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ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY 2019/2020 Jacob Botting Part I - Stage III Ghost in the Machine

New + updated work

CONTENTS

PRIMER + FIELD TRIP + CASE STUDY

Mapping Narrativising Assimilating

STAGING + THINKING THROUGH MAKING

Contextualising Spatialising Materialising

REALISATION + SYNTHESIS

Formalising Ritualising Coalescing Ending

BIBLIOGRAPHY CASE STUDY EXCERPT CULTURAL BIBLIOGRAPHY APPENDIX

ILLUSTRATIVE REFLECTIVE REPORT *The Guardian. 2019. UK Secularism On Rise As More Than Half Say They Have No Religion. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/11/uk-secularism-on-rise-asmore-than-half-say-they-have-no-religion> [Accessed 13 June 2020].

Ghost in the Machine’s approach as a studio was to study the world through the lens of protagonists (Ghosts) which relate to or connect to systems (the Machine).

exist separately from protagonists; they are part of the detail integrated within the system itself. The Devil can be found in the detail and so too can God be.

For me, this ignited an interest to study the world of data. So often these days is the world shown to us in data sets – graphs, tables and percentages presented to us as a holistic, a pure and a ‘true’ way of looking at the World. To a large extent I believe this is the case, it is, after all, the rigid data based systems that [mostly] keep trains running, keeps money safe and keeps food on the shelves of the supermarkets – the Machine. Further still, protagonist accounts can be misleading, insubstantial, and very scary – Ghosts.

Research into the system of information storage led to me to some of the most extreme Human artifacts, interfaces between humankind and the perpetual system of stored and understood data. (Figure 1)

What interests me is when data sets show exceptions to a rule – it can express a protagonists struggle within a system, it can bear the injustice, the extremity, and the unyielding nature of a system – perhaps far greater than any one anecdote could ever. Systems do not

Figure 1

These precedents, and the technology of laseretched Silica Glass led to a unique project question – how could a structure wholly tailored to uphold a contemporary system and to be accessible to its protagonists’ also serve as a timeless monument dedicated to the noble and timeless act of recording information. Once the question had been established, every design move sprang from that as I tried to architecturally express my answer to that question. The Theory Into Practice Essay familiarised me with the ways that

my representation informed these design moves, and Hejduk-esque ‘Monsters’ became prevalent within my design method. Monsters are concentrated architectural ideas, so concentrated that they do not force a specific formal style or strategy but encapsulate ideas which can be expressed structurally, experientially or socio-politically - each and every design was assessed against them as a criterion. Of course, the building did have to establish a physical form, and it was the Technical execution of the building which thus drove my decision making. Having established that the Silica Glass could last for millions – if not billions – of years, I knew that I had to design using materials to facilitate such a lifespan. However, I was wary not to build a solid lifeless monument to data, my Staging research reiterated to me the idea that unless a building has cultural relevance, it almost ceases to exist. As much as I wanted some physical expression of the building to endure, so too do I believe that buildings should

be constantly useful – and therefore was a need to promote adaptability and accessibility into the structure.

Fondazione – an ‘ensemble’ of old industrial structures adapted into exciting, and more importantly contemporary, buildings. (Figure 3)

My architectural philosophy is that whilst buildings can encode certain behaviour, human behaviour too should be expressed within the built environment.

Specifically for the Realisation review, I believe I compromised somewhat on my fundamental project concepts in order to establish a feasible building form, I reigned the project in too far. This was also the case for the Realisation design of my permanent realm, (Figure 4)

Structures which too greatly enforce a certain style, type of behaviour, or architect’s vision often fall out of vogue, become obsolete, or even oppressive. Coventry is an example of where Architects were given free reign, and it is now paying the price as its buildings cease to function for the benefit of the citizens. The Field Trip provided many examples of great buildings which relevancy has diminished largely. (Figure 2) As much as we saw buildings which no longer served any purpose, there were examples of buildings which had adapted back into relevance such as the case study of the Prada

I believe that the easiest way to impress is with scale and repetition, and here arches were an aesthetically safe way of creating a monumental form. I think ‘safe’ describes one of my weaknesses within my degree – whilst I relish having large theoretical ideas and designing explorative architectural forms, I feel I often pare these back to fulfil specific requirements, to reduce inaccuracy or to balance time across all work. I have learnt however, that my successes have come when I indulge a projects true narrative.

Figure 6 Coventry Uni Alumni (2017) 23 November. Available at https:// twitter.com/CovUniAlumni/ status/933634632607821824/ photo/1 [Accessed: 13 June 2020]

Figure 2

In this project, the length has been sufficient that I could sink my teeth into researching longlasting architectural monuments and the world of data interaction, use and analysis, whilst also fulfilling the level of detail required. Even so, if I were to repeat the project perhaps I would lean even further into the theoretical, and to explore representational styles accordingly. As the project unfolded I saw how the two research fields could interact and potentially clash. The Cathedral-combative design wasn’t initially intended, but rather became evident within the formalisation of the building. The parallels could not be clearer – providing a large monument to host physical interaction and ritual with an omnipotent and largely intangible system. (Figure 5) Sir Basil Spence’s Cathedral seems to be one of Coventry’s few architectural successes and it is not the aesthetic I wished to compete with, but I rather wished to pose a different ideological approach.

I think it would be too easy to say that Cathedrals are near-irrelevant because of growing secularism*, and whilst there is a restricted list of activity and demographic, the Cathedral hosts secular activities such as Coventry University’s Post-Graduate graduation ceremony. (Figure 6) This is an example of how change forces adaptation even to the most robust systems – such as the Church of England in England itself. Whilst the Cathedral makes a rather stunning venue for such events, it is not designed to accommodate them – in our field trip the preparations for the event disturbed the place, cables and boxes with no place to exist just sat wedged between pews and pedestals. (Figures 8-10) The design of the Data Cathedral was designed to oppose this sort of awkward adjustment, and is a building designed to be informed as much by the technical and cultural needs of the future as it is by contemporary needs and desires. This approach was embodied within

my design process, the design being informed from diverse perspectives and through different lenses. As the various research and explorations throughout the year synthesised, I learned to appreciate how an architectural concept can be carried through all levels of a project’s detail, and to take pride in my work accordingly. My representational style has also changed greatly, through studying precedents and examples of successful representation. (Figures 11-14) I have endeavoured to find the best style to express the ideas behind the project. Due to my ongoing development in this area, I thnk that my representation does not always carry as a coherent set, for now, the different ideas are expressed in slightly differing ways. In the future, as I carve out a personal style, I hope that my outputs can convey the richness of research, theory and detail I explore in my projects.

Figure 11 - History Hit. 2018. Charles Minard’S Classic Infographic Shows The True Human Cost Of Napoleon’S Invasion Of Russia. [online] Available at: <https://www.historyhit.com/the-cost-ofnapoleons-invasion-of-russia-infographic/> [Accessed 13 June 2020].

Figure 13 - Hejduk’s ‘Monsters’ Sketched with Ink on Paper Hejduk, J. (1986). Victims. 1st ed. London: Architectural Association..

Storage Density [Gb/g]

Figure 4

Figure 3

Figure 5

Figure 7 Field Trip photograph courtesy of Matthew Margetts

Figures 8-10

Figure 12 - Graph to show Technological trends in data

Figure 14 Iterative monsters

The approach taken to mapping Coventry led me to consider the ways in which information was presented, as the studio mapped the same area through different lenses. Both the way of looking at data and the subsequent representation had a transformative effect over the impression of Coventry. This led me to wonder if there was a way to assess Coventry holistically and purely, and I set about comparing Coventry to the average British city. Here, the data set demonstrated how Coventry was unique, the Machine revealed Coventryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ghosts. My exploration in animation explored how the experience of a protagonist could influence a system, and the skills from this led into my interface exhibit. The exhibit was successful, and incredibly interesting; the research around it reinforcing within me a fear of how mass data can be fatally misused. These explorations sprang from intrigue and personal interest, yet the ideas and lessons learned within Primer fed into my subsequent work more than I had expected. As I had engaged with the interactions between systems and protagonists, and explored how this relationship could be un/successful, rather than simply read about it, I feel I gained a deep understanding of the issues with Coventry and with the world of data.

PRIMER + FIELD TRIP + CASE STUDY Mapping Narrativising Assimilating

UNDERSTANDING THROUGH MAPPING

Ghost in the Machine sought to examine Coventry through Mapping, with a specific focus on the Public Realm, highlighted here in orange (left) . Largely car-free, it is an anomaly in British cities and is part of the 1960s vision for the city laid out by Coventry’s reconstructive post-war architects. Mapping of this area was undertaken through different lenses, these lenses focus and highlight different aspects of the city, just as different maps show different information across the same area.

despite not being entirely legible as a map, the areas where nodes of different systems meet highlight arguably more ‘important’ areas of this public realm. This mapping technique demostrated to me the ways in which the representation of data can have an almost revolutionary effect on the perception of the subject. It was the systems of Coventry mapped through the eyes of its differing protagonists.

To produce the composite image (right) these separate layers of mapping were overlapped to produce a transformative, alternatively mapped vision of Coventry’s city centre. Mapping in such a way highlights some of the ‘hidden’ aspects of Coventry as a place, and

Cumulative Group Work

MAPPING EXPLORATIONS

My personal mapping explorations were focused on the fitness and health of those in this area. Using public heatmap data from fitness tracking app Strava, I was able to attain how exercisers might view the city centre, and how this may differ to a traditional view of the city. Once this information had been attained, I underwent a process of data abstraction, where the data was transformed to create an experiential image. By using the numbers within the data set, I was able to adjust the colours (Red, Green or Blue [RGB]) and the size of such colours to create a more abstract representation of the public realm. Bike Racks

Ring Road

Bus Station

Road

Car Park

Bike Routes

Bus Stops

Proximity to Doctor’s Ofﬁces

Yoga Centres

Sports Centres and Gyms

Recorded Running Data

Proximity to City Hospital Recorded Swimming Data

By undertaking this process, I was essentially mimicking the actions of a computer, where

information is converted into a visual medium. This is an arduous process for a human to undertake, and a simple one for modern computing, however it was a valuable experience for me as it demonstrated that no data is ‘pure’ and is unavoidably filtered through some system of its own before it reaches a protagonist.

