reconfiguring domesticity studio critic: mabel o. wilson fall 2007 “Our habits of domesticity have undergone significant technological transformations in recent years. These shifts follow a longer historical trajectory of change within the domestic landscape itself. For example, initiated by post war era’s federal financing of homeownership, the single-family house led to America’s signature landscape of sprawl and culture of suburbia that is for most residents their environment du jour. One of the things mastered by developers such as Levitt, who gave us Levittown, was the mergin of new techniques of construction with consumer tastes for appliances and electronics to reconfigure the space and materiality of the house. Following hte modernist machine for living, the production of hte suburban house and layout of the interior was predicated on the new temporal modalities of the late industrial economy. This new temporality, a compression of time and space, was aided by varioius technological developments (such as the automobile, television, etc). Borrowing a cue from the Situationalists, who conceive of a new psychogeography of the modern city based on event and appropriation, we will adopt their tactic of temporal/spatial drift to move through the geography of the home. New digital technologies - mobile phones, laptops, the internet, iPods, smart homes - have created a new spatial/temporal matrix, a new space/time pressure. This studio examines how these technologies impact the making and inhabitation of the domestic sphere.” -Mabel O. Wilson
dirtyhouse Welcome to the future home where panels cladding the exterior immediately identify components such as metals, glass, chemicals, and pressurize your rooms accordingly to preventing direct inhalation that can lead to respiratory and digestive problems. Materials no longer have the chance to settle indoors, because particulate matter is immediately blown into a sealed dust containment bag lining your walls. Furthermore, several measures of decontamination (wet spray, and UV exposure) have been integrated into your floors, walls, ceiling and storage to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness. In a society where military and surveillance technology have reached a critical mass, permeating every city block, every facet of our everyday lives, blurring interior and exterior, what does it mean to talk about domesticity in the space of architectural discourse? The subject of domesticity is not easily accommodated when the formation of these blurred virtual spaces reconfigureour perception of spatiality, constantly leaving gaps for new dangers and threats to arise. What happens when we allow military technologies to permeate domestic life? What might be at stake as these technologies are internalized? If architecture facilitates the surveillance and detection of internal and external threats through the treatment of surfaces, ordering of spaces, and implementation of technologies, then it is the continual cycles of cleaning that reinforce boundaries and maintain thresholds within the home. When military technologies permeate these practices, the state of home-space becomes home-land, a territory to be defended in the war against dirt.
irobot Founded in 1990, the company iRobot has produced various behavior-based, artificially intelligent robots with both domestic and military applications. Designed to navigate complex, dynamic situations, this sophisticated detection technology treats both home floors and foreign territory as dangerous battleground. With over 2.5 million Home Robots sold worldwide and 1,200 military surveillance robots deployed mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan by the US Army, it is clear that iRobot is not just talking about unclean matter when they allude to something “dirty,” they are also referring to social, cultural and political relationships. Within this context, domestic appliances infused with military technologies become more than household objects. They are weapons fighting disorder. The act of cleaning becomes a defensive and territorialized act.
“Founded in 1990 by roboticists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...our robots are designed to navigate through complex and dynamic real-world situations, from maneuvering around furniture to searching abandoned buildings.”
panel
In military campaigns, boundaries might be determined by national lines, reconnaissance, or availability of supplies and reinforcements. Here, a boundary is determined by panels embedded with technology that measures and monitors dirt movement. These panels were designed as interfaces that support potential crisis situations through the technological development of surfaces embedded with sensor technology that negotiates the line separating the physical from virtual.
