SWARM TECTONICS 631

Swarm Tectonics CHIAFANG WU STEPHEN ROE The Ohio State University/ROEWUarchitecture

In Matter and Memory Henri Bergson wrote: A similar deep-seated dichotomy has existed in architecture in recent years where the idealism of modernist formalism has been opposed by the rela- if we suppose an extended continuum, and, tivism of post-modern formlessness. The Modernist in this continuum, the center of real action ideology of “Form follows Function” was replaced by which is represented by our body…Everything the post-modern where form no longer represents will happen as if we allowed to filter through function but rather becomes a representation of us that action of external things which is real, “complexity and contradiction.” Both of”these posi- in order to arrest and retain that which is tions are based on the same assumption, however, virtual: this virtual action of things upon our that material (form) and its abstract contents (func- body and of our body upon things is our per- tion) are related only by representation. ception itself. Modernist architectural production was based on the creation of an ideal image formed by apparent causal necessity. The architect represented this ideal in built form. The increasingly apparent com- plexity of our world made this self-assuredness of the Modernist architect appear more and more suspect leading eventually to a crisis in architec- tural production.

This resulted in Post-Modernist practice which re- positioned the architect as a critic and observer rather than producer. This new position resulted in a necessary and effective critique of the Modern project and it attempted to accommodate greater complexity than Modernism had acknowledged. But In other words, there is no distinction between the it has also led to severe limitations on the capabil- real and the virtual for Bergson they form a con- ity of architects to advance their field through the tinuum in which our actions on real objects and production of new ideas which can accommodate our perception are linked through our nervous sys- the increasingly rapid technological and social de- tem. This insight -based on recent scientific dis- velopments currently taking place. coveries of the time, studying the relationship between the physical state of the nervous system In recent years, new methods of design and modes and its purely abstract processing of information. of production have begun to necessitate an increas- It allowed him to go beyond the traditional meta- ingly instrumental role for architects. As techniques physical opposition between realism and idealism advance rapidly architects risk becoming in which either only the physical world or only the marginalized and irrelevant if they do not engage world of our imagination was real –the other being those techniques. By reaffirming their productive but an illusion. nature, without ignoring the complexity of our 632 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

world, architects are no longer either autocratic, cial and structural complexity the performative as- all-seeing God figures or immersed reactive critics pect of architecture is more important than ever. but rather can become a kind of demiurgic nano- machine responding to ever-changing conditions in a consistent but varied manner.

In an increasingly complex and media-saturated world, Environmental factors, Economics, social relations, property values and regulations are all information structures which have real material impact on architectural bodies. With increasing densities of information on all these levels the re- sponse of buildings to perturbations in design and use becomes more important than their formal representation of an ideology or the lack of one. Deleuze and Guattari In their work “A Thousand During the Gothic age the successive technical Plateaux” distinguish between two distinct developments in stone-work over many genera- “machinic phylums” or underlying thought mecha- tions gradually led to more and more efficient struc- nisms. These they describe in various terms as the tures. This process advanced gradually, through Statist vs. the Nomadic or the Striated vs. the experimentation rather than through stylistic or Smooth. They note the traditional favoring of the representational innovations. This is an example Statist, Striated model in Western philosophy and of a bottom-up process of advancement. set out to counter that with their studies of the Nomadic, Smooth model. In their rare references The first project we want to show was an Entry for to architecture they describe what they term a a Nationwide Design Competition which called for “Romanesque” and a “Gothic” tradition. The Ro- new ideas to activate the south wall of the building manesque corresponds to what they call the stri- of the Dept of Energy in Washington DC. This ated or Statist tradition. Architects would recognize project was awarded as Honorable Mention by the it as primarily the “Classical” tradition which em- Jury. The Site is just off the Mall in DC, in pretty phasizes the appearance of buildings over their stagnant and rather lifeless surroundings. It is the performance. huge, blank, concrete wall facing south.

