Week 4: The Service of Imagination

How does Heatherwick harmonises technology with human scale materiality into a non-human scale building outcome?

Thomas Heatherwick’s Background
Thomas Heatherwick is an imaginative English designer; having his design studio based in London. His upbringing influenced his exposure towards making, crafts, materials and invention on small scale. Having looked at the large scale building designs, Heatherwick felt soulless and cold; but the small scale object such as earring or musical instrument; was a materiality and soulfulness; having its physical existence. Therefore, in the world of buildings, Heatherwick noticed the absence in user-centered design although there is still presence in conceptual ideas to generate building forms and spaces. He then creates an opportunity through underpinning these soulless buildings; presenting his own determination through his projects. In that, how does Heatherwick harmonises technology with human scale materiality into a non-human scale building outcome?

As a result, Heatherwick’s design always starts with a question: “How can an electron microscope help to design a building?” He rasterises each project from masterplan to bits and pieces of details that can be touch and analyse; going back and forth without being detached from its context and intension; zooming in to interrelate human scale and human senses. Hence, Heatherwick’s projects connect spectators and end users through a powerful point of the object that would allow doing something that is possibly smaller instead of one big project.

UK Pavilion; The Seed Cathedral

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSbuEPzkH0l-TAXcwwGq2KI9BqmFYnTKcNXgVup3QXd2gA3tSuc3vGOI_qVJedB0XxQYj9ec49Wwl_-S3v01Sm0DL7cy3OdObd4-4jAn53ZS1oCUO85OWyccaANItTGvgKIDonPHPjlnU/s1600/UK_Section.jpg

https://www.yatzer.com/sites/default/files/article_images/2173/shanghai_expo_pavilion_heatherwick_studio_expo2010-yatzer_7.jpg

http://www.architectsjournal.co.uk/news/daily-news/shanghai-2010-seed-cathedral-will-not-be-sold-says-fco/8605455.article#

Using the UK Pavilion; The Seed Cathedral as one of Heatherwick’s case study, its human scale materiality was the outcome from London’s greenest city in the world; relating the materiality with public parks, gardens, squares and the world’s first botanical institution; it creates a humane execution where trees and seeds became an idea. As everyone already knew that tree are beautiful but seeds are not on show in these botanical gardens. Therefore, the phenomenal of utilizing seeds would be ideal for the project; creating some kind of seed cathedral that fuses the building and content together; making the whole thing emanate.

http://cdn.vectroave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Shanghai-World-Expo-2010-UK-Pavilion-By-Heatherwick-Studio-3.jpg

http://cdn.vectroave.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/Shanghai-World-Expo-2010-UK-Pavilion-By-Heatherwick-Studio-3.jpg

Furthermore, Thomas Heatherwick uses an idea from a Play-Doh hair to generate the form and façade of the seed cathedral; capsulizing these 66,000 seeds into the ‘optical hair’ that grow through a simple box element. As a result, the final design of the seed cathedral became a metaphor for the movement of English grass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waQY0BuZ_jc&hd=1

https://structuresandspans.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/seed.jpg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waQY0BuZ_jc&hd=1

The simple box element comprises a cuboid construction that supports 66,000 7.5 metre long acrylic spikes. The spikes on the outside of the pavilion take your breath away due to the scale of these 66,000 members is phenomenal. Inside the pavilion, the spike tips encapsulate seeds that received from Millennium Seed Bank at Kew Gardens, London; revealing both UK Pavilion’s message and Heatherwick’s concept to visitors. The choice of material for the spikes, along with their design, fabrication and assembly, provided the most exciting technological, design and construction challenges.

https://arch5541.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/seed-cathedral-9.jpg

https://arch5541.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/seed-cathedral-10.jpg

https://arch5541.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/seed-cathedral-11.jpg

