Issuu

STUDIO: AIR

SABRINA WIDJAJA 830982 TUTOR: DAN SHULZ SEMESTER 1 2018

CONCEPTUALISATION

THE EDEN PROJECT TIM SMIT/ GRIMSHAW ARCHITECTS The Eden Projec t was a vision that was brought to life by Tim Smit, who wanted a large piece of land in order to showcase the worldâ€™s most impor tant plants. That was how he discovered the large clay pit located in South West England in 1999. The clay pit was losing its economic value, so Smit took this oppor tunit y to revitalise the land. 83,0 0 0 tonnes of soil was transpor ted to the site in order to regenerate the soil. The construc tion period of the site was dif ficult due to the lose and silt y sand it was located on. Rain occurred consistently causing a flood to occur on the construc tion site. However, with the help of Grimshaw Architec ts, Smit was able to see the potential in the land.

A.1.2.2 PRECEDENT 2

The layout of the biomes were carefully calculated to ensure that they have the optimal environment for the plants placed in them. The layout reminds me of the cur ved branches of the oak tree- this is the contrast bet ween something that is natural and carefully placed.

Grimshaw designed t wo t ypes of biomesâ€” the rainforest biome and the Mediterranean biome. The biomes were inspired by soap bubbles, as they are able to change its shape and adapt itself to the dif ferent sur faces it is in contac t with. The bubbles are also able to join together in order to form a larger shape, inspiring Grimshaw to create several joined domes. The biodomes were also inspired by the Climatron dome at the Missouri Botanical Gardens in St Louis, USA and the Montreal Biosphere in Canada. Each dome is made out of a doublecur ved glulam (glue laminated) timber beams. Each dome has a hex-tri-hex space with t wo layers. The outer layer is made of hexagons roughly 11m across with a few pentagons. The inner layer comprises of hexagons and triangles bolted together. The biomes comprises of light steel that weighs slightly more than the air contained by each biome, so they are more likely to be blown away than to collapse.

CONCEPTUALISATION

VESPERS 2016 EXHIBITION A.2.1 RESEARCH

Computing has greatly af fec ted the design process over the last few years, as it allows designers to explore avenues that has never been explored before. Computing allows designers to broaden their horizons by saving time on cer tain aspec ts of design and focusing them on exploring more options and ideas. This has led computing to redefine prac tice by increasing the speed of innovation. Computation has also allowed architec ts to explore their ideas through programs such as Grasshopper, which can lead them to cer tain designs and shapes that would have never occurred through traditional design methods. This also allows them to use more advance programs to take more aspec ts into consideration when designing for a cer tain brief. One of the first forms of computation is parametric design. Parametric design is a process based on algorithmic thinking that clarif y the relationship bet ween design intent and design response. Thus, this has enabled the manipulation of material systems as something that has contributed to research-based design in architec ture. Neri Oxman is a loud advocate for computation by exploring the relationship bet ween biology and design. She has gathered a group of students in order to create pieces that exhibits the contrast bet ween the controllable and the uncontrollable. She helps us understand that nature is unpredic table and can only be manipulated to a cer tain ex tent. Thus, no t wo designs are the same. This is apparent in her Vespers exhibition, where the masks have a swirl of colours that was achieved through computation. 18

CONCEPTUALISATION

NERI OXMAN & THE MEMBERS OF THE

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY B.1

RESEARCH FIELD

STUDY B.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

CASE STUDY 2.0

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.2.1 CASE STUDY 1.0

THE SEROUSSI PAVILION ALISA ANDRASEK The Seroussi Pavillion was designed by Alisa Andrasek, which was ‘grown’ out of self-modif ying pat terns of vec tors based on elec tro-magnetic fields. She used the logics of at trac tion/ repulsion trajec tories which were computed in plant and then lif ted via a series of struc tural microarching sec tions through dif ferent frequencies. A total of six dif ferent geometrical systems were used for design and are all steaming out of primar y trajec tories. Light / shading and programming of views is achieved through sine- wave func tions causing the parametric dif ferentiation of angle, orientation and the size of the aper ture. She created an ‘infrasrutural’ cocoon that squeezes together to create a pleating detail of tex tures.

