Brooklyn Says,“Move to Detroit “ 105Th Acsa Annual Meeting | Detroit, Mi

BROOKLYN SAYS, “MOVE TO “ DETROIT 105TH ACSA ANNUAL MEETING | DETROIT, MI

PROJECT PROCEEDINGS PROJECT PROCEEDINGS

BROOKLYN SAYS,“MOVE TO DETROIT “ 105TH ACSA ANNUAL MEETING | DETROIT, MI

Published by ACSA Press and distributed by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture 1735 New York Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20006 Tel: 202.785.2324 Fax: 202.628.0448 www.acsa-arch.org

ACSA Press 978-1-944214-07-4 CONFERENCE DESCRIPTION

"It is now well-documented that some of Brooklyn’s much-written-about cre- developing visions, identity and, of course, physical projects. The substantive ative class is being driven out of the borough by high prices and low housing and the procedural are not antagonistic concepts, but two different approaches stock. Some are going to Los Angeles (or even Queens), but others are migrating to controlling the evolution of urban space. Furthermore, in the context of the to the Midwest, where Detroit’s empty industrial spaces, community-based city as a collective production that is at the same time poetic and pragmatic, projects, experimental art scene and innovative design opportunities beckon, the distinction of the procedural and the substantive is inevitably subsumed by despite the city’s continuing challenges," wrote Jennifer Conlin in a recent New the “practice” of city building as distinct from city design. York Times article titled "Last Stop on the L Train: Detroit." Design and designers, Different pedagogical models expose students to their potential role in the art and artists, creativity and creatives; all playing a major role in a process we process of making and re-making the city. Detroit is the perfect frame of refer- know well: a city on the verge of reinventing itself after a near-death experience. ence to debate the merits of worldwide academic and professional practices Over the last century, two paradigms have dominated attempts at dealing with in the continuum between the substantive and the procedural. It is an inspir- the challenges of the city. On one hand, a "substantive" approach that aims to ing back drop to discuss a range of issues that include the expanding role of control the physical substance of the city, treated as a completely predeter- the architect and the relevancy of architectural education, density vs. growth; mined object: form and life dictated by some architects who claim a universal technique and strategies of urban regeneration; technology, smart cities and understanding of the goals and values of society to which they incorporate their impact on space and governance; new models of public space; changes in the advances of science in order to improve the conditions of the city. On the cities due to the rise of the shared economy; affordable housing and housing other, a "procedural” or strategic approach where the focus is on the process, models for shifting demographics; resources, energy waste and sustainability; better understood as a form of social action, a negotiated creation involving urban-rural balance and interconnections, the role of educational institutions, many stakeholders with overlapping or competing interests in the process of and community building.

PROJECT SESSIONS

ARCHITECTURE IN AN EXPANDED FIELD, MATERIALS FROM INTERIORS TO LANDSCAPES In recent years the convergence of new manufacturing processes and new Scholarship and design-based investigations situated at the architectural scale materials has led to a proliferation of material studies with spatial, economic often slip toward the space of the room or the expanse of the site. Indeed some and societal implications. In addition, traditional materials and their methods of the most often studied projects of recent years operate within this larger of fabrication continue to hold interest for researchers and offer new informa- field of space making. This topic seeks to provide a home for work beyond the tion to the construction industry. precise scale of the building. MEDIA INVESTIGATIONS DESIGN RESEARCH IN THE STUDIO CONTEXT Theories and practices of media and representation, ranging from historic The studio is the traditional core of the architecture school. The 1996 Boyer drawing techniques to contemporary digital modalities, are critical to the pro- Report on architectural education described it as the “holy of holies” of archi- duction of architectural ideas. Scholars and designers often focus their inquiries tectural education: “these studios scruffy though they may be are models for on this key link in the design process. creative learning that others on campus might well think about.” Since the URBANISM Boyer report was written design has become a hot trans-disciplinary phenom- Designers and scholars study and engage the differences between private and enon, putting the architecture studio in an enviable position relative to our public, individual and societal spaces, incorporating buildings and public space peers in the academy. This topic might include research done on the design in a variety of scales and densities within an increasingly global context. Two studio or research done in the design studio. well-developed research trajectories are smart growth and new urbanism, and HOUSING we solicit posters from our members working in these areas. In addition, we are As the planet’s population grows it becomes increasingly imperative that seeking proposals that redefine architecture, urban design, city planning, and housing effectively provide appropriate shelter with reduced means. Housing life in the cyber-age, in unexpected terms. We recognize that positions taken research varies from historic and emerging typologies to urban and social con- today may be located on the periphery of the architectural discourse but are cerns to evolving family types, all set in a global arena of cultural confluences. poised to make a significant impact tomorrow. Research and design projects in all these areas are encouraged. OPEN Submission will accommodate promising research posters that do not fall into any of above areas. TABLE OF CONTENTS

DESIGN RESEARCH IN THE STUDIO 32 Re-Thinking Vickery Meadow: A Case 62 Weaving a Logic of Assembly CONTEXT Study on Refugee Resettlement Kristopher Palagi Craig S. Griffen 64 Metabolic Tectonics 8 Trade Secrets: An Architectural Enclave 34 Barn-House | Affordable House - Sally Miller Ashley Bigham Undocumented Immigrant Workers + 10 Integrating Cultural Research into the Family MEDIA INVESTIGATIONS Design Studio Dennis Chiessa M. Naomi Darling 68 Synthesizing the Gaseous State: 36 Application House Ray Mann Mapping the Geographic Convergence of Fred Scharmen Knowledge 12 Technified Ecosystems: The City as an 38 Sea-Level Hi-Rise: Or, How I Learned to Alejandro Mieses Artificial Landscape Stop Worrying and Love Climate Change Henrique M. Houayek 70 Drafting the Representation Gabriel Kaprielian David Franco Daniel Butko Ulrike Heine 40 Housing Prototypes for a Landscape of 72 Unfinished Business Ufuk Ersoy Change Erik Herrmann Jennifer Lee Michaliszyn 14 Morphology of Adaptive Systems 74 Born to See, My Task Is To Draw: Mona Ghandi 42 Urbanism of the Air Cultivating Architecture Intelligence Saleh Kalantari David Karle Through Observation and Hand Drawing Liz Szatko Henrique M. Houayek 16 A Studio Focused on Societal Kevin Bukowski Challenges: Case Study on 76 Primitive Drawings Placemaking and Resilience 44 Detroit Types Mark Ericson Joongsub Kim Ricardo Sanz 78 Ashammalexia 18 Designing for Rising Water: A Kimball Kaiser Competition Studio MATERIALS Bradford Watson Jori A. Erdman 48 Soft States: Experimental, Highly- 20 LuxMotus: Physics-based Form Textured Concrete Architectural Panels URBANISM Generation in a One-to-One Scale Ammar Kalo Design Studio 82 Safety Not Guaranteed 50 Single Point Incremental Metal Forming Saleh Kalantari Ashley Bigham Andrew Beres 22 Infrastructural Opportunism I-11_A Next Marlena McCall 84 Site Spectacle Seed Sprout Generation Infrastructure Case Study Paul Stockhoff Elise DeChard Linda C. Samuels Christopher J. Beorkrem Sy Bodson Bernardo Teran 52 Matter of Material Labor: Eladio Dieste 86 Dimensions of Urbanism: Urban Blocks and Ruled Surfaces Christopher M. Pizzi HOUSING Federico Garcia Lammers 88 Ungrounding the Rural: Four Grids for 26 The La’ mella House - Small Efforts: Big 54 Concrete Lattice | Unitized Architecture the Great Plains Impacts of Assembly Roy C Cloutier Ahmed K. Ali Ryan Goold Nicole Sylvia Jaechang Ko Daniel Fougere 90 FARMLINE: A Hub for Urban Agriculture Tsz Yan Ng 28 Housing the Urban Animal in Detroit Carey Clouse 56 They Grow Without Us Gabriel Kaprielian Caryn Brause Joseph Dahmen Marisha Farnsworth Stephen Schreiber Amber Frid-Jimenez Andrea Gaffney Jonghoon Im 30 Massive Passive: The Challenge of 58 LWS - Light Weight Shutter Incorporating Passive Energy Strategies Ane Gonzalez Lara 92 Form-based Code v. Social Segregation in Developer Single-Family Suburban in Latin America: The Case of Bogotá Housing 60 Ductile Empiricism Juan Guillermo Yunda Craig S. Griffen Jeremy Ficca 94 Front Bay 124 Tectonic Painting 02: Domes 152 Waterfront Ecologies: Redefining the Marc A. Roehrle Heather Flood Urban Edge of the San Francisco Bay Gabriel Kaprielian 96 URBAN PLAY: An Architecture Studio 126 Dynamic Facade Unplugged Snapping Carlos Sandoval as Agent in Public Discussion for Minor Facade League Sports in a Medium-sized City Jin Young Song 154 Catalyzing the Commons - Inverting the Marleen Kay Davis Participatory Process in the Production 128 inter[face]: Athenaeum Redux of Public Space 98 A Third Logistical Regime: The Mo Zell Antje K. Steinmuller Ecological Succession of Industrial Ruins Marc A. Roehrle Christopher Falliers William Huchting Paul Mosley 130 WaterLines: RiverBank, Chestertown, Maryland 100 Back to the Countryside! Recovering Ronit Eisenbach China's Landscapes-Designing Village Cassie Meador Acupunctures for Xixinan, Anhui Aleksandra Vrebalov Province, China Jeni Wightman Shannon Bassett 132 Afterhouse 102 Horizontalism - Housing the Next Steven Y. Mankouche 100,000 Antje K. Steinmuller 134 Affecting Change Through Insurgent Christopher Austin Roach Architectures Timothy Gray 104 GrOwING GREEN: A Mobile Greenhouse Timothy Gray ARCHITECTURE IN AN EXPANDED 106 Community Listening Room and Record FIELD Shop William Joseph Doran 138 A Feigned Translucence Aaron Tobey

OPEN 140 Urban Syncopation Marcella Del Signore 110 Adaptive Reuse of Specialised Industrial Steven Beites Buildings and Structures Mona El Khafif Anna Sigmundova Ila Berman 112 Tonle Sap Sustainability Education 142 Viaduct Architecture Center Dan Adams Camilo Cerro Marie Adams 114 Data Sensing in Living Wall Architecture 144 Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin Danelle Briscoe Eric Olsen 116 The Sound of Shaped Space – Architectural Acoustics Defining Spatial 146 A Walk In Africville: Visibility Strategies Function and Experience in Contested Heritage Landscapes James C. Forren Daniel Butko

118 The Glow of Grime 148 MaterialNature: An Opportunistic Paradigm of Architecture & Landscape Elise DeChard Ecology Based upon Influences of 120 Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface Shipping Industry Waste, Small Scale Eric Olsen Coastal Erosion and Natural Growth Marcus Farr 122 Nebraska's Wood Products Tradition: Understanding Available Skills and 150 Nature Play: An Outdoor Learning Resources Environment for Head Start Jason Griffiths Pamela Harwood Rachel Plamann

“DESIGN RESEARCH IN THE STUDIO“ CONTEXT Trade Secrets: An Architectural Enclave

ASHLEY BIGHAM University of Michigan

Raoul Wallenberg, a 1935 graduate of the included a field trip to a 1-million-square Corporate campuses as enclaves are closed University, has been called one of the 20th foot Fullfillment Center so that the students systems which create their own hierarchies, century’s most outstanding heroes. He is could experience the vast, endlessness work- regulations and cultural practices that may or credited with saving tens of thousands of Jews places inhabited each day by thousands of may not reflect the territories, states, or cities from extermination at the hands of the Nazis Americans. they reside within. Recent corporate clients and Fascists in the waning days of World War II. have looked to famous architects to see the Mission Statement: This studio will explore Each year, students in their final studio of the design of their headquarters not as a mere the architecture of secrets. BS in Architecture degree participate in the building design, but as a broader, ideological Wallenberg Studio, which honors the legacy Warning: Students who elect this studio statement about the future of work-life bal- of Raoul Wallenberg through an overall stu- should be prepared to explore an architecture ance, inclusive workplaces, information driven dio theme focused on a broad humanitarian of secrets, whispers, miscommunications, social hierarchies, and corporate public image. concern, explored through propositions put optics, and political strategies. This studio will begin to challenge the status forward by studio section faculty. Students quo of contemporary corporate headquarters Background: Our lives are filled with enclaves. are challenged to question architecture’s and create designs which consider issues such We move seamlessly from gated communities relationship to humanitarian issues. Trade as privacy, fear, and social strata, as well uto- and shopping malls to office parks and air- Secrets: An Architectural Enclave focused pian corporate identities. ports. Architecture has often obsessed over on the intersection of architecture and eth- the enclave. From Michel Foucault’s hetero- ics by exploring the architectural spaces and topias to David Grahame Shane’s armatures working conditions of one of America’s largest and Keller Easterling’s zones, architects have corporations, Amazon.com. This studio took interrogated the enclave as an architectural the position that we need to look no further glitch in the spatial system. than our own backyard (or computer) to find spaces where architecture can have a mean- This studio will explore one of the most fasci- ingful impact on the humanitarian issues of nating mutations of the modern enclave: the today. Students in this studio explored themes corporate campus. Participants of this studio ranging from workplace discrimination and will delve into the inner workings of one of income inequality to the transparency of cor- the largest, most well-known American com- porate headquarters and workplace surveil- panies, Amazon.com. As the company’s CEO, lance. Students uncovered the deep reach of Jeff Bezos, recently stated, “Frugality drives Amazon.com. which includes data storage for innovation, just like other constraints do. One the NSA, delivery drone programs, and grow- of the only ways to get out of a tight box is to ing consumer information banks. The studio invent your way out.”

