As requested, my first design journal entry will deal with buildings that, in my opinion, advance architectural discourse. At first, I found architectural discourse a difficult concept to understand. But after doing some backround reading, I’ve come to see it as being a philosophical but simi-lar concept to architectural innovation. Accordingly, the projects I’ve chosen are somewhat atypi-cal to the current architectural zeitgeist because I believe that they show a way of thinking that covers a step further than the current way, or they follow a completely new way of doing so.

1. Palm Islands satellite image.1

Advancement of ArchitecturalJournal Entry 1 DISCOURSE

The first project I have chosen is the Palm Islands, Dubai. This proj-ect is of great interest to me because I find the concept of creating a space, in this case, using reclaimed land, to be an idea which is very different to other building and planning practices. The Palm Islands are not the only area to use this idea, of course, with other examples being seen in Monaco, the Netherlands and Hong Kong. What sets the Palm Islands apart however, is the form that they’ve been cre-ated in. While I can’t subjectively say that the Palm Island are more aesthetically pleasing than other examples of land reclamation, it seems as if they have been designed with many fewer restrictions bearing on their outcome. By this, I mean that it seems like their was probably a much higher budget and a much larger space to work with, as well as more freedom to focus on the overall disgn of the space, rather than the efficiency with which that space was filled.

DEVELOPER:Nakheel Properties.

LOCATION:Dubai, UAE.

DATE CONSTRUCTED:2001 - present.

2. Earthscraper concept drawing.3

3. Earthscraper concept model.4

My second choice was some-thing rather unconventional, a project designed by BNKR Ar-quitectura.2 Unlike other large scale projects, it is quite large, at 65 floors. Unlike other proj-ects, however, it is built into the ground, thus earning the title, the “Earthscraper”. As with my other choices, building into the ground is certainly not a new idea, as many buildings already have below ground floors, but to construct a 65 floor building

straight into the earth for public use, is something completely dif-ferent. Of course, with such an un-believable idea comes new issues, such as light and ventilation, as well as any difficulties that would arise in construction, such as en-suring stability of the surrounding ground and finding some way to actually dig and remove the earth from that deep, especially when it is such a massive amount. However, different issues arise at the start of any new paradigm, but as the con-cept develops, new ways of thinking develop with it which, historically speaking, allow the potentially new paradigm to become reality.

ARCHITECTS:BNKR Arquitectura.

LOCATION:Mexico City, Mexico (planned).

DATE CONSTRUCTED:Not yet constructed.

Lastly, a personal project that also deals with advancing architectural discourse. The project I have chosen is some-thing I produced in my first architectural design studio, which required that we design a discovery centre for Her-ring Island. The result of my work was something which did not focus on the spaces within those strustures, as my thoughts were that the outdoor spaces were the key area, and the the indoor space supported it. Accordingly, the idea of using the created space to support the natural space (it should also be noted the while this is not a new idea, it is not a particularly commonly used one) can be viewed as a potential direction for architectural discourse.

5. Rough site plan of Herring Island.

6. Rough concept image of Herring Island.

1. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Sztuczne_wyspy_w_Dubaju.png/617px-Sztuczne_wyspy_w_Dubaju.png2. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048395/Earth-scraper-Architects-design-65-storey-building-300-metres-ground.html3. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/12/article-2048395-0E57066400000578-620_964x568.jpg4. http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2011/10/12/article-2048395-0E5705F600000578-848_964x800.jpg

Computational techinques &Journal Entry 2 INNOVATIONContaining both creative and practical components, architecture remains on the cutting edge in both worlds. Architecture can vary and draw inspiration from art movements at the time, but it is also affected by modern building practices and advancements. In the modern age, the result of this is that any design that can be thought up and manipulated digitally canbe fabricated in real life.

One such example is Hangzhou Olymic Sports Center in China, designed by NBBJ Architects.1 It was inspired by the geometry of a nearby rever delta, and Grasshopper was used in order to rationalise the geometries into a workable form. It features a large number of petal-shaped truss modules which enclose the stadium. Many different variations were created in order to be able to evaluate and find the best possible architectural solution.