To this Classical tradition Deleuze & Guattari con- trast what they term the “Gothic” - a primarily performative method. In this”method, form emerges from technique as opposed to what happens with a style where form is imposed from outside. The Gothic is a performative method rather than a formal sys- tem, the performance of individual elements of the tectonic and their combinations determine the vi- sual appearance of the building. Both Modernism and Post-modernism, are styles based on the “Ro- manesque” tradition where the appearance of the building is more important than its performance. Today, however, with increasing programmatic so- SWARM TECTONICS 633

performative aspect of this system we saw it as taking in data from the atmosphere and output- ting it as visual material.

We also did extensive research into the newest photovoltaic technologies. One recent development is the flexible PV: This type of PV is mounted on very thin, flexible sheets of steel or aluminum which allows it to bend while retaining its power-genera- tion capabilities. By pushing the possibilities of this new material further and taking our series of tec- We started by analyzing the path of the sun rela- tonic studies of the grass field as a model we de- tive to the site at different times of the year. The veloped a prototype, which we called a dynamic phenomena of weather and climate are “solar-blade””–it’s like a blade of grass but mounted the raw materials of this project. vertically and capable of generating electricity.

We wanted to make an installation which inter- To develop the system further we started from the acted with its environment so that the weather it- small scale of these blades and worked up towards self becomes an active part of the design. We took the assembly of an overall system. A dynamic net inspiration from the phenomenon of flowers turn- was set up to support the blades, which is similar ing during the day to follow the sun, in order to to the root systems of grass and which would be maximize their solar gain. The fascinating perfor- arrayed in a field over the entire extent of the site. mance of the field of sun flowers happens over several hours with rather slow motion. We were The effect of this vertical field of grass is a combination also interested in more dynamic movements such of the bending of the blades in the wind, their rotation as a field of grass billowing in the wind. towards the sun and the flexibility of the net. It is pro- ducing an ever-changing visual impact and transform- A computer simulation model was set up to study ing the space according to the local weather. The the relationship between the overall form and architecture makes the microclimate of this small for- interconnectivity between individual blades of grass gotten area of the city visible to all who pass by and at and their response to wind. As we looked into the the same time harvest it’s own energy. 634 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

We started by studying climate-data for the site to try to identify patterns on a yearly basis. We were also interested in the potential power-producing and morphological effects of the extreme local tides.

The building becomes a body immersed in its unique environment acting as a filter between ex- terior climate and more controlled interior condi- tions. A large atrium at the shoreline collects on- and off-shore breezes to passively cool the space in the summer time while collecting sunshine in

The next project is a proposal for a “Holistic Hotel” the winter. A permeable mat based on the pier on the seafront in Wales. This site is characterized structures of southern England projects into the by the largest Tidal in variation in Europe –up to water, moving up and down with the tides and cre- 6M (20 ft.) at certain times of the year. ating an artificial beach and sun-terraces facing south. Along this new landscape a series of bed- We took the idea of Holism to implicate every as- room-wings are arrayed, their skin responding to pect of the building from construction through use. changing weather and user-requirements. In a seasonally occupied building such as this, cli- mate affects not only the energy usage of the build- But the Building is also an information-structure ing but also its programmatic content which varies consisting of both hotel-management and build- over the year with the type and number of guests. ing-management databases: We studied the po- SWARM TECTONICS 635

tentials for beneficial connections between these two systems –resulting in a fully Computer Inte- ervations their rooms are prepared for their ar- grated Building. The Hotel as a typology is sea- rival by being “aired”, letting in fresh air and gradu- sonal, at some times of the year, the building will ally heated to acceptable levels. be almost empty in which case energy consump- tion should be kept to a minimum. Our project di- When the Guests actually arrive their bedroom would vides the program into different parts some of open up, its pixellated skin reformatting to let in light which, the reception, conference and recreation and views. Like a large animal slumbering on the areas for instance, are in use year round and oth- shore, the building adjusts itself to the changing ers, specifically the bedrooms and sun decks are weather, and to the variations in its interior. Its skin only used periodically. After guests have made res- flickers and twitches as waves gently lap around it. 636 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

