ShanghaiTower_NeilEdwards

The Shanghai Tower lab was an appropriate introduction to the use of computational methodology in modern architecture. Given a basic set of parameters, it was relatively simple to manipulate the tower in multiple ways. The parameters offer a set of constraints, which is necessary to reel in the scope of the design possibilities. Rotation, height, number of levels, and other simple factors were present in the Grasshopper script.

The sliders for each variable had minimum and maximum values. For some factors, such as overall height, both extremes of the slider produced plausible design options. Others, like the rotational angle of the slit in the side of the skyscraper, produced some variants of the design that would be impossible or highly impractical to construct. The base radius was a factor that had limitations within its slider, as any number higher than a certain point would break out of the lofting of the outer skin of the building. The maximum number of levels was still a plausible design, while the minimum only produced constructible buildings for certain situations that depended on the values of the other parameters. The step size variable had little effect on the overall skin of the building, although it vastly changed the structure across the spectrum of its range.

The design pictured was chosen for its aesthetic and formal qualities. The rotational angle of the skyscraper allows for an elegant curve of the slit up the side. I made sure that the height and thickness would permit such an angle (260 degrees) to exist. The form is bottom heavy, yet the uppermost section of the skyscraper is wider than the upper-middle section. This is a result of the rotation through the height of the building. I wanted it to thin out in the middle without becoming an impossible structure to build.

The ability to use parametric modeling in design has proven to be quite useful, not only in an educational setting but in the world of design, as well. The ability to test something instantly without extra time or cost is a marvelous advantage.

Christian's Shanghai tower

                 The Shanghai Tower Script's Variable range allowed for what would have been a top heavy
appearance and an intersection of its skin and core. This was a result of the loft occurring between rotating sections at different heights. In order to minimise this top heavy appearance, the rotation variable had to remain within the range of approximately 350 on the sliders scale. This subtlety helps to give the tower a look of continuing movement.  The overall Height of the tower was lowered to 530m, allowing for a more stout appearance proportionate to its footprint and taper.  Within this range the tower retains its look of calm stability and does not intersect itself.

Shanghai Tower_DylanDavis

Shanghai Tower is a parametric skyscraper that stretches 600 meters in a stacking fashion.  The twisted glass curtain wall is free from the limitations of structure due to its central core acting as the building’s support.  To create this form, the variables of the script in grasshopper were the cylindrical diameter (h1), scale difference (d1), and rotation (a1).  These variables were adjusted to create a building that better symbolizes the freedom given to the exterior by changing the building’s degree of rotation as it stretches upward.

The cylindrical diameter (h1) was kept at 30 meters to allow for the building to be stretched and scaled to its great height.  Values 20 and 40 were both tested and proven to not create the gradual decrease in size as the building increases floors.

The scale difference (d1) was changed to a 35% decrease in size as the floors in the core progressed upward.  This number was an appropriate balance to an 8-floor building and also wouldn’t compromise with the heavy loads of being such a tall skyscraper.

The rotation (a1) of the building is the amount or twisting of the building’s glass curtain wall around its core.  To better portray the buildings structural freedom, the rotation takes a stop mid-through and spirals in the opposite direction.  Taking the overall height and dividing it by two, then using that new number to move the curve twice in the z-axis direction.  This allowed for an addition curve in the building that could be re-scaled and re-rotated.  In this design the rotation was altered from 450 degrees to 625 and the scale was kept the same as the lower half to prevent the twisting to cut into the core.  This changed the buildings counter-clockwise rotation to clock-wise and visually is more interesting.

-Dylan Davis

Shanghai Tower _LINA LEE
Date: August 26, 2013

Shanghai tower is the tallest mixed-use building in China that offers a sustainable way of living in vertical cities, with a unique mix of restaurants, shops, offices and hotels spaced through the building. It is a super high-rise building wrapped entirely from top to bottom in public spaces and sky gardens. The tower is divided vertically into nine zones, each with 12 to 15 floors. An inner cylindrical tower steps in at each zone, similar to a wedding cake.

