This project, located in Long Beach - CA, is a mixed use residential and commercial building typology with nested parametric qualities. The main form of the building is generated from spatial data from a swarm aggregation which finds optimal paths through the built enviornment at set velocities. From these field lines the building form is then aggregated and developed in a parametric fasion in which the skin of the building becomes the form onto which the housing units get plugged into and aggregated upon.

The secondary development of the project deals with issues surrounding the future of living. Since the project is based in a theoretical future 50+ years from current it is planned that the future of housing may be a very differnt form than it takes today. It is percieved in the future of residential dwelling that the home will become a vessel for living, following its inhabitant around the world from one place of residence to another. It is the inherant way that these vessels become aggregated that we find this project, stratling a larger urban context into which these units place themselves, influencing the conditional of the fabric and influencing the next generation of the field. It is the informative of the units mobility that informs the connections of the project to both its surrounding imeadiate context and its linkage to the further through contained transportation linkages. Included into the project is a raised rail system into which the residential units can be hoisted off of or to the built form and create an integral relationship between the mulit modal transportation features of the units and the physical means of being defined as mobile.

Design Team: Erick Prins, Ben Dansby

Engineers: Trevor DeLuca, Fangzhou Liu

The design problems facing the architects for the revitalization of Archimedes Plaza into a sustainable site and model for the rest of campus provided many problems and created the need for creative solutions. Currently the site area consists of an over shaded park space with a large open plaza space towards the northern edge between a seating area and Biegler Hall. This space largely unutilized by design serves as a cap to the underground vaults. With the Universities plan to expand the vault and revitalize the park space it offered a unique challenge to the architects and engineers to reinvest the space as a sustainable model for the rest of campus and have it become an flagship image for the Viterbi School of Engineering. The Design consists of deepening the vaults to allow for the movement of the current fountain to its new location above the vault. Spanning across the roof and western wall of Biegler hall and then carrying across the new placement of the fountain, further covering a expanded sitting space the addition of solar panels provides more than enough power to supply many of the buildings surrounding the quad space. The removal of trees and the fountain from the large interior space allows for the re-use of the space as a quad that becomes branded with a walkway of sustainable bricks in the shape of the Viterbi Logo that serves as both a focal point of the quad as well as uniquely serves as access to both Biegler Hall and the buildings to the south of the quad. The removal of the trees and supplanting them with lower scale trees increases the sites warmth in the winter and covering of the panels allows the site to be shaded during the summer sun. The reduction of the pavement allows the site to become more sustainable by offering a refuge from the increasing presence of the urban heat island effect and by successfully copying design this project can become a model for sustainable sites for not only the campus but for all of Los Angeles and Southern California.

tagged: Catia

[FOLD WALL] is a parametric investigation of a 'breathing wall system' located in downtown Los Angeles on Flower street. The wall is intended to act as a visually interactive piece that both separates the sidewalk from the interior but serves an alternative function. the shop front on flower street and 9th streeet brings forward issues of permeability on one hand and visual relations on the other. [FOLD WALL] is the responce to the aesthetical and performative problem issued by this project.

The project attempts to make a connection to the exterior condition through a serries of plated fold lines, cut lines, joining margins and context through the use of a parametric part that addapts itself to the context allowed in the site. There is an emphasis on buildable surfaces through the use of a parameterized model which lends each part to be flattened and cut out of a single sheet material. The overall concept, is that through a serries of further investigations, that the part itself can become dynamically modified in which all parts are the same and based on the context are marginalized and changed according to the overall parameters derived from instantiation into site. For the time being the parts are individualized, yet similar, and contextualize themselves based on the context geometry.

Material choice for the [FOLD WALL] is considered to be a priority to develop the visual connection through the folds. It was determined through investigation that some perferated translucent polyurathane plastic panel would be ideal for the situation. Alternatively, perhaps, a perferated copper plate may have interesting results and will have to be tested further into the design.

Overall it is the hope that [FOLD WALL] becomes an investigation into standardized parts within Catia(r) and provide an instance for investigation into a built product from a parametrically designed digital project.

view portfolio piece: [pdf]

Course Instructor: David Gerber
Gehry Technologies
David's Blog

tagged: Rhinoscript

[interrupt.branching] micro theory

The essence behind [interrupt.branching] is held within the branching logic developed over the course of exploration within [arch.402c : non.linear.algortihms]. the idea within that studio was to investigate branching as a systemic logic for developing circulation and space from the generative conglomerations that were achieved from running of the [seed] code. the generational ideal of [interupt.branching] was taken as a possible offshoot to the code developed in that studio and here is being tested unter the guise of another interest, that of using a branching logic to interupt a built form in creating a dynamic architecture that responds to local criteria and critical information in the integration of the code, site and built form.

