The Bartlett B-Pro Show Book 2023

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

Introduction

B-Pro, or Bartlett Prospective, is a suite of graduate programmes devoted to advanced experimentation in computational architecture, design and urban environments. Architectural Design MArch explores the most advanced experimental research in design and fabrication. Urban Design MArch takes critical approaches towards creative urban and landscape design, defining creative strategies for global cities and communities. Our Architectural Computation MSc and MRes programmes are focused on computational programming and artificial intelligence (AI) in architecture. Linked to these three programmes oriented to research in design and computation are our Architecture & Digital Theory MRes programme and a doctoral stream. In 2018, B-Pro was joined by two innovative BioIntegrated Design Master’s degrees, which respond to the impact of biotechnology, computation and climate change on the built environment. The B-Pro programmes welcome a diverse international student cohort, offering highly structured access to the realisation of research, and to the production of new schemes in architecture and urbanism.

Architectural Design, directed by Tyson Hosmer and Gilles Retsin, is organised around research clusters driven by their respective tutors, including two labs – the Automated Architecture Lab and Material Architecture Lab – to explore specific speculative domains of application. The latest technologies –robotics and AI, CNC fabrication, 3D printing, supercomputing, simulation, generative design, interactivity, advanced algorithms, extensive material prototyping, biotechnologies, links to material science –and their many applications, are researched in great depth. The exploration of supercomputing and generative platforms also forms a core part of our innovative approach to conception and fabrication,

enabled by exceptional digital production facilities. With extensive use of AI and simulation in virtual reality, the degree offers access to new fields for experimental research and generative design.

Urban Design, directed by Roberto Bottazzi, looks at creative approaches towards environments and cities at all scales, innovative computational design, biotechnologies, AI and digital approaches to networks and territories. The research clusters and the programme’s lab, Urban Morphogenesis Lab, develop alternative proposals based on new morphological concepts and protocols, which reflect how cities are complex, dynamic living systems. Critical environmental and ecological questions are also viewed through an interdisciplinary lens, acknowledging the dispersed and often paradoxical nature of contemporary urbanism. Through contextual case studies and interventions, students address the challenges involved in resolving complex issues facing populations, public space, building typologies and land use.

Our Architectural Computation programmes are directed by Philippe Morel and Manuel Jiménez Garcia and challenge the boundaries of what architectural computation can achieve. Projects explore computational methods for automated construction, augmented reality applications for the built environment and use AI for space navigation and pattern generation. The work of this programme demonstrates the possibility of becoming truly fluent in computational language, opening up new domains for research.

Our B-Pro programmes are further enhanced by collaboration with the school’s Architecture & Digital Theory MRes programme co-directed by Professor Frédéric Migayrou and Professor Mario Carpo, dedicated to the theory, history and criticism of digital design and digital

fabrication. We look forward to supporting doctoral research in this exciting arena with a global seminar series open to our MRes and PhD students. The B-Pro Prospectives Lecture Series, with numerous speakers, architects, historians and theoreticians, continues to present new opportunities for students to encounter fresh takes on emerging research in the fields of digital theory.

Connected to the same field of digital research and computation are the Bio-Integrated Design Master’s programmes led jointly by Professor Marcos Cruz (The Bartlett) and Dr Brenda Parker (UCL Biochemical Engineering). With access to the latest in biotechnology and advanced fabrication, students work collaboratively in the lab, studio and workshop to develop novel products and environments, in the context of critical issues of climate change and sustainability. The solutions produced hold the potential to be shaped into world-changing environmental and social innovations.

Through a shared vision of creative architecture, B-Pro is an opportunity for students to participate in a new community and to affirm the singularity of their individual talents. These programmes are not only an open door to advanced architectural practice but also form the base from which each student can define their particular approach and architectural philosophy, in order to seek a position in the professional world.

Beyond the annual programmes, tutors have begun to develop more specific entities in the form of laboratories which will be structured to associate doctoral students with distinct areas of research in the fields of materials, robotics and AI, in partnership with companies in the digital and production fields.

This year the work has continued to further develop the clear shift in the contextualisation of previous research, the application of digital design and thinking has

engaged directly with political, cultural and societal realms. In particular the climate crisis is addressed by a number of clusters with an emphasis on changing landscapes and ecosystems, environmental sensing and materials. Issues of social justice and poverty are addressed through engagement with the political structures and economics of housing and population programmes.

In addition to the physical show, the online B-Pro show and this accompanying book are a broad showcase and testament to the continuation of the exceptional quality of work at B-Pro, its incredible commitment to design research and digital innovation, and the continuing creativity, passion and dedication of staff and students at The Bartlett School of Architecture.

Professor Frédéric Migayrou Chair, Bartlett Professor of Architecture Director of B-Pro

Professor Andrew Porter Deputy Director of B-Pro

Otrivin Air Lab by ecoLogicStudio, 2022. Photo: NAARO

B-Pro Labs

Automated Architecture Labs

Lab Directors: Mollie Claypool, Manuel Jiménez Garcia, Claire

McAndrew, Gilles Retsin

Automated Architecture (AUAR) Labs is a consortium of research streams at The Bartlett School of Architecture, operating at the intersection between architecture, automation and platforms.

Increasing automation requires architectural input. To make this work, we utilise the notion of the discrete, considering every element, part or particle as a piece of data that can be computed. Parts therefore take on the properties of a ‘bit’, becoming serialised, standardised and embedded with a simple binary rule: 0 or 1 (that is, connected or not connected). The emphasis on the part as a unit reintroduces the age-old disciplinary notion of part-to-whole relationships and constructs an architectural framework designed for automation. Our research brings advanced technologies, design, people and communities together to radically rethink architectural production. We are exclusively interested in revolutionising housing production using a regenerative, circular and localised approach to automate the design and manufacture of homes. We run live design research projects with communities across the UK, most recently in London, Dorset and Bristol. In 2021 we won the Architects’ Journal Social Sustainability Prize for our project Block West and were the recipients of its Small Projects Award in 2020 as part of the Economic and Social Research Council’s Transforming Construction Network Plus. Block West was referred to as ‘an intersectional piece of architecture which goes beyond a building’ by the Architects’ Journal jury.

AUAR Labs works with students with an agenda on housing, automation and platforms. Current and past collaborators include Knowle West Media Centre, Hackney Council, Bristol City Council, Waltham Forest Future Creatives, New City College, the Building Centre, East London Dance, Studio Wayne McGregor and Nagami Design. AUAR Labs has received funding from UCL Innovation and Enterprise, UCL Culture, Transforming Construction Network Plus, Epic Games and Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council Impact Acceleration Fund.

Image: House Block, 2021. Photo: James Harris

Material Architecture Lab

Lab Directors: Guan Lee, Daniel Widrig

Affiliated with Architectural Design MArch Research Cluster 6

Our research starts by asking questions about materials through design, both digitally and manually. With the prevalence of digital tools, the capabilities of industrial production have migrated from factory floors to smaller-scale workshops, laboratories and research facilities. Coupled with advances in material science at a microscopic scale, and availability of specialist tools to customise materials, the prospect of a new kind of architecture is now imminent. Despite advances in technology, the cost of digital fabrication is high, while change in the construction industry is slow. Digitally driven fabrication is deterministic by nature: everything made has to be modelled digitally, without the element of chance. In Material Architecture Lab we encourage making without preconceptions, allowing the characteristics of the material and fabrication techniques to inform and enrich the outcome. In order to be experimental with processes of making, we look closely at existing crafts and manufacturing techniques with the aim of adding to existing knowledge when possible, learning from it at the very least. Exploring the potential of material design requires setting aside established ideas of not only how something should be constructed, but also how materials should appear or behave. New materials in architecture emerge rarely, but their impact is considerable. The fabric of our cities and landscapes is a testament to what prevails and endures. Traditional materials can be refashioned by altering the way they are processed or utilised. Material behaviour changes with quantity; performance differs depending on a structure’s size and on the environment in which it is constructed, while visual impact varies with distance. Our method of enquiry is hands-on, set firmly in the realms of empirical testing of matter and fabrication on an architectural scale. The development of material science goes hand-in-hand with technological shifts. As a research laboratory, our interest in material is mediated through not only experimentation with the latest in digital design and fabrication but also applicability, tested in the construction industry through live projects. Our methodology prioritises a hybrid of fabrication techniques, favouring customised systems, the design of processes as well as products, and use of digitally controlled machining and semi-automated processes. Our experiments are grounded in cyclical processes of making prototypes, with rigorous and iterative refinements. The lab’s work is as much about traditional making as it is about computation and digital technology.

Image: Coir, Material Architecture Lab, 2018. Photo: NAARO

Urban Morphogenesis Lab

Lab Director: Claudia Pasquero

Affiliated with Urban Design MArch Research Cluster 16

The Urban Morphogenesis Lab was founded in 2012 as a research platform for the application of biocomputation in the design of contemporary ecological cities. In 2017, the lab established an ongoing collaboration focusing on photosynthetic architecture with The Synthetic Landscape Lab at the Institute of Urban Design, Innsbruck University, as well as the design innovation practice ecoLogicStudio, London. Over the past year, the lab has collaborated on several practice-based projects with this team.

‘Otrivin Air Lab’, a public laboratory and algae garden, was conceived in partnership with the healthcare company Otrivin. The living showroom and bio-design workshop was open to the public for several months in 2022. Photosynthetic microalgae in the Air Lab absorbed carbon dioxide from the air, producing biomass that the project’s bio designers collected. The biopolymer filaments were fed into a 3D printer to create new products, including neti pots, stools and bottles. The project, which was housed inside a timber-frame structure within London’s Building Centre, demonstrated a route toward a circular city.

A second architectural installation, ‘Habitat One’ imagined a new architectural model of a carbon-neutral city. Developed in collaboration with Hyundai Motor Company, the project was exhibited in Busan and Seoul, South Korea and Chengdu, China in 2022–23. The project invited visitors to experience the possibilities of living in a carbon-neutral world through three creations: two artificial intelligence videos, a living photosynthetic 3D-printed sculpture named Tree One and an urban bio lab.

The lab has also recently worked on the publication, Biodesign in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Deep Green (Routledge, 2023). Co-authored by Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto, the book investigates the potential of nature-based technology to shape the evolution of contemporary architecture and design in a time of catastrophic climate change. It proposes to engage with design and architecture as an extended cognitive interface, a sentient being that is co-evolutionary and symbiotic with the living planet, contributing to its beauty and our continued enjoyment of it.

Image: Habitat One, Hyundai Motor Studio Seoul, South Korea, 2023. Photo: Joonhwan Yoon.

The B-Pro Show 2022.

Photo: Richard Stonehouse

Architectural Design MArch

Architectural Design MArch

Programme Directors: Tyson Hosmer, Gilles Retsin

Architectural Design at The Bartlett School of Architecture is invested in the frontiers of advanced architecture and design and its convergence with science and technology. Composed of an international staff of experts and students, this programme is designed to deliver diverse yet focused strands of speculative research, emphasising the key role computation plays within complex design synthesis.

Design is increasingly recognised as a crucial agency for uncovering complex patterns and relations. Historically, the most successful architecture has managed to capture cultural conditions, utilise technological advancements and answer to the pressures and constraints of materials, economics, ecology and politics. This synthesis is now being accelerated by the introduction of computation and the ever-evolving landscape of production. Architectural Design students are introduced to advanced coding, fabrication and robotic skills, aimed at computational and technological fluency. Simultaneously, they are taught about the theoretical frameworks which underpin their enquiries. Students are part of a vibrant urban and professional community, enriching the process of learning and opportunities for networking. With advanced design at its core, the Architectural Design programme devotes a high proportion of its time to studio-based design enquiry, culminating in a major project and thesis. The programme is organised into research clusters, each with their own agendas, underpinned by the shared resources of technical tutorials, theoretical lectures and seminars. The latest approaches to robotics and artificial intelligence, augmented and virtual reality, 3D printing, supercomputing, simulation, generative design, interactivity, extensive material prototyping and links to material science are explored. Students engage critically with new developments in technology, which are rapidly changing the landscape of architecture, its social and economic role and its effectiveness in industry applications. Students are introduced to theoretical concepts through lectures and introductory design projects and are supported by workshops to build computation and robotics skills. Throughout the year, students work in small teams or individually, according to the methodology of each research cluster, amplifying their focus and individual talents in the context of complex design research and project development. Projects are continuously evaluated via tutorials, with regular design reviews by external critics. Alongside our cutting-edge research, we host public lectures and seminars throughout the year.

Programme Administrators

Tung Ying (Crystal) Chow, Tom Mole

Image: ‘BioColony’, Kun Chen, Jiaming (Key)

Hu, Yuxiao Huo, Xuran

Xiao, Research Cluster 7

RC1 Monumental Wastelands: Hyper-Local

Hadin Charbel, Déborah López Lobato

Research Cluster 1 explores the Anthropocene through the lens of ubiquity, examining the production of data, raw material and logistical processes, and analysing their impact on contemporary scenarios. This year’s theme, Hyper-Local, explores what the terms ‘local’, ‘vernacular’ and ‘sustainable’ mean to us today, as well as examining the concept of time.

Using Climate-Fiction (Cli-Fi) as a vehicle, we research, experiment with and project imminent realities. Our two strands of research topics have generally been categorised under ‘cli-migration’ – the forced migration of people due to changing climatic conditions –and ‘autonomous ecologies’ – the automation, rights and participation in discourse of nature. To address these issues, contextual research as well as legal precedents are analysed to devise highly bespoke responses that generate architectural outcomes from a sociopolitical approach.

With that in mind, this year’s projects have taken on a variety of forms, including: a contract for ecological custodianship in response to deforestation; participatory platforms that counter community displacement due to developer housing schemes; a zero-carbon strategy for reclaiming, recirculating and reintegrating used building materials; natural disaster prevention and community resilience through a gamified simulator; and the revitalisation of abandoned lands through cooperative and evolving allotments.

There are two key interrelated methodologies in our cluster that can be classified as conceptual and technical approaches. At the conceptual level, the cluster devises strategies of preservation through adaptation. This approach moves away from the idea of a nostalgic return to the past and instead embraces imminent realities, recognising that, while some things will inevitably be lost, others can and should be preserved through a practical yet sensitively tuned strategy. At the technical level, this is translated through decoding and recoding, understanding that preservation takes place through the identification of the peculiarities and localities of certain conditions and the analysis of data such as behaviours, materials and resources.

This year our cluster sought to foreground materiality and physical prototyping as an additional layer to the continued exploration into gamification and world making.

Students Carpenters Fedora Jiaying Chu, Mingyuan (Frederick) Li, Kexin Li

Flux-Lot

Xueqing Li, Shikun Tang, Wanting Xu

Material Locale

Zihan Xiang, Jiaxin Yue, Jun Yue

Transferring Resilience

Shuting Huang, Yi Song, Yuhan Xu

Vernacular Contract

Hadi El Kassar, Shiyu Tian, Dingsheng Xu

Theory Tutor

Albert Brenchat-Aguilar

Skills Tutors

Vicente Sanchez, Zehao Qin

1.1–1.2 Material Locale 1.1 The project explores the feasibility of achieving a circular economy for building materials in urban environments. It does so by developing a system for recycling existing materials based on different demolition and reuse methods, measured under the various realities of cost, carbon, machinery, transport and so on. The project responds to excessive global resource extraction and provides a framework for a systematic approach that could potentially yield a new form of vernacular, displayed through both materiality and assembly logic. A case study site in Seven Sisters, London, is chosen to test this notion of a hyper-local material and language system. 1.2 A virtual library of the decommissioned materials collected around London.

1.3–1.9 Flux-Lot Exploring the political implications of informal structures in urban areas as spaces for the commons. The project evolves as a system to reinvent the allotment: a vernacular typology of community gardens seen in the UK. Underperforming industrial spaces are ideal sites to offer new possibilities in urban development that feature gardening and community activities. A digital platform is combined with physical instruments to achieve maximum flexibility in planning and building, promoting community-based DIY through collective decision-making and easy-to-assemble logic. Functioning as both a planner and a construction consultant, the digital platform evolves along with the architectural components on site and collects user input as the basis for future adjustments.

1.10–1.11 Carpenters Fedora The Carpenters Estate in East London is made up of a combination of low-rise, high-rise and public-space community housing. It is set to be redeveloped in a scheme that will have undesirable impacts on its current tenants. The project proposes an alternative method of community relocation that enables current residents to carry out their own relocation on site, modifying their current dwellings to account for new and old unmet needs in their current homes. Departing from Fedora in Italo Calvino’s Invisible Cities, the proposal explores how the future of community housing can resist homogeneity and instead embrace the heterogeneity of people, wants and needs.

1.12–1.15 Vernacular Contract Located in a Ugandan forest ravaged by ecological threats, a refugee crisis and the remnants of European colonial planning, the project explores the possibility of creating communal craft settlements that operate on indigenous preservational paradigms. A carbon offsetting scheme is proposed where displaced Indigenous participants adopt an ‘inhabitation as protection’ model by relying on a platform that manages the planning and building process of relocation settlements and simplifies contractual elements into game rules. Combining local materials and using the human body as a design generator and building constraint, pragmatic construction systems and vernacular architectures form a language that is individually pleasurable and communally monumental.

1.16–1.20 Transferring Resilience What is there to be learned from the world’s archive of traditional ecological knowledge, and how might one acquire such information? The project responds to vulnerable communities, threatened by climate change, through a process of gamification that allows them to train for potential disasters as well as disassemble and relocate their existing homes in more strategic locations. A virtual archive is created that catalogues existing regional ecological practices and architecture and makes them accessible to anyone, anywhere. The proposal speculates that a decentralised and networked approach to knowledge transfer can enhance the resilience of small towns and villages that are at risk of disappearing, while maintaining a degree of identity and familiarity.

RC2 softROBOTIC ARCHITECTURE

Valentina Soana

Research Cluster 2 explores the potential of robotic systems, lightweight structures and shape-changing materials in architecture and design.

For many years, designers have envisioned building systems that can respond and adapt to multiple human, environmental and structural conditions. Recent technological advancements in robotics enable machines to be self-aware, and to plan and react to undetermined circumstances. Integrating robotic solutions into elastic material systems makes it possible to create novel structures that can self-form, reconfigure and achieve multiple states, operating and interacting at architectural and human scales. This approach can generate systems that achieve motion leveraging material behaviours. Compared with conventional rigid body kinematic systems, elastic kinetic structures can adapt to continuous changes of internal and external conditions with a minimum amount of energy and material resource.

Throughout the year, students were introduced to multidisciplinary approaches at the intersection of architecture, art and engineering. The cluster strove to develop novel adaptive material and structural systems that could achieve multiple states of equilibrium. The integration of actuation principles based on pneumatic and cable-driven approaches, with elastic, bending and tensile material behaviours, generated lightweight kinetic systems. These robotically controlled systems leveraged material behaviours, responding to changing human, environmental and structural conditions. Each team focused on a different design context to create structures that could respond to human emotions and other criteria, such as music.

Parallel to the design of a new physical system, the work focused on the development of novel methods to control the behaviour of these continuously changing material and structural systems. Custom algorithms were developed to compute system choreographies and control data based on feedback such as human and sound data. This approach allowed the designer/choreographer to generate a continuously changing system by integrating design intentions and physical feedback.

At a conceptual level, our research explores the role of robotics in architecture, moving beyond its role as a tool, towards the notion of robotic spaces, structures and building systems. This approach opens new possibilities for interactions between human, material and machine systems.

Students

A Dance of Other Bodies (ADOOB)

Aya Meskawi, Vaishnavi More, Xiangyi Tian, Kexin Wang EMObot

Ziheng Chen, Aofan Song, Keke Zhao

Theory Tutor Provides Ng

Skills Tutors

Emmanouil Dimitrakakis, Shahram Minooee Sabery

2.1–2.4 EMObot 2.1 The ‘EMObot’ soft robotic in three different states. The structure comprises an adaptive bending-active pneumatic hybrid system, which is robotically actuated. The integration of motorised and pneumatic actuation enables the system to deform, leveraging the elastic material properties of the system. The structure changes shape in response to human emotional states, generating a space where users can rest, interact and connect with the surrounding environment. 2.2 EMObot triangular module. Through the development of the EMObot soft robotic system, multiple geometries and materials are tested and their dynamic behaviour evaluated. This image shows a physical model made of a pneumatically actuated cushion with a triangular shape and custom seams. The system is reinforced by bending-actuated plates that provide stiffness and control the bending behaviour of the overall deformations. Varying internal pneumatic pressure causes different shapes to be generated.

