ContentsPart I. Expression of Interest

I.I. Case for InnovationI.I.1 Architecture as a DiscourseI.I.2 Computation in ArchitectureI.I.3 Contemporary Scripting Cultures

I.I. Case for Innovation

Part I. Expression of Interest

I.I.1 Architecture as a Discourse

People tend to think of architecture as an art, exclusive to the profession (Williams 2005). However, a closer look into the subject would reveal that architecture is the work of the entire society – everybody is part of it. Dramatic changes in the society – new materials, new technologies and new ways of thinking – often results in a change in architecture. With that an architectural discourse is created as a portion of the society would try to resist the change, while the others accept the change and adapts to it. Hence, an architect’s work is the result of the debate within the entire society, between the two extremes, and his/her own interpretation of the zeitgeist of the age. As Patrick Schumacher argued, architecture becomes a system of communication that constantly regenerates and reinvents itself with the ongoing discourse and the cross-disciplinary dissemination of knowledge, ideas and theories (2011).

“Architects, after all, can design with a pencil anyway.” - Burry, Scripting Cultures (2011) p.17

The Discourse

“... [C]omputers will contribute their superb rational and search abilities, and we humans will contribute all the creativity and intuition needed to solve design problems.”- Kalay, Architecture’s New Media (2004), p.3

StudleyPersonal Project :

Park Boathouse

The Studley Park Boathouse is designed based on the works and design philosophies of the modernist German architect, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. Precedents from this master became integral to the design process and very much influenced the outcome – form and facade that resembles Farnsworth House, interior partition that recalls his Barcelona Pavilion in 1929.

It is precisely this focus on precedent-based design of the studio (ADS: Water) itself that become the source of architectural discourse. Contrast that with this studio’s (ADS: Air) aim for students to rethink architecture via the digital design medium. While designing based on the principles of past master’s works have its own merits (since they have been time-tested to be successful), will it be “exciting”, “eye-catching” or “brave” enough for the Wyndham Gateway Project? It probably

will not. In order to “generate [a] discourse”, those time-tested successful design principles and strategies should be replaced by those which are still young and has not been fully exploited, i.e. parametric designs (Burry 2011). It would be the better design path of the two in order to meet the Wyndham City Council Selection Panel and Advisory Group’s aims and expectations for the project.

Old principles or new ideas for the Gateway Project?

impact”. It could be, as suggested by Williams, “symbolically rich, but located within a widely understood vernacular of signs” (2005, p. 111)

The Beijing National Stadium is one of the centre pieces of the 2008 Summer Olympics. It is rooted in ancient culture, yet progressive in its form as its circular shape is the symbol of heaven in the Chinese culture (ARUP 2011). Here, architecture becomes a sign that could be interpreted differently. It is a stadium, an icon of Beijing, an architectural representation of the society (Zaera-Polo 2009), a new urban experience (Herzog & de Meuron 2007), a politically controversial project (Beyer and Knofel 2008). Beijing National Stadium has proven that architecture is much more than satisfying the brief, it could do so much more by sparking a discourse.

Similarly, in the Gateway Project, the design should be able to be read and interpreted in as many ways as possible to spark interest and gain attention of both the professionals and the laymen in order to “make a significant

Case Study 1 :

National StadiumBeijing

Herzog and de MeuronBeijing2008

Progressive design rooted in ancient culture.

middle-class suburb and recomposed it into something radically different. This is what the Gateway project should aim for: generating a discourse that lasts a long time, perhaps with unconventional and provocative aesthetics that draws inspiration from elements of Wyndham city itself, such as its K Road Cliffs or Victoria State Rose Garden. The ideas behind the Gehry Residence definitely opened up new possibilities for the Gateway project.

Gehry Residence is Frank Gehry’s own house completed in 1978 (Mortice 2012) and it had been a building of much controversy since its completion as the aesthetics of the house is not traditionally pleasing. Reactions to the house range from intense dislike to full embrace, but it inspired a new kind of architecture, Deconstructivism (Muschamp 1993). Such provocative architecture definitely challenges the fundamental perception of beauty. The strong contrast and tension between the Gehry Residence and its surroundings forms a strong dialogue between the structures which begs for a discourse, and it was successful in creating one.

After 25 years, the debate on the aesthetics of the Gehry Residence is still going on, and its importance is still recognised as it was just being awarded the 2012 AIA Twenty-five Year Award (Mortice 2012). It took the elements of the

Case Study 2 :

Gehry ResidenceFrank GehrySanta Monica, California1978

“...ugliness is beauty that we are yet to understand”- Van Schaik, Artichoke (2010), p. 120

I.I. Case for InnovationI.I.2 Computation in Architecture

Cube, exemplifies the union of design and construction through computation. The ultimate form of this project is generated digitally using the soap bubble structure as both the inspiration and the basic unit for the structure which could be repeated in infinite combinations. Digital fabrication (CNC cutting of the ETFE sheets, for example) played a major role in the construction of the building which demands high accuracy in the dimensions of individual parts. Computation allowed the designers to transform the fragile bubble into a building that could withstand earthquake, fire and sandstorms.