8 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context Trade Secrets 9 Integrating Cultural Research into the Design Studio

M. NAOMI DARLING University of Massachusetts, Amherst

RAY MANN University of Massachusetts, Amherst

This poster presents research to integrate THE CULTURE OF ARCHITECTURE VS. deeper considerations that only emerge from culture into the design process and studio, ARCHITECTURE AS A PART OF CULTURE a broader historical study, not only of material undertaken with fourth year undergraduate culture but of modes of thought, social struc- In the mode of Comparative Literature or BFA and Liberal Arts Architectural Studies tures, rituals and even policy. Cultural Studies, we introduced a project that students. would provide both a window into another Our pedagogical goal was to provide a studio ““Culture” (exists in architecture) in two culture and a foil for our own. Accepting that condition in which this interface of archi- senses. One relates to activities that are often “culture” can be fraught when used as an tecture and culture could be explored in an understood as specific to architecture. The instrument of chauvinism or nationalist myths accessible and fruitful way. We developed an other is inextricably connected to the realm of origin, we recognize that it is also what gives assignment sequence where research topics of human existence and demarcates the ways depth to our societies and sense of being in and readings segued into analytical writing in which human life differentiates itself from the world. and diagramming, then further into making nature. Taken in isolation each is potentially exercises. In this way, students “channeled” The International Style was a call to neu- problematic – holding to the exclusivity of the the thought processes, techniques and val- tralize what was viewed as the idiosyncra- culture of architecture denies its presence ues embodied in the individuals, artifacts or sies of the historical and the regional—i.e. as part of human society, while thinking of issues they were examining. Initially students culture—and to impose an abstract “func- architecture as nothing other than cultural researched an artist or designer and selected tional” aesthetic. Since the 1980’s Critical precludes any consideration of, for example, one artifact from that artist for analysis, be Regionalism has stood as a strong critique the way different materials realize different it a ceramic vessel, a paper lantern, a woven of the International Style as well as the more effects within architectural practice. What basket, a dress, etc. Students ruminated superficial tendencies of Post-Modernism. matters is the way concerns of one under- on the processes, patterns, and material- (Frampton, Kenneth. “Towards a Critical standing can – perhaps should – intrude into ity of their objects as the starting point in a Regionalism: Six points for an Architecture of the other.” three-dimensional making exercise combin- Resistance” in The Anti-Aesthetic, essays on ing bamboo skewers, fuel tube and paper. (http://architectureau.com/articles/ Postmodern Culture edited by Hal Foster. Bay Subsequently, students are introduced to a essay-architecture-and-culture/) Press, 1983.) However, methods for achiev- specific site and cultural program to develop ing a cultural awareness of sufficient depth a project proposal enriched by the cultural to practice Critical Regionalism effectively, is awareness acquired. often neglected in architectural education. Architectural precedents are often the extent of the research, which, while rich, overlook

10 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context Inegating a esea ino e esign dio 11 Technified Ecosystems: The City as an Artificial Landscape

HENRIQUE M. HOUAYEK ULRIKE HEINE Clemson University Clemson University

DAVID FRANCO UFUK ERSOY Clemson University Clemson University

The very notion of architecture as a sustain- economic value of the urban lot. The recent headquarters of BMW, whose production able endeavor remains problematic despite recovery of the banks of the Reedy River as a centers are currently located in the suburbs. its now mainstream acknowledgment. The scenario of urban activity, with the addition Instead of an imposing presence, the offices obsession with energy efficiency, strength- of a pedestrian suspension bridge, consti- and other programs of the German company ened by institutionalized validations such as tutes a continuation to Halprin’s work, bring- are materialized as a green and grey concrete LEED, conceals a much more intricate array ing back the hidden green landscape of the of public space that adapts to the topography, of factors -from social and technical to natu- waterfalls of the Reedy into the heart of the as it gets closer to the river. This blanket of ral and urban- that, rather than too complex city. Sadly, these two urban operations -Falls green roofs, common areas and water sur- or problematic, might actually constitute an Park and Main Street- remain disconnected by faces protects the BMW offices and the rest of innovatively ecological design thinking. In the amorphous structure of a large block cur- the programs, regulating the temperature, the the studio displayed in this poster we have rently occupied by the local newspaper: the light and the humidity, while it incorporates a attempted to approach this wide question Greenville News. This will be precisely the site new type of urban atmosphere to the city. The without downscaling it neither to a mere that we have analyzed and redesign, taking second project, titled ‘Connecting the Hybrid technical issue nor to marketing imagery. With advantage of its potential for integrating the Loop’, is constructed around the process of that end we have chosen to work on a site in water landscape of the Reedy River with the cleaning the runoff water from Main Street, Greenville -South Carolina-, where an unre- intense urbanity of Main Street. in its way to the Reedy River. The water filters solved and intense urban condition merges from floor to floor through interior vertical In the two sample projects shown in the with a recently recovered river area. gardens and, ultimately, activates the algae poster the connection between the urban and that grow within the glass panels of the façade The long-term transformation of Greenville’s the natural is resolved through processes that creating a natural and biological temperature Main Street according to the project by transform the relationship of this site with and solar device. Laurence Halprin in the 1970’s was just the the city and the park. In the first case, in the first step in a longer transformative pro- proposal titled ‘Cascade, Inverted Corporate cess for Greenville, in which the civic value Horizon’, the projects pivots around the of public space strategically overcame the socioeconomic process of bringing the local

12 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context enied osses 13 Morphology of Adaptive Systems

MONA GHANDI Washington State University

SALEH KALANTARI Washington State University

Purpose: Many aspects of our physical envi- assembly, and so forth. Then, students made would change over time and to incorporate ronment are becoming integrated with infor- use of cutting-edge architectural software activators such as heat, humidity, light, and mation systems, a phenomenon that has been such as Grasshopper, Firefly, Dynamo, Python motion. Computational modeling along with referred to as the “The Internet of Things scripting, augmented reality, and physical digital fabrication technologies was also used (IoT).” In Architecture, IoT can be understood computing environment using Arduino micro- in this stage. Besides, they collaborated with as a seamless combination of data-driven controllers. Students in this interdisciplinary the members of the university’s Robotics Club design, data analysis, and adaptive systems. studio designed a new university visitor’s to learn about the microcontrollers’ use. Adaptive Systems Studio, composed of 17 center with the principles of sustainability, In the last step, using the knowledge gained, graduate architecture and 14 undergradu- adaptive systems, and data-driven design. they produced designs for a new university ate interior design students led by one archi- Student’s research investigated possibilities visitor’s center implementing data-based sce- tecture and interior design faculty, seeks to of designing amid the IoT, big-data and, infor- narios and adaptive system ideas to success- develop new methods of architectural design mational–physical interconnectivity. fully integrate the informational and physical by using information-based toolsets. Process: In the first step of the studio, students environments. While acknowledging building By showcasing the application of data-driven conducted a literature review and presented as a component of a smart city, they incorpo- design strategies within a pedagogical con- their understanding in the form of infographics rated elements that could respond to data text, students’ projects present innovations to better understand contemporary outlooks (from Internet-based media, city made possible by our current technological on the IoT. For this project, the topics to focus and transportation data, and “machine-to- environment, remark the concepts of con- on were “IoT Smart City”, “IoT Smart Building”, machine” data from sensors and related temporary data-driven design, and show how “IoT Smart Space Applications” as well as “IoT devices). This studio encouraged designers they can be used in a pedagogical framework Building Automation Applications”. to reinterpret architecture within the IoT to to nurture student’s creative capacities within In the second step, experiment with physical evaluate data-driven design potentials to cre- an ever-changing technology-driven era. They spaces, students were observing how built ate smarter future that is responsive to both also demonstrate how architectural design environments can gradually morph based on human and environment needs. can accompany data systems to connect the various environmental and user inputs. They two worlds of information and physical design. designed and fabricated a kinetic mechanism Meod Students began with exploring schol- to explore adaptive systems while investigat- arly resources on computational methods for ing how naturally occurring adaptive systems information analysis, and responsive systems can serve as inspiration for programmable operations. Such instruction was combined built environments. Focusing on material with conventional architectural education behavior and physical transformation, stu- regarding the materials behavior, fabrication, dents were to observe how their designs

14 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context Mooog o dative ses 15 A Studio Focused on Societal Challenges: Case Study on Placemaking and Resilience

JOONGSUB KIM Lawrence Technological University

This submission is based on the results of our supporting materials) can strengthen social architecture school’s multiphase project in construction and increase resilience. Each Detroit from spring 2015 to spring 2016. The model has pros and cons, and each commu- project’s central question was, “what would nity needs a different model or integration of be an ideal studio model to help our students some or all of the models. Models are useful to address societal challenges frequently only when they are considered pragmatically. raised in two low-income study communities.” Collaboration with communities through This project focused on two societal chal- public participation requires the right timing lenges: lack of social construction (an inability and facilitation of “informing,” “consulting,” to shape their own community reality) and and “deciding.” Democratic design can cre- lack of resilience (an inability to bounce back ate value and build social capital. How the after misfortune). community benefited: The community had ample opportunities to experience shared Nature of the collaboration: To address governance via collaborative decision-mak- the central question and the two societal ing, reciprocal appreciation of disagree- challenges, we engaged in a multifaceted ments via social learning, empowerment via collaboration consisting of hybrid studios co-designing, and more meaningful design (with the participants being 22 undergradu- via placemaking. The project helped us win ate and graduate students in architecture, the National Endowment for the Arts grant, urban design, engineering, behavioral sci- which will allow us to develop detailed designs ence, landscape architecture, and environ- to address the two societal challenges under mental graphic design), partnership with consideration through placemaking and resil- community organizations and the College of ient community development. Management, the integration of social scien- tific research and design, the use of conceptual models, and pilot studies that used small quasi-experiments to test theories and their applicability. What students learned: Three collaborative models for placemaking (see

16 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context dio osed on oiea aenges 17 Designing for Rising Water A Competition Studio

JORI A. ERDMAN Louisiana State University

In this studio, students were challenged to site the students were really moved by the address issues of rising water and community local residents and felt very strongly that in a remote and unfamiliar place. Through their architectural design needed to address research conducted in the field, in the studio economic interests as well as spatial and envi- and with the input of interdisciplinary experts, ronmental concerns. To that end, they also two teams created design proposals that chal- incorporated an economic driver within each lenged conventional thinking about resilience of the new community centers as well as hous- and what is possible in a coastal environ- ing and education. Their proposal received an ment. The work was completed as part of an honorable mention in the final competition. invited design competition called Designing The proposal titled “From the Ground Up” Resilience in Asia, sponsored by the National took a more radical stance with their proposal University of Singapore. By applying their skills to raise the land and reconnect the hardened as designers, these US based students were river edge back to the larger water system. able to respond to an unfamiliar culture and The proposal called for a combination of ele- site in Manila, Philippines. vating land, as well as individual structures, The site that was designated faces dual with drainage waterways that would serve threats of dramatic sea level rise and acceler- as economic and recreational assets for the ating subsidence. In addition, the community community. Further, they also addressed the was relatively impoverished and perceived environmental hazards of a colossal waste dis- as powerless. Our students were fortunate posal problem in the Philippines by employing to be able to spend 2 days at the site where cutting edge technology in land fill construc- they interacted with locals and observed the tion to build the elevated land masses. In their environment first hand. Back on campus, the assessment, the land loss issue was more sig- students met regularly with an engineering nificant than any other threat and also held professor and an ecologist to review their the greatest design potential. proposals and modify their designs based on The work presented here shows that design science-driven input. research in the studio context can push the One of the teams designed a proposal called boundaries of our thinking about how to “Community Connection.” This proposal acti- address significant issues of environment and vated strategies of soft infrastructure and a community. series of hyper-local community centers to empower the community. While visiting the

18 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context esigning o ising ae 19 LuxMotus: Physics-based Form Generation in a One-to- One Scale Design Studio

SALEH KALANTARI Washington State University

This project examines how parametric mod- they then sketched out a basic pavilion design REFERENCES eling techniques can be integrated into the using a coordinated parametric formula, and Achten, H., and Kopřiva, M. (2010). A design conceptual stage of design-build studios, and explored the possibilities of the design using methodological framework for interac- used as a basis for developing new digital fab- 3D-modeling software (Rhino/Grasshopper). tive architecture. In G. Schmitt et al. (Eds.), rication techniques. Previous studies have Future Cities: 28th eCAADe Conference After developing the basic form, studio partici- shown that parametric modeling can have Proceedings (pp. 169–177). Zurich: eCAADe. pants employed weaving techniques using lin- substantial benefits when used as a drawing- ear patterns and Spring-based computational Jabi, W. (2013). Parametric design for generator for digital fabrication; most nota- modeling (Lienhard et al., 2013) in order to cre- architecture. International Journal of bly it can enable the designer to experiment ate tessellations in their pavilion designs. The Architectural Computing, 11(4), 465–468. with numerous new design and tooling pos- results of the weaving processes were folded sibilities (Jabi, 2013). The use of parametric Lienhard, J., Ahlquist, S., Knippers, J., & into the overall parametric designs, leading to modeling to inform these processes has also Menges, A. (2013). Extending the functional advanced tectonic solutions. Ultimately, we been described as initiating a “psychologi- and formal vocabulary of tensile membrane fabricated the final designs using CNC milling cal change” in designers’ approach to form- structures through the interaction with and weaving machines, as well as a vacuum- creation, and it is often seen as leading to a bending-active elements. In H. Boegner-Balz forming machine. more adaptive and responsive design outlook et al. (Eds.), [Re]Thinking lightweight struc- (Achten & Kopřiva, 2010). In this paper, digi- The most significant outcome of this project tures: Proceedings of Tensinet Symposium tal weaving is considered as a technique for is to demonstrate that parametric modeling (pp. 109–118). Istanbul: Tensinet. linking parametric-modeling design processes is not only useful for form-generation, but can with human-interactive design, and for devel- also be a valuable tool to develop fabrication oping a new tessellation technique in digital techniques. The project is a result of computa- fabrication. tional design thinking that includes elements of morphogenesis biology, algorithmic and The project was developed based on a design- mathematical approaches, and the cutting- build studio that was executed in four phases: edge translation of such approaches to physi- inspiration through nature, parametric mod- cal fabrication. Potential applications include eling theory, weaving technique, and fabrica- the creation of complex 3D mesh structures tion. First, the studio participants examined using weaving technology, and the use of such mathematical analyses of naturally occurring structures in reconfigurable material systems. geometric designs, which helped them to better understand the basic concepts of parametric theory. Rooted in this natural inspiration,

20 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context LuxMotus 21 Infrastructural Opportunism I-11_A Next Generation Infrastructure Case Study

LINDA C. SAMUELS Washington University in St. Louis

BERNARDO TERAN Independent Scholar

The Mobile Craft Module proposes an archi- maker space. The intent is for the modules to tecture of deployable structures that can be provide an infrastructure for the construction reconfigured to serve a variety of functions. of future design-build projects undertaken by The twin modules can be arranged in multi- students and faculty. ple ways to facilitate exhibition space, event Each module is open on one side, provid- space, and work space, and they nest together ing access to the modular shelving and work to become secure at night. surfaces on the interior. The reconfigurable The modules were designed and built by a plug-in shelving system includes removable team of thirteen students in eight weeks. caps, which double as stools once they are The project served as the anchor pavilion for removed from the module. The structural California College of the Arts (CCA) during the frame is fabricated from welded steel tube, Market Street Prototyping Festival, a three- with angle iron members welded to the cor- day event in San Francisco that explored new ners to serve as protective edges for the clad- ideas for designing public space. Throughout ding. The cladding is fabricated from western the festival, the modules hosted a series of red cedar boards, each of which is cut to size. exhibitions and events showcasing work by A robotically-cut pattern carved into the cedar students and faculty. Following the festival, boards consists of abstract shapes that merge the project returned to the school to serve as together to spell CCA’s name as one moves mobile workstations on the school’s outdoor around the module.

22 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Design Research in the Studio Context Inasa onis 23

“HOUSING “ The La’ mella House Small Efforts: Big Impacts

AHMED K. ALI Texas A&M University

JAECHANG KO Texas A&M University

“I remembered him, with a thick gray beard windows that were carefully inserted in- and bring warm feeling to the interior. The and several layers of clothes standing by the between the gable roof trusses. How such house articulates Semper’s Four Elements of bus stop when it was freezing outside. I used a tiny footprint came to be so charming and Architecture: The Hearth, The roof, The Walls to stop and pick him up in my toasty car, open inviting? The exposed roof structure and its and The Floor by simply paying careful atten- up the trunk with a push of a button so he play with light inspired our design. The La’ tion to the making of its elements and finding could shove his heavy duffle bag, he often sit mella House is approximately 290 square a balance between its structure, construction, in the back seat saying basically … nothing. I feet, is tiny in its footprint area but significant and tectonic expressions. tried several times to initiate conversations in its upward aspiration. We used the vaulted The overall site plan creates a sense of com- with him. But when he talked - hardly ever - he roof to increase the perception of the interior munity by including three small courtyards said jewels of wisdom. Library workers knew space and to free the end walls for high opera- that are carefully inserted in-between the him as an avid reader who spent time at the ble windows to allow for cross ventilation. The houses. The small courtyards give a sense library nearly every day. Teddy Henderson lamella roof structure acts as a reminder for of belonging and intimacy rather than one or Abdul-Shahid passed away on October 6, us to the role of the individual in the society big courtyard for all. The communal space is 2008; he was 62. He was born in Brooklyn, and the power of joining small efforts to cre- composed of the same construction module N.Y., in 1946. He graduated from high school ate big impacts. The roof structure receives its of the house and carports utilized the lamella and attended Hampton University in Virginia. rigidity from a tension steel tie and a tongue roof module. The layout can be easily adapted In 1968, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and and groove pine boards below layers of insula- for various configurations to meet other sites was stationed in Washington, D.C. The story tion topped with a corrugated metal roof. The conditions. By limiting windows to only one of Abdul-Shahid is not much different than roof sits on Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) wall side of the house, expansion and attaching the story of thousands of homeless Americans panels sized 3’X8’ that are quickly erected and other modules are possible. All elements of who left us perplexed with mystery. anchored to a concrete floor slab. The con- the house meet both the construction and crete slab performs as a heat mass to store The interior space of the 145 years old energy requirements. heat drawn from a thermal well and through Menomonee Street house in old town, a circuit of copper pipes impeded in the slab, Chicago always captivated us. Daylight beau- suggesting the floor to perform as a livable tifully penetrated the interior space through surface. The CLT walls need no interior finishes