COVENTRY BY THE NUMBERS

I sought to find elusive ‘true’ data by studying Coventry through a holistic lense of percentages and averages. The data shown here is Coventry compared to the average British town or City. Whilst no one piece of data here truly describes Coventry, it was the combination of all the findings which started to reveal some of the depth and detail of the place. Presenting these in conjunction starts to give someone an understanding of a place, though presented as such, the interpretation may differ depending on who is looking at the image. By combining statistics such as the average pay of someone who works within Coventry, and someone who lives there, it can be inferred that a number of people with the more affluent jobs commute into Coventry for work but do not choose to live there.

Nomisweb.co.uk. 2019. Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics. [online] Available at: <https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/ la/1946157187/printable.aspx> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Hallam, K. and Davis, T., 2019. Coventry People Eat, Drink And Smoke Too Much. [online] coventrytelegraph. Available at: <https://www. coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/coventry-people-eatdrink-smoke-15229976> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. ctovcan. 2019. Warming Implications For Coventry. [online] Available at: <https://ctovcan.uk/warming-implications-for-coventry/> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. 2019. [online] Available at: <https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ coventry-news/coventry-revealed-one-britains-worst-13904327> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Timeanddate.com. 2019. Climate & Weather Averages In Coventry, England, United Kingdom. [online] Available at: <https://www. timeanddate.com/weather/uk/coventry/climate> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. En.wikipedia.org. 2019. Climate Of The United Kingdom. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_ Kingdom> [Accessed 6 November 2019].

Furthermore, the high University student population and prevalance of the University in the job demographics seem misaligned with the lower-than-average education of Coventry’s residents. From this, we can infer that those who study here do not stay, perhaps because of the lower-than-average amount of technical or skilled jobs. In order to express this data as a narrative to make it more understandeable for someone, I would have to group data, and to make personal judgements. In doing this, the data research would lose some of its purity, but gain a sense of coherence.

EXHIBITING DATA SYSTEMS NETWORK In preparation for the Primer Exhibition, and to coherently order the data in my head, I set about representing the data as nodes, details, which sat into a wider network. I identified a number of the key systems evident within the data set, and these aligned with some of the protagonist mapping which others and I had explored and continue to explore within the collaborative public realm Primer exhibit.

One of the ideas stirring from this was the idea that these individual figures could pull and interact to create a singular, comprehendable overview of a place to assess whether it was good or bad. This idea took a back seat however, as my research showed that data systems are simply more complicated than that, and that would be too reductive a narrative spun from the figures.

COLLABORATIVE PRIMER EXHIBIT By mapping the public realm, protagonists interactions with systems could be mapped sculpturally in 3-dimensions and provide a tangible â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;mapâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; and experience of Coventry abstracted from the study of the public realm.

Whilst the mapping shown in the other pieces reflected Coventry from a specific perspective, I sought to exemplify how none of these experiences sat in isolation, and fed into the wider idea of Coventry as a place.

Following from my earlier explorations, I attempted to tie the exhibit together, and provide some of the detail and some of the data behind these protagonist experiences.

Nodes formed from laser-cut MDF and coloured string represented the different systems connecting the disparate details. Everything is intertwined.

REACTIONARY ANIMATIONS INPUT/OUTPUT Each input into a system has an influence or an otuput at some stage. These programming experiments were exploring the different ways that a system of nodes could react to an individual input node. The orange dot is controlled by a computer mouse or a finger on a touchscreen, and the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;systemâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; of blue dots interacts with the position of the orange dot. In these explorations, the user is shown a clear response to the actions they take, and it is an interactive and enjoyable experience seeing the consequence of your input. All programming was done in a basic programming language and tool called Scratch (left).

EXHIBIT DESIGNED

My personal exhibit was an interactive interface with the Policing System in Coventry - focusing on Police bias, and the ramifications of policing ‘by the numbers’. The exhibit seeks to show how simultaneously, the design of an interface can gamify, simplify and detach the user from the system which extends beyond it - yet also show that what may feel like insignificant actions can actually have gigantic scale ramifications and reflections within the wider system. This is especially potent when existing data is input to Artificial Intelligence or Machine learning systems where flaws and biases are consequently internalised and often amplified. Through discussing such and revealing it to the public the exhibit seeks to teach people to be at the least - more aware of their impact on data, if not angered and more cautious about the implementation of ‘dumbed-down’ software in use out in the world. My Interface Model imagines that a ‘streamlined’ budget-cut Police Force develops some software in order to extract the ‘intuition’ and ‘street smarts’ of Officers into an automated

system to obtain the decrimininalising effect of a ‘beat’ without the expense or the risk. The App is deliberately designed to ‘gamify’ Police work, its simplistic design, bright colours and lack of detail means that Officers are able to use the software more quickly and for longer periods of time in order to quickly create an automated crime fighting system. It is this dramatic detachment from action to consequence which I really wanted to hammer home. The child-like User Interface of the app is contrasted in the exhibit with images, quotes and headlines of the ramifications of such uninformed, prejudiced and irresponsible action. Furthermore, the participant is first asked to look at the ‘face of crime’ in Coventry and are presented with the faces of real or wanted criminals posted publicly by the Coventry and West Midlands Police Forces, this is to reiterate that simply presuming innocence of all is also not an option. The exhibit really tries to put the user in the Officer’s mindset, and appreciate the complexity and nuance that should accompany the role.

A REFLECTION OF HOW, OFTEN, AN INTERFACE IS ACTUALLY SO DISTANTLY REMOVED STYLISTICALLY OR OTHERWISE - FROM THE

SYSTEM ITSELF TO THE POINT WHERE AND ACTIONS’ CONSEQUENCES ARE COMPLETELY INTANGIBLE TO THE USER AND THEREFORE PERPETUATES MINDLESS, IF NOT HARMFUL ACTIVITIES.

The Ramifications A display showing the ramifications of the judgement that individual police officers make

Police Ofﬁcer Hat To help the user assume the role of the police ofﬁcer

Tablet Application used to simulate the ‘beat’. Images of people are shown and a decision about the criminality has to be made

Images supplied to Ofﬁcers The images in ‘the back of their head’ which inform the ofﬁcers judgement on the look of crime

EXHIBIT EXECUTED

Police Bias is a perpetual blight in ours and many other societies. Videos and anecdotes of the some of the most blatant and horrific actions caused by prejudice and racism rightfully spark fury amongst many, and there are constant calls to remove this bias. What is harder to show, and therefore harder to restrict is the degree to which bias is unconsciously and undeterminably engrained into the wider policing system. Whilst Police Officers are (hopefully) increasingly aware of the potential for their internalised bias to negatively impact upon their job and society, the breadth and complexity of their job mean that they are unlikely to be able to act consciously and properly throughout. Whether through pre-existing bias or ones reinforced through their work, they are likely to have formed a notion of the ‘faces of crime’. Police Bias is well established, and whilst Officers are increasingly aware of it, they are also fed constant images of criminals and so unconsciously form notions of the face of crime. In an attempt to reduce Officer bias, automated programs can be used to guide Officers in their decisions. This method quickly received backlash, as the data on which the A.I. is trained

harbours human bias and creates ‘a self-fulfilling prophecy’. This bias is then translated (often to an even greater extent) into the systems that officers may rely on in their specific effort to remain unbiased. Whilst the A.I that is currently used in the force is mostly to do with resource management, algorithms are also currently deployed for facial recognition, phone data extraction and social media analysis . Therefore, it is not a giant leap to extrapolate a world in which Police on the beat are guided by A.I as to who to Stop-andSearch. Personally I couldn’t bring myself to add this feature as I felt it could only perpetuate bias but it would not be hard to see the application give the user a ‘score’ as to how accurate they were or to how similarly they aligned with other officers. Similarly, I did not wish to include images of wrongly convicted people, of which there are many, as this would perpetuate a falsehood if they were featured as potential criminals in this setting. Yet, it is important to understand that for many Police Officers, the convicts they have seen and the face of crime they have internalised is based as much on the prejudices of those before them as it is on the truth.

Whilst Users were correct more often than not, the margin for error is extremely high. 4 out of 22 images split the User’s in half, as they couldn’t decide either way. This will be partly down to the small sample size of 14, and would possibly lean towards a conclusion with more input. The order of the images was important, and if the experiment was repeated, I would alter the order and expect the results to be affected. I believe this is a reason why one of the images was assessed unanimously. The quotes posted above the images I believe made minimal impact, having secretly monitored users during participation. People also made decisions quite quickly. If the experiment was to be adapted, quotes might be randomised and the time it took for users to make an assessment might be monitored to give a greater idea of use. t users were incorrect in the overall In 3 instances, the assessment. I am pleased about this, as it means I chose and edited images which could be deceiving. After all, this experiment was meant to highlight the inefﬁcacy of the technique. It is important to note that 2 of the 3 incorrect assessments were from CCTV footage, which may suggest that it is easier to assess people through Mug Shots. Even th the photograph that was assessed most incorrectly was then, a ‘Mug-shot’ style photograph off of a Sample Russian Passport. The data gathered from this small sample may encourage the technique, as, despite the margin for error, if the assessments were made repeatedly, then one would expect the the margin of error to decrease. People’s ideas of criminals is often based upon previous corect data, and they therefore develop a sense for the ‘face’ of crime. The use of this judgement technique is not strong or reliable however, t and therefore the Application experiment worked, as it highlights the reaons why people may want to rely upon their judgement (as more often than not they are correct) but also the inherent danger in this.

Structure

-COVENTRY-TURIN-MILANThe wide range of buildings seen within the field trip demonstrated to me some of the techniques and realities of architecture I wished to use, and also those I wished to avoid. Prevalant structure within a design was used to create awe and a strong aesthetic as well as maintain strucutral use.

Old and New

The intersection of the Old and the New was very evident, modern cities often contain a mixture of the two, but Coventry and Turinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s turbulent pasts meant that the intersection was particularly pronounced in the architecture. The use of strong geometrical repetition, and more noticeably, and surprisingly pleasingly, the use of asymmetry became evident to me. The establishing of a language and consequent breaking of it was a concept carried through into my Synthesised design.

Symmetry and Asymmetry

Furthermore the intersection of unique mixed materials, and in particular, the Prada Fondazioneâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rich use of materials, inspired me to examine non-traditional methods of creating texture, form and space.

