ARCHITECTURE DESIGN STDUDIO AIR

YANG KAIQI770026

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My name is Yang Kaiqi. I was born in China and moved to Singapore during high school. One month ago, I set my first step in Australia and so far I have been enjoying the multi-cultural environment in Melbourne and exploring the sur-rounding cityscape, which is quite different from China and Singapore. Also, it is refreshing to get back to school again since I took a gap year back home before I came to Melbourne. I spent the whole year on things I love but hardly have time for during school, such as painting, Chinese cal-ligraphy, yoga, learning French and an extensive number of family trips around my home country.

My choice of architecture was actually very ran-dom. Before I moved to Singapore, I had always thought I would be in pure science since I was a student of science in China. However, when I was making a decision on which course to apply, I suddenly thought of getting into a course that combines both art and science since I have al-ways had a love for painting and reading. There-fore, after talking with the teachers in the open house, architecture became my first choice in the application. I can still remember some of my friends envy so much for my admission into the course because design courses in Singapore seldom take in international students. Hence, I have always regarded this as my good fortune that should not be easily wasted.

The first time I really found architecture and con-struction meaningful was during my volunteer work in a small village near Siem Reap, Cam-bodia. The locals were in such an impoverished and underprivileged situation that they did not even have enough money to build a fence for the primary school, so the cows from nearby farms always rushed into the school, which was dan-gerous for the students. That was the moment when I realized architecture is not only about aesthetic attractiveness, it should provide a bet-ter living condition for people, especially the un-derprivileged .

Therefore, I am more interested in how architec-ture enhances people’s life quality and I hope to continue my studies and career based on this lit-tle thought of my own.

INTRODUCTION

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A1 DESIGN FUTURING 6 - 9

A2 COMPUTATIONAL DESIGN 10 - 15

A3 GENERATIVE DESIGN 16 - 21

A4 SUMMARY 22 - 23

A5 LEARNING OUTCOME 24 - 25

Al Bahr Tower

London City Hall

ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion

Shellstar Pavilion

No Shelter TowerSubdivision Column

A6 APPENDIX 26 - 39

REFERENCE 40 - 41

CONTENT

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A1 DESIGN FUTURINGAl Bahr Towers

By Aedas

This project is to provide a contemporary and environ-mentally-relevant solution for the commercial twin tow-ers in Abu Dhabi, which have been experiencing a dras-tic sub-tropical climate with extreme heat in summer.

The greatest challenge was actually to design a façade that responds to the dynamic movement of the sun with-out totally blocking the views and the natural sunlight. Therefore, the architect drew inspiration from the tradi-tional Islamic building façade screen and came up with this computer-controlled 3D triangular screen that mir-rors the sun path. The north of the building that hardly re-ceives any direct sunlight has been left unshaded while the other parts have been installed with the screen to re-duce the solar gain. Before the installation, the sunlight could heat up the window to 90 degrees , resulting in a tremendous heat gain and demands for air conditioning.

Now, with the computer-controlled screen, both the undesired heat gain and the glare are considerably reduced, with sufficient provision of diffused day-lighting. Consequentially, the energy consumption within the twin towers have been lowered by 50%, making the building more sustainable and energy-effective.

Such a solution is of paramount significance to de-sign futuring, which helps to retard the defuturing consumption of non-renewable resources. It shows how technology can be integrated into the design to achieve the desirable environmentally-friendly out-come without sacrificing the aesthetic value.

Also, it is time to contemplate over the practice of passive design. Sometimes, whatever building that is installed with sustainable features such as solar panels can be called a sustainable design. Howev-er, one should take a closer look at the actual net energy consumption for such design features. In this case, solar panels are not practical because frequent maintenance will be required due to the dust and dirt. The energy consumed due to mainte-nance might well exceed the energy gain from solar panels. Thus, passive design features such as the screen have been the best choice.

Lastly, it provides us with a new insight into the tra-ditional typologies, which can be integrated into the contemporary design with their time-tested values and cultural relevance.

Fig 1: The screens are closed to shield the sunshine Fig 2: The screens are opened to recieve diffused daylignting

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Fig 1: Spherical form orientated to north to recieve mini-mum sun light

Fig 2: The cladding build up is directly responding to the amount of sunlight

Fig 3: Natural ventilation to offices at building parameters

This project explores and demonstrates a sustainable design solution which aims to minimize the pollution. The unusual form of the building emerged out of design principles of minimizing the surface area exposed to di-rect sunlight, providing self shading and being orientated towards north to minimize solar intake. The form actu-ally results in 25% less surface area than a cube of the same volume, greatly reducing the heat gain and heat loss. Also, unlike the conventional office buildings, the city hall is naturally ventilated due to the operated vents at the building perimeter. Together with the photovolta-ic power supply and the ground water cooling system, these design strategies have helped London City Hall to reduce energy consumption by 75% compared to a typi-cal office building in London.

