MAO|ARCH670|UMD

Formwork Documentation: The Holes (Part 2)

2008-05-15T18:12:00.004-04:00

The holes for the press plates are drilled in symmetry about the center. Meaning, for the six holes for each grove only three holes need to be alignment on the drill press. Each time a hole is aligned on the drill press, two rows of holes can be obtained on the plates by rotating the formwork.

Recap: for the four rows of holes away from center, the clamps are repositioned, and additional height on the jig is added to accomodate the clamps' new position as not to conflict with the formwork.

The added height for the jig only applies for the outer four rows, which means only two holes on the jig, given the formwork's plate can be rotated given the symmetrical nature of the holes about the long axis.

Structural support is then added to the base of the plates to prevent the now perforated surface from breaking under its own weight. Dense wood for molding is used, and the sectional dimension of the supports are determined by the clearance from the washers and nuts (when the bolts are installed).

Six rows of holes per plate. A lot of carriage bolts are yet to be installed. Given the added bracing for the MDF plates, hopefully the dense wood bars will also support the 228 carriage bolts, 456 washers and 456 nuts (calculated at thirty-eight groves and six holes per grove for each plate). Again, washers and nuts are needed to keep the bolts in an orthogonal position, as the holes themselves do not bear enough depth or thread to maintain the bolts' verticality.

Formwork Documentation: The Holes (Part 1)

2008-05-15T17:31:00.004-04:00

Pilots are required for the bolts. Based on previous investigation, one-inch centering of the holes would be pushing the (pseudo-laminated) MDF boards to a point of breaking. And holes are offset from the very edge to prevent tearing. Finally, six holes per grove are set to be drilled at 1-1/8 inch O.C.

For standardization and alignment of the holes, a base (or jig) is built to both support the plates and ensure a clean hole (by prevent the underside of the plate from "breaking" as the drill bit is pushing through).

Three bars are raised from the jig to set for the plates' groves to improve alignment.

A fence in the back is set to align the press plate when it is moved from grove to grove.

Notice the jig has been slightly built up (by 1/4") to accomodate the new position of the clamps. After drilling the center two rows, the jig had to be re-aligned for the next two rows from the center, and the original position for the clamps can no longer accomodate the elongated reach. Hence, clamps have been moved to the sides of the jig.

First four center rows are drilled. End rows along the edges are yet to come.

Tripod legs are used to support the ends of the plates to prevent over-cantilevering.

Formwork Documentation: Beginning

2008-05-15T16:48:00.006-04:00

The two events from the movie clip have been translated into panels. The intent is for the two panels to face each other and "converge" (or press into each other) and become something like an iron maiden. The dog chase is represented by one plate and the the mob chase is the other.

Click below for past blog posts on
Generating Move Clip and Associated Analyses

The two formworks will compress one panel in between and generate a surface. The deformations in the surface will be determined by the diagrammatic elements of each transition. Bolts of different lengths set in in different combinations will translate the compositional smoothness of the transitions.

Dimensions for plates are determined by means of material availability and means of available transportation. It is true the formwork should be "large" within reasonable parameters.

Surface Generation: Materiality Tests 05

2008-05-15T16:25:00.002-04:00

MATERIAL: Prismatic (Translucent) Ceiling Panel

Above: Textured Surface Facing Down

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Above: Textured Surface Facing Up

Surface Generation: Materiality Tests 04

2008-05-15T16:04:00.002-04:00

MATERIAL: Translucent Frosted Styrene Ceiling Panel

Above: Textured Surface Facing Down

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Above: Textured Surface Facing Up

Surface Generation: Materiality Tests 03

2008-05-15T15:47:00.002-04:00

MATERIAL: Opaque Frosted Styrene Ceiling Panel

Above: Frosted Texture Faces Down

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Above: Frosted Texture Faces Up

Surface Generation: Materiality Tests 02

2008-05-15T15:19:00.002-04:00

MATERIAL: 1x1" Gridded acrylic ceiling fixtures. One face is plain and the other is textured. During heating, material always curls into the textured face, regardless which face is up on the formwork.

Different levels of heating produce different results in deformation.

Surface Generation: Materiality Tests 01

2008-05-15T14:44:00.004-04:00

CONCEPT: The movie sequence is the generator for a surface. The diagrammatic elements for each transition is translated into a formwork.

