Visualizing contemporary ornaments: Form and modeling studies and ornamentation in perspective

VISUALIZING DDNTEMPDRARY ORNAMENTS:

FDRM AND MODELING STUDIES AND DRNAMENTATIDN IN PERSPECTIVE BREEN. JACK

Architectural Ornamentatien is increasingly (once again) considered as an integral part of architectural

ABSTRACT

This Paper documents the steadily evolving amhitions and outcomes of an on-going MSc study course, which has been now been running for some seven years and is still steadily developing.

The original initiative, playfully dubbed 'Drnamatics' - expressing the ambition towards interaction of compositional and instrumental themes such as Drnamentation, Informatics aod Aesthetics - was triggered by the opportuoities of - then emerging - Computer Aided modeling and Manufacturing (CAM) techniqoes. cnopled with ao academic interest in Composition and Perception in the context of - contemporary - Architecture.

Through the years, the course has continually progressed, on the level of techoical opportunities as well as design exploratioo tasks. Due to the characteristic mix of 'local' and international students - bringing with them particular skills and fascinations - the exercise has become somethiog of an academic 'melding pot', through the (ioter)active exchange of ideas aod new 3D modeling skills.

The communication techniques the students use may be considered 'digital hybrids', as they are free to use aoy design media they see fit or consider challenging.

As a conseqoence, students tend tu make use of varying cnmbinatians é visualisation techniques, notably: freehand sketching: collaging and cutting/folding: 3D mathematical programmes: analytical schemes (using colour): 3D 'sketch' modeliog and computer-aided rendering and drafting.

During the tuturing sessions, individual ideas, inspirations and developments are cnmmunicated using targeted digital slide presentations. The physical outcomes of study amount to a series of tangible, physical models generated with the use of a range of CAM instruments: 3D printers, Z.5D milling devices and 2D+ laser cutters.

Throughout the series of Ornamatics 'events' so far. Process and Communication, as well as Imagination and lostrumentatiun have been essential for the course's appeal and success. Themes students have explured though the years have included: the OigiTile; the Drnamatics Capital and the BK Faculty Fagade. New tasks and applications are underdevelopment...

The full Paper will address the development of this experimental educational application, going into various compositional inventioos and technical innovations, as well as considering the wgys in which such design conceptions may be cnmmunicated: with nneself as well as with groups of academics and professionals.

Introductian PAPER

Architectoral Oroamentation is increasingly being recunsidered as an integral part of Arcbitectoral Composition, and hence: an issue in education and research...

This Paper documents the steadily evolving ambitions and ootcomes of the Form and modeling Studies group to raise the awareness amongst students concerning the expressive potentials of Detailing in architecture and the qualities of - implicit ^ffö'explicit - Ornameotation.

CEntrBpiecE af thE Paper is a reflEctinn upon an on-gaing MSc elactivE CDUPSE, wliich has now bEcn running fur sumE seven years and is still steadily develnping: Ornamatics. The developments of this experimental application are addressed, going into aspects of compositional invention and technical innovation, as well es coosidering the ways in which such design conceptions may he cammunicated. with oneself as well as with groups uf academics and professiooals.

Forthermore, the Paper looks et two studies addressing ornamentation on different sides of the edocational 'spectrum':

= Firstly: a first-year BSc Form Studies exercise, in which an attempt is made to acquaiot 'atsolute heginners' to architecture with the expressive means on the level of the architectural Detail:

• Lastly: receot visualisation develupments in the context nf a case-hesed Research project in which spatial modeling techniques are employed to identify and demonstrate the 'tactile' qualities of architectural Farm nn the level of the 'Critical Detail'.

The Ornament as a 'last cause'

Oroamentation used tu he considered an essential aesthetic condition of architectural composition.

With the influx nf Functional Moderoism in the early twentieth century, but particularly with its establishment as the predominant stylistic modus operandi in the post-war years, ornamentation lost credibility and became considered as an undesirable - even unethical- aspect of design.

The credo: 'Less Is More...'

