ADS 3344434 Christopher Lam

Week 1: Architecture as a discourse

This project involved designing a boathouse in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright. It was designed in a traditional manner- Sketching, transferring into line drawwings and then translated into a 3D design through the use of Sketch-up, and other rendering programs to visually represent its form and idea.

Computational architecture allows us to develop our design from the very start, rather than just being a tool used to render or represent an already established form.

It is fundamental to consider it in terms of the Gateway project. Con-temporary computational design with programs such as “Grasshop-per”, allows us to generate and manipulate our design which direct-ly impacts its function, rather than being just a representational tool.

State of Art ProjectSerpentine Gallery

“The project may or may not get realised, but we see it as something that raises a con-versation in the realm of ar-chitecture”. ”, Ronaldo Rael and Virginial San Fratello

The Serpentine Gallery is prob-ably one of the most important contributions in the discourse on inflatable architecture. What is interesting is the pavilion’s ovoid which interacts with the weather and floats during sun-ny time and seal off the struc-ture during winter. Traditional materials and forms in archi-tecture have created such chal-lenges. The function of the Serpentine Pavilion demon-strates the lightness and flex-ibility of the material used.

State of Art Project 2

From the point of view of ATK/p. art’s, softwares tend to alter an architect’s perception of material and structure. Design can be seen as an utterance of solid elements within an empty space or manipulation of clear-cut boundaries in terms of surfaces. I plan to explore dif-ferent textures and how it can define a structure in relation to its environment. For example looking at the Honeycomb Skyscraper,it emphasize with its en-vironment, creating a beautiful visu-al texture with its biomimetric form.

Week 2: Computation in Architecture

What is contemporary scripting? Scripting is a relatively new technique for the exploration of architectural designs and design-ers are still figuring out new potentials for using scripting as a design tool (Brady Peters). Script-ing is learnt through the practice of sharing code through web based platforms and open source.

Project ZEDLondon, UK

Future System1996

Project ZED is an example of Performative Ar-chitecture where computational design and programming are used to the form of a build-ing based on its environmental performance. The focus was on creating a very sustaina-ble form with the aim being to achieve mini-mal carbon emission hence the name of the project being “Zero Emission Development”.

Through computational architecture, the building design is optimized for environmental performance by seamlessly interacting with its environment.

By using the principle of performative archi-tecture would improve the image of Wyndham council by showing its and Melbourne residents in general that it cares about the environment.

Antoni Gaudi is probably one of the masters I admire the most. Casa Batllo, one of his projects, is probably one of the great-est feat of architecture design and innovation. The Casa Batl-lo is probably one of his pro-ject that advances discours-es on architecture. Through Gaudi’s we can see the exten-sive use of symbolism, how his buildings has a combina-tion of Gothic, and curvilinear forms, geometric shapes and design through rotation. Our last few weeks discussing in lectures and tutes, I think that Gaudi’s projects relates well to the discussion of architec-tural discourse. How Gaudi’s shapes and design created through contemporary com-putational design techniques.

Such architecture during that time, was time consuming. The only technique that was available to create such a piece of ar-chitecture was calculated, to visualize it, and to create the flow-ing form. Nowadays in the world of architecture, designing is much faster and accurate using computational techniques.

Performa Pavilion New York US

Scripting provides huge opportunities to shift design prac-tive in new directions. One project that expresses scripting culture is the Performa Pavilion created by Labdora Studi-os. The director and founder of the Labdora studio is Peter Macapia. His projects focuses on the geometry and topol-ogy of matter/ energy relations and the advent of algo-rithm. Nowadays there is a wide arrage of computers and software available for cheap, scripting has made its place in a cosy graphic environment. There is huge to explore with scripting and hence it would be appropriate and use-ful to integrate it into the Gateway project as it allows new explorations for architectural designs and there is a vast array of potential for using scripting as a design tool.

In my opinion, its geometry and form it demonstrates the computation rather than the architectural design and it is also built. It is relevant to the Wyndham water Council Gateway project as it is eye-catching and it creates a dia-logue between the buildings around it and form a sculp-ture on the landscape.

The main challenge of the scripting generation is the move of the creaation of inventive articulated patterns, and the small-scale architectural projects where scripting can un-leash an entire universe of opportunities for architectural space.

Week 4: Research Project Cut: Develop

Gateway Project

Brief

“Wyndham City is seeking re-sponses from design profession-als for the design of an exciting and eye-catching installation at Wyndham’s Western Gateway.

Brief:

The installation of the gateway will enhance the physical environ-ment through the introduction of a visual arts component.

The Western Gateway installation should provide an entry state-ment and arrival experience and to be able to identify the Wyndham Council. It should propose new and inspriring ideas so as to gen-erate a new discourse.

Research Project: Cut

EOI: Scope of Possibilities. Input/ Association/ Output

Exploring attractors

Case Study: Gantenbein Vineyard

Facade

The Gantenbein Vineyard is a small winery located in Switzerland. The fa-cade design was designed by Zurich-Based design office of Gramazio & Kohler, who proposed a strategy for masonry infill between the concrete skeleton which could serve as both temperature buffer and sunlight filter.

