journal part b

studio:airjournal:angus:whittlesemester:one:2015

8

10

11

4

9

7

13studio:air:journal:638982:whittle |2

part:a:conceptualisation4 introduction who am I? what have I done?

6 a0:design:futuring heydar:aliyev:center southern:cross:station

8 a1:design:computation benifits of contempory computation preciden t one precident two

12 a2:composition:generation generative approaches precident one precident two

14 a3:conclusion conceptualisation thoughts

14 a4:learning:outcomes what have I learnt?

16 a5:appendix algorithmic sketches

part:b:conceptualisation20 b1:research:field biomimicry

22 b2:case:study:1.0 foreign:office:architects::spanish:pavilion clj02:za11: pavilion

24 b3:case:study:2.0 canopy:byunited:visual:artists

28 b4:technique:development experiment

30 b5:technique:prototypes create

32 b6:technique:proposal lets:do:this

34 bibliography

contents:

studio:air:journal:638982:whittle | 3

Angus Whittle: I was born in Sydney but moved to Melbourne when I was a toddler. My father is a Geologist and my mother is a botanical artist and this was of great influence to me and my tastes. I’ve always had an interest with rocks and the study plant life on earth. Nature and de-sign have been imbedded in my upbringing and therefore, for me, Architecture was an obvious step-ping stone from this. I finished high school in 2007 and began my ad-vanced diploma of Building design and technology at Holmesglen In-stitute in 2008 which I completed in 2010. Whilst I was there I learnt autoCAD, archiCAD and cinema4D and an example of such work can be seen in figure:1. My passion has been derived and encouraged by my parents; I feel blessed to have been able to witness their careers, both so varied but similar. I hope to feel as enthusiastic and inspired about architecture many years down the track as both my mother and father still feel about their ca-reers to this day.

I am in my third year of my Bachelor of Environments, my major being architecture. Thus far I have com-pleted both studio earth and water, examples of which can be seen in figures:2 and 3 across the page. I have really enjoyed the diversity each class has presented and I have thoroughly enjoyed reflecting on my work. Seeing the way my de-sign thinking process progress as I learn more in each class has been a huge learning curve, one I am in-credibly grateful for. I am really look-ing forward to the changes studio air class will bring. I am specifically interested in the introduction of Rhi-no. This is a program I am vaguely familiar with but have had little expe-rience with.

I was lucky enough to work in an architecture firm over summer. The amount that I learnt and the work I produced instilled an invaluable amount of confidence in me. Having become so used to the routine of it all and also the fact that I enjoyed myself immensely has made com-ing back to university a bit difficult.

During the summer I predominantly used archiCAD, a program that was quite new to the office. It was clear that they had a particular way of designing and in many instances archiCAD was not a suitable sys-tem for the what the head architect desired. I think this comes down to me not knowing every facet of the program, which can be a hinder-ance as a student studying and not having real world experience. I find this with many cases that the design of the building can be seen leaving hints to which program it was pro-duced by making it look a bit lazy in a sense; a common situation with parametric architecture.

When talking about parametric ar-chitecture there is one architect that will always stand out for me; Zaha Hadid. Hadid’s work has been in the public eye for many years now and I have chosen one of her works as a precedent.

angus:whittleba:environmentsarchitecture:major:third:year

studio:air:journal:638982:whittle |4

my:work

figure:1 final project at holmesglen

design new student accomodation includ-

ed full working drawing

documentation. this was completed in a

group of 4 . all design work

completed in archiCAD and renders in

cinema4D.

figure:2 studio:earth

design a center for discovery and cultural

exchange on herring island.

all works completed in archiCAD.

figure:3 studio:water

design a boat house with boat hiring facili-

ties, a restaurant and cafe. all works com-

pleted in archiCAD.


a0:design:futuringprecedent:one

heydar:aliyev:centerbaku:azerbaijan:2013

The first precedent project I have chosen is the Heydar Aliyev center in Baku Azerbaijan which was part of an investment by the government in modernising and developing the capital since its independence in 1991. The investment was made to develop Baku’s infrastructure and architecture from its past Soviet styled monumental architecture to show a fresh outlook to the nations future. The plan was to design a building that had a fluid relationship between its surrounding and its inte-rior spaces. (1)

They contributed ideas to which shall be continued in the further de-velopment of the city. Any future de-signers will most likely see Hadid's work and use it as an influence in or-der to continue the momentum this building has created.