26 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing e aMea ose 27 Housing the Urban Animal

CAREY CLOUSE STEPHEN SCHREIBER University of Massachusetts, Amherst University of Massachusetts, Amherst

CARYN BRAUSE University of Massachusetts, Amherst

The topic of housing design, interpreted in At the center of this inquiry was the question: move beyond their existing knowledge base. the broadest sense, could be conceived of as Might an intentionally designed module repair Students performed initial research on their any space that hosts a living creature. Thus, in or remediate an urban condition? animal client, using the unique characteristics this entry-level design studio, students began of that species to stretch their design language While it would be hubris to think that humans by designing a dwelling space for an animal and repertoire. could design habitation for creatures that client. Animals were selected because our surpass those they produce for themselves, Through this 2-week process, students sought cohabitation with with them improves, sup- the intention of this design inquiry was to to repair or remediate environmental con- ports, and sustains not only human life, but humbly pursue multiple pedagogical objec- ditions, address habitat loss, and educate also our biosphere. These clients provide a tives. By exploring the geometries, materials, humans about their animal client. Heightened range of productive services, such as their and methods of other creatures’ habitats, environmental awareness formed a natural ability to pollinate, or to provide food, cloth- students began to view human architectural learning outcome, as the project exploration ing, pest control, or fertilizer. precedents with a more finely tuned tectonic prompted students to consider the impacts The intention of this project was not to rep- lens.. The diversity of responses is evidence of urban development on animal habitat, to licate the shelter that a client would build that the strategy successfully challenged gain empathy for our planets’ co-inhabitants, for themselves but, rather, to use the oth- students to shed the derivative architec- and to become advocates for other living erness of a different species as a prompt to tural forms that haunt many studio projects creatures. critically think about dwelling. In so doing, and develop a shared bank of design gen- students were required to shed preconceived erators more relevant to their future design notions that might accompany the design for investigations. a human client as well as to intensely inves- We structured the project by pairing students tigate geometries, morphologies, materials, with animal clients, which were randomly and methods to create a module for animal assigned at the very beginning of the assign- living. Freed from relying on their own lived ment. The species offered included bees, bats, experience and typical professional norms, birds, oysters, tilapia, ducks, guinea pigs, and the students could grapple with the notions of rabbits. In part these animals were selected idealized structure, necessary utility, and the for study because they have much to offer contingencies of site, territory, and available humans---but they also were chosen because, material. Importantly, students considered unlike typical household pets, they repre- how a “designed” shelter might differ from sent an otherness that requires students to one produced by the client or natural forces.

28 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing osing e an nia 29 Massive Passive The Challenge of Incorporating Passive Energy Strategies in Developer Single-Family Suburban Housing

CRAIG S. GRIFFEN Philadelphia University

Measurable success of sustainable energy passive developer housing then tests these want, but most architects are not interested systems in construction will require applica- ideas through potential design solutions of a in reproducing repetitive, historical kitsch. tion on a sizable scale. However, wind and prototypical house (based on the Charleston So any design for passive suburban develop- solar are still a very small percentage of build- typology) and a neighborhood master plan. ments must be financially feasible and mar- ing energy systems that rely heavily on fossil This objective, to reveal the major challenges ketable and address the following issues: fuels. Single-family housing accounts for a and the potential for bringing passive energy • Conveying an Authentic Image of “Home” huge amount of residential construction (the to the massive scale of developer housing, • Making Passive Construction Cost US Census Bureau reports levels of over one produced two main questions; how do we Effective million single family home starts per year) yet apply passive energy strategies to the pre- • Avoiding Repetitive Communities and passive houses make up only a tiny percentage manufactured suburban house and how do Houses of overall housing construction. With housing we make passive houses marketable in a well- development companies producing the vast established industry? majority of new house construction, this seg- The Challenge to Making Developer Houses ment of the market is prime for applying pas- Passive - Current developer housing is sive strategies that can affect major change in designed with little to no relation to the direct energy conservation. Yet developers typically sun, wind movement, daylight or thermal design entire subdivisions with no regard to efficiency. Houses in a typical subdivision orientation to sun, wind and thermal effi- are oriented towards the street regardless of ciency. Why have developers stayed out of cardinal direction. How can we adapt these the passive energy housing market and what non-directional houses to maximize natural would it take to convince them of the feasibil- environmental benefits such as: ity of sustainable single-family housing? And why aren’t architects more involved in subur- • Orienting Towards the Sun ban housing? Plenty of well-trained profes- • Increasing Natural Ventilation sionals who could lend their expertise have • Bringing Daylight to the Core washed their hands of developer housing. • Creating a Super-Insulated and Sealed Envelope Research reveals surprisingly few passive The Challenge of Making Passive Houses single-family housing communities, and none Developable - None of the changes above on a vast scale. Passive houses have been will matter if the houses won’t sell. The typi- around for decades so why haven’t they cal developer house is primarily concerned made the leap in scale? This research/design with presenting a nostalgic image of house project considers the biggest obstacles to as “home” because that is what their clients

30 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing Massive assive 31 Re-Thinking Vickery Meadow: A Case Study on Refugee Resettlement

CRAIG S. GRIFFEN Philadelphia University

32 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing eining ie Meado 33 Barn-House Affordable House - Undocumented Immigrant Workers + Family

DENNIS CHIESSA University of Texas at Arlington

There are an estimated 11 million undocu- The owners of this home are a young undocu- roof deck was the inspiration for the project as mented immigrants in the United States and mented couple and their 6 year old son. By it serves as a space for the young child to look housing for a large number of them is becom- saving over a few years they were able to pur- at the landscape and the sky. ing a social problem that they themselves chase two adjacent lots in a county with no To be within the projected budget, the build- have to begin to solve. The political climate city ordinance. Their property totaled about ing has been constructed through informal around the issue of immigration has made it two and half acres. The trend in areas like sub-economies - hiring contractors that are more difficult for undocumented individu- this is to buy a prefabricated trailer home and not registered (probably because they are als to demand adequate housing from their place it on these large properties. Isolation also undocumented) and being flexible with landlords. Several cities have tried to pass seems to be a driving factor when looking for construction schedules. laws that punish property owners that rent to places to live. When the owners approached undocumented tenants. me (designer) they wanted to talk about Construction started in October of 2015 and the feasibility of building a home they could we expect the family to move in sometime in According to ‘Build a Better Nation’ (A report afford – something not much more ambitious 2017. from Workers Defense Project in Austin) than the trailer homes scattered across the 50% of surveyed construction workers in the landscape. industry identified themselves as undocumented in Texas. They estimate that as many The limitations of the owners dictated many as 400,000 Texas construction workers are of the decisions that led to the final design as undocumented. In 2011 Texas accounted for well as the phasing of construction. The cli- 16% of all new housing construction permits ents saved enough money to get a substantial in the U.S. which was more than Florida and amount of the project done within a year. The California combined. This vibrant economy rest will be done as cash becomes available has continued to attract young professionals through their business ventures. Because of and continues to increase the price of avail- their legal status, access to a construction loan able houses within the urban cores of major was out of the question, although they never cities. really wanted to get in debt to do the project.

People are beginning to look further than the The first few iterations of the house were suburbs for affordable housing. Moving to considerably smaller, the final design is 1,200 rural areas to avoid city ordinances and the square feet with a foot print of 17 ft. x 75 ft. requirement to use general contractors is and the goal is to build it for under $90,000. becoming more common. This is the case of The house has two bedrooms, one and a half the homeowners of this Barn-House. bath, a lofty office space and roof deck. The

34 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing Barn House 35 Application House

FRED SCHARMEN Morgan State University

In 1994, technologist and cultural critic Application House uses this new diagram spa- The notion of a world redrawn as loops, paths Stewart Brand commissioned an illustration[1] tially, to rewrite domestic quasi-urban archi- and nodes, shearing at different rates, is a for "How Buildings Learn," showing different tecture into a full stack house of the future starting point for speculation about possible rates of disruption effecting architecture's potentially bridging a techno-capitalist mode utopian and dystopian futures. These draw- component systems. This drawing, "Shearing with fully automated luxury communism. The ings are like philosopher Donna Haraway’s Layers of Change," has since been adapted to project takes building-scale CNC, driverless “sf,” “… that potent material semiotic sign for model things like corporate business struc- cars, drones, delivery and maintenance robots the riches of speculative fabulation, specula- tures, software project management, website for granted, exploring their potential for spa- tive feminism, science fiction, science fact, sci- content, and, in an updated graphic by Brand tial/social production through the act of draw- ence fantasy – and, I suggest, string figures.” for his current initiative, The Clock of the Long ing on the surface of the ground. [1] The diagram is by Donald Ryan, Brand Now, human civilization itself. The urban surface is configured by the paths of credits the idea to British architect and RIBA This drawing type has been instrumental for these vehicles at different scales, with struc- President Stewart Duffy. Stewart Brand, How Silicon Valley. Let us re-draw the smartphone tures filling the space left between. Structures Buildings Learn, What Happens After They’re in this mode. Stacked layers of material and are defined by center points and radii of pivot- Built. p. 13, New York, Penguin Books, 1994. information change at different rates. Unlike ing machines that deposit concrete in linear Print. the house diagram, each layer foregrounds layers, shaping private space inside, social [2] “In looping threads and relays of pattern- a distinct relationship with an economic space outside. The closed contours that the ing, this sf practice is a model for worlding.” system. Phone hardware price is usually machines draw are opened by apertures, each Donna Haraway, SF: Speculative Fabulation subsidized, software applications are often one space for an application that regulates and String Figures. p. 4, Ostfildern, Hatje free. Everything from the protective case to inputs and outputs. Food, water, household Cantz, 2011. Print. the user's contact list is a monetizable com- goods, even thermal energy are all exchanged modity, subject to forced obsolescence and by means of these applications. Applications upgrade cycles. Apps are conduits to con- are designed so that their forms can only tinuously transfer information, breaking the dock with automated vehicles in their brand layers’ concentricity, creating tunnels from a ecosystem. What if Amazon gave a free front small private interior to a broad diffuse exte- door to every Prime subscriber? What if neigh- rior: "the moon." This scheme passes informa- borhoods could build their own networks of tion through an almost invisible, unavoidable resources on the back of this system? outer layer, recuperating exchange value from each transaction.

36 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing iation ose 37 Sea-Level Hi-Rise: Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Climate Change

GABRIEL KAPRIELIAN Temple University

The urban edge that defines the San Francisco My proposal blurs the lines between the Bay is a contested landscape whose boundar- shoreline and the city. The new development ies are continually changing, both in form and would be built on “finger” levees that are in definition. Much like the tidal flux of the horizontal to tidal action, allowing for wet- Bay wetlands, the urbanized waterfront can lands to coexist between the buildings, acting extend and recede. Over the years, the Bay as a native habitat and a buffer against storm Area has seen a large portion of the historic surges. Mid-rise and hi-rise buildings would wetlands filled or leveed off for residential, replace the current low-density suburban commercial, and industrial land uses. With development and industrial parks, creating a current sea-level rise projections, it appears significantly smaller footprint, while providing that the water will once again reclaim the bay twice as much housing for a growing Bay Area lands that have been filled. population.

To combat sea-level rise, many are calling for I have chosen waterfront sites at risk of inun- bigger and better levees, while still others dation from sea-level rise in three counties claim that urban development in areas at risk around the San Francisco Bay to demonstrate of inundation should be removed to allow for how a study of the past and present can bet- tidal wetlands to migrate to higher elevations ter inform a plan for the future. In each site, I with the rising sea levels. I propose that both illustrate the long-term benefits of a staged may be accomplished by a staged retreat of retreat and resilient redevelopment strat- existing development, enabling a wetland egy that creates a new set of relationships migration with the rising sea-level, while between urban life and ecology, ultimately introducing a resilient new development and redefining the boundary of the city. infrastructure that is uniquely defined by the region’s ecological characteristics.

38 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing eaeve iise 39 Housing Prototypes for a Landscape of Change

JENNIFER LEE MICHALISZYN Wentworth Institute of Technology

Qing Cun is one hour to the south of down- the creativity and resourcefulness of the resi- town Shanghai. Shanghai has gone through dents. Chinese architect Wang Shu, who won a period of rapid urbanization in the last 25 the Pritzker Prize in 2012, and Chinese artists years, and while seemingly the opposite, Qing often work with the debris of destroyed build- Cun is as much a landscape of change as the ings in response to the demolition of older city center. Most of the working age popula- urban fabric following rapid urbanization. tion has left to find jobs elsewhere, leaving Paper-cutting: the area is known for paper- behind the elderly and migrant workers who cutting. For us, “cutting” relates both to rent the cheap housing. Qing Cun is a mod- sectional site studies, and to tectonic investi- est example of a traditional Jiangnan “water- gations and reinterpretation of the traditional town”, which dot the region just south of craft through new technologies. the Yangtze River. The town government has replaced some of the historic structures with Liang Feng (“cool breeze”): the Mayor of Qing new ones, and while they are an improvement Cun, who grew up on the Old Street, shared for the inhabitants, they represent a tremen- how residents used to bring bamboo chairs dous loss of architectural and material rich- out on to the street itself after dinner on ness. The studio focuses on the design of warm evenings, to cool down, and to social- housing prototypes, inspired by the following ize and tell stories. He also spoke fondly of themes: playing hide and seek as a child and being able to thread from courtyard to courtyard, Vernacular architecture: the typology of the sometimes passing through other people’s regional watertown. homes. We relate the idea of a “cool breeze” Material layering and re-use: ingeniously to notions of porosity or openness in terms of contructed assemblages of building materi- social connectivity, researched through inter- als are found all over the site, testifying to views or ‘stories’, as well as passive cooling.

40 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing osing ooes o a andsae o ange 41 Urbanism of the Air

DAVID KARLE KEVIN BUKOWSKI University of Nebraska-Lincoln University of Michigan

LIZ SZATKO University of Nebraska-Lincoln

With housing demands rising in already dense can be seen spatially, materially, and aestheti- urban density. This proposal frames a critical urban environments new housing typologies cally. The large footprint and short stature and timely issue – historic preservation (past) must be tested. In the seventeenth century typical of historic landmark buildings conflict and urban density (future). As the idea of the medieval version of the London Bridge with a modern city’s demands to maximize preservation in dense urban environments is addressed issues of a growing city by cou- buildable space. The question then arises of revisited by each generation of architects and pling infrastructure with acts of domesticity what should be done with a building we wish developers, we must ask ourselves “not what included a central chapel, shops, and housing. to preserve, but also wish to advance with us to keep, but what to give up, what to erase and In 2003 the Porter House by SHoP Architects into the modern world? abandon.” (Venice Biennale 2010: Cronocaos, challenged conventional housing typologies in Italy, Venice, 2010” Office for Metropolitan If a desire exists to preserve our historic New York City with their air rights proposal. Architecture) This essay will situate the often built environment, we must look beyond the The Porter House functions on multiple levels under used but widely available opportunity untouchable sanctity of our preserved his- and challenges historic conservation and cur- of urbanism of the air with the growing hous- toric buildings. The use of air space allows the rent zoning code. In 2009 twenty-five luxury ing demands of cities. opportunity to increase density while preserv- villas were illegally built by developers on ing history. This reutilization allows the origi- the roof of the multi-story shopping mall in nal building to be preserved as a cultural hub Hengyang, China. These examples challenge for the modern city normative building practices and provide a foundation for further investigation of hous- The above considerations were tested as a ing typology and urbanism of the air. In order design-research proposal on a prototypical to increase density in land-poor modernizing 1920 historic building. “Grand” in both name cities, the architectural discipline must bal- and materiality, The Grand Manse is a stately ance the opportunities of air rights proposals concrete and glass building currently listed over historic buildings by challenging the nos- on the United States National Registry of talgic notion of preservation. Historic Places. The air rights proposal makes contextually conscious use of valuable air Historic buildings are situated in the middle of rights space above the historic Grand Manse the dense modern world of skyscrapers and by providing a unique architectural solution commercial business districts. The relation- that accommodates the needs of a growing ship between old and new city fabric clearly

42 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing anis o e i 43 Detroit Types/All Together Again Speculation Over Detroit's Existing Landscape

RICARDO SANZ Independent Scholar

SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL HOW WERE IMPLEMENTED THOSE COMMUNITY HOUSING THEMES ON THE EXPERIENCE? // TEN PROPOSAL S 1. Through the gathering of information about the Detroit phenomenon in order TOWARDS THE COLONIZATION to open a series of discussions about OF THE URBAN LANDSCAPE Detroit’s current situation and the exc- This is an experimental academic experience ersie’s aims. based on Detroit that starts from an urban 1. A series of short excersises allowed to context on the verge of depopulation and, elaborate initial schemes that lead to the through the creation of a new partially sus- social organization system and opened tainable community, promotes exploration way to the initial idea of the communes of the architectonic program over diverse 1. Studies on diverse social systems over extents on the ways of inhabiting and their types and time that could be referenced relation with productive activities that differ on the planning proposals. from traditional forms of social organization. 1. Other references that could nourish the This abandoned city is the starting point for a architectonic solution, like standardized work that explores the possibility of refound- constructive systems on wood and their ing the urban territory on a speculative technical specifications in the USA, the ground, from the study of preexisting mod- use of clean energies and urban archi- els of alternative social organization that are tecture as a possibility. found on a thin frontier in between an urban apocalypse, and the study of diverse ways of understanding the social contract. To achieve this, the experience proposes the refounding of the city’s peripheries through enclaves of families or communes over a mostly inhabited urban space that once was one of America’s most industrialized town centers.

