AIR STUDIO PART B WENYI YANG | 618 498 SEMESTER 1 / 2015 TUTOR: CHEN

PART B: CRITERIA DESIGN

An algorithm is a receipe, method, or technique

for doing something. It is made up of a finite set

of rules or operations that are unambiguous ad

simple to follow.

-Wilson and Frank 10Architecture needs mechanisms that allow it to become connected to culture. This is attained by constantly capturing the forces that shape the society as material to work with. In this digital age, the architect’s role is becoming increasingly specailised in the des-gin of the outer shell yet contribut-ing to the urban setting. 11 - Farshid Moussavi

B1. RESEARCH FIELD

TESSELLATION OVERVIEW

The field of study that I have chosen here is Tessellation.

Tessellation, or otherwise known as tiling, is gaining more significance in the architectur-al industry as architects challenges to create more complicated forms and surfaces with different materials. Tessellation is defined by Lisa Iwamoto as “ a collection of pieces that fit together without gaps to form a plane or surface. It can come in any shapes and forms as long as they can piece together in tight formation.”1

FIG 1 : VOLTADOM BY SKYLAR TIBBITS

I have chosen Tessellation because of its decorative and complex nature that fascinates me to look deeper into this vast and imaginative patternings.2

Digital designs have brought back the design interest in tessellation by equipping us with ways to explore further into patterns as it was once a time consuming and labour inten-sive enterprise. With the advent of digital technologies, it has allowed architects to form complex surfaces or meshes quickly. At the same time, it gives us an approximation of the smoothness and accuacy of the form. 3 Architects can now array custom made panels across a large surface to address different scales and curvatures. 4

B2.CASE STUDY 1.0VOUSSOIR CLOUD BY IWAMOTO SCOTT

FIG 3: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View

FIG 2: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View

Voussoir Cloud is a collaboration project between Iwamoto Scott and BuroHappold’s Los Angeles office.

The Voussoir cloud uses an ultra light material system.

This installation is a landscape of vaults and columns made up of 3D thin wood petals that explores the structural paradigm of pure com-pression. These paper-thin wood laminate was folded along curved seams to give each petal strength and geometric interest. The curve produce an inflected and dished form which relies on the internal surface tension of the wood and the folded geometry of the flanges to hold its shape. The petals are wedge-shaped and act in compres-sion. yet display a sense of light weightedness when natural lighting passes through. 5

BuroHappold uses form finding software to create this smooth cur-vature. The resulting process was highly mathematical incorporating geometry to understand how folding along a curve affected each petal and in turn the overall form. 6

B2. MATRIX EXPLORATIONSPATTERNING : VORONOI, HEXAGRID, SQUAREGRID, TRIGRID, RECTANGULAR GRID, RADICAL GRID

OVERALL SHAPE TRIMMING

POINT

CURVY SURFACE

SUBDIVIDE PATTERN

B3.CASE STUDY 2.0ICD/ITKE RESEARCH PAVILION 2011 BY UNIVERSITY OF STUTTGART

FIG 4: ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 Full View

FIG 5: Single Panelling Detail (Left)

FIG 6: Lofted Geometry Panelling (Right)

This project is the collaboration of Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE), together with students of the University of Stuttgart.

This project looks into the digital transfer of biological principles of sea urchin’s plate skeleton morphology by ways of computer based design and stimulation methods, along with computer controlled manufacturing methods for its building implementa-tion. 7

This pavilion is built using extremely thin sheets of plywood (6.5mm) using finger joints, similar to the ones on the sea urchin’s shell. Three plate edges meet together at just one point,a principle which enables the transmission of normal and shear forces but no bending moments between the joints. Due to the lightweight construc-tion, the structure has to be anchored to the ground. 8

B3. REVERSE ENGINEERING

First, create a grid. Then, create an exte-rior curve to close up the grid. Using Region Intersect, bake the curves out. Set the curve into Grasshopper. And en-able the Kangaroo function.

Set the 2 curves - opening constrain curve and exterior boundary curve into Grasshopper, so as to avoid the form to “fly” away when Kangaroo is enabled.