THE FORMWORK: Carriage bolts are used for their curved ends and their threaded body that allows adjustment of heights. For this exercise, two lengths of carriage bolts are used, 2-1/2" and 3". The MDF is used as a base for its material cheapness. Multiple holes are drilled on two laminated sheets of 1/4" MDF to test the material strength (in reference to the larger model to come). Nuts and washers are added onto the bolts to provide orthogonal stability, given a depth of 1/2" in the MDF is minimal for providing rigidity.

THE MATERIAL: Different plastics/styrene/acrylics are tested for their structural uniqueness under conditions of deformation. Materials can deform different depending on textural treatment and the relative surface positioning in relation to gravity (which side is up and which side is down). Techniques of heating and baking are used to encourage deformation.

Transitions Analysis Diagrams

2008-05-15T14:32:00.006-04:00

There are thirty-eight transitions in the 1m30s clip. Each transition is documented in terms of one frame before and after the event-change.

Although many compositional elements occur in each frame, only the "transitional" elements are diagramed for relevance.

Diagrams shown as slideshow. Each slide presents one transition diagramed with both transitioning frames.

Re-presenting the Sequence Transitions

2008-05-14T13:52:00.004-04:00

I'm preseting the translation of two (metaphorically linked) events that has otherwise been stitched together in the original movie sequence.

Fragmenting the Defragmented

2008-05-06T13:28:00.005-04:00

Here, the metaphorically linked events have been fragmented and reconnected to question the temporal relationship between the two events that were otherwise shuffled together.

Isolating the "Dog" Sequence

Isolating the "Mob" Sequence

Project 02: The Beginning (Overdue Post)

2008-05-03T11:49:00.008-04:00

The move clip is from Snatch. The 1:30 sequence has been selected for its qualities in transitioning between scenes.

There are 38 transitions in the 90 seconds. The analysis of interest are:

a) compositionally, how are the transitions achieved?
b) metaphorically, how does the suggested content effect the quality of the transitions? (compositionally connected vs. compositionally fragmented)

Surfacade?

2008-04-28T21:02:00.004-04:00

"Between Surface and Substance"

Technology can (help) produce surfaces. But is technology also the sole formal generator of the surface?

"Yet in some circles there seems to be a strange inclination to produce art by virtue of some sort of esoteric knowledge. May see fit to recognize art - to be sure, art f the most 'sublime order' - ss something deeply mysterious, something enigmatically transcendental, understandable only by the selected few. Such an attitude of exaggerated self-consciousness - where the artist himself frequently plays the role of an innocent tool in the hands of purveyors of esthetic intricacy and commercial humbug - brings art easily into artificial depths and self-deceptive snobbishness." (re-quoting Saarinen, as quoted by author)

The meaning of the product, or even the philosophical underlay of the product, is what elevates the quality of the thing--maybe.

Without meaning, then perhaps the value of the object is lost. Or is it possible for something to be so powerful that the exact meaning is not relevant?

Or is it perhaps the underlying nature of man to seek meaning in things, or else he can no longer identify with what is around himself.

But back to the subject of surface generation... The Aegis Hyposurface is
product of a process that is only feasible with digital technology. It is generated by a medium that can simultaneously coexist at multiple timezones and many locations, and be generated and produced at the same time and in non-congruent methods. But then, is this project an identifier of technology/process or is it a symbol in its production, where its value is in its meaning and methodologies?

Is it meaningful to have a sketch for an architecture to begin a process, and accept that the form rendered is inherently restricted by existing technology and methods? Or would it be more meaningful to generate a form that is not yet visualized, but its creation is already predetermined by the capacity of technology?

"In All Quarters, Please"

2008-04-28T17:02:00.005-04:00

Ingeborg Rocker. "Versioning: Evolving Architectures - Dissolving Identities. 'Nothing is as Persistent as Change'"

The same change

Consistency in change

Continuously changing

Differentiation

Change == Evolution

Matrix

"No pennies, nickels, dimes, or even half-dollars. I only take quarters."

But, really, the "same change" is but relative to the parameter henceforth set by the privileged. The implication ultimately suggests that a consistent change is but only relative to itself in the context of itself.

