Motion
as modern way of expressing architecture
Adam
Gorczica
Studio Architektury Format,
Contents
· Abstract
· Sculpturing buildings
– a frozen motion
· Animation and
literal motion
Keywords: Computer animation, Genetic
algorithms, Parametric modelling
“[…] When I look outside the door what do I
see? An airplane flying over, a car passing by.
Everything is moving. That is our environment. Architecture should deal with
that.[…]
Frank .Gehry 1
There are many words written about the motion
in architecture. (Giedion, Ferstegen,
Jormakka, Lynn). They try to describe, classify,
separate or represent it. This work presents motion as one of the leading
factors of contemporary ways of expression in architecture. It will examine
different examples of architectural motion, then make a hypothesis, that one of
the possible reasons of expressing movement in architecture is the usage of new
generation of modern CAD/3D-animation software, like 3DStudio Max, Lightwave, Maya, Catia, Rhino, or
CINEMA 4D. Because of availability only chosen features and tools of CINEMA 4D
will be described further. Motion can be expressed in architecture in two ways:
by the procession or by superimposition. [
Sculpturing
buildings – a frozen motion
Aaron Betsky writes:
“It is no longer enough […] to make forms that make sculptural sense”. [Betsky, 2003] Nevertheless there is a distinct direction of
making architectural designs twisted, squeezed, scattered, generally: deformed.
[Pongratz, Perbellini,1999] This attempt is visible
not only today. Borromini has created a spiral
lantern at the top of Sant Ivo’s
cupola in XVI century. That expressed a baroque dynamic and a research of
freeing a form.
Fig. 1. Sant
Ivo alla Sapienza – F.Borromini
Erich Mendehlson has created his
Fig. 2.
Frank Gehry is the
man, who created the most expressive architectonic sculptures of today. His
Other Gehry’s
creations confirm the similar attitude. Independently from the complex tools
and design methods, his buildings express a motion, being at the same time very
static and stable. The ways of expressions are: superimposition, twist and
bend. A pencil was replaced by Catia and concrete by
a steel ribs and metal cladding, but almost nothing has changed from the times
of Mendehlson.
Fig. 3.
A competition for a “Virtual House” (1997) won
by Foreign office Architects represents different aspect of motion and ways of
expression. The motion was captured using the flexible extruded ribbons,
interweaving with each other 5 and
a virtual character of the space was stressed by the fact, that this design
could be placed “anywhere”, and it was commissioned by “any corporation”. Still nothing animates itself.
Fig. 4. Virtual House- Foreign Architects
Office
The idea of building depicting a frozen motion
is present in the early houses design by Peter Eisenman.
At the later designs he used more advanced techniques, like folding or seeking
for a continuity between exterior and interior, expressed in the “in-between”
state (like a liquid crystal). Further experiments and the evolution of this
method brought Eisenman to superimposition of
repetitions – in fact the
Looking at the project of Staten Island
Institute for Arts and sciences (2001, N.Y.) one can immediately recognize used
diagrams as laminar flow combined with a superimposition, while in the earlier
Max Reinhardt House (Berlin, 1992) is present twisting, rotation and torquing.
Fig. 5. Max Reinhardt House- P. Eisenman
Transformations of described 3D-models are
combining the real and virtual by simulating building’s motion. This motion is
captured as frozen and becomes a way of expression in itself.
Another important feature of examples above is
the global character of 3D transformation. The rotation, lofting, extrusion,
etc. affects the whole body of the building –the only decorative element is the
expression of motion.
Apparently chaotic, unbridled form of designs
above is similar to baroque style because of monumentality, curvature and
simulation of not existing – whether was it a perspective illusion, or a motion
and time-mutation.
What specific 3D/CAD tools enable expression of
frozen motion? CINEMA 4D offers a few kinds of parametric modeling, capable of
fast and interactive work. First group of available deformations contains among
others: bend, twist, bulge, taper, melt, wind, shear, wrap, etc. They are
relatively old and simple.
Another type of deformation are
of non-uniform rational B-splines (NURBS), already
well explained and described.6
CINEMA 4D offers e.g.: HyperNURBS, SweepNURBS and BezierNURBS.
Combined with direct point and surface edition (e.g. PLA) this type of modeling
appears attractive, and creation of complex shapes and solids is relatively
quick and easy.
Traditionally the notion of animation is
understood in many ways, which mostly mean a simulation of a movement. 7 There is, however a different way
of understanding animation, used in contemporary architecture, the virtual, and
the real one: the change of parameters in time 8 or “the act, process, or result of
imparting life, interest, spirit, motion, or activity”. 9 A distinct difference between animation and
motion is made by Greg Lynn: “Where motion implies movement and action,
animation suggests animalism, animism, evolution, growth, actuation, vitality
and virtuality.”
Some contemporary experiments attempts to
simulate the building motion not by capturing it, but rather enhancing,
creating the interplay “user-building”. A dense information network, supported
by sensors from one side and pneumatic engines, transform external impulses
into building responses. This causes buildings to be unstable, transitory –
unlike architecture should be.
