OSA Magazine Issue 8
www.osamag.co.uk osamag.co.uk/blog
25.09.2017
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OSA magazine maGAZINE PRESENTS vol. 2
subtext subtext subtext subtext subtext subtext subtext
Martian Architecture Matt Wlosek
No Hay Cine Edward Gillibrand
The Architecture of Memory: Rebuilding the Middle East Adrian Alexandrescu
Neoliberal Subtext in Architectural Drawings Igea Troiani
Phenomenon in Architecture Kaoru Tada
Should architects design places for a controversial issue? Kelly Li
Drawings of Venice Izzat Othman Distorted Universe Ivona Georgieva Eagle Eye Spatiality Pill Engeland Apostol
High Rise Desires Fernando Salcedo
My subtext in Japan and the UK Kaoru Tada
Communication and Invinsible Datas Rafaela Neofytou The Subtext of Architectural Heritage and its identity Stephany Govier
ˈsʌbtɛkst/
noun an underlying and often distinct theme in a piece of writing or conversation.
CHAPTERS CONTEXT CLANDESTINE CONTROVERSY EXPRESSION CONFLICT
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Matt Gaskin Head of the School of Architecture Stig and Deborah Oxford Greenprint Rekha Giddy
For weekly studio updates, reviews of OxArch lectures and much more, follow our newly improved blog at osamag.co.uk/blog EDITORS Jing Zhi Tan Kate Ridgway Maria Mavrikou Maira Tzanidaki GRAPHIC EDITORS Robert Antony Cresswell Olivia Anderson Alexandra Lacatusu MARKETING Sanjeevani Veer SOCIAL MEDIA Grace Kan OSA TEAM Jack Philip Rigby Andreea Bunica Stefana Zapuc PRINTING GREENPRINT Room 1/OARC East Oxford Community Centre Princes Street OX4 1DD You’re more than welcome to share, modify and distribute this publication in any form, but we think it’s good manners to get in touch with the original authors first if you’d like to republish any of their content. All images are the author’s own unless otherwise noted.
Programme Administrator OxArch School of Architecture Student Society
editorial Subtext: what is unspoken, what is hidden or masked, what is written and also what is read between the lines. In a world where propaganda, agenda and media bias blurs into “fake news” and “alternative facts”, the ability and need to distil opinion from truth is becoming increasingly critical in our society. Subtext disguises ulterior motives but can also be harnessed for satire and protest. Ambiguity is its shield; metaphor its weapon. Our contributors have fittingly offered views on the theme from different perspectives, from the cultural differences in social etiquette and behaviour to examining latent expressions of division in politics and identity. We have been furnished with drawings of contentious, unbuilt projects and speculative wearable technology that detects the invisible. A choice selection are published in this half-issue as our juicy trailer: from the next academic year, our biannual magazine will now be published in full in October and February. We’d like to thank the OSA team for their dedication and enthusiasm whilst juggling their degrees with producing two and a half issues and a structural overhaul of our committee, as well as our sponsors for supporting us financially over the last year. As we look forward to becoming more integrated with OxArch and the activities of the school of Architecture next year, we hope that OSA will continue to be a platform for Brookes students to explore writing as a way of articulating and understanding architectural critique. As we asked in our brief for OSA Issue 7: Subtext, if a picture paints a thousand words, why do we bother writing about architecture at all? The Editors
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content context Distorted Universe Ivona Georgieva Rural and Urban Environments: Connection, Heritage and Identity Stephany Govier Martian Architecture Matt Wlosek
clandestine Phenomenon in Architecture Kaoru Tada Drawings of Venice Izzat Othman
controversy Neoliberal Subtext in Architectural Drawings Igea Troiani Eagle Eye Spatiality Pill Engeland Apostol Should architects design places for a controversial issue? Kelly Li Communication and Invinsible Datas Rafaela Neofytou
expression No Hay Cine Edward Gillibrand High Rise Desires Fernando Salcedo
conflict My Subtext in Japan and the UK Kaoru Tada The Architecture of Memory: Rebuilding the Middle East Adrian Alexandrescu
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DISTORTED UNIVERSE manifesto
Ivona Georgieva
#VR #AI #IMMERSIVE EXPERIENCE #SENSORIUM #LIGT #DIGITAL TIME-BASED ART
I like to think of architecture as a vast space without any defined boundaries, more like a cyber space without gravity where the environment is being projected like an optical enhancement. The focus of it would be a perceptual phenomena playing with the preconscious innate aspects of human cognitive system. The language of architecture should be about empowerment of the viewer to perceive the world in his own way. It should enhance spectator’s experience by images born out of movement, capturing the dynamic energy of life and nature.
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Technologies allow us to sense the world around us with the means of image, sound and light creating augmented realities where colour is tasted, sound is visualised and smell is felt by your skin. Organise the environment around us as an immense space where stimulation of one sensory or cognitive pathway leads to automatic, involuntary experiences in a second sensory or cognitive pathway - affecting every spectrum part of the human sensorium.
In a society where information is paramount, can we generate an environment responding back to us by re-contextualizing data as a physical object? In an age that has become increasingly beholden to data I’d like to think that we can design responsive and interactive spaces which might be considered as an analogous to time-based media.
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OSA vol. 3 Issue 8 The subtext of architectural \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ heritage and its identity stephany govier Horatiu Racasan - Architect and Urban Planner in Cluj Napoca – Romania This interview will examine how modern, urban architecture can be informed by the subtext of the rural environment and the importance of communication between the two.. The questions will focus on case-study examples and ideologies behind the implications of rural architecture within an urban landscape.
Hello and thank you first of all for accepting this interview. This OSA issue is focusing on SUBTEXT, which questions the reasons behind architecture and its hidden connotations. Do you believe there is a hidden, undiscovered relationship between rural and urban architecture? What is its current status?
For starters thank you for the opportunity to exchange ideas on the subject which is highly relevant especially in the European region. These are two different standpoints : the density pressures on the urban environment and the need for a symbiotic relationship with with nature. ,Additionally there is insufficient understanding of the relationship between the two environments. This occurs on distinct levels, with visible results: - Urban consequences: the migrating population from villages to towns during the 50s and Preview not available 80s forced industrialisation), caused various rural cultural habits such as a specific way of relating to the public and private spaces to become deformed. - Rural consequences: urban and cultural economic pressure led to substantial changes in the perception and value of space, home environment and relationships. In conclusion, I note that there have been mutations in the active archetypes and collective subconscious of society and how it manifests itself daily in response to various stimuli.
Stephany G.: What do you consider to be the most interesting developments in architecture at present and why?
Horatiu Racasan: These might be: -The use of old and new technologies together: such as printing or using natural and original materials in replacement of harmful materials to humans and the environment (such as the concrete that uses compounds made of a variety of mushrooms with outstanding durability). -The appearance of drone-emergence transport (including human ones) will completely revolutionise the perception of architecture and its use, especially in extremely densely populated areas but not only. - The multiple roles that architecture will have in the near future. For example buildings will have to produce more energy than they consume, they will need to produce fresh food, filter water and purify the atmosphere of CO2. All this will automatically lead to new aesthetic expressions in architecture, the quality of life and more energy efficient buildings.
