ArchitectureDesign Studio

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ABPL30048Architecture Design Studio: Air

Semester 1, 2014The University of Melbourne

Catherine Mei Min Woo562729

Studio 12Brad Elias and Phillip Belesky

Weekly Design Journal

Son-O-HouseNOX: Lars Spuybroek with Chris, Seung-woo Yoo, Josef Glas, Ludovica

Tramontin, Kris Mun, Geri Stavreva, & Nicola Lammers Public artwork for Industrieschap Ekkersrijt

in collaboration with composer Edwin van der Heide Son en Breugel, The Netherlands

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but a responsive and adap-tive structure to human interac-tion, the music generated within the structure is influenced by the humans occupying the differ-ent spaces within the structure. As previously mentioned, the time and cost saved through the input of data and the availability of comput-er simulated experimentation not only reduces cost and saves time, but also evolutionizes evidence and performance based designing, that expands the potential of design in-dependent of physical human capa-bilities.

This is extremely unique, as it is only recently that humans moved to valuing the aesthetics of archi-tectural expression.9 To be able to communicate the imagination of the human mind through the assistance of mathematics and technology brings humanity closer to the truest expression of ideas through archi-tecture.

considering or integrating the use of computational design tools, but instead, facilitates a framework or medium that further assists and provides alternatives to precon-cieved notions of design based so-lutions that were not avaliable prior to the conception of programs or engines that process algorithms.8

Computation was a key factor in realizing and modifying the design and highly influenced the design outcome in terms of physical ap-pearance and materiality. The struc-ture was such that the requirement of flexbile and durable, when com-pred wiht the brief and options gen-erated by the programs used. This reduced cost and time allocation for experimentation with materials and structure.

The geometries in particualr bene-fited greatly from computer assisted design, as the programs allow for flexibility in shape and composition, which was integral in the design of this complex pavilion that not only required to fulfil the shape, but also it’s function as a pavilion that is not only a place of rest and leisure,

This design is realized only through the integration of computer assisted modeling and generation, as the in-spiration behind the complex geom-etry that makes up the structure can only be generated through the rep-resentation of sound waves geen-rated by algorithms programed into the computer, producing a tangible shape or illustration that translates the idea of the physical embodiment of sound into a pavilion.7

However, the computational aspect is only limited to assisting in the synthe-sis and physical generation process, as this design not only involves archi-tects, but also the help of musicians, sound engineers, and programers to realize the design.

The design considers environmental factors and was experimented upon in terms of form, however, its layout and intention is very much similar to that of a house, consisting of spaces that are larger in walkways or rooms, and smaller for less dynamic spaces, such as utilitiy areas and services. This shows that the pragmatism and logic within the design process of ar-chitectural design is not lost when

Son-O-House by NOX is located in a a large industrial park the Son-O-House is a public pavilion where visitors can sit around, eat their lunch and have meetings, surrounded by IT related companies. The structure is both an architectural and a sound installation that allows people to not just hear sound in a musical structure, but also to participate in the composition of the sound. It is an instrument, score and studio at the same time.A sound work, made by composer Edwin van der Heide, is continuously generating new sound patterns activated by sensors picking up actual movements of visitors. 6

6 Arcspace. 2002. Son-O-House by NOX. Pavilions in the Netherlands.7 Kalay, Yehuda E. 2004. Architecture’s New Media: Principles, Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design .Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. p. 5-25.8 Kalay. p. 8.9 Kolarevic, Branko, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing (New York; London: Spon Press, 2003) Suggested start with pp. 3-62

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Research Pavilion 2010: Stuttgart University

Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design – Prof. Jan Knip-pers Institute for Computational Design – Prof. Achim Menges

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based on embedding the relevant material behavioral features in parametric principles. These para-metric dependencies were defined through a large number of physical experiments focusing on the mea-surement of deflections of elastical-ly bent thin plywood strips. Based on 6400 lines of code one integral computational process derives all relevant geometric information and directly outputs the data required for both the structural analysis model and the manufacturing with a 6-axis industrial robot.

Comparing the generative computa-tional design process with the FEM simulation and the exact measure-ment of the geometry that the mate-rial computed on site demonstrates that the suggested integration of design computation and material-ization is a feasible proposition.

The structure is entirely based on the elastic bending behavior of birch plywood strips. The strips are robotically manufactured as planar elements, and subsequently con-nected so that elastically bent and tensioned regions alternate along their length. The force that is lo-cally stored in each bent region of the strip, and maintained by the corresponding tensioned region of the neighboring strip, greatly increases the structural capacity of the system. In order to prevent local points of concentrated bend-ing moments, the locations of the connection points between strips needs to change along the struc-ture, resulting in 80 different strip patterns constructed from more than 500 geometrically unique parts. The combination of both the stored energy resulting from the elastic bending during the construc-tion process and the morphological differentiation of the joint locations enables a very lightweight system. The entire structure, with a diame-ter of more than twelve meters, can be constructed using only 6.5 mil-limeter thin birch plywood sheets.

The computational design model is

This structure experimented with ma-terial specific, computational design, structural simulation, and production processes in architecture. The result is a bending-active structure made entirely of extremely thin, elastically-bent plywood strips.

Material computes. Any material con-struct can be considered as resulting from a system of internal and exter-nal pressures and constraints. Its physical form is determined by these pressures. However, in architecture, digital design processes are rarely able to reflect these intricate rela-tions. Whereas in the physical world material form is always inseparably connected to external forces, in the virtual processes of computational design form and force are usually treated as separate entities, as they are divided into processes of geo-metric form generation and subse-quent simulation based on specific material properties.

The research pavilion demonstrates an alternative approach to compu-tational design: here, the computa-tional generation of form is directly driven and informed by physical be-havior and material characteristics.

Research Pavilion 2010 - Stuttgart UniversityIn 2010, the In-stitute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) designed and constructed a temporary research pavilion. The innovative structure demonstrates the latest developments in material-oriented computational design, simulation, and production process-es in architecture. The result is a bending-active structure made entirely of extremely thin, elastically-bent plywood strips. 10

10 Archimmenges. 2010. ICD/ITKE Research Pavilion 2010. PProf. Achim Menges: ICD Universitat Stuttgart. [http://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4443]

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