UNIT I INTRODUCTION 6

Investigation of contemporary theories of media and their influence on the

perception of space and architecture. Technology and Art – Technology and
Architecture – Technology as Rhetoric – Digital Technology and Architecture.

UNIT II ASPECT OF DIGITAL ARCHITECTURE 9

Aspects of Digital Architecture – Design and Computation – Difference
between Digital Process and Non-Digital Process – Architecture and Cyber
Space – Qualities of the new space – Issues of Aesthetics and Authorship of
Design – Increased Automatism and its influence on Architectural Form and
Space.

UNIT III CONTEMPORARY PROCESS 12

Overview of various Contemporary design process and it relation to
computation: Diagrams – Diagrammatic Reasoning – Diagrams and Design
Process – Animation and Design – Digital Hybrid Design Protocols – Concept of
Emergence - Introduction to Cellular Automata and Architectural applications –
Genetic algorithms and Design Computation

UNIT IV GEOMETRIES AND SURFACES 12

Fractal Geometry and their properties – Architectural applications - Works of
Zvi Hecker–- Shape Grammar - Shapes, rules and Label - Shape Grammar as
analytical and synthetic tools- Combining Shape grammar and Genetic
algorithm to optimize architectural solutions – Hyper Surface– Introduction to
Hyper surface and concepts of Liquid architecture.

UNIT V CASE STUDIES 6

Case studies- Study, understanding and analysis of known examples at the
national and international levels which demonstrates the contemporary
theories of media and their influence

1
Question paper 1

Part A

2marksx 10 questions = 20 marks

1. What is essential difference between 'sphere' and 'blob'?

Blob – means Binary Large Object

"Isomorphic polysurfaces" in the special effects and animation industry is

referred to as "meta-clay," "meta-ball" or "blob" models.

 Blobs have a centre, a surface and a mass area that is relative

to other objects, and internal forces due to mass attraction

The weight of one spline surface can affect those of another spline surface.
These resulting structures are called blobs for their ability to mutually inflect
one another and form composite assemblages.

Disconnected primitives used to compose an isomorphic polysurface

• Sphere symmetries are the index of a low level of interaction.

• Blob has an index of a high degree of information in the form

of differentiation of components in time.

• Sphere can be identified as a blob without influence (attractive force)

BMW Pavillion is exclusively based on the computational concepts of

isomorphic surfaces

2
 2. With reference to shape grammer what are shape rules?

A shape grammar consists of shape rules and a generation engine that selects
and processes rules.

A shape rule defines how an existing (part of a) shape can be transformed.

A shape rule consists of two parts separated by an arrow pointing from left to
right.
 The part left of the arrow is termed the Left-Hand Side (LHS). It depicts a
condition in terms of a shape and a marker.
 The part right of the arrow is termed the Right-Hand Side (RHS). It
depicts how the LHS shape should be transformed and where the
marker is positioned.
The marker helps to locate and orient the new shape.

3
A shape grammar minimally consists of three shape rules:
 a start rule,
 at least one transformation rule, and
 a termination rule.
The start rule is necessary to start the shape generation process.
The termination rule is necessary to make the shape generation process stop.
The simplest way to stop the process is by a shape rule that removes the
marker.

rule
X →Y
addition rule: X ≤Y
subtraction rule: Y ≤X
add/subtract rule: X ≤Y andY ≤X

3. Explain about fractal dimension.

Mandelbrot proposed a simple but radical way to qualify fractal geometry

through a fractal dimension. The dimension is a statistical quantity that
gives an indication of how completely a fractal appears to fill space, as one
zooms down to finer scales.

There are many specific definitions of fractal dimensions, such as Hausdorff

dimension, Rényi dimensions, box-counting dimension and correlation
dimension, etc,

Intuitively, it seems that the curve is more than 1-dimensional, but less than
2- dimensional, i.e. it has a fractional or fractal dimension.

4
 4. Explain the concept of emergence?

A new concept in Artificial Intelligence derived from natural science.

Swarm Intelligence

 Artificial Intelligence based on the collective behaviour of

Decentralized, self-organized systems.
 A population of simple agents interacting locally with one another and
with their environment.
 Agents follow simple rules – no centralized control structure.
 Emergence of complex global behaviour
 Example- ant colonies, bird flocking, animal herding, bacteria
growth,etc.
 Ants display intelligent behaviour as a colony rather than alone.
 Hive – Hundreds of honeybees making critical decision about
their hives

5
  Flocking – Birds flocking/migrating together to distant
destinations

Geometry of integration and differentiation in Plant Stem

Section of a complex nest structure built by Apicotermes termites:

20 cm across, the structure is made from soil and woody material with external
holes to ventilate the horizontal layered passages, which are vertically
connected by an internal spiral staircase. The complex form emerges from the
collective behaviour of a large number of termites following very simple rules.
6
Emergence is what happens when an interconnected system of relatively
simple elements self-organizes to form more intelligent, more adaptive high-
level behaviour.

Emergence – begins at ground level rather than planned out by an engineer or

designer. Bottom-up Approach.

Natural World – Emergence of forms and complex behaviour in nature

Emergence – a new science, a new field that has initiated a significant change
in the culture of architecture. The ‘concept of emergence’ has blurred the
boundaries between sciences and the various industries

Emergent Design Group (MIT) – 1997

Michael Weinstock, Achim Menges and Michael Hensel

5. Explain about NURB

NURBS – Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines. NURBS geometry introduces

double curved surfaces in architecture allowing for generation, control,
fabrication of curvilinear geometries.

What makes NURBS curves and surfaces particularly appealing is the ability to
easily control their shape by manipulating the control points, weights, and
knots. NURBS make the heterogeneous, yet coherent forms of the topological
space computationally possible.

7
 .

