24/7 CITY HUB
To help stimulate activity in the area near the Central Station, the City of Rotterdam facilitated the project to design a multi-use tower. Our design sought to also compliment the train station by allowing passengers to move through the building and integrating 24/7 functions so that there will always be activity in the area.
This was done in a multi-disciplinary team where my role was Computational Designer. I focused on the external skin of the double facade using parametric and generative design for creating the geometry, as well as analysing and optimising its structure, and the detailing and assembly. My responsibilities also included managing the team's digital collaboration and workflow both in Rhinoceros and Revit.
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Process was important for this project. The goal was to generate the desired design based on parametric principles allowing the geometry to be adjusted when needed based on architectural, structural, or other requirements. The base of the project is the geometry generation from which the structure was derived. This took the form of skewed triangular surfaces to give the building a shape that mirrors its dynamic function. This forms the external portion of a double skin system. From this base geometry, the supporting structure was created. This structure was also analysed and optimised to determine sufficient sizing. The nodes connecting these elements were also generated parametrically. Lastly, the assembly of the structure to the facade cladding was created. This parametric process allowed for easy adjustments and a dynamic geometry.