In terms of parametric modelling, howeverm it went beyond the fa-cade of the structure. Parametric modelling was also used in order to determine the seating layout in order to ensure the best possible view from each seat could be realistically achieved. The result of mod-elling both of these elements parametrically was the changing one would immediately cause the other to adjust to the new conditions.

ARCHITECTS:NBBJ Architects.

LOCATION:Hangzhou, The People’s Republic of China (planned).

DATE CONSTRUCTED:To be completed in 2013

2. Render of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.3

1. Plan and elevation views of the parametrically designed shell of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre.2

Accordingly, it can quite clearly be seen the parametric modelling can push the boundaries of what is possible in design. It allows an entire new level of detail, as well as allowing the design process to become much more of a holistic one. This is a very important step forwards because it now allows designers of all types to see exactly how specific changes will affect their design without needing to redesign it themself. This ability for a model to be generated digitally as opposed to be needing to be drawn is quite powerful and is what allows designers to take on much more chal-lenging forms, such as the Son-O-House, designed by NOX Architects.

ARCHITECT:NOX Architects.

LOCATION:Son-en-Breugel,

Netherlands.

DATE CONSTRUCTED:2000-2004.

3. Son-O-House.4

Of course, it must be noted that these technologies haven’t come about solely to complement archi-tecture. These techniques and ways of designing can be used for virtually any kind of three dimen-sional object which is to be fabricated or constructed, such as that described in the Wyndham City Western Gateway Design Project. Accordingly, assuming parametric modelling is used as well as supporting fabrication techniques, this project has the potential to be a very influential structure. The level of detail provided by parametric modelling and fabrication techniques such as CNC mill-ing will allow, essentially, any solution that could possibly be digitally designed to be built as a real project, assuming it meets other basic building requirements such as structural stability. Limits on building design are now no longer imposed by viability of fabrication, which could mean a com-pletely new architectural paradigm.1. http://www.nbbj.com/#work/projects/hangzhou2. http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_cPhUnOPYCFE/S2tyn3agbLI/AAAAAAAAAa4/9WoV_sxtLao/s1600/Hangzhou_DD_Parametric_Con-cept.jpg3. http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cPhUnOPYCFE/S2tyXw56kcI/AAAAAAAAAaw/XrQUBA-Q9xI/s1600/Hangzhou_DD_Rendering_Night%28C%29.jpg4. http://lunachen.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/screen-shot-2010-08-23-at-1-37-19-pm.png

Contemporary programming andJournal Entry 3 CULTURESContemporary scripting and programming is becoming much more prevalent in architecture today. It offers the capability to design beyond that which can be drawn by hand to much greater precision. It also facilitates the creation of much more radical and unconventional designs, as the forms that it can create are not limited by the constraints of a human mind.

Christoph Hermann is a London based designer who has done a lot

of work in gnerative and parametric deisgn, including graduate research.1. Form experimentation.1

ARCHITECT:Christoph Hermann.

LOCATION:N/A.

DATE CONSTRUCTED:Theoretical design.

One project in particular, that he has developed, was called the ‘Mutant Museum’, a design for a building which at first appears to be a very standard, almost classically influenced building, which

gradually is warped into a flowing, dynamic and organic form at the other end.

According to Hermann, the design philosophy was to create a form which “evolved” from a single cell into system where each element, or “cell” relies on what is in its immediate vicinity to create

and entirely cohesive structre.2

2. Developed form.3

This design philosophy has been translated very well into the design, to the point where it is al-most a literal description of the resulting form. Accordingly, it can be said that this resultant form is a very succesful interpretation of the de-sign philosophy. Another way of evaluating the outcome in relation to the design philosophy is that it was perhaps short sighted, or too literal in translating the concept into a design. The de-sign could have explored many other interpreta--tions of this philosophy within the same design, yet has been constrained to the one specific way of thinking. The final form of the design, however, appears to have thoroughly explored the possibilites of this interpretation in terms of generative and paramteric design. The level of detail which has been produced demonstrates a very close understanding of the abilities and limitations of paramet-ric modelling.