6. What is fluidic architecture?

Fluidic Architecture

• Interior and exterior space change based on outer environment or

human information data.

• Multi-dimensional space that is naturally evolving.

• Topologically, it is organically flexible

• Transformation of rigid architecture into continuous and seamlessly

integrated form,

Digital architecture is the fluidic architecture, in which its interior and

surrounding space changes according to the factors of outer environments

8
 or human information data. Liquidity can be illustrated as: an attempt to
express the process of metamorphosis of self-inducting space and forms for
dynamically organic buildings; the concept of multidimensional space which
is naturally evolving; the space for topological change that applies the state
of organic flexibility, etc.

Also, cyberspace provides a new concept of space and time that does not have
limits such as gravitation, and it transforms the structurally rigid architecture
styles and space into a continuous and seamlessly integrated fluidic form and
into elastic, flexible and variable space.

7. What are the two basic parameters of genetic algorithm? Explain

briefly
There are two basic parameters of Genetic algorithm GA - crossover
probability and mutation probability.

The key concept behind the evolutionary approach to architecture is that of

the genetic algorithm, a class of highly parallel evolutionary, adaptive
search procedures,. as defined by Frazer. Their key characteristic is a string-
like structure equivalent to the chromosomes of nature, to which the rules
of reproduction, gene crossover and mutation are applied.

9
Various parameters are encoded into the “a string-like structure” and their
values changed during the generative process.

A number of similar forms, “pseudo-organisms,” are generated, which are

then selected from the generated populations based on predefined
“fitness” criteria. The selected “organisms,” and the corresponding
parameter values, are then crossbred, with the accompanying “gene
crossovers” and “mutations”, thus passing beneficial and survival-
enhancing traits to new generations. Optimum solutions are obtained by
small incremental changes over several generations.

8. What are the advantages of BIM?

BIM is an intelligent model-based process that provides insight to help

you plan, design, construct, and manage buildings and infrastructure.
BIM creates a single platform for AEC- Architecture, Engineering and
Construction.

Advantages of BIM
 Reduces waste and rework
 Manage greater project complexity
 Work with compressed project schedule
 IPD – integrated project delivery.

10
9. Explain about 2D fabrication?
2D fabrication-uses CNC (computer numerically controlled) cutting.
Various cutting technologies such as plasma-arc, laser-beam, or water
jet are used.
Laser-cutters are high intensity focused beam of infrared light in
combination with a jet of highly pressurized gas (CO 2) to melt or burn
the material being cut.
However, large difference lies between these technologies in the kinds
of materials or maximum thicknesss that could be cut.

Laser –cutters can cut only materials that can absorb light energy; water
–jets can cut almost any material. Laser- cutters can cost-effectively cut
material upt to 5/8”, whicle water jets can cut much thicker materials .
for example upto 15” thick titanium.

2D fabrication includes contouring, triangulation, 9polygonal

tessellation, use of ruled, developable surfaces, and unfolding, they all
involve extraction of 2-Dimensional, planar components from
geometrically complex surfaces or solids comprising the building’s form.

10.What is a diagram in architecture?

An architectural diagram a drawing that uses geometric elements to
abstractly represent phenomena such as sound, light, heat, wind, and
rain; building components such as walls, windows, doors and furniture;
and characteristics of human perception and behavior such as sight
lines, privacy and movement, as well as territorial boundaries of space
or rooms.

A diagram is made of symbols and is about concepts. It is abstract and

propositional: its elements and spatial relations can be expressed as a
set of statements. It explores, explains, demonstrates, or clarifies
relationships among parts of a whole or it illustrates how something
works (a sequence of events, movement, or a process). Its symbols may
represent objects (e.g., a space or a piece of furniture) or concepts
(e.g., service area, a buffer zone, accessibility or noise).

11
 For example, an arrow indicates the magnitude and direction of a force;
a line indicates the ground without specifying material or exact location.
A diagram omits detailed scale or realistic pictorial representations; it
indicates spatial relationships only approximately using indefinite
shapes. For example, a diagram may represent functional spaces in a
floor plan as crude ‘bubbles’, showing only sizes, adjacencies,
containment, and connections

Part b -5x16 =80 marks

11.A)What are the two applications of shape grammer? Briefly outline

Use of a shape grammar as an analytical tool and as a design tool in the

area of architecture and urbanism is given in the following sections.

The most influential examples are evaluated in order to reveal expected

directions of future development.

SHAPE GRAMMAR AS AN ANALYTICAL TOOL

12
Until the last decade of the twentieth century, application of shape
grammar was developing as a tool for analysis.

Stiny and Mitchell published the work “The Palladian grammar” that
initiated an ambitious and influential research on how shape grammar can
be used in a study of an architectural style. They proposed a method based
on parametric shape grammar for generating ground plans of Palladio's
villas as a definition of the Palladian style. Specifying the shape grammar
rules, they recast parts of Palladio's system of proportion and “architectural
language” in a modern, “generative form”.

In the following years, analytic grammar has been extensively used in

numerous works, revealing general strategies and creating a knowledge
base for understanding particular architect's composition.

During the 80's and 90's, shape grammar was used to analyse works of
Giuseppe Terragni, Frank Lloyd Wright, Glenn Murcutt and Christopher
Wren [9-12] as well as for the vernacular styles of Japanese tearooms,
Taiwanese traditional houses and for the landscape architecture of Mughul
gardens

13
 SHAPE GRAMMAR AS A DESIGN TOOL

Developing new, original designs by using shape grammars emerged from

analytic approach and combining existing rules and grammar language.

Therefore, this approach to shape grammar is both analytical and synthetic

Another significant contribution of shape grammar application in

architectural design is given by Lawrence Sass. In his research projects in
the past several years, Sass introduces a novel method to generate house
designs completely from 3/4” plywood sheet using a shape grammar
routine and CNC fabrication process.

