Live and Direct:

A Research and Development Facility for Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Applications

Brian Jeffrey Palidar

A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of

Master of Architecture

University of Washington

2000

Department of Architecture

University of Washington

Graduate School

This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a Master s thesis by

Brian Jeffrey Palidar

and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects,

and that any and all revisions required by the final

examining committee have been made.

Committee Members:

Michael Pyatok

Vikramiditya Prakash

Ellen Yi-Luen Do

Date:

In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Master s degree at the

University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for

inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of this thesis is allowable only for scholarly

purposes, consistent with fair use as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Any other

reproduction for any purposes or by any means shall not be allowed without my written

permission.

Signature:

Date:

i

TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF FIGURES ................................................................................................................................. ii

LIST OF TABLES................................................................................................................................... iii

Chapter One: Introduction ..................................................................................................................... 1

Chapter Two: The development and current state of artificial intelligence and robotics .................... 2

Robots....................................................................................................................................... 2

Software Applications............................................................................................................... 4

The Future of Artificial Intelligence .......................................................................................... 5

Chapter Three: Definition of Program................................................................................................... 7

Chapter Four: Site selection / documentation / analysis...................................................................... 9

Chapter Five: Design synthesis .......................................................................................................... 12

The Influence of the Railroad Tracks .................................................................................... 12

Conceptual Approach............................................................................................................. 13

Design Approach.................................................................................................................... 14

Program distribution ............................................................................................................... 16

Program area descriptions — Public Realm........................................................................... 17

Program area descriptions — Institute Spaces...................................................................... 18

Chapter Six: Design Documentation................................................................................................... 21

Chapter Seven: Thesis Summary, Review Discussion, Future Work, and Conclusions.................. 25

Thesis Summary .................................................................................................................... 25

Discussions at the final review .............................................................................................. 25

Future work............................................................................................................................. 26

Conclusions ............................................................................................................................ 27

List of References................................................................................................................................ 28

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LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Shakey the robot .................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 2: Odex, the walking machine by Odetics................................................................................. 4

Figure 3: Cog, the future of human-computer interaction .................................................................... 5

Figure 4: A Robot Bush, as conceived by Hans Moravec (1988)........................................................ 6

Figure 5: Aerial photograph — Project Site............................................................................................ 9

Figure 6: Project site looking north-east-south................................................................................... 11

Figure 7: Project site looking south..................................................................................................... 11

Figure 8: Project site looking northeast .............................................................................................. 11

Figure 9: Design scheme 1 ................................................................................................................. 13

Figure 10: Design scheme 2 ............................................................................................................... 14

Figure 11: Structural Frames Spanning the Project Site ................................................................... 15

Figure 12: Program Elements Inserted Within the Structural Frames............................................... 15

Figure 13: Aerial view looking northwest ............................................................................................ 21

Figure 14: View from corner of Jackson and Fourth, looking northwest ........................................... 21

Figure 15: View from corner of Main and Fourth, looking southwest ................................................ 22

Figure 16: Interior view from second floor stair looking southeast over the exhibition spaces ........ 22

Figure 17: Floor plans — First, Second Floors.................................................................................... 23

Figure 18: Floor plans — Third, Interstitial, and Fourth Floors............................................................ 24

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LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Building Area Tabulation........................................................................................................ 8

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First, I would like to thank my thesis committee members Mike Pyatok, Vikram Prakash,

and Ellen Yi-Luen Do, for their patience and support. In the beginning of my research and in

writing the thesis proposal, Vikram entertained a great many stories of whimsical notions, half-

baked ideas and no less than three quarters with myself as a student. His open but critical mind

helped me refine a thousand ideas down to the handful I was to pursue in this thesis. Mike and

his undying enthusiasm for my project and the future it proposed were crucial in sustaining my

enthusiasm and drive during the project s fruition. Ellen s technical support and cheery disposition

throughout the project s development lent an air of civility and a hint of the light at the end of the

tunnel. The combination of all the committee members was at the same time challenging but

highly stimulating, and I sincerely enjoyed working with them all.

I would like to thank the following professors for their insight, inspirations and criticisms:

Mark Gross, Sergio Palleroni, Leroy Searle, and Corey Washington. I would also like to thank the

following students, family and friends who supported the development of this thesis: Peter

Aylsworth, Laura Ball, Kim Brown, Stacy Cannon, Vincent Gonzales, Jessyca Jones, R. Scott

Labenz, Sara Marx, Joshua Masterson, Rosalie Mullin, Tom Palidar, and Mark Travers. Their

time, energy and sacrifice is sincerely appreciated.

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DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to James Alderdice, for teaching me how to ask questions and

therefore how to teach myself.

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Chapter One: Introduction

As we enter the 21st century, past predictions of the future come under scrutiny. Movies

such as 2001: A Space Odessey predicted space travel and thinking computers (Bizony, 1994),

but where are they now? Daily space flights are still years away, yet consciously thinking

computers are closer than we think. We now inhabit a period in time where the future is being

rewritten daily by electronic leaps and bounds. As computers utilize more and more human

characteristics such as logical reasoning and planning (Wilkins, 1997), speech recognition

(Kurzweil, 1997) and visual recognition of the human environment, they come closer to achieving

the ability to perceptually interact with humans as equals (Rosenfeld, 1997). In effect, they will

become human beings rendered in silicon and steel, perhaps even more. Hans Moravec

contends that we will be in essence creating a postbiological world dominated by self-improving,

thinking machines which would be as different from our own world of living things as this world

is different from the lifeless chemistry that preceded it. (Moravec, 1988, p.4).

