december 13-18_
this time will be spent in NYC around the site collecting physical data as well as beginning photographing and mapping the site in the way described in the previous post. Gonna try to get on some roof tops.
december 18- january 22_
expanding narrative about NYSea
sketches, altered images, site merges
collecting maps
Update Thesis Document
quarter 1_
develop conceptual systems relation and spatial language
create presentation site diagrams (based on site sketches) and synthesis drawing
conceptual model including context and highline (scale 1"=64' (tentative)) for gestural, spatial and programmatic development
experiential / spatial perspectives with superimposed plan and sectional information
Update Thesis Document
mid point_
develop tectonic language
shell model at 1"=16' scale
mappings of integration phase 2 immediate scale of highline based on determined strategies
begin to sketch and find potential places for integration phase 3: manhattan e.i. times square, chinatown
Update Thesis Document
quarter 3_
refine
shell model 1"=8' scale
apply as strategy or DNA
mappings of integration phase 3: manhattan
merges and perspectives of chosen sites
Update + Design Final Thesis Document
final jury_
1/4" scale details + experience model
mappings of integrated NYSea
refine + develop previous drawings
12.11.2007
12.10.2007
Integration Process
This thesis seeks to explore a systematic design process as a means of integrating architecture into a dynamic context as an integral system rather than an isolated feature.
Diagramming the new order of pauses, flows, interaction and disinterest, will establish an organization for the site. This will include layers of interaction to decide the placement and appropriate relation of program in terms of public and private. This diagramming exercise is not only to take place on one level but must consider the three dimensional matrix, underwater, dynamic water surface, highline and skyline. Sectional diagrams also consider the interrelation of the layers.
The system must acknowledge the program that was, the current uses and the program which can be implemented to affect the experience and function of the place in the future. This three dimensional mapping creates the spatial and structural framework for the intervention which is interpreted and synthesized into the site. The integration is both additive and subtractive to the existing matrix and also must consider its future position.
Erosion is an example of a three dimensional space making process which relates form to hydrodynamics or more generally, forces, as well as material obsolescence. Allowing erosion to become an active participant in organization and post occupancy re-organization of form and space allows architecture to become integrated with the underlying order of information, energy and matter. The system then must be tested by the Post-Industrial concepts to keep from falling into symptomatic default reactions.
The highline shell project establishes a process and a strategy from which the architectural network can grow as a biological system. The highline rail system is utilized as a vein for expansion while other affected and activated veins of the city will be identified or created. The physical language of the architecture is determined by the immediate context of the site and the inherent voice of the program. Consequently, the resultant tectonic systems may differ drastically from one another even though they stem from the same process and architectural strategies.
Diagramming the new order of pauses, flows, interaction and disinterest, will establish an organization for the site. This will include layers of interaction to decide the placement and appropriate relation of program in terms of public and private. This diagramming exercise is not only to take place on one level but must consider the three dimensional matrix, underwater, dynamic water surface, highline and skyline. Sectional diagrams also consider the interrelation of the layers.
The system must acknowledge the program that was, the current uses and the program which can be implemented to affect the experience and function of the place in the future. This three dimensional mapping creates the spatial and structural framework for the intervention which is interpreted and synthesized into the site. The integration is both additive and subtractive to the existing matrix and also must consider its future position.
Erosion is an example of a three dimensional space making process which relates form to hydrodynamics or more generally, forces, as well as material obsolescence. Allowing erosion to become an active participant in organization and post occupancy re-organization of form and space allows architecture to become integrated with the underlying order of information, energy and matter. The system then must be tested by the Post-Industrial concepts to keep from falling into symptomatic default reactions.
The highline shell project establishes a process and a strategy from which the architectural network can grow as a biological system. The highline rail system is utilized as a vein for expansion while other affected and activated veins of the city will be identified or created. The physical language of the architecture is determined by the immediate context of the site and the inherent voice of the program. Consequently, the resultant tectonic systems may differ drastically from one another even though they stem from the same process and architectural strategies.
The Highline Shell
Water + Architecture_
Sea level rise is an event which cannot be met symptomatically. In the past, engineers have built dikes and levees to hold back water from civilizations only to prolong the inevitable interaction between water and architecture. Hurricane Katrina is one of many instances that illustrate the dangerous consequences of controlling rather than cooperating with nature.
Architecture has not addressed water and so now it is being forced upon us. New Orleans, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom are only a few examples of the regions being inundated by the forces of water.
The systematic paradigm suggests that water in this context is not a misfortune, rather a means to enhance experience, redefine space and consider the inhabitation of the edge of our land bound world. More than seventy percent of the globe is covered with water yet it remains fundamentally ignored for its resources and remains almost completely barren of human inhabitation.
NYSea Site + Systems_
This is an architectural thesis and in order to avoid complicating issues, such as the political aftermath of a disaster, this project will propose its own hypothetical scenario in which sea levels have risen twenty three feet. The map illustrates, in dark blue, the areas which would be submerged by the waters. This level of coverage does not completely debilitate the city but does cut off its most important transportation systems, automobiles and the subway.
Sea level rise is an event which cannot be met symptomatically. In the past, engineers have built dikes and levees to hold back water from civilizations only to prolong the inevitable interaction between water and architecture. Hurricane Katrina is one of many instances that illustrate the dangerous consequences of controlling rather than cooperating with nature.
Architecture has not addressed water and so now it is being forced upon us. New Orleans, Bangladesh and the United Kingdom are only a few examples of the regions being inundated by the forces of water.
The systematic paradigm suggests that water in this context is not a misfortune, rather a means to enhance experience, redefine space and consider the inhabitation of the edge of our land bound world. More than seventy percent of the globe is covered with water yet it remains fundamentally ignored for its resources and remains almost completely barren of human inhabitation.
NYSea Site + Systems_
This is an architectural thesis and in order to avoid complicating issues, such as the political aftermath of a disaster, this project will propose its own hypothetical scenario in which sea levels have risen twenty three feet. The map illustrates, in dark blue, the areas which would be submerged by the waters. This level of coverage does not completely debilitate the city but does cut off its most important transportation systems, automobiles and the subway.
At the edge of the partially drowned megalopolis there exists a shell of a building in the northwest corner of the West Village. The remains of industry long since gone but not yet reclaimed by developers. Through the shell the highline erodes a massive void which now pumps life back into the structure. The highline was informally reinstated by the risen water level. The train no longer runs, but activity is forced onto its raised level, the familiar, somewhat solid ground connecting to higher, dryer parts of the Manhattan in the north. What once was the only empty building in the neighborhood now is now reanimated.
High fashion boutiques and night clubs are now flooded; only the higher residential levels remain inhabited. Fire exits turned into main entrances bring a mischievous experience to even mundane places. Roof tops are now a landscape, as separate as they might be, connecting people. The roof which used to be the most private space in the city now has become the most public, event formed transformation.
The bay, once far from mind, now seems such a viable option for conversation and relaxation. Soon those who stayed realized that a sail boat is a far more versatile tool than a car, it is a mobile place not simply a vehicle. Water familiarized interaction with the forgotten layers of the city and extended the borders of interaction well into the bay. Most of all the speed of the city was altered, and the journey became as significant as the destination.
High fashion boutiques and night clubs are now flooded; only the higher residential levels remain inhabited. Fire exits turned into main entrances bring a mischievous experience to even mundane places. Roof tops are now a landscape, as separate as they might be, connecting people. The roof which used to be the most private space in the city now has become the most public, event formed transformation.
The bay, once far from mind, now seems such a viable option for conversation and relaxation. Soon those who stayed realized that a sail boat is a far more versatile tool than a car, it is a mobile place not simply a vehicle. Water familiarized interaction with the forgotten layers of the city and extended the borders of interaction well into the bay. Most of all the speed of the city was altered, and the journey became as significant as the destination.
