WS2 workshop2 - Responsive Skins

ecoLogicStudio workshop
Workshop Staff:
ecoLogicStudio - Marco Poletto
/ Claudia Pasquero
[FR]
[stem]
[sc]
[lw]
ecoLogicStudio’s work is focusing on a systemic
approach to architectural design involving the use
of computational design techniques, prototyping
technologies, systemic thinking and environmental
design.
Marco and Claudia, are co-founder of ecoLogicStudio, they teach at the Architectural Association
School of Architecture in London, where they are
UnitMaster of AA INTER10. They have a long
experience in running international workshops
focusing on the relationship between digital
design, prototyping techniques and ecology.
[www.ecologicstudio.com in the section academic]
Contact:
ecoLogicStudio ltd.
[LH]
[EM_v2.0]
[em_v3.0]
[CAR]
Marco Poletto
Arch. Eng. Hons MA [AA]
Director
London
Floor 1-2
6 Westgate Street
E8 2RN
+44(0)20 8533 7177
+44(0)77 4601 2757
marco@ecologicstudio.com
www.ecologicstudio.com
[FR]_Fibrous room: evolving structural logics
– Garanti Gallery - Istanbul - Turkey
[EM_v2.0]_STEMcloud v2.0 – the Guadalquivir experiment
- YOUNIVERSE - Seville Biennale 2008 - Seville - Spain
[EM_v3.0]_STEM v3.0 - the Venice Lagoon experiment 11th Venice Biennale - Venice - Italy
[SC]_STEMcloud Pavillion – the urbantine - 2nd prize
Shoreditch – London - UK
[STEM]_screen system - London Biennale 06 –London - UK
[CAR]_Carugate shopping mall - roofscape concept,
parametric design and testing - Milan - Italy
[LH]_Lake House - Country House Haslemere
West Sussex - UK - [waiting for planning permission]
[LW]_Lightwall house – Cirie’ – Turin – Italy
[FC]_Forest of culture Library – Cirie’ – Turin – Italy
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Workshop Series
Can the dichotomy between obsessive tooling and strong design agenda be overcome? Can innovative software like Grasshopper be the ideal platform to marry computation, creativity and ecologic thinking? What
can be done to speed up the process?
The workshop series will engage these questions by introducing novel parametric modeling techniques in the
context of architectural and landscape design; with Grasshopper as the main modeling platform participants
will develop design proposals ranging from landscape remediation to housing prototypes to responsive envelopes; the events will be a platform for learning design techniques, testing new methods and debating their
potential applications or evolution.
Rhino together with Grasshoper offer the possibility to explore design challenges and agendas within the
framework of parametric and computational design with unprecedented fluidity. This feature distinguishes
Grassohoper from any other parametric tool and is opening new research and design trajectory for both
students and practitioners. ecoLogicStudio has been at the forefront of this investigations and experiments
both within the academic environment and in the practice. For this workshop series we have been selecting
techniques and related design challenges and turned them into 4 briefs, all involving the use of GH, some in
combination with other platforms [Ecotect, Processing].
Architects, Landscape architects, urban designers and students alike will find in the workshops a
unique opportunity to improve their technical skills while confronting themselves with the most
debated advanced design subjects.
Each event will involve 3-4 days of intensive design workshop with staff from experimental design
and consultancy practice ecoLogicStudio, special support from Grasshopper developer David Rutten
and a final panel-discussion with expert guests from the field of computational design.
Titles in the series:
-WS1 workshop1
Urban Pavilions
-WS2 workshop2
Responsive Skins
-WS3 workshop3
Algorithmic Landscapes
-WS4 workshop4
The Tree House Prototype
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Workshop Format
_ Target Audience
- architects, landscape designers, urban designers, interior designers, students
_ Duration
- 3 Days
_ Capacity
- 15 Attendees
_ Infrastructure
- Prepared GH Files
- Prepared Documentation of Topics Covered
- Custom interface
_ Format
- Intense design workshop with final presentation
_Goals
- introducing specific parametric design techniques and logics in GH
and the related software functionality
-test the application of parametric techniques to design briefs
-export and graphically post-process parametric material and present
design solutions
-test new design methods and workflows incorporating design logics
[V1]
0.0
[MG]
1000.0
[B1]
0.0
[B2]
0.0
[B3]
0.0
[B4]
0.0
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
[Ws2]
Responsive Skins
SOFTWARE LOGICS
3 Days
Field differentiation / dynamic optimization
Level
beginner
WORKSHOP BRIEF
advanced
DESIGN PARAMETERS
Direct real-time radiation and interaction mapping
Facade responsive shading behaviour
Facade as an interactive billboard
DESCRIPTION
In this workshop we will use Grasshopper to develop conceptual design solutions
for a new type of “soft-skin” building envelop. The term “soft” indicate the focus
on a new kind of design informed by data in real-time as well as the possibility to
use parametric modelling to draw soft building envelops, inspired by the nature of
textiles and embedded with biologically-active or vegetated components.
