Synthitect

2013-10-22

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.