This is a good example of how the design responds to the environment and takes advantages of technol-

ogies to minimize the environmental impacts, which features design futuring. For instance, the technol-ogy of ground water cooling system allows cold wa-ter to be brought up to chill the office spaces and used for flushing the toilets afterwards. This method has considerably reduced the electricity usage and maximized the use of recycled grey water, thus re-ducing the demands for energy and water resource. Similar strategies can be very important in the future since humans are exploiting the available resourc-es. There can be a turning point for our species to face the drastically uneven distribution of energy and resources, which calls for sustainable design strategies to ease the problem. It will be highly help-ful if buildings can be designed to depend mostly on reusable energy and emit no pollution.

London City HallBy Foster & Partners

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A2 COMPUTATIONAL DESIGNICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2014-2015

By ICD & ITKE

The design of the pavilion is based on the study of bio-logical process of reinforcement fiber construction. A study of how the water spider reinforces the inflatable air bubble from within, with a hierarchical fiber setup, was made and simulated in the computer. The data col-lected enabled the computer to generate the optimized shell geometry and fiber bundle locations, with compu-tations for fabrication restraints and tectonic simulation being simultaneously included. The data generated was transferred to an industrial robot afterwards, which was placed in a ETFE membrane envelope supported by air pressure. The robotic path was proposed and im-proved by a digital agent whose behavior was based on a range of design parameters including the structural adaptability and material-efficiency. Consequentially, by selectively being applied with carbon fiber based on the structural requirement , the initially inflatable membrane gradually developed into a self-supported structure that covers 40m² with a weight of 6.5kg/ m².

In this example, computation was integrated into the design process from the very beginning, with its advantages being extensively taken through the whole design process until the final outcome. For in-stance, a manual calculation for optimized fiber bun-dle locations and hierarchical fiber framework would have been extremely time-consuming, if achievable at all. However, with the computational design, such non-solvable problems become manageable within a relatively short timeframe.

Moreover, it enables architects to explore the pos-sibility of unconventional materials, which throws a new light upon possible construction methods to ease the assembly processes. Therefore, such a design approach is very significant because it provides possibilities of less time-consuming con-struction with less demands for manpower, reduc-ing the initial capital investment in actual practices. It also significantly shortens the study, simulation, design and construction period, with the optimiza-tion of structural performance, material-efficiency and costs, which is of paramount importance in the current architecture industry.

Fig 1: Water spider reinforcing the air bubble from within Fig 2: Inflated Membrane

Fig 3: Digitally reinforce membrane from within Fig 4: Stable composite shell

Fig 5: Analysis of the shell

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Shellstar Pavilion, HKShellstar Pavilion, HK

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Fig 1: Hanging mesh simulation Fig 2: Optimise planarity of cells Fig 3: Structural analysis of bending moment

Fig 4: Structural analysis of direction Fig 5: Structural analysis of in-plane stress Fig 6: Populate cells with openings

Fig 7: Unfold cells Fig 8: Cell orientation Fig 9: Organise assembly logics

Fig 10: Locate anchor point Fig 11: Attach pre-fabricated panels Fig 12: Add edge reinforcement

The pavilion was designed to be a temporary structure for an architecture and art festival in Hong Kong. The form was generated by a digital form-finding process based on the Hanging Chain model developed by An-tonio Gaudi. It enables the architects to determine the optimal form of structures bearing loads completely in compression, especially those with vaults. During the computational design process, mass was applied to the mesh nodes and the mesh edges were converted into a spring. Computer softwares were utilized to simulate physical interactions until the system came to a state of equilibrium. Therefore, the form self-developed into a catenary-like thrust surface, minimizing the structural demands.

Also, the Python script was used to minimize the num-ber of seams when the cells were folded. This eased the process of cutting from flat sheet materials as well as the fabrication process. Following the elimination of seams, a structural simulation was conducted in computer to analyze the critical areas of stress and the initial geom-etry was changed to test for the best possible structural performance. After the simulation process, cells were unfolded flat and automatically labeled for easier fab-rication process, which afterwards were organised into groups of prefabricated panels and assembled off-site.

