ADS Air Fianl Journal

ABPL30048 Architecture Studio AIR 2012 SM1 Bowen Ding 349859

Name: Bowen Ding

Faculty: University of Melbourne

Bachelor of Environments

Student ID: 349859

Major: Architecture 3rd year

ABOUT ME

STUDIO AIR 2012: SEMESTER 1

WEEK 01 JOURNAL Bowen Ding 349859

Norman Foster

“My mission is to create a structure that is

sensitive to the culture and climate of its place.

Architects have a vital role as advocates of

sustainable solutions.”

STUDIO AIR 2012: SEMESTER 1 Week

01

Norman Foster

Beijing Airport

(Beijing, China, 2003-2008)

“The world’s largest and most

advanced airport building - not

only technologically, but also in

terms of passenger experience,

operational efficiency and

sustainability – Beijing Airport is

welcoming and uplifting. A

symbol of place, its soaring

aerodynamic roof and dragon-

like form celebrates the thrill of

flight and evokes traditional

Chinese colours and symbols.”

Bowen Ding 349859

The building represents “China” obviously with

lots of building elements, such as large red

colored columns, roofing as an abstraction of

dragon. It is also a highly functional, convenient

building, and a project that challenges new

construction technique at the same time.

Instead of a closing space, the whole building is

very open to surrounding environment, large

amount of light is allowed to go through triangle

skylights, truss roofing structure, light weight

strip-ceiling and huge windows all around the

building.

- Y-shape layout maximize the amount of plane

to be allowed to park next to airport building.

- Triangle skylights let sunlight in and protect

indoor space from weather.

- Strips on ceiling following direction of north to

south, easy for visitors to follow while walking

and easy to positioning themselves.

- Services pipes and wires were built into

columns to be hide and protected. Columns are

pre-fabricated by sections and built on top of

each other.

- Long extended roof wing creates large

shading area under it, but stable enough that

would not be blow off by wind or sag down.

- Large with an certain angle allow clear vision

towards outside and not being affected by

reflection from inside. Reference: http://www.fosterandpartners.com


01 Bowen Ding 349859

The first time for me to try

on Rhino I have made the

digital objects that shown

in the pictures above. I

think Rhino is easier to

handle and can create far

more smoother surface

than Google Sketchup.



Norman Foster

“Crystal Island is one of the world’s most

ambitious building projects... It is the largest

single building in the world, creating a year-

round destination for Moscow and a sustainable, dynamic new urban quarter.”



Reference: http://www.fosterandpartners.com

Crystal Island

Foster + Partners 21/12/2007

“A new mixed-use destination for Moscow…

conceived as a city in microcosm, Crystal

Island is an unprecedented, compact and

diverse urban quarter… the entire

development is enclosed within a vast tent-

like superstructure, with one of the tallest

inhabited buildings in the world…

The tent-like superstructure rises to 450m,

and forms a breathable second skin and

thermal buffer for the main building,

shielding the interior spaces from Moscow’s

extreme summer and winter climates.

Providing accommodation that is flooded

with daylight, this second skin will seal itself in

winter to minimize heat losses, and open in

summer so that the interior can be cooled

naturally. Efficient energy management is at

the heart of the design, with strategies

including on-site renewable and low-carbon

energy generation.

The building’s form spirals upwards in

converse directions to form a diagonal grid,

and the spiraling geometry extends

throughout the project into the park. The

scheme is integrated into a new park

landscape, which provides a range of

activities throughout the year, with cross

country skiing and ice skating in the winter. ”

This project can be seen as a parametric design. These spirals are topologically

identical to each other, this structure can be digitally designed by rotating

repeating one spiral several times with a fixed reference point at the top, both in

clockwise and anticlockwise direction. “Smooth” as one of the main terms and

concepts are present wonderfully on this architecture.

Computational design also allows more

complex sustainable building systems to

be designed in an engineering

perspective, using computer technology

to complete energy efficiency testing,

rating. Example such as the Crystal

Island’s internal environment will have

dynamic enclosure panels slotted into the

structural framing that will allow daylight

to penetrate deep into the heart of the

structure; the panels will be controlled to

modify temperature inside the building –

closed in winter for extra warmth and

opened in summer to allow natural

ventilation.

Contemporary computational design raises more architectonic

possibilities to modern world. Three dimensional structures are able to be

transferred from through digital modeling to real construction consistently and

accurately.

Since computational design has been used in architectural design, there are

increased opportunity for complex and large scale construction to be achieved,

design information became construction information that speeded up project

process.

Unlike old traditional design method, computational design allows romantic

concepts and smooth surface into architecture, it leads modern and future

architecture style to be more expressive and invited curve structure into

construction all over the world.

With this new technique, similar architectural designs which cannot be achieve in

the past, can finally become true nowadays. Such as the Russian designs: Palace

of the Soviets and Monument to the Third International were impossible to build

back in 20th century. However, Norman Foster’s Crystal Island project with similar

concepts, structure and scale can be achieve by modern technology in a few

years time.

