A brief case study - National Museum of Australia

Despite my fear of sounding ignorant of my knowledge of certain areas of computation, I am very unsure of how to use Boolean operations as a generator. My only explicit design experience of Boolean operations as a driver for design was when I first started using Rhino. This design process consisted of two systems, a grid of walls and a series of cylinders, in which the cylinders were used to “bool” out different areas of the gridded wall system. Although simple, the cylinders were manipulated through scaling, moving, etc to form different relationships with the grid walls and this provided for a progressive design as one moved through the spaces created.

I realize one of my main problems with diving in and progressing with a Boolean framework is that I am struggling in the selection of my systems or Boolean inputs. For my charrette exercise I tried not to worry too much about what systems I was using and how they may directly relate to my thesis topic because of the time constraints. I instead focused on pushing something forward until it yielded results that I am looking for in my thesis project (refer to critera.) I was able to learn that the conditions I am looking for can be achieved.

To better understand the Boolean logic as a generator I looked for projects that use it. The National Museum of Australia (NMA) uses both Boolean logic computationally as well conceptually. The concept for the NMA was to explore Australia’s two different identity conceptions of Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal. The Boolean Knot was used computationally to communicate this concept in the Main Hall of the museum. Additionally, the landscape is a dialogue that forms from the combination or weaving of multiple maps that exist for Australia. My thesis seeks to communicate the both~and condition (a combination of two opposing ideas/concepts/traits) through architecture. My original proposal for program would use a character from Crime and Punishment, in a similar way that the NMA uses two cultural identities, as a driver.

(image from www.a-r-m.com.au/)

The Main Hall’s spatial result according to Uros Cvoro in “Monument to anti-monumentality” is an indeterminate space that ties together the heterogenous narratives that exist at the NMA. Cvoro also mentions the opposing elements at play: visible~invisible, absence~presence, computational~physical, object~cast, and experimental space~conceptual space. The Main Hall is developed as a Boolean Knot through a series of threads that knot together in the Main Hall. Howard Raggatt, the architect of NMA, used the Boolean system as a way of “articulating built form through sets of relations between volumes.” Six threads are tied together and and put in the five-sided extruded shape (Main Hall.) Each thread cuts through the building volume.

Although I am not sure of the exact computational logic. This case study is a help is identifying possible systems/inputs to use. The use of non-formal systems is helpful as I was struggling with what forms to use when I maybe able to start with something more conceptual. My next step is to fully identify the systems/inputs I will use and the set of conditions I will relate them with in order to develop another generative diagram.

Additional Links:
Garden of Australian Dreams

Other Projects:

Boolean Valley