J O U R N A LK AT H L E E N K O P I E T Z3 9 1 0 5 4A

DS

-A

IR

CO

NT

EN

TS 01 PERSONAL PROJECT

-STUDLEY PARK BOATHOUSE

02 STATE Of THE ART PROJECTS-JEWISH MUSEUM-THE YAS HOTEL

04 INNOvATIvE dIgITAL PRECEdENTS-THE SPAnISH PAvILIOn-LInCOLn PARK nATURE BOARDWALK-THE AQUA TOWER

07 SCRIPTINg PRECEdENTS-PROJECT X-nEW HARMOnY GROTTO-GAnTEnBEIn WInERY

11 RESPONSE TO THE LECTURE-WEEK O4 LECTURE THOUGHTS

12 WERRIBEE SITE vISIT

14 CUT PROJECT-InITIAL PROCESS-MATRIX OF TRIALS

18 PROJECTS Of INTEREST-nOTABLE AnD InSPIRInG PROJECTS FROM THE CUT PORTFOLIO

19 CUT PROJECT-HERZOG AnD DEMEUROn RE-EnGInEERED-FABRICATED

21 dESIgN RESEARCH-DEvELOPMEnT OF POTEnTIAL IDEAS, THEMES AnD DESIGn DRIvERS

22 MINd MAPPINg-IDEAS FOR DESIGn

23 INSPIRINg PRECEdENT-M.C ESCHER - SELECTED WORKS

24 fURTHER IdEA dEvELOPMENT-SKETCHES AnD MORE COnCEPTS TO FOLLOW

25 CUT PROJECT-HERZOG AnD DEMEUROn RE-EnGInEERED - InSPIRATIOn FOR REInTERPRETATIOn

26 fURTHER dEvELOPMENT

27 dESIgN PERfORMANCE

29 CONCEPT REfINEMENT ANd REfLECTION

30 REfERENCES

The development of this project was conceived with reference to the architects Alvar Aalto and Daniel Libeskind. These two very different architects inspired the creation of a building that could integrate well with its surrounding natural identity and enhance the clientele’s experience of the surrounding environment. There can be many alternative ways in which to fulfil this aim and it depended most ardently on all manner of aspects associated with the site in which the building would eventually reside.

Understanding the brief for this project highlighted the requirement for the Gateway to connect with its natural surroundings, social surroundings and the built elements in the Wyndham municipality but with a inspiring thread involved as well. Studying the area has indicated that the

Gateway should contrast the surroundings rather than meld in, it will need to grab attention and spark an interest in the viewer, a curiosity that will encourage a visit.

With the Boathouse project the primary concern - the connection to the natural surrounds - drew inference from Aalto. To deal with the social connection and also inspiration on aesthetics inspiration was gained from Daniel Libeskind.

PERSONAL PROJECTSTUdLEY PARK BOATHOUSE

01

Libeskind’s Jewish Museum in Berlin is an interesting example of a strong social construction that drives the design and has contributed to the architectural discourse by inspiring other architects to design and build with strong emotional input.

The museum is able to imbue the stark facts of the past, and also convey emotional and physical cues to enhance the experience for the visitor. Although not a Gateway or public artwork this building is undoubtedly informative. The built form is sincere and not overtly “literal or didactic”1, as was cited for the Gateway not to be. It juxtaposes yet integrates with the existing building the Baroque Kollegienhaus next door (top image on the right). The museum exemplifies how architecture can be used to create and icon for a social occurrence, a historical past through new innovative design techniques.

This talk (http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_libeskind_s_17_words_of_architectural_inspiration.html)2 given by Daniel Libeskind, corny as it may seem, has reiterated some of the ingredients useful to employ. His talk is focussed on 17 words that he designs by they are clearly explained and concise in what they represent. There were quite a few concepts that could be applicable to this project include;

Libeskind broaches the topic of computers and their uses in practice in his talk, “how can we make the computer respond to the hand rather than the hand responding to the computer…?” He reiterates the strength and inherent invention that the hand possesses and unlike some

practitioners believes in the importance of understanding from hand drawings on paper not just ones made on the screen. It is definitely a useful approach, to draw to understand and then translate and hopefully enhance via computational means.

Secondly Libeskind brought up the concept of “wonder”. This element of wonder is an interesting idea that is after a little consideration something needed in the development of a really effective proposal for this Gateway project. In his Museum the visitor is encapsulated in/on an emotional journey within the depths of a historical occurrence. It is highly important that the Gateway design somehow invokes an emotional response. It is this emotional reception that gives architecture a whole new richness. It needs to draw the people zooming past in their cars away from their direct route into the city and get them to wonder about what actually is in the Wyndham shire? Encourage them to explore. It has to really act as a billboard an advertisement that grabs the viewer and EnGAGES them (while of course being safe drivers).

