Diploma Unit 2

_LAST EXIT TO BLOCK X

[ AUTONOMY ]n. pl. -mies

1. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) the right or state of self-government, esp. when limited2. (Government, Politics & Diplomacy) a state, community, or individual possessing autonomy3. freedom to determine one’s own actions, behaviour, etc.4. (Philosophy) Philosophy a. the doctrine that the individual human will is or ought to be governed only by its own principles and laws See also categorical imperative b. the state in which one’s actions are autonomous

[from Greek autonomia freedom to live by one’s own laws; see autonomous]autonomist n

Diploma 2 will be investigating the idea of physical and incorporeal autonomy in architecture through

the use of fiction as an organizing analytical framework. Although living in increasingly globalized times

where communications, transportation, trading and technology among others are characterized by an

expanding global outreach, there is a parallel tendency of the physical settings of corporations, political

organizations, scientific research companies, knowledge societies etc. to become increasingly self

contained and insular. The Square Mile, England’s “smallest ceremonial county”, although physically

located at the centre of London, has its own boundaries, governance, territorial police force, tax system

and even a dedicated airport, characterized hence as a state within a state. Googleplex in California

consists of a five acre park, open spaces with water features, shallow pools, fountains, pathways and

plazas, a gym, free laundry rooms, two small swimming pools, multiple sand volleyball courts and

eighteen cafeterias with diverse menus among the office spaces, for use by the company’s employees.

[ FICTION ]n.

1. (Literary & Literary Critical Terms) literary works invented by the imagination, such as novels or short stories2. an invented story or explanation; lie3. the act of inventing a story or explanation4. (Law) Law something assumed to be true for the sake of convenience, though probably false

[from Latin fictiō a fashioning, hence something imaginary, from fingere to shape]fictional adj

fictionally advfictioneer , fictionist n

Having been an attractive subject matter, autonomy has historically been used in fiction and writing as

a means of speculating on ideal states, private utopias, political and social systems that eschew formal

control, or even dystopic environments where human instincts and psychological aspects are stretched

to their limitations. JG Ballard’s ‘High Rise’ where programme and typology latently promote an extreme

insularity and autonomy of the tower and its inhabitants, progressively ends up in a dystopia of mayhem,

where people unconsciously revert to an extreme primal behaviourism that is complimented by its

containing degenerated high-tech architecture. Neal Stephenson’s ‘Snow Crash’ is another example of

the sovereign state model gone wrong, where the ensuing city states are turned into franchises, selling

life styles as a commodity. Hakim Bey in his book ‘T.A.Z.: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological

Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism’ uses historical and philosophical examples in order to analyse and “describe

the socio-political tactic of creating temporary spaces that elude formal structures of control”.

[ ACTION ]

In the above context, the aim of the unit will be to create a fictional city consisting of independent urban

blocks that will be designed by each student individually. Initially through a process of deterritorialization,

the design of the blocks will be based on fictional protocols that will effectively enable the reterritorialization

of existing social structures with new customs and laws contained within the blocks. Fiction will be used

as a description mechanism, as well as a method to explore the patterns and processes of inhabitation

of the blocks, while also speculating on how these can evolve over time. The philosophical, political,

social and legal prerequisites of achieving autonomy will form the basis for the stories to unfold, while

emphasis would be on how these can then inform the design of articulated architecture and buildings.

Term 01

Time 01 CITY ZeroEstablishment of a moral/ amoral/non moral statement

Creation of an artefact –a flag and a pavilion– in a given volume.

Set up of the pavilions along a route

The term will start with defining what constitutes independence and autonomy through extensive

analysis and research into precedents. Isolated desert communities, high rise mixed-use developments,

corporate campuses, ancient city-states, virtually connected social groups and any other forms of

social or political structures that deliberately or not manage to elude formal control. Through a range

of examples such as Freetown Christiania in Copenhagen, Chandigarh in India, Robin Hood Gardens

in London, Kowloon in Hong Kong, London squats etc. the aim will be to rigorously and systematically

analyse the hidden processes and potential loopholes that allow for autonomy to arise. In parallel, there

will be a selection of a relating fiction or writing that would link to the precedent study and which will also

be examined in terms of its structure, addressing of key issues, and development of subject matter. The

synthesis of the two will allow for the design of an artefact piece based on the previous analysis and

utilizing some of the extracted themes in a creative manner.

