Interview with Andrew Hartness of Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Interview with Andrew Hartness of Ateliers Jean Nouvel

Ateliers Jean Nouvel is one of the noted architectural practices in Europe, with over 40 active projects in 13 countries, and a multicultural staff of over 100 professionals from the domains of architecture, urban design, landscape design, industrial design, fine arts and image production.
CGA: Could you introduce yourself?

Andrew Hartness, age 28, architect and 3D developer at Ateliers Jean Nouvel in Paris. Coordinator of AJN3D, specializing in reactive modeling techniques, final image rendering and architectural design.

CGA: Tell us about your background and how you originally became involved with computer graphics and the architectural industry?

My involvement with architecture and 3D graphics all came about by accident really. I came to Paris in 1997 “for a beautiful french girl” and enrolled in architecture school in order to obtain a student visa.* To make a long story short, I finished my “diplôme d’architecture” with a particular interest in 3D modeling. I worked free-lance for a couple large competitions, and one day I found myself discussing the principles of reactive 3D development architectural with one of the directors from Ateliers Jean Nouvel, and things moved on from there…

*the beautiful French girl and I are still together and are currently elaborating our own writing, illustration and video projects.

CGA: Can you tell us about AJN, how it was started and about your work there?

Ateliers Jean Nouvel is a selection of talents, techniques, nationalities and ideas all working in and around the creative force that is Jean Nouvel. His first projects date from the mid 1970s, but he attained architectural celebrity in the late 1980s with the IMA (Arab World Institute) project. Even then one could easily discern the “techno aspect” of Jean Nouvel’s work, the dialogue with the machine, the admiration for reflective sleekness and digitalized transparence. Needless to say, the computer worked its way into the office early on. But as is the case with any new employee at AJN, it had to prove itself. Anecdotes are numerous: Jean Nouvel measuring an AutoCAD drawing on the monitor with a ruler; Jean Nouvel making significant changes on the Guggenheim project in Rio at 4am the day before the presentation... Actually I don’t think the computer has ever been conceived as a mere AutoCAD and graphics tool, but rather a production amplifier and solution generator.
In the last several years, AJN has also become known for its culturally- and contextually-perceptive architecture as well as for seductive images that accompany end-of-phase presentations. These “sexy”, artsy images have proven essential in communicating with the client, in addition to providing a basis for further project development. In the past year AJN has been integrating real-time 3D development into the conceptual phases. This is where I come in. My role is difficult to pinpoint: sometimes I am a translator, working between artists and engineers; sometimes I serve as Jean Nouvel’s drawing pen and sketch pad (as I struggle to model as quickly as possible what he describes in the most abstract fashion); on occasion I become a graphics artist finish a certain quantity of images before the deadline.

CGA: Can you walk us through the process at AJN? You mention that you are involved in culturally-oriented image research and real-time virtual architecture.

It is all very unofficial, if that is possible. A project manifests a potential need for visualization, at which point we make a first estimate about a working strategy based on various factors: project phase, status with the client, viable 3D solutions, local context, etc... Generally, I am parachuted in at a time of sticky negotiation or accelerated development when the project must become visible, by the client, by the team, by Jean Nouvel. I try to familiarize myself with the project, first with the plans, sections and study models, but most importantly with the “images d’inspiration” used as a theoretical and spiritual guide for project development. These images come from drawings, photos, text, film, internet—everywhere—and represent the soul of the project’s visual ambience. I try to adapt my modeling technique and my texture creation to the specific project context, which in turn, depending on the project, affects the precision and speed of the modeling process. What transformations will the model undergo? What is its immediate future, its longterm future? And the most sensitive aspect: how will wireframe building techniques, texture applications and CG presentation strategies affect the architectural decisions of Jean Nouvel??? The presentation must reflect the state of the project as well as that of Jean Nouvel’s ideas. It would be counterproductive, though not impossible, to produce a high-quality rendering during a conceptual-level work session. However, it would appear too concrete, too real, too affirmed. And there are times in which the virtual architecture you produce, despite its realistic appearance and supposesdly aesthetic appeal, may not respect the evolution and ambience of an AJN project. This can result in rash decisions, poor jusgement and perhaps even Jean Nouvel’s mistrust of his own architectural ideas. (“C’est ça en 3D? Alors, il faut changer !…“) [Editors Note-Translation: "It is this in 3D? So, it must change!..."]
When it comes to the culturally-oriented side of computer graphics, this requires a certain degree of perception and curiosity. Since we elaborate projects in numerous countries, it is essential to respect their willingness to import culture (AJN, Paris, France) and thus to integrate their culture into our architecture, even in real-time work images. Be it the forbidden nature of figure representation in Islam, the consideration of white as a color of death in certain Asian cultures, or the importance of galas and fundraising in American municipal museums, these parameters affect how we work and what we present. Depending on the local culture one must adapt.