CASE STUDY: FONDAZIONE PRADA Koolhaas’ Foundazione Prada is an ‘ensemble’ of different elements, and studying the buildings within it taught me how disparate elements can meet (or not meet) in ineresting, sensitive and playful ways. One of the principle concepts from the case study which I carried through to my design was the idea that walls, floors, stairs, handrails etc... do not meet flush in the Fondazione Prada, instead walls seem to extend below the floor, and buildings through the roof. This highlights the individuality and design of each element within the whole structure. It’s rich use of materials and structural techniques informed decisions within my design phase. Conducting the case study consolidated the findings on site, and through studying OMA’s design process, and final threshold execution, I gained an acute understanding of how a considered design process with a specific aesthetic or experiential desire from the beginning can influence the narrative of a project.

Individual case study sections included in appendix and whole case study submitted as a separate document alongside Portfolio.

The projects key themes were cemented within Staging, and I relished the opportunity to consider how my interests in timelessness and in the fleeting world of data storage could intertwine. My learning of the Silica Glass technology ignited the project, and the consequent spatial explorations conveyed to me the potential for the concepts to architecturally synthesise in a joyful and experiential way. The physical and technological context of the building researched here informed design decisions through every detail of the project, as it was informed by the successes, and more notably, the failures of the past. Research beyond the local and physical context was extremely helpful, and will be a method I continue in future projects, the cultural and historical context of my design both now and in the future is of emphasised importance but would be useful in any project I am sure.

STAGING + THINKING THROUGH MAKING Contextualising Spatialising Materialising

Context Crafting an Identity

COVENTRY

DEMOGRAPHICS

IDENTITY

Coventry is a University hub, with +5.3% people working in Education* than the National Average and +9.1% Students. Despite this, with residents, there is a much-decreased level of Education (-4.3% NVQ1, -4.2% NVQ2, -2.7% NVQ3, -4% NVQ4), and this may be linked with +0.6% unemployment, +4.5% workless households and job density of -12%. What appeared evident to me in my data research is that there is somewhat a rift between those who work in Coventry and those who live, those who work earn +1’258£ yearly whereas those who live there earn -379£ yearly. Those educated and employed in Coventry tend to leave, and so there is an opportunity merge these groups and establish a much-needed economy in the city centre. Furthermore, currently, Coventry has an emphasis on Manufacture (3%) and Education, and establishing a data centre could see a move towards the world of Information and Communication (currently -1.4%). Manufacture especially is at risk of becoming increasingly automated and therefore the wages and jobs of Coventry’s manufacturing workers are potentially at risk. “In the UK context the shift to high-value low-employment manufacturing has largely already happened” with the Midlands sustaining the largest loss with a -34% Job Loss in Manufacturing from 1966 to 2011. (Fothergill, S. & Gore, T. (2013) and this looks set to continue, as “Versions of Brexit under consideration by the cabinet could cut British manufacturing exports by up to a third” (Roberts, D. (2018)

At the start of the 19th Century Coventry was a centre for ribbon making, watchmaking and sewing machines, and in the 20th Century this developed into machine tools, electronic devices, cycles, cars and munitions. Jaguar, Triumph, Rover and Singer are just a handful of names which established factories almost centrally in the city. The City’s identity was now of a medieval plan with red-brick, but it failed to adapt to its influx of business and population – Coventry was slow to develop its infrastructure and Civic buildings. Plans for the ‘Coventry of Tomorrow: Towards a beautiful City’, where full plans for Civic buildings were outlined, were not developed until 1939. Unfortunately, Coventry’s prowess as a munitions production hub made it a prime target for bombing in the war and Coventry was devastated. The consequent reconstruction of Coventry was more of a restart than redevelopment, and arguably the identity was completely lost. Both the new industry, and the historic nature of the city had been destroyed, the Cathedral wouldn’t have its tasteful addition until 1960. Because of all this the city has struggled to maintain an identity, and now, it may be argued that Coventry has become purely a University town, however courses don’t last forever, and students come and go – what identity is Coventry left with then?

Roberts, D. (2018). Brexit could cut manufacturing exports by a third, experts warn. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https:// www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/07/brexit-manufacturingexports-leave [Accessed 5 Jan. 2020]

Fothergill, S. & Gore, T. (2013). The implications for employment of the shift to high-value manufacturing. Future of Manufacturing Project: Evidence Paper 9. [online] Available at: https://assets. publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/ uploads/attachment_data/file/283885/ep9-shift-to-high-valuemanufacturing-implications.pdf [Accessed 5 Jan. 2020]. Gould, J. and Gould, C. (2016). Coventry: The making of a modern city 1939-1973. UK: Historic England.

Physical Context

SITE Bus Terminal

RING ROAD

INTERSECTION

Coventry’s ring road is a unique feature of the city. It can be viewed in a variety of ways – perhaps it is a restrictive collar upon the city, constricting the neck and severing the ‘body’ from the ‘brain’. Certainly, the statistics of the differences in class, wages and education of those in and around Coventry would serve to corroborate this. A less drastic but apt comparison would perhaps be with mediaeval walls such as those in York, which – whilst ‘severing’ the centre – contributes to the cities’ value. Coventry’s ‘island’ doesn’t have the charm or history of York’s, although it does bring benefits. One of these is environmental, of 23 air tests conducted in Coventry, all of those within the ring road presented acceptable NO2 levels, whereas many others in Coventry presented otherwise. The feature presents an opportunity for concentrated development – and whilst many are taking this opportunity to invest in student housing – there lies an opportunity for more interesting, positive and innovative development

The chosen site is a microcosm of the innerring road and sees all walks of life represented. The dominating feature to the layman is the cathedral[s] both old and new which impose a striking architectural control over the area, unchallenged by drab but somewhat peculiar crumbling 60s University buildings. These ‘lesser’ buildings are being gradually demolished, providing an opportunity for redevelopment.

This is the view tourists and students have as they approach the site

Student Accomodation

Hotel

The site too is close to a large hotel and bus terminal and is therefore a natural interface for tourists and visitors to or from the city.

The Cathedral’s main entrance is very close to the site and tourism benefits of a project could be shared with the Cathedral.

Site

University Buildings

The Cathedral is visually intimate with the site and may require a sensitive touch

The Cathedrals

To the shops

The existing university buildings are old and slowly being demolished - ready for refurbishment/redevelopment

Physical Context

The level changes within the site provides creative facade oppurtunities and many interactions between passers-by and the inner building. The design will have to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;competeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; with some drastic geometries near the site, although again this can be seen as an oppurtunity to make an intense and dramatic design to match and enhance the surroundings. The wide and open spaces around the large space is ideal for public interaction, be it an exhibition or University function.

Data - The Trend

Löwenmensch Figurine

Scrolls

35’000BC

250BC

Lascaux Cave Paintings

TECHNOLOGICAL EVOLUTION

15’000BC

Printing Press

Rosetta Stone 196BC

Paper

1440

100BC

Film Reel 1895

Data or information storage is one of the features which makes humans human. The ability to record information in a non-verbal, nontemporary manner is the foundations of society where increasing amounts of information can be passed from generation to generation. We rely on the knowledge of those who came before us so greatly, that the endeavour for new, better data storage solutions has seen some of humank-kinds greatest technological efforts. The recent trend in Data storage has been on density and on speed, and, as quicker technologies have been developed, longevity has diminished. But, with an ever increasing reliance upon this data, and in shared cloud storage where there is need to consistent and ‘clean’ information, we have started to see the devlopment of more enduring, non-electricitydependant storage solutions.

Phonograph Record HDD

1896

The graph represents a Timeline from 35’000BC to 2035AD, where for clarity, different trends are identified, these are as follows: Mass Consumerism: [1400-1900] This is where data stops being bespoke, and duplications become more common The Information Age: [1900-2000] This age focuses on short-term high-density storage where more and more data is accessed increasingly quickly

Storage Density [Gb/g]

Emerging Technologies: [1988-2035] Whilst these are only in development and not yet ready for mass or consumer use, they demonstrate a shift in data storage towards both high density and longevitous storage methods

1957

Cassette Tape 1963

CDs 1982

SSD

Project Silica

1991

2013

DNA encoding 1988

Waste Isolation Pilot Plant 2035

“What’s changed over the past couple of years is that companies are wanting to make use of DATA LIKE NEVER BEFORE; lots of this data is not accessed often… but even if you don’t access it frequently, THERE’S A LOT OF LEARNING IN THAT DATA. Deep Glacier will allow you to not have to manage tape libraries and… run analytics and ML on your archives.” - Andy Jassey

Brown, A. (2019). Next Generation Data Storage - Advanced Science News. [online] Advanced Science News. Available at: https:// www.advancedsciencenews.com/next-generation-data-storage/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019].

Computer Business Review. (2019). Did Amazon Just Kill Tape Storage?. [online] Available at: https://www.cbronline.com/news/ glacier-deep-archive [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019].

Project Silica Glass A timeline of data recording and storage methods referring to the data density and projected longevity

Historical Context

INTER-MILENNIA COMMUNICATION

ROSETTA STONE

LASCAUX CAVE PAINTINGS

Age: 2’125 years

Age: ≈ 17’000 years

Famous for helping historians and linguists unlock the meaning of hieroglyphs. The stone’s usefulness lies in the repetition of the same information in two versions of Egyptian and in Ancient Greek. The decree is carved into a rock made of granodiorite (similar to granite) and the information has endured clearly for over two thousand years. The Rosetta Stone was not the only example of decrees carved into stone, but was the most useful, so much so that the term ‘Rosetta Stone’ is now used to refer to the essential clue to a new field of knowledge.

Paintings representing large animals, potentially accounts of hunting success or a mystical ritual. Angular and barbed shapes are enduring symbols of weapons, and the emotion of fear can be interpreted in the representation of some of the animals. There are also theories that the animals represent the stars in some of the later paintings, and some have attempted to apply Structuralist (logic of mental activity) readings to the meaning of the drawings, and others attempted to apply gender theory. We, as the present generation, cannot escape the inevitability of reading the Lascaux Cave paintings through our own lenses.

THEN NOW

Data - Current Issues with Storage

Great Library of Alexandria

CAN DATA BECOME MORE...

