REVIEW - presentation

The Tower of Refuge

Refuge meaning - to shelter, to protect or protection from danger or distress.
This comes into relation to the design and to the location of the tower, the site chosen is Kings Street, within the busy part of the city, when thinking of the city, i think busy, work, non stop stress, etc. This is where the tower comes in, the tower provides a place in which you can get away from that, used as a means to shelter from the distress of the outside surrounding city.

The tower will be 4 stories high providing different spaces and overlooking the surrounding city, it attracts all people, from students visitors, businessmen etc.

The iterations will be in relation to the concept of topology, as for the meaning of this is a study of geometric forms, which are not affected by editing the size and the shape of the form, an example of this is the changing from a doughnut to a coffee cup, it may seem impossible to do, but its that certain change that the geometric forms stay continuous.
This is in relation to the iterations formed, all of the iterations presented in my poster all remain the same in form, with remaining the same form it is changed by deformations such as twisting and stretching, and this comes back to the geometric form remaining continuous, and the study of topology.

The iterations are changed, with the use of an rotation input within grasshopper and also the opening of the facade can be changed with a number slider that controls the sizing of the fillets.

Final Laser Model

Final Poster

Laser Cutting File

Final Iterations

500 Word Text for Assessment 3

Tower known as the “Tower of Refuge”, the word refuge meaning a place in which shelters or protects from danger or from distress or calamity, this structure is situated within the heart of the main city, the corner of Castleregh street and Kings street within Sydney, the aim of this structrure was to get the adjacent buildings in line, and in relation to the word “Refuge”, its a place in which you can escape to, from work or from the everyday life, the functions of the platforms have there differences in use.
This tower and its functions are in relation to the toughness of everyday life, its used for all type of people, to relax read a book, do some quiet work or a place to socialize, to notice the design facade so when overlooking the tower you can see the views of sydney.

As said before the 4 levels are used in a different ways, one level used for socializing and just chilling, level two is used for a place to chill and relax and used as a place of function, level 3 is used as a place to read, study or do some work, and the last level, level 4 used also as a place to relax and look at the views or sydney.
The main areas of inspiration was the building, Wave building by Henning Larsen Architects, the way in which this is constructed is the wave type formation, and i wanted to achieve this with a tower formation that relates to a wave structure and a triangular facade.

The iterations itself represent more than the forms presented, there are 24 hours in a day, 12 for day and 12 for night, everything iteration is in relation to the hour of a 12 hour day, every hour the sun moves and the building itself moves with the sun to create light penetration into the struc ture. The theme of this design was in relation to waves and how a single wave is constructed as in relation to the first assessment.
With the iterations formed i used the rotation input to Rotate the hexagons and used a design for the facade of the building, and used the box morph to assign the different types of facades used.

Final Iterations - Assessment 3

Week 9 - More Design Experimentation Leading to Final

Ideas of Topology

It is a topographic study of a given place, this is in relation to the history of a region indicated by its topography. (Graphic representation of the surface of a place or region on a map, this also indicates their relative positions and elevations.)

Grasshopper Examples for Final Design

This is a minor image in relation to my design done on Grasshopper and Rhino, i created curves in Rhino and created a script in relation to those curves in grasshopper, i assigned 2 curved lines and lofted them together to create this design, the tower like shape will have more of a curve and will design 3 separate pieces, the 3 separate pieces will not be joined at the base of the design, but as the design comes together the 3 pieces will come together at the tip of the tower creating it to align will the surrounding towers in the city.
This will have a designed facade, but im still thinking in which what kind of facade i will present, further more research on this part.
This will be a Hotel/Restaurant Cafe for public, the restaurant will be situated at the base of the tower with the foyer/ entrance etc, and as gradually getting to the top of the building it will have places for the public to accommodate.

