Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/18322
n n n n Design What Is Form Finding? Form finding is a technique pioneered by architects and engineers, such as Antoni Gaudi, Frei Paul Otto, and Heinz Isler, based on the simple but brilliant idea that, instead of deciding on a shape and then imposing it on the material, physical simulation can be used to find out what shape the material ‘wants’ to be. So the shape of the structure is derived directly from the forces it is resist- ing. The classic example is the inverted catenary arch—an idea that goes back to the 17th century English architect/scientist Robert Hooke. He found that the shape of a hanging chain can be flipped vertically to give an ideal form for an arch acting in compression so it could be constructed in stone. –Daniel Piker One architect might say, ‘I want this shape. Nobody is going to tell me I can’t have it. Find me an engineer who can build that for me.’ Another might say, ‘I want a building with a shape that’s light and elegant, where the curvature of the form is reflective of the physics of the structure. I want my form to be more in symmetry with the underlying engineering.’ So [in the case of the latter], he would need form-finding software to arrive at this design. It’s actually quite in- teresting, because that [computer-generated] shape is sometimes aesthetically more beautiful than the contrived form. –Robert Aish Powerful Playthings Daniel Piker, a recent graduate of Te Archi- tectural Association in London, maintains the Space Symmetry Structure blog (http://space- symmetrystructure.wordpress.com), summa- rized as “journeys in the Apeiron,” a reference to a sixth-century cosmological theory. Along his so-called journey, he is delving into shape possibilities springing from relaxation of the tensile strength. To visualize Piker’s geometric fascination, one might imagine a melting wire cage or a drooping fishing net. His other fas- cination (which he admits has been gathering dust for a while) is deployable, transformable structures, resembling folded—and re-fold- able—patterns found in origami. If you accuse him of frivolous pursuits, the mild-mannered, soft-spoken Piker will tell you, “Toys can be tools—both playful and powerful.” In January, Piker announced the birth of Kangaroo, his own plug-in to the Rhino plug-in Grasshopper. In essence, Kangaroo is a physics engine that lets users apply several types of forces, which he wrote from scratch. Piker’s creation is now available for download at www.kangaroophysics.com. “With Kangaroo, the physics run interac- tively, so the model can be manipulated ‘live’ while the simulation is running,” he explains. “Tis lets the user engage with it in a direct and intuitive way. It is designed to be easy to learn and use, requiring zero programming or engineering knowledge, while still allowing a high degree of control.” It is mesmerizing to watch the geometric deformations driven by Kangaroo, but don’t 20 October 2010 dismiss it as a pointless programming exercise. “Kangaroo is primarily intended as a tool for de- signing buildable structures, not just creating ani- mations,” Piker points out. “Catenary grid shells and tensile structures, such as fabric canopies, are the most familiar application for [deploying Kangaroo-generated geometry in real life], but I think that is just the tip of the iceberg [potentially leading to] generating forms that deal with forces in elegant and efficient ways, copying and adapting natural processes such as plant growth or crystal formation.” Fishpond for Architects Another Grasshopper user, Hyoung-gul Kook, recently graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architec- ture, Planning, and Preservation, and is now employed at Weiss/Manfredi Archi- tecture. Like Piker, he, too, chronicles his geometric experiments. In his Live Components blog, he wrote: “Trough my recent researches and practices, I’ve been developing various geometries in easier ways. Tese definitions are based on simple mathematical knowledge and rea- sonable logic without any scripting.” Live Components is essentially an archive of geo- metric definitions, ready to be used in Rhino and Grasshopper. “It is not a fish, but the knowledge of how to fish,” Kook says about his methodology. One of his definitions produces tessellated folding structures, something already common in modern architecture. “Folding provides not only aesthetic visions, but also structural strength and spatial sensation in architecture,” Kook explains. “Depending on the scale, it could be anything from small pavilions or shading devices to large stadiums or convention centers.” As examples, he points to the Yokohama International Port Ter- minal (by Foreign Office Architects) and the Air Force Academy Chapel (by Skidmore, Owings & Merill LLP). Digital Fabrication It’s not a coincidence that SmartGeometry en- joys the sponsorship and attendance of promi- nent digital fabrication technology developers and suppliers, including 3D printer maker Z Corp., 3D printer reseller ZSI Nuevas Tec- nologias, and robotic building maker D-Shape. Te geometry produced using computational design involves modulated surfaces, paramet- ric variations, and shape deviations so sophis- ticated that, to reproduce it in the real world in an efficient manner, users would have to rely on computer-controlled cutting devices. “Recent digital technologies and fabrication tools have made it possible to tessellate any geometry to be built by using non-standard- ized modulations,” Kook points out. In Smart- Geometry workshops, digital fabrication was the only way for many participants to trans- form their digital visions into physical form, to be cut, assembled, and put on display so the audience could admire them on the final day This screen shot shows Bentley Systems’ Genera- tive Components, one of the primary computational design software programs used by SmartGeometry workshop participants. of the event. Te acoustic surfaces cluster used a computer-controlled machine to mill sound- scattering surfaces out of Alucobond. Purposeful Algorithms At present, many architectural designers use script-driven design tools to experiment while mathematically deforming solids and surfaces into never-before-seen shapes, but as compu- tational design matures, we can expect practi- tioners to use it for much more than aesthetics. Courtesy Bentley Systems.