PART B. DESIGN APPROACH

Wei Liu

B. 1. 0 DESIGN FOCUS

SECTIONING

Sectioning is chosen as the approach for the project because it can provide special visual experience of movement. The dynamic visual experience leads to the continuality of the structure that emphasizes the concept of speed. On the other hand, the sectioning also allows the fl exibility to respond to the surrounding environment. And under the sectioning approach, the structure is easy fabricated which is more effi cient and economic.

1. Speed, Movement Visual eff ect – it can represent speed (the speed is created by a moving object, and sectioning explores every single movement of the object that forms “speed”)

2. Self-supporting sections - Structure is the new skin of architecture

3. Flexibility - Response to environment

4. Pre-fabrication - Easy to contraction, economic construction (effi ciency)

5. Light & Shade

6. Materiality

B.1.1 PRECEDENT PROJECTBanQ Restaurant

Formal name of project: BanQLocation: Boston, MassachusettsCompletion Date: February 2008Owner: Mark Raab and Hemant Chowdhry of SOWA Restaurant Group, LLCArchitect: Office dA, Inc.

The restaurant is located at an old bank hall building, and in order to hide building infrastructures the striated wood-slatted system is developed. The system occupies the ceiling area and “drips” to the dining spaces as well. The mass is cut into section and using the rib-like fragments. This sectioning strategy provides flexibility to the space, and every piece of sections can be generated separately. According to Beth Broome, there is no two pieces are alike. And even the location of each piece is unique. Those unique parameters formulate the continuous member, and the continuous members respond to the ceiling topography as well.

This ceiling project is definitely eye-catching and interesting, and the continuous member also provides a visual effect of movement. For the Wyndham City Gateway project, the arrival experience is highlighted. In this case, the movement effect can make the experience interesting. And the sense of dynamic and motion can also be interpreted with the design.

From this precedent, some characteristics of sectioning are explored. And those characters such as movement, continuality and flexibility make sectioning to be the right approach for the Wyndham City Gateway project.

Rhino & GrasshopperImage

ReferenceBeth Broome, 2009, Architectural Record.http://archrecord.construction.com/projects/bts/archives/restaurants/09_BanQ/

BanQ/ Office dA, Archi Dailyhttp://www.archdaily.com/42581/banq-office-da/#

This pavilion is inspired by the natural structure of sea urchin.The pavilion hall embodies characteristics such as hign efficiency, strong adaptability, light weight, large capacity and flexcibility, which attrctive studets and vistors sitting and enjoy it. Design and digital model are beased on relevant materials in parameters principles. Design calculation process is generated by a FEM simulation and measurement of the geometry. The material calculation in the field shows the feasibility of computational design and materialization. It suggested a good way to future desgn, insteading traditional physical modeling design. What we learn from this project is how to connec each pieces of plywood. It provides a good way for our later construction

ICD + ITKE Research Pavilion 2011

The entire structure consists of 80 radial wood strips that form a pair of segmental arch multi-dimensional systerm. More than 500 wood elements with its own inpidual geometry were based on a complex computational design . This kind of sectioning structure is very convenient to manufacture.After a numbers of experiments on bending capacity of wood, designers found a way that connect these separated section with tension and bending function and close it into a torus structure with 3.5 meters span and 10 meters.

This structure use simple socket and bolt connection rather than common meticulously steel nodes.The inherent stress of whole system is greatly increased its loading capacity.

3D model showing the computer-generated position

Referencehttp://www.achimmenges.net/?p=4443http://www.detail-online.com/architecture/topics/teaching-by-doing-a-research-pavilion-in-stuttgart-007367.html

Driftwood AA Summer Pavilion 2009

Concept Author - Danecia Sib-ingo joined byDesign Team - Lyn Hayek, Yoo Jin Kim and Taeyoung LeeUnit Tutors - Martin Self and Charles Walker

The driftwood AA Summer Pavilion was a full design proposal for a summer pavilion to be situated in the corner of Bedford Square in the center of Lon-don. The design ideas were established by a digital-generated script which manipulated the lines in a parallel and continuous fashion, creating line drawings which shaped the plan basis. The design is playing the concept between art and architecture. It is neither ecological adventure nor science but a sculpture. It embraces the idea of invention, dynamic movement, new materials and aesthetic intelligence.In this structure all panels are different and it consists of 28 layers. The pan-els are made of plywood which is easy to prefabricate in the manufacture with low costs. The project is intended to achieve less than fifteen percent material wastage therefore the plywood used hides an overall internal ‘Ker-to’ structural system which is a renewable resource.This dynamic sculpture standing in the center of a wide and open square with classical buildings around is definitely attractive and interesting. Its shape is indelible and eye-catching. Visitors would like to have a look what is going on here. However, the project is not only remarkable for its dynamic shape, its surface and details are full of stories as well. It is constructed under the concept of sectioning. All panels are added layer by layer. The thick structure consists of serried panel members. The serried effect is quite amusing since it looks hard to make. It is also the characteristic of section-ing.The driftwood AA Summer Pavilion was a full design proposal for a summer pavilion to be situated in the corner of Bedford Square in the center of Lon-don. The design ideas were established by a digital-generated script which manipulated the lines in a parallel and continuous fashion, creating line drawings which shaped the plan basis. The design is playing the concept between art and architecture. It is neither ecological adventure nor science but a sculpture. It embraces the idea of invention, dynamic movement, new materials and aesthetic intelligence.