Further research have been done and this video actually shows the construc-tion of the Ganteinbein Vineyard Facade.

h t t p : / / w w w . y o u t u b e . c o m /w a t c h ? v = k D W 6 X C B 7 H P E

Case StudiesSource of inspiration leading to Design of Gateway

20,000 bricks were placed into 72 sub-panels that constitute the en-velope according to specific pre-programmed parameters, such as orientation and spacing. WEach brick laid an offset that lets light to penetrate through the masonry wall, backed up with polucarbonate panels to stop wind and rain from entering the interior spaces.

(Ben Pell, 2010)

The surface of each brick reflects sunlight differently accord-ing to its angle relative to the facade, the building surfaces ap-pear from a distance as a pixelated composition.

Reverse Engineering Matrix

The visual effect of rotation is characterised more by natural light

Experiment on how light penetrates through model

John Beesley- The Hylozoic Soil Project

The work of the architect constitutes a vestibule through which the visitors will pass into another space and time., a biometric environment, a reactive space. This transfor-mation occurs as we enter an “organic and living” system.

“ The power to be the dominant aes-thetic of 21st Century Landscapes”-Hannah Devlin, London Times

“Hard to believe it was created by a person and not born of nature”-SHAPE & COLOUR World Press

“Floated like a waking dream sus-pended in an opalescent membrane”- Robert Everett-Green, Globe & Mail

Interactive Landscape Dune

Inspirations for final Gateway

Interactive Dune

Dune is an interactive landscape installation by Daan Rosegaarde that interacts with human behaviour.

The hybrid of nature and technology exist out of large amounts of fibers which brighten according to sound and motion of visitors.

Wyndham City Gateway Project

Expression of Interest

Tarik Celikovic & Chris Lam

Architecture Design Studio: Water

Boathouse in the style of Frank Lloyd Wright

Chris Lam

2011

This project involved desiging a building in the style of Frank Looyd Wright. It was designed in a traditional manner - sketching, transferring into line drawings etc., and then translated into a 3d design through the use of SketchUp and other rendering programs to visually represent its form/idea. Although the design itself may contribute to the discourse of architecture (referring to its form, style, materials etc.), the way in which it was developed is very different to what we are trying to achieve.

Computational architecture allows us to develop our design from the very start, rather than just being a tool used to render or represent an already established form.

This is a very important idea to consider in terms of the Gateway Project. Contemporary comptuational design with programs such as Grasshopper allows us to actually generate and manipulate our design which directly impacts its function, rather than being just a representational tool.

advancing architectural discourse

Headspace Project

Virtual Environments

Tarik Celikovic

2010

In the Headspace project, parametric design and physical models were used to create headpieces which were produced and worn by the students themselves. Using paramteric design in Google SketchUp, students designed these headpieces, printed them and then assembled them into a physical medium.

“Surprisingly, the design and computation project was not as complex as I anticipated and was amazed by the final model considering it was done in only 8-10 weeks. “ -Tarik Celikovic.

advancing architectural discourse

This project shows the power and capabilities of computational design, even in the use of first year students. Being able to physcially produce a computer-based design in a relatively short period of time, without previous knowledge of the programs used, is somewhat revolutionary. The possibilities are endless with how complex the design can be and if this could become a more common practice, globally, it would be fair to say that it could lead to some amazing and ground-breaking work, which would ultimately benefit and maybe change the trend of current architectural discourse.

The concept of this project is relevant to the Gateway Project as it underpins the potential of contemporary computational design. For the Gateway Project to be considered state-of-the-art and become a part of the discourse of architecture around the world, a new and exciting way of design must be used. This is the perfect opportunity for computational architecture to step into the limelight and show its potential.

advancing architectural discourse

Guggenheim Museum

Bilbao, Spain

Frank Gehry Architects

1997

One of the most iconic buildings of the 20th century, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao is a masterpiece and perfect example of what computational architecture is capable of achieving. Architect Frank O. Gehry uses CATIA (Computer Aided Three-dimensional Interactive Application) modelling to create the various complex curvilinear forms and the iconic metal ‘skin’. This building contributes to architectural discourse in the way that it epitomises the capabilities of computational architecture, especially in terms of the potential in complex form making and the use of dynamic materials to achieve unique finishes.

As the brief of the Gateway Project states that the design must be ‘exciting, new and aesthetically pleasing’, the use of contemporary computational design allows for exactly this; extremely unique, organic and dynamic forms that work structurally, which cannot be achieved in any other way.

advancing architectural discourse

Louisiana State Museum

Natchitoches, USA

Trahan Architects

Due to be completed - 2012

The Lousiana State Museum and Sports Hall of Fame uses Grasshopper as an integral tool in its design. Grasshoper is used to design the complex steel frame and the interior elements of the building. This building contributes to the discourse of acrhitecture as it shows how computer modelling is also relevant to complex structural systems and designs, not just the exterior or facade, which is a common misconception. The smooth, flowing interior partitions are also designed through computer modelling to maximise material effectiveness and use while also looking aesthetically pleasing.

The effective use of materials and creation of a structural system through computational design can be applied to the Gateway Project as well. Creating the structural components and design features efficiently leads to effective use of budget and an overall aesthetically pleasing design.

