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A1.0 design future Current situation Now human is facing an unstainable situation of exploiting the world, and there will be no future for us if this human and world relation is maintained. In this situation, design is regarded as an important method to secure our future, for its capacity to influence people’s thoughts and behaviors and shape the material world (fry). Driven by today’s condition, a series of designs highlight sustainability, human-nature relation, and possible future living model, are proposed and contributed to the discourse about future possibilities.
Architecture’s role Instead of perceiving as a container for people, architecture is viewed as a practice to test out revolutionary ideas and employ changes to existing relations of culture, politics, and social discourses.(Williams 2005) In history, many revolutionary cases of architecture were proposed, driven by critical issues of that time. These cases contributed to existing debates among society and generated various possibilities for future at that time. For some cases, we can still see their influences among architects, architectures and social discussion today. It is reasonable that we consider different architectures as our possibilities towards future.
technology New technology can change design feature of that era profoundly. For example, the designs we produce using Rhino and CAD have its similarities to some extent, which is quite different from a hand-drawn proposal.
Issue right now But the reality for this industry is more about the profit aspect. Commercial development is surely the key factor for an industry to grow. In the sense, the challenge for architects is how to balance the commercial consideration and the need to secure future. Also there are some designs with the title of sustainability actually produces much more waste than the normal design. Therefore, as a designer, we should consider what design can be regarded as sustainable, and if all the inputs contributing to the design are worthwhile. According to Fry, our future can only be secure by insightful design(..). In order to coop with our existing issues, Fry also states that design intelligence engaging with our social, economic and political theories and decaying environment needs to be established. As a result, people can make more rational judgment towards our situation. Critical design and dark design that push the boundary of our narrow assumptions and creating discussion can also be effective building up design intelligence(Dunne & Raby).
Liaoyu Zhou 784143
A1.1 case study 1 Architect: Superstudio Project: The Continuous Monument Time: 1969 - 1970 Unbuilt project
The Continuous Monument project is consisted of a series of city and nature compositions, in which buildings seem monumental, overwhelming and having a negative relation towards nature. It had been created mainly through photo collage and drawing. This project has never intended to be built, therefore, it can be really radical and conveying revolutionary ideas.
The grid structure in this project is implying our city grid and all the artificial structure in our social, cultural and political areas. It points out a possible future which includes a total and unpleasant urbanism, 1969’s social beliefs might bring us to. In 1960s cities is growing fast and rectangular city grids are regarded as scientific and functional. Superstudio tried to point out the absurdities and dangers behind arbitrary urban planning and criticized the unhealthy urbanism structure.
This project is also aimed to challenge the technology optimism in society. By portraying a dark and overwhelming city machine created through the ‘great technology’, they made the public to realize technology can lead to a bad future without careful implement. Through inserting a giant city grid into harmonious nature, a concern about the way human values nature also arose. In this sense, technology and human society show their ridiculousness. Around 1960s there were series of political events around the world, like Cultural Revolution in China, feminist movements, and politicized gay rights movement in western society. This turbulent political and social environment enabled all kind of different theories and ideas to grow. It is reasonable that many radical works like the continuous monuments are proposed at that time. According to Dunne and Ruby, it is a dark design, generating a undesirable future to break the naïve dream of technoutopianism(……..). The continuous monument project functioned well to propose a series of questions about urbanism, technology, environment and social, cultural and political structure at that time. And it is still radical today. We still reference it as a miserable future and try to avoid it through careful designs. These ideas behind the continuous monument project is highly appreciate by lateral architects and even contemporary masters like Rem Koolhaas and Zaha Hadid. It is a good example depicting how architecture can help to achieve a better future but also questioning this future at the same time.
A1.2 case study 2 Architect: Diller Scofidio & Renfro Project: Zaryadye Park Time: 2013 Built project to be finished in 2017
This project introduces an idea called “wild urbanism”, which states that human and vegetation share equal importance. In Zaryadye park, architecture and nature are a harmonious whole and we can see a balance of nature and culture. Currently, we are facing a situation of environment degradation due to our exploit to environment. This proposal shows a new human-nature relationship, which is sustainable in its concept and care about nature. We can see a positive future presenting in Zaryadye park.
Zaryadye Park employs a system using particular heating and cooling techniques to maintain four different microclimates, which is trying to mimic four Russian landscape typologies: tundra, wetland, forest and the steppe. Visitors can even experience different season in this park. Because it is Moscow’s first new park in 50 years, this design also is viewed as a milestone for Moscow. All these vegetation works not only as attraction but also exhibition for educational uses. However, in terms of energy it consumes to create these microclimates, it is not self-sustaining.
Zaryadye park locates in the city center of Moscow, which makes it more revolutionary and influential. Because it at least represents Moscow’s attitude towards new human-nature relationship. The word “wild” in Russia is actually a stain, reminding they of the economic collapse and failure of past political system. Diller Scofidio & Renfro redefine this “wild” within the control of technology and cater for the social meaning of wilderness. This park also have positive psychological influences to people in Russia. This park is designed to be open for all years and having large open space, which allows people to gather and protest there. By comparing these two precedents, we can see that a large-size built project is less revolutionary and radical than an unbuilt project. Because a built project needs to carter more about only not the social, cultural and political ground but also all the commercial reasons and feeling of clients. Sometimes an unbuilt project can inspire people more than a built project. For Zayardye Park project, the idea of “wild urbanism” is meaningful contracting the traditional way of thinking urbanism as an irrational expanding human’s order upon nature. The idea of nature and human share equal values is meaningful. However, using technology to create artificial natural environment is still exerting human power upon nature and the park is not self-sustaining, which seems contradicting its concepts. It is the compromise of built project to clients. However, generally it is a critical design that pointing out new possibility for human future and allowing discussion for the gap between reality and an imaginary and perfect future (Dunne & Raby).
