Bartlett Design Concept Thesis | Building the New Ground

Literature Review

BUILDING THE NEW GROUND Research Cluster 17 B-Pro MArch Urban Design The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL London Junyi Bai Student ID: 17099583 Theory Tutor: Daniel Koehler 18/01/2018

BPro March UD Research Cluster 17 2017/2018

Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL London, UK.

Junyi Bai SN:17099583 Theory Literature Review Submission 18/01/2018 Theory Tutor: Daniel Koehler

ABSTRACT Inflexible and isolated cities can no longer adapt to the high communication lifestyle of the information age. With new types of social interaction brought as a result of the sharing economy, a new ground allows value exchanges emerges. In this report, the concept of the new ground will be introduced to help with urban interactions and also as the theoretical basis for the Bartlett School of Architecture March Urban Design project.

In the first chapter, popular topics such as the sharing economy, blockchain and smart cities will be discussed in regard to ownership and use rights. In the second chapter, three types of collective forms introduced by Maki will be compared and assessed with case studies to examine how they could guide the spatial design of the new ground.

Finally, using the fourth industrial revolution as a background, new technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data shall be discussed in terms of what they can offer the value productivity of the new ground. The aim is to develop the new ground concept with the support of economic knowledge, spatial design studies, and a technological background to challenge current urban planning and suggest a possible solution to increase urban value.

Keywords Sharing economy, Collective form, Mereology, Blockchain, Big data, Artifcial Intelligence

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Figure1: HongKong Vertical City

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Introduction

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New Ground Vocabulary

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New Ownership Under The Sharing Economy Will Create More Value

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Property Value Case study: Airbnb

CONTENTS

Megaform: Ville Spatiale

New Collective Form To Achieve Autonomy

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Groupform: Tokyo Bay Linkage Mereology

Blockchain

New Ai Technology Will Increase Productivity

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Artificial intelligence Big Data XCool

Conclusion Reference List of Figures

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INTRODUCTION Cities with vitality should be open and innovative spaces that encourage public participation. However, this is incongruous with modern cities where buildings are defined according to their plans, which create a strict and isolated living environment that has no interaction with each other. They are stand-alone buildings strictly connected to the ground from where their value is derived. (Themobilecity.nl, 2014) The value and information contained in each building are kept inside and are never able to exchange with other buildings. These buildings end up being unable to further adapt to the information era, which requires high integration and response.

Recognising this problem, this essay shall introduce a concept called the new ground.

It is a more interactive city structure in which the components are highly related to each other, having a constant and real-time response and exchange, thus generating additional value. Standalone entities are no longer isolated and become parts of a polyphonic assembly system, which has a dynamic relationship between all of the constituent parts as well as with the system as a whole. The new ground is only able to be both architecture and urban infrastructure from the moment when it is connected and creates a new value on top of the value of the land.

Property rights are always an issue when discussing land. In addition to this, how can the value created by the new ground be defined and used? With the emergence of sharing economies and the popularity of new technologies such as big data and blockchain, the realisation of the new ground could have some conceptual and technical support.

New property models introduced by the sharing economy enable collective access to unused resources and create a value exchange around the social network. Blockchain systems provide credible and real-time databases for recording and evaluating the selfrenewal process of the new ground. Artificial intelligence can learn from ratio patterns and causal links to generate the optimal calculation for designs. The new ground is a system with local characteristics and connections to multiple disciplines. Learning from Maki’s collective forms, the spatial languages indicate that parthood relationships and inner assembly logics help to achieve a more productive design.

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NEW GROUND VOCABULARY Key terms and concepts related to the New Ground idea and design are being explained as followed in order to provide an understanding of the study context throughout the essay.

New ground The New Ground is different from the current ground(city) which is locked by its planning system and never interact with surroundings. The New Ground is fragmental flexible elements that can be assembled or connected when needed. New Ground makes activities happen and create new value through the connecting and openness.

Property Property is the resource own by certain people. The property right is used to define the power of a person who owns certain resources. In economics, the property right is considered to be the same as ownership. (Econlib.org, 2012) The owner has the right to use the resource, to earn value from it and transfer it to others. Different property law has different regulation, normally the property right for a house means you own both the house and the land. But in China there is a difference between land-use right and ownership of house. People own the building that builds on the land which can only be owned by the country. And for different types of building the time limit is different. (Lambert, 2013) Different regulations will change people’s attitude towards owning a property.

