The Dichotomy [between]
THE STACK and THE PALIMPSEST
Luis Carlos Castillo
The Dichotomy between
THE STACK and THE PALIMPSEST Vertical Accumulation, Replacing, Deleting, Overwriting Interdependent Layers.
Bartlett School
of
Architecture [B-Pro UD]
RC 18 Luis Carlos Castillo Theory Tutor: Nuria Alvarez Lombardero July, 2018 No of words: 6,437
University College London
London, UK
Special thanks to Enriqueta Llabres, Zachary Fluker and Nuria Alvarez for their theoretical contribution in this research.
The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
Abstract
The contemporary city analyzed from the operational point of view has a certain structural logic, where the components that make up the processes, whether cyclic, regenerative or linear, fulfill functions according to their hierarchy within the system. William J. Mitchell in his book “E-Topia” mentions two interesting principles within “Green cities that work smarter”, intelligent operation and mass customization, being the first related to develop larger devices and intelligent systems in order to minimize waste and the second related to the economy of intelligent adaptation and automated personalization. To develop new technology that seeks optimization within the structural logic of the city, it is necessary to use two transcendent concepts that start from the decomposition of differentiated layers at different scales: The Stack, and The Palimpsest. It is inevitable to understand the contemporary city as Smart City without taking both concepts in parallel and the structural logic that each one contains. The research proposes a critical analysis as the dichotomy between two ways of understanding the contemporary city, wherein the one hand is a system of independent layers, technological and intelligent that are linked based on the transfer of information, and on the other hand, a layout that it is modified from the destruction and overwriting of its components, at the physical and digital level.
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The evolution and development of new technology in the city is determined by physical and digital changes, as a result of the detection of accidents that emit alerts and interrupt the operational functioning of the system, as mentioned by Benjamin Bratton in his book “The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty�, referring to the general system as a mega-structure of accidents. From this theory, the research proposes to analyze the influence and intelligent link between the Earth layer, Cloud Layer, Interface Layer and User Layer from the generation of 3 types of accidents: replacing, deleting and overwriting components.
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Index
Introduction
17
[1] The Physical and Digital Palimpsest
23
[1.1]
Storing, tracking and recording data
29
The Monopoly of the Cloud layer
30
[1.2]
[2] The Stack: a Smart Vertical Link of Accumulated Layers
33
40
[2.1]
Non-crashable system
[3] The Hidden and Needed Logic Between The Palimpsest and The Stack
43
[3.1]
Graft and Flatten structure
49
[3.2]
Mass customizing accidents
56
[4] Conclusions
59
Bibliography
62
Glossary
64
The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
“Many contemporary technical systems work on stack principles, including smart grids that segment a power layer, below a communications layer, below optimization and applications layers.�
Benjamin Bratton, 2015
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Fig. [01] Optimization process of smart units.
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Introduction
The contemporary city understood as an operating system, needs to be analyzed through various structural logic that allows the development of processes, whether regenerative, cyclic or linear. That is why, the following research proposes the study and critical analysis of two concepts, The Stack and The Palimpsest, in order to analyze, compose and decompose the logical structure of the city, emphasizing in the intelligent links between the layers that make up the system, taking as a principle the hierarchical or non-hierarchical decomposition of different layers at different scales, where each one has a certain function but which in turn depend on each other. First of all, the Palimpsest is a concept and a tool that has been used to understand historically and chronologically the morphological composition of an urban sector or city from the final layout that it has. Initially, the concept was applied to the archaeological analysis of manuscripts in cases of overwriting. On the other hand, if the reference is made to the usefulness of the concept for urban analysis, the city has a series of components at the morphological level that defines its identity, in terms of building typologies and urban grids. In cities that have a broad extension and above all an evolution and demographic increase for hundreds of years, the final result will be very varied in both aspects. The archeological practice of the palimpsest allows the contemporary city to be broken down into historical layers in order to understand its logical growth and the natural or artificial elements that conditioned its growth. Taking as a simple example, if at a certain period of time within a city there was an irrigation canal and later it was converted into an avenue, it is probable that the form and direction of it would be the same, that is, the natural element that moved
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water before, passed by to be an articulator axis of movement of people and vehicles, breaking in some cases with the existing urban grid. Secondly, The Stack, a concept developed by Benjamin Bratton, consists in the structural analysis of the system based on the vertical accumulation of interdependent layers that explains the Planetary scale computation within our geopolitical realities. These layers link smartly, sharing information and influencing changes in the contiguous layer (+ Z, - Z). Each layer assumed as an intelligent subsystem is autonomous and responsible for the energy it consumes and the operational logic it fulfills within the general system. The Stack is composed by the following six layers, starting at the bottom: Earth Layer, Cloud Layer, City Layer, Address Layer, Interface Layer and User Layer. In the research, only four of the layers will be used to understand the relationship between them and if the order of them can change, be dynamic, instead of having a stable apposition within the vertical system. The four layers are Earth Layer, Cloud Layer, Interface Layer and User Layer. The Earth Layer is the first layer and base of the system, it is the layer where the energy is monitored but at the same time the layer that provides the raw energy to the other ones of the Stack. The layer can be infinitely subdivided and zoned according to geopolitical and/or economic territories. This subdivision acquires a characteristic of smart grid where each node of intersection fulfills the function of self-monitoring and communication between them in order to seek the optimization of resources. The Cloud Layer is the virtual platform that is located immediately on the Earth Layer and below the City Layer, fulfilling its task as a link between the transformation of energy, data processing between both layers. This layer is composed of a series of states that are determined by the speed of data transfer. It also has a hierarchical structure that influences the behavior of minor elements, being companies such as Google, Facebook, and Apple those that can generate more accidents due to having more platforms where users communicate and exchange information permanently. On the other hand, Cloud Layer can be used as a new economic platform that activates the production engines and starts the physical supply chain of the operational system by just clicking on the “Buy button�, as in the case of companies such as Amazon.
