Digital design Module 3 Journal

Insert your final rendered image here.

Digital Design - Module 03 Zhiyilin Meng

872862 Junhan Foong Studio 12 Semester 1, 2020

Critical Reading: Schuere & Stehling, 2011. Lost in Parametric Space. AD. In Schurer’s text, Parametric Space, he discuss Abstraction, Reduction and Normalisation in Computer Aided Design (CAD). Using your design experience in M3, describe the process of Abstraction (in shape and detail), Reduction and Normalisation you have deploied in your design process?

Use evidance (such as screenshot of your digital model or matrix) to support your argument.

Type your answer here (max 400 words)

In the M3, I made a curved pavilion and the concept was inspired by the Rolex Learning Center’s design which has a natural transition between the ground and the building. The surface of it can have many different spaces and has a very gentle fusion with the terrain. I also want to construct a pavilion integrate into the environment that there are only trees on the whole topography and there is no other buildings or facilities. To echo the whole environment with each other, the whole structure is timber-framed in a natural way. The peripheral curved seats and the pavilion belong to one system which correspond with the theme. The stripes and hole above the pavilion bring the pavilion light effects and there are some vegetation planted above which to link with the combination of natural elements. There is a big opening open to public viewers from the direction of parks and a small entrance opened to viewers from the direction of city, which is not big enough to view the full interior space. Then the vistors can actually walk arround it and gathered at the large opening area.

Module 3 Reflection Questions: A. What is the key concept explored through your design?

I am tring to explore the space in between the natural ground and the roof, how the height and light might influence the space and how can the strcture both be the roof and floor. Also, because the site is nearly empty and with lot of vegatations, I was tried to make pavilion embeded in to the site and nature.

B. Describe the quality of space in your pavilion design.

The whole pavilion design divide space into several parts such as larger and higher spaces with large openings towards the public garden (allow views) and smaller, lower individual spaces probabaly valuable for children to explore. Also, the panels then divide the space horizontally with level changes for other purposes.

C. How does threshold and circulation shape your design?

I want various types of thresholds and factors that can affect circulation combine in the design, such as how structure or form can define different shadow effects, how the height might influence the circulation. Sometimes threshold can define circulation and circulation may generate thresholds.

D. What parametric design strategy did you deploy to develop your design intention?

I want something that is continue and smooth, also undulated, so the parametric design helps me a lot with the form, such as pufferfish. But sometimes these kind of design may hard to construct in real life.

ISOMETRIC DRAWING At the beginning, I was inspired by many interesting precendent studies, one is called the rolex learing center which use only one plane to define the space and have this very sucessful result. So I aimed to do something similar to but have hidden views and framed views.

After got this form of pavilion, I tried to make each louver differently the having the supports in between them. Then applied the same language to the landscape.

The design is simple but the drawings contains many samll parts such as supportings which is hard to deal with, especially when adjusting th eline weights.

The view here try to show the main activity space which contain a large opening open to the public gardan (view exchange) and how the panels can act both roof and floor at the same time.

Not to scale

DIAGRAMS

Not to scale

For circulation, I would like my pavilion just has secondary pathway (has mid-heigt) rather than direct pathway, the primary circulation is all around the pavilion or circulate part of the pavilion, give it mystery. So the height of the roof are then carefully consider to divide space into several parts. I also added many benches in the site to drive the outer circulation to the pavilion, but people can still choose their own way.

Not to scale

I considered my threshold can not only divide the space vertically, but also horizontally, which match the idea of have the floor and roof at the same time. I also want use the shadow of pavilion as well as the surrounding vegatations to drive the suitable area to use, for example, at noon. The pavilion are designed with strips, the distance between each of them are different, especially at the peak there is a large openings.

GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT (PAVILION CORE)

Insert designed surface in grasshopper

Plug-in, pufferfish is mainly used in this script in oreder to have the smooth transition of line, surface, also bring the effect of ‘grid distortion.

Divide the surface, prepare to adjust the distance between Applied plug-in, pufferfish to generate the effect of grid distortion

Loft selected curves to form each surface

Give an extrude value, the geometry then generated Points choice in grasshopper, can adjust the number and location of points. It then define the curve near the point is apart from the point, creating holes.