2.3 EMObot human-scale prototype. The pneumatic soft-actuated modules are held in place by a bendingactive substructure. Their spatial configuration is designed to provide a deep sense of connection with inhabitants. The modules open and close and are capable of hugging their users based on their individual preferences. Users can control the modules through their breathing or by using manual controls. 2.4 Architectural vision. The image shows a rendering of an architectural proposal for a public adaptive space in an urban context. The proposal consists of EMObot pneumatic spatial modules arranged to create a large system of spaces that are soft and can change to generate multiple experiences. Users can immerse themselves and navigate through the structure, which changes shape and lighting to create forms based on human breathing and preferences. Through a custom control system, changes in shape are generated by negotiating design, materials and human states and preferences.

hybrid modules. Changes in shape, light and sound create a 3D performance where users experience a fully immersive environment.

2.5–2.10 A Dance of Other Bodies (ADOOB)

2.5–2.6 ‘ADOOB’: The physical system. Both images show pictures of the ADOOB robotic pneumatic system in multiple states. The structure is made of a bending-active substructure that holds adaptive pneumatic bendingactive hybrid leaf-shaped modules. These modules are highly engineered to enable controlled bending of their geometry solely through pneumatic actuation. This is made possible by integrating multiple elastic and bending materials with different stiffnesses. The module is composed of elastic membranes, bending plates and bending-active perimeter rods. The leaf shape is based on multiple studies that were carried out to ascertain the best dynamic performance. 2.7 ADOOB sound generation strategy. ADOOB is a dynamic system that is robotically controlled. Its activation generates a melodic sound. This strategy addresses one of the main sensory issues of pneumatic actuation: noise. Pneumatic systems are widely used in design and architecture for their soft, lightweight aesthetics and structural performance. However, pneumatic noise is often an unpleasant sound. ADOOB’s actuation strategy integrates a design process where pneumatic sound is altered and controlled by a custom-developed, real-time sound production engine. The image shows a diagrammatic representation of the relationship between geometrical deformations (simulated modules) and sound levels (graphs). Each geometrical state corresponds to sound parameters –therefore, global deformation, pressure parameters and sound values affect each other. 2.8–2.10 ADOOB’s architectural vision. The images show a proposed actuated structure for public performances. The structure is made of a bending-active system and robotically actuated bending-active pneumatic

RC3 Living Architecture Lab: AI + Autonomous Architecture

Tyson Hosmer, Octavian Gheorghiu, Philipp Siedler

Research Cluster 3 interrogates the notion of ‘living architecture’ as a coupling of living systems with the continuous [re]assembly and [re]formation of architecture. The cluster reappraises linear building lifecycles holistically, learning from living systems and their extraordinary scalable efficiencies arising from adaptive construction with simple flexible parts. Our research focuses on developing autonomously reconfigurable buildings with situated and embodied agency, facilitated variation and artificial intelligence (AI). The cluster develops experimental design models embedded with the ability to self-organise, self-assess and self-improve using deep reinforcement learning to train assembly systems to negotiate shifting architectural objectives. In parallel, we develop architectural robotics and intelligent simulation models in a tightly coupled feedback loop to create self-aware architecture.

We seek to embed local adaptability in the design process by training models to adjust and reconfigure to unforeseen and changing socio-economic needs and environmental conditions. One research thread focuses on physical reconfiguration enabled through autonomous robotic assembly systems that are tuned and trained in digital simulation environments. Real-time control and sensory feedback of physical robotics is managed within bespoke digital twin simulation environments developed in Unity. Another thread focuses on generative design models that apply AI to spatial planning and the organisation of reconfigurable parts to generate solutions that negotiate multi-objective architectural problems.

This year, Research Cluster 3 rethought the notions of home, work and factory as separate building typologies. The research largely evolved from collective robotic construction systems as ecologies of varied modular robots working collaboratively. Projects investigated new socio-economic models and scalable platforms that enable the formation of emergent communities through novel distributed living, working and production models aligned with autonomously adaptive architectural systems. We operated across several scales and topologies, from small-scale collaborative robotics for assembly, to adaptive hybrid material systems, to larger-scale robotic spatial [re]assembly.

State of the art architectural robotics and AI design algorithms have the potential to not only transform how we design and build architecture, but fundamentally change our relationship to and conversation with the built environment. In addition, the work interrogates how we live with robots or within robotic environments and how this may change our patterns and way of life.

Students

Co-Space

Hanbei Chen, Fan Jiang, Jiaqi Peng, Ling Zhang (re)2Bot

Janhavi Khairnar, Yu Chia Lin, Yen-Chen Liu, Nelisha

Mehta, Pichapa Wipawiwat

Re-Space

Yuechuan Jin, Yaosheng Tang, Yongye Xie, Weiheng Zhao

Stigmergic Spaces

Huize Qiu, Çağla Şamcı, Yuying Xiang, Hansen Ye, Ziheng Zhou

Theory Tutor

Jordi Vivaldi Piera

Skills Tutors

Ziming He, Baris Erdincer, Philipp Siedler, Panagiotis Tigas

Consultants and Critics

Sebastian Andia, Alisa Andrasek, Tiffany Cheng, Moritz Doerstelmann, Mustafa El-Sayed, Jelle Feringa, Nils Fischer, Paulo Flores, Marcelyn Gow, Catherine Griffiths, Sung Ho Kim, Toshikatsu Kiuchi, Jakub Klaska, Daniel Koehler, Theo Lalis, Areti Markopoulou, Anna-Maria Meister, Daniela Mitterberger, Philippe Morel, Campbell Orme, Stefana Parascho, Casey Rehm, Gili Ron, Jose Sanchez, Karolin Schmidbaur, Patrik Schumacher, Roland Snooks, Aldo Sollazzo, Theodora Vardouli, Andrew Witt, Maria Yablonina

3.1, 3.5–3.11 Stigmergic Spaces Inspired by the behaviours of social organisms and natural builders such as ants and slime moulds, the project is a reversible and reconfigurable collective robotic construction (CRC) system. A bespoke cyber-physical simulation environment is used to simulate force feedback, multi-agent collaborative behaviour, a spatial planning algorithm and reinforcement learning for adaptive architecture with programmable collective intelligence. The project targets dynamic construction environments, complex terrains and sites with limited accessibility for largescale construction equipment. Through a virtual platform, this system integrates user demands and environmental data to compress the process of design to adaptive construction and migration while using force feedback to maintain dynamic stability during the construction process. 3.1 Adaptive architecture visualisation of the distributed robotic material system.

3.5–3.6 Distributed robotic material system prototyping. An iterative series of robotic material system prototypes are tested, considering a bi-directional synergy between a locking and sliding system of reversible architectural elements and the degrees of freedom of assembly robots.

3.7–3.8 Spatial adaptation visualisations. The constraints of the robotic material system are developed to be able to continuously adapt existing assemblies. 3.9 Adaptive architecture visualisations. The system can adapt to dynamic landscapes and environments. 3.10 A custom simulator is developed and trained with deep reinforcement learning to create adaptive continuously stable structures considering the feedback of dynamic loads during the construction process. 3.11 Full-scale distributed robotic prototypes are developed to test adaptive and collaborative behaviours.

3.2–3.3, 3.21–3.28 Re-Space An autonomously adaptive reuse project that incorporates robotic building systems to reactivate derelict buildings for incubator communities. The project is a continuously adaptive CRC with collaboration between three types of relatively simple robots with low degrees of freedom – a freemoving robotic arm, a horizontal wheel and a track sliding robot – and modular blocks with magnets, tracks and a reversible locking system. A digital platform enables multiple users to input individual and shared spatial requirements and an agent-based spatial planner algorithm is used to autonomously negotiate and adapt space planning accordingly. Spatial adjustments communicate with the robotic system. A cyber-physical simulation system is developed with integrated pathfinding and collaborative behaviour for various complex assembly tasks to be trained with reinforcement learning for efficient reconfiguration sequencing to adapt spatial layouts to multi-user requirements.

3.2–3.3, 3.25–3.27 Architectural robotic prototyping with collaborative behaviour. A large series of robotic prototypes test and integrate a material system composed of three types of robots which collaborate, connect and disconnect with a voxel-based material system using tracks, magnets and reversible locking joints. A wide variety of collaborative behaviours is explored and physically tested.

3.21–3.22 Modular robots. Three types of modular robots are developed: a simple robot that slides on tracks, an arm-like robot and a wheelbased robot. They collaborate to create efficient and complex reconfiguration sequences of reversible wooden blocks. 3.23 Adaptive spatial planning algorithm with deep reinforcement learning. A 3D-adaptive spatial planning algorithm is composed of autonomous spatial agents that modify volumetric boundaries of space over time. The spatial planner is trained to adjust spaces to user requirements while communicating directly with the robotic control system.

3.24 Bespoke robotic simulation

and control. A Unity-based simulator is developed with direct real-time communication with the robotic material system. The simulator is trained using reinforcement learning to learn efficient collaborative behaviours for assembly and reconfiguration sequences.

3.12–3.20 (re)2Bot A modular construction system for disaster and refugee relief scenarios that can be assembled, disassembled and reconfigured by an ecology of large-scale robots. Rather than focusing on temporary short-term solutions, the project provides long-term solutions that can evolve over time. Quickly deployable camp settlements can be converted into permanent and adaptive communities over a series of stages. The construction system is developed with lightweight reversible monocoque parts prefabricated with sustainable materials in on-site micro-factories and co-designed with large-scale collaborative assembly robots. The project leverages constraintsolving computational algorithms and reinforcement learning to generate, construct, expand and reconfigure multifunctional spatial compositions according to the needs of the local refugee community for the present and future. 3.12 Generative constraint-solving algorithm outputs for various building topologies. 3.13–3.14, 3.19–3.20 Architectural visualisations of various phases of refugee community assembly and adaptation over time by large-scale autonomous robots. 3.15–3.16 Robotic prototypes. Scaled robotic prototypes are developed with custom end effectors and degrees of freedom for the reversible assembly of prefabricated fibre composite monocoque elements. 3.17–3.18 Material system prototyping. Natural fibre composite monocoque elements are developed as a rib system connected through robotic winding which is produced in micro-factories on site.

3.4, 3.29–3.35 Co-Space A platform providing flexible and continuously adaptive spatial solutions for housing and shared community space for members of cooperative organisations. The project is developed as an autonomous living architecture system through the co-design of a collaborative ecology of modular assembly robots and reversible blocks. Inspired by termite mounds and ant construction, modular robots incrementally adapt cave-like spaces and assemble into collaborative body plans with passive parts for more complex tasks. The project has an adaptive lifecycle and operates over multiple timescales, leveraging a spatial planning and constraint-solving algorithm linked to a robotic simulator. The simulator uses reinforcement learning to negotiate multi-user private and shared spatial requirements, modifying spaces accordingly. The project considers a continuous co-existence between humans and robots enabling constantly evolving cooperative communities to form and reform.

3.4, 3.32–3.34 Modular collaborative robotic prototyping. Three types of simple modular robotics are developed with the ability to connect, disconnect and collaborate as individuals or as larger, more complex body plans for reversible assembly tasks. Robots and material systems are co-designed with each other for complex assembly and reconfiguration. 3.29–3.30 Generative design algorithm. A voxel-based generative algorithm is developed for continuous adaptive space planning. 3.31, 3.35 Co-space community visualisations. The system utilises generative space planning in communication with the robotic material system to continuously adjust spaces to cooperative community requirements.

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RC5 Product Architecture

Stefan Bassing, Marios Tsiliakos

Research Cluster 5 investigates the relationship between digital and physical products for architectural or spatial applications.

The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry operates on the principle of non-repetitive processes, where every building is conceived as a prototype within a unique context. Typically, buildings are executed on a per project basis, making the architectural industry part of the service economy. The research cluster aims to transform the traditionally service-oriented architectural design industry into one that develops its own product applications and focuses on automation and scalability. We augment tangible or intangible technological capabilities into physical items, inventing new digital products that replace traditional spatial experiences. Product architecture extends the reach of design beyond that which can be built. We enhance the design cycle with novel solutions developed from industries such as industrial design, software development and systems design. The intention is to adopt a range of computational design techniques to generate geometry and interactive content, or to explore the design of latent space through machine learning.

Over the year, students worked with user-centric design thinking strategies, firstly to identify a distinct spatial problem, and then to examine the existing landscape of applications that bridge design, fabrication and technological innovation. Throughout the subsequent stages of the design process, we developed a series of multi-layered solutions tailored to these individual use cases, blending the domains of technology and architecture. We achieved this by employing cutting-edge technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) in the form of recommender systems, robotics for adaptable spatial configurations and 3D printing for flexible fabrication and circularity of materials. At the same time, we investigated introducing contemporary concepts popular in the Web3 domain such as gamification, where design is incentivised by rewards through experiences, and digital twins in the form of retrofitting spaces and improving their spatial and operational performance, looking beyond the traditional meaning of Building Management Systems (BMS).

During the past year, we have investigated many different architectural products, from affordable and configurable 3D-printed housing solutions and highly adaptive co-working spaces with mobile robotic furniture, to rethinking contemporary education as a gamified experience in the metaverse space.

Students Aurora

Diba Baghernejad, Chen Liang, Shiyu Liu, Shiyuan Liu, Haojin Qin Eduverse

Jueqiu Gong, Qixuan Huang, Qiyue Huang, Huizhao Liu, Dehui Tian Wanderland

Ziding Cai, Enci Xie, Yuting (Nina) Yan, Xuanhao Zhang

Theory Tutor

Daria Ricchi

Skills Tutors

Mumin Keser, JJ Lee, Alvaro Lopez, Zehao Qin

Consultants and Critics

Ai Build, Calin Craiu, FabPub, Pietro Gottardi, Loukia Iliopoulou

5.1–5.11 Aurora The project offers an innovative and configurable 3D-printed housing solution that integrates web technologies, machine learning (ML) and extended reality. It rethinks the way we design, construct and assemble homes – ultimately enhancing the quality of urban living.

5.1 Aurora sections deconstructed. Permutations of the Aurora home in axonometric view.

5.2–5.3 Layout and furniture configurator. The Aurora app introduces a unique system for the configuration of units. The process is split into multiple levels, from a brute force layout packing to an optimisation step, attempting to maximise the utilisation of available space tailored to the needs of the individual. Next, the system is ready to accommodate furniture according to the user’s needs and preferences.

5.4 Furniture configurator interface. The front end of Aurora includes a series of web apps built in a games engine environment. These allow the user to reconfigure their Aurora homes in real time, control smart systems or purchase add-ons. 5.5 Artificial intelligence recommender system. Aurora is trained using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) with data collected through questionnaires. Users can decide whether they want assistance from the system in establishing the best configuration for their Aurora home. With a set of inputs regarding the individual, the ML model recommends possible configurations for them.

5.6 Aurora enhances small-space living by blending the tangible with the digital. Augmented reality (AR) experiences are offered to Aurora users through an on-demand app and can be mapped onto the Aurora sections, extending the experience of space beyond the physical.

5.7 An Aurora home use case. Space is not an issue when this can be tailored to your needs. 5.8 Users can exchange their old parts, recycle them or reuse the material for printing new parts. They can also exchange parts with others, all through the Aurora marketplace.

5.9 The Aurora home offers endless possibilities and arrangements of its distinct but at the same time modular parts. 5.10–5.11 Aurora is a fully 3D-printable solution, tailored to the needs of its users.

5.12–5.19 Wanderland The project provides a holistic solution for the unpredictable workspace demands of the expanding digital nomad community. It automates the dynamic allocation of space by mounting 3D-printed office equipment onto mobile robots. 5.12 Wanderland‘s mobile robots will be there for you when you arrive.

5.13 A day in Wanderland begins by navigating through the space using the AR app. Users can easily find their allocated space even if it differs from their previous visits.

5.14 Space-planning tool. Wanderland employs a back-end system capable of analysing existing floor plans and assessing them in regard to daylight, noise levels and connectivity, providing a heat map of whether different working types can be located for more effective working. 5.15 Solving layouts with genetic optimisation. A genetic algorithm is utilised to provide the best layout configuration for the following working day. It takes into account data from previous analysis but is also dynamic, noting the number and types of bookings and assessing robot mobility within users’ calendars. 5.16 Wanderland furniture details. All Wanderland equipment is specifically designed to fit various add-ons, adapting to the everchanging needs of digital nomads. In addition, it is equipped with Internet of Things (IoT) sensors capable of providing evidence-based information on the assumptions of the space-planning tool in terms of operational performance. 5.17 Furniture is mounted on semi-autonomous robots that are controlled by the back-end space-planning tool. It also adapts to Wanderland’s local mobile robots as they rearrange the space to host different events.

5.18 All of Wanderland’s furniture is 3D-printed using sustainable materials. It can

be recycled, customised in terms of colour and size, and more importantly, fabricated anywhere in the world, with a robotic 3D printer capacity.

5.19 During the day, Wanderland’s mobile robots rearrange the space and equipment to host different events. This is carried out in an unintrusive way with optimised routes of reassembly.

5.20–5.26 Eduverse The project reimagines contemporary education as an immersive gamified experience in the metaverse, exploring the endless opportunities this web-connected platform of collaborative learning could open up to students and educators. 5.20 Eduverse avatar customisation. Each student in the Eduverse can customise their avatar and schedule according to their individual curriculum.

5.21 Workspace customisation permutations. Each student is allocated as many workspaces as they need, as space is not an issue in the metaverse. 5.22 Eduverse campus procedural generation. The campus is rebuilt every semester by a procedural generation process, using data from existing cities and also introducing stochastic elements of content creation – from masterplanning grids to building typologies, landmarks and the non-player character (NPC) population.

5.23 Barcelona campus axonometric. In this scenario, the semester’s brief is inspired by the architecture of Barcelona; therefore, the campus is auto-generated to provide the relevant dynamic teaching endpoints in the curriculum.

5.24 Traditional design classes are replaced with dynamic designs that replace buildings in the campus’ urban fabric. Rewards in the form of tokens are offered for the best designs. 5.25 Walking through the Eduverse campus is a novel experience each day. Users can walk through a different city or even through a different era. NPCs and static information points guide students along the way.

5.26 Interactive history class. How would it feel to learn while immersed in Mies’ Barcelona Pavilion? The Eduverse gives students the opportunity to explore the building’s structural elements and understand its architectural detailing in innovative new ways.

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Material Architecture Lab Art and Material

Christopher Fischlein, Guan Lee, Daniel Widrig

RC6

Research Cluster 6 places importance on the utilisation of materials and the examination of design processes above and beyond practicality. We encourage design and making within a critical framework that challenges the boundary between art and architecture. This year we turned to the craft of making artwork for design ideas and production inspiration. Art fabrication is not a new phenomenon but has evolved over time, reflecting changes in artistic practices, technological advancements and cultural values. Making art is a vital part of the design and architectural world, enabling architects to realise ambitious and complex formal projects that push the boundaries of not only what we build but also how we build. The technological advancements of the 19th and 20th centuries allowed artists to explore new material systems and construction methods. The distinction between artist and craftsman continued to blur as artists began to collaborate with industry experts to create works using techniques like metal casting and glassblowing. How can architecture based on techniques of art production play a role in design experiments? How can craft grow from personal artmaking to a collective and spatial construct? Is it just a shift of scales, both physical and conceptual?

Our year started with a visit to Castle Fine Arts Foundry in Oswestry, Shropshire, a bronze casting foundry founded by sculptor Chris Butler over 30 years ago. The visit allowed students to witness the large-scale casting of metal and the architecture of sculpture making: the creation of wax copies, scaling of models, shelling of moulds, pouring of metal and finally the finishing of metal patina. This year our projects have included research into future air quality in relation to activated carbon composite, concrete rubble as a building material, bronze casting with burnt-out natural fibre and a rethinking of papier-mâché using clay slip. The projects have sought to transform methods of production for artwork into construction details and building components.

Students

ACixty_one Warisa Chaisutyakorn, Andres Cordova

Cahuenas, Nour Shalaby, Tereza Zivotska

MorphoTextura

Lijia Ding, Lemeng Shi, Qiyao Wang, Fangyin Wu

Re-Concrete

Yue Wang, Zhiyue Wang, Yixuan Yang, Wei Zhang

Metallic Fabric

Xinyu Tan, Zhiyuan

Tian, Yunxuan Xiao, Jingyang Yuan

Slip-Mâché

Mingyi Xia, Jiaqi Yao, Xiangyu Zhou

Theory Tutor

Ruby Law

Partner

Chris Butler, Castle Fine Arts Foundry

6.1 Ceramic Shell Casting Site visit to Castle Fine Arts Foundry, Wales, UK. Over the past year, Research Cluster 6 have collaborated with Castle Fine Arts Foundry to learn from the fabrication techniques of ceramic shell casting and apply them to their own research. By solidifying soft materials in wax, encasing them in ceramic and then burning away the wax for metal casting, students have been able to translate intricate and fragile materials into solid and permanent objects.

