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oncepm bimo and Exhibit tnvirOTents. Ili'K ,/^"" 'IT ii ;|i'i I lit . I '> nnn,|l,jji:!(l'' 'Mim||l(||l(HH •nillldLltiUll COMPUTER ART CONCEPTUAL ST 010 AND EXH IBJT E'.\/VlROi\MENTS by KONRAD A. JUDD A THL ' tS IN ARCHIT TURE Submitted to th e Architec tu re facu lty of the College uf Ar hitecture of Texas Tech Univer ny in Partial Fulfillment of the Reqmrements for the Degree of BACHELOR OF AR 'HtTECT . RE Charnnan ot Commntee Programming instructor( AR 'H ·-l395 ): . 1r. Bob Pe rl Pro gram ming Directo r: .\J r.David Ori luU Acce pted ~--- ----- - - --- ------- ----- - ---- - ~ · Dean. lJlleg of An:hiLL'. cture May l '-191 Acknowledgments I would like to dedicate this program to the people who are most important to me. my family, for all the love and support they have given me over the years. I would especial 1\ like to recognize my mother and sister for their extra ef tort and support. COMPUTER ART CONCEPTUAL STUDIO AND EXHIBIT ENVIRONMENTS AN INVITATION i to the CUTTING EDGE OF v'*-'••< V i-f ( Lie ^E ''^^' +" 11^ /Vs CONTENTS I RESEARCH A. THESIS RESEARCH B. COMPUTER ART RESEARCH C RESEARCH SYNTHESIS D. THESIS CASE STUDIES II. THESIS STA t EMENT aiid THESIS VEHICLE III. CONTEXT A. CULTURAL CONTEXT and RESPONSE B. PSYCHOLOGICAL CONTEXT and RESPONSE C. BUILT CONTEXT and RESPONSE D. NATURAL CONTEXT and RESPONSE E. CONTEXT CASE STUDIES IV. ANALYSIS of ACTIVrnES A. DERNmON of PRIMARY ACTIVITIES B. DEHNmON of SECONDARY ACnVITIES V. ANALYSIS of SPACES A. RELATIONSHIPS of ACTIVmES to SPACES VI. RELATIONSHIPS of SPACES A. RELATIONSHIP of SPACES for ADJACENCY/ SEPARATION VII. SUMMARY of SPACES Vm. ECONOMIC ANALYSIS A. PROJECT COST B. PROJECTINCOME C. ECONOMIC JUSTmCATION and METHODS DC. CASE STUDIES X. GLOSSARY XI. DOCUMENTATION Thesis Research Mays, Vernon. "P/A Technics: Building in an Electronic Age" Progressive Architecture. May 1989, 98-101 Building in an Electronic Age Computers are having an ever increasing effect on buildings and the architects who design them. According to Vernon Mays in his article in "Progressive Architecture", "The number of personal computers used by business in the U.S. numbered some six million in 1984, grew to twenty million by 1988, and will likely rise to forty-two million by 1993. Because of this situation, many architects believe that the introduction of these technologies justifies a fundamental rethinking in the way commercial and institutional buildings are designed and built. In this same article. Mays cites Piero Patri, of Whisler-Patri architects in San Francisco, as saying, "Buildings are becoming alive and interactive and almost human." The use of computer, communications, and automated control systems places demands on a building that, until recently, were rarely taken into account. Some of the obvious demands are a glare-free environment, suppression of noise, uninterruptible electric power, and cooling to offset the heat given off by electric equipment. Several less understood demands of the building infrastructure include: an extensive and accessible network of wires and cables; central equipment rooms to house mainframe computers and private communication branch exchange; battery rooms to provide the uninterruptible power; satellite dishes and microwave antennas; a structural framework sufficient to support loads associated with mainframe computers, battery rooms, and rooftop antennas; and freedom from electromagnetic interferences that can contaminate electronic data. Worker comfort is an issue that Volker Hartkopf and his colleagues, Peter Mill and Vivian Loftness, have been studying in regard to the electronic office. Their study seeks to find a way to improve performance characteristics including spatial, thermal, visual, acoustic and air quality concern, and overall building integrity. In this article Mays states, "The NRC report says that to accommodate electronic technology successfully, an office building must be designed from the outset to suit the technological systems that will be put in it." In regard to HVAC controls. Mays suggests that "buildings with extensive electronics are prime candidates for automated control of heating and cooling systems. Direct digital controls are generally favored today over pneumatic or electric controls. Sensors on HVAC equipment transcript data to a microprocessor-based controller that activates a valve or fan to produce the desired change." As to worker comfort Mays's article reveals that "employees' expectation of a computerized office centered around their concerns about indoor air quality, natural light, and the ability to control the amount of air, light, and heat in their work spaces. In response, the building was given an increased floor-to-floor height which allows for the integration of both a hung ceiling for acoustics, ambient heating, and ambient lighting, and a raised floor for individual fresh air supply and cabling. Movable air diffusion in the floor allows for flexible desk arrangements." As