interface between 3 solids

Been looking at ways to bring the idea of interface into the form of a building… process so far has been about the building as an interface between various entities.  My massing models are intersecting volumes that represent the public and private parts of the program.  The way that these are allowed to interface with each other can influence the success of the program and the quality of the experience of the user/visitor.  Interface by definition is “…a surface lying between two portions of matter or space. (OED)”  Intersection of 3 or more volumes could be seen as a series of planes that form a space, maybe a prism.  My key objective is to achieve a high degree of transparency and connection….my idea is that the geometry of these intersections can form shapes that are then used to cut away from the simple forms and create interesting space.  I drew up a massing model to scale and with blocked out program and then started experimenting with prism shapes that relate to entry and main circulation.

design progression

Have been spending the last week developing my winery design.  I chose a site on the north end of the given section of land in Depoe Bay that allows the building to engage the marina area.  This could increase the traffic through the winery by way of visual connection with people docking their boats as well as being within walking distance of the marina.

I see my building design as an intersection of two solids as discussed before, with a taller, 2+ story structure housing the wine handling/making operation and a rectilinear, single story structure for the tasting area and associated public spaces.  These two shapes intersect at an angle offset to each other, and this, as well as differences in materiality will delineate the two parts of the program.  My concept of interface lies in the way these two shapes intersect spatially, and is also shown in a glass curtain wall/prism shape that divides the interior and extends down through the tasting area into the underground barrel storage area, which would give visitors increased visibility to the process and a glimpse of the barrels beneath their feet.  I have a rough idea of how this form will take shape, but need to refine it.  I would also like for it to extend outside to call attention to the entrance.

in my somewhat illegible massing model, the purple shape represents this prism and is beginning to extend out and cut away at the south wall of the wine handling area and better define the entrance.

At this point I have a working floor plan to (metric!) scale and I think things are working sectionally as well, I will be further developing them and working on the outdoor areas, with possible terraces and balconies that give a better connection to foot traffic from the marina.

 

interface cont.

here is a working version of my “interface diagram.”  This really isn’t focusing on adjacencies, but on how the building might best respond to and interact with these entities.

concept progression: interface

my concept work has progressed from immersion/integration into the idea of interface.  People have various levels of involvement in the process of wine making as well as in its consumption.  How can this building serve as an interface between these various entities?  Originally I had thought of this interface more geometrically as an intersection of two solids…how to provide a maximum exposure to the winemaking process from the public spaces in the program.  After talking with Lance thursday, I have been looking at interface more conceptually.  I have chosen 4 areas of interface to focus on in my program:

visitor/winery

winery/landscape

visitor/landscape

grower/winery

–
these categories overlap in many areas, I will be diagramming these relationships in more detail and will work on finding ways to translate them into form.

conceptual

Been thinking about how to bring together all of our research up to this point and condense it into an idea that I can move forward with for the remainder of the semester.  One of the most interesting things to me about modern winemaking is to see the different ways people find to engage the process.  There is a balance between art and science that is unique to each individual, both on the production and consumptions sides.  Producers have various levels of comfort with technology, or with how it is allowed to intervene in the quest for more consistent or better quality wines.  Consumption is similar, many are looking for something they “like,” while others apply a more scientific method to describe the experience of drinking wine.  To me our dynamic trellis was adaptive in a similar way:  it could be entirely passive and utilized based on an individual’s understanding of growing conditions with manual adjustment taking place as needed, or it could be controlled by a sophisticated parametric script that could take into account multiple variables and position each section of the array separately.

So far I have boiled all this down to immersion:  what is the level of involvement of the individual within this art vs. science dialogue?  Also, intervention:  how does the winemaker (architect) place himself within this dialogue?  The idea of a dialogue, between art and science, between winemaker and wine, producer and consumer makes me think about mediation.  In other words, can the winemaker and winery (architect…building) be a mediator in this process and provide a level of access or immersion suited to a wide variety of individuals, while at the same time provide a place that positively reinforces the experience of the winery.  I think this dialogue is what dictates the relationship between the public and private parts of the winery.

mid term review.

