Week 10 | Digital Fabrication & Robotics

Digital fabrication technologies have revived the link between architect and builder. Through robotics, highly complex and large scale designs are being created. This lecture will discuss the reconnection of design and construction and the roles of making.

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Digital fabrication technologies has reinvented the ways in which the architect interacts with the unbuilt through digital methods. It begins with the mouse, a motif that Wigley delves into repeatedly to express the changes currently being experienced in architectural practice. He deems the mouse as an object which has the power to connect “us to the digital landscape and bring the digital in” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 52 [1].

The expressing of the “unseen and unfelt” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 50 [2], he tells ways the mouse is “extending the capacity of the body” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 50 [3], as it allows it to move in innovative ways, in new virtual spaces and as one. By uniting with this bridge to the virtual world, the body’s senses begin to work in new ways as it begins to bind, “two organisms into one, allowing the electrical signals in the nervous system to simulate and be simulated by the electrical signals in the computer” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 50 [4].

With this concept in mind, Wigley further establishes that the use of a mouse is extremely architectural in the ways it draws a connection between the digital space and the user. "In the moment that the mouse connects the circuitry of the body and the circuitry of the computer, the architecture in the room is hinged to the architecture in the screen" Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 52 [5].

“Man and the machine then begin to ‘co-evolve’” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 54 [6], as computers were brought into the homes, "It was the mouse itself that made the computer personal, literally domesticating the digital environment." – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 52[7]. It was also brought up that individuals are no longer expected to extend an arm as our new digitally generated interface is well within reach, with more modernised ways of controlling a screen – the touch screen.

Hence, our communication between our thoughts and the digital space has become, “more compact, even intimate, with the sliding of the fingers across the screen” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 51 [8], over time. Exploring the ways smaller actions performed on a screen – simply using our fingers – can ultimately have a greater effect over larger domains.

Finally, it is while architects inhabit these digital worlds, where the creation of innovative “thought structures” – Wigley, M (2010) Pg. 57 [9], can be implemented and optimised for generations to come.

f i g  1  :  " t h o u g h t  s t r u c t u r e s "

Exploring the concept of "thought structures" in the human brain

http://www.digitalheritage2013.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/ImageArtScience5.png

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[1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] Wigley, M. (2010). "The Architecture of the Mouse." Architectural Design: EcoRedux: Design Remedies for an Ailing Planet 80(6): 50-57.

Week 9 | Materiality

A new group of designers are extending our understanding of materiality and material practice. Their experiments question the processes and use of materials in order to form new methods of space making and construction.

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As designers it is essential to extend design possibilities by enriching our understanding of materiality and material practice. It is this phase of adopting technology, a motive which expedites and transforms architectural practice that reinvents the role of the modern day designer and architect, where materiality can truly be scrutinised. Bernstein highlights the way that the, “DNA of the entire building process” – Bernstein, P (2008) Pg. 65 [1], is transforming as, “Digital modelling connected to fabrication is impacting the relationship between design and construction” – Bernstein, P (2008) Pg. 62 [2]. Menges further explores this notion by stating, “The way we conceptualise these material interventions – and particularly the technology that enables their construction – presents a fundamental aspect in how we (re)think architecture” – Menges, A (2011), pg. 198 [3], and the effects it has, “with broad social, economic, and cultural implications” – Kolarevic, B (2008) Pg. 21 [4]. This evokes our minds to the question, what is architecture now and how can we make it a reflection of the time we are in?

Delving rapidly into these advancements it is clear to see an increase in innovative structures and spatial qualities, that are seen as, “a mere extension of well-rehearsed and established design processes” – Menges, A (2011), Pg. 199 [5]. This has led to the exploration into the “cliché” of digital morphogenesis, where inspiration is drawn from biology – in particular the evolution of organisms – as a method of form finding in natural patterning systems. The mainstream idea is motivating designers to draw focus on material performance and processes over representation, “Thus the architectural object would be understood by means of its morphogenetic process and defined as a multiplicity rather than a type.” – Trummer, P (2011) Pg. 182 [6]. Ultimately redefining, “the relationship between architecture and material reality” – Kolarevic, B (2008) Pg. 21 [7].  

