Journal

Architecture Design Studio: AirJournal

James Johnstone 390 462

the world is under going seismic change: po-litically, socially and ecnomically

architects and architecture must respond to this if they want to advance the architectural discourse

the age old method of building the biggest, the tallest or the most beautiful is gone

architecture has to relate to the pre-sent latent needs of the user

it has to change peoples strongly held persceptions about what is right or wrong, black or white.

it is about finding the grey, the undefined

By responding to these issues, architecture will be able to take on a new dimention, and a new perception of beauty.

ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE

My major design project for architectural design studio: water, was pri-marily focussed on chal-lenging the perceptions of those viewing the structure. The design was meant to create a dialgoue in the mind of the viewer as to what they were seeing. It was meant to challenge what they thought a boat-house should be and look. I tried to achieve this by using the ide-als of Sejima by en-veloping the structures in a skin that gave no clues as to the purpose, structure or layout.

This process is some-thing that is highly re-lateable to the Gateway project. Given that the audience will be ex-posed to it for such a short amount of time, it needs to create im-pact. It needs to cre-ate a discourse in the mind of the viewer.

MAJOR DESIGN PROJECTARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE

The Eiffel Tower, al-though over 120 years old, it is the epitome of the ideals that architec-ture should be seeking to achieve. Barthes ar-gues that a design must not have one meaning to it. It must react to the changing context that it is in. He argues that an object must respond to its context and those viewing it.1

This method of approach is something that may not have initially have been intended for the Eiffel Tower, but it is an ideal that has become a part of it. To many different people it is a symbol of something, of love, of progress, the celebration of new ma-

terial, and even some-thing to be destroyed. This lack of clear defi-nition was something completely radical at the time and greatly for-warded architectural dis-course. It proposes that a design can have mul-tiple meanings that can-change depending on the audience and the current context.

This idea of a fluid defi-nition seen in the Eif-fel Tower is something that could definately be applicable to the Gate-way Project. Given the high volume nature of the site and the con-stantly changing nature of the surrounding area, a design that is able to evoke differing meanings

depending on the time and audience if vitally important. It will mean that there will be greater interaction with the in-stallation through the added thought of what it actually is to the con-versation between view-ers. It will leave a re-minder of the palace.

By contributing to the architectural discourse, the project will have a better ability to connect with those who imme-diately encounter it and also create wider rec-ognition of the area by getting it broadcast through a variety of av-enues in the architectural and greater community.

Week 2 Contemporary Computational Design Techniques

Contemporary computa-tional design techniques have allowed architects to expand their thinking beyond the limitations of their skill and presenta-tion methods. It has al-lowed an advancement in the way buildings are looked at, both structur-ally and visually. Through the use of complex codes and algorithims it has become possible to create dynamic designs that can easily be altered should the need arise. It has arugably made the design process far more efficient.

The advancement of co-mupational design how-ever, can be seen to have some negative character-istics. The issue of cre-ating a parametric design just for the sake of it, and because one is able to does nothing to help the advancement of ar-chitecture or contribute to the discource. Further to this, the use of com-puter aided design takes away some of the core skills of an architect, it opens it up to anybody who is good at program-

ming, diminishing what it means, and the skill re-quired to be an architect.

Computer aided design is obviously the way of the future for the architec-ture field. However, just because it is possible to design in a certain way doesn’t mean that one has to. It has to be a measured approach to the application of the technol-ogy so that the architec-tural discource is able to continue, and not become flooded by a plethora of designs which solve little.

This building is one of the most iconic designs of the new century. It is a celbration of the advancements in digi-tal technologies and the advancement of the ar-chitectural discourse.

The original design con-cept was taken from soap bubbles. Such as simple natural occur-ance presented the de-sign team with a set of problems that they could not solve with their cur-rent skills and technolo-

gies. In this case, it was the need for advanced digital design techologies to be developed to solve a problem.

This is a natural way to advance the architectural discourse as opposed to developing programs for the sake of experimen-tation. The software was developed to help solve problems occuring with the geometry, physical prototyping, structur-al performance, analyse acoustics, smoke spread,

pedestrian movement and construction docu-mentation.

The development of these programs en-abled the creation of one of the most unique structures to date. It enabled for the exper-imentation and imple-mentation of brand-new technologies such as ethylene tetrafluoroeth-ylene (EFTE) which in turn further pushed the architectural discourse.2 The building is the prime

example of how digital design can create an in-credibly beautiful building whilst still advancing the architectural discourse in a meaningful way.