Had midterm reviews Monday morning.  We were the lead off group, which I usually try to avoid, but I thought it went pretty well and we got some good feedback.  There were a number of questions about general process and our research.  What are your objectives initially?  How do you set the parameters at the beginning to better define how the solution comes together?  There were also a number of specific questions about the apparatus itself.  How adaptable would it be in various climates and growing conditions?  Is it even feasible?  Would it be better to devise a purely biological solution rather than a mechanical, or architectural system?  These questions and others made me come back to this ongoing contrast between science and art in winemaking, I feel like there is something there to carry forward with.   I appreciated that the jurors had taken the time to follow our projects and had knowledge of them from the charette in Portland and from reading our blogs.

Ru(m)inations: The Haunts of Contemporary Architecture. John McMorrough

In this article the author compares the state of modern architecture to that of a brain sucking zombie:   “…consuming the intelligence of previous generations, they return to favored terms again and again-architects enacting and reenacting certain patterns of behavior.” (McMorrough,  p.  469)  The author also coins the term “ru(m)ination to describe the last 40 years of architectural thought.  It is described as a ruinous state that is coincident with a counter-productive, obsessive thinking about itself.  Architecture has developed a completely new set of tools and means of arriving at design solutions, however, according to the author, what is needed is a reevaluation of the goals and a full definition of the possibilities that lie within these new developments.  These new conclusions should be arrived at outside of the historical categories and definitions that have dominated architectural thought in the last several decades.

Rhino trellis model

Spent most of the weekend developing a working model for our dynamic trellis, which would essentially be a trellis post that can deform in response to sunlight conditions and possibly to parametric inputs as well.  This would allow the leaf canopy to be positioned above the grape clusters in a coordinated way, based on amount of direct sunlight or on a desired temperature control.  This could be a simple passive system, or it could be controlled in a more sophisticated way to adapt to unusual topography or growing conditions.

I first built a Rhino model of our apparatus and then spent some time trying to get decent renderings of it in 3ds max and photoshop that could begin to show how our trellis system would operate.  Zack is also working on a 3-d array in grasshopper that shows how such a system could respond to sunlight.

*especially happy how the shadows look the same at 2 different times of day….

Metaphysics of Genetic Architecture and Computation. Karl S. Chu

This paper discusses the idea of genetic computation and, by extension, the possibility of genetic architecture.  This can be seen as a form of self-generative computation that carries within itself at each successive step the information needed to regenerate and continue the process.  As a basis for this discussion, the Universal Turing Machine is shown as the linkage between the physical world and computable mathematical operations.  According to this view, all physical processes can essentially be broken down and described computationally.  Recent technological developments in bioscience and digital computation have brought us to a point of convergence that may fundamentally alter our lives, a “new kind of biomachinic mutation of organic and inorganic substances.”  Two architectural responses are presented that attempt to address these issues:  The morphodynamical and the morphogenetic.  The morphodynamical approach utilizes higher order computation while staying within traditional architectural patterns, whereas the morphogenetic can be said to move beyond this and use digital computation to create an architecture that carries within it the framework of its own self-generation.  The author uses the idea of Monadology, or an irreducible physical entity or concept, as a means of describing the fundamental building blocks of such a system.  A morphogenetic architectural system, as I understand it, would consist of this monadal unit inscribed with a code that allows for its replication and that provides guidelines for its utilization.

Overall, I find the idea of genetic architecture interesting, but I wonder what the effect of time would be on these systems.  As is the case with all other forms of matter, computational tools degrade with age… How does this factor into a morphogenetic system?  I also question the idea that all physical processes might be reduced into a computational form.  I think much of what is good in our lives and environment is the result of whim, accident, and human nature and should be left so.

Trellis material studies

We have done 2 mock-ups for possible dynamic trellis materials.  The first is a piece of vinyl trim board with rubber straps on each side.  We started by adjusting the location of the strap attachments so that we could get a good deflection.  We also lengthened the bolts so that we could see more movement.  We held our model vertically and used a heat gun to warm the strap on the right side (simulating exposure to direct sunlight).  The strap elongates with the heat and some good deflection resulted.

We are also working with a piece of pine stripping that I soaked in the creek and dried with the heat gun, warping it into a curved shape.  One rubber strap would then hold it in a straightened position, and as the rubber is heated, it would deflect based on spring tension contained in the wood itself.  Pine is most likely not the ideal material, maybe steam bent bamboo?? Photos to come….

Update:  pine stripping failed…need to come up with a better material, bamboo maybe, that will take a bowed shape well and that will repeatedly return to its original deflection.