This struc ture represents strips and folding due to the bending of the material from the centre of each cur ve. It uses a minimum number of joints and materials needed through the implementation of bending. Thus, through the script, I hope to adjust it to the needs of Merri Creek and the species that lives within the environment.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.2.2 STRIPS AND FOLDING

ITERATION MATRIX LENGTH OF FIELD LINES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

QUANTITY OF SEGMENTS DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

POINT CHARGE AND SPIN FORCE DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

MULTIPLE POINT CHARGES DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCENTRATION OF JITTER DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4

CONCEPTUALISATION

DESIGN TASK 2

CONCEPTUALISATION

SUPERKILEN SUPERFLEX Superkilen is an urban park projec t in Copenhagen designed by SUPERFLE X along with a collaboration with Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG) and Topotek1. Superkilen is divided into three main areas: The Red Square, The Black Market and The Green Park. This unique park aims to engage residents around the park through a concept defined as “ex treme par ticipation” in Copenhagen’s most diverse and socially challenged neighbourhoods. The residents surrounding the park is composed of people from more than 50 countries. SUPERFLE X asked local residents to nominate specific urban objec ts encountered in either their countr y of national origin or in their travels abroad. The nominated objec ts would then be produce as a 1:1 scale copy or purchased and transpor ted to the site. Af ter travelling five groups to dif ferent countries to acquire the nominated objec ts and install them in the park, there is over 10 0 dif ferent objec ts from more than 50 dif ferent countries. With the range of ethnicities colliding, Superkilen is an area that contains rare fusion architec ture, landscape architec ture and ar t from early concept to construc tion stage.

B.5.4.1 PRECEDENT

Superkilen reat tributes motifs from garden histor y where it showcases the movement of an ideal or the reproduc tion of another place is a common theme through time. E xamples of this would be the way the Chinese reference the mountain ranges with miniature rocks and the Japanese would reference the ocean with rippled gravel. Thus, Superkilen is a contemporar y urban version of a universal garden. The conceptual star ting point of Superkilen is to divide the park into three zones. The dif ferent colours are integrated to form a new dynamic surrounding for ever yday objec ts. The park connec ts the neighbourhood to surrounding infrastruc ture by creating new connec tions through the likes of bike paths and bus routes. ht tps://w w w.archdaily.com /286223/superkilentopotek-1-big-architec t s-super f lexht tp:// ht tp://denmark .dk /en / lifes t yle/architec ture/ superkilen- celebrates- diversit y -in- copenhagen

CONCEPTUALISATION

SUPERKILEN

CONCEPTUALISATION

The Green Park is a park for picnics, spor ts and walking the dog. This par t of Superkilen was designed around a quote from Bauman where he once said that “spor t is one of the few institutions in societ y, where people can still agree on the rules”. Thus, it takes the idea of spor ts in order to bring people together due to the fac t that no mat ter what you believe or which language you speak, people can play a spor t together. This par t of the park became green due to the residents requesting that there be more green.

The Black Market is the classic square with fountain and benches. This is where the locals meets around the Moroccan fountain, the Turkish bench or under the Japanese cherr y trees, forming the hear t of the Superkilen Masterplan. The square can be located through the bright, dentist neon sign from Doha, Qatar. The space includes Brazilian bar chairs under Chinese palm trees and Nor wegian bike racks with a bike pump. Unlike the bright colours that illuminate the Red Square, the Black Market has white lines that are all moving in a straight line from Nor th to South, cur ving around the dif ferent furniture to emphasise them.

