Arch 333 @kylerossetti - Tumblr Blog

A group consisting of Emily Delius, Mitchell Curtiss, Kyle Rossetti, and myself.

When choosing the line work to foam cut, I really wanted to experiment with the possibilities of achieving smoothness with curvature and transition. Though the curves are not the same, they are of a similar language and mesh quite cohesively. One is made up of more radical curves, while the other is not as sloped.

When wire cutting, we decided to cut into both sides to create a sort of wave wall. Unfortunately, it was not as smooth it was originally intended, however it still captures the essence of a “wave wall”. Increasing the speed might make the foam cutting more smooth, however the foam was too dense to do that, therefore they are a little rocky.

We were able to play with manual controls, as shown in the last photo of the foam, where we manually moved the kuka to interact with our programmed curved. The results were quite beautiful and the intersection of the rotational linear with our curvature provided for thin intersection points and powerful overlap. This exercise went very smoothly and was very enjoyable to experiment with both in the programming and designing stage with being able to anticipate results, and the mesh with manual controls.

Casting was a good experience, as we got to experience both the form as a lightweight foam object and as a solid concrete form. Now we have both, of contrasting materiality.

Crawford

Crawford begins to examine and analyze both the traditional and modern use of a jig in his first essay. The jig can be utilized as a tool to offload additional mental awareness that might rather be instrumental elsewhere. By creating a system or object that allows for repeated outcomes, the jig establishes a process for completing work that would otherwise be unnecessarily complex. The jig can be envisioned as more than an object; it becomes a set of personal rules which allow for quick action and outcome. Viewing the jig in this light we can begin to question how far this extension might reach. If we live our lives by a set of rules does our moral compass begin to act as a jig for us? Branching away from this we can begin to look at this idea of the jig in relation to the course as the growing power of robotics. Might technology act as a jig for us as it allows for repetitive boring tasks to become unnecessary. Technology sets up a system in which we can do certain tasks and do them accurately. It limits the amount of freedom and performs exactly as you might expect a jig to.

In his other essay Crawford explains how our decline in involvement is related to technology and the resulting increase in autonomy is more or less imagined. We have reached a point where the decisions we make have already been laid out for us and it is simply a matter of picking between the available decisions. We no longer have true agency in matters but rather a series of ideas and choices that have been examined by others. He illustrates this best through the market of consumer goods and how companies look to provide a false sense of agency for people in their decision making as it makes the good more alluring and personal. This can be seen in relation to fabrication as the processes we utilize are already established and we simply follow a set of rules to create an end product that we claim as our own while in reality there was solely a set system that includes a set of available conclusions.

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Playing with robots and light paths

We took photos from front and side view using 2 different colors.

The robot light path exercise was generally smooth. The only problem we encountered was arriving to a dead LED battery twice. Our final attempt we just quickly ran out for a replacement - problem solved. The robot itself is fairly easy to navigate once you locate the files and commands on the controller.

Our group chose a Josef Albers geometry study drawing which we then brought into rhino. We tried to pull the lines into separate dimensions to generate a more 3D light path but this wasn’t quite as successful as we hoped. Regardless, the drawing was very clear and accurate and we had some fun with photos/videos. We’ve spoken about perhaps trying again with other path explorations.

What if we produced one image from the front view and a different image from another view - all from the same coded light path? Could be an interesting experiment. Safe to say we are kuka fans - excited to do some more work with it.

#bots #nerds

Keramas

This was a rather straightforward reading that reminded me more of a textbook assignment in contrast to the previous essays. Keramas is educating the reader on the general ideas of robotics and automation as well as the specified uses. He examines what the growing use of robots in the industrial field means for the future. With robots being able to aid with repetitive, boring, even dangerous tasks, the need for human labor begins to diminish. So what does this mean? Will the population begin to split into groups of people that operate the higher end jobs that robots can’t while other people become irrelevant due to the intervention of automation? These questions are the central focus of the robotic role in the working life and also the cause for resistance to utilizing robots despite the cost benefits. However, the thought that robots can complete the meaningless repetitive tasks while humans focus on the bigger picture is an alluring idea. Without the waste of time, theoretically we would be able to advance exponentially as each task we complete then becomes one that can be handed off to robots, continuously growing on what is relevant and irrelevant. In reality it would likely not play out this way as a majority of people would simply take advantage of the robotic situation and live their life as they want, resulting in a worn out society that is instead dependent on robots for survival.

