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CONTENTS
06 INTRODUCT ION 08 A . CONCEPTUAL I SAT ION08 A . 1 DES IGN COMPUTAT ION10 A . 2 DES IGN FUTUR ING14 A . 3 COMPOS IT ION AND GENERAT ION16 A . 4 LEARN ING OUTCOMES
18 B . CR I TER IA DES IGN18 B . 1 RESEARCH F I E LD20 B . 2 CASE STUDY 1 . 022 B . 3 CASE STUDY 2 . 026 B . 4 TECHN IQUE DEVELOPEMENT30 B . 5 TECHN IQUE PROTOTYPES32 B . 6 TECHN IQUE PROPOSAL34 B . 7 LEARN ING OBJECT IVES
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36 C . DETA I LED DES IGN36 C . 1 DES IGN CONCEPT38 C . 2 TECTON IC ELEMENTS AND PROTOTPES43 C . 3 F INAL DETA I L MODEL50 C . 4 LEARN ING OBJECT IVES AND OUTCOMES
52 REFERENCES
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SCOTT ROWE22MELBOURNEARCH ITECTURE STUDENT
INTRODUCTION
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Scott is my name, Architecture is my game! For me Architecture represents the perfect
amalgoration of all that I love. Creativity, mathematics, order, expression, reasoning,
philosophy, history and of course technology. It is not hard to describe me, I’m
a task orientated perfectionist - i’m not happy until its done properly. To satisfy
my perfectionist needs I came to Melbourne University after studying mechanical
enginneering. Over the past three years I have learnt so much, from what colour a
black fineliner is based from to what a NURBS curve is. Studios have alway been my
favourite aspect of studying and Air Studio was no exception.
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C O N C E P T U A L I S AT I O NDESIGN COMPUTATION
Habitat 67, Moshe Safdie
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C O N C E P T U A L I S AT I O N
Computation has provided various benefits
to the architect. They can follow a line of
reasoning to its logical conclusion, never tire
or make simple mistakes and have to ability
to search and correlate facts1. Fore-mostly
computers found their way into architectural
design through Computer Aided Drafting
(CAD) software. Wherein the traditional tasks
of drafting plans and building models by
hand were replaced with programs that could
perform the same operations with far greater
accuracy and speed. Next came solution
synthesis, or building optimization. Through
the introduction of Building Information
Modeling (BIM) software the requirements,
constraints, inputs and outputs of an
envisioned building could be measured, and
optimized. Crucial to the field of sustainable
architecture, analysis can made of a project
before it is built. In this manner a projects
thermal, acoustic and energy systems can be
altered in the design phase so as to benefit
the user and the environment. Computational
architecture perhaps became most prominent
with the development of prefabrication.
Originating in the post-war era of Buckminster
Fuller’s Dymaxion House and Charles and Ray
Eame’s Case Study 8 House, prefabrication
utilized flexible geometries to create easily
assembled housing. Through CAD and BIM
software projects of complex patterns and
geometries the likes of Habitat 67 were able
to come to fruition. There is no doubt that
advancements of technology have heavily
influenced architecture and will continue to do
so in the future.
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Designed by Saucier + Perotte Architectes
in conjunction with Hughes Condon Marler
Architects University of British Columbia’s
Pharmaceutical Sciences building is a
leading precedent in the field of sustainable
construction. Built to the Leadership in
Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold
registration standard, 17% of the building
material consists of recycled content with 89%
of waste during construction diverted from
landfill.2 Emphasis placed on ease of access
from public transport as well as onsite bycycle
storage and showers promotes sustainable
transport. Two full height atriums effectively
placed within the building offset the need for
artifical lighting and to balance temperature
and ventilation. UBC’s Pharaceutical Science
building show precedents in the field of
sustainable architecture through use of
avante-garde building materials, construction
techniques and design practices.