The Red Square designates the modern, urban life with café, music and spor ts. This is an urban ex tension of the internal life of the hall, as a range of recreational of fers and the large centre allows residents to connec t through physical ac tivit y and games. The coloured sur face is integrated both in terms of colours and material with the Nørrebrohall and its new main entrance, where the sur face merges inside and outside in the new foyer. Facades are also incorporated visually in the projec t by following the colour of the sur face, folding upwards to create a threedimensional experience. The space is amplified through the confinement of a street either side of it as well as the use of red trees. This brightly lit space has a multifunc tional rubber sur face for games and spor ts. Thus, it also forms as the set ting for an urban marketplace which at trac ts visitors from other suburbs ever y weekend. CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4.2 DESIGN TASK

I used at trac tor points to create the movement in each sur face. I took inspiration from the contours in the Green Park from Superkilen as well as Merri Creek.

I used the graphmapper input to change the heights and orientation of the objec t.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.5.4.2 FINAL DESIGN

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6 TECHNIQUE: PROPOSAL

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.1 PROTOTYPE 1

For our first protot ype we tested a rigid material due to the fac t that we wanted to see if it would be able to hold its shape without any other reinforcements. Thus, we used luan ply wood. Af ter get ting it laser cut, we separated each piece and placed them together with inter t wining rigid edges. For tunately, our protot ype was successful in terms of holding its on shape. Despite, this, we werenâ€™t sure whether the chosen material suited the clientâ€™s brief. Thus, we decided to continue on and test another t wo protot ypes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.2 PROTOTYE 2

We decided on a more flexible material for our second protot ype. Thus, we decided on polypropylene due to its flexible yet durable charac teristics. We wanted a more flexible material, as the top par t of our struc ture is composed of a bouquet of hexagons with per forations for the birds to perch on and hopefully make it its new habitat in Merri Creek. We punched holes onto each side of the polypropylene mesh and used zip ties as a way of connec ting the separate pieces together. The zip ties did its job, but we wanted to tr y a more durable connec tion method with out second protot ype. We were quite happy with the per formance of the material in this protot ype, so we decided to use polypropylene again for our third protot ype. Since this one was a success, we decided to build it in a larger scale.

CONCEPTUALISATION

B.6.4.3 PROTOTYPE 3

For our third protot ype, we printed larger meshes to form the basis of our final model. We laos printed out connec tion joints in order to test out other connec tion methods. In this case, we decided to rivets, as it was a material weâ€™ve all never used before, The rivets posed to be successful in terms of holding each hexagon together, but it was not ideal for the connec tion of all individual pieces. zip ties, might have been a bet ter options to use when connec ting all the hexagons together, as it would not have been seen.

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C.2

CONCEPTUALISATION

TECTONIC ELEMENTS AND PROTOTYPES

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.2.1 PROTOTYPES

The script creates one component that represents 36 years wor th of rainfall data. The overall form is created from various components. The components can create various forms depending on the scale that is needed. We decided to do a small laser cut version out of MDF to demonstrate the various ways each component can be created. Due to the small scale and the time the protot ype was construc ted, there was no connec tion joint demonstrated on the protot ype .We used wood glue to join each panel together before they were clamped and lef t to dr y. This was out way of discovering if the components would work in a large scale before the 1:1 model is construc ted. Due to time and cost constraints, we were only able to construc t one full scale model on site.

CONCEPTUALISATION

FINAL FORM

CONCEPTUALISATION

C.2.2 PROTOTYPES

Once we had the form, we decided to take the time to fur ther understand the ecology and charac teristics of trees. We explored various rustications and ways to apply them to our final form. In order to create a habitat for spiders, we need to understand their ecology. From the behaviour of the spider on the log and the webs in the crevices, spiders prefer a more rusticated sur face. No mat ter what material is chosen to create the form, it would be a smooth sur face that needs to be manipulated in order to replicate the spider â€™s natural habitat. Ar wa, Adrian and I decided to tr y image sampling images of trees and bark tex tures in to Grasshopper to see what rustications would occur. We were given the task of CNC milling each pat tern with dif ferent overlays to explore various methods of fabricating a rusticated sur face. From the task we were given, I decided to create rustications based on the charac teristics of a tree. Ar wa and Adrian focused more on depth from the dif ferent images that represented the ecology of a tree. We also explored various ways to manipulate materials in case there was a more appropriate way of utilising cer tain materials for our form. Arianna explored ker fing pat terns through laser cut ting on MDF to see if it would allow us to make the material more flexible. If successful, it would allow us to explore dif ferent and new forms.

