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ARC 401/401L + 405/405L

Topics in Advanced Architectural Design (3/3)

The studio and the associated lecture course will attempt to give a theoretical and practical survey of the high-rise design under the use of contemporary design methodologies. The courses work together to explain the complex social, economic and political-regulatory forces that affect the choices designers face in contemporary practice. The lecture and studio sessions will be amplified to include visits to the project site and field trips to various locations in the Los Angeles region. Utilizing such emergent design methods students will explore the potentials of programming, formal strategies and 3D modeling techniques.

Subject is the development of an iconic Center for Deep Sea Marine Biology and Seismology called Ichthyotower. It is located in Venice California in the area of the former Venice Pier and the program will include a tourist reception center, a permanent, educational exhibition on marine life and underwater seismic activities, conference areas, multimedia center, guest residences, laboratories, educational facilities and a marina for the launch of tourist/surveillance vehicles and submersibles.

I-tower will follow a rigid setup including 3d modeling training, development of a blog, teamwork and program research. The course is divided into three exercises. Exercise one will introduce generative principles in form of pattern development and studies on biomimicry. Exercise two will focus on case-studies and programming concepts. The final exercise combines aspects and gained knowledge of exercise 01 and 02 and culminates in a comprehensive tower-design. I-tower will utilize generative design components and requires the employment of environmental responsibility.

The course is entirely conducted in digital form and requires sufficient skills. The course concludes with a contribution to an international competition with deadline January 16^th for registration and January 19^th for submission. Students are highly encouraged and advised to approach solutions in teams of two.

Exercise 01. Pattern Recognition.

(50pts) 9/30/08-10/07/08

Introduction.

Every form can be considered part of a system; the act of differentiation originates out of a structured thinking and recognition method. Simplified, every form, whether or not unique in appearance, can be related to a pattern. The pattern is a form, template, or model (a set of rules) which can be used to make things or parts of a thing; this is especially the case when these things have enough in common for the underlying pattern to be inferred, in which case such things are said to exhibit the pattern.

The detection of underlying patterns is called pattern recognition. Patterns of different complexity with different meanings are part of the human history of creating, they appear often in decorative or narrative form. Frequently derived from observations in nature (biomimicry) their meaning often exceeds the mere copy. Naturally occurring patterns obey certain principles such as self-similarity. Even though self-similarity in nature is only an approximation and appears to be stochastic, it can also be applied to natural “fractals” like coastal lines, tree shapes, etc.. While the outer appearance of self-similar patterns can be quite complex, the rules for their formation can be extremely simple.

Since the formation of Natural Sciences in the 17th century and particularly since beginning of the 20th century scientists and philosophers undertook more advanced steps to monitor forms and the generation of forms. The observation of complexities and behaviors of elements led to the questioning of the principle of causality: Cause and effect are questioned not in their existence but are considered circular in effect and affect; the effect is dependent to the cause and vice versa. Consequently, linearity can be questioned; this culminates in the identification of non-hierarchical, nodal networks with oscillating causalities. The term “rhizome” for such networks was adopted by the late philosopher Gilles Deleuze. It is the introduction of open structures for an open source society.

“Natural images are reflection seen in the water, or shadows cast by the sun. Artificial images are the paintings and statues seen at the tops of temples. In all cases, an image is the duplicate of a model, but this duplication can be duplicated in two ways depending on the relationship to the original. On the one hand there are copies that respect the original proportions of the model… and then there are monumental works where the proportions of the original model are altered…” (Bernard Cache, Geometries of Phantasma, 2003)

This excerpt can serve as example to understand methods of derivation and the differentiation between copy and illusion (phantasma). Perspectival drawings are an illusion, a projection of real proportions and therefore not false but suggestive. However, to extract an exact copy of an organism might not allow an observer to understand the generative elements for its complexity. Pattern derivation and recognition might take advantage of such a technique, allowing the extraction of a partial - eventually ontological - understanding of the origination of the being, which allows further recombination of elements to form new patterns or systems.

Objective.

Students are required to extract a singular shape from observations of marine biologies, modify and develop it through photographic editing (such as overlaying, overexposing, color reduction, filtering, enhancing, etc.). Students are then asked to extract and compose a complex pattern with variation in form of a 2D drawing. These 2D drawings will need to be translated into 3D through techniques of modeling, extruding, scripting, projecting etc. in order to form a comprehensive 3 dimensional pattern.

Exercise 02. Defining Ichthyo.

(100pts) 10/09/08-10/16/0810

Introduction.

Programming is an essential component to the architectural design process, it defines the key issues of how a building is operated and how building parts relate on a functional level. Sequence, relationships and arrangement, size ad location define the successful use of a building and its adaptability.

