AI + Architecture

[Image by Stephen Coorlas]

AUTOMATION IN ARCHITECTURE

Jesper Wallgren of Finch 3D is at the forefront of the emerging field of adaptive design. He and his company are scripting architectural parameters into design specific programs that enable architects to quickly jumble design iterations in search of the optimal configuration that best fits their project agenda.

If we extrapolate this concept while applying recent advancements in machine learning there is a potential future that begins to take shape around AI that shifts the art of design from human to robot. Project still further, and it becomes likely that these systems will also be capable of fabricating directly from "digital blueprints" via means of 3D printing, CNC milling and other forms of onsite digital fabrication techniques.

By integrating machine learning into the design process clients will be able to input images of inspiration, enter desired project statistics, or select from a list of applicable architectural/design inputs and immediately receive an infinite amount of iterations to chose from. You will be able to assess and filter the results according to cost, build-time, program adjacencies or any number of additional criteria. The final selection may undergo a final fabrication review to check building code compliance, structural integrity, or other municipal requirements, although these elements will likely already be factored into the prior design process.

Once the design is approved and has undergone final review, onsite fabrication will commence. GPS guided Earth-working machines will precisely excavate foundations and sub-surface areas. Large-format 3D printers will extrude the concrete, clay or other engineered materials that are malleable and structural. Robotic arms will select and place steel members from categorized stock piles for reinforcing, lintels or other structural features.

In early years, interior finish work will be performed by highly specialized robots. But eventually, the components of all individual trades will be incorporated entirely into the digital fabrication process including integral channels for plumbing pipework and electrical conduit and shafts for ducting. With the ability to print in multiple materials, the integral channels can be lined with copper for plumbing or aluminum for electrical (with a conscious effort to reduce plastics in fabrication).

Are there hurdles? Yes. Are there very intelligent and determined people working on solutions for these hurdles. Yes. Evolution is inevitable. That is the natural state of our universe. It can be difficult to assess the progress of any industry while living through it; but tracking the integration of AI and automation in architecture over the past 10 years offers a glimpse into a potential future that should encourage architects and designers to welcome the change. It will help resolve engineering and material waste inefficiencies due to human error. It will help prioritize sustainability while minimizing embodied energy-use and optimizing architectural functionalities.

It is ok to gradually redefine our role as the "Architect".

It is ok to concede that AI can perform the role of an architect more efficiently and effectively than humans.

If human architects truly desire for the Earth to remain habitable, and functional while eliminating consumer waste and pollution, then there should be no reason why AI is not only embraced, but encouraged, supported and further developed. That is one potential path for architects to discover a rejuvenated sense of purpose in the realm of design.

Our purpose can be to ensure that these AI driven systems do not stagnate in replicability, but continue to evolve in pursuit of new ventures; ventures that carry the human species beyond our healed planet and deeper into the universe.

Time Dilation

[Image by Stephen Coorlas]

TIME DILATION

We feel like ‘time’ accelerates as we age; But time is a constant. It is the density of our responsibilities and accountability that warp our perception of time.

We seek and declare milestones, deadlines and events as if to desperately grab the silky tapestry slipping between our fingers. Anything to make a mark, a scratch or a wrinkle in the frictionless, glossy translucent fabric of time.

We attempt to suspend the fluttering frames by temporarily immersing ourselves in alternate realities; social media, video games, and vacations; And yet when we return, the elastic reel of time mercilessly and instantly propels forward to its absolute position.

The stress, the anticipation, the focus and procrastination all congeal to produce a contorted surface that relentlessly drags our precious time into an abyss.

And so, we must unfold. We must become the surface that time travels across. Be present, and design the flow by guiding the hand of time with yours. We control the dilation of time with the gravity of our thoughts and the clarity of our mind. Be in control.

