CCA Architecture/ Spring 2009 |
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This studio will focus on hyperfunctional architecture and its transformation under the aegis of embedded technologies (focusing on retrofit to an existing electrical utility) and in response to the assumption that energy production, distribution and consumption are to imminently and radically change, thereby also creating new opportunities for the large urban architectures (such as substations) that currently occupy cities (but that we do not occupy).
Themes of Inquiry Function + Beauty = Utility The class will conduct research and then investigate new definitions of beauty emerging with the hyperfunctionalism of embedded technologies in architecture. Architecture has often returned to utility - often encompassing notions of function and of beauty together - from Vitruvius to Le Corbusier and onwards. A central question our class will ask is how utility might take form today. As a component of the studio, there will be weekly "interaction day" including technical and cultural introductions and guidance to support making experiments, embedded architectural and electronic prototypes. Architecture and Embedded Electronic Media More generally, the course is a chance to look at and project future results of our increasingly networked, sensate, responsive built environment, exploring the concept of the future media city. Projects will tap into and play with the urban landscape's technological infrastructures, asking what are the social and other consequences. What potentials exist for media being integrally embedded within these networks? What new, alternative media experiences can emerge? What parts do architecture, interaction design, and physical prototyping play? Retrofit Retrofitting refers to the addition of new technology or features to older systems (wikipedia). An example of this is car customizing, where older vehicles are fitted with new technologies: power windows, cruise control, remote keyless systems, electric fuel pumps, etc. For our purposes, the retrofit is also an inherently ecological byproduct of new electronic media in architecture, as digital implants enable the new use and transformed life of buildings using far reduced material waste in the process of demolition and construction than might be otherwise generated. Microboundary We observe recent developments such as congestion traffic pricing and the new market for personal implantable chips - as the advent of microboundary: urban and corporeal gateways that could not exist without ubiquitous computing. Still new to general use, the technologies at their heart (like RFID) may already be on the verge of extinction to newer ones. As part of our studio investigations, we will look at ways that electronic media connect the body to architecture today and in the future. To do so, we will conduct research into past and future technologies, and build studies at the scales of both the body and the full-scale building detail.
Semester Schedule The following is a list of landmark dates for class events and deadlines, as well as outside lectures and events that are considered essential to the content of this course. Your attendance is expected to all of these, and content of outside events may be brought into our studio work. These are subject to change, so refer to class website for updates.
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