In this example, the computation was integrated into the design process to help the designers find the optimal solution for existing problems, which real-ized the aim of maximizing the spatial performance while minimizing the structural demands and diffi-culty. Also, because of the use of computer, the sim-ulation and iteration process was greatly simplified and the design can be easily assessed and modified based on performance, leading to a faster agenda of design and fabrication. Moreover, the elimination of seams greatly eased the assembly process, making the pavilion buildable. This can be very significant, especially for temporary structures that require fast and efficient assembly. The off-site assembly also shortens the whole period and minimises the impact on the surroundings, which will enhance the con-struction process for practices of larger scales. It also reduces the demands for skilled workers since the assembly process is already simplified in com-puters, which might relieve the surging demands for proficient workers in the architecture industry.

Fig 13: Spatial & light quality of the outcome

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A3 GENERATIVE DESIGNNo Shadow Tower

By NBBJ

In response to London’s increasing shadowed areas due to the growing number of high-rise buildings, NBBJ has proposed a concept of no shadow towers generated by computer algorithm. The algorithm scripts were de-signed based on the principle that light should be dis-tributed to different areas at different times of the day by the reflection from building façades and the light pattern movement should respond to the shadow movement of the other tower. As such, the form of the towers are ac-tually generated by computers based on the exploration for the best possible reflection angle to reduce shadow. Therefore, the form of the towers is strictly following the desirable function instead of simply being aesthetically attractive. Also, according to the Design Director, Chris-tian Coop, such a concept can be universally adaptable and the shadow reduction throughout the year can also be modified.

Despite being a concept, it is a good example of generative design because the form has been com-pletely generated by the computer algorithm and the design intent is tightly interlaced with the compu-tational technique. This approach allows designers to simulate and analyse complex situations with ef-ficiency and accuracy. Also, the use of algorithm will break up a sophisticated problem into logical chains

of rules and scripts, making problems manageable for designers in a limited timeframe. Apart from these, generative design allows more adaptability of the concepts. In the traditional way of design, it is difficult to make a single design concept accus-tomed to different situations due to the change of contexts. However, with computational generation, the concept can be much more adaptable by modify-ing the algorithm scripts and the form of the building will be regenerated in accordance with the change of scripts.

Fig 1: Simulation of reflection response, which generates the building form

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Subdivision ColumnsBy Michael Hansmeyer

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Fig 1: Process of evolvement

Fig 2: Horizontal section

The subdivision columns can be an explorative example of generative de-sign. Exquisitely complex as they are, the columns are actually the produc-tion of a simple subdivision process. At the very beginning of the process, an abstracted doric column was taken as the input form, carrying with it the data, inclusive of the proportions of different elements. Afterwards, with-out human manipulation, the columns went on evolving based on the input data.

In such a design approach, what the designer designs is actually the pro-cess rather than the outcome. The outcome is a slef-generated form based on the input. Also, the data-based nature of generative design inevitably leads to a group of sophis-ticated outcomes, which is easily achievable by changing the data.

Despite the extremely laborious laser-cutting and fabrication pro-cess due to the limited capacity of 3D printers, this is a meaningful exploration in the use of generative design. It demonstrates the poten-tial and possibility for designers to explore various complicated forms with relatively simple processes, which will substantially shorten the form-finding process, accelerating the whole the project agenda in projects of larger scales. Moreover, generative design might make the mass production of houses possi-ble without sacrificing the builidng response to the different contexts. With the manipulable scripts, the basic design data can be stored and the the final outcome will evolve due to the corresponding input. Thus, the generative design can be greatly useful in the future industry.

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It is promising and inevitable that computational design will be the new design method that best suits the overall context of 21st century.

With the avant-garde technologies, computer softwares are able to help people solve sophisticated problems with efficiency. The problems that will require an exten-sive timeframe for manual calculation and manipulation will be fractured into a logical series of rules and steps, thus becoming manageable for human brains. This will reduce the duration for design, simulation, fabrication and construction processes to a considerable extent, which is of paramount importance in the capital-based industry where shorter duration means a curtail in in-vestment and thus more profit. Also, with the advent of robotic construction, it is promising that the excessive demands for skilled workers might be reduced in the fu-ture, helping the industry out of its predicament of the lacking manpower.

Furthermore, the computation softwares allow a more accurate and simplified performance-based design. With the data collected from the context and the scripts for desirable response to the context, the developed softwares can easily simulate the actual performance in the virtual world for feedback and improvement. It sig-nificantly shortens the simulation and analysis process, freeing designers from the eternity of tests and trials, es-pecially for extremely complicated issues, be them en-vironmental or structural. Compared to the conventional free form design, such an approach will generate a more precise response to the requirements and contexts be-cause all the design processes are integrated and the listed issues are not mutually exclusive due to the ca-pacity of computer softwares.