Shape grammar routine is used to subdivide initial solid shape into

constructible components for digital fabrication on CNC cutting machine.
Sass' approach is addressed to the fast and transportable housing
production based on changing needs for a digital fabrication that are low
cost and custom designed.

11.B. explain about Topological architecture through Gehry’s Guggenheim

Museum in Bilbao.

In his essay on “architectural curvilinearity” Greg Lynn (1993) offers examples of

new approaches to design that move away from the deconstructivism’s “logic of
conflict and contradiction” to develop a “more fluid logic of connectivity.”

This new fluidity of connectivity is manifested through folding, a design strategy

that departs from Euclidean geometry of discrete volumes represented in

14
Cartesian space, and employs topological, “rubber-sheet” geometry of
continuous curves and surfaces.

In topological space, geometry is represented not by implicit equations, but by

parametric functions, which describe a range of possibilities. The continuous,
highly curvilinear surfaces that feature prominently in contemporary architecture
are mathematically described as NURBS – Non-Uniform Rational B-Splines.
NURBS geometry introduces double curved surfaces in architecture allowing for
generation, control, fabrication of curvilinear geometries.

Example: Topological architecture: Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.

Set on the edge of the Nervión River in Bilbao ‭, ‬Spain, the Guggenheim Museum is
a fusion of complex‭, ‬swirling forms and captivating materiality that responds to
an intricate program and an industrial urban context ‭..‬‭

‬ onstructed of titanium‭, ‬limestone‭, ‬and glass‭, ‬the seemingly random curves of

C
the exterior are designed to catch the light and react to the sun and the
weather‭. ‬Fixing clips make a shallow central dent in each of the ‭.‬38mm titanium
tiles‭, ‬making the surface appear to ripple in the changing light and giving an
extraordinary iridescence to the overall composition.‭ ‬‭

15
‬ ecause of their mathematical intricacy‭, ‬the twisting curves were designed using
B
a 3-D design software called CATIA‭, ‬which allows for complex designs and
calculations that would not have been possible a few years ago ‭. ‬Essentially‭, ‬the
software digitizes points on the edges‭, ‬surfaces‭, ‬and intersections of Gehry’‬s‭
hand-built models to construct on-screen models that can then be manipulated. ‬‭

The building’‬s‭ walls and ceilings are load-bearing‭, ‬containing an internal

structure of metal rods that form grids with triangles‭. ‬CATIA calculated the
number of bars required in each location‭, ‬as well as the bars’‬‭ ‬positions and
orientations‭. ‬In addition to this structure‭, ‬the walls and ceilings have several
insulating layers and an outer coating of titanium‭. ‬Each piece is exclusive to its
location‭, ‬determined by the CATIA software‭. ‬‭

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17
 12.a. what do you understand by fractal geometry and its relation to
nature? Give an example of one architecture building using this concept?

Fractal geometry
Mandelbrot - “father of fractal geometry,” defined a fractal as “a shape made
of parts similar to the whole in some way.”

The so-called Mandelbrot set which is the “breeding ground for the world’s
most famous fractals,” is an “odd-shaped infinite swarm of points clustered on
what is known as the ‘complex number plane.’”

Fractal geometry is the formal study of mathematical shapes that display a

progression of never-ending, self-similar, meandering detail from large to
small scales. It has the descriptive power to capture, explain, and enhance
one's appreciation of and control over complex diversity.

18
Natural shapes and rhythms, such as leaves, tree branching, mountain ridges,
flood levels of a river, wave patterns, and nerve impulses, display this
cascading behaviour. These fractal concepts are found in many fields, from
physics to musical composition.

19
FRACTAL FERN: One very simple way to understand fractals and the meaning
of "lteration" is to examine a simple recursive operation that produces a fractal
fern thru a "chaos game' of generating random numbers and then placing
them on a grid.

After a few dozen repetitions or ITERATIONS the shape we would recognize as

a Perfect Fern appears from the abstract world of math. How and Why can this
be?

Fractals are maps of the simplest paths sliding up the scale of Dimensions
(from 2-D to 3-D and so on). So maybe it's simply an artifact of nature's
elegance that we find exact correspondences between these inherently
existing mathematical forms and natural patterns, and even living creatures of
many types.

Edible Fractals: Romanesco (a cross

between broccoli and Cauliflower,
which accentuates the great fractal
spiral patterns on the top. Tastes -ok
too)

20
 Fractal Growth Pattern of a Leaf

Natural Fractal Landscape:

this view of valleys and river basins

displays beautiful capillary fractal
dendritic branching.

Geometric beauty of a snowflake.

21
30 St Mary Axe - The Gherkin – swiss reinsurance building – London
30 St Mary Axe (widely known informally as The Gherkin and previously as
the Swiss Re Building) is a commercial skyscraper in London's primary financial
district, the City of London. London’s first ecological tall building and an
instantly recognisable addition to the city’s skyline, this headquarters designed
for Swiss Re is rooted in a radical approach technically, architecturally, socially
and spatially. Forty-one storeys high, it provides 46,400 square metres net of
office space together with an arcade of shops and cafés accessed from a newly
created piazza. At the summit is a club room that offers a spectacular 360-
degree panorama across the capital.

Generated by a circular plan, with a radial geometry, the building widens in

profile as it rises and tapers towards its apex. This distinctive form responds to
the constraints of the site: the building appears more slender than a
rectangular block of equivalent size and the slimming of its profile towards the
base maximises the public realm at street level. Environmentally, its profile
reduces wind deflections compared with a rectilinear tower of similar size,
helping to maintain a comfortable environment at ground level, and creates
external pressure differentials that are exploited to drive a unique system of
natural ventilation.

