Jung jinwoo 585694 Studio Air Journal

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AIRJinwoo Jung 585694

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University of Melbourne 2014Bachelor of EnvironmentsA B P L 3 0 0 4 8 Studio: AirJinwoo Jung 5 8 5 6 9 4

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CONTENT

INTRODUCTION04

A__-CONCEPTUALISATION07

ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK #124

REFERENCE26

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INTRODUCTION

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I am a third year Bachelor of En-vironments student that is major-ing in Architecture, with the ambi-tion of pursuiting my passion to live as an Architect by complet-ing my masters degree at the Mel-bourne University School of Design.I came to Australia in 2001 with my family from Korea, and have been living in Melbourne since, completeing my highschool edu-cation at Melbourne High School.

Ever since childhood, I was always interested in making and creating things, building castles and houses with Lego and wooden blocks. Now, as a student who has a lot more knowledge and understanding of the role of an architect and architecture, I

wish to live up to the fact that architec-ture is for the people. No matter what the context, an architectural proj-ect’s first priority is always to serve.

I am very curious as to how, through studio Air, I could utilize parametric de-sign to achieve such function without delimiting the creative possibilities.Throughout my studies, I was ex-posed to numerous programs such as AutoCAD, Rhino, the Adobe se-ries such as Photoshop and Illus-trator, and many more. Through the subject Virtual Environments, I was able to explore Grasshopper in a very minute scale to utilize the tab-mak-ing plug-in, as well as laser-cutting and fabricating the physical model.

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______''When architects have a suffIcient understanding of al-gorithmic concepts, when we no longer need to dis-cuss the digital as something different, then computa-tion can become a true method of design for architecture_''

-Brady Peters

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PART ACONCEPTUALISATION

A1 DESIGN FUTURINGA2 DESIGN COMPUTATION

A3 COMPOSITION & GENERATIONA4 CONCLUSION

A5 LEARNING OUTCOMESA6 algorithmic sketches

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the built environment must thrive to engage in; it is not uncommon to see many of the innovations of sustain-able design coming from an under-standing of biomimicery, mathemati-cal algorithms, sociology, etc., such as Doris’s background in biological studies as well as an understand-ing of parametric design workflow.Fry, in his book Design Futuring, states that sustainable develop-ment must focus on ‘re-direction’, a deflective process as opposed to a confrontational process that uti-lizes the existing momentum of a force and use it to its advantage. [3]

What makes a public art installation such as Bloom successful is the fact that not only does it achieve techno-logical innovations in ventilation and cooling energy-efficiency, but also with its ability to make people inter-ested in such concept. The visual aes-thetic could be said to not be of prime importance in the need for sustain-able design, but it is what first grasps the attention of those exposed to it and generates the curiousity to know more about it as well as innovating them to contribute to the never-ending design process to build for the future.

‘Bloom’ is an innovative project ini-tiated by Doris Kim Sung, a former biology-major architect who borrows nature’s method of the human skin’s respiratory system and the technolo-gy of what is called a thermo bi-metal.

Thermo bi-metal utilizes the expan-sion of metals under thermal tem-perature to control its deformation. By bonding two strips of metal with different coefficient of expansion, it utilizes its contrasting elongation to resulting in the material to bend.[1]

Doris aims to utilize this material to develop net-zero energy systems that can reinvent building skin, and to ex-emplify such technology, ‘bloom’ was installed at the Materials & Apllica-tions gallery in LA. Bloom’s surface is made completey out of thermo bi-metal, and forms a canopy that can block out the sun by constricting the amount of sun passin through whilst in other parts will open up to allow ventilation and let the heat escape.

There are endless combinations and applicatoins of materials and forms that can be adadpted in the process of design to redefine sustainability in today’s world where ‘sustainable de-sign’ is trivialized and technocratic. [2]

This project also emphasizes the im-portance of the multi-disciplinary na-ture that architects and designers of

A1 DESIGN FUTURING

i BLOOM i

1. Kanthal, Kanthal Thermostatic Bimetal Handbook (2008) < http://www.kanthal.com/Global/Downloads/Materials%20in%20wire%20and%20strip%20form/Thermostatic%20bimetal/Bimet-al%20handbook%20ENG.pdf>2. Tony Fry, Design Futuring: Sustainability, Ethics and New Practice (Oxford: Berg, 2008), p. 73. Tony Fry, p. 10-11

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5. Michael Pawlyn, Using Nature’s Genius in Architecture, filmed by TED Talks (London, 2010)6. Johnathan Rae, ‘Sustainability in Nature and Architecture’, in Darington <http://www.dartington.org/blog/sustainability-in-nature-and-architecture> [accessed 11 March 2014]7. Buckminister Fuller Institute, ‘Geodesic Domes’ <http://www.bfi.org/about-fuller/big-ideas/geodesic-domes> [accessed 11 March 2014]8. Exploration, ‘The Eden Project Biomes’ <http://www.exploration-architecture.com/section.php?xSec=21&xPage=1> [accessed 11 March 2014]9. Tristram Carfrae, ‘Engineering the Water Cube’, Architecture Australia, 95 (2006), <http://architectureau.com/articles/practice-23/> [accessed 12 March 2014]

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ciency, a linear to clsoed-loop system, and drawing energy from the sun. [6] Everything from the form of the building to the structure and the material is influenced from natu-ral precedents: the form which re-semble variants of connected soap bubbles are used to compensate for unstable topography where the final ground levels after an ongo-ing mining operation were unknown. Multiple outcomes and forms could be tesetd and anlysed using para-metric design tools, making it a lot more efficient and precise to re-spond to the unstable environment. The structure, which is influenced by Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome, [7] is arranged with hexagons and pentagons for optimum strength.

The Eden project is a horticultural architecture project by Michalel Paw-lyn that heavily undertakes the idea of bio-mimicry, a concept that Paw-lyn expertizes on to create numer-ous project of the future. Bio-mimicry essentially refers to the application of the processes and design that oc-curs in nature into architecture. [4]Pawlyn himself believes that econom-ical agenda should be a celebration of its connection to our spirits, and not a sacrifice as many have thought. [5]

With such agenda on mind, the Eden project is also built upon 3 habits of nature that Pawlyn believes will change how architecture and society works in the near future, which are radical increases in resource effi-

A1DESIGN FUTURING

i THE EDEN PROJECT i

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Finally, ETFE -which are polymers that are extremely light and inflatable for structural rigidity- was used as a membrane surface to enclose the space. Pawlyn’s innovative technique doesn’t stop from its mere appear-ance; added benefits of the ETFE in contrast to glass such as larger span-ning length and being only 1% of the weight of glass meant it also reduced embodied energy by a factor of 100 and reduction of resources such as steel, which also allows larger surface areas for sunlight to penetrate into the building, reducing energy required for active heating during winter. [8] Such usage of materiality and struc-ture only expanded further from that point on; it is possible to see projects that utilizes similar methodologies and

concepts world-wide, such as the Bei-jing National Aquatic Center which also utilizes ETFE claddings [9], as well as numerous DIY geodesic dome green-houses being built for personal uses.

These examples can be seen as evi-dence that reinforces Pawlyn’s belief that our spirit is bonded with economi-cal agendas; that we are inevitably drawn to natural processes and form; it shows that incoming threats of cli-mate change and material wastage in today’s society can be redirected and deflected by architecture gen-erated through rational, yet techni-cal innovations such as bio-mimicry.

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A2DESIGN COMPUTATION

i LONDON CITY HALL__ I HELSINKI LIBRARY i

The tilted egg-form has multiple passive design strategies such as minimizing surface area to reduce exposure to direct sunlight and providing shades for office areas.

such trends of the interrelation of computerized design and build-ing performance influenced many other big firms and practices (both architectural and engineerign) to become a lot more experimental in their approach to design, and initi-ates what Oxman describes as the period of ‘research by design’ [13].

