The impact of iconic buildings on cities and how to get there using AI

When we think about the word ‘Architecture’ many of us think about the material and not about the spirit. But behind the word “Parametric design” lays a new spirit. One which enables dream forms to come true.

Written by: Shira Reis-Meshulam for Bait Ve Noy Magazine

I met Architect Tal Friedman, who came to Israel for a short visit to promote his start-up FOLDSTRUCT at the mythological Café Tamar in central Tel Aviv. A place that for many years served a hub for artists and bohemians. 

 “After my studies and working for a while, I decided to continue my studies in Detmold Germany at the Computational Construction program because I understood that there is a huge gap between what is possible to plan on the computer and what the construction site can tolerate.

“For the computer there are no limits. There are many types of software which enable absolute geometric and artistic freedom and allows architects can be very bold in their design. As for the actual construction- those freeform curves are suddenly being straightened and morph designs become standard cubes as soon as they land at the hands of the engineers and contractors who actually have to build it..

The current production world doesn’t have the tools to bring the customized design into cost effective reality. Explains Tal Friedman, only 35 years old – “a rookie” in the profession of Architecture, but “a rookie” with impressive achievements, especially in the field of Building Envelopes.

Which answers did you seek in Germany?

Germany is a manufacturing country. Therefore, I knew that I will be able lo learn how to speak with the production line. It is fair to say that Israel is a software country and Germany is a hardware country.

“After working for several years in large architecture offices in Israel, I decided that I am tired of hearing the phrase “it’s impossible” again and again. These words were, in my perspective , are the result of a gap in know-how between architecture and fabrication. All that separates raw materials like concrete, iron, aluminum or any other material into becoming a designed and functional envelope is knowledge.”

After graduating with a Masters of Engineering in Computational Construction, Friedman continued to develop his initial research with German company Alucobond to new heights. His current research is focused on finding new applications and digitation of building procedures.

During the conversation Friedman describes himself as a “navigator” or co-pilot, and for him, the flight is in search for a reasonable budget solution to match the design.“Following my own work, architects and fabricators approach me with their design and I help them find the optimal solutions.”

“Today even companies approach asking for help. For example, a contracting company in Germany had a very big project. After bidding, they understood they don’t have the tools and know-how to provide the result to match the design at the target price.”

“My goal is to take industry standard materials and even conventional systems and using my parametric logic give them a twist which reduces their costs and makes them feasible.”

The Origami pavilion

A fruit of his work is The Origami pavilion, assembled at Detmold University, Germany with collaboration from 3A composites, which Friedman designed in 2016 as a folded construction formed by thin Aluminum sheets.

The structural folding system is originally taken from the Origami tradition, which contains unlimited design patterns. In order to achieve the unique foldable form in this design and in other projects, Friedman developed special algorithms which enable connecting the material to the structure and the surroundings. I don’t build a ‘skeleton’ or substructure and “dress” it with thin sheet material. The innovation is in designing folded sheets that maintain their own structure without the need for external support. Using the system it’s possible to fold many different kinds of materials.”

“After designing several projects according to this folding system I understood there was a big need and many applications for the algorithms I developed and therefore decided to create a start-up.”

What is the biggest advantage of Foldstruct?

“It’s all about mass customization. We all know that custom-made production costs a lot of money. Nevertheless - my development enables taking any complex design and turning it into a modular elements that are also flexible enough to achieve the ‘amorphness’ of the design without expensive molds or other expensive methods.”

The facade revolution

The world of building envelopes going through a real disruption in the last few years. Especially in smart building envelopes which enable freeform design, energy efficiency, wellness etc. As a specialist in this field.

How would you define this disruption marketwise? 

“In today’s market, I think the iconicness of the facade is the most important thing for the client because iconic buildings have a direct multiple in their real estate value. As developers seek to gain an added value and differentiation to increase ROI, the envelope is surely the main star of that show. “

“Iconic buildings are also much easier to market and do the marketing work for you. Nobody knows what the interior of the Empire State Building looks like. But we all remember the iconic form. If to be practical, adding a specific type of ceramic tiles to the bathroom won’t raise property value, an iconic fa?ade definitely will.”“Smart envelopes can also cost the developer a lot of money and are not always feasible. Let’s presume that the developer decides to make a double skin envelope in order to lower the energy costs. In today’s reality, it will be difficult for him to get the investment back as the system cost is very high and the clients don’t like to pay in advance for long term savings.”

“Smart and energy saving buildings are very important things. But the exact same building can be very inefficient if built in the wrong environment. For example, by choosing costly imported materials where transporting efforts are very high.”

“There is also the trend of pure glass facades (curtain walls) which may indeed turn the office buildings to iconic ones. However, when built in the wrong climate, tenants and  can find themselves sitting in a steaming greenhouse with extremely high electricity costs do to air-conditioning. In some cases, renters sue the landlord for “dead areas” during the day as it’s impossible to stay close to the windows of the curtain walls in certain times of the day.That’s why it’s extremely important to design an envelope to be iconic but also address the local environment, not just using architectural shelf products.”

How do the services you give solve the dilemma between iconicness and cost effectiveness?

“The idea of increasing profit from real estate can come not only by reducing building costs, but also through raising the value of the asset by attracting a higher paying target audience - a procedure which is today very costly".

Turning the building into a celebration

“Foldstruct’s service is actually iconic and energy efficient buildings for mainstream budgets– turning the building into a celebration while still being cost efficient. Because, as I explained before, it all depends on the production, once we solved the manufacturing problem we can combine all goals. Today we know how to design very complex envelopes according to the needs of the production.

“Personally, I believe that there is always a solution. It’s hidden in the understanding of what the developer and architect want to achieve. In other words, the construction and the design need to support each other – and this is exactly the answer we provide.”