This possibility becomes reality when artificial intelligence (AI) systems and applications

are developed and applied to real world situations. Programs that play chess (Campbell, 1997)

and recognize our voice are only the beginning. The ultimate culmination of these applications

would be an electronic brain with legs, as agile and mobile as you or I. Research to date has

achieved parts of this goal, but primarily only as specialized or demonstration prototypes.

Companies such as Sony Corporation have developed robots that walk like humans, but the

robot s basic capabilities end there. Marvin Minsky argues that the reason for our development

cap is that we went too quickly from the beginning stages of artificial intelligence directly into

specific problems which AI research and applications could address (Stork, 1997, p.16). His

ultimate conclusion is that if we are to achieve a truly cognizant, electronic being, we must start

with the basics of general intelligence and later add the tasks and specialized abilities to the

successful platform, not vice versa (Stork, 1997, p.30).

In this thesis, I proposed a design project focusing on creating a center for the

incorporation, assembly, and demonstration of cutting edge research in AI applications. The

project s client is an Institute dedicated to developing the platform for general intelligence by

assembling current research and technologies into composite prototypes that push the

boundaries of artificial beings. This center also proposes an interactive forum in which the general

public can experience the results of the research first hand as well as learn about past projects,

attend lectures and presentations, and other activities related to this endeavor and its implications

to humanity.

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Chapter Two: The development and current state of artificial intelligence and robotics

Marvin Minsky argues that it was our approach to developing AI and its applications that

got us off track since the beginning (Minsky, Hal s Legacy, 1997, p.30). According to Minsky, we

began developing all parts of the AI problem early on, and made substantial progress. So

substantial in fact that we thought we would soon succeed, and quickly moved our areas of focus

to specific tasks and projects, rather than continue developing the platform for general artificial

intelligence. We pushed too soon into these areas without dedicating enough research and

resources that we essentially forgot about general intelligence and have failed to fully complete

the task to this day.

The development of artificial intelligence applications can be broken down into two major

fields: machines that do things intelligently, and machines that exhibit human-like intelligence.

Machines in the former category have found their uses in areas such as industrial manufacturing,

while the latter were developed to become programs such as voice recognition software. Robots

are typically associated with AI research projects because they are most often the discernable

physical manifestation of the research itself. The MIT AI Lab states this reason most succinctly in

their statement of purpose when addressing the issue of cognition: It resides in each of the areas

and is so intertwined with them that we do not try to study it separately and in a vacuum. If

anywhere it is most closely studied in our laboratory as part of architectures for complete systems

which we choose to embody as robots. (http://www.ai.mit.edu)

Robots

Robotics and the real world problems it faces is the beginning of what Moravec refers to

as the bottom-up approach to artificial intelligence (Moravec, 1988, p.17). In this design,

perception, mobility, and other specific tasks are targeted for development. This process is

opposed by the top-down approach, which seeks to copy the conscious mental processes of the

brain first, and add specific functions after the platform is ready.

The beginning example of robotic achievements (and the departure point for Minsky) was

Shakey the robot , who was designed and built at Stanford Research Institute in 1969 (Moravec,

1988, p.14). Shakey (figure 1) was the first robot to be completely mobile within his specially

designed, robot-friendly environment. He was mounted on a motorized platform and stood five

feet tall. He used a television camera to perceive his world and relayed the data back to a

separate computer, which processed the data and determined his next step in solving the

problem at hand. Shakey and his associated computing power limited him to pushing blocks

around the room and it took hours to calculate each move he made, but the concept was clear:

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the ability to reason its way through an environment and adjust its planning to the situation at

hand was paramount in the development of a thinking machine.

Figure 1: Shakey the robot

Shakey was the first completely autonomous robot, with a television camera for eyes, a remotely-placedprocessing computer for a brain, and a special environment designed for his activities.

Other robots followed Shakey, but key problems began to dictate their appearance and

usefulness. Mobility was determined by several factors, the foremost of which being that robots

would still have to move about in human environments (Moravec, 22). Interruptions such as

stairs, furniture, and doorways meant that the robot would need a system of mobility which

allowed it the freedom to adapt or circumvent the obstacles in human space that we take for

granted. Wheels, legs in number from two to six (see Odex the walking machine in figure 2),

tracks and other methods have all been used at one time or another to address this problem.

Sony Corporation currently has a robot that closely resembles a suited astronaut which can

literally walk like a human: it replicates the motion of the human leg and walks one foot in front of

the other. It has also been under development for over 20 years.

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Figure 2: Odex, the walking machine by Odetics

Odex is a good example of the type of mechanics necessary to provide mobility in a multi-legged robot.

Another major issue in robot design is the ability to manipulate objects within the

environment. Various designs again have been tested, but the best ones resemble scaled down

human hands, with fingers and an opposing thumb. This design allows the greatest flexibility for

manipulating and grasping objects without having a specialized grip mechanism.

