Assignment 3 Proposal

Modelling proposal for assignment 3

The site chosen for my final project is the corner of Cathedral Street and Crown Street. Considering existing context of the site such as residential areas, the Domain, and arterial driving routes of the city I will try to examine and develop the thesis made in the research paper:

‘The advanced morphogenetic computational design techniques through a biomimetic approach entail an integrated set of design methods, generative and analytical tools and enables technologies that facilitate evolutionary design and evaluation of differentiated material or structural systems towards a highly performative and sustainable built environment with aesthetically pleasing form’ not only by the final product but from the beginning of the design process.

The structural form of my design will be based on the catenary arches, inspired by Antoni Gaudí’s catenary arch and his experiment using hanging model which allowed him to obtain equilibrated form. I will explore different plug-ins for Rhino and Grasshopper such as Kangaroo or WeaverBird to create the form that is physically in the equilibrium state, and try to find a way to apply the idea of self-organisation and form-finding from morphogenesis to design process. Through the experiment, I will be creating different parameters and criteria regarding the performativity of structure and sustainability of the building. At the end of the form-finding process,  I will look for the iterations that is the most aesthetically pleasing and fit into the site.

1.Gaudi’s Space Hanging model(left), 2. Grasshopper description for basic catenary using kangaroo(right)

I will also attempt to consider the performance of the building in terms of relationship with the surrounding natures dealing with the current situation of the site as an entry point into the city as well as the connection to the larger context.