22
23
24
 12. B. explain how architect frank gehry used computer technology & CATIA
in his building Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by architect Frank
Gehry..
Curves of Steel: CATIA and the Walt Disney Concert Hall

The Walt Disney Concert Hall, designed by architect Frank Gehry, makes
extensive use of computer technology. Without the use of CATIA
(Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Interactive Application), construction
of the concert hall would have been impossible. After a physical model is
built, the model is scanned by a laser device that transmits coordinates to
the CATIA program. CATIA then shows a 3D section of the model, which
can be viewed as a movie that gives structural coordinates as well as a time
schedule for project completion.

These paperless plans are more easily understood by a contractor and

construction crew and allow Gehry’s unconventional forms to take shape. In
the future, CATIA technology will allow exact quantities of materials to be
calculated and will even facilitate work via the internet. CATIA has also been
used in the building of other structures such as the Guggenheim Museum in
Bilbao, Spain and a giant fish sculpture on the Barcelona waterfront, both
also designed by Gehry.

25
Introduction
The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles has been likened to
everything from a shining metal flower to a ship with billowing sails of
stainless steel. The stunning steel curves would have been nearly
impossible to build without the extensive use of a revolutionary computer-
aided drafting program.

conceptual sketch

The Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.

26
27
 13.A.’The Blob is an index of a high degree of information’ elucidate and
illustrate through the works of any one architect you are familiar
with how isomorphic architecture has been generated.

Blob – means Binary Large Object

"Isomorphic polysurfaces" in the special effects and animation industry is

referred to as "meta-clay," "meta-ball" or "blob" models.

 Blobs have a centre, a surface and a mass area that is relative

to other objects, and internal forces due to mass attraction

The weight of one spline surface can affect those of another spline surface.
These resulting structures are called blobs for their ability to mutually inflect
one another and form composite assemblages.

Disconnected primitives used to compose an isomorphic polysurface

28
 • Sphere symmetries are the index of a low level of interaction.

• Blob has an index of a high degree of information in the form

of differentiation of components in time.

• Sphere can be identified as a blob without influence (attractive force)

BMW Pavillion is exclusively based on the computational concepts of

isomorphic surfaces

The Kunsthaus Graz, Grazer Kunsthaus, or Graz Art Museum was built as
part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since
become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria. Its exhibition program
specializes in contemporary art of the last four decades.

Designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, the Kunsthaus, Graz is

characterised geometrically by its blob-like form. The architects wanted to
establish the ‘alien’ nature of the object and so a sleek continuous surface
was the best way to smooth out the conventional differences between

29
 elements such as roof, walls and floors. The viewer is not just an observer,
but a traveller and discoverer in a latent space of information. The
aesthetics of the architecture are embodied in the coordinates of its
immaterial form and the scenarios of its interactively manifest form.

Digital blob modelling techniques are based on the NURBS technology

(non-uniform rational B-Splines). The structural digital model began as a
sphere which was then distorted by pulling on parametric control points in
Rhino-3D.

The building also features a media façade, the BIX (big pixel). The giant low-
resolution screen surface of the Kunsthaus can display simple image
sequences and varying text streams, making it an innovative medium for
digitally presenting art and other information.

13.b . explain about subtractive and additive fabrication and how the
components are assembled at site.

It is an interactive process of transferring data from a 3D modelling software

to a 3D printer or a CNC machine.

Fabrication is possible by means of 2D, formative, subtractive and additive

techniques.

 Subtractive Fabrication refers to material removal processes like multi-

axis milling. The CNC milling has recently been applied in new ways in
building industry – to produce the formwork (molds) for the off-site and
on-site casting of concrete elements with double –curved geometry, as
in one of the Gehry’s office buildings in dusseldorf, and for the
production of the laminated glass panels with complex curvilinear
surfaces, as in Gehry’s Conde Nast Cafeteria project and Bernard
Franken’s BMW Pavillion.

30
 Additive Fabrication involves a process of adding material, layer by layer
fashion. It is often referred to as layered manufacturing solid freeform
fabrication, rapid prototyping, or desktop manufacturing.
 Assembly- after the components are digitally fabricated, their assembly
on site can be augmented with digital technology. Digital 3D-models can
be used too determine the location of each component, to move each
component to its location and finally to fix each component in its proper
place. New digitally-driven technologies, such as electronic surveying
and laser positioning, are increasingly being used on construction sites
around the world to precisely determine the location of building
components.

For example, Frank Gehry’s Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao was built

without any tape measurements. During the fabrication, each structural
component was bar coded and marked with nodes of intersection with
adjacent layers of structure.

31
On site bar codes were swiped to reveal the coordinates of each piece in
the CATIA model. Laser surveying equipment linked to CATIA enabled
each piece to be precisely placed in its position as defined by the
computer model. Similar processes were used on Gehry’s project in
Seattle.

32
33
14.a. The fold is not merely a formal device,but a way of unfolding new social
organisation from existing urban environments'. Substantiate this statement
and illustrate with any one work of an architect

An innovative, cohesive design concept with ample room for

architectural interpretation. New York star architect Peter Eisenman´s
vision was selected by an international competition to become the
development plan for Rebstockpark.

Model of the design concept of Rebstockpark and his vision of innovative

city-planning

34
PETER EISENMAN
Eisenman developed a three dimensional functional model which serves
as a basis for all elements - topography, buildings, streets, flora,
lighting, etc - in all dimensions.