[The shell in these images is the black square structure superimposed over the highline railway. It lies on 14th street a main east-west corridor. The historic Chelsea district lies to the north and the bay was once to the west. The shell is on the right in the bottom images]
Paradigms of Thought
Industrial Establishment vs. Post-Industrial Establishment
Planning:
Anthropocentric cosmology / Biocentric cosmology
Linear Production / Cyclical Flows
Short Term Plan / Long Term Plan
Incremental Shifts / Continuous Change
Practice:
Product and Tradition Oriented / Process and discipline oriented
Local effects of action / Global effects of interaction
Mechanistic relationships / Systemic relationships
Heuristic procedures / Cybernetic integration
Design:
Hierarchical and linear / Holistic and non-linear
Embrace deterministic simplicity / Embrace teleological complexity
Anticipate the inevitable future / Design for future scenarios
Manual and automatic control / Intelligent Automation
Transient static solutions / Robust dynamic solutions
Leonard Bachman outlines these concepts as a part of his essay entitled, "Post Industrial Architecture, Dynamic Complexity, and the Emerging Principles of Strategic Design"
These concepts give a framework by which a systematic intervention can be created and evaluated.
Planning:
Anthropocentric cosmology / Biocentric cosmology
Linear Production / Cyclical Flows
Short Term Plan / Long Term Plan
Incremental Shifts / Continuous Change
Practice:
Product and Tradition Oriented / Process and discipline oriented
Local effects of action / Global effects of interaction
Mechanistic relationships / Systemic relationships
Heuristic procedures / Cybernetic integration
Design:
Hierarchical and linear / Holistic and non-linear
Embrace deterministic simplicity / Embrace teleological complexity
Anticipate the inevitable future / Design for future scenarios
Manual and automatic control / Intelligent Automation
Transient static solutions / Robust dynamic solutions
Leonard Bachman outlines these concepts as a part of his essay entitled, "Post Industrial Architecture, Dynamic Complexity, and the Emerging Principles of Strategic Design"
These concepts give a framework by which a systematic intervention can be created and evaluated.
12.05.2007
Integrated: Fallingwater
Fallingwater has a structural system based on the logic found in the surrounding rock walls, their erosion and inhabitation, to create space. The masonry core supports the cantilevered reinforced concrete trays which extend the user into the outdoors. The connection between the stone core and outdoor extensions is where the interior spaces form and the stone is sculpted and supplemented by a system of built-in wooden amenities to integrate function and movement. The trays relationships to each other creates interaction within the architecture itself while also removing the user from the architecture allowing them to engage with nature from the perspective of a squirrel amongst the trees.
Fallingwater's reaction to the landscape creates dynamic relationships between form and space, which can be engaged by the user. The creek which runs beneath the home is accessed by a suspended stairway which respectfully skims the water allowing one to sit and dip their feet in the cool water. The space beneath the home which used to be the only active layer on the site now acts as an integrated layer of the function and space of the architecture. In the main room the rock which forms the foundation of the building (and the rock which the Kaufman's used to picnic on) protrudes through the floor becoming the hearth for the fireplace, which in Wright's philosophy was the heart of the home. Unlike Corbusier's Domino House, even KTA's Loblolly house which can be represented and understood in blank white space, Fallingwater could never be imagined without its context, it would not be complete. Fallingwater is an integrated feature of its environment and the environment is an integrated part of the architecture and its experience.
11.27.2007
Presentation Working Outline
Theory
Thesis Statement
Definitions
Analytical vs. Systematic
_Isolated vs. Integrated
_Hyrdogen + Chlorine- Hydrochloric Acid- Acid Effect
Architecture
Towards a New Architecture _ Corbusier -
_Greek Temple- Automobile- Maison Domino
Refabricating Architecture _ KTA
_House Frame- Boeing Assembly- KTA Loblolly House
Systems Integration_
_Loblolly House- Coral- Integrated Network Diagram
Integrated Systems Strategies
_Coral- arch + site integration- Modular system which integrates and creates site
_Motorcycle- user+arch integration- Frame facilitates systems which integrate with user to create experience
_Scuba- user + space integration- Body is framework for integrated spatial experience
Context
Water is transforming the edge of our land based reality and architecture is still isolated, not prepared to integrate.
_images_ dhaka, new orleans, united kingdom
NYC_
Sea Level Rise + Hurricanes forcing themselves on city and culture.
Thesis Statement
Definitions
Analytical vs. Systematic
_Isolated vs. Integrated
_Hyrdogen + Chlorine- Hydrochloric Acid- Acid Effect
Architecture
Towards a New Architecture _ Corbusier -
_Greek Temple- Automobile- Maison Domino
Refabricating Architecture _ KTA
_House Frame- Boeing Assembly- KTA Loblolly House
Systems Integration_
_Loblolly House- Coral- Integrated Network Diagram
Integrated Systems Strategies
_Coral- arch + site integration- Modular system which integrates and creates site
_Motorcycle- user+arch integration- Frame facilitates systems which integrate with user to create experience
_Scuba- user + space integration- Body is framework for integrated spatial experience
Context
Water is transforming the edge of our land based reality and architecture is still isolated, not prepared to integrate.
_images_ dhaka, new orleans, united kingdom
NYC_
Sea Level Rise + Hurricanes forcing themselves on city and culture.
Bedrock allows buildings to stand strong but an architectural system must mediate the water + facilitate function once again.
Affect
“Architecture within this context is not a singular entity nor is it permanent, but can become a cooperative and adaptable part of the systematic world.”
Diagram of systems integration (beginning, growth, full integration)
Systems' Effect
Image: Boat in times square
Image: Scuba diving amongst skyscrapers
11.25.2007
Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise + NYC
Columbia University: Center for Climate Systems Research: Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise + NYC
11.19.2007
NYSea
After about an hour of discussion...
Sites Out_
Great Lakes_ Receding water = more of the same... Land. Hard to approach.
Dhaka + New Orleans_ Unstable land and invading storms, what's more viable stabilizing land or heading to sea? Dhaka-Mangrove system seems promising but there seem to be too many variables for in depth investigation without visiting the site.
UK_ The problem is country wide, making it pertinent but almost too fantastical, a system which reveals itself through erosion could secure the buildings but it cannot and should not attempt to control the shore's recession as this would simply be delaying the inevitable. Maybe i'm cold but i have little compassion for Mrs. Creighton's Tea Shop, sorry AH, i've got a New York State of Mind.
The Site_ New York City_ Deals with inevitable forthcoming of water with an attitude of embrace and adapt rather than flee, truly allowing a system to integrate the rarely explored edge of water and land and allows systems to change the experience of the city through use, space, and perception while still maintaining and revitalizing the culture of New York.
I am provoked by the idea that a half-submerged civilization as enriching instead of destructive, if planned for. Bedrock allows existing buildings to be retrofitted with a new skin which serves as a language for the system. The diverse urban fabric requires multiple derivations of this system where as the Happisburgh, UK site is relatively monotonous.
The scale of the specific investigation is oil-rig sized (200'x 200' roughly), for lack of a better comparison, but will also address the scale of its systematic growth from conception, growth, adapted city and even proposed expansion (the life cycle from polyp to reef). Site access was also a large factor in this decision as photography is important to my process.
To look at: Venice and Thames tide-scapes
11.18.2007
Was I right at first?
John's points_
-I don't know if your architectonic-coral processes are best utilized here, in these such places, to stabilize and control, to meet rising water with rising boundary conditions? Or maybe this is just a slightly updated version of the old Holland/dikes scenario? And, really, these are not problem-solving solutions to the bigger global issues-
-A coral-based construct would be an incisively new approach with somewhat more longterm results.