Semiotics?

2008-04-28T15:03:00.003-04:00

Umberto Eco's "Travels in Hyperreality"

Two issues are raised. The first is the meaning of super real reproductions and man's reaction (or acceptance) of the falsehood. By implication, the second is the man's need to recall the past, and to survive within an environment that can only be described as nostalgia.

Perhaps the issues are only relevant in conjunction with the hyperreal, or possibly this is a topic of far-reaching implications. Man's attachment to the past is constant. Memories bear man's experience, and in turn his existence. To have meaning in one's existence, one must have his identity (drenched in experience). Experience does not limit itself to just the hyperreal but also the abstract, as long as memories and recognition are stimulated.

What the article focuses on is the idea of an image. Or rather, experiences that are attempted to be reproduced through provocative and super real images of what no longer exists. What then is the relevance of the experience (or meaning) of what is not real?

If all the Big Macs are not the same, then are they all different? Does this translate into that two apples that look the same can never be the same? Then to what extent can any two things ever be abstracted and become the same? The implication here is the notion of abstracting what we see and what we know to an extent of comprehension, so the information can then be logically processed.

Here I will step back to my classical argument that "1 + 1 = 2" cannot be true, especially if no two things can ever be the same. Mathematics is an abstraction of reality, hence to use it to define and predict reality is inherently a flawed approach.

No two Big Macs can be the same, no two apples can be the same, and no two bricks can be the same. Nevertheless, human perception does not allow the high complexity of infinite individualities, and hence human perception must abstract what is otherwise not identical enable to rationalize the relationships between the "two".

(How) To Spot a Version(ing)

2008-04-15T01:37:00.005-04:00

(Sharples Holden Pasquarelli (SHoP). "Introduction." Versioning: Evolutionary Techniques in Architecture - AD Vol. 72.)

I wish to use video game controllers as the example for versioning. For those unfamiliar, here's a quick breakdown of the major concoles that are intended for consumer home use and require an independent projection device (i.e. television) for display:

Atari: 2600, 5200
Nintendo: NES, SNES, N64, Gamecube, Wii
Sega: Genesis, Saturn, Dreamcast
Sony: PS1/PSXPS2, PS3
Microsoft: X-box, X-box 360

If I understand "versioning" correctly, then a videogame controller is a handheld in-put (and sometimes out-put) device that relies on a person's hand-eye coordination to resequence a pre-set of commands to obtain favorable results in a "virtual" envrionment. I argue there is no longer a prototype or archetype for a videogame controller. So far, its basic design intention is to be handheld, and array of additional factor determine its form and use.

1) complexity of games (program): the quantity and types of input devices on the controller.
2) ergonomics (use experience): the comfort of hands (and appropriateness based on the target audience, by age and region).
3) affordability: the value judgement between features and manufacturing cost.
4) target audience: existing difference are between age groups. Nintendo generally produce smaller controllers catering to the younger audience, whereas Microsoft have produced much larger controllers for a more mature audience for each launch.
5) imagibility (form): the aesthetics have differed based on brand, each brand seeking a more contemporary image that suits the label for each console.

Many of the factors are driven by marketing, which can be difficult to holistically model. Nevertheless, the same thing may be said for architecture, if it were to be conceived as a business.

Tied Interdependence of Surface and Space

2008-04-15T00:11:00.004-04:00

(Maria Ponce de Leon and Nader Tehrani. "Connubial Reciprocities of Surface and Space." Versioning: Evolutionary Techniques in Architecture - AD Vol. 72.)

"Folding becomes the [Yokohama Port Terminal's] operative technique, and all the buildng's functions - circulation, mechanical, electrical, structural, programmatic, waterproofing, etc - are somehow absorbed by the logic that this technique provides."

"The building, however, does not come without some inevident complexities and contradictions. For instance, while the ramped/support pier areas are folded and prewelded steel-plate structures, the main hall is spanned by traditional triangulated trusses that are subsequently clad in steel plates that extend the logic of the fold over the entire system. Thus, the building's structure is actually composite and varied in nature, and the envelope is a thetorical artifice that cloaks and binds the sometimes contradictory and differentiated elements into an organic whole." (p. 28)

What is inherently in question here, and throughout--and perhaps eternally--is truth in architecture. Whether the debate is for the rationalist (the part and the whole dictate) or the empirical (prioritty of form), each agenda inevitably results in the neglect of the other.