Software Applications

Applications for artificially intelligent systems have been in place and functional for quite

some time. Computer software which exhibits degrees of human intelligence and reasoning is

used extensively today. This document was composed in Microsoft Word 2000, which uses an

Office Assistant to tell the writer when they are composing obscure sentences or aren t making

sense grammatically. One can even determine how smart the program is while writing.

Another current application which uses an AI platform but with architectural implications

is the Intelligent Room, developed at MIT s AI Lab (http://www.ai.mit.edu/projects/hal). The

computer is hooked up to a series of microphones and cameras which act as the program s ears

and eyes. The computer then has the ability to perceive and interact with the room s occupants.

The room (and the computer) can dim the lights, turn on or off the music depending on who is

listening, answer the phone — in short, it is perceived as another person, but is not physically

represented as an robot or other object. The advantage to this environment is that the room

5

learns about its occupants. It remembers who people are, what they like and don t like, and

responds according to personal desires and requests.

The Future of Artificial Intelligence

The future of AI research lies along several fronts. First, the applications must continue to

develop towards a general intelligence platform which exhibits emotions as well as reasoning and

perceptional abilities (Stork, 1997, p.29). Second, robotics must continue to create mechanisms

which can not only perceive their environment, but move about it, perceive it, and change it.

Finally, human-computer interaction techniques must integrate these two components together.

Part of making a successful artificial person is creating an entity which humans will interact with

as they would another human being. As they communicate with the entity in this manner, the

boundary between human and machine diminishes to ideally zero. Cog (figure 3), developed by

Rodney Brooks and Lynn Stein at the MIT AI Lab, is an example of this future in robotics. Cog

was designed to interact with humans through being like them. His head is outfitted with a pair of

cameras for visual perception and an arm and hand with which to perform tasks. He also has

been programmed with human-like physical responses. He cocks his head to one side when

being spoken to and bats his eye lashes .

Figure 3: Cog, the future of human-computer interaction

Cog s human-like appearance and mechanisms allow him to develop his abilities by performinghuman tasks, such as learning to play a snare drum by ear .

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The distant future holds possibilities only remotely imagined. Hans Moravec envisioned

the postbiological world as a place where these electronic entities have superseded humanity

as the next evolutionary phase in our world. The Electronic Bush (figure 4) is one of his

conceptions, which incorporates nanosized processors and circuitry within a non-biological, self-

constructing body (Moravec, 1988, p.102). The Bush is composed of millions of small particles,

all electronic bushes in miniature scale, which are organized in a branch structure similar to

fractile patterns. They can then compose themselves in relationship to each other to literally

create bodily shapes appropriate to the required task. As a result, the Bush can become anything

it wants, including incorporating other bushes and entities. Another speculation for the success of

such an entity is the fact that every part of the Bush can act as its own brain and handle

processing data. A hand wants to pick up something, but rather than have the brain process the

information necessary to pick it up, the hand thinks for itself and acts accordingly. The response

time is shorter and the hand can also adjust to the outcome it arrives at for dealing with the

problem. One day, this entity or something like it, may become our evolutionary child. The future

remains open to speculation, but the fact remains that we will never control the outcome of the

future unless we work to develop and achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

Figure 4: A Robot Bush, as conceived by Hans Moravec (1988)

The Robot Bush represents one possible permutation of an electronic entity which can construct andmaintain itself throughout its lifespan.

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Chapter Three: Definition of Program

The foundation for the thesis is a research and development institute created for

exploring the future of AI. The Institute focuses their efforts towards developing general machine

intelligence by compiling current artificial intelligence developments, creating and developing

future iterations of these projects and proposing and designing new applications for these

endeavors. The Institute is a privately funded group, supported locally by Seattle s strong ties to

the high-tech software and computer industries, and nationally by grants from public institutions.

The majority of the staff are full time resident researchers. Guest researchers from other

universities and labs are invited on a short term (three month to one year) basis through a

researchers in residence program to integrate their work into the Institute s projects. The

Institute is intended to serve additionally as a technological sanctuary or retreat for the

researchers.

Apart from the research itself, the Institute would not be able to exist without a

technological or architectural presence within the general public. The implications of the artificial

intelligence research and development are widespread and encompass everything from cognitive

philosophy to the cloning or creating of an artificial being. Cloning a sheep named Dolly in 1997

sparked ethical and moral debate worldwide, and this was only an animal. The possibility of

creating an artificial person, cognizant in every way we are if even to a mere fraction of our

capabilities, raises issues that will be hotly debated and contested.

The project therefore houses the combination of a research institute, a public

demonstration, and an exhibition center. The exhibition spaces are expressed through live and

interactive demonstrations which allow the general public an opportunity to view the development

of this research, try their hands at making simple versions of the robots and programs they have

come to learn about, and attend forums and lectures which address the research and its

implications. It is the expressed concern of the Institute to bring to fruition not just an electronic

being, but an educated and perceptual general public with whom the new being will interact.

