Integration of Design Geometry with “Computational Making” in Basic Design Studio
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Integration of Design Geometry with “Computational Making” in Basic Design Studio A Case Study of Lanterns Project Gamze Gündüz1, Hülya Oral2, Tuğrul Yazar3 1,2,3Istanbul Bilgi University, Faculty of Architecture 1,2,3{gamze.gunduz|hulya.oral|tugrul.yazar}@bilgi.edu.tr Basic design education, as an introduction of design principles to novice students, has two-way of teaching which are design thinking and professional training, since Bauhaus. Initiated in 2009, the Computation-based Basic Design Studio creates a common ground through discussions between students, academics, and professionals from various backgrounds. In this paper, the implementation of parallel courses named Computation-based Basic Design Studio and Design Geometry is discussed upon final assignment of the first semester- New Year's Lanterns. The given assignment structured as a cyclic process through constant feedback between geometric relations, material performance, and, joinery details to achieve novel outcomes that exceed the preliminarily set structural criteria. In relation to individual processes and outcomes of the final assignment, observed tendencies developed by students', at the end of their first-term in design education, will be discussed as final remarks. Keywords: design education; basic design; design geometry; polyhedra INTRODUCTION troduces the design principles to novice students, Basic design education has evolved since Bauhaus as while Design Geometry courses teach the geomet- a combination of design thinking and professional ric modeling with the aid of digital interfaces. This training. Due to the advances in technology, the pro- specific curriculum, which consisting of two conjoint fessional training has started to include CAD/CAM courses is developed to integrate computational de- training along with learning by doing in terms of sign thinking with hands-on making. In this scope, physical interaction in order to reduce cognitive load computing is recognized as a way of thought and in computing (Gürsoy, 2012). reasoning (Stiny, 2001), and the basic design stu- Initiated in 2009, the first-year curriculum at İs- dio initially aims for students to develop a conscious tanbul Bilgi University creates a common ground approach to their creative processes incorporating through the first-year of design education among ar- reasoning through reflective thinking (Gürsoy, 2012). chitecture, industrial design, and interior design stu- Within this context, synchronical exercises from 2D, dents. Computation-based Basic Design studio in- 2.5D to 3D are conducted to introduce basic design SHAPE, FORM & GEOMETRY | Applications - Volume 2 - eCAADe 36 | 439 concepts such as rhythm, hierarchy, part-whole re- imitating compass and ruler constructions by simple lations as well as geometrical constructions such as circles and lines, without utilizing any ready-made tessellation, pattern deformations, modeling and un- commands. rolling polyhedra (Figure 1). These exercises develop In Basic Design studios, this subject becomes reasoning and reflective thinking through studio crit- helpful not only in designing rule-based patterns, ics. After the preliminary exercises, the final assign- but also constructing the underlying lattice of any ment of the first-year first-term studio is called the two-dimensional system. By learning the geomet- New Year’s Lanterns. Students are asked to design ric and mathematical underpinnings of tessellations, a lighting element with an approximate volume of students easily apply the concepts such as repetition 1m3. The students are encouraged to investigate ge- and hierarchy to their own designs with an analyti- ometrical relations, material performances, and de- cal perspective.Pattern Deformation is another sub- velop custom joinery details considering the struc- ject of the course, which is essentially a classical Ba- tural performance of the final form. In this paper, we sic Design topic, originated to William Huff. The orig- discuss the implementation of computational mak- inal exercise is about tessellations of the plane that ing and design geometry in a specific curriculum of gradually shapeshift on one or more directions by first-year design education. predetermined or improvised transformation rules. Students are encouraged to think about topological DESIGN GEOMETRY COURSE relationships between the sequences of a continual First-year architecture, interior design, and indus- shapeshifting while developing a reasoning about a trial design students in İstanbul Bilgi University Fac- pattern as a structural whole. In the classical applica- ulty of Architecture attend to the Design Geometry tion, this is expected to be studied by morphing the course as a