Leading us to explore the effectiveness of biomimicry with regards to the, “nature-imitating search for new material effects, based on biological precedents” – Kolarevic, B (2008) Pg. 10 [8], that digitally drive contemporary architectural approaches today into one that can, “Materially realize complex geometric organisational ideas that were previously unattainable” – Kolarevic, B (2008) Pg. 7 [9].

f i g  1  :  m a t e r i a l i t y  t h r o u g h  d e s i g n

This 3-D printed skin holds microbial life engineered to support humans. It is a hairy, fibrous surface that holds bacteria that can turn hydrocarbons into food. By MIT professor Neri Oxman, collaborated with German designers Christoph Bader and Dominik Kolb.

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3039286/these-crazy-bacteria-filled-spacesuits-may-be-what-let-us-survive-on-other-planets/9

f i g  2  :  m a t e r i a l i t y  t h r o u g h  a r c h i t e c t u r e

With inspiration drawn from the shell of the 'Namib desert beetle', a contradicting concept is discovered in relation to hydrophilic and hydrophobic attributes which assist in its ability to collect, and direct the natural flow of water. Servo integrates this unique design concept into its project Hydrophile Bioscience Innovation Centre where the same notion was portrayed in the form of a hydrodynamic vegetated roof.

http://code1110-2015-catherineerzetic.blogspot.com.au/2015/05/week-11-submission-analytical-models-of_22.html

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r e f e r e n c e s

[3] [5]: Menges, A. (2011). Integral Formation and Materialisation: Computational Form and Material Gesault. Computational design thinking AD reader. A. Menges and S. Ahlquist. Chichester, UK, John Wiley & Sons: 198-210.

[6]: Trummer, P. (2011). Associative Design: From Type to Population. Computational design thinking AD reader. A. Menges and S. Ahlquist. Chichester, UK, John Wiley & Sons: 179-197.

[4] [7] [8] [9]: Kolarevic, B. and K. R. Klinger (2008). Manufacturing/ Material/ Effects. Manufacturing material effects: rethinking design and making in architecture. B. Kolarevic and K. R. Klinger. New York, Routledge: 5-24.

[1] [2] Bernstein, P. G., A. Inc and Y. University (2008). Thinking versus Making: Remediating Design Practice in the Age of Digital Representation. Manufacturing material effects: rethinking design and making in architecture. B. Kolarevic and K. R. Klinger. New York, Routledge: 61-66.

Week 1 | Analogue to Digital Sketching

Week 8 | Visualisation and the Image

Digital renderings have become a common tool in everyday practice for the presentation of design. 3D models developed in the computer also provide the ability to view, explore and critique formal propositions from the conceptualisation stages. Designers employ these types of images every day and they can have significant influence on the way design is developed and how we perceive the unbuilt. Walter Benjamin explored these visual implications and the changing meaning of the reproduction. Through the works of Benjamin and others, we can develop our appreciation of the power of the image.

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Digital renderings commonly implemented in architectural practice today, transform our perceptions of the unbuilt and design conceptualisations whilst also stressing their unique importance in the world. This shift from a mechanically orientated paradigm was transformed into a technologically based one during the 50 years after the world war. Now this revolving tradition of planimetric projection in architecture is “persisted unchallenged because it allowed the projection and hence the understanding of a three-dimensional space in two dimensions” – Eisenman, P (2013) Pg. 17 [1]. These viewing standards set by the architectural industry allow for personal judgement to be the driving factor of perceptions during the conceptualisation phase.

In regards to the reproduction of digital imaging, it is made clear that, “Man-made artefacts could always be imitated by men” – Benjamin, W (1936) Pg. I [2], ever so simply. Benjamin discusses this further by highlighting particular flaws of these types of approaches where he states, “Even the most perfect reproduction of a work of art is lacking in one element: its presence in time and space, its unique existence at the place where it happens to be” – Benjamin, W (1936) Pg. II [3]. Which emphasises the importance of the relationship between time and space between the static imagery and the world, as it stands as a staple in present day. These appropriated iterations are then deemed seductive and misleading, and is led by our unfolding perceptions which derive around, “The electronic paradigm [which] directs a powerful challenge to architecture because it defines reality in terms of media and simulation, it values appearance over existence, what can be seen over what is” – Eisenman, P (2013) Pg. 16 [4].

This complex notion of the digital image is further explored by Perez-Gomez as he establishes the deep importance of the availability of digital rendering in the design process. He states that, “Control is essential in our world: drawings, prints, models, photographs and computer graphics play diverse roles in the design process… they are surrogates or automatic transcriptions of the built work” – Perez-Gomez, A (2007) Pg. 11 [5].  As each drawing, print, model, photograph and computer graphic, relies on “reductive syntactic connections” – Perez-Gomez, A (2007) Pg. 12 [6], as they piece together an ideal projection of a “dissected whole” – Perez-Gomez, A (2007) Pg. 12 [7].

