CODE1110: Week 11 Summary

Bernard Cache’s, ‘Towards an Associative Architecture’, explores the ideas of architecture being digitized and how ‘associative architecture’ is an advantageous concept in the wide scope of things. Associative architecture is the idea of relationship between a design and its components, similar to parametricism, allowing the form to easily be altered. Cache discusses the ‘Semper Pavilion’ project in detail to describe how the major components were linked to smaller ones, allowing minor and major adjustments to automatically be made when a major component would be moved. This concept allowed design experimentation to be easily conducted, leading to this type of design method to spread across architects that were in the technological loop.

‘The Architecture of Facebook’ analyses the concept of open source methods, allowing people to share unique designs on ‘warehouse’ websites such as, sketchup warehouse, deviantart and many more. This also applies to programs and operating systems such as Linux, Blender and VLC Media Player. Facebook encourages this kind of behaviour, allowing people to share their experiences and get feedback on things they share. A news feed allows people to view what their friends are viewing, creating a chain, and allowing things to spread online at rapid speeds. This concept allows designs to be changed or altered, giving a wide range of options to people and improving architectural design as a whole.

CODE1110: Week 10 Summary

‘Parametrics Explained’, an article by John Frazer, analyses and discusses a project in 1995 which involves the usage of virtual environment technology and testing. He explores the generation of structural forms with regard to its integration with the environment and how it interacts between one another. This is another big stepping stone in the relationship between coding and visuals while including concepts and theories of morphogenetics.

The main concept of this event was to allow people to contribute their ideas and demonstrate a large variety between concepts and ideas. He made it possible through the internet, he wanted to have a code that was produced through genetic language that would be used to generate forms for different structures.

He had a master computer that was connected to three other computers, the master computer handling the entire generated model itself. The other computers were used to record images and generate evolving animations as the entire model was being built and coded. 

CODE1110: Week 9 Summary

In Mario Carpo’s, ‘Introduction to Versioning’, he discusses how the term, ‘Versioning’, explores the concept of technology allowing people to showcase their unique capabilities as design software is easy to learn. He says that it is advantageous to create an “open model of practice”, meaning is used to show unique traits of a particular architect and allow them to demonstrate skill in other areas of society.

Furthermore, Carpo analyses the purpose of Versioning, where it depends structurally sound geometry that has sturdy joints that are not easily affected by external forces. He explains how he believes that technology has ultimately benefited architectural design and deepening its complexity.

Moreover, Frederic’s text, ‘In the Order of the Non-Standard’, his theories and concepts are related to the mathematical and algorithmic methods of Alan Badiou and Gilles Deleuze. He analyses the merging of engineering and architectural design software have allowed complex designs to be practical with computed calculations to show people that a certain structure is physically possible.

Both Carpo and Frederic question the true definition of unique architecture and how people use mathematical theories combined with design software to think of new ways to perceive ‘modern’ structures and how to change the ‘meta’ of how a building is formed. 

CODE1110: Week 8 Summary

Snooks article, ‘Self Organised Bodies’, explores the concepts “Woven Composites” and “Swarm Matter”.

Woven Composites: This concept revolves around the idea of complex topology, linking objects or materials together to create a woven structure. This was created by a multi-agent algorithm to generate these kinds of topology. This is shown as an example through the evolution of surfaces from being a uniform or consistent structure to be a combination of different objects to create a surface.

Swarm Matter: This concept relates to the creation and development of ornaments, it explores the relationship between components, surfaces and lines. Snook claims “while there is no hierarchies encoded into the can be extracted that through ornamental design and the application of complex geometries, there is a hierarchy that develops through the deliberation of the design”.

Furthermore, in Picon’s ‘The Surface as Architecture’, he discusses the idea of hypersurfaces and how it allows a bridge to be created between an architectural surface and cyberspace. Picon explains the variety of hypersurfaces, comparing them to different cultural factors such as clothing fashion.

Both Picon and Snooks view surfaces as a design feature or element that creates unique spaces and gives a structure a complete form as well as representing a place, depending on the intention of its placement and design.              

CODE1110: Week 7 Summary

Picon’s ‘A Different Materiality’, explores the concept of materiality and how it applies to the nature of the environment as it surrounds us as people, thus being essential with regard to materiality. He focuses on the First Industrial Revolution when analyzing materiality as a concept, he says it cycles back to the natural human material structure. He questions the way we perceive materials, which is what materiality is about.