more American companies shift toward reliance or electronics, it becomes clear that new and old buildings will have to be adapted to accommodate these systems. Berger, Rene, and Lloyd Eby, eds. Art and Technology. New York: Paragon House, 1986. Art and Technology When Time Magazine chose the computer as its 1982 Man of the Year, it caused many people to realize what a significant part computers play in their lives. The author of this article poses several questions to his readers: Would it be true that the computer is altering all our ways of doing things? Would it be true that a new world is taking shape before our very eyes, in our work places and our homes? A new world? Or is it a new ruler of the world? For the first time in the history of our world, mankind is having to question whether or not he has total control over a machine. Until now man has always told himself that "machines are mindless," therefore implying that "man alone has a mind" because he is the only one to conceive the programs implemented by the machines. However, as this article states, the truth is "if we add their learning capacity, it is certain that computers could create for themselves a whole range of competences and would be able to ^program themselves' in order to solve new problems." In the last few years, the computer has taken a firm hold on all of our activities. It has made its way into the fields of education, teaching, learning, games, office and factory work, scientific research and pre-set horaecare. The arts have also been affected: architecture, painting, theater, dance, music, as well as the massoriented arts: radio, TV, animated cartoons, advertising, etc. According to this article: Not only does the computer solve an ever-increasing multitude of problems, but it proves capable of transforming analog signals into digital signals. Images, sound, music—all messages can be coded in sets of numbers. Furthermore, it is now possible to create artificially images devoid of any correlative in the preexisting reality, and such images are a true synthesis of a different, self- referring reality. Walter B. Wriston, the president of Citicorp (the largest banking concern in the world), says, "Whether you think it's good or bad, we've changed the environment." He also says, "The world is in the midst of a great transformation comparable to those of the Renaissance and the Industrial Revolution." The two topics of this article, art and technology are defined by its author as: The concept of "art" is to be under­ stood in a wide sense, including all the forms of art with a special stress on those which proceed from modern technology. What is meant by "technology" is especially related to the new technique used by artists, such as movies, slides, video, registered music, records, tapes, computers, lasers, TV, etc. Having defined the two terms, the author chooses to focus his attention in regard to technology on its two main uses: "as a new medium in the creative process, such as videoart, computer art; as a new medium in the process of disseminating art, such as TV, videocassettes, videodiscs, etc." As to art created by modern technology, he feels that computer art and video art are generally misunderstood and threatened as an art form by the general public; and the artists choosing this medium to produce their art must be careful not to lose their identities as artists. This article is concluded with a challenge to its readers to remember the fundamental function of art: to set us free from a destiny that would be strictly biological, economic or political. The might of art is to open wide the borderless expanse of reflection which charts also the span of our freedom. He also warns the readers that no matter how sophisticated technology becomes, they must not forget the importance of aesthetic experiences. Norberg-Schulz, Christian. Meaning in Western Architecture. New York: Rizzolli International Publications, Inc., 1983. Pluralism Pluralism, according to Christian Norberg-Schulz was brought into practice by the architecture of Enlightenment and carried on by Functionalism. He also states: Pluralism is not at odds with Functionalism, but extends the concept of function beyond its physical aspects. Meaning and character again receive primary importance, and the building is no longer a mere container, but becomes an expressive presence active in the environment. Functionalist architecture needed to be further systematized, according to some of the leading architects of the modern movement. The skeleton construction was Mies van der Rohe's further systematization of functionalist architecture. "More fruitful, however, was the ^organic' current, which took a new interpretation of departure," writes Norberg-Schulz. With similar ideas Alvar Aalto became the most influential designer during the first decade after the war. He chose to use an organic approach in his functionalist buildings during the early 1930's.

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