-the water/notion hasn't yet gelled into a compelling strategy or a specific challenge. I do wonder if you are working just too hard to conceptualize a truly amazing, provocative set of drop-dead intentions...without a firm idea behind it.
in response to john's comment_
this is also the problem that i'm having as i try to apply strategies to these sites i realize that it is only a somewhat more longterm fix, in the end i'm proposing no solution to the root of the problems and i've strayed away from my original ideas about tectonics and making. systems thinking can be applied to the way cities react to a new environment but this involves urban planning, transportation and infrastructure much more so than architecture...
the oilplatform is a way of addressing these changes in a strictly architectural manner as an example or realisation of what architecture can be in a world where water is exerting its presence. At the same time the oilplatform IS the problem, a monument to the greedy selfish escalade driving oil tycoons that caused global warming and made water so unavoidable in the UK, Bangladesh and New Orleans... An architectural system attached to this monument of self-destruction transforms it into, dare i say, a "monument to sustainability." suggesting a direction for architecture which is adaptable and integrated with natural systems rather than opposed to them, and that in conjunction with systematic planning IS a long term fix and not simply a LEED Platinum one.
-I don't know if your architectonic-coral processes are best utilized here, in these such places, to stabilize and control, to meet rising water with rising boundary conditions? Or maybe this is just a slightly updated version of the old Holland/dikes scenario? And, really, these are not problem-solving solutions to the bigger global issues-
-A coral-based construct would be an incisively new approach with somewhat more longterm results.
-the water/notion hasn't yet gelled into a compelling strategy or a specific challenge. I do wonder if you are working just too hard to conceptualize a truly amazing, provocative set of drop-dead intentions...without a firm idea behind it.
in response to john's comment_
this is also the problem that i'm having as i try to apply strategies to these sites i realize that it is only a somewhat more longterm fix, in the end i'm proposing no solution to the root of the problems and i've strayed away from my original ideas about tectonics and making. systems thinking can be applied to the way cities react to a new environment but this involves urban planning, transportation and infrastructure much more so than architecture...
the oilplatform is a way of addressing these changes in a strictly architectural manner as an example or realisation of what architecture can be in a world where water is exerting its presence. At the same time the oilplatform IS the problem, a monument to the greedy selfish escalade driving oil tycoons that caused global warming and made water so unavoidable in the UK, Bangladesh and New Orleans... An architectural system attached to this monument of self-destruction transforms it into, dare i say, a "monument to sustainability." suggesting a direction for architecture which is adaptable and integrated with natural systems rather than opposed to them, and that in conjunction with systematic planning IS a long term fix and not simply a LEED Platinum one.
11.17.2007
Maps
Dhaka, Bangladesh (expansion and flood structures):
1 compiled by Nathan Scrivo
2 "UK geology" <http://www.coastalguide.org/england/figure2.gif>
Mississippi Delta (structure for expansion):
1<http://earthasart.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/miss_hires.jpg>
1<http://earthasart.gsfc.nasa.gov/images/miss_hires.jpg>
New York City (Transportation Structure):
Port Severn to Parry Sound, Lake Huron, Canada:
1 "map 2202 port severn to parry sound" <http://dowsar.com/georgian.htm>
11.16.2007
Beginning Process
Get maps of regions at different scales and outline areas of conflict to narrow field to possible site scales for intervention.
After finding areas to address, using the ideas from my original thesis statement,
"Breaking down complex devices reveals simple logical systems which work in coordination. Architecture within this context is not a singular entity nor is it permanent, but can become a cooperative and adaptable part of the systematic world."
"When you build a thing, you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must also repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent and more whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature as you make it."-Christopher Alexander A Pattern Language
then dissecting the complex device (site + crisis) into managable elements_
Climate_ Weather Cycles, Change in Patterns
Culture_ Social Groups, Specific Social Activities and associated Patterns + Cycles
Context_ Topography, Geology,
Crisis_ Cause, Result, Attempted Control / Diversion Tactic
The forces and limitations of each site + crisis define the systematic intervention
After finding areas to address, using the ideas from my original thesis statement,
"Breaking down complex devices reveals simple logical systems which work in coordination. Architecture within this context is not a singular entity nor is it permanent, but can become a cooperative and adaptable part of the systematic world."
"When you build a thing, you cannot merely build that thing in isolation, but must also repair the world around it, and within it, so that the larger world at that one place becomes more coherent and more whole; and the thing which you make takes its place in the web of nature as you make it."-Christopher Alexander A Pattern Language
then dissecting the complex device (site + crisis) into managable elements_
Climate_ Weather Cycles, Change in Patterns
Culture_ Social Groups, Specific Social Activities and associated Patterns + Cycles
Context_ Topography, Geology,
Crisis_ Cause, Result, Attempted Control / Diversion Tactic
The forces and limitations of each site + crisis define the systematic intervention
11.15.2007
Applying Systems Theory
As with many crises, religious, political and social, the environmental crisis has been cause by our analytical view which isolates us from the world. Analytical processes which ignore the reactions of the components which support them are inevitably undermined by their own existence. This is the advantage of systematic processes, realization of the whole, the balanced network and inter-reliance. Systematic processes and strategies are then applied to the current network of environmental crises relating to the increasing impact of water on cultures around the globe. Using these places and events as a framework gives a basis for the application and evaluation of the systematic interventions. The following is a list of regions and cities affected by ongoing wars with water and how a systematic architecture might react to or mediate the situation.
11.13.2007
Eroding Boundaries
In the United Kingdom, “about 1,062,000 flats and houses, 82,000 businesses, 2.5 million people and 2m acres of agricultural land, worth about £120bn in all,”[i] are at risk from flooding and erosion brought on by global sea level rise. Some of them will be saved, and some will simply drop to the sea." The wave actions of increasingly violent seas have washed away and over natural barriers which hold off erosion.
A systematic approach to this situation provides structure for existing elements while also allowing for the coastline to recede at a more controlled rate. This controlled rate provides more planning to occur which will move people away from unstable conditions. It is important that the architectural system not try to entirely control the natural system but somehow use its energy to provide a service other than erosion, rather than simply putting up a sea-wall, why not implement a power generator run off the wave action which redirects the force of the surge, or extensions of the land which act as levees in the desert. The mass erosion spans an entire country’s edge and so the apparent simplicity of the conflict is both what makes it solvable yet difficult, beautiful yet tragic. Examples or ideas for diverting of oceanic force might be found in Venice, Belgium and the Netherlands. The second picture suggests that erosion isn't the only problem if sea rise continues and so the intervention must consider its position in a long term phased interaction with the sea.
[i] <http://pruned.blogspot.com/2006/10/climate-ghettos.html>
1 http://pruned.blogspot.com/2006/10/climate-ghettos.html
2 http://pruned.blogspot.com/2007/09/retreating-village.html
A systematic approach to this situation provides structure for existing elements while also allowing for the coastline to recede at a more controlled rate. This controlled rate provides more planning to occur which will move people away from unstable conditions. It is important that the architectural system not try to entirely control the natural system but somehow use its energy to provide a service other than erosion, rather than simply putting up a sea-wall, why not implement a power generator run off the wave action which redirects the force of the surge, or extensions of the land which act as levees in the desert. The mass erosion spans an entire country’s edge and so the apparent simplicity of the conflict is both what makes it solvable yet difficult, beautiful yet tragic. Examples or ideas for diverting of oceanic force might be found in Venice, Belgium and the Netherlands. The second picture suggests that erosion isn't the only problem if sea rise continues and so the intervention must consider its position in a long term phased interaction with the sea.
