Discussion

The project "Urban Weave" explores a procedural approach to prototype a dynamic urban form. By developing the projects in stages, it explores the idea of an urban weave in the different scales of the site, the zones, and finally in the urban typology. The use of a precedural is like a two discussion between two parties. Where one party suggests a rule, and the other carries it out, sometimes with surprising results, like the pleasant way in which the courtyards where segmented and discovered in the second stage. While it is possible to work out this designs by hand, this parametrised process, allows one to keep the street widths constant, keep the total required Gross Floor Area constant, whilst allowing one to modify the urban grid to find a form which performs well both as a humanistic design and as a functional design(ie. views/solar/daylight). By adjusting the grids intuitively, solutions that were not imaged can arise. In addition, it allows for a dynamic process that can quickly process plots of varying dimensions quickly, and suggest urban forms and solutions.

Often the process of planning begins with design parameters of density and gross floor area requirements. This parametrised process of exploration allows one to quicky build different models while ensuring that the floor area requirements are still being met in the space in the different configurations of tall and sparse or short and compact developments. It is a useful tool to explore the performance of different building typologies in urban space. As a whole it helps one to find a balance between all the spatial, technical and performative needs of an urban site.