As architecture continues to rely on digital rendering as a common tool in practice, architecture must be challenged to deal with the forces of gravity, “to have ‘four walls’. But these four walls no longer need to be expressive of the mechanical paradigm. Rather they could deal with the possibility of these other discourses, the other affective senses of sound, touch and of that light lying within the darkness” – Eisenman, P (2013) Pg. 22 [8].

Wexner center by Peter Eisenman

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[2] [3] Benjamin, W. (1936). "The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction."

[1] [4] [8] Eisenman, P. (2013). Architecture After the Age of Printing. AD reader: The digital turn in architecture 1992-2012. M. Carpo. Chichester, Wiley: 15-22.

 [5] [6] [7] Perez-Gomez, A. (2007). Questions of representation: the poetic origin of architecture. From models to drawings : imagination and representation in architecture. M. Frascari, J. Hale and B. Starkey. London ; New York, Routledge: 11-22.

Week 7 | BIM and new technologies in practice

Through building information technology we see a major shift in the way buildings are conceived and delivered. The technology can offer a single platform for developing most design ideas into construction digital models. This lecture will discuss the cultural impacts of this technology in design practice.

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An example of different contributors to a traditional building information model.

http://www.varisys.com/vs2007/images/BIM_Cycle.jpg

The “asynchronous manner” – Holzer, D, (2011), Page 477 [1], that designers, consultants and the contractors operate in has been simplified with the introduction of building information models. Building information models have merged into a single platform - or hub - which becomes an important information exchange mechanism, particularly for the project execution plan. Marble, S, in his, “Digital workflows in architecture”, addresses this further with Bernstein’s acknowledgment that “BIM and IPD were not developed to encourage innovative design, but rather to address procedural inefficiencies” – Marble, S, (2012), Page 73 [2].

It is about adopting, “an entire process change that impacts nearly all activities related to the planning, delivery and operation of buildings on a social, a business and even political level” – Holzer, D, (2011), Page 466 [3], that will refine projects in practice, widen participation and democratise design. It should be a, “workflow for exploration rather than exploitation” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 23 [4], one that seeks multiple best-performing designs – known as Pareto-efficient designs – as we use algorithms and digital processes to debate values. Values of which should be inclusive of, “a larger collective beyond design professionals. Artists, philosophers, residents and citizens of all backgrounds could join the discussion and debate” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 23 [5]. As these “Pareto-efficient designs could be understood as the exact location where computation meets design-as well as where computation meets society, politics and even culture” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 24 [6].

Benjamin, D, in his, “Beyond Efficiency”, delves into the way that architects should be contributing to the developments of design programs that assist them in everyday practice. This is as they begin to develop the scientific mind - that of an engineer - by utilising very scientifically based tools. Almost as if they have gained the scientific language learned from becoming proficient with tools, “written by programmers whose training… comes from [a] very scientific, engineering-based mindset” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 18 [7]. It is for this reason he stresses how, “designing the design is designing the algorithm” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 18 [8]. It is because, “machines and humans both make errors, but the errors of machines are easy to compute, while the errors of humans are difficult to encapsulate in a formula” – Benjamin, D (2012), Page 21 [9].

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[1] [3] : Holzer, D. (2011). "BIM's Seven Deadly Sins." International Journal of Architectural Computing 9(4): 463-480.

[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] : Benjamin, D. (2012). Beyond Efficiency. Digital workflows in architecture: designing design -- designing assembly -- designing industry. S. Marble. Basel, Birkhäuser: 14-25.

[2] : Marble, S. (2012). BIM 2.0. Digital workflows in architecture: designing design -- designing assembly -- designing industry. S. Marble. Basel, Birkhäuser: 72-73.

Week 2 | Design to Production

Design to Production will discuss the reconnection and streamlining of the design to construction of the built environment. The lecture will review the positives and challenges of the process through successfully completed design to production projects.