[i] <http://pruned.blogspot.com/2006/10/climate-ghettos.html>
1 http://pruned.blogspot.com/2006/10/climate-ghettos.html
2 http://pruned.blogspot.com/2007/09/retreating-village.html
Washed Dirty
Dhaka is threatened from the interior by its own massive expansion and pollution and also by the increased levels of water rushing towards the city from the rapidly melting Himalayas. The wetlands which normally slow the passage of water to the Buriganga River have been plugged with multi-story living complexes and so when the rains of the monsoon season come they flood the city and mix with the sewage creating a cesspool of infectious disease.
First the city must deal with the infrastructural problems by moving them above the unstable soil. Next a housing system can be inserted which does not inhibit the water from saturating into the soil, which includes removing and reusing the materials from existing buildings which plug the wetlands.
Purposeful separation of the confused landscape into layers allows the over populated city to de-densify. For instance elevated landscapes can allow children to play out of the water during the monsoon season while also add layers to the urban fabric, insulating Dhaka.
http://www.sos-arsenic.net/english/development/waterlogging.html
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/southasia.floods/index.html
First the city must deal with the infrastructural problems by moving them above the unstable soil. Next a housing system can be inserted which does not inhibit the water from saturating into the soil, which includes removing and reusing the materials from existing buildings which plug the wetlands.
Purposeful separation of the confused landscape into layers allows the over populated city to de-densify. For instance elevated landscapes can allow children to play out of the water during the monsoon season while also add layers to the urban fabric, insulating Dhaka.
http://www.sos-arsenic.net/english/development/waterlogging.html
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/asiapcf/07/29/southasia.floods/index.html
11.12.2007
No Balance
Concluding that the system is not program driven but program accommodating the next thing to do is explore multiple sites and begin to integrate an architecture to develop the systems theory, then see which systems become more or less successful, maybe even all stay and get developed to different levels as examples of how the architecture is truly a 'system' (maybe i'm just crazy). Also water is the present theme through all the examples right now, each deals with and has different problems concerning the water and so the system must adapt to these different conditions. I feel these sites are very strong independently and as a group, for individual systems process as well as critique + dialogue about system adaptation to context, climate, culture and crisis.
Oilrigs engage the Louisiana Coast_
The first problem is climate change increasing the number of violent hurricanes in a fragile sub-seas level area such as New Orleans. Only a few years ago the city fell into a near apocalyptic state following these events and now the question is what becomes of this place? It is unwise to rebuild the city without considering that the situation could easily happen again and yet there is a culture and way of life which was destroyed by one hurricane that must be revitalized.
The second problem is a perfect example of wasteful tendency related to “permanent” buildings which do not adapt, a set of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure abandoned by oil companies after the resource veins have been pumped dry. Instead of costly deconstruction the towers, some as tall as nineteen hundred feet, are blown up, killing as many as fifty thousand fish in the process. This infrastructure or literal framework provides the opportunity to diversify the ocean ecosystem while introducing human activities pushed off-shore by hurricanes. The boost in fish population could create the necessary push to jumpstart the still floundering Gulf coast fishing industry.
The transformation from industrial skeleton to a skyscraper scaled framework gives the chance for architecture to re-define the city through spatial and aqueous experience while maintaining common scale. While the singular platform is at the scale of a modern skyscraper there exists more than four thousand platforms in the northern gulf which will one day become unused. Connection to the city and the entire coastline will be defined by the type of activities which occurred nearby their adjacent coast. The structure can become programmatically mixed for social and economic diversity with above water, generally two hundred to three hundred vertical feet of structure, cultural insertions intended to maintain the vibrancy of the culture. The lights from the activities will shine over the sea to commemorate a city still alive. The submerged skyscraper becomes less a symbol of a corporation and more of innovation and cooperation. Rather than isolating itself from natural systems with levees and walls the culture engages the ocean as a necessary and dynamic part of life.
NYC Underwater_
The “What if NYC” architectural competition (http://www.nyc.gov/html/whatifnyc/home.html) provides a realistic setting to understand what the reality of New York could become. If hit by a category three hurricane New York becomes submerged by twenty-three feet of ocean water, subways are flooded and streets are closed. The competition suggests a rebuild scenario involving emergency housing but is this really the appropriate action? Maybe for a fast recovery but New York offers the chance to explore a large scale system which transforms existing structures and adapts them to the new reality.
The oceans will inevitably rise and the city must shift skyward, or into the sea, certainly this includes retrofitting the structure of the existing buildings to survive in the ocean, adding to them a new resilient skin, a metamorphic adaptation of the city. Important to life of New York is adapting the transportation system to become aqueous and reinstituting public space taken by water.
Oilrigs engage the Louisiana Coast_
The first problem is climate change increasing the number of violent hurricanes in a fragile sub-seas level area such as New Orleans. Only a few years ago the city fell into a near apocalyptic state following these events and now the question is what becomes of this place? It is unwise to rebuild the city without considering that the situation could easily happen again and yet there is a culture and way of life which was destroyed by one hurricane that must be revitalized.
The second problem is a perfect example of wasteful tendency related to “permanent” buildings which do not adapt, a set of billions of dollars worth of infrastructure abandoned by oil companies after the resource veins have been pumped dry. Instead of costly deconstruction the towers, some as tall as nineteen hundred feet, are blown up, killing as many as fifty thousand fish in the process. This infrastructure or literal framework provides the opportunity to diversify the ocean ecosystem while introducing human activities pushed off-shore by hurricanes. The boost in fish population could create the necessary push to jumpstart the still floundering Gulf coast fishing industry.
The transformation from industrial skeleton to a skyscraper scaled framework gives the chance for architecture to re-define the city through spatial and aqueous experience while maintaining common scale. While the singular platform is at the scale of a modern skyscraper there exists more than four thousand platforms in the northern gulf which will one day become unused. Connection to the city and the entire coastline will be defined by the type of activities which occurred nearby their adjacent coast. The structure can become programmatically mixed for social and economic diversity with above water, generally two hundred to three hundred vertical feet of structure, cultural insertions intended to maintain the vibrancy of the culture. The lights from the activities will shine over the sea to commemorate a city still alive. The submerged skyscraper becomes less a symbol of a corporation and more of innovation and cooperation. Rather than isolating itself from natural systems with levees and walls the culture engages the ocean as a necessary and dynamic part of life.
NYC Underwater_
The “What if NYC” architectural competition (http://www.nyc.gov/html/whatifnyc/home.html) provides a realistic setting to understand what the reality of New York could become. If hit by a category three hurricane New York becomes submerged by twenty-three feet of ocean water, subways are flooded and streets are closed. The competition suggests a rebuild scenario involving emergency housing but is this really the appropriate action? Maybe for a fast recovery but New York offers the chance to explore a large scale system which transforms existing structures and adapts them to the new reality.
The oceans will inevitably rise and the city must shift skyward, or into the sea, certainly this includes retrofitting the structure of the existing buildings to survive in the ocean, adding to them a new resilient skin, a metamorphic adaptation of the city. Important to life of New York is adapting the transportation system to become aqueous and reinstituting public space taken by water.
Great Lakes Archipelago_
A Network of the 10,000 Islands region of Georgian Bay, Canada is just one specific region affected by the gradual draining of the great lakes. Residents watch the water slide away each summer dropping as much as a foot, some years returning only to drop further away the next year. The altered hydroscape changes the navigation in the channels for even the smallest watercraft and limits the capacity of cargo carrying vessels. The monolithic rock and windblown treescape seems unspoiled by human development but the water is a reminder of its connection with humanity. The concerned social and economic realm needs an adaptable living system which can address the change in water level rather than building and rebuilding docks and channels every year and also allow respect the regions conservative values.