Spaceship

[Image Modified by Synthitect]

SPACESHIP

What happens when our society is so internally influenced that it can no longer reach beyond its own confines to grasp at alternate paths of progression. Humanity's focus on technology has initiated a perpetual feedback loop, with ideas, patterns, genres, and lifestyles that multiply and divide only to become abstract versions of one another; while never truly breaking the plane to find unique position or new status. Perhaps that is the destination of a self-aware species; to blossom outward toward the stars, and eventually collapse on its-self. It's the organic progression of everything in nature. Maybe there is hope for our world to unite and establish collective efforts to save our planet. Maybe world-wide unity is not achievable at the scale we've mindlessly grown to, and our only chance at survival is to learn from nature and send our seed elsewhere.

Both futures must be explored, studied and designed for.

On-the-one-hand, humankind should be held accountable of curing planet Earth of the infectious and consumptive lifestyles we've promoted and supported for so many years. We could establish grass-root movements to influence and inform government policy. This requires a vision to encourage families and individuals to pursue a well-designed and engineered lifestyle that acts on sustainable, eco-friendly, non-toxic (non-pollutive), organic, unprocessed, methodologies. These strategies need to be integrated with one another, designed to function dependent of one another so that no deviations or alterations can be made to the system. The system would need to be strictly linear to function with the purpose of cleaning our environment and repairing the Earth to a more natural state.

On-the-other-hand, humankind is a self-aware species conscious of it's natural and now synthetic evolution. Some consider it our destiny as an evolved life-form to  pursue existence beyond planet Earth's surface. This would require a significant amount of scientific research and financial aid to fund such an unprecedented expedition. Research and funding would be allocated for the development of efficient reusable rockets, engineering automated navigation software, designing flight and landing simulations, developing protocol for initial set-up of agricultural docks, and follow-up missions to replenish goods that are unable to be fabricated or created on site. There would be little room for error, and such an undertaking would require extreme amounts of coordinated efforts between private companies and government funding.

A third option is to combine the research and development efforts of both campaigns into a new global directive to redefine the meaning and purpose of a technological/organic singularity. We can use this opportunity to unify our globe in a way that aligns our purposes; to survive, to thrive, and to evolve into an elevated form of life; a universal form of life.

After-all, Earth is simply a spaceship that once hosted only unintelligent forms of life.

Plateau

[Original Image © Synthitect]

PLATEAU

Sometimes, we hit a wall taller than we’ve ever encountered. It happens every so often when we've reached the end of a plateau. The plateau is a platform composed of your current skills, abilities, methods, approaches, beliefs, philosophies, ideals, and accomplishments.

Engaging with this wall is disorienting. It seems as if there’s virtually no way to begin scaling its surface. The wall is void of articulation, seemingly infinite in height, and its surface is white with a sheen only glossy enough to recognize your blurred reflection. The wall is a metaphor. It provides an opportunity to self-reflect and offers a familiar yet unique challenge. We hesitate because self-reflection can lead to confusion, over-analysis, and considered-detours.No matter how many times we encounter this wall and the opportunity to self-reflect, it always takes a moment to remember "how" to proceed. But, eventually, we remember.

In order to gain a better perspective of the wall that stands ahead, we must step back. The further back we go, the better our sight-line becomes, until we finally see the top. Only then do we realize that the wall we've encountered is not a wall at all. We see this is our next plateau of establishment. And, while retracing our steps to gain this perspective we visit old friends, family, and life experiences that equipped us with the tools and knowledge necessary to help elevate us to the ground we stand upon today.

The lesson here is to recall your past before taking steps forward. This will ensure a smooth and continuous trajectory in life, which is critical for goals set far in the distant future. Life is a balance between the rehearsed and improvised; the control and the chaos; the past and the future. And, when we achieve our personalized balance of these extremes, we become capable of operating at our fullest potential; in the present; in the now.

Many Worlds

[Original Image © Synthitect]

MANY-WORLDS INTERPRETATION

In the "Many-Worlds Interpretation" of Quantum Theory, we occupy an infinite array of continually progressing & non-deterministic realities. In such a vast and seemingly chaotic version of life, is it possible to maintain a relationship with the past, present and future versions of ourselves; of our peers? And further, is it possible to interact with alternate versions of ourselves and the past, present and future versions of that iteration? From our current, and very linear perspective, this is a difficult concept to grasp. But, in the quantum world, these translations and relationships are native to its underlying framework. Particles are entangled, space and time become one, and information exists simultaneously across multiple, or infinite universes.

