DIMENSION “TIME” TO REPRESENT CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

Innovative Design & Construction Technologies – Building complex shapes and beyond May, 6-7th 2009

DIMENSION “TIME” TO REPRESENT CONTEMPORARY ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN Design and Complex Morphology Roberta Spallone*, Massimiliano Lo Turco**, Marco Sanna** *Politecnico di Torino, I Faculty of Architecture, Department of Human Settlements Science and Technology, ** Politecnico di Torino, I Faculty of Engineering, Department of Building Engineering and Territorial Systems

Introduction In the last years digital representation had influenced the whole architectural design starting from the conception of ideas up to the building drawing. Some new tools of 3D modelling have approached the terms of drawing and design, leading them again to the etymological root, the Latin word “designo” (which meant both to draw and to design). The introduction of the dimension “time” into the traditionally static representation methods constituted a new powerful medium both in concept phase and in communication of design. As new medium, architectural animation, is related to many disciplines, like Communication Sciences and Cinema Engineering and have to face to the traditional and consolidate peculiarities and techniques of film production. This engages critical discussions on the ontological nature of films, on their narrative form, on their character of exploration of human emotions and involves the attention of architectural movies about perceptive aspects produced by the dialectic relationship between people and space. The high complexity in creating and animating three-dimensional digital models has to face an unusual separation of jobs and responsibilities between atelier activities and modelling / rendering / animating / compositing works. The relationship between atelier and rendering studios is accomplished in different ways: sometimes is made out of the atelier only the video compositing, some other the whole 3D work modelling. For this reason, sometimes, rendered images of 3D models and video haven’t the same efficacy and don’t convey the same message of other graphic works produced inside the atelier.

Moreover specific creative languages and visual communication styles characterize the work of the main rendering studios overlapping to the architects’ languages and styles. In this paper we present the results of our researches about digital representation in contemporary architectural design. In particular we will develop some considerations about the elements of novelty introduced by animations in communication of design thinking. We analyze, starting from significant case studies below specified, different conditions and phases of project in which digital animation, sometimes accompanied by a limited level of interactivity, plays a central role as method and tool of communication. In architectural ideas competitions 3D digital animation represents a powerful tool for increasing evaluation capability by jury members, about a design thinking not yet developed by building drawings. In public presentations of masterplans as well as in architectural project, 3D digital animation allows different viewers to comprehend, analyze and appreciate the form and the perceptive effect of a work, already completely defined. In some of the top architects’ web sites is possible to verify the quickly increasing presence of short architectural movies for divulgating the masterpieces of the team, also when the idea has become reality. This work wants to emphasize the potentiality of new digital media to express and communicate architects’ design thinking to different audience, also considering the technological developments of digital tools. Purpose of this research is to express some proposals useful to the professionals involved in the architectural processes, in order to increase the communicative and expressive capabilities of their works. The fourth dimension to represent architectural design 3D digital modelling is a technique of representation by now widely consolidated in the various design phases. The quick evolution of digital technologies, hardware and software, makes it ever easier to build 3D models of considerable geometrical complexity. As Maldonado affirms, the syncretic nature of digital models offers new opportunities to scientific research and to architectural design. Tests and mistakes happen in a space in which our experience of problems is made fluent and immediate, for example in an architectural walkthrough. Moreover “digital models… allow a richer and more controlled interaction between user and model… digital models are able to cover, within a unique representation system, the entire range of possible modelling”. (Maldonado 2005:104). 3D digital modelling complements drawing as an information and communication tool, while adding, as a specific prerogative, the possibility to enter the fourth dimension. This important aspect is underlined by Moriconi, who observes that “with the digital support the drawing simulates the hypothetical reality, overcomes static limitations and allows interacting with any kind of sign. By creating virtual images, digital graphics is probably the most suitable tool to interpret the complexity of reality”. (Moriconi 2001:22)