Parametric design using computer technology has changed the role of

architectural design. Designers now can create spaces and structures in a more

continuous sense, instead of making individual “blobs”, they can consider the

building as a whole and generate ideas by making and placing parametric forms.

Grasshopper can create series forms in a more regular order than Rhino itself.

Rhino is more about making a model from scratch, with specific aims to achieve

during the process. Grasshopper can start modeling with only a definition in mind,

once it is done, variables can be changed in mangy ways to explore numbers of

different outcomes.

Relate to Gateway:

It would be good to use Grasshopper to design something that has a series

changes of form along the road. While the cars drives pass the feature, this

change can be seen by the people in the cars. I would imagine something has

similar conception as a flipbook animation.



Norman Foster

“Digital revolution now is coming to the

point, where the virtual world finally

connected with the physical world.”

I agree with the concept that “computer as

digital design agent”. As the previous journals of

mine, I have mentioned my interest is in

“structure expression and sustainable design”. I

think the most important parts of architectural

design are “how to create a powerful structure

that fit nicely into surrounding environment and

culture”, which requires large amount of cultural

and environmental background research of the

site, structural engineering consideration,

knowledge and technique of environmental

friendly building systems. These are the parts

where computer can help designer to find but

not to give designer the solutions. Computer

cannot “think” of all of the consequences in

real life design, it is up to the designers to find

out everything that may impact on their design.

An simple example of a defect in

computational design when facing real life

construction: Programs such as CAD and Rhino

are easy to create a building design with all

smooth no-corner surface. In real construction,

this kind of building will be hard to place at the

right position on site, hard to reference to TBM

point.

Computational design can

be achieved by using

scripting programs, which is

easy to create series of

different forms. However this

scripting culture is loosing a

bigger frame of

architectural design---lack

of history, referents,

narratives and forces. It

should be combined with

design research to fill in this

gap. Scripting is one of the main

method of computational

design. Like Grasshopper

we have learnt till now,

modeling become

concepts of input

definitions. Input in scripting

is like the design

context/motive in

traditional method, the

definitions we made in

Grasshopper are like the

brief of design. However

using a scripting method,

we can easily get large

amount of out comes by

changing variables in

definition.


03

Swiss Re HQ

30 St Mary Axe (London, UK, 1997-2004)

“London’s first ecological tall building and an

instantly recognisable addition to the city’s

skyline, 30 St Mary Axe is rooted in a radical

approach - technically, architecturally, socially

and spatially.

Generated by a radial plan, with a circular

perimeter, the building widens in profile as it

rises and tapers towards its apex. This distinctive

form responds to the constraints of the site: the

building appears more slender than a

rectangular block of equivalent size; reflections

are reduced and transparency is improved;

and the slimming of its profile towards the base

maximises the public realm at ground level.

Environmentally, its profile reduces the amount

of wind deflected to the ground compared

with a rectilinear tower of similar size, helping to

maintain pedestrian comfort at street level,

and creates external pressure differentials that

are exploited to drive a unique system of

natural ventilation.

Conceptually the tower develops ideas

explored in the Commerzbank and before that

in the Climatroffice, a theoretical project with

Buckminster Fuller that suggested a new

rapport between nature and the workplace, its

energy-conscious enclosure resolving walls and

roof into a continuous triangulated skin. Here,

the towers diagonally braced structural

envelope allows column-free floor space and

a fully glazed facade, which opens up the

building to light and views. Atria between the

radiating fingers of each floor link together

vertically to form a series of informal break-out

spaces that spiral up the building. These

spaces are a natural social focus places for

refreshment points and meeting areas - and

function as the buildings lungs, distributing fresh

air drawn in through opening panels in the

faade. This system reduces the towers reliance

on air conditioning and together with other

sustainable measures, means that the building

is expected to use up to half the energy

consumed by air-conditioned office towers. “

Bowen Ding 349859

Reference:

http://www.fosterandpartner

s.com

Norman Foster’s talk, Jan 2007, Digital Life Design

http://www.ted.com/talks/norman_foster_s_green_agenda.html

Norman Foster is one of the greatest architect who combined

computational design with traditional design concepts ( cultural, historical,

environmental, structural research), his designs link modern computational

designed architectures with real life style, his motive of every design is clear

and accurate, such as expressing national culture, structural greatness and

always trying to achieve sustainable architecture.

Swiss Re building is one of his most popular design, which showed in the previous page, it is a computer-designed architecture, the motive is to

structurally: having column-free space within building, lower wind resistance

on it, and a more slender body; virtually: appearing smooth curve surface,

transparent skin, modern architectural looking; sustainably: achieving

energy efficiency building system, using the design of building structure itself

to reduce amount of needed energy.

Norman Foster and his partners are focusing on the concept of sustainable

architecture, on January 2007 Digital Life Design, Mr. Foster had addressed that, the digital technology as a tool for designers has brought lots of

advantages for designing architecture, the development is significant,

especially since 1997.

