Category Archives: Uncategorized

Relational Logics- T1

relational logics

 

Considering the relational logics as starting point and its approach as a critical tool in advanced architecture, several points in common with these ideas can be found in the analyzed project, Studio House F451:

  1. Environmental relation: using energy efficiency systems, passive solutions in the heating system, green roof, rainwater harvesting, etc;
  2. Positional relation: the volume of the house first emerges from the ground, then aligned with the ground and finally detached;
  3. Metaphoric relation: if we see the configuration of the spaces, all of them go toward the central hallway, simulating a branch of a tree.
  4. Disturbing relation: in this case the approach is not in relation with nature, but with the fact that the typical character of the house has been disturbed by addition of an atelier and a garage in the program.

According to these ideas, we can say that the project is an example of advanced architecture, because the designers thought about the relations between the three environments: natural, cultural and informational.

By putting in context the year of publication which is 1955, we can realize that the author is making a critique of the idea of the garden of the modern movement. This garden is merely contemplative space in which any activity is not developed. Starting from this idea, the author proposes to make this space (the garden) like one additional room of the house, using it for doing activities, furnishing it, living in it. Subsequently, the author makes use of one of the most basic building resources inspired by the ruins of Pompeii, the wall. The use of the wall in this space (the garden) seems to represent an important part of the proposal of the author, it can give a human scale to a space, to maintain a microclimate, to create shadows, to provide privacy, to act as a container; the wall is the mediator between the nature and us, etc. Now the question is what is the relevance of the text today? We can now find examples where these ideas are already implemented, like in the House N of Sou Fujimoto, and we can realize that 59 years later these ideas remain strong and are still subject of discussion.

Finally, one of the topics that interest me to develop is, since the appearance of the technique in human existence ( the technique understood as the capacity to reason then to make, to produce, that capacity that makes us different from the animals, etc. ), how it has been used only for the benefit of human beings themselves. As an example, we can take the discovery of the steam engine and how this resulted in a whole Industrial Revolution in which mass production became the main target, leaving out many aspects of the human being, but especially the nature and environment, these processes have always been polarized interests causing a lack of balance in the forces that are present in human life. Nowadays search for this balance is still present in discussions about what is the future of both the architecture and everything that is connected with it. Only now this technique has been developed in technology and the question is how to use it to search for this balance.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed

Relational Logics (T5)

roboticsarchitecture
Never Never land (Andres Jaque Architects):
The Never land house is located in Ibiza island in Spain. The design of the house and landscape was produced taking into consideration the natural surroundings of the island, the European building standards and characteristics, the fact that Ibiza is a party city.
The elevations of the building were deigned to allow for the maintenance of ground permeability and the existing run-off. The arrangement of the spaces allowed for preserving all of the existing trees, hence the continuity of mechanical soil conservation and the habitat constituted by the pine tree tops, or the use of a concrete drum to house all of the systems which might call accidental spills into the subsoil. The logics driving the design are positional and metaphorical: Positional which changed the perception of architecture in relation to the trees, furthermore using the trees to orientate the movement in the space. The design also introduced order in the k-otic nature even if the order is not in order. Metaphorical: Employing the difference between tree branches to construct the architecture, due to the fact that it caters to the nature around it as well as maintaining the interactive elements affecting the indoors environmental quality.

Form and Function Follow Climate (Philippe Rahm):
The author discusses the way current sustainable development policies act as major doctrines influencing architectural design. Philppe advocates that the capacity of architecture not to be tied to function; he compares the precedent form finding techniques that are widely used in architecture (form follows function, function follows form),which gave rise to a system that is rigid in terms of structure yet flexible in terms of program or function. Furthermore, the author then proposes an approach to find a relationship between form, function, and climate, which reverses the traditional approach in order to achieve a design in which function and form can emerge in response to climate.

