This project by computational architect Michael Hansmeyer involves the conception and design of a new column order based on subdivision processes. It explores how subdivision can define and embellish this column order with an elaborate system of ornament. An abstracted doric column is used as an input form to the subdivision processes. Unlike the minimal input of the Platonic Solids project, the abstracted column conveys a significant topographical and topological information about the form to be generated. The input form contains data about the proportions of the the column’s shaft, capital, and supplemental base. It also contains information about its fluting and entasis.

The input form is tagged to allow the subdivision process to distinguish between individual components. This allows a heterogeneous application of the process, with distinct local parameters settings. In addition to distinguishing among tagged components, the process parameters can be set to vary according to the input form’s topography as well as its topology. Finally, an environmental specification of parameters is possible to allow regional phenomena to occur. Read the rest of this entry »

(c) A. Menges

In 2010, the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) designed and constructed a temporary research pavilion. The innovative structure demonstrates the latest developments in material-oriented computational design, simulation, and production processes in architecture. The result is a bending-active structure made entirely of extremely thin, elastically-bent plywood strips.

Material computes. Any material construct can be considered as resulting from a system of internal and external pressures and constraints. Its physical form is determined by these pressures. However, in architecture, digital design processes are rarely able to reflect these intricate relations. Whereas in the physical world material form is always inseparably connected to external forces, in the virtual processes of computational design form and force are usually treated as separate entities, as they are divided into processes of geometric form generation and subsequent simulation based on specific material properties. Read the rest of this entry »

We are pleased to announce a new parametric design workshop at the end of June 2011 by modeLab. Register soon as they have very limited number of spaces.

This workshop will engage the conceptual and technical domain of parametric design by introducing participants to systemic processes capable of registering and responding to a range of diverse ecologic criteria. Emphasis will be placed on workflows that utilize constraint-based design, associative modeling techniques, and environmental influencers to discover novel and inventive design solutions.

Rhino, in conjunction with the parametric modeling plug-in Grasshopper, offers the possibility to explore parametric and computational design with unprecedented fluidity. Leveraging this capacity, we have structured this workshop around a series of architectural design strategies with supporting content to foster a fast-paced and productive learning environment. Read the rest of this entry »

Nessie, designed by Moreno Ratti from Cactus Design is a take on the classic cast iron baths. It features two shells made from recycled aluminum that are wielded together. The beauty about this design is that you can create color contrasts for the two tubs. The current blue and white combo is very Greek has a  relaxing feel. Read the rest of this entry »

This project conceived by Design With Company contends with the competing and overlaid desires for the site of the McCormick Place Convention Center in Chicago by creating a new tourist destination and scenario-planning infrastructure from the existing architecture. On the roof, a 1:25 miniature replica of Chicago is constructed. A clear mound protects the model, provides space for artificial weather equipment and creates unexpected visual connections between both Chicagos. Within the mound, the model acts as a simulator for various future scenarios. Consequences of global warming, new construction, earthquakes, fires, asteroid impacts, tornados, blizzards etc. are tested repeatedly while appropriate action plans are calculated. On the exterior, the mound presents a new urban landmark along Lake Shore Drive, provides space for new lake shore activities, and redirects views through and around the existing building. Read the rest of this entry »

This proposal for the German pavilion at the 2015 EXPO designed by Eva Hagen and Hajdin Dragusha at the University of Applied Sciences in Germany demosntrates visually how much energy each individual could produce. Mankind interacts with natural systems, but we cannot and should not change certain things like the need for breathing and gravitational forces.

The proposed system “functions” with people, air, and gravity. Everybody walks an average of 5km a day, this energy is added to the system. The body mass creates pressure step by step and could be transformed into air pressure that can be used to inflate a cushion-like structure – the steps of a person generate space, air pressure, and energy. The produced energy could be stored during day time and used as lighting at night. Read the rest of this entry »

Vinyl albums have somewhat of a retro/cult status within contemporary culture that is generated from the unique sound it produces as well as the cover art that defines the packaging. Groove Box is a display case designed by Amorphis to frame a collection of vinyl as well as heighten its status as a cultural artifact within the domestic setting.

A generic plywood box is wrapped with an articulated, thickened surface, characterized by a sequence of draped effects ranging from pleats in the middle to a quilt-like condition at its ends. The pleats within the top middle portion are intended to perform as display grooves for individual records. The wrapped surface is CNC milled Baltic Birch plywood and finished with “Lexus Starfire White” automotive paint. Read the rest of this entry »

Leah Nichols has designed a “gateway” tower for Abu Dhabi that attempts to both embody and aggravate the idea that architecture is a site for the projection of political power and commercial gain. Taking a cue from the omnipresence of Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan’s image, – which is scattered throughout the region on large-scale, American-style billboards – the project embraces the typology of the billboard in order to meet the programmatic needs of a gateway to Saadiyat Island. The proposal considers how a building is perceived by drivers on the highway and attempts to successfully engage viewers through the articulation of a two-sided surface that communicates the single image of Sheikh Khalifa – acting as a site marker similar to U.S. state welcome signage. Made up of 1400 protruding apertures, the building’s exterior skin translates depth onto a second internal skin read from the opposite side or direction of the highway.  These double skins, along with a glazing wall encased in structural framing, make up the layers of this seemingly superflat form.  The collective layers create an interiorized spatial condition, while the exterior provides visible states of change from multiple directions throughout the day. Therefore, the image typically applied to architecture becomes embedded in the architecture itself. Read the rest of this entry »

At 1,500 rooms, this hotel will be the largest hotel in Beijing. It is located near the Beijing International Airport in the 5th Ring, and will be used to host international conferences. The building is 303 meters long and is intended to become a major landmark, visible to landing aircraft.

The building is organized around three volumetric rings fused together by surfaces draped from the top and bottom. The rings create atriums which are enclosed by ETFE domes, housing a 10,000 m2 interior rainforest as well as the conference center and hotel amenities. Rooms, radiating out along each ring, are oriented both outwards and inwards, creating views out to the city as well as down into the rainforest. The droop of the rings towards the perimeter of the building also allows views outward from the interiors of the rings. Structural bays are flexible and can be broken down into standard, business suite, and presidential types. A sky restaurant is located at the highest level of the building, with views out to the city in all directions.

The enclosure of the building is a double skin system where the outer layer is a weather break and the inner layer is the weatherproof enclosure. This creates a thermal buffer zone as well as the freedom to design a freeform pattern of apertures unrelated to the relentless horizontality of the hotel floor plates. The outer skin is supported by a lightweight cable-net structure which is stabilized by large tension rings affixed at the top and perimeter of the building. Read the rest of this entry »

The EQUIP Xavier Claramunt is a multidisciplinary architectural practice founded in Barcelona in 1990. The firm develops proposals which range from cutlery to complex architectural structures, priding itself on working without preconceptions or preformed notions and ideas.

The Sphere building is a hundred stories high tower, with the total area of 1.660.900 square meters. Two spheres, one inside the other, constitute a complete habitable structure, offering programmatically different content. The inner sphere houses a mixed program of offices, green public spaces and cultural facilities. The outer sphere is designed to accommodate housing units, providing views to both inside and the outside environment. Positioned in the space between two structures, large public spaces are shielded from the environmental influences and constantly changing atmospheric conditions. Large ruptures in its body allow natural light to reach the centrally positioned facilities, avoiding the impression of a hermetic, artificial megastructure. Read the rest of this entry »