The introduction of the dimension “time” into the traditionally static representation methods constituted a new powerful medium both in concept and in communication of design. As Lynn observes: "Contemporary animation and special-effects software are just now being introduced as tools for design rather than as devices for rendering, visualization and imaging". (Lynn 1999:11) Design is a subject that requires not only the creation and development of design ideas, but also, as Szalapaj puts it, increasingly in contemporary architectural practice, the effective expression of these ideas within computing environments by people. “Such a visual rhetoric is needed and used by architects in order to demonstrate their ideas. Digital medium, as a drawing, drafting and representation tool, has a great potential to effectively express the architect’s idea through photo-realistic renders, fly-through animations, and so on”. (Asut 2008:230) In the following paragraphs will be analyzed in which ways architects and rendering studios act together, in different conditions and phases of project, to aim their visual rhetoric. Dimension “time” to represent a design thinking in architectural competitions Architectural ideas competitions represent one of the most significant ways to obtain a professional charge about different kind of intervention: landscape master plans, restoration and integration proposals, public new building designs and so on. These are one of the fields in which digital medium plays a central role as method and tool of communication. The need of synthesizing and demonstrating the design ideas in a fixed and limited number of entry specifications is one of the peculiarities of communication in architectural competitions. These entries may consist in various iconic presentation media (besides written statements): boards, plastic models, 3D digital models, photographs, animations, films, digital presentations. All of them need digital tools (hardware and software) in their creation, manipulation, editing and blending. 3D digital modelling and animation represent a powerful tool for increasing evaluation capability by jury panels normally constituted not only by architects but also by purchasers, administrators, etc. The task of video producers becomes not only to technically be able to understand the architects’ design of the building, but to be able to imagine, using that knowledge, how the architectonic components of the building could animate and come together to form the building in its entirety in a way that stayed true to the architect’s vision. At the same time they have to focus in a few of minutes the peculiarities of the project clarifying some aspects like the relationships of new buildings with urban setting and environment, the systems of accessibility, the shapes and the building materials, the internal architectural functions and distributions, the perceptive effects of the conceived spaces. Regarding the case studies below analyzed, some sources has been collected: the announcement (paying attention to the design requirements and to the requested submission entries), the subsequent acts of jury panels, the entries submitted by architects team related to their description of design thinking, the descriptions of competitions by architectural literature.

Case studies Two recent case studies were selected to show different communicative approaches realized by different techniques for representing in a short time the design ideas to jury panels. Architectural competition for the new Rhône-Alpes Regional headquarters in Lyon (2006) defines an intervention area, the new Confluence district, situated in the south part of the city, on the convergence of the river Rhône and the river Saone, once characterized like industrial and transport area about to be restructured. An urban plan concerns this area with other significant contemporary projects, like the "Musée des Confluences", designed by Coop Himmelb(l)au. The project presented by Christian de Portzamparc for government office building was appointed as the winner because of its “elegance, fluidity, rigor, an evolutive nature and a perfect fit for the site” (Cardani 2006:91). The project consists in an urban architecture, a building conceived as a sort of block, a place that can be shared by the community in a democratic, active way. In the short movie (3:12), composed by Bartproject, a man take the spectators to the building, suggesting through the body movements the function of different spaces, underlining the building’s role as a centre of activity and exchanges. The constant speed of the camera simulated the walking speed of the man. The video, realized by the communicative style of Bartproject, mixes frames of film with hyper realistic digital renderings overlapped by transparent moving people. The animation illustrates the transparency and openness of the internal spaces – the monumental hall, patio, exposition space and debating hall - all conceived in order to minimise power consumption (fig. 1).

Figure 1- Christian de Portzamparc, New Rhône-Alpes Regional headquarters in Lyon (2006). Movie by Bartproject in: http://bartproject.blogspot.com/2007/05/atelier-christiande-portzamparc.html

