35 posts tagged “span”
This Semester I had three students to coach as second adviser for their Thesis work at the Bauhaus Dessau, DIA Dessau Institute of architecture. They all had the same typology, a highriser. All of them used computational design techniques to explore the morphology of the highriser, especially in the aspects of performativity. Sandra and I travelled to Dessau for the presentation of all the thesis works that spanned two days of presenations. One very special guest appeared on invitation by Prof. Alfred Jacoby director of the postgraduate master course of the DIA: Lars Lerup, Dean of Rice University in Texas. A University I consider highly interesting considering the amazing faculty that includes the likes of Sanford Kwinter, David Erdman, Clover Lee and Sean Lally.
Following an invitation by Margerita Flores, the director of the architecture department of the ©CEDIM, Monterrey, Mexico, I joined into their "Summer-stars" workshop weeks. I prepared a workshop for the students dealing with geological phenomena as source of inspiration for the understanding of emergent conditions as design technique.
We got the news that we won the Brancusi Museum Competition in Paris
Within Constantin Brancusis body of work is one specific characteristic that emerges on a regular basis: the application of constrictions as specific leitmotiv. These constrictions can be read in various ways, reaching from the definition of rhythmically repeating volumes, as in the Endless Column, or as description of curvilinear bodies, as in La Negresse Blonde and the notoriously famous Bird in Space series. This curvilinear bodies, voluptuous components and undulating elements, are seamlessly and continuously formed into beautiful waistlines, radiating in erotic tension. The design of the new Atelier Brancusi picks up the characteristics of constrictions and explores the opportunities, in terms of architectural space, provided by this technique of spatial formation.
The main motif of seamless space and constrictions does not only circumfence the actual museum building but expands into the plaza to stress a continuous evolution from the present pattern of the plaza into the topological surface of the Brancusi museum. Furthermore the interior of the museum evolves into a complex topological surface providing the programmatic and morphological qualities of the new museum. The issue of topology, the issue of seamless continuous space which can be read as a constant presence in Brancusis work, yields opportunities and possibilities not only for uninterrupted continuous spaces but simultaneously creates an environment of dialog between the envelope, the building, and the volumes of the exhibited sculptures.
The main quality of the sites topography is the slanted hardscape, descending into the Centre Pompidou’s direction, resulting in a wedge shaped step exactly on the premises of the Brancusi Museums site. This given height difference was used as a main design aspect for the museum. Instead of stressing the difference between hardscape and Museum-building, the museum is embedded into the hardscape forming a seamless connection between the two different levels of the site.
As the new museum creates a seamless connection between the two levels of the Centre Pompidou’s plaza, it also replaces the stairs that are present in the actual hardscape. Ramps connect in a continuous manner the two levels, creating an incessant flow between both of them. On the upper level a new, semi open, cafe creates a point of departure for both, the Brancusi Museum, and the Centre Pompidou. The Café provides brief visual encounters with the work on exhibition within the Brancusi Museum. The museum impeccably blends into the hardscape, forming a gradient transition between hardscape, Brancusi Museum and Centre Pompidou. Despite the Mass of the Brancusi Museums Volume, its emergence out of the hardscape ensures a subtle presence within the Centre Pompidou’s plaza.
The programmatic sequence of the museum follows the underlying logic of the continuous topological surface; the constrictions mark the differentiation between the programmatic components. The result is an intertwined space, where all the spaces are connected and provide opportunities to experience Brancusis sculptures not only from one perspective, but from a multiple variety of them, low viewpoints, high viewpoints, and arbitrary points of observation open novel points of view for Constantin Brancusis body of work.
The sunken nature of the entire museum opens up the opportunity to exhibit also Brancusis graphic work in a controlled environment, as the design provides also spaces with no natural light. An additional profit of the lower level is the opportunity to create a direct connection to the parking garage level, in order to create a loading dock for exhibition pieces or delivery for the café, without disturbing the flow of visitors.
In order to provide the museum with diffused daylight the lighsources are striving into the north direction, stretching and twisting the museums body into this direction. The buildings along the museums site are used as a natural secondary light diffuser, increasing the scattered lights input into the exhibition spaces. The main sculpture exhibition space possesses a vaulted ceiling that performs as high efficiency light diffuser. The effect of scattering is achieved by the surface articulation as well as by the coating, which can change its reflectivity. This behavior is controlled by computational power relying on data of light conditions within the exhibition space.