The use of parametric and generative modelling, such as this, has the potential to produce as very well informed designed for the Wyndham City Western Gateway Design Project, especially if their is a strong and well thought out philosophy behind the design. By taking into account the proper vari-ables and working with suitable operations to help shape and generate the design, the architectural response to the brief can be satisfied in a very creative and innovative way.

3. Other variants which were explored.4

1. http://www.christoph-hermann.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/emergent-design-mutant-museum-christoph-hermann-03.jpg2. http://www.christoph-hermann.com/parametrtic-architecture/digital-growth-evolution-mutant-musuem/3. http://www.christoph-hermann.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/emergent-design-mutant-museum-christoph-hermann-04.jpg4. http://www.christoph-hermann.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/emergent-design-mutant-museum-christoph-hermann-01.jpg5. http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3265/3193135219_15b6bf8ffc_o.jpg

4. Seeds of Change Gateway.5

Modification of surfacesJournal Entry 4 CUT/DEVELOPIn modern architecture, form and shape are important. However, surface and texture treat-ments also form an important part of the design process, as the outer surface of the building has the potential to be such a visually distinguish-ing element. Parametric modelling is a very useful tool in this situation, as it has the abil-ity to generate surfaces that have have details on a range of sizes, and done so in accordance

with a logical sequence of functions. The result-ing form is free from any inconsistensies caused by human judgement, as well as producing a surface with a much higher number of opera-tions that have been applied to it than would be possible with the generative capabilities of a computer. The image above depicts a form which has been generated parametrically, and is ultimately the result of a surface treatment.

1. This form was created by making an array of spline object between two double curved NURBS surfaces.1

As can be seen from this image, complex forms can be created as the result of experimenting with surface interractions. In practice, forms such as these are most commonly used when creating build-ing facades. One such built example is Zaha Hadid’s Guangzhou Op-era House.2 As can be seen in the below images, the internal par-titions of this building have been cut to create permeable surfaces.

These forms can have multiple functions applied to them, as shown in the image below. This im-age on the adjacent page depicts a surface which has had a radial grid formed from the lower left hand corner of the surface. The location of the points defined on this grid have then been used to create circular objects, the radius of which is defined by an external input. In this case, a light intensity of a black and white image has been used to provide values for the radius. Fi-nally, the resultant form was then extruded, with the extrusion height varying directly with the radius of the circle, which also mean that it was varying directly with the external image.

ARCHITECT:Zaha Hadid.LOCATION:

Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China.DATE CONSTRUCTED:

2003-2010.

2. Internal view of the Guanzhou Opera House.3

3. Internal view of the Guangzhou Opera House.4

4. Internal view of the Guangzhou Opera House.5

5. Parametrically defined object formed by experimentation with surface operations.

While the interractions such as these can cre-ated from such processes can certainly produce interesting results, they do not fall within the pa-rameters of the “Cut” assignment, as the forms they produce can not be produced in reality from standard cut operations on a single sheet. An ex-ample of a form that created from simple cut operations in shown to the right. 6. Parametrically defined grid using a curve attractor.

1. http://www.torabiarchitect.com/parametric_array/images/double_nurbs_surface.jpg2. http://www.architectmagazine.com/cultural-projects/guangzhou-opera-house.aspx3. http://artsiefartsy.files.wordpress.com/2011/03/guangzhou-opera-house-012.jpg4. http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/02/dzn_Guangzhou-Opera-House-by-Zaha-Hadid-Architects-14.jpg5. http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2011/02/dzn_Guangzhou-Opera-House-by-Zaha-Hadid-Architects-5.jpg

Through the use of parametric modelling tools, such as the Grasshopper plugin for Rhino, it is possible to very quickly generate a number of potential solutions to a design problem, as it is possible to alter each parameter and have that influence be carried across to further parame-ters sequentially to produce the final form. This

enables a “breadth first” approach to approach-ing a solution via “problem solving”. Because it is possible to generate a number of initial, unre-fined responses to a design problem very quickly, it is easy to perform an initial evalution of these solutions in reponse to the design goals for a project and narrow down potential design routes.