From your perspective, the universe is singular. Your life's path is definite, linear, and forward-moving. And, with each decision you consciously make or agree to, your universe follows. But, from another observers perspective, their universe follows their decisions; their timeline. This doesn't imply that were are alone, barreling through a randomized and chaotic life. The quantum world enables infinite versions of your consciousness living out various lifelines according to the decisions that version of "self" has made. Likewise, alternate conscious versions of ourselves are living out lifelines in other observers universe, still able to diverge and influence new branches from that observers reality construct.

The diagram above attempts to depict lifelines based on multiple conscious observer's decisions and influences on their particular reality constructs. The lifelines will share frames of reference at moments, and bifurcate to create new reality constructs at other moments. Perhaps, in the future, we will develop technologies that allow us to navigate these intricate fields of opportunities.

Planetary Revolution

[Original Image © Synthitect]

PLANETARY REVOLUTION

Are we on the verge of a planetary revolution? Digital & quantum platforms have long awaited their opportunity to take command over our society. We’ve allowed these technologies to trickle into our lives; first into our homes tethered to landlines, then into our pockets remotely controlled by satellite. We pretend to have a sacred bond with Mother Nature, yet we live nourished by the next technological advancement. We hold on so tightly to the things we can grasp, without realizing that most things hardly exist in physical form any longer. Your contact information, your money, your photos, your communications mostly exist in digital form. We’ve surrendered our trust to a digital society that most people cannot explain the inner-workings of. Maybe that’s OK. There’s a lot of us meandering among this planet; aimlessly depleting natural resources beyond our capacity to replenish them. And since that’s the case, why wouldn’t we trust these systems? Why shouldn’t mankind look to a more powerful degree of management; a better system for implementing sustainability.

Proposal:

The next industrial revolution (4IR) is capable of defragmenting the disparate conditions that make our society so wasteful, so sluggish, and so inefficient. We are entering the era of “The Internet of Things”, where objects become smart; capable of relaying data; capable of managing their own life-cycles and informing us how to sustain our own. These systems are designed to communicate across higher levels of resource management than we can comprehend; interconnectivities too complex for us to code or script, lending themselves to be developed by artificial intelligence. This is initially achieved by machine learning; teaching AI to understand the basic principles & patterns of our daily routines and natural resource usage, then enabling modes of efficiency-management to inform our habits. Digital fabrication techniques are becoming more resourceful, less wasteful, faster and more economical. Industrial production will be intertwined with economic consumption. This is achieved by additive manufacturing technologies such as 3D Printing or Continuous Liquid Interface Production (CLIP) merged with synthetic biology; where the feedback loop for production & recycled products is 1-to-1; continuous, and self-replenishing. Digital currency merges with social media, becoming a merit system for user-cooperation and to manage micro-fluctuations in systematic equity.

A future informed by principles of logic to ensure mankind is on the most efficient path towards a sustained existence.

Future Transportation

[Original Image © Synthitect]

FUTURE TRANSPORTATION

The next step in the advancement of transportation is to look beyond conventional methods of motion, and physics. What does this mean? It means moving beyond the wheel. Not reinventing it, but departing from it - entirely.  Easier said than done, yes; but advancements in physics & energy generating systems are offering new ways to think about how we travel from Point A to Point B.

Many of these technologies and engineering principles already exist. Some technologies have been employed in working prototypes at much smaller scales. For instance, advancements in magnetic hoverboards. These prototypes primarily utilize magnetic-type physics such as electromagnetism or quantum levitation, which is another term for the Meissner Effect (magnetic repulsion to a superconductor [commonly cooled by liquid nitrogen]). These same technologies and applied physics are used at much larger scales as well; for instance in Maglev Trains in Japan, South Korea, and China. The major issue preventing these technologies from entering an intermediate level of transportation, is cost. These project-types are only economically feasible at a city-to-city scale or a boutique Hoverboard scale. Eventually, we will cross a threshold, where the benefits of employing this technology at an intermediate scale will out-weigh the high cost.