Value The value is generated by interaction, connection and the accessibility of the ground. Value is an abstract term but with certain criterions to assess. The evaluation defines when the value of the certain ground reach a limit; it becomes the New Ground. The more connected space is to other entities, the higher its value. Connectivity creates dynamic systems between parts as well as between part and the whole, where the possibilities of negotiation and interaction are higher.

Collective form The collective form is naturally generated when architectures and city expand or extent. The elements seem to be ‘discrete forms’ and ‘agglomerate of decisions’, but there are certain assembly logics to fit or link them together. (Maki, 1964)

Megaform Megaform often contains a large frame which housed most of the diverse functions in the city.

The frame is often based on the grid and detached from the existing city, and act as a guidance of the future extension. The large structure also shows a utility in ‘combination and concentration of functions’. (Maki, 1964)

Groupform Group form has the certain characteristics such as the consistent use of primary materials and construction approaches even sometimes they seem random in sizes and positions. The units often develop from the inside-out.

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Econlib.org. (2012). Property Rights: The Concise Encyclopedia of Economics | Library of Economics and Liberty. [online] Available at: http://www.econlib.org/library/Enc/ PropertyRights.html [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Lambert, S. (2013). Chinese Land-Use Rights: What Happens After 70 Years? – chinaSMACK. [online] Chinasmack.com. Available at: https:// www.chinasmack.com/chinese-land-use-rightswhat-happens-after-70-years [Accessed 8 Dec. 2017].

Maki, F. (1964). investigation in collective form.

School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.5-19, 45-50.

Linkage The linkage was specifically pointed out by Maki Fumihiko for it is a crucial point where interdependency gets together. The linkage can be simple architectural elements that have the potential to connect. The linkage is a certain element of the New Ground. The moments when discrete things connect, linkage will add extra meaning for the whole entity. (Maki, 1964)

Mereology Mereology is a study of parthood conditions and the relationship between part-to-part and partto-whole. (Kohler, 2016) For most circumstances on the New Ground, there is a mereological relation and composition. The change and duplication of the part influence the whole while at the same time the growth of the whole requires a regeneration of the part. Mereology study suggests the design to have a feedback system and make sure it is a harmonious system.

Blockchain The system comes from the invention of Bitcoin by Satoshi Nakamoto. The blockchain is a distributed database system, which is used as an ‘open ledger’ to store and manage data.

(Bitcoinexchangeguide., 2017) The information uploaded is encrypted and immutable. Unlimited information terminals mean the calculation system is decentralized which is more efficient and spontaneously than the centralized model.

Artificial intelligence Often called as AI, artificial intelligence is a machine uses techniques like natural network, big data and deep learning to sense the surroundings and achieve the goal. For now, scientists only achieve a stage of weak AI, which compare to strong AI, does not have the self-conscious and the ability to create solutions by itself. (Lee, 2017) The essay is based on the background of the development of weak AI.

Kohler, D. (2016). The Mereological City.

Bielefeld: transcript-Verlag.

Kharif, M. and Leising, M. (2017). Bitcoin and Blockchain. [online] Bloomberg.com. Available at: https://www.bloomberg.com/quicktake/ bitcoins [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Bitcoinexchangeguide.com. (2017).

OpenLedger Review - Decentralized Cryptocurrency Trading Exchange?. [online] Available at: https://bitcoinexchangeguide.com/ openledger/ [Accessed 23 Nov. 2017].

Lee, K. (2017). Ren gong zhi neng pp.30-35.

人工智能

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NEW OWNERSHIP UNDER THE SHARING ECONOMY WILL CREATE MORE VALUE One of the characteristics of the new ground is minimising ownership while strengthening and increasing use rights to invite more people to have access to the space, thus create more interactions and more value. Generally speaking, in the past, most resources have not been fully utilised both in terms of time and space due to the privatisation of ownership. By increasing use rights, the value of the resources can be greatly improved, and the owners will obtain a corresponding added value. Public facilities no longer necessarily need to be provided by the government. The competition and intervention of personal practices and private companies will enable consumers to get better services and products.