Explores creative and immersive possibilities of light-based visualisation in physical space.

Ocean of lightexperimentation

Experimentation with form

We experimented with basic forms in Grasshopper,

and how we would layer them together to create a

struture, rather than just a plane.

experimentation

Experimentation with texture

We also experimented with different patterns and

textures which would allow for maximum output

and reflection of light to occur as this is the main

concept behind our design.and

Sources:

Chris Lam

Tarik Celikovic

http://www.archdaily.com/202678/in-progress-louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame-trahan-architects/

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/25225

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.2-5

http://www.arcspace.com/gehry_new/index.html?main=/gehry_new/catia/catia.html

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), p.24

http://www.techniker.co.uk/projects/enlarge.cfm?iProject_id=121&sMedia=image&iMedia_id=none

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.50-52.

http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Aegis_Hyposurface.php

Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 40-42.

http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4443

Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 52-55.

http://petermacapia.com/architecture/architecture/dirtygeometry1

experimentation

Experimentation with form

We experimented with basic forms in Grasshopper,

and how we would layer them together to create a

struture, rather than just a plane.

Exploring Materiality/Texture/ Lighting

The images above depict how the design is meant to operate. By using a laser pointer to mimic the sourced car light, we can see how the light would travel from the underground fibre optic cables and through the structure.

Form Finding/ Model

While this design is primarily focused on performing at night, the structure of the mesh with intertwining optical fibre cables creates very interesting shadow patterns.in brighter conditions as evident by adjacent images

The reflective nature of both the mesh and the optical fibre also create interesting views and effects as the sun hits them, thus allwoing the design to also be utilizxed during the day, not only during night time.

Heavy fishing line was used instead of fibre optic cable in this model so the result is not as good as it should be.

For the actual structure, the fibre optic cables would be held up by a steel mesh frame that could be assembled on site.

The optical fibre cable would be wound through the steel mesh frame and lightly attached to it by mechanical joints.

Using steel mesh and heavy fishing lines to construct models has enabled me to explore the idea of lighting as this is one of my primary focus when designing the gateway. Lighting with the aid of fibre optics will help us design our gate-way and to have a stunning effect. Forms is still in the process of exploring.

Defining the Brief

The way in which this design works is; when a car is driving along this section of the Princes Highway at night, the light from their headlights is caught by light catchments that are arranged on each side of the road close to the tarmac.

This captured light is transferred into a processor through fibre optic cables which redirects the captured light to a certain location of the structure (depending on position of the driver ) to create a cloud-like effect ahead, in the driver’s direction of travel.

Form Finding on Site

Design Intent

Main objective for brief: To create something dramatic to represent the wyndham council.

My idea is to create a form in which it will interact with the movement of cars.

While this design is primarily focused on performing at night, the bending strip with intertwining optical fibre cables creates very interesting shadow patterns.

In brighter conditions, the reflective nature of both the strip and the optical fibre also create interesting views and effects as the sun hits them, thus allwoing the design to also be utilized during the day, not only during night time.

Grasshopper Definitions

Using the tapeworm component to achieve the surface then use the following definition of the attractor point. The attrac-tor point works as the headlight of car and how the structure inter-acts with the cars. It hence illuminates the structure as it pass it.

Fabricating Definition

Week 10: Photographs of Final Model

Week 11: Final ReviewA1 Panels

Architecture Design Studio 3-Learning Outcomes:Throughout this semster, this has probably been one of the hardest studios I’ve experienced so far. However it was fun as I’ve got to know how to use new softwares such as grasshopper and rhi-no. It was essential for my learning as this will help me a lot in further studios and also my career.

It is quite a shame that I had a disadvantaged group and that this project had to be made alone. How-ever I am quite proud that I have achieved it in a successfull way as it wasn’t easy. Even though not the high-est mark will be achieved in this subject but I am foresure that I’ve grasped something out of this sub-ject and learnt a lot about the architectural discourse which would thus help me in my future career.

I have learnt that parametric modelling does not necessarily means complex forms but however it is the use of computers to design objects by modelling their components with real world behaviours and attributes.

References:-

http://www.archdaily.com/202678/in-progress-louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame-trahan-architects/

http://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blogs/louisiana-state-museum-and-sports-hall-of-fame

http://blog.archpaper.com/wordpress/archives/25225

http://www.dailyicon.net/2008/08/serpentine-gallery-pavilion-by-rem-koolhaas/

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.2-5

http://www.arcspace.com/gehry_new/index.html?main=/gehry_new/catia/catia.html

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), p.24

http://www.techniker.co.uk/projects/enlarge.cfm?iProject_id=121&sMedia=image&iMedia_id=none

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp.50-52.

http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/Projects/Aegis_Hyposurface.php

Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 40-42.

http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4443

Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 52-55.

http://petermacapia.com/architecture/architecture/dirtygeometry1

Ben Pell (2010), ‘Gantenbein Vineyard Facade’, in The Articulate Surface : Ornament and Technology in Contemporary Architecture (Basel,

London: Birkhäuser ; Springer distributor,pp. 178 - 183