In his talk he also showed photos of his office, from old days till now,

architects and engineers changed their tool from paper and ruler to

computer on every desk in that office. Digital technology had not only

changed the design method, and also changed the style of modern

architecture, and even further more it has changed people’s life style. As

what Foster and his partners always do, now it becomes the time when

computing design is going to change our living environments, change

architectures’ energy consumption, and change human’s future life.



Relate to Gateway:

Like Norman Foster’s design, Swiss Re HQ and Crystal Island (discussed in

week 2), a “web” of steel structure can be created starting with a single

spiral, using scripting method.

This kind of “web” structure is able to stand and carry load while it is

formed into three dimensional. From the appearance of the structure, it

looks much like a façade that attached onto building surface.

For my Gateway Project, I would like to express this kind of “web”

structure all by itself without any supporting elements beside, or hang it

onto something. The concept of my gate way should be associate with

a center of “exploring structure”. But not a “sheet” such as I made from

the grasshopper tutorial.

This week’s tutorial used

three lines to create a

surface that twisted

following the lines’

curve. It was a

convenient method to

make flowing surface

with organic shape.

I created an “acaleph”

by rotating one

element by the central

axis. I am interested in

the way that a single

2D curve line can

become a 3D object

just by rotating it.

It then reminded me

about the buildings I

have studied in week 2

and 3. I used this

method and followed

the logic of the Crystal

Island’s concept to

made a digital model

later shows on the next

page.

After this week’s grasshopper

tutorial.I made a similar digital

model as the Crystal Island, shown

in the screen capture above,

using Grasshopper definition

shown on the left side picture.

The basic logic of the definition is

creating a single spiral and then

rotate by the central vertical axis

several times, both clockwise and

anti-clockwise.

I am satisfied with the outcome at the first time, however enlarge the model I

found the spiral is not as smooth as I expected. I think the main curves on the

surface of the cone needs a mathematical definition to keep it smooth, then the

spirals can be made onto that surface.

One of the advantage I found during the process of making this model is, while

changes are made to the original spiral, others will follow the same change, but

the form of this whole building still kept symmetrical by the central axis. Therefore

the random changes had caused variable outcomes of the building form, which

could be valuable to do further exploration on.



MITRIX



Design / Selection Method

While I was generating different shapes of the definitions, I

found myself was firstly looking for the shapes that are more

attractive to me. Most of them have complex looking, with

smooth patterns or variable heights of surfaces.

Then when I start to consider them as architectural structural,

problems came out more for those ones were looking better

for me. Therefore I started to simplifying the shapes trying to

make them more achievable in real life.

“Instead of searching the solution space for the solution to a

problem, they look for a solution to the problem. This can be

accomplished by reducing the size of the solution space by

adding constraints until all but a few or perhaps only one

solution remains, making the selection of the satisfactory

solution trivial.”

(Yehuda E. Kalay, Architecture's New Media : Principles,

Theories, and Methods of Computer-Aided Design

(Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 2004), pp. 5 - 25 )

In Kalay’s article, this method is much better than starting a

design with randomly playing around with the shapes.

However through the process of changing shapes of one

object more inspiration and un-defined problems may come

out. It maybe a good way to start a design but not to solve

design problems.

Relate to Gateway:

Although this week’s grasshopper tutorial was interesting that we are able

to create patterns on surface due to the image we put in, I wound see the

outcome of this method is more like to create a facade rather than a

structure. It needs further experiment to work out how to transfer the

façade into a structure.



Case Study

Airspace Tokyo is a four-storey, mixed use

residential and commercial building designed by

Tokyo architect Hajime Masubuchi of Studio M.

And the public faces of the building were

developed by the Faulders Studio in San

Francisco.

The screen conceived as a protective airspace.

The cellular design and double layering of the

screen is like the lush vegetation. In the night, the

screen modulates views in and out of the

building, and casts shadows of the geometric

voids onto the street.

We choose this building as our case study project

since it is the one which is quite like our ideal

design for the gateway that we try to create an

structural, tridimensional, and vivid project, Not

been made of planar façade and without skin.



Randomly create several points in Rhino on a plan,

use these points as center-points to create circles

from. Set boundaries between the edges of circles,

to stop them from touching each other. When the

distance between centers are different, the circles

become irregular with their own unique shape.

The outcome has very organic and random

patterns, that leads to large amount of possible

outcomes.

Several variable outcomes shown on the left. They

are created by increasing number of points,

rearranging points, changing radius of circles and

resetting boundaries.

We chose the one which is most “structure like” to

us. Not too many hollows and edges are thick and

strong enough to be used as structure in further

design.



Physical Model

Apply EOI into Case Study, we transferred 2D façade into 3D structures, by

rearrange sheets into several different forms.

1) Using multiple single sheets lean against each other to make them able to stand. Created shadow under structure looks like another layer of

patterns crossing with boxboard sheets.



