ARC!6989(!REFLECTIONS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNTechno-utopia in architecture This! essay! address! and! explores! a! very! interesting! paradigm shift! in! architecturalpractices!of!newage!which!is!shiftingtowardsa!new!betterwayto

ARC 6989-‐ REFLECTIONS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN

ESSAY TOPIC: Techno-utopia in architecture

BY- HILONI SUTARIA

REG NO - 110118714

Techno-utopia in architecture

This essay address and explores a very interesting paradigm shift in

architectural practices of new age which is shifting towards a new better way to

understanding and exploring design, to achieve maximum function, better

aesthetics and minimum environmental damage, creating a state of perfection, a

state of utopia through various new technical and digital inventions.

1.1 TECHNO- UTOPIA:

A techno-‐utopian society is hypothetically an ideal society in which laws,

government and social confusions are solely operating for the benefit and well

being of all its citizens, set in the near or far future when advances in science and

technology will allow these ideal living standards to exist, e.g. Post scarcity,

transformations in human nature, the abolition of suffering and even the end of

death. (1) This is the textbook definition of Techno-‐utopia, a utopian self-‐

sustaining society.

This essay explores the idea of similar phenomenon in architecture when firms

or education practices are coming out to explore the idea of self sufficiency and

sustainability by optimum use of technology and medical advancements leading

us into a near age of utopian societies which would very well function on their

own without constant human or on a larger scale, government interference. An

age when fiction is not just escape from reality but it produces an engaged

withdrawal.

1.2 DERIVATION OF THE ESSAY TOPIC:

My studio project (Fig 1.1), which is to do with cinema and architecture, makes

use of a lot of technological and mechanical interventions. While going through

theories that can help understand my studio criteria’s and formulate a design I

came across the works of Rem Koolhaas, his early experimental projects and

Archigram’s work which made me look at the formulation of techno-‐utopian

theories.

Fig 1.1

Sketch of the studio project based in Rome that has the geometrically repetitive prototypes and

technological interventions on a site that in the past was filled with ruins.

1.3 TECHNO-UTOPIA IN ARCHITECTURE: FORMULATION AND

INTRODUCTION.

Architecture is undergoing a systemic change driven by the changes in culture,

science, industry and commerce that are rapidly eroding the formal boundaries

between the natural and the artificial. The conceptual apparatus of architecture

has always given a central role to the relations of mankind and nature. (2)

Architecture as a material practice is predominately based on an approach to

design that is characterized by prioritizing the elaboration of form over its

subsequent materialization. Since the renaissance that increasing division

between processes of design and making, has led to the age-‐long development of,

and increasing dependence on representational tool intended for explicit scalar

geometric descriptions that at the same time serve as instructions for the

translations from drawing to the building. (3)

All through the architectural history there have been majors shifts in

architectural practice “Renaissance movements”, pertaining to the styles and

methodologies of architects. It is during these shifts that we evaluate and

question the change and the sequential history of the origin of the change. One

such shift could be the potential shift of the world towards high technological

interventions in architecture leading to techno utopia. Within the discipline of

architecture the impact of this new paradigm has been especially marked. For

some time now various architecture have been exploring the potentialities of the

digital domain. This has led to some exciting visual imagery that has until now

remained confined largely to the utopian world of the screen and visual imagery.

1.4 VIEWS ON TECHNO-UTOPIA:

The same as every architectural movement and progression Techno-‐utopia was

met with a lot of critical comments and also with a lot of appraisal. Techno-‐

utopian ideologies are based on studying and learning lessons from the past

without trying to rebuild it, but tracing architecture and planning theories and

where do they come from, to address in a better way contemporary architectural

practice The movement eliminates the need of the individual and focuses on

making architecture more shiny or iconic. Techno-‐utopia address the need or the

human urge for making architecture huge and pompous but might now be

specifically catered to the wants of a singular person. Taking this into account,

this might not be is necessarily a utopian society. Considering that, it is also not

wrong to take into debate the fact that what is conceived, as utopia for one

person might not be utopia for another individual or a group of individuals. So

this architectural movement might be considered to be the ‘egoist imagery’ of an

individual and his perception of what might be an “utopian urban-‐scape” and the

imposition of that on the society. Response to such imposition is often varied and

looked upon in both the way. This type of architecture might not give importance

to an individual or a structure but it binds together a whole city making the

needs of an individual less important then the needs of the whole organism,

which is the city. It certainly is born out of configurations of human desire. It

does not have a shape or geometry but like shiny bubbles has attractions. Instead