The Center for Deep Sea Marine Biology and Marine Seismology is a novel institution with the aim to create public awareness in the world’s largest unknown: the ocean. Whether be it the Pacific, Atlantic or any other ocean, it is widely recognized that the water mass covering more than 70% of our planet is the origin of life and contains endless life forms many undiscovered and few recently discovered.

It has been recently recognized that mankind’s abuse of the ocean (as of the rest of the planet) will likely lead to a high instability and partial extinction of parts of the marine biology and fauna in the next 40 years.

With the advance of technology and the ability to approach and document deeper waters more than ever before, scientists and entrepreneurs are discovering not only major opportunities to explore alternative energy resources (such as underwater hot vents) but also complex forms of lives previously unknown which may offer conclusions on the origins of life and principles of evolution.

The novel status of the building defines a challenge in the configuration of the program. Verticality and content as well as adjacency of programmatic parts may indicate success or failure of this project. The location – a major leisure resort of the Los Angeles area – offers not only an attractive influx of interest groups but also challenges to infrastructure and neighborhood responsibility with all its environmental implications.

Objective.

Students shall develop in teams a programmatic diagram for the I-tower. Same teams shall research contemporary Skyscraper and high-rise design, extract valuable information and present conclusive thoughts on vertical programming. Key programmatic parameter are (not exclusively!):

Entertainment/Education

tourist reception center

a permanent, educational exhibition on marine life and underwater seismic activities

Restaurants/Café

Multimedia center

Gift shops

Research

Laboratories marine biology

Marine gardens/farms

Laboratories marine seismology

Class rooms

Administration

Residences

Student/ research residences

Exchange

Conference areas

Guest residences

Theater

Meeting areas

Reception

Stores

Marina/docks for small boats and submersibles

Enough storage/equipment repair/maintenance/security/public needs (bathrooms etc)/infrastructure/ parking for entire facility.

Exercise 03. I-tower.

(150pts) 10/21/08-12/04/08

Introduction.

Abbot Kinney, tobacco mogul and founder of Venice of America, acquired in 1904 over a coin toss with his two former partners the undeveloped marshy property between Ocean Park and the freshly developed Playa del Rey south of Santa Monica. After years of changing its face, offering alternative life-styles, being home to beatniks as well as gangs, Venice (formerly Venice of America) is now a tourist attraction, offering three miles of popular entertainment, street artists, bodybuilders, tourist shops and restaurants. With real estate prices on a peak the residential areas are over-developed with small lots built out to its maximum with condominiums ranging between 50m2 to 200m2. The residents are in majority artists or from the near-by entertainment industry in Santa Monica and Culver City. The architecture is a mix defined by the early works of Morphosis, Frank Gehry, and other young architects as well as left-over, mostly run-down, small residences from the beginning of the 20^th century. Due to the absence of public transportation and large scale public parking Venice is over-burdened with traffic, especially on weekends when up to 100.000 tourists from the city arrive.

‘Visionary Design’ and entrepreneurship has formed the today of Venice California as so many other places of America. The same utopian visions appear to be lost in bureaucracies of small communities and conflicting interests between remote and local authorities as well as blunt capitalistic greed.

Ichthyo-tower represents another such vision, intended to not only revive interest in the underexplored regions of this planet, the ecological balance and its research but also a vision for a stagnated tourist environment.

The intended verticality of the tower shall not only symbolize an apparent physical relationship t the deep of the ocean but also mark a distinguished icon for a new era of environmental consciousness, widely visible in the Los Angeles basin.

The center, as previous exercise reveals, functions not only as a hive for exchange of scientific information on one of the most under-researched areas on our planet but also as a public education building, offering not only the direct neighborhood but also international tourism an opportunity to access and understand the value of conducted research.

Site.

The location of the I-tower is longitude 33°59’05.20”N and latitude 118°28’40.10”W, elev. 0 ft (sea-level Pacific Coast) in the former location of the Venice Pier, Venice, California, United States. 17.21 miles east of Los Angeles (22min. drive fro the center of Downtown Los Angeles).

It is located in the shallow shore area. Note that the tsunami inundation recommendation is 40ft (in worst case the sea level is not expected to rise more than 40 ft). The overall structure will have a width of 78m (256ft) and will extend to the minimum of 236 ft off the shore. The expansion is defined by programming requirements. The approach zone is free of permanent structures but shall be included in design considerations.

The location is purposefully controversial; the environmental impact and potential obstructions of view and overshadowing of recreational areas as well as the access of the building shall be part of the design considerations or parameters. Social, historical, aspects of human scale are further necessary aspects for design development.

Objective.

Students shall respond to environmental aspects of the site and develop a competent tower proposal und erthe use of previous exercises and contemporary design techniques. Social, historical, aspects of human scale are further necessary aspects for design development.