The central conceptual element for the Rebstockpark plan is the fold -
derived from the mathematical model of the fold concept contained in
the chaos theory of René Thoms and Gilles Deleuzes´ concept of
folding. The familiar orthogonal organizational system is replaced with
an expanded one that is not restricted to right angles. The terrain is
modeled by two grids each of which is a twist of one of the Cartesian
planes that are used to model property borders. The relationship of
individual buildings to another as well as that of the buildings to free
space is determined by the fold. Rebstockpark and it´s surroundings
with the "large grid" and the "small grid"

35
THE IDEA OF FOLDING AND UNFOLDING.
The multidimensional grid as basic design principle. two grids were
modeled, both of which are dependent on another. The "small grid" is
spread over the construction site. The "large grid" is determined from
the geometry of the "small grid" and the area occupied by the entire
terrain. The concept consists of two basic aspects: requirements
resulting from building height and usage, as well as those resulting from
topography and the borders of the parcel as determined by its
bordering streets.
The following six steps are a somewhat simplified description of the
derivation of the "small grid":
1. First, the border of the construction site is framed with a rectangle
that is formed by expanding a rectangle which encompasses the area of
existing construction until it completely contains it.
2. The outer and inner rectangles are each overlaid with a grid formed
with 7 horizontal and 7 vertical lines (7 is derived from Thom´s chaos
theory), forming a 6 x 6 raster.

The two grids

3. The raster points from the inner and outer grids are then connected.
This is a two dimensional depiction of a three dimensional network.
4. This network acquires its spatial dimension in that it is assigned
height coordinates which are derived from the maximal building height
restrictions.

Grid projected onto building area outline

36
5. The result is a continuous, folded, spatial network. The rectangular
building forms are then projected onto this network, and thereby
acquire a trapezoidal form.

Connecting points with their project points

6. These trapezoidal forms are then projected back on to the original
sketch. This defines the building borders which are to be incorporated
into the building plan. The network lines also determine the route for
streets and paths.

The result: a continuous three-dimensional grid

The derivation of the "large grid" from the "small grid":

The "large grid" is derived by doubling the amplitude of the "small

grid". Since the proportions of the entire terrain and that of the
construction site are not identical, the large grid is expanded to 7 x 7
segments.

This grid is then projected onto the picture of the entire site and
distorted as required by the shape of the property.

Finally, both grids are then merged in that grid points and project points
are connected to another. The connection lines between these items
form a new unit - the "large grid".

37
 perspective view of office buildings

perspective view of residential buildings

14.b. explain about FRACTAL rules to draw a Van Koch curve

Mandelbrot - “father of fractal geometry,” defined a fractal as “a shape made

of parts similar to the whole in some way.”

Fractal geometry is the formal study of mathematical shapes that display a

progression of never-ending, self-similar, meandering detail from large to
small scales. It has the descriptive power to capture, explain, and enhance
one's appreciation of and control over complex diversity.

38
In normal geometry shapes are defined by a set of rules and definitions.
Fractal geometry also defines shapes by rules, however these rules are
different to the ones in classical geometry. In fractal geometry a shape is made
in two steps:

 First: by making a rule about how to change a certain (usually classically

geometric) shape.
 Second: This rule is then applied to the shape again and again, until
infinity. In maths when you change something it is usually called a
function, so what happens is that a function is applied to a shape
recursively, like the diagram below.

A good fractal shape is called the Von Koch Curve. The rules, or function, are
extremely simple. First you start with a straight line. This is your ‘initial shape’:

39
The rules are as follows:

1. Split every straight line into 3 equal segments.

2. Replace the middle segment with an equilateral triangle, and remove the
side of the triangle corresponding to the initial straight line.

The process is shown in the figure below:

This is what happens to the straight line, our initial shape, when it goes
through the function the first time, the first iteration. Now, the shape it has
produced is fed back into the function again for a second iteration:

40
Remember the rule was that any straight line would be split into thirds, so now
4 lines are split up and made into triangles. The shape that is produced after
the second iteration is then fed through the function for a third time.

41
15.a. .illustrate how collage as a visual language developed through art and
architecture history. Illustrate how this manifest in the works of a few
contemporary architects.

Collage:

It is an work of art made by an assemblage of different elements from

different contexts to create a new whole

Collage emerged as an art form in the early 1900’s along with the advent of
cubism.

CUBISM:

It was a departure from conventional art forms in that era. The collage
technique was first used by the renowned painters such as Picasso and
Georges Braque.

In Architecture:

Influence of collage on architectural form was not direct but derivative

Le Corbusier was perhaps the first to develop a technique for moving things
out of their usual context and setting up new meanings in them.

Le Corbusier inspired by the Cubism Movement, he and Ozenfant together

started a movement called PURISM.

In the Ozenfant House Studio-

 Saw toothed Industrial rooging

 Factory windows
 Whitewashed cubic dwellings like in the Mediterranean region.
 Salons, kithchens, bedrooms placed on unconventional floors

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 Ozenfant House Studio

Collage may be used by architects as ;

 Method of representing space
 Method of producing space
 Projection method

Example

Archigram: The Walking City, Living Pod and the Instant City

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These schemes involved proposals for walking cities, portable personal
enclosures and megastructures into which prefabricated disposable sections of
building could be “plugged in”.

With The Instant City, Archigram abandoned the presumption that a city
required buildings at all, instead viewing the city as a network of educational
and entertainment facilities that could temporarily occupy “out of touch”
provincial towns in order that a “metropolitan dynamic” may be installed.
Once the city left town no physical trace would remain, just an invisible
cultural network.

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15.b. Explain about metamorphic architecture

Metamorphic architectures are generated by the deformation of

modelling space. Morphing represents an additional deformation and
transformation techniques, which involve a time based strategy.

Metamorphic generation of form includes several techniques such as key

shape animation, deformations of the modelling space around the model
using a bounding box (lattice deformation), an spline curve, or one of the
coordinate system axis or planes, and path animation, which deforms an
object as it moves along a selected path.

 TOPOLOGICAL INVARIANT TRANSFORMATIONS:

Simple, topologically invariant transformations, such as twisting and
bending, are particularly effective means for creating alternative
morphologies.