The proposal for open invited competition for a new library in Utrecht (2008), presented by 3xn, develops a building that combines a library and a cinema with housing, shops and cafés. In this way the culture centre will be busy with life all hours of the day. Aim of the architects team is to preserve the area’s existing notion of public life, while the centre will be as busy as an “ant hill”, of which remind the shape, and constitute a new meeting place and urban space for the entire city. The architects think that a “good building is a good neighbour – i.e. it does not keep to itself but contributes actively to its surroundings” (3xn 2008). With its distinctive, sculptural shape characterized by multiple façades it arouses curiosity and signals that this is where things happen. 3xn are deeply involved in digital revolution. As they affirm, they “work with terms like scripting, animated, parametric and algorithmic design… With the advance of computers, our working procedures have changed radically. Today, we draw buildings which in the past would have been categorised as pure science fiction” (3xn 2008). In particular they are interested in “Design with time as a fourth dimension. It often involves software which is primarily used by the film and gaming industry. In animated design, volumes can be changed into dynamic objects / soft bodies, and be impacted by different force fields, which makes the design vivid and dynamic” (3xn 2008). 3D images and video (3:30) for the above mentioned competition entry, produced by Cadpeople, demonstrate close collaboration of producers with 3xn, understanding the ideas and following the graphic style.

Figure 2- 3xn, New library in Utrecht (2008). Movie by Cadpeople in http://www.3xn.dk/en/ny157_utrect/

The video shows an original communication and visual approach. It starts giving evidence to the relationship between the building and the context, to the different functions visualized by exploded axonometric, to the accessibility. Then, in illustrating the project, particular camera motions alternating accelerations and stop image were used, associated to singular representation’s techniques changing from conceptual visual style, in grayscale with secondary animations (cars, people, videos) to soft rendered images. A particular artifice which captures the attention of spectators is to present a vibrant digital maquette of the project, simulating a cellular phone laid on a desk, at the beginning of the movie, and a aerial view of it on the walls of a bus (fig. 2). Dimension “time” to communicate a project in public presentations Lectures and movies show about masterplans, restoring interventions, new projects are more and more used with the aim to explain to the public the concepts by moving images instead of using many words. We live in the so-called “image culture”; this implied our habit to learn by new visual media, moreover the relationship between space and architecture, between nature and artifacts, finds in the visual arts the most natural way of representation. It is historically confirmed: since ancient years architectural designs were communicated to the public by sketches, drawings, models. In this case, movies facilitate the comprehension of the principal features of future settlements as well as future buildings, not only about the shape and the function, enriching with some other informations (also represented with schemes, diagrams, key words) that realize something similar to augmented virtuality. Presentation movies dedicate more time to emphasize the perceptive effects of future architectures. We frequently observe the use of animation to convey a sense of space and poetry, obtained by a balance between realism and abstraction that creates a desire to be there, even when there doesn’t exist yet. The buildings are definitely the primary subjects of the movies, but they’re presented in a way that invites the imaginative participation of the viewer. Case studies The two case studies selected show the masterplan for the development of the city, based on four keywords (green, live, work, connect) commissioned by the Government of Abu Dhabi, and the design for the Bryghusgrunden Project at the historic waterfront in Copenhagen. In the movie representing the Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 (5:29), produced by Squint/Opera in 2007, some snapshot taken from an orbiting satellite; helicoptershot footage of skyscrapers; huge letters from invisible strings hand in a city’s streets, explaining the necessity of Abu Dhabi’s Urban Planning Council ambitious plan for the city’s future. The masterplan is complex, dealing with transport, habitation and sustainability. In this desert city population is set to triple in less than thirty years; it was required a film capable of describing a huge project without losing sight of the benefits for the individuals who will be living and working in it. Abu Dhabi’s video is realized in detailed renderings that combine live action with an animated cityscape in stylized plan and cross-section; original tracking shots and sudden shifts in scale elegantly reveal different components of the master

plan in human terms. Later photographs and realizations emerge from the maps that detail the elements of the masterplan. The video begins with a panorama of the city to go to the four key features of the plan, presented in the form of spots throughout the movie. Each session theme is introduced by a schematic explanation, made with flash, to which follows the exploration of photorealistic digital model. The technique used melts shotings of people and vehicles moving with the exploration of the virtual model. This union adds dynamism to the movie, in order to faithfully reproduce, with a very high quality, the city of the future. The movement of the camera is slow and linear, moving alongside people who "live" the virtual environment. In order to deeply explore the model, the camera changes speed and type of projection, which loops to one side to another of a hypothetical cube containing the entire model: from a top view to a lateral one, to some perspective sections, starting from the outside (of common spaces, connections, urban furniture)to the inside (solutions for energy savings): this is an original measure to deeply explore a city of rare complexity. The dynamism of the video is guaranteed not only by walking people, but also from vehicles leaving the section plan (bus, metro). The video ends with a bird-eye projection to show the complexity of the intervention (fig. 3).