It ties in quite strongly with this weeks reading particularly the exploration of architecture as sign. The article by Richard Williams, ‘Architecture and visual Culture’ explores how architecture in some instances acts as sign, embodying a message about the cultural context it is associated with. He talks of how the Eiffel Tower is a “symbol of Paris” it has marked the engineering and science of the nineteenth century, not to forget the aesthetic as well, it now acts as an immediate icon one recognisable to all.

STATE Of THE ART PROJECTdANIEL LIBESKINd - JEWISH MUSEUM

02

STATE Of THE ART PROJECTASYMPTOTE ARCHITECTS - THE YAS HOTEL

The YAS Hotel by Asymptote Architects diverges from the work previously completed and the work of the Architect Daniel Libeskind. Asymptote’s method of designing is rooted in experimentation with advanced and innovative approaches (computational and otherwise) to solve their architectural quandaries.

The hotel was conceived as a architectural landmark that would embody various key influences and inspirations ranging from the aesthetics and forms associated with speed, movement and spectacle to the artistry and geometries forming the basis of ancient Islamic art and craft traditions. It is an interesting precedent because it deals both with clients that will experience the building as hotel guests but works also as a iconic landmark that is experienced in a vehicle. These two links are similar in essence to the themes we must address in this proposal; high speed viewing and a design that is influenced by the culture that it resides within.

This very different designing method is very interesting their design can be seen parallel to the requirements we are required to fulfil in the designs for the Gateway. It is also extremely interesting to see how they are using new computational technologies to develop their designs, “blurring the lines between the virtual and the real world”.

The images are examples of the interesting skin that envelopes the structure and is both arresting at night with the installation of coloured lights that change and by day shadows are thrown by the triangular members you can see in the picture above. This duality of being both an interesting design by day and night, is another aspect that must be considered when designing for the Wyndham Gateway.

03

I N N O v A T I v E d I g I T A L P R E C E d E N T SE M B T A R C H I T E C T S - S P A N I S H P A v I L I O N

The role of innovation in design is an element that is pushing designing forward. Innovation is a characteristically vague term, that often implies some form of novelty and a positive change. Its is the establishment of a new technical or organisational idea, not just the invention of such. 1 It is at times considered a shift in meaning, an alteration from an old process or development into the present time or the entire creation of a new process or development to fit its place.

Technology plays a big part in this shift and cause for innovation. Whether it be the discovery of a new product, process or the unprecedented application of an old one that is very intriguing. Parametric modelling and the use of softwares within the designing process has opened these possibilities up to a range of fields.

Materials also play a large role in the development of innovation. This Pavilion by EMBT Architects is a prime example of how the use of computer modelling and modular units can come together to create a unique and innovative built form.

The elaborate form is reminiscent of a giant wave poised at the point of crashing down on the road bellow. The materials used are hand woven wicker panels and a warped steel frame. The innovation inherent in this exercise is a derivative of the use of materials. The panels are each carefully hand crafted by Spanish and Chinese artisans as a homage to both the Chinese and Spanish tradition of weaving wicker baskets.

The interplay between the two very different materials; the structural steel and the woven wicker have thus created a envelope that is constantly intriguing , highly textured and a new way of imbuing a building with meaning and an element of place.

04

Studio Gang Architects are a stimulating architectural group that are based in America, with work all over the world. Mark Burry explains in Scripting Cultures the importance of scripting in present day architectural endeavours -

“Scripting liberates designing by automating many routine aspects and repetitive activities of the design process.”

Studio Gang employ computational techniques for the liberation from said routine aspects and repetitive activities and have found that it has become a tool vital in their designing practice. Their use of the computer has developed from its use as merely a drafting tool to a utensil that can develop and drive designs what with their utilisation of scripting techniques to create innovative works.

Computers can allow for repetition, consistency and precision, they can speed up processes and extend others. SG’s projects showed that they had capitalised on these

criteria and utilised computation to push these mechanisms further to develop interesting designs.

The Lincoln Park nature Boardwalk project in Chicago, 2010 included this pavilion that provided shelter and a sculptural addition to the park, it struck me because I was immediately wondering could this be a gateway? on a larger scale?

The pavilion was designed on the computer with carefully scripted inputs and then fabricated with bent plywood and fiberglass resin to build the dome inserts that adorn the top of the arch way.

The pavilion has neatly framed little views through each segment, is dynamic by day with the interesting and ever altering shadows thrown and by night lit up again transforming as a result of where the light hits the surfaces.

I N N O v A T I v E d I g I T A L P R E C E d E N T SSTUdIO gANg ARCHITECTS - LINCOLN PARK NATURE BOARdWALK

05

I N N O vAT I v E d I g I TA L P R E C E d E N T S STUdIO gANg ARCHITECTS - THE AQUA TOWER

Another project by the Studio Gang group that I found interesting was their Aqua Tower, again in Chicago. Here they have used a natural phenomenon very pertinent to the site. This struck a chord for me because it reminded me how important ‘place’ can be for the validity of a metaphorical idea. Just a reminder for the Gateway project that the use of metaphors grounded in the site and its surrounds will be most convincing.