For instance, Gehry.s Üstra Office Building in Hannover, Germany (1999),

has a simple prismatic form, which twists in the direction of the nearby
open park area .

By adding a fourth, temporal dimension to the deformation processes,

animation software adds a possibility to literally express the space and form
of an object’s metamorphosis

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 Gehry.s Üstra Office Building in Hannover, Germany (1999)

KEYSHAPE – KEYFRAME ANIMATION

In keyshape (keyframe) animation, different states of an object (i.e.

keyshapes or keyframes) are located at discrete points in time, and the
software then computes through interpolation a smooth, animated, time
encoded transition between them. A designer could choose one of the
interpolated states for further development, or could use the interpolation
as an iterative modelling technique to produce instances of the object as it
transitions, i.e. morphs from one state to another .

MORPHING

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A particularly interesting temporal modelling technique is morphing, in which
dissimilar forms are blended to produce a range of hybrid forms that combine
formal attributes of the base and target objects.

Kolatan and Mac Donald used morphing in a number of their projects. In

Housings, a normative three bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom colonial
house was used as a base object that was then morphed into a range of
everyday objects as targets producing a large range of what they call
chimerical designs .

In the Ost/Kuttner Apartments (1996,), they digitally blended cross referenced

sectional profiles of common household furniture, such as a bed, sink, sofa,
etc., to generate new hybrid forms that establish a chimerical condition
between furniture, space, and surface.

Kolatan and Mac Donald intentionally employed digital generative processes

whose
outcomes were unknown and impossible to preconceive or predict, i.e. they
relied on processes characterized by nonlinearity, indeterminacy and
emergence.

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Root Chair by Sulan Kolatan and William MacDonald

Other techniques for the metamorphic generation of form include

deformations of the modeling space around an object using a bounding box
(lattice deformation), a spline curve, or one of the coordinate system axis or
planes, whereby an object’s shape conforms to the changes in geometry of the
modeling space.

bounding box (lattice deformation)

PATH ANIMATION

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In path animation, for example, an object is deformed as it moves along a
selected path

Metamorphic architecture: Peter Eisenman’s Offices of BFL Software

Question paper 2

Part A

2marks x 10nos = 20 marks

1. What is honeycomb tube architecture

"Honeycomb tube architecture" is a term we coined to refer to an
architectural entity with a honeycomb-shaped structural frame that is
assembled into a tubular structure.

Honeycomb architecture is an innovative architectural system formed by

a hexangular tube construction. It was previously introduced with pre-
stressed concrete but now it is also designed in steel construction.

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Honeycomb

Buckminster Fuller –dome house

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2. Explain about diagrid
The diagrid (a diagonal grid) is a framework of diagonally intersecting
metal, concrete or wood support beams that is used in the construction
of buildings and roof. It requires less structural steel than a
conventional steel frame. Hearst Tower in New York City, designed by
Sir Norman Foster, uses 21 percent less steel than a standard
design. The diagrid obviates the need for columns and can be used to
make large column-free expanses of roofing.

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 Another iconic building designed by Sir Norman Foster, 30 St Mary Axe,
known as "The Gherkin", also uses the diagrid system.

3. What are the two basic characteristics of a fractal object?

Fractals’ properties
Two of the most important properties of fractals are self-similarity and non-
integer dimension.

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Self –Similarity
A fractal is a natural phenomenon or a mathematical set that exhibits a
repeating pattern that displays at every scale. It is also known as expanding
symmetry or evolving symmetry. If the replication is exactly the same at every
scale, it is called a self-similar pattern
If you look carefully at a fern leaf, you will notice that every little leaf – part of
the bigger one – has the same shape as the whole fern leaf. You can say that
the fern leaf is self-similar.

Non-integer Dimension.
Classical geometry deals with objects of integer dimensions:
 zero dimensional points,
 one dimensional lines and curves,
 two dimensional plane figures such as squares and circles, and
 three dimensional solids such as cubes and spheres.

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 4. What according to Ali Rahim are ‘contemporary processes”?
5. What is ‘systematic delay’?
6. Briefly explain ‘parametric design.

7. What is finite state automation?

A finite-state machine (FSM) or finite-state

automaton (plural: automata), or simply a state machine, is a
mathematical model of computation used to design both computer
programs and sequential logic circuits. It is conceived as an abstract
machine that can be in one of a finite number of states. The machine
is in only one state at a time; the state it is in at any given time is

54
called the current state. It can change from one state to another
when initiated by a triggering event or condition; this is called
a transition. A particular FSM is defined by a list of its states, and the
triggering condition for each transition.

A state is a description of the status of a system that is waiting to

execute a transition. A transition is a set of actions to be executed
when a condition is fulfilled or when an event is received. For
example, when using an audio system to listen to the radio (the
system is in the “radio” state), receiving a “next” stimulus results in
moving to the next station. When the system is in the “CD” state, the
“next” stimulus results in moving to the next track. Identical stimuli
trigger different actions depending on the current state.
In some finite-state machine representations, it is also possible to
associate actions with a state:

 Entry action: performed when entering the state,

 Exit action: performed when exiting the state.

It is convenient to present automata as directed graphs. The

vertices denote states. They are portrayed as small circles. The
transitions form the edges - arcs with arrows pointing from the
source state (the state where the transition originates) to the
target state. They are labeled with symbols. Unless it is clear
from the context, the initial states have short arrows that point
to them from ``nowhere''. The final states are represented as
two concentric circles.