Pentagon File Room

ACCESSIBLE

DURABLE

Great Library of Alexandria

TOO FLAMMABLE Great Library of Alexandria

Too Flammable

The Pentagon

TOO INACCESSIBLE Too Inaccessible

Too Inaccessible

Wikipedia

Too Corruptable

Whether data is stored on paper, disks or magnetic tape, it is susceptible to damage. Heat and physical stress negatively affects all. Long-term use and general wear affect the Amazon’s ‘Cloud’ wholeness and reliability of the data. Storage Amazon’s ‘Cloud’ which Too is both accessible and useful in the short Energy Consumptive term but can last both use and time is the ideal Too Energy Consumptive next step. SECURE

Wikipedia

he Pentagon

oo Inaccessible

Wikipedia TOO CORRUPTABLE Wikipedia

Amazon’s ‘The Cloud’ Server Farms

Web-hosted data and online database are perhaps the most publicly available ways to access information, and sites such as Wikipedia are testament to the value of democratic and collaborative information sharing. Whilst such sites are heavily scrutinized and designed, they are not incorruptable and will always have a reputation for being prone to misinformation. Whilst block-chain technology provides oppurtunity to eliminate some of the shortfalls of traditional web-hosting, physical manifestation is perhaps a more understandable, accessible approach.

Whilst data has become increasingly accessible in this modern era, the threat of large companies controlling the flow and accessibility of information is becoming ever present, lawsuits about Facebook’s influence on elections and the right to be forgotten are examples of this. Currently longevitous data storage has to be so kept so securely that it ceases to be useful widely accessible or democratic. GREEN Current Data storage methods are extremely energy consumptive, the amount of electricity consumed and heat produced by server racks - which are most commonly used for web data and cloud storage - is staggering. Due to this, companies such as Google have placed data centres in places such as Iceland, where Geothermal energy can produce electricity sustainably and cheaply. Realistically this is unsustainable as the volume of data that is stored in ways such as this expands at an unprecented rate, and with it grows the energy usage.

Amazon’s Amazon’s ‘Cloud’ TOO ENERGY‘Cloud’ CONSUMPTIVE

Too Energy Consumptive Too Corruptable Too Corruptable Too Energy Consumptive

Bank is better

Not Flammable

Data is etched into durable glass with a laser. This data is writeonce read-many and cannot be corrupted or damaged. Data is read off of the glass by shining an LED through the glass into a microscope at a quick rate and this is then converted into usable information. Current long term storage of this size on Magnetic Tape can take days to be processed and usable.

Silica Glass

The Technology

U.S. data centers consumed 70 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity in 2014, the same amount that 6.4 million American homes used that year.

Why my Data

Readily Accessible

DATA ANALYTICS - GETTING THE TRUE PICTURE

The small pixels in the first instance form a coherent and full picture. This isn’t the case with all data sets and if all the pixels in this picture were rearranged then it would form a ‘useless’ greyish blur. This is where Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (A.I/M.L) proves useful in organising un-formatted data into coherent pictures like this. Using larger pixels gives a greater overview of the data set, but its a generalisation of the detail where the nuance and variety is lost. Generalisation can be useful in protecting individual’s privacy however it can have negative effects as it can ignore a significant proportion of the data in lieu of the majority ‘hue’.

“

Imagine for a minute looking at a painting of Mona Lisa and only seeing big pixels. This is the view you’re getting from customers in a data warehouse. In order to get the fine-grained view of your customers, you’d need to store fine, granular, nano-level data about these customers and use big data analytics like data mining or machine learning to see the fine-grained portrait.

”

Talend (2019)

Talend Real-Time Open Source Data Integration Software. (2019). What is Big Data and Where Is It Going? - Talend. [online] Available at: https://www.talend.com/resources/future-big-data/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2019].

LONGEVITOUS COMMUNICATION

In order to introduce future humanity or otherbeings to the concept of storing data in glass, and in 3-dimensions, the use of indented materials in signage can be employed prominently in the site. Languages used should be the official UN languages and are the same laid out in the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP)’s Permanent Markers Implementation Plan (minus Navajo due to its lack of prevalance in this geography). Similar to the Rosetta Stone, it is hoped that with only partial knowledge of our current language, the repetition of instructions will make future discovery and understanding easier.

Wipp.energy.gov. (2004). [online] Available at: https://www.wipp.energy.gov/library/PermanentMarkersImplementationPlan.pdf [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

Establishing a Brief

Ofﬁces leased to companies PROGRAMME Centre for Data Management Ofﬁces leased to companies Data Bank Provides a hub for discussion of politics, philosophy and regulation of Data Centre for Data Management Management. Experts from around the country could use this building as a central Museum formeeting Data Awareness and pertinent meeting space. Data Bank CENTRE FOR DATA MANAGEMENT

A student from Coventry University studying Artifical Intelligence Postgraduate degree. Arguably the person who benefits the most from the Data Bank, as they can interact with all parts of the building. They can gain hands-on work experience with the companies who come in and work with the stored data, and engage with real-life training and

and implementation of A.I/M.L products.

A member of the general public would usually not know much about the role of Big Data in their lives. They may have been taught to fear the term, but not know any of the details of what actually is collected or used of their - or others - information. This is why it is imperative to bring the public in as a Civic aspect of this structure. The museum space can act as an

informative base for the general public, and it is also important to interact with the workings of the data centre, and showing the glass encased data is a great way to do that.

The Data Analyst probably has the most regular part in the Data Bank, as they have a day to day role in an office or ‘pod’ attached to the central Data Bank. A company comes in and rents one of these ‘pods’ to use the data. It is this money which helps with the upkeep of the building and to part-fund the museum however the building also has a public-civic use. It is important to consider

the building both as a public and private entity, and the two should be able to work without the other but still be considerate. The Data Analyst has a regular role for several months at a while training their companies off of Artificial Intelligence with the Data Glass. This entails selection and processing the data from the central library.

STUDENT

They can also interact with the Centre for Data Management which hosts political and philosophical debates on Data Collection, Storage and Use, and attend seminars, talks and summits between leaders of the field.

MUSEUM FOR DATA Museum forAWARENESS Data Awareness

The Museum provides a civic and open aspect to Data, therefore providing a ‘transparency’ to the perhaps often obfuscated field. The museum is an interactive and informative aspect to the building and has to have a clear interface with the Data Bank.

Ofﬁces leased to companies

Centre for Data Management Data Bank

DATA BANK

PUBLIC

Museum for Data Awareness The Data Bank itself is a relatively large storage hall full of glass panes. The glass panes will have both an atmospheric and a useful aspect as they will contain a wide variety of data. The data stored will have to be reliable and timeless information, and will have to had been carefully selected.

Ofﬁces leased to companies Centre for Data Management Data Bank Museum for Data Awareness

OFFICES LEASED TO COMPANIES Ofﬁces leased to companies

Centre for Data Management

Companies can lease a ‘pod’ or office space attached to the central Data Bank. This allows the perfect oppurtunity to use the ‘write-once, read-many’ glass storage. Artificial Intelligence needs a reliable and large amount of stored data, and so the Project Silica glass presents a useful modern use, and companies could utilise this to train their Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (A.I/M.L) systems.

Data Bank

Museum for Data Awareness

DATA ANALYST

Specification

Centre for Data Management

Museum for Data Awareness

Programmatic Diagramming

This is a spatialised programmatic diagram which represents the rough size, function and relationships between all the parts of the building. Whils the prescence of each part of the building is predominanlty spatial, some functional requirements were integrated into the drawing, as well as experiential. These qualities also fed into the design decisions with in Realisation and Synthesis

Visible Open Respected

Large Spaces for Conferences and Debate by speakers and lecturers Offices for smaller discussions Workspaces to allow hot-desking temporary professionals

Outside Exhibition Space

Temporary Engaging Informative

An outside-plaza like space A piece of art-engineering which demonstrates how data can be used in a playful way. Data on Coventry or in the local vicinity of the piece

Engaging Fun Informative

Large Open Exhibition Spaces mixed with smaller intimate exhibits Library space to allow for public use of the Data Glass - a Hackspace of sorts

Data Bank - Glass Panes

Awesome Flexible Multi-faceted

A large central space to store all the data - as much aesthetic as functional Each part of the building relates to this core, which is open to the public as well as being used by companies

Office Pods for Private and Public Use

Secure Adaptable Temporary

Full intersection with the Data Glass, companies hire pods to use the data for the training of A.I/M.L Space for the digital storage and communication of this data

THINKING THROUGH MAKING WEEK

Thinking through making week was an opppurtunity to explore materials and techniques I had previously never worked with. Here, I took something I had no control over, a damaged stone, and attempted to integrate my work with it. This process was analagous to any architecture project, architects attempt to engage with the physical and cultural context of a site and integrate their ideas with something largely out of their control.

It may even be said that a building attempts to fix identified problems with its context. Here I took a timeless monument and, using modern techniques attempted to fix the ‘problems’ of the stone. This process reiterated to me the complexity of engaging with artifacts in the digital realm, and first I had to model the stone in CAD, giving it a digital companion or representation.

From here, the process was to try and match the intricacies of the stone’s form. The modern techniques didn’t simply have to fix the stone, but also had to be appreciative of its detail and its complexity. By 3d printing a ‘negative’ piece for the stone, the digital conversion reversed and became physically relevant.

By using a pristine material and adding colour, the modern appreciates, fixes and elevates the timeless artifact. The process was rigorous, but I carried the knowledge of such complexity through to my design, and I believe the intersection of materials in the final outcome was very pleasing.

This was truly the synthesis of all learning throughout my degree; all the skills, concepts, and techniques I have developed and continue to develop. The transformation of the research in Staging and Primer into an building was a long iterative process, driven by the theoretical considerations of ARC3015, the construction needs of ARC3014 and the technical execution of ARC3013. The project’s multi-faceted nature meant the conversion between concepts and form was difficult to process at points, and it took some courage to abandon my more comfortable ideas of how the building ‘should’ look and feel. It is only due to this evolution and continuous refinement that I truly am proud of the work I present here. I wish to incorporate some joy into architectural design and in representation, and here to present full the level of consideration and detail which has gone into the Data Cathedral.

REALISATION + SYNTHESIS Formalising Ritualising Coalescing Ending

KEY THEMES

The work up until this point had established some of the key themes I wished to explore within my project. This, alongside Parti sketches throughout the design process, really cemented the theories I wanted to tackle. The unique technology I wished to use, and the site parallel to the Cathedral meant that some of these arose naturally, and others came out of my research in my earlier work or wider reading. My architectural philosophy also fed into these, I believe that the public should have more ownership and access to the structures which form their built environment, and even be able to make an imprint within them. Furthermore, I wished to provide make the obfuscated world of data more transparent and more tangible at the same time.

The Cathedral’s section: Data, a new Religion?

Coventry Cathedral is a monument to religion, a dominant force in its time, and this project poses that data has become akin to a new religion – heavily engrained into society, there is belief in and regular practice of using mass data to inform decisions . Data is worth celebrating architecturally in line with the Cathedral’s grandeur. This ‘Data’ Cathedral establishes a permanent monument to data with its own series of Rituals and Beliefs, yet seeks to be widely accessible, adaptable and useful – long into the future.