The next Project we will show is for a New Concert mine the optimal layout -a database of solar infor- Hall for the City of Stavanger in Norway Learning mation is used to determine the position of physi- from our earlier projects where material and infor- cal objects in space. The Final layout leaves an mation interact in real time we began to see infor- un-shadowed area at the south-east corner of the mation as instrumental in the material organization site, along the promenade and facing the old town of buildings at all scales. The Program called for a of Stavanger. This area becomes the nexus of public Classical-Music Concert Hall and a smaller Multi- circulation through the site, crossed by paths which purpose Theater along with rehearsal rooms, of- do or do not intersect with the building. fices, public areas and parking etc. with a total area of 120,000 sf. The site is on the waterfront Taking the keys of a piano as a model landscape occupying a former harbor area facing the old town subject to manipulations based on a specific set of of Stavanger. instructions - a manipulable datum which can be tilted to various angles and heights- the park is We started by gathering and analyzing informa- divided into a series of strips which are tilted into tion about circulation routes through and around a landscape of openings, rising and falling in tune the site. There is an Existing Park and Music Hall with the changing programmatic requirements adjacent to the site but these are cut off from sea- within. The park would expand, contract and split front promenade which connects the site to the open to accommodate the various programs be- old town.

To make an architecture which can accommodate low adjusting its topography to their requirements both transient and static populations we integrated for light, ventilation and acoustic isolation. In this the existing park, the new concert halls and the way programmatic information shapes the mate- seafront promenade into a continuous landscape. rial of both building and landscape. Given the extreme northern latitude of Stavanger the disposition of the large new concert halls could The result is a fissured, programmed terrain from produce undesirable shadows in the low winter sun, which two minimalist boxes emerge. The landscape so a series of analyses were carried out to deter- tilts and adjusts to accommodate these variations SWARM TECTONICS 637

in a consistent manner. At the upper levels the distribution of light and heat within. The concrete plans show two boxes sitting in the landscape, as box absorbs heat during the day releasing it into you move down landscape and program begin to the halls at night –thus reducing the heating load interweave in more complex ways showing the on the building. apparently autonomous boxes to be part of a larger system. Rather than being contained in buildings The Main lobby and the outdoor public plazas weave within the park the subsidiary program is integrated together as a series of ramping planes, each in- with the new landscape, leading to a merging of flecting the other as their program requires them building and park at the lower levels. to move up and down. Access to the building is

The apparently simple boxes containing the two possible on 3 different levels, each connected to a halls actually incorporate a complex interaction with different part of the park. This allows different com- their environment, acting as filters between the binations of classical and pop performances to take extreme outdoor climate and the strictly regulated place at the same time. The Interior of the Classi- concert hall interiors. Three layers of materials cal-Music Concert Hall reflects the color of the outer mediate between the hall interiors and the outside façade animated in this case by the audience and climate. The innermost layer is a solid reinforced- the performers. concrete box; This is wrapped by a skin of glass which encloses circulation spaces. The outermost In his project we wanted to achieve a seamless layer is a pixellated field of ceramic panels, the continuity between analysis and production. Rather density of which is locally adjusted to maintain even than a representation of inner functions, it is a 638 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

scends the abilities of each group member. A sys- tem of living cells or organisms builds a pattern and succeeds in doing so with no external direct- ing influence, such as a template in the environ- ment or directions from a leader. Instead, the system’s components interact to produce the pat- tern, and these interactions are based on local in- formation. In a school of fish, each individual bases its behavior on its perception of the position and velocity of its nearest neighbors, rather than knowl- edge of the global behavior of the whole school. A

spatialization of activities and information in a lo- school of fish maneuvers gracefully, with all its calized strategy of responses to specific require- members moving in parallel in the same direction. ments. As a work method, the building material is When a school suddenly changes direction, all its deployed on the site, its performance as an instru- members rapidly respond, moving cohesively, al- ment to organize program is assessed and it is most in unison, as perfect as if they were parts of then adjusted in order to determine the final form. a single organism. Landscape, circulation and program work together to shape its material reality. To capture prey efficiently or avoid a predator ef-