44 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Housing eoi es 45

“MATERIALS “ Soft States: Experimental, Highly- Textured Concrete Architectural Panels

AMMAR KALO American University of Sharjah

While digital fabrication techniques have the The first method utilizes a basic pin mold that results. The bulbous formations of these pan- potential to automate processes and increase is covered with a flexible fabric. Each of the pin els are created when pouring cold water onto material efficiency, there are very few exam- heights are adjusted based on outputs from hot liquid wax in a shallow container. Concrete ples that produce complex highly-textured a digital model. After casting concrete in the is cast into the mold once the wax cools down, concrete surfaces without requiring count- molds, or spraying GRC, the panels are lifted and later the wax is melted off the cured con- less hours of explicit modeling and CNC mill- and the fabric film is peeled off revealing the crete panel to be reused again for another ing. The pedagogical decision to not use any final surface texture. The amount of sag in the mold. The pouring paths are roughly planned computer controlled milling machines was to final panel surface is controlled by the amount based on the understanding of how water distance the students working on this Design- of material used during the casting process as and wax interact to shape particular features. Build project from relying on the direct infor- well as the type of fabric used. Both the fabric These pouring patterns are mainly used as a mation transfer from CAD models to CAM sheets and the pin mold are entirely reusable guideline to control density, size of wax pat- software, and invest more time into exploring and could be rearranged to form new pieces. terns, and overall wax flow direction rather material potentials. Using this experimental than a precise deterministic pattern. The second method involves shaping dou- approach, students spent the first half of the bles curvature surfaces in large boxes of wet As a proof of concept, all the final panel pro- semester developing over 15 methods, before sand. Waffled structures of digital surfaces totypes from the three different mold making narrowing them down to three. In each cases are placed in the molds first and the gaps are methods were arranged in a monolithic totem explored, digital models are used to generate sealed with EPS foam to reduce the overall form. This totem displays the various surfaces instructions for manual tasks. In addition, they weight. Afterwards, a thick layer of wet sand generated, but also allude to the ways in all are meant to produce molds for spraying is added. The digital models take this addi- which multiple panels could aggregate as an glass reinforced concrete (GRC), which results tion layer of material into account. Once the architectural skin. in panels that are lighter, thinner, and stronger concrete is cured, the sand is simply brushed that traditional concrete panels. Every vari- off the surface, and the clay plugs are easily able in the process was carefully cataloged pulled out. Most of the sand and clay used in and documented to ensure reproducibility. these molds can be reused in other formwork As the prototypes got more developed and as well. refined, students gained an intuitive knowledge of material behavior and tweaked their The third method involves methodically process variables with confidence to produce manipulating a chaotic process to produce predicable results. un-programmed, but somewhat predictable

48 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials o aes 49 Single Point Incremental Metal Forming

ANDREW BERES PAUL STOCKHOFF University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina at Charlotte

MARLENA MCCALL CHRISTOPHER J. BEORKREM University of North Carolina at Charlotte University of North Carolina at Charlotte

Single Point Incremental Metal Forming The process of creating routines for the the same XY coordinate and compares their (SPIMF) is a process that allows architectural robot up until this point was noncyclic, as Z value. From there a heat map is also gen- panels to be incrementally formed from sheet the geometry would be created using a set erated, so that users of the software can see metal into doubly-curved complex shapes of points and a plan drawing using the plugin where corrections to the forming geometry using a robotic arm and a stylus-like end effec- Kangaroo. From there that geometry was fed are needed. With that information the points tor. SPIMF leverages industrial robots’ preci- into another Grasshopper script that would used originally to create the form can be sion and strength by gradually pushing the end produce the robotic routine. Afterwards, a moved vertically to allow for a more accurate effector into vertically supported sheet metal. panel would be produced on the arm and that digital model to be fed to the Grasshopper This work was inspired by Anmar Kalo and was the end of it. script that generates the robot routine. Michael Jake Newsum’s Incremental Sheet Now, a feedback loop is being utilized that Ideally, by running enough panels through Metal Forming and CITA’s Stressed Skins proj- has the ability to control the geometry being the system an adjustment factor can be cre- ect. SPIMF examined how different materials, fed into the software. While this locks in the ated based off of how much the Z value must forming tools, and tool path generation meth- overall nature of the input geometry being be modified. The adjustment factor would ods impact the finished quality of completed formed it allows the software to gradually replace the need to verify the panels by 3D pieces along with applications for the formed manipulate a geometry and test how well scanning them. This adjustment factor would metal parts. Once an understanding of how the formed panels match the digital model. allow a designer the ability to create a series SPIMF worked, focus was put on how to accu- Tests are conducted by robotically form- of surfaces within the design environment and rately program the robotic arm to produce ing a new metal panel and then creating a have those be correctly translated into a robot repetitive geometries that correspond with 3D scan. Verification for how well the panel routine. The adjustment factor allows for the a digital model. By creating a feedback loop matches the input geometry is done using a knowledge gained through the experiment that studies how the sheet metal deforms and Kinect to make a 3D point cloud by 3D scan- phase of this project to be implemented into how accurately the robot performs the form- ning the object. The scan is then compared a design tool. ing task, new and more accurate geometry to the forming geometry. A comparison done can be used to program the arm. in Grasshopper matches up points that have

50 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials inge oin Ineena Mea oing 51 Matter of Material Labor: Eladio Dieste and Ruled Surfaces

FEDERICO GARCIA LAMMERS South Dakota State University

The resistant virtues of the structures that Ruled surfaces are one of the four structural collaboration focused on designing the con- we are searching for depend on their form. It masonry innovations developed by Eladio struction of a 10’-0” long by 8’-0” tall ruled is because of their form that they are stable, Dieste and used in buildings such as the Iglesia surface brick wall. The construction of this not because of an awkward accumulation of del Cristo Obrero in Atántida, Uruguay. Matter doubly-curved sinusoidal brick wall was docu- matter.1 of Material Labor is part of ongoing research mented over a four-week period. that explores the relationship between archi- In his essay, Architecture and Construction, REFERENCES tectural workflows and the historical role of Uruguayan engineer Eladio Dieste recalls a collaborative labor. The broader agenda of 1. Dieste, Eladio. “Architecture and conversation in which a former colleague dis- this project is to position brick masonry and Construction”, in Eladio Dieste: missed the work of Catalan architect Antoni the work of Eladio Dieste at the intersection of Innovation in Structural Art, ed. by Gaudí stating that “Gaudi’s work has nothing design and construction workflows. Stanford Anderson, (New York: Princeton to do with us — in fact, I wouldn’t know how Architectural Press, 2004), 187. to draw one of his buildings”.2 This statement Digital fabrication workflows continue to highlights what Dieste called the “tyranny of affect architects’ ability to manipulate form 2. Ibid, 183. the drawing board” and the resulting tech- and generate ways of reconfiguring the rela- 3. Ockman, Joan. “Foreword”, in The nological dominance of planar geometries in tionship between geometry and material. In Architect as Worker: Immaterial Labor, most modern and contemporary architecture. many cases this reconfiguration minimizes the Creative Class, and the Politics of This dominance has had an effect on the sepa- the role of labor or reinterprets labor through Design, ed by Peggy Deamer, (New York, ration between material knowledge and the means of automated production, like robot- Bloomsbury, 2015), xxiv. conditions that shape the relationship among ics and programmable assemblies. Matter of geometry, material, and labor. Material Labor considers how the politics of labor and the structural implications of mate- Serious reflection on labor must entail a recog- riality are fundamental to the authorship of nition that buildings begin in both embodied a collective process. This project is part of a and disembodied - material and immaterial - faculty-led collaboration with 15 undergradu- production, not just in architect’s designs but ate architecture students. The first part of this also in bodies on the construction site.3

52 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials Mae o Maeia ao 53 Concrete Lattice | Unitized Architecture of Assembly

RYAN GOOLD TSZ YAN NG University of Michigan University of Michigan

DANIEL FOUGERE University of Michigan

Concrete Lattice, a project produced for the our work moves away from a cast-in-place The complexity demonstrated through graduate thesis studio Concrete Labor(1), construct to working with a set of self-similar Concrete Lattice argues for the use of com- seeks to challenge our normative association precast units as a comprehensive building putational design in both informing design with this building typology by developing a lat- system. The advantages of precast enabled decisions and managing the myriad of con- tice system of prefabricated units using Glass- us to control the concrete mix and casting tingencies involved in the production of new Fiber Reinforced Concrete (GFRC). Lattice process more consistently and to also explore modes of architecture. Complexity in this systems are porous, lightweight, and deploy- the logistics of mass-customization and fab- respect addresses not only formal and expe- able; terms that are not typically associated rication. Grasshopper was used to develop riential concerns, but also structural perfor- with concrete structures. The design of para- the units and Kangaroo informed the struc- mance and manufacturing constraints. Our metric units rather than linear components tural performance through simulation and Concrete Lattice makes explicit the role digital (typical of lattice systems), highlights issues optimization. technology plays in the integration of design, of assembly in precast building systems using engineering, and building construction. While While folding techniques of origami patterns integrated components. While design work- this discourse is not new, our design aims to made possible the efficiency of production flows and CNC fabrication aided in efficiently take full advantage of lessons from prece- and cost-savings for formwork production, manufacturing the units, the assembly is post- dents and offer a unique project uncharacter- PETG as a material proved insufficient for tensioned during the construction process to istic of what we’ve come to expect of concrete concrete casting due to hydrostatic pressure limit the amount of scaffolding necessary. as a material. and susceptibility to cracking from chemical Our goal was to explore the development of reaction to the concrete. As such, an external 1. Concrete Labor was taught by Assistant a complex lattice system using digital tech- adjustable jig was designed to help both sup- Professor Tsz Yan Ng during academic nology to explore formal and manufacturing port the mold during the casting process and year 2015-2016. This thesis section was processes. ensure accuracy and precision across all unit linked with the course Advanced Digital Building on the work of Maciej Kaczynski, et types at joints. The reconfigurable jig accounts Fabrication taught by Assistant Professor al, in his 2013 project “Crease, Fold, Pour”, for all the various parameters of both the unit Wes McGee. which used thin sheet plastics for formwork, types and the overall lattice design.

54 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials onee ae 55 They Grow Without Us

JOSEPH DAHMEN University of British Columbia

M IIM Emily Carr University of Art and Design

They grow without us is a temporary public useful life is over, spending longer in land- furniture installation grown from mushrooms. fills than they do in the form of a building. The project builds upon transdisciplinary Sustainability in the context of rapid cycles of research at the intersection of material sci- demolition and construction calls for flexible ence, mycology, and sustainable building and radically biodegradable materials. The technology. To fabricate the furniture, damp installation encodes organic decay into its sawdust was sterilized and inoculated with basic structure, anticipating future demolition a blend of Pleurotus ostreatus mushroom and using it as an opportunity to provide valu- spores and nutrients and poured into aer- able material to local ecosystems. In contrast ated hexagonal molds. While in the mold, the to relentless cycles of extractive consump- fungus produces mycelium, a cross-linked tion, the project suggests an alternate future matrix of polysaccharides in the pore spaces in which regenerative architectural materi- between sawdust particles. The process pro- als transform over their lifetime, adapting to duces solid mycelium bio-composites objects change and serving needs that are simultane- that can be removed from the mould as little ously structural, aesthetic, and visceral. as five days. The white coating at the exterior is a hydrophobic material called chitin produced naturally by the mushrooms.

Mycelium bio-composites suggest a future in which biodegradable architectural components are grown rather than manufactured, adding valuable material to local ecosystems at the end of their life. Most architectural materials are discarded long before their

56 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials e o io s 57 LWS - Light Weight Shutter

ANE GONZALEZ LARA University of New Mexico

LWS is a ventilated facade system specifically LWS is a system with a high degree of prefab- Step 4: Raising the shutter panels along the adapted for installation with rope access tech- rication, which allows for an additional time tracks niques, removing the need for scaffolding or reduction at the job site. Additionally, the The shutter panels are raised with the help auxiliary structures. mechanical assembly of the pieces provides a of a worker at the street level. A system of greater guarantee and durability to the façade Developed within the European framework triangulated pulleys located on the roof system, reducing imperfections or installation of sustainability programs, LWS system is ensures the sliding of the panels safely. errors. the product of an investigation project car- The tracks ensure the correct lifting of the ried out through a period of 3 years. This The installation of the facade is one of the facade. innovative investigation started when look- most revolutionary aspects of it. This process Step 5: Attaching the shutter panels to the ing for alternatives to the more traditional can be divided into five different steps: tracks techniques that currently exist in the market Step 1: Attaching the vertical tracks to the for multi-housing construction. The existing Once the panels are in place, they are mechan- structure of the existing building construction methods in Europe, and in Spain ically attached to the tracks. particularly, require a complex scaffolding The first step consists of installing the ver- In 2015, the facade system was successfully structure. These structures add more time, tical tracks in a perfect vertical line. These installed in a multifamily housing block in noise, blocked windows… to the construction should be fixed, preferably to the structural Bilbao, Spain. The efficiency, fast installation process. Once these problems were identi- floors of each plant, providing a continuous of the facade, and aesthetics of the final prod- fied, the search for alternatives started. cavity behind the ventilated facade. uct made the owners very satisfied with the After evaluating different options, the rope Step 2: Installing the thermal insulation result. access industry offered the greatest advan- Once the vertical aluminum tracks are After installing the first system, some aspects tages to the installation process. In this placed the thermal insulation layer is of the system, like the gaskets, and tracks have moment, a local rope access company from installed. The insulation must be placed been redesigned to be even more efficient. Spain was added to the research team and the continuously, to avoid thermal bridges. Since then, the interest in the system is grow- development of LWS started. ing in the area. Step 3: Assembling the shutters into panels Technology, prefabrication, and efficiency are the three fundamental pillars of this project, The facade panels arrive at the site assem- whose aim is to create a high-quality product bled in smaller sections. They are then resulting from a complex industrial develop- joined together with an automatic seamer ment process. and they are then stacked.