6.2, 6.27–6.32 MorphoTextura This project examines the intricate relationship between natural materials and age-old weaving techniques. The exploration of lost-wax casting, also known as investment casting or precision casting, reveals the unique properties of wax and its influence on moulding materials. With the incorporation of natural materials such as cotton, wool, fabric and rope, intricate knots and weaves are accentuated, creating augmented 3D patterns. Wax is reintroduced in this process, serving as a binding agent to bolster the pattern’s stability. Subsequently, this composite undergoes a transformation, transmuting the soft material into rigid metal yet preserving its visual nuances. The project seamlessly melds textures, crafts and materials, creating a bridge between timehonoured techniques and modern digital technologies.

6.3–6.8 Re-Concrete The project addresses the challenges around recycling concrete waste and develops methods to achieve full reuse. 3D modelling software aids in optimising the utilisation of concrete fragments sourced from planned demolitions. These fragments undergo scanning and are then compiled in a comprehensive database. Drawing inspiration from the dynamic tensegrity system, a typological approach is taken to assemble the concrete pieces. Extensive research into nodal connections has been conducted, ensuring the viability of these assemblies. The overarching goal is to reshape the landscape of concrete reuse, championing sustainable recycling techniques for a greener future.

6.9–6.14 Slip-Mâché The project explores the combination of clay and paper to create a composite material. Upon exposure to high temperatures, the paper component evaporates, leaving a porous structure in its wake. This property allows for the creation of thin shells using papier-mâché techniques and the production of ceramic tiles with porous patterns using laminate methods. The end result offers new possibilities for constructing ceramic buildings, sculptures, landscape features and more.

6.15–6.20 Metallic Fabric Delving into the intricate realm of fashion design, the project focuses on transforming and reinterpreting the attributes of fabric. By accentuating the decorative textures and functional seams typically reserved for flat fabrics, a series of 3D designs is developed. These designs capture the delicate nuances of soft fabric patterns, translating them into more rigid and durable materials. Through the application of the ceramic shell casting technique, the project unveils a novel morphology influenced by the softness of fabric, but taking the form of contrasting, hard architectural elements.

6.21–6.26 ACixty_one Air pollution poses a major threat to human health, with PM2.5 particles being particularly worrisome due to their ability to penetrate deep into the respiratory system. This project explores the potential of activated carbon as a material to adsorb PM2.5 in urban areas. By combining activated carbon with bioplastic, a new composite material is created that is printable, malleable and recyclable. Extensive research on material properties and fabrication techniques results in an optimised approach that combines 3D printing and scraping. The project proposes a new architectural

material that captures PM2.5 from the air and can be used for breathing pods or as modules for polluted London Underground stations, offering a solution to the urgent problem of air pollution and promoting sustainable urban environments.

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RC7 Unruly Assemblies

Richard Beckett, Christopher Whiteside

Research Cluster 7 is an innovative design research studio that considers how advances in biology, engineering and the understanding of the microbiome are affecting architecture. The cluster explores new modes of bio-design workflows and digital fabrication methods, as well as advances in the field of synthetic biology and material sciences. The work questions how these topics can challenge modern approaches to architecture, which have fundamentally sought to separate the human from the non-human world as the preferred condition. Instead, through a multidisciplinary and multi-species approach to design, we pursue new ways of building with living agencies, to create cities that are sustainable, healthy and biodiverse in the age of the Anthropocene.

This year, a specific interest in ‘grown’ composite materials, alongside the use of environmentally driven machine learning models, informed the conception of new building paradigms and the development of novel bio-fabrication techniques. Considering the contemporary understanding of the human as a holobiont as well as the shifting modes of bio-politics, students developed novel biologically driven spatial assemblies to provide for multiple living agencies across a range of building typologies. Our projects explored these living material systems and unruly building typologies for urban living alongside radical solutions addressing issues including urban growth in the age of the Anthropocene, and the need to rewild urban environments with micro-biodiversity.

BioColony investigated architecture as an assembly of biologically active materials, matters and spatial ecologies by curating a dwelling/allotment building typology and integrating live–work–gardening typologies in a series of entanglements of species, genes and timescales. MycoPulp explored the development of low-energy, rapidly renewable composite materials to create an architecture that is part fabricated, part ‘grown’. MycoLoofah developed hybrid composite materials that were ‘grown’ together, comprising mycelium, loofah and grass roots, to explore a more biological, non-permanent architecture. Each of these materials engaged with circular material economies which could reduce the impact of architecture and construction on the climate. They could also serve as bio-receptive substrates for the secondary growth of photosynthetic organisms to contribute to carbon reduction and increased biodiversity in cities.

Students

BioColony

Kun Chen, Jiaming (Key)

Hu, Yuxiao Huo, Xuran

Xiao

MycoPulp

Lokyi Chan, Qianyuan Jin, Xiaoxuan Qu

MycoLoofah

Hanshu Jia, Arunima

Kalra, Anqi Pei

Theory Tutor

Yota Adilenidou

Skills Tutors

Juan Cantu, Eleana Polychronaki, Hangchuan Wei

7.1–7.4 BioColony This project explores architecture as an assembly of biologically active materials, matters and spatial ecologies, curating live–work–gardening typologies as a series of entanglements of species, genes and timescales. Building on the previous bio-receptive design approaches developed by Research Cluster 7, the project looks beyond the material condition and instead defines new ways to plan building strategies to integrate living matter into architecture. The project develops a design methodology using machine learning (ML) models trained on environmental datasets and a proposed platform tool that enables site-specific environmental information to be embedded in any given structure, thus optimising building mass and form for maximal growth of natural diversity. The typology becomes an inhabitable urban landscape of unruly territories that embraces ecological concepts of ageing, erosion and decay as a fundamental paradigm of resilience. Taxonomies of ecological parts are assembled using environmentally driven ML models to imagine how buildings as ‘biocolonies’ can serve as an ecosystem service for health.

7.5–7.11 MycoPulp The project explores the development of low-energy, rapidly renewable composite materials for architecture that are part fabricated, part grown. Sited within the fields of bio-digital design and engineered living materials, the project utilises waste materials in line with trends towards circular material economies that then serve as a structural scaffold for the secondary growth of mycelium to explore living building elements. This bio-fabrication approach produces ‘unruly’ composites that are partly controllable in terms of stiffness, thickness and mass, but vibrant and ephemeral in their form and behaviour as they lose or gain moisture and become colonised by time, environment and nature. Using this approach, the project rejects the modern paradigm of demolition and rebuild and instead explores the adaptive reuse of non-structural building parts using materials that require a reframing of the idea that buildings should be permanent. These composites are imagined as components for non-permanent elements of the building fabric, creating ephemeral biological spaces for buildings that undergo cyclical phases of decay and regrowth/manufacture.

7.12–7.18 MycoLoofah Operating within the discourse of bio-digital design, the project addresses the contemporary built environment challenges of material resource and low urban biodiversity. Western obsessions with permeance and sterility have favoured the development of material composites that are resistant to ageing, decay or biological growth through the use of chemical or synthetic agents. These materials are unable to be reused or recycled and, as the average lifespan of buildings is reducing, mostly end up in landfill. In line with these ecological and material insecurities, the project explores the use of hybrid living materials as low-energy, rapidly renewable building materials. Hybrid composite materials are ‘grown’ together, comprising mycelium, loofah and grass roots, exploring a more biological, non-permanent architecture. These materials engage with circular material economies that can reduce the impact of architecture and construction on climate challenges. They can also serve as bioreceptive substrates for the secondary growth of photosynthetic organisms that can contribute to carbon reduction and increase biodiversity in cities.

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RC8 Towards a Multi-Material Architecture

Kostas Grigoriadis

Research Cluster 8 focuses on multi-material design and the wider implications that the use of multi-materials will have on architecture and building construction in the future. We explore new methods of designing and building with material gradients, rethinking componentbased assembly and the standard practice of 20th-century mechanical connectivity. In previous years, the cluster has investigated the use of robotic fabrication for the in-situ 3D printing of building façades and the fusion of materials such as metal and glass to generate componentless, materially continuous envelopes. This year, students researched the origins of materials that make up larger multi-material topologies from recycled sources, and the end-of-life strategies of buildings and structures deployed across London.

The first of the two projects revived unused pocket spaces in the city. The design process consisted of three stages: material research, micro-home design and robotic additive manufacturing. During the first stage, the team explored multi-materiality by synthesising man-made and organic compounds obtained from landfill sites outside London. The resulting bio-compounds of discarded crustacean animal shells fused with discarded plastics were robotically extruded to generate adaptive micro-home designs. These were inserted in unused pocket spaces to help alleviate the current housing shortage. Post-use, the micro-home materials can be shredded down, and converted into filament for 3D printing of new objects and spaces.

The second project looked into the problem of the masses of plastic and organic materials that go to waste every day, as well as the pressing need for more retail space in London. The project engaged with these issues by proposing a series of micro-retail units at vacant sites across the city. These spaces were robotically fabricated and made of graded plastic fused with oyster and coffee grounds that can be recycled when the structures come to their end of life. In terms of design, lattice geometries derived through topology optimisation were used to generate enclosures that conserved material and made full use of the leftover sites.

Students

Cycle of Recycling

Zhen Huang, Xinao Zhang, Zhen Zhao

Multi-Material

Micro-Homes

Praful Pradeep, En Yang, Lanxin Yang

Theory Tutor

Ilaria di Carlo

Skills Tutors

Samuel Esses, Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez

Consultant

Martyn Carter

8.1 Research Cluster 8 Lattice prototypes. A series of 3D-printed and robotically extruded prototypes are developed, studying: density and thickness variation, Wire Arc Additive Manufacturing (WAAM)-style and hybrid layered/lattice printing, multi-material printing, skin and structural lattice hybridisation and geometric lattice patterns.

8.2–8.10 Cycle of Recycling 8.2 Topological optimisations are recursively iterated to generate an acceptable spatial solution that conforms to site and retail space accessibility criteria. 8.3 Micro-retail space 3D-sectional render. The selected optimisation is converted into a lattice that merges with the skin and floors to form a continuous multi-material entity. There are no discrete parts, just a single topology of blended materials and geometries. 8.4–8.5 Spatial hybrid lattice design process sequence. The project engages with the pressing need for new retail space in London. It addresses this issue by proposing a series of microretail spaces at vacant sites across the city. In terms of the design process, a bounding box is set, followed by the assigning of support points, loads and obstacle geometries within it. The resulting topologically optimised geometry is converted into a variable thickness and density lattice. Due to the use of volume meshing in the optimisation step, the lattice is volumetric and occupies the whole optimised geometry. A skin is then shrinkwrapped across the lattice and fused to it, with materials distributed across the lattice topology. 8.6–8.7 Spatial hybrid lattice interior renders. The micro-retail spaces are robotically fabricated out of a functionally graded material consisting of polylactide (PLA) plastic fused with oyster shells and coffee grounds. The resulting micro-structures can be recycled at their end of life or biodegraded, as they are made of natural materials. The multi-material lattice morphologies permeate the interior spaces. 8.8–8.9 Transparent oyster and coffee ground PLA prototypes. Around 18,000 tonnes of waste were generated per day in London in 2021, and a total of 7,500,000 tonnes in the whole year. Part of this waste consists of discarded oyster shells and coffee grounds from cafés and restaurants across the city. These prototypes are fabricated, with PLA fused with oyster shells and coffee ground particles in a speculative attempt to alleviate this problem of wastage. Additionally, load testing by UCL Mechanical Engineering showed that multi-material PLA exhibits higher tensile and compressive strength than pure PLA. 8.10 Hybrid layered and latticed 3D-printed prototype. Standard methods of 3D printing plastics consist of horizontal or non-planar layering, or lattice extrusion. Here, horizontal layering and lattice extrusion are combined in one process to generate a structural skin hybrid. The layered outer skin has a waterproofing function and its embedded internal lattice supports the skin structurally.

8.11–8.19 Multi-Material Micro-Homes 8.11 Various types of multi-material PLA lattices. The materials used in the prototypes are generated by synthesising man-made and organic compounds obtained from landfill sites outside London. 8.12–8.13 Multi-material sectional studies. The project proposes the insertion of microhomes in London’s unused pocket spaces in an attempt to alleviate the current housing shortage. The size and arrangement of spaces within the micro-homes are informed by detailed studies of the ergonomics of campervans. Materials of variable rigidity and opacity are distributed across the lattices forming and enclosing these spaces to regulate light, privacy and the comfort of regions in contact with the body. 8.14–8.15 Volumetric lattice studies. The design method to generate the micro-home spaces first consists of packing spherical geometries. These are then offset inwards and

3D-printable lattices fill the gaps in between. The lattices explored here consist of triangular, rectangular and hexagonal grids, infilling equal or variably sized sphere-packing booleans and cell-thickness and size-gradient options. 8.16–8.17 Micro-home crossand close-up sections. Various structures and latticefilling methods were tested and simulated towards generating the project designs. Sunlight analyses and privacy studies, as well as load-bearing simulations, were also part of the design process. The result is an integrated design including skin, a supporting structure and even furniture. Gradients in structural thickness, density and transparency are guided by the simulation data that informs their precise distribution. 8.18 WAAM-style PLA lattice. PLA plastic prototype fabricated using a novel extrusion method based on dot-by-dot 3D printing. Plastic is typically extruded in a layered manner or in the form of lattice ‘space frames’ consisting of straight vertical, horizontal and diagonal segments. Here, in a method similar to metal WAAM, plastic is extruded in one lump of material per layer to generate the 3D lattice.

8.19 Dual material 3D-printing test. The nodes of this 3D-printed lattice are fabricated in white PLA and the straight diagonal members in black PLA. In principle, a structural type of plastic could also be used in highstructural-load regions and a lower-performing one in structurally neutral areas.

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RC9 Architecture for the Augmented Age

Alvaro Lopez Rodriguez, Igor Pantic

Throughout history, technology has had a crucial influence on the development of society. Different eras have been defined by sets of technological advancements which have had a profound impact on the built environment and construction. It has been proposed that, after the internet age, we are embarking on a new era: the ‘Augmented Age’.1

With this in mind, Research Cluster 9 explores how extended reality (XR) technologies can change the ways in which we design, build and interact with our cities. The cluster explores a hybrid approach to making through the application of alternative strategies for fabrication. Making in XR can enhance traditional craftsmanship by augmenting hand and material skills with the precision and formal possibilities of digital modelling. XR-assisted processes can enhance human labour with data, while also enabling seamless inclusion of intuitive decision-making and a more immersive experience, elements often absent from automated construction processes.

The cluster’s research also includes applications of XR technologies which allow for an immersive experience and interaction with the built environment and the metaverse. Our students investigate how the surge of virtual platforms – which enable users to create, collaborate, explore and engage in economic activity – intertwines with the built environment and how architecture and the urban environment become both the canvas and the enablers of the virtual realm.

Students

ActiCiti

Lihua Feng, Dorsa

Hosseinkhani, Peixuan Li, Yiyuan Ma

ARDobe

Yubo Wang, Haowen Xue, Yifan Xue, Xuan Zhang

Event X

Yupeng Huang, Ge Leng, Liuyang Miao

MisMif

Carl Barrett, Nian Liu, Ziqing (Elodia) Wei

Theory Tutor

Daria Ricchi

Skills Tutor

Hanjun Kim

1. Brett King (2016), Augmented: Life in the Smart Lane, Marshall Cavendish International

9.1–9.5 MisMif With the continuous evolution of extended reality (XR) technology, the potential for a merged reality metaverse is becoming ever more tangible. The methods of inhabiting these immersive spaces are undergoing a profound transformation, shifting from the creation of entirely virtual realms to integrating virtual media that engages in direct dialogue with the architectural fabric of the physical world. This approach needs to consider the rich historical context, intricate textures and environmental data profiles of physical spaces. In this context, the project introduces a procedural method that engages with existing spaces through textures and geometries while also establishing a new interface with a digital ecology that overlays the urban landscape. This endeavour opens up new horizons for the convergence of physical and virtual space, fostering a dynamic and immersive metaverse that intertwines the realms of the real and the digital. 9.1 Example of an augmented non-player character (NPC) within the Barbican Centre, London. 9.2 Wearable device for real-life data collection. 9.3 Use of the wearable device for interaction with a particle-based NPC. 9.4 Example of an augmented NPC within Covent Garden, London. 9.5 Example of an augmented interior NPC within Covent Garden, London.

9.6–9.9 ActiCiti The project revolutionises engagement with the built environment through immersive mixedreality (MR) experiences. Using a personalised MR platform, users can transform their perception of the physical world by overlaying digital data, unlocking new levels of customisation and exploration. Blurring the lines between reality and virtuality, the project shapes environments and digs into digital materiality. It explores the remarkable potential of AI-generated content (AIGC) to extend the performance of materials in digital overlays, enabling the attainment of object properties that surpass the limits of reality. Users become co-creators, fostering creativity, collaboration and a deeper connection to urban spaces.

9.6 Visualisation of the user interface of the ‘ActiCiti’ app.

9.7 Visualisation of augmented architecture in London. 9.8 Example of the interior of an augmented architecture. 9.9 Diagram defining the app user experience structure and functionalities.

9.10–9.13 Event X The project explores the impact of MR technology on architecture by providing a platform for immersive design services and the creation of pop-up event spaces. MR architecture is divided into virtual and physical components. The virtual component is represented through a series of digital overlays, which enable the user to interact with the space in a constantly changing and evolving manner, while the physical elements provide the backdrop to which these overlays are anchored. 9.10 Wave function collapse (WFC) interaction. Variations of the WFC interact with existing space. 9.11 Variations for event spaces based on WFC algorithms. 9.12 An example of the interaction between the digital component and the physical component.

9.13 Visualisation of a remote user attending an MR event.

9.14–9.19 ARDobe Inspired by traditional architecture, this project explores the possibility of using low-tech methods to construct buildings in remote areas with the aid of MR devices. MR technology is deployed as a tool for guided construction during the processes of prefabrication and assembly of building elements. Traditional formwork typically requires skilled workers for precise assembly and construction, which limits architectural expression, prolongs construction time and increases construction costs. Therefore, this project adopts ground-based inverted moulds and develops an MR application to manage the construction process, including positioning the formwork, controlling the depth,

managing material proportions and organising the module fabrication and assembly sequence.

9.14 Catalogue of WFC-generative algorithm tiles.

9.15 Diagram explaining the interconnection of the building systems and materials . 9.16 Visualisation of the augmented reality manufacturing projection.

9.17 Visual interface of the digital platform user interface. 9.18 Building process. Visualisation of the augmented building process for a house model.

9.19 House 1. Visualisation of a fully constructed house model using the ‘ARDobe’ platform.

RC10 Constructing the Phygital

Federico Borello, Cesar Fragachan

Research Cluster 10 is dedicated to investigating and advancing cutting-edge design and tech-enabled processes in the field of architecture, engineering and construction (AEC). By harnessing the power of computation and embracing the latest emerging technologies, the cluster pushes the boundaries of innovation in the industry.

Our research addresses the pressing issue of London’s housing shortage by adopting a tech-enabled and participatory design methodology. Data on the requirements of end users is gathered through various platforms that draw inspiration from the gaming, automobile and aerospace industries. This data-driven approach ensures that the resulting housing solutions are precisely tailored to meet the needs and preferences of future occupants.

The cluster explores the synergies between Design for Manufacture and Assembly practices and industrialised modular construction technologies. By integrating these two methodologies, we aim to develop structure- and production-aware parametric architectural components. This strategic combination allows for the creation of architectural elements that can be efficiently manufactured and assembled, thereby streamlining the construction process, enhancing efficiency and reducing costs. Kit-of-parts are developed and deployed in prototypical scenarios which consist of both private and public spaces to create sustainable mixed developments. The goal is to increase density in urban areas while improving social interactions and providing a better quality of life.

Our research endeavours to foster enhanced community interactions and overall wellbeing by designing spaces that facilitate social connections and promote a sense of community. In doing so, we address the pressing housing shortage while also contributing to the broader societal need for sustainable and harmonious urban environments.