The dream of motion in architecture has been
introduced almost 90 years ago – in 1919 Tatlin
designed a Monument for the Third Internazionale,
which was the kinetic structure, where a few platonic solids (cube, pyramid,
cylinder) were rotating along a vertical axis at specific speed (1 rotation per
year, per month or per day). The steel spiral of Tatlin
tower was scheduled to be 400m high.
Fig. 6. Monument for the Third Internazionale – Tatlin
Many other kinetic structures was built since then10 and today that trend is still
visible, although the motivation and the technical advance of movement differ.
Kas Oosterhuis’
experiments with interactive architecture, like Trans-ports (2001) and E-motive
house (2002) proves, that interactive, animated architecture becomes reality.
They define possible direction of future research. 11 The first object “acts like a
muscle”, connected to data (input-output devices) in real-time. It uses three
main elements: electronic interior skin, pneumatic “muscles” and flexible
exterior skin. Instead of being static, it is rather like a lean device, which
relaxes or tightens upon different forces.
Fig. 7. Trans-ports 2001- Kas
Oosterhuis
E-motive house is a weaving loom between a hard
and a soft structure. The construction of the house and the furniture is
programmable Everything changes, except the kitchen-area and the sanitary. It
is an interactive adaptive system.
Fig. 8. E-motive house - Kas
Oosterhuis
Among many well-known
interactive projects one might place as well Aegis Hyposurface
(dECOi, 1999-2001),
Motion in architecture can by understood
literally. Kas Osterhuis
project for Graphisoft Slider (2002) is a set of
programmable sliding volume to be built on the river Danube in
Fig. 9. Graphisoft
Slider- Kas Oosterhuis
Permanent mutation is visible at urban scale
too. Traditional city exist no longer, but it is replaced by a hypercity, where new shops grow up and replace the old,
where old squares disappear and a new perspectives arise within a months. This
state of transformation is enhanced and supported by a network of information
connections. A building, a city, an airport, a car, a human has became only a
node, a vertex of a whole system, constantly moving.
What specific 3D/CAD tools enable experiments
with interactivity and mutability?
First: the ability to simulate by the computer
all kinds of motion. Motion of external sliders or blinds, doors rotation,
camera and light animation construct a virtual animated 3D model, which
replaced laborious, expensive and inflexible mock-ups or cartoon animations.
Even more challenging is ability to simulate natural behavior of 3D objects –
the influence of gravity, impact of wind, spring stretching, billard bowls collision, falling a book onto a pillow, etc.
A good example is Dynamics of rigid and soft bodies supported by CINEMA 4D or a
Pyrocluster tools offering simulation of special
effects, like fire, clouds, smoke or volcanos.
Fig.10. Dynamics
There are many other tools supporting animation
experiments, like the modern interface (e.g. Sculptor, ETH
The most advanced ways of architectonic
expression are transformations of different data-systems: sounds into light,
words in diagrams, equations in movements, data into 3D forms and many more.13 These transformations consist from
précised limitations, conditions and (mathematic) rules, fields of
forces, algorithms (often genetic14 ) and their pictorial layer
is often perceived like generic, random forms. They are animated and variable
but their impression is confusing as a snapshot or still frame.
Their common denominator is reinvention of
time: from a static to dynamic perception, from balance to tension. That
results with a specific motion - architecture becomes rather like a condition
than a building per se, it shifts in time and due to many possible
interpretations it becomes virtual.
To analize the
influence of invisible fields of forces on the real space and buildings, we may
start from the MVRDV “Datascapes“(1999). They
believe, that it is possible to identify for every area its “gravity field”,
which means a set of apparently chaotic, hidden rules. These rules reveal
themselves under a special conditions: within a certain limits or exceeding a
threshold. They proved that hypothesis with many examples, like Ruhrgebiet, where accessibility demands caused a series of
linear towns, or Berlin’s urban regulations, putting a new buildings in tight
districts, which caused growth and exploration of undergrounds, or Paris’
Relatively simple is the idea of blobs.15 The principle of blob is to give
the simple sphere two zones: an influence and a deflection, which are
interacting and pulling or fusing surfaces into collective meshes. One of the
earliest examples of using blobs at the conceptual level is
Fig. 11. Blobs, idea for Korean Presbiterian Church- G.Lynn
Another Greg Lynn’s design, Port Authority
Gateway (NY,1995), is important because of two reasons. First - it’s shape is
created by a literal visualization of motion flows of pedestrians, cars and
buses across the site, and then - it is a transformation of numeric data in a
3D–form (two different systems).
Fig. 12.
Port Authority Gateway - G.Lynn
The whole range of Marcos Novak projects,
oscillating on the edge of real and virtual are using the idea of
transformation different data-systems. Liquid architecture (1993), Variable
Data Forms, 1999) or Paracube (1997-8) use
algorithmic variables, which represent channels with mapped external rule or
limitation, either static or dynamic. They are never modified manually and
often derive from a higher dimension geometries. Novak introduced for his
creations a notion “liquid”16,
which means complete but rigorous variability driven by data shifts in
cyberspace. In his works motion is perceived rather like a variability and virtuality of form.