Ideally, I suspect, it is every architect's intention for each aspect of the product to come together. Nevertheless, rigorous investigation is often not part of an architectural process that is more often than not a business.

Architecture is a metaphor for problem solving and the search for multiplicities. To find any solution to a problem is not good enough. A problem should become opportunity for further investigate and the establishment of new possibilities. This often requires questioning and requestioning of established norms.

"The Future of Space" - Elizabeth Grosz

2008-04-14T15:16:00.003-04:00

"It is not an existing, God-given space, the Cartesian space of numerical division, but an unfolding space, defined, as time is, by the arc of movement and thus a space open to becoming, by which I mean becoming other than it self, other than what it has been[.]" (p. 118)

First, allow me to take apart the above sentence into the (anti-)comparison that it is:

1) God-given; Cartesian; numerical division

2) unfolding; defined by time; arc of movement; open to becoming

Grosz here makes the comparison of a past order and a new order. She establishes the past order as something definite and discrete, and the association of godliness and mathematics begins the comparison with "us and them". Where the "us" is the new and "them" is the past. However, the paradox is in her association of time with the descriptives of "unfolding" and non-linear movement, which then establishes time as a non-discrete phenomenon. Hence the implication is made that what is new and what is past are not moments that precede one another, but they are moments that cannot be readily conceived without an abstract notion of what is not linear and what is potentially constantly self-referential.

Memory is virtual. Memory is orchestrated by instances of stimulation. The validity of memory is but applicable to that specific instance the remembered (or noted) moment in time. And similar to the act of taking notes, what memory chooses to re-establish is an act of selective (re-)presentation. The validity of what is remembered is but what we have imagined to be reality.

It is quite scary to realize that no memory is truthful. Although memory can very much be an unconscious process, it is nevertheless scary to know the selectivity of our process of remembering is but an act of falsification (or even customization).

Project 01 Poster

2008-03-27T21:08:00.005-04:00

This poster serves to reinforce the inter-relationship (and ambiguity) between what is framed and what is sectioned. Although the instances of framing and sectioning may be obvious when first presented with the image, however the viewer may begin to question the elements that compose the frame and the section.

(in traditional architectural graphics, moments of framing and sectioning are often treated simultaneously. any orthographic cut is a section, but nevertheless that cut is often the frame for space or is framed by context.)

Project 01 Presentation Animation

2008-03-26T01:27:00.018-04:00

The end animations for 1b and 1c rose from the concept of lofted sections. However, the body motion sequence (with the white lines) was animated after the conception of the lofted surfaced. The sequence conceptually offered the opportunity of a one-directional model, but the model in turn caused me to question the validity of the original intent, which in turn generated the motion sequence that was intended to support the model renders but instead it now offers a new opportunity for another exploration.

01c | Section by Transparent Overlap

2008-03-08T19:38:00.005-05:00

Use of transparency to evaluate moments of section

01b | Framing Refinement

2008-03-08T19:31:00.003-05:00

Edge as frame and edge as subject along a path

01c | "Sectional" Displacement

2008-03-04T18:53:00.004-05:00

The focus of both lighting and framing are selective to articulate specific aspects of the model.

01b | Selective Framing

2008-03-04T18:50:00.003-05:00

The model transitions between the frame and the framed.

Greg Lynn's "Folds, Bodies & Blobs"

2008-03-03T00:20:00.004-05:00

The following is a response to selective articles from Greg Lynn's Folds, Bobies & Blobs.

"Probable Geometries: The Architecture of Writing in Bodies"
"Blob Tectonics, or why Tectonics is Square and Topology is Groovy"
"Forms of Expression: The Proto-Functional Potential of Diagrams in Architectural Design"

The most power statement here is:

"Until blob organizations develop beyond the proto-type of the shed, they will remain open to such accusations." (p 176)

(The specific accusations are not defined, but it is implied that blobs have not fully developed the potential of simultaneously developing both formal and programmatic aspects of architecture.)

