30ha Site. First Steps

By | Published: April 8, 2010

initial investigations for a 3oha site

step I
The first issue we looked at was the “type” of people in the city and their general daily schedule to outline which parts of the city are being used at certain times of the day.

From the initial analysis of daily schedules, two diagrams were created to combine all the schedules and functions are being used on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis. The layers of the city (where people are going) is based on the hyperhabitat framework.

Using the hyperhabitat framework, an table was created to view how the various layers and scales of the city are interconnected. This table was converted to a spot diagram outlining the programmatic relatoinships within the city. Each layer corresponds to a scale of the city (1:10 to 1:10,000) reflecting how the individual programs/ functions inform each other. The result is a system showcasing that no item is autonomous – each program, layer, scale is interconnected.


some questions we are posing during our research
what are the affects of integrating ecological systems into our building typologies?
what are the smart infrastructures that connect the various scales of the city?
what typologies can stand alone? which ones need a neighbour?
can the typical “mixed-use” building be more than vertically stacked programs?
what promotes diversity and interaction?
can a digital information infrastructure be more than a “virtual” environment?
some key issues that we wish to explore to further guide our project
Integrated ecological functions
Smart infrastructures/ Energy Recycling
o Energy (solar, geothermal, wind)
o Food (vertical gardens)
o Water (bio-filtration)
o Waste (compost)
Inverted Topography & Flexible Typologies

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locomotive_machine

By | Published: April 8, 2010

The following assignment explores the mechanism of the locomotive engine. The function and history were explored and then translated into grasshopper to create a moving machine. In this instance, the machine was derived from a series of components and can move with a slider. The next portion of the assignment was to take this machine and reconfigure it to work in a new way. The goal was to make the locomotive follow a path.

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RSIII. Digital Tectonics (FAB)BOTS

By iaac | Published: April 7, 2010

Faculty Marta Malé-Alemany, Luis Fraguada and Assistant Cesar Cruz Cazares discussed with all student groups on how to proceed with their robots, with six weeks left for thier finals – computation, machining and application on site are fundamental issues which were talked about thoroughly.

After these consultations IaaC masters students were joined by Students and professors from the University of GreenWich who exchanged information about their work and what the current issues are involved in their projects.

Different approaches to design and work were exchanged , both sides learnt a lot from these different systems and works. Future exchange of works is expected through out the semester.

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RS1: Emergent Territories

By | Published: April 7, 2010


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filtered_light_

By | Published: April 7, 2010

Leaves are natures primary source of shading. For this assignment, the effect of filtered light through leaves will be examined and explored to create texture and diffuse light in a bright, bland space. The light that is filtered through a tree is diffused through several layers of transparencies, generating animate shadows, while still allowing light to pass through to the ground. For the selected space, the device will provide a texture to add life to the space and act as a delicate shading screen for the room.

The components were first generated in Rhino to get a visual understanding of what the system will look like. In Grasshopper, the component was re-created allowing for easy manipulation. The component was mapped on a surface (the size of the selected window) and then by the use of attractor points, the planes on the individual geometries were able to rotate on their own axis, generating a larger perforation. The final product was constructed out of semi-rigid white paper, and glue. The choice of materiality will allow the geometries to glow brightly in the day, while diffusing the light, and shine brightly through the openings. The end result adds a texture to the space and gives the feeling of overlapping leaves of a tree canopy.

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IaaC Lecture Series_Mar 25 < LARS HESSELGREN

By iaac | Published: April 6, 2010

Designing BIG buildings [parametrically]

LARS HESSELGREN, AA Dip,  RIBA, MSc (UCL) ,Senior Associate Partner, Director PLP Research

Lars Hesselgren is the Director of PLP Research and a Senior Associate Partner at PLP since October 2007. Previous to that he occupied the same position at KPF and before 2005 he was the IT Director at KPF London.

In 2002 he received the Bentley Lifetime Achievement Award. His most recent work concentrates on parametric modelling in CAD. He helped create the new Computational Geometry group within KPF and advises on visualisation and IT matters. He is head of the Computational Design Group at PLP which is developing novel tools and techniques within the parametric design paradigm. He is establishing new R&D programmes with University partners and other bodies.

His most recent project while at KPF was creating the geometry for the Pinnacle tower in the City of London, currently under construction.
He is a founder member of the SmartGeometry group (www.smartgeometry.org) which is encouraging the spread of parametric thinking as an architectural design discipline, including spearheading Alpha and Beta testing of Bentley Generative Components. The SmartGeometry Workshops and Conferences are now an established premier place to network about the latest digital design technology with conferences in Barcelona (2010), San Francisco (2009), Munich (2008), New York (2007), London (2006), Cambridge Ontario (2004), Cambridge UK (2003).

He lectures extensively both in US and in Europe, both at Industry Events and at Academic venues.

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The Future of Suburbs – partI

By | Published: April 6, 2010

Far removed from the original concept of the “Garden City”, suburban sprawl has expanded at an exponential speed surrounding the core of modern cities. Garden Cities were, in theory, largely self-contained, yet present-day suburbs are essentially dormitory, being mainly residential. The richness that was longed for in the Garden City, combining the best of the town and the country, lost the natural beauty of the country and the high density benefits of the town when it was monotonously mass-produced at an unthinkable scale.
This project aims to reconsider the present state of modern suburbs, understanding the history behind their current general typology, in order to completely rethink their built form, by extracting the original design goals and interconnecting them to present-day design questions in order to generate the future self-sufficient habitat, which looks into the future and responds to the needs of today.
One of my main concerns is that a design for the system of the future city should not assume an empty, unbuilt site. Most of the energy wasted today comes from buildings and cities not performing properly. This project is an opportunity to re-invent the way we live in, in a way that learns from our mistakes and aims to fix them.

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