The emergence of Uber, Airbnb, and shared bicycles has led to a new type of economic model that all share the same idea: the sharing economy. Take Airbnb for example, which is a short-term rental website that links tourists with the owners of spare rooms.

The supplier, who may just be an individual, is linked with tenants to provide a room and service. During this collaborative consumption process, citizens will also be able to jump between roles as consumers and providers, strengthening communication between strangers. Brian Chesky, the founder of Airbnb, said that trust is the power of the sharing economy, and with this power, people are now connected with the value they have brought (WIRED, 2017). The purpose of a sharing economy is not to eliminate property rights to achieve communism but to be open-source and allow a peer to peer based shared use of goods and services. Uber is the largest taxi company in the world, but it doesn't own any taxis. Facebook is the most popular media platform in the world, but it doesn't create any content. Alibaba is the most valuable retail companies, but it doesn't have any stock. It is important to create a new ground, and it will provide opportunities for people to create value, and generate new value based on the exchange and communication.

Figure2: Airbnb Data Map of NYC

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Under this new economic model, social resources can be recirculated and redistributed through group cooperation, so as to achieve a decentralised collection of resources. In regard to urban spaces, large parks and shopping malls in city centres are currently planned by urban planners and the government. By improving use rights, people can have shared access to a larger and more connected new ground instead of a centralised one. This connectivity increases communication in all aspects. The new ground design is now a bottom-up process, which reflects the timely changes.

However, changes in property rights in modern cities are insufficient. Based on the desire of creating a more interactive city, the new ground concept was researched for this essay during a March programme design project, trying to create a more interactive and free space from the beginning. By using simple architectural elements that have the potential for connectivity, such as bridges, roofs and floors, this project studies how to realise an increase in value by duplicating and connecting these elements. Different spatial sequences have been defined, and an interactive urban view can be visualised through computing assembly methods. The assembly is autonomous, flexible and uses spatial languages. It can change according to time and people’s needs, reducing the waste of resources and space, and providing a dynamic and vibrant spatial experience for the city. The new economic model changes social formation, thus creating a new spatial relationship. The next chapter shall discuss ways to implement new ground through the design of space and form.

WIRED, A. (2017). Airbnb and Hotels: What to Do About the Sharing Economy?. [online] WIRED. Available at: https://www.wired.com/ insights/2014/11/hotels-sharing-economy/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018].

Reuters. (2017). Airbnb embarks on China push with more staff, local name. [online] Available at: https://www.reuters.com/ article/us-airbnb-china/airbnb-embarks-onchina-push-with-more-staff-local-nameidUSKBN16T0HY [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018].

Figure3: Spatial Sequence of the New Ground

Figure4: Ring Type Assembly of the New Ground Base on Elements

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NEW COLLECTIVE FORM TO ACHIEVE AUTONOMY

Faced with strict and isolated building plans, architects and urban planners have come up with several proposals for more dynamic cities. These include examples like the No-Stop City (Branzi, 1969), the Walking City (Herron, 1964), the New Babylon (Nieuwenhuys, 1959), and the Continuous Monument (Superstudio, 1969). The Walking City was truly innovative and imagined a city that could move and change over time. Freidman, an advocate of mega-structures, argued that the entire city would be raised above the current city and built on an enormous steel frame. However, because those future city concepts are too specific or lack systematic spatial language, it is often difficult to adapt to different situations and be more productive. As Maki states, ‘there is a lack of an adequate spatial language with which we can create and organize space’ (Maki,1964).

Cities are filled with elements and infrastructures with functions and social meanings of all kinds. They are physically and visually confusing, so characteristics to present logic and technology that can generate and compose a city are needed.

Figure5: Yona Feriman's Ville Spatiale Showing On A Frame Structure On The Exisiting City.

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Banham, R. (1976). Megastructure: Urban future of the recent past. New York: Harper and Row, pp.60-61.

Maki, F. (1964). investigation in collective form.

School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.519, 45-50.

In the book Investigations in the Collective Form, Maki introduced three types of collective forms that have their own assembly logic and can be adapted or deformed.