1 "Baldpate Platform"http://www.offshore-technology.com/projects/baldpate/images/pate8.jpg>
2 "Katrina" http://paulbuckley14059.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/uscg_new_orleans_under_water200508291.jpg>
3 "New York Underwater"http://www.bravenewtraveler.com/images/entries/new-york-underwater.jpg>
4 "Georgian Bay"www.eu2006.fi/.../default/archipelago.jpg>
5 "Yankanuck Sunset" Nathan Scrivo
11.08.2007
Finding an Argument
This is for Kate and Sneha, still preliminary, further research will likely change these points.
Using Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture in relation to the historical context and shift which it brought about and comparing that to the shift which is occurring now towards a systematic architecture, somewhat defined by Refabricating Architecture but not thoroughly enough. Case studies begin to define a way of thinking about systems architecturally and present systematic techniques / strategies for design.
Towards a New Architecture (tana):
Reaction to Industrial Technology + Mass Production
Refabricating Architecture (rfa):
Reaction to Industrial Complexity + Craft
Systems Integration (si):
Reaction to Systems Thinking + Adaptation
Technology and Architecture
tana_ The Aesthetics of the Engineer
rfa_ The Aesthetics of the Process Engineer
si_ The Aesthetics of Performance
Construction Logic
tana_ Regulating Lines + Maisson Dominoe System
Spatial Experience
tana_ The Illusions of Plan
rfa_ Not about space "Increased Complexity"
si_ Dynamic Space
Site Specificity
tana_ Universal Language and Materials not based on site
rfa_ Module and Language based on efficiency but not related to site
si_ Language, Construction and Materials based on systems study which adapt to site conditions.
Adaptation
tana_ Non Adaptable
rfa_ Assembly process allows for disassembly and replacement
si_ Networks are based on adaptable systems
Using Le Corbusier’s Towards a New Architecture in relation to the historical context and shift which it brought about and comparing that to the shift which is occurring now towards a systematic architecture, somewhat defined by Refabricating Architecture but not thoroughly enough. Case studies begin to define a way of thinking about systems architecturally and present systematic techniques / strategies for design.
Towards a New Architecture (tana):
Reaction to Industrial Technology + Mass Production
Refabricating Architecture (rfa):
Reaction to Industrial Complexity + Craft
Systems Integration (si):
Reaction to Systems Thinking + Adaptation
Technology and Architecture
tana_ The Aesthetics of the Engineer
rfa_ The Aesthetics of the Process Engineer
si_ The Aesthetics of Performance
Construction Logic
tana_ Regulating Lines + Maisson Dominoe System
rfa_ "Quilting" a 2-dimensional logic
si_ Systematic Logic
Defining Language
tana_ Mass, Surface, Plan
rfa_ Grand Block, Joint, Whole
si_ System, Integration, Network
Defining Language
tana_ Mass, Surface, Plan
rfa_ Grand Block, Joint, Whole
si_ System, Integration, Network
Spatial Experience
tana_ The Illusions of Plan
rfa_ Not about space "Increased Complexity"
si_ Dynamic Space
Site Specificity
tana_ Universal Language and Materials not based on site
rfa_ Module and Language based on efficiency but not related to site
si_ Language, Construction and Materials based on systems study which adapt to site conditions.
Adaptation
tana_ Non Adaptable
rfa_ Assembly process allows for disassembly and replacement
si_ Networks are based on adaptable systems
11.07.2007
Inhabiting Hydrospace: Scuba + Gravity
"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free, buoyed by water, he can fly in any direction-up, down, sideways-by merely flipping his hand. Under water, man becomes an archangel." _Jacques-Yves Cousteau
The Buoyancy Control Vest is used in conjunction with the scuba system to act as an air bladder and support the scuba system on the body. This vest mimics the function of the air bladder organ found in fish which allows them to remain neutrally buoyant at different depths.
The network is weightless when it becomes neutrally buoyant, unhindered by gravity, orientation is lost, up is the same as down and space is truly experienced, close your eyes and cease to exist, the diver becomes the 'archangel.'
Generally this is the type of network which is operating best when it is unnoticed and the human experientially becomes the fish with gills. The system is integrated to the point of parasitism, so much that life itself depends on the functionality of the network.
The Architecture_
_User Framework: Matter, energy and information transfer structured entirely around the form and order of the user, a dynamic framework.
_Dynamic Space: Altered perception of space by changing basic premises which are taken for granted.
The Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (scuba) is specifically designed to allow humans to explore and experience the underwater environment as Cousteau has described it. The system in this case is a life-support system which attaches directly to the diver and allows compressed air to be breathed at one atmosphere of pressure even at extreme depths of more than five hundred feet. The purely mechanical system uses springs and valves to regulate air flow to the diver on demand. Simply breathing and lowering the pressure in the mouthpiece opens one way valves releasing air into the lungs. Exhaling closes the same valves and carbon dioxide is exhaled into the water. The body holds the energy which activates the system and gives order to the arrangment of the entire network.
The Buoyancy Control Vest is used in conjunction with the scuba system to act as an air bladder and support the scuba system on the body. This vest mimics the function of the air bladder organ found in fish which allows them to remain neutrally buoyant at different depths.
The network is weightless when it becomes neutrally buoyant, unhindered by gravity, orientation is lost, up is the same as down and space is truly experienced, close your eyes and cease to exist, the diver becomes the 'archangel.'
Generally this is the type of network which is operating best when it is unnoticed and the human experientially becomes the fish with gills. The system is integrated to the point of parasitism, so much that life itself depends on the functionality of the network.
The Architecture_
_User Framework: Matter, energy and information transfer structured entirely around the form and order of the user, a dynamic framework.
_Dynamic Space: Altered perception of space by changing basic premises which are taken for granted.
Functional Networks: Ducati 1098 Superbike
The systems of a the Ducati 1098 Superbike, and most performance motorcycles, are arranged in accordance to the human scale and without the rider the motorcycle is an incomplete and nonfunctional network. The structural frame facilitates systems which mediate the five dynamic factors, positive acceleration, negative acceleration, lateral acceleration, the human body and aerodynamics.
Positive acceleration utilizes the engine, intake, exhaust and fuel systems. The exhaust and intake systems are aerodynamically tailored to provide the path of least resistance, allowing the engine to become more efficient. The engine itself is designed to control combustion energy and transfer it into rotational energy to propel the network.
Negative acceleration requires the engine in a reverse role for engine braking and the wheel braking system which is designed to put vast amounts of anti-rotational friction on a system directly linked to the wheels and tires. A system of holes in the brake rotors allows the system to ventilate itself to prevent wasted heat energy.
Lateral acceleration is controlled as much by rider weight transfer as by the handle bars which allow the bike to lean into turns. Throttle and braking also play an active roll in the suspension stability while turning. Motorcycles are at equilibrium while standing centered and so the rider must upset this equilibrium. The suspension moderates the upset chassis and keep the wheels in contact with the road. The suspension is designed react to the forces presented by the road as well as apply the forces of rider input towards the road while providing feedback to inform the rider.
[i]
Aerodynamics is important to the stability of the network which is capable of speeds near 200 miles per hour. The outer sheathing of the motorcycle is shaped by the aerodynamics studies of the human body in conjunction with the machine as well as the functional breathing requirements of the engine. Apertures in the skin coordinate with intake and cooling systems. Every material is scrutinized and each system is whittled to an optimum state to achieve peak performance. The complete network, including the rider, performs at a level beyond the sum of each aforementioned system.
The systems of input from the rider are based on visual information as well as critical evaluation of feedback from the systems which affect the rider’s senses, primarily audible and vibrational. Feedback is vital to the performance of the machine because it acts as the nervous system in the body, acting as a mediator and interpreter for the road. The advanced rider is so much a part of the experience of the road that knee pucks are worn to allow the rider to slide his knee on the ground through turns in an effort to lower his center of gravity. In this way the motorcycle is acting as an artificial appendage which extends the capabilities of the human. When man integrates himself this fully with a machine the experience is out of body or more appropriately super-bodied, enhanced and enlivened.