dirt + medicine Dirt is helping scientists understand the body. In the last century, developments in medical technology have influenced the relationship between health (both mental and physical) and architectural space. As we learn more about the threats that lurk in the air we breathe and the food we eat, the ordering, classification and organization of objects within a space become increasingly associated with mental health and well being of families. With developments in the germ theory on tuberculosis developed in the United States in the middle of the century, a woman’s identity took on a military tone and cleaning products and appliances, weapons to eliminate dirt and germs. “Having been ‘trained’ as an inspector of the house who can read its signs, the girl ironically becomes a woman by assuming some of the masculine virtues of a military commander…and is given command over the interior spatial order.” (3) The housewife “keeps at bay all the other forms of dirt that would otherwise threaten the integrity and security of the household.” (4) Recent studies, such as the Georgia Tech Aware Home, have targeted the elderly population “assisting a person to remain in familiar surroundings as they age not only improves the quality of their life but also increases the length of that life.” With a concentration on interfaces, the main areas of research focus on supporting social connections, “everyday” cognition, and identifying potential crisis situations through technological developments in machine learning, wireless networks, security, software engineering and sensor technology. Acting as a prosthetic device, each system negotiates the line separating the physical body from its virtual data based counterpart, blurring the boundary between organic and inorganic. Floors, walls, and wearable computers track the movement of inhabitants, furniture and objects aid in mental recollection, and infrastructure is a dynamic system able to orchestrate internal operations and integrate new technologies such as the iRobot Roomba.
(3) iWigley, Mark, “Untitled,” Sexuality and Space, Princeton Architectural Press, 1992) 340. (4) David Morley “The Gender of Home,” Home Territories: (New York: Routeledge, 2000) 79. “To date, more than 2.5 million Home Robots have been sold worldwide and over 1,000 iRobot PackBot Tactical Mobile Robots have been deployed worldwide, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. These robots have performed tens of thousands of missions and are credited with saving scores of soldiers’ lives.”
Concentrations of PCB’s, and PAH’s Total PCB’s (ng/g) found in the 3 settled dust and w/o 8 and 5 smoke samples. Cortlandt 631 Cherry 562 723 Market
Total PCB’s w/ 8 and 5
Fluorene
659 589 753
6,800 2,620 32,200
Phenanthrene
Fluoranthrene
Benzo[a] pyrmene
Benzo[b+k] fluoranthane
44,100 22,300 32,100
40,300 13,700 32,600
23,000 12,100 19,300
36,600 15,600 29,500
Total PAH’s [40] 383,300 218,100 376,100
(above) The panel is composed of two panes of glass set within a steel frame. The inner pane monitors dust and dirt movement within the home, while the exterior pane monitors the passing of matter oustide. Each pane is embedded with a diamond configuration of air sensitive detection disks. Each set of disks is circumscribed by “leaves” electrosensitive glass. (background) As the surface of panels identifies different densities of particles in the air, the opacity of the “leaves” embedded within the glass will change, allowing the resident to register air quality.
(1)
unit
The home is a collector of dirt: equipt with a “vacuum floor,” matter is continually sucked from the interior and deposited in a “dust curtain” behind the panels. Privacy in this clear container can only be acquired with the accumulation of dust over time so love your dirt! The home is a laboratory: researchers will study and monitor the collection of dirt.
bed
safe room
A pressurized area. Soundproof and cleared of all objects except for a bed. The “safest” area fo the house.
dirt + military
wet area
The institutionalization of this military mentality in domestic space involves an exchange between spatial and ideological transformations in combat technology of the 19th century. When war is waged, the dream of any military commander is to separate the human element from dangerous or dirty situations, “the will to endow machines with predatory capabilities has been institutionalized in the military.”
utility closet
Developments in technology have ushered the transition from tactile hand to hand combat on physical battle fields, to the waging of wars through control rooms and interfaces in the virtual spaces of telecommunication. Advances in digital computers after World War II inspired dreams of autonomous weapons capable of fighting wars without human presence. Anti aircraft weaponry targeted the position and trajectory of enemy planes replacing human marksmanship. Today, a range of robots take the human factor out completely and are available for missions ranging from reconnaissance to ammunitions handling. Furthermore, advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI), heighten the intelligence of drones, keeping the hope alive that one day wars will be waged without the loss of life. Military technologies often enter the domestic (sphere) through commercial products such as the iRobot Roomba vacuum. The main threat in most military situations is an opposing nation. The main threat in the home is disorder, or dirt. In the early 19th century, the housewife would manage the removal of dirt through the deployment of servants symbolically removing her from direct contact with the enemy; post World War II mechanical appliances would serve the same purpose.
