Student
Innovation & Collaboration LAB (SIC-LAB)
Issue
Buildings today
are still built in a post-modernist state of mind, based on ideas fueled by
cheap and endless supply of fossil fuels. They are unable to deal with adaptive
pressures from unexpected circumstances and changes to the economy and local
ecology. The travesty is that the produced architecture is designed
specifically to work through a production line which degrades the quality of
the output.
Student Innovation & Collaboration LAB
Ryerson
University contains various MakerSpaces, HackerSpaces, Fabrication labs and
TechShops. The essence for these spaces is to be as collaborative as possible
and bring together various departments within the school to produce new
technology. The issue is that these spaces are typically hidden away within
multiple buildings within the campus thus the essence of collaboration is non-existent.
Much like the requirement for a central library for the campus, the proposal
brings together all the innovation spaces and produces a single collaborative environment.
The architecture will be an example of how biological procedures can be applied
to a building to support the collaborative spirit of the building.
The site is
located on the intersection of Gould and Yonge. This will play an important
role as it becomes part of the gateway into the main campus.
Bio-Logic
Architecture
“A building functions like an organism therefore it
could be organised to comply with similar laws to
those that regulate living systems.”
- Marcos Cruz on Le Corbusier
Architecture
can benefit from being thought of as living organisms whose functions and
behaviors are determined by the relationship between the parts within a whole.
The process of adding a bio-logic to both the makeup of the internal program
and the membrane to deal with energy transfers and maintaining the internal quality
resonates with the resilience and self sustenance that is abundantly evident in
natural systems.
Strategy #1: Architecture that is resilient allowing for flexibility and change through time
Resilience is prevalent in nature as natural systems are better able to adapt and accommodate unforeseen changes within and by externalities.
Tactic #1: Geometry
of resilience – Physical adjacency promotes interaction and self organization. The
architecture will be designed to consider the adjacent site conditions and
the internal organization will unfold in sequential sizes.
Tactic #2: Economy
of differentiation – differentiation creates diversity which allows for more
efficient adaptation to varying conditions. The architecture will produce
adaptable spaces that cater to different users and differing programmatic requirements.
Tactic #3:
Agile approach to design – The architecture will provide spaces that create the
conditions in which behaviour is most likely to be generated in, as opposed to
specifying the behaviour that is desired. The architecture will allow for
collaboration by creating networked spaces and tactile surfaces that are conducive
to the generation of ideas and solutions.
Strategy #2: Architecture that delights through continuity
Natural systems flow from one state to another in fluid motion as opposed to binary steps that is common with digital networks. The senses register delight in formed relationships between objects which become elements that exist in a continuum.
Tactic #1: Sensuousness
of continuum – The parts of the whole have to be in gradual states of
continuity, they need to have middles but they should not end as the sensuousness
is generated by the highlighting of the middle and the vectoring of the ends. The
architecture will produce elements that flow so there is no points, but
continuous lines. (Idea of folds as opposed to corners)
Tactic #2: Architecture
of weaving – To enable natural light to further inhabit the interior of the
building, the structure needs to develop rhythm and produce voids creating an
internal, negative building. The architecture will use “figures” where
by the structure ends on the horizontal plane in various forms to avoid a
linear connection.
Strategy #3: Architecture in biological epistasis allowing for optimized transfers of energy
By optimizing systems to work harmoniously, the architecture (bio)mimics nature allowing for flows of energy that functions intuitively and increase the comfort levels through daylighting strategies.
Tactic #1: Regulate
homeostasis – Utilizing the local air conditions for specific use internally to
aid in regulating comfort levels. The architecture will redistribute
external air condition and optimize for use internally.
Tactic #2: Passive
methods of self-sustenance – Using the natural resources available to the building,
utilizing the external sources to generate energy. The architecture will use
natural daylight strategies and incorporate solar panels for energy
generation.
Mehaffy, M. (2013). Toward resilient architectures. Metropolis Blog. Retrieved 02/02, 2014 from http://www.metropolismag.com/Point-of-View/March-2013/Toward-Resilient-Architectures-1-Biology-Lessons/
Spuybroek, L. (2008). The Architecture of Continuity, Essays and
Converstations. Rotterdam: V2_Publishing/NAi Publishers
Be careful about the notions of outlining architecture as so "flexible/adaptable" that you are relying on programming to determine the architecture's success. For example if one were to "design" a room such that it accommodates a diversity of activity with little specificity, how is that any different from designing a box and simply ascribing value based upon any user group? This is not just a note for your specific project, but also must be understood by many of your colleagues who rely on "adaptability/flexibility" objectives to defer any real design work.
ReplyDeleteIt is also dangerous for everyone to try to define their architectural strategies as succinct three or four word clauses. You all must keep in mind that gross oversimplifications opens you up to a great deal of (mis)interpretation so please be mindful of this moving forward. Again, this goes for everyone.
In your specific proposal, it is difficult to define the actual architectural resolution so from a theoretical perspective it is not possible to disagree with what you have outlined. That will come from a response to whatever you produce.