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8. What is digital fabrication.
 Digital age challenges our understanding of the relationship between
architecture and its means of production.
 It is an interactive process of transferring data from a 3D modelling
software to a 3D printer or a CNC machine.
 Fabrication possible by means of formative, subtractive and additive
techniques.
 Subtractive fabrication refers to material removal processes like multi-
axis milling
 Additive fabrication involves a process of adding material, layer by layer
 Formative fabrication implies reshape or deformation processes, such as
straining a meal beyond its elastic limit by heating and bending it.
 Advances in computers and fabrication technology have allowed
architects to create fantastic designs with relative ease that in years past
would likely require the labor of countless master craftsmen.
Architecture firms like Gramazio Kohler Architects are known for their
innovative approach to digital fabrication, adapting technology from a
variety of fields. To create this stunning new brick façade for Keller AG
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 Ziegeleien, Gramazio Kohler used an innovative robotic manufacturing
process called “ROBmade,” which uses a robot to position and glue the
bricks together.

9. List any four important application of genetic algorithm

10.Any two characteristics of Deconstructivist architecture
11.Outline any two geometric design ideas and the use of mathematically
–based digital environments to model them.
12.What is a convex hull?

In mathematics, the convex hull or convex envelope of a

set X of points in the Euclidean plane or Euclidean space is the
smallest convex set that contains X. For instance, when X is
a bounded subset of the plane, the convex hull may be
visualized as the shape enclosed by a rubber band stretched
around X.[1]
Formally, the convex hull may be defined as the intersection of
all convex sets containing X or as the set of all convex
combinations of points in X. With the latter definition, convex
hulls may be extended from Euclidean spaces to arbitrary real

57
vector spaces; they may also be generalized further,
to oriented matroids.[2]
The algorithmic problem of finding the convex hull of a finite
set of points in the plane or other low-dimensional Euclidean
spaces is one of the fundamental problems of computational
geometry.

The convex hull of the red set is the

blue and red convex set.

Let S be a set of points in the plane. Intuition: Imagine the

points of S as being pegs; the convex hull of S is the shape of a
rubber-band stretched around the pegs. Formal definition: the
convex hull of S is the smallest convex polygon that contains all
the points of S

Formal definition: the convex hull of S is the smallest convex

polygon that contains all the points of S

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 13.How can shape grammer be used as an analatical tool?

Part B

11.a.The fold is not merely a formal device,but a way of unfolding new

social organisation from existing urban environments'. Substantiate this
statement and illustrate with any one work of an architect.

14.b.Architecture is the creator of processes rather than finite events and

therefore can it be digital?Elucidate.
15.a.What do you understand by fractal geometry and fractal
dimension?How is an architectural fractal generated?

12.b.What are the characteristics of a 'Grid'?Illustrate through any one

example how grid is an evolutionary dynamic system.

13.A.’The Blob is an index of a high degree of information’ elucidate and

illustrate through the works of any one architect you are familiar
with how isomorphic architecture has been generated.

Blob – means Binary Large Object

"Isomorphic polysurfaces" in the special effects and animation industry is

referred to as "meta-clay," "meta-ball" or "blob" models.

 Blobs have a centre, a surface and a mass area that is relative

to other objects, and internal forces due to mass attraction

The weight of one spline surface can affect those of another spline surface.
These resulting structures are called blobs for their ability to mutually inflect
one another and form composite assemblages.

Disconnected primitives used to compose an isomorphic polysurface

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 • Sphere symmetries are the index of a low level of interaction.

• Blob has an index of a high degree of information in the form

of differentiation of components in time.

• Sphere can be identified as a blob without influence (attractive force)

BMW Pavillion is exclusively based on the computational concepts of

isomorphic surfaces

The Kunsthaus Graz, Grazer Kunsthaus, or Graz Art Museum was built as
part of the European Capital of Culture celebrations in 2003 and has since
become an architectural landmark in Graz, Austria. Its exhibition program
specializes in contemporary art of the last four decades.

Designed by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier, the Kunsthaus, Graz is

characterised geometrically by its blob-like form. The architects wanted to
establish the ‘alien’ nature of the object and so a sleek continuous surface
was the best way to smooth out the conventional differences between

60
elements such as roof, walls and floors. The viewer is not just an observer,
but a traveller and discoverer in a latent space of information. The
aesthetics of the architecture are embodied in the coordinates of its
immaterial form and the scenarios of its interactively manifest form.

Digital blob modelling techniques are based on the NURBS technology

(non-uniform rational B-Splines). The structural digital model began as a
sphere which was then distorted by pulling on parametric control points in
Rhino-3D.

The building also features a media façade, the BIX (big pixel). The giant low-
resolution screen surface of the Kunsthaus can display simple image
sequences and varying text streams, making it an innovative medium for
digitally presenting art and other information.

13.b.Contemporary design processes respond to the current speed of

cultural change. Briefly comment and highlight how this is different from
material process?

16.aPeter eissenman’s work exhibits a full set of inspirations for

design.what are they?

14.b.

15.a.

15.a….

15.b..

13.How can the grid (box counting method )be used for the approximate
calculation of fractal dimension?

Practically, the fractal dimension can only be used in the case where
irregularities to be measured are in the continuous form. Natural objects
offer a lot of variation which may not be self-similar. The Box-counting
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dimension is much more robust measure which is widely used even to
measure images.

To calculate the box-counting dimension, we need to place the image on a

grid. The number of boxes, with size s1, that cover the image is counted
(n1). Then the number of a smaller grid of boxes, with size s2, is counted
(n2). The fractal dimension between two scales is then calculated by the
relationship between the difference of the number of boxed occupied and
the difference of inverse grid sizes.

In more chaotic and complex objects such as architecture and design, more
flexible and robust measures, such as range analysis, midpoint
displacement, etc, can be employed.

14.What does neighbourhood refer to in cellular automation?

. A cellular automaton is a collection of "colored" cells on a grid of

specified shape that evolves through a number of discrete time steps
according to a set of rules based on the states of neighbouring cells. The
rules are then applied iteratively for as many time steps as desired.