DESIGN FUTURING
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UBC Pharmaceutical Sciences Building3
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Robin Hoods Garden4
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Following the aftermath of world war II,
significant societal changes were occurring
the world over. In London, with the significant
loss of housing coupled with the baby boom,
much emphasis was placed on economic
public infrastructure. Amidst the prevailing
modernism movement at the time, English
architects Peter and Alison Smithson found
an opportunity to push towards a new style
called Brutalism. Brutalism sought to strip
the embellishments of modernist buildings,
emphasizing economic modularity, materiality
and purity. This style, reflecting the ideals
of the emerging community, gave rise to the
popularity of the duo providing them with
commissions for the projects as Hunstan
Secondary Modern School, the Economist
headquaters and finally Robin Hoods Garden.
Completed in 1972, Robin Hoods Garden
sought to ‘combine the community of the
Victorian slums with the efficiency and density
of Le Corbusier’s housing blocks’5. Radical yet
carefully thought out the building unfortunately
became plagued with structural problems
and a crippling crime rate. Through it’s raw
materiality and brutal, powerful aesthetics
it instigated a fundamental change in
architectural thinking towards economization
- something that has become increasingly
valued in our climate conscious present.
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composit ion and generation
Antoni Gaudi’s hanging chain model6
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The line between computers as a mere tool
for architects or as designing mechanisms
themselves has begun to blur. Many presume
that while computers can follow instructions
precisely and faultlessly, that they are totally
incapable of making up new instructions:
they lack any creative abilities or intuition7.
Yet unprecedented advancements in
computation, namely parametric modelling
software appear to contradict this notion.
What does parametric modelling software
do? Parametric modelling programs produce
models whose geometry can be defined by
a finite set of parameters8. These programs
allow architects to design complex, buildable
geometries in a bottom up approach wherein
the relationship between details can be
specified and altered almost instantaneously.
Advances in computational technology such
as these is what led Patrik Schumacher, of
Zaha Hadid Architects, to propose a new style
‘Parametricism’ in his essay ‘Let the style wars
begin’. An architectural style of allegedly the
same magnitude of Modernism, its basis in
summary, rests on the proposition that all
architectural elements and complexes are
parametrically malleable9. However the use
of this term has been labelled incorrect or
controversial, particularly by computation
design PhD student Daniel Davis. Through his
website Davis states that parametric modelling
programs are merely representational tools
and that the results do not constitute a style,
as for example one could design the Villa
Savoye using Grasshopper, yet that does
not mean it was ‘parametrically designed’.
However these programs do mark a shift
in design thinking from compositional to
generative. Precedents in this approach to
design can be traced back to Antoni Gaudi’s
infamous chain model design for the Colonia
Guell Chapel. By hanging the structure
upside down independent parameters; string
length and weight locations were made
subject to explicit functions; Newtons laws
of motion. Critiques can be made for both
compositional and generational approaches to
design. Generative, of a bottom up approach
wherein the relationship between details can
be reformed encourages spontaneity and
interpretation and produces intricate designs.
On the contrary the compositional, top-down
approach to architecture still remains popular.
In this approach designers are free to chop
and change elements of a design without fear
of breaking algorithmic rules. Through this
method projects can be considered in a more
holistic manner and focus can be placed on
human intuition and creativity rather than
computational pattern making.
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The rapid evolution of architecture at the
whims of technology is dizzying. Within the
space of several decades architects broke free
of the limitations of pen and paper, utilizing
computers to improve almost all aspects of
the profession. Gravity defying structural
forms. Energy efficient systems. Elaborate
facades. All these were made possible via
the superior processing power of computers.
In observing the multifaceted forms that can
be conceived through the use of parametric
modelling software, particularly Grasshopper,
I look forward to what I will able to produce.