of being as architectural movement, or a set style, techno-‐utopia, is an

advertisement of architecture insinuating political social movement. This is

architecture devoid of any program, the ability, the flexibility to do anything

anywhere, building, breaking and rebuilding over and over again. The

excitement does not come from surprise or addition, but comes from abstraction,

from elimination, the ability of taking something simple and turning it into a

grotesque image enhancing the ‘beauty’ inherent in its simplicity. Like shiny

baubles attracting, the cacophony of unhabituated, open and free flowing

organism without boundaries, techno-‐utopia creates a pull. This ideology does

not just encompass the living space but also proliferates to the workspace

amalgamating both the spaces. A workplace is often converted into living

quarters and vice-‐versa. The line of difference is gradually becoming thinner and

the possibility of open explorations is increasing. This style, if we may say, of

architecture does not have rigid programs and fixed functions for its spaces but

has a rather free-‐flowing architectural language, which is flexible for continuous

change and growth. It creates a world filled with LED’s, filled with graphical

imagery , describing nothing in particular, symbolizing an entity which is not

personal but which addresses a whole. It creates a space that can be claimed by

none but owned by all. Its utter flamboyance creates spaces that do not ensure

memories, just instantaneous experiential spaces.

This movement does not necessarily create a utopia but paradoxically just

formulates a deep interest which fulfills the mental utopian urge of human

desires, ironically formulating utopian society.

A very similar ideology is depicted in the works of Rem Koolhaas and so a study

of some of his projects might give a better view in this ideology.

1.5 REM KOOLHAAS- EARLY PROJECTS AND IDEOLOGIES

Exodus was a project submitted by Rem Koolhaas as his final project at the AA

school in London.

This project was basically division of the city of London into two halves where

the center would be split and walls would be created around it to make it a

separate part of the city like the Berlin wall (Fig 1.2). The people who voluntarily

chose to live over here would become ‘ The Voluntary prisoners of

Architecture’. This would divide the city into a good part and the bad part. As

the people would keep on migrating to the good part of the city the bad part

would become a ghost town creating a Urban exodus by creating dystopia in a

part of the city and utopia in another. (Fig 1.3) Exodus provided an escape from

the existing socio-‐ economical and spatial relations, which would lead to the

destruction of the metropolis with the creation of pocket areas.

Fig 1.2

The walled city in the heart of London. Rem Koolhas , Elia Zenghelis, Madelon Vriesendorp and

Zoe Zenghelis, Exodus or Voluntary Prisoners of Architecture. (4)

Fig 1.3

Rem Koolhas , Elia Zenghelis, Madelon Vriesendorp and Zoe Zenghelis, Exodus or Voluntary

Prisoners of Architecture. (5)

1.5.1 A short explanation of what a critic/ writer at Rem koolhaas’s Firm thinks

about what he defines as “Junk space” or the architecture proliferating new

cities which according to me is a very close description of techno-utopian

ideologies:

Hi-‐tech has been revived to celebrate the millennium; it seemed so dead only a

decade ago. It is based on the foreground of what previous generations kept

under wraps; molluscular forms with tauntly stretched skins; emergency stains

suspended in unilateral trapeze, handcrafted members propping quasi-‐industrial

plant rooms, acres of glass hung from spidery cables, probes thrusting into space

to deliver laboriously what elsewhere happens unaided, free air (6).

1.6 ACADEMIC VIEW:

While researching for this project I came across a book which had a detailed

description and methodologies of an educational practice carried out at the

Architectural Association school of architecture, in London. This book is based

on technological advancements and taking interpretations from living systems is

and is written by the director of the program: ‘Emergent Technologies and

Design-‐ towards a biological Paradigm for architecture’ – Micheal Hensel, Achim

Menges and Micheal Weinstock. A study of the academic process could show how

architectural interpretations of utopia are in education of current times in

comparison to Rem Koolhaas’s old project and his theories.

Emergent technology and design’ the study is an exploration of technological

advancements, Digital prototyping and material explorations in architecture to

study basic living forms and use that study to create advanced hi-‐tech,

sustainable and technologically advanced designing options or prototypes.

While the program tittle does acknowledge the importance of new technologies;

it also emphasis the key concepts of emergence, which is a new science, a new

field that has initiated a significant change in architecture, in relation to design.

(7) The instruments available for architectural and engineering design have

undergone a huge change facilitating digital prototyping and dynamic structural

and environment stimulations by writing changeable scripts to extend the

possible design forms and processes and varying conditions enabling the

building and design of complex forms and thus facilitating using these

prototypes for the possible design of cities in the future.

The study of ecological system provides concepts and models for the complex

energy relations of organisms to their environment that extends from the

analysis of the metabolic behavior of a single plant or animal to the dynamics of

the patterns of species within an ecological system, the flow of energy, their

mathematical structure and material between them that regulates their behavior

down through the generations and makes it possible for them to be deciphered

by coding variants. (8).