Von Neumann was one of the first people to consider such a model, and
incorporated a cellular model into his "universal constructor."

In addition to the grid on which a cellular automaton lives and the colors its
cells may assume, the neighborhood over which cells affect one another
must also be specified. The simplest choice is "nearest neighbors," in which

62
only cells directly adjacent to a given cell may be affected at each time step.
Two common neighborhoods in the case of a two-dimensional cellular
automaton on a square grid are the so-called Moore neighborhood (a
square neighborhood) and the von Neumann neighborhood (a diamond-
shaped neighborhood).

The simplest type of cellular automaton is a binary, nearest-neighbor, one-

dimensional automaton. Such automata were called "elementary cellular
automata"

15.Explain about the two recent models for the modeling of movement in
architecture;

There are two recent models for the modeling of movement in architecture;
the first method involves procession and the second involves
superimposition.

Architectural form is typically conceived as a modulating frame through

which a mobile eye moves.

In processional models of time, architecture is the immobile frame through

which motion passes. There are two recent alternatives to the processional
model of the static frame; both of which formalize time. Where
processional time depends on static frames, formal time indexes time
through the multiplication and sequencing of static frames.

63
Examples of formal or phenomenal time include "shearing," "shifting" and
"rotating" operations. Superimposed snap-shots of motion imply time as a
phenomenal movement between frames or moments.

"Rotational" is one such example of time being used to describe the

movement between superimposed formal moments. These motion picture
models of time instance a sequence into frames that are later reanimated
with motion. They differ from the processional models of architecture as a
static frame because they introduce the idea of architecture as multiply
framed and therefore dynamic

What are non linear systems? What are their properties and
advantages? Give an example in architecture?

Non-Linearity

• Expression of new order, diversity and unexpectedness in space

• Search for modern and complex non-linear forms driven through digital
media

• Digital technology driven by nonlinear function is becoming an ideal

media that expresses today's undetermined and uncertain complex-system
phenomenon through unpredictable and intricate calculation of
nonlinearity

Properties of Non-Linear Systems

• Biological development,

• Punctuated equilibrium,

• Self Organization,

• Generic properties

Biological development –

 Disorganized complexity, matter of a very large number of parts,

exhibiting emergent properties.

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  Each level in the hierarchy represents an increase in organizational
complexity, with each "object" being primarily composed of the
previous level's basic unit.
 Concept of emergence—the properties and functions found at a
hierarchical level are not present and irrelevant at the lower levels.

Punctuated equilibrium –

This term is used in the study of evolution. Small changes may occur in a
long period of time, or there may be sudden shifts bringing with it large
changes, which may be due to the environs or internalised.

Self Organization –

Non linear systems are capable of self-organizing and can spontaneously

generate order.

Generic Properties –

Occur with respect to time, indifferent to systems and contexts.

Linear properties are shaped by external forces that act on them.

Non-linear systems are autonomous and self organized

The brief of the Yokohama International Port Terminal asked for the
articulation of a passenger cruise terminal and a mix of civic facilities for
the use of citizens in one building.

The project starts with what the architects have named as the "no-return
pier", with the ambition to structure the precinct of the pier as a fluid,
uninterrupted and multidirectional space, rather than a gateway to flows of
fixed orientation. A series of programmatically specific interlocking
circulation loops allow the architects to subvert the traditional linear and
branching structure characteristic of the building

65
) What is the task performed by the program?
There are several possible tasks for programs that implement shape
grammars.

The most common task, and perhaps the first that comes to mind, is to
aid in the generation of shapes from shape grammars.

A program for shape grammar generation commonly is called a shape

grammar interpreter. Here one enters a shape grammar into the
computer and the program either generates shapes in the language or
the user guides the program, for example in selecting the rule to be
applied and where in the current shape to apply it. The program can
have a particular shape grammar built-in, so it only generates plans for
African pygmy thatched huts, or it can allow the user to enter in a shape
grammar of a certain (restricted) type.

A second type of program is a parsing program. A parsing program is

given a shape grammar and a shape. The program determines if the
shape is in the language generated by the grammar and, if so, gives the
sequence of rules that produces the shape. This is an analysis problem
rather than a design problem. Here we might be given a plan and a
shape grammar for determining pygmy thatched huts and the program
would tell us whether or not the plan is indeed a syntactically correct
plan of a thatched hut.

66
 A third type of program is an inference program. The grammatical
inference problem is given a set of shapes construct a shape grammar
that generates the shapes (plus other shapes in the same "style"). So, we
would give a grammatical inference program a corpus of known plans of
pygmy thatched huts and the program would automatically generate a
shape grammar for pygmy huts. Maybe it would even write the grammar
up for publication. If we consider symbol grammars instead of shape
grammars, a generation program would produce grammatical sentences.
This would be akin to our producing grammatical English sentences. A
parsing program would be given proposed sentences to determine if
they are grammatical. This would be akin to our analyzing or
understanding sentences produced by others.

A fourth type of program would be a Computer Aided Design program

for shape grammars. The program would help the user design shape
grammars. It would be more than a shape grammar interpreter. It would
assist the user in creating a shape grammar by providing sophisticated
tools for the user. This follows Terry Knight's (1998) statement that "the
process of developing an original grammar is analogous to the
traditional design process." If computers can help designers of widgets,
they can help designers of shape grammars. The flip of this type of
program would be a shape grammar plug-in for a traditional computer
aided design program that would use shape grammars to help the
practicing designer.

16.How did rem koolhaas use diagram as a process to redefine the seattle
public library as an information store?
Or

13.b

14. a. what are the four ways of encoding when solving problems with
genetic outline in detail.

Or

15. a. what are the characteristics of a grid. Illustrate through any one
example how grid is an evolutionary dynamic system?

67
Or

15.b. outline the application of the vornoi diagram in architecture and

planning?

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