AIRa r c h i t e c t u r e d e s i g n s t u d i o

tutorial 8 brad eliasanna gerraty 539898

c o n t e n t s :3. Autobio.4. A1: Design Futuring: Swanston Square.5. A1: BIG’s West 57th.6. A2: Computational Design.7. A2: MIT Silk Pavilion.8. A3: ICD/ITKE Pavilion, 2013/2014.9. A3: Composition/Generation.10.11.12.13.14.15.

Autobio.I am working in visual merchandising and studying Architecture through the Environments bachelor. During my studies, I have developed a strong passion for socially and environmentally responsible architecture, and good landscaping integrated into extensive developments. I’d like to see that become a legal requirement as soon as possible, because of the heavy role the built environment plays in heating up the air, disturbing wind patterns, disrupting bodies of water and generally making things unpleasant.I always loved buildings my whole life, but even more after we renovated our tumble-town Edwardian weatherboard house in the early 2000s. That was when I knew I would do something related to construction and building. Our house was renovated and extended by a freelance architect who trained at Melbourne University in the 1990s. In my spare time I like to take photos, make clothes and draw.

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A new addition to the CBD’s fringe is an interesting example of Grasshopper in a high-rise project. It’s interesting to see it being employed in an attempt at historical and cultural commentary; the kind that Australian architecture is often expected to address but rare executes tactfully. This tower at Swanston Square, completed by ARM Architecture and Grocon, was finally unveiled from its protective wrapping early in March. William Barak’s face is depicted in the curved balcony balustrades. His resemblance will require a few more months to refine, due to its massive size and the optical defectsaffecting how people recognise the face at street level. This building is a bizarre intersection of computational design tools, innovative use of generic materials, and building as a comemorative gesture. It hasn’t fully unlocked the potential of computation in design process or outcome, but compared to what has been occurring in Melbourne lately it is refreshing.This project has been the subject of heated debate and condemnation. Firstly, multiple examples of site negligence which killed 3 local students in April 2013 (xx). Secondly, ARM and Grocon’s tight -fisted grip over the heritage listed Carlton United Brewery and Malting Factory (xx). It’s odd that the same developers who killed 3 local students are now honouring our Indigenous forefathers. It’s also proof that Grasshopper is recognised by even the most facile builders and developers. It can be considered a light-hearted and fearless way of reconciling commercial architecture with Australia’s troublesome historical narratives. Regardless of what ARM tries to convey through this design decision, this controversial development bears some aspects of design futuring at least in my opinion.

William Barak’s face looking sternly into the CBD, as seen from Queensberry Street. Image: William Barak on the, Anna Gerraty, 2015.

Swanston Square.

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BIG’s West 57th.Danish architect Bjarke Ingels seems to live and breathe design “futuring”. Ingels advocates the need to retain childish instincts in the design profession: constantly seeking out a new solution, and constantly questioning the orthodoxies that exist in architectural practise and outcomes. West 57th was designed in response to the skyscraper epidemic in Manhattan, which has marred the atmosphere of the precinct and created wind turbulence and blocks out light. West 57th in Manhattan defies the skyscraper archetype and its chokehold on Manhattan to become something different. Ingels dubbed it the “courtscraper”. It aims to rejuvenate communal urban space, and minimise its overshadowing of surrounding infrastructure despite its size. The overall form imitates a natural landscape feature, and breaks the monotony of skinny high-rises. Many examples exist in European, dense urban areas, and they mitigate against wind turbulence and tunnels that form between high rise structures. It’s a decent example of design futuring because it recognises and acts on the issue of high-rise and its consequences for the urban landscape. it also spits in the face of an archaic trend that is creating problems for cities. You can consider it as the beginning of finding new solutions to the need for higher density residential projects that are less conducive to urban decay and wind pattern disruption, among other things.

Under construction: the West 57th in Manhattan, New York, by BIG Architects. Image:Field Condition, ‘Big’s W57th’, 2014.

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A2. Computational Design.Considering the quality and physical presences of buildings that have been recently finished in Melbourne, it’s clear that the construction industry is being pressured to keep pace with technological shifts and changes to design process in architectural practise. Automated and repetitive construction processes evident in most buildings are more characterful, and more site-responsive. Sometimes higher quality design outcomes are evident, and a more fluent execution of prefabricated construction techniques is evident, as with the Empire Tower (pictured right). Due to the wide range of issues and regulations architecture is affected by, current buildings demand higher degrees of inter-coordination between their parts than CAD permits now. In terms of formal outcomes, some projects with higher budgets show signs of being conceived with Grasshopper or Rhinoceros. Basically, anything that permits the realisation and manufacturing of non-standard, fairly expressive geometry. Computing can redefine the way a complex problem of a good building can be solved efficiently and systematically. The outcome becomes an organic end result of a designed plan or algorithm that can automatically valuate different issues on a scale of priorities, thus creating a best fit solution.

Empire Tower on A’Beckett and Elizabeth corner, developed by Mammoth Empire and

Silk Pavilion, MIT Lab.SILK PAVILION, MIT LAB, is reconciling a cutting edge computational design method with natural processes and organisms. It’s part of ongoing research into making synthetic environments behave more like natural environments; exhibiting higher levels of versatility material efficiency and non-standardisation. It’s a fascinating collaboration between some designers at MIT, and a swarm of 6500 silkworms.The geometry isn’t particularly edgy; just a geodesic dome woven from continuous silk thread by a CNC over steel framing, which creates the primary structure. Silk worms are then placed at the bottom edge so they can start weaving over the first threads, creating a web-like fabric.The silkworm’s migration has been highly controlled, so that they work across the whole object. By changing light direction and atmospheric conditions in the laboratory, the silkworms have been manipulated into weaving evenly. This use of silkworms is a sort of biological algorithm, since it is significantly controlling the silkworms’ instinctive silk producing capacity with light and a pre-fabricated structure. This project is an example in the versatility of computational design processes, and what else they can lend themselves to. Computational design has the potential to liberate designers from certain aspects of the fabrication and design process. Employing an algorithm or program of sorts can be considered a form of task delegation. The pleasure of not knowing exactly what the outcome of the process is also attractive.

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ICD/ITKE Pavilion, 2013-14.The University of Stuttgart’s 2013 to 2014 ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion is a “wrapped” carbon fibre canopy which explores robotics, modular design, computational design and biomimicry all at once. It has been constructed from very efficient, lightweight modular components that are constructed by custom-built robots. Each piece is a polygonal twin set of frames pulled together by twisted, fibreglass and carbon fibre cords. this intricate engineering is inspired by both the exoskeleton of a lobster, and the skeleton of a sea urchin. the composite fibre system means that the amount of metal used is minimised, and the overall weight of the object is minimised, at just 594 kilograms (xx). Computational design http://www.dezeen.com/2014/06/26/icd-itke-pavilion-beetle-shells-university-of-stuttgart/

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