The Architecture_
_Form follows Force_ dynamic forces have direct relation to the form and consequently the intended reaction of the system to that force.
_User Integration_ the user is the motorcycle and the motorcycle is the user. When separated neither system operates to the ability of the combined network. Super-bodied experience can be achieved.
_Framework_ a single spine facilitates the connection and orders the interaction of all the other systems in accordance to their performative duty and forces which inform them.
[i] “ducati 1098 bare,”
[ii] "Casey Stoner integrated" <http://www.gameguru.in/images/moto-gp-1.jpg>
Positive acceleration utilizes the engine, intake, exhaust and fuel systems. The exhaust and intake systems are aerodynamically tailored to provide the path of least resistance, allowing the engine to become more efficient. The engine itself is designed to control combustion energy and transfer it into rotational energy to propel the network.
Negative acceleration requires the engine in a reverse role for engine braking and the wheel braking system which is designed to put vast amounts of anti-rotational friction on a system directly linked to the wheels and tires. A system of holes in the brake rotors allows the system to ventilate itself to prevent wasted heat energy.
Lateral acceleration is controlled as much by rider weight transfer as by the handle bars which allow the bike to lean into turns. Throttle and braking also play an active roll in the suspension stability while turning. Motorcycles are at equilibrium while standing centered and so the rider must upset this equilibrium. The suspension moderates the upset chassis and keep the wheels in contact with the road. The suspension is designed react to the forces presented by the road as well as apply the forces of rider input towards the road while providing feedback to inform the rider.
[i]
Aerodynamics is important to the stability of the network which is capable of speeds near 200 miles per hour. The outer sheathing of the motorcycle is shaped by the aerodynamics studies of the human body in conjunction with the machine as well as the functional breathing requirements of the engine. Apertures in the skin coordinate with intake and cooling systems. Every material is scrutinized and each system is whittled to an optimum state to achieve peak performance. The complete network, including the rider, performs at a level beyond the sum of each aforementioned system.
The systems of input from the rider are based on visual information as well as critical evaluation of feedback from the systems which affect the rider’s senses, primarily audible and vibrational. Feedback is vital to the performance of the machine because it acts as the nervous system in the body, acting as a mediator and interpreter for the road. The advanced rider is so much a part of the experience of the road that knee pucks are worn to allow the rider to slide his knee on the ground through turns in an effort to lower his center of gravity. In this way the motorcycle is acting as an artificial appendage which extends the capabilities of the human. When man integrates himself this fully with a machine the experience is out of body or more appropriately super-bodied, enhanced and enlivened.
The Architecture_
_Form follows Force_ dynamic forces have direct relation to the form and consequently the intended reaction of the system to that force.
_User Integration_ the user is the motorcycle and the motorcycle is the user. When separated neither system operates to the ability of the combined network. Super-bodied experience can be achieved.
_Framework_ a single spine facilitates the connection and orders the interaction of all the other systems in accordance to their performative duty and forces which inform them.
[i] “ducati 1098 bare,”
[ii] "Casey Stoner integrated" <http://www.gameguru.in/images/moto-gp-1.jpg>
Biological Systems: Coral
Coral reef ecosystems are the most dense ecosystems, in terms of biomass, on this planet and their survival relies on the connection of coral polyps to their structure. Coral depend on their efficient light structure and strong filaments to attach themselves permanently to their site.
“An essential part of this control is the cellular feed-back mechanisms which direct the accretion of material to places where it is most needed, resulting in adaptive structures. The shape of a tree is the history of the forces which were acting on it while it grew.”[i]
The coral is a keystone element in the reef network but also depends on the organisms which hosts upon it for nutrients and in some cases fertilization, much like flowers. The fleshy polyps gather food or light and secrete their calcium byproduct (ions found in seawater) directly to the skeleton below them as an active growth mechanism. Millions of genetically identical polyps may cover one coral head and so the crenellated patterns which appear are dictated by the health and production of the individual polyps and the dynamicity of the wave action of their environment. Environment also dictates what types of bacteria grow on the coral and subsequently what organisms feed or hide amongst the created reef network.
[ii]
Once a coral dies and only the calcified head remains its crenellated surface becomes a site for the next generation of coral to grasp onto and grow from. Building upon the layers of calcified coral creates a complex living environment which amounts over time to become a haven for even very large organisms. Integration with sea life is extensive as coral systems directly or indirectly support 33% of the ocean's organisms while only actually taking up .02% of the ocean floor. [iii]
The Architecture_
_Form follows Force: dynamic forces have direct impact on the surface / space which they create / alter, both internally and externally.
_Network Strength: reliance on environmental or existing structure as well as inter-coral relationships, order is consequence of forces or interactions levels.
_Module Variety: different species interrelate through similar connection mechanisms allowing for diverse but unified network.
[i] Page 44, Vincent, Julian (essay in Lightness entitled Smart by Nature) [ii] <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Report_on_the_Florida_Reefs%2C_Plate_IV.jpg>
[iii] <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Coral/>
“An essential part of this control is the cellular feed-back mechanisms which direct the accretion of material to places where it is most needed, resulting in adaptive structures. The shape of a tree is the history of the forces which were acting on it while it grew.”[i]
The coral is a keystone element in the reef network but also depends on the organisms which hosts upon it for nutrients and in some cases fertilization, much like flowers. The fleshy polyps gather food or light and secrete their calcium byproduct (ions found in seawater) directly to the skeleton below them as an active growth mechanism. Millions of genetically identical polyps may cover one coral head and so the crenellated patterns which appear are dictated by the health and production of the individual polyps and the dynamicity of the wave action of their environment. Environment also dictates what types of bacteria grow on the coral and subsequently what organisms feed or hide amongst the created reef network.
[ii]
Once a coral dies and only the calcified head remains its crenellated surface becomes a site for the next generation of coral to grasp onto and grow from. Building upon the layers of calcified coral creates a complex living environment which amounts over time to become a haven for even very large organisms. Integration with sea life is extensive as coral systems directly or indirectly support 33% of the ocean's organisms while only actually taking up .02% of the ocean floor. [iii]
The Architecture_
_Form follows Force: dynamic forces have direct impact on the surface / space which they create / alter, both internally and externally.
_Network Strength: reliance on environmental or existing structure as well as inter-coral relationships, order is consequence of forces or interactions levels.
_Module Variety: different species interrelate through similar connection mechanisms allowing for diverse but unified network.
[i] Page 44, Vincent, Julian (essay in Lightness entitled Smart by Nature) [ii] <http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7c/Report_on_the_Florida_Reefs%2C_Plate_IV.jpg>
[iii] <http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/Study/Coral/>
11.06.2007
Towards a New Architecture
i sit now with towards a new architecture in hand, and i realized that this book is the basis for 'refabricating architecture' (the structure of the arguments) which i read and have based my paper and a lot of my thinking on in the past. this gives me a great basis to structure my own examples and thinking to begin the process.
last night really clarified a lot for me, as compared to 2 wks ago when i left feeling lost... i understand that I myself cannot create a paradigm shift but i would like to present the ideas that embody a new way of thinking, designing and making.
it is not about sexy images and trendy sites but i think there is real value in both the metaphor of biological design and the isolation/approachability/change of preconceptions of the ocean.
expansion of the case studies of what to do: the motorcycle, the coral as well as the anti-case studies: Dubai, KieranTimberlake will inform the process next
last night really clarified a lot for me, as compared to 2 wks ago when i left feeling lost... i understand that I myself cannot create a paradigm shift but i would like to present the ideas that embody a new way of thinking, designing and making.
it is not about sexy images and trendy sites but i think there is real value in both the metaphor of biological design and the isolation/approachability/change of preconceptions of the ocean.
expansion of the case studies of what to do: the motorcycle, the coral as well as the anti-case studies: Dubai, KieranTimberlake will inform the process next
11.04.2007
Architecture or Revolution
"Architecture or Revolution.