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The Interface Layer is the dynamic link between all the layers, it is the key that allows you to access the system, connect and disconnect links between users and addresses, accelerate or decrease the flow of data in the Cloud Layer. The Interface allows seeing what the user cannot see but only what she can do inside the Stack. It can be assumed that it is a dangerous tool capable of generating mega accidents, it is the transistor that filters user actions within an established range by itself. The Interface is a threshold that appears to be empty in order to give the user the freedom to customize it as desired, by using APPs as an extension of their hand or AR elements that may have the ability to distort the City Layer. It is important to mention that the Interface is not only an isolated key within the system, but is part of the operational chain, so its design must be assumed as a sequence of transistors operating within a multiple network of interconnections. The User Layer is the layer that is located at the top of the Stack, composed of human and non-human elements. These elements, when forming part of a coupled network, their identity is relegated to a second plane, where their function prevails as a node of collaboration, behavior, and impact. Users can be categorized into three scenarios: Animal User, AI User and Machine User. The first is related to living organisms (people, animals, insects, plants, etc.) that coexist within a physical ecosystem and also are directly or indirectly linked to the same chain. The second is the ideal personal assistant of a person, like Siri or Alexa, where it appears and interacts with you through voice recognition, a kind of virtual extension that appears in the precise moment you need it, connecting devices that handle the same language, or logically connecting different platforms based on the restrictions that one designs. Finally, Machine User is the autonomous component that has the ability to make decisions, learn continuously and take responsibility, such as the Smartphone or the autonomous car. On the other hand, the research aims to analyze systems under two concepts mentioned in the book by William J. Mitchell, “E-Topia”, within “Green cities that work smarter”, intelligent operation and mass customization, where the first has as principle to reduce waste through intelligent systems and the second is related to automated personalization and self-adaptation of the economy.
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In the following chapters, all the explained concepts will be used to critically analyze the case studies, as well as their applications within the design project. Therefore, the research has been divided into three chapters and one for conclusions. In the first chapter we propose an analysis related to the theory of the Palimpsest and its possible application within the Cloud Layer, taking into account that to understand the morphology and functional logic of the contemporary city it is necessary to superimpose the digital layer with the physical one. Also, two sub-chapters are developed in relation to the structural logic and control of the Cloud Layer, raising three important characteristics within the operating system: store, track, and record, and the dangerous monopoly existing within this layer. The second chapter analyzes the structural logic of The Stack, emphasizing the possibility of establishing intelligent links between Earth and Cloud Layers, assuming that flattening the communication and the concept of the supply chain can connect both digital and physical processes. Likewise, a reflection is established about the importance of generation of accidents with the objective of designing an optimal operating system, taking as a hypothesis that to develop a non-crashable system it is necessary to understand the relevance of its black side. In the third chapter, a coexistence between the Palimpsest and The Stack is proposed, which allows proposing new dynamic and adaptable systems to the requirements of different types of users and fortuitous external events that alter their internal functioning. The research proposes a critical analysis of the structural logic of the system, both as an integrated system and as an autonomous and intelligent decoupled system. Therefore, concepts and associations of the Flatten and Graft structure are developed, as well as modifications of each type, starting with the creation of voids, replacing and/or overwriting components (Cloud Layer) and their implications within the Earth Layer, capable of subdividing itself infinitely. This chapter is directly associated with the theory used within the design project, so fragments of it are used to expose the aforementioned hypotheses. On the other hand, a link between the concepts of mass customization and resource optimization is proposed through the study and learning of accidents that allow the generation of a multi-user interaction platform where each resource transaction or design output must be previously validated among them before starting the operational process.
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Chapter
[1]
The Physical and Digital Palimpsest
Fig. [02] Dygital Palimpsest [storing, tracking and recording data].
