Revolutionizing Ceiling and Wall Surfaces with Parametrics and Digital Fabrication
Parametric Design Defined
Parametric design is a process based on algorithmic thinking that enables the expression of parameters and rules that, together, define, encode, and clarify the relationship between design intent and design response. Parametric design in architecture is not a new concept. Design is a series of relationships and/or principles that alter the end result of aesthetic choices. Any designer understands that by varying parameters, either mathematical or figuratively, a concept can be explored based on a set of design controls. For the Airside Modification project in Atlanta as well as the design of the Great Hall Ceiling at the University of Houston Classroom and Business Building, these design controls included the layering of technical requirements for lighting and acoustics determined by consulting engineers to the design requirements by the architect.
Digital parametric tools allow the designer to create customized form based on projected environmental goals—for example, the acoustic performance values for a concert hall or the foot-candles on a desk plane—while manipulating the aesthetic design of an interior or exterior facade. These tools allow architects to emulate the design of the natural world. They are able to design complex shapes that respond to data-driven parameters.
Many architectural graduates and innovative firms began using automated computer design software programs with building information modeling (BIM). For example, HKS Inc., one of the prime architectural firms leading the Hartsfield-Jackson Design Collaborative joint venture for the design of the Airside Modernization project for the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, ordered a laser scan of the project that was quickly used to develop a BIM model. One-thousand-million dots were turned into a model the designers were able to manipulate and view with the client. According to Griffin, they collaborated with their MEP consultant, Thompson Consulting Inc., to apply environmental data in the digital model to vary daylighting and LED lighting as they adjusted the aesthetics of the design.
One-thousand-million dots were turned into a digital model of the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport to allow the designers to develop the ceilings for the concourses, holdrooms, centerpoints, train stations, and the train level transportation mall. More than 675,000 square feet of the acoustic ceilings were evaluated for lighting and acoustic parameters through digital and physical models to maintain the conceptual integrity while developing a ceiling that met the highest safety and environmental standards.
Manufacturing Process
The industrial revolution offered the promise of affordably manufactured goods and services that would be mass produced. By the mid-20th century, modernists like Eero Saarinen enlisted manufacturers to develop mass-produced materials built to standard modules to simplify construction processes and manufacturing costs. These revolutionary initiatives led to the deadly conformity of many contemporary commercial buildings. Designers, restricted to selections from the catalogue, found rising budgets limited their ability to conceptualize and they paid dearly for choosing unique shapes and forms.
Manufacturers found that they too could control fabrication processes to create precise materials designed for specific locations. These manufacturers have found that the benefits include meeting demands for faster turnaround times, the creation of more precise forms, and a reduction in material waste. Now manufacturers are partnering with architectural firms as early as the initial design stage. The same data used in the design process can also run an automated production line. After fabrication, each custom-made piece arrives at the project labeled with its precise location for installation. This assures the architect’s aesthetic intentions as well as the performance goals for each building component in a variety of microclimates in a building. See the case study online, Both Sides Now: Mass-Customized Acoustic Cloud Ceilings, for an example of how Gensler achieved both aesthetic and acoustic project goals in the design of the Reading Room at the Quiet Hall for the University of Houston’s Classroom and Business Building.
A new collaborative design process used parametric design software combined with digital fabrication to translate the spirit of the New York Public Library’s Rose Reading Room into a new Reading Room at the University of Houston Classroom and Business Building.
BOTH SIDES NOW: MASS-CUSTOMIZED ACOUSTIC CLOUD CEILINGS
The Rose Reading Room at the New York Public Library inspires contemplation and respite both by design and exemplary acoustics. The University of Houston Building Committee found that through careful design and material selection, it could add another floor and a new Reading Room to the top of the below-budget, 147,000-square-foot University of Houston Classroom and Business Building. One faculty member of the building committee, Dr. Michael Parks, suggested that it pay homage to one of New York’s great 19th century public space. The committee challenged Gensler, the architect for the project, to translate its spirit without adding costs into a new iconic Reading Room on the top floor.
Inspiration from the New York Public Library for the new University of Houston Classroom and Business Building in Texas.
Gensler Design Director Lester Yuen realized early on that a successful design translation of the NYC Reading Room would “require distilling and translating a few key architectural elements into a contemporary setting. The elements identified included the ornate gilded ceiling molding, the ceiling mural of clouds that acted as a window to the skies, generous windows on the side walls that allowed in natural light, and rows of tables with lights and seating.” Taking the billowing cloud mural on the ceiling of the Rose Reading Room as a starting point, Lester set about finding an aesthetic solution that would be compatible with the new building’s underlying geometries.
Sketching ideas, conceptualizing the space with three-dimensional computer modeling and laser-cut physical models, the architect proceeded to contact a ceiling manufacturer at the suggestion of the contractor. This connection initiated a new collaborative design process that used parametric design software combined with digital fabrication. The designer and the manufacturer began to experiment with a folded ceiling plane with a perforated ceiling tile. The tile pattern was based on a cloud painting, which was photographed and then digitized to convert into a series of dots that would be perforated into the ceiling material and lined with blue acoustic backing. The ceiling was to be installed as a series of unique folded plates.
In addition to meeting aesthetic goals, the ceiling was designed to provide acoustic privacy, meet fire codes, and allow access across the entire ceiling for lights, sprinklers, and HVAC systems. Through the fabrication of quick demonstration models with the designer and the manufacturer in the same studio, the team was able to compare various designs and their effect on the required performance parameters. In one example, the team discovered that if the punched holes were too large, the material would fail. This was contrasted against another study where if the holes were too small or too few, the acoustic ratings would rise above the typical NC 25–30 best-practice ratings for libraries and reading rooms.
The punched cloud pattern was modeled and developed to assure that the acoustics met specifications, the lighting was integrated into the folded forms, and that there was full access to the HVAC in the ceiling.
According to Yuen, “The architect and the manufacturer met for three straight days, learning new software processes and evaluating different dot patterns, dot sizes, and dot spacing until they arrived at a visually compelling solution. Full-size mockups were created with computerized punches that allowed evaluations of the selected materials, dot patterns, and fold patterns to ensure a cohesive design solution.” Once a workable solution was reached, the architect and manufacturer continued to communicate throughout the rest of the design and construction process with budget updates and contractor assistance.
Today, the folded wood ceiling and cloud pattern on that ceiling stand testament to the design collaboration that was inspired by Dr. Park’s original vision to create a great, iconic space on the University of Houston Campus.The architects were not sure at the onset as to what type of file to bring to the fabricator. They had a .jpg of a dot matrix with a gray scale pattern that showed how they might want holes to be punched to achieve the abstraction of movement in the ceiling design. The architects then generated a unique digital pattern by using custom Grasshopper code. Grasshopper is a visual three-dimensional programming software integrated with another software program, Rhino. These are digital tools commonly used today by most architectural students and progressive architectural firms. They had a strong concept and needed assistance to achieve the reality of these one-of-a-kind mass customized ceilings. They met for a week with the manufacturer to explore their options.
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