These elements and mission statement in mind, I developed the thesis and its program

based on the above mission statement and around supporting these activities. Besides the

obvious elements already listed, secondary support spaces such as recreation areas and a

vending machine lounge were added in an effort to facilitate the researchers and their work

patterns and habits. An overview of the program follows at the end of this section, and a detailed,

use by use description follows in Chapter Five.

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Table 1: Building Area Tabulation

Floor 1Exhibition Areas (Upper and Lower) 11,300 sfE-Caf and Gaming Room 3,125 sfAdministration Entrance 250 sfCirculation / Restrooms 1,340 sf

Floor 2Auditorium 2,850 sfAdministration 1,690 sfPublic Research Library 3,155 sfCirculation / Restrooms 2,500 sf

Floor 3Auditorium Mezzanine 1,650 sfRobotics Laboratory 3,155 sfCirculation / Restrooms 2,500 sfMechanical Systems 250 sf

Interstitial Floor at FrameInstitute Recreation Area 2,400 sfResearch Offices 1,450 sfCirculation / Restrooms 1,360 sfMechanical Systems 1,675 sf

Floor 4Guest Housing (9 units) 3,000 sfConference / Demonstration Rooms 1,015 sfResearch Labs 6,700 sfLounge / Vending Machines 1,150 sfCirculation / Restrooms 3,990 sf

Total: 56,505 sf

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Chapter Four: Site selection / documentation / analysis

Figure 5: Aerial photograph — Project Site

The nature of the site for the project was decidedly urban from the beginning. The need

to place the Institute and its research in the hands of the general public meant that the site

needed to be readily accessible and placed within a social fabric which would support its transient

population. Another urban requirement was on behalf of the researchers. In order to attract and

keep the best people, the Institute needed to provide as much incentive to be outside the building

as inside. Proximity to social, recreational, culinary and professional sources and outlets were

essential.

After careful examination of multiple sites around the downtown Seattle core, the final site

just east of Pioneer Square was selected (see figure 5, above). The site extends the entire block

between Fourth Ave and Second Avenue Extension, and King and Main Streets in downtown

Seattle. It is immediately across the street from King Street Station (a light-rail transit stop) and

kitty-corner from Union Station (a bus tunnel transit station) (see figure 7). Currently the site is

10

occupied by a railroad yard between 25 to 30 feet below the street grade, with one northbound

rail and one southbound rail with spur going through it on the west side. A few storage shacks

and transformer vaults occupy the site as well (see figure 8). The railroad yard is completely open

above grade to the street above and the sky. The adjacent streets of King and Main are bridges

over the tracks and reinforce the continuity of the railroad s cut through the city (see figure 6).

The unique configuration of the railroad tracks on the site makes on-site parking

unfeasible. Given the high amount of parking in large-scale parking garages nearby as well as

being adjacent to major train and bus transit stations, the project proposes a waiver from all

required parking due to these constraints. The majority of building users will be either short-term

visitors to the exhibitions or daily commuters, both of whom have ample access to the

aforementioned transit options.

The site also straddles the zoning line between historic Pioneer Square and the

International District, which are both pedestrian-oriented zones as well as major commerce and

tourist destinations. The adjacencies of the transit stations as well as downtown Seattle and the

aforementioned districts all posed additional urban constraints and challenges. These additional

constraints pushed the site to develop an urban responsibility to its context. Unfortunately, not

everything could be addressed and incorporated in this project on this site. The focus of the

thesis was the design and development of a technologically driven building, and while the site

was urban by design, it was assumed that the Institute as a client was focusing their interest on a

building built foremost for them.

As with any project, the marriage of the program and the adjacent public realm results in

a compromise. Therefore, certain concessions were made at the outset concerning the direction

of the thesis and the scope of its investigations. The site was heavily influenced by topography,

the railroad, and structural concerns alone, and it was determined that these constraints were

sufficient to influence the design of the structure while still proceeding with the schematic design.

Public street life and other urban issues were not ignored, but the program and expression of the

building were pursued foremost in mind, and this approach generated some atypical urban

responses to the street and pedestrians.

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Figure 6: Project site looking north-east-south

Union Station at second from right, Paul Allen s project at far right

Figure 7: Project site looking south

Union Station at left, King St. Station with tower at center, Kingdome and Safeco Field in distance

Figure 8: Project site looking northeast

Cargo train passing through the site, International District begins at building at right

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Chapter Five: Design synthesis

The Influence of the Railroad Tracks

The position of the existing railroad tracks within the site presented an unusual

opportunity in the design as well as proposing the most difficult challenge to overcome. The

tracks at the eastern edge effectively eliminate one-third the site by removing much of the bearing

surfaces and dedicating them to the railroad. The diagonal spur track removes another portion

because of its proximity to the two main tracks. The resulting site conventionally speaking is

approximately one-half the site at street grade. The structural considerations for this site therefore

became paramount in determining how it would function and support a building without disrupting

the railroad below. Other considerations such as acoustical separation from the trains themselves

would also need to be addressed in some manner.

Initial investigations into the site and spanning across the tracks in conventional manners

such as concrete decks placed on piles or bearing walls showed that this would only be possible

on the one-half of the site not occupied by the tracks. The remaining site area would either need

to be left completely open above and not built upon, or a new method would need to be

introduced.