complementary technical study of the cells of a pattern while sustaining its linear continuity Computation-based Basic Design studio. The main without leaving gaps or overlaps (Yazar, 2017). In the subjects of this course are the Euclidean construc- Design Geometry course, this is a complementary ex- tions of shapes, tessellations, pattern deformations, ercise for the previous subjects, helping students to and modeling and unrolling polyhedra. These con- design and fabricate their own rule-based patterns. secutive subjects are organized to create a construc- Students learn laser-cutting along with this subject. tivist learning environment, which is believed to be 3D pattern deformations are also exercised, parallel a suitable pedagogical approach for the education to the Basic Design exercise called “Structural Com- of digital design (Yazar, 2009). Students are intro- ponents”, which is explained in the following chap- duced to Rhinoceros as a learning interface how- ters. ever, the main objective of the course is not to teach The final phase of the Design Geometry course any computer-aided design (CAD) tool. On the first supports the final project of the Basic Design stu- weeks of the course, students are introduced to the dio by providing students with necessary knowledge Euclidean construction of two-dimensional shapes, on the geometry of polyhedra. Students are in- in which they only utilize an abstract compass and troduced to the construction and fabrication meth- ruler. This method puts students in an effort of find- ods of polyhedra. This is a complementary topic ing ways of defining shapes by their basic geometric that benefits from all previous ones explained above. relationship; the Euclidean distances between points Students generalize the Euclidean construction ap- in the design space. These are called as “construc- proach to three-dimensions, introducing a spheri- tions”, denoting a special type of theorem that re- cal compass and a planar rule in the space. This quires the proof in the form of a recipe, or an algo- knowledge helps students to construct basic Platonic rithm (Martin, 1998). Students use CAD software by Solids of Tetrahedron, Octahedron, Icosahedron, and 440 | eCAADe 36 - SHAPE, FORM & GEOMETRY | Applications - Volume 2 Dodecahedron. Then, they are encouraged to pro- ness to immediate or far surroundings in terms of duce these objects. They learn how to apply three- shapes, forms, figures, colors, textures, materials in dimensional transformations to unroll these polyhe- different scales through abstraction and conceptu- dra flat on the plane. This requires them to think alization. The same construction method is also ap- about a strategy of unrolling to create single-sheet plied in two-dimensional tessellations. Tessellations non-overlapping pieces. After adding flaps and la- are dealing with the problem of covering an area bels, they experiment with laser cutting to create without gaps or overlaps. Students learn how to cre- physical outcomes. The basic Platonic Solids are fol- ate tessellations with increasing complexity by only lowed by more complex Archimedean and Catalan defining simple geometric rules, such as truncation Solids, which are essentially created by transform- and dualing. Such methods are also re-utilized in the ing Platonic Solids. Truncation, rectification, dualing, future subject of polyhedra. snubification, and stellation are among these trans- The Computation-based Basic Design studio is formations. Some of these operations are already structured to explore design space through tasks studied in the tessellations subject. Finally, students with gradually increasing complexity, in 2D and 3D are asked to design and fabricate their own polyhe- by focusing on hands-on approach through mate- dra. rial performance as well as geometric relations. The studio operates on individual critiques based on the COMPUTATION-BASED BASIC DESIGN tangible work and interpretation of the students to STUDIO given tasks, by at least three instructors with diverse backgrounds and approaches to design. This collab- In the first-year Computation Based Basic Design stu- orative teaching method allows creating an environ- dio at İstanbul Bilgi University, the aim is to help stu- ment of dialogue which is constantly evolving, en- dents understand that design, due to its prevalent couraging students to reflect on their design process. relational nature, incorporates different forms of rea- Figure 1 shows the synchronical relationship be- soning as indispensable constituents within the cre- tween the Computation-Based Basic Design studio ative process (Yalınay Çinici, 2013). The studio inte- and Design Geometry course. The studio exercises grates the 1:1 scale construction via computational begin with two-dimensional rule-based patterns and thinking which consists of geometric