Students Hive

Ruihan Chang, Arjun Kapoor, Taishan Lei, Yang Wu, Hussein Zaarour Oasis

Hou Io Chan, Yiding Mao, Xinyi Tian, Zihan Xu, Meiqian Zhang

Machiya

Adhruv Chadha, Xin Lin, Limin Wang, Xinyue Zhang

Theory Tutor

Alejandro Veliz Reyes

Skills Tutor

Jianfei Chu

Consultants and Critics

Jose Ignacio Alvarez (Stelling Properties), Marco Caprani (Pininfarina Architecture), Giuseppe Conti, Martina Faedda, Enrico Maggi, Giovanni de Niederhäusern

10.1, 10.9–10.14 Oasis The singular purpose of traditional buildings is no longer sufficient to meet the diverse demands of contemporary society. Their lack of flexibility and limited range of functions hinder their ability to adapt to evolving needs. The currently prevalent standardised modular construction design fails to acknowledge that users are dynamic entities with evolving requirements. The design of such structures should prioritise adaptability in order to effectively support the evolving lifestyles and habits of their occupants. This project is dedicated to addressing the aforementioned issues by implementing modular design principles that emphasise flexibility, adaptable interfaces, standardised repairs, durability and personalisation. Simultaneously, it promotes sustainability and circularity, ensuring a more environmentally conscious approach. 10.1 Close-up view of an urban block, showcasing green roof spaces, sustainable materials and shared amenities for the inhabitants and the public. 10.9 User customisation of the unit balcony design through the ‘Oasis’ platform. Customisation choices have an impact on the overall context and surroundings. In this example, if a terrace is added to the façade, the windows will transform into floor-to-ceiling glass doors, seamlessly linking the indoor space with the outdoor terrace. 10.10 Automated aggregation of units in a large-scale urban context, ensuring circulation while linking multiple seed points in the urban surroundings. 10.11–10.12 Unit interior space visualisation after the user configuration has been completed, featuring walls with integrated furniture and a multi-material palette. 10.13 Common green spaces situated interstitially within the residential community. The porous aggregation of units allows the creation of multiple open green spaces where gathering and social interaction are encouraged to form a vibrant neighbourhood. 10.14 Aerial view of an urban proposal, showcasing green roof spaces and timber-clad curvilinear terraces. Sustainable materials, shared common areas, ground floor retail spaces and customisable dwelling units define the vision for the urban blocks of future cities.

10.2–10.8 Hive This project enhances community empowerment by promoting a more equitable and inclusive housing process, encompassing design, supply and delivery. This initiative builds upon existing research and extends its influence through the implementation of a platform-based solution that revolutionises the approach to housing design, construction and occupancy. This transformative platform ensures accessibility to a broader audience regardless of their geographical location, enabling users to create and personalise their living spaces while staying informed about the production processes. The project is dedicated to advocating sustainable and innovative solutions for the housing needs of diverse communities, encouraging users to take ownership of their individual habitats to foster greater agency and participation, promote social equity and facilitate economic mobility. 10.2 Close-up view of the staggered terraces, a result of the aggregation of multiple dwelling units. 10.3 The platform offers a comprehensive interface designed specifically for developers. This enriched overview gives users an insight into every layer of the aggregation. Developers can meticulously assess communal areas, ensuring a balanced equilibrium that culminates in the approval of the final aggregations. 10.4 The overall dwelling unit design is the result of the interior and exterior kits being defined and based on the functions within. These units enhance flexibility of function and adaptability for various contexts, whether urban with diverse geometries or rural with low houses. The provision of multiple options

for each customisable layer of the unit gives end users agency to make design decisions and actively participate in the process of construction. 10.5 High-rise urban typology as a result of the stacking of multiple prefabricated units. 10.6 The platform’s participatory approach through the engagement of local communities in the construction process. 10.7 Unit interior space visualisation after the user configuration has been completed. Furniture is designed as a transformable component to better fit specific needs and space requirements. 10.8 Perspective view of a neighbourhood scale proposal featuring a prefabricated kit of parts, factory assembled and deployed on site for construction. 10.15–10.19 Machiya London has undergone substantial and ongoing growth, which presents significant challenges within the construction sector, particularly with regard to the disparity between housing supply and the escalating demands of residents. This situation is further exacerbated by spatial distribution discrepancies and a pronounced separation between employment opportunities and residential areas. The project tackles these pressing issues by devising affordable homes tailored to the specific needs of diverse users. It proposes the utilisation of modular components that can be swiftly manufactured and seamlessly assembled off site within an industrialised setup. Additionally, a kit-of-parts system has been developed to facilitate mass customisation and accommodate various user types, while also allowing structures to be adapted to different site conditions. These initiatives will help foster the creation of dynamic and thriving co-living communities. 10.15 Street view of a river-facing urban proposal made up of an aggregation of multiple private and public prefabricated modular units. 10.16 Modular components catalogue featuring a digitally manufactured mass timber structure and laminated timber finishes. Furniture and appliances are fully integrated within the individual components and offer an efficient system for fast deployment on site with a wide range of combinatorial spatial opportunities. 10.17–10.19 A roof garden and intertwined public and private spaces generated as a result of the unit’s stacking process. The separation between interior and exterior is blurred into a continuous space featuring mixed functions for its inhabitants, enabling community cohesion and social interaction.

10.17

10.18

Architectural Design Thesis

Module Coordinator: Mollie Claypool

In this module students write at Master’s level, analysing text to establish content relevant to their individual programme of study. The vehicle for this is an introduction to key theoretical concepts in architectural design, taught in the first term, which are then taken forward during the rest of the academic year. These concepts are varied but specific to the clusters’ research for that year. The module gives students an overview of the skills required to undertake a theoretical, cultural and historical study at postgraduate level, looking into the issues that underpin a study of architectural design, and introduces students to appropriate lines of investigation. Students develop their knowledge of the theoretical and historical issues that underpin a study of architectural design and gain an understanding of the skills required to undertake a theoretical and historical study. They then undertake a written essay (including a literature review) with a bibliography and illustrations, examples of which are shown on the following pages.

Performative Architecture as a Theatrical Performer Itself: A Technological Extension to the Dancer’s Movement

Aya Meskawi

Thesis tutor: Provides Ng

Imagine a scenario where you’re dancing: the boundaries of the space envelop your shifting body and adjust to your choreography congruently. As you move, the elements that comprise your surrounding space learn to share your movement. As a result, the architectural elements become an extension of your performance, connecting you with the audience.

Performance is often seen as a one-sided phenomenon defined by the performer. However, many elements at work contribute highly to any artistic act. These elements divide into ‘subject’ and ‘agent’. The subject is the free independent element that is the performer, whereas the agent is an additional essential element to the subject. Another crucial but often passive element is the architectural space that hosts the event. History has witnessed efforts to activate the role of performance spaces towards interactivity, yet architecture today primarily serves as a static background for the overall experience.

This thesis explores innovative means to enhance engagement, performance and spatial quality by foregrounding architecture. With the advent of soft robotics and technological and computational advancements, architecture can take real-time data, generate form-changing movements and create new sensory experiences. Space can become another layer of skin in an innovative theatrical experience, where space, subject and agent become the new trilogy of performative events. Through both theoretical and experimental investigations, this thesis hypothesises the performativity of spaces as a spectrum ranging from immaterial sensory experiences to shape-changing adaptive systems. Tracing a history of post-structuralist, participatory and technological explorations, performance spaces are comparatively analysed under the frameworks of ‘traditional spaces’, ‘informal spaces’ and ‘spaces as performers’. Through real-life case studies and by conducting user surveys between performers on one side and performative spaces on the other, this thesis analyses the impacts, immersivity and audience engagement of performative spaces. Principles are abstracted and applied to design a novel adaptive architectural system.

Image: ADOOB showing a rendered state of the performing spaces, 2023. Image by the author

Living Soundscapes: On Property and Robotic Architecture in Light of Salomé Voegelin’s Sonic Materialism

Çağla Şamcı

Thesis tutor: Jordi Vivaldi Piera

Violent and exclusionary processes are at the root of property ownership, according to the writings of French philosopher, Bruno Latour. Throughout history, societies have experienced land deprivation and dispossession. Conquests, exterminations and great discoveries have led societies to compete fiercely for land. Humans have claimed ownership of lands, sparking wars and treating nature as a mere object that can be manipulated while asserting themselves as active agents of history.

As humans move further from the Earth’s surface, they risk losing their connection to the land, and with it, a sense of belonging. Thus, this era demands a re-evaluation of property concepts and a post-humanist approach in architecture that acknowledges the interconnectedness between humans and their surroundings. In short, how can we make things appropriate without appropriating them? How can adequacy be achieved without asserting ownership? This thesis addresses this question by invoking the work of Salomé Voegelin which emphasises that the indivisibility of sound challenges the conventional division between subject and object. According to Voegelin, sound defies easy categorisation and necessitates a re-evaluation of how it is perceived. In this regard, sound reveals an auditory realm that

surpasses the confines of location and time, giving rise to interconnected resonant systems within the natural world.

Comparable to the unique vocalisations of birds, sound metaphorically represents the adaptable and porous nature of living architecture, where properties continuously undergo transformation and evolution. By embracing the holistic and ever-changing essence of sound, a more interconnected understanding of living environments can be explored, wherein the concept of ownership expands to encompass collaborative approaches. The case study, ‘Stigmergic Spaces’, challenges the conventional hierarchy by incorporating distinguishability, synchrony and indivisibility in sound. It focuses on adapting to the terrain, perceiving the unique qualities of each space, synchronising with nature and transcending the limitations of standardised components. Through these principles, the project establishes a new understanding of property termed ‘sonic property’, recognising the distinctiveness of each space and its customisation to the surrounding environment. By embracing these concepts, the case study fosters a dynamic and inclusive understanding of sonic property, blurring the boundaries between animate and inanimate elements and promoting harmonious coexistence.

Image: The synchronised nature of the process and the concept of adaptive living architecture. ‘Stigmergic Spaces’, 2023. Çağla Şamcı, Yuying Xiang, Hansen Ye, Ziheng Zhou, Huize Qiu, Research Cluster 3

Revolutionary Furniture Design: The Impact of Parametric Architecture Design Method Yuting Yan

Thesis tutor: Daria Ricchi

Modern furniture designers are limited to drawing inspiration from traditional logical ways of thinking, which can lead to a stagnation of creativity. In the context of the rapid development of parametric architecture, drawing on the logical approaches and inspirations of modern parametric architecture in design and styling and applying them to future furniture design is a new field that deserves in-depth research.

Using parametric architectural design methods to design furniture blurs the boundaries between architecture and furniture design, leading to the emergence of hybrid design practices. Architects are increasingly incorporating custom furniture as an integral part of their architectural projects, creating a unified and cohesive design language that extends from the

macro-scale of the building to the microscale of the furniture elements. This integration enhances the overall user experience and spatial coherence, resulting in a more holistic design solution. The influence of the Voronoi method, pleat method and nomadic method in parametric architectural design is evident in the creation of dynamic, adaptable and aesthetically complex pieces of furniture that embody the essence of mobility, non-linearity and innovative form finding techniques. This thesis provides an insight into how parametric design methods, initially adopted by architectural firms, have been successfully adopted and utilised in the furniture design process. It also critically examines formal exploration, lost creativity, customisation options and digital fabrication, core aspects of parametric architecture which could be fruitful in applying parametric architecture to furniture design. In addition, it explores the possibilities of parametric furniture design to achieve environmental responsiveness and looks to the future, which heralds an exciting era of limitless creativity and users.

Image: Wanderland table, robot-controlled and add-ons assembled office table, manufactured using 3D-printing technology. ‘Wanderland’, 2023. Ziding Cai, Enci Xie, Yuting (Nina) Yan, Xuanhao Zhang, Research Cluster 5

Social Elements in Augmented Reality Games: The Impact on User Engagement and Collaborative Gaming Community Building

Yiyuan Ma

Thesis tutor: Daria

Ricchi

Augmented reality (AR), as a variation of virtual environments (VE), is a type of technology that enhances the user’s perception of reality by superimposing virtual objects on top of the real world. While AR can be applied to virtually any conceivable application area, including business, medicine, tourism and education, the area where it has gained the most traction is gaming.

The majority of games are intended to be played in a social setting with players physically present in the same location or digitally in the same space. Therefore, the social aspects of games are an integral part of their functionality, especially in AR gaming – a popular type of game that allows users more physical movement and social interaction while still utilising the benefits of computing and graphical systems. Research suggests that mobile technology and augmented reality games may improve

communication, and even revolutionise how people collaborate and interact (Koceski and Koceska 2011: 249). In addition to providing full mobility and immersion in the physical/ virtual world, AR games provide an opportunity for social interaction and collaboration among players due to their interactive nature. Location-based mobile augmented reality (LMAR) further enhances this social interaction.

This thesis presents a detailed analysis of AR applications in entertainment and education, highlighting how social elements in AR games influence user engagement during collaborative gaming. The findings from the literature review and case studies have underscored the importance of user communities, social elements and collaborative gameplay in fostering high levels of engagement and creativity, while also cultivating a sense of belonging among players. ActiCiti stands as a testament to the possibilities of AR in transforming gaming experiences and enhancing the interaction between users and their environment. As technology continues to advance, it is crucial to further explore and refine the integration of AR in gaming and urban environments.

Image: Co-creation of digital overlays through sketch input on the ActiCiti platform, 2023. Image by the author

Transformation of Spatial Memory in the Baixiang Community

Zhiyue Wang

Thesis tutor: Ruby Law

The thesis explores the transformation of spatial memory during the process of demolition and reconstruction, using the revitalisation of the Baixiang community as a case study. Building on Gaston Bachelard’s philosophy on the unity of image and memory,1 it investigates the symbiotic relationship between spatial change and the evolution of original memories, while also looking at how our memory and imagination shape the process of space transformation.

Though discussions on memory in space abound within phenomenology, exploring the interplay between human experience and the built environment, there is a dearth of research dedicated to employing spatial memory to rejuvenate deteriorating spaces.

The Baixiang community’s spatial memory, situated in Chongqing, China, carries significant cultural value. It is paramount to preserve and blend this invaluable memory harmoniously with the community’s future development.

Frank Duffy’s concept of deconstruction in architectural layers2 resonates with his

theory of shearing layers and proves insightful in safeguarding spatial memory during the community’s renovation. It emphasises the need to discern which memories warrant preservation and which should yield new experiences.

The thesis also delves into the spatial memory of concrete. Analysing concrete’s role as a medium for commemoration reveals its enduring legacy and evolving perception. While concrete has conventionally symbolised permanence and stability, contemporary approaches challenge this by embracing fluidity, impermanence and timeliness in memorial design. The concept of memory and oblivion, seemingly paradoxical, underscores how concrete, as a medium for memory, can signify both the past and the present, bridging the gap between collective remembrance and evolving perspectives.

By delving into spatial memory, this research sparks innovative strategies for deconstructing and reconstructing the Baixiang community. It addresses both the negative environmental implications and the emotional detachment associated with concrete as a material. Through this exploration, the thesis contributes to a deeper understanding of memory’s pivotal role in revitalising architectural spaces.

1. Gaston Bachelard (1958) The Poetics of Space, Penguin Books

2. Stewart Brand (1995). How Buildings Learn: What Happens After They’re Built, Penguin Books

Image: Spatial memories of architectural layers and the Baixiang community, 2023. Image by the author

Urban Design MArch

Urban Design MArch

Programme Director: Roberto Bottazzi

Urban Design at The Bartlett is a Master’s degree dedicated to the analysis and design of emergent issues in global cities. Students consider cities as privileged vantage points from which to investigate and speculate on the most pressing contemporary conditions, such as the introduction of artificial intelligence, the conflation of digital and physical domains, climate change, gaming culture and everexpanding urbanisation.

The main drivers of the programme’s design investigations are the research clusters, in which small groups of students work closely with dedicated tutors. Each cluster responds to a unique research agenda and brief to develop its own sophisticated design proposals. Within their clusters, students are able to investigate a particular set of urban concerns and are introduced to advanced computational methods to analyse and generate new urban programmes and morphologies. Each cluster acts as an incubator for new spatial ideas in which design and digital technology merge, giving rise to proposals which consider new ways of inhabiting and experiencing urban environments.

The range of topics covered by the different clusters includes the impact of big data and machine learning algorithms for design, biocomputing, planetary urbanisation and speculations on what virtual cities may look like. Within each cluster a lively and creative conversation is promoted through tutorials, workshops, lectures and exchanges, providing each student with access to new ideas and methodologies that they can expand upon in their final project and thesis.

The variety and richness of the research agendas pursued by students are underpinned by an integral interest in the role that digital technologies play in shaping our urban environment. The Bartlett Prospective (B-Pro) lecture series, journal, workshops in digital technologies and dedicated theory modules all support students in their research.

Programme Administrators

Tung Ying (Crystal) Chow, Tom Mole

Image: ‘Peat Revitalisation’, Jiacong (Jecci) Chen, Napapa Soonjan, Yuanhao Wei, Shi (Rock) Zheng, Research Cluster 16

RC11 Bound Infinity/ In-Between

Julian Besems, Alex Borrell

Research Cluster 11 focuses on the digital as a way of thinking, an instrument for abstraction and a means of exploring. We shy away from the Boolean, true and/or false answers. We are generalists, using our computational literacy to navigate the spectrum between worlds and points of view.

This year we examined urban environments through the lens of culture, seeing cities as places that are collectively imagined, created, maintained and inhabited by us – humans. We viewed the urban by looking at the cultural information that results from the activities and interactions that take place within.

We initially explored from afar through articles, film, literature, music, paintings, performance, poetry, photography and theatre. The city was treated as a product of this cultural information, and we embraced its incomprehensibility by relating to it through the digital plenty – a seemingly infinite stream of elements. These elements and their collective plenitude provided us with an opportunity to relate to and understand the city on its own terms, from a boundless combination of perspectives.

So, how do we relate to the vast media landscape through instruments of computation? Our aim is not to optimise, but to explore the continuity and infinity of what sits in between. We see space as uncountable and therefore infinite, yet the spaces we occupy are ultimately bound. They are bound not only by geometry but also by conventions and the narratives that inform them. We can compare this with the infinity that sits between two whole numbers. Even though everything in between one and two is bound by them, there is an infinite domain of numbers of a different nature (rational or real) between them.

In this fashion, we worked this year to develop the means to understand what kind of spaces we wanted to describe. We took culture to be that which occupies space: it can only take place in what is occupied by people. Space itself is not a geometrical entity – it is the backdrop where all activities take place. It is where we breathe, hear, speak, see, interact, pause, play, cry and rejoice.

Students

Cities as a Process of Conflicts Between Top-Down and Bottom-Up

Dongchen Du, Ruijia Xiong City in Reverie Chang He, Mansi Ashok

Kothari, Aveline Thomas, Lingjun Zhou

Memory and Its Public Senses

Luyao Chang, Xing (Freda) Feng, Lingyu Zhai

Reel to Real

Kexin Gao, Yueting Peng, Ruinan Xi

Theory Tutor

Philippe Morel

Skills Tutors

Julian Besems, Ceel Pierik, Joris Putteneers

Consultants and Critics

Adil Bokhari, Roberto Bottazzi, Ecem Ergin, Tom Holberton, Ludger Hovestadt, Agostino Nickl, Jorge Orozco, Miro Roman, Elizabeth Selby

11.1–11.4 Cities as a Process of Conflicts Between Top-Down and Bottom-Up A city is a complex system, and Istanbul, which straddles the two continents of Asia and Europe, is a city that embraces complexity at a number of different levels. Throughout history, urbanists have analysed, manipulated and predicted cities from anthropological, sociological, phenomenological and psychological perspectives. Nonetheless, designing cities remains a contentious issue that generates ongoing debate. Despite urban methodologies achieving a level of success in certain contexts, their universal applicability has resulted in the rejection of other levels of complexity. As the shared property of citizens, the urban experience is simultaneously collective and individual and is made up of diverse points of view. In light of recent advances in artificial intelligence, novel avenues of expression have emerged and people can articulate their ideas using descriptive language. As a result, ideas are refined and text descriptions have become the primary medium through which people can express themselves. Within the context described above, the project questions the idea of the city. It provides an urban ‘installation’ that can transform abstract urban experiences and ideas into theories and spaces. The project also embraces the complexities and challenges of urban planning and integrates the concepts of cybernetics, smart cities and machine learning (ML) in addressing these intricate issues of urban environments. Drawing from the theories of Jane Jacobs and other influential urban thinkers, the project highlights the importance of finding a balance between top-down and bottom-up approaches in urban planning. Utilising advanced tools such as Self-Organising Maps (SOM) and incorporating diverse perspectives, the project develops a dynamic and comprehensive approach to urban planning.

11.5–11.10 Reel to Real When talking about Istanbul, people may envision spies racing on rooftops in James Bond films, young people wandering through narrow streets, YouTubers perusing a variety of goods in the Grand Bazaar or the silhouette of the city skyline as seen from the Bosphorus Strait. Abundant images of the city, which reflect its complexity and diversity, are presented across the media. The project curates cinematic versions of Istanbul’s urban spaces to showcase multiple faces and reintroduce these spaces in a ‘fragment palace’. Four cinematic genres are selected for building Istanbul’s library, where both real and fictional spaces of the city are depicted. In this library, any input video can be matched with four different versions of Istanbul with similar content. Because films inherently possess a narrative quality, the reconstructed cinematic spaces are not a mere replication of reality but are imbued with a strong contextual significance. The focus of the lens, activities of characters and editing methods imply potential characteristics and apply contexts to reconstructed filmic geometries. The reconstructed geometry of the palace is formed through a series of frames along a timeline path. While walking along the path, different focuses are placed on different segments of the geometry. As the segmented geometry is cropped and placed along the timeline with the same relative positions to the camera, viewers can experience the film while walking the timeline path.