Here the building overlooks the sea and is cleverly constructed so that it assumes the eddies and flows that one sees in the water.

To achieve this the designers customised their software to emulate these form changes seen in water. The modeling was entered along with additional parameters pertaining to the number of apertures required and balcony space to create the facade. The script was alterable so it could be manipulated to emulate more of the wave, swell and eddie formations that give the facade its interesting form if desired.

06

S C R I P T I N g P R E C E d E N T SM I C R O I M A g E - C E B R E A S

Ceb Reas is an artist that has utilised software to achieve his artworks. Most people who work in the art or design field today employ some form of software to works that they have created. Whether it be image editing, plan drawing or simply a tool for presentation it is inherent in the field. It is uncommon to see the software being specifically written by the practitioner however. This is where Ceb Reas differs from the pack.

In this art work on the right Reas has scripted a set of small scale actions to cause a reaction that develops the structure. He has based his explorations around the concept of emergence. Emergence is an interesting phenomenon where by small events autonomously effect larger occurrences. The over all structures created are not directly defined or controlled, they are hundreds of small interactions between elements that on mass create unpredictable results.

As described in the Kolarevic article “digitally generated forms are not designed or drawn as the conventional understanding of these terms would have it but are chosen by a generative computational method”. The “internal logic” is defined and a series of automated resolutions are produced. This technique of producing iterations can result

in more fitting candidates to chose from when deciding how to satisfy the brief requirements1.

Reas believes that working in software allows him to “engage the fine process and change the parameters to effect the way that it behaves”2. The repetition of many simple interactions have here been able to develop a complex outcome that is very intricate and striking.

This flexibility in being able to define something so complex right from its origins while still failing to control every outcome is the beauty of this example. It translates into my understanding of how I am learning to use Grasshopper. Although not writing the software I choose what I want the components to do and then by altering parameters am able to choose the best iteration, often a much more complex realisation of what I had originally envisioned.

It is exciting and much more fruitful being able to dictate the skeleton but then wait and see what clads it, hence for Wyndham the want for the Gateway to be a innovative construction could be achieved by using this type of innovative scripting approach to design.

07

For most architects today some form of their practice, if not all of it, is informed by or dependent on computers. The software one uses for design has its limitations and these limitations are often the reasons why design is hampered, unoriginal or physically inconceivable.

For American based designer Dr Haresh Lalvani scripting is a means to annihilate this inherent problem with software and manipulate it in such a way that suits his requirements. By using scripting techniques designers can transcend the factory set limitations imposed by their 3D software. They can take charge of the tool that they are employing and harness it to breed new and innovative responses to design problems.

Working in collaboration with Milgo/Bufkin Fabricating Group for less than 10 years, Lalvani has concentrated on morphing and fabricating his conceptions simultaneously thus creating a seamless whole. He believes that ‘straight lines and flat planes are a minority throughout the universe’, so he has devoted his skills to produce complex algorithmically curved products. Lalvani’s AlgoRythmn columns discount the need for harsh folds and edges common in typical algorithmic designs, instead they

organically and smoothly articulate the surface that is clad in glass also scripted into the design process.

To conceive this interesting form Lalvani looked at the Morphological Genome a universal code for mapping and manipulating all form: natural, man made and artificial. He came across it on the search for a “shape gene” in nature, one such gene does not exist so in its absence a shape genome needed to be designed.

In laymans terms what resulted was a composition of families of morphological genes that specified a host of related parameters. This was all scripted by Lalvani and gave rise to his AlgoRythmn columns the basis for this Project X, apartment building in Manhattan that was designed for Stanley Perelman.

To create these structures, a procedure was developed so that single, continuous metal sheets are shaped by computer-driven equipment according to the algorithmically generated geometries. This approach permits the structures to be modeled and easily fabricated translating into a reasonable cost.

S C R I P T I N g P R E C E d E N T SP R O J E C T X - H A R E S H L A L v A N I

08

S C R I P T I N g P R E C E d E N T SMETALAB ARCHITECTS - NEW HARMONY gROTTO

In this pavilion by Metalab architects a complex developmental process involving scripted iterations was undertaken in order to develop the final form. The project was concerned with reinterpreting the avant garde architect Frederick Kielser’s Grotto for Meditation. The Lab utilised digital, parametric and scripting techniques in order to accurately re construct a new take on the old master’s design.

With the computer enacting all of the tedious drawing and form building the lab members were free to experiment with more complex scripts. The result was a quicker realisation of the project to a standard otherwise impossible in such a short time frame. Many iterations could be tested thus the end product was a highly considered tested option.

Learning from these innovative digitally driven projects it is clear that many old tedious processes can be eliminated with the utilisation of scripting techniques. With a greater

understanding of scripting the architect can break free of constraint and truly push his or her designs in new and exciting directions.