The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
The contemporary city is a palimpsest made up of a series of physical layers superimposed and interrelated over time, resulting in an urban system with different morphologies that can be understood from the decomposition, the separate reading of its layers and the physical relationship that exists between them. Mir Azimzadeh in his text “The Urban Palimpsest: the interplay between the historically generated layer in urban spatial system and urban life� carried out in Proceedings, 6th International Space Syntax Symposium in Istanbul (2007), mentions the following: Palimpsest is a term that denotes a manuscript written over a partly erased older manuscript in such a way that the old words can be read beneath the new. The concept of palimpsest has recurrently been used to explain the layered construct of architectural monuments and urban morphologies developed through the course of history.(...) In the discourse of urban morphology when reference to the concept of palimpsest concerns buildings and the physical appearance of the city, the historic layers and the relation between them are supposed to have a static property. (M. Azimzadeh, 012-02)
The Palimpsest is a concept that has only been applied to the physical urban space, where the analysis consists of detecting and separating the historical layers that define its morphology, its design is related to the destruction of the elements, overwriting and modification of its structure in a single layer that has as final result the image of a contemporary city, a kind of merge and coexistence in a single layout of different architectural typologies and urban grids. This concept has only been applied in the physical analysis of cities, however, in order to understand the contemporary city, it is inevitable not to do it without superimposing the Cloud Layer as a constant flow of data that is transmitted by millions of sensors distributed in the urban space. The Cloud Layer not only receives data, processes it and has the capacity to generate physical changes, that is, to give feedback to its main source. Through this recognition, the following question arises, is it possible to apply the same argument of the Palimpsest’s flatten layout to understand the Cloud Layer?
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As mentioned above, this layer is composed of a chain of states where its time of stay depends directly on the speed of the data transfer. Likewise, its hierarchical structure is determined by those agents that have a greater number of interconnected platforms where users constantly share information. To be able to think about flattening the data layer, it is necessary to understand the interconnection between all the layers, since the modification of one of them influences in a positive or negative way the chain of the system. The Interface Layer fulfills a fundamental role within the system by being the medium where users share, receive and transfer information and economy. Just as industrial processes are a chain of supplements that are connected linearly in order to transform raw material into finished product, Cloud Layer feeds raw material (data flow) to interfaces or platforms that seek to interconnect using the same language, the more connections, the more control and hierarchy within the layer. Takashi Torisu, Haavard Tveito, and John Russell Beaumont propose a project developed in the Interactive Architecture Lab of the Bartlett School of Architecture, called “The Palimpsest�. This Project is developed by the Interactive Architecture Lab of the Bartlett School of Architecture, using 3D scanning and virtual reality to record and reconstruct urban spaces, collective memories, and stories in order to create more inclusive planning practices where communities, governments, and developers can interact. The Project starts with a virtual scanning, visual and auditory, of St. James’ Gardens and the concept of Palimpsest is carried out as a possibility to overcome Individual and collective versions of the city, and establish an integration and coexistence of data that in the physical world could not be generated. The project manages two levels of development, the first establishes a collective memory of the urban space that is constantly changing from its functionality. The second is a virtual tool where people are debating new urban design alternatives and see them in the virtual recreation of urban space without having to resort directly to the physical space. What is interesting and innovative about this project is its interactivity between the virtual reality and people as a video game, where changes can be seen and validated through a collective consensus, giving users the opportunity to be part of the design of cities.
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Fig. [03] Process of developing the Palimpsest.
Fig. [04] The Palimpsest.
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Taking into account this project as a case study, interesting elements can be observed that come to agree with the definition of Palimpsest, that is, adding on a base plane a series of components that allow obtaining a product suggestive of virtual reality without affecting the physical urban space. However, in what way does a pre-existing element affect the generation of a new one? Previously it was mentioned that one of the characteristics of the Palimpsest in the analysis of cities involves obtaining hidden information from the archaeological extraction of historical elements and the influence of each previous component for the generation and morphological evolution. While it is true, this project uses the virtual reality platform to translate the data language into a visual and auditory element, it lacks that historical aspect as a chain or sequence of interconnected elements. If in some way it could add the recording variable and data tracking, the Cloud Layer could acquire the language of Palimpsest, as it happens in the Blockchain platforms, new virtual markets of transactions that not only transfer information but in turn store historically Activity records in order to detect alerts or concatenate accidents. [1.1]
Storing, tracking and recording data
In order to control the Cloud Layer and to detect accidents or self-producing them by destroying information and generating gaps, or overwriting components, it is necessary to define three concepts: store, track, and record. The first is related to the system’s capacity to accumulate information depending on the number of terabytes that the data center has. However, storing data requires not only space but also a greater amount of raw energy from the Earth Layer. The second concept is related to the retrospective reading of the data, that is, to analyze the important registers, categorize them and detect the alerts that altered the system generating sudden changes or, as Benjamin Bratton mentions, the accidents that allow the development of new technology. Finally, the Cloud Layer should have the function of recording and historicize the activities according to the degree of relevance, that is, applying the hierarchy of information through the analysis of those data that generate high or low peaks, gradual or drastic changes within of the system, construction
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or deconstruction of links between components or platforms, applying filters of time, speed and amount of bytes per element. [1.2]
The Monopoly of the Cloud layer
Previously it was mentioned that the Cloud Layer has a hierarchical structure, where companies such as Google, Facebook or Apple have a series of interfaces for interconnection between people, each imitating the technological development of the other and competing for who generates and displays the latest hardware and more advanced software, jealous companies that manage large terabytes of data, having users as free workers that feed them with information in exchange for making their lives easier, interpreting their personal information through algorithms and offering them permanent updates of their platforms with the intention to maintain us as consumer allies that trust on the brand. “Siri” or “Alexa” as personal assistants are nothing more than the AI bridge and closest link that one has with these companies, programmed to interact with the consumer, search and order information according to behavior patterns, and link all the closest devices by Bluetooth in order to boost the customized space. Exposed in this way, apparently, we should live grateful towards these great companies that do nothing more than “help us” to obtain fast and efficient results. However, the monopoly of the Cloud Layer is evident, where the operational logic structure works in a pyramidal or graft manner, due to smaller platforms that wish to take a leading role or appear momentarily in some state of this chain, need to place the “Share” button within its interfaces to be immediately linked with the top platforms of this pyramid. By owning this type of structure, the monopoly is dangerous? The new privacy policy for use of data appeared from the uncontrolled use of information where what is shared no longer only belongs to you, but also to the platform of use, therefore, to the company that is behind its development. In relation to the generation of accidents, the pyramidal structure is dangerous because any alteration in the system, especially in the primary servers, affects those that are linked to the data tree.
