Moving out. More info on the project here.
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Category Archives: 109017
I don’t really like double posting, so consider this a fair warning: i’ll be moving off towards http://improved.ro/blog definitively soon. (Thanks to Meinhard and Bata!)
The assignment was loosely formulated so as to allow maximum freedom in identifying problems and needs in the Lipscani area and proposing an architectural (built) solution that would tackle the aforementioned points.
My vision concentrated on issues relating to the poor visibility/readability of the overall area (and the necessity of a landmark) and the lack of “free” public urban space. The functional program was mainly derived from the observation that most historic centers (Lipscani being a prime example in this) loose their initial cultural and traditional economic value in favor of the over-dominant bar/cafe. This leads to a certain repetition of fluxes (economic, cultural, pedestrian) which harms the respective area.
Geometry-wise, my proposal respects local aspects of the area, namely its porosity and the way the urban tissue coagulated around narrow winding streets and small interior courtyards in a constantly surprising lattice.
In respect to this approach, i considered the lot as a solid volume on which forces are applied in respect with the openings and general director lines of the site. Performing a “structural” analysis on the site revealed the patterns by which these forces would naturally flow towards given points of rest (namely the designated openings of the courtyards). Using topological optimization techniques these patterns were transformed into geometry which was later subtracted from the original body thus giving the overall shape of the building.
By following this design method I ensure an optimal circulation flow through the built site, encouraging interaction and furthering the development of the local urban tissue in a manner very close to its characteristics (gained by spontaneous evolution) thus fully integrating the new implant.
That’s wrapper of the last month, give or take.
21 22
just a quick note so i don’t forget.
/sneak preview.
Please note that the referenced assembly is based entirely on code from luvtechno.net.
I have been (re)invited to teach at the upcoming Parametric Design Workshop that’s going to take place at the HTWK Leipzig.
The line-up includes:
Ioulietta Zindrou, Maite Bravo, Verena Volger, Luis Fraguada (of Barcelona/IAAC fame);
Yours truly Dimitrie (of Bucharest fame);
Henning Rambow, Patrik Bedarf (Leipzig crew);
I haven’t been that productive lately due to the many things happening all the time, but hopefully I’ll be able to get back on the research track in summer.
Latest school project:
(board 1)
(board 2)
(board 3)
{input}
The project required us to design an archeological center consisting of one conference room (75 seats), three workshop spaces and a bar/buffet [+ reception and service spaces]. Adjacent we will have to design a small hotel/pension, so our projects will have to be able to scale up formally (and function-wise).
{output}
My project is based on the act of cutting open the ground and inviting people and light inside pays tribute to a defining part of archeology “per se”: excavating sites in order to recover cultural remains and other artifacts in order to better understand mankind.
The overall form of the building emerges in a subtle way from the surrounding landscape, inviting its discovery in a less violent manner. Not choosing to mark its presence in a classical/standard way was a decision taken so as to echo the fact that archeology has the task of surveying areas in order to find new sites – information is never out in the open and its artefacts are hidden – at the same time not disrupting the surrounding beautifully curved landscape.
The space inside curves gently around three interior courtyards, following the natural terrain. Luminaries assist the inerior courtyards both formally (composition-wise) and functionally (in providing natural sunlight).
{model}
3D Print and cardboard:
——
3d printing done on a nice ZCorp 510 at Spot Desing – thanks for the flexible payment option and patience!
Boards printed at duostudio (Y!: studio.plot) inside the English passage – thanks for the longlasting quality, 15% early bird price cut and friendly staff 
Also thanks to our assistant teacher (andra panait) which happily provided help and counseling during her private (spare) time.
Just a quick update on the workings of the latest project. Philosophy of the whole thing will come later/
Multiple Attractors working in Rhino’s Grasshopper, all handled in a nice VBScript Component.
Works with quite anything (initially deisgned for surfaces).
Download the definition file.
Have fun with it. I still didn’t have the time to put this to a proper, nicely rendered use and it’s been almost a month now since it’s finished. Quite fustrating.
I’m here, all’s well. I thought I might share the view from my apartment from alelulya:
(clikc for a bigger picture)
Now that we didn’t win anything (so it seems) I can publish this project. It was great working on it, though a bit stressful towards its final stages…
Here it goes:
This project is a collaboration between Veronica and me.
Creation
The urban bacteria is a responsive structure that is not built; it grows following the path dictated by an algorithm that takes into account the geometry of the site as well as the available sunlight. It adapts to almost any given urban space, evolving into an organism fit for the conditions it encounters.
We created in processing (processing.org) an autonomous system that is emergent (it demonstrates an “internal will to reach coherence” – Cecil Balmond). It was used to compute the structure of the bacteria and simulate its growth in a variety of conditions.
Pulse
It has a life of its own. It pulses along with the variations in sunlight: when there’s a excess/high amount of sunlight available it increases its volume, regaining its initial form as a direct result of a decrease in available sunlight (caused by clouds, sunset). In its “expanded” form it offers more shadow to the pedestrian space below when it is most needed, increasing its quality and, therefore, inviting people to use it.
Daylight > nightlight; natural light > artificial light
During the day, the “urban bacteria” stores the excess energy resulted from sunlight and releases it during the night. The quality of an urban space is linked with the amount of light it receives during the night – this “living structure” proposes an ecological/economical way of transforming daylight into night light, sunlight into artificial light.
Materials
The membrane of the structure has a multiple role: absorb sunlight and create shadow during the day and release light during the night. We propose a multi-layered material consisting of two layers of polarizer sheets (in between which there’s another layer of cellophane) superimposed over a photovoltaic lattice that transforms sunlight into energy. The double layer of polarizing material creates an intense visual effect (by speculating small shifts in geometry and sunlight angle) that can be used to enrich the surrounding urban space.
“Urban bacteria” is an autonomous shape living in concordance with the rhythm of the environment.
Final boards:
This project was developed for the Velux IVA competition.
Scripts
RhinoScript and Processing
Process
Existing geometry in which the bacteria would evolve was constructed in Rhino and then custom-exported as simple rectangular planes in a specially built p55.in file. This would be custom-imported in Processing.
The growth algorithm was programmed in Processing. Running inside the imported geometry the bacteria would grow. The thus-grown (see above for details) structure would be custom-exported for Rhino.
Via RhinoScript, the “bacteria” would be imported and given a form via a custom script that took into consideration the time of day. Fin.
I had some fun some time ago with plexiglass, a laser printer, rhino, and a very limited and buggy script that made “ribs” out of a surface.
The results were nice, so I decided to share:
Here’s the bugged up script (it’s quite useless, but people may find inspiration where I didn’t):
Option Explicit
‘
Soon, superFormula for Rhino. Developing a plugin collection with SphHarmonics (previous post), SuperFormula and maybe superTorus… 
See you soon,
D.
This post is going to be narcissistic. Why? Because I’ve recently done an inventory of the programming languages I am or have been playing with:
Python (in Blender and NodeBox), RhinoScript/VBScript, Java/Processing, ActionScript, a little PHP (in highschool) and the allmighty C++. And, why not, I do dabble a bit in JavaScript.
And here’s what sphere harmonics done in processing exported in dxf imported in sketchup and rendered with this cool thing can do:
Inspired by the very many, sjet and others I am now really working up on RhinoScript, in use with Rhino.
Well, because architecture isn’t just what we are taught at school. And math is good.
Uh, oh, I’m back. Kinda wanting to go back.
Here are some photos of the folks at the summer school. Since the link to the flickr set is what all this post should be about, I do believe i should stop.