The Postmodernist era struck Baku in the early 2000’s with buildings such as the Flame Towers (2007) and the Baku Crystal Hall (2012.) The Baku Crystal Hall has only been recently completed however it was not overly radical even though there

is no other building with the same concepts and interconnectedness as Hadid’s building. The develop-ment continues with the recently completed SOCAR Tower (2014) and many other new, exciting proj-ects. These is a similar future plan-ning concept that Dunne was talk-ing about in this weeks reading.

On first inspection many would have the opinion that the building photo-graphs are merely renders but this is not fact. This building was com-pleted and that in itself is extremely important and notable. these sorts of projects are namely a precedent for the next stage of building and what is achievable for the future.

The centre will be appreciated he same way that Federation Square in Melbourne, Victoria will continue to be appreciated as both are used as a hub and a meeting place for its citizens while also being visu-ally appealing. Personally however I don’t think Hadid’s design is what will inspire people to follow suit and design similar buildings. This is because Hadid’s designs are

far too specific to her taste due to her use of the parametric modelling program which mimics the style of Grasshopper. I find issue with para-metric modelling as I believe they are based largely on algorithmic equations which are embedded in these modeling programs, making them too calculated thus eroding any possible creative flare. Using Fed Square as an example, when using these programs the design for Federation Square’s facade and the roof of Southern Cross station (two iconic landmarks in the Melbourne architectural landscape) are only a few clicks away. Therefore the skill that is involved in designing another possible future landmark will almost be impossible to generate.

1 ArchDaily, 'Heydar Aliyev Center / Zaha Hadid Architects', 2013 <http://

www.archdaily.com/448774/heydar-aliyev-center-zaha-hadid-architects/>


source: www.archdaily.com/448774/heydar-aliyev-center-zaha-hadid-architects/


a0:design:futuringprecedent:two

southern:cross:stationmelbourne:australia:2006

Being the center for not only Mel-bourne's regional transit but its con-nection with Melbourne international airport Southern Cross Station had to make a big statement. One of the few early parametrically designed buildings in Melbourne which be-gan a continued trend throughout the city and its suburbs of designs not directly influenced, but set a precedence for what could be built in Melbourne after its completion. Nothing had been built to this scale with this design thinking before. The firm who designed it, Grimshaw Ar-chitects is known as a pioneer in forwarding the use of digitally pro-duced architecture. The public re-action was evidence of how radical it was for the time. From my memory there was a great divide of opinions, many felt it did not suit the area and others thought the design showed great innovation to those traveling to Melbourne for the 2006 Common-wealth Games.

Its appreciation is noticeable in its modern appearance although the growth of Melbourne wasn’t taken largely into account as they have re-

cently had to at new platforms which haven’t been integrated as well as they should have. I think that shows a disregard both on the architects side in the case of short sighted ex-pansion and the planners side for just bolting on a few more sections. At nearly 10 years old the redevel-opment has hardly aged with nearly 17 million annual users the ideas are sure to have influenced future build-ings in particular throughout the docklands precinct. (2)

Although in a modelling perspec-tive the designs are relatively easy to replicate the original idea would have needed to come from some-where.

2 Australiandesignreview.com, 'From The Archives: Southern Cross Station | Australian Design Review', 2015 <http://www.

australiandesignreview.com/architecture/833-from-the-archives-southern-cross-station> [accessed 20 March 2015].


Source: http://www.pentaxforums.com/gallery/images/49795/1_Untitled_Panorama2__1_.jpg

SourceL http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Cross_railway_station#/media/File:New_spencer_st_station.jpg


a1:design:computationbenifits:of:contempory:computation

Since the introduction of sketchpad in 1964 (3) computers have been positively benefiting the architectur-al design process. It first began as a drawing board on your computer with the ability to undo and dupli-cate drawings at a much faster rate. Gone are the days of multiple draft-ers in an architecture firm tracing over plans, details and schedules as all of this has now been replaced with a computer. This ever evolving platform has transformed again from simply drawing lines on computerised plane to BIM (building information modelling) programs like archiCAD and revit. These programs benefit the designer but also allow the en-tire building to be modelled down from the concrete in the slab to the plumbing whilst having all their own elements in a 3D world. This has helped to connect all the elements; window and door schedules are generated by the click of a button and all elements can be priced and therefore tendered exponentially more ease than before.My experience with the step from computer drafting to BIM was re-warding. When working in the firm over summer, being able to see my boss’s eyes light up upon comple-tion of a full redesign in 2 or 3 hours when he was used to it taking one of their best CAD technicians 5 or 6 hours was something that made my presence invaluable.I feel that the ease of sitting down