11.11–11.14 Memory and Its Public Senses Rapid development often means that cherished memories of a city have faded or been forgotten. This project is interested in ‘repainting’ the forgotten spaces within the city of Istanbul. Many cities across the world look very similar and reflect a certain homogeneity in their evolution. One of the reasons behind this is that the urban environments we grow up in shape our perception of how

a city should be designed. We must instead try to think outside our conventional understanding of the city and approach it in new and innovative ways. Our memories of the city are collected through our five senses. This project focuses on three of these – sight, sound and touch. It uses the qualitative notion of memory as a mechanism, and sensory data as an instrument, to repaint the forgotten spaces in the city. In contrast to conventional design projects, this project is not a proposal but a design research experiment. Instead of working within the confines of a physical context, the project works within the realm of datasets, utilising ML techniques. To be more precise, the entire design is situated within latent space formed by encoding the environment through collected data. All the design steps taken are based on the latent state encodings of the surrounding environment. The final stages of the project transition from the abstract computational realm back into the tangible world, reintegrating the design in its physical context. 11.15–11.17 City in Reverie Objects play an important role as tangible markers that chalk out the story of our lives. They possess layers of invaluable associations and meanings. Moments, thoughts, actions, decisions, desires and memories are instilled in them and their very presence evokes compelling responses. A city can be read through its objects. They are storytelling devices and represent a collective repository of shared values and experiences. Istanbul is a city coloured by the richness of the past along with the charm and resilience of the present. The dialogue between the old and the new allows for eccentricity, which contributes to a city’s character and energy. Observing and engaging with the objects on the streets of Istanbul allows us to delve deeper into social, political and economic systems which make up a comprehensive image of the city. The intent is to create spaces that celebrate the memory and culture of Istanbul by incorporating these objects into its design. A key observation of this project is the realisation that spaces become vibrant and dynamic when the objects occupying them are allowed to communicate. Throughout the design process, mundane objects are shown to possess an unexpectedly powerful influence. Often overlooked and underappreciated, these everyday artefacts carry histories, emotions and associations that collectively shape the city’s essence. Their significance lies not in their individual materiality, but in the stories they hold and the memories they evoke. By acknowledging the power of these seemingly ordinary objects, we can better understand the nuanced and intricate layers that contribute to a city’s identity.

11.3

11.2

RC12 Videogame Urbanism

Luke Pearson, Sandra Youkhana

Research Cluster 12 sees videogames as an alternative form of computation that emphasises a collaborative design practice through creating inhabitable worlds and participatory tools. Our culture is increasingly shaped by our experience of, and participation in, virtual environments. Videogame urbanism explores how urban designers and architects can make a positive and fundamental contribution to the design of virtual worlds to reflect their social importance. Such worlds represent both an opportunity and a challenge for architecture and urbanism.

This year, our cluster challenged the notion of what a ‘virtual city’ is, and what it could be. To do this, we first studied some of the most seminal virtual cities, to understand what makes them so uniquely engaging and spatially immersive. These included virtual cities inspired by the past, present and future; cities in turmoil and disrepair; and cities which do away with the form of a city altogether. Our research shows that, while virtual worlds give people a creative voice, they can also amplify the complex social, political and historical forces that form our physical cities.

By making playable videogame applications in Unreal Engine, we used videogames as a platform for both imagining new societies and providing the tools to engage people in their foundation. Through these, we prototyped new forms of virtual city to question how much, or how little, they may need to correspond to the typical urban forms we see in the physical world. We explored how urban designers can use virtual environments to enhance our understanding of real-world cities, and what social benefits our designs might have. Despite virtual worlds being synthetic environments built from scratch, there is often a trend to mirror things we know from reality. But to what degree do virtual spaces need a real-world reference point to be meaningful places for those that use them? Could embracing the unique qualities of virtual space allow us to reimagine what is possible in reality?

Students

Chinese Cyberpunk Manifesto

Piaoyang Liu, Xingyu Liu, Tingwei Xiong, Yuang Zhang

Citypedia

Ngan Hong Chang, Ruiqi Chen, Xixuan Lu, Shuning Xu

Founding City

Jiayi (Jasmine) Hu, Ayca Ozturk, Nancy Pacheco Sanchez

Interscale

Jing Cao, Yuxian Chen, Qinni Ge, Yiqi Ji

The Last of the Barbican Weichen Sun

Virtual Taohuayuan

Yunlong Zheng

Theory Tutor

James Delaney

Skills Tutor

Luke Pearson

12.1–12.6 Chinese Cyberpunk Manifesto This project is an interrogation of the Cyberpunk science-fiction genre, which frequently amalgamates spatial and cultural elements from different Asian countries for the construction of fictional worlds through a Western lens. While Cyberpunk remains a popular fictional genre, it has faced accusations of Orientalism, particularly in the spatial design of its worlds. The game proposes a new future for a Chinese Cyberpunk city that more authentically references architecture from China as part of a new Cyberpunk language, allowing the past, present and future city to co-exist at the same time. The city draws inspiration from fictional visions of the future, contemporary Chinese urbanism and public space as depicted in Zeduan Zhang’s famous scroll painting Along the River During the Qingming Festival (dated 1085). Using the scroll to define a route for their journey, players navigate through three versions of the same city in different time periods, overlaid to highlight the urban transformations. By moving buildings back and forward through time and space, the player curates their own vision for a new Chinese Cyberpunk city that combines nuanced readings of traditional, contemporary and future Chinese architecture. Players create a city as a ‘manifesto’ based on their personal desires and readings of spatial culture.

12.7–12.11 Citypedia This project develops an architectural creation game that allows players to discover how different urban patterns are generated and how they affect the organisation of architecture. Players create their own unique city by combining patterns and form, drawing out configurations of city blocks and rearranging building typologies. Drawing from research into historical city forms, the game allows players to experiment with cities using orthogonal, radial and Voronoi grids, which are recomputed in real time and procedurally regenerate as the urban patterns change. Through these player-led experiments, different skylines and city formations are generated, creating palimpsests built upon previous design decisions. At the scale of buildings, players can use a series of tools to reshape the individual units, with changes cascading through the existing unit typologies. By using a combination of procedurally generated and player-driven systems, the project allows for the playful exploration of the unexpected quirks and spatial frictions that cities collect over time. It examines how cities can be planned with an overall vision in mind, but inevitably find themselves transformed and disrupted over time, with their future forms defined by ever more granular and emergent forces.

12.12–12.13 Virtual Taohuayuan This project embraces the poetic landscapes of Taohuayuan as the inspiration for a game that takes a series of underutilised sites in China as areas for agricultural development. Through an interactive game environment, players can prototype different agrarian approaches for cultivating the site, from traditional to modern, much like a farming simulator. The game tracks the environmental, economic and productive qualities of these designs, allowing players to learn more about more sustainable approaches to farming through play.

12.14–12.15 The Last of the Barbican This project imagines a dystopian future for London where the only nature left in the city is preserved in the conservatory of the Barbican. By embodying different natural forces such as clouds, rain and wind, the player can use weather systems to reverse London’s environmental disaster by greening the city and cleaning the air.

12.16–12.17 Founding City The project questions the relationship between architecture, memory and digital information. We often think of physical memory and

digital memory in different terms, one accepted as being incomplete and fragmentary and the other as a true and accurate record. In this context, the project is a game that explores both our memory of place and what digital memory means in the context of saving and recalling a virtual world. The game is inspired by approaches to urban ruination in three different countries: Turkey, Mexico and China. While the contemporary architecture of modern cities might be somewhat globally interchangeable, each culture’s traditional forms of building speak deeply about its society. This project is built upon a collaborative game world, where players draw from contemporary and historical architecture from these cities to ‘repair’ ruins using collected fragments and preserve their memory in new architectural forms. This game promotes an approach to preserving cities by working with the old and new urban fabric, while challenging the exactitude of digital files and virtual worlds, suggesting that our recollection, or the game’s ‘save’ file, might always remain incomplete.

12.18–12.21 Interscale This game demonstrates how seemingly small design decisions produce global impacts, affecting how we work towards a sustainable future. Players engage with a series of cities, including London, Manila and Chongqing, that are facing critical environmental issues and respond to air, water and land contamination through multi-scalar design tools. Through a ‘long zoom’ game structure, the player navigates back and forth between molecular, urban and planetary scales to instigate changes at one level that have spatial and environmental consequences on the other. Through the real-time simulated environment of a game, players can explore imaginative futures for the city through concurrent prototyping at multiple scales. By greening the molecular structures of concrete particles, opting for natural ventilation strategies in cities and reducing plastic waste, players are given design agency to explore the city’s future impact on the environment at both the macro and micro levels, discovering how sustainability strategies create different impacts on climate, space and time. At the end of the game, players receive information on the planetary future they have produced, so that they can understand the implicit impact of their design decisions across multiple scales, but this also hints at the challenges faced by both the player and global citizens.

12.13

12.12

12.14

Machine Learning Urbanism: Cities

Beyond Cognition

Roberto Bottazzi, Eirini Tsouknida, Tasos Varoudis

Research Cluster 14 explores the implications for urban design of the availability of large datasets and the algorithmic processes able to analyse them, examining how these factors might shape the future of cities.

Though the contribution of machine learning (ML) methods to the exploration, classification, management and creation of massive, granular and diverse datasets is relatively recent, its impact is already palpable and profound. In fact, ML methods can not only compute massive datasets but also, more importantly, foreground correlations between datasets representing different media or aspects of city life that are not intelligible by human cognition. Such correlations can eventually be used to think of urbanism as a broader discipline engaging various media and modes of expression, straddling different disciplines to generate novel experiences and spatial and programmatic configurations. By deploying these new algorithmic instruments, urban designers can operate across diverse scales, temporalities, media and disciplines to conceive a whole series of interventions ranging from events to large physical structures.

The research developed in Research Cluster 14 utilises data to investigate phenomena and environments that do not traditionally pertain to the purview of urban design: identity, language and accents, mental and physical wellbeing, food and the distribution of cognitive attention in urban environments. Through experimentation with ML methods, students create complex correlations bridging the physical and ephemeral, personal and collective, and natural and artificial divides. The aim is to invest data practices with the ability to change the perception that urbanism is primarily a quantitative, objective discipline and, therefore, rethink how we design and inhabit cities.

The testbed for such research and design experiments was London. Over the year, students mixed large-scale territorial studies in which the whole of the capital was investigated with small-scale and personal investigations centred on the individual and their perceptions. The central theme connecting all projects developed was the notion of publicness. Urgent themes, such as those of individual identities, the relation between human and non-human actors and mental health, were mediated through algorithmic processes to rethink how we can live together.

RC14

Students

Accent Fusion

Xuming Cai, Muskaan Mardia, Yiwen Qian, Yiheng Xu

Attenomy City

Manan Kinjal Hingoo, Qiutong Huang, Philip (Flip) Meijaard, Jiahui Xu

Equiticity

Tejaswini Deshmukh, Shriyansh Jain, Aalok Joshi

Food-Topia

Yanjie Lu, Gracia Muljono, Yawei Zhang, Qiuyi Zhang ND2

Yiran Luo, Yi Yue, Xiru Zhang

Theory Tutors

Roberto Bottazzi, Eirini Tsouknida, Tasos Varoudis

Skills Tutors

Margarita Chaskopoulou, Vasileios Papalexopoulos

Consultants and Critics

Andy Bow, Klaas De Rycke, Zachary Fluker, Andreas Kolfe, Rolandas Markevicius, Frédéric Migayrou, Peter Neckelmann, Annarita Papeschi, Andrew Porter

14.1, 14.5–14.8 Accent Fusion With its 270 nationalities, London is home to individuals from all over the world each expressing their sense of identity and belonging through a variety of accents. Linguistic and cultural diversity must be celebrated, not erased. The project utilises machine learning (ML) models to generate an urbanism of accents transforming the immaterial qualities of sound into physical artefacts. The scheme proposes a new public space for Battersea Power Station by creating a marketplace that brings people from various cultural backgrounds together and enhances their sense of belonging. 14.1, 14.6 ML models are trained to generate sound-to-form building morphologies. The massive catalogue of morphologies generated combined different fonts in a playful reflection of London’s cultural diversity.

14.5 By employing text-to-image models, 3D modules are transformed into functional parts of the scheme based on the project’s key themes, ranging from urban furniture to architectural structures. 14.7–14.8 Renderings show 3D modules and structures organised to provide a new public market for Battersea.

14.2–14.4 Attenomy City The project translates the notions of attention economy and intelligibility to urbanism by proposing a hybrid transportation hub design around people’s perceptions. By redesigning Euston Station, the research analyses how horizontal and vertical movement affects our experience of the city. 14.2 The most dramatic element of the project is the large roof, which spans different parts of the site. The roof performs a number of roles: it guides pedestrians as they cross public areas and controls environmental conditions. Its overall effect is, however, much greater than any of its functions. Its dynamic features perform a spectacle affecting the users’ experience. 14.3 The section through the different layers of infrastructure crisscrossing Euston Station shows the complexity of the site both in terms of managing flows and designing the spatial and environmental experience for users as they move from the underground platform to open public space. 14.4 The overall view of the scheme shows its main components: the large roof, the vertical dynamic and the main public areas. The final proposal combines the typology of the park and the transport hub. 14.9–14.13 Equiticity The project utilises ML models to rethink streets as sensory experiences that can improve our mental wellbeing. The project proposes a linear intervention from Vauxhall to Westminster that crosses and connects diverse parts of London. 14.9–14.11

The project utilises soft elements such as colour, texture and landscape to change the perception of space and care for its users. The correlation between moods and design interventions is managed by an ML model trained on morphological, environmental and sentimental data relating to London. 14.12 Isometric view of the selected site, stretching from the residential areas south of the Thames to the commercial region of Westminster. The project provides a series of ‘urban rooms’ – thirdspaces that break the urban continuity and provide sensorial rest. 14.13 The image shows the super-sampled output of the three stacks of data that are used for the image-toimage translation and to determine the site selection. The super-sampling technique is used to render at a higher resolution than the output device, creating a recursive method for designing small urban interventions based on the complexity and richness of large urban environments.

14.14–14.18 ND² The Mayor of London has launched a massive £3.1m tree planting fund. The project employs ML models to determine areas suitable for rewilding and considers how the distribution of such a large collection of objects can be charged with urban and aesthetic intentions. The proposal targets the shopping centre,

a building typology that is losing its relevance and could be rethought of as a site for urban rewilding. 14.14 Trees, programmes and structures are distributed based on their urban and ecological role. More appropriate landscape features and installations are designed to enhance the visual experience of pedestrians and facilitate use. 14.15–14.16 The planting strategy infiltrates the existing shopping mall to create a new, hybrid public space that combines the features of an urban park with existing spaces for commerce. The interventions extend vertically to the existing residential towers to provide green landscaping and control indoor temperatures.

14.17 Introducing animals to the area can enhance biodiversity and elevate the experience for individuals. Species such as deer, foxes, rabbits and squirrels are particularly suitable choices, contributing to the optimal transformation of the rewilding site. 14.18 Roof gardens provide open space for horticulture lessons and education. The project converts commercial spaces into social and educational areas for the local community. The gardens operate as forest schools for children from local schools, giving them the chance to learn how to grow food.

14.19–14.22 Food-Topia The project utilises ML methods to envision new public spaces designed around food. By proposing a series of food ports, the proposal mixes spaces for the production, storage and consumption of food with automated landscapes. Tested in Rotherhithe, the system can in principle be applied to any open space in London. The design mixes sharp geometries to accommodate robots with the soft, deformed edges of the pedestrian network which organise the entire scheme. 14.19 Diagram showing all the different building types, such as storage areas, hydroponic towers and low-rise pavilions for food distribution and consumption.

14.20 Unlike the automated planting areas, the central section of the landscape connects communities through social activities. The information centre in the sunken plaza monitors data across the food port in real time to enable digital production, distribution and consumption.

14.21 The use of digital platforms for consuming food has changed how cities operate. The project reflects such transformation by proposing a 24-hour landscape coupling food consumption, parks and public spaces. This night rendering shows a view of the hydroponic towers, shadow kitchens, markets and restaurants.

14.22 The masterplan shows the distribution of food ports in Rotherhithe based on the data analysed. The network connects food ports through robotic tracks. Finally, the network also includes a phone app which allows users to interact with the different services on offer.

14.2

14.3

Pervasive Urbanism: Mediated Ecologies of Affect

Ilaria Di Carlo, Annarita Papeschi, Soungmin Yu

Triggered by emotive and affectual responses, aesthetic experiences are believed to be at the base of cognitive processes and rational thinking. Following this line of thought and taking into account the theory of the umwelt – in which a specific model of the world exists in correspondence with each given creature’s sensory apparatus –we can deduce that our environment consists of an ecology of different forms of intelligence, each one with its own affectual vision, and that humans are just one form of biochemical intensity. This is an interpretation that is echoed in the work of the French philosopher Gilbert Simondon, who describes the birth of the collective subject – the transindividual – as an ontogenetic and metastatic process of psychological and affective events, thus offering a sensual, affectual and ecological interpretation of the social process of becoming collective.

In exploring new conceptualisations of collaborative design processes as digital and material affectual contaminations, Research Cluster 15 investigates the epistemology designed by the intersection of post-humanist aesthetics and automated cognition, formulating a design-research practice that uses qualitative and quantitative research methods to explore the emerging relationship between digital networks, cities and citizens.

Central London, with its array of attractions and diverse cultural offerings, constituted the terrain for our initial explorations this year. Our projects sought to identify the mechanics behind urban experiences at key touristic and cultural attractions such as Chinatown, the Southbank and Borough Market. Methods explored an immersive reading of the city, and included situated sensing, behavioural simulation and analysis of photographic social media via machine learning.

Populated by hybrids of living and non-living matter, the resulting designs compose a visual and formal archive that, customised via artificial intelligence image-to-image diffusion methods, was redeployed in new contexts and design scenarios, including augmented experiences and reprogrammable infrastructural schemes. Exploring collaborative protocols of information exchange, automated decision-making and adaptability – with a particular focus on how this might be enabled via material intelligence and special organisational logics – the resulting designs were developed as interconnected proposals that establish deep local connections to their context, metabolising fragments of the collective site imaginary and the local spatial intelligence.

Students

Fractal Aestheti(c)ity

Akbar Agniputra, Zhaoyan

Feng, Daijia Ke, I-Lin Wu

Linguistic Landscapes

Meiying Chen, Chunyu Liu, Mei Meng, Yiyan Xu

Post-Digital Proxemics

Naixiang Gao, Siyi Huang, Xinjie Zhu

Theory Tutor

Ilaria Di Carlo

Skills Tutor

Vincent Nowak

Consultants and Critics

Yota Adilenidou, Tommaso Casucci, Marcella Del Signore, Valina Geropanta, Tom Holberton, Alican Inal, Nikoletta Karastathi

15.1–15.2, 15.8–15.11 Post-Digital Proxemics The project explores the experiential process of food consumption in urban contexts, with a particular focus on street markets. Taking London’s Borough Market as a case study, the project identifies the visual and olfactory cues behind the rich food experience on offer, exploring the role of fluctuating perceptions and emotive responses to proxemic behaviour, with methods that draw on situated sensing, behavioural simulation and social media analysis. The project creates a visual and formal archive that, customised via machine learning (ML), is redeployed in new contexts. The final proposal explores the making of an augmented experience for Lloyd Park, East London, where the collective enhanced aesthetic experiences become the means for creating contextual links to the site. 15.1 A view of the proposal for Lloyd Park through the augmented reality (AR) lens. 15.2 Bird’s-eye view of the built proposal. Borough Market’s spatial, material and colour palette is reintroduced in Lloyd Park. 15.8 A still frame from the simulation of the overall collaborative design process. Contributors are invited to take pictures at key locations. The results are processed and interpolated via ML using the visual archive of Borough Market to create new spatial and formal organisations. 15.9 A perspective of the proposal for the Lloyd Park market through the lens of the AR experience. 15.10 The same perspective as the built proposal. 15.11 From top to bottom: Flickr-based popularity analysis of Borough Market; Flickr post sentiment analysis; representation of galvanic skin response data as sampled on site through Arduino sensing.