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Chapter
[2]
The Stack: a Smart Vertical Link of Accumulated Layers
Fig. [05] Stacking layers.
The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
Benjamin Bratton, in his book “The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty”, calls the contemporary city as “The Stack”, an accumulation of layers on top of each other, a vertical stacking of interdependent layers for mapping political and geography. The stack has six layers: Earth Layer, Cloud Layer, City Layer, Address Layer, Interface Layer and User Layer, where each one is a technological unit, capable of generating its own integral accidents in benefit of the new generation of technology. Although each system is an autonomous and intelligent system that seeks its own optimization based on the distribution of its energy sources and rationalization of its metabolic distribution, the total system works on the basis of the vertical integration of its layers in different scales, that is, there are some smart joints or links that allow filtering and transporting the communication from one integrated system to the other. The structural logic of the Stack system allows replacing the individual components of each layer with another without stopping the operation of the integral system, that is, its writing is designed to be redesigned and transformed at different scales, such as an integrated circuit microprocessor but with the ability of adapting to physical or digital changes, hardware or software. The digital layer or Cloud layer composed of the data transmitted from the physical space is only a state that changes and is constantly transformed in relation directly proportional to the speed of data transfer. This tool in association with the interfaces allows us to visualize elements or particles that can not be seen in the physical world, with the purpose of analyzing, simulating, optimizing and customizing the energy sources and the processed and finished products.
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The communication within the Cloud layer allows establishing continuous and interrelated links between the data blocks that are materialized digitally through the Interface layer. The performance of the system depends directly on the use of the same language, avoiding pauses in its operation. As the applications are updated, the success of each software lies in the reading of import and export of more types of extensions per file, in this way, the data tree can be extended to a greater number of branches. Keeping in mind that the language is essential for the generation of links, is it possible to define links in real time between the Earth layer and the Cloud layer flattening the communication between them? To be able to establish a connection between both, it is necessary to understand the operational logic of the system from the concept of the supply chain where each block, whether user, action, data or transaction, has a finite or infinite sequence, depending on the type of process. Kate Davies and Liam Young en their documentary Project called “Treasured Island”, located in Madagascar, which is part of “Unknown Fields”, make a series of expeditions that explore the industrial ecologies and precarious wilderness, showing the trajectory of the black market supply chain, overlaying the human assembly for mining gold with the data logic that is hidden behind. In order to understand the logic and consumption of the process, the human chain is quantified in the amount of rice that the human system needs per day, in order to show that different processes and the structure logics can be connected. When something is measurable, can be controlled.
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Fig. [06] Overlapping Physical and Digital Layers.
Fig. [07] Supply chain.
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The interesting idea about this documentary project is the originality of the overlapping of the physical and digital layer, that is, the physical work with its equivalence in data, in this way the performance of any system can be measured, no matter how traditional or basic it may be. On the other hand, the critical perspective of the project lies in the understanding that each action within a process can be connected with other production processes through the same language, in this case from energy resources, the important factor is to understand in which moment of the linear or cyclical process, in terms of space and time, the determined action is located. The Treasured Island project is interesting because of the concept of the physical and digital supply chain, which leads to start a discussion about the link between both layers (Earth and Cloud Layer) by coupling the communication between them. From the perspective of operational logic of the system and taking into account the three characteristics of the Cloud layer mentioned in the second chapter, it can be assumed that each physical action can be stored, tracked and recorded, in this way, the processes could be structured as a chain of blocks, where each unit is related to a specific action, such as the logic of the cryptocurrency applied to the physical space. On the other hand, the generation of the block is not just an action, it is also the communication link between users, human and non-human, where a person can interact with any living or artificial being of the synthetic ecosystem in which we live. From this theory, is it possible to generate a multiscalar system that can be adapted to different types of users and programs? By taking the communication language as the key point that will allow or not the generation of links between the different layers of the system, that is, to assume the block as a common code, the variety of users is not an impediment for a system to adapt to different scales and programs.