In addition, Picon also shares his opinion on the impact of technology on architecture in his article, ‘Architecture and the Virtual’. He says it has helped advance architectural design and made it more mature, he believes that architecture is still yet to discover everything about design and effective usage of certain objects and plans. He discusses the usage of hand drawings and CAD and metaphorically compares to the difference between walking and using cars. He uses the car to demonstrate the pace of technology advancements and ability to easily create better designs, as well as how simple it is to pick up by architects. He claims “Rather than dematerializing the world we inhabit, the automobile has instead transformed our notion of materiality”, meaning that technology has had a positive impact on society, improving quality of life. 

CODE1110: 300 Word Statement

Open Source Architecture: The Hylomorphic Project

The ‘Hylomorphic Project’, conducted by Open Source Architecture, explores the parametric and fractal design through the theories of material manipulation and systems thinking. The purpose of this project was to envision the possibilities of automating design solutions through the use of computational designs, and being able to create a form that can create its own structure in various kinds of spaces. Its’ simple and skeletal allows it to be a multipurpose structure and give it the ability to push the boundaries of its own design. 

Material manipulation in this case, refers to the concept of its flexibility and mesh form factor, which has then been transformed into its fractal design. Its use of ball bearing joints give the perception of free movement, portraying its flexibility and ability to morph into any geometrical shape within certain boundaries. This simple design also adds levels of possibility and extension to the structure, where unique interactive spaces can be created, allowing for effective use of an area. 

Furthermore, the theory of systems thinking refers to the synergy between major and minor components joining together to create an overall structured and complete form. The combination of small spherical steel bearing and timber beams allowed for a complete form and sturdy structure.

Similarly, the theory of geometric cohesion also closely relates to this project, where the form or structure of an object can be transformed and perceived very differently between people, creating more opportunities for effective design manipulation.

Its implementation of technology has been used through 3D modelling programs and digital fabrication software, stress tests were applied through a smaller 3D printed version as well as having multiple prototypes and frameworks. It uses parametric capabilities to be able to determine the positioning of the beams and bearings so the weight distribution is even between the structure.

The Hylomorphic Project effectively represents how the application of computational design can influence people to create such simple and applicable models and give them purpose in the real world. It allows people to theory-craft and think about what more can be done to allow this structure to be more practical and aid people in everyday life. 

CODE1110: Achim Menges - Introduction

Computational Design Thinking – Summary

Sean Alquist and Achim Menges discuss several main points throughout their introduction:

Computation: Alquist and Menges address the difference between computation and computerization and how understanding this difference is key when learning about computation as a whole. They say it ‘can be broken down as methods which either deduce results from values or sets of values, or simply compile or associate given values or sets of values’.

Systems Thinking: They highlight the point of determining things as ‘piecelike’ or ‘patternlike’, where you view something as a ‘structure of components’. They describe every object as a hierarchy of components with specific patterns of distribution.

Parametric Dependencies: Alquist and Menges explain the development of structures regardless of its form and/or formation. Goethe brought this formalism that ‘marks a turning away from the simple structure of end-products and toward the active’.

Emergent Formations: This refers to a process that makes a feature’s appearance more defined due to the background boundary. Crutchfield says ‘an emergent feature also cannot be explicitly represented in the initial and boundary conditions. In short, a feature emerges when the underlying system puts some effort into its creation’.

Designing Computation: Alquist and Menges discuss the validation of computational design as a whole. They talk about how it needs purpose with the intent of solving crucial complexities that will dramatically affect the way we execute certain processes. 

CODE1110: Technology as Machine

In this text, Thomas P. Hughes introduces the fact that society has been evolving with technology and explains how the Germans and the United States worked together to create a more technological involved world. He discusses the fact that America was made up of individual engineering creating their own concepts of technology, whereas Berlin was a mass collaboration of of political influences contributing towards increasing usage towards machine and technological usage.

Multiple technological enthusiasts had contrasting opinions and beliefs with regard to the impact of technology on society and humanity as a whole. He compares their opinions where one half were implying that technology was a substitution for the need of a god, whereas others believed it was a god given creation.

Lewis Mumford, an American intellectual, regarded technology as a balance to the human and that it was an organic necessity in maintaining a healthy lifestyle. He accentuates the idea that technology would improve the moral behavior of society and would be a significant improvement in general.

