STUDIO AIRSKETCHBOOK 2015, SEMESTER 1, PHILIP BELENSKY

MAXWELL BRACHER

Who I am

Born and raised amongst the Eucalyptus in Emerald, Victoria, over time I have developed an acute awareness both the built and natural environments that surround me. From a very early age I was encouraged to draw and to use creative outlets as an expression of self. Whether expressed through illustration, playing the piano or the trumpet, designing aircraft liveries or ‘dream houses,’ artistry was in my blood.

It wasn’t until much later in my schooling that I decided architecture was for me. This was a career that would allow me actively engage in the world in which we live, and to shape places for a better future. My interests in the built form are wide and varied. Throughout my childhood, many happy memeories directly involve country towns. The distinct architectural typology in Victorian country towns in particular has given me an intense interest in heritage architecture: how we can preserve it, interpret it, and adapt it for the future. This interest has led me to join the Heritage Advisory Committee at the Puffing Billy Railway, at which I have been volunteering my time for five years.

Conversely - perhaps contradictingly - I am fascinated in the rise of the skyscraper and the growth of Melbourne’s skyline. We are living in such an exciting phase in our city’s history. The rate of development is faster than we

have ever seen before, proliferated by massive investment from Asia and counteracted by concerns over quality control and minimum living and construction standards. Even the process from proposal to fruition has speedened: this is where computational design has a role to play.

My experience with computational design is limited at best. Up until now I have relied on tactile design: the feel of a grey lead between the fingers is all too familiar and it has been a loyal companion in my design story. However the rise of the computer is undeniable and change must come.

From my meagre point of view, computational design is causing a great shift in the industry for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it is allowing architects, engineers, urban planners, designers in general, to produce work within a much shorter time frame than what was once possible. Unfortunately, this has the added result of putting designers under increased pressure. Secondly, computers encourage the generation of forms thought previously impossible. Buildings no longer are limited by the scope of the architect’s imagination: technology now pushes design to its very limits, surprising and challenging us along the way.

I am looking forward to Studio Air inspiring me to look to the way of the future; to challenge my conceptions of design and to to further my creative story. Let it begin!

Introduction

FIG.1: SOUTHBANK EPITOMISES MODERN MELBOURNE’S RAPID GROWTH

ALGORITHMIC SKETCH

Week 1 / Loft

It was week One’s objective to demonstratethe basic performance characteristics of Grasshopper. This consisted of mapping points to a plane, joining them with a line, and lofting those components in a 3D space.

By varying the form and size of both the top and bottom plates of a loft, interesting and unexpected forms can result. However at its most basic, a Grasshopper loft function is easily readable in terms of its 3-dimensional form.

ALGORITHMIC SKETCH

Week 2 / Divide Surface

Utilising knowledge from the previous week as to how to ‘loft’, curves created by Rhino were selected to imitate an ‘undulating’ surface.

This surface was divided and ‘mapped’ with points, which were further varied according to their placement and size. From these points, a ‘circle CNR’ was placed, lofted, and extruded out of the surface.

Variation in the ‘forest’ came about through width changes, spacing, variable height, angle, and form. Whilst my grasp on Grasshopper is far from profound, I was able to place cones against the surface, as opposed to ‘trunks’. For people more adept at the program than I, this is hardly anything to boast about, but my brain is yet to grasp this way of thought, so it’s a break through for me.