ARC 6989: Reflections in the Architectural Design

Tutor: Carolyn Butterworth

Submit by: Fengyan ZHU

Registration number: 110204235

MA Architectural Design

School of Architecture

Before I came to Sheffield, more exactly is that before the course-Reflections in

the Architectural Design, I never thought about changing the architectural design

process deeply. The conventional process is research, site analysis and design. It is

a time-based process and I never had an idea that what is missing in my design

methodology and how should I understand the architectural design process in a

broader way.

The structure that I propose to develop the theme of this essay will begin with

understanding architectural education in my opinion. I will also introduce Peter

Zumthor’s thinking architecture and ways of looking at thing. Then I will continue

I will continue by addressing my learning process and my reflections on

architectural design at the University of Sheffield. After that, I will talk about my

studio work to illustrate how to connect research and design. Most importantly, I

chose two great examples trying to answer the two questions- How to develop

response? How research can be defined in a field like architectural design? As a

conclusion to this essay I will explain my final comprehension about architectural

design.

How to understand architectural education?

‘When I think about architecture, images come into my mind. Many of these images

are connected with my training and work as an architect. Then contain the

professional knowledge about architecture that I have gathered over the years.

Some of the other images have to do with my childhood. There was a time when I

experienced architecture without thinking about it. Sometimes I can almost feel a

particular door handle in my hand, a piece of metal shaped live the back of a spoon.’

(Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture p9.)

When Zumthor talked about architecture, he always mentioned the words

experience, image, feel, etc. he never introduced a historical theory frame, never

told how to achieve his design process and never shown some principles of

architectural design. His words sounded more like a craftsman rather than an

architect. After six years of studying architecture, I have learned several theory

frames, several strategies of designing, and professional knowledge about

architecture. But I appreciated the words, because I found that Zumthor stressed

the views are missing in my architectural design study. It is a good perspective to

think architecture, and the way of looking things. We all experience architecture

before we have even heard the word. The roots of architectural understanding lie

in our architectural experience: our room, our house, our street, our village, our

town, our landscape- we experience them with the countryside, towns and

houses that we experience later on. As architects, I should not only respond to

the experience of studying architecture, but also respond to the experience when

I use architecture in childhood.

“Practicing architecture is asking oneself questions, finding one’s own answers with

the help of the teacher, whittling down, finding solutions. Over and over again.”

(Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture p65.)

I always asked teacher what I should do next, before I came to study in Sheffield.

On the contrary, teachers always asked me what do you want and what do you

want to achieve. But I do not think architectural design is simple as finding

answers to questions. Beyond that, historic economic, social, and political

relationships should be considered carefully in the architectural design process. I

should analyze the connections and respond to them.

How to understand response during the architectural design

process?

As part of my learning process on my course, I have been encouraged both in my

studio work (MAAD X2) and Reflections on architectural design module, to

attempt new ways to approach my designs outcome. The results of these have

been series of tactical approaches within a specific project, which have

encouraged me to articulate the design process in different ways. Reflections on

architectural design module is based on site-response-make structure, and it

allowed me expressing my past experience with present reflections and help me

comparing the difference in my design methodology.

The site really represents not only a physical place, but also means social,

historical, economic, political aspects. It embodies the material elements of the

territory it is set in, and the history of the beings that inhabit it. For instance, our

first research site is the Occupy Movement and the movement contains spaces,

time, social and political connections. Unfortunately, one of the site design

methodologies is narratives and I never tried this methodology in my past design

works. I attempted to apply the narratives in my individual project, and homeless

people and local community are the main actors.

‘The design process then is not simply the clapping of solution on to problem, like a

snuffer on candle, but is the interaction of two agents in a reiterative process of

discovery. This exchange of energies has no parallel in any other art; and it is the

reason why there can be no such thing as ‘autonomous architecture’. Unless it is

born out of this dialogue, no work can ever achieve the statue of architecture: it can

only be a folly.’ (Colin ST John Wilson , Architectural Reflections P31)

Those words illustrate the core of design process- interaction is the most

fundamental thing in process. In my personal opinion, response should be

regarded as a synonym of interaction. Response constitutes the construction of a

critical position towards a site and its features; that enables you to engage in an

architectural exercise in a creative way. Response essentially could be seen as the

core of an architectural project and can be constructed and contextualized in any

way; it is directly a linked with the design methodology that the architect

employs.