These observations and constraints brought about the introduction of the structural

frames which span across the entire width of the site and support the entire building. The frames

(six total — see figure 11 for orientation on site) span from the clear space between the

northbound and southbound tracks and the western edge of the site. This structural solution

provided the greatest freedom within the upcoming building design while still allowing the railroad

tracks to continue functioning and be expressed as they currently existed. Several treatments of

the railroad below were explored, but covering over the tracks even partially seemed to contradict

its presence and deterministic influence on the project (see figure 9 for Design Scheme example).

The frame approach seemed to address the site best for structural, conceptual, and aesthetic

reasons.

As the design evolved, key elements of the building began to respond back to the

existing railroad below. The curved wall at the exhibition spaces follows the spur track below, and

demarcates the extents of clearances necessary for the trains to pass by. The exhibition floor

over the tracks is raised above the trains and is correspondingly glazed in structural panels to

allow the trains and the building occupants to visually coexist in the same space (see figure 11,

lower right).

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Conceptual Approach

Two major approaches were investigated in deriving a conceptual design for the project.

The first began as a conventional, load-bearing, box-like structure which lidded over the railroad

tracks below. This scheme allowed the building to front all the way up to the street on all facades,

and presented ample fa ade area from which to hang multiple display screens which

communicated the Institute s proceedings to the public outside. This scheme lacked response to

the railroad tracks below however, as it negated the tracks impact on the site as well as

constraining the possible locations for bearing point for the building above, and was ultimately

rejected.

Figure 9: Design scheme 1

Scheme 1 investigated a more conventional, massive building on the site

The second scheme approached the site by introducing a series of steel frames, which

spanned the site in the short dimension and touched the ground between the railroad tracks. This

scheme seemed to provide the greatest flexibility for introducing the program elements without

worrying about their load-bearing effect on the tracks below. Upon choosing and developing the

second scheme, it became necessary to choose an organizing methodology to distribute the

program elements within the building.

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Figure 10: Design scheme 2

Scheme 2 responded to the site by introducing a set of frames, which supported the buildingelements at the street and above

Design Approach

The final design approach is based in part on the underlying organizational scheme

behind circuit board designs. The circuit board functions as a substructure, which the board s

electronic architecture is superimposed upon. Elements such as chips, transistors, capacitors,

and so on are added and arranged in the composition, which minimizes the circuit distance

between the elements. The resulting structure allows the composite board to substitute, add or

remove elements individually as they become required or obsolete.

The design approach is also based in part on the flexibility of cargo containers, carried by

train underneath the site from the nearby Port of Seattle (see figure 8 for containers on railcars).

Containers come in a variety of sizes, and can be stacked many levels high so long as they follow

the structural rule of stacking on the structural bearing corners of the containers themselves. This

characteristic makes them infinitely variable, as any contents can be placed in any size container

in any pattern so long as the containers are correctly stacked.

These considerations were applied to the conceptual organization of the building by

treating the program s requirements as core elements and inserting them within the pattern of

frames which span the site (see figure 11). The frequency of the frames allows any of the

elements to be inserted in response to the distribution of the program. Single program elements

such as the auditorium were therefore hung or inserted in the frames. The container approach

was utilized primarily for the research labs for the Institute. The need for a series of lab spaces

15

(primarily for programmers and conferences), which would vary in scale and orientation as much

as the whims of the occupants, drove the design to provide space in a manner which was

immediately repeatable, malleable and efficient. Placing the lab containers on top of the frames

addressed the lab requirements for space while allowing them to be stacked in future expansions.

Figure 11: Structural Frames Spanning the Project Site

Final model under construction — railroad tracks, structural frames, auditorium, and circulationcore installed. Upper exhibition floor over tracks visible in center.

Figure 12: Program Elements Inserted Within the Structural Frames

Detail of final model under construction — auditorium, circulation core, frames and tracks below

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The conceptual organization of the building focused around a basic understanding and

expression of the spaces to be programmed. Exhibition centers and cafes are publicly visible and

accessible spaces, while the research labs, library, and theater are all introspective in nature and

do not naturally communicate well their content with the outside world. The building became

organized around this dichotomy by treating major introspective program elements as literal

boxes and letting them focus on themselves, and utilizing the spatial volumes between the boxes

as the public realm, clearly visible and accessible from the outside world. As the user travels

through the building from public to Institute space, the residual spatial volumes reduce in scale

and the spaces become increasingly programmed and defined.

An underlying mission in the expression of the building is the display of the work it is

producing and its progress over time. In design scheme #1 (figure 9), the idea of the building as a

billboard for itself surfaced as a mechanism for conveying the accomplishments of its interior on

its exterior. The fundamental concept was the idea that many ideas occupy the human mind and

the public forum for the Institute s research should have an exterior visual communication vehicle

for it. Design scheme #2 (figure 10) stripped the idea down but did not omit it, and the final design

approach returned to this idea.

Program distribution

The program is organized vertically between the Institute, which occupies the upper three

floors of the building, and the public exhibition and interaction areas at the ground and second

levels. Functions such as the theater and the administration core are accessible from the ground

level.

