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WESTERN GATEWAY DESIGN PROJECTROXANNE DOWLING (558553)STUDIO DESIGN AIR

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TABLE OF CONTENTS1.0 CASE FOR INNOVATION

1.1 INTRODUCTION........................................................................................41.2 ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE...........................................................51.3 INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTING IN ARCHITECTURE...............................81.4 ALGORITHMIC THINKING AND PARAMETRIC MODELLING.....................121.5 CONCLUSION..........................................................................................14REFERENCE LIST...........................................................................................15

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1.O CASE FOR INNOVATION1.0 CASE FOR INNOVATION

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1.1 INTRODUCTION

In response to the brief set out by Wynd-ham City, for an ‘inspiring, innovative and thought-provoking installation,’ it is with-out a doubt that an architectural paramet-ric design is the best approach and solution for the Western Gateway Design project. The reason for this is because at current archi-tecture as a discourse is paving the way for a design revolution like never before. Through architecture, Wyndham City has the oppor-tunity to make a significant impact on how society views architecture, thus participat-ing in and generating this new discourse. In order to see the revolution one needs to first understand what architecture is, the role that its plays in society, the meaning of architecture as a discourse, the current state of the discourse and the potential of the discourse. These topic areas I hope to cover in the first section of this journal, to fully provide understanding as to how I will

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1.2 ARCHITECTURE AS A DISCOURSE

approach the Gateway Design project. Architecture in its definition is an expres-sive form of culture, closely woven into the fabric of art, that relates to the human in-habitants of the environment. It is its phi-losophies, processes and productions that constitute the built environment. It can be said then, that architecture is a central thread of everyday life and is inescapable on a daily basis1. The continuous develop-ment and redevelopment of the built envi-ronment continues to showcase the ability of architecture to construct our identities by shaping and reshaping the world we live in2. Architecture as a discourse therefore, medi-ates what we know, the connection between people and place.

Architecture as a discourse is by its defini-tion many things that generate discussion concerning the philosophies and theories, approaches and outcomes of the human inhabitants of the earth. This discourse is

expressed in many ways including, conver-sations, presentations, exhibitions, maga-zine articles, blogs, sketching/drawing and CAD file sharing. Architectural discourse is at the forefront of the revolutionary shift toward parametric digital design. But its stance in the revolution has not been with-out upsetting its traditional mode of en-visaging the architectural subject and the structure of the traditional profession. Tra-ditionally architecture discourse has been largely a discourse of form, dominated by debates around style ‘appropriateness’3. To encounter the significance of this shift it must first be compared to the last of its magnitude and so I refer back in time to the industrial revolution. The industrial revolution produced rapid advances in physics and chemistry and in-turn technical progression in the prefabri-cation of steel and sheeted glass. Yet the adoption of these advances into the build-ing industry by Joseph Paxton’s 1851 Crys-

What is architec-ture? What role does it play in soci-ety? What is archi-tectural discourse?

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tal Palace and Gustave Eiffel’s 1889 Eiffel Tower (almost 40 years later) were seen at the time as an extremely bold step forward. Although some looked upon these buildings with discomfort at the time they became the most famous architectural and engineer-ing masterpieces of this period. Their in-novative influence saw a worldwide adop-tion of glass and steel, in terms of distance spanned and volumes enclose4, for the cen-tury of buildings that followed. The Crystal Palace and The Eiffel Tower showcased the potential that these new materials had and inturn stimulated the very esthetics that is the metropolis skyline, as we know it to-day5. The cultural repertoire that followed the architecture of the industrial revolution is undeniable. Any discomfort deemed by the unfamiliar was soon replaced with en-lightenment towards the potential that the future could hold. In comparison to the industrial revolution, it is within the last few decades’ society has

experienced a revolution of its own time; it is referred to as the digital-information age. The introduction of computers and the In-ternet has without a doubt revolutionised the world today, as we know it. Like the in-dustrial age, the digital-information age has the ability and still an undiscovered poten-tial to evolve the architectural realm as well as the societal realm that follows it. This im-pact is already present in the work of archi-tect Frank Gehry who’s Guggenheim Mu-seum in Bilbao (1997) alone has showcased what can be achieved when one embraces the possibilities of this new architectural discourse of digital design. Described as a state of transition between solid and liquid6, Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum is social ac-cepted to be the most significant structure built so far in the 21st century7. This impact on the greater culture of society in their acceptance and appreciation to a building that is so innovative and unique was only achievable because Gehry embodied the

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spirit of the digital-information age through the adoption of digital design (BIM). It can be said then, that Frank Gehry’s Guggen-heim Museum in Bilbao holds similar val-ue to the architecture and societal change that the innovations that’s Joseph Paxton’s presented during the industrial age. Gehry, like Paxton once did, is challenging how ar-chitects and designers alike, design, manu-facture and construct buildings.