In truth, 'less' only tended to truly imply 'mure', on a perceptual level, in the hands of extremely gifted architects, who had often been 'classically' trained and relied on an acute sense of proportion and a perfectinnist attitude to detailing (as well as the budgets that go with prestigious commissions). Such as the 'inventor' of this provocative motto: Ludwig Mies vao dor Robe...

My thesis would therefore be: 'Less is More Difficult..'.

Creating a visoally attractive resolt on the level of detailing involves great skill. Otherwise, in the hands of lesser 'gods', the results tend to be bland, monotonous buildings, with a sensory 'poverty' on a tactile level, In the eyes of many 'beholders', such 'industrial' mndernism dues not arouse a sense of beauty, but insteed is often experieoced as a kind of perceptual deprivatiun... It was therefore not surprising that a younger generation of 'post-modernist' architects took a critical stance against such a 'brand' of architecture and snught more stimulatiog stylistic alternatives.

In the words of Robert Ventori: 'Less is a Bare..'.

However, the architects of the Post Modern 'movement' tended not to re-introduce ornamentatioo oo the level of the architectoral datail but rather throogh the 'ironic' re-interpretation of historical architectural motifs on a larger scale - ofteo oo the (scale) level of the buildiog as a whale, lo such cases, detailing often tends to be flat and schematic, to underline the impact of the 'grander' gestore. The result: buildings that still display a certain, sensory 'poverty' add to a sense of: 'something's lacking...

I would therefore like to put forward e playful alternative to Mies' classic 'sound-bite'; 'Muchxz More...!'

The Return of Drnamentatinn

In recent years we have been witnessing the 'cnme-back' of the Ornament in contemporary architecture, whereby particular trend-setting architectural firms - s u c h as Herzog & de Meuren - have steady 're-invented' ornamentetinn, particularly on the level nf the building 'envelope': the package building's facade.

Initially, such ornamentation tended still to be reletively 'flat', as one nf the ground-breaking techniques was the printing of decorative patterns and graphic 'samples' on glass. However, gradually but steadily, new modes of architectoral ornamentation have been explored, introducing more 'plasticity', comparable to classic mouldiogs. The

result: Articulation as wall as Variation of building compooants and surface patterns un the level nf architectural Fabric and Feature.

The current practice of stylistic invention is. elbeit indirectly, the result of fe£'/^/7//7ff/innovatioos in the field of Fabrication, particularly on the level of Computer-aided Manufacturing. In this sense, new 'tools' such as computer-aided milling, laser cutting, and 30 printing, as well as casting techniques, using different types of moulds and materials, are steadily shifting architectural cooveotions. Thereby, an important impulse has come from a change in productioo procedures: from large-scale, standardised industrial cumponent fehrication. towards a practice of 'production oo demand'.

Such developments are of interest for architectural practice, but no less for education. In this sense, the 'New Drnamentatinn' might also serve to raise the awareness of students towards a greater understanding concerning the expressive opportunities of architectural detailing - an aspect uf design in which they tend to be relatively underdeveloped and consequently: msBcure...

This contribution briefly considers three education-based applications at the faculty uf Architecture in Delft, the Netherlands, and their results, whereby expressive detailing and ornamentatioo play a prominent role:

• A first year BSc Form Studies exercise in which details are considered as composition; " An on-going, experimental MSc elective exercise, playfully entitled 'Drnamatics';

" An Bxplnrative Research develnpment, tuwards elucidatiog the 'tangible' qualities uf - critical- details, on the basis of precedent studies using digital, spatial modeling techniques.

The Detail CDrnpesition

figuFB h First year BSc Farm Studies

BXBrcise lhe ExpressivB DBtail

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The aspect nf arcfiitectural detailing - bnth in a tecbnical as well as in a compositinnal sense - tends to be a weak point of first years, but also of more 'advanced' students. Tbis probably is a consequence of the fact that many students have very little affinity with physically wa/f//?^ things and as such find it hard to onderstand the workings, but also the nppnrtunitiEséi\\G expressive detailing. In recent years, things have not improved with the introduction of a generation of overly-complex digital modeling software applications, which were not conducive to design-thinking on the levelof^^ detail. Recently, things have improved with the availability of more 'teogible' 3D 'Sketch' platforms.