SELF –ORGANIZING SYSTEMS: fectively, these collective motions require that in- dividuals coordinate their movements with other One of nature’s most inspiring phenomena is the members of the group. During these maneuvers, sight of hundreds, thousands, or even millions’of individuals seldom collide with their neighbors even animals moving together as a coordinated unit. in the frenzy of an attack. They seem to suggest an intelligence that far tran- SWARM TECTONICS 639

This image shows a series of computer simula- these large biological superstructures, it is hard to tions studying two different decision-making mod- imagine that any individual in the group possesses els. The top diagram shows how each fish moves a detailed blueprint or plan for the structure it is according to one of it’s neighbors resulting in col- building. The structures are orders of magnitude lision and stasis. The bottom diagram shows each larger than a single individual and the construc- fish adjusting its velocity based on the average in- tion may span many individual lifetimes. fluence of its four nearest neighbors. In this model the group moves in an organized way, almost as one, A series of small intelligent members can influence and progresses away from its starting position. the configuration of larger areas of a structure. In- creasingly these small elements are being incorpo- The comb patterns in honey bee colonies are an- rated in the design of structures, driving the other example of self-organization. A colony pat- performance of the overall organization. Architec- tern emerges from interactions among individuals tural Bodies are being infiltrated by information. They at the lower level of the system. The brood area is are becoming part of the global network; becoming surrounded by a band of pollen and a peripheral continuous with their exteriors, connected to da- region of honey, with empty cells scattered across tabases that update themselves in real-time. the comb. The pattern indicates the preferential emptying of honey and pollen from cells nearby To see the body not as a perfect form but rather as the brood even though each cell is built individu- a self-organizing viral system of decentralized de- ally and without a master-plan. In the building of cision-making, the architectural body is produced 640 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

as a bottom-up organization of parallel decisions, time. The incorporation of different interlayers allow accumulating into overall emergent patterns. The the glass to become opaque, reflect or absorb light, architect becomes a shepherd of many various pro- light up itself or even change color. cesses rather than a creator of ideal objects. Ar- chitecture is no longer a static final image, its visible These changing qualities are achieved by varying form is becoming as unpredictable as the weather. a current through the material and can be easily New relationships between the form of an object controlled by simple algorithms. This allows us to and its information contents are already beginning vary the spatial conditions of the space without to emerge. the use of moving parts. We realized however that a façade which incorporated this technology could The next project was a house addition for two en- actually do much more than just change over time gineers with 2 children in Dublin, Ireland which is to suit changing programs. quite dense city. The Site was so confined that it is necessary to overlap functions within the space of The possibilities for dynamic variation in the open- the new addition. ness and density of a purely 2-dimensional simple

This led to the development of a time-based pro- pixellated grid is endless: By pixellating the gram where functions can vary over time. For in- interlayer and allowing each pixel to be indepen- stance, home office, living room, playroom can be dently switched “on” or “off” and by combining two programmed for the same space but in different layers of two different colors we are able to achieve time frames with different lighting and spatial qual- widely varying effects. Through a combination of ity required for each. We take this programmatic adjustments by user interface, pre-programmed information as a force to develop a material solu- schedules and auto-responses to the changing tion that incorporates a new technology. weather the wall can be either completely under the control of the occupants or completely auto- New technologies allow a single material such as glass matic. For instance as clouds roll overhead -as they to incorporate many different states. The material so often do in Ireland- the turbulence of the atmo- becomes active, being able to change property over sphere becomes apparent in the façade as it ad- SWARM TECTONICS 641

This chameleon-like construction adjusts its skin in response to changes in the weather or the moods of its users.

The façade becomes more than just a screen be- tween indoors and out –it becomes an active mem- ber of the household, a pet almost, which occupants can train it to do their bidding and which also dis- plays its responses to the street.