It is this approach used by Frank Gehry, in using digital design that I will approach my design for the Gateway Project. I hope to prove with precedents that this is the best approach for ensuring Wyndham City is truly ‘put on map’ in inspiring and gener-ating continuous innovation into this new discourse, that’s potential has barely been scratched.

Footnotes

1. Williams, R. 2005. Architecture and Vi-sual Culture. In: Rampley, M. (ed.) Exploring Vi-sual Culture: Definitions, concepts, contexts. Ed-inburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 102.

2. Dutton, T. A. & Mann, L. H. 1996. Reconstruct-ing Architecture: Critical Discourses and Social Practic-es, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press. Page 1.

3. Leach, N. 1997. Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, London, Routledge. p. xiii.

4. Hitchcock, H.-R. 1958. Building with Iron and Glass: 1790-1855. Architecture: Nineteenth and Twenti-eth Centuries. Middlesex: Penguin Books. pp. 115-129

5. Kolarevic, B. 2003b. We Have Seen the Future, and It is Pixellated: Branko Kolarevic connects the dots in the time-line of the digital revolution. Architecture, 92, 83-85. p. 83.

6. Giovannini, J. 1997. Gehry’s reign in Spain. Ibid., 14. [Accessed 20/02/2013).

7. Tyrnauer, M. 2010. Architecture in the Age of Gehry. Vanity Fair [Online], 2. [Accessed 03/04/2013].

Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Mu-seum in Bilbao (1997)

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1.3 INTRODUCTION TO COM-PUTING IN ARCHITECTURE

Historically digital technology has generally only been used in architecture as a virtual drafting board, increasing the efficiency of editing, copying and the precision of draw-ings that are generated from a preconceived idea of the mind8. This mode of working has been termed ‘computerisation’9. In moving with the digital-information age, over the last few years advances in computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manu-facturing (CAM) technologies attained in the automotive, aerospace and shipbuild-ing industries, have finally started to have a profound impact on architecture and construction practices. Architecture is now witnessing the almost elimination of draw-ings from design where instead architects are working with complete, comprehen-sive three-dimensional digital models right from the start, from design through to pro-duction10. This mode of working has been termed ‘computing’.

‘Computing’ as expressed by Architectural Design magazine writer Brady Peters ‘is the use of the computer to process information through an understood model which can be expressed as an algorithm,’11 which is a par-

ticular set of instructions written in a code that is understood by the computer12. What the architectural discourse has and con-tinues to witness is an outpour of intrinsic and complex curvy forms that are now even more appealing because they can be con-structed; the design information becomes the construction information. Computing is redefining the architectural practice in more ways then one.

For example the integration of technology has been paramount to the development of the Museo Soumaya in Mexico City by Fer-nando Romero EnterpreE (FREE). The de-sign was approached using the adoption of computing techniques that saw a three-dimensional digital model at the heart of the design and construction. The complex nature of the form meant that it would not have been achievable using a traditional two-dimensional drawing for it would have left too much open to interpretation, risk-ing the overall design intent13. Furthermore, what became an important factor in this de-sign is that by using this approach it allowed for the whole project team to work concur-rently on the building allowing for different aspects of the building to be designed and iterated simultaneously.

9Museo Souma-ya, Mexico City By FREE

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Mountain Dwellings (Copenhagen, 2007) de-signed by BIG Architects in another example of what can be achieved through the adop-tion of parametric modelling. Winner of Best Housing Project for the World Architecture Festival Awards 2008 and nominated for the Mies van der Rohe Prize 2008, Moun-tain Dwelling explores what can achievable through the use of digital biomimicry14.

Footnotes8. Peters, B. 2013. Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmis Thought. Architectur-al Design [Online], 83. [Accessed 28/03/2013].

9. Terzidis, K. 2006. Algorithmic Ar-chitecture, Oxford, Architectural Press. p XI.

10. Kolarevic, B. 2003a. Architecture in the Digital Age: DEsign and Manufacturing, New York, Spon Press.

11. Peters, B. 2013. Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmis Thought. Architectural De-sign [Online], 83. [Accessed 28/03/2013]. p. 10

12. Wilson, R. A. & Keil, F. C. 1999. The Mit Ency-clopedia of Cognitive Science, London, The MIT Press.

13. Romero, F. & Ramos, A. 2013. Bridging ACulture: The Deisgn of Museo Soumaya. Architectural Design [Online], 83. pp. 66-69.

14. Mountain Dwelling. Archinect [Online]. Avail-able from: http://archinect.com/firms/project/39903/mountain-dwellings/9172196 [Accessed 23/03/2013.

