Week 11 Readings

Week 11 readings – Collaboration

This week’s readings touches upon the property of materials and how physicists claimed that materials only carried mass in any weight. However there is more than meets the eye with materials and it becomes increasingly clear as materialists are able to break down material complexity throughout sophisticated conceptual and technical tools.

The scientific aspect is taken into account with materiality in regards to two historical people named Isaac Newton and his contemporary archenemy Robert Hooke, who came up with the first theory of material elasticity. This aspect needs to be considered when thinking about the materiality of the architecture as each object contains its own matter, and a range of loads that it needs to hold, and without these considerations, parts of the form or even the structure itself may deform.

Digital architecture overall consists of many different pathways, and it is difficult to tell where architecture will take us in the future. Contemporary free forms may or may not become a cliché which becomes a stepping stone and a benchmark into a new era of architecture.

References

DeLanda, Manuel, “Material Complexity,” in Digital Tectonics edited by Neil Leach, David Turnbull & Chris Williams (2004): 14-27.

Cache, Bernard, “Toward an Associative Architecture,” in Digital Tectonics, edited by Neil Leach, David Turnbull & Chris Williams(2004): 102-109.

Week 10 Readings

Week 10 Readings – Practice vs Project 5: Parametricim vs Parametric Thinking

Parametric design is defined to be an architecture which implements parameters of a defined range through the utilisation of parametric modelling software. The parametric software can also dig into a curvilinear design, which basically allows one to distort and manipulate a form in different ways. The possibility of parametric deign being available aids in the efficiency of designing architecture in regards to time and money.

 Algorithmic term is generally referred to solving problems through a procedural technique(s) or an instruction. Furthermore, the use of scripting languages manipulated bot by form but of code. Some examples of algorithmic design are created through the programming lanuages such as RhinoScript, Visual Basic, and 3DMaxScript.   

Through the use of both parametric design and algorithmic design, it has allowed the possibility of a variety of different digital research units such as the Gehry Technology which came from Gehry partners, and CODE at Zaha Hadid Architects. Parametric and algorithmic design is sometimes referred to as “parametricism” which ultimately enables the possibility of a new style in architecture.  Parametric and algorithmic terms are still yet to be fully understood completely, parametric design may or may not be a new digital technology but now a predominant basis of an aesthetic expression or style in architecture.

References
Schumacher, Patrik “Parametric Patterns.” In Theories of the Digital in Architecture, edited by Rivka & Robert Oxman (2014): 143-152. 

Week 9 Readings

Week 9 Readings : Practice vs project – 3: Nonstandard and Versioning

The term “Non-standard” architecture opposes the idea of a linear and a normalised design. The world is seen to have a one sided culture of production and products and this is seen in the process of the design.  Processes including the algorithmic systems which continue to develop into super-surfaces and hyper-surfaces which further allow the architect to mould and create generative forms which understands the organic aspects such as biological structures into their design. This very idea of analysing into a biological aspect is exactly what the non-standard architecture dwells in.

Virtual architecture is also mentioned in the readings to indicate the contradictions of the virtual space and how designs are slowly alternating or changing in its metaphysics to design. As well as that, the contradiction between the digital architecture and the hylomorphism remains unresolved. 

Reference

Migayrou, Frederic, The order of the non- standard: Towards a critical Structualism, in Theories of the Digital in Architecture , edited by Rvka & Robert Oxman (2014): 17-34.

Week 8 Readings

Week 8 Readings – The surface as architecture

The convergence with cyberspace and architecture increases in importance. Stephen Perrella, an architect and theorist who predicted hypermedia from the term hypersurface.  The emergence of these aspects as well as the computers and networks, unpacks greater expansion of a variety of commercial advertisements. 

In correlation to the postmodernist theory, games remain as the surface of things and tend to seem complex in its material features. The importance of materiality within the virtual space brings about the attachment of the complexity and the flexibility of computer programs. As a result the surface of buildings and objects may become limited to these attachments. Two specific motives are ultimately explored within the digital architecture. The first revolves around the notion that surfaces tend to lean more on the formation of the object rather than the volume of the object. The volume is referred to as the independent geometric flows whilst the surface focus more on the representation of those volumes and are more naturally animated in design. The second is based around challenging the fundamental binary structures that have been set out for a long time, such as the defining the differences between the exterior and the interior of the structure. The surface itself is not defined to be the result of the enclosure aspect of the building, but a design that is independent of it.