For the Wyndham City Gateway the council specified the want for ‘innovative’ design that would reflect well on their city. They also had a financial constraint and although we are not being hampered by it in our explorations the use of Rhino and Grasshopper to design if utilised correctly will be useful in minimising costs a common benefit spoken about by practitioners of parametric and scripted design procedures. This cost minimisation often comes about as a result of greater flexibility with time; the computer can develop many iterations without time consuming and laborious drawing. This can then lead to a higher quality of design, as there is more time to test more options.

09

S C R I P T I N g P R E C E d E N T Sg R A M A Z I O & K O H L E R - g A N T E N B E I N W I N E RY

The innovative use of materials in this winery is striking, the construction method is equally intriguing hence its addition here.

For the Gateway project it was evident after visiting the site that Werribee was very much an embodiment of some of the ideas of the ‘Great Australian Dream’. The life with a decent sized brick veneer house, a dog, a place to grow things and a car.

Mark Burry in his article Scripting Cultures highlights how technologies created in the computational realm are helping to re-appropriate old techniques. This segues quite well into how this winery has been built with the humble brick along with some very advanced technologies to define its placement in the construction. Although it may look like it took years to conceive and create the help of scripting driving the design process allowed for this winery to be built within a period of only three months. The fabrication was the most interesting part and by no

means a common method either. Firstly a photograph of a basket of grapes was taken and abstracted somewhat to get the best result. Then it was used to map the orientation of each brick.

The team then employed a robot which they programmed to construct the panels out of individually laid bricks. The angles at which the bricks were placed were determined by the brightness of individual pixels of the photograph of grapes and when built are constantly altering the overall facade as a result of the sun hitting the edges of the bricks.

The seventy-two panels that make up the facade were delivered on site via a truck and lifted into place with a crane. Brick is a useful material as it naturally tempers the peak outdoor temperatures, leaving it cooler inside for the barrels of wine.

It is a project that just shows how innovation can utilise old traditional materials and arrange them in such a way that entirely changes them.

10

R E S P O N S E T O T H E L E C T U R EP E R S O N A L R E f L E C T I O N - W E E K 0 4

I just had to add this in because today’s lecture on performative design has thrown up some interesting questions for me. What struck me after Gerome’s talk was a very strange empty feeling. My initial comprehension of the ideas brought up in the lecture influenced the to wonder if we are to go down the lines of optimising all our buildings where does the architect cease to be important in the process? When will there be computer programs that are faster and more accurate at performing tasks we carry out now that don’t need our input? Will this time occur? Will the need for the architect’s involvement become redundant?

I thought it was an interesting angle looking at the task between the design and the optimisation as becoming a compromise aesthetics or functionality. I was forced to consider what the role of the architect is again in order to address this discouraging question.

I went back to Stanislav’s first series of lectures and most particularly the discourse theme that architects act as the generators of. It is that idea of a connection, a hinge or bolt that interacts with several surfaces in order to join them. The presence of this element is vital to provide the correct inputs to drive the design and to add what is inherently missing in computation a human influence.

I don’t quite know why I felt so deflated by the lecture, I think it just was delivered in such a way that I couldn’t help thinking about how architecture can be so close to becoming a part of an entirely different field engineering for example depending on the needs and requirements of the zeitgeist, and instead of seeing this as a bad thing it is a means of evolving, becoming more applicable, more sustainable and more resourceful.

11

On Thursday the 22nd Alexa, Mykel, Ellen and I travelled out to visit the Gateway site. Our aim was to discover what really lies in Werribee and gain for ourselves some grounding on which to design. So armed with our cameras and sketch books we found:

THE SITE- very noisy: lots of cars zooming through- high speed: all of which were doing 100kmp/h- fairly flat: minus the slight rise in the middle of the split the overall topography is relatively flat; sight lines can be achieved, however one must contend with the service station - possibly a big/tall installment could counter this. -devoid of interesting things: as one would expect but this needs to act as a driver TO create some interest in the space.

When we had spent a sufficient amount of time experiencing our site, our attention turned to Werribee:

WERRIBEE MAnSIOn & ROSE GARDEn- the landscape: surrounding this manor is beautiful, its a nod in the direction of Melbourne’s Botanical Gardens but it is slightly less grand and well kept.- trees: were large and majestic, beautifully shaped and with multiple varieties. - the history: of the mansion is also quite interesting but particularly the fate of the owner Thomas Chirnside. Chirnside was one of the big movers and shakers in Werribee in its heyday around 1860 - 1880. He owned a considerable amount of land around the greater Werribee area and was along with his brother Andrew accountable for enlarging the district around that time. All the stress must have become too much for poor Thomas who committed suicide in 1887. He was found in dead in the laundry with a shotgun at the mansion.

W E R R I B E ES I T E v I S I T

12

The mansion since has become a icon for Werribee it is now a cultural center for festivals, weddings, and is most well known for the Helen Lempriere Sculpture walk held in its grounds every year.