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Mountain Dwell-ings, Copenhagen (2007) by BIG Ar-chitects

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1.4 ALGORITHMIC THINKING AND

PARAMETRIC MODELLINGG

Computing obviously has its advantages but at the same time has its limitations. Com-puting is constrained to the capabilities of the software, that is the parametres out-lined by the programmer. What this essen-tially means is that the design created in the space is constrained by what the program-mer has established as the necessary tools required for designing. In order to overcome these limitations one must learn how to re-write the software in order customise their design environments. This allows the user to set there own limitations and constraints to the software algorithms15. This process is referred to as ‘scripting’ and is now made available through plug-in software such as Rhinoscript, Microstation and Grasshop-per, just to name a few. What’s more is that these softwares are then able to interact with design performance software such as Geco and Ecotect. My next precedent ex-plores this concept.

Competition entry for Shenzhen Border sta-tion, Hong Kong, (2011) by SPAN illustrates how scripting can be utilized to determine the performance outcome of a design. The computer program GECO was adopted early by the architects of this project and what

this allowed them to do was to perform a so-lar access analysis of the roof design over a time period of one year, to develop precisely the appropriate roof openings and their re-lationship to the form of the overall design using Ecotect. This information was then translated into an algorithm/s and import-ed back into Grasshopper without having to reworking the model repeatedly16.

The revolution of computing and script-ing all relate back to the architectural dis-course. ‘Scripting Architects’ are now emerg-ing changing the traditional envisaging of a ‘pen to paper’ profession and the architec-ture subject at large. An architectural realm is finally embodying the digital-information age, there’s no going back!

FOOTNOTES

15. Burry, M. 2011. Scripting Cultures: Architec-tural Design and Programming, Chichester, Wiley. p. 8.

16. Grabner, T. & Frick, U. 2013. GECO: Architec-tural Design through Environmental Feedback. Archi-tectural Design [Online], 83. [Accessed 25/03/2013].

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PARAMETRIC MODELLINGG

Competition entry for Shenzhen Bor-der station, Hong Kong, (2011) by SPAN

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1.5 CONCLUSION

Parametric modeling tools are becoming increasingly popular in architectural prac-tice because the advantages of using such tools are extraordinarily limitless as proven by precedents. The architectural discourse is moving away from an era where archi-tects use software to one where they create the software. Only by embracing these new technologies presented by the discourse of the digital-information age is an architect truly enabled to directly and entirely en-gage with the project, from the design pro-cess of a building through its construction phase. I will be using this new concept as the framework for my design for the Gate-way Project. This will allow me to achieve an installation that is inspiring, thought provoking and will encourage ongoing in-terest in the Western Gateway Interchange.

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Mountain Dwelling. Archinect [Online]. Available from: http://archinect.com/firms/proj-ect/39903/mountain-dwellings/9172196 [Accessed 23/03/2013.

Burry, M. 2011. Scripting Cultures: Architectural Design and Programming, Chichester, Wiley.

Dutton, T. A. & Mann, L. H. 1996. Reconstructing Architecture: Critical Discourses and Social Practices, Minneapolis, University of Minnesota Press.

Giovannini, J. 1997. Gehry’s reign in Spain. Architecture [Online], 14. [Accessed 20/02/2013].

Grabner, T. & Frick, U. 2013. GECO: Architectural Design through Environmental Feed-back. Architectural Design [Online], 83. [Accessed 25/03/2013].

Hitchcock, H.-R. 1958. Building with Iron and Glass: 1790-1855. Architecture: Nine-teenth and Twentieth Centuries. Middlesex: Penguin Books.

Kolarevic, B. 2003a. Architecture in the Digital Age: DEsign and Manufacturing, New York, Spon Press.

Kolarevic, B. 2003b. We Have Seen the Future, and It is Pixellated: Branko Kolarevic connects the dots in the timeline of the digital revolution. Architecture, 92, 83-85.

Leach, N. 1997. Rethinking Architecture: A Reader in Cultural Theory, London, Routledge.Peters, B. 2013. Computation Works: The Building of Algorithmis Thought. Architectural

Design [Online], 83. [Accessed 28/03/2013].Romero, F. & Ramos, A. 2013. Bridging A Culture: The Deisgn of Museo Soumaya. Archi-

tectural Design [Online], 83.Terzidis, K. 2006. Algorithmic Architecture, Oxford, Architectural Press.Tyrnauer, M. 2010. Architecture in the Age of Gehry. Vanity Fair [Online], 2. [Accessed

03/04/2013].Williams, R. 2005. Architecture and Visual Culture. In: Rampley, M. (ed.) Exploring Visu-

al Culture: Definitions, concepts, contexts. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.Wilson, R. A. & Keil, F. C. 1999. The Mit Encyclopedia of Cognitive Science, London, The

MIT Press.

REFERENCE LIST