Looking at creating line forms for a Kuka robot to follow with a light in order to create an LED path. I wanted to created a line that deviated on the x y and z planes so that it would vary from different angles and so that overlapping the camera paths could create intricate designs. I showed the linear movements in the first two robots pictures and the spline (curved) one in the bottom photo.

Carr + Smith

Carr discuses how technology was utilized to advance society through offloading repetitive, necessary tasks onto machines. He argues that this is in contrast to modern day technology as people just operate the machinery or computer in the role of a high-tech clerk, entering data and watching for issues. Carr proposes that “ rather than opening new frontiers of thought and action to its human collaborators, software narrows our focus. We trade subtle, specialized talents for more routine, less distinctive one”. In this aspect automation and technology begins to redevelop the skill set and role of the person, it remakes both the work and the worker. Our absolute faith in technology and computers can lead to carefree and detached working due to the belief that everything is correct. This can be seen in both the real and design world as architects can fail to check drawings that have incorrect measurement which results in costly mistakes during construction. Carr essentially discusses how our faith in technology has allowed us to abandon our skills and knowledge and rely upon machines for the lack in these areas.

Smith looks at the historical relevance of metal creations within the visual field. He discusses how certain masterpieces were created in such difficult and intricate ways that the science of their creation was not understood until recently. Despite this, the artist and designers who created such pieces understood exactly what they were doing through years of experience and in depth involvement with the materials. The relation between the art and its creator takes on a whole new level of understanding than simply looking at how it was made.

These readings are interesting in relation to the course as we are involved so much with technology and programming that I did not stop to question at any point if the program was actually doing what I put in. I take for granted every action I make in grasshopper and accept that the output is what is meant to happen. Furthermore, the fact that we simply input commands into a set code conveys the belief of allowing technology to maintain the skill while we just act as people to input data and decide upon a design. We have no real connection to what we are doing which causes us to not truly understand every action we make. Our skill set with the technology is determined by a few programs that we can only alter minimally.

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The CNC router has one interesting difference from the Zund cutter - while the Zund guides the blade along the x, y, and z axes, the CNC router guides the drill bit only along a rail and up and down, while the table moves back and forth along the remaining axis. I wonder if the scale ad weight of the equipment is the reason for this.

Kolarevic

This reading illustrates the status of digital design as a craft in the same likes as creating an experimental model or drawing your plan by hand. Architecture is a craft in itself and the tools utilized in its creation fall under the same category of craft, regardless of their nature. Whether it be on a computer or by hand, the design process is one that employs craftsmanship. As in all craftsmanship however, there is risk. Kolarevic argues that digital design and fabrication poses the same risk as any other method of architecture or craft for that matter. I have mixed feelings about this idea as I agree with the idea that there will always be some level of risk when it comes to craftsmanship, however I do not believe that digital design holds the same level as creating by hand. Drawing or producing models physically requires a more attentive and creative attitude as every mistake you make has the potential to be irreversible. You stress over every line and every cut which adds to the overall perfection of the craft. When utilizing technology you have the ability to create countless variations of form with the option to undo all the changes you have made at any point. This decreases the amount of thought that is allocated to these design decisions overall.

Iwamoto

Throughout this reading Iwamoto explores the design possibilities made realistic due to the techniques and abilities of fabrication. In the current age of architecture, it is hard to conceive of a design being created without the aid of a computer. This is due to the potential that digital design and fabrication has when combined with the evolving material technology and building possibility of the day. The translation between digital design and physical form is realized through a multitude of methods; in particular the method of section. Iwamoto also discusses how creating life sized models through fabrication can aid immensely in the design process for understanding both spatial concepts and detail levels. These models allow for relatively quick assembly and testing. This read was refreshing as it allowed for a more modern day view on the fabrication world, rather than the older more theoretical readings we have had. The idea of being able to create digitally through section is an interesting idea as the technology allows for quick reproduction and sectioning for understanding each aspect of the project. When this is translated into full size models it gets even more interesting as although these are solely models to help further the design, why can buildings and other structures not begin to be created through fabrication.