Figure 3 – Urban Planning Council UAE, Plan Abu Dhabi 2030 (2007). Movie by Squint/Opera in http://www.squintopera.com/#/projects/?id=69

Neutral’s animation for Bryghusgrunden Project (3:08), designed in 2008 by Office for Metropolitan Architecture, shows a building on Copenhagen’s waterfront that will include new facilities for the Danish Architecture Center (DAC), the

headquarters of the Realdania Foundation, along with a distinctive mix of residential units, public program and playground facilities In the first part of the movie the digital model is constituted by simple solid primitives which enter in the scene going to build and move within a very schematic / symbolic environment: in this kind of representation the vehicle and pedestrian flows are simplified by lines of light along the main arteries vehicle of the urban object of intervention. In the second part the video switches to an iconographic representation, emphasized by the sound (the presence of music, voices of children, noise by crowd), capturing the attention of the viewer and significantly decrease the coldness and the aseptic that have similar representations without these measures; the exploration of the model is resolved with an original trick: the path within the model is "driven" by black silhouettes that gradually will "pass the baton", while the other people have an iconographic representation. With this device the attention is captured inside and outside of the building; then it changes the speed of movement of the virtual camera, the inner exploration is slow, and it allows to appreciate the solution proposed; outside, the animation is faster, cleverly resolved with the use of black shapes that move by means of transport (bicycle, boat). The final part consists on a combination of real and virtual movies, whose images sometimes overlap, witnessing the fidelity and accuracy of work and completing the ideal cognitive path formed by the passage from the model to symbolic illustrations and photo-realistic images using camera tracking techniques (video with a recovery sets with real dynamic photo insertion).

Figure 4 – OMA, Bryghusgrunden Project at the historic waterfront in Copenhagen (2008). Movie by Neutral in http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojo6y6Ppvgw

A criticism that can move at this work is the lack of accuracy in the treatment of shadows, present for most fixed objects, absent for moving people: probably the shadows were predetermined (using a technique known as baking / render to texture). The vision of the movie highlights the key reading you can give to the various representations used: the black and white part shows the status of fact, which follows a symbolic monochrome model. The subsequent entry into the scene of the model is accomplished with colored primitive, which differ significantly from the monochrome contest. In the central part of the virtual simulation, the video is entirely colored, and then in the final stage, we move to dynamic photo insertion, that shows, with even greater accuracy, the final image designed only for now. In parallel, the sound is transformed by music dreams a slight background noise produced by vehicular traffic (fig. 4). Dimension “time” to divulgate a masterpiece by websites Since 2005, date of launch of YouTube, the habit to post videos online, was very limited. Certainly it depended on the technological developments, which before these years allowed to view on web only low resolution short movies. YouTube's video playback technology for web users based on the Adobe Flash Player, quickly spread over the web. This allows the sites to display videos with quality comparable to more established video playback technologies (such as Windows Media Player, QuickTime, and RealPlayer). Now videos are distributed through streaming media technology in a range of formats, with the video and audio quality dependent on the platform. Moreover they are changing the aspect ratio of their web video player from the traditional 4:3 to the widescreen 16:9 and are going to true HD format, with a resolution of 1280x720 pixels. This was allowed by the diffusion of DSL/ADSL technology which permits to send and receive large data flow. In the field of Architecture, first animations online, principally having a commercial meanings and publicizing luxury residential communities (e.g. Serrenia by Foster+Partners), were posted in specific commercial websites. Soon after, probably since 2007, architectural movies, considered like educational and promotional media, were included in the top architects websites and in websites dedicated to culture (museums as well as digital magazines), to public administration (urban centres, city websites) etc… The length of these kind of movies normally is higher, because of the didactic function or the aim to create an experience similar to real visit, allowing to the viewers to find one’s way. The same aim is obtained by interactive virtual visits which frequently integrate the videos. Case studies Two case studies, one referred to an educational movie realized for showing to the visitors a new museum in Lyon, the other one to a promotional movie produced for presenting to the public the design idea for Putney Place in London, illustrate these kinds of architectural videos. Architectural competition for the "Musée des Confluences" in Lyon, won by Coop Himmelb(l)au in 2001, awards a project aimed at the needs of information-society:

to make perceivable current Knowledge to a broad public in a Process of constant change. "In the same way – Coop Himmelb(l)au says - the future Musée des Confluences in Lyon is defined through the convergence of two currents, its architecture is characterised by the merging of two entities that are given urban stature with a local, regional and supra-regional significance, thus contributing to the self esteem of the city of Lyon within the regional boundaries of France" (Coop Himmelb(l)au 2003). The concept, named “Crystal and Cloud”, combines an hard space – the crystal rising towards the side of the town, conceived as an urban forum and entrance hall for visitors – and a soft space – the cloud which hides the knowledge about the future. “The Crystal tunes into our daily world, its contours are clear and easy to measure, whereas the Cloud, containing a cloudy space of hidden currents and countless transitions, hints at what tomorrow might bring; predicting future knowledge that has yet to be initiated. Present and future, the familiar and the unknown, merge in this crystal cloud to become an irresistible place of discovery, it is suspended above ground and removed from immediate grasp”(www.arcspace.com). A short movie presenting the project was included in the Coop Himmelb(l)au website, since 2007. This was probably the basis for the longer and richer educational movie now present in the Musée des Confluences website which is also enriched by an interactive virtual visit with 360° panorama views in the principal rooms.

Figure 5 – Coop Himmelb(l)au, Musée des Confluences in Lyon (2001). Movie by Isochrom in http://www.museedesconfluences.fr/chantier/projet.html

The movie (7:30), produced by Isochrom in 2006, starts exploring the area of Confluences by an aerial view, first zenithal and then perspective, that shows a

wide setting extended to the town hall, modelled by simple volumes and rendered only by natural lights. Then, approaching by the river to the Museum, the model become more realistic and the camera movement change into a walk through. A person guides the visitors inside the building doing a tour between the different rooms and floors. During the tour the visitors meet “Crystal and Cloud” which characterize the shape of the building defined by “the interactions, the fusion and mutation of different entities” (Coop Himmelblau 2003:14). The model of the building is soft rendered to emphasize inside transparencies and natural lights. Only some spots of primary colours, standing out from the white walls, lead again the attention of viewers to particular zones of the museum (fig. 5). Differently from the most of top architects’ websites, that one of Alsop architects shows some masterpieces by movies besides static renders. These movies are realized by two filmmakers: Squint/Opera (which produced also the website) and Virtual Artworks. The option to give to the movies the central role in the communication strategy of the architects team, in tune with the graphic style of the website, stimulates more involvement by the observers. The design developed by Alsop for two landmark towers on a prominent site in East Putney in south-west London (2008) is completed by an accurate exterior design enriched by an independent cafe pod, rhomboid in form with a pitched roof, and by an outdoor art installation - a sculptural lattice (realized by artist Bruce McLean) raised 12 metres above ground level.

Figure 6 – Alsop architects, Landmark towers in East Putney in south-west London (2008). Movie by Virtual Artworks in http://www.alsoparchitects.com