The ground level houses the main entrance to the building from the intersection of

Second Avenue Extension and Jackson Street, multiple entrances along Fourth Avenue and one

at Main Street. Underneath the auditorium at the second level is an Internet, gaming and

cybercafe. The main exhibition area is divided into two floor planes along the railroad tracks, one

above the tracks and one over the existing railroad yard. The second level houses the primary

entrance to the auditorium and the public research center, an archive for current and past

Institute projects. The administrative core is also located at this level.

The Institute begins at the third level with the robotics lab cluster and the mezzanine

entrance to the auditorium. Continuing up the main stair, there is an interstitial floor within the

support frames which houses a handful of private offices as well as mechanical equipment. This

stair terminates at one of the circulation hubs of the primary Institute floor, the food/vending area,

and lounge. From this point, the clusters of lab containers, circulation fingers, and conference

rooms jut out from the lounge. Guest residences flank the research labs to the west, and to the

17

south, an exterior roof deck and interstitially placed gaming lounge occupy the roof of the

auditorium.

Program area descriptions — Public Realm

Public Exhibition Hall (First Floor, spaces 3, 4, figure 15, top)

The main exhibition space is divided into two major portions along the curved wall,

dictated by the railroad tracks below. The upper level spans across the tracks and consists of a

transparent Cal-Wall structural floor, allowing the entire area to be display-accessible.

Footbridges from Fourth Avenue meet the upper exhibition space at the frame/tower line,

connecting the street side pedestrian to the interior spaces. The lower exhibition hall is located at

ground level at the alley, between six and nine feet below the upper level, and is a concrete

surface. The levels are programmed so that robotic demonstrations and heavy articles of

equipment are located on the concrete lower floor, and PC-based interactive stations occupy the

upper level. The boundary between the two levels follows the curve established by the railroad

track below and consists of an over-scaled steel framework upon which digital display screens,

banners, and demonstration equipment can be suspended. Both levels are highly visible from the

street and offer the general public direct access to the exhibits, which are free of charge.

Public Research Library (Second Floor, space 3, figure 15, bottom)

The second floor of the building contains a research center on the development of the

Institute s work as well as two classrooms for directed studies by small groups. The classrooms

are equipped with sample demonstration equipment such as programmable miniature robots and

control terminals, which allow the user to investigate different aspects of robots, primarily their

mobility, their intelligence, and their means for perceiving the outside world. The archives for all

the projects (past and current) are digital and can be viewed on the premises or via the World

Wide Web. The library also houses a private control booth for the demonstration area below on

the exhibition floor, as well as projection equipment for the display screens in the exhibition

spaces.

E-Caf (First Floor, space 5, figure 15, top)

The E-Caf occupies the southern street level fa ade of the building and partially fronts

on the western and eastern sides. The caf portion begins at the front doors and extends towards

the rear of the space. As the user progresses north in the space, tables for sitting are replaced by

tables with computers for internet / Institute program access. The E-Caf terminates in a gaming

18

room in which users can try their hand at chess and any other game in which an artificial

opponent is optional. All the workers in the Caf are robots and are programmed to serve coffee

as well as chat.

Auditorium (Second Floor, space 1, figure 15, bottom left)

The auditorium is a 450-seat space with an entirely digitally controlled display screen.

The Institute provides the lectures and materials for the general public to view and discuss the

work that is happening in the field of artificial intelligence. Material presented would range from

Institute researchers lecturing on their group s work to recent lectures by other researchers at

other institutions to movies about robots and visions of the future with artificial cognizant

companions. It is expected that people from all disciplines and walks of life will attend these

lectures to see what the Institute is doing, perhaps even to protest it. The Institute s desire is to

encourage any and all dialogues by providing the auditorium as the forum space for these

discourses.

Program area descriptions — Institute Spaces

Administration (Second Floor, space 2, figure 15, bottom)

The administration for the Institute is responsible for running the Institute as well as

raising the necessary funds for its research. The funds which support it are a mixture of public

and private donations. The administration also acts as liason between the Institute and all the

institutions it communicates and shares resources with, and also recruits the resident researchers

from these institutions.

Robotics Laboratory (Third Floor, space 2, figure 16, top)

The physical manifestation of the Institute s work occurs in the robotics section of the

laboratories. The robotics teams develop prototypes for the mobilization of the robots themselves,

and the manipulation and perception of the environment the robots operate within. The three

primary labs are bordered by three offices and two conference spaces as well as project storage.

The labs focus their efforts on specific prototypical developments — 100% construction of a final

robot design would take place in a factory or lab dedicated to this end. The Institute labs would be

able to effect the majority of technical work necessary for producing such an entity, but they are

limited to assembly and small scale fabrication only.

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Interstitial Floor Offices (Interstitial Floor, space 2, figure 16, middle)

The interstitial floor in between the chords of the structural frames houses mechanical

equipment as well as secondary support offices. These offices are dedicated to lab technicians

and other researchers from the main programming labs on the floor above. They are purposely

placed out of the way to encourage the kind of personalities who seek out this type of place as

their preferred environment.

Recreation / Vending / Lounge Areas

(Interstitial floor, space 1, figure 16, middle; Fourth Floor, space 3, figure 16, bottom)

Multiple lounging areas are programmed to encourage the researchers to eat, recreate

and procrastinate in their daily routine. The main stairway, which leads from the second level

Library up through the Robotics Lab and interstitial floor, terminates at the vending machine area.

