| id |
avocaad_2001_07 |
| authors |
Stefan Wrona, Adam Gorczyca |
| year |
2001 |
| title |
Complexity in Architecture - How CAAD can be involved to Deal with it. - "Duality" |
| source |
AVOCAAD - ADDED VALUE OF COMPUTER AIDED ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN, Nys Koenraad, Provoost Tom, Verbeke Johan, Verleye Johan (Eds.), (2001) Hogeschool voor Wetenschap en Kunst - Departement Architectuur Sint-Lucas, Campus Brussel, ISBN 80-76101-05-1 |
| summary |
“Complexity “ is for us a very ambigous notion. It may be understood in two contexts.1.Thorough solution of a problem.Complexity means full recognition of design area, followed by appropriate work. That work must be thorough and interdisciplinary – if necessary, separated to different co-operatives. These trade designers reqiure a branch coordination and – the most important- all of them must have a „common denominator”. Such as a proper CAAD platform and office standards. That will reduce costs of changes, improve an interplay between designers and somtimes enable to face up a new challenge.Nowadays architects are no longer “solitary” individualists working alone – they must concern a team – they become a member, a part of a huge design machine. “Import/export”, compatibility, interplay – these words must appear and we have to put a stress on them. How to organize work for different trade-designers? How to join in common database architectural design ,engineering design, HVAC design, electricity design, technology design, computer network design and all other trades ?...A key to solve this range of problems is in good work organization. Universal prescription does not exist, but some evergreen rules can be observed. We are going to present a scheme of work in CAAD application ALLPLAN FT v.16 with a Group manager , which starts to conquest polish market and is widely spread in Germany. “Golden rules” of ALLPLAN FT There is one database – it is placed on server. It includes all projects. There is a well-developed office standard. It must be created at the beginning of collaboration, although it is possible to improve it later. It consist of hatches, fonts, symbols, macros, materials, pen-widths, and – the most important –layers . A layer set – predefined structure divided into functional groups – e.g. drafting, text, dimensioning, architecture, HVAC, engineering, urban design, etc.That stucture is a part of an office standard – all workers use a relevant part of it. No name duplicates, no misunderstandings... If however design extends, and a new group of layers is required, it can be easily added, e.g. computer networks, fireguard systems. Administrator of ALLPLAN network defines different users and gives them different permitions of access. For example – an electrician will be able to draft on layer “electricity”, but he won’t modify anything at layer “architecture – walls”, and he won’t even see a layer “engineering- slabs”, because he doesn’t need it..At the same time our electrician will be able to see , how architect moves some walls and how HVAC moved and started to cross with his wires. Every user is able to see relevant changes, after they are saved by author. Two different users can not access at the same time the same file. That excludes inconsistent or overlapping changes . All users operate on a 3D model. While putting some data into a model, they must remember about a “Z” coordinate at work-storey. But at the same time all create a fully-integrated, synchronous database, which can be used later for bills of quantities, specifications, and – of course – for visuaisation. That method can be described as “model-centric”. To simplify complex structure of architectural object -ALLPLAN offers files. Usually one file means one storey, but at special designs it might become a functional part of a storey, or whatever you wish. Files connected with layers easy enable to separate certain structural elements, e.g. if we want to glance only at concrete slabs and columns in the building – we will turn on all files with “layer filter” – “slabs” and “columns”. ALLPLAN is of course one of possible solutions. We described it , because we use it in our workshop. It seems to be stretchy enough to face up every demand and ever-increasing complexity of current projects. The essence of the matter, however, is not a name or version of application – it is a set of features, we mentioned above, which allows to deal with EVERY project. The number of solutions is infinite.2. Increasing difficulties during design process. It may be associated with more and more installations inside of new buildings, especially some “high-tech” examples. The number of these installations increases as well as their complexity. Now buildings are full of sensors, video-screens, computer networks, safety-guard systems... Difficulties are connected with some trends in contemporary architecture, for example an organic architecture, which conceives “morphed” shapes, “moving” surfaces, “soft” solids. This direction is specially supported by modelling or CAD applications. Sometimes it is good – they allow to realize all imaginations, but often they lead to produce “unbuildable” forms, which can exist only in virtual world.Obstacles appear, when we design huge cubatures with “dense” functional scheme. Multi-purposed objects, exhibition halls, olimpic stadium at Sydney – all of them have to be stretchy, even if it requires sliding thousands pound concrete blocks! Requirements were never so high.The last reason, why designs become so complex is obvious - intensifying changes due to specific requirements of clients/developers.We could say “ signum tempori” – everything gets more and more complicated , people have to become specialists, to face up new technology. But how CAAD can help us with it? How?! We have already answered that question. Sometimes CAAD is the only way to imagine and sketch something, to visualize something, to compute a construction , to prepare a simulation... So that human must “only” interprete ready solutions. Sometimes CAAD help us to notify a problem. It works exactly in the same way, as spy-glasses does. For example – without a real-time visualization we we would have never realised (until finished!) some strange interference of solids, which have occured in the upper roof part of our new appartment-house.ConclusionsTemporary CAAD is an integral part of design process – not only as a tool, but sometimes as an inspiration. It helps to organize our work, to define problems, to filter relevant elements and to render our visions. It becomes an integral part of our senses – and that will be a real complexity in architecture... |
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2005/09/09 10:48 |
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