Probe 2| Labyrinth

Probe 2 saw the creation of a labyrinth. The driving design behind my labyrinth was the idea of symmetry and a mirror image. 

Reading 2| Part 2

BIM: A Healthy Disruption to a Fragmented and Broken Process| David Jordani

Jordani writes of his interpretation of BIM and its impact on design. It is his opinion that BIM and the connotation of “disruption” is not a bad thing but useful. BIM by all means is not the end all answer to the problems architecture and construction face, but as he states “BIM will serve as a

catalyst for many of the necessary changes to unfold.”

Collaboration is a large part of this and will augment the changes to come. With the increase of collaboration and input from owners, organizations might then band together under one “corporate umbrella”. I question then, what happens as a result to the individuality of all the groups that might come together? While the concept of more informed collaborative process in theory will yield higher efficiency, there is always the possibility of constraining ourselves too much. 

Reading 2| Part 1

Technology, Process, Improvement, and Culture Change

Report on Integrated Practice| Tony Rinella

      Rinella writes:  "Many firms are now demonstrating that Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) processes using BIM (Building Information Model or Modeling) technologies, when properly implemented, can expand design capabilities, reduce waste, and bring genuine value to the design and realization of the built environment."

        "Early implementations demonstrate that these technologies can inform better design decisions

and enable architectural expressions previously impossible to realize."

Reading: there is an emphasis on process but Rinella believes the emphasis should be on results

Old process:

≥ Designer imagines an idea in 3D to solve a client’s program.

≥ Designer deconstructs 3D ideas to 2D representations.

≥ Designer passes 2D representations to the construction team.

≥ Construction team gets fabricators to redraw parts, again in 2D.

≥ Construction team attempts to reassemble the 2D information

into 3D objects.

≥ Designer is often amazed by the outcome!

My Response:

• Problem found at times though that too many constrains and decisions made early on reduce efficiency
• If we are really to benefit from BIM we must create new construction and design processes to accommodate the new language/communication emerging from BIM.
• In BIM unlike CAD a component for example a wall, understands that it is a wall and the constraints that come along with that. Because components understand what they are and all the information that comprise it, knowledge can now be more readily shared by all those who look at the design. This can lead to better collaboration on projects.

Probe 1| Barcelona Pavilion

Below are three photo montages of the Barcelona Pavilion created in Revit.

Montage 1

Montage 2

Montage 3

These were accomplished by inserting photographs of the pavilion into the model sheets, then layered over with 3D views taken within the model and manipulated to achieve as similar a perspective as possible.

Reading 1| Change or Perish

Change or Perish

AIA Report on Integrated Practice| Thom Mayne and Chuck Eastman

Thom Mayne in his writing offers the reader his wisdom and opinion on BIM and architecture, his main thesis that we in the field of architecture must adapt to new technologies or perish. To adapt, Mayne advises the field should place more emphasis on making and the idea of no longer working in 2D but 3D instead. “The most important thing is to understand that it isn’t just about the nature of how we put together our packages. It has to do with a complete rethinking of our work.” To understand  the new technology of BIM and its implications Mayne advises gestalt.
Definition of GESTALT: a structure, configuration, or pattern of physical, biological, or psychological phenomena so integrated as to constitute a functional unit with properties not derivable by summation of its parts
Origin of GESTALT: German, literally, shape, form (Merriam-Webster Dictionary Definition)

Chuck Eastman similarly advocates BIM and the necessity of change in the field of architecture. While Mayne advises gestalt, Eastman advises understanding the foundation of BIM: Parametric modeling. 

Parametric modeling: The basic idea that 2D or 3D solid object shapes can be defined according to parameters, some of which are user-defined values and others relative to other shapes.           

Based on these writings and my experience with both BIM programs as well as Parametric modeling studies, it is my opinion that for BIM to work it relies on a system of defined limits and conditions that if not met fails. Each object therefore relies on rules to define itself, and as such it behaves a certain way based on the rules/limitations we the designer place on it. Understanding this changes not only the way one chooses to design but also how one communicates.  Parametrics and BIM also allows for the exploration of systems from other fields of structure and fabrication that could expand architectural design.  Eastman hypothesizes that this expansion of BIM could lead to the creating of new design styles in architecture.

In the end the writings of Mayne and Eastman for me pose this challenge: in a world of expanding technology what is the reality of architecture and what it is and how it performs in modern society?