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The seed cathedral was designed for its locality as it has to accommodate an air temperature of up to 40 ° C, monsoon wind gusts up to 120km/h and its seismic activity. The fine-tuning of the slenderness of each spike is demanded to make it move with the mild winds but also resist typhoon loads. A detailed assessment of strong winds on the projecting surfaces of the spikes from the box affects the stability of the pavilion. Although the spikes would protect each other when the pavilion was completed, but they would be susceptible due to high wind loads during construction progress. Each identical spike comprises an acrylic extrusion with 2 aluminium sleeves of different lengths; having one inside the other. These reinforce the section near their connections to the box, providing the required strength near the spikes’ roots and allowing flexibility for lateral movement thus also considering the anticipated cyclic movements. Therefore, holes made for bolt fixing were avoided. The acrylic extrusions are 20 x 20mm; whereas the support will be a larger aluminium sleeve of 30 x 30mm. The spikes are set out from their tip for visual purposes; being separated by 100mm apart.

Google Headquarter

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/02/google-north-bayshore-heatherwick-big-537x405.jpg

http://www.clivewilkinson.com/case-studies-googleplex-a-new-campus-community/

http://www.clivewilkinson.com/case-studies-googleplex-a-new-campus-community/

http://www.clivewilkinson.com/case-studies-googleplex-a-new-campus-community/

Continuously with its technical bravura and lush public amenities, a project for Google at its headquarters in Mountain View, Calif, faces an uncertain future. The project is collaborating with Mr Ingels, the Danish architect, who thinks much the way Heatherwick does. The campus is designed with a strong emphasis on the natural environment, with office buildings contained within large dome-shaped greenhouses and abundant plant life present both inside and out; also to overcome direct daylight and reduce heat production within the internal spaces.

http://assets.bwbx.io/images/i0MLyV6pZCGk/v2/-1x-1.jpg

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/02/Googleplex-BIG-Heatherwick-Designs-537x329.jpg

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/02/google-north-bayshore-heatherwick-big-8.jpg

http://assets.inhabitat.com/wp-content/blogs.dir/1/files/2015/02/google-north-bayshore-heatherwick-big-13.jpg

Both Heatherwick and Ingels have decided to focus on real life intervened solution to overcome direct daylight and heat by utilizing the idea of an umbrella. The idea came by just like the existing shutters where occupants will be able to adjust the shades to control the light and heat levels within the building. To make do with this small scale materiality; thousands of mini umbrellas will be installed against the ‘dome-shaped greenhouse’, turning the human-scale materiality into a large sheet of shading device for the entire building facade.

http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/04/dezeen_Umbrella-Facade-for-the-Madrid-Pavilion-by-3Gatti-Architecture-Studio_6.gif

  

http://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2013/04/dezeen_Umbrella-Facade-for-the-Madrid-Pavilion-by-3Gatti-Architecture-Studio_5.jpg

A case study from 3Gatti Architecture Studio who has proposed a similar concept of an umbrella façade for the Madrid Pavilion from the 2010 Shanghai Expo proves the build-ability of the building façade. Having each umbrella to be able to be controlled by a pulley to allow people to interact with it; creating a three dimensional attractive star façade thus blocking away most of the sunlight and strong wind; with an aerodynamic shape to resist structural tension in case of typhoons.

Conclusion
To summarized the use of technology above, Thomas Heatherwick takes advantage of the human scale materiality without using high-tech solutions, but goes for a spectacular low-tech approach instead. Besides that, Heatherwick celebrates his design solution combining with a complex structure with a simple, quiet and reverent message to the spectators and end-users; creating a beautiful and poetic narrative emerging-designed to capture moments of the idea. I believe Heatherwick is interested in the gaps between conventional disciplines; redefine something when a new genre offers an opportunity while most people barely think about the design of the objects around them. His upbringing influenced him from the beginning to have a strongly programmed idea that things were for the making. He has a profound commitment to find innovative design solutions at every bit of scale regardless of an object. As a result, Heatherwick’s unique skill of making the ordinary extraordinary; harmonizes technology with human scale materiality into a non-human scale building outcome. With the innovative of designers to mix-and-match with the large spectrum of materials, architecture design of the 21st century can be further pushed to the limits of both engineering and design.

Abstract Model

Abstract Models

It is time for model making!

Theme: Qualities of Technology

This is a model of a fine abstract art sculpture, not a building. Using an abstract art as an inverse process; expressing the sculpture with materials using the power of line, spatial interaction, texture, balance and competition.