“Architectural drawings try to express as accurately as possible the aura of the

building in its intended place. But precisely the effort of the portrayal often serves to

underline the absence of the actual object” (Peter Zumthor, Thinking Architecture

p12.)

Make is not only making representations of designs to discuss with clients, to

refine a design into detail, to experiment to assemble ideas, but also to

understanding the materiality of the response.

Research and Design

My studio theme is Civil Society and mapping is an important tool to record

information. We really did several categories of maps. To my opinion, it is hard to

define the map in architectural area accurately. The map is more than just

territorial drawings. During the research process, I do not care what information

look like to me. I formulate a research question, collect the data and make it visual.

Initially, I thought this way of mapping is beyond architects’ work. The

information design work should be more suitable for the graphics designers. But

after the work we did to record the occupy movement in London and Sheffield, I

totally changed my mind.

Maps of Occupy Movement

Mapping is important for us to understand the urban environment. Maps are

primarily received as directional; a subway or bus map is understood as a tool to

help you get somewhere. After looked at the London subway maps over time, for

example, the different depictions of Central Park in various versions of the map. I

could make the decisions that mappers made demonstrates how much

information I accept uncritically, and how much images participate in forming my

understanding of the world.

More specifically, mapping is an efficient way for me to analyze the urban

environment in Sheffield. After the analyzed the empty spaces, fundamental

public spaces, relationships, etc., I chose my site properly according to the

geographic information and social information. During the design process, Map is

regarded as media to influence my design. It is no doubt that map belongs to an

outcome of make section. My project should be considered as research project. It

is unusual to choose the site after decided the proposal of design. So not only our

response of site can influence make section, but also our response of make can

direct us to choose the site.

Maps of empty spaces and public spaces in Sheffield city centre

How to develop RESPONSE?

“Historically, architecture has been dominated by two opposing extremes: an

avant-garde full of crazy ideas, originating from philosophy or mysticism; and the

well-organized corporate consultants that build predictable and boring boxes of

high standard.” Architecture seems entrenched: naively utopian or petrifyingly

pragmatic.

In the book of YES IS MORE, BIG believes there is a third way between these

diametric opposites: a pragmatic utopian architecture that creates

socially, economically and environmentally perfect places as a practical objective.

Unlike a classic architectural monograph, it is more of a manifesto of popular

culture, in which BIG s methods, means, processes and approach to the concept

of architecture are revealed as being as unconventional, unexpected and

result-producing as the world in which it exists, continually reaffirming its mission

with a resounding YES. In YES IS MORE BIG shows how its members respond to

the polymorphous demands, complex rules and highly specialized knowledge of

society, creating tangible solutions through artistic processes: solutions that time

and again attract the interest of the population at large while earning the respect

of aficionados across the globe.

YES IS MORE P178-179

“Play needs firm limits, then free movement within these limits. Without firm

limits there is no play” (Rem Koolhaas, S, M L, XL)

Architect should set rules and frameworks, constitutions and manifestos to

develop the response. YES IS MORE speaks the language of popular culture,

allowing the sublime to shine through in the commonplace. We (not only as

architects) can gain insights into BIG’s processes, methods and results through

the most approachable and populist means of communication the cartoon.

They won't even be the creators of architecture but rather the midwives of the

continuous birth of architectural species shaped by the countless criteria of

multiple interests. The whole world insists on conflict. The media craves conflict,

and the politicians craving media presence need to engage in conflict to get there.

What if design could be the opposite of politics? Not by ignoring conflict, but by

feeding from it. A way to incorporate and integrate differences, not through

compromise or by choosing sides, but by tying conflicting interests into a Gordian

knot of new ideas.

“An inclusive rather than exclusive architecture. An architecture unburdened by the

conceptual monogamy of commitment to a single interest or idea. An architecture

where you don't have to choose between public or private, dense or open, urban or

suburban, atheist or Muslim, affordable flats or football fields. An architecture that

allows you to say yes to all aspects of human life, no matter how contradicting!”