Proposed Site Choice for Design

Street View of the Proposed Site

500 Word Proposal

The main site that has been chosen for this assessment is site number 2 the Corner of Castlereagh Street and King Street and the main core of this assessment will be based on performance architecture, this in relation to the sources presented in my previous assessment with examples placed within my blog, such architecture can be interacted with a curved linear surface to a topology type environment, an example to this is an image in my blog, the Nanyang University as this best image in which it presents the combination of performance architecture and the blend with the environment. Another image that creates the blend with the environment is the image source, the Wave Building by Lenning Architects, these main images are created by two simple shapes that relate to simple geometry example, the combination of two curves, or the wave design that includes the frequency, these simple type geometries relate to the maths in topology and create a design that makes it different or stand out, with the help of architectural elaboration. The design proposed is a Restaurant/Cafe + Hotel this design in relation to my proposal is “The Bank”, casino as presented on the movie Oceans 13, for in relation to the site that i have chosen, the buildings that surrounds my design will be more into the city area. As for performance the building will be towering over minor buildings, the use of environmental systems will be used in designing this tower for the public and the private spaces to the clients.

The main aspect that will be troubling within this assessment in how to design a certain shape in relation to surface and to blend within the topology of the chosen site. To create a curved shaped facade and define that as the building, and also to create a certain shape and embed that shape onto the facade to create an aesthetically environmental design in relation to the performance in relation to the environment.

Some other problems in encountering this assessment is the type of design, to create a new design, to create a design based on another, or to create something from scratch. Then finding out ways in trying to design the selected items within grasshopper.

There are several simple shapes that can be combined to create a form of architecture within grasshopper, with the use of either assigning a curve to an input, assigning a line to an input or to create those items from scratch, creating from scratch will be the main aim in producing this task with no use of Rhino and just the use of grasshopper, some elements could be created in Rhino to support my design.

Now with the intention and the technical approach to the experimentation in relation to grasshopper, is to find out and understand how it works and also how to create it, in approaching this topic the experimentation is to be researched in further information in designing the wave shape.

I’ve decided to relate this assessment to my first one and keep the topic of waves in a certain consistency, to going in more depth of understanding the concept, designing the concept in relation to the chosen site, as to how it will be situated. As said before the design will be supporting a wave shape as like presented in one of my images posted on my blog, supporting that image will be like a waffle like facade, this more in description it will be a casino, with a wire frame structure supporting, it will consist of 3 towers all joined together, all three different heights from tallest to smallest, the three towers will have the same script that can be edited from the frequency to the height, the design will be a simple curve shape and from the bottom up the towers get thinner in shape.

Images are in relation to the design that will be proposed, such images as the Lenning building, the wave structure and the Nanyang University, both have the same concept but with these designs I imagined in where I made the buildings horizontal to keep that wave and make it taller, this is will be further done and researched in the next proposal.

3 Extra Sources on Architecture

Within this book shown is the analysis of architecture, it presents architectural drawings and explanations on how certain type of buildings work, it also supports ideas and strategies in over-analyzing ones own design. One section of the book describes space for assimilating, describes light and shade, reflection, texture, mood, layering views; all in relation to geometries.
But overall the plans and sections tend to be the abstractions through which architects primarily design, they are also an importance for analysis.

Analysis Architecture, Third Edition Revised and Enlarged, Simon Unwin. Published 2009 Routledge


This book describes the theoretical issues historically related to 3 main architects, Peter Eisienman, Frank Gehry and Benard Tschumi. It presents the complexities involved in architectures adaptation to media technologies, this text relates to the history and contemporary architecture in the light of the ongoing myths surrounding the traditions of the 19th century architecture.

Crysis of the Object, The Architecture of the Atricality, Gevork Hartoonian, Published 2006 Routledge


This book is focused on the Architect Alvar Aalto, with the embracement of all key public institutions such as libraries, theaters, churches, etc. Be brings his mental side to his decision making, not entirely making it about design but the theoretic to design, he brought the physical and psychological needs of their individual users and known sensitivity to natural sites and the different materials and experimental qualities of the relation to architecture.

Alvar Aalto, Richard Weston, Phaidon Press Limited, Published in 1995

3 Extra Sources on Complex Geometry

This book focuses on design integration, within this explains the necessary change in design education and practice, as the book gradually gets along it then focuses more on the future of design.
It overall gets into the theory and design by international teachers and practitioners that relate from craft to discipline.

Design Integrations Poggenpohl, Sharon Sato, Keiichi, Published in 2009 USA, University of Chicago Press


This book describes how systems can be designed and developed to support complexity in design. It main focuses on CWA also known as Cognitive Work Analysis to support the analysis, development and evaluation on complex sociotechnical systems.

