Monash University, Caulfield: September 2016
Some thumbnail pictures of the LSAA 2016 Design Award Evening can be downloaded HERE
Some thumbnail pictures of the Workshop can be downloaded HERE
Congratulations to Peter Lim (new LSAA Life Member) and the 2016 Design Award Winners below:
Back to HOME
The LSAA is pleased to be working collaboratively with the Monash University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (MADA) in holding this Conference.
Not only are we physically holding the event at the Caulfield Campus but the staff and students have been contributing their skills.
The design skills are evident in the Conference Flyer and the branding graphics for the event.
The Venue is at the Caulfield Campus of Monash University in the Monash Art Design and Architecture (MADA) Faculty - Building G. The LSAA is excited to be collaborating with MADA who describes itself as:
"MADA is a place of excellence and innovation across art, architecture and design. Our vibrant faculty at the Caulfield campus of Monash University is at the forefront of education in the creative arts, architecture, and design disciplines. The faculty fosters a spirit of enquiry and collaboration, and is widely respected for its excellence in education, practice and research."
Download a copy of the following notes as a PDF HERE
Conference Program and details of Keynote & Public Lecture Presentations
These details can be downloaded HERE (PDF, 3Mb)
Summary:
Day 1 Thursday September 1st 2016
Keynote address Nicholas Goldsmith "Shape Making or Formfinding"
Session: Reflections on the Contribution of Frei Otto
Session: Project Focus
Public Lecture Nicholas Goldsmith "From Mass to Membrane"
Conference and Design Awards Presentation Dinner
Day 2 Friday September 2nd 2016
Keynote Address Ron Van Sluijs "Stadia Roof Topology through Design Methodology"
Session: Experimentation and Digital Systems
Afternoon: Design Workshop
Keynote Address – Nicholas Goldsmith
Shape Making or Form Finding?
Often design professionals conflate the process of shapemaking with the more deliberate form finding approach. This lecture will discuss the differences in the design process between these two approaches. It will examine historical traditions of both approaches and look at Frei Otto and his physical modeling approach as an example of the Form Finding process, how it examines material intelligence to set in motion an iterative approach where the end result is discovered and not known beforehand. Examples of the work of FTL will be used as descriptive case studies to illustrate the different aspects of membrane envelopes including ETFE foil cushions, tensile membranes, and cable nets.
Public Lecture – Nicholas Goldsmith
From Mass to Membrane
This follows afternoon tea on Day 1. Members of the public should join the Conference at the Faculty of Art Design and Architecture (MADA) Monash University, Caulfield Campus, Building G Theatre 1.04 at approximately 16.10 for a start at 16.15. Questions follow at 17.30
See Location notes HERE
If we look at a historical evolution of architecture from the massive pyramids of Egypt, to the framed structures of Greek/Roman construction, to the lighter Gothic vaulting, to eventually Modern architecture of the 20th century, we see a continuous almost linear progression from solid mass constructions to framed buildings of glass and steel. Today we are in the early steps of moving from glass and steel structures to diaphanous skins of membrane and foil structures. These new materials incorporate inherent technologies and the aim is to understand how these technologies will affect our spatial experiences and in the process explore lightness as a visual, physical and sustainable approach. Mass to Membrane is our human architectural journey; can we use less material, be more sustainable, and help reduce our carbon footprint on the planet we call earth? Can this linear progression become one of the keys in a more sustainable tomorrow?
Keynote Address – Ron van Sluijs
Stadia roof typology through design methodology
The large urban scale of stadia mean the structure often simultaneously dictate the form and the architecture of the venue though for the large span stadia structures only a limited number of typologies can be identified. It’s a challenge to methodically select the best fitting structure while maintaining a fresh and different aesthetic language. By illustration of various case studies this talk shall elaborate on a number of structural stadia roof typologies, both lightweight and heavy, and how these were developed architecturally and structurally.
The name Frei Otto (1929-2015) is synonymous with the evolution and development of lightweight structures. Otto exerted a huge influence on the industry by way of his visionary creative concepts, exquisite soap-film and other 3D models and, of course, his completed structures.
Otto was born in Berlin in 1925 and studied architecture there, before serving as a fighter pilot in World War II. The ravages of war created an enormous housing shortage in Germany and Otto considered using tents as a temporary solution. While visiting the USA in the early 1950s he was inspired by the construction of the cable-net roof at the State Fair Arena in Raleigh N.C.
Otto began his architectural practice in 1952. His early hypar or saddle-shaped stressed canvas tent for the music pavilion at the 1955 Federal Garden Exhibition in Kassel brought him considerable attention. He worked alongside the tent-maker Peter Stromeyer, and together they took the art of tent-making to a new level. No longer did tents consist of planar panels. Instead, the surfaces were made from strips, each cut to different patterns to reflect the end-3D shape and the stresses in the structure. Many contemporary outdoor stage coverings use a variant of this doubly-curved stressed tensile form.
LSAA 2016 Conference and Design Awards
Theme: Design Beyond the Boundaries of Architects or Engineers
Melbourne from Thursday September 1st to Friday September 2nd 2016.
The Venue is at the Caulfield Campus of Monash University Faculty of Art, Design and Architecture (Link for Description)
We are developing a theme based on the evolution of lightweight structures with the particular influence of the remarkable German Engineer - Architect Frei Otto who passed away in 2015. He had a profound impact on the use of new structural forms and materials. His work covered cablenets, fabric structures, timber gridshells and he was, and still is, an inspiration for many.
The Conference team are working on inviting several eminent overseas and local speakers who have had direct contact with Frei to share their memories as well as reflect on the enormous contributions made to the design process. Frei Otto often "workshopped" projects around sketches and evolving physical models to arrive at geometric forms that suited the materials, technology and the design brief.
The LSAA is also planning to have a "mini-workshop" as part of the conference where participants can interact and be mentored by guest speakers whilst they work towards a design outcome for a lightweight tensioned fabric structure.
Aside from the central theme, the committee would welcome contributions from LSAA Members in particular. Some Guidelines for Authors can be found HERE.
There is a wealth of material dealing with Frei Otto is now on the internet.
Note: The list below was compiled in 2016 and would not be complete and there may well be some faulty links (August 2025)
Some links include:
Below are a few of his early cablenet structures - The IL, German Pavilion at Montreal 67 Expo and Munich Olympic Stadium Structures.
Photo credits: Peter Kneen
Welcome to our Conference Mini-Workshop.
Normally, workshops dealing with the design of membrane structures take a full day!
We are restricted to half a day so it is strongly advised that you do some preparation beforehand so you will get the most out of the workshop.
You will be divided into small groups that will have a mix of current students from MADA/RMIT as well as the delegates from the Conference. There could be about 20 such groups and you will be spread out in various rooms in the MADA building.
As a result each group will have a spread of skills that you will need to utilize. Spend only a few minutes to introduce yourselves and give some idea of the skills/experience that you might contribute.
Page 2 of 2