BIG’s method is say yes to the site; say yes to the client; say yes to the users; say

yes to the government; say yes to all request. Then, they will use all this condition

as a restrict rule to generate form, to make response to the site, shape the

building base on the site conditions and along with the “Yes” requirements.

Certainly, the outlook of the building will contain certain degree of architects’

artic taste and individual humorous. This is a visualized method which could be

easily understood. BIG’s methodology of designing introduced an example of how

to communicate with response during the design progress. I cannot make

judgments on the methodology whether is right or wrong, but their responses to

the conflicts, conditions and relationships directed their design outcome.

How research can be defined in a field like architectural design?

Venice architecture biennale 08: Swiss Pavilion

The theme of the Swiss Pavilion emphasized essential points of architectural

reflection by bringing into light the conflict and permeation of spatial,

organizational and production-technical dynamics. Architecture is making use of

experimentation, enhancing the practice with widely divergent inventories of

knowledge, cross disciplinary boundaries and exploring new terrains. The pavilion

demonstrates how unproductive the customary differentiation between basic

and applied research is in relationship to architectural design. In place of it,

concepts of methodologies, networks, didactics and technology are presented.

Architectural research does not try to limit itself to any one particular statement

of a problem. Instead, it tries to associate itself with more divergent fields of

knowledge so that their approach may seem less academic and more

experimental. Humanities and science are introduced to practice-oriented and

creative approaches so that they may experience their compression and

expansion within the design process.

Their aim is to debate the meaning of “design research” in the applied discipline

of architecture, and to provide alternative takes on a term, and an academic field

that still lack sharp definition.

“In a time of perceptible technological and socio-economic change, architecture can

no longer rely on preconceived concepts, established typologies and design

methodologies—nor can architectural education. Rather than perpetuating a

particular formal school, academic style, or pedagogical orthodoxy, institutions need

to focus on a critical re-examination of design processes themselves, with an aim to

formulating new models of collective learning and research practices.”

At more than 100 meters in length, a brick wall structure stands within the Swiss

pavilion, dividing the space into four parts.

The structural wall divides the space into four sections R-O-B robotic system outside the Swiss Pavilion

Images from designboom.com

Semonstration of the computer program used to render R-O-B robotic system laying bricks

the brick wall

Floor plan of the brick wall's position within the Swiss Pavilion The computer program is rendering a wall

The installation is titled 'structural oscillations' and this construction element

stands in direct relationship to the pavilion and expresses the current approach to

architectural research. The design was produced through a computer program

which rendered the structure, ensuring its stability and was then setup on-site

using the R-O-B robotic system. Alongside the wall are architectural models which

question the idiosyncrasies associated with architectural research and their

potential. The display aims to invite discussion, broadening our perspective in

order to clearly outline the possibilities and limitations of this particular way

of encountering the world.

Conclusion

The site‐response‐make structure is the key elements in architectural design

process, and whenever I address this structure to establish connections between

my past and present I will be referring to them in any particular order, not

necessarily in the one they are currently stated in. Response should be used as

bridges to connect the site and make. Research and design should not be

considered separately as two different parts. Response played an important role

in both research and design. Architects should never forget to make response to

both site and make. Response could be developed according to setting rules and

frameworks, constitutions and manifestos appropriately. No matter what kind of

strategies I will use in the future, having a stop and architecture reflection will

lead positive position.

Reference:

Peter Zumthor „Thinking Architecture”, Birkhäuser, 1999

Colin ST John Wilson “Architectural Reflections”, Manchester University

Press, 2000

Bjarke Ingels “Yes Is More: An Archicomic on Architectural

Evolution” ,Taschen, 2010

Rem Koolhaas “S, M, L, XL”, Benedikt Taschen Verlag GmbH, 1977

Venice architecture biennale 08: Swiss Pavilion http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/9/view/3932/venice-architecture-biennale-08-swiss-p

avilion.html, Accessed on April 16, 2012

Mapping as a Spatial, Political and Environmental Practice

http://urbanomnibus.net/2012/02/mapping-as-a-spatial-political-and-environmental-practice/,

Accessed on April 21,2012