300 final words

Michael Hansmeyer 

Subdivided Columns - A New Order (2010)

Michael Hansmeyer’s “Subdivided Columns” utilise subdivision processes to produce columns with unique and intricate ornamental and topographical surfaces. What makes these columns significant though is that Hansmeyer  is not simply designing a column through analog means but instead employing digital technology to produce a generative process which can then be used 

numerous times to reshape endless sets of columns,  there by creating a means to design. 

Hansmeyer's heavy focus on digital design and fabrication links to Bernard Cache’s essay about Associative architecture, stating that “Design procedures that rely on a limited number of geometrical and numerical parents can be easily modified to effect the regenerative form of the whole design of the building.” This process  becomes evident in how Hansmeyer's columns are flexible in that  they are produced algorithmically so that the base shape and topography can be easily changed or manipulated

Focusing on the structure itself, clear parallels can be made to architectural processes and theories  such as morphogenesis and emergence. For example as the structure evolves through its use of digital design processes such as its algorithmic generation and materialisation through digital fabrication this mimics the core ideas behind morphogenic theories where a 

structure is brought to fruition through its progressive design processes (i,e from sketch, to digital models, to final structure). Stemming from that theory the columns themselves can be seen as a product of self organisation as the differing parametric inputs  effect the overall form of the columns.

 Another key aspect of what makes Hansmeyers Columns so relevant to digital design  is through his use of digital fabrication to produce  individual laser cut faces which are then stacked to create the columns unique shape, thus bringing theses structures to the physical world .This fabrication process bridges the   concepts and theories of “Emergence”, being defined as a collection of independent individual components working in unison to reach a final form 

300 words intrdouction

Subdivided Columns - A New Order (2010)

Michael Hansmeyer’s “Subdivided Columns” utilise subdivision processes to produce columns with unique and intricate ornamental surfaces. What makes these columns significant though is that 

Hansmeyer  is not simply designing a column through traditional means but instead employing digital technology to produce a generative process which can then be used numerous times with different parameters to reshape and reform endless sets of columns In a sense he is creating a means to design. To be able to fully realise his work Hansmeyer has to consider digital fabrication methods to bring his work to fruition. To materialise his columns Hansmeyer utilised laser cutting technology, By sectioning his columns into face planes, calculations are then made so that the laser cutter cuts out the intricate shapes while leaving sections for the faces to be stacked on top of each other forming the column shape. Through close analysis of Hansmeyer’s  “Columns” theoretical theories can be linked to form the basic understanding of this project. From a purely visual standpoint “hyper surface” and ornamental properties can be extracted from the work. If a hyper surface is defined as relying heavily on digital technology to apply a 3D built surface to a 2D plane it can be observed that Hansmeyer's columns get a stark amount of visual depth and topological significance from this application of the digital to construct his structures. Focusing on the structure itself, design processes such as morphogenesis and emergence become apparent. As the structure evolves through its use of digital design processes such as its algorithmic based process and generation of form through digital fabrication this begins to mimic the core ideas behind morphogenic theories where a structure is brought to fruition through its progressive designs processes (i,e from sketch, to (digital) models, to final structure). And  if Emergence can be defined as a collection of independent  individual components working in unison to reach a final form (i,e termites creating a termite mound) parallels can be made between emergence and Hansmeyer’s implementation of stacking individual laser cut faces to build up the complex form of the columns.

Week 8

The Surface As Architecture. As the title suggest, this text from Antoine Picon explores the treatment of surface in architecture such the importance of a surface's complexity, instability and required flexibility of its implementation. One key point is the introduction of “hyper surfaces”, coined by Stephen Perrella  he describes it as “convergence between cyberspace, envisaged as hypermedia and architecture conceived primarily as a surface of projection or a terminal”. This of course sets itself apart from what would be just a regular surface of a building i.e. a brick wall. How  i understand the Difference between them is that hyper surface’s rely heavily on digital technology to apply a 3D built surface to a 2D plane. What helped me to visualise this was the Hyper surface installation project by the Architectural Computing faculty outside of Customs house.

Looking at the picture above of the installation you can see how the computer aided in bringing out the ornamental characteristics of this project. The text then goes on further to point out two main arguments for this obsession with surface. One being surface bear more immediately the mark of formation processes than volumes which makes sense since when you first look at a building you are being subjected to the surface of it which follows the form. Second argument being surface challenge the traditional mode of presence in architecture which elaborated can mean If we view architecture as taking up space the presence the structure has can come down to its outward aesthetic. Lastly the second reading i looked into was “Self-Organised Bodies” by roland snook they define self-organised bodies as an “exploration of volatile, topological, and organisation order from non linear interactions to components at a local level”. The concept of swarm intelligence helps to clear this theory up which is “is the collective behaviour of decentralised, self-organized systems, natural or artificial”. Basically what this self organised bodies can be understood as a system of points in a structure the react of each other to generate interesting shapes, for example when a flock of birds fly in a group the individual birds more but the “swarm shape” change. Now this can easily be related back to surfaces since the whole idea of self- organised bodies is the creation of interesting forms therefore surfaces.

