It is rightly said that we are at the highest point of understanding our universe. Our knowledge about this sphere of activity that we are centered on and the totality of all the matter and energy that exists in the vastness is still limited yet we make fun of people who still believes that the earth is the center of the universe.  Even thou we don’t have a full understanding of how this system functions and we still cannot prove the hypothesis yet we are quite certain of this conclusion.

The principle of emergence suggest that we need to change our understanding of how the universe is arranged. We believe in complex mathematical and physical laws that guide the heavenly bodies in their paths but this fails to consider that the heavenly bodies are in fact large collections of independent particles that have joined together based on certain rules.

(In his study Emergence: The Connected Lives of Ants, Brains, Cities, and Software, media theorist Steven Johnson argues that emergence is the essential idea for our age. Emergence is an alternative way of understanding complex systems. A hierarchical, top-down system attempts to use a centralized decision-making process based on abstract rules to guide behavior. The emergent position looks at complex systems differently: a small number of rules that are processed by individual units are the best method of explaining the aggregate behavior. While a statistical analysis of an emergent system will lead to abstract mathematical laws, these laws do not explain why individual units behave the way they do.)

Emergence refers to the ability of low-level components of a system or community to self-organize into a higher-level system of sophistication and awareness.- Johnson

Steven Johnson says emergence is what happens when the whole is smarter than the sum of its parts. In the given text the author gives the great example of the ants. Ant colonies have this miraculous ability to pull off complex engineering feats, resource management without an actual leadership dictating what any ant should be doing at any time.

He states that the ants function in a decentralized manner without any specific guidelines directed from the top. Each individual ant knows its specific task which has to be carried out. Ants are social beings who live and work in a collective manner to build the foundation of the future generation of ants and the protection of the colonies.

Johnson gives examples of feedback, self-organization and adaptive learning. He presents five fundamental principles to support his hypothesis:

• More is different.

-        A single ant or few ants will react n behave in a different manner than 1000 ants in the same situation. The entire system has to be observed it order to know the global behavior.

• Ignorance is useful.

-        It is better to build a densely interconnected system with simple elements and let the more sophisticated behavior trickle up.

• Encourage random encounters.

-        It is important to have these encounters, ant colonies rely heavily on random interactions exploring a defined space without any predefined orders. Without these encounters they would not be able to identify new food source.

• Look for patterns

-        The knack of pattern detection allows ants to smell the pheromones of fifty forages imparts information about the global state.

• Pay attention to your neighbors.

-        This is something that humans need to learn from the ants, observing and solving problems locally will regulate the colony effectively.

Johnson tries to make this connection between the human societies which functions in a top down manner to ant’s colony which behaves the opposite. The potential of such smart systems fascinates Johnson. He states that how human cities are affected by emergence and that there is a strong need to look at things differently.

He looks into another example similar patterns is human body cells. The sums of all the cells create a whole body there is no us without them. This is similar to the thousands to tireless ants which makes up the colony. Our cities work very close to this pattern. Usually there is a master plan, developed by urban planners yet each neighborhood has its own pattern and are distinct from one another. Johnson further states that similar population groups attract each other. Artists move to the art quarter, bankers and stock brokers move to the financial district. Interactions happen on sidewalks and public spaces.

Like Johnson I am too fascinate with the ant colonies. It is interesting that how the behavior these humble creatures can be the answer to human problems. The effect on micro level neighborhood planning to a macro level urban planning has to be paid attention to.

Reference: http://currents.cwrl.utexas.edu/fall04/leslie.html

Reference: http://archive.oreilly.com/pub/a/network/2002/02/22/johnson.html

Japanese architect, Ryue Nishizawa, has a new outline of private and community living with The Moriyama House which is a flexible-format of minimalism. The house is a perfect example of a home designed like a community while connecting the inside and outside. Located in the suburbs of Tokyo, this modern architectural concept presents a multi-building residence comprising a concentration of ten separate cuboids, ranging from 1 to 3 stories high, where every room is a building by itself and the space between the buildings form a passage or garden.
The freedom of using a space is given to the clients which will be used as a residence or rental rooms. The architect breaks from the conventional housing typology to a more organized space forming clusters. It also moves away from the traditional Japanese courtyard type house to form a series of small buildings and gardens – creating a disturbed relational logic where the buildings and the nature form a mature tangible interrelationship.
This concept is also explained by Sanford Kwinter in his article. He writes about the complex relation between man and nature. He strongly justifies that the common perception of nature by the society being a separate entity is a misconception. He has supported his belief with a lot of elaborately described examples. He states that man in merely not an actor in nature but an integral part of it. He emphasizes that computer- man’s prized creation is not merely a tool but a very important interactive medium which can change the way we understand or sense nature. He also highlights that the society has to progress alongside innovation in technology. Over all the article supports that digitizing the world can be more productive and that we should not treat computers differently and it should form an integral part of nature and society.

Image on the right:  Angkor-wat Ruins ,Title: Nature has a way to incorporate us even if we don’t want to.

Image courtesy: www.tarigna.net

I believe architecture is the most mature and advanced form of human ingenuity. The timeless appeal of architecture transcends cultures and generations. Historical eras and civilizations can clearly be identified by their distinct architectural patterns, which serve as icons of a bygone era.

In modern day computers have helped us to realize more complex scenarios, making room for more advance systems of architecture. The early ancient relation we had with nature which got lost in modern times is re-emerging again. Our societies more than ever wants to be integrated with nature.

I am of the opinion that more connections we build with nature the better our world can be. Computers have given us the power to let our imagination run riot. But we shouldn’t be completely dependent on technology. It shouldn’t overpower human thinking and creativity.

Buildings should be emblematic of their era and cities should evolve and age gracefully.  Technology is the biggest drive in defining new spaces. Hence I am driven by the desire to develop a coherent schema of architectural design by incorporating design elements from the past and melding it with modern conveniences to address modern days growing demand of interacting with nature and technology.

References: http://www.wohnmodelle.at

http://openbuildings.com