The London City Hall is a project that was completed with a multi-disciplin-ary team consisting of the architect, structural engineers, quantity survey-ors, landscape architects, lighting en-gineers, and many more; the intimate incorporation of the computational performance inevitably leads to a much more collaborative work envi-ronment uniting architects and engi-neers to contrbute to such ‘research by design’. The fabrication of ele-ments through computation drives the creative yet rational process which “renew[s] the architect’s traditonal role as the master builder empowered with the understandng and ability to digi-

The development and application of computrs has pushed the bounds of Architecture and design to a whole new limit. It has revolutionized the de-sign process from the past as wel as the role of the architect in the build-ing industry. The term computeriza-tion and computational methods in design, raised by Terzidis[10], are two inter-related yet very distinctive term that is vital to be understood to know how the use of computers has affected the design process.

The London City Hall, designed by Foster Associates, is a comput-erized design project that began construction in 1998 and was com-pleted in 2002. By using advance computer modelling, the modified spherical form was engineered into the reality; a form previously un-seen, being described as a “radical rethinking of architectural form”[11].

But whilst the form itself is indeed a rational reapproach to the de-sign, the greater importance lies on the fact that these digital incor-poration initiates a process where the form is derived to meet perfor-mative behaviours, including struc-tural and energy performance [12].

tally create in the material realm” [14].

However, this was only the beginning of the possibilities of computer-aided design; NURBS-based 3D modelling softwares such as rhino, along with graphical algorithm editor like Grass-hopper further expands and con-tributes to making the computational approach a part of the design process as oppsoed to the documentation of it.

Computational processes are often believed to inhibit the creative pro-cess of humans due to their program-matic nature. Computational design do follow a set of ‘recipes’, somewhat similarily to Vitrivius’ Ten Books of Ar-chitecture, but as sets of algorithmic functions; the algorithms themselves do not restrict the physical form or shape of building elements; instead it invites computational data to become a part of the design process, open-ing up a large array of possibilities in virtually any scale that would not have been able to be produced with-out the use of computers. The ‘prob-lem-solving’ nature of architectural design is shifted to a more inclusive view of not simply satisfying design briefs, but of the creative search for new possibilities and methods [15].

10. Terzidis, Kostas, Algorithmic Architecture (Boston, MA: Elsevier, 2006), p. xi11. University of Idaho, ‘London City Hall’, <http://www.webpages.uidaho.edu/arch504ukgreenarch/2009archs-casestudies/gla_pataky09.pdf> [accessed 12 March 2014]12. Oxman, Rivka and Robert Oxman, eds, Theories of the Digital in Architecture (London; New York: Routledge, 2014), p. 413. Oxman, p. 514. Oxman, p. 515. Kalay, Yehuda E., Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 14-1516. http://www.robertstuart-smith.com/filter/projects

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A2DESIGN COMPUTATION

Helsinki Public Library

The Helsinki Public Library, by Robert Stuart-Smith Design, is a project which exhibits the expansive nature of algo-rithmic computation. the continuous post-tension timber surface is intricate-ly permeated through the boundaries of function, aesthetics and performance.

By the process of feedback between the algorithm and the outcome, the post-tension mass is able to be fabri-cated to be a self-supporting suspen-sion structure that acts as a formwork

for the whole structure [16]. The expres-sive yet functional tectonic form of the project is not a pre-determined geomet-ric preference like the London City Hall; it is the resultant of a generative archi-tectural schema via the use of com-putational methodology, something that could not be generated manually.

The possibilities goes beyond sim-ply form; as mentioned, the materi-ality of the structure and its internal amenities, structural performance

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and its environmental context can all be pre-determined and explored in various ways through computation. It is the back-and-forth relation-ship between its performance and volatility, a sensible balance be-tween the architectural expres-sion and structural optimization that drvied the final algorithmic outcome.

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A3COMPOSITION AND GENERATION

i AL BAHAR TOWERS i

Computational thinking and mod-elling is becoming a very popular (some may even claim mandatory) trend in the field of design, along with more and more debates as to how such method should be con-ceived and utlized in the industry. The main principle element of parametric design thinking which is causing such a phenomenon is the schema which stimulates a visual relationship between mul-tiple variables such as geometry and performance to explore end-less variations and hence creating a new form of design logic [17].Such revolutional period is con-creted by more and more prac-tices and firms shifting paths to soley focus on taking on the role of not only utilizing softwares but to develop their own [18].

But what are the limits? In this context, we are not talking about the limits of the parametric explo-ration; rather, more about matter of rationality in which could limit the scope of computational de-sign in architecture to success-fully perform as a building. This doesn’t only refer to the construc-tability and structural rigidity of the building, but also its cultural and aesthetic appropriateness as well as functionality. The continuous development of computer simula-tions such as BIM and Kangaroo Physics (A plug-in for Grasshop-per which allows the integration

of live physics into the algorithmic patterns[19].) is giving architects more control over the application of parametric design in the context of real life, allowing a closer en-counter of the architecture and the public as well as its construction. It demonstrates that parametric design can be, and should be, expressed as not a physical mani-festation of the designer’s desire, but as an artform that closely re-lates to the cultural and social con-text of the site and to the people.

The Al Bahar Towers, a proj-ect directed by Aedas, is a clear demonstration of how parametric modelling is utilized to address and balance the constructional, contextual and the cultural as well as taking into consideration envi-ronmental sustainability. The key principle feature of the building is the responsive facades whose main functionality is to block out the extremely dry and hot weather conditions that could potentially overheat the towers whilst still al-lowing light to enter using fibre-glass. By using a simple folding geometrical pattern influenced by the ‘mashrabiya’, a traditional islammic lattice shading device [20], the mesh responds to the sun’s exposure and incience angles throughout the year.

The parametric redevelopment of the ‘mashrabiya’ embedded into

17. Oxman, p. 718. Peters, Brady, Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmic Thought’, Architectural Design, 83, 2 (2013), p. 8-15 19. Daniel Piker, ‘Kangaroo Physics’ in Food 4 Rhino, <http://www.food4rhino.com/project/kangaroo> [accessed 22 March 2014]20. Karen Cilento, ‘Al Bahar Towers Responsive Facade/Aedas’ in Arch Daily, <http://www.archdaily.com/270592/al-bahar-towers-responsive-facade-aedas/> [accessed 22 March 2014]21. Peters, Brady, p. 12

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the facade embeds a cultural root to the design that relates to the public and the clients, and the responsive facade which is con-stantly changing the form of the building creates a dynamic aes-thetic. Aedas demonstrates a ra-tional parametric design process that manages to comply with the client’s brief and standards that is deemed acceptable contextually, whilst also demonstrating innova-tive design art form and compu-tational technologies that would further promote computational methods to become a “true meth-od of design for architecture”[21].

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A3COMPOSITION & GENERATION

i METROPOL PARASOL i

The Metropol Parasol is another unique parametric desing ex-ample that communicates and relates to its context and clients with the direct intent of creating a culturally vibrant public square. Boasting to be the largest timber frame structure in the world and only being held in place with glue, it is constructionally an impressive feat of controlled alogorithmic ap-plication of constructional rigidity. The Metropol Parasol can be said to be a civic architecture, a structure that suggestes dy-namic movements through its form as well as its structure; mul-tiple levels are extended along the structure such as the under-ground museum and elevated plaza to interact with the users.

There is a heavy relationship be-tween an ‘art form’ and architec-ture in the Metropol Parasol. The sculptural, yet incredibly large structure appear raw and skeletal, which emphasizes J.Mayer’s in-tention of boldifying the building within the surrounding contrasting context to engage the public. It did indeed create controversy due to such large scale and its raw sculp-tural form; the Metropol Parasol in a unique project that challenges politically correct methods and steps outside the boundary of tra-

ditional architecture by using com-putational design strategies. The notion that such building was com-missioned signifies the increasing acceptance of parametric designs being realized into the real world.

Embedded within the sculptural form of the Metropol Parasol is the rational functionality of the space which really allowed such unconventional structure to be built; it is a building for people to gather and celebrate the urban context of the site. The material-ity of the structure exemplifies a visual cue and relationship to the neighbouring town, and spaces such as the underground mu-seum located along the site of archeological findings houses a memorial to historical context.