Cognitive Work Analysis Jenkins, Daniel P. Stanton, Neville A. Salmon, Paul M. Published 2009 Ashgate Limited.


This book relates to the understanding of experimental design, it specifies the role of statistics and the generality of design it also characterizes the process of science and technology. This describes the problems and questions, but also relates to dynamic models overtime to understand certain designs and experimentation's. It creates theories and analysis, factorial experiments and the questionable ways in surface design.

Design and Analysis of Experiments Hinkelmann Klaus, Kempthorne Oscar, Published 2008 by John Wiley and Sons Inc, Hoboken, New Jersey.

Experimental Modelling - Week 6

An image relating to complex geometry, i tried to create the wave shape again in relation to one of my sources - The Wave by Henning Larsen (Architect), more images will be posted up in relation to this subject.

Subjects to Cover in paper -

2 Articles and write reviews
How does it work? Why does it work ? Relation to articles...

Experimental Modelling


Complex Design Geometry

Wave Building by Henning Larsen Architects
Sculptural and Organic forms - in relation to Geometry
Inspired from the fjord, the bridge, the town and the hills
Materials used in relation to sun shading - Facade - Minor Technical Aspects
Complex Geometry - in general or in relation to organic
Reference the arguments on a major paper - Paper on Organic forms in relation to Geometry
"How does organic refer to Geometry?"
Forms behind organic geometry, how it is derived? eg Frank Gehry

3 Images on Architecture

Wave Building by Henning Larsen Architects

Nanyang Technology University in Singapore - CPG Consultants Pte. Ltd.

Klien Bottle House - McBride Charles Ryan

Design in General

This project caught my eye for its a design in relation to nature, with the honeycomb patter it provides a sense of calm environment, known as a generous Green House, the architect Nicolas Grimshaw.
The challenge for this project had been to design a roof structure that accommodated the curved shape of the railway tracks. This building has the combination of art, architecture, ecology and sustainability.

Source: Pop Architecture, Dr Andreas C Papadakis, Academy Group Ltd, Singapore 1992

The Milwaukee Art Museum - Quadracci Pavilion designed by Santiago Calatrava a postmodern interpretation of a Gothic Cathedral, complete with flying buttresses as shown in the image, pointed arches and ribbed vaults to support its design.

Source: The Tendencies of Formal Expression of the 21st Century Architecture
scientific Journal of Riga Technical University - Architecture and Urban Planning
2010 Volume 4
The Favela Chair designed by Fernando and Humberto Campana, the reason behind this design is more than just a bunch of sticks put together, its how its put together to create a stable furniture item all done by hand in which resemble the shacks in the shantytowns of brazil for which the chair is named.

Source: 21st Century Design, Marcus Fairs, Carlton Books Limited 2009

Complex Geometry

This building by Frank Gehry also Claes Oldenburg andCoosje Van Brugger, known as the "Binoculars" 1991 Main Street, Venice, California. It was suggested a theater or library for students, with the exterior: concrete and cement plaster painted with elastomeric paint; interior: gypsum plaster, the sculpture complex but its shape simple.
Unfortunately i couldnt find and interior images.

Source: Pop Architecture, Dr Andreas C Papadakis, Academy Group Ltd, Singapore 1992


Michael Cross in production with Julie Mathias, created this kind of childish design called "Flood" which was designed in 2004, a simple but technical way in designing this type of feature, questionable mixing water and electricity?

Source: 21st Century Design, Marcus Fairs, Carlton Books Limited 2009

The Rolling Bridge by Thomas Heatherwick, this bridge consists of eight triangular sections and is connected above by two part links that may be falling toward the deck by hydraulic pistons. When laid out, it recreates a conventional steel and timber footbridge which is 12 metres long.

Source: 21st Century Design, Marcus Fairs, Carlton Books Limited 2009

More Tutorial Experimentation

This is just some more experimentation on waves, after my assessment i decided to try and make something different further more relating to the concept of waves, to make it into more of a building envelope.
With the use of the frequencies to elaborate the length and depth of the wave itself, more experimentation will be further more posted up.

Final Submission - FileFront

Poster PDF - http://www.gamefront.com/files/20167213/poster_final.zip
Grasshopper File - http://www.gamefront.com/files/20167220/grass_zip

Final Poster - Design

Final Rhino/Grasshopper Graph