Antibacterial cleansing area with a ceiling mounted spray head. Decontamination required before entering safe room.
w/c
dry area
A perforated vacuum floor continualy cycles dust from the eating area into the dust curtain. Surfaces are curved for easy cleaning.
counter
dirt detection panels dust curtain entrance plan
Today, as advances in technology give us a finer resolution of invisible threats such as bacteria or allergens in our environment, the growing popularity of appliances such as the Roomba, comes as no surprise. Like the military commander, what homeowner doesn’t dream of keeping their family out of dirty situations? waste storage
“iRobot delivers innovative robots that are making a difference in people’s lives. From cleaning floors to disarming explosives, we constantly strive to find better ways to tackle dull, dirty and dangerous missions—with better results.”
Cortlandt
Li 26,800
Be 3,292
Mg 110,300
Al 814,700
Ti 1,717,000
section
V 40,370
Cr 182,000
Mn 781,400
Co 8,316
Ni 41,140
Cu 133,500
elevation
Plants, pets and other potential biological hazards are kept outside.
multiple units
The placement of multiple units, in configurations of 2 and 4, create a larger perimeter of detection. Grouping of units also allows for a larger outdoor platform for experimentation.
eat
shower
sleep
sections
Zn 1,718,000
Ga 30,300
(2)
As 2,464
Rb 21,390
Sr 691,000
Ag 2,565
Cd 5,695
Ba 365,300
Pb 142,400
unitdetail
The home is a machine: a self cleaning system where everything is sprayed and subjected to ultraviolet rays once a week. Communications technology is stored within the roof structure where information can be trasmitted via satellite to varioius organizations. Also running through this roof system are conduits that allow for the recycling of water, and movement of dust from within the home into the dust curtain.
dust curtain collects material vacuumed up by the perforated floor vacuum. A series of air particle sensor panels clad the housing unit. The bathroom is equipt with a toilet able to detect foreign and potentially harmful material in excrement. This facility is also able screen for various disesases and transmit bodily information directly to physician’s offices for testing. The kitchen allows trash/waste material to be sorted and deposited in containers below. Entrance of visitors and residents requires passage through an air chamber. A perforated “vacuum floor” continually sucks dust and dirt and deposits into a clear curtain lining the unit interior.
An outdoor deck for conducting experiments. Waste storage.
“All Americans should learn about potential threats, whether natural like storms or man made from terrorists so we are better prepared...Most of us watch over someone in our neighborhood. Some because they are elderly, some because they are less fortunate, and some just because we care ... when a disaster hits, whether from a hurricane, the bird flu, or a terrorist attack, this network of neighbors helping neighbors becomes so much more important.” Safehome. Safehomenet. 11 December 2007 [http:// safehome.net]
(3)
site
The distribution of dirt sensory panels monitoring air quality in a grid, both on rooftops and ground units, around the World Trade Center could help identify areas with high concentrations of particulate matter, and provide an information network for residents and pedestrians in the event of an emergency. By dispersing a grid of rooftop research living units along the skyline, and ground units along street interesections, perhaps we can begin to understand where threats of asbestos, disease, and toxins are coming from.
dirtandanxiety A large consequence of the destruction of the towers and fires that followed was the build up of dust and smoke released as particles and gases into the atmosphere. After the initial impact, this dust and smoke settled around the site, inside buildings, and was blown southeast and beyond Brooklyn. The dust suspended in the air outdoors could have easily been inhaled or ingested by pedestrians and rescue workers. Dust and smoke settling in homes as well as the residual matter would remain and be easily inhaled or digested by children and adults, and be available for continual ingestion if not properly removed. Scientists at NRDC have worked nonstop since soon after September 11 to gather information from city, state, federal, and independent sources on the attacks’ environmental impacts. What they have concluded ist that residents “largely left to fend for themselves when it came to confronting questions on debris cleanup and short-term health symptoms.” And although air quality has improved since the initial attack, many offices and homes still have not been properly cleaned (from “Fieldwork: After the Fall” Rachel Neuman, 2002). The Occupational Safety & Health Administration has also tested air composition and found that sampling has resulted in safe levels of exposure; still, the agency is recommending workers in the immediate area of the rubble pile wear respirators. Results from monitoring are posted periodically on their webpage. at: http://www.osha.gov/nyc-disaster/ ny9asbestosmonitoring.html
“We are committed to making the world a better place by building robots that are used by people everyday. Our home robots clean your house and our mobile tactical help keep military troops and first responders out of harm’s way.”