58 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials ig eig e 59 Ductile Empiricism

JEREMY FICCA Carnegie Mellon University

Evolving modes of representation and com- façade and the technical challenges of enclo- can be described through techniques of fold- munication continue to redefine the flow sure systems, to provide student teams with ing, buckling, and incremental forming. Each of information between designer, fabrica- sufficient opportunities to develop and refine sought to reduce the need for material pre- tor and manufacturer, while nimble means processes of robotic metal forming. processing, such as cutting or drilling of the of fabrication recalibrate customization. As sheets, in order to economize the workflow Our partner was motivated by a desire to various types and scales of design practice through the least number of tools or actions use the collaboration to stimulate a broader reveal, opportunities for strategic collabora- while yielding a range of potential versions. discussion within their organization about tion between designer and fabricator abound. the business model and corporate culture The collaboration provided our student cohort The work illustrated is the result of the first of standardized production. Engaging future with the perspective and rigor of industry and phase of a university – industry partnership architects (students) in processes of proce- challenged the frequent desire for ultimate with a global manufacturer of metal façade dural and material experimentation provided design freedom and its association with com- systems. Our industry partner sought to capi- a means to understand generational values plete customization. The fabricated results talize upon the alternate perspective the stu- while also providing fresh perspective and and dialogue with our partner centered on the dents and by extension the academy afforded vision to products that are often seen as con- establishment and negotiation of constraints to reconsider the standard metal façade panel ventional and pedestrian. that were informed by the design motivations that has served as the core of their business. of our students and the seasoned expertise of We sought to structure a collaboration that Our collaboration relied upon the robotic fab- industry. The partnership served as a means strategically leveraged the material expertise rication facilities at our university to develop to explore alternative trajectories of design of our industry partner while encouraging workflows that afforded versioning processes and fabrication that leverage material behav- structured experimentation by the students, to explore alternative ways of forming metal ior and high fidelity fabrication to reveal a that was initially unconstrained from the myr- sheet. Our partnership sought to leverage spectrum of possibilities. iad of technical and economic considerations the robustness and precision of industrial associated with building cladding systems. robots to explore a limited number sheet The resultant sponsored course relocated metal forming techniques that, by virtue of the design process from the studio to the lab- their recalibration, afford a subset of formed workshop, moving design decisions upstream panels. Simple adjustments in robot tool to include considerations of tooling and mate- position, rotation, force, etc. informed the rial processing as inputs for design experi- behavior of the material and contributed to a mentation. This first phase of the partnership range of possible outcomes or versions. Three decontextualized the work from the building distinct trajectories of research emerged that

60 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials tie iiis 61 Weaving a Logic of Assembly

KRISTOPHER PALAGI Louisiana State University

Concrete formwork is expensive. Within resi- The logic of the assembly is housed in the dential construction, the wood installed, shed variability and structural efficiency of a steel and discarded compounded by the exhaus- cable network in place of wood or steel pan- tive cost of labor, make casting even a simple els with whalers. The steel cable, either straight wall insurmountable. Regardless of reusable or pretensioned as reinforcement the number of sustainable practices thrown within the wall, swaps the previously lost at it -- engineered, re-claimed, recycled -- to embodied energy of standard formwork for attempt a novel form becomes an unjustifi- useful emergy in engorged concrete mass. able venture. Moving away from wood, pre- This is accomplished as the fabric membrane fabricated formwork can minimize the cost distends into the cable network facilitating a but drags along baggage of its own. Metal swollen finish concrete form. Although seem- panels demand a strict adherence to stan- ingly uncontrolled, the woven assembly, once dardization for efficiency, while foam blocks tuned, establishes a high level of precision at only allow the structural integrity to blend key nodes. This precision allows future stages with heavenly thermal results by completely of standard construction systems (framing, masking the poetics of a concrete finish. And finishes, and utilities) to be choreographed. digital fabrication’s tolerances shine bright but we are lying to ourselves if we believe it will illuminate the other 99% of construction. Principally, this project aims to develop a reusable formwork assembly for casting in place concrete walls with structural capacities. Additionally, the system is challenged to pair limitless formal variations with minimally skilled labor.

62 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials eaving a ogi o sse 63 Metabolic Tectonics

SALLY MILLER University of British Columbia

Historical conceptions of architecture view architecture must be reconsidered as a con- Explored at scales ranging from the urban, to buildings as static artifacts within the ever- tinuous process, rather than an artifact with the body, to the molecule; physical models changing global network of natural, economic, a designed end state. By doing so, processes of material deposition behaviour led to the and social processes. In most cases, our built of change and renewal could be inhabited, development of architectural interventions environment resists rather than accom- making construction process an integral and that guide the hydrological flow of the sys- modates these ever-changing conditions, ongoing part of spatial experience. tems to create a dynamic spatial experience necessitating intensive renovation or rede- of the fabrication process. Over time, visitors In this strategy, the role of the architect is velopment. More fundamentally, the realm are able to visit and appreciate the water- repositioned as historically understood. By of design is thought to neatly conclude with front’s transformation from toxic industrial engaging and orchestrating the agency of a the completion of the building, thus render- wasteland to a productive landscape, with a diverse field of both human and nonhuman ing off-limits processes of subtraction, recon- revitalized ecology. Generated by a tectoni- entities; new ecological impacts, new modes struction, succession and change. cally focused design process, the architect’s of practice, and new aesthetic expressions can role is redefined as a generator of systems Modern industrial processes, and the static, be generated, ones that change and evolve with particular capabilities rather than just standardized, mass-produced nature of the with the life of the city, the site and their pro- a spatial artifact. Design agency is shared, building materials resulting from them, fur- cesses. Metabolic Tectonics is this synthesis as natural forces intervene in the system, ther accentuate this paradigm. While modern of industrial, ecological and architectural providing opportunities for selectively relin- industry gained its vitality by destructively and processes. Through the lens of de-industri- quishing portions of control to other entities carelessly externalizing ecological and social alization in North American cities, a meta- and processes. Thus, architecture is recon- harms, new paradigms in industry—ecologi- bolic tectonic approach is explored through ceptualized as a system of tectonics capable cal paradigms—instead seek to participate the potential relationships between indus- of generating dynamic spatial experiences in ecologies in a conscious and intentional trial byproducts and metabolic processes. over time, fostering a new understand- manner. Inspired by the global natural processes ing of production: industrially, ecologically, cycling nutrients through the interaction of A dynamic tectonic approach is one architec- and—ultimately—architecturally. biotic and abiotic factors, a dynamic material tural analogue of this fundamental shift in system is developed transforming steel slag industrial production. This approach looks and carbon dioxide into a biomineralization beyond the form and properties of building landscape, where ecological production pro- materials to the systems in which they par- cesses serve as spatial generators of architec- ticipate, harnessing metabolic processes to tural experience. open new realms of design. Consequently,

64 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Materials Meaoi eonis 65

“MEDIA “ INVESTIGATIONS Synthesizing the Gaseous State: Mapping the Geographic Convergence of Knowledgee

ALEJANDRO MIESES Pontifical Catholic University of Puerto Rico

Synthesizing the Gaseous State is an ongoing thought through the terrain, while describ- Applications for this can span various sce- research effort that uses neural networks to ing how it converges and diverges from cer- narios, such as: a) the need for aid in trauma- map word relations, hierarchies, gaps, and tain concerns locally, as compared to global tized regions due to war and natural disasters foci of terms within large data sets of archi- currents across time, as a Computer Aided where, acquiring/organizing information tecture and urban theory, as they are graphed Epistemology of architecture theory. from the ground, can give a clearer and more geographically by epoch. It chooses to extend rapid picture of the necessities of the people The fitness criteria used while evaluating the the usual application of algorithms from struc- affected, as these are instantaneously built optimization of the software is its capacity to tural, physical, spatial, or mathematical pur- into a database b) an interface for exploring graphically seek out a determined proximity poses, to include theoretical concerns. The our collective knowledge, the most pressing measure between associated terms, while methodology employed in order to achieve stimuli upon our profession and our obscured still being constrained to a certain latitude- this relies on each term stored according to topics as they are hierarchized through time, c) longitude range in position, associated with its contextual relations (words directly sur- a synthesis of the diversity of public opinions the author’s affiliated institutions. rounding the term in a sentence) that are ref- upon the built/urban environment without erenced according to their place in multiple Currently the software uses a 1GB database of sacrificing variables, or channeling opinions texts and occurrences within the same text. architecture theory taken from assorted peri- through surveys, d) ideological or economic While this context is dynamic, as dependent odicals (Architectural Design Magazine and movements through the terrain, such as pro- upon the weighted relations traced through Architectural Record), for proof-of-concept tests, gentrification and educational inequali- texts loaded upon the data set, it is balanced purposes. Next steps will include collabora- ties, in data-substantiated ways, that can give against a static or fixed context - the definition tions with Charles University, Prague, and further insight into other statistical analysis, of these words, their author, place, and date. the ICCIT University of Toronto, to synthesize and e) a dynamic graph that can connect, the Relying upon the information acquired, each 20+ years of PhD theses, in order to acquire user’s interest, with particular places, authors, term behaves as an active agent, seeking out a knowledge map of most related and com- or historical facts, of the subjects he or she relations based upon new contexts and visu- monly used terms, most discussed topics, has queried. ally graphing them according to place, author, authors cited by hierarchy, sites of interven- and date, as opposed to abstract or empty tion and least discussed subjects. The soft- space. This comes with the purpose of visu- ware allows any language to be entered and ally revealing the movement of architectural analyzed.

68 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations nesiing e aseos ae 69 Drafting the Representation

DANIEL BUTKO University of Oklahoma

Architecture is experiential, allowing human of aggregate, adhesive, and water to visualize interaction within the inhabitable space and graphically represent erosion; experimen- between materials. The sensory qualities of tation with wood species and trace paper to space and materials are intrinsically linked to develop lighting and acoustical diffusion; or the medium of representation during design pouring Plaster of Paris into forms vs. coat- phases. Selection of pen, pencil, layering, ing materials with joint compound to create color, contrast, and texture are the result of surface texture exposes students to the some- design concepts manifest into physical and times messy yet creatively productive process tangible decisions which influence aesthet- of physically working through material selec- ics, acoustics, and haptic qualities of the built tions. Drafting is merely the draft; it takes environment. Millennial students can be physical built constructs to convey the full challenged to expand the experience beyond vision of the concept. As Marshall McLuhan the computer screen with physical materials, popularized, “the medium is the message.” manipulate those materials, and synthesize This presentation celebrates various meth- physical constructs into digital variations ods of crafting and developing both graphical and iterations. Simple exercises like smear- and physical materials into ceremonial con- ing graphite on various types of paper, alter- tributors to defining spatial relationships and ing contrast of black and white photography, inhabitants’ emotions through writing, sketch- manipulating translucency of colors, juxta- ing, physical models, and digital models. posing grids to discover hierarchy, or flipping between plan and section can quickly help students see immediate results from intentional interaction. Continued experimentation with physical materials such as mixing various sizes

70 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations aing e eesenation 71 Unfinished Business

ERIK HERRMANN University of Michigan “

Drawing implies leaving out. Finally, the space of these two dimensional “—Max Liebermann compositions was remapped to 2 1/2 dimension relief models. While translation of major “Unfinished Business” is a forensic investiga- elements from the drawings occurred, stu- tion of incompleteness in canonical architec- dents ultimately speculated on ways to “fill tural representations. in” representational omissions. Representations are - by their nature - particu- As analytic and projective constructs, these lar in vantage, technique and content. While works explore strategies of omission, dele- much can be said of what a drawing or model tion, redaction and fragmentation in repre- shows us, it might be more productive to sentation. The drawings and models produced consider what they omit, occlude or obscure. in this course work consider incompleteness What exactly is happening behind that wall, as a productive tactic in architectural rep- around the corner or just out of frame? resentation, acknowledging that any repre- The course began with the gathering of build- sentation of an architectural work that is not ing 'fragments' - existing documentation in necessarily deficient or inadequate, but sim- the form of plans, sections, elevations, axo- ply incomplete. nometrics and oblique projections. These fragment were then collaged in incomplete compositions that interrogated representational “gaps,” in the documentation. Following this step, elements and details were added back into the fragmented composition, while carefully maintaining a balance between com- pleteness and incompleteness.

72 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations nnised siness 73 Born to See, My Task Is To Draw: Cultivating Architecture Intelligence Through Observation and Hand Drawing

HENRIQUE M. HOUAYEK Clemson University

The process of graphic transformation of tactile overcomes virtual. Such experience is The class methodology requires from stu- the environment onto a two dimensional enriched with a real time building sites and dents that they must draw nearly every day, page, acts for architects and students as an places, not via virtual images, but by traveling, these drawings can either be very detailed or explicit and remarkable analytical and design walking and discovering new environments, more free hand: a process which with time and tool, and as a way to develop a higher sense all important aspects of an architect’s educa- practice builds confidence and skill in observa- of details and architecture sensibility, archi- tion and its aesthetic discovery. tion and graphic representations towards the tect Michael Graves in his 2012 New York understanding of context, scale, and space. If we can define concepts of what constitutes Times article Architecture and the Lost Art of The exercises start with students identifying intelligence, and how it relates to creativ- Drawing,1 explains processes of hand drawing the building/place main visual characteristic, ity within the realm of architecture design, in design as “most powerful means of con- to walk and engage in their space they are perhaps we may be able to understand how ceptualizing and representing architecture” encouraged to observe for a long time the to cultivate Architectural Intelligence within and how today it has become an generational same object in detail or depth and then start students and, redefine and re-envision dif- gap. As interesting as new design technologies to record their thoughts into graphics. ferent methods for designing and teaching are, and important to the overall evolution architecture. NOTES of architecture teaching and practice, there are important aspects of cognition, creativ- Instead of just a statement of technique, 1. GRAVES, Michael. 2012. “Architecture ity and tactile design processes which may artistic value or culture, sketching explores and the Lost Art of Drawing.” New York be improved with observation, Attention and and helps students justify a proper project Times, September 02, page SR5. hand drawing, moreover develop in architec- choice, an approach, or argument, a way to set ture students a strong design potential, what a commitment within the realm of architec- we shall refer as Architectural Intelligence, tural choices. A significant part of the students this concept can be described as the mental learning process: to understand all together projection of form and space which occurs tectonics, space, history and theory trough cognitively when we clarify the mind and this aesthetic practice. Drawing potentiates thought while in the explicit act of creation a narrative which improves Architectural and design process. Intelligence, drawings specially on site observation activates the subject into a memory This class looks at architecture observa- driven exercise because subjects engage visu- tional drawing as a tool and method to ally and verbally in a set of multiple compo- develop attention and creativity. It raises nents, this process can be broke into these the hypothesis that extensive hand drawing iterative cyclical steps: (a) Being in Place, (B) exercises will improve the students’ ability to Observing, (c) Attention, (D) Mentalizing, (E) observe the world, understand architecture Sketching and (F) Understanding. and act upon it with design creativity, when

74 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations on o ee M as Is o a 75 Primitive Drawings

MARK ERICSON Woodbury University

The cone, the sphere, and the cylinder are not as something to be aggregated, inter- representational outcome. Thereby reframing geometric solids derived from a circle. Within sected with, or subtracted from but as draw- orthography as a drawing process in which the our contemporary digital framework a cone is ing instruments. Drawings instruments that entirety of its components are read as poten- a singular object that is a built-in component are capable not only of creating simulated tial form. in most software platforms, a primitive. The three-dimensional form, but also describing As orthographic projection and by extension same could be said for the sphere or the cyl- form through flat two-dimensional variants descriptive geometry face a near extinction inder. However, these massive and apparently of orthographic drawing. in most architecture curriculums, this project singular forms are composed of sets of simpler This project begins with the study and proposes a reimagining of their basic tenants geometric elements: the circle and the point. development of the techniques of drawing within a digital framework. While simulated In the history of architectural drawing, the with solids exemplified in Guarino Guarini’s three-dimensional space continues to offer ability to break down the cone, the sphere, and Architettura civile (1735). Cones, spheres, new potentials for formal invention and com- the cylinder into specific geometric properties and cylinders are each reduced to sets of munication, the limits of flat two-dimensional has made these figures not only significant two-dimensional relationships and then rede- orthographic drawings have yet to be tested. formal elements but also drawing instruments ployed as instruments of distortion. Guarini’s in their own right. Stereotomy, the drawing techniques were then used to create an ortho- practice used to develop the shape of stones graphic drawing based on Robin Evan’s analy- within vaults is a central example of this. sis of Philibert de l’Orme’s chapel at Anet . Within this drawing practice cones were used These techniques were then written into a to draw toroidal vaults, hemispherical domes, computational process that allowed for the and simply to break down spheres into devel- production of multiple variations of distorted opable surfaces . These three simple solids, curvature. All of the drawings, are flat, ortho- the cone, the sphere, and the cylinder can graphic two-dimensional constructions that therefore be understood as geometric ele- utilize a single line-weight for all information. ments capable of describing forms of a higher Orthographic projectors, originating circles, degree of complexity then themselves. By and deformed nameless curves all appear extending this logic into the digital realm, it with the same value, allow the drawing as an is possible to imagine geometric primitives object to function independent of a specific