Stan Allen denotes that mean-ing in architecture can be con-structed via the encounter of the architecture with the public [22]. Metropol Parasoli’s engagement with the public historically, con-textually and functionally asserts a new meaning for archtecture in the modern age where design-ers are intimately understand-ing and utilizing computational methods to compose and gener-ate architecture for the people.

22. Allen, Stan, Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation (Routledge, New York, 2008), pp. XIV

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______''THOSE WHO LOOK FOR THE LAWS OF NATURE AS A SUP-PORT FOR THEIR NEW WORKS COLLABORATE WITH THE CREATOR''

-ANTONIO GAUDI

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A4CONCLUSION

i DESIGN APPROACH i

Winston Churchhill once said that “we shape our buildings; there-after they shape us”. Architecture has been and will continuously be an important influential typology in the socio-cultural realm, and should continuously adapt and be open to developing technol-ogy such as computatoinal algorithmic programs such as Grass-hopper. Such innovations in the architectural design process not only allows a test for variables of complex algorithmic forms, but also expands out to virtually verify processes such as building per-formance and structure whilst maintaining its creative integrity as an art form which serves social, cultural and aesthetical functions.

In the lead-up to the design for the LAGI initiative, parametric mod-elling tools such as Grasshopper will be utilized to explore exten-sive algorithmic variables to generate a form that responds to the contextual aspects of the site as well as addressing visual aesthet-ic cues to engage and introduce potential users and visitors to the complex beauty of parametric designing. Design strategies such as materiality, structural performance and responsiveness will be gradually explored and applied to achieve such design principle.

A5LEARNING OUTCOMES

i conceptualisation i

My limited experience with the theory and practical application of architectural computation meant that most of the content was very unfamiliar and new; however, by progressively taking steps to un-derstand parametric tools (Grasshopper) from the very basics such as the principle of vectors and the definition of algorithmic formulas down to practical applications such as making designs that could po-tentially get fabricated, the very basics of arhitectural computation has been understood. The process of ‘how’ a form is created as op-posed to ‘what’ the form is a significant concept that will motivate fu-ture designs. Looking back at past design practices such as Virtual Environments, such parametric tools could have been utilized to very efficiently explore and generate a lot more design possibilities to anal-yse elements such as light and shade exposure and ergonomic forms.

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A6ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK

Initial exploration of Grasshop-per consisted of creating and modifying lofted forms to base our further research on. By uti-lizing geometrical shapes and patterned curves, interesting forms were generated and modified into complex forms. Such experimentation allowed a brief insight about the con-cept of algorithmic designing.

Throughout the course, many other functions such as voronoi was explored and applied. As seen on the opposite page, sev-eral voronoi pattern was gener-ated through culling patterns. The 2D pattern was then ap-plied on to the surface of the lofted form, and offseted to create a ribbed structure. This notion of mixing and matchinng various compo-nents together to create com-plex geometries begins to as-

sert the fact that parametric tools can go beyond the capa-bilities of designers to gener-ate designs not possible with-out computational processes.

Materialisation and fabrication of the designed forms were also slowly being understood. Whilst the knowledge still lacks to give sufficient information for fabrication, notions such as extruding and offsetting surfaces was explored to give depth and joints to the form.

As I begin to understand the basic concepts of computa-tional design, I hope to venture on more and more complex and interrelated datas and

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functions to be able to ad-equately represent the design intentions of the final project.

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______''THOSE WHO LOOK FOR THE LAWS OF NATURE AS A SUP-PORT FOR THEIR NEW WORKS COLLABORATE WITH THE CREATOR''

-ANTONIO GAUDI

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PART BCRITERIA DESIGN

B1 RESEARCH FIELDB2 CASE STUDY 1.0B3 CASE STUDY 2.0B4 DEVELOPMENTB5 PROTOTYPESB6 PROPOSAL

B7 LEARNING OBJETIVES AND OUTCOMESB8 ALGORITHMIC SKETCHBOOK

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RESEARCH FIELD

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23. Torguato, S. and Donev, A, Minimal Surfaces and Multifuncitonality (Princeton: Princton University, 2004), p.1

Throughout the history of design and fabrication, study of geometrical pat-terns and shapes were and still continue to be heavily emphasized upon due to its boundless relations of size, shape, and its relative properties on space. A minimal surface structure is a locally area minimizing surface that utilizes ten-sion to produce optimum minimal surface area that maintains a zero mean curva-ture to be structurally supported [23]; it is the minimal surface of revolution of a cat-enary curve, also known as a catenoid. Relaxed, minimal geometric structures has numerous unique principle features and potentials that can be applied to not just simply produce a unique organic form, but to address rational design strategies such as efficient usage of ma-terials to meet structural needs, creat-ing large open spans through the usage

B1 RESEARCH FIELD

i MINIMAL:RELAXED GEOMETRY i

of flexible membranes (such as ETFE and fabric) under tensile force, and con-trol of positive and negative spaces. Such properties are realized in early researches and works undertaken by pioneering architects and engineers such as Frei Otto, who adapted nature’s process of soap bubbles to create light-weight, efficient inflatable buildings, and Antoni Gaudi, who demonstrates ‘natu-ral’ structure under gravitational force in his rope model for the Colonia Guell Church (which Gaudi asserted could be turned upside-down to create funicular designs that’s completely in compres-sion). These early innovations of minimal flexible forms continue to be explored with the aid of computational design, allowing a much more sophisticated analysis of form, structure and material.

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B1 RESEARCH FIELD

i Taichung Metropolitan Opera House i

The Taichung Metropolitain Opera House is an important example of how computational methods is used to generate an architectural form based on minimal surfaces, as well as of its constructability in the real-life context.

A membrane that lies between two sur-faces is divided into 2 alternating zones that are separated by a curvilinear mem-brane; this process is repeated vertically and horizontally and is emerged together to create a fluid, organic membrane [24]. Its multiple openings create an inviting

environment from all sides for the public to interact with, forming di-verse spaces that generates a place of communication for the people.

The Taichung Opera House demon-strates an effective balance of com-putational design thinking with its architectural funcionality that does not manifests itself in its own form, but creates a rational humanistic re-lationship with its users, which is a key factor that defines architecture.

24. ArcSpace, ‘Taichung Metropolitan Opera House’, <http://www.arcspace.com/features/toyo-ito--associates/taichung-metropolitan-opera-house/> [accessed 22 March, 2014]

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B1 RESEARCH FIELD

i sao paulo bridge i

The Sao Paulo bridge by Rob-ert Start-Smith Design is a project which is built up under the principle of minimizing sur-face areas whilst creating a dynamic aesthetics and satisfy-ing structural requirements. Its form takes on a semi-monoque structure, its internal structural skin supporting critical areas under compression and ten-sion. Custom-written softwares allowed an analysis of the areas of stress and deflection, and modified via ridging to accomo-date the imposed stress whilst accomodating the character-istics of the intended material, fibre-reinforced plastics [25].

The use of minimal surfac-ings and materials shows the architect’s understand-ing of balancing the socio-economical constraints with the aesthetic beauty to pro-pose a functional structure whilst maintaining its art form.

25. Robert Stuart-Smith, ‘Sao Paulo Bridge’, <http://www.robertstuart-smith.com/rs-sdesign-sao-paulo-bridge-design> [accessed 27 March, 2014

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case study 1.0

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B2 CASE STUDY 1.0i GREEN LAVA i

The 20m installation is a sculptural fab-rication that demonstrates the concept of relaxed minimizing surface through complex algorithmic patterns adapted from natural processes such as cells, crystals and soap bubbles. Its light-weight structure and efficient usage of materials allows the sculpture to span across the interior of the Customs House [26]. The complex form is generated with

awareness of gravity, tension and natural growth, a process which would be near impossible without the usage of compu-tational design and fabricational process-es. By analysing the algorithmic function used in the process of this installation, its components will be dissected and tested to demonstrate further possibili-ties of what types of relaxed minimal sur-faces can be generated and fabricated.