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Casa Chitila
Stephany G.: What is your personal architectural approach to the relationship between the rural and the urban? How would you describe the current role of the architect within this field? Horatiu Racasan: An architect should be attentive to the evolution of both Preview environments (rural and urban) and to carefully choosenot levers that operate in each of them. I, personally, try to use specific ingredients for each in order to stimulate factors that enhance the quality of everyday life. In this regard, I use elements of urban use in rural areas and vice versa , with careful consideration. . Also, I intend to “refresh” specific techniques and materials to provide identity and a pleasant ambiance to everyday places.
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Stephany G.: Do you believe that the relationship between the rural and the urban are currently underdeveloped? Should modern architecture distil opinions and become more critical regarding this relationship? Horatiu Racasan: Certainly, by ignoring connections that may cause mutual benefits. For example: rural areas produce wool through sheep farming, and also cultivate hemp. Meanwhile in urban areas there is a great “hunger” for insulation materials that increase the energy performance of buildings. Between the two there is a missing link that would put together wool or hemp (rurally produced performance insulation materials p) with urban building owners seeking efficient solutions. These people represent a potential market for rural producers. A coherent strategy to the EC linking supply and demand would create a mutually beneficial relationship between the urban and the rural. Today, “modern” architecture (contemporary - I would call it) also provides other options than the mainstream,which expresses a set of values that define the twenty-first century. Through the vision and solutions offered the architecture of today and tomorrow, can return to the vector position of society, a place from where modernism has removed it in the second half of last century.
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Casa Garbau
Stephany G.: As a Romanian architect, do you see any differences between how Romanian architecture reflects on this relationship in comparison with other countries? Could you name a few examples of such cases? Horatiu Racasan: Architecture in Romania is the result of how architects understand reality (virtual or not depends on everyone’s perspective) as anywhere in the world. Some, making somewhat of an abstraction to what exists around them, globalize models and apply them without thinking too much about the long term consequences. Others are trying to understand how culture can provide appropriate responses to the imperatives of our time and try to do something in this direction. From this viewpoint, Romania joins the guild affecting architects from across Europe and beyond. I’m curious how long it will take until the latter becomes critical mass. In this regard, some examples of Romanian architects are: Marius Miclaus, Michael Nuta, Ana-Maria Goilav Andrei Nejur and others. Andrei and I however, will start a FabLab in Transylvania precisely to promote f a generation of architects that aim to demonstrate the viability of such concerns, both in rural and urban areas. The list however is not closed, there are certainly many others that I have no knowledge of.
Stephany G.: Rural spaces are often dismissed as declining or stagnating. However, they play a critical role in sustainable development and also as a complement to the growing city. Do we need to formulate a new vision of ‘ruralism’? What would be your definition of the ‘future rural’? Horatiu Racasan: Yes, there is definitely a need for a new vision. Some have called this vision “rurbanism”, but this is less important. I do not think they are able to give definitions in this regard. However, there are some guiding principles that are always valid on “future-rural” in architecture: - Use of techniques and materials both ancestral and natural through specific 21st Century techniques (see CLT, hempcrete, 3D printing, parameterization, etc.) - Use of shapes and silhouettes “of the place”, which can be seen in the balance of nature and the local cultural landscape - without mimicking and without ever becoming the dominant part of the landscape. - Producing and using only renewable energy (outside the grid) and the local workforce Not to mention that the Internet is present everywhere, and drones will be accessible anywhere in the world shortly. Given this, and the fact that in less than one generation future rural inhabitants will become more educated than the current ones (see downshifting phenomenon), I think the countryside will become a highly attractive option in the future.
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Stephany G.: The once remote and quiet countryside is now traversed by global and regional flows of people, goods, waste, energy, and information, integrating it with the larger urban system. Is a new set of criteria for understanding and appreciating the rural required? How would you measure what is rural and what is urban?
Stephany G.: Within your projects, are you tackling any big issues concerning this relationship?
Horatiu Racasan:
Horatiu Racasan:
The major difference between the rural and the urban is given by its own density, size and gauge inhabited by people or occupied by “indoor” human activities.
In direct connection with the previous answer, our projects are trying to “make room” for people to make them experience the values we believe in, if they wish. In this regard, we are trying to bring back nature and genuine products from rural areas to densely built urban environments and also to introduce the necessary level of comfort and contemporary hygiene to rural areas without interfering brutally in the pre-existent balance.
Criteria by which I appreciate the rural compared to urban spaces that give quality of life, are: -life rhythm -health and life expectancy -human relations -contact with nature and the community -population density -the level of pollution / remediation -time allocated for work + travel to / towards work
Stephany G.: What role can urban design play in preparing rural life and space for the future? Is the rural an arena for ‘urban’ design at all?
Stephany G.: Lastly, what advice would you give to students and young designers?
Horatiu Racasan:
Horatiu Racasan:
Urban design has too often lost touch with reality for the sake of a concept or a principle of rigid compliance. Only if it understands the importance of the rhythm of life between the urban and the rural and if it doesn’t hurry to “control everything”. Only this way is there a chance to prevent the destruction of the rural environment. I think the new rural design will gradually replace all inadequate urban design ideas.
Build your own dreams. Don’t forget that architecture is not for itself, but for human beings and their environment. Keep it easy, simple and smart at the same time, do not try to be slicker than the others with your design - it is not worth it. Better to try and get out of the information vortex without copying “starchitects” – sometimes they become just expensive puppets. Be real, be true, be yourself.
Stephany G.: Thank you very much for your time.
To see more about these types of projects, please visit: http://raum-arhitectura.wixsite.com/home/proiecte
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These collages were created in order to help develop an aesthetic for a Martian architecture. They seek to explore the edge between the familiarities of Earth and all of the unknown we may encounter as humans travel further into the Solar System.
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Humanity could soon become a Two-Planetary Civilisation, this project seeked to explore the possibilities for life on Mars.
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In a future where an Inter-Planetary infrastructure will be a vital component of Global Economy, Politics and Technology.
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Phenomenon in Architecture Subtex t in archite c ture is an invisible message that through building desig n can a dd dimensions in the ex p erience of spa ce. I b e lieve this is a fe e ling that ex ists in the context of archite c ture as a phenomenon , and which in my building desig n is ver y imp or tant. In this ar ticle I will illustrate how I deve lop my proje c ts utilising my ide as /subtext throughout and using my current studio desig n proje c t as an example.
01 // Fr e e thinking and a r e verse appr o a ch in Ar chi te c tur e I am par t of Zone 5, in my final y e ar of MArch D. It is still surprising to me how much fre e dom we are given to ste er our proje c t in any dire c tion we want. Our tutors do not give us ide as or tasks but inste a d happily g uide us to take our own initiatives. My journey through Zone 5 has b e en full of ups and downs but these are the lessons that deve lop e d my proje c t into something strong and me aning ful . We archite c ts normally desig n buildings base d on en vironmental concerns but inste a d I am driven to cre ate a reverse approa ch, an environment base d on building desig n. This is base d on my fr ustration that small obje c ts like je we ls or g lass ar t can have ra diance and soulfulness whilst larger obje c ts such as buildings do not tend to exhibit much of these qualities. Therefore, I wante d to fo cus on the phenomena of qualit y of light and sha dow and opa cities and translucencies in archite c ture. This will b e asso ciate d with an atmospheric optical phenomenon such as rainb ows and rainb ow - t yp e colour refle c tions.
by Ka or u Ta da
“. . . sm a ll ob jec ts l ike jewe ls or gl ass art ca n have ra di ance an d so ulf ulness whils t l a rg er ob je c ts such as buildi ng s do not tend to exhi bi t much of these qualities.�
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02 // Why ar e we a t tr a c te d to th e lig ht sp e c tr um? Sunlight is the b est energ y source. The p ower is invisible but when we exp ose ourse lves to sunlight to comfor t ourse lves we fe e l the energ y course through our b o dies and souls - the b o dy gets energetic and the mind gets happier. For me having a b e er with tapas by the se aside on a sunny day cannot make me fe e l any happier and that gre at fe e ling continues for the rest of the day. Imagine this invisible p ower b e coming visible, that is a rainb ow - incoming white light disp erses inside water droplets and cre ates seven lay ers of colours. It is tr uly a rare gif t and of ten said to b e a go o d luck sig n. This ma de me think how this interesting and de licate ephemeral opp or tunit y can brighten up y our daily life.