Cherry
Li 22,650
Be 2,638
Mg 118,300
Al 558,800
Ti 1,485,000
site plan
V 33,890
Cr 142,600
Mn 565,100
Co 7,230
Ni 12,040
Cu 336,300
(4)
Zn 2,555,000
Ga 26,990
As 2,792
Rb 18,630
Sr 478,900
Ag 1,945
Cd 8,454
Ba 379,000
Pb 483,500
network
The distribution of dirt sensory panels monitoring air quality in a grid, on rooftops and ground units, around the World Trade Center could help identify areas with high concentrations of particulate matter, and provide an information network for residents and pedestrians in the event of an emergency. The mass production and application of sensory panels to bus shelters, information kisosks, windows, building envelopes, and rooftop monitoring stations would also create a comprehensive database for researchers in military, health, and environmental sectors.
dirt + surveillance With external threats like terrorist, addressed by the Department of Defense, and internal threats coming from germs, bacteria and dirt it is no wonder our society has adopted and internalized a high degree of surveillance, integrating methods of defense and military thinking in the protection of our homes. But what control are we relinquishing when we allow robots and technology to dictate what is dirty? When we place our trust in programming and software instead of human intuition? If detection and cleaning technologies could be integrated within a system of data collection and distribution that could be distributed across different stratas of the city, the information gathered through this network of sensory devices could help long term studies the health of the elderly, dispersion studies of chemicals through urban environments etc. Can we use our paranoia of dirt and threat towards a positive end? In 2004, New York City began the Urban Dispersion Program. The major objective was to study how air flows through an urban environment in the case of a chemical attack, explosion, or other air born emergency situation. Field studies released safe inert perfluorocarbon and sulfer hexafluoride tracers into various parts of the city to be tracked and monitored. From this data, computer models can then simulate the atmospheric movement of contaminants around and inside buildings. Such studies can enhance emergency management protocols and the ability of law enforcement to respond to hazardous materials. Such data could also improve existing air quality models and expand the range and ability of instruments.
[iRobot] robots have been asked to perform jobs in some pretty intense places, from war zones in the Middle East to the surface of Mars to the unexplored corners of Egypt’s Great Pyramid.� Inc. Magazine [March 1, 2007] Market
Li 29,520
Be 3,754
Mg 179,000
Al 908,700
Ti 1,797,000
V 42,610
Cr 171,500
Mn 828,100
Co 10,460
Ni 47,290
Cu 325,600
(5)
Zn 2,992,000
Ga 34,060
As 2,613
Rb 21,710
Sr 710,800
Ag 2,247
Cd 7,459
Ba 406,500
Pb 289,200
“Most of us watch over someone in our neighborhood. Some because they are elderly, some because they are less fortunate, and some just because we care ... when a disaster hits, whether from a hurricane, the bird flu, or a terrorist attack, this network of neighbors helping neighbors becomes so much more important.� Safehome. Safehomenet. 11 Dec 2007 [http://safehome.net]
Key to Tables and Images Table of the concentration of elements found (ng/g dry weight) in 3 settled dust and smoke samples. All tables and images are the results of a study funded in part by supplemental funds from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and published in Environmental Health Perspectives Volume 110, Number 7, July 2002: http://www.ehponline.org/members/2002/110p703-714lioy/lioy-full.html
List of magnified images: (1) the general appearance of dust found at Ground Zero (2) coarse calcium carbonate particle detected at Cortlandt St (3) glass fiber detected in the Market Stt (4) appearance of lead from the Cortlandt St (5) soot particle w/coagulated ultra-fine particles at Cherry St