and playing around with a program like grasshopper could be the sign of an end of most paper sketches even though there are architects like Frank Gehry who find inspiration in other areas. The difference in these two styles is that there are no real limit to the bounds of an elite grass-hopper coder. In the case of Foster + Partners Khan Shatyr Entertain-ment Centre algorithmic computing was used to generate the design op-tions for its structure. (4) This would have speed up design development time and increased cost efficiency immensely.Practice will always be practice however whether it’s on a computer or not is a different story. Sketching by algorithm is a term brought up in the Peter’s reading; this is a very good term for describing what is go-ing on between the architects and their computer. From my experience working I have seen the need for ar-chitects to show more information on simple town planning application drawings. Although with the intro-duction of BIM the ability to show in 3D reduces any problems the plan-ners or builders may have and will in turn help to rectify those problems. This factor is incredibly valuable and an enormous time saver. The age of architects using programs is slowly dispersing and the age of architectural coders is becoming more evident. Fabrication is also an area which is in the midst of change. The ease

of 3D printing and laser cutting has revolutionised the speed in which a buildings details can be manu-factured. A good example of this is Bao’an International Airport terminal which had 60,000 different facade elements, all of which were con-trolled by a parametric model. This construction technique (4) has to be adapted to by builders and con-struction firms another area of ongo-ing change.Computation can allow all conceiv-able geometries. The only factor that would hold back what is achiev-able is whether it can be coded into the software and this is where the idea of a hybrid software engineer / architect becomes an intriguing realm of specialising. Being on the cusp of this algorithmic movement holds unique opportunities and discovering a demand in firms that one can supply while being as up to date in current innovations is key. In the Peter’s reading it is clear there is a demand for internal specialised architects fluent in algorithmic archi-tecture.

3 Daniel Davis, 'Chapter 1 – Introduction – Daniel Davis', Danieldavis.com, 2013 <http://www.danieldavis.com/thesis-ch1/>

[accessed 20 March 2015].

4 Brady Peters, 'Computation Works: The Building Of Algorithmic Thought', Architectural Design, 83 (2013), 8-15 <http://

dx.doi.org/10.1002/ad.1545>.


Source:http://www.architectureadmirers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Khan-Shatyr.jpg

Source: http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/portfolio/2014/03/images/Shenzhen-Bao-An-International-Airport-Terminal-3-Studio-Fuksas-4.jpg


a2:composition:generationgenerative:approaches

The algorithmic sketchbook is a prime example of generation, having the abil-ity to experiment with all the tools in grasshopper creating multiple itera-tions of similar yet different forms. Hav-ing computing tools help immensely with quick generation of ideas this speeds up the design development stage. In the case of the Beijing Interna-tional Airport the idea of generation is Building Information Modeling or BIM this is a tool that helps keep track of its 735000 square metres of floorspace and its 60,000 roof beams. (5) Without computer generation this sort of build-ing would have been a nightmare to tender. BIM keeps track of all the mem-bers throughout the building and are easily brought up if either the engineer or builder has a concern. without this generation process a building like this would have taken more like 10 years to complete compared to its relatively speedy 5 year construction.

In the next precedent project the infin-ity tower in dubai many modeling tools were used to come up with its final form, there were many factors which influenced it and all of these were in-put and created the form seen. Can this be concluded as being creative? or is it merely just a group of problems that was given to a computer to solve? Wimer is quoted saying that it was a combination of giving “the clients high-er value [property giving it better view by rotating the floors almost a degree each] and matching the guidelines set by the municipality. “ (6)

5 Brady Peters, 'Computation Works: The Building Of Algorithmic Thought', Architectural Design, 83 (2013), 8-15 <http://dx.doi.

org/10.1002/ad.1545>.

6 Katie Gerfen, Cayan Tower Opens in Dubai (2015) <http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/cayan-tower-opens-in-dubai_o>

[accessed 23 April 2015].