Infrastructure & Benefits:
The high cost is the result of several factors; but primarily due to the infrastructure needed to host these levitating vehicles. This means, all new road ways - sort of. These transporting vehicles need embedded magnetic "guideways" to escort the chassis along its way. So, we lose the ability to wiggle side-to-side within our lanes... But we benefit from economy of space reduction, reduced friction resulting in energy savings, and more focused automation technologies resulting is less accidents, less traffic, and less time on the road.

Teleportation Architecture

[Original Image © Synthitect]

TELEPORTATION ARCHITECTURE

If you upload your consciousness to a computer (all of your memories, your personality, and preferences) and destroy your brain, would you still be, you? Research is being performed on “Mind Uploading” AKA Whole Brain Emulation, and many Neuroscientists believe that some form of it will eventually be achieved. Aside from the technological and computing power roadblocks that scientists and engineers face, there are intricate philosophical and ethical questions that prelude our escapades into duplicate consciousness. A popular thought experiment on the topic, called the TeletransportParadox or Duplicates Paradox, was presented by Philosopher Derek Parfit in his book the Reasons and Persons in 1984. The paradox involves the duplication and destruction of one’s self, as well as the duplication and preservation of multiple selves. The question is: In which version of your “self” would your consciousness exist; and with multiple “selves”, would each version believe they are the conscious original? The resolve, if any, was that “Mental Continuity and Connectedness” must be established to produce a fluid uninterrupted thought process. This would establish a true path of teleported consciousness, or a true path towards multiperspectival consciousnesses.

Proposal:

The proposal here is that a transitional framework, or architecture, must be designed to guide the transfer of consciousness from one host to another. If the transfer of information and consciousness were to occur instantaneously, we may never resolve the paradox of teleportation. To make us feel comfortable teleporting we must know our conscious mind will arrive at the opposite end of teleportation; we must live continuously through the exchange. We must feel connected to our consciousness across the entire event. This may challenge engineers & scientists to incrementally transfer data in a sequence that our thought process can relate to, or simply handle mentally. For instance:

An application that assigns visual effects (Slow disintegration, Swooshing, ghosting, motion blurring) to the transition of molecules, atoms, and particles from their current position to their next configuration. Once the physical “body” or host has appeared to completely transition across space, your conscious perspective will briefly orbit from its current position to its new host through an animation-style motion. Details may include: whether or not the “body” completely transitions before the consciousness animation begins to also transition or how the consciousness enters the new host (through a slowly solidifying body part, or through a closing funnel at the top of the new host’s “head”). Visualizing the teleportation experience and transition details may assist with establishing frameworks for how data is transferred and documented in the process. Sequenced data packets may be used to construct individualized teleportation experiences that may also serve as security gateways preventing external tampering or invasion/consciousness theft.

Hybrid Reality

[Original Image © Synthitect]

HYBRID REALITY

As we venture deeper into the realm of virtual reality and augmented reality we begin to shift our focus, developing new systems for digital avenues and paying less attention to our original physical reality. Many theories exist that position our consciousness either as the subject of a higher power (Gods, Simulation Hypothesis, etc…), as the controller designing our own and other’s destiny (AI, augmented reality, etc…), or as a combination of both (Chaos Theory, Simple rules generating complex results). Hybrid Reality (Or multi-reality) is a proposal to merge philosophies of physical particle driven reality with digitally derived realities. We tend to assign our original physical reality as the generator for its digital counterpart; needless to say, our digital explorations have offered enough intrigue to propel us further along its path. Digital technologies are becoming less a counterpart, and more the generator of future lifestyles. If we continue along this trajectory, it is likely that our digital endeavors will be the primary state of our existence while our physical state is left to operate simply as a vessel. There may come a time when conscious existence transitions completely  into a digital state, and mankind as a physical entity discontinues reproduction, becoming extinct.