Revolution can be avoided."
_Le Corbusier
"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free, Buoyed by water, he can fly in any direction-up, down, sideways-by merely flipping his hand. Under water, man becomes an archangel." _Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Architecture with no gravity and no ground plane is similar to the transformation of the Baroque when Piranesi etched spaces with no hierarchy and no narrative explaining the order of the space; rethinking how form is ordered. Water not only transforms the way we move in space but the way we percieve distance and sound. Form in Hydrospace is created by different forces and has no relation to a ground plane or horizon.
Revolution can be avoided."
_Le Corbusier
"From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders. He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free, Buoyed by water, he can fly in any direction-up, down, sideways-by merely flipping his hand. Under water, man becomes an archangel." _Jacques-Yves Cousteau
Architecture with no gravity and no ground plane is similar to the transformation of the Baroque when Piranesi etched spaces with no hierarchy and no narrative explaining the order of the space; rethinking how form is ordered. Water not only transforms the way we move in space but the way we percieve distance and sound. Form in Hydrospace is created by different forces and has no relation to a ground plane or horizon.
11.03.2007
The New Land (What not to do)
Japan, China and the United Arabian Emirates have already resorted to manufacturing land. Tokyo, Nagasaki, Odaiba, Hong Kong and Dubai have each expanded their cities into the ocean because of overgrowth or to expand valuable coastline property near cities. This could be seen as an act of reclaiming the edge which is eroded by the sea, but is this a solution or a diversion? How do we inhabit the new land?
<http://www.hongkongairport.com/eng/index.html>
<http://www.nakheel.com/>
War and Water
In a world where territorial boundaries extend only 12 nautical miles off the coast, and the reach of ballistic missiles is over 1000 miles international waters become a haunting presence. Physical social interaction on the ocean is in fact almost entirely limited to piracy and acts of war, all others simply use radio and pass through to ports. This is a curious juxtaposition coming from a nation where the public uses the ocean to recieve our manufactured goods and take luxury cruises.
Definitions and Questions
System_ a group of devices or objects which address a particular performative task(s) in transferring energy, information and / or matter
Integration_ bringing systems into coordinated interaction
Network_ assemblage of systems working in coordination to an affect greater than the sum of the singular systems
::
How does architecture affect a network of skeletal towers in a liquid landscape?
How can an architectural system integrate into the systems of the ocean?
What is the future expansion of the city, the new land?
What can we learn about form making and fabricating process on land from design in the ocean environment through changing perspective and preconceptions of what architecture is?
Integration_ bringing systems into coordinated interaction
Network_ assemblage of systems working in coordination to an affect greater than the sum of the singular systems
::
How does architecture affect a network of skeletal towers in a liquid landscape?
How can an architectural system integrate into the systems of the ocean?
What is the future expansion of the city, the new land?
What can we learn about form making and fabricating process on land from design in the ocean environment through changing perspective and preconceptions of what architecture is?
10.29.2007
Problems with the First Generation
James Miller and Ian Koblick discuss, in their book Living and Working in the Sea, the reasons for the decline of the first generation of underwater habitats.
Independence_ Heavy reliance on surface crews and support ships made the missions unnecessarily costly. Surface crews generally provide supplies, food, medical care, and decompression while providing for quick removal in case of bad weather. Surface independence was never achieved with the exception of one three day mission in Hydrolab in 1969 during which a fuel cell on the seafloor provided the labs power. [the oil platform allows for surface / underwater support to exist as one entity, power production via ocean systems can be implemented]
Cost Effectiveness_ The scope and intentions of the research was not long term and so the funding was also temporary. After the proposed study of physiology was completed there were no further plans or instruments for the other areas of marine science and so the funding ended or a new more suitable habitat was built to facilitate a new area of research. [tourism as funding for research in conjunction with phased research plan and/or self propulsion (floating platform as opposed to fixed)]
Lack of Mobility_ With the exception of the Bentos 300 there were no self propelled habitats. The problem being that static habitats severely limit the area which can be studied or require costly surface crews to be moved and/or removed. Technology at this time did not permit for submersibles or divers to travel more than 1000 feet from the habitat for the great risk associated with saturation diving. [a case for the airport terminal / airplane, or floating platform which can be moved in long term intervals around the globe with associated submersible]
Comfort_ The underwater habitats of the first generation were better described as survival shelters than a place for living. Just as in the space station humans were a secondary consideration to the life support machine, but how long can one really "live" in a place with little comfort and social interaction. [alternate program such as tourism brings a social realm which makes the place more active, less isolated and consequently more livable]
New Technology_ Most serious researchers considered it unproductive research because of the amount of time spent fixing and treating the mechanical systems problems. Older or disabled scientists who were not physically capable of the stressful activity of saturation diving could not participate in research even though they might be most highly qualified. New technology allows for one-atmosphere habitats (at surface pressure, no saturation or decompression required) which allow any one to live and work in the underwater environment.
Koblick, Miller. Living and Working in the Sea. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., 1984.
Independence_ Heavy reliance on surface crews and support ships made the missions unnecessarily costly. Surface crews generally provide supplies, food, medical care, and decompression while providing for quick removal in case of bad weather. Surface independence was never achieved with the exception of one three day mission in Hydrolab in 1969 during which a fuel cell on the seafloor provided the labs power. [the oil platform allows for surface / underwater support to exist as one entity, power production via ocean systems can be implemented]
Cost Effectiveness_ The scope and intentions of the research was not long term and so the funding was also temporary. After the proposed study of physiology was completed there were no further plans or instruments for the other areas of marine science and so the funding ended or a new more suitable habitat was built to facilitate a new area of research. [tourism as funding for research in conjunction with phased research plan and/or self propulsion (floating platform as opposed to fixed)]
Lack of Mobility_ With the exception of the Bentos 300 there were no self propelled habitats. The problem being that static habitats severely limit the area which can be studied or require costly surface crews to be moved and/or removed. Technology at this time did not permit for submersibles or divers to travel more than 1000 feet from the habitat for the great risk associated with saturation diving. [a case for the airport terminal / airplane, or floating platform which can be moved in long term intervals around the globe with associated submersible]
Comfort_ The underwater habitats of the first generation were better described as survival shelters than a place for living. Just as in the space station humans were a secondary consideration to the life support machine, but how long can one really "live" in a place with little comfort and social interaction. [alternate program such as tourism brings a social realm which makes the place more active, less isolated and consequently more livable]
New Technology_ Most serious researchers considered it unproductive research because of the amount of time spent fixing and treating the mechanical systems problems. Older or disabled scientists who were not physically capable of the stressful activity of saturation diving could not participate in research even though they might be most highly qualified. New technology allows for one-atmosphere habitats (at surface pressure, no saturation or decompression required) which allow any one to live and work in the underwater environment.
Koblick, Miller. Living and Working in the Sea. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., 1984.
10.25.2007
Attempts to Study the Sea
"Studying the sea from the surface compares to studying a forest from an aircraft hovering above dense clouds. You can lower nets, baskets, hooks, robots, and television cameras, but how much more effective to walk through the forest, to camp for days, weeks, months, to become an integral part of the environment until you begin to understand it as do its other inhabitants." i
Governments and scientific organizations around the world built more than 65 underwater habitats, beginning in the 1960's to study the physiological processes and limits of breathing gases under pressure as well as for research in marine biology.ii
1962_ The first was Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I, II and III (Continental Shelf Station). Though the missions never reached their proposed potential of 900 feet there was successful research conducted on humans ability to live and work in underwater environments at a depth of near 300 feet. These expeditions also did much to publicize oceanographic research and usher in an age of ocean conservation through building public awareness.