76 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations iitive aings 77 Ashammalexia

KIMBALL KAISER University of Michigan

BRADFORD WATSON Montana State University

The American Indian Culture as Design project be left incomplete to jump to another oppo- iood odges oia e seeks to take a detailed ethnological/anthro- site side of the page. This also changes the Drawing two describes the relationship pological study of the Crow Tribe’s traditional way the scale of the drawing is constructed between the tribe’s social structure and how it culture and identify opportunities for an since the operator can then jump to a differ- directly relates to the environment. This is the alternative mindset in terms of architectural ent layer of information that may cover the first emergence of linked rings that describe design and planning. The project aims to dis- entire sheet. Therefore, a drawing can piece a shifting and moving population, intensely cover multiple aspects of traditional culture together slowly or all at once. This dynamic based on the changing resources of the region more rooted in the region of Montana that process also leaves interest in how things through seasons, held together by the Crow’s can similarly be applied and used to generate are potentially constructed due to the fact clan system. a more appropriate current context for design that pieces and parts do not necessarily end in the region. Accomplishing this task includes up being what they originally intended to be. iation o e id leveraging more appropriate uses of passive Additionally, some pieces could be left unfin- Last in the set is a multilayered drawing dis- strategies, site planning, community planning, ished for various reasons and actually mean cussing the application of the Crow’s tradi- and regional cultural significance to persua- something else than its imagined purpose, tional epistemology to the current state of sively address existing strategies that may be changing the way things relate to each other understanding. The gridded planning that has misplaced. The tools used to accomplish these compositionally. largely ignored the environment and shaped goals were a series of literature and system- There are three drawings in the study set: the current discourse can begin to involve atic drawings and analysis. History of the People/Land, Driftwood Lodges: the notions of these changing resource rings. The drawings included are connected bod- Social Structure, and Application to the Grid. The intent here is to begin to extract various ies of study in a series. While most of the design implications relevant to modern times. iso o e eoeand line work and imagery are done by hand, the digital supplements the work by representing This drawing sets a base for the sequential itself in acetone transfers, custom laser cut studies by developing a visual history of the templates, and stickers. Crow Tribe. There is a recording of the people’s migration story from the Midwest and The decisiveness of the chosen mixed medium the adoption of the mobile lifestyle on the leads to a certain set of advantages. The plains. The drawing also communicates the thought process can be erratic since one side changing amount of the tribe’s territory and of the page can be worked on and then later population.

78 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Media Investigations saaeia 79

“URBANISM “ Safety Not Guaranteed

ASHLEY BIGHAM University of Michigan

Architecture is inseparable from defense. by architects. The ubiquitous nature of the developed into enclaves defined by gates, From its most primitive and revered “ori- spaces leaves little room for imagination or fences, berms, and other forms of defensive gins,” architecture was rehearsed in envi- provocation. It is for this very reason that this origin. In most cases, gated communities ronments of conflict. As an alternative to project sought to tackle the American sub- provide only the illusion of protection. Public the term defense architecture, a category urb as a site, to mine the generic typologies space has been replaced by the shopping mall, which typically refers to forms and types (for- of suburbia to its advantage. In addition to a type which feels public but precludes many tresses, citadels, bastions, urban walls), this observing the defensive stances of individual by its location removed from the urban cen- project proposes the idea of an architecture houses, gates and circular cul-de-sacs, sub- ters, inaccessible by public transportation or of defense. An architecture of defense sees all urbs offer specific examples of contemporary in areas where vehicular traffic makes walk- of architecture as a reaction to some measure fortification. Residents in suburbs clearly mark ing or cycling dangerous, or at the very least, of paranoia and studies the built environment their territory with fences, often battling with unpleasant. Suburban enclaves are spreading to recognize measures and methods used to neighbors over inches. Front porches have throughout the world as cities co-opt forms subdue these fears. Safety Not Guaranteed been replaced with backyard decks which of American suburbanization in response to explores the architecture of paranoia through offer increased privacy and a socially accepted local socio-economic shifts and perceived or a series of design manipulations. Its setting is method of interacting with (or avoiding) real physical threats. the network of suburbia and everyday domes- neighbors. Large gated communities host a The three models in this exhibition project tic scenes—those most commonly associated network of distributed centers—club houses, possible pasts, presents and futures in order with spaces of privacy, safety, and security— golf courses or swimming pools—and clearly to understand through subtle distortions how and where fortification occurs on the scale of defined but physically weak periphery bound- paranoia shapes our world. Rather than offer- the front door, the home, the cul-de-sac, the aries, such as gate houses, fences and security ing a single solution to the problem, it offers a neighborhood. checkpoints. new lens through which suburban fortification This project uses the American suburb both as Since its development in the 1820s, the can be understood and “hacked” by design- a typology for study and as a testing ground American suburb has been embedded with ers. The project offers a glimpse into the world upon which to project future architectural social aspirations about the nuclear family, of military tactics deployed in the most typical possibilities. American suburbs straddle a gender norms, religion, inclusiveness and environs. unique space in the discipline of architecture. maybe most importantly, exclusiveness. As While many Americans see these enclaves as of the year 2000, more Americans live in sub- the default or even ideal way of living, suburbs than in either central cities or rural areas urbs or gated communities are often ignored combined. American suburbs have slowly

82 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Sand table model allows participants to design their own form of (sub)urbanism

Architecture is inseparable from defense. From its most primitive and revered “origins,” architecture was rehearsed in environments of conflict. As an alternative to the term defense architecture, a category which typically refers to forms and types (fortresses, citadels, bastions, urban walls), this project proposes the idea of an architecture of defense. An architecture of defense sees all of architecture as a reaction to some measure of paranoia and studies the built environment to recognize measures and methods used to subdue these fears. Safety Not Guaranteed explores the architecture of paranoia through a series of design manipulations. Its setting is the network of suburbia and everyday domestic scenes— those most commonly associated with spaces of privacy, safety, and security—and where fortification occurs on the scale of the front door, the home, the cul-de-sac, the neighborhood.

This project uses the American suburb both as a typology for study and as a testing ground upon which to project future architectural possibilities. American suburbs straddle a unique space in the discipline of architecture. While many Americans see these enclaves as the default or even ideal way of living, suburbs or gated communities are often ignored by architects.

The three models in this exhibition project possible pasts, presents and futures in order to understand through subtle distortions how paranoia shapes our urban environments.

The ubiquitous nature of the spaces leaves little room for imagination or provocation. It is for this very reason that this project sought to tackle the American suburb as a site, to mine the generic typologies of suburbia to its advantage. In addition to observing the defensive stances of individual houses, gates and circular cul- de-sacs, suburbs offer specific examples of contemporary fortification. Residents in suburbs clearly mark their territory with fences, often battling with neighbors over inches. Front porches have been replaced with backyard decks which offer increased privacy and a socially accepted method of interacting with (or avoiding) neighbors. Large gated communities host a network of distributed centers—club houses, golf courses or swimming pools—and clearly defined but physically weak periphery boundaries, such as gate houses, fences and security checkpoints.

Since its development in the 1820s, the American suburb has been embedded with social aspirations about the nuclear family, gender norms, religion, inclusiveness and maybe most importantly, exclusiveness. As of the year 2000, more Americans live in suburbs than in either central cities or rural areas combined. American suburbs have slowly developed into enclaves defined by gates, fences, berms, and other forms of defensive origin. In most cases, gated communities provide only the illusion of protection. Public space has been replaced by the shopping mall, a type which feels public but precludes many by its location removed from the urban centers, inaccessible by public transportation or in areas where vehicular traffic makes walking or cycling dangerous, or at the very least, unpleasant. Suburban enclaves are spreading throughout the world as cities co-opt forms of American suburbanization in response to local socio-economic shifts and perceived or real physical threats.

The three models in this exhibition project possible pasts, presents and futures in order to understand through subtle distortions how paranoia shapes our world. Rather than offering a single solution to the problem, it offers a new lens through which suburban fortification can be understood and “hacked” by designers. The project offers a glimpse into the world of military tactics deployed

Vertical panorama drawing of fortified (sub)urbanism in the most typical environs. Cul-de-sac plans for increased density in typical suburban prototypes

Urbanism ae o aaneed 83 Site Spectacle Seed Sprout

ELISE DECHARD Cranbrook Academy of Art

SY BODSON Cranbrook Academy of Art

Site Spectacle Seed Sprout is a conceptual fixed end but a series of beginnings—tech- remaining structure, materials, and proceeds proposal to initiate a more socially con- niques and tactics for manipulating existing from any salvage or scrap sales are theirs with scious approach to deconstruction and urban built forms—that can be repeated continually which to rebuild. Local ownership of rede- renewal in the city of Detroit. The project pro- to create a dynamically changing urban land- velopment promotes ongoing stewardship. vides an alternative response to the current scape. The programmatic seeds aim towards Dependence on Detroit for utilities, social city-center based system with its traditional sustainable self sufficiency and a dispersed services, and even transportation is reduced top-down, trickle-down development models, network of urban activity to maintain the as individual communities are strengthened inadequate demolition program, and slow, city’s current size as viable. Throughout the and reinvigorated. scattered blight beautification. process, Site Spectacle Seed Sprout trans- We contend that by reconsidering normative forms a labor usually taboo and hidden into a Site Spectacle Seed Sprout starts from the renovation and creative deconstruction hap- scattering of house-shaped luminaires, glori- field condition of empty houses and lots pening in the city, the two can be combined fying the process of the city’s metamorphosis. interspersed with inhabited homes that char- to increased polemical effect and greater The houses metamorphosed juxtapose new acterizes many Detroit neighborhoods. We community good. We propose that through use with physical memory, collapsing time in contend that these scattered “voids” are not a system of acupunctural seeding and rhi- a single place. vacuums, but a collection of resources ready zomatic planning, we might invent a form of to be reused—first: space, empty or avail- Traditional development models involve local urban renewal that strengthens existing com- able; second: material, in various degrees of residents only as fodder for planning charettes munities to resist both peripheral atrophy re-usefulness and salvageability; third: poten- while actual decision making is done from and choking gentrification. Lastly, we believe tial energy, the first two combined with the above. Site Spectacle Seed Sprout instead that the most effective and responsible way energy of existing community and momentum puts the city’s renaissance directly in the to revitalize a city is through its people. We towards a new future. Similar to a log cabin hands of the community. The project takes present Site Spectacle Seed Sprout. It is not built from the trees around it, or the ecology form as a manual for community enfranchise- ruin porn, and it is not historic preservation. of that same forest repurposing decaying ele- ment, a series of instructional documents It’s a future in which regrowth and healing go ments as fertilizer for new growth, we believe straddling the line between IKEA and Sol hand in hand through a process of decompo- that the future of the city can be planted from LeWitt that give neighborhoods the tools to sitional regeneration. materials already existing. build their own futures.

We propose a simultaneously orchestrated Six seed typologies—ranging from social to deconstruction of houses across the city, an sustainable to entrepreneurial—each entail urban plan in action, a continuum from site a specific unbuilding process and resultant to spectacle to seed from which the new city form. Residents are trained and supported by will sprout. The process of removal is not a the city as they perform deconstruction. The

84 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT A CONCEPTUAL PROPOSAL FOR DECONSTRUCTION AS A MEANS TO REGROWTH

SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT starts from the ﬁeld condition of abandoned houses and empty lots interspersed with inhabited homes. We contend that these scattered “voids” are not vacuums, but a collection of resources ready to be reused. Similar to the way a log cabin is built from the trees around it, or the way the ecology of that same forest repurposes decaying elements as fertilizer for new growth, we believe that an act of subtraction is merely a reorganization of matter, and that the future of the city can be seeded from materials already existing in the city.

Traditional development models involve local residents only as fodder for planning charettes while actual decisions are made from top down. SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT proposes instead to put the city’s renaissance directly in the hands of the community. The project takes form as a series of instructional documents that give neighborhoods the tools to build their own futures.

Throughout the deconstruction process, SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT transforms a labor usually taboo and hidden into a scattering of house-shaped luminaires. The scattering of programmatic seeds aims towards sustainable a self suﬃciency and a dispersed network of urban activity. The resultant structure, materials, and proceeds from any salvage or scrap sales are theirs with which to rebuild. Local ownership of redevelopment promotes ongoing stewardship. Dependence on Detroit for utilities, social services, and even transportation is reduced as individual communities are strengthened and reinvigorated.

SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT is not ruin porn, and it is not historic preservation. It’s a future in which regrowth and healing go hand in hand through a process of decompositional regeneration. SITE SPECTACLE SEED SPROUT

Urbanism ie eae eed o 85 Dimensions of Urbanism: Urban Blocks

CHRISTOPHER M. PIZZI Academy of Art University

AN INCREMENT OF URBAN a framework for design expression while lim- • Blocks should be at least 260’ deep if a GROWTH + REPAIR iting the extent of any single expression, as rear alley is desired for servicing or parking At the intersection of architecture, urban lamented by Rem Koolhaas in Delirious New access. design and master planning, the urban block York. • While larger blocks are more efficient forms the most useful increment of urban from a propery-to-street net-to-gross THIS TYPOLOGICAL STUDY growth and simultaneously urban repair. The ratio, they usually need a sub-network of This is hardly a collection of city planning’s urban block is flexible and resilient, one of the alleys dividing them. greatest hits, comforting standards, and one- oldest and most important elements of city • Open space can be aggregated across a hit wonders. Rather, this comparative study of building. In a city plan the urban block is a block to be common, shared, safe, secure, precedent is a working tool for understand- semi-private domain that defines the quality, and big enough to be practical and usable. ing existing places and designing new ones. shape and character of urban public space And observations of particular block-scale It forms an open set or questions, a graphic on all sides. For this reason, the dialogue designs: introduction to the built environment’s between the design of the private realm and response to the potent contemporary issues • Le Corbusier’s Immeubles Villas, his the public realm is of critical importance to the of density, housing, floor area ratios, open early urban design work, was extremely future of cities, and the design of the urban space access, and mobility choices. How has rational and innovated within the existing block sets the rules, boundaries, and parame- land planning contributed to the housing cri- European perimeter block typology. ters for this exchange. The urban block creates sis? What building types work well with on- • Micro-climate can generate urban form, a formal and spatial system which is complex site parking? Can common open space be safe as seen in SOM’s parallelogram block and dynamic. The urban block is architec- and secure? design for Treasure Island. tural in scale and solution, and is one of the • Robert A.M. Stern has been trying to bring PRELIMINARY FINDINGS twenty-first century’s great design challenges. a redeeming formal rigor to the suburb - Understanding urban blocks is a key to unlock- What lessons can we learn from an assess- as seen in his Subway Suburb - for half a ing the puzzle of the responsible design, devel- ment of the typical and the idiosyncratic? century. opment, construction, and operation of cities. Here are some observations:

COMMUNITY STRUCTURE • Land platting can determine building type, Urban blocks express a formal approach to neighborhood scale, and changeability structuring community and society. From the rate for centuries. English garden cities to the German seidlungs. • Almost 200 years of arranging single- From the Standard blocks extracted from the family dwelling units, unstacked, on blocks National Land Ordinance of 1785’s Continental has proved that they will never be dense Grid to the courthouse squares of Texas, to enough to properly support public transit. the California mission towns that followed Conversely, high rise buildings aren’t the Laws of the Indies. Urban blocks provide needed to achieve dense urbanity, either.