“The creation of this new attraction adds another level to the Werribee Park experience and no matter what time of the year that people visit, there will always be a sculpture exhibition in place. Additionally, with more than 100,000 people visiting the Mansion gardens alone every year, the exposure for these Australian artists is tremendous”. - Director of the Helen Lempriere national Sculpture Award and curator of the Werribee Park Sculpture Walk, Anne Robertson.

The past seven Lempriere Award winners are still sited in the gardens and thus remain a draw card for tourists to the district. The arts culture is something that the Wyndham council want to cultivate within the area, hence the gateway could quite legitimately be more of a sculptural piece to express this.

-the Rose Garden: Werribee’s rose garden is quite extensive it is the state rose garden entirely run by volunteers and is made up of more than 5000 roses. -In plan, the design of the rose garden presents a stylised rose, with the traditional five-petalled Tudor Rose containing beds of HT and Floribunda roses forming

the largest display area at the northern end of the site. Pathways act as a rose “stem”, leading from the Tudor Rose petals, to a “leaf” and a “rosebud”.

WERRIBEE ZOO-open range: home to most of the exotic animals found in the savannah - African wild dogs, Cheetahs, Hippopotamuses, Rhino’s, meerkats, Lions, Gorillas, monkeys, Zebras......-LARGE draw card for visitors and tourists. -possible inspiration from the animals/pattern potential, fur, form instruction.

W E R R I B E ES I T E v I S I T

13

Using the very direct focussed sentence “DESIGn IS A PURPOSEFUL ACTIvITY AIMED AT ACHIEvInG WELL DEFInED GOALS” a myriad of various combinations were tested to build a convincing understanding of grasshopper and its components.

Kalay prescribed several different methods of coming to design solutions, the method most applicable to this matrix of designs is the ‘Best First’ solution. Many different input/

association and output component combinations were melded together and the ones with the best results were thus pursued.

Time was not considered wasted by using this perspective instead it encouraged more trialling and discovery of new and diverse possibilities.

RESEARCH PROJECT CUTd E v E L O P - M A T R I X

14

Here I have begun to play with possibly my favorite component. SURFACE DIvIDE + ATTRACTOR POInT + MULTIPLY AnD MOvE FUnCTIOnS. This iteration failed to work as I had intended. The point was too strong and the geometry too dense thus the effect is convoluted, an interesting pattern but virtually useless. to fix this my domain and range needed to be altered.

I began to play around with some different ways of applying cuts and understanding how to develop more complex definitions.HEXAGOnAL GRID +IMAGE SAMPLER + CIRCLES/RADIUS ALTERED and then I grafted and reparameterised the input and achieved a much nicer more randomised effect.

RESEARCH PROJECT CUTd E v E L O P - M A T R I X

Sick of circles and now with a interest in morphing this page is concerned with RECTAnGULAR GRID + ATTRACTOR POInT + POLYGOn GEOMETRY. To achieve a “morph” as such I played around with the aim to develop from a triangle to a circle and vice versa. The radius of the circle and the number of points that made up the grid space were the key.

15

Application of complex pattern to different solids. These trials were created with SURFACE DIvISIOn + ATTRACTOR POInTS + CIRCLE GEOMETRY.

These slightly more complex pattern arrays were completed by using the SURFACE DIvISIOn + IMAGE SAMPLER + COMPLEX PATTERn OUTPUT.

Further experimentation with the image sampler this time I used it in conjunction with the overlapping patterns component as well as orienting it with a attractor point to further deform it. OvERLAPPInG PATTERnS +ATTRAC-TOR POInT +IMAGE SAMPLER + ORIEnTATIOn.

RESEARCH PROJECT CUTd E v E L O P - M A T R I X

16

SURFACE DIvISIOn + APPLICATIOn TO SURFACE nORMALS + MATHEMATICAL FUnCTIOn

SURFACE DIvISIOn + APPLICATIOn TO SURFACE nORMALS + DATA DRIvEn EXTRUSIOn. These tests directly influenced our Herzog and DeMeuron case study.

RESEARCH PROJECT CUTd E v E L O P - M A T R I X

17

SURFACE DIvISIOn + APPLICATIOn TO SURFACE nORMALS + IMAGE SAMPLER. First trial was created by using an image of a zebras hide which articulated the stripes , and the second utilised a photograph of trees that I took when visiting Werribee on our site visit.

10 HILLS PLACEAmanda Levete Architects, LondonHigh quality ship building techniques have been employed to express the sculptural facade of this inner city office building. It is a building inspired by Lucio Fontana’s AL_A art work with its slashed scores, but articulated in the built world with a great deal more fluidity, less anger and a great deal of pragmatism. The clever creation of the apertures ensure that light is transferred into the belly of the building , a feat traditional office windows would struggle to achieve.

