ARCH 655_Project 1_Midterm

ARCH 655_Parametric Modeling in Design_Project 1

30 St. Mary Axe (The Gherkin)

1. Introduction

At the heart of the City, at 30 St. Mary Axe, the headquarters of the Swiss Reinsurance Company is not only an unmistakable landmark on the London skyline, but also the first skyscraper built with British capital ecological criteria.

The building is where once the headquarters of the Baltic Exchange, a company that managed the maritime rents and which dealt with the sale of boats was. When in 1992 an IRA bomb destroyed the building, it was thought possible restoration, but later realized that the old structure could not be retrieved.

Only in 2000, however, consent to the realization of a new building began.

The integration of the Swiss Tower in the context of the City had to undergo however the rules of the London authorities, who expressly asked were respected identity and style of the other buildings.

Swiss Tower certainly does not go unnoticed and is clearly distinguished in the landscape of London, especially from afar, but it is also true that while walking along St. Mary Axe are not immediately senses the presence of a building “abnormal”, thanks to its mass, not overly impressive. The futuristic tower, which seems almost ready to jump off and land like a missile into the sky, has an incredibly aerodynamic shape despite its monolithic; her design won in 2004, the prestigious RIBA Stirling Prize with unanimous vote for the first time.

2. General Information

Figure 1. http://Skyscrappercenter.com

Figure 2. http://Skyscrappercenter.com

3. Modeling Process

Figure 3. Firstly, I created a circle and copy it 39 times. This step is to set up the base for creating 40 stories high building.

Figure 4. Using scale command and graph mapper to generate the appropriate shape of the building. We can use the slider and graph mapper to control the shape.

Figure 5. The Diamond pattern is created by using interpolated curve command.

Figure 6. The façade is created by using prep frame and rectangular command.

Figure 7. Small rectangular shape surfaces are created by using surface 4 points command and all these components are united as the overall interior surface.

Figure 8. The surface and the façade are joined together.

Figure 9. Using Kangaroo and Weaverbird for creating a parametric, physically-based model for this building.

Figure 10. Analyzing the surface in terms of geometry by using color mapper command.

4. Project Movie