SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TECHNOLOGY
feedback from users– architecture is the design discipline with the most impact on humans yet uses the least (if any) prototypes, test subjects, feedback, modifications, etc.
Networking of architectural/ technological developments, open source developments
Architectural technology improving the feedback loop between human and habitat- ease of use, repair, renovation, addition
EVOLVING: house that evolves alongside its occupants and their changing finances/ needs- build in stages
rooms- optimized for their activities ex bedroom dark at night and sun wakes you up in the morning
technology for everyday life, constant software upgrades (open source?)
BIOLOGY
how architecture can integrate and/or emulate plants/ animals
pets- new species, usefulness/performance
evolution of architecture, feedback loops, constantly adapting, “natural” selection
dna coding/ DNA programmed assembly, modified by sensors in environment
completely ephemeral, responding to time of day, weather, season, resources, etc.
stages of life, quickly evolving
life cycle of a building- designing for impermanence or adaptability
self replicators
skin mimics functions of cell membrane- diffusion, metabolism, transportation, osmosis, enzymes/ catalysts
biodiversity of architecture/ taxonomy
taking advantage of naturally occurring chemical reactions
using architecture/ environment to influence human/ species evolution
occupants’ health
renewability of resources, efficient and non-parasitic production, agriculture, etc.
Can we develop remedies which spread through systems and into others, creating an exponential chain reaction to spread across the global scale? What is the safest way to thoroughly test our innovations without risking adding even more to the list of damage done by humans?
using environment as a mold/ template to manipulate growth within it
EVOLUTION
survival of the fittest, passing down successful genetic traits
Darwin- spontaneous changes come from within, which are then “tested” against the environment, more fit adaptations survive
Evolution of Consciousness? at some point in evolution humans had to develop our consciousness, and machines are evolving much faster than humans did.- Erewhon
expanding #/ type of orifices/ receptors and systems and therefore senses/ dimensions perceived, perception of dimensions based on senses perceived based on types and strengths/ sizes of orifices
interactions between species and reality
other modifications to/for humans or other species to increase efficiency and decrease needs
ways to sleep less, eat less, increase brain function, etc.
improve instincts
“NATURE”______
our protected lives, moving from “envelope” to “envelope” and never breaching the “Great Outside”-Latour
sheltering ourselves from our environment rather than thriving in it.
“taming” the wild and interacting
efficiency of symmetry of nature vs. asymmetry in architecture
ECOSYSTEMS/NETWORKS
rehabilitate destroyed/ make new ecosystems
biospheres- for varying inhospitable sites ex. desert, ocean, deforestation sites, planets …
building without destroying existing site, integrating building into its ecosystem
role of humans within our ecosystems
needs of all species in ecosystem- strive for symbiotic instead of parasitic relationships
relationships across species in ecosystem
stability of our biological community: population ecology, carrying capacity, community, niche (profession), equilibrium and climax community v disturbances and abiotic forces
facilitation- one species improves conditions for the next
FUTURE PREP
future on earth
consequences of climate change
space saving: efficiency, vertical expansion, building on oceans
agriculture- vertical farms
Inhospitable sites: uncivilized/ isolated, destroyed ex. by deforestation, “uninhabitable”
In Ventus, humans send nanotechnology to terraform other planets before their arrival. Can we develop like methods (on a much simpler scale) in real life to kick start the cultivation of presently unsuitable habitats?
health
urban density
education, specification
DECOMPOSERS/BACTERIA (superpowered composting)
Bacteria that feed on waste and excrete building material or soil, etc
and/or to decompose fallen leaves
Die out when they run out of food
When they die the chemical process hardens the structure made
OR produces nutrients for a new species to grow
OR After they run out of food, they start eating each other/ growing and evolving into another stage of life and perform new task
bacteria that decomposes trash into a material which becomes an envelope
composition of material varies by input of trash
eat pollution and produce clean O2
Bacteria that strengthen and change existing structures chemically
HUMAN
humans’ adaptation to their environments
help transition into the future (or any new conditions), open up minds
concepts, climate change, culture change, etc.
effect of time & environment on evolution of mind
we have become inattentive and unaware of our environments, focusing on our consumer greed and staring at our smart phones, increasingly reliant on technology
BUILDING
DESIGN SYSTEMS
Active vs passive (static v dynamic)
passive, “natural” productions
spontaneity v premeditation
control v chance
limits v freedom
innovation v precedence
specialization v automation
authorship v opensource/ anonymous/ collective
adaptability, on-site production, evolving
luxury v efficiency
modules- self organizing, constructing, maintaining, assembling, repairing, restructuring, replicating
self-assembly based on code and exterior environment and interior needs
architecture that changes at critical points like the phase changes of matter solid, liquid, and gas changing at certain temps
fire, impact, earthquake
ENVELOPES/ MEMBRANES
interior vs exterior (acclimation)
Smart skins– shells w/ operative feedbacks and exchange with their environments
MATERIALITY
Mediation between material qualities to synthesize appropriated composition at each point
transparency v opacity, flexibility v rigidity, insulative v porous, etc.
Materials that are active during the entire construction phase, mediating from design to usage phases
material like concrete that eats its formwork after hardening
Materials that are active over time to counter deformation or help the building improve/ evolve
material that strengthens itself in response to external forces/ loads
across generations, periods