Gantenbein Vineyard FacadeJournal Entry 5 CASE STUDYThe Gantenbein Vineyard Facade was designed by Gramazio & Kohler Architecture and Urban-ism in 2006, in Switzerland.1 The use of para-metric modelling allowed the creation of a fa-cade which responded to the needs of the client in more than just an aesthetically pleasing sense. As can be seen in the facade, the bricks have been arranged in such a way that they form the image of falling grapes. The sizes of these grapes were worked out and modelled under specific condi-tions such as simulated gravity, and also done in such a way to allow optimal light permeation into the inner chamber.

The aim of this entry is to consider any of the conditions used when attempting to reverse engineer the facade of this project. As a brick facade that uses a repeated element over and over, there is a limitation on the level of detail that can be produced when attpemting to recre-ate an image. It can be though of as each brick representing a pixel on a screen, where the reso-lution of the image is determined by the sheer number of bricks it is being spread across. How-ever, a further limitation is that instead of hav-ing the potential the produce different colours, each brick in the facade instead can be rotated to produce a different shade of the same colour, based on how much light is spread over the face of the brick, in a built setting. Lastly, the bricks can also be offset from the wall to create shados on the facade (but it should be noted that they can not be offset particularly far without com-promising the stability of the wall).

By attempting to reverse engineer this facade, these conditions all need to be able to be freely altered. This would have also been a concern when this facade was originally designed, as the entire premise of the facade relies upon very specific conditions being met (more specifically, light permeability).

1. Internal view of the facade.2

2. External view of the facade.3

3. Close up external view of the facade.4

4. Construction internal view of the facade.5

Accordingly, there are three main parameters that can be altered to affect how the image in the facade is presented: the “resolution” which is created by the number of rows and columns in the facade, the degree of rotation of the bricks, and finally, the extent to which the bricks are offset from the wall. In order to experiment with these variables, a basic set of components including “Unit Y” and “Move” are added to a function that uses an existing surface from Rhi-no. The core of the function is a divided surface, which can be either referenced from Rhino or created in Grasshopper, which then uses a fur-ther piece of geometry to create an array. Ele-ments of this array are then rotated based on an image in terms of brightness.

The images to the left depict experimentation with these parameters. The first image dep-ics the creation of the wall, without having the bricks offset or rotated.

The second image depicts the wall with rotation applied to the bricks to match the brightness of the image inputted through the image sampler.

The third image depicts the wall with an offset applied to the bricks to match the brightness of the image inputted through the image sampler.

Finally, the fourth image depicts the wall with rotation applied and an offsrt to the bricks based on an image sampler, but scaled back to a more subtle and structural viable extent.

Despite the fact the this facade is made from a single repeated element, it is still possible to arrange it in very creative ways, especially with the precision of parametric modelling.

1. http://www.gramaziokohler.com/web/e/projekte/52.html2. http://www.gramaziokohler.com//web/includes/popup.php?file=http://www.dfab.arch.ethz.ch/data/bilder/02_Web/036/060823_036_Dokumentation_Ralphfeiner_006_WE.jpg&Copyright=7&lang=e&closeText=click%20to%20close3. http://www.gramaziokohler.com//web/includes/popup.php?file=http://www.dfab.arch.ethz.ch/data/bilder/02_Web/036/061116_036_Baudokumentation_RalphFeiner_001_WE.jpg&Copyright=7&lang=e&closeText=click%20to%20close4. http://www.gramaziokohler.com//web/includes/popup.php?file=http://www.dfab.arch.ethz.ch/data/bilder/02_Web/036/061116_036_Baudokumentation_RalphFeiner_002_WE.jpg&Copyright=7&lang=e&closeText=click%20to%20close5. http://www.gramaziokohler.com//web/includes/popup.php?file=http://www.dfab.arch.ethz.ch/data/bilder/02_Web/036/060721_036_Baustelle_FG_032_WE.jpg&Copyright=6&lang=e&closeText=click%20to%20close

5. Unaltered facade.

6. Facade with rotated bricks.

7. Facade with offset bricks.

8. Facade with rotated and offset bricks.