Three sheets form into triangle shape allow structure to be more stable.

Looking through structure, with shadow on ground and structure above,

created a tunnel of the pattern. It gave us the idea to design a gateway

goes across the highway above head, that cars will be travel through this

tunnel.

Acrylic

Steel

Reflective

Material

2) Apply different colors to each layer. To achieve this affect by using different materials.

We decided to have three layers. From outside to inside, there are: Steel (Dark),

Acrylic (Transparent), Reflective Material (Red).

These three layers have three levels of reflecting light. 1. Reflective Material

(Red) has the highest level of reflecting light, it will reflect the car-light at night

that obvious for drivers to see, has similar function as a traffic sign and vehicle

back light. 2. Refraction and reflection will both happen in acrylic, will make it

glowing at night when car-light shine on it. 3. Dark color steel will observe most

of the light and reflect a little, therefore it will be harder to see at night. Steel is

the strongest material in these three, it also function as the most load bearing

layer for the structure.

Physical model cannot

achieve ideal twisting and

hard to keep twisted

shape stable.

3) Instead using single sheet, we found out

several sheets joining

head-to-tail to each other

make it easier to twist and

form relative smoother

surface at the inside of

curve. Sheets insert into

each other at the edges,

may need more stable

joints in real-life

construction, such as large

steel screws to hold two

parts together.



We joint three multiple-layer sheets

to create this simple flowing

structure form. Structure load

transfer from the top to two bottoms

of the arch.

In the future design, we may have

several identical arches along the

highway, increase the distance that

car would travel under the gateway.

These are the photos of how the structure may looks like

at night when car driving through the gateway.

People inside the gateway will see clearly of the

“shining” structure. People out side the gateway will see

the structure as dark patterns with bright background.


WEEK NTW JOURNAL Bowen Ding 349859

Final Physical Model Development

Using Rhino to twist a single

sheet of the pattern can

create very smooth flowing

organic form. There are

unlimited numbers of

variable forms are possible to

be produced in this method.

Picture below shows only

three of the possibilities.

As a whole sculpture, it is

nice to look at from the far

outside, and there would be

only one material can be

used on such object. It is

against and brings

construction problems to our

“build across highway” idea,

but suit to be put on the side

of road.


NTW Bowen Ding 349859

Different from the Case

Study, we rearranged the

sheets to overlay them

onto each other with the

pattern facing the same

direction.

More complex pattern

was created by changing

the space between each

two sheets.

Changing the angle of

sheets to make them

“flowing”.

Looking into the hollows, there is sense of extending into a

channel. We found interesting if we can apply it into our

design.

Instead driving along the side of the structure, this idea is

to driving towards the structure, maybe travel into the

hollows of layers.

Using the overlay idea, we made

another model which is totally different

from the previous.

Because we chose to use plastic sheets

instead boxboard, the material is more

flexible that curve are created because

of the natural load of the sheets. Each

layer of the structure has a different

degree of curve, degree become

smaller towards the direction where the

cars will travel from. Cars will drive under

the structure into the channel that

formed by the hollows of layers.

Compare to the previous design, the

shadow is more regular because of the

overlay.


NTW Bowen Ding 349859

While we pour water on the model, structure sag down to the ground

that create another new interesting from.

With this structure, sound of car driving pass will also be deflect

towards different direction, may reduce noise pollution for neighbor

areas. Wind load is very small because of the numbers of hollows. Rain

water fall through the holes, reduce the live load on structure. Curved

shape roof make less air pressure on top of it when wind travel pass,

which can cancel amount of structure dead load. If we choose

acrylic as main structure material, the whole structure will glowing

when car-light shines on it. In this case we can have different color of

acrylic for each sheet.



Review Design Project



Option 1

Option 2

Options of locations of gateway

The purpose of the choice is to design the gateway overhead of the

road.

By driving through the gateway, drivers can experience the inside to

observe the structure, texture and lighting.

Ideas Dropped

1) Folding:

The shadow did not show much different pattern from the structure. Form did nit

clearly show the movement/ flowing of the structure. Folded circular patterns

appeared sharp angles at the edges, a mixture of geometric and organic shapes,

looks point-less complex and messy. Shape of structure was damaged.

2) Toned Sound when car driving through gateway:

Structure has too many hollows with random radius and shapes. If I design the

structure with less hollows and more solid covering, the original design concept

would be changed.

Personal Experience

When I carried the models on the street in a very windy rainy day, they did not be

blown off by the strong wind. I turned them in different angles to face the wind,

their structure were still stable. This experience showed how stable the design is, an

evidence of how wind travels through the hollows of structure that reduces the

wind resistance on structure.

Rain water first left circles of wet marks under the structure, then the marks spread

larger and joined each other finally. I thought it would be interesting to do a similar

test of the final model to record the change of wet marks.

The ideas with bad outcomes I dropped from the model experiments.

&

Personal experience with modeling



Feedback From Presentation



1) The position of gateway did not cover the three roads.

