CONCEPTS [M/24/11]

I have been think a lot about the materiality and the theoretical approach to my design. This morning I felt a little bit overwhelmed on which direction I am going to take my design. I do not want to fall into the trap of previous projects where I have in some instances bitten off more than I can chew. I want to be sophisticated but in a simple way with this project. 


I spent a large chunk of time last night looking through the Presidents Medals and listening to the student crits with none other than the likes of David Chipperfield to offer a critical appraisal on the students work. It was interesting to note the way he described how one student had designed himself into problems that he had to design himself out of. As i reflected upon my own projects from my Second year I feel like I would be guilty of this also. It is however much easier said than done to change the way one approaches design. It is my goal to implement this within this design project. 


I then stubbled upon the work of Jorge Ayala. Who uses parametrics to help instruct and conceptualise his designs. During the summer I began to learn and experiment with generative architecture and that is derived from computer programming and parametrics. The programme I used was Processing. Much of todays architecture utilises parametrics and is often derived from computation that has been manipulated to generate design solutions. The AA is renowned for it technological experimentation to create architectural forms. Patrik Schumacher co-founder of the AA's DRL and right hand man to none other than Zaha Hadid wrote an article in the AJ last year declaring that the unified style of architecture for the 21st century will be parametricism [a style that predominates much of Zaha's practises work]. 

www.architectsjournal.co.uk/patrik-schumacher-on-parametricism-let-the-style-wars-begin/5217211.article

I wanted my next concept to incorporate parametrics and geometrical forms to help resolve the design problem that the brief stipulates to both experiment and learn how generative architecture and parametrics can offer design solutions. 


I began by looking at an AutoCAD file of the topographical contours of the site as a means of   offering a potential structure to the geometry. I noticed that the contours lent themselves to almost replicating the form of a Greek or Roman theatre should they be inverted. 

So I Separated the contours and exported them into Sketchup to begin to experiment and manipulate these contour lines into generating a 2D system that could be progressed into a 3D form.