Moreover, the computational design will give a pre-cise response to design futuring. Currently, humans are facing a considerable number of drastic environmental problems, aside with the gradual exploitation of non-re-newable resources. Therefore, the very crucial part of future development lies in the innovation in terms of sus-tainability, exploration of renewable energy and substitu-tion of limited material resources. With the conventional

design methods, it can be very laborious, if possible, to explore and simulate the intricate yet efficient organic structures and materials, limiting the realm of architec-ture to the artificially designed norms. Nevertheless, with the aid of computational design, the extremely effective organic structures can be explored, leading to innova-tions in choice of materials, construction methods and structures.

Therefore, with the conspicuous potential benefits, computational design is bound to be the trend of the 21st century due to the overall context, be it environmental, industrial or capital-based.

A4 SUMMARY

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During the design studio air, I have been systematically introduced to the world of computational design for the first time.

In the past, when I first heard of computational de-sign, I found the idea ridiculous. Based on the linguis-tic meaning, I thought it means that one just has to set all the parameters in computer softwares and wait for the self-generated outcome. I found it unacceptable because I felt that with such a movement, a designer’s place is taken by the artificially developed computer soft-wares, making the whole development sound very ab-surd if all human creativity is to be substituted with calcu-lations, computers and robots. However, after the three weeks’ study about computational design, I have learnt that computational design is not to substitute designers with computers. However, the role of the designer might take a shift from the conventional one. In computational design, one has to fully understand the situation, know-ing exactly what the problems are and what should be done to solve the corresponding problems. The param-eters set in the input will directly affect the quality of the outcome. Hence, the designer is more like a coordinator who will have to give all the accurate instructions, name-ly the scripts. However, compared to the conventional design approach, where a designer is in full control of the outcome, the coordinator of the computational de-sign hardly have any control over the final product be-cause the product is completely generated by computer, though based on the input scripts.

Also, computational design differs from the popular con-cept of computerization. In computerization, the design is still controlled by the designer, who designs with free forms and uses computer softwares to ease the drawing and presentation processes. Nevertheless, in compu-tational design, the use of computer softwares are in-tegrated into the design process from the initial design stage, which will help to analyze, simulate, fabricate and even construct. With computational design approach, all design processes are combined and the solutions for various problems are not mutually exclusive anymore. Additionally, since the form is completely generated based on the performance, the form follows function norm sounds very convincing now.

When maneuvering with Grasshopper, I found out that logic is more important than remembering all the scripts. It will be more effective if I try to understand the under-lying logic of the scripts, especially geometrically and mathematically, it will be much faster for me to get fa-miliar with the various scripts. Also, I have found that Rhino and Grasshopper are really useful softwares that ease the modeling process of sophisticated or extreme-ly irregular designs. Compared with Revit, AutoCad and Sketchup, Rhino and Grasshopper actually extend the realm of design possibilities because the form of the design is not limited anymore, which encourages more innovation and creativity.

A5 LEARNING OUTCOME

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A6 APPENDIX

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REFERENCE A1Al Bahr Tower:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSEVoFi9MpQhttp://www.worldweatheronline.com/abu-dhabi-weather-averages/abu-dhabi/ae.aspxhttp://www.e-architect.co.uk/dubai/al-bahar-towers-abu-dhabi

London City Hall:https://www.london.gov.uk/about-us/our-building-and-squares/about-our-buildinghttp://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/city-hall/

A2ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2014-2015:http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=12965

Shellstar Pavilion:http://dataphys.org/list/gaudis-hanging-chain-models/http://designexplorer.net/newscreens/cadenarytool/KilianACADIA.pdfhttp://matsysdesign.com/2013/02/27/shellstar-pavilion/

A3NBBJ No Shadow Tower:http://www.gizmag.com/the-no-shadow-tower-nbbj/36555/https://vimeo.com/121813688

Subdivision Column:http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/projects/columns_info.html?screen-Size=1&color=0#undefinedhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTVqg6RnnpA

IMAGEShttps://www.google.com.au/search?q=computational+design&espv=2&biw=1745&bi-h=835&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjp54-zocnLAhWEJJQKHS90C1IQ_

AUIBigB#imgrc=gukFukGwoitlyM%3A

http://www.mas.caad.arch.ethz.ch/blog/category/computational-design/

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/dubai/al-bahar-towers-abu-dhabi

http://www.fosterandpartners.com/projects/city-hall/

http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=12965

http://matsysdesign.com/2013/02/27/shellstar-pavilion/

http://www.gizmag.com/the-no-shadow-tower-nbbj/36555/

http://www.michael-hansmeyer.com/projects/columns_info.html?screen-Size=1&color=0#undefined

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yTVqg6RnnpA

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