26. LAVA, ‘Green Void’, <http://www.l-a-v-a.net/projects/green-void/> [acessed 9 April, 2014]

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B2 CASE STUDY 1.0i exploration i

species 1. exo-skeleton

Species 1 involved utilizing the exo-skeleton algorithm which allowed a thickening of wireframes to experi-ment with the numer of sides, node sizes, spacings and thickness along a simple open curve to generate forms. Whilst a handful of iterations could be

made, it was still yet quite difficult to get drastic differences in the general com-position of the form. Kangaroo physics was attempted to be applied, but still showedheavy limits to what could be generated using computational methods.

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species 2. exoskeleton on alternate geometries

Following through this algorithm, various other forms were generated by apply-ing the system into more complex open and closed curves. By enclosing the system onto a closed 3-dimensional vol-ume, it was possible to exemplify poten-tial methods of creating a rigid structural

system that could be applied to generate an endless amount of further iterations.The constant utilization of the wireframe thickening also meant that the result-ing mesh were ideal for further refined processing and 3D printing/fabrication.

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Kangaroo Physics, a live physics simula-tion engine, was analysed and explored further to open up further potentials by implying the interaction of tensile and compressive forces within the iterations. Species 3 involved applying various

species 3. voronoi patterns and kangaroo physics

B2 CASE STUDY 1.0i exploration i

unary forces onto a voronoi generated from a series of offsetted radial circles.This resulted in a very organic yet sys-tematic aesthetics, but the form itself was still quite fixed to the input curves.

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In order to open up more versatile itera-tions, the algorithm was applied to cre-ate anchorpoints and tensile/compres-sive aesthetics onto individual points. Creating a base geometrical volume and extracting the point grids from it, the

species 4.kangaroo physics and anchorpoints

points were able to be individualy shifted to manipulate and create a whole array of unexpected forms and geometries. It was also possible to see potential ideas of how such technique could be used to generate enclosed volumetric spaces.

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B2 CASE STUDY 1.0i development i

iteration 1

iteration 3

iteration 2

iteration 4

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Upon initial exploration of relaxed geometry and minimal surfacing, 4 iterations which had the most developable potential and flexi-bility was selected. The first high-lighted iteration is constituted of a skeletonized voronoi pattern that is modified to a proportional scale and inputted through the Kanga-roo Physics engine. The outcome shows a very unique organic form which creates a fluid shape whilst maintaining order. Further explo-ration could lead to changes in anchorpoints, applying gravity and other foces, alternating the voronoi pattern, attaching the pattern to other geometries, etc.

The second iteration highlighted resembles fabric materials and characteristics, showing po-tential methods of how relaxed double-curved materials can be utilized. With further refinement, such type of iterations could be extracted and fabricated for pro-totyping to explore how physical materials can behave in real life.

The third and the fourth itera-tion is based off an initial simple geometry. The control points of the geometry is modified and

inputted as anchor points to create a volumetric form that shows caracteristics of relaxed and minimal surfaces. The volu-metric form and openings can further lead to exploration of internal spaces and zonings, which can be a vital factor con-tributing to the final LAGI design.

The algorithmic patterns utlized in the making of the Green Void has been thoroughly utilized and re-modified to create mul-tiple alternate outcomes. Along the process, many unexpected outcomes were created, which allowed for further expansion of potential designs and ideas. Through such process, it can be seen that computational de-sign is very much so a tool that can be utilized to not simply generate an intended desgin but to allow chains of outcomes that the designer alone might not have been able to produce.

As the utility of grasshopper be-comes more and more familiar, it is hoped that more advanced and sophisticated outcomes can be generated into the design process to enhance the design process.

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case study 2.0

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B3 CASE STUDY 2.0

i Munich olympic stadium i

A prime example of how minimal surface structure is developed into real-life context, the 1972 Munich Olympic Stadium boasts an impressive span of light-weight tensile membrane structure supported by vertical masts that houses a very dynamic volume of spaces and function. The form and di-rection of these structures was heavily dic-tated via environmental and climatic con-cerns such as sun, wind and rain, as well

as having to create a large spanning area to cover a very high amount of popiulation whilst minimizing material and cost. The translucent, tensile skin is supported on saddle-shaped nets made of steel cables, which is support-ed by the tapering masts that reaches up to 70m in height, showing the flex-ibility of such geometrical design us-ing light-weight tensile materials [27].

27. Heide, M. & Wouters, N., ‘Olympic Stadium’, <https://iam.tugraz.at/studio/w09/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/11/OlympicStadium.pdf> [accessed 9 April, 2014]

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B3 CASE STUDY 2.0

i reverse-engineering i

1. Create base surface

6. input anchorpoints to kangaroo physics

2. create mesh grid

3. extract vertices

4. bake vertices

5. select first set of anchorpoints

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7. apply second set of anchorpoints (to extrude vertically)

8. input second set of anchorpoints to kangaroo physics

9. extrude anchorpoints

the outcome of the reverse engineering resulted in a form that roughly mimics the form of the Munich Olympic Stadium. The an-chorpoints acted as the point in which the masts and the steel cables held the fabric material, allow-ing the form to appear drooped and supported in tensile strength. Of course, the actual structure has a lot more wider area and

slightly more complex base geometry, but the idea of tensile structure re-mains. The next stages to reverse-enginer such proj-ect would consist of deter-mining the various heights and elevations of the masts and cables which support the material, as well as generating the rectangular grid frames that supports the fab-ric material underneath.

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B3 developmenti iterations i

Utilizing the algorithm ued to reverse-engineer Frei Otto’s project, the tensile and compressive characteristics was variated and modified to create rational geometric structures with the aim of gen-erating a self-supporting shape. By logi-

species 1. variation of open geometries and anchorpoints

cally defining anchorpoints and upward/downward forces on Kangaroo Physics, numerous different iterations was able to be created that resembled pavilion-like structures. Entry points, shelter, and circulation was able to be visualized.

45

Expanding upon the algorithm applied on to the open geometries, the same computational approach was adapted onto closed volumetric geometries to ex-plore more potentials of self-supporting forms. Like previous iterations, the forms

species 2. application on geometries with volumetric depth

are initiated from quite general and sim-ple forms and are gradually morphed through the composition of anchorpoints and the direction and strength of forces.

Minimal surfacing is explored in more

46

depth. The Millipede plug-in is a structural analysis and optimization component for Grasshopper that was integrated into the design development stage to expand upon how structural systems and framings could be generated to define functional-

species 3. millipede on curves

ity and form. Species 1 was created us-ing points divided along multiple curves, utilizing the ‘cull duplicates’ command to create more charges along points of inter-section to generate the minimal surfaces.Exploration of the Millipede algorithm

B3 developmenti iterations i

47

is continued in species 4; Species 4.A shows its integration on points derived from curves that suggests a spherical volume. 4.B demonstrates how Millipede responds to individual, randomly gener-ated points; it was interesting to see the

species 4. milipede iterations

A

b C

highly dense yet fluid and open structure, very much so like Toyo Ito’s Taichung Met-ropolitan Opera House. 4.C shows an ex-tension of how curves can be sub-divided and interpolated to create a systematic structure and suggest functionalities.

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A

C

B

D

B5Development

i selection criteria i

49

From multiple attempts of generating sev-eral different species and iterations, a se-lection of iterations that showed potential to be refined and explored further were se-lected, based on the rationality of the form and structure, and how it may be utilized to compensate for not simply aesthetic reasons, but for how users may interact with the form and how various technolo-gies could be implemented into the system.

Iteration A, based off the algorithm used to reverse-engineer Frei Otto’s work, demon-strated an all-compression structure that showed a dynamic geometry and scale with the potential of developing into pub-lic openings and a space that invites the public to gather and communicate. Itera-tion B follows a similar pattern; both itera-tion emphasizes its entry points through its overemphasized influx in its form.

Iteration C was derived from the Millipede plug-in, which was very useful in open-ing up ideas of how frameworks could be implemented onto the design to begin thinking about its constructability. subdi-vided networks of curves, joint along the same points on each edges, were sim-ply laid out on a grid to generate a large span, and the algorithm inputted to quick-ly create a large structural framework.