The Water Cube succeeded as an innovative and unique architecture that managed to retain its links to the aquatic nature of the function of the building despite being designed digitally – the form reflects the function. This shows that a unique and brave

As mentioned in the lecture this week, computation in architecture is still very young, and hence offers huge potentials in pushing the boundaries of the discourse in architecture. Kalay laments the separation of the design conception of a building from the construction during the Renaissance (2004) as it implies that architects had relinquished some of their powers over the design process but computation had tied the two together again in recent years and forms a sort of “digital continuum” (Kolarevic 2003, p.58). The complexity of many parametric designs necessitated the union of the two because the design intent could be easily lost with unsuitable construction methods or choice of materials (Kolarevic 2003). Architecture has become much more multi-disciplinary.

The National Aquatic Centre of Beijing, more commonly known as the Water

Case Study 3 :

National Aquatics CentreBeijing

PTW ArchitectsBeijing2008I.I. Case for Innovation

I.I.2 Computation in Architecture

architecture could be the result of a simple concept, and the concept is not lost through the digital platform in the design process.

The Gateway project, hence, could be approached in a similar manner. Various aspects of a concept (as mentioned before, could be derived from elements of Wyndham) could be translated into different elements of design and transformed digitally into new, exciting forms that still reflects the Wydham community.

A visually striking structure with a “strong presence” could be produced via computational methods driven by the creativity and intelligence of the designer in finding solutions to construction practicalities (“search” process as described by Kalay) so that the initial concept is preserved. Digital fabrication could further aid the

realisation of the project in efficiently producing the components with minimised mistakes. The digital tools, like Kolarevic says, should be seen as a “colleague” (2003, p.21). This is the approach which, I think, is suitable for the Gateway project.

I.I. Case for InnovationI.I.3 Contemporary Scripting Cultures

Case Study 4:

Emergent FieldKokkugiaProject2003

“Scripting can be a design idiom.” - Burry, Scripting Cultures (2011), p. 24

“Instead of working on a parti, the de-signer constructs a generative system of formal production, control its behavior over time and selects forms that emerge from its operation. The emphasis shifts from the ‘making of form’ to the ‘finding of form’, which various digitally-based generative techniques seem to bring about intentionally”

- Kolarevic, Permomative Architecture: Beyond Instrumetality (2005), p.195

I.I. Case for InnovationI.I.3 Contemporary Scripting Cultures

Parametric modelling has changed the way architectural design is represented. The focus has shifted from expressing individual geom-etries to describing the geometrical relation-ships through scripting (Menges 2006). In the relation of the EOI and the course objectives, one of the principles of conceptual paramet-ric modelling mentioned in the lecture be-comes important – the generative principle.

For Kokkugia, the generative principle is used to exploit the ability of digital modelling to produce random beauty in which the results could not be conceived beforehand (Van Schaik 2010). Multiple iterations of the same algorithm could be generated quickly as al-though the relationship between the agents in the algorithm is clear, the result could not be predicted when they are linked to the whole (Van Schaik 2010). Hence, for Roland Snooks of Kokkugia, a strong design intent that is derived from the design problem is impor-tant (Burry 2011, p.58) so that an optimal result could be chosen from the pool of generated iterations.

In their 2003 project, “Emergent Field”, the ul-timate form emerges from the reassessment of the plaza-program relationship, in which programmatic and architectural agents are part of the algorithm that generates the form (Kokkugia n.d.). This shows one of the ad-vantages of parametric modelling over the traditional design method – intimate site re-sponses based on the major driving forces of the site and the programme required by the brief becomes possible. The unknown result is informed through known parameters, mak-ing the final result more functional and flexible than those generated via traditional means.

Since our mind is programmed to recognise known patterns (Van Schaik 2010), designing with parameters without any preconceived result pushes the boundary of architecture by introducing new forms never imagined. As the brief for the Gateway project calls for a “new, inspiring and brave” design as well as a “dialogue between the sculpture and the landscape to compose the Gateway”, the method employed by Kokkugia in ‘Emergent Field” is a good direction for the design pro-cess. Factors such as the hill in Site A, the ser-vice station behind Site B, the high-speed mo-tion along the highway and the weather and light conditions will be considered during and after the scripting process in Grasshopper to make the design more informed.