15.3–15.7 Fractal Aestheti(c)ity The project explores the correlation among fractal aesthetics, visual perception and emotional responses in urban settings. An initial evaluation of the immersive fractal aesthetic experience based on Google Street View imagery indicated the essential role of vegetation in the generation of positive emotional responses. The proposal distributes a network of green corridors in Central London, exploring the potential of green infrastructure to act as a service system for both cultural distribution and environmental regulation. The system has a self-supporting hydroponic structural design which uses artificial intelligence (AI) to learn adaptive strategies of deployment from its context. The proposal articulates a series of elevated pedestrian walkways that rejuvenate the existing pedway network and improve the overall connectivity on the site. 15.3 Sentiment analysis (left) maps the sentiment score of the social media dataset. Fractal analysis (right) illustrates the fractal dimension score calculated by box-counting pictures from Google Street View. 15.4 The visual memory of places is transformed into 3D space using AI to produce depth maps and point clouds. Fractal logic is subsequently implemented to grow the network and connect the point clouds. 15.5 The diagram illustrates the relations between the proposed structure, the overall organisation of the hydroponic system and the vegetation growth on a prototypical segment of the proposed walkway. 15.6 The green corridors connect to the existing pedway network and underground station, improving the overall connectivity of the site.

15.7 Intertwined within the existing urban fabrics, the network of proposed walkways provides multiple public space typologies – pedways, rooftop gardens and riverside promenades – rejuvenating the local pedestrian connectivity while providing a network of new inclusive spaces.

15.12–15.16 Linguistic Landscapes Originally a successful global model for integrated cultural and business facilities, Chinatown London’s relevance has significantly declined in recent years. Responding to the new set of expectations defined by the younger

generation, the project reimagines Chinatown as a new beacon of cultural and economic representation for the Chinese community. 15.12–15.13 The notion of linguistic landscapes is first explored in Soho, using methods such as language and image recognition through ML. The final proposal reorganises Chinatown as an augmented urban experience in Canary Wharf, exploring the creation of a large-scale network of Chinese follies built from the visual and spatial archive of the original Chinatown. Clichéd images are transformed using image-to-image and image-to-point cloud workflows. 15.14 The diagram illustrates how the workflow is disrupted and hybridised by sound samples captured on site. 15.15 Immersive virtual world experiences, with point clouds, sound image projection and folly all visible at the same time. 15.16 A night render of a real-world folly.

Urban Morphogenesis Lab DeepGreen City

Filippo Nassetti, Claudia Pasquero

RC16

Research Cluster 16 investigates bio-design in the age of artificial intelligence. The brief this year, titled DeepGreen City, explored the application of biological and artificial intelligence to the redesign of the urban sphere. A selection of contaminated natural and artificial landscapes from across the world were chosen for our case studies. Students worked in groups to develop four distinct and site-specific projects. Each of the following aesthetic and morphological explorations was intended as a measure of ecological intelligence, contributing to the redefinition of the role of design in a time of climate change.

Peat Revitalisation radically challenged the traditional concept of the ‘urban’ and proposed a collective living scheme for Indonesia’s peatlands. The habitat was chosen as the experiment site for collective dwelling due to the peatland’s endangered status and its significant role in restoring carbon content. Indonesia’s peatlands stand at the frontier of the climate crisis in that they suffer from annual flooding and peat fires during the wet and dry seasons respectively. The project employed artificial and biological intelligence to collect data from potential flood and fire zones, and to form an efficient mycelium bio-structure.

Cerulean addressed the urban heat island phenomenon by fostering a biodiverse ecosystem to promote harmonious co-existence between micro- and macro-organisms. The introduction of shading trees reduced thermal stress, while energy efficiency was enhanced by urban climate and built environment characteristics.

Breath Underground specifically targeted air pollution originating from the London Underground. Through rigorous field investigations and in-depth data analysis, the project explored and constructed underground spaces to effectively mitigate environmental issues by harnessing the air-purifying capabilities of moss.

The objective of Abandoned Mine Restoration was to reimagine abandoned mines as urban structures by fostering dynamic collaboration among human and non-human entities. To achieve this, the project harnessed the bio-intelligence of bio-materials such as mycelium and moss. Mycelium, through the process of ‘bio-remediation’, effectively improved soil conditions by breaking down organic matter and absorbing heavy metals to form intricate networks. Additionally, moss aided air purification by absorbing airborne pollutants.

Students Abandoned Mine Restoration

Ayham Hameed, Shradha Kohli, Lingying Lai, Liuyang (Andre) Wang

Breath Underground

Song Han, Ziyu Han, Tonghui Zhou, Li Zhu Cerulean

Aagam Mundhava, Prashant Phirke, Prasad Sandbhor

Peat Revitalisation

Jiacong (Jecci) Chen, Napapa Soonjan, Yuanhao Wei, Shi (Rock) Zheng

Theory Tutor

Emmanouil Zaroukas

Skills Tutors

Sheng Meng, Filippo Nassetti

16.1–16.4, 16.6–16.8 Peat Revitalisation 16.1 Woven structure, internal view. The proposal restores, improves and develops peatlands environmentally, economically and culturally by using alien-like perspectives, including artificial and bio-intelligence, to expand and form structures. The structural system utilises the Indonesian practice of purun weaving and combines it with mycelium to improve peat conditions. The project creates a space for co-existence between humans and non-humans. The decay of these organic purun–mycelium structures will contribute to the process of peat formation to create a nourished and fertile peat swamp forest in Indonesia.

16.2 Collective peatland landscapes. The local community is the main force behind the project’s construction. The unique weaving structures will attract tourists and create new economic opportunities for the local community. The project connects locals to the wider world and improves the space economically and environmentally. 16.3–16.4 Indonesian peatlands are facing destruction due to human activities, climate change and monoculture farming. The project diminishes the degradation of the peatlands by introducing new organic structures with mycelium. Bio-intelligence can help transfer nutrients to local vegetation, consolidate soil, reduce erosion from flooding and decrease the spread of forest fires. Through peat revitalisation, Indonesia’s peatlands can recover their biodiversity and become nurturing habitats for local species.

16.6–16.7 One-to-one behavioural model. This 1:1 scale prototype explores the nature of purun and tests its flexibility, buckling point and humidity requirements. This data is processed to make sure the project is feasible. By deploying traditional Indonesian handweaving patterns, the structure is inclusive of the residents and could therefore create jobs and contribute to the local economy. 16.8 Morphological studies of structural logic. The morphology is generated by a set of algorithms, where the growing pattern is defined by control parameters such as terrain information and hand-weaving parameters.

16.5 Abandoned Mine Restoration Structural prototype, morphological studies. This visionary endeavour considers the inherent topographical characteristics of the site, using them as foundational elements to guide the design process. By seamlessly integrating the contours and terraces of the landscape, the prototype transforms into a living canvas that encourages multidimensional interaction. The structural morphology utilises the local material and technique of bamboo weaving and combines with mycelium and moss to improve the mining site conditions in Cerro de Pasco, Peru. These interactions breathe life into various interactive pockets dotted across the expanse, forging spaces where diverse entities, both human and non-human, can harmoniously converge.

16.9–16.11 Breath Underground 16.9 Structural studies. Based on the pattern formed by slime mould simulation, the parametric algorithm multicellular machine forms an organic ecological structure in the underground space, with the growth and multiplication of a variety of mosses.

16.10 Underground ecosystem. By working together with moss, underground habitats enhanced with artificial intelligence (AI) have the ability to purify underground air pollution. Underground space construction combined with non-human intelligence breaks the boundaries between humans and non-humans, creating an organic space full of imagination and possibility.

16.11 Robotically 3D-printed clay substratum. Utilising clay 3D-printing technology to construct underground building structures creates a unique stacked form. This stacked form will be closer to the texture of naturally weathered rock and more in line with how plants grow in their natural environment. The integration of 3D print

technology, biological intelligence and AI allows us to draw from natural systems and apply mathematical and parametric models to the design process.

16.12–16.14 Cerulean 16.12 Ecotone neighbourhood. The project uses a combination of AI and bio-intelligence to address the urban heat island effect and sea-level rise in cities like London. Through innovative approaches, the project creates a resilient ecosystem that reshapes flood-prone lands and generates new morphologies. The resulting system creates multispecies spaces for various entities, fostering a biodiverse ecosystem where humans and non-humans co-exist harmoniously.

16.13 Biodiverse ecotone clustering. Cerulean is a groundbreaking approach that addresses the future effects of climate change while mitigating contributing factors and uniting diverse organisms within an inviolable environment. It is envisaged as a beacon of hope towards a more collaborative and sustainable ecosystem.

16.14 Terra-scape. The Midjourney AI programme has ingeniously transformed petri dishes into urban ecosystems using its text-to-image technique. The base image by French researcher Audrey Dussutour from the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) showcases an experiment featuring slime moulds in petri dishes. The resulting image portrays diverse petri dish worlds, each reflecting the complexity and patterns of an urban ecosystem. This amalgamation of science and AI offers a thought-provoking glimpse into the symbiotic relationship between nature, technology and urban life.

Relational Urbanism: From the Molecular to the Planetary

Zachary Fluker, Enriqueta Llabres-Valls

Research Cluster 18 investigates how urbanisation alters the Earth’s biochemical cycles in the context of planetary urbanisation, through which global ecology has become a capital-driven process. A capitaldriven Earth system is one in which many agents interact in a nonlinear way, returning to different levels of organisation and hierarchies, each ruled by their own laws.

Our cluster’s research begins with an understanding of the Earth’s primary biochemical cycles – nitrogen, carbon and phosphorous – as a complex dynamic system. We identify the relevant scales and rules of law that would lead us to select a relevant site and research question, ranging from the global to the molecular. Our design methodology embraces the non-linear nature of the Earth system, leading to a much larger spectrum of disciplinary niches. It employs various design approaches, from flow modelling and data mining to interactive platforms, to engage a wide audience with questions about environmental change and evolution.

The goal of our research is to understand the impact of current urban trends on the Earth’s biochemical cycles, which have resulted in extreme weather patterns and biodiversity loss. The new urban models proposed by our students encourage positive behaviours and correct negative environmental externalities caused by urbanisation.

This academic year the cluster has focused on global actors and how their production chains affect urban environments in different parts of the world. Our projects began by looking at production chains to propose interventions to address the negative effects of their economic activity. These interventions reduced the city’s environmental footprint by closing the gap between cities as global consumption centres and the remote landscapes that supply these cities. Students designed ways of incorporating forms of production and recycling as part of the vibrant urban agenda for the 21st century. Their projects, detailed on the following pages, investigate how emergent urban concepts related to digital technologies, such as the metaverse and digital twins, can help to achieve this purpose.

Students

Cotton Re-Growth

Yanlin Bao, Peiyao Shen

E-Tourism Infrastructure

Xinru Li, Yuhan Xue

Fast Fashion Cycle

Lanjun Wang, Jiatong Wu, Siyu Zhang

Parabox of Cities

Akshaya Chinnaraju, Arokia Maria Minisha

Valanteen, Pujitha

Vasudevan

Retrofitting Coca-Cola

Landscape

Daxu Wei

The Urban Cell

Xiaotian Kong, Chuyin Qi, Bo Wang, Qianying Wang

Urban Stimuli

Pramod Balaji, Mengxue Du, Yanli (Yoli) Li, Tianqi Lin

Theory Tutor

Huang Sheng-Yang

Skills Tutors

Dimitra Bra, Tony Lee, Huang Sheng-Yang, Yue Zhu

18.1, 18.3–18.4 E-Tourism Infrastructure The project investigates the environmental implications of the palm oil trade, focusing on Sumatra, Indonesia. E-tourism infrastructure is positioned at the border between the tropical forest and the oil palm plantation. The infrastructure explores the possibility of an urban digital twin to raise awareness of environmental developments in remote areas. 18.1 World map showing palm oil trade links. 18.3 Data analysis showing the location of oil palm plantations and tropical forests.

18.4 Bird’s-eye view showing the e-tourism facility on the border between the tropical forest and the oil palm plantation.

18.2, 18.7–18.8 Cotton Re-Growth The project rethinks the fast fashion industry based on circular economy principles. The proposal sits in Manchester, once the centre of the cotton industry, and combines a programme of vertical farming, design, fabrication and recycling. The project’s main architectural feature is a roof that integrates vertical farming, water storage and solar energy in the structure’s design. 18.2 View of the cotton farm factory. 18.7 Detailed section showing the integration of the vertical cotton farm in the roof structure.

18.8 Masterplan showing the vertical cotton farm.

18.5 The Urban Cell The project explores the urban implications of a redistributed energy production system. The design starts with the premise that citizens can produce and trade energy, leading to the possibility of exploring new architectural typologies. The project reflects on new urban icons and examines how environmental awareness can bring new public spaces into the city. This image shows the micro energy hub, a mixed-use facility with e-charging stations and a community centre.

18.6 Retrofitting Coca-Cola Landscape This project investigates Coca-Cola’s production chain and the environmental implications of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles. The urban proposal sits in one of Manila’s most significant landfills. The project proposes a new infrastructure for this landfill that helps to reuse and repurpose PET plastic. This image shows data analysis of the Manila coastline, where wastewater discharges into various water bodies.

18.9–18.12 Urban Stimuli The project investigates the urban transformation of the coffee bean belt and the role of the Starbucks Corporation in transforming vast areas of rainforest in the tropics. The project proposes a vertical farm in Manhattan, New York, dedicated to producing and distributing coffee. Midjourney was used as a participatory tool to engage the public and produce a digital landscape bringing together the rainforest and coffee. 18.9 Dataset sample for the pix2pix-trained model. 18.10 Aerial view showing the coffee plantation in the Lower East Side, Manhattan. 18.11 Coffee plantation plan programme resulting from the pix2pix-trained model. 18.12 Masterplan programme data result from the pix2pix-trained model.

18.13–18.17 Parabox of Cities The project investigates the use of metaverse environments for urban planning and for tackling the urban heat island effect. The metaverse proposes a data bank and an infrastructure for the social exchange of design solutions. The project explores applying this idea to retrofit the HSBC building in Canary Wharf. 18.13 Interface layout showing the display of the HSBC digital twin. 18.14 Aerial view showing the new façade for the HSBC building. 18.15 Isometric view showing the HSBC urban heat island effect dataset before the new façade. 18.16 Isometric view showing the HSBC urban heat island effect dataset after the new façade. 18.17 The façade before and after.

18.18 Fast Fashion Cycle Zara is a hugely successful fast fashion retailer. Central to the company’s success

is the highly automated distribution centre known as ‘The Cube’, where procurement and production teams work in tandem. This project proposes a new version of The Cube, situated in Canary Wharf. The project investigates the use of machine learning to inform new plan patterns that integrate recycling and consumption in a vertical building. Aerial view showing The Cube 2.0

Urban Design Thesis

Module coordinator: Emmanouil Zaroukas

The Urban Design thesis is a written project that helps students create a novel set of concepts, ideas and arguments that will broaden their worldview and augment their urban design explorations. Students are encouraged to move beyond the disciplinary boundaries of urban theories, venturing to computation, logic, data mining, artificial intelligence, artificial neural networks, biology, ecology, video gaming, online platforms, economic theories and politics, to formulate a novel theoretical argument that affects and is being affected by the design studio.

The thesis is a critical and focused inquiry into a specific research area that invents new directions through which the design studio can be augmented. The autonomy of the thesis allows a genuine investigation into other disciplines and complements the design studio without being subsumed by it.

Students are required to study, work and produce in a varied intellectual context created by the overall richness of the Urban Design MArch programme’s structure of research clusters. They are consulted and supervised by History & Theory tutors. The product of the research is a written study, which has a structured critical argument based on a valid hypothesis.

The thesis provides each student with the capacity to design by other means and to produce innovative theoretical orientations that can influence the course of their design work.

Designing Cities for Dopamine: Incorporating Reward and Pleasure in the Urban Environment

Tejaswini Deshmukh

Thesis

tutor: Provides Ng

Urban design embodies the influence of political, social and economic conditions and must constantly adapt to address prevailing challenges and circumstances. Due to the current pervasive presence of social media, images have become commodities; the attention economy is a hypodermic needle that administers a constant supply of digital dopamine. This ocular-centric culture dominates our sensory systems and leads to detachment and isolation. How can we design the built environment to counter the physically isolating nature of a dopaminergic society?

This thesis analyses the social design of both virtual (social media) and physical (urban spaces) platforms, and studies user psychology by dissecting pleasure and dopamine in relation to attachment studies. By using architectural phenomenology and place attachment theory, it comparatively analyses the urban spaces of Bangalore and Varanasi, India’s IT hub and oldest city

respectively. The analysis focuses on addressing social isolation issues and whether the design of the city can balance reward and pleasure through dimensions of time and space.

The findings provide insights into how social media virtually fosters interpersonal bonds and self-identity. Similarly, Varanasi, with its organic spatial structure, facilitates a positive environmental image and enhances users’ emotional and social bonding. Varanasi is known for its ghats – riverfront steps that lead down to the banks of the Ganges. The distant vista of the ghats that celebrate both life and death and whose architecture connects perspective to detail and material to space, maintains the genius loci. Contrastingly, a weak spatial system can disorient individuals. Bangalore’s transformation from a ‘Garden City’ to the ‘Silicon Valley of India’ was influenced by the IT revolution, and has induced a sense of placelessness. This thesis discusses and highlights these seemingly banal yet critical phenomenological factors of urban landscapes, brings to light the issues surrounding today’s ocular-centric culture and reflects on how we may enhance the social capacity of empathy and compassion during rapid urban development processes.

Image: Equiticity: Sensorial Experience in the Third Place, 2023. Tejaswini Deshmukh, Shriyansh Jain, Aalok Joshi, RC14

Cultural

Yiyan Xu

The cultural characteristics of a city are not only limited to its aesthetic significance, but also, more importantly, include its social significance. Today, multicultural and cross-cultural communication is increasingly common, and the blending and collision of different cultures has become an inevitable trend. Chinatowns are common around the world, often attracting large numbers of visitors as tourist attractions, and represent the gathering of exotic ethnic cultures. However, the creation of Chinatowns is usually a stereotyped, top-down, controlled urban design process with Chinese cultural elements embedded at a purely visual level. The Chinese community experiences such cultural areas as deliberate, solidified and non-immersive. From the perspective of cultural inclusiveness, this only creates

superficial representation, which is not conducive to cross-cultural communication and socially democratic development. How can a different Chinatown be created to reflect its true diversity?

This thesis breaks from the typical visualled design approach and instead starts by exploring the sound landscape to create a more immersive and interactive experience. It recognises the important and equal social identity of the Chinese community as foreign residents, explores and strengthens the cultural perception of the community with the purpose of building the Chinese language landscape, and enhances the community’s sense of identity and belonging in a foreign society. One of the tools used in this thesis is a deep learning language recognition model to help analyse the urban sound environment from the perspective of a language landscape. Another tool used is the virtual reality (VR) technology of language trigger mechanism and linked vision, which can amplify user feelings.

Image: A sound and visual real-time programming environment created using vvvv software, providing interactive experience with 3D point clouds for users when wearing Oculus VR glasses. Linguistic Landscapes, 2023. Meiying Chen, Chunyu Liu, Mei Meng, Yiyan Xu, RC15

Soundscape Design from the Perspective of the Chinese Community: London’s Chinatown as a Case Study

Thesis tutor: Ilaria Di Carlo

Towards an Era of Speculative Design

Jiacong (Jecci) Chen

Thesis tutor: Emmanouil Zaroukas

Amid the global climate crisis, we have reached the era of the new normal1, with an increasing awareness of the significant impact exerted by non-human forces. This recognition calls for a fundamental shift in attitudes towards our presence on Earth. If we are to depart from the prevailing anthropocentric worldview, which places human interests above all and views non-human elements merely as objective resources, adopting a more inclusive perspective becomes imperative. Nowadays, the rapid progress of machine reasoning aligns with the extensive utilisation of algorithms to process vast datasets and aid human design endeavours. This thesis conducts a comparative analysis between two models of machine reasoning – traditional deductive reasoning and innovative speculative reasoning – examining their respective roles in shaping human development within the realm of artificial intelligence. While deductive reasoning has historically adopted a human-centric approach bound by fixed scientific knowledge, speculative reasoning draws its strength from embracing unfamiliarity, embodying the essence of productive imagination. This approach is fuelled by the willingness to be receptive to diverse and non-human influences.

Urban_Moods

Peiyao Shen

Thesis tutor: Sheng-Yang Huang

Focusing on the social media used by London’s youth, this thesis analyses the emotional performance of the local populations and responds to the relationship between these at different levels of data. This is a new research direction in the study of psychology and geography and presents a new angle for developing the use of social media data. Starting from these entry points, following a quantitative and qualitative analysis process, the results of the study demonstrate the significant value of social media data in this new area of research that represents the influence of urban environments on emotions at a small scale and in fine-grained regions. This research will help advance the process of urban design in subtle ways to positively change people’s emotions. As the emotions of city residents are closely linked to the built environment, carrying out a systematic study summing up the emotional analysis of social media content combined with the physical environment, can help create more emotionally positive cities.