While buildings are infiltrated by networks, becom- ing more and more interactive their material orga- justs its transparency to compensate for changing nizations need to adjust to accommodate this. outside light-levels. It was also part of the inten- There are however, inherent in traditional practices, sion that through the incorporation of touch sen- the germs of new tectonics which will make this sors users could interact directly with the wall, for possible. When we look at a brick wall information instance “drawing” a window where they need light technology is not usually the first thing that jumps or a view. into our mind. But there are surprising links be- 642 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

tween traditional construction and digital tech- complexity of these traditional systems based on niques. Contrary to what Amazon.com might have simple, completely regular elements repeated but us believe “bricks and mortar” and”“pixels and bits” slightly differentiated. are not completely foreign to each-other. They are, in fact, based on the principle of difference through repetition -very similar techniques of accretion of small simple elements into overall complex pat- terns. But even today traditional construction mate- rials are almost always used in very regimented regular organizations resulting in the familiar rec- tilinear forms we see around us every day. In re- sponse to the greater complexity of design possible with the computer, however, architects are increas- In marked contrast to traditional construction the ingly forced to search for new material techniques small uniform elements of the digital are being to achieve that kind of complexity in the real world. used to create infinitely variable overall patterns. Roof Tiles are an example of traditional techniques 3-D printing is an example where layers of mate- but sometimes, just sometimes, like in this image rial are laid down until they accumulate into over- you can begin to see the potential morphological all shapes which can be incredibly complex. SWARM TECTONICS 643

The next project we are going to show, which was Working on this basic insight but breaking free from prepared for the city of Tallinn in Estonia, explores the traditional rigidity of this form of construction these issues in a radical updating of a traditional we developed a folding-surface module which gains building technique. Tallinn is a city of many distinct its structural stability from its shape. Starting with districts—from a historic medieval core to soviet-style a generic wall and roof surface required to provide industrial suburbs. The city wanted a proposal for shelter, we folded it first like a concertina to gain street furniture for the entire city which would be rigidity, We then manipulated the resulting profile flexible but aesthetically unified. Our approach was to allocate material-resources where stresses were to develop what we call a “digital tectonic”, learn- greatest. Finally we folded the center edge of each ing from traditional construction and digital tech- module to produce lateral stability. nologies, to produce consistency within the required variations of both program and location. The resulting module can be varied to accommo-

Estonia is in fact the home of Log Buildings which date different uses and combined in different ways. were developed there over 3000 years ago. We For instance: A Bus stop, Kiosks, Benches, Lamp- saw The Log building as based on a similar tec- posts, trash bins etc. Having received a Special tonic to 3-D printing where walls are laid down in Prize in this competition we have been asked to layers, accumulating into an overall form. Study- develop the project further by the city of Tallinn. ing log construction, we saw that The building gains its stability from the corners which act as inter- The next project began as an entry for the Inter- locking folds –like the fingers of two hands. national Competition for Ephemeral Structures for 644 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE SWARM TECTONICS 645

the Olympics in Athens, in which we won First Prize. The result was a decentralized network of node The theme of the Ephemeral was our initial inspi- points linked by rigid and semi-rigid structural ration: In a world of networked bodies, architec- members but also linked by information flows. ture is ready to practice the ephemeral by being able to sensitively respond to the environment and The Network Structure can alter its morphology react to users not only by using the devices of an by altering the strength of its links: Each semi- updated technology but also by incorporating that rigid link contains a “Muscle” which pushes and technology into its very conception, design and pulls according to the information it receives. The occupation. structure can also compact itself into the smallest