On the other hand, a German historian, Oswald Spengler, believed that, due to an increase in technology, it would cause the human race to lose their natural and cultural moral and ethical beliefs. He "denies that the west were deploying technology to bring happiness..., but to devastate nature."

Furthermore, Charles Beard regarded the mass production of technological devices to have a positive impact on society and that it would reduce labor, lower economic class, increase transportation efficiency and generate high amounts of jobs in specific fields of technologically savvy environments.

CODE1110: Morphogenesis and Emergence - Summary

This section in the text emphasise how the topic of morphogenesis and emergence have changed the way design calculations and fabrications are made as well as the precision of such processes and actions. ‘The term ‘emergence’ derives from system theory, where it defines the property of a system which cannot be derived from the sum of its parts’, this concept played a significant role in satisfying a complex theory with regard to self-organising systems in the study of nonlinear behaviour. Achim Menges’ essay in 2006 refers to the usage of these self-organising systems how its application allows for research on physical materials, structural designs and form finding.

 Menges’ theory explains how ‘performativeness is the quality of material systems that perform through deformation, or which visibly deform to self-organise and resist new external forces (loads)’. He accentuates the idea of the importance calculating the strength and stress levels of materials and how they perform when under a large amount of stress. In addition, these calculations could only be made through making scaled models whereas using computer-based programs and design it could easily be calculated and even perform tasks at the same level of ‘expert artisan makers’.

This article represents the importance and emergence of computer-aided design and calculations and how Menges communicated his ideas on its application through his theories and essays. 

CODE1110: Antoine Picon - People, Computers and Architecture

Picon – People, Computers and Architecture – Summary

Picon talks about the validation of technology with regard to its involvement in architecture. He highlights the importance of using architectural thinking to effectively transport goods and building structures through the use of technology and how it has been increasing in popularity over the coming years.

In addition, he discusses the point of older generation architects deciding the length of which technology is to be used in design and structural planning. Picon is trying to explain how these architects act as the ‘god fathers’ and decide the boundaries of what tools can or cannot be used.

CODE1110: Antoine Picon - Introduction

Picon – Introduction – Summary

In Picon’s introduction he focuses on the point that the main question on architecture isn’t if technology should be used or not in design, but how we should use technology to better improve the complexity of innovative designs. However, Picon also explains how these technological advancements in architecture cannot be separated from the changes that affect the way we design, plan and communicate designs, as devices such as computers, smartphones, scanners etc.

In addition, Picon addresses the fact that architects must adapt to the current and emerging technology that is being introduced to architectural design to be able to understand the full scope of the subject. He confidently writes about technology being an undeniably positive impact on architecture unlike other architects/writers who question its place in the world of architecture.

Furthermore, Picon highlights the fact that architecture and technology go hand in hand, where they build off each other combined with the fact that the current generation of architects rely on technology and how this will affect architecture as a whole in the future. Moreover, he talks about the replacing of hardware with software to create models, infrastructure and multiple concepts that allow the communication of ideas to be seamless and easy to understand.

Picon’s opinion overall suggests that architecture didn’t necessarily need this technological evolution, however it is definitely a step in the right direction and has broadened the boundaries of architecture as a whole. 

CODE1110: The Digital Turn in Architecture - Synopsis

In the text introduction, Carpo begins with explaining the difference between buildings that were assisted with digital design and those that were completely dependent on this technology. He focusses on how pre-1990s architecture influenced the use of technology post 1990s. The emergence of the digital turn with the application of calculus mathematics allowed for architects to create curves and folds combined with splines and ‘blob’ designs.

Carpo amplifies the significance of how Gilles Deleuze uses Leibniz’s mathematical theories of points of inflection and parametric notations to advance the world of architectural design. With the assistance of digital technology and application of mathematical equations, architects were able to create a whole new aspect of design in structures. Deleuze’s ‘Fold’ theory caught the interest of multiple architects and started the evolution of complex and ‘contemporary’ designs.

Furthermore, Carpo also addresses the introduction of new design software, the most prominent being 'Building Information Modelling’ (BIM), which was used to manage and generate digital representations of physical and functional characteristics of places. BIM expanded the boundaries of how complex a building could be designed, it allowed the users to set a new standard of structural design.

The text encompasses the fact that digital technology and architecture build off each other. Advancements in technology allows for advancements in architecture, Carpo explains how the highest standard in the past is what pushes people to do create a new standard in the present, and this was why digital technology revolutionised the world of architecture.