1. Benjamin H. Bratton (2020), The New Normal, Strelka Press Image: Peat Revitalisation, 2023. Jiacong (Jecci) Chen, Napapa Soonjan, Yuanhao Wei, Shi (Rock) Zheng, RC16

Image: Emotional Geography: A multidimensional dissection of hidden emotions in the urban environment, 2023. Image by the author

The Bartlett XR Studio, 22 Gordon Street.

Photo: Richard Stonehouse

Architectural Computation MSc/MRes

Architectural Computation MSc/MRes

Programme Directors: Manuel Jiménez Garcia, Philippe Morel

‘At its core, intelligence can be viewed as a process that converts unstructured information into useful and actionable knowledge.’

Demis Hassabis, Financial Times, 21 April 2017

The Bartlett’s Architectural Computation MSc and MRes programmes engage and advance the main technologies through which tomorrow’s architecture will be both designed and constructed. The programmes are designed to provide students with the depth of understanding needed to utilise computation fully in the context of design, research and industry. Students investigate computation as a technology that is responsible for driving fundamental shifts in industry and society by changing the way we produce and think. They develop technical knowledge, such as computer coding, not only as a skill to be practised, but also as a framework for thought. A broad theoretical understanding of the algorithms and philosophies of artificial intelligence (AI) and related domains supports this technical knowledge. Theory modules position the use of computation in the design process, ranging from analysis in space and structure, to the use of AI techniques in learning about design performance and the role of computation in creativity. Practice modules allow students to develop their personal interests within a range of themes, such as technologies of interaction (augmented reality and virtual reality), cybernetics, physics simulations, AI, automation and robotics manufacturing including 3D printing. A stream of skills-based modules teaches research skills and programming, guiding students through the multiple possibilities that computation offers in design environments. Throughout the year, students engaged with a wide range of digital media and tools to develop their projects through studio modules, workshops and lectures. The modules and theses produced research projects that included exploring computational methods for interaction and automated construction; the generation of architectural forms using AI; data visualisation applications for the built environment; and computational workflows for adaptable habitats, among others.

Students

Amal Algamdey, Sajid

Awal, Anthony Chatay, Neelam Chellani, Vaishnavi Deo, Xiaofan

Dong, Abhinav Goel, Wenxuan Hu, Rungrawee Jaratwilatwanit, Dhruvinkumar Kataria, Yihan Lin, Cen Ma, Georgina Myers, Elena Petrova, Kostantina

Psatha, Ayush Shekhawat, Pournami Sujeev, Wing

Hang Daniel Tang, Jose Tashakori, Malihehossadat Vasfinejad, Jiacheng

Wang, Jiadi Wang, Olivia

Wang, Shuhai Wang, Yue Wu, Zhikun Wu, Dawei

Yang, Yue Yang

Staff

Vishu Bhooshan, Tommaso Casucci, Adam Davis, Khaled Elashry, Sherif Eltarabishy, Ava Fatah gen Schieck, Sam Griffiths, Sean Hanna, Marcin Kosicki, Petros Koutsolampros, Philippe Morel, Vasileios Papalexopoulos, Stamatios Psarras, Valentina Soana, Martin Traunmueller, Martha Tsigkari

Postgraduate Teaching Assistant

Dingyi Wei

Programme Administrators

Tung Ying (Crystal) Chow, Tom Mole

Consultants and Critics

Jamil Al Bardawil, Shajay

Bhooshan, Federico

Borello, Taizhong Chen, Alberto Chiusoli, Jianfei

Chu, Michail Desyllas, Alessio Erioli, Henry David Louth, Yutong Xia

AC.1 Amal Algamdey ‘Pix2Navigate: Navigating Semantic Spaces’. Following the studio project entitled ‘Dissolving Reality: Machine View from the Road’, investigating the co-existence of human and artificial agents in architectural design, this thesis suggests a new kind of semantic navigation through a web-based and game-like interface. Its originality lies in the combined use of a word- and image-based search with input and target images that uncover unique visual signifiers.

AC.2 Yue Yang ‘Breathing Skin’. Interacting with sound in real time, the pneumatic soft robotic system explores the architectural potential of sound-controlled soft robotic kinematic systems. The system works according to four scenarios, taking into account the intensity and frequency of sound.

AC.3 Sajid Awal, Xiaofan Dong, Yihan Lin ‘Augmenting Performance in Cyber-Physical Space’. The project explores the augmentation of performance in cyberphysical space while taking into account the issue of privacy for the audience. Rhino.Inside is used to incorporate voxels generated by Grasshopper from the intersection of the cone of vision of the audience, which is then blurred in Unity using Kawase blur and the universal render pipeline (URP), a Unity plugin. To augment the performance, an existing machine learning (ML) model, MediaPipe Pose, is used to generate a skeleton of the performer by plotting 33 landmarks of the human body in real time. Finally, agent-based modelling is used along with Perlin noise and an attractor to generate the augmented performance. The output is tested out in HoloLens from the audience’s perspective.

AC.4 Ayush Shekhawat ‘Structural Synergy: Structural Design Guided by Crowd Dynamics’. This project explores the relationship between crowd movement and structural design, keeping in mind the process by which users navigate space and how structural elements contribute to changes in movement patterns. Columns and other structural elements are treated as obstacles to navigate around. The project goal is to develop a seamless bridge between Unity’s NavMesh agent simulations and Karamba3D (a structural analysis engine) to generate a consistent feedback loop where the agents influence the positioning of all columns. A database of different layouts and their fitness in terms of ‘slab deflection’ (structural fitness) and ‘crowd congestion’ (crowd fitness) is stored and analysed to reduce congestion in key spatial areas.

AC.5–AC.6 Dhruvinkumar Kataria ‘Multi-Objective Evolutionary Optimisation of Façades’. Building upon the studio project, the objective of this thesis is to propose beneficial layouts for designing office buildings in India to achieve optimal energy efficiency and user satisfaction. This is done by prioritising visual comfort, thermal balance and daylight optimisation. Multiple performance metrics classified as either static or dynamic are developed to assess daylight over time.

AC.7 Dawei Yang ‘3D Model Texture Generation Utilising Stable Diffusion’. With the development of ML and text-to-image algorithms like Stable Diffusion, AI-generated content (AIGC) has attracted a great deal of attention. However, current 3D AIGC algorithms do not achieve results as satisfying as in 2D. This thesis provides a new solution to generate textures for 3D models based on Stable Diffusion and ControlNet, utilising the four-view depth or normal map of 3D models to generate the four-view images of those models, then processing projections for each view separately. In this way, the consistency of different views can be guaranteed.

AC.8 Anthony Chatay ‘Equilibrioception: Impossible Geometry Study’. The project explores impossible geometries and questions how they impact the ways in which users understand and navigate virtual environments.

AC.9 Vaishnavi Deo, Georgina Myers, Jiacheng Wang, Yue Wu ‘Architectural Shape Design from Text Prompts’. AI form generators are gaining traction in the world of architecture. Moving beyond images, architects can now use AI to generate 3D architectural designs from text prompts. ML algorithms learn from sample data to create complete 3D models. Recognising that existing datasets and ML models were not tailored to architectural nuances, the project proposes bespoke architectural datasets and a novel approach using vision-based neural radiance fields (NeRFs).

AC.10–AC.12 Pournami Sujeev, Jose Tashakori, Jiadi Wang ‘Monolithic Doubly Curved Shell Roof: Design and Digital Fabrication’. This project delves into the challenges of achieving double curvature in architectural design. At the forefront of this exploration is a novel approach that incorporates 3D printing on biaxially oriented polystyrene (BOPS) plastic sheets. By printing precise patterns onto BOPS sheets which are subsequently heated, the unique interaction between the shrinkage of the plastic and the stability of the printed material results in a naturally yielding, doubly curved form. Additionally, the project employs procedural geometry to optimise and streamline the design process.

AC.13–AC.15 Neelam Chellani, Abhinav Goel, Elena Petrova, Konstantina Psatha ‘Modular Housing: Participation and Industrialisation’. To address the need for more residential buildings, the project leverages the power of combinatorics and fabrication-aware digital timber. Liveable units with discrete elements are combined to form single dwellings, then aggregated into multi-level habitats. 3D graphic statics are used to form stable column designs, assembled with optimally sliced 3D-printed non-standard nodes.

AC.16–AC.17 Wenxuan Hu, Rungrawee Jaratwilatwanit, Shuhai Wang ‘Aerobot: Adaptive Deployable Pneumatic Linear Structure’. The project develops a lightweight material robot for the design of temporary structures and spaces that can change shape and are deployable, easy to transport and respond to environmental changes or design intentions. The aerobot can be operated manually or automatically through humidity sensors connected to an application programme.

AC.18 Vaishnavi Deo, Jiacheng Wang, Yue Wu ‘Text-to-Developable Geometry’. The project explores architectural geometry through the generation of images from text prompts. It delves into depth-map generation using monocular depth estimation, specifically with the MiDAS algorithm. The project also introduces the concept of developable surfaces and presents two algorithms for optimising 2.5D geometry.

AC.19, AC.21 Olivia Wang, Zhikun Wu ‘Fabric Tensformer’. This project develops an innovative tensile robotic architectural system that presents a new vision of lightweight and sustainable architecture. It combines the energy efficiency and flexibility of tensile structures with the precision and freedom of movement offered by rigid ‘three degrees of freedom’ (3DoF) robotic arms.

AC.20 Cen Ma ‘Architectural Sketch to 3D Form: A Human–AI Collaborative Design Workflow Powered by Multi-Modal Machine Learning’. Translating handdrawn sketches into digital 3D models is a common practice in design. Nevertheless, the process of 3D modelling is time-intensive, and the interfaces of 3D modelling software often prove cumbersome. In response to these challenges, this research proposes a new approach and interface. In the proposed workflow, users can sketch on a canvas and the corresponding 3D model will be automatically generated and displayed alongside their hand-drawn work.

AC.4

AC.3

AC.5

AC.7

AC.8

AC.12

AC.18

AC.21

AC.19

Bioscope installed at St Andrews Botanic Garden, UK, 2023.

Photo: Brenda Parker

Bio-Integrated Design MArch/MSc

Bio-Integrated Design

MArch/MSc

Programme Directors: Marcos Cruz (The Bartlett School of Architecture), Brenda Parker (UCL Biochemical Engineering)

Our Bio-Integrated Design (Bio-ID) programmes bring together advanced computation, biotechnology and digital fabrication in the context of climate change to create a radical and sustainable built environment. They take these life-changing phenomena as the foundation for exploring sophisticated yet also critical design solutions, which will help to shape our future society.

Taught collaboratively by The Bartlett School of Architecture and UCL Department of Biochemical Engineering, Bio-ID proposes a new sense of materiality with emergent hybrid technologies that form innovative products and environments, infused with natural and synthetic life. With two different Master’s programmes – MArch and MSc – working in tandem, the work of each student balances laboratory research, computation and advanced manufacturing. The programmes are hands-on, combining design and scientific research. Emphasis is given to the translation of phenomena observed at a microscopic level into architecturally relevant scales. Nature plays a central role, beyond that of a model or inspiration; it is in itself the medium of a new, multi-layered design approach that is biologically, materially and socially integrated.

Bio-ID brings together a multidisciplinary community of students, including architects, designers, urban planners, artists and landscape architects studying the MArch, and bio-scientists and engineers studying the MSc.

Students

Year 1 Xinrui Cai, Rashneet Chhabra, Maria Creuheras Gonzalez, Aitch Hunt, Gayatri Jain, Edward Khoury, Sophie Kirkpatrick, Fang-Yu (Fran) Liu, Rida Mughal, Nathanael Myers, Isik Ogutcu, Andrita Orbandi, Keren Permutti, Farida Radwan, Daisy Rani Xavier, Natalie Rizk, Sophia Saleki, Sahda Salsabila, Choi Wing Tse, Yumeng Wei

Year 2 Hansa Baliga, Sameera Bommisetty, Man I Che, Hana Cvelbar, Rita Espinha Dos Santos Abreu Morais, Alexa Guerra Cam, Satyam Gyanchandani, Tanvi Khurmi, Jennifer Levy Girardin, Itamar Lilienthal Ladelsky, Mounika Maddipatla, Dana Molzhigit, Laetitia Morlie, Ajitesh Murmu, Sharifunnisa Mynasabgari, Natalia Piorecka, Shylaja Regunathan, Yifan Shi, Simeng Sun, Karishma Tuladhar, Kenneth Wilson Rozas, Junyu Yang

Images (clockwise from top left): Urban MYCOskin Wall model of a mycelium-reinforced recycled textile composite, Rita Espinha Dos Santos Abreu Morais, Jennifer Levy Girardin, Natalia Piorecka; Build Up, Break Down, Grow Anew Impact-printed soil prototype incorporating immobilised P.fluorescens bacteria for bioremediation, Itamar Lilienthal Ladelsky, Laetitia Morlie, Kenneth Wilson Rozas; ProBioGenesis 3D printing of a bagasse/ clay composite with integrated S.coelicolor bacteria to promote growth on bioreceptive façades, Hana Cvelbar, Mounika Maddipatla, Sharifunnisa Mynasabgari; Frameless Fibres Robotically woven wall prototype with biomineralised reinforcement, Hansa Baliga, Sameera Bommisetty, Shylaja Regunathan; Hygroflex Robotic hydrogel extrusion on recycled timber for an environmentally-responsive roof, Satyam Gyanchandani, Yifan Shi; Blue Garden Biomaterial landscape to promote regeneration and seaweed growth at a coastal site, Alexa Guerra Cam, Man I Che, Tanvi Khurmi; EcoMesh Algae culture and environmental enrichment, Simeng Sun, Karishma Tuladhar; Viva Ornaments Façade with algae-infused 3D printed ceramic tiles, Dana Molzhigit, Junyu Yang

Tutors

Hercules Argyropoulos, Clare Brass, Marcos Cruz, Marie Dorn, Pradeep Devadass, Kostas Grigoriadis, Andreas Körner, Paolo Bombelli, Alexandra Lacatusu, James Lawrence, Tony Le, Jingyuan Meng, Brenda Parker, Ian Robinson, Javier Ruiz, Anete Salmane, Prantar Tamuli, Harry Watkins

Theory Tutors

Hector Altamirano, Martyn Carter, Sam Esses, Ayelen Francheschini, Will Goodall Copestake, Ella Hetherington, Nikoletta Karastathi, Andreas Körner, Hannah Laeverenz-Schlogelhofer, Jingyuan Meng, Laura Nica, Tin Oberman, Vasilki Panagiotidou, Vijay Pawar, Abishera Rajkumar, Michael Sulu

Programme Administrators

Zoe Lau, Drew Pessoa

Critics

Dana Bauer, Andy Bow, Mark Garcia, Vijay Pawar, Peter Scully, Theodore Spyropoulos, Michael Sulu, Fiona Zisch

Partners

Barking Riverside, Haddonstone Ltd, IAAC

Barcelona, London

Festival of Architecture, PGIM, St Andrews Botanic Garden, Tate & Lyle, UCL Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering

Our Programmes

The Bartlett School of Architecture currently teaches undergraduate and graduate students across 29 programmes of study and one professional course.

You will find below a list of our current programmes, their duration when taken full time and the directors. More information, including details on open days, is available on our website.

Undergraduate

Architecture BSc (ARB/RIBA Part 1)

Three-year programme, directed by Ana Monrabal-Cook

Architecture MSci (ARB Part 1 & 2)

Five-year programme with a year placement in practice, directed by Sara Shafiei

Architectural & Interdisciplinary Studies BSc

Three or four-year programme, directed by Elizabeth Dow

Engineering & Architectural Design MEng (ARB/RIBA Part 1, CIBSE, JBM)

Four-year programme, directed by Luke Olsen

Postgraduate

Architecture MArch (ARB/RIBA Part 2)

Two-year programme, directed by Professor Marjan Colletti & Dr Kostas Grigoriadis

Architectural Computation MSc/MRes

12-month programmes, directed by Philippe Morel & Manuel Jiménez Garcia

Architectural Design MArch

12-month programme, directed by Tyson Hosmer & Gilles Retsin

Architectural History MA

One-year programme, directed by Professor Peg Rawes

Architecture & Digital Theory MRes

One-year programme, directed by Professor Mario Carpo & Professor Frédéric Migayrou

Architecture & Historic Urban

Environments MA

One-year programme, directed by Professor Edward Denison

Bio-Integrated Design MSc/MArch

Two-year programmes, directed by Professor Marcos Cruz & Dr Brenda Parker

Cinematic & Videogame Architecture MArch

A new one-year programme beginning in

2023–24, directed by Professor Penelope Haralambidou & Dr Luke Pearson

Design for Manufacture MArch

15-month programme, directed by Professor Peter Scully

Design for Performance & Interaction MArch

15-month programme, directed by Dr Ruairi Glynn & Dr Fiona Zisch

Landscape Architecture MA/MLA

One-year (MA) and two-year (MLA) programmes, directed by Professor Laura Allen & Professor Mark Smout

Situated Practice MA

15-month programme, directed by Dr James O’Leary

Space Syntax: Architecture & Cities

MSc/MRes

One-year programmes, directed by Dr Kayvan Karimi

Urban Design MArch

12-month programme, directed by Roberto Bottazzi

Advanced Architectural Research PG Cert

Three-month programme, directed by Professor Nat Chard

Architectural Design MPhil/PhD

Three to four-year programme, directed by Professor Jonathan Hill

Architectural & Urban History & Theory

MPhil/PhD

Three to four-year programme, directed by Professor Sophia Psarra

Architectural Space & Computation

MPhil/PhD

Three to four-year programme, directed by Ava Fatah gen Schieck

Architecture & Digital Theory MPhil/PhD

Three to four-year programme, directed by Professor Mario Carpo & Professor Frédéric Migayrou

Architectural Practice MPhil/PhD

Three to four-year programme, directed by Professor Murray Fraser

Professional Studies

Architecture (ARB/RIBA Part 3)

10 to 23-month programme, directed by Felicity Atekpe

Short Courses

The Bartlett School of Architecture welcomes young students from around the world to participate in summer short courses. Our summer school also offers a large number of scholarships aimed at assisting students in their studies.

The Bartlett Summer School

14–16-year-olds (on campus)

Our summer school for children aged 14–16 has been designed for younger students looking for a brief introduction to The Bartlett School of Architecture and to develop their understanding of architecture at university level. The one- to two-day courses offer an introduction to the specific skills an architect needs, while also allowing students to work collaboratively.

The Bartlett Summer School

16–18-year-olds (on campus and online)

Our short courses for 16–18-year-olds introduce students to the study of architecture and creative practice at degree level. On campus students visit architectural exhibitions, offices and sites of interest before working on a collaborative drawing

or model, informed by their experiences. Online students work in groups and individually under the instruction of The Bartlett’s highly skilled teaching staff, using online drawing platforms and collaborating with students from around the world.

Year 12 Sutton Trust Summer Schools (on campus)

This Access and Widening Participation UCL short course is free of charge. It is run and organised by the widening participation team in UCL and the Sutton Trust. The course is delivered in collaboration with a team from The Bartlett faculty. It is a fully immersive student experience with participants spending five days learning and socialising together. Students undertake a critical investigation of their daily routines in an architectural context through walking, looking, drawing and making.

Visit our website to find out more and to see this year’s pop-up workshops.

Contact bartlett.shortcourses@ucl.ac.uk

At work in the B-made studio

Public Lectures

Visit our Vimeo and YouTube channels to watch a selection of our recorded lectures – search ‘Bartlett School of Architecture’ to find us.

The Bartlett International Lecture Series

Attracting guests from across the world, our International Lecture Series has featured almost 600 distinguished speakers since its inception in 1996. Lectures in this series are open to the public and free to attend.

