiences, while also forming a sound barrier between the interior and exterior of the pavillion. This pavillion seeks also to break through its basic purpose of being a mere venue for functions. It simultaneously expresses the quality of openness and convey the message of respect to visitors. While the roof, the terraces and the dip of the base level forms a clear threshold between in and out, the stairs leading to the entrance of the pavillion creates a sense of openness by virtue of the possibility to ascend the stone stairs from all sides. The white marble plaza in front of the pavillion also creates a sense that the threshold of the pavillion is not just within itself, but also without and beyond. The


intersection of the plaza and the pavillion creates a logical assumption that the plaza is also part of the pavillion.

land, and as such harbour a sense of respect and appreciation towards these people.

On the other hand, the message of mutual respect is conveyed through a shadow art of a Chinese character in its calligraphical form. Inspired by how Chinese characters possess ideographic qualities (an idea or concept represented by a graphic symbol), a shadow art of a Chinese character is visibly projected onto the marble plaza.

The shadow art of the Chinese character utilises sunlight shining through the roof of the pavillion to project a shadow on the white marble plaza. While the sun should ideally shine straight through the roof to obtain the best effect, different sun positions do not distort the sun position much. Given a sunny day, the shadow should be visible for at least three to four hours within a single day.

The Pavillion

The Chinese character projected, 敏 (pronounced jÏng in Mandarin or kei in Japanese), denotes respect not just in the retrospective sense of tolerance and mutual understanding, but also the introspective sense of self-reflection of one in comparison to another. This character is a reminder to all visitors that they are treading on the land of Australian natives who rightfully own it. As such, while visitors deserve to enjoy using the lands they were shared, they must also remember the people who own the

of

Respect

The shadow art is also projected such that visitors exiting the pavillion by ascending the terraces could see the shadow art clearly and in the right orientation from the top of the terraces. This hence fulfills the higher purpose of the pavillion, by giving a timely reminder for visitors to respect the lands that they have treaded on as they leave the premises.

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M3 - The Pavillion of Respect

Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

Legend Circulation path

In order to retain the stability of the pavillion’s structure. The roof layers and the double-layered waffle structure is not altered to create voids within the roof. Rather, voids on the roof and waffles are replaced by glass materials. This is to prevent rain from leaking into the pavillion.

The curvature of the roof reflects sound in such a way that it amplifies the sound effect to people seated at the amphitheatre. The ultilayeredness of the roof acts as a wall of soundproofing to the outside world.

Roof Surface and Waffle Close-up

Zhi Charles Teoh - 899991

The clam-like shape of the pavillion, with the arena-like structure of the amphitheatre that dips into the ground at the lowest level, blends openness with formality and makes it an ideal place for special functions as well as entertainment such as performances and concerts. The amphitheatre forms a de facto wall that acts as a threshold between the outside and inside of the pavillion. In addition, a person standing at the topmost level of the amphitheatre would be able to view the shadow art from above. Stairs resembling stacking stone blocks allow entrance from all sides and provides a welcoming feeling to the public. The convergence of the stairs at the top fixes the entrance point into the pavillion.

Amphitheatre and Pavillion Interior

A plaza enhances the visibility of the projected shadow art. Exploded Isometric 1:100

26

0

2000

6000mm

Combination of solids and voids on the layered roofs and the waffle structure projects a shadow art when the sun shines through it from a specific angle - in this case the Chinese character meaning respect - on the plaza in front of the pavillion. The projected shadow art means to remind visitors that they are treading on aboriginal lands and hence the need to respect the rightful owners of this land.

An elevated platform facing the amphitheatre acts as a podium for speakers and/or performers.


The Pavillion Inspiration: clam shell The structure of the clam has always inspired the imaginations of many. In many legends involving an ocean kingdom, performances often occur within a larger-than-life clam where the upper part of the shell forms the roof and the lower part, resembling a basin, creates a threshold separating the shell from the outer world. Undoubtedly, when one steps inside an enormous clam, one would feel the protectiveness of the clam’s hard shell roof that shields the clam from any external harm. Interestingly, the traits of the curved roof of a clam-like structure includes the reflection and enhancement of sound within as the absence of corners minimises the diminishing of sound. This trait makes this structure fit for a pavillion that serves as a venue for performances, as sound reverberates within the curved roof minimises the need for any extra speakers to project sound.