03// Sp ain
“G o ddess o f Rainb ow” in Ibiza,
What is amazing is that Ibiza has a mixture of coexisting modern and ancient characteristics. It is famous as a young people’s holiday/party destination as well as being a very open society for same sex couples. At the same time the island is a World Heritage site for biodiversity and culture. This interesting combination stole my heart. An important ancient characteristic is Tanit, the goddess of Ibiza, who is associated with the Moon, while her partner “Baal” is the god of Sun. Tanit lives in a hidden cave in the South East of Ibiza thus tourists visit her in the cave and donate their jewellery to receive her healing and rejuvenation powers. If they have problems or need advice before they move on to the next life they are eager for Tanit’s spiritual power. However, why is she always in the cave, never seeing her partner, god of the Sun? This made me imagine her under the sky, free from the cave, creating a rainbow shower for the benefit of the people and of herself. That is my subtext for breathing new life into her as the “Goddess of Rainbow”.
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04// L e arning r ainb ow me chanism by making my own r ainb ow in Ibiza Making a Rainb ow was my No.1 task when I was in Ibiza during our fie ld trip. Luckily I ha d an opp or tunit y to ex plore my study at the villa we were staying on a sunny day in Novemb er 2016, where I trie d to spray some water mist onto a visible ray of sunlight. I ex p erimente d several times and I finally saw my rainb ow ! Success ! The visible ray is essential in cre ating a rainb ow and b e ca use the sun was b ehind me when I was lo oking at it this p ositioning gre at ly he lp e d to de cide the lo cation of my building site.
05// Ma ter i als asso ci a te d wi th r efle c ti on and r efr a c ti on
06// Bi o diversi t y in ar chi te c tur al form I have b e en str ug g ling to deve lop the Go ddess of Rainb ow’s form and shap e so I did several sketches, followe d by physical and digital mo de lling. Though the proje c t was still b eing deve lop e d, I ha d de cide d that the Go ddess of Rainb ow ’s fig ure would take an org anic form. For instance, the str uc ture b egins as a tre e - growing branches and le aves, which org anically transform into wings. Finally b e coming a Go ddess as a fa ce is forme d. My subtex t here is to re present Ibiza ’s chara c teristics of heritage and bio diversit y through changing and growing the building form. In a ddition , form defines the func tion as her arms
I was excited to find a holographic effect on a much bigger scale, the Quantum Field-X3 displayed next to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Covered by holographic panels that create shiny rainbow effects on the wall, it made me think that Preview this façade could never get mundane as the atmosphere is always changing according to the date and time. Laser beams project onto the wall which create vibrant effects and shadows on the façade and water. For me this material had a strong potential to represent Ibiza’s modern identity even recreating Ibiza’s night life landscape. I have always been fascinated by shiny and beautiful nail art and thus my next rainbow exploration was using a painting material. Holographic nail polish has very tiny reflective powders which causes interference when light hits it.
spre a d water mist cre ating rainb ows and at the same time fulfilling an agricultural ne e d for irrig ation , while her wings will b e kinetic scre ens cre ating vibrant effe c ts and sha dows.
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07// How do es th e G o ddess o f Rainb ow enhanc e our exp er i enc es o f sp a c e and so ci al value?
“I’ll be a Rainbow in Your Cloud” - M aya A n g e l o u
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Linear excavated space representing comprehension of the notion of void/absence and presence based on Peter Eisenman’s Cannaregio Project
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drawings of venice izzat othman The theme for this Design Studio is Project - that deals with projects that were unrealised or unbuilt, radical interventions that were dealing with the every scale of the city. These projects had certain dogmas that their belief would make Venice as a better city. Few themes were proposed that represents the main Venetian elements: ephemeral and the lagoon, campi, bridge, housing, façades, and museums. The drawing above focused on understanding the element that is related to the facet of the city – the campo. The drawing that was produced tried to illustrate how all the unbuilt projects sit within the context of Cannaregio. These unbuilt projects are Le Corbusier’s hospital, Hejduk’s Watchtowers of Cannaregio and lastly Eisenman’s follies. The formalised grid was superimposed onto the site, treating it as an artificial ground. As such, all three projects had different approach to it - Corbusier’s hospital was dealing with circulation and formalized spaces, Hejduk’s towers held the idea of solitude and monuments, and Eisenman’s follies were dealing with void or hollow spaces. Whilst understanding the notion of void/absence and presence based on Peter Eisenman’s Cannaregio Project, a series of linear excavated spaces (drawing on previous page) were designed to investigate how the idea of absence and presence in architecture can be affected through different variables manifested in each particular space; trace and monumental space, materials and punctuations, flexible and modular space, and lastly planes and levels. Upon understanding how these variables could influence the quality of a space, a programme brief was proposed to further develop the notion of absence and presence as a building programme as well as in architecture.
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Neoliberalism and Animation in Architecture A
rchitectural animations might generally be considered to be without motive or subtext. They can simply be read as an inept mechanism through which to communicate a realistic, seductive and atmospheric image of a design through the audio-visual medium. Here I’d like to put forward instead the argument that the majority of architectural animations produced in computer generated architectural production in the industry today are riddled with subtext. That subtext is driven by the relationship between architecture and capitalism (or more particularly, neoliberalism) and the ‘tools, techniques and technologies’, to quote Mark Linder, that we use to satisfy the needs of a neoliberal driven big-business economy. Here I am going to discuss images taken from a video made for BIG Architects. I will be reading the video through the lens of capitalism driven entrepreneuralism (enacted by Richard Florida’s ‘creative class’), marketisation and globalisation. My underlying concern is the depoliticisation of video animation. What has occurred in architecture is that the medium of video making as an exploratory interdisciplinary architectural visualisation practice has been standardised and normalised in the visualisation industry making it fashionable and exciting for practitioners and students. As a consequence, some schools of architecture are embedding slick video-making deep within studio practice. While this creates graduates who can have an exciting USP (Unique Selling Point) to increase their market share it is dividing architectural design labour, sometimes giving more power (through the high economic worth) to the architectural visualising company than the design architect. My argument is that only the stages of the architectural design process that are seen to hold the most value to create economic capital have evolved within architectural animation. Emerging architects need to be aware of the subtext of their making architectural animations (that is later used to sell and win projects) to decide how you want to participate in architectural practice after university. My point is that you need to determine how video making will best serve what you want to say and make as an architect rather than become a servant of an economically driven industry.