The power of this statement is in its implication of immaturity in the practice of dynamically generated forms, their formal function and their internal use and the relationship thereof. This almost describe the technique as masonry construction, as we have begun with mud bricks but now we must improve upon the construction. And hopefully with the technological potential of today, we can reach "high gothic" in less than millenniums.

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Given the third article, "Forms of Expression", was published in 1998, I presume all projects by Ben Van Burkel was pre-1998 (or at least pre-UNStudio, since the firm was founded in 1998). Before 1998, Ben Van Burkel was affiliated with the firm of Van Berkel & Bos. Nevertheless, the founders of Van Burkel & Bos are also the founders of UNStudio.

"Series" and "pattern" are terms used to describe Van Burkel's conceptual process. The emphasis here is put on Van Burkel's process of design, and not so much the actual artifacts post production.

01b & 01c | Adjusting the Modeling

2008-03-02T01:47:00.004-05:00

"Frame" the outlines of the key frames (of original sequences). Done to test communication between .FMZ and .FAC file types.

01b | Lighting Studies (3-in-1)

2008-03-01T22:12:00.005-05:00

Studies of selective lighting of the model. Three animations are linked together in one movie.

01b | Non-continuous Surface

2008-03-01T20:38:00.005-05:00

Lighting a non-continuous surface. Manipulating the sense of continuity with one light.

Virtual Projection Animation

2008-02-26T18:55:00.003-05:00

Animation Refined. Surfaces are three of five unaffiliated with the position of the left hand.

Framing Animation Test #06

2008-02-26T01:42:00.004-05:00

As it appears I had lost one surface through the process of exporting and importing, along with all the wire frames. Hence, certain "directional" measures have been taken to accommodate these shortcomings.

Projection Model Renders

2008-02-25T23:05:00.004-05:00

This is a combination of the three surfaces that do not involve the left hand, plus the skeletal linework for residual two sets involving the left hand.

RXN to Contemp Techni in Archi

2008-02-25T00:13:00.003-05:00

Contemporary techniques can provide new opportunities in architectural design that can correlate with the endeavors of human progress. Great. Accepted.

Technology can provide these new means of formal expressions based on previously unavailable techniques that are now made accessible by software and hardware. Great. Accepted.

The beef I have with the Ali Rahim article is that the graphics contradict the statements. It is quite spectacular to read and ponder the possibilities of mathematical analyses of social conditions. However, regardless of the utilization of "inverse kinetics" and "vertical and gradiant field forces", the products (graphics in the article) thereof can only be shown in traditional architectural terms of cardinal elevations and obliques/axonometrics.

My frustration here is: if the argument cannot be graphically represented, or in this case when the graphics rebut the conTEXTual statements, then how can I be convinced of the validity of the text without some level of personal sympathy?

If new technology can provide new solutions to the same old agendas, then why now graphically represent these new solutions in a non-traditional standard of architectural representation?

The danger here is... when a presentation cannot be coherently achieved, it brings about great skepticism in the audience. It can almost make me wonder whether the thinker behind the project was in his/her little world unaware of the rest of the world when having sought out the overall cohesiveness of the presented material.

Or, on the contrary, the dillemma of the topic is one that restricts an author's ability to clearly represent concepts that are in "reality" both difficult to visual and impossible to formulate without sufficient technological aid. When it all have to come back to a 2-d medium and ink on paper, the argument itself suffers when taken out of the comfort of a digital environment.

I am being critical with the visual aids that I have been presented with. In an architectural sense, graphics should help to convey the idea of the complexity in the digital process, but not demean the product into an otherwise meaningless but pretty formal experience.

For "Drawings, Buildings and Text"

2008-02-24T19:52:00.003-05:00

The line only exists as an element of representation, whereas in reality the line is but an abstraction of an existing condition.

The line helps us understand things. This is seen in topographic lines, vector fields, or as a condition in framing the parameter/edge of a thing.

A line is very much a conceptual thing that is untangible. Depending on the discipline, a line means something different; or the meaning for a "line" carries a different title in another profession. A line segment in geometry is the most efficient connection between two points, but the samething if represented graphically would be just a "line" in architectural graphics. In many instances, where architecture can be a discipline that is so tactile, the meaning and use of the word "line" can be so convoluted and misrepresented. What is a line, and what are the implications of its definition?