If Hybrid Reality can successfully merge, and, more importantly, balance our multiple forms of existence, we will have better control in how our future develops. For instance:

Traveling Between Realities

So often, we find ourselves mindlessly engaging with our devices, tip-toeing in and out of applications, making brief appearances on multiple social sites, gathering data and information from the internet, and pulling these experiences back to our physical reality. Information is pouring across these boundaries with no filter, no quantification, no calibration. In effect, we end up with things like fake news; Perhaps the most pathetic social folly since accusations of witchcraft. True hybrid systems utilize measured interactions, that self-monitor, self-balance, and even systematically self-govern interactions within their construct. Between physical and digital realities, we don't have enough of this. We’ve left the responsibility of "self-leveling" to human discretion, effected not only by digital mis-users, but non-users with unqualified opinions as well. We are failing to prevent detrimental situations before they occur.

Proposal:

Define a system that captures and quantifies information traveling in both directions, to and from physical and digital environments. This can be considered a digital environmental design effort, to keep clean the digital environment we interact with and prevent faulty data and information from crossing  back into our physical reality. Make users accountable for the information they share. This does not eliminate freedom of speech, but does assign the information shared by a user to the user’s profile and holds them accountable for any negligent data they may impose on a digital environment. This can be monitored and controlled through the applications that users access sites from, as well as through advanced Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI's) that monitor data entering your brain from the internet. A system will be put in place that discredits particular users that pollute the digital environment. The digital environment offers us infinite possibilities; but, this does not mean we should entertain them all. We get to decide how we proceed: in a civilized manner, or towards the demise of our existence.

Next Reality

[Original Image © Coorlas Architecture]

NEXT REALITY

As technology enables humans to connect & interact with more immediacy, we are evolving to operate as a swarm (a flowing group), rather than with individual objectives. The process of sharing or exchanging information is being reduced, and will soon be eliminated. Eventually, information will simply exist, nullifying the boundaries of individual consciousness, and giving life to true universal consciousness. One mind.

We must exercise our imagination while employing new technologies as a catalyst for engaging a universal consciousness; bridging human-level consciousness with a higher evolved mindfulness. We must focus on logical & secure gateways & infrastructures that transpose the two realms of operation. What is the architecture and experience of transitioning to and from universal consciousness?

Proposal:

There is a fundamental building block that all consciousness is constructed from: Information. It may be represented as zeros and ones, but does not need to be. A set of information is a package of patterns. These patterns, seen in light, is what makes them real; distinguishable. Perhaps, to build bridges between realities, we can manipulate these patterns between fragments of light - faster than the speed of light, which effectively allows us to manipulate episodes of space; re-position molecules, atoms, & particles. When our hand guides the design of conscious moments, we will have effectively traversed the event horizon into navigating hybrid realities; a construct of merged and intertwined realities shared between people, spaces and times. A thought, or a vision of mine, can be experienced without filter by you. Multiple perspectives can be experienced at a single moment, or throughout the duration of an event. Time becomes one with space, interpolated as a set of data the same way coordinates of space are used. Patterns of reality-construct can be captured, rebuilt, reinterpreted. We are entering the age of real-time. Where our ability to manipulate the constructs of reality have caught up to the cursor of time. Where there is no speed of light; but instead, choice of light or darkness.

Interplanetary Civilization

[Original Image © Coorlas Architecture]

INTERPLANETARY CIVILIZATION

We are destined for interplanetary civilization. Survival-Functionality and its Engineering will be the basis of architectural development. Architecture becomes an exercise to orchestrate & host survival procedures & technologies. Robotics & digital software will govern labor-intensive and critical survival processes – energy production, air filtration, planting/harvesting (natural & synthetic), communication & data sharing, and launch/receive portals (physical/holographic/teleportation).

These are elementary programs of survival. The architectural construct itself is governed by methods of robotic fabrication and assembly. Modular, functional, flexible, adaptable & resilient – an architecture capable of hosting interplanetary civilization survival technologies & localized habitation.