Calm

This photo was taken from the bird's eye view of the abstract model. The parallelization of sequential panels calms the entire loop model thus hiding away partially of its complexity of the structures below; presenting a collection of positive and negative spaces between planes.

Movement

A series of simple circular planes being pulled at various angle to create a three dimensional object. These objects were being attached on to a large circular column, overlapping on to one another, creating a series of irregular platforms. Furthermore, various curvilinear structures were used to increase spaces in between; thus acting as an external structure to increase the stability of the large panels above. Various clean; edges-less planes create a dynamic movement as the linear platforms were being stacked upwards. It creates a sense of spirited and dominant when the objects are all being attached on to the main structure.

Positive and Negative

A huge negative loop is used to frame the staggered platforms; creating a focal point towards the abstract modal. Various moods can be found within this photograph due to the mixture of curvilinear and angled of light and shadow. As a result, it creates a secured spatial quality at the focal point yet filled with anxiety at the surroundings due to the narrow and ambiguous spaces.

Scale

In conclusion, a series of spatial quality for instance, internal, external, enclosed, semi-enclosed and open spaces were created to provide various functions, creating a mixed emotions through a simple circular and loop plane. The abstract model making is inspired by Thomas Heatherwick's making of design; having looked at a basic; small scale form, coordinating these forms into a large scale object as a whole.

Week 3: The Service of Imagination (progress)

To what extent does Heatherwick’s building have lasting value?

Thomas Heatherwick established a unique design practice with a spirit of experimentation and invention at its heart of every design project; having an idea of sensual, inquisitive and playful in terms of scale and context to provide efficiency and terminate the potential of crossed ideas. Therefore his designs appeared to be biomorphic in shape. Thomas Heatherwick’s design studio is committed in finding design solutions that push the boundaries of materials, creating new possibilities that provoke widespread disbelief; making the impossible; possible.  As to how he finds design solutions, he says the process is almost the opposite of having a ‘Eureka’ moment. It is more like solving a crime. The end product is always unexpected until the end though having the thought will be the beginning of the process of the design stage. He repeatedly analyse and interrogate in their quest for the single, original and compelling idea (stepping back and focus) that forms a strategic analysis;  narrowing it down to the essence of each project towards the final outcome. But, to what extent does Heatherwick’s building have lasting value?

Heatherwick wants both efficiency and ease of viewing position as part of his user’s experience. Therefore, he makes places that users would go and have a conversation, go for a walk with great pleasure and choose on a weekend to be at. Consequently, nature provides a key source of inspiration for Heatherwick’s designs; offering more floor spaces to benefit the entire city. The relationships between cities ad nature affects the development of agriculture and economic success and how this in turn affects social change.  Looking like a giant bubble itself, the Google HQ, or the valley mostly being bland; vibrant and connected community on the ground, an open network much like online Google-sphere and the internet, where public are accessible; creating a diversity neighbourhood rather than private hermetically-sealed mega circus tents in the garden of Eden.

In addition to the increase of building’s value, engine of innovation driving technological evolution and global economy set out the imaginative work environments to be as adaptable, flexible and intelligent. Creating space is not for 5 – 10 years but for a few decades. It will be a piece of environment users can work in multiple ways. For instance, using someone’s imagination and ideas over substance in architecture; refusing the ownership from the architect over the design and handing it to users who feel like hacking its spaces or designing spaces based on individuals. In that, the do-able and buildable spaces focus on shift and adjusting using lightweight blocks-like structures that can be moved around or adapt as its needs change. It allows flexibility over time as the needs of spaces within the office fluctuates often; causing the site to decent slowly. As flexible spaces are stimulating, the design, pieces or eco-working, giant pieces of furniture that can be connected in different ways; creating a structure looking of historic model of making streets; bringing the environment to protect those streets. The end product will be a series of buildings and outdoor areas sheltered beneath translucent domes. 

Week 2: The Service of Imagination (progress)

Forming A Research Question!

How does Thomas Heatherwick translate his design application to amuse users?

Finalized Research Question:
To what extent does Heatherwick's building have lasting value?