Fig. 13. Data driven forms- M.Novak
Returning to the exemplifying software (CINEMA
4D) we find out specific tools used to simulate the effects described above.
The concept of particles can be realized using Thinking Particles. As the name
indicates, they are intelligent, parametrically defined objects, like emitters,
attractors, deflectors, friction, gravity, wind, rotation and turbulence. Each
of them has precisely defined constrains and conditions of life, for example:
emitters are given lifetime, speed, birthrate and visibility, while gravity
–acceleration and size. Inserted in the 3D-model and animated, they simulate a
real wind or gravity. In this case all the object variables are defined in the
dialog windows, without having to create any script.
Fig. 14. Thinking Particles
Not only a special designed particles can be
parametrically described. To every object (even a simplest one: a cube, box,
etc.) can be assigned a tag précising its behavior under a certain
conditions, like a motion constraint, scale imitation, etc. In other words,
object properties can be bound and interact with each other. For example Blobs
can be created as Metaball objects, consisting from a
few bowls with a radius and a strength given, while a target object is given a
hull and a subdivision value.
Fig. 15. Metaballs
But a more complex and
powerful possibilities of object interaction are available. Using a parametric
(sometimes visual) interface, where certain expressions are subordinated to
input-output nodes. It can be XPresso editor, where
all the nodes and operators are defined by drag and drop technique.
Fig. 16. Editor Xpresso
Or a more advanced COFFEE expressions, defined
as a script in the text window.
Fig. 17. COFFEE expressions
Motion described above became a crucial way of
architectonic expression, nevertheless it is literal, frozen or a metaphorical
one. It transforms the principal rules of traditional architecture (“firmitas, utilitas, venustas”) and neglects the “stability” of architectural
form.
Transforming a movement from a virtual 3D world
to a real one results often in curvilinear forms. Such architecture will be
soon affordable, because of the direct connection “file to factory”17 which redefines the economy of
building production. Instead of mass-production it develops “mass-customization”.
Using a motion as a way of expression demands
from architects a narrow-band specialization together with a multidisciplinary
knowledge.
The transformation of
architecture itself and its way of expression is still running. In motion.
Betski A. “Architecture in Limbo [in:] ArchiLab.Radical
experiments in global architecture (ed. Frederic migairou,Marie
Ange Braier);
Lootsma B. “Architecture in the second
modernity” ArchiLab.Radical experiments in global architecture
(ed. Frederic migairou,Marie Ange
Braier);
Galofaro L. (2001), Digital Eisenman . An office of the electronic era,
Eisenman P. (2001), Diagram Diaries,
Frampton K. (1995), Studies in Tectonic
Culture, MIT Press
Lynn G.(1998), Animate form,
Jormakka K.(2002), Flying Dutchman –
motion in architecture,
Novak M. (1998), Transarchitectures
and Hyposurfaces [in:] Hypersurface
Architecture,
Oosterhuis K. “Hyper Bodies.Towards
an e-motive architecture” ; Birkhauser 2003
Pongratz Ch. ; Perbellini
M.R. (1999), “Natural born CAAD designers: Young American Architects”, Bazylea: Birkhauser
Verstegen T. (2001), Tropism. Fascinations
10, NAI Publishers
Zellner P.(2000), Hybrid space – new
forms in digital architecture,
1 New Perspectives Quarterly vol.21#1 Winter
2004, “From Shiva to Disney, Frozen motion”, http://www.digitalnpq.org/
2 Formalization proposed by Sigfried
Giedion where time is built into form as memory and
Collin Row’s phenomenal transparency
3 Incompatibility of
4 Motion is present in many ways in digital
techniques developed in the last decade, like computer animation, algorithms, parametric
modeling, data fields, etc.
5 The same attitude is presented in Springtecture B, completed by Shuhei
Endo in (2002., Biwa-cho, Schiga) and Degrezero – “Library
for the information Age’
6 Markus Altmann „About Nonuniform Rational
B-Splines – NURBS”, http://www.cs.wpi.edu/
7 “A simulation of movement created by
displaying a series of pictures, or frames.” http://www.google.pl/url?sa=X&start=7&oi=define&q=http://www.angelfire.com/anime3/internet/graphics.htm
8 Any change of a parameter over time.
Generally refers to a change in position of the video frame, moving the video
over a background while it plays.
http://www.google.pl/url?sa=X&start=24&oi=define&q=http://www.digitalpostproduction..com/Htm/Features/DigitalVideoGlossary.htm
10 Examples :
13 see also Kolatan
Mac Donald Studio – “co-citation mapping” – 1994 –
14 Genetic algorithms are inspired by
15 It derives from special film effects and modeling tools used in Softimage and Wavefront, where blob ment the acronym for “binary large objects”. http://www.glform.com/
16 together with Nonchi
Wang - 1993
17 supported e.g. by IGES files