Parametric Design | Ray
Parametric Design | Ray
When recalling his days in US as a visiting student, the most unforgettable memory for Ray was his fever for English coding book throughout the day, he couldn’t move his eyes away from the book even when he was cooking food.
Stereoscopic LOGO on wall of ECADI, designed by Ray.
He could have taken the opportunity to intern in a foreign architect firm or gone for travelling, but he chose to start his adventure of coding learning from the square 1.
Architect x Parametric Design
Ray
Chunfang: How long have you been working as an architect?
Ray: I’m now at thepoint of “seven-year itch”.
Chunfang: What does architecture mean to you?
Ray: It is my behavioral habit or way of thinking.
In China, unlike other design fields, most of the architecture majors are science students back in high school, which indicates the unique feature of architecture design-it’s a combination of sense and sensibility.
This field is full of combination: functions require rational analysis but aesthetic appreciation is normally a sensational experience, and same situation for the space and atmosphere, structure and visual appearance, rational demand and emotional expression.
When designing a building, the architect must keep the balance between sense and sensibility, unlike absolute rationality in Finance or absolute sensibility in Art. Subtly and imperceptibly, it shaped my behavioral habit and way of thinking.
Chunfang: Can you recall your first impression about parametric design?
Ray: I was fascinated by the magic effect of parametric design when I saw it generate very cool 3D animation in a blink of eyes, from then on I was captivated by it.
Chunfang: How does traditional architecture design connect with parametric design?
Ray: Parametric design helps to add more machine arithmetic into traditional architecture design; at the low level, parametric design can add cool effects or conduct coordinated design adjustment which designer are unableto do; at the high level, parametric design can create algorithm optimized design result.
However, I have to mention, the difference only lies in how many computer arithmetic contained by the two ways of design, and the key is still the designer’s soul and mind, just like two different versions of Super Mario-pixel version in Subor and 3D figure in Wii, the game itself makes up the most important part instead of the ways it performs.
Ray’s early attempts at fluid simulationof building (video clip)
Chunfang: What’s your advantage compare to many other designers interms of parametric design?
Ray: Most architects use Grasshopper and other simple programming plug-ins to carry out parametric design, staying at the level of using tools to assist design. I would start with relatively low-level code and touch the level of tool development.
This also means that most architects cannot get away from the tag of "bottom designer" who can only build models based on software, while I can go beyond the software and touch the website development or app development, so as to truly cross the boundary and develop innovative products.
I like to use metaphor，for example, the difference between driving a car and developing a car is that the former may know the internal operation principle of the car, but he can never create innovative products like Tesla electric car like the latter.
Chunfang: As an architect, did you find code writing challenging for you?
Ray: Yes, due to years of design education and career experience, we designers have built visualhabits that we prefer visual images since they are immediately what you see, which is totally a different situation in code writing-after half-day’s working you still can’t figure out what it will be; this prolonged boring feeling and sense of “unknown” will drive designers mad.
Chunfang: So how does parametric design catch you?
Ray: Parametric design is attractive in many ways, for instance, recently I find it is friendly to “amateurs”. I mean, when the design process is transferred into code and digit, then design and its modification is not exclusive to designers any more.
This charming feature makes business model feasible for parametric design, and it means more than a tool or designing technology and motivates me to continue the adventure.
Chunfang: What was your first finished product? Was it tough for you?
Ray: I prefer to call it a primary product — a 3D DIY designinter action website, on which users can design and modify 3D animation on their own.
It is more like pursuing a girl when I’m following my heart -- yes it can be tough, but what I find most is happiness in it.
Ray’s 3D DIY design website promotionanimation (video clip)
Chunfang: What new territory do you want to explore?
Ray: I want to open up a territory that stimulates people's long-suppressed desire to create.
▌ Most young people wish to become omni potent, yet for Ray, he is obsessed by design. Since design has no boundary and can be found everywhere, as long as one owns real aestheti cability, not skills nor experience accumulation, this person will not beconfined by tools, vocations, or skills, and find his or her true passion.
He liked what maker godfather Mitch Altman said in his speech in Shanghai: SUCCESS means doingwhat you love & by doing what you love you get enough to keep doing what you love.
Once a person’s behavior habit and mindset have been shaped by his or her previous professional expertise, then the person will always benefit from it even stepping into acompletely different industry.
Chunfang: Next, how will you pursue new direction?
Ray: Please be patient and stay tuned…..
Special Thanks to
Ray ← Interviewee
Jingdong, Truely ← Type setting
Kily Ruan ← Translation
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What is "like", feel happy in it;
What is "love", always want to be in it!
-- Ray