RESTAURAnT AOBA - TEI Sendai, Japan; Hitoshi Abe + Atelier Hitoshi AbeThe concept for this restaurant was developed around the ideal of a ‘soft boundary surface’. This is articulated in an organic membrane that acts as a continuous interior wrapper. The interior is thus a visual dialogue bridging the gap between inside an outside, bringing the characteristic landscape of Sendai in while provoking discussions about its derivatives which are out.

THE SPAnISH PAvILIOnAichi, Japan; Foreign Office Architects The pavilion is a unique articulation of the Judeo-Christian European cultures and the Islamic influence on the Iberian Peninsula between the 18th and 15th Centuries. The interplay between these social groups has been realised by the architects through their use of hexagonal glazed ceramic tiles that are a unit used to both symbolise aspects of the Spaniards and Japanese. Parametrically this design is defined by the repetition of a self similar unit that is irregularly populated along the facade, this similar unit is altered/ becomes part of a whole thanks to the location on the wall and the pattern it creates.

MC CORMICK TRIBUnE CAMPUS CEnTERChicago, Illinois; Rem KoolhaasThe university building has ties with the one of the most important leaders of the Bauhaus - Mies van Der Rohe who was head of IIT’s architecture program in 1938. When entering the building one passes through a large pixilated portrait of the master reminding all of this prestigious connection. The portrait is populated with tiny dots that build to create the whole.

AIRSPACE TOKYOTokyo, Japan; Faulders StudioThe cellular design and double layers of the facade by Faulders are generated with the site’s rich bio history in mind. All those layers of original vegetation are represented in the two 20cm thick “skin”. Framing and blocking out the sun the vorenoi panels are layered to create depth and achieve these attributions more effectively.

GAnTEnBEIn WInERYFlasch, Switzerland; Gramazio & Kohler See page 10

JOHn LEWIS DEPARTMEnT STORELeichester, United Kingdom; Foreign Office ArchitectsAgain using the layering of panels to develop more depth this example uses a frit pattern applied to the glass to enhance the viewers reception of the pattern that is applied.

CARABAnCHEL SOCIAL HOUSInGMadrid, Spain; Foregin Office ArchitectsThis design takes into account the orientation and importance of the sun in a built form and has put in place flexible mechanisms to benefit from it.

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U TP R O J E C T S O f I N T E R E S T

18

This cut exploration project is focussed on the De Young Museum by Herzog and DeMeuron Architects. It held interest for a number of reasons:

The Museums facade is a striking example of perforation, and is articulated in a strong weather hardy material that changes somewhat over time. Inspiration was gleaned by the discovery that the pattern projected onto the surface is very much an inherent characteristic of the unique surroundings the Museum resides within. The images that map the placement of the perforations and dimples are of trees that are growing surrounding the Museum. They are mapped in such a way that is intended on simulating the experience of dappled light filtrating through a canopy of trees.

This strong link to the place that the building exists was something that is a recurring theme within this design process that has been flagged previously as a driver that needed to be integrated somehow into the Gateway Project.

Ideas of “morphing” and “rates of change” in addition to

this theme of place were discussed and as a result of some brainstorming the conclusion that it was quite pertinent that the facade was constructed with copper panels that change in patina with time was reached. This change is only a slight morph but it then lead on to scrutiny of the script and how it had a variety of textures that create a illusion of the trees without explicitly copying them at all.

The construction of a facade that can be textured morphing between cuts and dimples to create the feeling or experience of a natural phenomenon was again very compatible with ideas that have been explored in directions applicable to Werribee.

This exercise has thus been a way of defining some solid design drivers, taught us about using scripting to achieve versions of these conceptual intentions and brought up many interesting questions.

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U THERZOg ANd dEMEURON REENgINEEREd

19

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U THERZOg ANd dEMEURON - f A B R I C AT E d

To accurately fabricate the Herzog and DeMeuron project some customised fabrication tools were required. In order to achieve the dimples and cuts in the correct spots on metal, machinery stronger than the laser cutters needed investigation. According to the Fab Lab copper shim could not be cut as it was a material incompatible with the lasers involved. Hence the experimentation with manual techniques was undertaken.

First a few test sheets of perforating were completed, then moving on to the more difficult embossing. It was the difficulty involved with embossing correctly that resulted in the construction of a custom built panel that was accompanied by its very own moulding tool to achieve the dimples.

It was created as closely to the computer generated pattern as possible by printing out the pattern and then tracing it onto the custom wood. Shallow scoops were cut into the board which were the basis for the emboss shape.

A piece of dowel sharpened to a point and then sanded back was used to create the flat cap on the dimple when

used to mould the metal into the scoop.

What was built was not as polished as the De Meuron panel however it possessed a charm of its own there were many more wrinkles in the sheet than intended and often spots had accidentally torn due to the over extension of the metal.

To achieve the cuts hole punches of various sizes were utilised to pierce the metal. Those that worked best were able to cleanly chop the center out in one hit.