In particular, as I always attempt to find a
connection between the project and the site
and its users, I am interested in how I can use
this software to produce a responsive design.
learning outcomes
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RMIT Swanston Academic Building
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research f ield
‘The Information Age, just like the Industrial Age be-
fore, is challenging not only how we design buildings,
but also how we manufacturing and construct them’10
- Branko Kolarevic
C R I T E R I A D E S I G N
Tiling at the Alhambra, Spain11
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Tessellation refers to repeating patterns
without gaps or overlapping. In designing with
tessellation assortments of shapes are tested
against one another to achieve an interlocking
harmony which can span and repeat. The
art of tessellation dates back and farther to
Islamic Moorish architecture wherein Islam
forbids living objects as representations of
art.12 Within the realm of computation design
polysurfaces are converted into tessellated
meshes to be rendered, commonly through
parametric design tools such as the Kangaroo
Physics plug-in for Grasshopper exemplified in
projects such as Matsys’s Shellstar Pavilion.
Due to the simplistic one dimensional nature
of tessellation, when scaled down to a certain
degree, complex tessellated elements begin to
act as building components such as bricks or
tiles which can be manipulated to suit a range
of forms taking on free-flowing characteristics.
Referring to projects such as Skylar Tibbit’s
VoltaDom for MIT or the Karamba Pavilion by
Manuel Hartmann the use of computation
design allowed for complex double curved
forms to be fabricated from developable single
curved strips which connected in a tessellated
manner. Within these projects parametric
design facilitated prefabricated, structurally
optimal, easily assembled, iteration flexible
intricate overall forms.
C R I T E R I A D E S I G N
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S1 - Cone radius and heights were fixed, alterned surface domain inputs for isotrim component to produce ‘rings’. Geometries than applied to grids and other forms.
S2 - Cone component replaced with alternate geometries. Isotrim component removed. Points applied to irregular planar surfaces.
S3 - Voronoi cell pattern ap-plied to differing base surfac-es. Trimmed cones applied.
S4 - Isotrim component removed, cones then populated with points using List Item. Geometries applied to points. Later spheres replaced cones in orignal script.
CASE STUDY 1.0
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Of the results produced, I would personally
consider iterations S1.3, S1.4, S3.1 and S3.4
the most successful. Each of these iterations
offer viable, logical, pattern based designs
which could be prefabricated and constructed.
In particular S1.3 and S1.4 depict surface
patterns that have architectural implications
for facades, partitions or even garden designs.
Constituting of standardized elements, it
is possible to envisage these design being
fabricated from strips of sheet metal or ply
timber panels. On the otherhand S3.1 and
S3.4 illustrate an organic aesthetic through
an almost recursive style of design, wherein
curvilinear forms are applied to curvilinear
forms to produce unique outcomes. Due to
their tessellated assemblage, prefabricated
construction of these elements could hold
precedents for pavilions, light fittings or
sculptural elements. These iterations depict
textured designs applicable not only to
building forms yet also decorative elements.
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CASE STUDY 2.0
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Karamba Pavilion13
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Under the instruction of Manuel Hartmann the
University of Innsbruck’s Institute for Design
team set out to construct the ‘Pavilion for One
Summer’.14 Responding to a brief of creating
a temporary, wooden, lightweight pavilion
costing less than 1500 euros, the Karamba
Pavilion was constructed within a week.
Utilizing the Grasshopper plugin Karamba,
an optimal structure was found wherein 30
randomized coned geometries were arranged
in a voronoi pattern. Using Grasshopper to
trim the intersecting forms, they were then
unrolled into single curved planar surfaces
that could be bent and joined together to
form the resulting sea-urchin-like pavilion.
What is innovative about this project is that it
used computational design to produce double
curved complex forms which were structural
optimal, prefabricated, inexpensive, intricate,
easily assembled and iteration-flexible. To
reverse engineer the project I sought foremost
the form an initial base surface within Rhino,
to which I could populate with intersecting
geometries using Grasshopper. Of the entire
task this proved to be the most challenging
aspect. After much experimentation I found
that to populate the initial surface with
geometries that cleanly trimmed along
intersecting edges the initial surface had to
be as uniform as possible, without any sharp
curves. To remedy the problem I trimmed
and scaled a sphere geometry to produce a
surface that was relatively uniform compared
with previous lofted surfaces. In considering
the final outcome it can be seen that the
cone centers are located differently to
the constructed pavilion, however altering
the ‘seed’ input to the populate geometry
component I was able to produce a similar
design. Personally I found that the script
greatly enhanced my understanding of
computational tessellated design, through
exploring the script I can now apply a variety
of intersecting geometries to various surfaces.