Following up from this, iteration D was chosen as a sucessful attempt of a more refined implementation of the sub-divid-ed frameworks. instead of repeating the

same sub-divisions along each other, the iteration was created by subdi-viding a boundary form (a box), and creating individual frameworks in each to suggest spatial movements and functions within the structure.

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B5 _prototypes

i panel generation i

Algorithm 1.boudnary and points are identified separately, and joint together.

algorithm 2. mathematical logic is applied to generate evenly distributed points in relation to the rest of the panel structure.

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B5 _prototypes

i 1 i

Going beyond the generation of forms and geometries, computational de-sign process is now utilized to trans-late the virtual to the reality. Through-out the process of fabrication and assembly, the fluid organic characteristics of minimal surfacing was to be maintained.

In the first prototype, overlapping triangle-based panels that also suggests minimal surfacing, was generated using a cus-tom algorithm in grasshopper and ap-plied onto a triangulated form to allow flexibility, and fabricated onto a polypro-

pylene, a flexible yet strong material.

Whilst the organic aesthetic was able to be retained, the first prototype raised problems in structural rigidity; the na-ture of the material meant it would not be able to carry any structural load.

The inital algorithm used for the mak-ing of the panels also proved to be unsuccessful in generating uniform, evenly distributed hole penetrations along the corners, leading to com-plications in the asembly process.

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B5 _prototypes

i 2 i

After experimentation with the first proto-type, adjustments were made both to the grasshopper algorithm and the materiality of the prototype. By applying a more rational, mathematical approach to the generation of the panels, the holes were now able to be constantly distributed at proportional spac-ings for a more efficient assembly process. the second prototype’s primary focus was to experiment the newly defined algorithm and its behaviour when being constructed, as well as creating a base template to be used as a preliminary guide for cutting out the panels onto an aluminium sheet, which

was to be our next prototype. This par-ticular prototype was cut out using a laser cutter, allowing a precise and quick process of creating the panels.

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B5 prototypes

i 3 i

The template panels created in the sec-ond prototype was then used to draw out the panels onto an aluminium sheet to be used as our third prototype. Aluminium was selected as the material to be fabricated on due to its relatively strong rigidity whilst maintaining a level of flexibility so that the panels could be seamlessly joint together.

Along the joints, double-ended nuts and bolts were used to fix the panels into place. This allowed for a much more stron-ger and stable connection than the tem-porary fixings used in the first prototype.

As expected, the aluminium panels proved to be a lot more stronger and rigid than the previous prototypes. Due to the absence of adequate fabricating machines that could cut through aluminium, as well as time, meant that the panels had to be cut manually, which caused some minor issues along the connection joints which could be fixed. It was an im-portant learning experience that ex-emplified the benefits of using com-putational technologies such as the FabLab or other fabricating services.

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B5 prototypes

i 4 i

The 4th prototype was an extension of the 3rd, using the same material and joins, but sequencing 3 different panel proposals. The aim of the prototype was to explore how different panels could be joined seam-lessly, as the variations would have a coro-sponding role dedicated to it. For example, the solid triangular mesh that are planned to be welded together along the edges, are expected to be used as a structural ele-ment that can create stability to the overall form around its primary load bearing zones, as well as acting as a base for in which our energy-generating technique could

be implemented, such as a piezo-electric footpath that will run along the interor volumes of the structure.

The 3 iterations progressively reveals more openings to allow a controlled in-take of natural daylight and maintain a level of consistency within the pattern-ing of the panels throughout the overall form. A problem that was faced during the assembly process included diffi-culty in controlling the positions of the solid panels into the desired place due to its much more rigid characteristics.

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B5 prototypes

i performance i

prototype 1 udner compressive force

prototype 1 udner torque/rotational force. take note of its return to inital form

prototype 1 udner tensile force

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B5 _prototypes

i performance i

prototype 3 under compressive force

prototype 3 under torque and rotational force. take note of deformaties

prototype 3 udner tensile force

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B6proposal

i site analysis i

DESIGN SITE

LEGEND

Entry point

Wind path

Sun path

Proposed design site

summer sun

winter sun

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DESIGN SITE

28. LAGI, LAGI 2014 Design Guidelines (Copenhagen, 2014), p. 7

The LAGI design site in Co-penhagen was initially used to house the shipyard Bur-meister & Wain until 1996. It played an iconic role in the Danish industrial his-tory; now, the location is used to accomodate for flear markets, warehous-es, and various cultural/recreational venues [28]. The site lies on a very flat plane, enclosed within an in-dustrial zone along its East and waterways along its South. Across the other end of the waterways perpen-dicular to the site lies an im-portant Copenhagen land-mark, the Little Mermaid. Making use of such topo-graphical features and landmarks, the aim was to create dynamic levels and openings that would expos and frame views that may not have been perceived previously to allow an appreciation of the natural landscape.Climatic characteristics of Copenhagen such as a dra-matic difference of daylight during summer and winter, and the high amount of wind needed to also be consid-ered. should be considered.

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B6proposal

i form generation i

cut corner for public

communication

start with box Optimum angle for

receiving sunlight

form continuity Central Atrium Space

defined by void

sub-division for

functional framing

Framing system of structure based on

entrances and circulation

Merged frame Form generated through milipede

plug-in

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Taking into consideration the climatic and cultural characteristics of the design site, the refined grasshopper definition was then ap-plied to generate a context-responsive form.

The form was initiated with a simple box that was used as a bounding parameter that would create openings within the re-sultant form for uses such as viewing platforms. the box was then split and cut out to respond to climatic factors such as optimum angle for photovoltaic solar

energy collection as well as defin-ing communicative spaces such as a central void that would generate a main ground-level courtyard to bring monumentality to the overall structure.The boundary was then sub-divid-ed to implement an approximate framing system that would dic-tate the general form and the load path of the structure. Through 3D printing, it was possible to explore how potential spatial movements

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B6 proposal

i potential site acclamation i

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B6 proposal

i energy generation i

Piezoelectric system was decided upon to be used as the main energy-generating sys-tem implemented to the design. Piezoelec-trical foorpaths, consisting of a walkable external slab, a layer of enclosed actuators and lithium batteries, converts the mechani-cal energy from footsteps into electrical en-ergy and transfers them to the electric grid. The system was explored in an attempt to retain an interactive approach where users

would be able to physically and visually be aware of their inputs to maintaining a sustainable design strategy, andh ence promoting further contribution. The panels, which can be custom-cut and assembled for various applica-tions, may be stacked upon existing panels within the structure to guide cir-culation within the building as well as generating immediate lighting needs.

Surface Panel

Mechanical force from

footstep

Enclosed stack actuator

Lithium polymer battery

stored energy used

as lighting

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B7learning objectives

and outcomes

Following on from the interim review, the critics were able to give valuable feed-backs on how the design proposal and techniques could be refined and expand-ed to have a more specific design intent and how it can be achieved. Through the review, the group had to reconsider the actual design brief of the LAGI competi-tion of creating a sculptural art form that challenges users to reflect upon eco-logical system and energy and resource generation through its aesthetics and its ability to covert natural energy to electric-ity to be transmitted to an electrical grid.

First, the feasibility of the piezoelectric energy-generating technique had to be reconsidered. The efficiency of the tech-nique was a problem; as piezoelectricity only generates a small amount of energy, it would be very difficult to produce sig-nificant amounts of electricity through the limited amount of panels and users interacting with the structure. In order to resolve the issue, the solution was to manifest the site through a design that would gather a substantial amount of us-ers (hence, a much more definitive func-tion and purpose than simply relying on users to interact with the structure for the sake of it; for example, a public plaza, or a kid’s playground?) in order to expand the usage of piezoelectric panels to produce sufficient energy. Furthermore, Another important aspect to be mindful was the actual calculation of the amount of ener-

gy produced. Considerations such as the net amount of energy produced through-out the year through the system, and what implications it would have on light-ing needs would have to be analysed.

The refined form will continue to be de-veloped critically, taking into consider-ation its specific functional needs as it becomes gradually more defined. Its fab-rication and assembly process will also have to be re-visited, such as bracing systems for the aluminum panels as they have significantly lower load-bearing ca-pacities around its centre, and the com-bination and utilization of different ma-terials to incorporate into the structure.