Field trip to Los Angeles, California and the Mojave Desert.

Trip will be taking place in late October, beginning of November.

Time 02 BLOCK ZeroDefinition and establishment of the urban rules

Program adaptation (100,000 m2 including 90% imposed)

Schematic design

Returning from the trip we will be condensing all of the collected information and research into a ‘protocol’

that establishes the rules, regulations, stories, agendas that will define the thematic entities for the rest

of the year. A site and programme that will have been selected and the process of populating these with

the proposals will start right after.

Terms 02 & 03

Time 03 POWER Zero-one Mutation of the artefact into the place and symbol of the block power

Architectural development

Time 04 BLOCK OneRe-integration of the building into the individual block

Global development/ Finalisation

Time 05 CITY OneBlock assemblage/sections (cadavre exquis)

Refinement of graphical documentation

Models, exhibition, catalogue

Each student will effectively design a city block similar to a small nation, with its own flag, laws and

policies. At the end of the year, students will have worked at a city scale, as well as district and building

scales. They will have developed specific urban, social and political regulations as guidelines for the unit

as well as for their own projects. As aforementioned, it will also be critical that the individual proposals

go beyond the scope of mere representation and description and via the use of fiction ‘populate’ the

projects with their users, their interactions and their stories, achieving this way a critical theoretical and

analytical depth in their investigations.

A particular focus for the technical aspects of each project will be the phasing and sequencing of the

construction processes over specific spans of time as they are related to novel material and building

techniques. This will then enable the time based design studio explorations to be intertwined with their

technical equivalents ensuring a reciprocal development between the two.

For each step of the process, we will be developing all necessary graphical information and models in

order to define and refine our own architectural and representational identity. For the final jury, each

student will be producing specific graphical information and a city model, while detail design documents,

prototypical and definitive models will be generated for the individual projects. The unit, as a team, will

then work on a master plan and organise all the blocks together. A book containing all the political and

social fiction protocols informing each project will be compiled at the end of the year.

Indicative Bibliography

Ballard, J.G. (2008), Concrete Island: Harper Perennial.

Ballard, J.G. (2008), Crash: Harper Perennial.

Ballard, J.G. (2006), High Rise: Harper Perennial.

Bey, Hakim. (2011), TAZ: The Temporary Autonomous Zone, Ontological Anarchy, Poetic Terrorism (Autonomedia New Autonomy Series): AUTONOMEDIA.

Bey, Hakim. (2003), Pirate Utopias: Moorish Corsairs and European Renegadoes: AUTONOMEDIA.

Bresson, Robert and Griffin, Jonathan. (2009), Notes on the Cinematographer: Sun & Moon Books.

Cooper, Dennis. (2005), God Jr.: Grove Press.

Dick, Philip K. (2011), Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?: Gollancz.

Hansen, Mogens Herman. (2006), Polis: An Introduction To The Ancient Greek City State: Oxford University Press.

Hiroya, Oku. (2008), Gantz: Dark Horse Comics.

Holt, Nancy. (ed.) (1979), Writings of Robert Smithson: New York University Press.

Koolhaas, Rem. (1994), Delirious New York: A Retroactive Manifesto for Manhattan: Monacelli Press.

Koolhaas, Rem and Mau, Bruce. (1995), S,M,L,XL: Monacelli Press.

Lambot, Ian. (1993), City of Darkness: Life in Kowloon Walled City: Watermark Publications.

Leach, Neil. (ed.) (2009), Digital Cities AD: Architectural Design: John Wiley & Sons.

Maas, Winy. (2006), Farmax: 010 Uitgeverij.

Palahniuk, Chuck. (1997), Fight Club: Vintage.

Selby Jr., Hubert. (2011), Last Exit To Brooklyn: Penguin Classics.

Stephenson, Neal. (2011), Snowcrash: Penguin.