The ’Water Cube’ was built to be an icon for China. The Gateway is intended to be an icon for the City of Wyndam. By looking at the Water Cube as a precedent, the use of digital design to push the boundaries of design and material use become very appar-

ent.

Although the creation of new programming is not possible, it is possible to use digital design to push the boundaries of what a gateway and highway scultpure really are. This should most definately be supported by the use of the lat-est in materials that will further serve to make the Gateway become iconic.

Digital design tech-niques and programming have allowed architects to expand the formal boundaries of standard archtiectural design and experimentation. At pres-ent there is significant interest in the explora-tion of non-Euclidean forms and surfaces.3 This interest has spawned a variety of new explora-tions and forms such as the Klein Bottle, the Mö-bius Strip and the Torus. These forms have them-selves then served as a

primary inspiration in a number of designs, nota-bly Möbius House, Torus House, Klein Bottle House and the National Library of Kazakstan. These de-signs are not literal in-terpretations of the core forms, but a rationalisa-tion of them.

It highlights how the advancement in digi-tal design technology has allowed for the radical exploration of form and context. It has allowed architects to change the

way they view the design process and step outside the boundaries of archi-tecture.

This method of using digitally created forms as a base inspiration for a design is something that could be highly relevant to the Gatewat design in that by using a non-standard design, it will make the project stand-out in its context but also in the wider archti-tectural discourse.

Möbius House

At present digital ar-chitecture and design is being criticized for being too ’blobby’ and lack-ing real architectural and design intent from the designer.

This view, however, is very arrow-minded in that it is taking a very literal approach to the critique of the new work being produced & not the work that goes on behind the scenes. We have entered a period of great technological ad-

vancement and as such architects are simply experimenting with new methods of design and construction.

Within the next few years it is very likely that a more dominant and common design influence will emerge, but at pres-ent architects are still experimenting to discover how far they can push the boundaries of design.

This period in architec-tural design will be one

thatat has perhaps the most profound impact upon design for decades.

It is going to radically change the way buildings are used, viewed and designed.

It will allow architec-tural design and theory to meet up and be at comparable stages to other industries. At the moment they are just playing rapid catchup.

Torus House

Our interest is in how an algorithm, loaded with design intent, emerges fromthe design problem rather than simply the architecture emerging from aknown algorithm. (Roland Snooks, Kokkugia)

Frank Gehry is perhaps one of the most re-knowned architects in the world in the use of digital processes in de-sign. His designs are almost completely reliant on the advancements made in digital design and scripting.4

New York by Frank Gehry, also known as Beekman Tower, is a prime example of this. Such a complex and unusal form could only have been created

through digital manipu-lation and the use of scripting.

Computer models were created from the scan-ning of physical models to create point clouds of scalable data. Rhino was then used to do the preliminary work in the design of the surfac-ing of the building. One these inital core forms were developed Digital Project, from Catia, a program that allowed for the design to eventual

through scripting.

The use of parametric design and scripting has enabled the creation of a design that challenges notion of the residential skyscraper. Gehry has used parametric design to create an apartment building that is unique.

It enabled the crea-tion of unique bay win-dows which immediately change the dynamic of the building. Instead of being a standard rec-

tangular volume where all the apartments are the same, it has created a dynamic solid where all the apartments differ. It has brought individuality to the residential build-ing.

Further to the experi-ential qualities that have been created, visually the tower is striking. The facade has been created in such a manner that it appears to be moving. This dynamism of the design is something that

is a unique quality to parametrically designed objects. The software makes their creation a simple process which is easily manipulatable, al-lowing for a range of explorations.

Bury agrues that with the advent of parametric design, there has been a tendancy for archi-tects to simply 'clone' designs. This is a ma-jor issue as the designs will utlimately be unsuc-cessful as they are not

respondinng to a con-text, experimenting for the sake of it. However Gehry used paramet-ric design as a tool to resolve of set of direct problems, and themes he wanted to incorporate into the design. He let the design dictate the use of the programming.

In relation to the Gate-way proposal, parametric design can be utilised to push the boundaries of the design. As evi-denced in New York by

"The most radical way in which scripting has affected the field of design is notthe outcome of a particular script or set of scripts, but rather the collateraleffects of participating in such a design model". (Mode)

Frank Gehry, an element of dynamism in the form of an object greatly en-hances the impact that it has upon the viewer. This use of dynamism would be very relevant as the design will have to act quickly to attract the attention of the viewer. The exact nature of the dynamism isn't defined yet, but as a broad theme it is useful.