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Reverse-engineering diagram
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Continuing on from Case Study 2.0 the task
was manipulate the existing script to produce
numerous iterations exploring alternatives in
form, construction and materiality. Through
modifying, subtracting and adding existing
components as well as baking resultant
geometries into meshes and altering them
using plug-ins such as Kangaroo and
WeaverBird the following iterations were
created. An experimental task, I found the
unrollable iterations of particular interest.
This can be seen in the crimping effects
produce in the first few iterations of species
1, the fold-able panels of species 2 and the
overlapping circular framed structures in
species 3. These iterations differed from the
original script in that they relied upon folding,
rigid materials for construction rather than
utilizing bending forces to hold form. On the
other hand species 4 played with ideas of
materiality. Through altering the pavilion’s
thickness it become clear that a more
rounded, voluminous materials intensified
the organic, lively aesthetic. Alternatively
fragmentation in species 5 explored intricate,
fragile motifs holding precedents for more
tranquil environments. Through creating these
iterations and extending the limits of the form,
I discovered possible alternate uses, materials,
assemblage techniques and aesthetics to be
considered in later stages of my design.
technique developement
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S1 S2 S3
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S4 S5
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technique prototypes
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In constructing a prototype five cone segments
were extracted from the Case Study 2.0 reverse
engineer rhino file. Then it was only a matter
of unrolling the geometries, constructed
assemblage tabs and nominating cut and
score lines within a card cutter template.
Nominating optix 300GSM card the two
dimensional shapes were cut at the Melbourne
University fabrication workshop and assembled
in the manner illustrated below. In assembling
the prototype it was discover that as the
geometries joined along curved surfaces,
pins placed at the extremities of these curves
held the overall structure together with
minimal tension. The pins allowed for ease of
assemblage as during construction rotational
forces attempted to separate adjacent edges.
The resulting prototype tested possibilities in
fabrication techniques, costs and materiality.
In producing the prototype the characteristics
of constructed double curved surfaces of
unrolled materials remained true. It was
inexpensive, approximately $5, intricate and
easily fabricated.
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Views from Main Yarra Trail
technique proposal
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Proposed for the site of Merri Creek, the users
consist primarily of leisure seeking local
residents however they also include and are
not limited to; out of towners, market goers,
cyclists, watercraft enthusiasts, bird watchers,
visitors of the Collingwood Children’s farm
and environmental scientists. Importantly the
area hosts an assortment of wildlife inclusive
of, kingfishers, yellow-tailed black cockatoos,
echnidas, murray cod, brown trout, frogs and
recently platypuses.15 Along the Main Yarra
Trail just north of Abbotsford Convent an
expansive concrete wall separates the urban
dwellings above from the Yarra River. Using
parametric modeling my intention is to create
a tessellated living wall of open panels to
remedy the discontinuity of nature at the site
wherein local flora can be planted, providing
habitation for wildlife. As a result my design
will contribute to the efforts made by the Merri
Creek Management Committee in replanting
Merri Creek in an attempt to remedy the
damage done during heavy industrial use
throughout the twentieth century.
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Overall I’ve found Part B to be the most
challenging and rewarding component of
Air Studio thus far. Personally I feel that my
capabilities with Grasshopper has improved
through experimenting with scripts; visualizing
general geometries then through a series
of trial and error of matching different
components, manipulating data structures and
altering inputs. Due to the heavy computation
aspect of this studio I’ve approached the
brief in a completely different manner. The
design process I’ve taken is that of intense
exploration. As Grasshopper allows for flexible
iterative design, I believe that I’ve been able to
explore a vast array of possibilities, enriching
my design outcomes. An interesting aspect of
parametric modeling is the ease of fabrication.