I feel the goal of the article is to make the audience more aware of the potential of a line and question the reader's understanding of what a line really is.

From personal experience, a line as a connector is very much an abstract thing, where its existence solely depends on my understanding of that existing condition. In my personal definition, a line (in drafting) is but a presentation of an edge condition that helps an individual understand the spatial relationship of intersecting planes. In reality, an edge that is represented by a line cannot exist without the surfaces that butt to form the in-between condition. But in graphic representation, lines (in the mind) in fact form the surfaces in a drawing, hence creating a paradigm to reality.

As an abstraction of the untangible, the linear condition of a line helps to convey movement and experience thereof implied. A line is no longer obliged to be a visual straight element, as it is free to curve and bend in space. But another paradox now comes into play as I begin to describe the line as a thing that can be manipulated. A line by definition has no three-dimensionality, however its conception and use is often associated with the forming and representing of formal and spatial conditions.

Historically, the "line" depending on culture and language, carries different and layered meanings that transcend its existence of a representative segment. Alberti's use of the word"linemente" to describe the overall physical realisation of visually similar buildings and the Yoruba culture's use of the line and its use to describe the existence of civilization are both examples for the line's representative powers and its relationship to human understanding.

--the Perspective Hinge

2008-02-23T15:48:00.003-05:00

More precisely, "Architectural Representation and the Perspective Hinge".

The tool for representation mutates into the tool for design? In western history the power of "the perspective" is established through the cultural foundations in religion and philosophy. The power of the one-point perspective is very much a product of man's intellectual urge to understand (through metaphors) what otherwise cannot be (technically) explained.

The never changing and untangible nature of light and its symbolism for divinity have contributed to the man's search for understanding in sight (perspective) and light (optics). The imperfection of man and his ever-changing position in the world have given rise to the significance of a constructed perspective, a non-temporal and privileged view of the world.

This technique, with its roots in the divinity, manifests itself into the representation of urban and architectural spaces. In the periods of Medieval and Renaissance, the representation technique is stil much valued in its social context, rooting in the worship of the divine. However, in contemporary society, the influence of religious symbols on western society (as a whole) is no longer so dominant. And consequently, the associated symbols (and views) once foourished in spatial representation no longer carry the same value in contemporary society. Furthermore, the exclusivity of the ability to construct the perspective has diminished, along with it dies the notion of the unattainable.

What has developed from perspectives are orthographic representations of architectural layers. Given its mutated nature from a diminished technique of exclusivity, the continued use of its projection somehow still survives. Is it still valid for orthographic projections to be dominant among the masses when its predecessor in perspective construction has lost its social value?

How are our views constructed now? How is our understanding of the world and the spaces different now than centuries ago? How can the methods for representing our new understanding spaces be representated?

But, what is often a conflicting state to the avant-garde is often the basic human capacity to understand spaces when without thorough training... The hinge then is no longer about how to go from the representation to the represented, but it is the question of how to coherently convey the represented to the viewer.

Note to Self No.01

2008-02-19T20:20:00.003-05:00

Check out Preston Scott Cohen

Lofted Edges Combined

2008-02-19T18:55:00.003-05:00

When all five sides are combined

Lofting the Edges

2008-02-19T18:48:00.004-05:00

Lofting the edges of the transverse planes. Each corresponding edge of each plane becomes the offset of two points on the body.

Between the Right Hand and the Head (above)

Between the Head and the Left Hand (above)

Between the Left Hand and the Left Foot (above)

Between the Left Foot and the Right Foot (above)

Between the Right Foot and the Right Hand (above)

In Between the Lines

2008-02-19T18:19:00.004-05:00

Left hand position is the control/datum line for the transverse planes.

Comparing the -Sense- of Movement

2008-02-19T15:45:00.006-05:00

If the left hand can be interpreted into a "control line" given its relatively static position, then--maybe--other points of hand, feet and head may also suggest certain qualities of the sequences.

Connection Continued

2008-02-18T01:14:00.004-05:00

If words and referred graphics did not fully describe my intent, here is an animation to push the idea along. The "control line" along the main axis is the connection between the left hand in each key frame for Sequence No.1.