86 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” h ow biG is an Urban block?

yale bowl HunTers poInT sHIpyard New Haven, CT 1914 San Francisco, CA, 2009

...biGGer than a football fielD subway suburb Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY, 1976 mIssIon dIsTrICT San Francisco, 1851

Cellular sTeel Houses sTandard bloCk 50 Vara dIsTrICT 1933 San Francisco, 1839 American Continental Grid Treasure Island San Francisco, CA, 2006

welwyn Garden CITy Welwyn, UK, 1920s

DiaGrams PrototyPes lanD PlanninG Plan + Dream DesiGn + bUilD bUilt examPles exemPlars moDels

Immeubles VIllas eIxample bloCk Paris, 1922 Barcelona, Spain, 1859 mosaICa San Francisco, CA, 2009 parCmerCed San Francisco, CA, from 1939

olympIC park radburn lane London, UK, 2012 T ranCIs ood Radburn, NJ, 1929 s . F w San Francisco, CA, from 1912

baCk bay Boston, MA, from 1856 TelFaIr square ward Savannah, GA, from 1733

Carl maCkley Houses Philadelphia, PA, 1935 GooGle daTa CenTer Hornbaek bloCk The Dalles, OR, 2006 Copenhagen, Denmark, 1922

new Town Edinburgh, UK, from 1768

souTH park SOMA, San Francisco, CA, from 1852

aqua Miami Beach, FL, 2000’s

THe marIna San Francisco, CA, 1920s

baTH CresCenT bayVIew sunnysIde Gardens Hayward Cannery sTapleTon Bath, UK, 1774 San Francisco, CA, 1860s Queens, NY, 1924 Hayward, CA, 2000s Denver, CO, 2000s

18 c 19 c 20 c 21 c

D imensions of U rbanism: Urban b locks 1”=200’/61m An Increment of Urban Growth + Repair Community Structure This Typological Study Preliminary Findings At the intersection of architecture, urban design and master planning, Urban blocks express a formal This is hardly a collection of city planning’s What lessons can we learn from an assessment of the typical and the idiosyncratic? Here are some observations: the urban block forms the most useful increment of urban growth and approach to structuring community greatest hits, comforting standards, and one- • Land platting can determine building type, neighborhood scale, and changeability rate for centuries. • Almost 200 years of arranging single-family dwelling units, unstacked, on blocks has proved that they will never simultaneously urban repair. The urban block is flexible and resilient, and society. From the English garden hit wonders. Rather, this comparative study of be dense enough to properly support public transit. Conversely, high rise buildings aren’t needed to achieve dense one of the oldest and most important elements of city building. In a city cities to the German seidlungs. From precedent is a working tool for understanding the Standard blocks extracted from existing places and designing new ones. It urbanity, either. plan the urban block is a semi-private domain that defines the quality, • Blocks should be at least 260’ deep if a rear alley is desired for servicing or parking access. shape and character of urban public space on all sides. For this reason, the National Land Ordinance of 1785’s forms an open set or questions, a graphic Continental Grid to the courthouse introduction to the built environment’s • While larger blocks are more efficient from a propery-to-street net-to-gross ratio, they usually need a sub-network of the dialogue between the design of the private realm and the public alleys dividing them. squares of Texas, to the California response to the potent contemporary issues realm is of critical importance to the future of cities, and the design of • Open space can be aggregated across a block to be common, shared, safe, secure, and big enough to be practical and the urban block sets the rules, boundaries, and parameters for this mission towns that followed the Laws of density, housing, floor area ratios, open usable. exchange. The urban block creates a formal and spatial system which of the Indies. Urban blocks provide space access, and mobility choices. How And observations of particular block-scale designs: is complex and dynamic. The urban block is architectural in scale and a framework for design expression has land planning contributed to the housing • Le Corbusier’s Immeubles Villas, his early urban design work, was extremely rational and innovated within the existing solution, and is one of the twenty-first century’s great design challenges. while limiting the extent of any single crisis? What building types work well with European perimeter block typology. Understanding urban blocks is a key to unlocking the puzzle of the expression, as lamented by Rem on-site parking? Can common open space be • Micro-climate can generate urban form, as seen in SOM’s parallelogram block design for Treasure Island. responsible design, development, construction, and operation of cities. Koolhaas in Delirious New York. safe and secure? • Robert A.M. Stern has been trying to bring a redeeming formal rigor to the suburb - as seen in his Subway Suburb - for half a century.

Urbanism iensions o anis an os 87 Ungrounding the Rural: Four Grids for the Great Plains

ROY C CLOUTIER University of British Columbia

NICOLE SYLVIA Independent Scholar

Beset by intense forms of flux and indetermi- social collectives—stitching them together to III. THE ANNUAL SIESTA nacy—from climate change to dramatic popu- speculate on new modes of inhabitation and The third Grid operates in the temporal terri- lation shifts, from rapid technological change alternative urbanisms in the Great Plains. tory of the ‘growing-season gap’: an emerg- to intense economic restructuring—the con- ing mid-summer offseason in which high I. SATURATED ARCHIPELAGO temporary challenges of global hinterlands temperatures are higher than cash crops can The first Grid cues itself to the shifts in precipi- profoundly challenge inherited conceptions of withstand. In an inverted miniature of winter tation caused by a warming climate: increas- control and order in architecture and urban- offseason migrations, the project takes advan- ing drought, violent storms, and intensified ism. Ever-more subject to urban processes tage of abandoned quarries to create a dis- flooding. The project reorients settlement yet too often left out of theorization on the tributed network of passively-cooled spaces, around a massively-decentralized network of urban, the rural today can act as a potent site serving as ritualized refugia of collective gath- water-retention landscapes, distributed along of architectural and urbanistic speculation— ering during this time. the many tributaries of the region. These taking its intense forms of environmental aggregate to form a thick, saturated territory IV. DUNE RANCH and demographic change as new grounds on that captures and stores floodwater prior to The fourth Grid inhabits the Nebraska which to expand disciplinary understandings flow formation—in the process providing an Sandhills—a territory soon in flux again, as the of order, indeterminacy, and systems. infrastructure for new patterns of inhabitation warming climate stresses to failure the frag- Thus, the question becomes: what are the and alternative economies. ile mat of grasses holding the dunes in place. new grids—new diagrams of control, new Dune Ranch is a triple-entendre: one part the II II structures for reconciling intention and inde- ranching and herding of dunes themselves by The second Grid reimagines the Great Plains terminacy? How might we conceive urban and a network of architectural devices, one part Shelterbelt of the 1930s—just as rising tem- spatial orders that go beyond merely tolerat- sustaining and transforming the region’s exist- peratures and declining soil moisture threaten ing to actively harnessing changing conditions, ing cattle-ranching practices in the context of the viability of the region’s farms and the first opening themselves to an ongoing becoming newly-mobile dunes, and one part a play on round of trees begins to fail. This project reori- and self-redefinition? How might architecture the idea of a ‘dude ranch’ as a place where ents and intensifies the Shelterbelt concept: open itself to the multitude of other agencies urbanites in search of ‘authentic’ proto-rural rather than aligned to the abstract order of at play in any system, beyond those of the life can indulge in the rugged pleasures of the Jefferson Grid, cued directly to its biocli- architect-as-author? agro- and eco-tourism. matic effects; rather than as a singular inter- This project is a speculation on four such New vention, a self-sustaining process of planting, Grids, each of which directly cues architec- harvesting, and reorientation; rather than tural and territorial order to intense forms of merely trees, an open-ended platform for a change—on one hand, environmental condi- host of timber-oriented uses. tions in dramatic flux due to climate change; on the other, the spatial practices of emergent

88 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism ngonding e a o ids o e ea ains 89 FARMLINE: A Hub for Urban Agriculture in Detroit

GABRIEL KAPRIELIAN ANDREA GAFFNEY Temple University Independent Scholar

MARISHA FARNSWORTH JONGHOON IM Independent Scholar Independent Scholar

The farm line envisages a different type of Downtown. Rotational grazing provides a urban renaissance for Detroit. With more than constant nutrient re-charge for this unique one third of the land lying vacant or under- system of animal husbandry. The stations used, Detroit has witnessed an inversion of function as loading, herding, feeding, water- urban and rural conditions. The hinterlands ing and composting areas. The animals winter have reclaimed parts of the city, and with it, in the “barn” and the pasture can be used as a strong return to rural agrarian practices has a winter walking trail. An extension of the ele- rooted in the communities of Detroit. The vated pasture connects the Farm House and Detroit Works Project proposes a new future the Barn and serves as a gateway to the site. for Detroit as a region of neighborhoods and REGIONAL URBAN AG CENTER productive landscapes. As the saying goes, Program for the Central Market Place includes: “All roads lead to Rome.” In Motown, all roads a feed store, farming equipment supply cen- lead to the central waterfront. ter, seed bank, slaughterhouse, grain silo, Embracing the region’s rich agricultural his- butcher shop, bakery, flower shop, locally- tory and industrial urbanism, we propose produced goods, an apiary, farm-to-table a Central Market Place that serves as the restaurants, a milk bar, a cooking school, dem- regional agricultural resource center to sup- onstration farms and gardens for all scales of port the growing urban agriculture move- the urban farmer. The seed bank specializes in ment in Detroit. The Central Market Place propagating seeds to support the diverse food will re-purpose existing buildings and parking and cultural landscapes of Detroit. structures along the waterfront, and under- THE NEW MOTOWN: GROWN IN DETROIT utilized transit infrastructure to build a new Locals and tourists alike can enjoy the seasons place for the region to connect to each other of the Central Marketplace; it will be a great and the waterfront. The Detroit People Mover resource for urban farmers and an entertain- becomes the Farm Line. The UAW building ment and educational venue for everyone. becomes the Farm House. The Renaissance Where else in the world can you walk out of Center parking structure becomes the Barn. a convention center into fields and orchards? FARM LINE CONNECTIONS In what other city can you eat at a restaurant Formerly known as the Detroit People Mover, overlooking the fields where the vegetables the Farm Line re-purposes the elevated track were grown? In what other city can you see into a grazing pasture that winds through cows grazing above the streets of downtown?

90 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism MI o an gie in eoi 91 Form-based Code v. Social Segregation in Latin America: The Case of Bogotá

JUAN GUILLERMO YUNDA University of Texas at Austin

From the 1950s to the 1970s, Bogotá, defined by dense neighborhoods of informal distribute cross-subsidies from high-income Colombia was one of the fastest growing origin and self-help housing. These neighbor- to low-income groups for utility payments. cities in the world due to extensive migra- hoods of informal origin are today home to As a social equity tool, Stratification is based tion from the countryside. Because of a lack more than half of Bogotá’s population and on the classification of urbanized land in six of development control during this period, occupy about a third of the urban area. different levels, or “Strata,” based on build- Bogotá became characterized by extreme ing characteristics at the block level. My Faced with the prospect of continuing, ungov- social and geographic polarization between investigation documents how private sec- ernable urban sprawl led by both the formal rural migrants and urban elites, which in turn tor developers respond to the incentives and informal sector, in 1979 the city imple- exacerbated the traditional uneven develop- and disincentives provided through the mented a from-based code and a growth ment of the city. Elites primarily located in Stratification system, working also towards boundary intended to control sprawl, alleviate neighborhoods in the north of Bogotá, well influencing planning regulations. For example, residential segregation, and densify the cen- served by municipal infrastructure and enjoy- Stratification prompts developers to invest tral city. However, 35 years later, these poli- ing easy access to services and employment more in areas of higher strata, attempting cies have failed to halt or reverse the uneven opportunities. Low-skilled rural migrants set- to influence planning processes in order to development of the city. This uneven develop- tled in neighborhoods in the south that had increase height restrictions in these areas, or ment is manifest in continuing 1) residential poor municipal services and were located in in neighboring zones of lower strata. Because segregation, 2) uneven built form patterns environmentally polluted areas far from the of this complex articulation of planning and and 3) uneven distribution of services and central business districts. social policies with private sector interests employment. and actions, Bogotá’s low income residents These patterns of social and geographic polar- This research argues that the unintended close to the wealthy are in effect experienc- ization and uneven development translated outcomes of the form-based code are due to ing gentrification and dislocation; or opposite, into differences in built form, including differ- private sector interests and actions, which in disinvestment and overcrowd when they are ent sized lots, building footprints and heights, turn are influenced by the traditional social away from the high-income areas. differences in facade elements and materials, divisions in the city, institutionalized by equity and different street, sidewalk and park dimen- policies. I focus on the so-called Stratification sions. The elite areas distinguished by subur- policy, which is not a planning mechanism but ban housing while low-income areas were rather a national social policy developed to

92 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism oased ode v oia egegation in atin eia 93 Front Bay

MARC A. ROEHRLE University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

The North Avenue Bridge in Boston exem- economically feasible to develop it with a fab- plifies the current discourse relative to ric similar to that of Back Bay where tree-lined infrastructure and urbanism. One which is streets lined by 4-5 story walk-up buildings pertinent to both the academy and the pro- work in concert to create a walkable environ- fession. Built in 1908, the utility of this struc- ment. Just as Back Bay has Comm Ave, a linear ture has slowly deteriorated over the course natural park in an urban setting, Front Bay of 100+ years. In 2015, the U.S. Coastguard will have its own linear Park – a one-mile long notified the Army Corps of Engineers that river walk that recalls the watery history of the its existing structural condition presented a site, provides a place for leisure and creates public safety concern. This prompted the city an engineering amenity that addresses storm to explore ideas that would improve mobil- water issues and rising sea levels. Additionally, ity, currently the bridge links downtown with this development will tie together the harbor the quickly developing Fort Point Channel walk that rings the shore of the city. This new neighborhood, honor its history and create 575’ Harbor Promenade will include outdoor a destination. Our proposal, instead of con- seating adjacent to commercial space for centrating on only the bridge, suggests that events and other public activities and provide the entire waterway, the “Cut”, be infilled and a new home for the Boston Tea Party Ship, giv- that a new vibrant neighborhood be built in ing it a prominent site on the harbor. This new its place – Front Bay. This development typol- development will provide much needed work- ogy is relevant to the morphology of Boston’s force housing which aligns with the needs and historical growth patterns where over the goal of the city to bring 8000+ people into the course of centuries successive rings of infill heart of the city, while addressing hydrologi- have allowed the city to grow. 29 blocks with cal concerns of a changing global condition. over 5,000,000 square feet of housing and Why build a bridge when you could build a commercial space on 58 acres of land will knit neighborhood? together Downtown with Fort Point Channel. Where there was once an antiquated waterway, will now be a thriving neighborhood with a distinct character of its own. Because this neighborhood will be developed by the city, it will not have the same financial constraints as if it were privately developed. It will be

94 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism on a 95 URBAN PLAY: An Architecture Studio as Agent in Public Discussion for Minor League Sports in a Medium-sized City

MARLEEN KAY DAVIS University of Tennessee-Knoxville

The political agendas of sports scale to differ- interests, the nearby tourist region with its beyond the limited number of game days, ent communities. Sports are much more than lobbying efforts, property owners, not to leveraging the investment in facilities as a a “game” and no where is that more apparent mention the sports leagues, the teams and way to promote community use. The studio than studying access to sports, as a participant team owners themselves. Within the context work was part of two different exhibits, reach- or spectator, along the spectrum of youth of a low-tax state, the university, county, and ing a broad cross section of interested parties, leagues to professional sports. Local govern- city budgets strain to meet needs, desires, and including the team owners. Outreach grant ment, in fact, negotiates a difficult terrain in priorities. A minor league hockey team plays funding supported part of the studio work. addressing the needs of both sports fans and in non-regulation and outdated facility owned players. The local level must prioritize infra- by the city and struggles to find a fan base. structure demands for facilities, arenas, play- Since 1909, the local minor league baseball ing fields, parks, parking, and transportation team has had a series of locations, names, access. and owners, including the family of the former city mayor and now governor. The current The premise of this design studio is that, when owner is the state commissioner of economic strategically sited with a city, minor league development. sports could enhance a sense of community, could provide communal assets well beyond Within these numerous conflicting political game days, could be a catalyst for other devel- dimensions, an architectural design studio opment, and could improve the economic well exploration provides a neutral ground for dis- being of the city. cussion and debate.

