The focus of this thesis addresses the digital process of design and construction. In the new digital era, parametric design and digital fabrication provide the possibility for new methods of production and solutions to be developed that suggests that the rigid process of traditional tectonics has been reformed into something more flexible.
The aim of this thesis will be to leverage digital design techniques and new fabricating processes to develop a new pedestrian bridge pavilion that links the heart of downtown Cincinnati to Newport, Kentucky. A major focus of the bridge’s design will be on the use of parametric control to develop an envelop that features many of the characteristics of the avant garde parametricism style, explained by Patrik Schumacer as a complexity of fluid and continous space and form.
Since the design project is rooted in parametric techniques and functional aspects of the current typologies of facade design, the thesis will be prioritized on the relationship between the composition of the enclosure and the resulting site parameters. In order to test the system, a particular site context and program must be allocated as a piece of the project. By integrating a context and program to the design project, a set of global, local, and environmental parameters will be present to drive the design of this particular thesis. The main parameters that will inform the design are: existing site extents, shade, drainage, wind structural performance, material constraints, and technical systems. Through a responsive approach, hybrid design can be achieved that blends performance with design intent.
Andrew Newman 