MONSTERS Rigid In line with the data storage - which can be stored for many millenia, the buildings core structure will have to be rigid in both its feel and structural integrity.

I believe that a design should evolve as naturally as possible. Evolution requires parameters to judge the performance of an individual (in this case, design). In order that a number of desired traits can be concentrated into a finalised design, I have denoted Hejduk-esque ‘monsters’ which are architectural concepts which run through all levels of detail, and can be expressed structurally, experientially and socio-politically. All elements are expressed in the final design.

Plug-in

Visible

Users should be able to bring their utterly unique equipment, cultural perspective and ideas to the building and still be able to interact with it.

Visibility promotes accessibility, intrigue and engagement and is, of course, a key consideration in the design process.

Growth

Directional

Trust

Monumental

The site has to promote active use, and growth in terms of its relavance, on-site activity and on-going archiving efforts. It is not a time capsule.

The Architecture should reflect the building’s use and instruct as to how the space was meant to be used. This is for contemporary users as well as prospective future users who may not be able to read written instruction.

Trust should be invoked - whether through emotional and structural transparency or utter strength and reliability

Commemoration and celebration of data, in a civic scale, awe-inspiring and un-ignorable manner.

Identity

Functional

Timeless

Open

The building’s identity is key in engaging all from now until forever with its workings. Architectural identity can be established with bold geometry, repetition and scale.

In order to aid understanding of the building there needs to be inherent logic within the design and layout of the structure.

Design should accomodate the impact that time will play, its whole lifespan should be considered and knowingly designed for.

Openness and accessibility is what makes this building a useful asset for communities both local and international and should be a prime consideration.

Light

Memory

Playful

Adaptability

Light structural components, transparent and thin elements need to balance solid elements for practical and aesthetic reasons.

The design should contain motifs, materials and artifacts of previous cultures to indicate a place of memory - whilst being adapted too for contemporary use.

Considered rejection of order, and intersection of disparate elements can create a playful and engaging building.

Staying relevant and useful is key for a successful building, we do not want to impose strict order on future action and must provide ample room for modification and adaptation.

Monstrous Evolution of a Permanent Monument to Data Storage

Monumental

A functional monument

DATA CATHEDRAL DESIGNED FOR ACTIVITY The Data Cathedral consists of a permanent Roman-concrete Monument, expressive in form, it is designed to last the millions, if not billions, of years that Silica Glass panes do. Roman-concrete has unique chemical properties which means it becomes stronger over time, and can vastly outlast traditional concrete. Durable laser-etched Silica Glass panes of A1 size are stored in racks within this permanent monument, and hold hundreds of thousands of GBs of data. Built around the solid concrete form is a lighter, temporary framework for various activity and use of the panes which may change over time. A Data rail system is designed to deliver the Data panes from within the monument to any point within the temporary floor plan. The permanent monumental form architecturally and timelessly expresses the perpetual functions of the site: Debating, Loading and Storing

Permanent + Temporary

Data Rail

As the data stored is projected to last so long, there is a stressed importance on storing reliable data and so the building hosts a permanently expressed public forum, where data experts can discuss what data is to be collected, stored and used. This public forum also engages students, professionals, and the public in open discussion and seeks to lift the veil on the complex and often obfuscated world of data.

The School of Data

The Data Forum timetable

11:30 - 12:30

Coventry University

13:30-15:00

Data Council Meeting

17:30-18:30

20:00-22:00

16/04/2022

EECT053 MSc Control, Automation and Artiﬁcial Intelligence Lecture

Discussion pertaining to the archiving of the Coventry Evening Telegraph

Anna R. Rönnlund

Coventry Family History Society Meeting

Youssef Assaf

Former researcher at Microsoft Research Cambridge working on the development of the Silica Glass technology. An expert on the material properties, limitations and possibilities of the Silica Glass panes.

Natalie Cramp

Chief Executive of Profusion, a company which works with businesses and schools to close the ‘tech gap’ and engage a wider audience in information and communications.

Sir Nigel Shadbolt

Chai Chairman and Founder of the Open Data Institute (ODI), an Artiﬁcial intelligence Professor and ‘Open Data Evangelist’ who wants to emphasise the beneﬁt of making data accessible for all – both recording and accessing.

Corporate Evening Event Social Event

Andrew Solomon

drew Leimdorfer

mer Senior Product Manager for the BBC author of ‘The Data Journalism Handbook’ 2. He can represent the public good (or bad) t can come from the ways in which data is sented, and is conﬁdent on the methods of senting data in an unbiased manner.

Vice-President of the Gapminder foundation which uses data to highlight issues with the public perception of data, poverty and health

Free to all for mixed use between timetabled activity

Corporate and Commercial technology lawyer, Kingsley Napley. Aware of how the past and current data legislation impacts the activity of the Data Council, and how companies may wish to engage with the Data Cathedral

Andrew Leimdorfer

Former Senior Product Manager for the BBC and author of ‘The Data Journalism Handbook’ 2012. He can represent the public good (or bad) that can come from the ways in which data is presented, and is conﬁdent on the methods of presenting data in an unbiased manner.

Who are the Data Council?

The loading area is where data is converted from contemporary storage methods (here shown as Server Racks) into laser etched Silica Glass, before it enters the storage towers. These Silica Glass panes are clamped to a lightweight rail system which runs overhead throughout the entire building, meaning that data can be freely and passively moved and giving a unique tactile experience to data interaction.

Loading Floor

Data is moved from the loading area on a starter clamp

It has to move a corner to align with the mechanisms ahead

The pane reaches a junction, these can be adjusted depending on which floor the pane is destined for

6. 5.

4. 3.

1. The junction moves, with a flag indicating the direction of travel

Data Glass Pane - The Journey The rail system has been developed so that the glass can easily move around the building, from corner to corner, floor to ceiling. The silica-glass panes are locked into clamps which slide freely on the rails. This means that the panes can travel around corners, and the clamps can adjust to travel vertically too. Once the panel reaches the circle in which it will be stored, the pane slides from its clamp on a rail to a storage clamp - from here it can be stored indefinitely, however if somebody wants to use it, this then slides onto a different clamp, and travels around the structure. The ability to move the data can be done so by the guardians of the panes from the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;loadingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; area where the data is etched into the glass and into the storage circle with a starter clamp, and then transferred to a storage clamp, and then anyone can use an access clamp at the other end to move the data where they require.

The opened clamp attaches to a steel wire, which is operated via a pulley, to lift the pane

Excerpt from ARC3013 Submission

Data Pane journey

The pane passes through the junction and is prepared for the vertical journey

The clamp folds out so that the pane can be lifted upwards

Once it has reached the correct height, the pane slides off of the starter clamp and onto a rail, which connects it to a storage clamp

Once it is required, it can then be slid across to an access clamp, ready for public or private use

The Data panes are there stored in circular racks within the permanent monuments large vertical tubes, walkways pierce through these tubes creating an engaging visual and physical interaction with the vast amount of data stored within the Data Cathedral. At roughly half of initial capacity, over 5% of the entire worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s data could be functionally stored in these tubes for millions of years.

Data at your fingertips

Excerpt from ARC3013 Submission

How much Data is stored?

Pods - Modular Activity

USING

The structure around the monument hosts a wide variety of activities for a range of people. As designed, there will be public spaces for study much as in a traditional library, however it is the workshop, office, private hire and desk spaces which bring life and an economy to the building. By hosting pods which are specifically tailored to the required function it can bring together a range of people, and make the building a lively, productive and enjoyable place. P Pods are designed modularly, and ‘plug-in’ to the structure so that they can be added and removed with ease. This means that the building can remain fresh and change with the economic, social and political seasons.

The more temporary structure built around the permanent form is where the main use of the data panes occurs. The floor plan is designed on an 8 metre grid with repeated standardised elements; this allows for easy and simple repairs, replacements or modular additions. Within this structure fit modular ‘pods’ of various functions to host the bulk and range of activity that the Data Cathedral hosts.

To build a pod you must demonstrate a need for a pod, and pods which are underused can be replaced with ones that have a greater role in the building. This monitoring process will be assessed algorithmically, which takes into a wide variety of factors such as foot-traffic, rent generation and people’s enjoyment of a pod.

Data is collected within the building to establish what pods and services are in demand, and which are not, and due to the simple modularcentric design, changes can be made to keep the building as a hive of activity, and to be as tailored and as good an experience to its wide range of users as posssible.

TThe Pods are articulated throught the facade of the building, and telegraph the inner workings of the building to those outside it. This reinforces the transparency the building tries to bring to the world of Big Data, and gives the citizens of Coventry a sense of democarcy, affordancee and ownership.

These ‘pods’ may be for the use of the Data panes, such as rented Office pods or private hire study spaces where the data can be accessed through a simple device which consists of a microscope and fast-firing LED; the data can be then accessed electronically, printed or downloaded to a device.

Cafe Businesses can establish a ‘pod’ within the building to serve its patrons. The Cafe provides a rest spot - articulating through the facade - bringing some outside space to this area of the structure. Any pod which is underused is replaced to fulfil the greater needs of its users.

Pods dont have to pertain to this specific use however, and Cafe and Storage pods would run alongside this activity to provide a hub for a wide range of activity.

Satellite Office Companies training artificial intelligence systems - or other businesses which require vast amounts of information can establish a Satellite Office pod. Constructed to the specific needs their specific needs, the company pays rent to use this space, to help fund the ongoing project.

‘Pods’

Hot Pod Individual’s who wish to use the building may want to do so for research into historic records, personal projects or just for a desk to do some freelance work. Hot pods are private desks spaces that can be hired out individually or through a subscription model. Availability and occupancy levels are monitored electronically.

Retrieving Data

Data Rail Silica Glass stores vasts amount of data in 841mmx594mm panes. When someone wishes to access the data, they simply pull the data on a rail to the part of the structure or ‘pod’ that they desire. The rail system is energy-passive and is unaffected by electrical failure and is an intiutive, future-proof and tactile way to interact with large amounts of information.

Data Glass panes get scanned through shining a laser through the pane at a rapid rate. The light is changed by the etches within the substance and the differences in light wavelength, strength and direction contains the an encoded information within the pane. Companies can upload this public information to their personal servers, and can use it to train artificial intelligence in a cheap, socially engaged and rapid way.