“A r c h ite c t u r e is f o l l o w in g a p at h s i m i l a r t o filmmaking” - A m y K u l p er
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Architectural Ani mations to sell and w in projects Since the early 19th century the architect’s labour and their visualisation practice has become compromised by the demands of economic man, both as client, user and self. William Mangold contends in “Architecture and the Vicissitudes of Capitalism” that architecture has a ‘tricky’ relation with capitalism because it is dependent on it and ‘subject to exploitation’ because of it. To quote Peggy Deamer from her book, Architecture and Capitalism: 1845 to the Present: “Buildings cost money to build and therefore “construction—and within it, architecture—necessarily works for and within the monetary system.” While in the past architecture had a creative distance away from the mandate for solely economic generation and growth, in contemporary architectural practice, architectural production and its labour of producing animations using new digital technologies operates mostly at the service of neoliberal marketisation for income generation. The introduction of, and easy access to, computational tools and software since the 1990s has allowed architects to feverishly absorb digital drawing and visualisation into their disciplinary practice, not only in the production of orthographic drawings, perspectives or shop drawings but also in video animation used typically for selling designs and winning competitions. In many large architectural firms, the labour of marketing architectural designs through video animations can be done in-house through employing 3D animators and Visual Effects Artists or ‘big’ architectural firms with abundant capital can outsource the production of animations of their designs to sell and win projects. Under neoliberalism the traditional labour of the architect undergoes a division to find a market opportunity for providing another architectural product and another type of architectural worker, the independent creative visualisation company.
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Squint/Opera is an example of the later. Co-founded by Ollie Alsop (the son of Will Alsop, the well-known London based architect and designer of the award winning Peckham Library in South east London) and Jules Coke, it is a creative company that, to quote their website produce, “video content and animation, interactive exhibitions, branding, websites, design, games and strategy.” They employ mostly Motion Graphic and Digital artists, Producers, 2D and 3D artists, compositors and business managers. Most other architectural visualisation companies are started by trained male architects and employ more architects than Squint/Opera. Refer here to Luxigon. A recent animation showcased on the Squint/Opera website is the proposal for Hyperloop One designed by the Copenhagen and New York based architects, BIG Architects or Bjarke (B-Yark) Ingels Group. To quote their website BIG Architects is “a group of architects, designers, builders and thinkers operating within the fields of architecture, urbanism, interior design, landscape design, product design, research and development. The office is currently involved in a large number of projects throughout Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. [...] [BIG] believe that in order to deal with today’s challenges, architecture can profitably move into a field that has been largely unexplored.” This they do through a search for what they describe as ‘pragmatic utopianism’. A former employee of Rem Koolhaas’s OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture) Bjarke Ingels has come to epitomise the energetic entrepreneurial Preview not male architect, driven to build a large global practice centred on ‘bigness’ of building size and numbers. Hyperloop One “is the realisation of Elon Musk’s ground-breaking pneumatic tube transportation technology, allowing passengers to travel faster than the speed of sound. As Ingels explains ‘we are heading for a future where our mental map of the city is completely reconfigured’. On the Squint/Opera site they write: “Squint/Opera are proud to present this highly anticipated film outlining the possibilities of this innovation, emphasising not only the implications for speed, but also time, as ‘our habitual understanding of distance and proximity – time and space – is warped by this virgin form of travel’.”
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“Buildings cost money to build an d t h ere f ore “ c o n str u c t i on — an d w i t h in it , ar c h ite c t u r e — n e c e s sari l y works for an d w i t h in t h e m o n e ta r y s y s te m . ” - peg g y Dea m er
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Subtext Revealin g the sub text in 2 Architectural Animations \\\\\\\\\\\\\ for neoliberalism In The Architecture of Neoliberalism, Douglas Spencer sets out, through an historical survey of architectural styles, how parametric and post-critical architectural design serve neoliberal ambitions through their controlling and compliant spatial design. But the architectural practice of neoliberalism lies deeper within the discursive foundations of architectural form-making, residing within architectural projections and animations through its ‘invisible’ presence in, what I have phrased and presented here, as a neoliberal animation in architecture. But there is an alternative mode of production.
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In “Formalizing Architectural Practice: The Eclipse of Technique,” Amy Kulper argues that, “Architecture is following a path similar to filmmaking”. Kulper claims though that while architects, are (wanting to or) working like filmmakers, through experimenting with “digital cameras, advanced CGI, and now next generation 3D has led to an over saturation of technology-based films” rather than films that create “meaningful cultural shift[s]” and laments “a time [...] when filmmakers experimented with “what film can do” through a cultural lens rather than a technological one”. In agreement with Kulper and in light of my focus here on the relationship between architectural animation and neoliberalism, I would ask you think what are other ways digital animation can use ‘visuality’ for ethical, creative and critical practice in architecture not as a servant to ‘big growth’, ‘big business’? available “The power of images” suggests that images are not powerless. The issue is to determine where their politics lies and how it operates. That politics surrounds the image-maker/architectural designer/visualisers motives, obligations, their gender and how it influences their gaze, the object, purpose and audience for their visualisation labour within the discursive foundations of their discipline. Architects of the future should question the types of architectural animations they produce so as to not be subservient to the demands of neoliberal agendas. Architectural animations are not innocent in their motives and neither are the architects who commission them because there is much to be gained by outsourcing and insourcing cheaper skilled labour to win large project commissions in the global market.
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Engeland apostol Pill of Endless Spatial Perception Representation of a cosmic egg that ruptures into tangible multidimensional space. Exploration of a mechanical interpretation of space generating entity. Space did not always exist. Is was generated by the adaptive workings of these bands, eventually forming space ready for consumption (as one would perceive).
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Drawing Title Eagle Eye
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An Architectural position towards Controversial topics Kelly (Manting) Li
Unlike theatres, libraries, or shopping malls, there are some places with daily functions that are debated or criticized for their existence, such as abortion centres, death row or plastic surgery clinics which have boomed in the market recently. Architects have been trying to use their skills and time to solve social or climatic issues. Therefore, although some issues are not recognised or accepted by everyone around the world, there are still undoubtedly existing issues that require solutions in the form of architecture. The design of spaces can influence users profoundly and this is when architects contribute to solve social issues, regardless of the issues’ recognition. I Issues cannot always be changed by individuals, they are caused by more complicated reasons which might not be seen by people outside the context or even inside it. They need to be combatted by authorities, communities and societies themselves. As mentioned before, the social responsibilities that architects should carry are not only towards economically underprivileged groups but also towards those who are affected by the under recognized controversial issues. Understand the reason for the controversy- How is the same issue considered ‘controversial’ and ‘non controversial’ in different parts of the world?