As a whole, the progress so far has chal-lenged the capabilities of computational design processes to a bigger extent; fundamental algorithmic patterns and logic was able to be better understood through numerous case-study projects that led to many successes and failures. The generation of numerous iterations demonstrated the potentiality of compu-tational form generation, and the com-bination of various technological and design analysis with experimentations of physical prototypes assisted in creating a sound knowledge of the integration of computational design to architecture, re-alizing its advantages and disadvantag-es that began to slowly form a personal repertoire of computational techniques.

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''computational approach currently tends to be the devel-opment of parametric families of components and in the requisite control of data. Here, what is relevant is the re-lationship between the parts, and the management of this change in response to local performance requirements''

-Brady Peters

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PART CCRITERIA DESIGN

C1 DESIGN CONCEPTC2 TECTONIC ELEMENTS

C3 FINAL MODELC4 LAGI

C5 LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

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C1Design intenti principles i

Critical feedbacks and comments from the interim presentation opened up new concepts, ideas and methodolo-gies that contributed to further refine-ment and solidification of the design concept. In response to the LAGI brief, which required a project of a land art that was mutually related to the evok-ing of environmental and renewable energy generation to the wider public, it was deemed necessary to also incor-porate a functional driver that would en-courage the public’s interaction of the project – something that lacked in the previous design concepts developed. As such, the reclaimed site would now be serving as an informal community-driven public space that will aim to bring the local community together, subtly informing and raising awareness of renewable energy techniques and capabilities through the functional and aesthetic characteristics of the project.

Such design principle will be estab-lished through a new energy-gener-ating technique that is more feasbile than that of piezoelectricity, utilizing solar energy via solar ponds. Utilizing the prerequisites and features of solar ponds, the function and environment of the design will be heavily influenced.

Another vital element that will impact on the growth of the form is the site

itself, establishing a back-and-forrth relationship with its contextual cul-ture, climate and geography along with the form development to cre-ate a sensible balance between an architectural aesthetic with the op-timization of fabricational rationality.

Dynamism should not be lost or over-whelmed by its surrounding, nor within its form itself. The design should serve as a landmark that is controversial and stand out in an otherwise forgot-ten industrial site. Minimal surfacing characteristics should be retained constantly to demonstrate its struc-tural stability and efficiency, whilst defining and establishing various func-tions and spaces throughout the site.

Fabrication processes is continuously proving to be challenging; whilst the panelling process is deemed feasible to retain the minimal surfacing ge-ometry, a balance between its struc-tural stability and constructability is challenging. Further ideas and pro-totypes are to be explored to refine the fabrication process, taking into consideration its approximate size in real life, method of joints, material at-tributes and characteristics, and the impact it will have on the overall de-sign and the site (eg. shadow pat-ternings and clean-cut flushing. etc.)

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C1Design intenti technique i

There were 2 essential reasons in which the solar pond was to be imple-mented into the newly refined design; firstly, its prerequisite of needing a vast amount of area to adequately generate a feasbile amount of energy was met due to the large context of the LAGI site, and secondly, this meant that it opened up doorways to in which the ponds themselves could serve as a major contributor to not only the ac-tual energy production, but also be serving as a ‘land art’ that enhances user experience as well as creating an awareness of renewable enrgy.

Further reinforcing such notion of the incorporation of community and sus-tainable awareness, spaces such as public plazas and recreational spaces such as pools are to be incorporated within and around the form to attract the public to an otherwise unattract-ive place. By using a Rankine cycle system to generate electrical energy, the solar ponds can be used to sup-ply electricity back to the electric grid or any other potential maintenance along the site. The residual heat gener-ated through the solar pond will more-over be used to heat the pools that the public can access, creating more inter-relationships of the design intent.

In relationship to the site itself, vari-

ous constraints had to be considered to maximise the potential of the solar ponds to generate significant amount of energy to self-sustain itself. These con-siderations included factors such as:- The solar ponds should be lo-cated close to a source of water to allow the flushing of the sur-face mixed layer of the pond (eg. near the edges of the LAGI site)- protection of the pond from wind, as it may result in infiltration of dust, leaves and algae into the ponds which will hinder the maximum solar gain.- Ponds should be circular to mini-mize heat losses and liner costs- The ratio of surface area needed within the site to adequately provided energy to be sent to electrical grids.- Compensation for areas of plant rooms to facilitate generators and pipes.

Various factors such as these all led to a development of further techni-cal constraints alongside the contex-tual constraints to incorporate into the overall design. Such allowed a deeper analysis of performance and synthe-sis for design decisions and clarified methods in which the outcome could adequately meet performative require-ments to develop a balanced, ratio-nalized project that stemmed from the process of computational design.

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1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Low-salt-content cool water

Salt-gradient layer

High-salt-content hot brine with heat-absorbing bottom

Water circulating pump

Organic working fluid pumped through copper tube in evaporator

Organic working vapour drives turbogenerators to generate electricity

Organic working vapour enters condensor and returns to fluid

Low-salt-content cool water fed through condensor

Organic working fluid is pumped back to the evaporator

1

2

34

5

6

7

8

9

extraction of solar energy via solar ponds Rankine cycle generates electricty through turbogenerator, which in turn also generates

residual heat energy

electricty produced is fed back into electric grids, or used for any other maintenance/-

functional reasons

residual heat is used to heat swimming pools

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C1Design intent

i FORM GENERATION i

1. SITE ANALYSIS

4. constraint response (trim)

2. establishment of boundary,

distribution of points

5. algorithmic form generation

3. distribution of curves

6. establishment of

services & function

The overall generation of form and its process was a continuous back-and-forth cycle in which the balance of the climatic and technologic restrictions had to be established whilst maintain-ing the key characteristics of minimal surfacing throghout the site. The ba-sis of in which the form was initiated from was through the distribution of points and curves in which the algo-rithmic process could feed through. The distributed curves were then able to be altered to meet such constraints (eg. exposure/concealment). Another thing to keep in mind was the size of the mesh surfaces in relation to the possibilities of real-life construction. Smaller mesh surfaces would mean greater definition of the minimal sur-face geometry but greater amount of

panels to be fabricated, whilst larger mesh surfaces would mean that the geometry may be less flexible, and could be very labour-intensive if fabri-cated at a large scale. A balance had to be reached to ensure a size that allowed the nature of the geometry to be retained whilst considering the real-life size of the panels, which could be easily explored and experiment-ed through the algorithm generated.

The following few pages will explore the various site response datas and strategies utilized to develop and op-timize a form that will allow the dis-tribution of efficient solar ponds and create a dynamic public space for the visitors to experience the monolithic land art and the incorporated facilities.

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C1Design intent

i wind rose diagram i

January

July

March

September

May

November

February

August

April

October

June

December

Copenhagen is a site with strong winds throughout the seasons; hence it is possible to identify numerous wind turbines utilizing the climate at pres-ent. As wind is an important factor that can influence the efficiency of the solar ponds, it was essential to establish the main directions of wind movement to re-duce its negative impact on the ponds. It is clear to see that south-west winds

are quite prominent through most of the year, which meant that the design should compensate for such climate through strategies such as densifying the structure to block off the wind or specifying areas where the solar ponds would be able to be sheltered. Failure to do so would result in wave-induced mixing of the salt gradients of the ponds, failing to retain adequate heat .

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C1Design intent

i site response i

distribution of solar ponds version 1

form density version 1

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C1Design intent

i site response i

distribution of solar ponds version 2

form density version 2

80

C1Design intent

i site response i

81

The next stage of the form refine-ment involved selecting and de-veloping an iteration that showed a good balance between the aesthetic/structural/potential functional qualities. The key fo-cus was on having an aesthetic form that exemplifies the struc-tural qualities of minimal sur-facing that could also be repre-sented as a monumental land art.

