Within the Advanced Digital Tools course, we embarked on an exploration of parametric design using Grasshopper, exploring the possibilities it allows. This overview will showcase some of the projects I worked on and culminates in a presentation of the final assignment.
This journey underscores Grasshopper’s dual nature—as a controllable tool and a gateway to innovative ideas. It breathes dynamism into designs, steering them into realms traditional methods might struggle to reach, a tool that fosters both structure and imagination.
The Triangles chair
A venture into chair design centered around adjustable parameters:
- Five control points dictating the fundamental shape.
- Angles shaping the chair’s skeletal parts.
- Radius of the skeleton’s material and thickness of the chair’s material.
These parameters create myriad chair design possibilities:
Utilizing a skeleton of pipes and volume of planks, I expanded the design’s horizons. I conducted a material analysis, categorizing materials by volume with visual representations facilitated by the Proving Ground plugin.
The code:
Twisting Vertical Garden
This project with its specific controllable parameters, shaping the tower for hydroponic vertical gardens. The code developed allows the tower’s form to dynamically adapt, catering to both design specifications and the unique needs of the plants it accommodates.
The parameters:
- Twisting, influencing the size and shape of planting holes.
- Base shape of the tower.
- Grid division within the module.
The code:
BIG’s Serpentine Pavilion
A replication of BIG’s Serpentine Pavilion, enhanced by a bespoke facade system regulating brick closures.
The final result:
Final Submission
The culmination of the course tasked us with creating an animated representation using code to elucidate a creation process. I opted for a visually compelling shape with dynamic movement, harnessing our course knowledge. Placed amidst rectangular forms symbolizing an urban environment, the shape—an arc ascending and descending along a sine graph.
