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Posts Tagged ‘complex’’

Algorithmic Architecture: 14 Complex Math-Based Structures

27 Feb

[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

Algorithmic Architecture Main

Mathematics are more integral to architecture than ever before, and as the methods of designing structures grow more complex, so do the calculations. As these fractal and parametric designs – both built and fantasy – prove, the only limit to architecture based on mathematical algorithms are those of physics and materials, and with the advent of 3D printing and other advanced construction techniques, the world of amazingly complex architecture just keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Parametric Party House

Fractal Architecture Parametric Party House

Built for Copenhagen Distortion, a summer festival that draws thousands into the city’s streets and clubs for all-night dance parties, this mobile parametric pavilion aims to “give architectural expression to this Dionysian experience.” Designed and built by experimental technology and acoustics programs from three universities, the pavilion rotates and moves like a piece of fabric despite the fact that it’s made up of 151 hinged plywood triangles finished in a reflective copper.

Intricate Fractal Fantasy Architecture by Tom Beddard

Fractal Architecture Fantasy

Tom Beddard’s fantasy architecture is far from realistic; instead, it’s an exploration of just how complex structures derived from algorithms can get and still be recognizable as potential human habitations and cities. Beddard makes some of the scrips he uses to create his works available on his website. Says the artist, “For me the creative process is writing my own software and scripts to explore the resulting output in an interactive manner. The best outcomes are often the least expected!”

L-Systems by Michael Hansmeyer

Fractal Architecure L Systems

“For centuries architects have been inspired by nature’s forms and geometries,” says Michael Hansmeyer, a designer who produced the world’s first 3D-printed room as well as some amazingly complex fractal columns. “It is only in the past decade that much of the underlying logic, mathematics and chemistry of nature’s forms has been better understood. In the late 1960′s, the biologist Aristid Lindenmayer proposed a string-rewriting algorithm that can model simplified plants and their growth processes with an astounding ease. This theory is now known as L-Systems. This project examines whether this algorithm can open up possibilities in the field of architecture.” See more L-Systems in architecture at Hansmeyer’s website.

SOM Mumbai Airport Canopy

Fractal Architecture SOM Canopy

A fractal roof canopy tops off a terminal at Mumbai’s Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport, modernizing a complex that accommodates 40 million travelers every year. The design visually references the form of vernacular Indian pavilions with thirty mushrooming columns. The kaleidoscopic canopy extends across the arrivals roadway and is embedded with small disks of colorful glass to catch the light.

Fractal-Based Sky Habitat for Singapore

Fractal Architecture Sky Habitat 1

Fractal Architecture Sky Habitat 2

This fractal design by Moshe Safdie makes the absolute most of a small land footprint with a high-density 38-story sky habitat integrating stepped balconies that democratize views and private outdoor space. Envisioned for Singapore, the tower is porous to light and air to maximize air movement in the tropical climate, and features a series of sky bridges containing parks and swimming pools.

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Algorithmic Architecture 14 Fractalparametric Structures

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[ By Steph in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

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Dark Tower: Decay Inside Africa’s Tallest Apartment Complex

30 Oct

[ By WebUrbanist in Architecture & Cities & Urbanism. ]

ponte apartment context

Before a long descent into darkness, the cylindrical Ponte City Apartments began life as a luxurious tribute to growth and wealth in Johannesburg , filled with envy-worthy units looking out in all directions. But after years of decline and false restarts, what direction is next for the highest residential skyscraper on the continent?

dark tower spire detail

ponte apartment trash

As remarked in the film above by Philip Bloom, the transformation of this iconic 54-story, mixed-use tower in South Africa has been astonishing. “It really was icon of decadence … wealth and exuberance” with three-story units and Jacuzzi tubs – a “premier location in the city” for people “making a lot of cash.” As part of an exodus from the city center, rapid changes took place.

dark tower up down

The center of the circular plan looked excellent in theory – a way for light to enter the back side of apartments looking into the core. There were even plans for an indoor ski slope to accompany the various shops and eateries on the lower levels.

dark interior core views

In practice, it slowly became a kind of black hole filled with three stories of detritus at the bottom and marked by unwashed walls all the way up. It also developed a reputation for defenestrations – accidents, suicides and otherwise.

dark building exterior view

Investors just before the global financial crisis began to re-envision and rehabilitate the structure, but the renovations stopped as abruptly as the market crashed, leaving an ambiguous future for this iconic structure.

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Dark Tower Decay Inside Africas Tallest Apartment Complex

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Sound in Sand: Complex Visualizations of Audio Frequencies

07 Jun

[ By Steph in Art & Installation & Sound. ]

Sound in Sand 1
Grains of sand arrange themselves into complex geometric patterns according to audio frequencies in these fascinating resonance experiments by Youtube user Brusspup. The sand is sprinkled onto a black metal plate attached to a tone generator, which emits a series of increasing frequencies. The higher the frequencies, the more intricate the designs become.

Sound in Sand 2

This experiment is based on the Chiadni plate, invented by German physicist Ernst Chiadni in the 18th century. Chiadni used a violin bow along the edge of a glass plate covered with sand to create visualizations of sound. The plate is divided into regions vibrating in opposite directions, bounded by lines of zero vibration called nodal lines.

Sound in Sand 3

The plate was bowed until it reached resonance, at which point the vibration causes the sand to concentrate along the nodal lines where the surface is still. This technique is still used in the design and construction of acoustic instruments like violins and guitars.

Sound in Sand 4

Brusspup often experiments with the intersection of science and art. Previous projects have included running water through sound waves to produce incredible zig-zagging shapes, and a sound-based camera trick that makes water appear to travel backwards.

via This is Colossal

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Philography: Complex Philosophy Meets Graphic Simplicity

24 May

[ By WebUrbanist in Design & Graphics & Branding. ]

philosophy postcard simplified designs

The bigger the idea, the harder to understand, let alone distill. That is the idea and challenge  behind this growing set of graphic designs that seek to capture big ideas in simple shapes and single-sentence explanations.

philosophy flash cards simplified

Dubbed Philographics by their creator,  Genís Carreras, the original set contained just 24 designs, but has grown into a series of 95 (so far). Idealism, Dualism, Existentialism – if you can think of an ‘ism’ from philosophy, you can almost certainly find it represented here.

philosophy isms summary poster

And consider the alternative, hundreds, thousands, maybe tens of thousands of words in the dictionary definitions of such terms – a great way to flesh out your knowledge, but hardly the place to get started.

philosophy posters graphic designs

In fact, philosophy schools often force students to better understand philosophers and philosophies by condensing and summarizing – having to articulate long thoughts in short form helps the brain process and codify that information.

philosophy tongue in cheek

As for the forms these are taking: the Kickstarter project (funded at nearly four times the initial goal) has been such a success that what started as posters has branched into postcards and, in pre-production, softcover,  hardcover and electronic book editions as well.

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BBC tries out Raspberry Pi’s ‘nightmarishly complex’ camera add-on

16 May

pi.jpg

The BBC’s Technology Correspondant, Rory Cellan-Jones, has been getting to grips with the new camera module for Raspberry Pi – the low-cost DIY computer. The camera board was announced earlier this year, and opens up enormous potential for applications including robotics and high risk aerial/underwater use. Cellan-Jones got hold of one of the new camera boards and has written a short article in which he details the ‘nightmarish complexity’ of making it work. Click through for a link to the full article.

News: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)

 
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