2) Size, scale of the actual structure is a problem for the

material.

3) How to connect every sheet, or is connection necessary.

4) Consider the size, density, prefabrication of the material.

5) How to support this large scale of sheet.

6) How to let sheets really free fall onto the ground.

Thinking of question 5

For the model at this stage, the sheet is supported at

one corner.

I think one of the way to make the structure stronger is

to have less and smaller hollows when closing to the

connection point. Imagine a tree branch. Less and

smaller hollow makes that part of sheet more solid

therefore has more strength.

Sheets can be built into ground or the central island (hill)

of the site. I wound think with a firm material like

concrete to hold the structure in.


Week

09

THE IDEA WHICH WAS DROOPED

Nature

Natural features

(Werribee River, K

Road Cliffs)

Wildlife Sanctuaries

(Point Cook Coastal

Park, Heathdale

Wetlands)

Human

Historical Sites and

Museums (RAAF Museum,

Cobbledicks Ford)

Heritage (Market gardens

farming area)

Community settlement

Gateway (Art)

Encouraging ongoing

interest in and reflect

on the western

interchange.

Site

Flat, wide open

landscape, divided into

two parts with two

different direction

freeway. High speed

movement of traffic

along Princes Freeway.

Car speed

100km/h=27.78m/s

Scale: span across

freeway and AB sites;

height enough for large

track go through.

Material

Acrylic no. of sheets and block

needed

Construction

Bottom built into

ground with concrete

as footing.

Steel Joints, steel bar,

screws, sheets. Allow

movement.

Curve degree of each

acrylic sheet.

Cars travel

direction

Highest

point

An analysis of research related to design



Rather than “travel from

Geelong to Werribee

goes through under

gateway; travel in

opposite direction see

outside view of structure”,

“to have same structure

on both roads. Fixed on

the central island” would

be better.

The gateway shell be long

enough for people to

experience well in a car

that is travelling

100km/h=27.78m/s.

Structure from fixed end

to free end becomes

lighter, material less

weight, fixed end may

combine with steel.

Structure build into

ground with concrete

block footing under.

Steel connection

between acrylic sheets,

use bar and screws to fix

at the ends.



Arch should be wide enough to across the freeway and

allow 3 cars in a row to travel under, height should above

the highest track that would travel under it in future.

Can use two arches to separate drive ways.

Structure would stretch as close to W-G direction freeway as

possible, and allow cars on G-W direction freeway to travel

under it for more than 1s with fastest speed 100km/h.

W > 20m

W1>10m

L >

27

m

H >

4m

Developed form (not final)

Fixed end Fixed end Fixed end Free end

Fre

e

en

d

Fre

e

en

d

Expand further

Exp

an

d f

urt

he

r

Digital Model Development



After I made this form, obvious problems were easily seen from the model. Acrylic

material is not able to form such a large piece, one piece should be made in numbers of

acrylic pieces. Therefore many joints will be constructed on the structure to achieve the

curve form, which make the “free fall” idea too hard not only at the bottom but also at

the curving points. And the design looks clumsy just by looking at this model.

The EOI model was easy to made but the form is too ideal to be built in real construction

with acrylic pieces. To achieve this design, material need to be changed to more light

ones and a frame structure may need to be applied for supporting the pattern to make

“free fall” happen. However the free fall ends would still be impossible to moving in air,

while there is a big scope of curving. Structure need to be strong for safety issue, but too

strong structure reduces the chance of moving.

Therefore, this idea of design was dropped . Now need a new inspiration.


Week

10

THE START OF A NEW IDEA

Because of the previous design was superficial, therefore I went back to the brief and did

more background research of the western area. The sense of “movement” mainly comes

from the travelling of people on the Prince Highway, new settlement of population moving

to this region, urban expansion, industrial development, and migration birds travelling back

and foreword every year.

“The City of Wyndham is a residential and rural municipality on Melbourne's south-

western fringe. The City is centred on the residential areas around Werribee. The former rural

service centre of Werribee became the focus of significant residential growth from the

1960s. This growth was focused in areas to the north of the original township, principally in

the Hoppers Crossing area. The rural areas to the south boast significant amounts of

intensive horticulture, while a large area is occupied by Melbourne Water's Western

Treatment Plant. The City also includes a substantial industrial presence, focused in the

Laverton North area.

The City of Wyndham experienced a period of substantial residential expansion through the

1970s and 1980s. The primary housing market role that the City played over this period was

to provide affordable home owning opportunities for families and prospective families from

the western and south western suburbs of Melbourne. This period of expansion is set to be

mirrored by a new phase of development focused in Point Cook, Tarneit, Truganina and

Wyndham Vale. This is based predominantly on two factors. The first factor is the declining

amount of easily developable 'greenfield' land in the City of Hobsons Bay and to a lesser

extent the City of Brimbank to the east. The second factor is the significant demand for new

housing from new young families and couples from within the City of Wyndham itself. This is

based on the fact that many of the areas developed in the 1970s and 1980s, will provide

strong demand from children who grew up in these areas who are now forming their own

households.”