CGA: How does AJN approach new technology and techniques?

New technology is obviously a significant part of AJN, although what one may consider as new technology is often merely an unorthodoxed application of everyday technology within the context of innovative architecture. In other cases it involves techniques that exist in other industries or cultures which radically modify the nature of AJN base-architecture. And sometimes a product does not exist: this has resulted in several AJN patents over the years. There is no trademark approach—as project situations are rarely resemblant—but “technological” elaboration must be justified with quite a bit of reflection and imagination...

CGA: You have recently done some work on the Guthrie Theater project in Minneapolis, can you tell us about this project and how CG was used to facilitate the design process and final presentation?

My role on the Guthrie Theater project was an unexpected one that re-defined itself often, depending on dialogue between Jean Nouvel and the client. The reactive 3D tool became an architectural, structural and cultural go-between. Describing the project in detail may be somewhat long, so I will resume. The initial competition program called for multi-use theater spaces, connected by architecturally-independent “events” serving as transition spaces: The very conventional proscenium theater and the fragmented thrust theater joined by a bistro/ramp ending in a 200 foot-long cantilever overhang. A hightech “black box” theater occupies the top floor, spatially connected to an “orange box” panoramic viewing area, visible from the street level and intended to lure curious individuals to the adjoining space of modern theater culture. I modeled various architectural and design possibilities in 3D under the guidance of Jean Nouvel and exchanged information with the satellite office in Minneapolis. Decision time was reduced by a considerable amount and we were able to experiment with possibilities that we might not have considered before.
Originally, my role was to produce end-of-phase presentation images for a more-or-less finished theater space, and in the end spent a majority of my time working on experimental variations of this fantastic, not-so-finished project. Construction should begin in June.


Guthrie Theater project in Minneapolis


Guthrie Theater project in Minneapolis


Guthrie Theater project in Minneapolis - by Arte Factory


Guthrie Theater project in Minneapolis

Black-Box Theatre Work Video1 (AVI) - 2.3 MB
Black-Box Theatre Work Video2 (AVI) - 1.1 MB
Black-Box Theatre Work Video3 (AVI) - 1.8 MB

*All video sequences were for working purposes only

CGA: You have also done some fantastic work on the Copenhagen Culture/Music Center, can you speak a little bit about this project and the imagery that was created for it?

I only worked punctally on the project, and was responsable for recording and rehearsal studios in the below-ground levels. Strict accoustical guidelines and thematic design principals had to be tested to determine the parameters of each studio. Studio 2 was intended for the rehearsal and recording of entire orchestras. Reactive 3D modelling allowed for constant real-time changes (15 min. delay), according to the accoustical engineers’ recommendations and AJN’s decisions. The entire space was “felt-out” in 3D, via real-time wire-frame walk-thrus, calculated still images and animation sequences. It is an informal space and rather resembles a packing crate. The wall panels are mobile and can be adjusted to match the desired reverberation time for different-sized orchestras or those musicians who wish to play elsewhere than on the orchestra stands. Studio 3 presented difficult accoustical problems, based on ceiling pitch and lateral angles. We worked extensively with the accoustic engineer and found the solutions. The problems could surely have been resolved with 2D drawings and a calculator, but reactive 3D modelling allowed the architects and engineers to make immediate changes based on spatial quality and accoustics, and then re-compute the measures.


Copenhagen Culture/Music Center


Cartier headquarters located on lake Geneva
 

Copenhagen Studio2a (AVI) - 3.0 MB Copenhagen Studio2b (AVI) - 1.9 MB Copenhagen Studio2c (AVI) - 1.6 MB *All video sequences were for working purposes only

 

CGA: Which project are you most proud of and why?

 

Toughy. The mosque in Abu Dhabi I suppose. It involved extreme cultural sensitivity (in a conflictual diplomatic context), creative 3D mapping and design conceived almost entirely with the aid of computer graphics and real-time 3D work. I used video extensively during the conceptual phases and learned quite a bit about project management in general.