Using parametric de-sign as a tool to resolve a set of contextual and design issues will yield the most unique result. This is of the utmost importance to the Gate-way site as it must re-spond to its context and enngage with its audi-ence.

Design is a process we engage in when the current situation is differentfrom some desired situation, and when the actions needed to transformthe former into the latter are not immediately obvious.

The process of design experimentation and ex-ploration with grasshop-per was approach with a depth first approach as proposed by Kalay.5 This enabled the full investiga-tion of a certain defini-tion.

However, a limit of 5 ex-plorations per definition was introduced to give a boundary to try and sterr the design. At first there was no defined method to selecting definitions as the process was under-

taken as a way to get a handle on the capabilites and potential of the pro-gramming software.

However, as the experi-mentation continued a few elements started to be-come more of a focus.

The elemennts which stood out were the use of image sampling and layer overlaps. These two approaches appeared to have a greater ability to portray a wide array of ideals and as such more

applicable to the design process.By undertaking such a process during the de-sign phase of the Gate-way project, it will enable a far greater investiga-tion of potential designs than by other software or by hand. It allows for the quick investigation of a certain design strain. Combined with the ability of making tweets to the design, it will allow for the potential to create a unique design for the site.

The Children’s Museum of Pitts-burg is an interestinng project in that it has an entirely dynamic facade. It responds constantly to the changing context around it. This method of changing to fit the context is something that could be very applicable for the Gate-way proposal . This is because it is such a high traffic and quickly changing area the sculpture has to respond to this.

The Dior Ginza building is a very interesting example of how the use of an image overaly can create a

very dynamic facade that itself is static. The illusion changes con-stantly and is entirely dependant on where the viewer is standing. It is a good example of how mul-tiple definitions can be combined to create an interesting result. The method of using illusion is very interesting as it crosses over a few different representational boundaries thus giving the building multiple interpretations.

The Restaurant Aoba-Tei has in-teresting parts to it. Here an im-age sample has been used to

be investigated in relation to the Gateway proposal.

The de Young Museum is another example of how the application of an image can create a dynamic facade. However, the different here is that they are all differing in size and reliant on the weathering to change the effect of the fa-cade. However, the most intersting part is that any of the panels can simply be replaced if they are ever damaged. This interchangability is something that could be of use for the Gateway project.

transplant an image across the walls and ceiling of the restaurant. Firstly, it is this envelopment in the design that has very interest-ing qualities. It allows the audience into to. To experience it from an entirely different perspective. Fur-ther to this, the use of light to enhance the visual drama of the design is very clever. Without it, it is hypothetically possible that the design wouldn’t be anywhere near as effective. The use of light can have dramatic affects upon how a sculpture or building is viewed. It is definately something that should

We selected to reverse-engineer the Dior Ginza facade as we believed that it had the more interesting concepts that we wished to investigate. This is because at this stage we had a decided to focus on the use of perforation and layering as our method to de-sign.

To achieve the desired result the image sampler and surface divide cut definitions were utilisedn These gave the outer

layer of the building, with the interior simply being a printed image of the desig at a smaller scale.

Through this method of reverse-engineering an understanding of the potential for these tech-niques to create opti-cal illusions. The main aim of this process was to try and recreate the Moire affect. This was achieved and helped to direct the our design proposal to the use of

optical illusions.

Further to this, we ex-perimented with how whe the size of the circles are changed, there will be a dramatic change in effect.

This method of ap-proach will help in future work as it will allow for a more integrated ap-proach to design. It al-lows for the quickl anal-yses and refinement of design.

A visualisation of the Moire affect and the way the model ineracts with the the atmosphere and the position of the viewer.

Exploring materiality and how it can drastically change the sensation of an object.

Here we began to investigate how light and material, in collaboration with a solid form can give a wide array of potential outcomes. This was used as an investigation to the possible interaction between the audience of passing cars and the installation. This experimentation process has helped to further the design process as now there will be more of a focus on how the struc-ture changes throughout the day, and the different meanings that each time of day will convey.

The study of precedents in any design process is absolutely critical. Without it you are left with a design that can't possibly relate to the broader architectural dis-course or effectively communicate the intended message. The study of precedents in this proposal has been used to argue the reason for innovation and the driv-ing message behind the proposal as well as arguing to the use of parametric design in teh Gateway Proposal. The Eiffel Tower symbolises what we want our proposal to embody. A design with a fluid definition that can change depending on the context of the time. In this manner the design will not become obsolete but an ever evolv-ing message about Wyndham.