The students' inhibitions, when it comes to detailing, may also be due to the fact that at least in the Netherlands, detailing assuch\s, not really taught in a structured manner. All too often, in complex desigo projects with a limited timeframe, the details tend to 'come last'...

The first year BSc course of the Form Studies group in Delft is a yearloog 'line' programme, consisting of some twelve individual - but thematically linked - exercises. Each of these has a specific creative task, with clearly defioed ambitions and coostraints. Approximately two thirds through the year, the challeoge that is set: the 'Expressive Detail', lo a lecture, at the beginning of the third half-semester, the aesthetic qualities nf ercbitectural details are highlighted, by focusing on details from different eras and from around the wnrld, notably: Gothic and Renaissance as well as exemplars of Japanese carpentry: Buddhist versus Shintn... In this particular Form Studies exercise, the studeots are sobsequently required to create an autonomous mnM of a fictitioos building 'fragment'. The emphasis lies on the manifestatinn of feto/zraspects, developed with a 'compositional eye'.

Figure 2: First year BSc Form

Studies Bxeroise lhe Expressive

Detail selection 2.

The

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of boildiog aod design, such as: furces (prsssurs, tension,

Gonnectinn), the coming together of different cumponents(émens'ms, profiles, joints) and the layeringa\ materials

(unraveling, relief, colour). Exploring such issues hy hands-on modeling, using relatively simple materials such as cardboard, wood, plastics etc., frequently results in surprisingly clever - even ingenioos - form combioations.

The exercise underlines the fact The Detail is an ^^^CT/V^/aspect of desigo that deserves not only to be taken seriously, but approached imaginatmly and with the pnssibility nf creating implicit and even explicit features: Drnaments. A meaningful by-product of the exercise is that students perceive /^/7(f effective it is to study aspects of detaihng in /A/ï/?dimensions: in drawings, as well as in physical and digital modals

The Ornamatics\a\iwstw'j

Approximately seveo years ago, Martijn Stellingwerff and myself started an explorative, experimental course -playfully titled 'Ornamatics' - expressing the ambitioo towards briogiog together compositional and instrumental themes such as Ornamentatioo, loformatics and Aesthetics. The initiative was triggered by the opportunities of -then EWBrging- Computer Aided Modeling and Manufacturing (CAM) techniques, in combination with an academic interest in composition and perception in the context of cantempnraryh^\i\\&'AwE.

Though the years, the course has continually developed and progressed, on the level of technical opportunities as well as desigo exploration tasks. Due to the characteristic mix of 'local' and international students - bringing with them their nwn particular skills and fascinatiuns - the exercise has become something of an academic 'melding pot', leading to the interactive exchange of ideas aod oew 3D modeling an manufacturing skills.

Figure 3: MSc ElBctive Form S i I Modeling Studies course

Ornamatics, selection I

The course explores new ways of studying, evolving and realising architectural ornaments in contemporary architectural design and combines a focus on new forms of oroamentation, with the active utilization of computer aided modeliog and manofacturing techniques. The thesis: compoter aided modeliog and drafting protocols - in

combinatian with naw praductian tGchnolDgiBS - can cnntributa tn wbally new apprDBches to shaping building

BlEiïlGntS.

SnmE Bxamplas of technigues, which havB racantly bBcnme availablE and are actively utilised in the cnurse: 3D Rapid Prototyping: 2,5D Milling and Compoter aidod Shape Cutting (notably using laser and water jet mndas). Such new approaches not only create new opportunities for traditional prnductioo processes (including physical modeling), they also offer new perspectives far design and manufacturing on the level of architectural components and connections,

The issue of Drnamentation reqoires the studeots to iovestigate historical architectoral styles and current productioo techniques, develnping a critical view concerning aesthetic issues aod ao innovative approach to the dasign and production of building components. The design commuoication techniques that students use in the context of the Drnamatics exercises may be considered as 'digital hybrids', as students are free to use OT/design media they see fit or consider challenging. As a consequence, students tend to make use nf various cnmbinations of visualisation techniques, notably: freehand sketching: cnllaging and cutting/folding: 3D mathematical programmes; analytical schemes (osing coloor): 3D 'sketch' modeling and computer-aided rendering and drafting.