In order to create the structure of wedding cake shape building, I used Grasshopper which is scripting language that works with Rhino. It allows me to create different kinds of variable inputs including numeric value or piece of geometry for the modeling. The first variable input is radius of the circle and the overall heights of the building. This controls the size, maximum heights of the building, each of different layers of building. Next step, we need to create series of number that will subtract or make smaller from original of the circle using scale tool and extrude elements. To sum up, creating wedding cake shape, we need the series of 4 inputs: step size, number of layers, overall heights of the building and base radius.

Some of different inputs we need to create exterior twisting shape of the building. We can make curve input from Rhino and back to grasshopper make set one curve. This curve is scaled, rotated, moved and lofted in order to match the wedding cake shifting of the overall geometry.

1 ShanghaiTower

The shanghai tower is made of a vertically-stacked core of decreasing diameter stories, surrounded by a twisting skin of glass. The variables input for grasshopper control the overall height, the diameter of core levels, the amount of levels, and the degree to which the outer skin twists around the core. For the models to appear similar to the actual Shanghai Tower, the variables are set as:

Base radius is set to 30: fulfills the space needed for a strong core,yet adhereing to site constraints. As the stories reach greater heights, their radii decreases.

Overall Height 630:

The tower is 632 meters in reality. Each floor's H value determines the overall Height. Setting a constraint to the overall height can help prevent any problems associated with zoning, structure, or budget.

Number oif Layers = 7: for the number of core layers the towers have in reality. Able to be seen through the outer skin, these levels provide the horizontal structure for which the building can climb. Almost vertebra like in appearance & function. At "7", the model rings true to the actual tower. Any more or less, would falsify the integrity of the design.

Step size .1: This parameter allows each core's "step" to decrease in diameter by 10%, thus providing the necessary shrinkage per level. By playing with this slider, the building puckers & bloats at the top.

Curve of skin: Crv affects the amount of twist the skin portrays. At 309, the skin can twist around without crashing into the core. This value had to be converted into radians from degrees, but I'm sure its close to the 120 degrees set forth by the architects. This parameter affects the skin in a radial way; by adjusting the slider the twists happens around the X & Y axes, yet changes in the height never happen.

Shanghai Tower Script

When writing the script for the Shanghai Tower, we need to take into account the variety of variables that makeup the parametric inputs for the model.  Firstly, there is the radius of the base circle.  This serves as the base for the tower and the base size that the tower layers are scaled from and is inputted into the script as a number slider.  The next variable we need is the overall height of the tower.  This controls the maximum height of the layers created by the script and like the base of the tower, this variable is a number slider. Third is the number of layers in the tower.  This variable determines how the height of the tower will be divided and just like the first two, is a slider.  Lastly, the layers are scaled off of the base number to create an even sloping towards the top of the tower and because the variables are linked, the tower will always remain proportional to itself.

The outer skin is created with a different set of variables than the core of the tower is.  The skin begins with a curve input from Rhino that defines the profile of the tower.  This variable is different from all the others in the script because it is not directly created within grasshopper.  This curve is then scaled and moved to the top of the tower using the previous variables.  Finally the last variable is the rotation factor for the smaller top curve.  This variable controls the twist in the tower after the two curves are lofted.

This group of variables and their interconnectivity is what allows grasshopper to be such a useful and powerful tool for creating multiple iterations for design.

Shanghai Tower - Trevor Hess

The Shanghai Tower Lab, while simple in its construction, brings up the interesting paradigm of limits within computational design. These limits are different than the different parameters within the script. Really, the limits are applied to the different parameters, or adjustments that can be made to the design (represented by the upper and lower bounds on the sliders). In this project, starting with a outer skin of a specific dimension, many of these limits are dependent on the setting of the other parameters. For example, to have a large base, you must increase the step size, so that the upper layers of the building do not intersect the rotated skin. Similarly, the skin can not be rotated to such a degree that it knots itself, or is thinner in the middle, than at the top. While you could refer to these as constraints, I prefer to differentiate between bounds that are imposed by the designer (constraints), and bounds that are imposed the geometry of the project (limits). Without being able to test the wind loads on the building, the grasshopper script alone can not be used to determine the optimal twist of the building. Instead, it is used to gauge the rough aesthetic constraints and geometric limits of the proposed building form.