S o u r c e :Source:http://www.architectureadmirers.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Khan-Shatyr.jpgvv

Source:http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/cayan-tower-opens-in-dubai_o

Source:http://acdn.architizer.com/thumbnails-PRODUCTION/67/7c/677c9d3fe211d68788040a9dee636192.jpg


a3:conclusionconceptualisation:thoughts

This has been a learning filled couple of weeks where opinions changed have been altered constantly. I have learnt a lot about aspects of modelling that I never thought I would enjoy. Every lecture I attend my thoughts change re-garding the direction of my degree as I am introduced to new ways of thinking. My thoughts have also changed in regards to computers and technology and where I think it should be headed and also if I think it should hold such a strong hold on the industry. My opinions on Parametric modelling are still not positive but if the next couple of weeks are anything to go by my opinion might be swayed again. The direction I want my learning to head in is to have a greater strength in using Grasshopper script. I would like to become fluent in that program. So far it has taught me a great deal about how easily architectural forms can be produced in such great scale and speed. I would also like to learn more about the process firms go through to find their desired outcomes, where their influences come from and how they move through the work flow. I am eager to get my hands on physical models that I have created using the algorithms deep inside grasshopper. Tessellation and biomimicry are the most interesting to me and that will be the direction I intend to focus my design on. The innovation for me is to be as integrated and yet meaningful to the area.

a4:learning:outcomes


loft

ing:

curv

esstudio:air:journal:638982:whittle |16

vorin

iaa

drif

twoo

d at

tem

ptcu

rves

and

offs

et


cont

ours

mov

em

orph

mor

phm

orph

mor

ph


b1:research:fieldbiomimicary

I have always had a real interest in na-ture so it was hard to do any other field but Biomimicry. It is a field where the designers invest time researching nature and almost make the point of copying the most interesting parts in its interactions, processes and its cycli-cal timeline. I selected two precedents projects the first is a Research Pavilion at the University of Stuttgart by ICD/ITKE. They use hexagon plates to repro-duce the form of a sea urchin. I thought it was quite interesting that the plates were connected via finger joints which are similar to that of the sea urchin they were attempting to mimic. The idea of using a simple material like plywood to create such an interesting form made it really appealing and also showed that creating these compelling forms that originally came from grasshopper is quite simple to create in real life.

Similarly with the second Precedent I selected the ZA11 Pavilion also was a student project to exemplify computa-tional architecture and the possibilities it holds but to also building the de-signed form. Once completed the pavil-ion was placed at a Speaking Architec-ture event in Romania. The project saw a large amount of interest.

The process of designing it is similar to the ICD project. using a combination of hexagons differently to the ICD project though ZA11 used these hexagons and extruded them out without capping them off. Arranged in a somewhat cir-cular formation to created an area in the middle for experiencing the event.

The underlying connection these two forms have are the hexagon base form. these shapes are found throughout

nature. in the ocean on shells of sea urchins. on the shells of turtles and tor-toises, in the beeswax formations. even on a macro scale these forms are very common.

These forms can be built in grasshopper using either the voronoi and grid defi-nitions and then mapped or extruded into their desired outcomes


^^^source: http://www.dezeen.com/2011/10/31/icditke-research-pavilion-at-the-university-of-stuttgart/

^^^source: http://designplaygrounds.com/deviants/clj02-za11-pavilion/


b2:case:study:1.0foreign:office:architects::spanish:pavilion

The experimentation of the FOA span-ish pavilion was quite rewarding, it helped me with understanding a more expansive set of tools to help arrive to a certain goal. I spend a large amount of time physically getting the lofted sur-faces rendered the way I wanted. after then I experienced using different ma-terials and definitions. Such as extrude, offset, boundary and cull which utilised the image uploaded. another area I ex-perimented with was within the rhino environment. I used the boolean differ-

ence tool quite a lot to create and edit the lofted surfaces.

The Images I have made stand out are the 4 I feel show the most difference to the original design. They were also helping with generating some shadow of an idea for the future project. the rep-resentation of of a fade or in my mind a change in frequency is something I want to investigate further in the realm of grasshopper.


source: http://www.farshidmoussavi.com/node/27


b3:case:study:2.0canopy:by:united:visual:artists

The permanent installation located in toronto, Canada was originally inspired by the experience of walking through the obscured light from the canopy trees of a forest, a rather large instal-lation at 90 metres in length spanning the front facade of a building. Its built using a repeated shape to evoke and reflect nature as the original inspiration suggests. Each extruded “leaf” segment

emits light through an LED in the cen-ter. The leafs are scattered randomly across the fixture. In daylight the “leaf” segments filter the natural light when that light dissipates at night the LEDs turn on a show to replicate the forest canopy.