1.6.1 BIOLOGICAL MATERIALS FROM ARCHITECTURE METHODOLOGY –

BIOMIMETIC

SITE & RESPONSE:

The evolution of all multiple variations of biological form should not be thought

of as separate from their structure and materials. It is the complex hierarchies of

materials within natural structures from which the performance emerges. Form

structure and material act upon one another, and the behavior of all three

activities on each other cannot be predicted by analysis of any one of them

separately. (9)

Most biological materials engineer themselves to be self organize into entities

which the bear the structures and implemented upon them by natural calamities

often by forming structures which would bent and deform during the impact and

retain their shape after it. Studying these engineering principles and their

gradual values of stiffness and elasticity’s by studying their cross sections could

determine the engineering principles behind it opening a boarder spectrum of

mechanical and technical advancements which could be used in architectural

forms to develop & move flexible and re-‐changeable options.

Biomimetic strategies that integrate form, material and structure into a single

process are being adopted from the names scale right up to the design and

construction of large buildings (10)

Evolution causes variation and random changes over the time that provides for

‘adaptation’, random variations, in the ‘design’ repeated transitions over time.

Such stochastic processes that will never give the same output and never repeat

the exact same process again is the perfect strategy for evolution in design,

architecture and engineering bypassing the limits of standardized material

components.

1.6.2 PHYSICAL MANIFESTATION OF BIOMIMETIC PROTOTYPES USING

DIGITAL AID

MAKE

A physical model is a mathematic description of a process, and can begin as a

simple set of rules that are progressively refined as the understanding of the

process develops (11). Many physical processes are modeled in this way to

produce interactive stimulations some of which maybe optics and light, springs

and masses, harmonious mechanics etc.

Digital form generation processes that use such simulations are currently in use,

could form various structural and material manifestations, which have not been

done before but these processes would be an invaluable asset if it could be used

in the designing of cities.

( Emergent Technologies and Design – Towards a biological paradigm for architecture, by

Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock [Pg.-‐ 17] )

( Emergent Technologies and Design – Towards a biological paradigm for architecture, by

Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock [Pg.-‐ 21] )

To go through the process of how this academic form of research in

technology and biomimetic has led to technological advancements pertaining to

design, I studied one of the dissertations done by a student, Andrew Kudless, at

the same university.

1.6.3 RESEARCHING ON CELLS AS BASIC UNITARY FORM OF ANY LIVING

ORGANISM

The structure of cells has fascinated material philosophies of at least 300 years.

This dissertation is aimed at providing an architecture specific background to

the geometrical mechanical and morphological properties and processes of

honeycomb cellular solids with the ambition of developing a novel honeycomb

structure made from readily available stock material, in which each cell can be

different in size, shape and orientation.

Technological shortcomings restrict construction patterns of honeycombs that

are irregular in patterns whereas in natural systems irregularity is the main key

and it is highly unlikely that the integration would be regular. So the main

criteria of this research was to explore a more irregular differentiated

honeycomb cellular pattern which provides the material and technological

innovation required for a higher level integration of multiple performance

criteria as observed in natural cellular solid systems.

Digital and physical models of five honeycomb cell morphologies that’s were produced during

the development process of the honeycomb deriving algorithm. (MA Dissertation of Andrew

Kudless , October 2004) ( Emergent Technologies and Design – Towards a biological paradigm

for architecture, by Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock [Pg.-‐ 177] )

Photograph showing the algorithmically derived honeycomb prototype in which each cell is

unique in shap, size and depth allowing for changing cell densities and double-‐ curved global

geometry. (MA Dissertation of Andrew Kudless , October 2004) ( Emergent Technologies and

Design – Towards a biological paradigm for architecture, by Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and

Micheal Weinstock [Pg.-‐ 187] )

References:

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_utopianism

2. Emergent Technologies and Design – Towards a biological paradigm for

architecture, by Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock Pg. 26

Para 1.


architecture, by Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock, Pg. 44

Para 1.

4. Architecture or Techno-‐utopia – Politics after Modernism by Felicity D. Scott,

Pg.254, 9.2

5. Architecture or Techno-‐utopia – Politics after Modernism by Felicity D. Scott,

Pg. 256, 9.3

6. Architecture and Urbanism, May 2000, Special issue, OMA @ work, Pg. 18










architecture, by Micheal Hensel , Achim Menges and Micheal Weinstock pg. 19

Documents

ARC!6989(!REFLECTIONS IN ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNTechno-utopia in architecture This! essay! address! and! explores! a! very! interesting! paradigm shift! in! architecturalpractices!of!newage!which!is!shiftingtowardsa!new!betterwayto