There are numbers of wetland and reserves that attract migration birds from overseas.

This “travelling, movement” had drew my attention into birds. This is the time I realized

the “free fall” idea from previous design inosculates with bird’s wings. Therefore a

entirely new idea of design with this “bird’s wings light-weight structure” has began.



Western Area

Wetland, Sustainability

Migratory Bird

Travel, Journey

New Settlement

Moving, Travel to work

Freeway

Nature Human

Wings

Bird Wing VS Design Idea Two identical structure on

both side of the central hill.

Layers of feather -- Layers of structure

Bird bone (empty inside, hollow) –

Transparent material

Water live bird wings cannot be wetted

by water

-- Structure less rain water capture.

Fixed at one end free the other end,

structure free fall.

Material

Transparent, trusses– light weight

Recycle car material?

(Wind shell, steel cover).

BIRD WING ANALYSIS

Bird’s bone structure--- Hollow, lightweight

Feathers--- Moving floating in air

Wings--- Cantilever

BACKGROUND

Fast developing western area--- Keep changing all time

Cars travel direction Highest

point

Cover both

direction roads

Things need to consider:

1) Design should not affect drivers’ vision while driving on highway, for

keeping safety. People’s eyes may not react fast adapting from a bright

place to a dark place, it way cause traffic accident.

2) Design better to be a open space rather than a enclosed one for safety

issues. If accident happened, enclosed space would increase hardship for

rescue.

3) Material should not be too easy to burn, should not be too sharp.



FIRST DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

The first version of new design is a free fall panel that is fixed on to a straight column,

using cables to pull columns back down to earth. This symmetrical design has

covered both direction of the high way, it is light weighted with a concept of wing

structure or even one single feather.

However the panels would be hard to fix on columns’ ends with such small

connecting areas. There would be frames needed to stabilize panel. Which would

make this design look heavier and too complex on the appearance. The angle of

curving panels is not easy to control just by designing joints. If there was a strong wind,

the panels might fall over.

This version did not express the concept fully, needs further development.


Week

11

DEVELOPING

SECOND DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

This step of development is trying to start adding movement to designed

structure and allow panels to cover bigger area above the highways. I

designed to use cables to hang panels from straight above, therefore it

would be much easier to construct. The columns were redesigned to add

another part that extend towards highway more, which also made

columns more looks like bird wing’s bone structure.

However the appearance is too much industrial looking and gives a feeling

of unfinished design. The outlook need to be more organic and smooth.



THIRD DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

In this step of development, I was trying to change the form into more organic

shape, and starting to think how to achieve panels movement. The

columns became curling columns from outside but inside structure will still

remain straight crane r trusses, which is for installing a pulley system onto it.

Therefore the panels can move while cars driving under them.

There are problems appear for this moving panel structure:

1) If cables come from one point and diverge to every corner of the panel,

panel will not be supported stabile enough, and movement is too limited.

2) How and when will the panels move, what is the energy resource, in what

order would the panels move?



FINAL DESIGN DEVELOPMENT

I designed the final development has two curling column for each panel, cables

coming from columns on both sides of panel, and parallel to each other that connect

onto the edge of panel. Panels are fixed at the end that close to the columns. Which

solved the previous problems. Therefore the direction of movement of panels is

perpendicular to the movement of traffic under them. There is another movement that

is created by the different height of columns, a wave was made.

Due to different heights of the curling columns, the angles formed by the cables on ev

ery curling column and the horizontal line are different. View from the side, the spacing

out cables is like diverging from ground to columns. It’s to achieve an ordering view an

d spectacular expression to the audiences.



MATERIALS

PANEL Need to be transparent, light-weighted, flexible.

ETFE

Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene, known also by its acronym ETFE, is a

thermoplastic fluorocarbon-based polymer (a fluoro polymer). It was

originally designed to have high corrosion resistance and strength over a

wide temperature range.

Compared to glass, ETFE film is 1% the weight, transmits more light and is

also resilient, self-cleaning (due to its non-stick surface) and recyclable.

An example of its use is as pneumatic panels covering the outside of large

sport complexes, such as football stadium Allianz Arena or the Beijing

National Aquatics Centre - the world's largest structure made of ETFE film.

COLUMN INSIDE: Strong, allow installation of pulley system and maintenance for it.

Crane arms steel trusses

OUTSIDE: Industrial feeling, weathering resistant, smooth.