My first attempt at creating a grid for the base structure was mostly a failure as it was a copy of the FOA definition and the main lines were hexagons when I was trying for 5 sided polygons. Although it helped and worked as a base for my experimenting.


source: http://designplaygrounds.com/deviants/canopy-by-by-united-visual-artists/


I deleted the previous definitions and started from scratch. My plan was to use the square grid and populate 2d definitions, I also attempted to use the voronoi although again I couldn't figure out an organized 5 sided base grid. I settled on the Voronoi as it gave me a more scattered organisation of points the had some 5 and up sided polygons. The next step was to extrude up and find the midpoint of the polygons this was easy but i was then stumped on finding the lines from that centre to the edges of the polygons. The bottom image was the base I ended with and on the opposing side the render and definition was the closest I came to a reverse engineer.


b4:technique:development

1 2

3

I took the voronoi definitions (as seen in image set 1)and con-tinued what I feel is going to be the direction of my design. As i’ve mentioned before this is the kind of idea I want to por-tray, a change in weight where the arch will be its closest to the power lines.

In step two I needed to find a way to change the offset areas from the original voronoi lines. I found this set online and it does a very good job of what i am attempting to portray.

The next stage was to map the current form to a curve/arch. I used mapsurf to achieve this. I am missing something which will make sure the distortion to the arch isn’t as drastic as it currently is. I think I should be able to resolve this in the com-ing weeks.

More detail needs to be undertaken to design the actual fram-ing system and how best to connect each section.


b5:technique:prototypesstudio:air:journal:638982:whittle |30

I chose to print out one of the flat vo-ronoi forms with the change in width at the top of the proposed arch. I pro-ceeded to cut each piece out to achieve the desired effect. I mounted it tem-porarily using pins definitely not the best fascining method, something that needs more research and experiment-ing Once fixed I cast my desk lamp over it to observe the shadows the change in surface created. I quite like the effects.


b6:technique:proposal

After getting a reasonably firm idea regarding how I wanted to tackle the open brief, I began with a voronoi flat plane space from the develop-ment stage. I had been influenced by the sound tube in flemington and the worm walking bridge in the docklands. The idea has grown from the first ma-nipulating with the FOA definition, I wanted to create a tunnel or multiple tunnels that are located directly under overhead power lines, starting from the Brunswick Terminal Station (BTS)

and ending after CERES or potentially further up. These two areas are quite prominate along merri creek. There is still much more to experiment with as I am not 100% content with the current form, I think other factors other that the walking/cycling track should be taken into account. Along with more thought regarding the materials and construc-tion designs.

source: http://www.nobrunswickterminalstation.org/

source: http://farm1.static.flickr.com/27/53624888_40a1200b7e.jpg

source: http://www.dentoncorkermarshall.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/WEBB_BRIDGE_01.jpg


source: https://www.nearmap.comsource: https://www.nearmap.com

LEGEND:SITE AREABTSCERESTowers


bibliographyArchDaily, 'Heydar Aliyev Center / Zaha Hadid Architects', 2013 <http://www.archdaily.com/448774/heydar-aliyev-center-zaha-hadid-architects/> [accessed 20 March 2015]

Australiandesignreview.com, 'From The Archives: Southern Cross Station | Australian Design Review', 2015 <http://www.australiandesignreview.com/architecture/833-from-the-archives-southern-cross-station> [accessed 20 March 2015]

Davis, Daniel, 'Chapter 1 – Introduction – Daniel Davis', Danieldavis.com, 2013 <http://www.danieldavis.com/thesis-ch1/> [accessed 20 March 2015]

Katie Gerfen, Cayan Tower Opens in Dubai (2015) <http://www.architectmagazine.com/de-sign/cayan-tower-opens-in-dubai_o> [accessed 23 April 2015].

Peters, Brady, 'Computation Works: The Building Of Algorithmic Thought', Architectural De-sign, 83 (2013), 8-15 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/ad.1545>


appendixalgorithmic:sketchbook

fractal tetrahedra

evaluating Fields

graph controlers

image sampler


Hitoshi Abe - Aobe Tei


journal part b

Documents