African Design Magazine ADM #43 August 2018 | Page 15

THE MARC
to spend on detailed
modelling. Performance
testing was carried out to
verify weathertighteness
and the structural
behaviour of this unusual
assembly.
The parametric approach
to design of complex
façades allows for the
testing and resolution
of multiple conflicting
design criteria such as
material costs, thermal
comfort and maximum
utilisation of daylight.
Arup also conducted an
environmental analysis for
the façade to evaluate the
impact of solar radiation
on occupants’ comfort.
To implement a complex geometry
in the realbuilt environment, a
high level of detail and many
coordinated individual steps are
generally required. The use of
parametric modelling methodology
enabled the team to solve the
issues that the façade contractor
would have faced in producing
fabrication information for the
large number of unique façade
panels. Arup’s team automated the
positioning and end-cutting of all
the aluminium frame profiles onto
the 3D surface model, ensuring a
high level of precision and reducing
the time the contractor needed
Tellier added, “We were able to
accommodate and review any
geometric or material changes
and assess their impact almost
instantaneously. The flexibility of our
design process was a key factor in
our contribution to the Jewel, which
is much more than a building, it is a
work of art, imagined to kindle awe
with its hypnotizing shape.”
Arup façade team leader, Rui
Rodrigues, Associate Director,
echoed this view at his keynote
address at the Zak World of Façades
conference held in Johannesburg
in April: “the use of parametric
AFRICAN DESIGN MAGAZINE © | AUGUST 2018
15