Manufacturing of Material Effects:
Manufacturing of material effects is a powerful contemporary actualization of the potentialities founded by highly collaborative, highly integrated design, engineering, fabrication, and construction knowledge. The emerging, technologically-enabled transformation of the building industry in the “digital” age has led to a much greater integration of “mechanical” age processes and techniques into conceptual building design.
I am interested in integrating material sciences and CNC tools to open up for more complex architectural design possibilities and fabrication capabilities in building construction.
By optimizing/ manipulating material variables in composites for local performance criteria, entirely new material (materials 
that change their properties dynamically in direct response to external and internal stimuli, such as 
light, heat and mechanical stresses) and tectonic possibilities can emerge.

Sources:

http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/blog/3-ways-anti-gravity-robot-printing-can-better-the-arts

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments closed

T4- Relational logics- Man and Nature

Case Study: Moriyama House / Ryue Nishizawa
Reading Text: Cooking, Yo-ing, Thinking / Sanford Kwinter

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.Angkor-Wat-Ruins

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

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | Comments closed

Relational Logics T5

https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/screenshots/pics/56f5570eb29b9e01f936b1c4c69a5f43/small.gif

https://d2t1xqejof9utc.cloudfront.net/screenshots/pics/56f5570eb29b9e01f936b1c4c69a5f43/small.gif

The Never Never land house, a party house conveniently located at an elevation in the lush vegetation of Ibiza. This construction represents certain desires and fettishes that only translate into reality through synthetic drugs and romantic prespetives. The catalyst for the design process is unclear and premature, trying to apply positional and metaphorical relations but failing in terms of completion when it comes to sound reasonings or patterns of nature. The architect claims that the structure is interactive with the surrounding nature, that the design conserves yet interacts. However, this conversation is yet to be audible.

Switching gears into more technical literature, the “Form & Function Follow Climate” text by Philippe Rahm, explains briefly yet explicitly the relations between climate and architecture throughout time and scientific progress. He believes that meeting the needs of today should not compromise the needs of the future. By reducing the consumpiton of non renewable energy through studying the basics of space, levels and relevant variations of temperatures, man can in fact use nature to his advantage without exploiting its resources. Giving examples of how humans through time have adapted and harvested different kinds of energies from different resources without the aid of technology. As the Afghans leveled their houses and moved through spaces according to time of day or climate. To constructing mashrabeyas in Islamic regions to ventelate and circulate air. Then to the French who used “vaults” or stables as living areas to benefit from their animals heat emission.

This line of research in the broad sense is interesting as it studies the simplest ways architecture and energy harvesting correlate in different angles. To take advantage of old methods renewed through research and technology and consequently shape the future in terms of energy consumption and architecture. “Form vs Function”, and in turn, vs “Nature and Energies ” might be the simple equation superficially, yet the succesful connection between all elements would be the in depth research.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , | Comments closed

Form and function follow climate / Never never land

kk

Environment degradation is becoming predominant in this day and age and architecture presents a unique challenge in the field of sustainability.  Sustainable design attempts to have an understanding of the natural processes as well as the environmental impact of the design.  In these text Form and Function Follow Climate, Philippe Rahm show the main idea about the form/function relationship with climate and a paradox that  for achieving a sustainable building, it has to be isolated from and autonomous to follow his three underlying principles which are an air light shell, excellent heat insulation and mechanical airflow.

In conclusion, Rahm suggests that to liberate the space and the altogether; also suggests not making new rooms to accommodate new functions, but to give free rein to the functional interpretation of space.

The case study which called Never Never Land designed by Andrés Jaque Architects located in San José, Ibiza. The project began with detailed mapping of the flora and fauna on the site. The house is built around the already present trees, and is lifted off the ground to avoid any sort of disturbance to the ground ( paving, crops, watering or other input) which might eventually alter its properties, the way it works or the sort of association that the plant and animal communities now have with the soil in an attempt to leave all possible plants and systems intact. In addition, the waste filtering and treating equipment, as well as the water tank, are fitted into a reinforced concrete vessel, in order to prevent them from acting as ‘requalifying’ agents in the environment .

personal research proposal:

Sustainability often is defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

During my research I recognized that achieving greater sustainability in the field of construction is significantly potential, because building construction consumes more energy and resources than any other economic activity so I would like to investigate in self sufficient building to stay green, stay isolated, stay prepared, or stay thrifty

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments closed