Then pick the curves in certain order and location

Build on the surface to create holes

Final outcome

GRASSHOPPER SCRIPT (LANDSCAPE CORE)

What I have here is the script of curve attraction. The rest of the sript is mainly based on the workshop. To get the whole undulated surface, I combined 1 point attraction and 4 curve attractions, adjust the graph mapper to get more variations of the outcome. Then the baked surface is setted in to the pavilion script before to get the same language of form.

ITERATION MATRIX For my design, the focus point is to use nature surface to generate defferent spaces, so the shape of surface is quite important.

At first I tried to use grasshopper to generate surface, but its hard for me to adjust various values. So I decided to build in rhino, then I get one which I think achieve what I want.

Secondly, try to find the appropriate plug-in in grasshopper to get the appearance. WASP, pufferfish, weavebirds, I tried all of them then find the better way is to combine them with a normal script such as grid distortion or louver. So the final one I chose is the combination of pufferfish and louver.

Then I start to consider where the opening is, the higher the roof, the larger the opening.

TEXTURES & MATERIALS In terms of the materials, I want my design can embeded into the landscape and be a natural one. Actually, the natural wood or timber is hard to achieve the curve of each louver, and timber is not that duarate and, the color will become lighter and will affected by many natural influences, such as animals and weather. So I decided to use metal pieces (more stable) as structure and with timber paving (with coating).

To achieve the natural pavilion, the vegatation can not be forgettd. I want something can be grown on part of the pavilion but not clusted, so I add grass on those supportings, which are the connections between each single louver.

Actually I did not change much with the UV editor because each single strip has different orientations and length, its really hard to make the correct texture. But I still make sure the major part is correct.

As mentioned before, I want the timber be coated in order to hace reflectiveness and different finish compared to the vegatation in the landscape.

RENDER GALLERY

Unprocessed render view in rhino, adjusting locations and orientations

Start adding trees and vegatations to the site and on the pvilion

Small bushes aligned with benches in the site

Add people in position to test area and test final views, start adding cameras

Enscape rendering, test on exposure, shadow intensity, light intensity and sun position

Test lens in enscape to find the best distance between pavilion and camera

POST PROCESSING

Try to find best view of big openings which provide a clear vision to the inside

View of growing vegatation on pavilion, other side of pavilion, works not that good

Night view, looking from north, the attractive point of the pavilion

Inside view looking to the city, clear shadow effects

Mid-floor area, cross shadow effects, growing vegatation

Night view, looking through the main large opening, point light effect in the evening

ISOMETRIC MODEL DRAWING

Here the view is cutting through the parallel surface of opening, shows the inner 2 level spaces.

Actually the design intent is hard to match the fabrication peocess for both strategies. 3D printing the pavilion will require a lot of supportings and a long priting time. Laser cut can not cutting something is twist, not flat. Also, the pavilion is hard to self-support without anyone of the corner, it still need supporting afterwards.

If need to pick a strategy, then 3D printing probabaly be a better one compared with laser cutting, but have to remove all the connections between each strip as they are really tiny in scale of 1:25.

Threshold Diagram

1:2 @ A4 Square

EXPLODED ISOMETRIC MODEL DRAWING Connections: unable to print or laser cutting, not gong to frabricate

Main structure: Unable to laser cutting, hard to 3D printing, need a lot of support

Ground texture and pedestal: working for both strategies

The whole design is bad for frabrication, if want to do so, the whole form might be changed totally.

COMPONENT

Laser cutting method totally failed to handle with this form, 3D printing works for it but required a lot of supports and very time consuming.

The screenshot in makerbot, the size of the plate is not smaller compaired to the model, the scale then changed to the maxmium value the model can be printed. (Print Area: 295mm L x 195mm W x 165mm H; model: 300mm L x 200mm W x 250mm H) The quality od 3D printing both looks stable and harder. It can allow model self-support but results in aesthetic destruction.

Print type: Replicator: Print Material: PLA Plastic in a range of colours