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With the faster and wider development of globalisation, architectural With increasing globalisation, architectural services, as a form of economic contributor globally. Today, the architects are facing big challenges in globalisation which are far more complicated than the global-trotting past. Previously, architects were mostly working in developed countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom with strong hierarchy. ‘The imperial centre stood for civilisation, the imperial periphery did not.’ (Davis, M., 2009) People did not doubt anything from the imperial centre. However, with the development of globalisation, this phenomenon has changed gradually. Nowadays, the hierarchy has been diminished or re-ordered, leading to a dynamic equilibrium status for all the culture. ‘Understood as a complete ways of life, cultures are immune from criticism from outside (Davis, M., 2009) ’ The controversy happens mainly because of the uneven development of the west and the east which creates different degrees of openness. People have been more opinionated towards certain issues, which have then been magnified. When the same issue is discussed in different parts of the globe, assuredly there are varied views and opinions and a more open discussion This will indirectly affect the architectural services as well as the affected user’s importance . Examples of controversy Plastic Surgery Clinics, Abortion Centres, Death Row , Gender reassignment clinics are some of the most controversial places in existence born out of varying cultural values. Existence of some are the results of national law or regulation responding to problems that have developed over the years. The resulting building is then specially designed spaces to minimize and eventually solve issues of a certain group of people.
in k o r e an , ‘ p l ast i c s u r g er y ’ d o es n o t h av e an y n e g at i v e m e anin g l i k e h o w w e g e n e r a l ly p e r c e i v e d it as ‘ f a b ri c ate d ’ or ‘ f a k e ’ , i f it is d i r e c t ly tran s l ate d , it is m o r e l i k e ly t o m e an tran s f or m i n g
For example, laws about abortion vary dramatically throughout the world. According to statistics, around two thirds of the female population can undertake abortion legally. In mainland China, there is no general law to restrict abortion of any kind because of the one-child-policy. Nevertheless it is still a controversial issue and better designed abortion centres needs to be delivered. Cosmetic surgery is a thriving industry all over the world yet is still debated on its ethics by people with different social values, the most representative being South Korea where cosmetic surgery is very common place. This is a result of many injured victims requiring reconstructive and aesthetic surgery after the late 20th Century Korean War. Due to this origin, Korean people are more accepting and open minded towards plastic surgery and the korean translation of ‘plastic surgery’ does not have any negative connotations. Rather than being perceived as ‘fabricated’ or ‘fake’, if it is directly translated, it is more likely to mean transforming, as a tool to enhance what they have rather than faking something for pure ego. South Korea is also a very image centric country which can be exemplified in compulsory photos to be attached on resumes for any job application. This policy is just the companies blatantly announcing to all their job applicants that ‘your appearance will change how we perceive your job application.’ Under such a competitive job market, graduates are seeking all the measurements that can make their application stand out more, which has resulted in Seoul becoming the cosmetic surgery capital with the highest per capita rate. Huge culture differences as mentioned before make South Korea’s booming cosmetic surgery market heavily criticised from other societies .
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OSA vol. 3 Issue 8 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ What is Ethics?
Every architect should have their own ethical standpoint on designing for clients and users. Ethics is morality, the moral principle that dominates the conscience of an architect to encounter community issues. It is the name for a field of philosophy (to attempt to understand morality, including ethics in the second sense, as a rational undertaking) too. It is a very subjective and personal reflection on what their ethic could be, just as the development of ethics derived by Aristotle, ethical reasoning was occluded by passion; for Kant, by self-interest; for Neitzsche, it is the will to avoid the pain, or, more accurately, the humiliation of the truth that confuses us on ethical issues. (Harpham, G.G, 2009) ‘By whom am I regulated?’ ‘By no one; you are regulated by Reason, which is to say, by yourself.’ (Harpham, G.G 2009) ADPSR (Architects, Designers and Planners for Social Responsibility) proposed an amendment of AIA conduct that AIA members “shall not design spaces intended for execution or for torture or other cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment or punishment, including prolonged solitary confinement.” (Zeiger, M. 2015) AIA (American Institute of Architecture) former president, Helene Combs Dreiling revealed the results from special panel set up purposely for the plea, “It’s just not something we want to determine as a collective. Members with deeply embedded beliefs will avoid designing those building types and leave it to their colleagues,” Ms. Dreiling elaborated. “Architects self-select, depending on where they feel they can contribute best.” Although United Nations and other international human rights organisation expressed disappointment on AIA decision, AIA still believes that “the proposed amendment would add ‘enforceable language’ to an existing AIA ethics rule that states ‘Member should uphold human rights in all their professional endeavors.’” Ms Dreiling elaborated that the code is “more about desirable practices and attitudes than condemnation”. It should not have “to do with the way architects practice, treat each other, Preview not perform in the eyes of our clients” rather than telling architects what to build. (Lavender, G. 2015)
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“A r c h ite c ts s e l f - s e l e c t , d e p e n d in g on w h ere t h e y f e e l t h e y c a n c o n t r i b u t e b e s t. ”
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Many architects involved in prison design stated that “it is the responsibility of architects as a profession and industry to make better spaces for everyone, for the entire public - including inmates.” KMD designed Pelican Bay Security Housing Unit, regarded as a solitary confinement unit with their concern of humanity for inmates. Although there are many design characteristics that are oppressive, they still design sensible features, such as ‘perforated cell doors and skylights in the corridors’. (Stott, R. 2013) This is a convincing example that architects are trying their best to make places better to use although the function of the space is controversial on discussion. If architects refuse to design certain spaces and leave them to people with less design skill, in a way, architects are putting users at risk of suffering consequences of badly design spaces. To some extent, architects’ behaviour will lead the spaces becoming even more inhumane.
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Traces of humanity can be found throughout the history of architecture (Shah, V., 2012). Cities are bound to respond to human need and sustain as long as globalisation take place. The architecture of controversial typology should be taken seriously because it is happening, no matter how small the user group is. They are part of the society and culture that grows simultaneously with time. Controversy is inevitable in the development of PEST (political, environment, social and technology) issues of a city. Strategic cities need to prepare for unforeseen circumstances and accept the indifference of human available social behaviour by providing better places for them. Architecture leaves trace on the political thoughts, trends and economics at a particular time in history. Hence the essence of architecture is to serve publicity by providing buildings with great intention for both majority or minority. It should emphasize on the workability and its objective, rather than just being iconic, monumental, radical or striking piece of architecture. (Thorne, M. from Shah, V. Interview, 2012) Fuller once said, “When I am working on a problem, I never think about the beauty but when i finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know I am wrong.” Architects have absolute freedom to choose what to build based upon their ethics, beliefs and principles in their architecture practice. However, the actions of building and responding to controversial issues for certain groups should be questioned. Architects should reconsider the potential and importance of controversial architecture to the development of a better living for tomorrow.
Reference Davis, M (2009) Has globalism made architecture’s professional ethics obsolete. (Ed.) Architecture, Ethics and Globalization. P38. Canada: Routledge. Harpham, G.G (2009) Architecture and ethics: 16 points. (Ed.) Architecture, Ethics and Globalization. P38. Canada: Routledge. Lavender, G. (2015) Should Architectects Design Buildings Used For Executions And Isolation? Shah, V. (2012) The Role of Architecture in Humanity’s Story. Stott, R. (2013) Should Architects Follow a Code of Ethics? Zeiger, M. (2015) Tough Cell: architects’ involvement in prison design.
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Communication and Invisible Data Rafaela Neofytou Radio waves are everywhere; they are carries of information. Radio waves had become a powerful tool for society and enabled scientists to study the cosmos in entirely new way. We are unaware of their presence, we cannot see them with our eyes or hear them with our ears. However we are bathed with radio waves every day. This project aims to explore the relationship between virtual and real space, consciousness and reality. Our reality is defined by our experiences and it’s created by numbers and digital codes. This project investigates how people can be aware and understand of our surroundings by making visible what was so far hidden and unseen.