Lectures this year featured:

Image and Making: Ten Years of Process, from Milan to Mars

Asif Khan (Asif Khan Studio)

The Caring Exception: Building the Oasis in the Concrete Jungle

Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

Machine Intelligence and Practice Futures

Phil Bernstein (Yale School of Architecture)

David Olusoga – MoHoA Conference

David Olusoga (Broadcaster, Filmmaker and Historian)

— Empty Space

Carla Juaçaba (Carla Juaçaba Studio)

Continuous State of Reinvention

Kjetil Trædal Thorsen (Snøhetta)

In the Black Fantastic Ekow Eshun (Curator)

F51 Urban Sports Park –Generational Regeneration

Guy Hollaway (Hollaway Studio)

— A Human Approach to Design

Lisa Finlay (Heatherwick Studio)

— End Time: Reflections on Design, Modernities and the Anthropocene

Edward Denison (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

— Continuity and Discontinuity in Colonial and Postcolonial Modernity

Nnamdi Elleh (University of Witwatersrand)

Prospectives

The Bartlett’s B-Pro history and theory lecture series continued to offer a platform for the presentation, discussion and theoretical reflection on the links between digital thought, architecture and urban design. Speakers included:

Matias del Campo (University of Michigan)

Maurizio Ferraris (University of Turin)

Anna Longo (Collège International de Philosophie)

Déborah López Lobato and Hadin Charbel (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

Lea Sattler (École Nationale Supérieure d’Architecture Paris La Villette)

— SKYGGE – Benoit Carré (Musician)

Landscapes in Dialogue

Landscapes in Dialogue is a public lecture series from the Landscape Architecture programmes. The series comprised curated but informal talks from practitioners and academics. Speakers from a range of disciplines were invited to reflect on their work in progress, working methods and the process of working with landscape. Speakers included:

— Martí Franch Batllori (EMF Landscape Architecture)

— Céline Baumann (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

Joost Emmerik (Amsterdam Academy of Architecture)

Jonathan Evans (MASS Design Group)

Liza Fior (MUF Architecture/Art)

Cannon Ivers (LDA Design)

Thierry Kandjee and Sébastien Penfornis (Taktyk)

— Tiago Torres-Campos (Rhode Island School of Design)

Situating Architecture

Situating Architecture is an architectural history lecture series affiliated with The Bartlett’s renowned Architectural History MA. It is open to both current students and members of the public alike and explores the powers and effects of architecture today. Invited speakers show how historical and theoretical practices materialise different architectural meanings from poetics to ethics, housing to infrastructure, politics to technologies.

Luca Csepely-Knorr (Liverpool School of Architecture)

Sam Grinsell (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

— Ievgeniia Gubkina (UCL)

— Jonathan Hill, Megha Chand Inglis and Stelios Giamarelos (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

Léopold Lambert (The Funambulist)

Frank Kelsall (Historian) and Timothy Walker (Historian)

Bartlett Research Conversations

The Bartlett Research Conversations series featured research presentations from students undertaking the Architectural Design or Architectural and Urban History and Theory MPhil/PhD programmes. Students were joined by senior academics from across the school, including PhD programme directors and supervisors, alongside members of the wider Bartlett and UCL community. This year research was presented by:

Omar Abolnaga

— Yichuan Chen

Zhenhang Hu

— Jessica In

Ryan Kearney

Te-Chen Lu

—

Patricia Rodrigues Ferreira Da Silva

Elin Söderberg

Mike Tanaka

Jonathan Tyrrell

— Sandra Youkhana

Space Syntax Laboratory Research Seminars

This academic seminar series featured researchers sharing their findings, discussing their ideas and showing work in progress from The Bartlett’s Space Syntax Laboratory. Guests to the series included:

Siqi Chen (Shanghai Institute of Technology) Fánel Contreras (Universidad Nacional de Ingeniería)

Martin Fleischmann (University of Strathclyde) and Dani Arribas-Bel (University of Liverpool)

— Michal Gath-Morad (ETH Zurich)

— Daniel Koch and Ann Legeby (KTH School of Architecture)

— Gustavo Maldonado Gil (Rappi) and Christina Lenart (KTH Stockholm)

— Burcu H Ozuduru (Gazi University’s Faculty of Architecture)

— Kerstin Sailer and Rosica Pachilova (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

Yao Shen (Tongji University)

Yichang Sun (The Bartlett School of Architecture)

IIgi Toprak (Istanbul Technical University)

Gözde Uyar and Åsmund Izaki (Woods Bagot)

Soungmi Yu (Zaha Hadid Architects)

Exhibitions & Events

The Bartlett plays host to a variety of events, ranging from conferences and book launches to workshops and international symposia. In addition, a vibrant programme of exhibitions runs throughout the year. These events offer a diverse exploration of innovative ideas and current issues, with inspiring speakers from across the globe.

Structural Stone Renaissance Symposium, 12 October 2022 organised by Klaas de Rycke and Oliver Wilton saw innovators in the field of stone come together to discuss the re-emergence of the material’s use in architecture.

The Modern Heritage in the Anthropocene Symposium, 26–28 October 2022 was co-organised by The Bartlett’s Professor Edward Denison and Professor Ola Uduku, Head of the University of Liverpool’s School of Architecture, along with partners at the University of Cape Town and the Africa World Heritage Fund as part of the Modern Heritage of Africa (MoHoA) global collaborative. The three-day global symposium addressed decolonising, decentring and reframing the recent past to achieve equitable and sustainable futures.

The Architectural History MA student-led symposium, Missing Links, 19 November 2022 examined the missing links in relationships between histories, theories and the practice of architecture.

A series of in-person events took place around this year’s Fifteen show, marking its return to campus for the first time since the start of the pandemic. The Design for Performance & Interaction Project Fair and Situated Practice Live, 9 December 2022 showcased ground-breaking work from their respective cohorts. The Design for Manufacture Conference 2022, 13–14 December 2022 saw students present research projects formed around the starting point of architectural ceramics. The two-day event included a keynote lecture by architect and innovator Paul Michael Pelken.

The seventeenth annual PhD Research Projects Exhibition, 21 February – 7 March 2023 featured the work of students from across the faculty developing or concluding their doctoral research. The LAMSA crochet pop-up led by PhD candidate Natalie Garland ran concurrently, raising funds for those affected by the Turkey-Syria earthquake

In association with King’s College London and the Lithuanian Cultural Institute, the Films for Ukraine roundtable and fundraiser took place on 29 March 2023. The discussion focused on women, cinema and the city, reflecting on gender in Ukraine and Eastern Europe during wartime.

Book Launches

Resisting Postmodern Architecture, 31 October 2022

Professors Jonathan Hill and Megha Chand Inglis joined Dr Stelios Giamarelos to discuss his new book, published by UCL Press. This event was part of the Situating Architecture lecture series.

Monumental Wastelands, 14 November 2022

Déborah López Lobato and Hadin Charbel launched the first two volumes of Monumental Wastelands, a bilingual publication for the research and investigation of contemporary spatial practices and their contingencies.

Animal Architecture, 23 March 2023

Author and lecturer Dr Paul Dobraszczyk was joined by panellists Tom Dyckhoff and Professor Nathalie Pettorelli for the launch of Animal Architecture. The launch was co-hosted by the ISRF and moderated by Professor Christopher Newfield, ISRF Director of Research.

Brutalist Paris, 27 April 2023

Author Dr Robin Wilson and photographer Dr Nigel Green introduced their new book Brutalist Paris, a unique photographic record of over 50 brutalist buildings across the French capital.

Bartlett Shows Website

In September 2020, the school launched its bespoke digital exhibition environment, presenting The Summer Show 2020. Since then, thirteen further student shows have been shared digitally, including The Summer Show 2022 and The B-Pro Show 2022. Each digital exhibition has attracted thousands of online visitors from across the globe, with the Summer Show 2022 content viewed over 250,000 times.

The digital exhibition space was designed by creative agency Hello Monday, working together with the school’s exhibitions and communications teams, to create a unique online experience for the visitor. Hello Monday delivered a virtual show space that allows the user to explore the work spatially, within exhibition rooms, and in detail, on student project pages. Students have the opportunity to display their work using video, high-definition imagery and 3D models alongside detailed narratives.

With each exhibition, the digital environment is being refined to improve the visitor experience and to encourage greater engagement with the student work displayed. Projects are now searchable by thematic concern with all previous shows available to browse from a single landing page. In line with our commitment to inclusivity, we are actively working towards making the website more accessible to a wider audience.

The Bartlett’s digital show environment has won web design awards at both the Awwwards and Favourite Website Awards and has been shortlisted for the prestigious Archiboo and D&AD Awards in the Digital Design category. This year the website picked up two additional awards, a Silver Lovie and the People’s Lovie in the Schools & Education category. The Lovie Awards, named after Ada Lovelace, recognise European Internet excellence in the fields of culture, technology and business.

www.bartlettarchucl.com

Alumni

The Bartlett’s diverse and vibrant alumni play a vital role in the life of the school, as staff, visiting lecturers, mentors, sponsors, donors and participants.

This year saw the formation of the alumni group ‘The Friends of The Bartlett School of Architecture’. Their inaugural social event took place at the end of April and was hosted by alumnus Joe Morris at the East London offices of Morris + Company. Over 100 former students came together with current staff to enjoy refreshments provided by the hyper seasonal, low-impact restaurant Edit. The evening was chaired by Paul Monaghan Director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris.

We invite alumni to join us at The Bartlett Summer Show for an exclusive Alumni Late drinks reception.

Alumni interested in running events should email architecture.comms@ucl.ac.uk to discuss how we can help you.

All Bartlett School of Architecture alumni are invited to join UCL’s Alumni Online Community to keep in touch with the school and receive benefits including special discounts, UCL’s Portico magazine and more.

Registered alumni have access to:

Thousands of e-journals available through UCL Library

A global network of old and new friends in the worldwide alumni community

— Free mentoring and the opportunity to become a mentor yourself

— Jobs boards for the exclusive alumni community

aoc.ucl.ac.uk/alumni

Summer 2022 Alumni Late

The Bartlett Promise

Across higher education and in industry, the built environment sector is not diverse enough. Here at The Bartlett, we promise to do better.

The Bartlett Promise Scholarship was launched in 2019 to enable UK undergraduate students from backgrounds under-represented in The Bartlett Faculty to pursue their studies with us, with the aim of diversifying the student body and ultimately the built environment sector. In 2020, it was widened to include Masters and PhD scholarships, and in 2021, internationally, to Sub-Saharan Africa master’s students. We want a Bartlett education to be open to all, regardless of means.

The scholarship covers full tuition fees for the degree programme, plus an annual allowance to cover living and study expenses. All Promise scholars will also receive ongoing academic and career support during their studies. In addition, The Bartlett Promise Sub-Saharan Africa Scholarships provide a comprehensive support package, including travel to and from the UK and study visa costs.

Sara Shafiei, Vice-Dean of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at The Bartlett says:

The award is a promise from The Bartlett faculty to future generations of scholars of the built environment – that we are wholeheartedly committed to taking bold and innovative steps in addressing underrepresentation of students from diverse backgrounds within built environment higher education and industry.

We are delighted that The Bartlett Promise continues to grow and play a significant role in attracting the very best students, who continue to enrich our community in extraordinary ways.

To be eligible for a scholarship, candidates must have an offer of a place on a Bartlett degree programme. When selecting scholars, we consider the educational, personal and financial circumstances of the applicant, and how these relate to the eligibility criteria.

Full details of the application process and eligibility criteria can be found on our website.

ucl.ac.uk/bartlett/bartlett-promise

Students at 22 Gordon Street, The Bartlett’s Bloomsbury home.

Staff, Visitors & Consultants

A

Mark Burrows

Shyamala Duraisingam

Thea Heintz

Ana Abram

Vasilija Abramovic

George Adamopoulos

Ava Aghakouchak

Visiting Prof Robert Aish

Roslyn Aish

Yasemin Didem Aktas

Alejandra Albuerne Rodriguez

Wardah Ali

Laura Allen

Salam Al-Saegh

Carlos Alvarez Doran

Arveen Appadoo

Dimitris Argyros

Azadeh Asgharzadeh Zaferani

Abigail Ashton

Felicity Atekpe

Edwina Attlee

Annecy Attlee

Joseph Augustin

Karen Averby

B

Julia Backhaus

Kirsty Badenoch

Francesco Banchini

Matthew Barnett Howland

Beth Barnett-Sanders

Sarah Barry

Carolina Bartram

Stefan Bassing

Paul Bavister

Simon Beames

Richard Beckett

Bedir Bekar

Jhono Bennett

Julian Besems

Harry Betts

Vishu Bhooshan

Peter Bishop

Laurence Blackwell-Thale

Isaie Bloch

Eleanor Boiling

Paolo Bombelli

Iain Borden

Alex Borrell

Roberto Bottazzi

Visiting Prof Andy Bow

Matt Bowles

Eva Branscome

Albert Brenchat Aguilar

Alastair Browning

Jessica Buckmire

Tom Budd

Rosalind Burkett-Wenham

Christopher Burman

Matthew Butcher

C

Blanche Cameron

William Victor Camilleri

Alberto Campagnoli

Barbara-Ann Campbell-Lange

Ben Campkin

Brent Carnell

Mario Carpo

Martyn Carter

Daniel Carter

Luciano Caruggi de Faria

Tommaso Casucci

Tsz Long Chan

Megha Chand Inglis

Hadin Charbel

Nat Chard

Izaskun Chinchilla Moreno

Tung Ying Chow

Krina Christopoulou

Sandra Ciampone

Mollie Claypool

Marjan Colletti

Michael Collins

Emeritus Prof Peter Cook

Hannah Corlett

Samuel Coulton

John Cruwys

Marcos Cruz

Rut Cuenca Candel

Nichola Czyz

D

Christina Dahdaleh

Amica Dall

Tiffany Dang

Satyajit Das

Peter Davies

Tom Davies

Edward Denison

Ricardo de Ostos

Klaas de Rycke

Pradeep Devadass

Max Dewdney

Ilaria Di Carlo

David Di Duca

Jan Dierckx

Visiting Prof Elizabeth Diller

Katerina Dionysopoulou

Paul Dobraszczyk

Patrick Dobson-Perez

Oliver Domeisen

Elizabeth Dow

Sarah Dowding

Philippe Duffour

George Dwyer

Tom Dyckhoff

E

Dave Edwards

Samuel Esses

Ruth Evison

F

Ava Fatah gen. Schieck

Donat Fatet

Laura Fawcett-Gaskell

Timothy Fielder

Lucy Flanders

Zach Fluker

Emeritus Prof Adrian Forty

Alice Foxen

Murray Fraser

Daisy Froud

Maria Fulford

G

Emeritus Prof Stephen Gage

Gunther Galligioni

Christophe Gerard

Egmontas Geras

Christina Geros

Octavian Gheorghiu

Stelios Giamarelos

Pedro Gil

Agnieszka Glowacka

Ruairi Glynn

Daniel Godoy Shimizu

Alicia Gonzalez-Lafita

Perez

Jon Goodbun

Polly Gould

Niamh Grace

Kevin Gray

Kevin Green

Emmy Green

James Green

Sienna Griffin-Shaw

Sam Griffiths

Kostas Grigoriadis

Samuel Grinsell

Eric Guibert

Srijana Gurung

Seth Guy H

Tamsin Hanke

Sean Hanna

Penelope Haralambidou

Jack Hardy

Alice Hardy

Ben Hayes

Colin Herperger

Rosie Hervey

Thomas Hesslenberg

Danielle Hewitt

Visiting Prof Neil Heyde

Parker Heyl

Matthew Heywood

Jonathan Hill

Ashley Hinchcliffe

Bill Hodgson

Tom Holberton

Seyedeh Tahmineh

Hooshyar Emami

Tyson Hosmer

Delwar Hossain

Oliver Houchell

Johan Hybschmann

I

Jessica In

Anderson Inge

Bruce Ivers

J

Benjamin James

Clara Jaschke

William Jennings

Nicholas Jewell

Manuel Jiménez Garcia

Steven Johnson

Helen Jones

Luke Jones

Nina Jotanovic

Aurore Julien

K

Nikoletta Karastathi

Kayvan Karimi

Jan Kattein

Tom Keeley

Tom Kendall

Jonathan Kendall

Filip Kirazov

Jakub Klaska

Fergus Knox

Maria Knutsson-Hall

Andreas Korner

Vasiliki Kourgiozou

Margit Kraft

Kimon Krenz

Dirk Krolikowski

Dragana Krsic

Amy Kulper

Max Kynman

L

Chee-Kit Lai

Mani Lall

Ekaterina Larina

Zoe Lau

Wai Law

Tony Le

Kwang Lee

Benjamin Lee

Stefan Lengen

Christopher Leung

Sarah Lever

Visiting Prof Amanda Levete

Tairan Li

Ifigeneia Liangi

Chwen Lim

Enriqueta Llabres-Valls

Visiting Prof Lesley Lokko

Alvaro Lopez

Déborah López Lobato

Luke Lowings

Tim Lucas

Matt Lucraft

Abi Luter

M

David Maciver

Jörg Majer

Alexandru Malaescu

Shneel Malik

Gurdav Mankoo

Emily Mann

Yeoryia Manolopoulou

Vasilis Marcou Ilchuk

Olivia Marra

Sara Martinez Zamora

Patrick Massey

Robin Mather

Emma-Kate Matthews

Billy Mavropoulos

Claire McAndrew

Donald McCrory

David McEwen

Joe McGrath

Niall McLaughlin

Visiting Prof Jeremy Melvin

Jingyuan Meng

Jose Mias Gifre

Luke Michael

Frédéric Migayrou

Doug John Miller

Siraaj Mitha

Matei-Alexandru Mitrache

Tom Mole

Ana Monrabal-Cook

Cristina Morbi

Philippe Morel

Bongani Muchemwa

Saud Muhsinovic

Shaun Murray

Maxwell Mutanda

Tetsuro Nagata

Giles Nartey

Filippo Nassetti

Tsing Yin Ng

O

Aisling O’Carroll

Toby O’Connor

James O’Leary

Andrew O’Reilly

Visiting Prof

Femi Oresanya

Luke Olsen

Daniel Ovalle Costal

P

Igor Pantic

Annarita Papeschi

Thomas Parker

Claudia Pasquero

Jane Paterson

Luke Pearson

Visiting Prof P. Michael Pelken

Alan Penn

Barbara Penner

Emma Perry

Guillem Perutxet Olesti

Drew Pessoa

Frosso Pimenides

Alicia Pivaro

Ruth Plackett

Maj Plemenitas

Danae Polyviou

Lyn Poon

Matt Poon

Andrew Porter

Rebecca Preston

Emily Priest

Arthur Prior

Lakshmi Priya Rajendran

Sophia Psarra

R

Margaret Rawes

Sophie Read

Aileen Reid

Guang Yu Ren

Jane Rendell

Gilles Retsin

Farlie Reynolds

Julie Richardson

David Roberts

Felix Roberts

Gavin Robotham

Daniel Rodriguez Garcia

Javier Ruiz Rodriguez

S

Kim van Poeteren

Colin Rose

Visiting Prof Jenny Sabin

Kevin Saey

Kerstin Sailer

Diana Salazar Morales

Anete Krista Salmane

Eleanor Sampson

Tan Sapsaman

Edward Tristram Scott

Peter Scully

Yair Schwartz

Khaled Sedki

Tania Sengupta

Neba Sere

Sara Shafiei

David Shanks

Alistair Shaw

Bob Sheil

Visiting Prof Wang Shu

Naz Siddique

Gareth Simons

Isaac Simpson

Yip Siu

Colin Smith

Paul Smoothy

Mark Smout

Valentina Soana

Joana Carla Soares Goncalves

Jasminder Sohi

Amy Spencer

Ben Spong

Matthew Springett

Michael Stacey

Tijana Stevanovic

Rachel Stevenson

Sabine Storp

Greg Storrar

David Storring

Ignacy Styszko

Michiko Sumi

T

Farhang Tahmasebi

Philip Temple

Emmy Thittanond

Andrew Thom

Kathryn Timmins

Michael Tite

Claudia Toma

José Torero Cullen

Martha Tsigkari

Samuel Tuppen

Samuel Turner-Baldwin

Jonathan Tyrrell

V

Nasios Varnavas

Tasos Varoudis

Laura Vaughan

Hamish Veitch

Maria Venegas Raba

Viktoria Viktorija

Amelia Vilaplana

De Miguel

Jordi Vivaldi Piera

Nina Vollenbroker

W

Michael Wagner

Andrew Walker

Susan Ware

Gabriel Warshafsky

Tim Waterman

James Watkins

Patrick Weber

Visiting Prof Lu Wenyu

Rosamund West

Paul Weston

Alice Whewell

Isabel Why

Andrew Whiting

Alexander Whitley

Daniel Widrig

James Wilkie

Daniel Wilkinson

Henrietta Williams

Gen Williams

Graeme Williamson

James Williamson

Robin Wilson

Sarah Wilson

Oliver Wilton

Jane Wong

Katy Wood

Michael Woodrow

X

Zoe Xing

Y

Sandra Youkhana

Michelle Young

Z

Barbara Andrade

Zandavali

Emmanouil Zaroukas

Yi Zhang

Fiona Zisch

Dominik Zisch

Stamatios Zografos

Melis Van Den Berg

Kelly Van Hecke

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Publisher

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL

Editor

Srijana Gurung

Proofreader

Karen Francis

Graphic Design

Patrick Morrissey, Unlimited weareunlimited.co.uk

Executive Editors

Amy Kulper, Frédéric Migayrou

Bartlett life photography taken Richard Stonehouse, Bartlett tutors and students.

Copyright 2023 The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.

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ISBN 978-1-7392670-2-5

The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL 22 Gordon Street London WC1H 0QB

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