From top: Stock image of a clam shell; initial iterations of pavillion design; final design iteration

Initial iterations for the structure include one that resembles more of a folding book, and one that very closely resemble an actual clam shell. However, these two iterations were both rejected as, understandably, the roof is not structurally sound without any external columns supporting the outer edge.

of

Respect

This consideration gave rise to the final iteration. The intersection between the roof and the ground plane is curved which acts as a form of support that prevents the roof from easily falling over the pavillion. Attached to the ground, the roof makes a sound structure without the need for any columns to support the weight of the roof. Layers are also added to the roof to act as a sound barrier that both minimises sound from leaking to the outside world and also maximising sound preserved within the pavillion. This minimises any disturbances to the serenity of the Botanical Gardens, and also further enhances the sound effect by retaining them within the pavillion. Further outlining the threshold of the pavillion is the fact that the base level of it is underground and terraces separates it and the outer world. This models the structure of the amphitheatre where terraces surround a central arena. Together, the roof, the underground level and the terraces define the space within the pavillion clearly as one that accommodates a variety of performances and as a safe haven for all visitors.

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

From left: Original writing; shadow iteration made in Illustrator

Inspiration: Chinese calligraphy art As someone who is ethnically Chinese, I have harboured an interest in Chinese calligraphy for a long time. It has always been part of my interest to incorporate calligraphy into design. The uniqueness of Chinese calligraphy lies in the fact that a single Chinese character can form a piece of art not only due to the virtues behind the meaning it carries, but also the individual

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aesthetics of a single character that expresses the individuality of itself in terms of scripture and artstyle. The Chinese have often emphasised the virtue of mutual respect between individuals. Many common universal values, such as humility, piety, kindness and integrity, have been built on the foundation of mutual respect between individuals and between communities. The word, 敏 is hence an excellent message-bearing

character to convey the meaning of respect.

The creation of the shadow starts from the writing of the character itself. As I have learned calligraphy myself, I personally produced the writing in semi-cursive script, which denote a sense of freedom and perpetuity. Then, the outline was extracted via Photoshop and Illustrator before being moved to Rhino for rendering. In a way, it can be said that this pavillion is in itself an expression of art.


The Pavillion

of

Respect

Inspiration: shadow art The uniqueness of shadow art is that a perfect shadow can be formed from a mess of objects when light is shone through it from a certain angle. In the case of this pavillion, I sought to create the shadow art with sunlight as the primary light source and the roof being the shadow projector. To create the shadow art, it is necessary to first determine the shadow that will be formed on the marble plaza. Then, the shadow is extruded through the roof to simulate sunlight shining through. Initially, the extrusion of the character was an extrusion to a point rather than a parallel extrusion to simulate a point light shining through the roof. This is, however, scrapped as this assumes that there is a point light shining high above from behind the pavillion. The resultant voids through the roof would be smaller and if sunlight were to shine through them, the resulting shadow would be a lot smaller on the plaza. The parallel extrusion was hence used to create voids in anticipation of sunlight rather than a dedicated point light.

From there, voids can be created on the roof layers and the waffle structure in order to create the shadow art. The voids, however, are replaced with glass glazing instead so that the roof retains its main ability of sheltering from the rain.

From top: Shadow art sample (Hong Yi’s shadow art); division of the character to different parts; extrusion of the character to simulate light; Right: resultant shadow art from solids and voids

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

30


The Pavillion

of

Respect

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

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The Pavillion

of

Respect

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

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The Pavillion

of

Respect

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

Computational Process

This group creates the three layers of roof using the Sweep 2 command. Prior to this, curves were set up to outline the edges of the surfaces.

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These four groups create the waffle structure between the three layers.

This group extrudes the planned shadow throughout the roof surface. This facilitates the creation of solids and voids through the roof.


The 3D-printing process To print a sectional model of the pavillion, the model itself is split into half right at the centre line that cuts across. To facilitate printing, however, the print job is split into two: the roof and the floor. For the roof, both layers of the waffle and only the middle layer of the roof is shown. This is to clearly display the intricacy of how the waffle structure

3D-print preview of the roof

is ‘inter-woven’ and fitted between the roof layers. In addition, the roof is oriented so that it is laid down instead of standing up. This is to minimise the amount of support materials needed to print the roof, hence minimising the time and cost of printing.

The Pavillion

As this part is mostly flat, it is printed as is.

When both parts are printed, the roof is affixed to the floor with super glue,

of

Respect

resulting in a pavillion half-structure (see next page).

The floor consists of the original ground plane, the terraces, the base level which digs into the ground, and the podium.

3D-print preview of the floor

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Queen Victoria Garden Pavillion Design

38 cross-sectional model Finished


The Pavillion

360 Image Output

D

i g i t a l

D

e s i g n

P by

o r t f o l i o

Zhi

Charles

,

S

e m e s t e r

Teoh

1,

2018

of

Respect


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Digital Design Portfolio - The Pavillion of Respect by Zhi Charles Teoh - Issuu