[interrupt.branching] is run under the condition from a serries of starting seed points. these points are critical in the designed space as the entirity of the code is generated from these set points. it is up to the designer to establish the criteria for selecting seed points and informing the computational input of the code that these points are the desired starting informational points in the entire branching logic. the conditional start points are then informed by a series of limits and rules of which the user sets up on initial running. these rules and constants inform the generation and eventual breakdown of certain systems within the code which creates the generative emergent form. the conditionals included: a set length of a branch, then number of generations for the branches to grow, a decay factor for each branch within a generation to devolve, a set rotational multiple, and an inherent self awareness threshold value.

The code takes the initial set data of points, constants and rules and begins to run a branching logic from each of the seed points. from the total set of points a centroid control point is generated which will guide the individual vectors of each branch either toward or away from that point, unless of course a point end of a branch is within a set threshold distance of another point in the continous array of branch nodes, at which point the code will align and instruct the branch to connect to the nearest node. if not, the code will run towards or away from the centroid point based upon the sign conditioned to the magnitude vector [if negitive the branches will aggregate away from the central point, if positive the branches will agregate inwards towards the central point]. each branch within each generation of each branching set of any seed point will have a conditional applied to moderate its length. the set length for each branch will degenerate over time by a set conditional based upon the codes initial conditional compounding itself through each generation itterative. the end result of which is a line length which is constantly changing based upon its generation.

The end result of [interrupt.branching] is its interaction with object data. in this case, the interuption caused by the code within a set object. for this investigation a theoretical skyscraper of 35 floors was the object of which the branching logic would interupt. the set points were a serries of conditionals that were set based on set site criteria. while any points could theoretically be used these points were seen as a strong indicator of intentional result, thus showing an optimized formal interuption. the tower, whose mass becomes a cloud of points indicating structure is based off a 20’ x 20’ x 15’ grid. this grid then becomes the mass that is interupted by the running of the code through the mass. each point within the point cloud mass tests its distance from the branches of the generative code and if a point is within a user set distance conditioned number (conditioned by its length) then the point will move until it is outside that threshold. this will recursively run for each branch that is created in the system, leaving the end result to an irregular point cloud with points pushed away from the generative code. these points are then run through one final script which tests a single point in the point cloud against its neighbors. if the point is within a user set distance (in this case 20’) then both points will be connected with a line which will later become the aggregated structure for this new theoretical skyscraper.

[interrupt.branching] is a theory into how conditional branching may interupt a built form, the end goal of which would be to employ such a technique on a full urban scale and not limited to just a set building site. the seed points would generate a built form through the interaction of the code and the massing and thus split, create, and define the parameters of which a series of buildings could be generated, perhaps not as a limited factor but as the parametric imput for a future investigation into a parametric urban setting.

view presentation boards: [pdf]

tagged: Rhinoscript

[seed] micro theory

This investigation into non-linear aggregations has led to a project of intersecting branching. The investigation surrounds the idea that this branching pattern will occur in three dimensions and become a conceptual basis for circulation that is defined as a series of extruded geodesic shapes in the creation of a crystal network. Branching is defined as a division of some larger or more complex organization. Specifically in this context branching is defined as an object that is aggregated off itself in one or more branching operations from a seeding point. These operations include a scaled copy, movement and rotation along a vector parallel to the axis of geometry. The idea of branching involves both splitting of branches and the convergence of new branches.

This branching logic is then used to define an axis about which set lines of dynamically conditioned size are created, and when seen in the network they resemble that of a crystal structure. The seeding points can be arranged to allow for seeding of these crystal lattices where needed, yet the growth occurs in relation of one seeds location in conjunction of another. These seed points ‘grow’ towards one another and the link each individual branching set with another set and in such creates a network of interactions. It is within the interactions of the networked ‘crystals’ that we can define space. This crystallization becomes the programmable space. It is not necessarily the circulation spine, but more of an interruption within a built object in which circulation can occur. From the creation of the circulation spine the script is run from points generated in the first run to create each programmable space. Each space is linked to the others not only in the interaction with the other scripted points but through the layout upon the circulated spine. Each of the programmatic spaces are seen as a larger conglomerated scripted logic, each following certain criteria in developing the inhabitable spaces as well as informing the surrounding spaces. The branching logic is lastly applied to the overall form of the building in order to interrupt and create visual connections between spaces and the outside.