From Storage to Usage

Tangible System

Data Council - deciding what gets stored

dhi3.

Approaching Junction

dhi4.

Tactile artifact of data interaction

dhi5.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Open sesameâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Data turning a corner

dhi6.

dhi7.

Visible process

dhi8.

dhi2.

d1-1. Final node

dhi9.

hi5. dhi1,2,3.

hi4.

hi6. dhi0.

dhi4,5,6,7. dhi9.

Common Path

dhi1.

Private hire pod

dhi8.

dhi10.

dhi10,11.

Modern storage to futuristic

d3. d1-2.

d1-2.

hi2,3.

d2-2.

d1-1.

hi0,1. A tactile and physical place in a whole world of Data

d2-1.

Tactile connection

Delivery

Silica-Glass forming

Protagonist meets Data

dhi0.

HUMAN INTERACTION

d2-1.

d2-2.

dhi11.

Laser Etching Data - immortalising

DATA JOURNEY d3. Browsing History

hi6.

Approaching the towers

hi5.

Main Circulation

hi4.

Data Map

hi3.

Navigation interface

hi2.

Entrance

hi1.

Desire to look at family history or to train a computer program

hi0.

“Those who oppose ritualism in the Church of England have generally argued that it encourages idolatry in that it encourages worshippers to focus on ritual objects and actions rather than the things they are meant to symbolise” En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Ritualism In The Church Of England. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ritualism_in_the_Church_of_England> [Accessed 5 June 2020].

CATHEDRAL ARTIFACTS

“A key principle of [data software] design is to prohibit access to all resources by default, allowing access only through well-defined entry points, i.e., interfaces”

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Interface (Computing). [online] Available at: <https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interface_(computing)#cite_note-7> [Accessed 5 June 2020].

DATA ARTIFACTS

ARTIFACTS OF RITUALS & INTERACTION The Data Cathedral is materially designed to last thousands of years, but arguably what is more important in a building’s life and longevity is the activity which takes place there. It is very arguable that rituals, traditions and culture outlives material goods, some of humankinds oldest things are the spoken word stories passed through the ages. The Data Cathedral is not just a lifeless archive, and brings with its physical form a new series of interactions, rituals and artifacts.

These artifacts are designed to provide as close and as tactile an experience to data interaction as possible. The artifacts themselves are not to be idolised but are rather interfaces in the system the Data Cathedral establishes. They are designed to be simple and accessible, and bring a playful and tangible experience to mass data interaction. They are designed with the individual in mind, the system of data adapts to us as we adapt to it.

1. Data Gloves IN ORDER TO BE

HYGENIC AND AVOID FINGERPRINT INTERFERENCE THEY

ARE AVAILABLE ATTACHED TO THE ROMAN CONCRETE TUBES

2. Junction Pole IN ORDER TO INTERACT

WITH THE RAIL SYSTEM THIS DEVICE IS TO

HELP USERS REACH THE JUNCTION

3. Pole Hook ARTIFACTS ARE GIVEN THEIR PLACE WITHIN 4. Junction w/ flag marker JUNCTIONS ARE VISIBLE AND INTERACTIVE,

THE STRUCTURE THE FLAG SHOWS THE

JUNCTIONS DIRECTION AND IS A STRONG VISUAL ARTIFACT OF INTERACTION

6. Silica Glass Pane Reader THE FINAL POINT OF INTERACTION - A LASER

IS SHONE THROUGH THE SILICA GLASS PANE TO COVNERT THE DATA INTO WHATEVER FORM IS REQUIRED DIGITAL OR PRINTED

The ground floor acts an extension of the public realm with large entrances, and invites the public to interact with the Data Cathedral as a whole. This floor also plays host temporary exhbiits centered around the theme of data interaction, collection and representation. Shown here is Microsoft project Ada, a large sculpture which

responds to the facial expressions and tone of those in the building surrounding it. Much like my earlier explorations, its a method of representing data in a transformatvie experiential manner. It encourages participation from all who use or pass through the structure.

Exhibition Floor

Functional + Atmospheric

The roughness, scale and shape of the permanent monument is evocative of traditional monumental architecture, however by piercing through the tubes on informal orange metal walkways, and by exposing the data rail, services and structure to all, it seeks to lift the exlusionary veil which

many traditional monuments of architecture may use. Furthermore, the experience is built to be as tangible as possible for the users, to formalise and humanize the experience of data interaction.

CIRCULATION + ATRIUM Circulation and visual access is incredibly important in creating an accessible and inviting building, and here a striking playful orange staircase punctures through the atrium. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s winding form is such that it invites patrons up into the building to explore, as well as to provide funtional access to the buildings activities. It brings a dynamism to the structure, and to the important view up to the towers, which helps the building become recognisable, popular and culturally relevant. The atrium furthermore helps establish a visual connection between the disparate pods of the building, there are very few obscured areas, and therefore the buildingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s users feel the full free reign that the Data Cathedral wishes to provide. For all these reasons, this aspect of the design was integrated early on and has been developed in line with the structure as a whole.

Floor -1

Floor -1 provides a Northern entrance to the building, and establishes a firm footing for the permanent monument within the site. This firm footing is necessary for the material longevity of the building, as well as establishing a strong presence in its location. Half-underground ,some of the more private functions of the

building such as Security , staff areas, deliveries and production surround the geometrically celebrated public areas for Debating, Storing and Loading. The use of arched columns as well as iconic circular motifs help establish a timeless, unique and playful structure.

Floor 00

Lift Cores Circulation Stairs Western Entrance Southern Entrance Interactive Data Exhibits

Used as a Civic exhibition space to host temporary exhibitions, interactive artwork and experiments based around the recording, use of and representation of data. Examples would include a reaction speed testing wall, an interactive app to decide the guilty and innocent or even large sculptural pieces such as

a hanging sculpture above the debating area. This brings public interaction into the building as well as hosting useful data collection exercises, and has a civic use to educate and entertain Coventryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s citizens with the limitless potential of â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;big data;.

Floor 01

Floor 02

Floor 03

Floor 04

THE WIDER SITE

The Data Cathedral is designed to match the existing Cathedralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s dominant stance in the site, and to provide a hub for the disparate functions of the area - bringing people from all walks of life together. Surrounding buildings could construct a modular pod presence with the Data Cathedral to assist their activies through the use of data. Furthermore, the attraction of business, expertise and education to the site will benefit the surrounding area. The landscaping too receives a regeneration, granite columns reflect the Data Cathedralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s inner geometry, instructions are etched into these to explain the technology and function of the structure. These are designed so, that in the distant future, the building and information can be understood. Etchings are made in the six official UN languages, in binary, and two are left blank for future languages to record this information.

APPROACH

The permanent Roman concrete form bursts through the roof of the ETFE to celebrate the buildings data storage at a city-wide scale. Floor -1 roots the building within the site, and also provides a tactile interface between the monument itself and those outside the structure.

printing to be used as a display of real-time data about the building and of Coventry as a whole. This engages even passive users in the Data Cathedralâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s function.

The Data Cathedral opens up to the public, and its fully transparent faĂ§ade engages all with the inner workings of the building. The use of ETFE balloons allows for LEDs and pattern

The pods along the length of the Data Cathedral are articulated within the faĂ§ade to enhance the sense of diversity and inhabitation as well as to display the inner workings to the public.

+9.1% -2.4% students

retired

-1.4%

working in Information and Communicatio

+2.2% economic inactive want jobs

Northern Approach

Data is laser etched in voxels, the size and direction of these etches create a unique pattern and when a laser is shone through at a rapid pace, this data becomes translatable to digital format.

Southern Approach

FORMAL AND MATERIAL EXECUTION The design reflects the permanent and temporal approach I took in the design process, focusing first on the large-scale, long-lasting Roman Concrete structure, then to the large steel superstructure, gradually getting more granular in design, yet still retaining the same design principles of accessibility and modularity. Material choices informed the design decisions I made, and so too did the idea that more permanent elements should naturally be more bulky, and the temporary more thin, and this provides further visual suggestion as to the structural organisation of the design. The finer materials used, such as ETFE and light steel pods have been chosen as they can be easily and safely recycled, changed or replaced.

Excerpt from ARC3013 Submission

Edited excerpt from ARC3013 Submission

OfďŹ ces leased to companies Centre for Data Management Data Bank Museum for Data Awareness

Programme

Atrium view

‘Pods’

Rail System

LASTING MONUMENT

This architectural exploration has been consiously guided by the longevity of the building, and throughout I have considered the impact the building will have at each stage in its life - and imagined what the buildings impression would be thousands of years into the future - perhaps when it has been long abandoned...

BIBLIOGRAPHY + FIGURE LIST

ArchDaily. 2009. Gallery Of Vidyalankar Institute Of Technology / Planet 3 Studios Architecture 10. [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily. com/15936/vidyalankar-institute-of-technologyplanet-3-studios-architecture/500f442728 ba0d0cc70023eb-vidyalankar-institute-oftechnology-planet-3-studios-architectureimage?next_project=no> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. ArchDaily. 2018. Tianjin Binhai Cultural Center / Gmp Architects. [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/904292/tianjinbinhai-cultural-center-gmp-architects?ad_ source=search&ad_medium=search_result_ projects> [Accessed 14 June 2020].

collaborations/ada/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Coventry Telegraph. 2019. [online] Available at: <https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/ coventry-news/coventry-revealed-one-britainsworst-13904327> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. ctovcan. 2019. Warming Implications For Coventry. [online] Available at: <https://ctovcan. uk/warming-implications-for- coventr y/> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Culture.pl. 2012. The House Which Grows – Nicolas Grospierre. [online] Available at: <https:// culture.pl/en/work/the-house-which-growsnicolas-grospierre> [Accessed 14 June 2020].

ArchDaily. 2019. VIDEO: Inside A Data Center, The Architecture Of The Cloud. [online] Available at: <https://www.archdaily.com/507633/videoinside-a-data-center-the-architecture-of-thecloud> [Accessed 14 June 2020].

Currentaffairs.org. 2017. Why You Hate Contemporary Architecture | Current Affairs. [online] Available at: <https://www.currentaffairs. org/2017/ 10/why-you-hate-contemporaryarchitecture> [Accessed 14 June 2020].

Architecture.com. 2020. Forward To The Stone Age?. [online] Available at: <https://www. architecture.com/knowledge-and-resources/ knowledge-landing-page/forward-to-thestone-age> [Accessed 14 June 2020].