This area has food, soft drink machines, and couches, and acts as one of the social outlets for

the researchers. The other recreation space is the recreation lounge, located atop the auditorium

within the interstitial space of the structural frames. This area has arcade games, pool and

foosball tables, and caters to the need for intellectual play. It also fronts on a roof deck with views

to the east, south and west of downtown Seattle and the surrounding landscape.

Programming / Research Modules (Fourth Floor, space 4, figure 16, bottom)

The primary research areas in artificial intelligence programming exist on the top floor in

a series of modules. These modules exist within the structural frame grid and provide shell office

space for the Institute. Each major module houses a cluster of researchers, focusing on one

specific project. The modules may be subdivided or rearranged, depending on the project

personnel. They are composed of a monolithic steel shell, 32 feet square on the structural posts,

with punctured 24 x48 windows at the perimeter and four 36 square skylights in the center of

the base module. Electrical and Internet connections are provided via an overhead extension

cord, which is tied back into the Institute via the shell mechanical runs underneath the shell.

Mechanical systems are provided in the same runs as well.

The researchers access their spaces via the glazed corridors which run along the

structural frames and occupy the space between the research modules. They extend from the

vending lounge and residential spine at the west to the eastern edge of the structure, where an

access corridor runs the entire length of the building. Expansion of the research spaces is

permitted by adding shell modules atop the existing ones, bearing on the posts of the shell below.

The new spaces can then be accessed by adding stairwells in the corridors.

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Guest Residences

Guest researchers are provided with accommodations on site for their short-term stays.

Additional visitors may use these facilities as well, if space allows. The Institute provides a total of

nine small studio units, primarily for personal housing. The researchers are allocated office space

within the Institute s research areas, so the housing units have been downsized to the bare

essentials (kitchenette, bathroom and sleeping area). They are accessed from the programmers

level on the top floor, and are meant to be integral within the immersive environment. The people

who work on these projects enjoy what they do passionately and more often than not, the

attraction for guest researchers is having 24 hour a day access to the people and resources of

the Institute. Their responsibility as a guest is therefore to take advantage of these resources and

contribute back to the projects development.

Conference / Demonstration Room

The conference and demonstration room at the roof level is the main space for Institute

meetings and project demonstrations to peers and potential funding agencies. The room is

flanked by display screens, which are controlled by the corresponding project s computer in the

building.

Display Control Booth

The display control booth is responsible for auditorium programming (visual and audio),

and all the exterior signage (reader boards and oversize display screens) and their content. The

booth is delineated by a precariously positioned box atop the southernmost frame, adjacent to the

auditorium and the recreation lounge.

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Chapter Six: Design Documentation

Figure 13: Aerial view looking northwest

Final Model with lab modules on top of roof, with housing units in rows behind, administration inlower right, and the auditorium in lower left

Figure 14: View from corner of Jackson and Fourth, looking northwest

Final Model at street elevation with auditorium and exterior display screens at upper left, cybercafe directly

underneath, and railroad tracks visible below grade

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Figure 15: View from corner of Main and Fourth, looking southwest

North entrance to building at lower right, main exhibition space visible through glazed wall at middle center

Figure 16: Interior view from second floor stair looking

southeast over the exhibition spaces

Upper exhibition floor visible at lower left, curved walkway along railroad tracks below at center,

administration at left center, and Jackson St. entrance at middle right

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First Floor Plan

1 Building Entrance

2 Administration Entrance

3 Upper Exhibition Floor

4 Lower Exhibition Floor

5 E-Caf

6 Gaming Center

7 Circulation Core

8 Railroad Tracks Below

Second Floor Plan

1 Auditorium

2 Administration

3 Public Research Library

4 Circulation Core

5 Exhibition Floors Below

Figure 17: Floor plans — First, Second Floors

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Third Floor Plan

1 Auditorium Mezzanine

2 Robotics Labs

3 Circulation Core

4 Exhibition Floors Below

Interstitial Floor Plan

1 Institute Recreation Area

2 Offices

3 Mechanical

4 Circulation Core

5 Exhibition Floors Below

Fourth Floor Plan

1 Guest Housing

2 Conference Rooms

3 Lounge / Vending

4 Research Labs

5 Circulation Core

6 Roof Deck / Recreation

Area Below

Figure 18: Floor plans — Third, Interstitial, and Fourth Floors

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Chapter Seven: Thesis Summary, Review Discussion, Future Work, and Conclusions

Thesis Summary

This thesis investigated an approach to house cutting edge AI research and public

education in a downtown Seattle site. It began as an inquiry into the history, current state and

potential future of artificial intelligence. This background research became the technical impetus

and inspiration for the building project to follow. The thesis researched a number of sites and

arrived at an urban location in downtown Seattle. The program was then derived from the

integration of the site with the technological requirements of the researchers and their projects.

The program of the entire Institute was later expanded to include additional responses to the

public realm and context, and to fully encompass the variety of experiences this place had to offer

architecturally. The building s design process moved from conceptual ideas to schematic designs

and space programming. The final design became a complex, interlaced composition of ideas

and forms, and the final building a testament to the future its Institute proposes.