Lucas Museum Transposition

[Original Image © MAD Architects, transpositions by Stephen Coorlas]

LUCAS MUSEUM TRANSPOSITION

When news first broke that George Lucas had interest to build a museum in Chicago, I was excited. When Mr. Lucas then selected and announced MAD Architects as his design architect for the museum, I was ecstatic. But, once images of the proposed museum were unveiled, Chicago, along with myself, threw a hissy-fit. Some reacted via memes drawing comparison to Jabba the Hut, while others bullied the awkward form in heaps of paragraphs in blogs & discussion forums. But, most shared the opinion that the design was simply too alien and unforgiving for such a prominent spot along Chicago's coveted lakefront property. Well, coveted and typically off limits.

I wanted to appreciate the sinuously futuristic design. I tried to imagine driving on Lake Shore Drive or walking along the lake front to witness the nondescript white mound, but could never get excited for it. Even when the design was revised, downsized, and new images of eye-level perspectives were released, the project never completely captured my interest architecturally. Was it the form? The location?

It wasn’t long before community interest congealed against the project, forcing George Lucas, along with MAD Architects, out of Chicago to be someone else’s problem; or someone else’s solution…

While scrolling through the feeds this morning, I saw images of our lost future. Images that George Lucas and MAD Architects released of two options for the new Lucas Museum; one in LA, the other in San Francisco, both sinuous, sexy, and seemingly more refined than the Chicago proposal(s).

Are these new designs THAT much different, or “better” than the Chicago edition, or was I envious that California would be home to yet another architectural marvel, while Chicago struggles to… well, Chicago struggles. I decided to transpose the California proposed museums back on the Chicago site solely for the purpose of comparing form and coincidental site relationships.

The results were interesting. But I wondered: had these designs been proposed in Chicago, would things have panned out differently?

          

Coding Architectural Deisgn

[Original Image © Leszek Glasner Via Shutterstock, Reinterpretation by Stephen Coorlas]

CODING ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

It can easily be overlooked, that software "architects" are becoming more responsible for daily experiences than physical-world Architects. For many, the majority of our daily lives are spent interacting with digital technology and devices. These devices run on very specific software, that have very specific structures & architectures. But, we navigate these programs the same way we navigate through our homes; storing things in places we shouldn't, and labeling them improperly; doing things the way we know, instead of the way we should. The fields & practices of digital user-interface designers and  physical world designers are not as unrelated as one might believe. As designers we can isolate the unique qualities that benefit the desire of navigating a digital software, over a physical environment:

Structure is Hidden. The quality of mystery allows users to focus on what's immediately in front of them; and what's immediately in front of them is exactly what the designer intended for the user to be focused on.

Navigation is Absolute. Sequence is the result of a deliberate link or passage between one frame and the next. Abstract navigation can be achieved, but not unknowingly by the user. 

Atmosphere is Personal. Software allows for custom user preferences; color themes, tool bars, "arrange by" options.

Aesthetic is Transposed. Architectural shape & form are reduced to networks. Visual space is created though interpreted pattern.

Function is Evolving. Functions grow and change based on user feedback. The purpose of an application can evolve with the industry. The purpose is adaptable. 

Architecture should be more deliberate. Through the consideration of the above mentioned criteria, we will create registered forums to explore meaningful new experiences.

- Stephen

Inspired by Michael Kilkelly's article on ArchDaily:

5 Reasons Architects Should Learn to Code

Interaction with the Digital Medium

[Curious Rituals : Gestural Interation in the Digital Everyday, Cover Page]

INTERACTION WITH THE DIGITAL MEDIUM

Our interaction with technology is, in many cases, lead by the design of software & device operation. A wave-of-the-hand to engage with a hand dryer, a swipe-of-the-finger to navigate applications; These gestures are the result of our ever-evolving digital culture.  In "Curious Rituals", a graphic documentary by N. Nova | K. Miyake | W. Chiu | N. Kwon, gestural interactions (with digital devices) are cataloged to reveal the very real & physical impact the digital medium has on our everyday lives.