References
Picone, Antoine, “the surface as Architecture,” in Digital Culture in Architecture: an introduction for the Design profession (2010): 84-93

Assignment 3.2: Analytical Modles of One project (Concept Statement)

Servo Stockholm’s Hydrophile immerses and promotes the natural environment with its uniquely designed roof containing vegetation. The roof of this project predominantly encourages the possibility of being able to walk through the dense landscape, and utilising the lights within the structure from the interior through to the ground above. The parametric responsiveness with its environment is further seen in its architectural design which consists of protuberant shaped model that directs any flow of water to organic matter to help sustain the land. In order to maintain this, the materiality of the roof is designed in somewhat thick substrate layers in meadow areas, and thinner layers on dryer land. Through analysing the model further, the roof doesn’t just help with the enclosure factor of the building, but also dwell within the interior of the structure allowing the environment to also penetrate into the atmosphere whilst inside the structure.

The SHolm House also promotes the blending with its environment with its interaction between organic and synthetic matter in architecture. This design uniquely interacts with the exchange of natural energy particularly with heat and light and how it transfers its energies through an architectural medium and atmospheric moods with the varying lighting and colour intensity. The walls of the SHolm House are made up of expanded clay which contains air-filled cavities which strengthens thermal insulation features of its design. Like the Hydrophile project, the SHolm House is also designed partially with a green roof with porcelain tiles which also direct the flow of water to the vegetation. Analysing further in its appearance brings about the parametric responsiveness through the connection between the roof and the ground in the centre of the house. This further allows the interior of the house to be exposed to light and heat on the vegetation which might reflect various colours within the house.

Week 7 Readings

This week’s readings starts off stating that architecture and design depend on sources such as clients and patrons, and need to consider the culture, the economy and the scale of the building. Architects are given the budget, consultants, and builders rather than the architect being the prime source to gather these clients, and these decisions are adjusted towards the architect.  The materiality of architecture is seen as either an impediment that needs to be overcome, or just to be placed it down and start again fresh. These impediments need to be confronted as they relate to the needs of practitioners, who ask what the architecture can do rather than what it means. 

Computer based architecture implements a dimension which seems to ignore the materiality of the form, and this becomes a problem in regards to properties such as weight and resistance to which the architecture can or cannot be converted to a real life object. So simply having built a design or architecture within a computer program and the convincing techniques doesn’t say anything about the actual experience of the built reality. A great series of questions arises in regards to the change in design from pencil to paper to virtual design, questions such as whether this “change is quantitative rather than qualitative?” and this places a questionable boundary and limitations to whether virtual design can be designed in a way so that it of the highest standard of what the architect desired rather than producing a series of random models that formed whilst trying to design a desired object.

Reference

Allen, Stan, “Introduction: Practice vs. Project,” in Practice: Architecture, Technique and Representation, (2009): xi-xxiii.

Picon, Antoine, “A different Materiality,” material by design, in Digital Culture in Architecture: an Introductin for the Design profession(2010): 143-169.

Week 5 Readings

This week’s reading takes us to the core of the history behind the revolution of machine technology, and the different forms of energy and materials being able to be formed. The use of these materials and energy helped transform the uncultivated land into cities and towns, and the use of electricity and light on signs from shops and businesses attracted more people. However not all people thought that machines would industrialise cities, but also a new world and possibilities towards design and problem solving.  Through the positives of machine and technology also attaches the negative perspective side which was studied by a German historian named Oswald Spengler who argues that technology was a cause of loss of culture and tradition. 

He also interestingly dwells within the religion aspect relating to creativity and how creativity also contains a satanic side due to its effect on humans to think that the world is built by men, when in truth the all creating God has created all things initially. Machine and technology are viewed as tools which humans saw as an opportunity to gain power and change the land, and had to be mastered and controlled to use these transcendental powers. As these industrialisations were to take place, an sceptical critic of technology and society Lewis Mumford protested that the forms of human-built environments should comply with the organic development in nature in so that organic functions and human purposes may still be intact with this world than to lose it completely. 

References

Hughes, Thomas P., “Chapter 3: Technology as Machine, “ human built World: How to think about technology and Culture(2004): 45-76.

Week 4 Readings

Heterogeneous textures are explored in view of different architects, and he differing and conflicting cultures and individual characteristics produce varying degrees of results. The deconstructivism theory enabled forms to be made within architecture in terms of differences and contradictions. These are seen in projects such as Gehry’s House which was designed in a way that the surrounding environment and the contradicting features and textures were represented in the materiality of his house. These environments don’t just include the basic grass and concrete, but the external materials too such as sheds, vehicles, and exposed plywood. Gehry’s house in context can be seen to be a dominant pressure against its neighbouring environment. 

