October 2012 - Trademax Publications

design software
The processes and tools in terms of design have, however,
not lagged behind at all. Design software has progressed
in leaps and bounds, so that in two decades we've gone
from drawing boards, to Computer Aided Design (CAD), to
Building Information Modeling (BIM). Where CAD was a
computerised simulation of a drawing board process, still
involving the drawing of lines and 2D shapes, BIM has
expanded the design process into a whole new realm.
Using 'Parametric Modeling,' or modeling using solid
shapes, the designer essentially creates a virtual 3D model
of the building as he works, using materials and
components with 'intelligent' properties. Instead of the
old method of drawing plans, documentation for building
is created by capturing 'views' of the model. In line with
the sustainable imperative, because these models have
'intelligence' (the materials used have measurable
properties) simulations are easily done to predict thermal
and energy use performance as the design progresses.
Another emerging trend is an emerging movement
towards a more organic looking architecture, evolving
partially as a result of the earlier mentioned sustainability
and technology trends.
I recently attended a design course called 'Going over the
Edge,' presented by well known organic architect, Keith
Struthers, at which participants debated why, when
nothing in nature is straight, architects have for centuries
persisted with predominantly rectilinear forms. Ideas
included availability of materials, cost and simplicity. I
also ventured the opinion that, in times past, when
mankind thought nature and its resources were infinite,
perhaps we sought to dominate nature in our simplicities,
and that our architecture with its bold and rectilinear
forms was a way of expressing this.
So what is the relevance of these trends to the use of
timber in architecture? Firstly, because it is a truly
renewable resource, timber is fast becoming a material of
choice amongst designers and architects wanting to do the
sustainable thing. The trend towards green design has also
evolved into further sub-trends. 'De-materialism' seeks to
achieve maximum building with minimum materials, and
'resource efficient design' seeks to utilise designing to
standard material dimensions to reduce wastage. Both
tend towards a structural efficiency and logical clarity in
design. High strength-to-weight materials like timber and
steel beams are favoured over high mass reinforced
concrete, for example, except of course, steel doesn't have
the sustainability credentials.
In terms of technological advances, BIM and its associated
design software technologies have co-conspired to favour
building with components, particularly as many of these
can be manufactured off-site to simplify and speed up the
construction process. Design software such as Cadwork,
largely popular in Europe, takes the process a step further
as what is designed can be fed straight to the
manufacturing machinery - a process called Computer
Numerical Control (CNC), also becoming known as Digital
Fabrication.
Construction professionals have over recent years
complained over the loss of skills and upcoming artisans in
both conventional masonry and timber construction. The
cyclical nature of the construction industry contributes to
this, as during each recession more artisans and craftsmen
leave for other industries, and fewer youngsters seek
employment in trades.
In a recent project in Japan, by the firm, Nikken Sekkei, in
building a low rise timber building, overcame the shortage,
and resultant high cost of craftsman, by collaborating with
them to enable digital processes to craft highly detailed
and precise joinery. These were, as a result, designed,
rather than hand cut by the master craftsmen. On a
residential scale, software programs such as Wallframe, by
Cadimage, an add-on to Archicad's BIM software, produces
timber frame wall panel details and cutting lists to keep
repetitive design work to a minimum.
In terms of more organic design, timber again comes up
trumps. Wood itself provides an old-world charm, while
BIM and CNC technology allows the timber components to
be fashioned into any shape imaginable. With timber’s
versatility, what one imagines can be designed, and within
engineering constraints of course, what can be designed
can be manufactured and built.
The one thing we can be assured of in life is change, and
this applies equally to architecture, especially given its
continual evolution as an expression of our era. In terms
the current trend/imperative of sustainability, the rapid
evolution of technology, and an emerging trend towards a
more organic architecture, timber, for now anyway, is
perfectly placed to be the material that best embraces and
adapts to these changes.
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OCTOBER 2012 //