En.wikipedia.org. 2019. Climate Of The United Kingdom. [online] Available at: <https:// en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_of_the_United_ Kingdom> [Accessed 6 November 2019].

Blocks and Files. 2019. Superman In Glass: Microsoft Shines Light On Project Silica’S Quartz Slab Archive – Blocks And Files. [online] Available at: <https://blocksandfiles.com/2019/11/06/ superman-in-glass-microsoft-shines-light-onproject-silicas-quartz-slab-archive/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Brown, A. (2019). Next Generation Data Storage - Advanced Science News. [online] Advanced Science News. Available at: https://www. advancedsciencenews.com/next-generationdata-storage/ [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019]. Computer Business Review. (2019). Did Amazon Just Kill Tape Storage?. [online] Available at: https://www.cbronline.com/news/glacier-deeparchive [Accessed 23 Dec. 2019]. Corporation, M. and Research, M., 2019. Ada. [online] Artist in Residence. Available at: <https://www.microsoft.com/artist-in-residence/

En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Interface (Computing). [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia. org/wiki/Interface_(computing)#cite_note-7> [Accessed 5 June 2020]. En.wikipedia.org. 2020. Ritualism In The Church Of England. [online] Available at: <https:// e n .w i ki p e d i a .o rg /w i ki / R i t u a l i s m _ i n _t h e _ Church_of_England> [Accessed 5 June 2020]. Fabrizi, M., 2015. Andrew Degraff’S Unfinished Construction Sites. [online] SOCKS. Available at: <http://socks-studio.com/2015/04/15/andrewdegraffs-unf inished-construction-sites/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Fothergill, S. & Gore, T. (2013). The implications for employment of the shift to high-value manufacturing. Future of Manufacturing Project: Evidence Paper 9. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov. uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment _data/f ile/283885/ep9-shift-to-

high-value-manufacturing-implications.pdf [Accessed 5 Jan. 2020]. Franklin, S., 2019. Architectural Details: The Shed At Hudson Yards - Architizer Journal. [online] Journal. Available at: <https://architizer.com/ blog/inspiration/industry/architectural-detailsthe-shed-at-hudson-yards/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Ft.com. 2020. Nuclear Waste: Keep Out For 100,000 Years. [online] Available at: <https:// www.ft.com/content/db87c16c-4947-11e6-b38764ab0a67014c> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Gould, J. and Gould, C. (2016). Coventry: The making of a modern city 1939-1973. UK: Historic England. Hallam, K. and Davis, T., 2019. Coventry People Eat, Drink And Smoke Too Much. [online] coventrytelegraph. Available at: <https://www. coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/ coventry-people-eat-drink-smoke-15229976> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Helpfulprofessor.com. 2019. [online] Available at: <https://helpfulprofessor.com/types-ofknowledge/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Lionbridge AI. 2019. How Much AI Training Data Do You Need? | Lionbridge AI. [online] Available at: <https://lionbridge.ai/articles/how-much-aitraining-data-do-you-need/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Nomisweb.co.uk. 2019. Nomis - Official Labour Market Statistics. [online] Available at: <https: //www.nomisweb.co.uk/reports/lmp/ la/1946157187/printable.aspx> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Phys.org. 2012. Storage Technology Developed For Fused Silica Glass To Record And Read Digital Data In The Order Of CD Recording Density. [online] Available at: <https://phys.org/ news/2012-10-storage-technology-fused-silicaglass.html> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Reddit.com. 2019. Microsoft’s Project Silica Roughly The Size Of A Drink Coaster. The Glass

Contains 75.6 GB Of Data Plus Error Redundancy Codes : Sysadmin. [online] Available at: <https:// www.reddit.com/r/sysadmin/comments/dsfd52/ microsofts_project_silica_roughly_the_size_ of_a/> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Southampton.ac.uk. 2019. Classic Movie Stored Glass Crystal | University Of Southampton. [online] Available at: <https://www.southampton. ac.uk/news/2019/11/superman-glass-crystal. page> [Accessed 14 June 2020]. Talend Real-Time Open Source Data Integration Software. (2019). What is Big Data and Where Is It Going? - Talend. [online] Available at: https:// www.talend.com/resources/future-big-data/ [Accessed 9 Dec. 2019]. The Guardian. 2019. UK Secularism On Rise As More Than Half Say They Have No Religion. [online] Available at: <https://www.theguardian. com/world/2019/jul/11/uk-secularism-on-riseas-more-than-half-say-they-have-no-religion> [Accessed 13 June 2020]. Timeanddate.com. 2019. Climate & Weather Averages In Coventry, England, United Kingdom. [online] Available at: <https://www.timeanddate. com/weather/uk/coventry/climate> [Accessed 6 November 2019]. Wipp.energy.gov. (2004). [online] Available at: https://www.wipp.energy.gov/library/ PermanentMarkersImplementationPlan.pdf [Accessed 3 Dec. 2019].

Figure 1 – Edited photograph of The Rosetta Stone Figure 2 – Photograph taken by author in Turin Figure 3 – Photograph taken by author in the Prada Fondazione Figure 4 – Render produced by author Figure 5 – Drawing by author Figure 6 – Photograph of Graduation ceremony taken from: Coventry Uni Alumni (2017) 23 November. Available at https:// twitter.com/CovUniAlumni/status/933634632607821824/ photo/1 [Accessed: 13 June 2020] Figure 7 – Field Trip photograph courtesy of Matthew Margetts Figures 8-10 – Photographs of Coventry Cathedral taken by author Figure 11 – Infographic by Charles Minard taken from: History Hit. 2018. Charles Minard’S Classic Infographic Shows The True Human Cost Of Napoleon’S Invasion Of Russia. [online] Available at: <https://www.historyhit.com/the-costof-napoleons-invasion-of-russia-infographic/> [Accessed 13 June 2020]. Figure 12 – Graphic produced by author Figure 13 – Page by Jon Hejduk taken from: Hejduk’s ‘Monsters’ Sketched with Ink on Paper Hejduk, J. (1986). Victims. 1st ed. London: Architectural Association.. Figure 14 – Drawing done by author

Concept and Design development

Haunted House

Design process through modelmaking

B y

“What may appear as a bricolage or mixture of elements, fragments from the field of art and architectural history, works rather like a laboratory for processing knowledge.” (Böck, 2015)

a study of process and material execution Figure.E.1 - Foundazione Prada model of an exhibition space using bright and explorative materials

Figure.E.2 - Playful Render of Haunted House from OMA booklet

Koolhaas’ Foundazione Prada is an ‘ensemble’ of different elements, and studying the buildings within it taught me how these disparate elements can meet (or not meet) in ineresting, sensitive and playful ways.

The playful use of materials is carried through to the final design, Wainwright writes oif the Prada Foundation “The same material continues inside, as if these blocks have been hewn from a solid mass of metal foam – a nod to the office’s own design process, carving blocky massing models from styrofoam.” (Wainright, 2017) After and alongside the modemaking process is the use of playful and colourful renders. The identification of unique spaces within the existing industrial typology was important in the development of Koolhaas’ concept and is clearly expressed in these images

The mixed materials and textures are born early in the design process with hands on model making and material exploration.

Best of Detail Material + Finishes. (2016) [online] Available at: https://issuu.com/detail-magazine/ docs/978-3-95553-322-9-bk-de-en-best-of-_ e602084682eccc/11 [Accessed 10 Dec. 2019]. Wainwright, O. (2017). Rem Koolhaas crafts a spectacular ‘city of art’ for Prada in Milan. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www. theguardian.com/artanddesign/architecturedesign-blog/2015/may/06/rem-koolhaascrafts-spectacular-city-of-art-for-prada-milan [Accessed 10 Dec. 2019].

K o o l h a a s

Case Study

The Koolhaus/OMA method of design development is through the use of model making. Their office’s extensive library of materials means that the “focus in model building is on material...and craftsmanship. Instead of a digital high-tech station, an old-fashioned architectural ‘experimental laboratory’ was set up...thus paving the way for experimentation.” (Detail, 2016) For the Prada foundation, a large scale ‘mock-up’ was constructed with playful materials, as much to establish the variety of the spaces within the site as much as any technical or spatial information.

R e m

Figure.E.3 - Early and large scale model of the entire Foundazione Prada, focusing on the variety of internal exhibition spaces

Figure.E.4 - Colourful Render of a Room in the Haunted House showing the introduction of new materials and colour into the existing structure

Böck, I., (2015) Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas: Essay on the History of Ideas. Available at: http://www.oapen.

For me, my model making was digital, but born out of material choices made prior to the design phase to inform the design choices.

One of the principle concepts from the case study which I carried through to my design was the idea that walls, floors, stairs, handrails etc... do not meet flush in the Fondazione Prada, instead walls seem to extend below the floor, and buildings through the roof. This highlights the individuality and design of each element within the whole structure. What I took as warning from this however, is that perhaps the ‘hidden’ nature of joins make a structure difficult to maintain, and, outside, the playful use of wooden cobbles have meant there has to be bright yellow warning signs. Here - it seems - there is form over function.

Permeability Realisation

In the ground floor threshold between the Haunted House/ Lobby and the Outside courtyard is the use of a large PVC strip curtain. This makes the visual connection bewteen the two spaces more ethereal and murky, and introduces a playful tactile experience as to advance through the space you have to pierve through the large plane.

Koolhaas and OMA wanted an “ensemble” of “exhibition spaces…to differ as much as possible from one another” (Bianchini, R. 2019.) and achieved so through select interventions in the “old factory buildings and warehouses [which were] upgraded with new finishes and fenestration, while the additional structures were designed to suggest a similar industrial character, despite being built using modern materials and techniques.” (Frearson, A. 2019) “Without transforming the original volumes, the architecture project has preserved and enhanced the building by reinforcing the structure and gilding its external surface.” modern but subtle materials are used to modernise the Haunted House yet keeping its raw industriality internally where “the sequence of single rooms preserves an intimate spatial scale.” (Gober & Bourgeois, 2019) Despite the ‘intimate preservation’ which Koolhaas’ has executed, the final realisation is dynamic and playful - “New, old, horizontal, vertical, wide, narrow, white, black, open, enclosed – all these contrasts establish the range of oppositions that define the new Fondazione.” (Frearson, A. 2019)

The use of such an industrial material arguably harks back to the distillery’s past, but is employed in a manner which reflects its new experiential use.