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Diagram Title Satellite communication - Network system
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‘No Hay Cine’ Edward Gillibrand
Since the revolution, Cuban cinema has developed a strong identity around the desire to be more consistent with real human needs. It has directly opposed the passive escapism offered by Hollywood and instead taken much inspiration from the Italian Neo-Realists. They championed a raw cinema that focused on social and political issues, avoiding big stars, expensive effects, and favouring real locations. A critical figure in Cuban Cinema is the director Julio Garcia Espinosa who wrote For an Imperfect Cinema manifesto in 1969. Through this he outlined how the audience should not be passive consumers, but have an active role in interpreting a film and taking that discourse beyond the confines of the cinema. Following, is a screenplay for a short film about an unidentified Man and Woman who inhabit separate parts of an unfinished building off the Plaza de la Revolucion in Havana, Cuba. They perceive images of the other manifesting in front of their eyes, but they do not believe that the other exist.
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FADE IN: 1. INT. THE OFFICES OF C.A.M.E - DAY THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) Cuba, Havana, Plaza de la Revolución. In the office of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance we find a man, its only employee. He is an administer organising paperwork. He is alone. The office holds a hollow silence broken occasionally by murmurings seeping in from the street. The man tentatively adds to the soundscape by rustling papers. It brings him some comfort, a sense of purpose and relevance. Manifesting before him, he observes an image of a woman swimming in a pool. It looks like a rooftop pool you find at the luxury hotels along the coast in Havana. MAN (softly to self in Spanish) Presumably she is a guest. No one else is there. Maybe she is alone too. She swims back and forth unaware that she is observed. The man is court by this metronomic sight. It rekindles in him a sense of love and affection, reminding him of a song he heard the other day in a taxi. Without thought the Man starts to sing. MAN (softly singing, almost a whisper) Put your head on my shoulder Hold me in your arms, baby Squeeze me oh so tight Show me that you love me too
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“She swims back and forth unaware that she is observed. The man is court by this metronomic sight.”
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2. EXT. HOTEL DIEGETIC ROOF TOP - DAY THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) In the pool of the Hotel Diegetic we find a Woman, its only guest. She is diligently swimming lengths. She is alone. Breaking her rhythm she dives under the water. Re-emerging, she can be heard singing the next verse to the song the Man had been singing. WOMAN (singing, slightly muffled by water) Put your lips next to mine, dear Won’t you kiss me once, baby Just a kiss goodnight, maybe You and I will fall in love
“While staring at the top of the glass, an image of the Man appears before her.”
She steps out of the pool, wraps a towel around her and walks over to the rooftop bar. This bar is only for her, and only run by her. After preparing a drink she serves it to herself and sits down on the only seat. While staring at the top of the glass, an image of the Man appears before her. He is taking a seat at a table, with a plate of food in a large hall. WOMAN (softly to self in Spanish) Presumably he is having his lunch. No one else is with him. Maybe he is alone too. He tucks into his meal unaware that he is observed. The woman is drawn by the man’s pensive look. It brings her hope, that she at least may not be alone in her loneliness. An old Cuban song comes to mind and she starts to sing. WOMAN (singing in Spanish) Guantanamera, guajira, guantanamera I am an honest man From where the palm grows, And before I die I want to Cast the verses of my soul.
3. INT. THE CANTEEN OF THE OFFICE OF C.A.M.E - DAY THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) A bell rings indicating the beginning of the lunch hour. The Man wanders down to the office canteen. There he cues up at the entrance door to collect his food, but this canteen is only for him, and only run by him. He prepares and serves himself some food and sits down on the only seat, at the only table. The scrapping of his knife and fork against the plate reverberates around the large canteen hall. After methodically consuming his meal, a moment of passion comes over him. He grabs his glass of water and drinks it in one forceful motion, then slams it back down on the table. After wiping away the droplet from his mouth he begins to sing the next verse of ‘Guantanamera’. MAN (singing in Spanish) Guantanamera, guajira, guantanamera I grow a white rose In July just as in January For the honest friend Who gives me his open hand Afterwards he clears away his plate and glass in silence, and heads back to his office.
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OSA vol. 3 Issue 8 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ 4. EXT. SMOKING SHELTER IN THE GROUNDS OF C.A.M.E DAY THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) Growing restless with the monotony of his work, and thoughts of the Woman, the Man steps outside to the smoking shelter. There he sits on the only seat under the canopy and looks back towards the building. He lights a half smoked cigar and draws heavily on it. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL V.O. He allows his mind to dwell on the Woman. Dreaming about what it would be like if she was real, if he could bump into her walking back up the stairs to his office. What would he say? Would he even say anything? Would she even acknowledge him? MAN (softly with sorrow in Spanish) A smile from her would content me. Maybe a ‘Hello’ as well. And a glance back after we’ve passed. Returning to his cigar, the pensive look falls back over his face. He stands up sharply and throws the remnants of the cigar into the long grass and stamps on it. MAN (wearily in Spanish) Be gone dream! Don’t titillate me with what doesn’t exist. available Leave Preview me awake in not my cold, physical world. He looks back up from the smeared remains of his cigar and another image manifests before his eyes. It is a window looking onto a flight of stairs. Footsteps grow louder accompanied by singing. WOMAN (singing in the distance) Put your head on my shoulder Whisper in my ear, baby Words I want to hear Tell me, tell me that you love me too. The Woman’s back glides by the window. And the Man sits back down under the canopy.
(softly with sorrow in Spanish) A smile from her would content me. Maybe a ‘Hello’ as well. And a glance back after we’ve passed.
(singing in the distance) Put your head on my shoulder Whisper in my ear, baby Words I want to hear Tell me, tell me that you love me too
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Woman Alone 5. INT. A ROOM IN THE HOTEL DIEGETIC - EVENING THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) Tingling with warmth from a day in the sun, the Woman returns to her room with a pile of fresh laundry. Kicking the door closed behind her, the Woman drops the laundry on her bed. She sigh like someone who has just woken up to realise that it was all a dream. She begins to fold her clothes and places them in the drawers and wardrobe. THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) She is grateful that this simple task gives her some time to indulge in her dreaming. Preview not available And her dreams quickly return to the Man. Wondering what are his passions? What keeps him alive through his isolation? As she folds another piece of clothing an image manifests of the Man sat in his office. But he is not working, he is idly folding a piece of paper, again and again, counting each fold. MAN (monotonously to himself in Spanish) One. Two. Three. Four. Almost five. WOMAN (exasperated in Spanish) This is no man of passion, of life! What does he care for? Enough of this cold illusion! Let me escape to the warmth of my dreams. She picks up a greater rhythm with her folding trying to lose herself once again. The Man then begins to sing along with his folding. MAN (singing in Spanish) Guantanamera, guajira, guantanamera With the poor people of the earth I want to cast my lot The brook of the mountains Gives me more pleasure than the sea The Woman pauses and stops her folding. She lays down on the bed and listens to the Man singing. She picks up a flyer left in her room advertising free entry to a special screening of the film ‘Estás en el Bloque Equivocado’ at the Yara Cinema, and starts to see how many times she can fold it in half.