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collapsing and assembling a transparent from

kylerossetti

Re-blog from j-muney

This was a fun project as we got to create a form based upon any curve we made in rhino (with limitations of course). Learning to work the zund was a great experience as it cuts quick with acute precision and can be used for multiple purposes later on. Putting the cut pieces together was the hardest part of this as they originally resisted bending and had to be worked into place.

Carpo + DeLanda

Together, these texts discuss the age of architecture and the current day changes it is undergoing. Carpo looks specifically at the deviation from identical reproduction to differential. That is to say, the modern use of creating identical copies lost its hold due to the rise of technology. This is due to the variability of the digital world that allows for the constant innovation and renovation of the creative world. Likewise, DeLanda looks at the way that technology is changing architecture; but rather than the identical to variable shift, DeLanda examines the transformation towards a more biological system. This idea follows the process of creating digitally through a diagram in order to create an abstract building. Architecture becomes more of a system in this way, a design that follows a template with variability inscribed throughout that can be altered to fit a criteria. Regardless of this, DeLanda argues that mere digital technology will never be enough with the intensive and topological thinking provided

The ideas presented are interesting in the way that they suggest we are moving toward a design world that follows an algorithmic system in order to enable variation from replication. This brings into question the need for human intervention in the design world, for if computers can continuously create a variety of designs that adequately fit a structure, where does the need for the human mind come in. I would argue that the design industry will never deviate towards a fully technological system due to the individual creativity that humans introduce into the design process. Regardless of if there is a set template that is altered in order to create a form, the way that humans interact with the template, thinking both inside and outside the box, will always be a critical component of design. This is alluring to think about in relation to our class as for our projects we follow a set of guidelines in order to register a design within a template. Regardless of this, within a class of 55 students that share a common template and structure, I have not seen a single duplicate design. Some may argue that is simply due to the infinite world of technology that allows for such a diversity of variation that you will never see a duplicate. In contrast, it goes beyond simply a duplicate in the original design; each student takes their template design and creates with it in new ways. They innovate with it in order to create a personal design that goes outside the thinking allocated to them from the template project.

The Projective Cast

“Anyone reviewing the history of architectural theory would have to conclude that architects do not produce geometry, but rather consume it”

In this reading, Robin Evans redefines the relationship of the architect to geometry, drawing on different fields in order to look at architectural form in a new light that contrasts previous notions and ideas. Evans chooses to look closely at architectural projection, one that he claims has played a small role in the developing world of architectural theory. It is also argued that geometry does not always play a more reclined and unknown role in architectural form but rather is an active integral part in links between “thinking and imagination, imagination and drawing, drawing and building”. These ideas are interesting as they bring about a new way of designing buildings, focusing primarily on geometrical relationships and forms driven from this. I enjoy the thought of this method as it introduces a clear process with limitless variations. Take even the simplest form of geometry and you can produce alterations of that form that project different deviations onto the final creation.

Exercise 04 - Unrolling a Developable Surface (Week 1)

In this exercise we looked at different ways we could make vases utilizing rhino and grasshopper. We could customize our own curve that the vase form would follow and then alter the number of sides and width of the base. This exercise was intriguing as the possibilities for form were endless yet we had to remain somewhat reasonable as our ultimate goal is to turn this form into an actual 3d vase.

Exercise 03 - Responsive Surface

Rotation & Repetition

This was a fun project as we begin by creating a simple layout within a surface that was then altered due to a curve that we placed along it. The curve dictated the allocation of square size within the created surface. I took it upon myself to alter mine more by rotating my initial square four times to create a pattern within a larger square. I then rotated this larger one four more times to create the pattern that is laser cut above.

The Construction of a Problem: Architecture Modelling after Descartes

This essay was particularly interesting in the argument that architectural design is shifting from the order of classical geometry in favor of a more modern analytic geometry. This is in large part due to advances in technology that allow for creative development in the field yet also cause rise to new challenges that take the form of the conceptual, the operational, and the constructional. This is in relationship to the change in design and modelling that is moving focus away from object representations of design resolution and into the realm of actually constructing the design in an effort to utilize it as a system for interrogation. These new ideas and concepts are exciting because it allows for a revolutionary area of imaging and creating space; however, at the same time it worries me due to the fact that we cannot elevate our design without the aid of technology.

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