The data feeding is based on a new design interface developed by ecoLogicStudio
which allows to directly link the GH model with a web based platform called
PACHUBE and finally to the new so called “internet of things”.
The Skin will be developed as a site specific project and will respond to the
requirements of an existing building. Applicants will be able to play with the
web-based interactive platform and will engage with Grasshopper as a surface
articulation and differentiation engine; starting from the modelling of a surface
and it’s evaluation we will than developed the skin as a field of components whose
configuration will be the result of negotiation logics applied and tested in
real-time.
SPECIAL FEATURES
_use of custom designed WEB interface
_integrate VBscript functionality to your GH scrip
_investigate facade design as a dynamic and interactive process
EXPECTED OUTPUTS AND SKILLS
-The applicants to this workshop will learn how to expand the potentials of GH
as a tool of systemic/responsive design. They will learn the basic techniques to
develop differentiated facade patterns and field effects and the more advanced
will be able to explore the potential for dynamic optimization.
-Understand parametric modelling as a tool to conceive and design responsive
architectural systems and biologic/vegetated building envelops.
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Detailed Schedule: Day 1
Day 1 will introduce design as a bottom up, information based process. GH will be used as a
mapping/diagramming tool to capture potential environmental fields [i.e. solar radiation intensity]
and real time patterns of human interaction.
The exercise will be developed on a specific project site and will start by modelling a new facade
for an existing building block. The outcome will be a series of dynamic intensity surfaces, to be
populated with a multiplicity of soft-facade components.
STEP1 _ define existing building dimension and resolution, set up facade boundaries.
STEP2 _ model the facade envelope as a dynamic data-surface - output NURB
STEP3 _ implement datascape generation from image and from excel file - output animated NURB
STEP4 _ re describe surface by “soft-component” population
STEP5 _ opt1: bio-facade; re describe facade surface with contouring, point cloud and proximity networks
STEP6 _ opt2: fabric-facade; re describe the facade surface with proliferation of soft components
STEP7 _ iteration through the steps and production of short animations movies
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Detailed Schedule: Day 2
Day 2 will introduce responsiveness and real/relayed time design. GH will be hooked up with
Processing and with a web database called PACHUBE; this will allow real time data streams from
real urban sensors to inform and evolve our facade proposal. Time will be the main variable of the
day, and GH will become a platform incorporate time as a design factor in the project.
The outcome will be a new level of differentiation and articulation of the “soft-facade” components
and a new set of videos to describe the evolution process.
STEP1 _ install and run Processing and hook up to a specific data stream in PACHUBE.
STEP2 _ integrate the Gh script with a Vb component able to read input data streams [Vb script provided]
STEP3 _ process the data stream in a usable list [learn data list management and data trees in GH]
STEP4 _ connect the new data list to the facade model
STEP5 _ opt1: bio-facade; explore differentiated growth/shrinkage
STEP6 _ opt2: fabric-facade; explore real-time responsiveness, fabric differentiation
STEP7 _ iteration through the steps and production of short animations movies
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Detailed Schedule: Day 3
Day 3 will be of full design production. The facade components will find final articulation and
evolution videos will be produced; the various design stages will also be baked and rendered for
the final presentation.
The outcome will be a final video sequence of the responsive facade, a baked catalogue of
variations and a final rendered image.
STEP1 _ rationalise and clean the GH script.
STEP2 _ develop the final facade sequence
STEP3 _ run the and capture the final animation
STEP4 _ introduction of baking with attributes techniques [Vb script provided]
STEP5 _ bake facade variation catalogue - min. 5 steps
STEP6 _ bake model for rendering
STEP7 _ run final render
STEP8 _ prepare output material
[eW]
ecoLogicStudio workshop
Expected Outputs
By the end of the workshop each student is expected to produce:
OUTPUT1 _ a few video sequences illustrating the generation and differentiation of the “soft-skin”
OUTPUT2 _ a baked catalogue of variations of the skin’s model
OUTPUT3 _ a final rendered image
Final Presentation / Discussion event
The workshop will officially run across 4 days in two consecutive weeks. The first two days will be
dedicated to the acquisition of new skills and techniques, whereas the final two days will be of full
design production and or presentation and exchange.
The final afternoon will be devoted to presentations and discussion with invited guests, the
ecoLogicStudio team, leading parametric designers and the London based Gh community.
This event will be the fist of a series promoting exchange between Gh users and in particular to
stimulate the discussion around the use of Gh as a conceptual design tool.
The final day schedule and guests list will be confirmed during the workshop days and will follow
this structure:
-Morning: meeting with applicants to collect final presentation material and set up projections
-2pm: setting up of a real-time experiment of urban sensing from Pachube to be exhibited in the
afternoon
-4pm: arrival of invited guests from top architectural design practice [KPF, ZHA, etc.]
-4.15pm: presentations starts
-5.30pm: break
-6.00pm: open roundtable discussion with the extended GH community starts
-7.30pm: end of the event and visit to local pub
[eW]