The use of computational design, such as that used for the design of the Water Cube will enable us to shake free of the limitations of standard drafting software such as SketchUp and AutoCad and enable us to investigate unique and innovative designs. Parametric modelling will be our main focus driving the design process. This method of computational design allows us to make many quick alterations to a core design until we find a resolution that fits are desired outcome. In this manner we will be leaning on Kalay's method of depth-first to enable use to fully investigate the limits of design.

As evidence in our design research, parametric design has already enabled us to research a number of unique proposals. Through this investigation we came to the conclusion that the use of perforation and layering will yield us the results most applicable to our intended design outcome. By closely studying the Dior Ginza Building, we were able to experiment with the use of visual effects and the poten-tial for layering and perforation to yield positive results. Through this we investigated the use of material and a variety of different compositions of perforated elements to discovered their qualities. From this process we were further able to focus our design agenda with a focus on how the design will change throughout the day, fur-ther tieing into the precedent research of the Eiffel Tower.

However, we found the use of the grid and rectilinear shapes to be too constrictive and so the image above is a more accurate representation of the direction we wish to take the design proposal. It still has the same core elements of perforation and layering, but we have applied them in a method that hopefully will evoke a greater response from the audience.

Key Learning:

The design and investigation to date has been incredibly beneficial and constructive to the design process and my evolution as a designer. It has opened up a new ap-proach to design that will undoubtedly have a significant impact in the way I design in the future. The process of precedent research greatly altered my view of com-putational and parametric design and allowed me to see the benefits that is has to the architectural community. I am now excited to be able to use Grasshopper and Rhino to investigate a whole new avenue of design and further my development as an architecture student. Looking back on the start of the semester, it is now evi-dent to see how everything we have done so far has been incredibly useful and inciteful.

Sources:Image 1: http://blueblots.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/14-Eiffel-Tower-Black-and-White.jpgRef 1: Richard Williams, ‘Architecture and Visual Culture’, in Exploring Visual Culture : Definitions, Concepts, Contexts, ed. by Matthew Rampley (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2005), pp. 102 - 16

Image 2: http://www.google.com.au/imgres?start=170&um=1&hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-GB:official&biw=1280&bih=643&tbm=isch&tbnid=KuJUpJNhZs2K6M:&imgrefurl=http://post-traumaticurbanism.com/%3Fp%3D93&docid=2ID4LpzT-ZVE6M&imgurl=http://post-traumaticurbanism.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/water-cube-03.jpg&w=452&h=500&ei=ZkeiT5H7OOaQiAeW4-zhCA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=575&vpy=290&dur=281&hovh=236&hovw=213&tx=138&ty=66&sig=102322792630133878698&page=9&tbnh=140&tbnw=127&ndsp=24&ved=1t:429,r:20,s:170,i:240Image 3: http://www.peterdanford.com/beijing_olympic_swim_center.jpgRef 2: Patrick X. W. Zou & Rob Leslie-Carter (2010): Lessons Learned from Managingthe Design of the ‘Water Cube’ National Swimming Centre for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games,Architectural Engineering and Design Management, 6:3, 175-188

Image 4: http://bombsite.com/images/attachments/0003/6235/vanBerkel_02_body.jpgImage 5: http://www.pscohen.com/images/projects/torus_house_1.jpgRef 3: Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 71

Image 6: http://jootix.com/upload/DesktopWallpapers/cache/New-York-City-at-night-newyork-6013x3789.jpgImage 7: http://www.newyorkbygehry.com/new-york-no-fee-apartment-gallery.html Image 8:Image 9: http://www.newyorkbygehry.com/new-york-no-fee-apartment-gallery.htmlImage 10: http://www.newyorkbygehry.com/new-york-no-fee-apartment-gallery.htmlImage 11: http://www.designboom.com/cms/images/jayme01/beekman/g06.jpgRef 4: Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 71

Ref 5: Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25

Image 12: http://www.archidose.org/Blog/AAApitt.jpgImage 13: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/155/367117872_dbbf278f9f.jpgImage 14: http://lh6.ggpht.com/-RVsBJU1AbIk/ShVQ5XDzVEI/AAAAAAAABgU/7M2uVOrLQl0/P1100653.JPGImage 15: http://dereksisson.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/20100928-32106_g1-768x1024.jpg