Project 1 Video

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Project 1

01 Introduction

The KAFD Metro Station, by Zaha Hadid Architects is clad in a mirrored skin of tri-level diagrid shaders. The diagrid extrusions demark the location of internal metro platforms or levels, however the building skin will be the focus of this project. On each side, it consists of two tri-part screens with one quad-part screen between. Each of these diagrid mullion extrusions sits on a plane curved in and out in the y-direction and tapering in and out in the z-direction. From these, correspondingly curved ceiling planes extend back to the next level of screens.

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02 Modelling Process

To recreate these complex, yet conveniently symmetrical, surface geometries would take several steps: First to create the curved line work of the outer surface contour, next to extrude this line work into a surface, and finally to create and extrude the diagrid pattern across this surface.

Screen Section

03 Line Work

Begin with a line of defined (easy to work with) length 30’. Next divide the line into six segments and use these points. Next cull every other list point and translate the central group up and out in the y-direction.

These points can then be interpolated to create the contour line. Because of the more complex selection of points for the mid-level screens, more data organization is necessary to merge the points’ data structure in the correct order.

04 Surface Creation

After setting the line work, the interpolated curves can be mirrored vertically and lofted together to form the surface. Later it was found that the surfaces could not taper all the way to meeting on any of the lofted surfaces, for the diagrid function would fail to form correctly.

05 Surface Extrusion and Diagrid Creation

The surfaces can then be populated by the grid. To accomplish this most effectively I attached a plug-in called LunchBox. This easily allows the creation of a diagrid crossing pattern on the surfaces with specifications for the number of cells in the U and V directions. This gives us the layout of the mullions.

 These cells can then be scaled inwards, using the area centroids as reference points. These new diamond shapes as well as the original surface can be extruded out in the y-direction, capped, and Boolean differenced out to create the mullions with thickness.

06 Ceiling Planes

To create the ceiling planes above each tier of screens, the top curve of the surfaces (the ones originally used to loft) can be extruded along a line. The bottom two rows’ ceilings extend back horizontally and without curvature, but the roof plane from the top tier extrudes along an arc to form the vaulted ceiling.

07 The Other Half

All these surfaces can then be mirrored across the y-axis to give the other half of the geometry.

08 Catenary Core

As an extra embellishment, and as an opportunity to use Kangaroo physics, the central mass of the structure can be created using gravity force on a line to create catenary curves.

These curves can then be extruded into the surface that gives the curved base of the structure.

09 Analysis

Curvature analysis done on the mullion diagrid surface reveals the points of greatest surface warping. Predictably, these high points form at the mid points of the cell blocks and at the thin points between blocks.

Curve Analysis Plan View

Curve Analysis Perspective

Curve Analysis Front Elevation

In the future, if these surfaces were to be redesigned for greater structural stability, these curves could be lessened to transfer forces in more planar directions.

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Project Elevation

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