Learning from the unfinished Colònia Güell chapel (1898-1914), Antoni Gaudí wanted the structure for the Sagrada Família Basilica (1882 – ongoing) to be ‘equilibrated’, and calculated accordingly. By equilibrated we mean that the gravity forces for the whole basilica are directed axially through the columns: each column is therefore aligned to meet these forces as efficiently as possible through their axes.
The seminar investigates two challenges: the description and representation of columns, and the creation of a potentially underlying geometrical guide, and to branch columns and join them elegantly to the trunk. Students develop both design computation through parametric design software, and physical outputs materialising the production of branching columns with their hands.
Perturbation: The deviation of a system, process, etc., from its regular or normal state or path, caused by an outside influence;
Perforation: A hole made by boring, punching, or piercing; an aperture passing through or into anything.
Thinking beyond the environmental crassness of commercial buildings and their typical floor to ceiling glazing, external walls can be optimised to protect the interior from the weather outside minimising energy use. External walls, however, present many conundrums, dilemmas, and paradoxes to the designer depending on climate, geography, and context. In a warm climate, for example, larger perforations to the wall aim to bring as much light as possible into the interior yet they need to be made smaller to limit unwanted heat gain – the classic parametric ‘trade-offs’. In cooler climates, window openings might need to be sculpted to perform as light scoops in winter and light shades in summer. Using appropriate geometry, wall openings can be styled to perform differently depending on the season, sun position and time of day.
Architect Antoni Gaudí understood all this, and in his final work for the Sagrada Família Basilica, he introduced the hyperboloid of revolution (of one sheet) as his principal crafting tool to sculpt all the basilica’s window openings. Each hyperboloid geometry has 9 parametric variables that can be configured infinitely of itself, and as a unique instance with regard to its spatial relationship with its neighbours forming the characteristic perturbations and perforations we see today. Tweaking just a single variable can have a profound effect on the sculpted outcome; tweaking all 9 offers unprecedented possibilities for the creative designer motivated by the beauty of light being guided to illuminate the interior while seeking optimal environmental performance. The world has been slow to take-up Gaudí’s lessons and this seminar aims to pick-up where Gaudí left off.
Throughout this course, participants will be introduced to the subtleties of Gaudi’s parametric design and reveal the richness of his use of hyperbolic geometry. Using the provided digital workbench, participants will develop tools for sculpting a building facade while simultaneously adapting hands-on techniques to experiment with intersecting hyperboloids. Furthermore, an additional layer of optimization will be introduced and adapted to craft the facade parametrically with maximum environmental performance criteria. The aim is to develop a system that provides sufficient light to the interior while illuminating it with the beauty and subtlety of the Sagrada Familia Basilica.
Finally, with the aid of robotic fabrication participants will produce a series of big scale facade modules to test the effectiveness of the simulation software in respect to the environmental performance and aesthetic outcome.
At course completion the student will:
SITE The Uintah and Ouray Indian Reservation DESIGN PROCESS Form Finding and Computational Elements FORM FINDING Massing FORM FINDING Perforations FORM FINDING Decorative Perforation – Spikes FORM FINDING Columns FORM FINDING Split Columns FORM FINDING Mezzanine FORM FINDING Interior Space SIMULATION AND OPTIMIZATION FINAL PROPOSAL FINAL FABRICATION FINAL RENDERS
Music and Cultural Center Sami’s Sound Hub in Karasjok, Norway, innovatively blends Sami culture with avant-garde design. Inspired by catenary arches and hyperbolic forms, the Main Hall features strategically designed perforations and a central opening following hyperbolic geometry, playing with light and shadow. The walls showcase fractal snowflake patterns, influenced by the region’s cold temperatures. … Read more
Music and Cultural Center Sami’s Sound Hub in Karasjok, Norway, innovatively blends Sami culture with avant-garde design. Inspired by catenary arches and hyperbolic forms, the Main Hall features strategically designed perforations and a central opening following hyperbolic geometry, playing with light and shadow. The walls showcase fractal snowflake patterns, influenced by the region’s cold temperatures. … Read more
The music performance and cultural center located in Colchane will act as a bridge. The center contains both music performance and recording spaces, as well as textile production capabilities. This allows shared use of the space to maximize utility for the community, to encourage cross-generational interaction, and allow the Aymara people to grow and share … Read more
Uintah and Ouray Music Center BRIEF SITE FORM FINDING BUILDING DRAWINGS FORM FINDING PERFORATIONS SUN ANALYSIS SPLIT COLUMNS TWISTING COLUMNS SKYLIGHT VISUALISATIONS