Discussions at the final review

The jurors present at the final public presentation were Kai Bergman, Phil Klinkon, and

Inger Staggs Yancey. The initial set of comments revolved around the project s approach to

dealing with urban design issues such as street grade uses and scale. Phil and Inger were

heavily questioning the use of this particular site for expressing the trains below, as well as the

placement of such a design within an urban, highly conforming setting such as Pioneer Square

and International District. They asserted that something so distant in scale and architectural

character was not an appropriate use of this site and that a more spatially and contextually

malleable community such as Everett or Renton would be a better place for the project. Areas

such as these would be more readily adaptable for such a building and would also allow it to act

more effectively as an economic draw for additional computer companies immediately adjacent to

the project. Most of their responses would have been adequately addressed if I had presented

additional material in the oral portion of the presentation. I included very little of the site analysis

work in that portion, and there was therefore a lot of commentary questioning how I arrived at the

decisions I made. It would have been a much stronger presentation if I would have presented a

site plan and analytical study to justify my approach, and it certainly taught me the importance of

correctly choosing what work you display at a presentation and thinking through how the

information you provide influences the discussion that will follow.

This lesson aside, we still differed on the project s fundamental approach to the site s

urban context. I would not disagree with their comments entirely, but part of the scope of work for

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this project involved putting this particular building in a dense urban setting, preferably part of an

existing pedestrian-oriented area. Placing the building in Renton might be a better economical

siting of the building, but it would almost completely negate the social and hamper the

educational goals that the project was trying to accomplish. As for the scale and character issues,

I return to the mission of the project. The sociological implications of what this building and its

inhabitants are striving to accomplish are vast, perhaps even to the point of spawning the next

form of life on this earth. This is not a background project, and it does not deserve a background

building. It has license to address itself as a centerpiece or main attraction, and it is in similar

company. The adjacencies of King Street and Union Stations, Paul Allen s office buildings to the

south along Fourth Ave (figure 6, far right), and both sports stadiums constitutes a strong core of

point destinations and main attractions. In this context, the thesis project reinforces itself

programmatically as an important place and asserts itself accordingly.

Future work

This project was certainly not finished by any definition. It was only the beginning of an

investigation, and as such, there is a great deal more to question, investigate, and address. The

integration of the program with this particular site provided a volatile mix of issues to confront.

There are a number of issues to revisit or revise, and first and foremost of these would be the

treatment of the site. One would have been to resite the building entirely, somewhere else in

Seattle, where the site would not have been such a conflict. Another approach would have been

to revisit the urban conformity issues and see what undeveloped possibilities would be

appropriate for taming parts of the building down in character. The project was heavy and dense

on its aesthetic approach, and as a real project, it would have to revisit its place within the overall

urban context. Second, the program held plenty of opportunities for interior environments and

display designs. The high degree of public interaction with the project and its work provided an

overabundance of conceptual project displays, personal workstations, visual display programming

material and storylines, few of which were explored.

A third issue is that of the future of the building and its development over time. The

Institute it houses has an attainable goal and may require additional space over time to facilitate

this. The structural framework allows for this expansion, but the permutations of opportunities for

these additions were only addressed at a basic level. The building could literally fill itself in by

packing new chunks of program elements into existing interior volumes or atop the frames

themselves, in addition to the opportunities provided by the research lab modules themselves.

Elements of various sizes and programs could be hung out over the railroad tracks below or even

the street, depending on use. Yet another opportunity is the structural frame itself. The structural

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frame that spans the site could be retained in its existing form while core elements are removed

as necessary, allowing the frame s skeleton to be reused for an entirely new project. The

retention of the skeleton would be a testament to the railroad tracks, the condition which required

it.

Conclusions

Overall, my primary objectives were met in the process of designing this thesis project. I

intentionally chose a unique site and a challenging program (both in technology and scale)

because I had never done a project this complex in my studies. It also offered an opportunity to

investigate the technological realm of artificial intelligence and robotics, in which I had always

been interested but never studied in depth. Unfortunately, the complexity was ultimately what

made the project overburdened for the timeframe allowed.

One of the most difficult challenges that this thesis faced was its programming as a

research institute. As with any computer-based research, AI is a field in which the future is

evolving daily at a substantial rate. The design of this facility tries to take this constant change

into account as much as possible by giving the Institute room to grow and personally shape the

character and organization of their building. This challenge is not limited to research labs,

however. It has permeated every part of this project and the vast majority of all my projects in

school, and I expect to continue learning about it, and from it, in every situation I encounter in the

future.

Finally, the thesis served many purposes for me over its development. I learned a lot

about how all of these factors influence, participate in, and structure the design of a building

through the process of taking account of the technological requirements of the research and

creating livable, workable, and inviting spaces within the building. I learned a great deal about

how I interpreted and responded to the existing urban context and public realms through

investigating the place of this particular project within the context of an ever-changing high-tech

Seattle. The project also inspired many intriguing discussions between my committee members,

my classmates, and the final presentation jurors and the attending audience. Overall, the project,

from conception to completion, was quite an interesting and delightful journey.

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