Tower of light

Parametric Modeling
ARCH 655

https://tonkinliu.co.uk/tower-of-light

capture the energy of the sun
harness the power of the wind
herald the city’s low carbon future

Introduction

The Tower of Light is a 40-meter tall tower supporting and enclosing flues for Manchester's new low-carbon energy center. The biomimetic structure has built on the decade-long innovation and research of, the shell Lace Structure, pioneered by Tonkin Liu and developed in collaboration with engineers at Arup. Learning from geometries in nature, the tower’s form is its strength. The super-light, super-thin single-surface structure uses the least material to achieve the most. This tower is constructed from 6 and 8 mm thick flat steel sheets, tailored, laser-cut, and then welded together to create a curved stiff strong surface. Modern methods of construction using advanced digital modeling, analysis, and fabrication, combined with tailoring principles, have made the Shell Lace Structure innovation possible. This is the largest-built Shell lace structure to date.

AI-generated images

After generating new styles with DALL-E, I reimagined the Tower of Light to emphasize a stronger visual connection between structure and geometry. Key changes include:

Base Transition: A more expansive and perforated base flows into the lattice, enhancing stability and creating a dramatic foundation.

Dynamic Patterns: The lattice now features smoother, sinusoidal undulations, with perforations that vary in size along the height, allowing more light near the base and a denser, enclosed effect at the top.

Crown Redesign: The top incorporates an intricate, branching form that symbolizes light dispersing outward, making the structure feel lighter and more dynamic.

Details of the Tower

The foundation of the Tower of Light's structural and aesthetic logic is a 12-sided polygon. This geometry was chosen for its ability to balance simplicity and complexity.
It provides:

Stability and symmetry: The polygon creates a strong and even base, essential for distributing loads.

Flexibility in panelization: The evenly spaced sides make it easier to divide and design a consistent grid for the facade and structural framework.

This polygon serves as the framework for defining both the tower’s footprint and the modular structure, ensuring continuity across the design. It also allows for the repetition of components, minimizing material waste and optimizing fabrication.

Modeling Process

Step 1: Creating the base polygon

Defining the base geometry of the tower with a parametric polygon with inputs for radius, segments, and coordinate adjustments.. This step establishes the foundational shape that determines the modular layout of the structure. A 12-sided polygon (dodecagon) is used here, but the workflow allows flexibility to adjust the number of sides.

The polygon is divided into segments and lines are generated between points. This division forms the initial framework for defining structural elements and aligning rectangular panels.

Step 2: Adjusting and Manipulating Curves

In this step, the focus is on modifying the lengths of the curves generated in the previous steps to prepare them for further structural and aesthetic integration. This process involves shortening or extending the curves parametrically, as well as introducing a pattern to the data flow for controlled geometry manipulation.

Step 3: Curve and Facade Modulation

This step involves organizing, manipulating, and evaluating the curves derived from the earlier steps to define the facade geometry. The focus is on creating a parametric framework that allows for controlled adjustments in the arrangement and flow of the curves for subsequent design processes.

Step 4: Sinusoidal Data Manipulation

In this step, sinusoidal data is generated and processed to introduce dynamic, wave-like modulation into the geometry. This is useful for creating organic or flowing forms that add complexity and uniqueness to the design;

Allows dynamic control over wave parameters such as frequency, amplitude, and remapping.

· Outputs sine wave data for use in facade patterns, grid undulations, or other parametric designs.

Step 5: Generating the Mesh Details

In this step, the Mesh Details are created by combining the previously generated sinusoidal wave data with curve-tweening and mesh-lofting techniques. This process results in a dynamic mesh geometry that forms the structural or facade pattern.

Step 6: Geometry Pattern for mesh manipulation

This step applies a parametric pattern to the mesh, creating modular variations or perforations in the geometry. Patterns are defined numerically and applied to the mesh faces using logical conditions and list operations.

Step 7: Base Patterns and Data Management

This section defines the base geometry close to the ground level by organizing and applying modular patterns to specific elements. This step uses data trees and logical operations to create a pattern that serves as the foundation for the model.

Provides precise control over the data structure, enabling easy adjustments and scalability.

Step 8: Refining the Mesh with Patterns

This step involves finalizing the mesh pattern logic and organizing it for fabrication or visualization. The focus is on selecting specific mesh faces, applying patterns, and preparing the geometry for post-processing.