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6. EXT. OUTSIDE YARA CINEMA - NIGHT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) With her heavily worn flyer held tightly in her hand, the Woman walks under the lights into the foyer. She is hopeful that this screening will bring her something tangible to understand these manifestations. She stands alone in the foyer. No one else is there. No one else is coming to see the film. She tentatively walks into the auditorium puzzled by the absence of a doorman. Once inside there is only one seat, row E seat 14. She sits down and the lights begin to fade.
7. EXT. OUTSIDE LA RAMPA CINEMA - NIGHT THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (V.O.) Fully given in to the desire to dream, the Man walks up to the kiosk and orders a ticket through the window. MAN (assertively in Spanish) One ticket for ‘Estás en el Bloque Equivocado’ please. No reply comes from the kiosk. The blind is drawn down low though there is light seeping out from around it. A single ticket slides out with no sign of a hand. MAN (puzzled in Spanish) Thanks. With his ticket in hand the man swiftly walks into the foyer and up the walkway to the auditorium. Inside there is only one seat, row E seat 15. He swings the seat down while looking around the auditorium and sits. The lights begin to fade.
8. INT. INSIDE A CINEMA AUDITORIUM - NIGHT The Man and the Woman hold their gaze firmly at the screen. An image starts to manifest upon it before their eyes. It is the view from the screen looking back at each of them overlaid, so it appears as if they are sat next to one another. The Man and the Woman’s breathing quickens. They twitch their gaze nervously away from the screen, wondering if what they see is actually happening by their side. Neither fully commits to turning their heads. After a moment the Woman muster up a smile that cautiously grows across her face. The Man’s breathing quickens further and he manages to return a smile and a small wave. They both spot that their hands appear to be fractions apart and raise an exploratory finger towards each other. The screen starts to billow revealing glimpses of what is behind. Flashes of another auditorium are seen as the corners of the screen whip in on themselves. In one action the film stops, the lights come up, and the screen stops moving. Slowly fading away in the middle of the screen are two silhouettes of a Man and a Woman sat next to one another. The audience begins to get up, collects their things and leaves the auditorium while an announcement states: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (loud and forcefully in Spanish) The Emerald Cinema has spoken. Pay no attention to the silhouettes on the screen. Now go home!
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High Rise Desires Fernando Salcedo
DS6 stayed and researched Seoul, the capital of South Korea, one of the most technologically advanced place in the world. We also visited Songdo, built on land reclaimed from the sea and located just 65km southwest of Seoul it has been described as the world’s first smart city. And yet with all its advance technology and infrastructure it remains under occupied. The proposal will be speculating on the future of Songdo with the intent to augment, mutate, disrupt or rethink what the smart city could or should be. Wearable technology is developed in order to extend perceptions and record data sets that will be analysed thought advance computation and simulation environments. This will allow formulate a specific tectonic response to existing urban conditions. The project takes place in front of the central park characteristic landmark of Songdo. Towers are architectural monuments elevating the city dweller from the active urban ground plane. However less than 20% is occupied, in addition at the height of towers, one becomes isolated from the public domain and the rest of the city. The proposal seeks to re-appropriate, re-imagine and re-use the spatially isolated occurrences and tie these loose ends together to allow to space to move fluidly and continuously.
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“The scheme will provide a means to activate and energize these spaces enhancing communication and interaction and thus interjecting the space with more universally accessible and equilibrate city.�
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My Subtext in Japan & the UK by Ka or u Ta da
Re cent MArch D gra duate Ka or u Ta da writes ab out her p ersonal interpretation of subtex t through his exp eriences in Japan & the UK Subtext is an ambig uous term but I have found it interesting to g a uge p e ople’s tr ue fe e lings from their use of it. In this ar tic le I will illustrate how I use d subtext at work in Japan and my impression of subtex t in the UK .
It was political Preview not available someone who didn’t impress the bosses in their work performance could, however, impress at the drinking party with good “Nominication skills” (drinking + communication skills) and still be categorised as the bosses’ favourite staff.
I used subtext occasionally when I was in Japan. I worked as an Interior-coordinator in a large construction company in central Japan before coming to the UK. Japan is well known for its hard-working society and workaholics thus the balance between business and private life is sometimes broken. I did not have much private life in my 20s as I worked from 9am to 11pm every day. It was because of this obligated atmosphere that I could not leave the office before the bosses, thus reaching home was always after midnight. There were sometimes company drinking opportunities if we finished work earlier and that was the occasion to impress our bosses. It was political - someone who failed to impress the bosses in their work performance could, however, impress at the drinking party with good “Nominication skills” (drinking + communication skills) and still be categorised as the boss’ favourite staff.
Nom i-nicat ion =
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Subtext 2 \\\\\\\\\\\\\ “ In J a p a ne s e s o c ie t y peo p l e are h o ne s t , w o r k h a r d an d are e x tre m e l y p o l ite . H o w e v e r , i t i s d if f i c u lt t o get t h ei r h o ne s t fee l i ngs i n t h e fi r st p l a c e espe c ia l ly i n b u s ine s s o c c a s ion s . T h i s i s b e c a u se of the restricted free d o m o f s p ee c h t h at c o m e s fro m t h e pres s u r i s e d w o r k i ng en v i r o n m ent an d t h e “ Ye s M a n ” s o c ie t y .
Preview not available Their presence in the party was a sort of subtext to surviving at work. For me personally, after 4 years of working, there had already been too many opportunities to listen to bosses’ philosophies of work or seniors’ complaints about life. However, I had no courage to say I disliked their ideas as it was based on the taboo atmosphere of criticising opinions in Japan. Being a “Yes Man” was a successful approach at work in general so I just had to listen and agree with them especially for people in higher positions. Not joining the drinking party was the way that I kept peace in my private life so I usually excuse myself in a polite way such as, “I am not feeling too well so it is difficult for me to eat and drink” was my favourite excuse at times. In Japanese society people are hardworking and extremely polite. However, it is difficult to open up about their feelings especially in business
occasions. This is due to the restricted freedom of speech that comes from the pressurised working environment and the “Yes Man” society.
Homely and comfortable environments allowed me the freedom of expression On the other side of the world, my prejudice of subtext was completely brushed away after I came to Oxford for my Part I study. I felt people were free to express their thoughts and criticise general topics and daily activities in life. I was working as an architectural assistant for Woodfield Brady Architects for three years during and after I completed my Part I study at Oxford Brookes University. The balance between business and private was perfect and my boss and colleagues discussed everything with a laid-back attitude. Such a homely and comfortable environment in the UK allowed
me to express myself more openly than ever before. The use of subtext in the UK appears more positive to me especially when people are sometimes poetic and express their honest feelings using the English sense of humour. An English sense of humour allowed me to sometimes send honest (and sometimes rude) messages without hurting people but still punching their brain. Despite the fact of life above… don’t forget that we should work hard but also laugh a lot too in order to survive the rest of our architecture education!