The interplay of light and shadow from reflections and direct beams are the most striking elements that react with this reconstruction.

20

d E S I g N R E S E A R C HdEvELOPMENT Of POTENTIAL IdEAS, THEMES ANd dESIgN dRIvERS

These sketches are purely preliminary ideas/ thoughts/ threads, I had to get out of my head onto paper. I was considering sides of the roads, view lines, movement, unit and whole, novelty and the site themes and potential

influences when sketching. This exercise helped in my consideration of key drivers that are required when defining the terms of design for this project.

21

The rose derived from the Werribee rose garden is was an interesting starting point as it lead to many possible starting points to inform potential designs.

It lead into the fibonacci sequence, then fractals and how these elements may potentially be good patterning or form building devices with which we can employ in the digitalization process.

M. C Escher has been a really strong source of inspiration for our realisation of the morph from different materials and also for me is a fabulous example of how one can effectively move between states. This in between phase is integral in our success in creating a cohesive fabric that expresses our conception of Wyndham.

M I N d M A P P I N gI d E A S f O R d E S I g N

Looking at Alvar Aalto and his innovative use of bricks in the his Synatsalo Experimental House was another precedent for us to interpret. Although we now look at this building an see that it is dated his extrusion, alignment and grouping of the humble brick have entirely altered their identity something

that if we do choose to utilise bricks we must do.

Storey Hall was the precedent we looked at when understanding fractals and their use in architecture. The facade and into the building is a growing pattern that changes direction alters but

remains coherent. Arm architects have exhibited how this complex mathematical equation can be utilised in a not convoluted manner.

One of the most inspiring concepts that has arisen out of our investigating is derived from how animals camouflage themselves. Zebras are striped vigorously so that they aren’t visibly distinguishable against the pack. The deer has a lighter toned stomach as compared to its darker back thus making it blend well with its

surroundings.

22

I N S P I R I N g P R E C E d E N TM. C. ESCHER - SELECTEd WORKS

I have included Escher because I really find that his work was way before its time. Escher morphed forms by hand, he meticulously defined every pattern, every line and was in control of every inch of change.

For us today this type of painstaking work would not even be considered to be conceived by hand due to the rise of computers and their myriad of different softwares can do the job much quicker and in some cases more efficiently (you can ctrl Z!!).

This is however an art in itself. Being able to effectively drive software to incrementally change a form into another, in an interesting non convoluted manner is something I really would love to learn how to do.

For our conception of Wyndham we have found a myriad of interesting aspects all of which provide a rich fabric with which we want to express. Here is where we must also work in coherence. KISS - keep it simple stupid offset by that whole idea of less is more, less is a bore.....

For me a potential direction is to push this issue of lots of influences into being a tool that helps one create a interesting multifaceted design/panels or patterns to apply to a form that is simply articulated.

23

To properly understand the site and the direction that we intend on heading to define our form I have made many concept sketches and written down ideas here and there to filter through all of the exciting brainstorming that we undertook the days before.

For me the most important defining factors are the idea of ‘sense of place’ I feel that to gain any type of emotional

response we must be connecting and appealing to the Werribee site. The influence of the natural world and how it plays an important part in helping create the sense of place theme and is a useful form making/pattern developing tool for articulating our intentions .

f U R T H E R I d E A d E v E L O P M E N TSKETCHES ANd MORE CONCEPTS TO fOLLOW

I spent some time thinking about where the Gateway might go in relation to the road, over? beside? I came to the conclusion that in order to truly capture the drivers’ attention we needed to envelop a part of the road make it seem as though you would be passing through and experience, privy to that transient emotive reaction. 24

With the understanding and re-engineering of the Herzog script complete we sought to express our own design intentions with relation to the process involved with the Museum facade. Our ingredients or design drivers, as illuded to earlier were morphing of form/pattern and use of significant elements unique/characteristic of place - Werribee.

Our morphing in form is a device that is derived from movement and the perception that one will be privy to when passing the installation. M.C Escher has become a strong influence for us in our research of this theme. The Zebra and rose are two very literal items that we have lifted directly from Werribee along with the “spine” concept pertaining to the meaning of the name the Aboriginals gave Werribee in their language. To aid in the morph that the

project will go through we intend on employing lessons learnt from the natural phenomenon of camouflage. The in between states, the transitions that are undertaken for the morph to occur is where we intend on using this idea of camouflage. It is a mechanism that we will employ to make the state change more interesting and cohesive.

Our objective is to innovate through use of these very literal drivers to stimulate an emotional reaction from the experiencee. Because emotion is such an innate characteristic of humans it is a universal and egalitarian tool that we would like to appeal to and it causes discussion henceforth contributing to discourse and innovation.

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U THERZOg ANd dEMEURON - I N S P I R AT I O N f O R R E I N T E R P R E TAT I O N

25

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U Tf U R T H E R d E v E L O P M E N T

This design was conceived as an extension to all that we had learn in the previous reengineering process. The rose, fractals, biomentoring, camou-flage, the spine along with a myriad of other Werribee ideals have come into the development of this matrix.

