Algorithmic Tower - images ...

Here are some images of Algorithmic tower (eVolo Skyscraper Competition special Mention). Basically we have a concept first and then use rhino scripting to generate form as a 3D draft drawing and then revise them back in reality.

These images illustrate the space organization and also the structural concept of how it could be build..

Cellular Network City

This is our course research at the Architectural Association Design Research Lab, designed by Junkai Jian, Jinqi Huang and Lina Ahmad. The site is located in the 2010 Shanghai Expo, China. We focus on different stage of the site, "2010 Expo", "Post Expo" and also " Post Post Expo". ellular Network City proposed to redefine 'urbanism' as a series of cellular space subdivisions and transitions. Like all the ancient and historical cities that emerged from teir own spatial ordered qualities, and geometrical distributive hierarchies. We proposes a networked urbanism configured from cellular volumes, initially starting as a thick multiplicitous urban ground strata for the World's Fair Expo 2010.The landscape is interconnected with interior and exterior public spaces as well as cultural facilities and domestic spaces. Networking lines act as infrastructural connections between the distributed spatial pockets. Cellular organizations morphs from conventional aggregate spaces to exterme transformed ones, graduallu transforming into an open space.Extreme moments of transformations act as experimental pavilions that transform into radical landscapes and public spaces, and therefore enduring the legacy of the expo, whereas pricate spaces maintain their conventional appearance and homogenous transformation. On both urban, building scale and material level, the cellular network organization acts as grounds trata and spatial pockets organization, as well as porous occupable sections, all seeking a coherent yet different oriented urban order, that spans acroos the two river banks into the two sides of the city, and thus over time influencing its formation. It is an order that has the capacity to organize diferential interactivity, sectional movements, as well as diversity of scales, densities, heights, and programmatic mixities. The Expo 2010 landscape will start to be generated across both sides of the river banks, and the networked system of spatial cellular organizations and connections is proposed to extend and intensify across the site in the period intervals that follows, producing highly dense sliver organizations providing a horizontal view to the few emerged vertical organizations.Parametric Design System: A scripted 3d networking system of line segments in deployed at the site scale, coded with specific rules of growth and expansion configured from straight line segments, to provide gradual spatial transitions and subdivisions. Specific behaviors are assigned to transitional arrays of curved surface module and created within the guidelines of a bounding network, and thus transforming the conventional cube into curved surface modules, which is futher applies at different scales expressing interaction and achieving forms of notational complexity that result from simple local order and behavior.

eVolo Competition 2009 - Algorithmic Tower

In 2009, we took part in a skyscraper competition named : eVolo. And we've got special mention. Here is the explanation of our design.

special mention - 09 Skyscraper Competition

Global urbanization now is growing at unpredictable speed, scale and density. The cities in the twenty-first century embody extreme qualities of communication and complexity of interaction. As a matter of fact, large cities’ networks and associative systems seem like growing parametrically. It is reasonable to develop a way in which associative design system can control different local dynamic information to affect and change the outcome of the architectural design. This embeds intelligence into the formation, performance, subdivision and organization of tower spaces, uses, interfaces, structures and so on.

Looking for new forms and modes of spatial organizations is challenging the forces of homogenization and standardization of urbanism. All ancient, historic and contemporary cities order spatial, geo­metric, distributive hierarchies with subdivision techniques. In response to this observation, an algorithmic tower is pro­posed to configure the future tower typology in the post-Expo period after Shanghai Expo 2010, China. The density of which is undoubtedly going to be higher and higher after the Shanghai Expo 2010.

The proposal employs code-based scripting methodology with increasing capacity to manage higher orders of complexity required by the cellular network logic. This cellular logic is cod­ed with specific rules of growth and subdivision configured articulate gradual spatial transitions and subdivisions with a segmented mathematical approach to the for­mation of curvilinear spaces and structures. Each cell is divided into two distinct continuous non-intersecting volumes. At time, one of these volumes escapes the defining limits, thus offering an in­clusive interplay between indoors and outdoors. These two interacting spaces maintain their character, while adapting to growth change in direction and gradually transform into a series of vertical aggregates. The skin continues to wrap around, changing its shape, porosity and character in response to the spaces it envelopes, thus enhancing the coherent variety of differentiation. Resulted spaces within greatly vary in their shape and proportions based on the defined boundary’s dimensions, the parameters of the plugged-in component, and the space. The spa­tial cells are proposed to grow vertically and spirally in new iterative tower typologies, the Algorithmic tower, which defines a coherent yet differentiated organization of sectional movement in a diversity of scales, densities, heights and programmatic mixities. Curved surface mod­ules are controlled locally within bounding discreet volumes and are arrayed serially at various scales to form aggregate building structures, space dividers, and porous facade systems achieving high orders of organizational complexity resulting from simple local rules.

On the multi levels of investigation, the proposed systems are parametrically controlled resulting in varied outputs by altering the initial inputs. The site, on architecture scales, can be reconfigured based on different parameters derived from different organizations, yet following the same rules and proce­dures. The Algorithmic tower is containing three spiral towers. There are five parameters that influence each tower configurations, its shape and height, as well as its interior space divisions and configurations; two of them determining the general shape of the tower, and the other three control the space dimensions within. Direction, such as major direction of the sunlight or view is a crucial contextual information, become one of the major parameters here. Each level plan is unique, but all of them are under the control of this discipline. The emergency stairs and elevator core are close together, growing and twisting inside the tower. Interiorly, each spiral tower is configured from three main spaces: circulation core, common areas, and private spaces. Their space dimensions are determined by the construction lines of the bounding volume. The result is a space subdivided into three bounding volumes; outer / public, middle / private, inner / circulation. Further, the three boundaries are vertically aggregated forming the tower virtual boundary, into which the ‘space divider component’ is plugged, as a tool to further subdivide the volume into the desired spaces. Changing any of the previously described parameters, as well as the parameters of the component itself, totally changes and alters the tower’s space configuration, making it flexible to adapt to multi requirements, and adjust to change over time.

Various systems are coded with specific algorithm for growth and expansion, configured to articulate gradual transitions and subdivisions with a segmented mathematical approach to the formation of curvilinear spaces and structures. Surface modules are arrayed based on various parameters to form aggregate building structures and space dividers, achieving a high degree of complexity from simple local conditions. The design exemplified how algorithms can be applied parametrically in the formation of design systems in relation to specific contingent criteria. The series of computational procedures applies a unique subdivision logic and curvilinear surface algorithm as a sequence of scripts generating iterative cellular spaces and material interfaces. Recursive computational design procedures allow for feedback, adjustment and optimization of specific organizations conditions of a project brief. This is a system can be deployed on not only detail and architectural levels but also urban level; a system that argues for an urban setting seen through the eyes of its component; a system that unifies the scheme and shuffles the various design stages; as well as a system in which coherency is achieved and accomplished through differentiation.

PS: You can also check out all the winners here: http://www.evolo-arch.com/