nicati o n Image left: Japanese corporate culture: source from http://tomonivj.jp/nominication-giao-tiep-tren-ban-nhau/
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The architecture of memory: Rebuilding the Middle East
One of the Buddhas of Bamiyan, which were destroyed by the Taliban in 2001, Iraq Symbolic violence, cultural devastation and destruction of memory are some of the aggression which have bestow the Middle East over a period of 200 years. Architecture has become a victim of the conflict just like many of the people from these war torn areas, a bystander, with limited power in the face of modern weaponry. However, when we think about architecture and the built environment, we think about the enduring elements. Obscured by this solidity or by the continuous backdrop that it provides to our lives, little attention is given to the way in which a place recovers its culture, heritage and memory in a post conflict scenario. What fragment of a city’s memory does the destruction of its built patrimony take away? How can the ‘spiritual’ essence of the place, the genius loci, the element that Kevin Lynch and more recently Jan Gehl, analysed in a pursuit for the authentic city, be brought back? The historical reconstruction of Poland after WWII, Bosnia and Croatia after the Bosnian War, Lebanon after the Civil War, and the 2006 Israel-Hezbollah War reflects that cities cannot be erected over-night. After the 1995 Dayton Accords, Bosnia was a country at peace but in pieces. Separated both regionally and culturally, those returning to their villages, towns and cities found themselves with little to remind them of the days before the war. During the conflict, Sarajevo’s National and University Library was purposefully destroyed along with many of its documents. In Mostar, the destruction of its old bridge connecting the West and East side of the city added a new barrier within a divided city. Once the war was over, the rebuilding was instigated by the people on the ground, through the reconstruction of religious institutions, community centres and most importantly homes. In this sense, the process can be a symbolic one for both sides of the conflict. It can be seen as a way of cementing a violent division within the built environment or as the revival of spaces. Therefore, the question arises of how much needs remembering and reliving, and how much needs to be forgotten while looking towards the future? There are dangers which can be associated with both memory and forgiveness. An understanding of the purpose of destruction needs to arise from the interrogation of factors that have taken place or are taking places during conflict. Was the purpose of destruction to forget, erase the memory of a place or was the architecture a casualty of the war?
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Was the purpose of destruction to forget, erase the memory of a place or was the architecture a casualty of the war? Poland won its independence in 1918. The period which followed was marked by a pursuit for preserving heritage and taking its architecture to higher levels. However, as a result of WWII, the centre of Warsaw was vastly destroyed by the severity of conflict. While the initial reconstruction started with architectural monuments, castles, churches and streets, the plan was taken one step further under the Soviet regime and the entire city centre was brought back to its prewar looks. Although understandable, as the Poles and the leaders were driven by a need to reconnect to their heritage, there is little credit to be given to the new ‘Disneyland’ developed in the centre of Warsaw. As millions died during the war on both sides, millions more were left wounded or without families, and a significant part of Polish culture changed. History moves forward continuously and the complete restoration seemed like a step back, pretending that nothing had ever happened. Daniel Libeskind mentioned during a TED Talks, in regards to the World Trade Centre site, that the reconstruction of such spaces is difficult, as there is the consideration for money, politics, and most importantly the memories. Although the reconstruction, in the case of Warsaw is a direct response to the desires of the Nazi regime to erase a culture and destroy a nation, I believe that the power of the people to endure, as well as to thrive after such a conflict could be better represented through progress, modernity and growth, as opposed to returning to the old. Elements of the city which emphasise its character will always entail discrete touches to be preserved in ‘mint’ condition but the rest needs to be allowed to grow organically and become a canvas for future generations. As happened in many other cities including Sarajevo, the rebuilding of memory is tougher than the rebuilding of a building and another aspect impeding its success is the region’s political system.
Modern day Warsaw, Old Town rebuilt
National Library burning after shelling in the besieged Bosnian capital of Sarajevo on August 26, 1992 and after it was rebuilt on May 8, 2014
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Aries March 21- April 19
Taurus April 20- May 20
Gemini May 21- June 20
Cancer June 21- July 22
You are spontaneous and hold most people in contempt. This dovetails nicely with your selfloathing. You are quicktempered and impatient. You left architecture school with seven fingers, thanks to your inability to listen. You would have been better suited as a petty bureaucrat. There’s a good chance that’s still where you’ll end up.
You are patient and persistent. You have a myopic determination and unnecessarily draw endless variants of the same design, while blaming others for your having to do so. You substitute an obsessive need to label things for actual organization. Most people think you are a petty bitch. You’re nothing but a fraud.
You are a sharp and insightful thinker, except when it comes to math. Clients like you because you are loose. You tend to expect too much out of incapable co-workers, which makes you the dick no one wants to share a table with at the Christmas party. Geminis normally have substance abuse problems, but you can’t afford any.
You are sympathetic and understanding of your sub consultants’ problems. They walk all over you. You use email in lieu of the telephone because you are easily intimidated. You always put things off and that’s why you will be an intern for the best part of two decades before you give up and just start writing Designer on your business cards.
Leo July 23- August 22
Virgo August 23- Sept. 22
Libra Sep. 23- October 22
Scorpio October 23- Nov. 21
You consider yourself a vraie lain designer, but others know you to be a plagiarist Most Leos are bullies. You are vain and cannot tolerate honest criticism, particularly that which you know to be true. You spend most of your time idly converting measurements to metric, then back to imperial. Your arrogance is disgusting. Leos always work on personal projects during company time.
You are the Miesian type You fancy yourself the Preview not available and hate irregularity. artistic type, which makes This compulsion is why you you all but useless around have so few friends. It the office. Your superiors is also the reason your know your limitations co-workers scamper to stay lie somewhere between off your project teams. You laying out parkades and are dim and unfocused and drawings scissor stairs. often fall asleep during Your childhood fear of meetings. Virgos make spoons manifests itself excellent CAD jockeys and in your work in bizarre fluffers. ways. If you are a man, you likely aspire to be some developer’s whore. Libra women are chesty as well. Libras are always the first to get sacked.
You are a rare creature: an architect with business savvy. That means you cannot be trusted. Your meagre success to date had been achieved due to your complete lack of ethics, and the fact that you sacked up with the firm’s largest client’s son. You think skill with SketchUp is a stand-in for not being able to design. Not only are you wrong, but you suck at SketchUp as well. All building designed by Scorpios get demolished to make way for overpasses.
Sagittarius Nov. 22- Dec. 21
Capricorn Dec. 22- January 19
Aquarius Jan. 20- February 18
Pisces Feb. 19- March 20
You are optimistic and enthusiastic, which is another way of saying naïve. You often rely your looks because you have little talent and fewer brains. You’ve looked better as well. The fact that you drink your Coke with ice during office hours means everyone knows your pathetic little secret. Many of the meetings you attend are raucous affairs, because everyone in them is laughing at you and the ay you’re getting screwed. Most Sagittarians are bed wetters.
You are cautious and afraid to make even the smallest mistake. You leverage your conservative nature to avoid drawing anything unless you have to: you’ re lazy. You have never built anything of any importance, and you find this comforting. Capricorns are such slow drafts people they tent to mildew.
You have a strong creative streak and lean toward the liberal, which is to say you are undisciplined and you lie pathologically. Meanwhile, you are forgetful and ridiculous. You make the same mistakes repeatedly, which makes you senior management material. Your sub consultants all think you’re stupid. Secretly, you agree with them. So does your spouse.
You have a powerful imagination and often think you being plagiarized. This is even less likely than you overcoming your OCD. You have dottedlike authority over your associates and they naturally resent you for muddying their workflow. Your work is bold and generally unbuildable. Pisces architectures are the first to get sued.
In case you were wondering what kind of architect you are,or happen to know,here’s a quick guide found at http://pintday.org/archimatects/
can you spot the 15 differences?
SPOT THE DIFFE RENCE
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