Aluminum cover

http://www.google.com/imgres?um=1&hl=zh-CN&client=firefox-a&sa=N&rls=org.mozilla:zh-CN:official&authuser=0&biw=1600&bih=754&tbm=isch&tbnid=xGGhZgMdueDe-M:&imgrefurl=http://jessicazuniga.blogspot.com/2009/04/blog-post.html&docid=Kg73vcwDA18T7M&imgurl=http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_cgWvwXXsQwA/SdTY1hw-i1I/AAAAAAAAAJo/uEVMXlZVxv4/s400/etfe.jpg&w=300&h=400&ei=i-vQT7a8EpKhiQf-5d2PDA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=171&vpy=268&dur=1917&hovh=259&hovw=194&tx=132&ty=144&sig=106526680726153417472&page=1&tbnh=123&tbnw=96&start=0&ndsp=32&ved=1t:429,r:24,s:0,i:119

STRUCTURE DESIGN

The pulley system design was also inspired by Chunky Move's Connected.

Although the movement is different. In this design, movement of the panel is

more simple, like Mexican Wave, each panel waves from free end to fixed end.

The Mexican Wave starts from the closer end of the gateway to the direction

where cars coming from, and move in order as one by one.

Unfortunately, we have failed to create a movie of this ordering movement. The

one we did was more like a moving of a flag, which was not correct.

JOINTS DESIGN



The spring at the bottom of structure reduces vibration from highway while

cars passing through.

The aluminum frame of membrane is formed by numbers of bars with hollows

inside, this idea is from the bird’s hollow bones. It reduce the unnecessary

weight of panels.

CONSTRUCTION PROCESS

The curling columns are mainly supported by the paralleled cables which are pulle

d back tightly towards to the ground and fixed by steel screw piles. Every two

columns ‘hanging’ with one piece of thin, light-weight ETFE membrane by cables,

one side of the membrane is fixed on steel truss inside column. In general, the

crane-like curling column, pulley system construction method and steel trusses and

cables construction materials used in the design, they can be seen as a symbol of

Wyndham City’s substantial industry.

HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

This system I designed is for generating the pulley system to move, it basically

follows the idea of “ moving energy --- pressure energy --- moving energy,

electrical energy”. If necessary, solar energy could also be designed into this

system. Lighting also would be possible if there is much energy left after using

by pulley system. This system’s possibility shell be discussed with engineering.

The hydraulic system shell be placed underground between two parts of the

gateways and highways. Try to make it un-seen from above, and it should be

built in a way that cannot affect on columns footing system and the steel

screw piles for the cables. However it should must be accessible, as it might

need maintenance in the future.


Week

12

FINAL RESULTS



SUMMARY OF DESIGN

1) Cable represent the muscle in the analysis of wing structure, it is easy to construct,

it pulls back the structure if it fall when accident happen.

2) Column bottom thicker than top, thinner as going op column, makes them stable.

3) Steel truss better than concrete as much tension is put on columns. Concrete

would be too heavy, not easy to construct, and especially not match concept.

4) Each part can be pre-fabricated and then put together on site later then.

Therefore maintenance would be easy.

5) Panels can be fully pulled back next to columns if there was a very strong wind for

safety issue.

6) Cables, columns and panels all make spectacular views both individually, and

indeed all together as a whole.

RENDERING

Each material is set on one layer with different colors. Cables need to be

made into tubes to be able to show on rendering pictures.



RESULTS OF RENDERING



PHOTOMONTAGE

PHYISICAL MODEL 1:100

METHOD:

We used Fablab to laser cut columns and panels with pattern.

Firstly I drew on black paper with pencil to decide the places where to put

columns. Then we cut out holes that fit columns’ bottoms and put them in.

Then stick metal wires on back of them and tie panels onto columns with

plastic strings.

It was totally different from real construction, but the order of process is similar.

This model is made to show how every part come together.



PHYISICAL MODEL LIGHTING

The model is glowing while lighting on it.

However the result is not exactly what it should looks like, because the

material of panel is not as transparent as ETFE in real construction.

PHYISICAL MODEL 1:500

I chose to use paper strips is because the site model is made to show how

the wave of structures look like on site in ne general point of view.

It was hard to curve the paper strips into right curving angle, the result of this

model is slightly different than it should be.



PHYISICAL MODEL PULLEY SYSTEM

I was trying to make a model that shows how pulley system works, but

we failed because the truss is difficult to make by hand and rollers

were not working well, as the friction between strings and rollers is

smaller than the friction between rollers and rollers’ supporting bars.

SHADOW THROUGH YEAR

Summer: 76°sunlight Clear shadow of membrane’s pattern is created on road.

Winter: 29°sunlight Clearer shadow of cables and columns than shadow of membrane.

>50% transparent ETFE allow part of light through.

Summer Sunlight

Winter Sunlight


FINAL PRESENTATION


FINAL

Bowen Ding 349859

LOGO DESIGN

Cables Column Panel

DESIGN CONCEPT

The gateway design is located in the Princes Highway which is the major traffic

connection between Geelong and the south west coast to the CBD.

Western fringe contain numbers of wetland areas that attract thousands species of

migration birds. City of Wyndham is a residential and rural municipality, which is

significantly experiencing residential expansion and urban development these years. The

continuous changing of urban environment and global travelling of migration birds carry

out a strong sense of movement.