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[2.1]
Non-crashable system
Taking into account the theory of generation of accidents of Benjamin Bratton in “The Stack� for the development of new technology, the question arises related to the design of the system itself, is it better to design as more accidents as possible instead of designing its correct operational structural logic? It is logical and illogical at the same time to think about designing errors that can partially or totally interrupt their operation, however, if the idea is to optimize resources using digital intelligence, why not think ahead in accidents, that is, develop a non-crashable system from understanding and forcing its operation towards the limit. In order to opt for this type of design, the operational logic goes beyond assuming situations where the system is a reverse chain of blocks (black chain) where each physical or digital action is stored, tracked and recorded, basically a black box server that can can be analyzed and even overlapped with the white chain of blocks, in this way you can extract lists of contradictions that allow more dynamic updates in the form of feedback, where the system can learn and modify autonomously itself keeping as a fundamental principle the optimization of energy resources and data.
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Unit [13]
Layer 1_ 42% Layer 2_ 86% Layer 3_ 25% Layer 4_ 88% Layer 5_ 25%
Unit [01]
Layer 1_ 45% Layer 2_ 87% Layer 3_ 43% Layer 4_ 28% Layer 5_ 82%
Unit [12]
Layer 1_ 87% Layer 2_ 25% Layer 3_ 17% Layer 4_ 86% Layer 5_ 73%
Unit [02]
Layer 1_ 37% Layer 2_ 76% Layer 3_ 32% Layer 4_75% Layer 5_ 14%
Unit [11]
Layer 1_ 65% Layer 2_ 26% Layer 3_ 87% Layer 4_ 13% Layer 5_ 16%
Unit [03]
Layer 1_ 65% Layer 2_ 43% Layer 3_ 28% Layer 4_ 85% Layer 5_ 98%
Unit [10]
Layer 1_ 85% Layer 2_ 23% Layer 3_ 74% Layer 4_ 84% Layer 5_23%
Layer 1_ 82% Layer 2_ 94% Layer 3_ 32% Layer 4_ 16% Layer 5_ 18%
Unit [05]
Unit [09]
Layer 1_ 87% Layer 2_ 37% Layer 3_ 24% Layer 4_ 65% Layer 5_ 26%
Unit [08]
Layer 1_ 94% Layer 2_ 36% Layer 3_ 63% Layer 4_ 86% Layer 5_ 26%
Unit [04]
Unit [07]
Layer 1_ 23% Layer 2_ 63% Layer 3_ 25% Layer 4_ 76% Layer 5_ 24%
Layer 1_ 72% Layer 2_ 43% Layer 3_ 54% Layer 4_ 62% Layer 5_ 19%
Unit [06]
Layer 1_ 85% Layer 2_ 93% Layer 3_ 63% Layer 4_ 76% Layer 5_ 25%
Fig. [08] Recording blocks [accidents].
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Chapter
[3]
The Hidden and Needed Logic Between The Palimpsest and The Stack
Fig. [09] Prosthetic Ecologies.
The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
“The Stack’ s visual geography amplifies economies of mutual simulation between land, image, and interface by redefining the surface of the Earth as a living and gobernable epidermis, and recomposing that skin as a bio-informational matrix enrolled into other hard and soft systems.”
Benjamin Bratton, 2015 46
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The Dichotomy between The Stack and The Palimpsest
In this chapter, the research proposes the critical analysis between the parallel reading of both concepts, as well as the applicability of the organizational logic of the Palimpsest in the structural logic The Stack within the Earth layer and Cloud Layer. On the other hand, the interest of this research lies in turn in the communicative link that exists between both layers from the generation of accidents, in some cases in a natural way as in others caused by users using the Interface Layer as a medium of interaction between different actors. The design Project assumes these four layers as the main structure of the system, where the Earth layer is defined as a Mineral Layer of resources and the Interface as a Peer to Peer network, a single non-hierarchical ontology framework of collaborative co-users where human and non human actors (specifically human, plant, AI, and earth stratum) can communicate and exchange resources of energy. The Earth works as the fuel of the synthetic machine that provides energy resources to the system. The Interface makes the key role that starts the engine running, allowing users to interact, transferring information to the system in order to optimize resources. Through this structural logic, the project called Prosthetic Ecologies is focused on the mineral layer (Earth Layer) to act as an interface between users and geology, seeking to generate a new epidermis or contact surface between the land and the city, a new ecosystem synthetic that redefines and re-establishes the relationship between agriculture and citizens. The project works as an integrated processor composed of the aforementioned 4 layers, where at times its reading can be understood as a flattened layer, using the palimpsest theory. The system working under the Peer to Peer Network concept where validated transactions of energy resources between users can be stored, tracked and recorded, it is possible to identify accidents historically. According to The Stack theory, the system has a storage limit where, after that limit, the components must be replaced instead of accumulated, however, its optimization should work as the antithesis of that logic. The accumulation of elements, whether bits or pebble, software or hardware, requires a high energy consumption, requiring the Earth Layer to provide more resources, that is, there is a contradiction between the general operation and the its optimized redesign.