A2.0 design computation Architecture design requires both the consideration of imposed constraints and personal inspiration, in other words, analysis and creativity (Kalay 2004). Today we have come to a shift point of architecture due to the great help of computer towards both analysis and creativity.
Computerization is helpful as a powerful analytic tool for architectural design. Firstly, Kalay states that “computers, by their nature, are superb analytical engines.”(2) A new formation of architecture through algorithm has been provided through computer programs, which allows designers to drafting and communicate their design in greater details. Also by keeping the parameters of the building formation process, designer has the ability to change them and others are able to have a better understanding towards the design. Usually algorithmic form-finding method is used to discover a most efficient surface for design which is based on algorithmic calculation which human finds hard to achieve. Secondly, computerized design process allows not only testing of material performance, but also make material fabrication more detailed and easier. The digital connection of material and performance stimulation already create a new collaborative relationship between architects and engineers(Oxman 4). Thirdly, according to Oxman, material experimentation in computer program helps to build ecological design corresponding closely with surrounding environment.(Oxman 7) Designer can have a better control of these interactive relations between environment and material by computerized model. Creativity generated by computerization is usually recognized as “fake” creativity, which seems arbitrary. Firstly, there are many architects undergo a physical computation process, which uses more mathematic methods to approach design solutions. We cannot claim these creativities are fake. In this sense, computerization is a great method to generate creativity. Secondly, scripting has become a new architectural thinking method and has its own stylistic preferences (Oxman 7). Computation has its own style, which is the similar topic as drawing having its own style, and physical model having its own style. However, Terzidis pointed out people tend to overlook computation as a design tool.( Terzidis, Kostas (2006). Algorithmic Architecture (Boston, MA: Elsevier), p. xi) In order to come out with better design solution, designers need to explore all kinds of methods and media. But we are unwilling to admit that computerization leads us to a more creative outcome and creativity is more likely to be fortuitous outcome.
In conclusion, computerization help us to have more efficient analysis and generate creativity, which is the key to a better design.
A2.1 case study 1 Architects: Zaha Hadid Architects Project: The Morpheus Hotel Location: Cotai, Macau Built finish time: 2017
This 40-story luxury hotel designed by Zaha Hadid Architects is using total 3-D modeling technique from the concept establishing to the faรงade detailing. It shows how computerization can help us to generate good design in a creative way and perfect it with analytical method.
The concept is gradually developing from testing different overall shapes of the building. With Tspline, the smooth surface and structure is made and communicated easily. Without computerization, this particular style of one smooth piece of building with central voids is hard to imagine and propose. After an initial concept established, a more detailed model is produced after simulating structural, and material performance and surrounding environment conditions. The form of the hotel is changed as parameters changed. We can see that the whole form-finding process is highly influenced by computer script and comes out with a computerized style eventually. The two bridges between voids are not only providing natural lighting but also forming a creative indoor space with brand-new experience. Computer’s strong ability in terms of light penetration and testing environmental relations, works as the basis of these bridges’ design (Oxman 7). This first high-rise building supported by a free-form exoskeleton steel structure worldwide cannot be designed and built without support of computer programing. Envelope and cladding structures are also tested on a 3-D model in terms of efficiency and material performance. We can see a new collaborative relationship between architects and engineers from different companies with cross-disciplinary knowledge involving to ensure all the structures are successful and fulfilling the aesthetic requirement. With computer file as communication tool as well, sharing knowledge and fix errors can be easier (Kalay 13). Façade elements are designed according to their different curvature. These components are in great details and modeled as individual Rhino files. These detailed components can be directly sent to production. They also are in high quality due to the detailed and accurate 3-D model and the performance testing process on computer.
A2.2 case study 2 Designer: Brian Peters, Assistant Professor Kent State University, Design.Lab.Workshop Project: The Solar Bytes Pavilion Location: Cleveland, Ohio, United States Date: 2014
This pavilion is a temporary structure which uses new technologies to find out a new solution for architecture in more efficient and environmental ways. In this case, computerization is working more to enhance creativity and providing stylish features. The overall shape of this pavilion is designed to be barrel vault. By replacing the traditional module bricks with 3D printed plastic elements, the design gains a totally new look. This vault includes 94 hexagonal modules and some of them are slightly different with shapes. They are modelled carefully in computer and sent to 3D printer. During the design stage, many prototypes are made to discover the most effective model. Computer programs made prototypes easier to compared and making change, which lead to a best solution in a small amount of time (Kalay 23-24). Because of this digital process, the vault gains a neat surface and pattern, and the detailed and precise interlocking systems becomes structurally powerful and anesthetically valuable. Viewers can easily surmise that it is a product of computerization due to its neatness, lightness and sense of technology.
Each module contains a photovoltaic panel and LED light in the center and the Pavilion is located along the sun path to gain maximum solar exposure. The pavilion will light up during night and it acts also as a recorder for weather, because the part receiving longer and stronger sunlight will last longer time at night. It is supporting Oxman’s argument that computerized design learning from the natural principle of design to create a responding work to the surrounding context (8). This also forms a unique aesthetic feature corresponding with surrounding environment. It is clear that without technological innovations, connecting environment condition and architecture is extremely difficult. We can also see a brand-new possibility for future design from it. This pavilion is turned into small pieces and reused as material for extruder that accepts recycled material to build a totally different structure. It suggests a way of being sustainable for future design industry. The project expresses a strong sense of computerized design feature. It is efficient, time-saving and environmentally sustainable. I think the most important part for computerized design is their unique visual expression, and this expression is not only for aesthetic values but also driving by functional reasons.