It is hoped that the underlying logic of branching and the understanding of the concepts of diverging and converging branches can be a literal translation into the programmatic elements of the project in interrelated disciplines and discourse. Each discipline branching from its main study into new fields which, may be diverging on its own course of understanding or, in cases converging within its own discipline or that in others, in the ultimate search of new research. It is through branching that we understand the connections to the past, present, and future of the J.S.Bach Institute.

view presentation boards: [pdf]

tagged: Rhinoscript

This is looking at a deeper understanding of how the members of the [seed:aggregation] code from earlier come together. The objective was to design a more morphodynamic reaction of density of members within the system to coherently come together to generate spatial qualities. The investigation is leading to a greater project that both links the [seed:aggregation] project to the [seed:geode] project.

Obviously there is a lot of work to do in continuing this exploration, yet as a the project has continued to develop there has been a more coherent formal objective in relation to the design theory for the [seed] systems that have been developed. Expecting to have a larger investigative set posted soon.

An updated script will be posted along with the final project presentables

tagged: Catia

Parametric design is about creating the ability for infinite iterations. Catia, a program long used by the aviation industry, has been making headway into the field of Architecture with notable projects by Frank Gehry, Arup Engineers as well as Herzog and Demeuron who designed the Beijing National Stadium dubbed simply the "Birds Nest". The renderings and screenshots above are from a reparameterized 'Birds Nest' in which we were both exploring the capabilities of Catia as well as exploring what we could do to the design of the building.

Obviously this is the beginings of our understanding of the program but the potential is vast. With the ability to reparameterize any value within a project it is possible to have thousands of iterations of one project that can be done expediently and tested to the limits of design. What this means for architects is that we only have to design the building once and then test it to find a design that fits our intentions.

Catia is not without its limitations though. One must think differently when designing in Catia. It starts with a clear and concise understanding of what the design intentions are, what the building materials are and what the limitations of site conditions and laws. These relationships are all investigated within normal design but its within parametric design that the designer has the ability to test the limits of such relationships. Keep checking back as we will continue to investigate this program as a design tool throughout the coming semester.

tagged: Rhinoscript

This investigation into non-linear aggregations has led to a project of intersecting branching operation in which is governed by an L-system type of growth logic. The investigation surrounds the idea that this branching pattern will occur in three dimensions and become a conceptual basis for circulation that is defined as a series of extruded geodesic shapes in the creation of a crystal network.

Branching is defined as a division of some larger or more complex organization. Specifically in this context branching is defined as an object that is aggregated off itself in one or more branching operations from a seeding point. These operations include a scaled copy, movement and rotation along a vector parallel to the axis of geometry. The idea of branching involves both splitting of branches and the convergence of new branches.

This branching logic is then used to define an axis about which a set geometrical shape of known size is created, resembling that of a crystal structure. The seeding points can be arranged to allow for seeding of these crystal lattices where needed, yet the growth occurs in relation of one seeds location in conjunction of another. These seed points ‘grow’ towards one another and the link each individual crystal set with another set and in such creates a network of interactions.

It is within the interactions of the networked ‘crystals’ that we can define circulation space. It is not necessarily the circulation spine, but more of an interruption within a built object in which circulation can occur. With this logic in mind it is possible to conceive of this space as a negative void, which gets subtracted from a larger geometric set. This void then becomes a place for circulation to occur, inhabiting this void yet not necessarily contained to the extremity of its volume.

Through understanding the process in creating the circulation it can better be to relate the process of crystallization within another item as a process of geode growth. A geode created within stone when a crystal lattice forms within the sediment which later separate as a hollow mass within the stone. This process is similar to the creation of this negative void circulation space hence [seed:geode].

tagged: Rhinoscript

This project has focused on the development of a branching algorithm that starts at user selected seed points and grows out towards other seed systems. Each branch is aware of its surrounding neighbors and grows towards a central point based of each branches endpoint in the overall system. The end goal of this script is to investigate a these branch paths as a cirulatory system.

The script itself can be found below. As with any work posted on this site please re-use as you can, but do offer credit if the code does not change significantly and cant be credited as something youv'e created.

file: Rhinoscript

tagged: Rhinoscript

This semester has been exploring the use of rhinoscript as a development tool in creating non-linear algorithmic architeture. Above you will find an exploration of a panel system developed along a surface. The assignment was to create complexity through layering systems. In this project there was an investigation of using the UV grid to create a triangular panel system, then cut out a curved shape using a set of random points that are generated on those panels.

The script itself can be found below. As with any work posted on this site please re-use as you can, but do offer credit if the code does not change significantly and cant be credited as something youv'e created.

file: Rhinoscript

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