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[3.1]
Graft and Flatten structure
According to this recognition, is it possible to restructure or self-adapt the system by generating gaps or overwriting components instead of accumulating them? It is necessary to understand the implication of generating gaps and/or overwriting within both system logics, The Stack and The Palimpsest, Graft system and Flatten system. If we make an analogy with the 3D software Grasshopper, a Rhinoceros plug-in, this computes algorithms generated by the user, reading and interpreting lists of components that allow the software to order the data tree structure. In the Graft structure, For example, if one has a list of 10 components, subdivided into 10 segments, the result will be a data structure with 10 sublists and 10 items inside each one. Assuming that there are two similar lists when using some algorithm that allows generating a certain function between both lists, each sublist will interact independently with the same order of the second. On the other hand, in the Flatten structure, continuing the same example, instead of having a list with 10 sublists and 10 items in each, there will be a single list with 100 items, that is, a non-hierarchical structure.
Fig. [10] Graft data structure.
Fig. [11] Flatten data structure.
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However, opting for a single type of system would merit opting for a type of structure, so its operation would be biased. The research proposes a dichotomy between both structural logics, morphological and operational, that is, the flexibility of the integral system of being able to go from having a structure of accumulation and autonomy of the layers to a single flatten structure, with the purpose of self-adapting to the need of users and fortuitous external changes. Deleting or overwriting components within a list, whether Graft or Flatten, the implications are diverse, since in the first case, the reaction, change or adaptation should only occur in the sublist that has been affected, while in the flattened list, being a single structure without hierarchy, the totality of this suffers the alteration. In what benefits one or the other case? The sublists make references to zoning or as Bratton defines it, “The earth can be infinitely divided, territorialized” (p.34), where each subdivision of the grid can be autonomous, intelligent and independent, transforming or replacing a component with a void, the modified cell can vary without the others suffering from alterations, that is, the system is minimally affected. On the other hand, in a Flatten list, the cells need to work together to adapt to the generated change, learning from one another constantly. The main factors that define the choice of one or the other lie in the speed and percentage of changes that are desired in the integral system and the external agents that affect the internal behavior of the units. This concept can be applied to different scales since it does not have limitations in physical dimensions. Christopher Alexander in his essay “A City is Not a Tree” interestingly analyzes the structure of cities as a living system that can not be observed from the point of view of hierarchical tree, but as a system that is permanently superimposed and where exist common or related components that are part of several subsystems at the same time. For the human mind, the tree is the easiest vehicle for complex thoughts. But the city is not, cannot and must not be a tree. The city is a receptacle for life. If the receptacle severs the overlap of the strands of life within it, because it is a tree, it will be like a bowl full of razor blades on edge, ready to cut up whateveris entrusted to it. In such a receptacle life will be cut to pieces. If we make cities which are trees, they will cut our life within to pieces. (C. Alexander, 1965, p.22)
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From the point of view of this research and referring to this theory, contemporary cities as integrated systems must have both a hierarchical tree structure and an overlay of components as a flattened layer, that is, the branches of the tree must have the ability to overlap with others as well as to separate independently. The images [23, 24] demonstrate two types of performance readings that the design project develops. The first evidence clearly a porous stratum system that stacks vertically, where each subdivision is autonomous, with the intention of generating a synthetic ecosystem for the growth of plants. In the second image, the system shows a series of superimposed layers that allow detecting relevant information about the growth of the plants, as well as energy resources requirements of the same system. These layers of data and reading through image processing, can be integrated into a single flatten layer to understand the general operation of the unit as uncoupling in independent layers, overlap and share components to individually analyze each item, whether condition of the seed , photosynthesis of the plant, surface tension, lighting source, water pressure, capillarity of the structure, etc. The proposal suggests the coexistence of both concepts in parallel, Stack and Palimpsesto digital, where the first is part of the general structure, both physical and digital, while the second is used for reading, both independent and integral unit, in order to constantly receive information in real time through embedded sensors within the prosthetic ecosystem. Likewise, under the operational logic where the scale is not a limitation, each unit according to its requirement can function as a flatten or graft list, that is, it can be a single unit or subdivide itself, where each subunit is independent, autonomous and intelligent. In the same way, the collective of the units works under the same logic.
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Fig. [12] Smart grid [100 units]
Fig. [13] Smart grid [200 units]
Fig. [14] Smart grid [300 units]
Fig. [15] Porosity [28%]
Fig. [16] Porosity [51%]
Fig. [17] Porosity [42%]
Fig. [18] Porosity [93%]
Fig. [19] Porosity [67%]
Fig. [20] Porosity [28%]
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Fig. [21] Stacking smart grids.
Fig. [22] Controling cells.
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Fig. [23] Stacking porous stratum.