Read More:
Curious Rituals : Gestural Interation in the Digital Everyday

Douglas Garofalo, FAIA

[Nothstine House Green Bay, Wisconsin]

DOUGLAS GAROFALO, FAIA

His interest in digitally influenced design never favored any particular aesthetic. He appeared to have a genuine appreciation for the power and ability of digital tools, and employed them respectfully. His work will always remain tastefully progressive. He combined processes of speculation, organization, exploration, and fabrication together in a way that seamlessly bridged theory and practice. His philosophy was grounded in applicable methodologies formatted for architectural usage well beyond his era. Doug seemed to be a systems thinker, capable of understanding and addressing the totality of a project; a true architect. His passion for and involvement with The University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) was unparalleled by any other.

Doug passed away summer of 2011. His legacy lives on.

[Manilow House Spring Prairie, Wisconsin]

[Korean Presbyterian Church New York City, New York]

[Hyde Park Art Center Chicago Illinois]

Read Interview:
Doug Garofalo Interview by Iker Gil of Mas Context

View More:

Doug Garofalo Presents: "Architectural Ecosystems" at Syracuse University School of Architecture

Web Site:

garofaloarchitects.com

Reflection

[IMAGE: REFLECTION BY COORLAS]

REFLECTION

I often enjoy speculating about the future. It seems promising of new systems and new experiences beyond our current capacity to understand; beyond our everyday lifestyle. The unfortunate thing is, progress happens slowly, on a grand scale, and we don’t truly recognize or experience the thrill of these advancements.

Like a frog in a pot of water; if the heat is slowly turned up, the frog will boil, alive…

Because progress happens slowly, old concepts leak into the new territories of advancement and contaminate them. But, they also serve as a bridge, transitioning our familiarity and understanding of things.

It’s like how the cell phone is a transitional step towards telepathy. One day, the concept of communication may be extinct and all information will simply exist, at the same place, at the same time; No need for exchange. We’re beginning to see this within the fabrication industry with 3D printing. I wouldn’t be surprised if one day we could simply think of an object, scan the image in our head, and print it directly from our thoughts. No modeling or drawing necessary.

Our society is a support system. It should be utilized as a tool to assist in achieving your goals. But that’s exactly the challenge… having a goal; an agenda. Otherwise, you will live amongst the crowd and the mindlessness of regularity. At its greatest potential, society should serve as a platform for your dreams, but also as a mirror, reflecting the actions you've taken to make a difference.

DIRECTION

DIRECTION

“Design” is the application of skill; the employment of discipline. This action occurs, everywhere. Technology has made it easier to organize, arrange, compose, structure, emphasize, and prioritize throughout all aspects of society primarily affecting how we coordinate and communicate.

These tools for organization have taken the lead in determining how we interact. The unified “design” concept is efficiency and effectiveness; inspired by the analog-to-digital transition mankind has been experiencing since the industrial revolution.

 “Design” schools must refocus their programs to evolve these concepts, and to nurture new styles of procedure, application, and discipline that utilize existing infrastructure and support human evolution in a progressive manner. New visions will inspire new tools, techniques, and skills to be developed and employed across all disciplines and any subsequent disciplines created from these next movements.

MOBILITY and EFFICIENCY

MOBILITY AND EFFICIENCY

We have experienced the growth and evolution of digital technology. From its introduction to civilian consumers to its consumption of civilian lives, our use of digital technology has become part of who we are and how we operate. It gives us the ability to edit and revise, assuring us that our creations will be “as-good-as-it-gets”. It enables us to hear whispers made at opposite ends of the earth. It gives us access to all kinds of information at the tip of our fingers. But what if, for a moment, we observe digital technology through a different lens. One that removes the “familiarity and comfort” which has disguised our ability to view digital technology as the primary influence of mankind’s promising evolution towards cybernetic organisms. 

Let’s take for instance Apps; also known as, software applications designed to operate on smartphones, tablets, computers, and other mobile devices. Well… Remember floppy disks? After locking a floppy disk into place and a few simple keyboard stokes, you’d be immersed in Oregon Trail or Number Munchers for hours. From floppy disks to game-console cartridges, VHS tapes to blu-ray discs, the formats & devices have changed, but the principal remains the same. We download. We tap. We Play. So if the principal is the same, why does technology seem more prominently integrated in our lives now more than ever. The answer: Mobility and Efficiency. It seems obvious, but these characteristics, among others, hold a deep rooted origin in mankind’s progression.