A new global style by Patrik Schumacher defines that parametric design and the availability of technology help allow the possibility of mass production hence more variety of designs. The view on parametric coding wasn’t just seen as a design technique but a new innovative style which attracts new values and ambitions in architecture. Le Corbusier wanted to view things differently and didn’t want to be limited to ordinary designs and geometry, but a path that takes a pattered and a diverse path with a degree of complexity.  Frei Otto explores these factors in the urban models that he designed, and shows a large amount of components of patterned buildings surrounded by linear shaped buildings to emphasise the continuous differentiation of the path network it portrays.   

Week 3 Reading

Week 3 Reading – Computational Design Thinking

Computation is viewed as a dominant tool which allows one’s mind to express them to a computer system. Graphic computers came into view in the 1960s and were questioned to whether the computers are able, or should mimic the human mind. However during that period, society tried to convince themselves that computer systems would be an entity that allows the intellect of humans to be expanded.

When a designer is to apply some form of design into the computer system, the designer also needs to comply with the fact that he/she needs to set out rules in regards to the how the form or functionality the object is desired. The computational design approach primarily targets on the variety of methods that can be applied when designing complex models in different environment. The process of design is brought down to two states; the functionality and the content. In other words, the functionalities are the rules or parameters with the design and the material within the design influences the outcome. 

Like technology, computation processes are also growing and expanding which in turn leads to undiscovered paths and possibilities. However, the computer system cannot simply function without the designer stating the specific description and form of the design. Therefore, the foundations of knowledge in relation to computational design need to be present in order to fully and effectively use computational design.

Reference: Menges, Archim, Introduction, Computational Design Thinking(2011): pp 10-29

Week 2 Readings

The Archaeology Of the Digital: Openings

This week’s reading touched on the history of architecture and technology, and stated how the architectural sector continuously experienced advancements in technology. Just like technology, the advancements in software also came about, and had led to higher professional standards in architecture design programs such as Rhino. Architects slowly became interested in the core principles of parametric designs, which is basically the encoding and the rules that connect the intended design and the result of the design. Parametric design is also defined as a digital drawing board through the use of algorithms, which in turn leads to the design of everyday objects, structures and floor plans as stated by Ceborski. Having being able to use parametric design in architecture is definitely a positive step towards creating what object/design is on your mind. The possibilities of creating unique objects and shapes become endless, allowing design in architecture sector to substantially grow.

In the reading it also tells us how digital architecture cannot be separated with the advancements of how things are planned due to the vast amounts of technology around us in society today. Digital architecture is questioned to whether it can survive without the past design and also ignore the ambitious ideals to create a different and a new world. On a personal perspective, creating architecture from scratch is definitely not an easy job, and more importantly, architecture is all around us and it becomes really hard not to use past designs to gain inspirations to create new ideas.   

References

Ceborski, J 2010, “Introduction: parametric design “in rethinking the architecture

Picon, Antoine, “Introduction,” + People, Computers and architecture: A historical Overview, “ in Digital Culture in Architecture: an Introduction for the design Profession (2010): 7-57.

Week 1 Readings

Computation or Revolution

This week’s reading focuses on the connection between the use of artificial intelligence and the effects on society. Artificial intelligence has become such an idol-like image towards industries, that it became a reliable process to correct or regulate problems.  Some questions come to mind as to whether technology and the use of artificial intelligence should be furthermore relied upon. Without a doubt, humanity will/has become enslaved to artificial intelligence and would lead society to have stepped back in terms of revolution rather than moving forward. Nevertheless, technology cannot intervene in more complex problems indicate that not everything can be processed by computers. Well, at least not yet.

The digital turn in architecture       

                                

The histories of digital design are explored through a comprehensive synopsis. Digital architecture at first was an inspirational matter, but little did they know of the potential it carried. Eventually as time went by, the pen to paper soon transitioned to cyberspace and opened up to new heights of design particularly in the area of construction. The digital designs were then constantly evolved and were accompanied by theoretical influences and post-modernism. 

References

Le Corbusier, “Architecture or Revolution?” Toward an Architecture (1924/1928/2007), pp291-307.

Carpo, Mario, “Introduction,” The digital Turn in architecture 1992-2012 (2013): 8-14.\