Figure 4: MSc Fiective Form S Madeiing Studies course Ornamatics, seieotion2.

During the tutoring sessions, individual ideas, inspiratinns and developments are communicated using targeted digital slide presentations. The physical outcomes of study amount tn a series of tangible, physical models generated with the ose of a range of CAM instruments: 3D printers, Z.5D milling devices and 2D+ laser cutters. Throughout the steadily evolviog series of Drnamatics 'events' the focus has come to lie on issues like Imagination and Communicatiun, as well as Instrumentation and Process. This approach has been essential for the course's appeal amongst students and its public relations success.

Camppsitinnal t h E m e s that havE hEEn actively explered, though the y e a r s , have included: • The DigiTile: creating and modeling 'tile-able' clements for spatial patterns and divisions; • The Drnamatics Capital: devising newi ornamental elements connecting columns and beams; " BK City Fagade: designing and modeling facade alternatives for the Architecture faculty; I" In the latest editinn (April - June 2DI2), the fncus has been on creating ornamental Bandstands.

The TangiblB\iz\m\

The last visualisatinn approach, which is considered here, is part of an nn-goiog Research study eotitled the AA Variations. In this explorative project, targeted at reaching a deeper understanding nf the issues nf the Composition , and Perception of architectural Form, teo (market gardener's) houses, all situated in one Dutch municipality, are being studied in-depth on different IEVEIS^ design.

The ten 'cases', which are analysed and compared, span a perind of roughly a century. The projects have been selected as being mure or less representative of a particular stylistic canvEntinn, specific to the Netherlands in the twentieth century. Each nf the projects is systematically unraveled nn the basis of four main categories: Form, Facade, Fabric and Feature. The main 'instrument' for the analysis and demonstration nf the workings of compositional phenomena, per project, is compoter-based spatial mndeling, using widely available 3D 'sketch' modeling platforms.

Figure 5: Form BMudBiing Studies Reseereli project JheM l/Briations: Criticai Detaii

The visualisation approach that is addressed here is a relatively recent development, whereby the prnjects are considered on the level of their 'critical' details. The method involves identifying those details that may be considered as being representative]^ the project and more or less 'define' the building on the Featore levels. Subsequently, an

attempt is made ta zoom in nn the /s/?^/^//? articulation of building components, connectinns and Drnamunts and tn reacb insigbts concerning tbeir oestbetic impact.

The working method invnlves taking 'slices' from the 'corpus' as a whale. Essentially where key elements - such as roofs, walls, windows and gutters cnma tugethfir. ThesE 'rEprESEntativs' parts of the composition are then modeled in detail. Subsequontly, this procedure is repeated for more complex detail-combinations, notably the most eye-catching earners ^er building. In the cnntext of this Paper ooly OOB of the ten projects is c o n s i d e r e d and illustratEd, thE highly cnmplex Barendse House of I9Z3, a late work of Dutch Expressionist architect Michel de Klerk (IB84 -1923, nne of the leadiog architects and artists of the so-called 'Amsterdam School'). /

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In this Paper a case is made for the imaginative coosidoration of the design phennmenon of The Detail - and as a conseguencE: The Drnament - in architectural educatinn and research. Whereas the architectural Ornament tended to be overlooked or be consciously ignnred only a few years ago, expressive detailing and ornamentation are -fortonately - 'back nn the agenda' in architecture. It is thorofure my cunsidered opinion that io academia this development is not only interesting oo the IEVEI of architectural content but also a poses cballenge on the level of design Pedagogy. In this context, studying and devElopiog ways nf visuafising Müh Bvocativoly, for the bEoefit uf analysis or design, may be considcrEd as a didactic opportunity\w teachers of architecture.

This Paper has given a brief characterisatinn of three, wholly differEot. visualisatioo approacbES. in tbn hope that this might aroose a level of ioterest and pntentially stimulate the exchange of ideas - and poteotially tho sliaringa\ motbods - towards furthoring the innnvatinn and creative visualisatian of contempnrary ornaments