Fabrication Strategy
The complex curved geometry of the building unfolds out of a rigorous topological source, thus facilitating possible advanced fabrication methods. The envelope of the building forms simultaneously the structural system. As opposed to the adjanced Centre Pompidou the structural system in this case is at the same time the superfice of the building, as well as the climatic barrier. The structural integrity is enhanced by the use of doubly curvilinear surfaces, providing the building with a rigid exterior shell. The manifold nature of the building, and its tessellation, provide opportunities for a very specific formulation of the panelization. On the right you can see the entire roofscape and a number of components to visualize the size of the components. The prefabricated components are assembled on site; mirroring the construction systematics of the Pompidou in the environment of 21st century technologies.
The main aim of this workshop is the exploration of opportunities lying within the field of ornamental colonies. The combination of ornaments and colonies as a main theme of the workshop represents the driving force for a twofold speculation. One layer of this speculation is rooted within biological behavior of colonies. The discipline of Biology refers
to Colonies (from the Latin word colonia) as the agglomeration of several individual organisms of the same species, forming a collective living closely together. The explanation of this behavior is generally related to a mutual benefit for the individual members of the colony, such as stronger defenses or the ability to attack bigger prey.
In terms of architectural argumentation we can consider colonization as an opportunity to occupy niches in the urban ecology such as the roofscapes, underused or difficult sites. Colonies in Biology, such as Barnacle colonies and Mussels colonies serve as study models for possible approaches. These models show the behavior of the population of entities that can be reflected within the design approach, additionally this natural models demonstrate a specific behavior that will become crucial for the results of the workshop: They are not of monocultural nature but are comprised of combinations of species, that finely form a continuous texture.
We were lucky to get access again to the 7Axis Industrial robot of the TU-Vienna. We have been thinking about a specific Sofa & Ottoman in recent times, it came in perfectly handy that we had the possibility to acess the robot, because it is the only practical fabrication solution for a prototype and the mold. As the robot can also access areas of the piece that would be difficult for a 5Axis and impossible for a 3Axis milling machine.
Following an invitation by Kas Oosterhuis I travelled to Delft for a lecture at the Hyperbody Studio at the TU-Delft, followed by a short stint workshop. The Hyperbody Studios home is the, ONL designed, iWeb pavilion which was setup in front of the Architecture faculty within the TU-Delft campus. Kas Oosterhuis is the head of the architecture practice ONL as well as the head of the Hyperbody Studio. The Studio gained global fame for its explorations in the field of responsive, interactive architecture.
This is a recent competition entry for a retail chain in Japan The Blossom Store The store concept
Blossom explores the
opportunities present in the morphologies of floral entities as point of
departure for the design of architectural conditions. The sensorial and spatial
experiences co-notated with the manifold qualities of blooming flowers, from
their topological qualities and the distribution of sepals and petals to form
the body of the flower, are scrutinized for their architectural qualities and
incorporated in the design of Blossom. Even the olfactory qualities could be implied as
substantial part of the design. To include the programmatic elements of a store
the concept of delamination is applied. In delaminating layers from the
surrounding envelope of the store, pockets of varying sizes are generated.
These pockets include, according to their size elements like office, storage,
changing booths and elements that could be used as presentation tablets.
System:
Although the
designs visual appearance is of heterogeneous nature, the underlying logic of
the design is informed by a repetitive system related to the allover theme of
floration. Nodes represent the core components of the system, connecting a
specific variety of petals. This system of node and petal form the innermost
layer of the delamination effect described above. The second layer provides the
store with the necessary depth to include programmatic points, tagging along
the node and petal system in its morphology. The third layer is comprised by a
simple box, which represents in the renderings a possible space provided for the
store in an existing building. This outermost layer bears a vivid coloration in
order to bleed the color into the glossy white interior.
The described system is highly pliable, providing a wide range of opportunities for various setups. It can be applied to different envelopes, independent from their shape. Additionally the various layers can be used in multiple combinations to populate different environments. The store can occupy an empty space, it can be setup to perform as a pavilion by combining the two inner layers, or it can accommodate itself in a shop-in-shop scenario by using the innermost layer only. Appearance
Fabrication:
The fabrication process relies on computational fabrication methods extensively. The nodes, the most complex part of the project, are CNC milled elements. These nodes are connected by the petals, which comprise of water jet cutted flat panels. These panels are laminated to provide the necessary structural integrity. In order to reduce the energy consumption in this project a twofold method is applied: On the one hand the strict application of computational workflow in the design and fabrication process, providing the chance to minimize material and energy consumption in the making. On the other hand the use of natural, biologically degradable materials to minimize pollution effects. Some of the possible solutions include the use of pressed cocoa fibers panels, wood for the nodes, biopolymers for the glossy white coating, and OLEDS (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) for the illumination of the space.
The last two weeks Sandra and myself have been conducting a workshop at the Genetic Architecture Master course of the ESARQ in Barcelona. The main Issue of the workshop was the exploration of the opportunities present in the manyfold conditions of floral entities. The explored issue included venetion, plication, inflorescence, topology and ornament.