SAGRADA FAMILIA
VIDEOGRAPHY
The Sagrada Familia Church was Antoni Gaudi’s unfinished masterpiece. A video commissioned by Danish Architecture Centre, Denmark, helped viewers appreciate the complexity involved in the monumental task of its completion. During the Spanish Civil War, most of Gaudi's physical models were destroyed by vandals. This video interview with Marc Burry, Executive Architect, explores the literal and figurative picking up of the broken pieces, and illustrates the pivotal nature of 3D parametric design in interpreting Gaudi’s vision from the surviving fragments and pieces.
Why
Gaudi’s design for the Sagrada Familia Church was deeply mathematical in nature. Gaudi had expressed his architectural intentions through three-dimensional models rather than drawings, however, during the Spanish Civil War, most of Gaudi’s drawings and models for the project were destroyed, making further reconstruction work and project completion nearly impossible. Parametric modelling applied to the surviving fragments, unlocked the geometric DNA of Gaudi's vision and made its completion a possibility. 3D building technologies are now commonly employed to realize architectural projects - in this case, they were used to decipher and construct this previously unrealizable masterwork. The completion project is a compelling example of technology and process applied to other paradigms.How
Marc Burry, executive architect for the Sagrada project had been using parametric modelling and 3D building technologies in innovative ways to reconstruct and realize Gaudi's original intent. We developed a video that interwove an interview with Marc, with examples of how these technologies were being applied in the restoration project—in particular, for analyzing the few surviving fragments of the destroyed models to reveal the essential geometries intrinsic in Gaudi’s masterwork.Result
Viewers were able to follow the story of the Church's evolution, and learned some fundamentals of 3D parametric design, and how they were being applied - gaining clear insights into the crucial role of technological innovation and its radical application in the realization of Gaudi’s original vision.Role(s)
Creative Director.Ideation, Creative Direction, Project research.
THOUGHTSHARE
DIRECTOR OF DESIGN
ThoughtShare Communications. Founding member and Director of Design. ThoughtShare developed tools for web-based knowledge management, a product suite for better collaborative use of web content.
Why
The web was expanding exponentially, yet collaborative use of the growing shared knowledge base was limited. We set out to create a new framework for web-based collaboration, and identified a set of forward-thinking applications targeting the early-stage knowledge management sector.How
With the participation of researchers at Simon Fraser University, we analyzed cognitive behavior and content aggregation and management in early web use. With our findings, we were able to develop a sophisticated suite of products that addressed collaborative knowledge sharing of web-based content. Adhering to human-centered design principles, the design team was responsible for the UX/UI, collaborated closely with the CTO and IT team to extend the IP into the conception of supporting server-side software, and played a pivotal role in the culture of the organization, including the design of company’s brand and physical workspace.Result
As a founding member of a tech start-up, we grew the company from a small five-person team to a publicly funded company with 90+ staff. The design team was responsible for generating key software innovation, human-centric application front-end, corporate brand, corporate website and driving innovation through a creative collaborative culture.Role(s)
Director of Design.Software Ideation, Creative Direction, Design Management, Team Development, Information Architecture, UX/UI, Branding, Web Design.