It was intended that all of the design drivers that we had discovered would be the ingredients required to imbue the design with meaning. Without being too literal elements were utilised for form finding and overall design map-ping.

The shapes that are seen in the following matrix were indicative of the Wer-ribee Rose Garden and were oriented on a spine like curve, the rosettes were then rotated and changed to express the differences in the township.

26

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U Td E S I g N P E R f O R M A N C E

Responding to light was the strongest mechanism that expressed the transient nature of the design. The process resulted in the discovery that to achieve a strong experiential effect the construction would need to envelop the road and become something that one should drive through. The segmented model was intended to be an integrated realisation of the rosetted form that we designed previously, however its translation out of virtual world was not as successful as hoped.

It was found that the form became segmented weirdly and did not articulate the junction of each section all that well. It was found however that the model exemplified a different aspect, that of the spine.

The flatter model in the top right hand corner was another learning experience. The model was laser cut in the fab lab and was an exercise in identifying what can go wrong. The scale was incorrect and resulted in quite a small mediocre little cut piece of card. It also articulated the need for the correct thickness of card required when creating such a form.

From all of these tests a great understanding was developed a good basis for moving into the next phase.

27

Again looking at the effects of light on the model. This particular test focussed more on creating effective perforations that would catch and reflect the light in an interesting configuration.

It was too was unsuccessful but was a valuable test that indicated where we could improve and also the most important feedback that arose from its delivery was the fact that when designing not everything needs to be explained by a design driver.

To move forward from this point a distillation of all of the ideas that we have tested and worked with needs to be reached. The design became convoluted with all these possibilities and instead we need to focus on what is important and strong in expressing a clear message.

28

R E S E A R C H P R O J E C T C U TC O N C E P T - R E f I N E M E N T

Moving on from our critiques in class our new direction has taken form with a much simpler understanding of what we are moving to achieve. Rather than spending time justifying every move we have decided to stop and evaluate our inspirations and amalgamate them into a much simpler set of ideas to propose our EOI design with.

This has driven us into the realm of literal but also

reinspired our intentions to emulate a very emotional, transient, egalitarian design. A tunnel/ installation/ sculpture enveloping the road the message must be clearly translated through the object as no clues are given from the function of the piece. All of the elements of the piece must be closely related or at least in some sort of dialogue retaining the cohesive nature of the design and relaying the message clearly.

29

RE

fE

RE

NC

ES

01 PERSONAL PROJECT-STUDLEY PARK BOATHOUSE

02 STATE Of THE ART PROJECTS-JEWISH MUSEUM 1. Western Gateway Design Project - www.wyndham.vic.gov.au pp.2-13 2.Ted talks: http://www.ted.com/talks/daniel_libeskind_s_17_words_of_architectural_inspiration.html -THE YAS HOTEL 1. Jodidio, Philip (2010). ARCHITECTURE nOW! (Italy: Taschen), pp. 78 - 812. Western Gateway Design Project - www.wyndham.vic.gov.au pp.2-13

04 INNOvATIvE dIgITAL PRECEdENTS-THE SPAnISH PAvILIOn Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (new York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 62Brownell, Blaine (2012). Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture (new York: Princeton Architectural Press), pp. 76 - 77

-LInCOLn PARK nATURE BOARDWALK1. http://studiogang.net/

-THE AQUA TOWER 1. http://studiogang.net/

Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (new York; London: Spon Press, 2003), pp. 3 - 62

07 SCRIPTINg PRECEdENTS-MICROIMAGE1. Kolarevic, Branko (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (new York; London: Spon Press), pp. 6 - 242. Architecture and Design - Programming Cultures, Art and Architecture in the Age of SoftwareGuest-edited by Mike Silver - Process/Drawing pp. 26 - 33

-PROJECT X1. Architecture and Design - Programming Cultures, Art and Architecture in the Age of SoftwareGuest-edited by Mike Silver - The Milgo Experiment: An Interview with Haresh Lalvani pp. 53 - 61

-nEW HARMOnY GROTTO1. http://www.archdaily.com/101711/new-harmony-grotto-a-reinterpretation-of-frederick-kielser%E2%80%99s-

grotto-for-meditation-metalab-architecture-fabrication/

-GAnTEnBEIn WInERY1. Brownell, Blaine (2012). Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture (new York: Princeton Architectural Press), pp. 30 - 312. Burry, Mark (2011). Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming (Chichester: Wiley), pp. 8 - 713. Kolarevic, Branko (2003). Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (new York; London: Spon Press), pp. 6 - 24

11 RESPONSE TO THE LECTURE-WEEK O4 LECTURE THOUGHTS

14 CUT PROJECT-MATRIX OF TRIALSYehuda E. Kalay, Architecture’s new Media : Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aide-Design (Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25

30