The Program was for an Events Platform a multi- volume for transportation and storage. Like the function platform to stage various cultural events biceps and triceps of Olympic athletes the muscles –each of which would have different requirements. flex to move the rigid structure, unlike athletes These variable requirements led to the idea of an however, the muscles are arrayed in a field, a field interactive surface which could adjust its morphol- of muscular tissue defining a non-oriented surface. ogy assuming different positions in response to different programmatic requirements. To achieve This structure is able to exchange with the sur- this we developed a new structural tectonic –what rounding environment by taking in different modes we call the Network Structure. This is an intelli- of use and outputting different topologies, provid- gent structure which incorporates new materials ing various different shelter conditions and creat- and information technologies within its very fab- ing a surrounding environment with a changing ric, where program, information–and material form relationship to the landscape. The Network struc- a continuum. ture is actually an integral part of the global net-

This Surface would be able to literally pull itself work. Its body is infiltrated by information. When into position. Like our own skeleton the structure not in use as an event platform, the structure be- responds to increases in stress by adjusting its comes an information hub–taking-in and giving- position. The combination of active muscles and a out information while also being shaped by it. The lightweight skeletal frame reduces material re- already-networked structure means that every sources to a minimum. We explored this idea in an node is wired and can be tapped-into at any time. intensive series of physical and computer models. This system is perfectly fulfilling the needs of the 646 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

Olympic event which is, itself, ephemeral and site- one plane which could be controlled by linear ex- specific. With the pack-and-go ability, this network pansion and contraction of the muscles. structure can appear locally in Athens or globally in any other city. In this phase we also conducted extensive materi- als Research–looking at both old and new, dumb After the competition we were asked to develop and smart materials. Electro-Active Polymer re- the design further. A series of experiments and searchers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory have studies on the performance of different material developed materials which have enough strength and network configurations were carried out. and durability and are ideal for this kind of applica- tion. They also have distinct advantages over con- Collaborating with Ove Arup & Partners in London ventional hydraulic or pneumatic devices in that they & New York, we began by studying the structural have no mechanical moving parts and act as their configuration -examining its performance in both own sensors–moving and adjusting automatically. simulations and physical tests. Many variations, investigating different levels of connectivity, den- Material considerations were very important for us sities of structural members and degrees of free- in this project, as we wished the structure to be dom of movement etc. were examined. warm and approachable–a piece of urban furni- ture- and to avoid the cold technical feel of many Physical models were used to understand how the hi-tech buildings. Following this concept of the building actually fabric performs. We eventually project we used wood with aluminum nodes, for settled on a structural system based on rotation in the structure. This yields a lightweight flexible SWARM TECTONICS 647

structure with hard-wearing joints which would be Architecture today lives a life contingent on many covered by a translucent skin of fiberglass compos- different factors interacting with each other, locally ite panels. [images show the Design Development & or globally, in space or time. By studying Matter Details of how the structure will be fabricated. The and Memory Henri Bergson went beyond the es- working drawings of the actual parts. etc.] The final tablished distinction between the Real and the Ideal design is a synthesis of the virtual and the real. It is to discover the inherent continuity of bodies and quite close to the original conceptual studies in the their milieu. By thinking not in terms of Form and computer program, Maya, achieving the same Function but rather of Material and Information, performability with real materials. we can develop an architecture which incorporates 648 THE ART OF ARCHITECTURE/THE SCIENCE OF ARCHITECTURE

tion of two directional thinking patterns: both Bot- tom-up and Top-down- achieves a delicate balance and reveals the dynamic potential of architectural bodies. The ability of bottom-up systems to self- organize into coherent and productive patterns, combined with the top-down management of those systems by the architect leads to new emergent patterns of architectural behavior. These new po- tentials for architecture, along with the material solutions developed to facilitate them, constitute what we call a “Digital Tectonics.”

the digital as one of its materials –a material which is active from the initial design right through the completion and even the occupation of the build- ing. By thinking of the increasingly blurred bound- aries between materials and information technology we begin to see form and function as elements of a continuous system. The virtual and the real are interwoven. This results in a new situation for ar- chitecture: Where material becomes program- mable, function can vary like the weather –form and function become a continuum in constant flux.

The incorporation of information technology into the very fabric of buildings demands new material solutions. The fact that buildings contain decision- making systems along with inert matter demands new ways of thinking: The simultaneous activa-