1964_ "SeaLab I, II and III were experimental underwater habitats developed by the United States navy to prove the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time. The knowledge gained from the SEALAB expeditions helped advance the science of deep sea diving and rescue, and contributed to the understanding of the psychological and physiological strains humans can endure."iii Interestingly the third SeaLab mission was sabotaged from within and though the Lab was retrieved it was later scrapped.
iv
1966_ The HydroLab project was in part funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Hydrolab could house 4 people. Though it only operated for four years but was thoroughly used conducting about 180 missions; 100 missions in the Bahamas during the early to mid 1970s, and 80 missions in St. Croix. The laboratory was decommissioned in 1985.
v
1969_ Tektite I and II became the first underwater research laboratories dedicated to ecological studies. The constructed by General Electric and funded by NASA.
1986_ Aquarius is the only undersea laboratory still functioning and is the only permanent underwater environment in the world. Located in the Florida Keys at the base of a coral reef in 62 feet of water. Aquarius houses sophisticated lab equipment and computers, enabling scientists to perform research and process samples without leaving the underwater facility.
One researcher writes of his experience in Aquarius:
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature4/fulltext.html
i Koblick, Miller. Living and Working in the Sea. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., 1984. 33.
ii <http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature4/fulltext.html>
iii <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEALAB_%28US_Navy%29>
iv SeaLab III
v HydroLab
Governments and scientific organizations around the world built more than 65 underwater habitats, beginning in the 1960's to study the physiological processes and limits of breathing gases under pressure as well as for research in marine biology.ii
1962_ The first was Jacques Cousteau's Conshelf I, II and III (Continental Shelf Station). Though the missions never reached their proposed potential of 900 feet there was successful research conducted on humans ability to live and work in underwater environments at a depth of near 300 feet. These expeditions also did much to publicize oceanographic research and usher in an age of ocean conservation through building public awareness.
1964_ "SeaLab I, II and III were experimental underwater habitats developed by the United States navy to prove the viability of saturation diving and humans living in isolation for extended periods of time. The knowledge gained from the SEALAB expeditions helped advance the science of deep sea diving and rescue, and contributed to the understanding of the psychological and physiological strains humans can endure."iii Interestingly the third SeaLab mission was sabotaged from within and though the Lab was retrieved it was later scrapped.
iv
1966_ The HydroLab project was in part funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA). Hydrolab could house 4 people. Though it only operated for four years but was thoroughly used conducting about 180 missions; 100 missions in the Bahamas during the early to mid 1970s, and 80 missions in St. Croix. The laboratory was decommissioned in 1985.
v
1969_ Tektite I and II became the first underwater research laboratories dedicated to ecological studies. The constructed by General Electric and funded by NASA.
1986_ Aquarius is the only undersea laboratory still functioning and is the only permanent underwater environment in the world. Located in the Florida Keys at the base of a coral reef in 62 feet of water. Aquarius houses sophisticated lab equipment and computers, enabling scientists to perform research and process samples without leaving the underwater facility.
One researcher writes of his experience in Aquarius:
http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature4/fulltext.html
i Koblick, Miller. Living and Working in the Sea. Van Nostrand Reinhold Company Inc., 1984. 33.
ii <http://magma.nationalgeographic.com/ngm/0309/feature4/fulltext.html>
iii <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SEALAB_%28US_Navy%29>
iv SeaLab III
v HydroLab
10.11.2007
The Disconnection
Systems are the basis for life, transferring information, matter and energy. In order to understand and utilize our world more effectively we must continuously expand our connections to transfer new knowledge and resources. The ocean is largely disconnected yet it covers seventy one percent of the surface of the earth. We have in fact explored more of the surface of the moon than the underwater portion of our own planet.
The ocean primarily transfers food, vehicles and oil. Oil requires built infrastructure which inhabits the ocean in a very telling way, reaching from the surface to the ocean floor with no active systems in between. After the available oil is drawn from the ground the companies seal their drilling ports, remove modular living systems and abandon the structure. The story goes on however; since the oil platform was placed it began to diversify the open water environment simply by providing structure where new biological user groups can exist. Beauty is found in ironic juxtaposition and the opportunity for design lies in developing an enhanced connection between infrastructure and the forgotten middle oceanic zone.
The reef system as an established biological network creates a logic for inhabiting aqueous space. Coral polyps which provide sustenance for the entire ecosystem become the physical building block for the next generation of polyps when they die. In a reef death is a system of growth.
The science of architecture must adapt its materials and methods to be applied to this alien environment. Techniques and processes in the building of submersibles, airplanes and the space stations can directly inform the architectural process. This investigation becomes scientific in terms of materials testing as well as marine biology. Initiating on the Gulf of Mexico, where the most abandoned platforms exist right now, allows a network of information and data to transfer between platforms creating a three dimensional mapping of the Gulf of Mexico rather than a point sample.
The connection is created by a set of simple systems which integrate with the existing systems of the site and at the same time facilitate an enhanced network which could never have occurred without the architecture.
The ocean primarily transfers food, vehicles and oil. Oil requires built infrastructure which inhabits the ocean in a very telling way, reaching from the surface to the ocean floor with no active systems in between. After the available oil is drawn from the ground the companies seal their drilling ports, remove modular living systems and abandon the structure. The story goes on however; since the oil platform was placed it began to diversify the open water environment simply by providing structure where new biological user groups can exist. Beauty is found in ironic juxtaposition and the opportunity for design lies in developing an enhanced connection between infrastructure and the forgotten middle oceanic zone.The reef system as an established biological network creates a logic for inhabiting aqueous space. Coral polyps which provide sustenance for the entire ecosystem become the physical building block for the next generation of polyps when they die. In a reef death is a system of growth.
The science of architecture must adapt its materials and methods to be applied to this alien environment. Techniques and processes in the building of submersibles, airplanes and the space stations can directly inform the architectural process. This investigation becomes scientific in terms of materials testing as well as marine biology. Initiating on the Gulf of Mexico, where the most abandoned platforms exist right now, allows a network of information and data to transfer between platforms creating a three dimensional mapping of the Gulf of Mexico rather than a point sample.
The connection is created by a set of simple systems which integrate with the existing systems of the site and at the same time facilitate an enhanced network which could never have occurred without the architecture.
10.08.2007
Systems Integration
Systems Integration is about viewing the world in terms of functional interrelating systems, which transfer information, energy and matter. This is not forgetting that architecture is also a system within a larger network. Architecture, as an industry, is inhibited by its introspection and as a result its methods and processes of design and fabrication have remained fundamentally unchanged since the industrial revolution.
The manufacturing of complex goods such as those of the aerospace, automobile and shipbuilding industries have streamlined their processes for efficiency. Integrated yet interchangeable assemblies and improved performance are standard on an annual basis. Simple systems create complex interdependent networks to extend the capabilities of the user.
The manufacturing of complex goods such as those of the aerospace, automobile and shipbuilding industries have streamlined their processes for efficiency. Integrated yet interchangeable assemblies and improved performance are standard on an annual basis. Simple systems create complex interdependent networks to extend the capabilities of the user.
While efficiency drives innovation in industry, material optimization has always been essential for survival in nature. Efficiency in biological systems is a result of competition for environmental resources; consequently complex biological systems are adaptive. Food chains are dependent on balanced energy transfer to allow a diverse ecosystem to function.
Breaking down complex devices reveals simple logical systems which work in coordination. Architecture within this context is not a singular entity nor is it permanent, but can become a cooperative and adaptable part of the systematic world.
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