Driftwood AA Summer Pavilion 2009

http://www.e-architect.co.uk/london/driftwood_pavilion_design.htmhttp://www.dezeen.com/2009/06/25/driftwood-by-danecia-sibingo/

B. 2. CASE STUDY 1.0

In the Grasshopper definition of this project, the ceiling topography is proved as the basic surface, and section lines are created by a separated curve. This curve determines the direction of the sec-tion lings. After extrude from the section lines, each individual piece of “ribs” that formed the ceil-ing in the restaurant is created.

Group work

Fitness CriteriaMovement & DynamicFlexibilityIntegritySculpture - like

One Main StreetdECOi Architects 2011

B. 3. CASE STUDY 2.0

dECOi Architects’ project OneMain Street is a very important precedent. The entire interior including ceilings, walls, floors and furniture, was designed by computer and made from sus-tainably forested plywood. This kind of design offers all components of late-industrial manufac-ture, as well as the computational design/build process even it is complex. The design creates a continuous surface with wave-like shape to response to the internal space. It also provides a fluid and movement visual effect of the space.

Secondly, in this design, the whole project is made from plywood. Plywood can create an en-vironmentally friendly and natural feeling to people. Unlike other modern materials, plywood look is natural and soft with flowing lines. This makes the curve of the ceiling very smooth and dynamic.

This project is a good example of section design, which means that this design can be achieved by pre-fabrication quickly and convenient.

Our project amis to create a gateway for Wyndham City. It is a place where you can enjoy the beautiful natural environment and participate outdoor activities. Thus, the plywood may be the material we are going to use. It provides people a natural and comfortable feeling. In addition, the curve section can create the visual effect of a changing and flowing.

Reference

http://tomorrowawards.com/showcase/555/http://www.decoi-architects.org/2011/10/onemain/

Brief Analysis

After re-engineered case study 2, we found that there are quiet similarities with our previous outcome. But we change our metrix according to our criteria. We are going to explore the defination on next stage and create a model which can represent our design idea: changing, flowing and movement. In this stage , our model is just a few pieces of segments but not a 3D objects. We will further explore it.

This week we keep testing in Grasshopper.And we want to create a repeating sec-tion leading attention the movement of people towards the centre at the other end. And we drive a new defination which can imitate the sunpath in different time. So we did some test on shadow. And we also did ssome testing model.

B. 4 Technique: Development

Shadow Analysis

Matrix

We would use plywood as our major material. Firstly because the timber is light than other material. It is easy to fabricate and set up into site. Secondly, timber has own texture on it which respond to the natural environment. Our site is an open area, we would like make the model adjust and respond the landscape and environment. We need to do some research on the material select. In our design, we use plywood as the major part, and use concrete to connect timber strips and ground and use nails to join them. We will work out how to connect them together in real world.The reson we think plywoodwoulg be the best choice because it is light than other ma-terials. So that it is not easy to collapse.Wyndham City Gateway Project is looking for an eye-catching, exciting installation at the western gateway as a prominent indicator for an entry statement into the munici-pality. By the introduction of such an iconic visual arts component, the project should enrich the local culture, form a new identifier for the area, thus encourage ongoing interest in the municipality and the sense of pride in the local community. Ultimately, this design should propose innovative, inspiring ideas for the generation of a new discourse. Hence in our design proposal, the major focus is to evoke an exciting spatial experience for the arrivals on the highway by creating a sense of procession along the high way with the installation of a series of sectional planes.

B. 5 Technique: Prototypes

Why section is valid and interesting to the Wynhdam Watergate Project?

1 Section can create dramatic visual effects, hence encourages ongoing interests to-wards the municipality

2 Section can be flexible, therefore easy to adapt and respond to the existing landscape

3 Section as a whole can stand by itself without other support, and present a sculpc-ture-like appearance, thus can create an icon that conveys the local art culpture

4 Section is easy to be prefabricated and assembled on site. The whole design process can be done digitally, contributing to the new architectural discourse, digital morpho-sis

Model making process

In tis process, we found our origin digital model can not be fabricate because those pieces are overlapping in different direction. It can not stand up without frame or any other supporting structure. we found it is difficult to fabricate in reality. So we change the definition to make each piece in same direction.