The project is inspired by the analysis of bird’s wing physical structure,

its bone and muscle structures and the motion of wings and feathers while travelling in air.

Wyndham city is committed to achieving long term environmental sustainability. The

‘Floating’ design is energy efficiency, aiming to upgrade the condition and aesthetics of

its streetscapes. It represents the entire appearance of Wyndham City is ‘flying’ towards

to a large development in different aspects in the near future. The design would become

an iconic feature to remind people to achieve sustainable Wyndham city.

Nature

Natural

features

(Werribee River,

K Road Cliffs)

Wildlife

Sanctuaries

(Point Cook

Coastal Park,

Heathdale

Wetlands)

Human

Historical Sites

and Museums

(RAAF Museum,

Cobbledicks

Ford)

Heritage (Market

gardens farming

area)

Community

settlement &

Industry

Gateway (Art)

Encouraging

ongoing

interest in

and reflect

on the

western

interchange.

1) Two identical light-weight

structure on both sides

2) Layers of feather, movement

in air -- Layers of structure,

movement

3) Bird bone, empty inside,

hollow – Steel truss & Al frame

4) Water live bird wings cannot

be wetted by water -- Structure

less rain water capture.

5) Fixed at one end free the

other end, structure free fall.

GENERAL ARRANGEMENT

The structure of this design contains two lines of curling columns in different heights

from 12 meters to 16 meters. Each line of columns extends 150 meters along freeway at

2 meters spacing, and 15meters long across the roads. It will take 5 – 6 s for a car to

travel through the gateway at 100km/h speed.

MOVEMENT

The curling columns designed in different heights is in order to create ‘moving waves’.

This “visual movements” is combined with the movements from the membranes. ETFE is

soft enough to allow smooth movement for the membranes.

Due to different heights of the curling columns, angles formed by the cables on every c

olumn and the horizontal line are different. View from side, the spacing out cables is like

diverging

from ground to columns. Achieving an ordering view and spectacular expression.

STRUCTURE & CONSTRUCTION

The pulley system is generated by a hydraulic system, which is to achieve smooth

movements for the free-end membrane. In general, the crane-like curling column,

pulley system construction method and steel trusses and cables construction

materials used in the design, they can be seen as a symbol of Wyndham City’s

substantial industry.


FINAL

Bowen Ding 349859

RE-DRAW STRUCTURE DESIGN ON CAD

FINAL DIAGRAM OF HYDRAULIC SYSTEM

MAKING MOVIE WITH WINDOWS MOVIE MAKER

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Through this semester we have developed the skill of parametric design by learning a

new program Rhino+ Grasshopper. Before I approach my design always start with

aiming and achieving brief, but this time we have started with doing random

Grasshopper definitions, which gave me lots of inspiration through this learning process

that lead to a design that I like the best so far.

I was not used to computer design before this subject, as it shown above on the left,

my design always was poor on outcomes. Design was not showed properly enough just

by hand drawing. This time I have learnt using computer design tools to express my

thoughts better, as the outcome shown above on the right, the result is much more

accurate on expressing the design idea and concept.

Rhino was the one which made my design a nice appearance and Grasshopper

brought out my ideas by playing around with program definitions. The experiences of

material and forms were like the Grasshopper definitions, which lead us to numbers of

various outcomes, then became the beginning points which we could started our

design from. The online quizzes had helped us to learn and understand these programs.

The first design of our EOI was superficial because of lack of background research, as

one of the reading in this subject said, “computer design is blindfolded without

research of background information”. I have truly experienced this word from my

learning outcomes of the mid-semester submission of this subject. After large amount of

research of the site, I have found the most important inspiration that brought out my

final design. If computer design had broaden the design initial, research was one to

exact the design to a concept that fits the particular situation.

It has been a pleasure and great learning experience with this subject. I have not only

got to know and use a new computer design program but also learnt a new method

of design approach.


Bowen Ding 349859

IMPROVEMENT

BEFORE AFTER

REFERENCE

NORMAN FOSTER PROJECTS:

http://www.fosterandpartners.com

ACRYLIC: 1)http://www.hydrosight.com/products/acrylic_sheet_sizes.php

2)http://www.hydrosight.com/technology/technical_information_on_acryli

c.php

ETFE: 1)http://www.alibaba.com/product-

free/101352314/Etfe_Ethylene_Tetrafluoroethylene_Copolymer_Sheets

.html

2)http://architecture.about.com/od/construction/g/ETFE.htm

3)http://www.plastemart.com/upload/literature/ETFE-fluoropolymer-

membrane-excellent-clarity-cost-reduction-Transparent-ethyl-

tetrafluorethylene-foils.asp

CITY OF WYNDHAM: http://forecast2.id.com.au/default.aspx?id=124&pg=5520

CHUNCKY MOVE’S CONNECTED: 1)http://www.artsjournal.com/dancebeat/2011/11/the-sculpture-dances/

2)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VgKxTcds2V8

THE END

THANK YOU

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