They are compositional form, megaform and group form. Out of these, the compositional form is considered to have a lower aggregate value as it is a gathering of elements with separated predetermined functions and spatial relationships. Megaform contains a large frame or skeleton that houses most of the city’s functions. Regardless of how the elements of the whole change within the system, the identity of the whole can remain without being influenced by changes while also allowing a dynamic relationship with others. Group form is a collection of sequential developments of the basic elements and constructions. Unity comes from the uniform spatial characteristics.

After the Second World War, there was an urgent need to rebuild urban infrastructure and respect the individual requirements in the USA and Europe. (Banham, 1976) Based on this challenge, the architect and urban planner Yona Friedman studied the concept of mobile architecture and designed the Ville Spatiale (Yona, 1964), which is a new city space designed to expand above an existing city. Friedman described the spatial city as an adjustable multi-level structural skeleton elevated above a city, but it is still relatively fixed. The movable elements, such as floors and dividing walls, can have different compositions along the fixed paths. The dimension of the skeleton grid is a 6 x 6 metre module, which can accommodate most activities. The infrastructure is ‘structural, systematised, prefabricated, mountable and demountable, growing or shrinking, customizable, climatized, [and] multifunctional’, which is a perfect example of megaform. (Yona, 1964)

Banham, R. (1976). Megastructure: Urban future of the recent past. New York: Harper and Row, pp.60-61.

Maki, F. (1964). investigation in collective form.

School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.519, 45-50.

Yonafriedman.nl. (2013). Ville Spatiale |. [online] Available at: http://www.yonafriedman.nl/?page_id=78 [Accessed 7 Oct. 2017].

Figure6: Three Types Of Collective Form According To Maki

Figure7: Operational Categories Of Group Form According To Maki

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The elements and growth pattern of the design proposal for Tokyo Bay by Kenzo Tange reflect both megaform and group form. The plan was to apply Tange’s idea of metabolism, taking architecture as a biological concept, adding or discarding units that had a certain role from time to time according to social needs. The design is based on a frame and uses a method of repeating single units. There are three main elements in the planning: traffic circulation, business building and residential building. (ArchEyes, 2016) The traffic system is built on a grid frame detached from the ground. The circulation system was designed to allow the growth of the city from central Tokyo to Tokyo Bay. The megaform can be seen in the traffic system as it acts like a frame, allowing it all to expand. The group form is seen through residential buildings as they attach and expand outward There are cores, which are squares of 200-metres in length, that accommodate the business buildings, while the residential buildings grow like the leaves of a tree based on population growth. Residential buildings may vary in size and position but follow the same assembly logic and shape.

For the new ground design, both megaform and group form assembly methods are used. The assembly consists of different sequences of basic units for different scenarios, and with similar assembly technology within the whole, it has a constant form regardless of the scale. Like the linear series of Tokyo Bay plans, the assembly of the new ground can sometimes appear to be a collection of cluster forms or loop forms. Compared with the linear arrangement, cluster shapes and loop shapes include a certain limitation point. Therefore, small entities know what the amount of maximum accumulated units is. The spatial form and characteristics of the entire development can assure that the assembly of the parts follows a certain logic. In both forms, a relationship between the part and the whole can be seen. The collections of parts define the whole, while the growth of the whole suggests further upgrades of individual parts. A part is a dynamic unit that also influences construction methods and visual composition.

Figure8: Tokyo Bay Proposal By Kenzo

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ArchEyes. (2016). A plan for Tokyo 1960 / Kenzo Tange, ArchEyes. [online] Available at: http://archeyes.com/plan-tokyo-1960-kenzotange/ [Accessed 25 Dec. 2017].

The linkage is a significant part of the collective form. Maki suggests that comprehensible linkages are essential elements for a ‘humanly evocative environment’ in urban design. (Maki, 1964) They are far more than primary links between separate spaces, and they have secondary meanings and uses in the system. For example, a bridge between buildings not only allows people to commute over it but it also defines or enframes the space below it. A single bridge has multiple levels of significance. In the new ground design study, elements become linkages when they are between two primary spaces. There are horizontal linkages and vertical linkages. Horizontal linkages aim for a dynamic experience through multiple levels of the architectural design. Maki states that ‘each deck of a tower or slab must be transparent to us, and each level of activity must be unique. Then, and only then, will we sense three-dimensional linkage’ (Maki, 1964). Maki’s opinion supports the assembly design of slabs that define different space and usage at different positions or forms. The shift and transformation of slabs is also studied in Loos’s raumplan theory in which free spatial arrangement is based on various heights instead of being fixed on the same level. (Fabrizi, 2014) The sizes and heights of the space show individual characteristics that should be defined by function and present throughout the slab. Each slab is related to each other and together organised as a harmonious whole.