We develop the definition further, finally we decide our proposal . We got three sets of section. Two main sections go along the road and meet together in the end. The other is just hanging in the air. And the direction of these pieces are exactly the same with the shadow on 6 of October, which is the founding date of Wyndham city.

B. 6 Technique Proposal

Sun Position Seletion- Summer and Winter Solstices- 7 am on 6th Oct

Model Display

For section, I found the principle in grasshopper is to find the segment on the surface then extrude those curves. With our design idea, we create a wave shape and incorpo-rate it in the site. Vehicles and people go through the tunnel under the wave shape will get a sence of flowing and changing.

B. 7 Algorithmic Sketches

After the presentation we got some arguement according to the feedback

1.Why we use plywood in real project is because the timber is light than other material. It is easy to fabricate and set up into site. Secondly, timber has own texture on it which respond to the natural environment. Our site is a open area, we would like make the model adjust and respond the landscape and environment. After research, I found “Playwood is a manufactured wood panel made from thin sheets of wood veneer. It is one of the most widely used wood products. It is flexible, inexpensive, workable, and re-usable, and usually can be manufactured locally. Plywood is used instead of plain wood because of plywood’s resistance to cracking, shrinkage, splitting, and twisting/warping, and because of its generally high strength”. In our design, we use plywood as the major part, and use concrete to connect timber strips and ground and use nails to join them. We will work out how to connect them together in real world. Connection detail is the image below.

2. Our group is doing sectioning. But our model is more about the flow of shape which offset several times. We need to develop the whole design in definition to make it into 3D objects. We want to create a object which represent the movement and flow of the landscape. That means we need to consider about the contrust between flat and undulate of landscape and represent it in our model.3.I started to do more research on the art culture. Wyndham city encourage the local art work thus we want to create a sculpture like model. One program they called “ Bubble Up” is a giant bubble wand. They tested the idea by going out and blowing bubbles in a variety of public spaces to see what people thought. Most of them said “Growth, Diversity and Change” is just the way of Wyndham city. Moreover, we aims to make our design represent the local culture and become a landmark of Wyndham city. I found a good example of the gateway design “ Seeds of Change ”. It is located the first turn-off to Werribee from Melbourne on the Princes Highway, not far from our site. This design features a series of open leaf shape frames and creates a Wyndham icon that symbolizes the prospect for the future. It use modern materials such as galvanised steel and the local materail basalt rock .

B. 8 Learning Objectives and Outcomes

That strong cultre concept in Bubble Up and Seeds of Change is what we will explore for next stage. We will develop the definition by texting the data we have researched. And make the whole design more meaningful.In our design proposal, the major focus is to evoke an exciting spatial experience of movement for the arrivals on the highway. With a sculptural installation that responds to the local art culture, we are to create a dynamic space which would encourages people to explore the space and con-sequently the ongoing interests in the area. Setion with its formal flexibility and dramatic visual effect is the ideal approach for this task. So what we are interested in is to create an exciting and dynamic spatial experience for exploration with sculptural section installation

Bubble Up Seeds of Change

Wyndham City Design Proposal

4. Our design aims to create a movement effect through its surface, curve in section. Parametric de-sign is a tool to illustrate and explore a 3D object in a certain way, which is my previrous discourse topic. The theoretical research tasks have really affected my knowledge of architecture. After re-search, I know how does my design work with design theme and brief. Then I can focus the cretier to refine the model and select which one is right way to further develop. I realized that architecture is not about a shelter or art but a exploration. And the roles of computation in the design process is a tool to achieve it or optimize it. For example, in B 4, I did some test on Case Study 2.0 tech-nique, and use the definitions and explore interchanging inputs, outputs and associations. One of them shows a defination of shadow, it inspires us to explore the concept by shadow. In terms of our group topic : Setioning, we find that parametric design is really helpful to create section from the definition of the relations they keep with each other. It is about the use of algorithms and variables to generate a hierarchy of mathematical relations that produce a certain design, but the initial pa-rameters may enable the variability. It push us to explore the whole range of possible solutions.

Reference http://cobagonzo.blogspot.com.au/2011/10/temporary-pavillion-structures-2.html

http://www.experiencewyndham.com.au/artsculture/art/seedsofchangehttp://www.experiencewyndham.com.au/artsculture/popups/bubble_up

http://www.parametriccamp.com/en/what-is-parametric-design/