Adjust Rest Length, Caternary Strength and Pressure Level of the forces to stimulate the form from Kangaroo.

Find the discontinuities of the curves from the previous diagram. Region Union the base pattern. And vector2pt them, adding amplitude to direct the vector directions upwards. Move the points up and loft the area.

B4. MATRIX EXPLORATION

ANCHOR POINTS (TRIGRID)

VORONOI

VORONOI

ANCHOR POINTS (Negative)

ANCHOR POINTS (HEXAGRID)

ANCHOR POINTS (Negative)

SUBDIVISION PATTERNS

SUBDIVISION PATTERNS

B4. MATRIX EXPLORATION: SELECTED OUTCOMES

Cone Shaped Panels - native vegetations can be slotted into each cone.

Dynamic Hollow Structure - flexible and dynamic move-ment of the form

Double Domed Structure - A small singular opening - Spikey cones are inspired by the

Tectonic Panel Form - The form itself reminds me of native inhabitats.

LASER CUT IVORY PAPER.

This prototype is 1.2m long with 40 panels in total.

I created small tabs to join each panels together. However, this material is not lightweight-ed in nature. Hence, unable to pull the weights. Hence, the use of clips to temporarily secure them in place to give an approximate look and idea.

What I lack in this prototype ?

I failed looking into a detailed joint to connect my panels together. I would like to throw out the finger joints introduced in the ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011 or other alternatives.

At the same time, I should try different materials. As they give different performance levels, which will finally affect my final design.

B5. TECHNIQUE: PROTOTYPES

B6. TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL

Site : CERES Community Environmental Park

The CERES Community Environmental Park is located at the Merri Creek, which stretches at about 70km.

With the different varieties of my matrix explorations, I would like to look into the design concept of creating a playground for kids by placing a few of the models around the area.

The above photo is an open space that wrapped between different functional houses in CERES. It will be a good gathering space for the users and a great playground for the kids.

B7. LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES Unlike past studio where the design step starts initially from analysising a given site, this algorithmic exercise begins with the use of computational methods such as Rhino and Grass-hopper. These tools give digital quantitaive and qualitative performance-based stimulation to generate complex forms.9 Plug ins such as Kangaroo allow me to play with different geometries and anchor points that gives endless design pos-sibilities that are both unexpected and interesting. In my matrix exploration, voronoi system is used to create varying patterns that gives interesting design outcomes.

Through process such as reverse engineering and matrix ex-ploration, I was able to learn about Grasshopper by studying different scripts and finding solutions to my problems. Both exercise forced us to take greater steps forward in exploring our knowledge about Grasshopper.

As for the design proposal, I have modelled a form for my site. However, its feasibility and responsiveness has yet to be tested out.

B8: ALGORITHMIC SKETCH

BIBLIOGRAPHY

1-4 Iwamoto, Lisa ( 2009) Digital Fbrication : Architectural and Material Techniques (Princeton, New York). pp36-43

7-8 Universitat Stuttgart, ‘ ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2011’ < http://icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p=6553>

5 IwamotoScott Architecture and Buro Happold, ‘Voussoir Cloud’< http://www.burohappold.com/projects/project/voussoir-cloud-1402/>

6 IwamotoScott Architecture and Buro Happold, ‘Voussoir Cloud’ <http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUS-SOIR-CLOUD>

9 Kolarevic , Branko (2014). ‘Computing the Performative’, ed.by Rivka Oxman and Robert Oxman, pp 103-106

10 Wilson, Robert A. and Frank C. Keil, eds (1999). Definition of “Algorithm. ( London:MIT Press) pp11

11 Moussavi, Farshid and Michael Kubo, eds (2006). The Function of Onament (Barcelona : Actar), pp. 5-6

IMAGE REFERENCE

Fig 5-6 : icd.uni-stuttgart.de/?p6553

Fig 2-4 : http://www.iwamotoscott.com/VOUSSOIR-CLOUD

FIG 1: https://architecture.mit.edu/faculty/skylar-