Maki, F. (1964). investigation in collective form.

School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.519, 45-50. fabrizi, m. (2014). “I do not draw plans, facades or sections”: Adolf Loos and the.... [online] SOCKS. Available at: http://socks-studio.com/2014/03/03/i-donot-draw-plans-facades-or-sections-adolf-loos-andthe-villa-muller/ [Accessed 20 Nov. 2017].

Figure9: Bridge of Sighs in Gothic Quarter,

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NEW AI TECHNOLOGY WILL INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY The emergence of new revolutions in technology has mobilised society and led to the application of digital cities. The introduction of digital fabrication in the 1950s gave infrastructure new opportunities for customisation; digital mass-customisation has already changed the way that almost everything is consumed and produced (Carpo, 2017). The efficiency and diversity of data collection have significantly improved.

Governments and citizens now have a better understanding of different industries and resources through various open-source data. However, society still faces the question of how to use digital information in intelligent ways so that technology can realise efficient cities with automatic real-time self-perception.

Early in 1967, after Freidman designed the Villa Spatial (New York, 1964), he invented a computer program called ‘Flatwriter’, which contains a detailed description of steps on how people can use it for self-built apartments. (Medium, 2017) This method greatly respects individual needs and makes the design process smarter and more efficient.

Of course, the techniques are not currently ideal, but the idea of using a program to generate designs and space is inspiring. Faced with the fourth industrial revolution, the rapid changes and development of people’s needs require urban design to have more autonomous and productive methods. These methods will require a new conceptual model, from mechanical thinking, which is reproducible, decomposable and has certainty, to an ideology based on information theory, cybernetics and system theory.

In the journal ‘From Automated to Autonomous Assembly’, Skyler Tibbits proposed a ‘self-assembly’ process to solve this problem. Self-assembly is a process in which chaotic entities build a harmonious system through ‘local interaction rather than topdown, centralised control’. (Tibbits, 2017) He founded a self-assembly laboratory that conducts experiments with materials that were designed by a computer program can organise itself into optimal configurations based on situational changes. This technique is different from the modern fabrication processes in which a design is made by a human with software, rather than letting a computer generate possibly better solutions.

Figure11: Self-Assembly Lab Website

Figure10: Flatwriter Programme By Yona

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Carpo, M. (2017). The second digital turn.

Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, pp.25-33.

Medium. (2017). 1967 – flatwriteryonad e s i g n s c i e n c e. [ o n l i n e ] Av a i l a b l e a t : https://medium.com/designscience/1967a5e8ab98acee [Accessed 11 Nov. 2017].

Tibbits, S. (2017). From Automated to Autonomous Assembly. Architectural Design, 87(4), pp.6-15.

Selfassemblylab.net. (2012). Self-Assembly Lab. [online] Available at: http://www. selfassemblylab.net/4DPrinting.php [Accessed 23 Oct. 2017].

Automated generation became possible with the use of AI (artificial intelligence) and the development of machine learning. AI has powerful calculation and adaptability capabilities, which helps to overcome strict instructions by learning from and making predictions based on data or patterns. Massive data sources and new data models allow AI to achieve both supervised learning and unsupervised learning. The invention of Bitcoin led to a decentralised database system called blockchain. It enables information to come from multiple sources and form a bottom-up database. Each record includes a transaction timestamp, and a block of detailed information is considered a ‘block’.

The information is all connected and encrypted. Therefore, it is credible and immutable.

The aggregation of four technologies - cloud computing, broadband networks, big data and intelligent terminals - provide support for the introduction of the new ground.

