1. Levels Of Design Computability Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013-

2.  For Toni kotnic, during the design process it can distinguish three major levels of computational utilisation that can be defined as levels of design computability: the representational, the parametric, and the algorithmic. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 2

3. The representational level  A representational level is characterised by the utilisation of the computational mainly as an electronic drawing tool. An example of such an application is the design of the Kunsthaus Graz by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier in Austria 2003, Figure ‎ 2– 12.There; NURBS have been used to digitally describe the shape of the outer skin of the museum based on an existing physical model as shown in Figure ‎ 2– 12a. (Mandour, 2004) Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 3

4. The representational level  The structure for the exhibition spaces is held within the steel frame in the skin. This allows the space to remain unobstructed by columns, as shown in Figure ‎ 2– 12b. Below the exhibition spaces, the free public space is enclosed by a thin curtain wall of glass, giving the space a feeling of transparency as shown in Figure ‎ 2– 12a and d. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 4

5. The representational level  The design incorporates a triangular brace system, and hexagonal ports which grow to self structured nozzles as shown in Figure ‎ 2– 12b. These tilted extrusions act as light ports bringing northern light into the exhibition halls. They also serve to highlight the history of Graz, by their orientation to traditional heritage monuments, such as the Clock Tower atop the Schlossber as shown in Figure ‎ 2– 12c. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 5

6. The representational level  The skin does have an added media function. 930 circular fluorescent bulbs are placed behind the acrylic panels, forming what could be described a very large very low resolution grayscale bitmap matrix. Each bulb can be controlled independently, for intensity and duration. The skin can then be programmed for signage, or for a programmed media exhibit, as shown in Figure Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 6

7. The representational level  Figure ‎ 2– 12 The Kunsthaus Graz by Peter Cook and Colin Fournier. (Graz, 2003) The computer enabled the activation of a geometric language that could not otherwise be controlled easily due to the confliction of the geometry with the standard projections used by convention in architectural presentation.That means; on a representational level there is no real perception of the computational nature that governs the digital environment. Rather, the design process is still in line with the visual reasoning of a conventional paper-based design approach. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 7

8. The representational level  What exists is merely an awareness of a potential extension of the traditional geometric language of architecture that is present in the invisible mathematical description of digital design tools, the recognition of the existence of a relationship between specific input and unique output. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 8

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10. The parametric level  In parametric design relationships between objects are explicitly described, establishing interdependencies between the various objects. Variations, once generated, can be easily transformed and manipulated by activating these attributes. A more complex parametric interplay between all of the various elements of the architecture was used in the design of the Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart by UN Studio (Van Berkel en Bos Architectenbureau) see Figure ‎ 2– 13. There, the definition of the geometry of every single element of the building is dependent on the basic layout of the figure. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 10

11. The parametric level  Figure ‎ 2– 13 The Mercedes Benz Museum in Stuttgart by UN Studio. (kotnic, 2007) On the parametric level there is already a clear understanding of the existence of a computational relationship between input and output and its integration into the design process as a scheme of interdependency between various parts of the design. The algorithmic description of the relationship, however, is not actively activated as design tool. The relationship is fixed and the focus is rather on the possibility of quantification of the input that enables a controlled variation of the output. (Schnabel, 2007) Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 11

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13. The algorithmic level  An algorithmic level opens up this relationship between input and output and is characterised by the utilisation of the formal description of computable function itself and its application as a design strategy. On the algorithmic level, therefore, the focus is on the development of computational design logic that is a sequence of algebraic, analytic, and geometric operations for the manipulation of data and its translation into architectural properties. It is the algorithmic description of the computable function itself and the possibility of an individualised overcoming of the limitations of the inbuilt functionality of the used software. Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 13

14. The algorithmic level  One of the first built examples based on an algorithmic design approach was the pavilion for the Serpentine Gallery by Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmondin 2002, Figure ‎ 2– 14. The use of an iterative subdivision of adjacent sides resulted in a dense field of lines that defined the location of structural members as well as the distribution of openings for the enclosed cubic space. (kotnic, 2007) Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 14

15. The algorithmic level  The design of the national swimming centre in Beijing by PTW Architects (Peddle Thorp & Walker) is another example of design development based on an algorithmic construction of the underlying geometric structure, Figure ‎ 2– 15. The formal description of the space filling behaviour of foam bubbles and its abstraction as Wearie-Phelan geometry enabled the use of complex polyhedral cells as a construction system, a rational and efficient solution that appears to be random. ( Digital Architecture AE 461 course -2013- 15

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