In considering the times I’ve spent measuring
and cutting shapes to exact dimensions to
construct models, it is easy to see the vast
benefits of digital fabrication. Furthermore
the beauty in the intricacy that parametric
modeling allows for in astounding, never
before in history has such complex designs
been achievable without extensive labour. I
look forward to part C in developing my skills
and appling them to the final design.
learning objectives
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Voussoir Cloud, IwamotoScott16
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‘Only in the last decade has parametric modelling gone from being a
mathematical trick employed by Gaudí, Otto, Sutherland, and some
engineers now to being a regular part of architectural practice.’17
- Daniel Davis
D E T A I L E D D E S I G NDESIGNCONCEPT
Site Along Merri Creek Trail
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D E T A I L E D D E S I G N
Following the interim presentation our studio
was split into groups to collaborate on a final
project according to our design approaches.
In visiting the site our group decided on a
position along Merri Creek which consisted
of small rapids. There surrounded by dense
development on all sides, the space was
remarkably peaceful and this ambiance had
the effect of removing the visitor from any
sense of the close proximity of the urban
context. Despite this, we noticed most users
did not deviating from the path. However in
doing so one can hear the sounds of water
flowing over rocks, a special and engaging
aspect of the site. After discussing our
concepts, skill strengths and the site we
decided to develop an interactive installation
utilizing cones to focus sounds, encouraging
users to further explore the site. In considering
the construction of our installation, I thought
of how my tessellated living wall could be
adapted to focus sound. After researching
the physics of sound, it was concluded that
the cones could be used to form an enclosed,
soundproof space which facilitated the input
of noise via small holes. This meant that the
success of the project was dependant on the
joins between the individual geometries.
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TECHTONICELEMENTS ANDPROTOTYPES
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To construct our project we began with
applying cone geometries to a domed base
surface. The cones were trimmed along their
intersection joints and tops to create holes.
At the intersections curves were extruded in
parabolic fashion to create the spiked framing
system. Opaque polypropylene was laser cut
to produce unrolled cone surfaces which were
connected with rivets through holes placed
along the straight edged extremities. As each
cone geometry overlapped along a concaved
curve, when unrolled these intersections
were inversely represented as convex curves.
Therefore holes were placed along these
convex curves and cable ties joined the cone
geometries. Next the laser cut Luan plywood
frames were connected in the same hole and
cable tie system along corresponding edges
and rested upon the cone structure.
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FINALDETAILMODEL
After presenting our completed design we took
onboard the feedback given and proceeded
to construct our final model. Primarily our
initial design lacked structural integrity. As
there were no connection between the framing
system and cones the model’s individual
components were subject to movement and
thus damage. The framing system itself was
improved through designing discs to slot
into the parabolic frames so as to prevent
any rotational movement and to define a
consistent distance between each frame
piece. The frame itself was construct of MDF
as opposed to Luan Plywood and reduced
in size so as to appear less intimidating and
more open to interaction from the public. As
stated earlier, the most essential aspect of
the project is the detailing of the joins. In the
final model the cones were attached not only
to each other but to the framing, providing
them with structural support. The size of the
holes and cable ties used to join them were
decreased to provide better sound proofing.
The overall number of holes along the cone
edges were increased from an average of
three to around seven. This facilitated an
appearance of stitching, adding to the projects
organic aesthetic. Lastly the colour of the
polypropylene cones were altered from clear
to white, this in conjunction with reducing the
size of the tubes 20mm to 6mm, added to
the projects mysterious, organic appearance.
Overall what is most enjoyable of the project
is its functionality. Users are able to talk, blow
air and perhaps even pour drinks into either
end of the tubes connected to the cones
whilst being isolated from the other users.
It has been playing around and testing the
capabilities of Mr. Alien that I have enjoyed
most this semester.