The distributed information terminal matches the decentralised idea of the blockchain model, where data is uploaded to a system through multiple channels in an encrypted way. The connection and superposition of information forms a reliable database and achieves a value increase by creating a linked data network. Designed with blockchain system, BitRent is a website which aims to store digitized information about real estate objects and make the online real estate transactions and investment easier. (Bitrent. io, 2017) With the records of the whole architecture construction and selling process, investors make investment decisions easily for they are able to check all investment online in real time, which will save financial costs and time. Also the BitRent platform is taking token for investment and has not requirement for the amount of it, thus small and easy investment will become a normal phenomenon. Furthermore, the application of blockchain technology and intelligent contract ensure the information and transactions are credible.

the Guardian. (2015). Artificial intelligence (AI) | Technology | The Guardian. [online] Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ artificialintelligenceai [Accessed 5 Jan. 2018].

CoinDesk. (2017). What is Blockchain Technology? CoinDesk. [online] Available at: https://www.coindesk. com/information/what-is-blockchain-technology/ [Accessed 18 Nov. 2017]. the Guardian. (2016). Big data | Technology | The Guardian. [online] Available at: https://www. theguardian.com/technology/big-data [Accessed 16 Nov. 2017].

Bitrent.io. (2017). BitRent - a new horizon of Investment. Development. Construction.. [online] Available at: http://bitrent.io [Accessed 6 Dec. 2017].

Figure12: Stages Description Of Bitrent Platform

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‘Architecture is a profession that takes an enormous amount of time and that speed is really too slow for the revolutions that are taking place.’ (Co.Design, 2016) Like Koolhaas said in the 2016 AIA convention, the current architecture industry react slow to the development of society and technology. The application of artificial intelligence in architecture is relatively rare. However, on November 25th, 2017, artificial intelligence XCool excited the architects at the AI assistant conference by Small Treasury Technology. (Yicai Global, 2017) XCool combines machine learning, big data and cloud intelligent display technology to help architects and developers to accomplish routine site analysis, planning and as large as 40% architectural design. With the help of a small library of the intelligent cloud platform, architects only need to input the site condition and other parameters. This process originally cost 40-80 hours, with the help of XCool, this can be compressed to a few minutes with the error rate reduced to less than 1%. Another example is an intelligent cloud platform called CoPlannery, designing for practices and clients to manage workflow, payment, and contracts.

(Futurearchitectureplatform.org, 2016) It also provides support for the majority of independent architectural practices to match with potential clients to discuss the design projects.

Figure13: User Interface Of XCool

Figure14: Photo Of The XCool Product Press Conference

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Co.Design. (2016). Rem Koolhaas: “Architecture Has A Serious Problem Today”. [online] Available at: https://www.fastcodesign.com/3060135/remkoolhaas-architecture-has-a-serious-problem-today [Accessed 3 Jan. 2018].

Yicai Global. (2017). Xiaoku Technology Secures Angel Funding to Develop Its AI Architect. [online] Available at: https://www.yicaiglobal.com/news/ xiaoku-technology-secures-angel-funding-developits-ai-architect [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018].

Futurearchitectureplatform.org. (2016). A.I. Architecture Intelligence. [online] Available at: http://futurearchitectureplatform.org/news/28/aiarchitecture-intelligence/ [Accessed 9 Jan. 2018].

This method can be applied to the design of a growing city. People who have access to new ground will be recorded in the blockchain database with temporal and spatial information. This system can then calculate the interactivity, accessibility and connectivity of every new ground to derive their value attributes. The database will reflect the pattern of growth and mark down the changing needs of different conditions.

AI can learn from data models and the causality between humans and space to adjust the sizes and positions of assembly units. It can also define the proportion of activities and space according to the specific design indicators and cases. The autonomous design process requires AI to carry out a closed optimisation iteration within a system to get feedback and consistently make adjustments so as to achieve optimal configuration and productive self-renewal. The design project has an evaluation system indicating the area with more value by assessing the space through its connectivity, accessibility and openness. The value can then influence the housing prices and centrality of the area. As the AI becomes more powerful, it will no longer need to learn from certain patterns to generate a new ground sequence. With self-conscious and unsupervised learning, AI, as a smart calculation system, can ensure the city is well-designed with its optimal spatial form and most sustainable function arrangements. New planned cities are testing these smart methods, for example, Neom is a newly planned smart city located in the northwestern region of Saudi Arabia. (NEOM, 2017) Different from the traditional urban planning, the new technology will be used start from the blueprints of the infrastructural framework. This is based on the ambition of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.