‘preserved and enhanced’ - New material inclusion in the adjacent with the old window frame

‘intimacy’ - The relationships established once in the distillery between buildings is not lost in some rooms but is changed in others

The entire design and concept can be encapsuated even in the exterior of the Haunted House - traditional architecture with a playful - yet somehow tasteful and elegant modification - “the shi

Frearson, A. (2019). OMA’s Fondazione Prada art centre opens in Milan. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2015/05/03/ oma-fondazione-prada-art-centre-gold-leafcladding-wes-anderson-cafe-milan/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2019]. Bianchini, R. (2019). Prada Foundation Milan part 1- Rem Koolhaas’ architecture. [online] Inexhibit. Available at: https://www.inexhibit. com/case-studies/prada-foundation-milanpart-1-rem-koolhaas-architecture/ [Accessed 7 Dec. 2019]. Gober, R,. & Bourgeois, L,. (2019) ROBERT GOBER / LOUISE BOURGEOIS –

‘ensemble’ - The celebrated mixture of architectural typologies and materials surrounding the Haunted House, and an example of the ‘ungarish’ implementation of Golden cladding

All photos taken by Jacob Botting (2019)

Figure.E.5 - The ‘‘jury’ making their verdict on the playful model of the proposal

Threshold

Design by Jury

Purely Material As you venture outside, the ground uses a number of materials, and - unlike those junctions discussed earlier - they meet harshly with one another to create a quasimosaic.

Elements (don’t) intersect

“The design process in the [OMA+AMO] office is organized rather like an architectural school… Designers “develop a large variety of design studies” and then “present their ideas to a ‘jury’ made of Koolhaas, other office members, and guest critics, who reviews proposals, assesses the potential, and chooses those that should be worked out further.” (Böck, I., 2015)

The ‘bricolage’ of elements that make up the Foundazione Prada mean there are many points at which complex or unusual materials meet others.

There seems little reason for these material changes - as these are not positioned in strict thresholds however Koolhaas’ extensive use of interesting materials is part of what makes him and OMA so renowned.

“simple geometry for flexible performance is paired with monumentality; plastic materials connect to glass, wood to layers of gold” (Böck, 2015)

The picture here is very early in the design process and so modelling is still playful - it must be noted that the Haunted House does not yet have its now famous Golden Sheen, this came later as a simple but playful intervention.

The courtyard materials are part of the “contrasts [that] establish the range of oppositions that define the new Fondazione.” (Frearson, A. 2019)

To combat some potentially awkward construction details and to create a series of seemingly infinite planes, Koolhaas utilises this technique multiple times. The technique, as seen in these oictures is to form a recess near the intersection of both material planes.

Working with a site model was key to the design process due to the richness of the industrial site and its strong historic identity as a Gin distillery from the early 20th Century

This means that one of the planes - in both these instances the vertical - seems endless.

“For Koolhaas, the collaboration with Prada…offered the opportunity to reinvent a historic identity and gave the corporations…a peculiar materiality to destabilize the brand image” (Böck, I., 2015)

The intersection between the Haunted House (old) and the lobby (new) stretches the golden plane

Yet there is a drawback however, and Koolhaus’ use of organic burnt wood as flooring has proved too liberal and too bumpy for regulations to handle, and therefore the artful selection of materials is contrasted - and this time conflicted - with bright yellow signs.

This ‘near-miss’ philosophy is one that is continued throughout the entire Foundazione - a large cantilevered building is “just missing the building across the courtyard” (Wainwright, 2017) The whole site is artfully constructed of different contrasting materials and elements and this technique is part of that masterful delivery.

Böck, I., (2015) Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas: Essay on the History of Ideas. Available at: http://www.oapen.org/viewer/web/viewer. html?file=http://www.oapen.org/document/574658 [Accessed 10 Dec. 2019].

Excerpt from Case Study - all work here done by myself, for the whole group work, a full figure list and the bibliography refer to the whole case study presentation. Figure.E.6 - Picture of the Haunted House in the gin distillery before Koolhaas’ interventions

Figure.E.7 - Intersection of the old and new - expressed in materials

Wainwright, O. (2017). Rem Koolhaas crafts a spectacular ‘city of art’ for Prada in Milan. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/ artanddesign/architecture-design-blog/2015/may/06/ rem-koolhaas-crafts-spectacular-city-of-art-for-pradamilan [Accessed 10 Dec. 2019]. Böck, I., (2015) Six Canonical Projects by Rem Koolhaas: Essay on the History of Ideas. Available at: http://www.oapen.org/viewer/web/viewer.

The intersection between a metal grid wall and some metallic stairs

CULTURAL BIBLIOGRAPHY

WIDER READING

EXHIBITIONS

ACTIVE PARTICIPATION

Much of the reading I have done around my project research themes centres on how protagonists iteract with systems, and how these systems respond, need to be changed, or how we can begin to change them.

I try to attend as many exhibitions as possible, even if it only inspires potential specific representational ideas

instagram has provided me with an excellent non-academic architectural creative outlet this year. Work produced this year, in previous years or just for fun is edited in a way to improve it, my representation skills and to tailor it to Instagram as a platform. By studying other examples of what is successful, this exercise has broadened my graphical and technical design skills and engages me in the current social media prescene of architecture.

Engagement with others about my work helps me improve, and drives me in my motivation. Too it has led to my participation in collaborative projects such as Archisource’s Hometown ‘Iso’ challenge which is displayed on numerous billboards around London.

APPENDIX

Early ideas

Thinking through sketching

Intersecting Geometry Explorations Variations

Forest of Columns

Evolving?

Adapting to aesthetic preference Post-modern filling

Non-linear development

A A

A. A.

1140mm red-hollington red-hollington stone stone 1140mm Steel expansion expansion anchorstone bolts Steel anchor bolts 1140mm red-hollington 720mmx720mm steel bolts truss with with circular circular web web openings openings 720mmx720mm steel truss Steel expansion anchor 200mm light light circular circular steel lattice lattice 200mm steel 720mmx720mm steel truss with circular web openings Three-layer inflated ETFE cushion Three-layer 200mm lightinflated circularETFE steel cushion lattice ETFE extended extended clamping with integrated integrated composite composite ETFE clamping with Three-layer inflated ETFE cushion sheet-metal + plastic plastic gutter sheet-metal + gutter ETFE extended clamping with integrated composite 20mm ETFE hose + air inlet 20mm ETFE+ hose + air inlet sheet-metal plastic gutter Rigid insulation insulation Rigid 20mm ETFE hose + air inlet Rigid insulation

B. B.

ETFE extended extended clamping clamping ETFE

20mm ETFE hose hose + air air inlet inlet 20mm ETFE + ETFE extended clamping Three-layer inflated ETFE cushion 20mm ETFE inflated hose + air inletcushion Three-layer ETFE 200mm light light circular steel lattice Three-layer inflated ETFE cushion 200mm circular steel lattice 800mmx800mm steel column 200mm light circular steel lattice 800mmx800mm steel column Bent steel steel sheet, sheet, steel steel column bolts and and steel steel wire wire connector connector 800mmx800mm Bent bolts 100mm polished screed Bent steelpolished sheet, steel bolts and steel wire connector 100mm screed 60mm polished rigid insulation insulation 100mm screed 60mm rigid 200mm concrete floor slab slab 60mm rigid insulation 200mm concrete floor 720mmx720mm steelslab truss with with circular circular web web openings openings 200mm concrete floor 720mmx720mm steel truss 800mmx800mm steel beam 720mmx720mm steel truss with circular web openings 800mmx800mm steel beam ‘Pod’ with with suspended suspended radiation heater, heater, integrated integrated LEDs LEDs 800mmx800mm steel beam ‘Pod’ radiation and light light CLT interior radiation partition wall wall ‘Pod’ with CLT suspended heater, integrated LEDs and interior partition and light CLT interior partition wall

C. C. C C

B B

120mm lightweight lightweight aluminium aluminium grid grid walkway walkway 120mm Custom steel support support 120mm lightweight aluminium grid walkway Custom steel 50mmx340mm steel expansion expansion anchor anchor bolts bolts Custom steel support 50mmx340mm steel 100mmx100mm steel ‘rail’ 50mmx340mm steel expansion anchor bolts 100mmx100mm steel ‘rail’ 841mmx594mmsteel laser-etched silica-glass composite composite 100mmx100mm ‘rail’ 841mmx594mm laser-etched silica-glass panes 841mmx594mm laser-etched silica-glass composite panes Groin vaulted vaulted red-hollington red-hollington ashlar ashlar stone stone arch arch with with panes Groin rubble infill red-hollington ashlar stone arch with Groin vaulted rubble infill rubble infill

D. D.

Steelinsulated insulatedmullions mullions Steel insulated mullions Steel 100mmsteel steelmullion mullionsupports supports 100mm steel mullion supports 100mm 2x20mm 20mmthick thickstrengthened strengthenedetched etchedglass glass 2x 20mm thick strengthened etched glass 2x 800mmx800mmsteel steelcolumns columns 800mmx800mm steel columns 800mmx800mm Concealedcomposite compositesheet-metal sheet-metal++ +plastic plasticgutter gutter Concealed composite sheet-metal plastic gutter Concealed Aluminiummesh meshdeck deck Aluminium mesh deck Aluminium Rigidinsulation insulation Rigid insulation Rigid Dampproof proofmembrane membrane Damp proof membrane Damp 100mmpolished polishedscreed screed 100mm polished screed 100mm 60mmrigid rigidinsulation insulation 60mm rigid insulation 60mm 700mmin-situ in-situconcrete concreteground groundfloor floor 700mm in-situ concrete ground floor 700mm SandBlinding Blinding Sand Blinding Sand Reinforcedconcrete concretepile pilefoundations foundations Reinforced Reinforced concrete pile foundations Hardfill Hardfill Hardfill 800mmconcrete concretepile pilefoundations foundations 800mm 800mm concrete pile foundations

E. E.

2000mmground-pile ground-pilestone stonefooting footingwith withcement cement 2000mm 2000mm ground-pile stone footing with cement mortar mortar mortar 400mmred-hollington red-hollingtonashlar ashlarstone stonefloor floor 400mm 400mm red-hollington ashlar stone floor 620mmcompact compacthardcore hardcore 620mm 620mm compact hardcore

E E 1:20 1:20Detail DetailSection Section 170068008 170068008

Ghostininthe theMachine Machine Ghost

Evolution of 1:20 Technical Section

Excerpt from ARC3013 Submission

The Data behind the Data Cathedral

SCHOOL OF ARCHITECTURE, PLANNING AND LANDSCAPE