About this project Alsop explains that “the creation of a successful 'Place' is key to the scheme. Two tall buildings will minimise building footprints and create a new civic space. These sculpted forms offer the greatest access and permeability through the site, permit maximum views and sunlight/daylight between and around the two buildings”(www.alsoparchitects.com). The short movie (2:26), produced by Virtual Artworks, starts representing the setting with the two towers having different shape: one has a slim elevation facing Upper Richmond Road and a profile leaning away from the north towards East Putney Tube station to provide a landmark presence, the other is conceived as a faceted cylinder, raised from the ground on raked columns to minimise building footprint. Existing context and trees are geometrically modelled and rendered in greyscale (for the buildings) and green (for the trees), while the new intervention is modelled in detail and soft rendered with colours. Approaching to the place the system of green become iconographically represented, the vehicles are modelled and the people have a 2D shape. Particular attention is devoted to the perceptive effects of the common public spaces, rendered with bright colours and livelinessed by playing children’s voices, representing “the playful world of Alsop” (Goldberger 2007). Then the path of movie turn around the higher tower characterized by a cladding consisting of opaque white, translucent, and transparent glass panels. These horizontal unitised panels provide a canvas for feature cantilevering “shadow casters”. They are elements that add architectural expression, scale, and colour that form an integral part of the building (fig. 6). Virtual Artworks uses in the movie the innovative cutting edge RenderDrive technology that captures the realistic qualities of materials and light. This technology is the fastest rendering system available whilst producing the highest quality images. It produces subtle imagery with soft shadows and reflections, unlike the hard edged look of typical computer systems. Conclusion The search for new languages involves the synergy between different fields of research and profession, pointed out in architectural animation productions, rising up new communicative issues. It’s easy to figure that advanced techniques now devoted to other areas may also soon modify the field of architectural representation and communication. Some themes we consider worthy of expansion in the near future, such as entertainment media (learning from game formats and theories), interactive interfaces and new 3D visions (new spatial experiencing). As Breen affirms “considering architecture as an art form, we might learn from other artistic disciplines, such as moviemaking (cinematographic approaches, sequencing and animation), theatre (physical expression, interaction, improvisation) and music (rhythm, harmonic variation, but also digital recording and sampling). These may expand the palette of architecture (traditionally making use of drawings, models, pictures and symbols)” (Breen 2008:140). Another development, which might be of considerable interest for the digital architecture community is 3D cinema. As formats such as 3-D IMAX and REAL D come into view, experts should get seriously involved. Although these techniques are initially target a broader “cinema” audience, one might foresee perspectives

for architectural representations, developed by more specialized groups and potentially even becoming tools for the design studio. What now represents the vanguard of the computer graphic, it could become an important tools for representing and communicating architectural designs to different audience and in different project phases: the production of navigable dynamic models (real-time), the realization of video interactive in augmented reality melting 3D model with some footages of the existing urban context, the real-time stereoscopic models. References 3xn, 2008. Digital architecture. www.3xn.dk Asut, S., 2008. Rethinking the Creative Architectural Design in the Digital Culture, in Terzidis, K., 2008. Breen, J., Breen, J., 2008. Critical Observations and Strategic Perspectives at Halftime, in Terzidis, K., 2008. Cardani, E., 2006. Proposta vincente from Lyon Confluence: progetto, Christian de Portzamparc. Arca, 219, p.91. Coop Himmelblau, 2003. Musée des Confluences. GA document, 73, p. 12-17. Coop Himmelb(l)au, 2003. http://www.arcspace.com/architects/coop_himelblau/ musee_des _confluences/ http://www.alsoparchitects.com Goldberger, P., 2007. The playful world of Will Alsop. The New Yorker, 22-10-2007. Lynn, G., 1999. Animate form, Princeton Architectural Press: New York. Maldonado, T., 2005. Reale e virtuale. Feltrinelli: Milano. Moriconi, C., 2001. Il modello virtuale. In Soletti, A., Belardi, P., Cataliotti, F., Claudio Moriconi professione infografico, Università degli Studi di Perugia, p. 20-30. Musée des Confluences. http://www.coop-himmelblau.at/ OMA, 2008. Bryghusgrunden Project, Bryghusgrunden, Copenhagen, Denmark. GA document, 103, p.112-115. Spallone R., Lo Turco M., Sanna M., 2009. Representing ideas by animated digital models in architectural competitions. ARCC 2009 - Leadership in Architectural Research, between academia and the profession, San Antonio, TX, 15-18 April 2009. Szalapaj, P., 2005. Contemporary Architecture and the Digital Design Process, Architectural Press: Massachusetts. Terzidis, K., 2008. First international Conference on Critical Digital: What Matter(s)?. Harvard University Graduate School of Design. Full referent Contacts Roberta Spallone Associate Professor Affiliation Polytechnic of Turin, I Faculty of Architecture, Department of Human Settlements Science and Technology

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