Figure15: Accessibility Of A Large Assembly Model Of The March Urban Design

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Figure16: Interactive City In The Network

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CONCLUSION The overall aim of this study is to introduce the new ground concept to challenge current isolated cities. The essay starts by discussing property issues that will change the use rights of the land and identifies that the shared access of resources brought by the sharing economy model will add value to both users and owners. The new economic model brings a new social relationship, thus requiring a unique spatial arrangement. The collective form introduced by Maki provides two prototypes: megaform and group form. New ground is a flexible and spontaneous system; the arrangement process will benefit from certain spatial languages. Based on the rules, the system can achieve autonomous assembly. To be more productive, the generation of the new ground should be constructed with the help of new technology. Big data and blockchain networks enable authentic assembly. AI can learn from the spatial patterns and generate the optimal rules.

Upon reflection, it must be acknowledged that the chosen topic of this essay is new and lacks urban design cases. In addition to this, as this is a fast-changing era, more time is needed for the concept results to become evident and measurable. Meanwhile, more compositional studies and productive evaluation processes should be done to combine with the design project. Further theoretical research suggestions are the political and economic impact on society as a result of the emergence of new ground, in addition to analysing how public and private life can be merged into one building and how public and private investment systems can be combined.

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LIST OF FIGURES Figure1: HongKong Vertical City. (2013). [image] Available at: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2306842/Stunning-images-Hong-Kong-living-cubicles-look-just-likeBorg-cubes.html [Accessed 29 Nov. 2017].

Figure2: Airbnb Data Map of NYC. (2016). [image] Available at: http://bigdatatobigprofits.com/2016/01/13/airbnb-lessons-on-digital-start-ups-big-data-and-disrupting-markets/ [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018].

Figure3: Spatial Sequence of the New Ground. (2012). [image] Available at: http://socks-studio.com/2011/04/23/yona-friedmans-la-ville-spatiale/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].

Figure4: Ring Type Assembly of the New Ground Base on Elements. (2017) Done by the author.

Figure5: Yona Feriman's Ville Spatiale showing on a frame structure on the exisiting city. (2012). [image] Available at: http://socks-studio.com/2011/04/23/yona-friedmans-la-ville-spatiale/ [Accessed 4 Nov. 2017].

Figure6: Three Types Of Collective Form According To Maki. (1964).[image] investigation in collective form. School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.27.

Figure7: Operational Categories Of Group Form According To Maki. (1964).[image] investigation in collective form. School of Architecture, Washington University, pp.56.

Figure8: Tokyo Bay Proposal By Kenzo (2016). [image] Available at: http://archeyes.com/plan-tokyo-1960-kenzo-tange/ [Accessed 2 Jan. 2018].

Figure9: Bridge of Sighs in Gothic Quarter, Barcelona. (2016). [image] Available at: http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2016/04/the-bridge-of-sighs-in-barcelona-is-it.html [Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].

Figure10: Flatwriter Programme By Yona. (2013). [image] Available at: http://www.yonafriedman.nl/?page_id=238 [Accessed 14 Dec. 2017].

Figure11: Self-Assembly Lab Website. (2016). [image] Available at: http://www.selfassemblylab.net/ [Accessed 9 Oct. 2017].

Figure12: Stages Description Of Bitrent Platform (2017). [image] Available at: https://bitrent.io/ [Accessed 22 Dec. 2017].

Figure13: User Interface Of XCool. (2017). [image] Available at: http://www.sohu.com/a/147149096_118792 [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018].

Figure14: Photo Of The XCool Product Press Conference. (2017). [image] Available at: http://www.sohu.com/a/147149096_118792 [Accessed 4 Jan. 2018].

Figure15: Accessibility Of A Large Assembly Model Of The March Urban Design. (2017) Done by the author.

Figure16: Interactive City In The Network. (2017). [image] Available at: http://www.govtech.com/Smart-Cities-on-the-Map.htmlv [Accessed 6 Jan. 2018].

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BUILDING THE NEW GROUND Research Cluster 17 B-Pro MArch Urban Design The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL London Junyi Bai