Week 7

“Architecture and the virtual , towards a new materiality by Antoine Picon analyses what the inherent effect of digital technology will have towards materiality in architecture. One point that is continuously brought up is the stark differences in visualising the material process due the technical differences between web based design and traditional architecture representation. For instance when an individual is visualising forms in their mind, when they go to represent them in physical form the two different mediums (digital and analog) have inherently different visual characteristics. Although we can never truly experience a building until it has been constructed, the initial  material visualisation steps become crucial to get a better understanding of the building itself. Therefore the difference between digital representation and analog and how they progress will continue to have an influence on architecture as a whole. The second reading for this week, Self-Organization and material constructions explore the use of biological process in the construction of architecture. For example by observing how cellular forms work in nature and the strength it provides for those objects  i,e bones and wood, Architects can then use this information and apply these methods to real life projects. Throughout the text the underlying theme  trying to be conveyed is the ever increasing bridge between the natural and  the manufactured. With the constant implementation of new techniques such as the use of cellular construction and the reliableness of existing organic materials such as kevlar and ceramics. The possibilities for the implementation of theses techniques will of great importance from a form, material and a structural standpoint.

Week 5

 “Morphogenesis and Emergence,”* by Michael Hensel starts by introducing the processes of morphogenesis and emergence. Summarised; morphogenesis represents developing and adapting, while emergence is derived from system theory. By looking at digital design as a whole its clear how these two mediums intertwine as digital technology mimics the concepts and practices of these theories. The authors of the essay though set out to make a distinction between the emergent properties in life and in computation and the gap between nature and mechanical productions. Examples of this is how digital modelling is now able to replicate even the most complex natural models such as soap bubbles and catenary ropes. These ideas are further explored in Patrick Schumachers essay where he theorise the next big style will be Parametricism which is heavily influenced by digital design practices. To elaborate Schumacher explains that Parametricism follows defining positive heuristics which consider all forms to be parametrically malleable; differentiate gradually and inflect correlate systematically. Schumacher emphasises this style using Zaha Hadid as an example, due to her buildings putting emphasis on progressive urbanised spaces and unique geometry. Along with the use of digital technology Hadid’s Buildings encapsulate the Parametric style. If you were to compare this to the themes in the “Morphogenesis and Emergence” essay the distinctions the authors were trying to make become evident. Using  Hadid's buildings as an example the use of computational design to create urbanised buildings where  interaction with daily life is taken into account to create a very ergonomically focused building.

Week 4

This weeks reading; Computational Design thinking ‘introduction’  outlined some of the core uses of computational design as well as theories present in computational design process such as  Systems Thinking, Parametric Dependencies, Generative Morphogenesis and Evolving populations just to name a few. Discussed in the text is what these theories are and their  effective use in computational design . Using morphogenesis as an example, how this theory can be broken down is that of  how an organism, or in this case  a building evolves through various design processes. This theory is apparent in various architectural projects as individual projects all go through various different process such as concept sketches, to built models then to digital manipulation through the computer. What i’m trying to get across is that these theories, when applied correctly help shape creative use of digital technology. Turning now to the other reading for this week, Michel Foucaults “the discursive formation”. Foucault creates an analysis of the use of discursive language and discourse. He begins by associating words with given topics and continues to stretch out the definition to reach a final point. What i gather from this text is that Foucault is trying to express how through the use of discursive techniques, by jumping from point to point a set conclusion is able to be reached. This can then be related back to first reading in that digital and architectural projects are brought to fruition through the design process.

Week 3 summary 

Picon’s introduction starts out by showing just how far computers have come from being used as simple word processing tools, to being able to take advantage of numerous amounts of software which allows architects to create and manipulate complex geometry forms. While this is obviously a good thing, Picon sets out to ask not if the computer has had a positive or negative impact but rather the direction architecture takes under its influence. 

Frank Gehry is an architect known for his utilisation of these computational methods to help create and shape his work. Gehry offers insight about this digital influence  in his interview where he goes on to mention how the technicality of  the software allowed for projects such as his fish sculpture and the Lewis Residence with there unique geometry to reach fruition. Showing how through the use of this technology conceptual ideas and forms can be realised.

Picon also goes on to highlight three main themes that will serve as main threads of the present state of digital architecture which are; the intimate link between the digital technologies and reshaping  our physical world, the question of the individual and thirdly the importance taken by occurrences, events and scenarios. 

To summarise the intimate link can be seen in how ideas like materiality surround us which then effect our experience with the physical world, while at the same time how the development of digital technologies also evoke this feeling.  Individuality then focuses on peoples individual preferences and choices, and how these ideal shape architecture. While events and scenarios can be seen as a certain point in time that is brief but what follows carry great influence for example how Gehry’s Guggenheim building was very successful and went on to influence future projects. 

Within the article itself there is an overwhelming idea about how digital technology will cause a massive change and how architectural practices and ideas will change with it.