Connecting Two Views

2008-02-17T23:51:00.004-05:00

The left hand is the center of rotation. It is the point from which the entire body revolves. The left hand hence becomes the dominant control points in each key frame. By connecting the position of the left hand in each key frame, which is the same location, a control line is obtained.

Sequence No.1 (above)

Then key frames from the second view serves to be the transverse projections. Each key frame is connected in the order of right hand, head, left hand, left foot and right foot. The points where the left hand occurs will be connected to the respective moment on the control line.

Sequence No.2 (above)

Oops... (Duh!)

2008-02-17T20:58:00.003-05:00

Orthographic projection requires a certain condition... The "diagram" cannot be in perspective. Frame 20 from Sequence No.2 is scaled to "fit" the respective frame from Sequence No.1. But alas, the two perspective views cannot be orthographically projected. Although the head and the left hand can be aligned (by coincidence), the right hand and both feet are not aligned.

At a Different Glance

2008-02-12T19:20:00.001-05:00

If the point of rotation becomes the axis of alignment...

Sequence No.1

Lofting Lines - Pointless?

2008-02-12T18:13:00.003-05:00

Sequence No.1

_______________________

Sequence No.2

Morphosis and the Warped Space

2008-02-11T20:21:00.001-05:00

Diamond Ranch High School

Warped Space and the Death Cube "K"

2008-02-11T19:28:00.001-05:00

In Vidler's introduction, he takes a stance of not judging the morphological forms of modern contemporary architecture, but he prepares himself to describe the reason behind both the form and the "stylistic movement".

"The intersection of spatial thought with psychoanalytical though, of the nature of constrainment and the characteristics of the subject, has been a preoccupation of social and aesthetic discourse since the turn of the century; certain of the avant-garde movement of the 1920s and the 1930s, among them expressionism, explored this intersection in terms of its representation; contemporary experimentation preserves these two terms, while distorting the traditional space of modernism and questioning the equally traditional fiction of the humanist subject. The results in each case, theoretically or in design, have been the production of a kind of warping, which I have called warped space."

The warped space is already a condition beyond convention. From there, Vidler makes two more distinctions of this modern condition. The first describes warped space as a "projection of the [human] subject", which associates with the distortion of figures and spaces as the result of the human psychology. The second describes warped space as a "response to the need to depict space in new and unparallel ways," as done by artists (and architects) finding new media and methods of representation in depicting 2-d and 3-d spatial conditions. The two warpings are together differenced to be "psychological and artistic."

__________________________________

In the reading of Vidler's "Death Cube 'K'" I am mainly concerned about two topics in detail, the treatment of typology in modernity and the conceptual treatments of the wall and floor.

In tradition the perception of types in architecture is a mean to idealize the conditions of an urban environment to be something of an Utopia. By providing a set typology for architecture, buildings then can fall into neat categories that can abstract the fabric of a city to be a rational but idealized environment.

Whereas by artistic license, the avant-garde can break the ideals of types and create new, strange and unfamiliar forms for pre-existing functions. The break away from tradition exemplifies the products of post-modernism.

And Morphosis in their conception of projects transforms the environments of existing, traditional types, into more something more exciting. Whether this is the establishment of new types, as all predecessors should follow, or the upkeep of existing types is unclear. Or perhaps the iconic and morphological nature of the firm's projects on sites of significant natural conditions is a type in itself? (see Diamond Ranch High School on the fault line or the Spreebogen project in Berlin)

The wall and the floor, and the treatment and conception thereof, are both issues of modern architecture (described by Vidler) but also issues of prolonged architectural practice and convention. The floor plan and the section are classical conventions of conveying ideals through orthographic representation. As occupants of buildings, the human experience between the wall and the floor are different. Humans do not treat walls and floors similarly by use alone. But in architectural graphics, the wall and the floor are in fact the same, as they are both elements of thickness and containment. So for the architects who already understand the floor plan and the building section as the same concept, then the argument by Vidler in describing Morphosis' literal treatment of the wall and the floor as the same would be easier to conceive.

Practical concerns aside, the wall and the floor are same elements in architecture. They create and divide space for humans to inhabit. So then it is logical to believe that walls and floors can be treated the same, whether in material, form or complexity.