“M r . A l i en ”
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LEARNING OBJECTIVESANDOUTCOMES
What have I learnt from Air Studio? Don’t
flatten a tree that needs grafting. Double
check your fablab files. Its good to get stuck
in a Grasshopper problem. Think about your
fabrication tools limitations. Prepare to remake
models. Of the studios I’ve done at Melbourne
so far, I have definitely learnt the most from
Air. Now when given a brief, I can produce
a vast range of design responses using
parametric modelling and then express these
designs clearly using rendering and formatting
programs. To learn Grasshopper I had to think
in a critically mathematical manner, a frame of
mind that I’ve never used for designing. It is in
this mindset that I’ve begun to notice patterns
in the physical world around me. For example
RMIT design hub may well have been designed
in Grasshopper through subdividing a surface
and applying circle geometries at the division
points or as for the William Barak Apartements
behind it an image sampler component
could deform the facade geometries to
create a face. I’ve found the best practice
was to preview on and off components of a
foreign script until you begin to see patterns
and understand what a combination of
components can achieve. Then once you find
out how these cluster work its simply a matter
of changing numeric inputs, base geometries
or swapping similar components to see what
happens. Air studio has opened my eyes to
the capabilites of modelling softwares and
thier associated fabrication machines. I fully
intend to further experiment with grasshopper
to create some interesting geometries, and
then fabricate them!
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Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-aided Design, (Boston, MIT
Press: 2004), pp.2
The University of British Columbia Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, About Our Building, < http://pharmsci.ubc.ca/facili-
ties/about-our-building> [accessed 15 August 2015]
ArchDaily, UBC Faculity of Pharmaceutical Sciences / Saucier + Perrotte architectes, 2012, photograph, http://images.
adsttc.com/media/images/507f/6f48/28ba/0d02/6200/0056/large_jpg/UBC_Pharmacy_Saucier___Perrrotte_4548813_14_3_(900).
jpg
ArchDaily, Clássicos da Arquitetura: Robin Hood Gardens / Alison e Peter Smithson, 2012, photograph, http://www.
archdaily.com.br/br/01-36972/biblioteca-municipal-de-stuttgart-yi-architects/36972_36973?ad_medium=widget&ad_name=naviga-
tion-next.
ArchDaily, Spotlight: Alison and Peter Smithson, <http://www.archdaily.com/645128/spotlight-alison-and-peter-smithson>
[accessed 15 August 2015]
Dataphys, List of Physical Visualizations, 2007, photograph, http://dataphys.org/list/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/
DSC00764.jpg
Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-aided Design, (Boston, MIT
Press: 2004), pp.6
Daniel Davis Blog, Patrick Schumacher – Parametricism, <http://www.danieldavis.com/patrik-schumacher-parametricism/>
[accessed 6 November 2015]
Architects Journal, Patrick Schumacher on parametricism – ‘Let the style wars begin’, <http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/
patrik-schumacher-on-parametricism-let-the-style-wars-begin/5217211.article> [accessed 6 November 2015]
Branko Kolarevic, Architecture in the Digital Age; Design and Manufacturing, (New York, Spoon Press: 2003), pp. 5
Hoboish,AlhambraDetail1,2015,photograph,https://hoboish.files.wordpress.com/2015/06/alhambra-detail-1.jpg
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September 2015]
REFERENCES
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Karamba Parametric Engineering, Karamba3D wood pavilion, 2011, photograph, http://www.karamba3d.com/wp-content/
uploads/2013/11/karamba3d-wood_pavilion_hartmann_manuel-final2.jpg
Karamba Parametric Engineering, Small Wooden Pavilion, <http://www.karamba3d.com/small-wooden-building-pavil-
lon-in-alberschwende/> [accessed 24 September 2015]
Merri Creek Management Committee, About Merric Creek, <http://www.mcmc.org.au/index.php?option=com_con-
tent&view=article&id=36&Itemid=188> [accessed 24 September 2015]
AlvarAaltoSymposium,VoussoirCloud,2015,photograph,http://alvaraaltosymposium.fi/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/
Voussoir-Cloud_photo-by-JudsonTerry.jpg
Daniel Davis Blog, A History of Parametric Design, <http://www.danieldavis.com/a-history-of-parametric/> [accessed 22
September 2015]