Fig. [24] Superimposing Layers [Allowing to read hidden information]
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[3.2] Mass
customizing accidents
Mass customization is a concept that refers to intelligent adaptation and automated personalization according to the needs of a user. The design process that refers to this concept lies in granting a series of tools or alternatives that can be adapted to different requirements. In the Prosthetic Ecologies project, by having diverse types of interconnected users, the concept of mass customization no longer possesses an anthropocentric perspective, giving voice to other natural and artificial systems that form part of the new ecology. Throughout the investigation, the relevance of the generation of accidents, both natural and forced, was analyzed, which allows us to generate adaptive technology. Generally the design process seeks to develop the best output that is consistent with the highest percentage of requirements and acceptance of a collective, however, if the goal is the optimization of resources and maximizing the operational logistics, it is perhaps more convenient to design accidents, that is, what should not be the design to
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Fig. [25] Megastructural accident.
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observe the impacts of each output within the ecosystem? Is it possible to massify accidents for the understanding of the black side of the system? The image shows a scenario where a unit acquires a much larger dimension, capable of creating habitable spaces for people as well as urban infrastructure underground the city. While it is true that the proposal is interesting, the accident it generates is considerable, extracting 2,200 m3 of earth volume, which in turn carries with it a series of minerals, such as oxygen, silicon, iron, aluminum, calcium, sodium, potassium, and magnesium. The scale, components, materials, and volume of each design are directly linked to a negative side of the ecosystem impact. A computational design system should not only be composed of inputs that generate multiple alternatives for multiple users, but also by the analysis of accidents that allow discarding options, in this way the threshold of the impact curve would decrease. On the other hand, the generation of units or components must be validated through communication between users using a single collaborative framework who take as a precedent the acquired knowledge (black side). Through the concepts of mass customization of accidents and validation between human and non-human multi-users, will it be possible to envision a non-crashable geopolitical system and synthetic ecosystem that reach perfection within its operational, functional and structural logic?
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Chapter
[4]
Conclusions
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The research has proposed a line of analysis focused on understanding the contemporary city as a dynamic operating system with structural logic that develops different types of processes, whether linear or cyclical, but above all regenerative, using the theories of Palimpsest and The Stack to analyze the morphology and operational logic by the decomposition of superimposed and interdependent layers. However, it is necessary to complement the analysis with the concepts of intelligent operation and mass customization, where the design of the Interface Layer and communication between users are essential for the development of optimal and self-adaptable systems. After the theory and criticism mentioned throughout the investigation, the essay concludes with five important statements to ponder. [1] First of all, it is important to analyze the Cloud Layer from the historical perspective proposed by the Palimpsest in order to control the data and sort it hierarchically. In order to define the relevance of each generated block of data and the threshold of impact it had on the Earth Layer, it is important to identify the series of positive and negative inflection points within the system by storing, tracking and recording data using a chain of blocks. On the other hand, taking into account that the inflection points, that is, those components that generate changes within the system, are those that have greater relevance, is it necessary to store data that is not? Possibly not.
The flatten communication between the Earth and Cloud Layers is important to define constant links in real time that allow feedback and adaptation of both layers. The concept of the supply chain, where all processes or blocks, whether physical or digital, are linked from common or overlapping values, allows us to understand the operational logic of the system as a “semilattice axiom structure” as defined by Christopher Alexander in his essay “A City is Not a Tree”. [2]
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[3] The relevance of using the structural logic of the Palimpsest and The Stack within the same system in a parallel or alternating way, associating their hierarchical difference with Graft and Flatten data structures, allow us to analyze in terms of speed and magnitude of the impact, the changes in the restructure of the system, assuming the infinite unscaled subdivision of the Earth Layer as a fundamental principle to generate adaptive and dynamic morphology and operational functioning.
The optimization of resources and processes goes hand in hand with the modification of the internal components of the system and the ability of the system to adapt to external or internal accidents generated fortuitously or by users. The optimal restructuring is unsustainable in time if the accumulation of elements exceeds the storage capacity, so it is necessary to replace, eliminate or overwrite elements of the system that do not fulfill a relevant function or as mentioned above, that do not generate positive or negative inflection points. [4]
Finally, the concept of mass customization is sustainable only if the design outputs that go against optimal processes are discarded. That is why it is necessary to validate operations and mass customize accidents to understand the negative side of the system and reduce the impact on the ecosystem in which we live. The anthropocentric perspective of mass customization must be replaced by one that seeks the benefit of the synthetic ecology, a system that allows empowering individual users (human and non-human) to create new norms of cohabitation while equipping the environment with a voice to communicate its very precise needs. [5]
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Bibliography
Azimzadeh, Mir, and Bjur, Hans. (2007). The Urban Palimpsest: The Interplay between the Historically Generated Layers in Urban Spatial System and Urban Life. In Proceedings of the 6th International Space Syntax Symposium. Istanbul. Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty. Cambridge: MIT Press. Bishop, Peter. (2018) The City as an Open System. Lecture: Bartlett School of Architecture. Carpo, Mario (2013) The Digital Turn in Architecture 1992-2012. Chichester: John Wiley. Carpo, Mario (2017) The Second Digital Turn: Design Beyond Intelligence. Cambridge: MIT Press. Castells, Manuel. (2000) The Rise of the Network Society. Oxford: Blackwells. Christopher, Alexander. (1965) A City is Not a Tree. Architectural Forum, Vol 122, No 1. Davies, Kate and Young, Liam. (2013). Treasured Island_ Madagascar. http://www.unknownfieldsdivision. com/summer2013madagascar-journeytotreasureisland.html (Last accessed 03 May 2018) Naylor, Aliide. (2017) The empathy machine: can VR stop bad city developments before they happen? https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/may/26/empathy-machine-vr-bad-citydevelopments-virtualreality (Last accessed 26 November 2017) Nonaka, Ikujiro. (1994) A Dynamic Theory of Organizational Knowledge Creation. In: Organization Science, Vol 5 (1), p.14-37.