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C1Design intent

i refined proposal i

After testing and experimenting nu-merous iterations, the most ideal form was selected and further analysed and refined. shading analysis was calculat-ed at different periods of the year, and miniscule geometrical errors were fixed and cleaned up (eg. floating geometry, distorted planes etc.), The form was then used as a basis in which the spe-cific functions and public facilities were defined within and around, and was only a matter of simply plotting it out as the form itself was developed with the consideration of the implementa-tion of these functions. Solar ponds, taking up approximately half the given site, is situated across areas read-ily exposed to sunlight throughout the year, where the density of the structure is able to minimize the impact of wind-induced waves whilst casting minimum amounts of shadows over the ponds. Pools are situated close to the westen end near the sea in which users are able to maintain a sense of privacy by the structure, whilst also being able to enjoy the open view out to the urban landscape across the sea. A public plaza is highlighted through an elevat-ed ground floor along the centre of the structure, a wide open space that can be used for public events and recre-ations such as concerts and festivals. numerous water features (including the solar ponds) enhance the journey aross the monumental land art and dictates the movement within, so users are not lost within the large mass. A concealed plant room is held near the most promi-nent solar pond, hidden from the users and facilitating the energy generation.

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Solar pond

Swimming pool

Water features

Central plaza

PLANT ROOM

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C1Design intenti SITE PLAN i

86

C2tectonic elements

88

C2tectonic elements

i construction prototypes i

v

In order to establish the core construction element for the design, the panelling form has been re-developed to address the need for structural rigidity, whilst maintaining the desired visual aesthetics. It was rec-ognized previouslly that due to the nature of the geom-etry of the panels, the cen-troids of the triangular panels would be the weakest part and hence was prone to de-formation. It was also realized that the panels would need a bracing element to enhance its structural pperformance. To address this, a develop-

ment of a second skin was proposed, where the cen-troids of the existing base panels are used to generate a second layer that will be connected on top of it to act as a retainer to prevent po-tential deformities or slump along the structure. The first prototype using aluminium proved to be a lot more rigid and structurally sound then the previous model, show-ing increased resistance to tensile and shear forces, but as exptected still had is-sues with deformation once bent to a signifcant level.

90

C2tectonic elements

i construction prototypes i

91

Further adjustments were made to reevaluate the is-sues; panels were grouped together to create a larger-spanning single panel that would reduce the need for bolt connections for each triangu-lar side, which would have caused difficulties in joining them together in the thickness of the 1:1 model as they were to be overlapped over one an-other. The same concept was introduced to the second lay-er as well, as seen in the dia-gram below. The connection finish was also considered; we wanted a clean flush fin-

ish throughout the structure and hence penetrations for the bolts had to be compen-sated to prevent any bolt heads to be sticking out. It was also decided to test how plywood would perform in meeting such conditions; whilst the panels them-selves were quite rigid and strong, their flexibility was heavily limited. Another pro-totype in which the panels were scored to allow more flexibility on the other hand created numerous weak points along the panel, causing it to snap when bent

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C2TECTONIC ELEMENTSi REFINED DETAIL i

93

After the sequence of more proto-types, the final panel detail design was established. The main mate-rial chosen for the base panel was clear acrylic. This was due to the cosntruction material having to perform characteristics such as:- Being able to have sufficient struc-tural rigidity to resist dead loads of the structure as well as live loads- Being able to be mould-ed into shape without failing- Be translucent to al-low penetration of sunlight

For the second layer of panels, it was decided to use black polystyrene to act as a wrapping membrane that will hold and brace the base pan-els to reinforce its structural perfor-mance. Its flexibility will provide ten-

sile strength to the structure, and will not be bearing any building loads.

The base panel is split into smaller groups to allow a more flexible na-ture whilst still maintaining rigidty, in which a single panel of the second membrane will bind the set together.

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C3FINAL MODEL

i DETAIL MODELS i

The 1:10 prototype panels are laser-cut and heated into the desired shape. In real life, a base formwork would be developed to get the exact curve required.Due to the scale, the bolt-ed connection is unable to be represented, and is adhered instead. once the base panels are adhered, the second membrane is adhered along the centroids to enhance its structure.

95

The 1:1 model was aimed to show specific dimensions and construction of the joints and the connections. The ap-proximate size for the pan-els are around 1.5x3.0m, with the baes panel layered to be 8mm thick. The sec-ond black polypropolene outer membrane is 4mm thick, and bolted together through the 5mm diameter holes with a standard 25x5 bolts, with a flushed fin-ish along the top surface.

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C3final model

i 3d printing i

the main objective of the 3D print was to show the overall monolithic form of the design spanning across the site. It aims to show the dynami-cism between the structural aspects of minimal surfacing and how the us-ers may naviagte through the site. In preparation for the print, the digital model had to be altered to meet the printing requirements; the scaled mod-el had to have a minimum thickness

of 2mm to ensure rigidity in the struc-ture, and also required a base plate to hold the model together. Due to the large scale of the design, the model had to consequentially be divided up into 3 parts in order for it to fit the print-ing dimension. Despite facing numer-ous printing errors from the prepara-tion to the final print, the final model is able to\ effectively covey the over-all nature and experience of the site.

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C4LAGI BRIEF

i Design statement i

The project aims to reclaim and revital-ize an empty industrial site into a public community space that will, through its technology, facilities and art, stimulate and challenge the minds of the users about renewable energy and resource generation and consumption. The dy-namic, controversial design form will create a new mindset within those who come across it, allowing a revalua-tion of how creative art can be incor-porated into a ‘sustainable’ built form.

The embedded technology of solar ponds to generate electricity to power back into the grid and the utilization of the residual heat will mean that the project will be free from greenhouse gas emissions or pollutions, a process that will be subtly reminded to the us-ers of the site by creating recreational facilities for public use such as heated pools which will be powered 100% by the renewed resources extracted from the solar ponds. The dynamic charac-teristics of the minimal surfacing is also aimed to create a fun, adventurous at-mosphere as users interact through it, where the numerous water features and structures governs the user circu-lation around the site. Other numerous spaces that will facilitate the public in-teraction within the site is also embed-ded into the design form, such as pub-lic plazas that marks the central heart of the design, elevated and opened up to promote public gatherings and events.

The technique that dictates the design proposal is the solar pond energy gen-

eration system; the solar pond has an increasing amount of salt content dis-solved in the water, called the salinity gradient. Below the gradient zone is the storage zone where it lies a near-satu-rated salt solution, and above it is a thin level of low-salinity water that forms the surface of the ponds. The solar radia-tion penetrates through the pond into the storage zone, heating up the con-centrated brine. Due to the natural con-vection currents caused in the gradient zone, heat loss is prevented and hence rapidly collects and stores heat. The surface zone requires to be constantly flushed by fresh or low-salinity water to compensate for potential evaporation and also rinse away salt content rising up due to diffusion in the gradient layer.

Additionally, the thermal outputs of the solar ponds had to be considered; deep storage zones for the solar ponds means that it will be able to retain large quantities of heat for a longer period of time and also minimize heat loss, meaning that the collection and stor-age efficiencies will be high. A shallow storage zone would mean that heat could be readily obtained and retained, but consequentially the heat loss would also be quite high. For the specific func-tional and technical requirements such as the need to maintain at least 80°C to constantly run the Rankine cycle, deep storage zone was deemed for feasible. The surface, gradient and the storage zone layer of the ponds will respec-tively be 0.5m, 1m and 1m, making the total depth of the pond around 2m.