100

CONCEPTUALISATION

101

C.2.3.1 RUSTICATION #1

ITERATION MATRIX

IMAGE SAMPLING #1 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

POINT CHARGE AND SPIN FORCE

DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

IMAGE SAMPLING #1

DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

METABALL DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

IMAGE SAMPLING #3 DESIGN POTENTIAL SPATIAL ARTICULATION CONSTRUCTIBILITY FUNCTIONALITY INTERACTION WITH ENVIRONMENT

102

CONCEPTUALISATION

103

110

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C 2.3.1 RUSTICATION the group aimed to have a CNC Milled rusticated sur face. However, upon consultation in the FabLab, we discovered that it would be too costly and time consuming to CNC that many lines onto a piece of ply wood. The layering of image sampling pat terns and various other scripts made the pat terns too complicated to complete the protot ype in a realistic timeframe. Thus, we tried a dif ferent method of layering pieces of MDF on top of one another to explore the depth of each pat tern through laser cut ting. The scripts were far too complicated, so we decided to pick choose a sec tion of a metaball script before exploding it.

PROTOTYPE 1

We decided on the metaball script, as we felt like it was the most beneficial to explore for animals.

There was a lot of lines and small circles on the rustications created by Ar wa and Adrian, so we decided to use the region union component on Grasshopper to decrease the amount of lines. This created a more interesting pat tern due to the overlapping of holes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

111

STUDY C 2.3.2 RUSTICATION PROTOTYPE 2

Af ter speaking to the CNC Mill consultants in the fablab for a second time, we decided that CNC milling a few panels to explore this form of fabrication as well as the layered rustications. We decided to expand on the rustication iterations that we felt represented the ecoglogy of a tree the best. Twelve pat terns were chosen with eight placed on the outside and four placed on ever y second panel inside. We decided to use maxi birch ply wood, as we felt like this was the most suitable material for our rustication. Another option was film ply wood, but we didnâ€™t want a film over our rustication. Thus, the layering was appropriate given that we were exploring the idea of rings in accordance to rustication. The edges of the panels were cut with a table saw in 22.5 degree angle in order to connec t them. We used wood glue that took three hours

112

CONCEPTUALISATION

113

PROTOTYPE 3

For our final form, we felt that buying MGP10 radiata pine from Bunnings would be the most cost ef fec tive way to buy materials. We bought a 45 x 95 x 120 0 piece of timber and cut it into thin pieces with a band saw. We then used a jigsaw to cut the cur ves, before gluing the pieces together to create a panel. Instead of digitally fabricating one of our rustication pat terns on the panel, we decided to tr y sandblasting, as we felt that it was the best way to replicate the natural contours of the bark we found in Brimbank Park. We found that the sandblasting removed the sof t wood to expose the hard grains. This resulted in a replication of the crevices we saw in the log. We also felt that the holes created in the panel resembled the metaballs we explored in previous rustication protot ypes. For these specific panels, it took roughly 15-20 minute of close sandblasting for the holes to appear. Sandblasting was experimented on various other pieces of wood to see how they would reac t. Some of the wood used

114

CONCEPTUALISATION

STUDY C 2.3.3 RUSTICATION

The group decided to explore rustication in a dif ferent form through a ker fing pat tern. We thought of this as a way for rustication to create a dif ferent ef fec t on the material such as making it more flexible. The ker fing pat tern was originally created by koFac tor Lab. This allowed them to make stif f materials bend and flex without breaking. However upon testing out the dif ferent protot ypes, we noticed that the thinner pieces were able to bend easily as opposed to the larger pieces. The larger pieces were only able to bend in a cer tain direc tion to a limited ex tent due to the larger sur face area the pat tern has to accommodate for. This was why the larger piece broke when bent in a diagonal direc tion. By laser cut ting the ker fin pat tern on MDF, it allowed the material to bend. This could be another way of incorporating rustication into our final design. However, we discovered that buying larger pieces of timber and assembling them into panels might be more beneficial.