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Odysseas Kontovourkis (2009) Computer Generated Circulation Diagrams. University of Bath (Ph.D. Thesis proposal) Philip Steadman, Lionel March (RIBA 1971) The geometry of the Environment. Cambridge: MIT Press. Picozn, Antoine. (2015) Smart cities: a spatialised intelligence. Chichester: John Wiley. Poole, Steven. (2014) The truth about Smart cities: ‘In the end, they will destroy democracy’. https://www. theguardian.com/cities/2014/dec/17/truth-smart-city-destroy-democracy-urbanthinkers-buzzphrase (Last accessed 26 November 2017) Ratti, C., and M Claudel. (2016) The City of Tomorrow: Sensors, Networks, Hackers and the future of Urban Life. New Haven: Yale University Press Books. Ratti, C., and M Claudel. (2015) Open Source Architecture. NY, NY: Thames & Hudson. Sennett, Richard. (2012) Together: The Rituals, Pleasures, and Politics of Cooperation. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press. Sennett, Richard. (2013) The Open City. GSD Talks: Harvard University. Sadler, Simon. (2005) Archigram, architecture without architecture. Cambridge, Mass. MIT Press, 253 pags. Torisu, T., Tveito H. and Beaumont, J. (2016) Palimpsest. http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/labprojects/palimpsest (Last accessed 26 November 2017) Torisu, T., Tveito H. and Beaumont, J. (2016) The Palimpsest: Changing cities with virtual reality. http://www. interactivearchitecture.org/the-palimpsest-changing-cities-with-virtual- reality.html (Last accessed 25 November 2017) William J. Mitchell. (1996). City of bits. Cambridge: MIT Press. William J. Mitchell. (1999). E-topia. Cambridge: MIT Press.
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Glossary
The Stack: “Refers to a transformation in the technical infrastructure of global systems, whereby planetary-
scale computation has so thoroughly and fundamentally transformed the logics of political geography in its own image that it has produced new geographies and new territories that can enforce themselves.” [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
The Palimpsest: “Palimpsest is a term that denotes a manuscript written over a partly erased older manuscript in such a way that the old words can be read beneath the new. The concept of palimpsest has recurrently been used to explain the layered construct of architectural monuments and urban morphologies developed through the course of history.” [Azimzadeh, Mir, and Bjur, Hans. (2007). The Urban Palimpsest: The Interplay between the Historically Generated Layers in Urban Spatial System and Urban Life].
Earth Layer: “It is the substrate from which the power necessary to operate all other layers is drawn and from where the metals and minerals that comprise platform electronics are extracted.” [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
Cloud Layer: “The second from the bottom of The Stack. It includes the computing and transmission
hardware on which Stack software depends, such as data centers, transmission cables, geosynchronous satellites, and wireless network technologies, and so on.” [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
User Layer: “The top layer of The Stack and the sixth from the bottom, just above the Interface layer. This layer situates how Users (e.g., human, animal, machine) view The Stack and that initiate chains of interaction (columns) up and down its layers, from Interface to Earth and back again.” [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
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Interface Layer: “Interfaces are the membrane through which The Stack addresses and is addressed by
Users . Interfaces , as compressed into graphical or objective forms, link (or delink) Users and the Addressed entities up and down columns.� [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
Optimization: Process that allows generating multiple options with the less amount of resources. Graft structure: Subdivision of the earth, where each cell of the grid can be autonomous, intelligent and independent. [Concept developed in the design report]
Flatten structure: Subdivision of the earth, where the cells need to work together in order to adapt to the external or internal accidents. [Concept developed in the design report]
Accident: Event that allows to produce new technology. [Bratton, Benjamin. (2015) The Stack: On Software and Sovereignty].
Replacing: Change one component with another inside the system. [Concept developed in the design report] Deleting: Generating gaps withing the system. [Concept developed in the design report] Overwriting: Overlap two components allowing to read both in parallel. [Concept developed in the design report]
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Image Source
Fig. [01] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [02] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [03] http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/lab-projects/palimpsest Fig. [04] http://www.interactivearchitecture.org/lab-projects/palimpsest Fig. [05] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [06] http://www.unknownfieldsdivision.com/summer2013madagascarjourneytotreasureisland.html Fig. [07] http://www.unknownfieldsdivision.com/summer2013madagascarjourneytotreasureisland.html Fig. [08] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [09] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [10] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [11] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [12] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [13] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. 66
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Fig. [14] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [15] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [16] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [17] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [18] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [19] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [20] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [21] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [22] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [23] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [24] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Fig. [25] Author’s own. 2018. Design project. Luis Carlos Castillo
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