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This is also affected by the climate as high wind-prone areas require thicker surface layers to minimize the mixture of the salt gradients due to waves.[29] The main process for the actual con-version of the solar energy into elec-tricity is done through the Rankine cycle. The Rankine cycle is a thermo-dynamic operating cycle of many pow-er plants, where organic working fluids are constantly evaporated and con-densed to convert heat energy to me-chanical work/electricity. It is a closed loop cycle where the evaporator turns the working liquids into vapors that are fed into turbo-generators which generates the electricity. The vapor is fed back into the condenser in which it condenses back into liquid form, and pumped through the cycle back into the evaporator. At least 80°C is required for the Rankine cycle to func-tion properly. The solar pond’s high-salt content brine acts as the heat source for the evaporator that turns the or-ganic working fluids into vapors, whilst the top surface of cooler, low-salt con-tent water is pumped through the con-denser to turn the vapors into liquids. During summer, it is expected that the solar ponds will reach tempera-tures above 80°C, which would be

available through both day and night. Even during winter, the ponds will be able to supply sueful heat, as the temperature of the lower salt brine will remain approximately 30°C above the surface temperature, which can be utilized to produce useful heat. Along with the Rankine cycle, the re-sidual heat generated from the sys-tem can be utilized to heat waterpipes that can heat the public pools to the desired need. A standard leisure pool is usually kept at a tempera-ture of around 30°C, and even spas and Jacuzzis require around 40°C, which can be quite comfortably be attained through the residual heat.

The annual kWh generated by the design proposal had to be estimated to ensure that the energy generat-ing technique is significant enough to contribute to the electric grid power supply. In order to go about this, a few additional data were required:Size of Site: 5400m2Amount of energy used per person per year: 1000kWh Latitude of site: 55degrees North Annual insolation: 1025kWh/m2 Pond efficiency: 18% Collected energy: 185kWh/m2/year However, a practical Rankine cycle has a

29. Akbarzadeh, A., Golding, P. & Andrews, J., ‘Solar Energy Conversion and Photoenergy Systems’, Solar Ponds, 1, 2-8

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smaller temperature difference, due to a temperature drop in the evapo-rator and condenser. Assum-ing turbine efficiency of about 80 per cent, the resulting ef-fective cycle efficiency is about 10 per cent. This means that in cases of power production, each m2 will produce 18.5kWh per year if 20kW generator is used running at 8000 hours per year (20*8000) = 160000kWh Then, 20 x 8000 / 18.5 = approx. 8648m2 of surface area is needed.

The primary material used for the base panels are clear acrylic sheets with a depth of 8mm thick. The panels, due to their individual specific form, does

not have a modular dimension, but each panel would approximate to be around 1.5x3m due to the process of enlargening the panels by grouping them. The second layer of membrane is to be made with 4mm black poly-propolene; it is much more flexible in nature as they do not have to bear any significant structural load, and will act as a tensile membrane that will assist in bracing the acrylic panels together. The connection details con-sists of 8 penetrations per joint that are 5mm in diameter, connected with a single standard 25x5 bolt per pen-etration that will bind both the acrylic and polypropolene panels together.

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C4LAGI BRIEF

i Environmental impact statement i

The usage of solar ponds and its ap-plication to the design prove to be environmentally and economically feasible in the given constraints and conditions of the LAGI site, as well as the techniques and energy production. Some of the key advantages of solar ponds include factors such as ease of construction, use of commonly avail-able salt and waters to form the salin-ity gradient, the combined ability of collecting and storing energy and the possibility of on-demand extraction of heat for nearby applications. The LAGI site proves to meet many of the ideal characteristics required for a solar pond to work effectively, and by us-ing local materials and resources, the economic viability and ecological ben-efits will be increased. For example:The site is surrounded by the sea, a locally available salt-water and poten-tially saline water under appropriate filtering process, making it a lot more cost-efficient due to ease of trans-port and readily available material.

The large land areas and the topogra-phy of the surface make the installation of solar ponds ideal; the flat topogra-phy means earth-moving maneuvers will be kept to a minimum, and the large site will allow sufficient surface areas for the solar ponds to extract heat.Copenhagen also is exposed to high level of solar radiation to fuel the solar ponds; Copenhagen has approximately 18 hours of daylight during summer and 7 hours in win-ter, its annual solar resource esti-mating at around 975kWh per sq m. The site’s prevailing weather con-dition proves to have quite strong wind conditions typically along the south-west, which could cause wave-induced mixing and the depth of the top mixed zone; whilst it is very hard to determine specific implications of wind, it should be attempted to be controlled to a degree via creating denser structure that shields the solar ponds from direct wind flow as well as potential debris carried by the winds.

29. Engineering Timeline, ‘Low Carbon Power Generation: Solar Poweri n Copenhagen’, < http://www.engineering-timelines.com/why/lowCarbonCopenhagen/copenhagenPower_04.asp> accessed 04 June 2014

104

C5LEARNING OUTCOMES

& OBJECTIVES

The final presentation was once again able to create more challenging re-quirements and refinements to be established to make a more intimate correlation between the design intent, algorithmic processing and the fabrica-tion/construction process. An example of such was raised on the materiality-form response, where it was suggested that it would be an interesting process to establish the form-finding process based on the characteristics of the ma-terials being used. Throughout the pro-cess there has been an emphasis on trying to establish the material to meet the requirements of the form (eg. rigidi-ty, flexibility, transparency etc.), but was realized that addressing the material qualitiese to influence the form would have opened up a wider array of pos-sibilities and iterations to be explored. Whilst the preceding process was largely influenced due to the aim of retaining a structurally sound mini-mal surface geomoetry, and hence limited such scope of form flexibility, such working process could definately be considered in a wider discipline.

Another strategy that was raised dur-ing the final presentation was the de-velopment of modulated panels, very much like the Museo Soumaya in which the hexagonal panels were op-timized and organized into ‘families’ of panels distributed in accordance to the extent of the curvatures along the structure. Such methodology would bring in a dramatic change in the level of cost, time and material efficiency

during construction, and would also mean that the structural/bearing capa-bilities of the panels can be more easily calculated due to the similar nature of each panels. Such process is beyond the capabilties of the group’s knowl-edge, especially with such a complex and heavily curved geometry, and whilst it is unable to be demonstrated representationally, it should be recog-nized that there are teams of individu-als that assist architects and engineers to bring about rationalized solutions, such as Geometrica. If such modula-tion process was to occur, the overall geometry would be further refined to minimize excessive steep curvatures and divided into multiple sub-groups depending on the level of curves in-duced on the locations of the panels. To further enhance the user experi-ence through the project, the use of coloured acrylic could also be incor-porated into the panels. By doing so, a chain of numerous different spatial ex-perience could be created to reinforce the dynamic form that is already estab-

Gemoetrica's modulation process of the Museio soumaya

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lished through the minimal surfacing.The coloured acrylic panels and its be-haviour when exposed to natural light will create an unpredicted, constantly changing spatial and aesthetic quali-ties that reflects upon the unpredict-ed process of computational design.

Throughout the course of the subject, the challenging notion of computa-tional response to architectural design has been thoroughly analysed and practiced to evidently state that many learning objectives had been met. Although still quite faulty, computa-tional progressions and workflow has allowed an integration of the brief to meet not only the brief requirements, but to also compensate for a more developed design principle that would not have been possible without the us-age of algorithmic methodologies. The development of hundreds of iterations through parametric modelling soft-wares and applcations was only the beginning of experiencing the versatil-ity and the capability of design-sapce exploration in computational design; as the refinement stage progressed and our understanding of computa-tional design increased, the process was taken further in-depth to gener-ate rational geometries that could be analysed and diagrammed, modelled and ready to be fabricated. In particu-lar, analytical diagramming such as the sun path diagram and the respective shadow diagram achieved through the Ladybug and Honeybee plug-in played an important role in exemplifying how

something that would be very hard to achieve manually can be so easily shown through computational process.

Making critical design decision and case proposal were an important skill of the design process that was developed throughout the course of the design. Ideas and concepts were constantly re-evaluated to ensure its conformity with the design intent and the brief, and was not restricted to mere personal fa-vor. Working in groups allowed multiple cross-checkings and discussion of opi-nons to create rigorous persuasive ar-guments in corrospondance to the brief.

Encountering multiple errors and prob-lems throughout the computational processing definately allowed me to understand both of its capabilies and limitation. For example, limits of 3D modelling proved to be challenging, where elements of the print broke off due to fragility in thin extrusions- but such model would not be possible to produce accurately without the help of computational technology.

Parametric designing will be a very pwo-erful and useful tool that will definately be further analysed and developed to produce a personal repertoire that can be applied into future design practices.

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Exploration _Algorithmic sketchbook

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attempts to recreate

Taichung opera house





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