Drawing Virtual Lines Across Movement

2008-02-10T17:48:00.001-05:00

Body translates into textile by movement?

Sequence No.1 (above)

Sequence No.2 (above)

Blog Layout Test

2008-02-10T15:37:00.002-05:00

Sequence No.1

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Sequence No.2

Two Dimensional Analysis

2008-02-10T15:06:00.001-05:00

Rotational Movement Flattened

Sequence No.1 (above)

Sequence No.2 (above)

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Finding HOT SPOTS: Looking for axis/point of rotation and perceived orthographic moments of overlap

Sequence No.1 Hot Spots (above)

Sequence No.2 Hot Spots (above)

Project 01 Movies

2008-02-05T22:52:00.001-05:00

MOVIE #1: Project 01 - Action Sequence in Context

This is the full movie that combines the movement sequence from two orthogonal views. The action sequence of further investigation is but the 01:20 seconds that describes my wall run rotated about the stool.

MOVIE #2 (below): Project 01 - Action Orthogonal to Wall

MOVIE #3 (even lower): Project 01 - Action Parallel to Wall

This is the action sequence in investigation. The cameras are set orthogonally and parallel to the background wall. The action sequence is synchronized from both views.

For in-depth investigation, the action sequence is exported at 15 fps to be 20 frames.

Greg Lynn's "Animate Form"

2008-02-05T00:08:00.001-05:00

"Without a detailed understanding of their performance as diagrams and organizational techniques it is impossble to begin a discussion of their translation into architectural form." (p. 40-1)

For 31 pages Lynn advocates the use of virtual (not just digital) techniques to generate diagrams. Yet, in the end, the author recognizes the basic necessity to design the spaces within the forms, while offering no solution nor description for the process of architectural translation from the abstract to the tangible.

In a very basic mathematical nutshell, Lynn advocates the use of digital technology given its ability to compute complex vector-based geometries. Quite simply, without the availability of cad software the conversation would otherwise not take place. The understanding of spline geometry (and forms thereof) would not be possible given the inefficient nature of human intelligence to calculate such curves and surfaces.

I agree that the world is in motion and all aspects of the physical world exist in a continuous interrelationship. However, I do not buy that the abstraction of natural movements through architectural translation is necessarily a better solution to the human sensory experience than any tradition "static" architecture. And because the author offers no description for how animated forms can generate interior spaces that also reflect the predetermined exterior, I have little choice but to be skeptical of an animated form's real capacity to produce a quality human experience.

Greg Lynn's "Folds, Bodies & Blobs"

2008-02-04T00:44:00.001-05:00

Designers require rationalization to affirm their designs. And often imagination cannot meet the expectations of rationalization, and vise versa. The capacity to obtain a "standard" (or rational form) is achieved by available means of intelligence (or artificial intelligence).

Standards in antiquity are demonstrated by set proportions and relationships. These standards were attainable through the available means of geometry, visual analyses and technology. If one could understand geometry in antiquity as all encompassing physical science of modern day, visual analyses as a product cultural values, then one can understand that the attributes of antiquity have progressed to maintain their existence in time.

Basic spanning members of wood alleviated the burden--pun intended--of compressive members of stone and brick. Certain spatial and aesthetic choices have been to coincide with certain acceptable standards that have been observed in nature and ratified in science. The golden rectangle and the pristine square occur in elevations in all significant moments of experience. It is easy to form a parallelogram, and it is easy to find a repeating proportion for this abstract shape in nature and establish an appreciation for its coincidence. Having the set standard for a proportion (or having certain formulae for achieving entices) the job of the architect is made easier through a rationalization process has both preccedence and mathematical proof.

I hope where I am leading is beginning to be apparent.

If human intelligence has progressed, then so should have designers' ability to rationalize their design intents. Curves no longer have to oblige by the arc of a circle nor the edge of a tracing tool. Observations no longer have to be made on a two-dimensional plane, as movements and patterns can be traced through time and space. Patterns in fact are no longer a visual experience but they can also be social experiences.

In modern technology how specific forms are generated is irrelevant. The relevance is in the designer's capacity to understand why such patterns exist and any metaphorical potential that they retain.

ARCH670 - Class 01

2008-01-29T20:18:00.001-05:00

Hello world. I now expose myself.