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With the introduction of contemporary modelling tools and 3D computational software, the arts of critically designed architecture has become more efficient and expansive throughout its industry. With the further advancement within the digital age, “Parametric CAD systems and Digital fabrication technologies has left its traces in contemporary architecture. It ops new prospects, but at the same time generates new challenges, mainly due to the immensely increased amount of information that needs to be handled in the planning phase." - Scheurer, F( 2014) Pg. 290 Paragraph 2 [1]. Evidence clearly stated in the readings suggests that, the utilisation of parametric design has become simpler and much more automotive to design and produce various forms of material. As Scheurer states within the readings, this new technological standard brings about both a negative, but mainly a positive fulfillment aspect to it. Designs are able to become more complex, as the fabrication process is much easier, but at the same time more information and considerations are required in the process. Designers and artists such as Frank Gehry have adopted this new trend whilst also sustaining traditional means of design. For this, Gehry’s method of design resides on, “the digital technologies are not used as a medium of conception but as a medium of translation in process that takes as its input the geometry….. and produces as its output the digitally-encoded control information which is used to drive various fabrication machines” - ­Kolarevic ,B (2003) Pg. 40-41 Paragraph 1 [2].  It is to this instant that modern day technology has proven to revolutionize the production industry, both for the architect, who focus on traditional means, and to the individuals who focus on the contemporary means of design. Parametric design has become increasingly popular due to its flexibility and automotive behaviour within complex and simple design strategies. "Selection input parameters during the design process can be made lightly or in greater detail, however, must be articulated at the outset”. ­- Klinger, K (2008) Pg.28 Paragraph 4 [3] It is evident that through the digital age, the availability of contemporary design tools and fabrication methods have revolutionized how designers and architects conceptualize their designs and begin to consider the various challenges that come while bringing their designs into the physical world.

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r e f e r e n c e s

[1]: Scheurer, F. 2014. ‘Materialising Complexity’ Theories of the digital in architecture. R. Oxman and R. Oxman: Pp. 283-291.

[2]: Kolarevic, B. 2003. ‘Digital Production’. Architecture in the digital age: design and manufacturing. B. Kolarevic. New York, NY, Spon Press: Pp. 40-68

[3]: Klinger, K 2008, elations: ‘Information Exchange in Designing and Making Architecture’. Manufacturing material effects, rethinking design and making in architecture, B. Kolarevic and K. R. Klinger. New York, Routledge: Pp. 26-36.

Week 1 | Analogue to Digital

The lecture will include a review of analogue methods used in design – eg: hand drawing, perspective, diagramming, physical models, and collage. This review will be provided to demonstrate how analogue methods are continuing to be used in everyday practice integrating with digital methods.

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The History of architectural practices’ disassociation from building begun in the late Renaissance, “with the introduction of perspective representation and orthographic drawings as a medium of communicating the information about buildings” - Kolarevic, B (2003), Pg. 70 [1]. With the need of external information for contractors, additional analogue methods including; orthographic abstractions, such as plans, sections and elevations were developed as they believed drawings were “a means to explore ideas, to develop theories, to speculate on matter and use, and a space in which to dream and research”. The same notion applies today as the architectural practice remains true to some traditional methods. However, at the same time, architects are choosing to “shift their attention from drawing production to digital information authoring” - Kolarevic, B (2003), Pg. 74 [2], as in this way, the adoption of more contemporary methods increase efficiency and design freedom. Frank Gehry’s office stands as a great example which explores the familiar design worlds of the analogue and the digital. In their work a more specialised and controlled design world is essential as with an extensive shape vocabulary, used in conjunction with geometric transformations, shape algebra is developed. Thus, with a more specialised vocabulary, they are able to focus “on worlds that entail high-complexity derivations” - Mitchell, W (2003), Pg. 85 [3], and provide the architectural world with complex architectural masterpieces such as the Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao. It is with this correlation we can establish that the practice of design and the art of architecture, can establish that "Whenever we attempt to speak, write or otherwise represent aspects of our experience and understanding of physical reality we are entering into a modelling relationship with the world" - Starkey, B (2005) Pg. 265 [4] to which connects what we envision digitally to what exists within our physical realm.

Frank Gehry's Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao

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[1] [2]: Kolarevic, B. (2003). Information Master Builders. Architecture in the digital age : design and manufacturing. B. Kolarevic. New York, NY, Spon, Press: Pp. 69-74

[3]: Mitchell, W. (2003). Design Worlds and Fabrication Machines. Architecture in the digital age : design and manufacturing. B. Kolarevic. New York, NY, Spon Press: Pp. 83-88.

[4]: Starkey, B. (2005). "Architectural models: material, intellectual, spiritual." Arq : Architectural Research Quarterly 9(3-4):Pp. 265-272.