CONCEPTUALISATION

115

C.3

116

CONCEPTUALISATION

FINAL DETAIL MODEL

CONCEPTUALISATION

117

C 3.2 FINAL FORM

Adrian and I spent time to discover the best way of cut ting the cur ves and decided to test out various options. We initially used a scroll saw to cut the cur ves of each panel, but while it proved to be successful with thinner panels of timber, it continued to snap with thicker pieces. We then decided to tr y a jigsaw, but controlling the jigsaw during each bend made it dif ficult. We tried using a drill to drive movement holes above each line, but it was an inaccurate way of cut ting the wood. A band saw was also an option, but the saw was far too large to cut through the cur ves, making it an unsafe option.

120

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION FABRICATION TESTING

When we cut the cur ves closely with a jigsaw, the cur ves were jagged and inaccurate. We would have to sand it down in order to smooth out the cur ves, but it made the dimensions shor ter than initially planned. Af ter various tests, we concluded that the best method of fabricating the cur ves was by using a jigsaw. We would use the jigsaw to cut roughly around the cur ves before using a sander to sand down the excess wood accurately. We would use a larger sander for larger spaces before switching over to a round sander with a smaller diameter to sand the finishes.

CONCEPTUALISATION

121

C.3.3.1 SANDBLASTING STENCIL

PANEL MATRIX

Panel 1 36mm

Panel 2 45mm

Panel 3 36mm

Panel 7 36mm

Panel 8 18mm

Panel 9 27mm

Panel 13 18mm

Panel 14 18mm

Panel 15 45mm

124

CONCEPTUALISATION

Panel 4 45mm

Panel 5 36mm

Panel 6 18mm

Panel 10 9mm

Panel 11 18mm

Panel 12 9mm

Panel 16 36mm

Panel 17 18mm

Panel 18 27mm CONCEPTUALISATION

125

C 3.4.4 FINAL FORM

Due to time and cost constraints, we were only able to produce one component. Hypothetically, this component would coincide with many others on our original site, Merri Creek. However, due to license and approval issues, we were unable to build on the site that was initially proposed for our interim. Thus, we decided to build our model on a vineyard in the Yarra Valley where there was a large piece of land available for us to use. The component will be lef t on site along with models designed by the other groups. Since this design brings together many prac tices, we are unable to see if it will be successful. Thus, we will re-visit the site in a few months time to see how our designs have progressed. This site allows us the freedom to track the modelâ€™s progress.

136

CONCEPTUALISATION

CONSTRUCTION COMPLETION

CONCEPTUALISATION

137

C.4 OBJECTIVES: Our final design demonstrates the impor tance of understanding our clients. It was especially challenging due to the fac t that out clients were another species. Therefore, it was much more dif ficult to understand and anticipate their behaviours. This resulted in our need to understand the ecology of which our clients were used to rather than to manipulate their behaviour to adapt to a new form of habitation. The script construc ted by Carla demonstrates the flexibilit y of the data inputs. The components created can then be readjusted to mimic another form of tree. Despite being able to fabricate a component in one week, the process could be much faster if we had the means to construc t it entirely through digital fabrication. Despite creating a form that is designated to be an animal habitat, the component can be easily manipulated to form as other design intentions. A few ways to utilise the design is to introduce animal habitats to urban environments, placing it in a zoo as a designated spider habitat or to place it along a highway in order for it to ac t as a noise barrier. If we had the finances and the time to fabricate, we would create a few more components to fully demonstrate our design intentions.

140

CONCEPTUALISATION

LEARNING OBJECTIVES AND OUTCOMES

LEARNING OUTCOMES: Studio: Air has forced me to expand my horizons by learning new programs and fabrication methods. This was the first time where I had to create a 1:1 model and it was interesting to per form our fabrication methods in the workshop. I could have never asked for a bet ter tutorial or group, as this wouldn’t have been possible without ever yone’s contribution and suppor t.

CONCEPTUALISATION

141