This should raise question to the frequency and functional use of “overly-convenient” digital devices. If mobility and efficiency are underlying characteristics of human progression, then using these technologies for anything else would be anti-progressive. Mankind's progression is based on the evolution of purpose and betterment, and the technology to achieve those characteristics traditionally follow:

Technology (from Greek τέχνη, techne, "art, skill, cunning of hand"; and -λογία, -logia^[1]) is the making, modification, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems, and methods of organization, in order to solve a problem, improve a pre-existing solution to a problem, achieve a goal, handle an applied input/output relation or perform a specific function. (Source: From Wikipedia  )

A modern trend honors technology as the primary influence of human capabilities and ideas, and in effect may compromise the evolution of human purpose. By enabling an intimate relationship with digital technology we grow too familiar with the functionality and method for operating within that relationship IE:

• Text messaging as a primary form of communication
• Online shopping with no physical engagement with products or retail spaces
• Automatic billing with no personal management of withdrawals and/or deposits

In effect, we redevelop an old society, where the way we engage in activities has evolved, but the basic principals have remained the same. Crowdsourcing, for example, is a type of fundraising brought to the online community where ideas are extended beyond their geographic origin, and offered to the entire world. The concept is not new, but the range of user engagement is. And so, our purpose is trapped, being inspired by technology to bring new life to old concepts . In this trend, technology is the leader and the primary influence. We become dependent on technology to inspire new capabilities. In order to truly move forward, we must fully adapt this technology as a basic element for human functionality. Then finally, we as a species will be able to holistically progress into the new paradigm of evolved purpose.

PART vs WHOLE

PART vs WHOLE

Collaboration and Integration have become leading methods of design. These approaches encourage refinement levels and tolerances never quite achievable prior to the utilization of coordination and visualization software. This design approach can be observed in mobile devices, car design, and product design, where form and function are inherently tightly associated. More literally, in product design it's not uncommon to see protective shells & casings as perfect inverted casts of the electronic inner workings. The direct communication between parts enables thinner profiles, less material, compact systems, and typically a better functioning product. Seen above is a disassembled Samsung Galaxy S4 revealing effects of closely coordinated and designed elements throughout the device.

The Architectural Discipline has adopted the collaborative and integrative methodology otherwise known as BIM (Building Information Modeling). The practice of coordinating systems prior to material purchase and construction is documented to have great cost and time savings on a project's life span. Benefits of BIM

In effect, architectural elements often become reactionary. That is to say, "Architecture" is being asked to imitate or  be closer related to the the systems within. This bond between program, function, and surface enables Architecture and Architects to enter a new level of practice. Synthitecture. Here, Architecture becomes the act of synthesis, of merging and coordinating various systems to function and perform as one.

Architecture must not be limited to the design of enclosures and envelopes; it must embrace the design of system orchestration, and a unified final composition.

EXPERIENCE vs EXPOSITION

EXPERIENCE vs EXPOSITION

The value of experience is perspective. Nothing is more rewarding than earning the ability to observe from a new point-of-view. Technology is a tool to assist these observations. But, it also threatens to replace experience with exposition. Exposition, or to 'expose', is merely a description of an experience. Artificial Flavoring, Photography Filters, and Synthetic Materials are all examples of sensory expositions. As technology progresses, we must remain in-tune with the origin of these experiences, as to not develop a palette for faded or diluted aesthetics. Nature is the origin of our palette.

New tools in architecture have enabled designers to expose parts of buildings that have never been seen before. These inner-workings of a building typically cannot be viewed without the assistance of computers and particular software. For the architectural discipline, this is delicate uncharted territory; where technology is ahead of our ambitions, our philosophies, and our abilities. That is to say, we're searching for 'how to make use of technologies we've developed', rather than 'developing technologies to assist in our uses'.

Technology has become a lens through which we observe. Fields of science, nutrition, audio and visualization have each fallen victim. This lens acts as a filter, restricting us to critique, experience, and create only within the confines of its technologic parameters.