3.1 Conceptualization Using Digital Technology by Architect Frank Gehry
Conceptualization
is often regarded as the most crucial stage in the design process of a designer
as it involves inventing or contriving an idea or explanation and formulating
it mentally. Great works often arise from great concepts which shine and stand
out from the rest. Among the great architects in around the world, Frank Gehry and
Zaha Hadid are the perfect examples of architects which incorporated digital
technology and design software in the conceptualization stage of few of their
iconic works. In this digital era, due
to the availability of various digital computations and methods, designers tend
to be more adventurous and adaptive towards the usage of digital technology in
terms of coming out with a good concept to ensure their whole design process
goes smoothly.
In the 1980’s, Frank Gehry (Refer to Figure 3.1),
the gifted architect had begun to utilized digital technology in his work. His
design works were bold, valiant and revolutionary which can be seen in his
representational ‘art piece’, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao. His design
first began as a series of free hand sketches that he made by standing on the
riverbanks overlooking the side (Refer to Figure 3.2).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdwX6DSM1rKVL8nkcPtzHdwvN0eV90l2qzE7xUoJ5XdcPT4xPlsthMumVBGmzABWo-r9zRjAFt3_VpL9Zt92ax4zGGcsMasEEc1Ut7h6ptDmNfCdXAph8hWAiU1u1NLkmyFEViQiScnWQ/s320/Frank+Gehry.jpg) |
Figure 3.1: Frank Gehry | |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvBf6dU4gGhSAdd7awsuqe_uu0wBnavDXAvj74Xg6AhOaIstN8FHC-T_HyXvNW15vQkBwj50y4GNRhE_Z75UTb6ODXswPptmWQGJ8-nbHQuEOWdQbBbrURL-FGtY5vizBt-UDQ_fkck2Q/s320/gugg1.jpg) |
Figure 3.2: Hand sketches by Frank Gehry
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![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvGa4geUYJM6xvO2RjXsWvj5lxnyYFyc5WYWuW23a_2_9TqgwRTyYoj6MlNWqP7g3l8KFmkTb1HptUJZe2xXlCll6lp1F-QN3BHbpQSRdJnMFVVHkDxsWP_xikdLeF2EWavqVwknKvhuA/s320/imm.jpg) |
Figure 3.3: The CATIA software used to
generate the Guggenheim Museum
3.2 Analysis of Survey Conducted On the
Effects of Digital Technology among Respondents in Conceptualization Stage
In order to analyse the statement
which shows that digital technology does play a role in the conceptualization
stage, a survey was carried out among 38 respondents who are involved in the architecture and interior
design industry. Based on the results of the survey,
68.4% of the respondents think that design software aids in their conceptualization
and idea generating, which supports the statement whereby digital technology or
in other words, design software do aid in the conceptualization stage and
realize their ideas and designs.
The methods used by the respondents to come out
with their design ideas were investigated and 87% of them usually draft their
ideas using CAD software after coming out with concepts using hand sketches and
mind mapping, while the remaining 13% of the respondents preferred using design
software to generate a conceptual approach. This phenomenon shows that although
design software really aids in the conceptualization stage of the fellow
architects and designers, it may be only helpful to most of the respondents in
terms of the later stages of conceptualizing in order to make their design come
real, as seen in the mentioned work of Frank Gehry which is the Guggenheim
Museum where he utilize digital technology to enable his sketches to be brought
to fruition.
With digital technology, the conceptualization stage
has undergone a transition of handmade concept models to virtual concept
models. Although handmade concept models (Refer to Figure 3.4) are still widely
used by architecture and design students, virtual concept models (Refer to
Figure 3.5) are gaining popularity among the designers as the process of
generating models has become more convenient and neat, besides allowing
designers to actually look at the concept models in different views and
perspectives, just as same as the outcome that conventional types of concept
model does.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj02DdBH3aWwyXpZjCTbW7-Rw_UnIW7v4dQqiY2NxO6mix1KrBhnRBtXnFnV8eKzxUcKd8bVAiOKojbieEhRzlHS40Pq5x9do3rMHSckSYtJSVV2GtFF-8UruC4CV9Mxt4e8VqDMPq5wds/s320/rw_05-2.jpg) |
Figure
3.4: Handmade concept model | | |
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Figure 3.5: Virtual concept
model |
On the other hand, sketches can be also done
using tablets or in design software rather than in hand sketched form. This
shows that digital technology and design software has directly affecting the
designers’ conceptualization
process, which causes a digital breakthrough which could also possibly replace
the conventional methods in 20 years’ time.
The outcome of this analysis also showed that 50%
of the respondents explore with various innovative and dynamic forms during the
conceptualization and design process using design software and on the other
hand, 89.5% of them think that digital technology and design software helps in
the handling of increasingly complex geometries within their design. In view of that, digital technology has indeed
enabled designers to explore more forms during the conceptualization stage and correspondingly helping them to work on forms
which have numerous complex angles and indirectly generate contemporary forms
in the architectural field. A huge transformation of the trends of
architectural forms has occurred along the years. The recent digital generated
architecture which is the ‘Praxis of Flow’ by Arthur Azoulai and Melody Rees
(Refer to Figure 3.6), shows that new forms which are more organic and fluid
like are incorporated in their designs with the wonder of digital technology,
and these forms are barely seen in the architecture from the past unlike today.
Compared to the new age architecture, the buildings in the 1920s are more
structural and inorganic like, besides having repetitive and rigid geometrical forms
(Refer to Figure 3.7). In short, digital technology had made architecture evolved into a new age,
where complex curve-linearity and compositions are made possible and enabled architecture
to achieve greater heights and subsequently provide a whole new living
experience to the users or the inhabitants of these buildings. Over the years, more and more interesting forms and ideas beyond
our imaginations are surfacing in the field of architecture for instance the
futuristic architecture (Refer to Figure 3.8) which might be the architecture
of the future generations starting from now on, with the availability of ever
growing functions of digital technologies.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzHD-YojYoo_PRfLlfEy6r_BitMESX8vEIT3yl71L25wYY6tlA4JEFx8KId3zQdzd0Es-nGu1chx7vPkt_ciLM2B2JIChZVDqVk3SbrlgQhm_kRuCsEMTg8CHp4SREW8_dYvNxkXNJEXc/s320/Praxis-of-flow1.jpg) |
Figure
3.6: The form of ‘Praxis of Flow’ |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiU6nxoZlnZg9MsU0B4PCxcm4_sEoIqyp7qZPZZxOQvyBM2kdWiQpCusMfPRSmOkELDwauGo9DTt_BHomvQrtCtBd2HdyyXHkwlxr6Ldp2Ly2XHob0HoIY_NDvHN-NgfXPBw6jfawkMLts/s320/programs-Art-Deco-4.jpg) |
Figure 3.7: A building in the 1920s during the Art Deco period. |
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Figure 3.8: The possible architecture and city in the future
illustrated using digital technology.
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