Abu Dhabi Prayer Hall 1 (AVI) - 4.4 MB Abu Dhabi Prayer Hall 2 (AVI) - 2.7 MB *All video sequences were for working purposes only

 

Abu Dhabi Work Video 1 (AVI) - 3.3 MB *All video sequences were for working purposes only

 

 

Abu Dhabi Work Video 1 (AVI) - 2.2 MB *All video sequences were for working purposes only

 

CGA: What do you see as some of the challenges facing the architectural CG industry as a whole?

The challenges are numerous and not necessarily digital in nature. They involve the effective integration of virtual conception and presentation techniques into the fragile environment of human communication and decision-making. Architecture is not just spatial quality and material presence; it should be movement, time, intention, relationship, ageing, and ethics, to name a few. Whatever the factors be that motivate the project, in what ways can the architect as well as the graphics artist include them in the graphic representation of this architecture? Better yet, how can you include them in the work process that will create this architecture. In my opinion, this is a human issue...Decision. Intention. Reflection...It also implies the creation of good architecture.

CGA: Where do you see the future of architectural rendering and how will new rendering technologies affect the future of AJN or the industry for that matter?

More capable machines, more evolved intuitive programs and a higher percentage of 3D users will definitely increase potential render quality, which will enable CG firms and architectural firms—in theory—to increase production rate. But, Moores’ Law and digital theory seldom account for the demands of creativity-based project development, headed by an audacious, exigeant source of ideas (such as Jean Nouvel) who never takes the same proverbial (or technological) road twice. As horsepower is no substitute for collaboration, flashy graphics are no substitute for thought-provoking graphics. Professionals in the CG rendering industry recognize the importance of decision-making and communication. At AJN we are developing an approach to architectural development in 3D that involves. For example, one of the team members of AJN3D will join a project and head up the real-time 3D modeling and graphics, assisting in the conception, ensuring that the virtual architecture advances at the same pace as the imagined architecture. Before the final presentation, we will then work together to clean up the “used” model, discuss any last-minute architectural incongruence with the team and produce the necessary visual documents.

CGA: What tip(s) can you give our readers to improve their architectural renderings?

One should always keep in mind that an image’s priority should be to convey a sense of intended existence, and not absolute reality. What does the project mean to do? What is being communicated? Do I want to go there? One must learn to adapt the “desired” to the “built”, whether by means of light, movement, mystery or other.

CGA: What do you feel is the most important aspect of the rendering process or project workflow that ensures a successful rendering?

In terms of the entire process, it is definitely communication. With the client, Jean Nouvel , team members, engineers…
But the most important aspect in the rendering process, with respect to reactive modeling at AJN, is the adaptability and creativity of mesh construction and material representation. It is a safe bet that the project will change substantially within the next day or so, therefore you have to adapt.
For final presentation renderings, the photoshop stage is obviously an important element. It allows one to break away from the parameter-oriented aspect of 3DS Max to something more manual and graphic.
I consider video to be an under-exploited working tool. It is simple to calculate 30 seconds of animation over the weekend on a single machine, and it enables one to more aptly perceive the space on a complicated project. In movement. However, AJN projects always change at the last minute, and the delay in final video production is too great for our firm. Recently for the Mosque at Abu Dabhi, we organized a 6000-frame rendering session on 30 computers 2 days before the presentation date. The time required to calculate the images, compose them and edit them meant that the animation sequence was no longer up to date. We have concluded that presentation-level video is not a viable solution at AJN. We now know our limits in this area of computer graphics and this allows us to prepare correctly for future presentations.

CGA: What do you not like to see in computer generated architectural work?

Images without mystery, images devoid of life, images in which the technology (plug-ins, radiosity engines, surrealistic details) take priority over the message one wishes to convey. I can’t stand images without a script, static images. Something has to be going on. Sensitivity and a certain presence are important to me, whether literally in the image or in the way the way the image was produced

CGA: What is in the future for AJN?

3D modeling and conceptual-phase computer graphics will become run-of-the-mill processes. We expect about half of AJN to be comfortable in 3D environments in 3-5 years. When these techniques become accessible to a majority of project architects, the development and “mûrissement” (maturing) of AJN projects will be taken even further than they already are. And I expect that architects in general will be participating more and more often in the creation of virtual environments. Our presentations are becoming more and more axed toward animation and interactivity.

CGA: What is your favorite link to visit on the web?

www.3dcafe.com for models and helpful tips, www.3dtotal.com for links and info updates, www.google.com for research, www.basilisk.com for discussion, theory