Youth leagues, regional schools, sports clubs, In the context of suspicion and cynicism about minor league teams, a flagship state univer- hidden agendas in local development, the sity in the SEC, and a nearby county with a work of an architecture studio can advance, robust tourist economy, all compete for lim- if not direct, the public debate. As a premise, ited resources, limited infrastructure and this studio determined it would investigate a limited fan base. Decision-making is fur- potential sites for two different minor league ther influenced by the agendas of a county teams (baseball and hockey) within a ten-min- major, a city mayor, the university, a vibrant ute walk of the city’s downtown. The teams “creative class” committed to the revitalized are perceived as a community asset, located downtown, a nearby African American com- in the heart of the city, not in an island of park- munity that seeks investment but is suspicious ing in a preferred suburb. As a challenge, the of gentrification, “the chamber” of business proposed use of the facilities extended well

96 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism an a 97 A Third Logistical Regime: The Ecological Succession of Industrial Ruins

WILLIAM HUCHTING makeArchitecture Co

PAUL MOSLEY Independent Scholar

The City of Chicago is foremost a logistical As Susan Nigra Snyder and Alex Wall pointed a rooftop greenhouse in winter to grow pro- node. Incorporated in 1837 at the confluence out in their seminal essay “Emerging duce for restaurants and those who desire a of the Chicago River and Lake Michigan, the Landscapes of Movement and Logistics,” fresh, sustainable high-end product. The rail- City boomed with the construction of the these nineteenth century distribution centers road yards can be farmed with asparagus and Illinois and Michigan Canal that linked the are being supplanted by new, much larger tomatoes, two crops that have rate of financial Gulf of Mexico to the Great Lakes. This first ones at the outskirts of urban areas. Amazon, return, or planted with bamboo to sequester regime saw raw materials, grain and other UPS and Federal Express have emerged as carbon and create raw material for furniture agricultural goods shipped from Chicago, seat giants of the twenty-first century order. They and flooring manufacture on one of the ware- of the rich midwestern farmland, to hungry have built large state-of-the-art distribution house floors. eastern markets. The second regime was the nodes centering around moving shipping con- Bicycling replaces trains–not in a “Rails to introduction and development of the rail- tainers. Far-flung Romeoville is the new 15th Trails” way–but as a distribution system for road. Chicago was the nexus where railroads Street and Western Avenue. same day delivery that is central to the Third from the east and west met. Warehouses and Their inter-city forebears are too small to Logistical Regime and a twenty-first century factories were built adjacent to the railroad handle the volume of traffic necessary today. way of life. yards and Chicago emerged as a transporta- Thus, the question is what to do with nine- tion and manufacturing colossus. The Midland teenth century distribution nodes like the Warehouses are one such example. Built on Midland Warehouse and its railroad yard? what is now a Union Pacific railroad yard, the Midland Warehouses allowed rail cars to enter Rather than just create more urban infill– the building and unload their cargo. housing and strip malls–we endeavor to create a new kind of Urbanism that heals and During World War I, the nearby Montgomery cultivates rather than colors in more of the Ward warehouses–mail order giants second grid. These nodes function like Roman prec- only to Sears and Roebuck–were coveted by edents in that sit forward on the grid. the military as a means to store goods on their way to the fight in Europe. Thus, the logistical We propose a twenty-first century network. genome or DNA of the enterprise came full A server farm fills the top 98,000 sf floor of circle and returned to its military roots. the warehouse. Waste heat is used to heat

98 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism id ogistia egie 99 Back to the Countryside! Recovering China's Landscapes-Designing Village Acupunctures for Xixinan, Anhui Province, China

SHANNON BASSETT University At Buffalo, SUNY

The issues in which designers and scholars which we can engage, through design, sustain- of its landscapes. These included hydrological, must address, with respect to urbanism, able solutions and hybrid interventions with infrastructural, and agricultural mappings, are increasingly global and complex in both this rediscovered agricultural landscape? We which allowed them to learn about the inter- context as well as in magnitude. Arguably, must start looking to areas undergoing simi- dependence of the village to its ecologies. concepts such as “smart growth” and “new lar trends of rural reconstruction, through the At the intermediate scale, students began to urbanism” were initially theories and strate- lens of smart growth and new urbanism. learn about the relationship of these land- gies applied to Western cities and conditions, scapes to its morphological landscapes, which Featured here, are two studios, representing aimed to counter, for example, the shrinking include architecture and the site’s natural studies and proposed interventions for the vil- of cities. Detroit epitomizes this phenomena, landscape. lage. One was run in the US and their counter for example, where “white flight” to the sub- run in Summer 2015. Studies Abroad students The student proposals featured here offer urbs, enabled by the Federal Highway act and lived on the site, where they conducted field robust solutions which promote concepts subsidized mortgages to returning Second surveying, making proposals for a series of of social scaffolding and infrastructure, new World War GI’s created ensuing suburban interventions in this Village. programming, landscape recovery, and social sprawl and the eating up of valuable rural and community building. Intervention into the and agricultural lands beyond former defined Students had the opportunity to engage first existing fabric and infrastructure are all aimed urban and rural boundaries. hand in many of the pressing current issues to ameliorate existing ancient infrastructures. facing China today, as it continues to modern- How are these trends playing themselves out ize at a rapid rate. The current rural-urban in other parts of the world such as Asia and divide continues to grow and continues to notably China? create massive challenges. At the same time, In 1949 with the Founding of the People’s however, many of China’s noted elite are now Republic of China, China’s urban population moving back to the countryside for its clean was at 10% urban and 90% rural. With the air and food. Other villagers are seeking inno- opening up during Reform in 1978, under vative and entrepreneurial economic ways in Deng Xiaoping, China was then at 20% urban which they can remain in their villages without and 80% rural. In an inversion, it is predicted having to travel long distances to work. The by the UN that in 1945 China will be 85% urban studio engaged a strategic plan which might and 15% rural. engage sustainable tourism in an area undergoing pressure for modernization. Other stra- However, contrary to prevailing urban pat- tegic plans included keeping villagers living terns, there has been a recent attempt full-time in the village as opposed to migrating towards movement back to the countryside to large cities for work. in China, and a reconnecting with the agricultural landscape as intellectuals, artists and the Students began their zoomed-out under- elite seeking retreat from the ills of the indus- standing of the site through the lens of its trialized Chinese cities. What are the ways in landscape, by conducting a series of mappings

100 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism a o e onside 101 Horizontalism - Housing the Next 100,000

ANTJE K. STEINMULLER California College of the Arts

CHRISTOPHER AUSTIN ROACH California College of the Arts

San Francisco has become a victim of its own groundwork for a diffuse horizontal densifi- context of San Francisco that demonstrate success. The need for new housing has over- cation of entire neighborhoods in the outer alternative ways of dealing with topography, whelmed the city’s highly constrained urban districts of the city, presenting a form of den- pedestrian and other traffic layers, and typo- form and pushed its social relations to the sity that is an alternative to the incremental logical and programmatic relationships in con- breaking point. This crisis of housing afford- “Manhattanization” of Downtown, and SoMa. ditions of high density. The subsequent design ability has become impossible to ignore, and Specifically, it expands the zoning envelope by propositions apply infrastructural operations short of a massive influx of public money, a 2-3 stories for projects that offer affordable that multiply the public space of the city and dramatic increase in the supply of housing housing. The design projects speculate on produce novel three-dimensional public space units has been seen as the only workable provocative ways of interpreting the AHBP conditions. The resulting projects inhabit, solution to meet demand and make housing and other zoning policies, especially in rela- intensify, and at times, restructure the enve- more affordable. In early 2014, the City’s Chief tion to underutilized air rights and the cre- lope of the ‘unbuilt city’ in ways that allow Economist estimated that it would be neces- ation of new capacity in the air. The research for larger collective forms to be developed in sary to build 100,000 units of housing to begin focused on seven land-locked neighborhood close dialog with San Francisco’s unique topo- to have a stabilizing effect on median rents. commercial districts as sites for new forms of graphic conditions. The final development But under the current physical and political “horizontal” density. of the projects draws from a menu of formal constraints on the city’s built form, finding the strategies (bridging, tunneling, linking, stack- To begin, the space between the existing space to create this radical supply of housing ing) and development mechanisms (privately building heights and the top of the zoning would make it necessary to, in the words of funded ‘catalysts’ on soft sites, infrastructural envelope - the “unbuilt city” of unexploited Supervisor David Campos, “build another city public works projects) that are used singly or zoning - was visualized, showing the volume on top of the city.” in combination to develop projects that proof buildable space above each neighborhood vide capacity for housing, new levels of pub- This project showcases the outcome of a as it exists, and as it expands through the lic space, and access to this new real estate design research studio in collaboration with additional building height allowable under above the existing city. the San Francisco Planning Department’s the AHBP. To develop design strategies for efforts to develop its Affordable Housing this “unbuilt city” in the sky, the research drew Bonus Program (AHBP). This program lays the on global case studies outside of the specific

102 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism oionais 103 GrOwING GREEN: A Mobile Greenhouse

TIMOTHY GRAY Ball State University

GrOwING GREEN is a prototype for a fully researched, prototyped and fabricated to automated mobile greenhouse designed to maximize durability, flexibility and efficiency address the unique conditions of the urban while minimizing cost. farm. While different economic models have The mobile structure is well suited to the been tested to support local and regional often onerous legal constraints of marginal urban farming efforts, few innovations have urban properties, such as flood prone areas, been made relative to facilities that sup- where farming operations often exist. Mobile port grass roots farming operations which structures navigate within the seams of the make use of vacant or underutilized urban building codes which distinguish between land. These types of farms are often small in the temporary and the permanent, allowing scale, economically challenged, and are often mobile structures to be installed legally on located on marginal sites where conventional properties where more conventional facilities structures might not be allowed. might not be allowed. Mobile structures also This project, designed and built by a group of lend themselves to the temporal nature of the fourth year architecture students at a cost of urban farm, which can be subject to frequent $40,000, is shaped by these contemporary dislocation through shifting patterns of urban urban conditions. The greenhouse is designed development. When the farm moves mobile to function year round and can be reconfig- facilities move with the farm! ured to grow starts for a wide variety of GrOwING GREEN is the first fully automated crops. Mobility allows the facility to be shared and fully mobile greenhouse. The project was between farming operations which are often designed and built to address the needs of a small in scale, and mobility also amplifies the specific client, but simultaneously offers an potential for community engagement, educa- innovative prototype for a unique and emerg- tion and outreach by actually taking the farm ing building typology shaped by our contem- into the community. The project incorporates porary urban condition. automated heating, cooling and ventilation systems as well as a four zone irrigation system. All building components were rigorously

104 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism I 105 Community Listening Room and Record Shop

WILLIAM JOSEPH DORAN Louisiana State University

Urban revitalization cannot be predicated on The first phase transformed the 300 square and creative-centric organizations and busi- top-down interventions, which focus primar- foot storefront space – which was being used nesses – while also transforming the record ily on sweeping physical redevelopment and to store supplies and donated records – into a shop into a flexible space that can still be used universal solutions to very complex issues. pop-up listening room and record shop. The as a record shop, but can also accommodate Jane Jacobs famously states in her seminal shop’s goals were to bring people together classes, workshops, and other arts and com- work, The Life and Death of American Cities, through music and re-activate the building's munity-focused events such as exhibitions, that “There is no logic that can be superim- corner space for the community. The shop lectures, artist talks, and social events. The posed on the city; people make it, and it is serves as a creative way to utilize the station's space could also be rented to generate rev- to them, not buildings, that we must fit our extensive vinyl collection, which is for sale at enue for the radio station and to support the plans.” This project explores a bottom-up $1 per record to support the radio station’s continued development of this project. approach to urban revitalization that focuses operations and future phases of this project. on building relationships with people and We hosted a coffee social in the record shop creating experiences that nurture an identity at the end of March 2016 to unveil it to the intrinsically tied to culture and place. Before community and activate the space. any significant investment from the top can Since that time, the radio station has been gain traction in our communities, it is critical opening the listening room and shop once a to cultivate relationships, identity, and vision month to share its music collection and invite with existing residents, local businesses, and the neighborhood into the building. Every organizations – and to learn from them and other month, a listening-based performance include them. They are the experts. is held in the space. So far, acoustic music per- The concept for this project was to transform formances, spoken word poetry, and panel the unused portion of a local radio station into discussions have activated the space. This also a community-oriented hub – beginning with a provides an opportunity to engage residents temporary installation to activate the space and find out what they would like to see in and engage the community. Long-term, the their neighborhood and the community space goal is to build community consensus and the at the radio station. capital to implement a full renovation of the Long-term, the goal is to use the empty spaces space into a creative place for everyone. around the record shop to house local artists

106 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Urbanism oni isening oo and eod o 107

“OPEN “ Adaptive Reuse of Specialized Industrial Buildings and Structures

ANNA SIGMUNDOVA Université Laval

Post-industrial era has brought new appeals recognition of the potential of each type. The The unusual character of specialised industrial in fields of culture and society, economy and objective of this attitude is to express under buildings, which often represent the dehu- environment. The industrial restructuring is what conditions the conversion and subse- manizing machines, huge statues of unusual proceeding from the sixties in countries of quent integration would be successful. In a scales, enhances the power of the symbolism the developed world. Yet, many questions broader perspective, we can imagine that of the new use of industrial buildings. In con- still remain unanswered and majority of the the research will not only uncover an image nection with objects, whose conversion and society has not accepted the complex change of potential, possibilities and limits of indus- regeneration is extremely difficult, moreover, with its consequences. trial heritage, but also a general knowledge the question arises whether it is possible, transferable on another typological species wise - and sustainable - again to return all in The potential of industrial heritage is gaining and broader range of historical architecture. life? This reasoning opens up for us again the special urgency in the context of economical actual issues of refinement of resources, and crisis, search for cultural identity and favored Most of the special industrial buildings origi- sustainability of human (building) actions on principles of sustainable development. nates in the 19th or 20th century, a lot of them the planet. An important part of the sustainability is represents parts of infrastructure - objects regarded as the quality of our environment. that aren´t commonly seen as monuments. In this optics, it is important to perceive the Therefore, the topic also touches on issues industrial sites as potential initial areas for The aim of this research is to fill one of the difficult to define, such as breadth of cultural solving and mitigating environmental and gaps in the knowledge about industrial heri- heritage protection, the value of heritage. social problems they had caused in the past. tage, to uncover difficulties and possibilities It seems appropriate to set sustainable prin- of new utilization of specialised industrial The strength of the testimony of special- ciples of adaptive reuse of (special) industrial buildings. ised industrial buildings is often enhanced buildings, which will lead to integration of by unusual size and uncommon position in Specialised industrial buildings are described industrial sites to local socioeconomic and a city structure or landscape composition. as spatial structures, characterized by previ- urban structure, so that projects of adapted Successful conversions of special industrial ous processes that ran in them. Space, struc- - previously unused - industrial complexes building proven that these elusive objects are ture and technological flow are key words for would represent the flagships of sustainable important elements or even dominants in the these objects or complexes. Thanks to these building production. urban structure and landscape and therefore qualities, it is possible to classify and describe often are bearers of the genius loci. individual types of specialised industrial buildings, and perform the research based on a

110 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open dative ese o eiaised Indsia idings and es 111 Tonle Sap Sustainability Education Center

CAMILO CERRO American University of Sharjah

Worldwide sea level has been rising at a rate The development of a new water based sys- of 0.14 inches per year. Increases of this mag- tem of architectural typologies has the poten- nitude will have devastating effects in coastal tial to help humanity transition and adapt to habitats. As the land mass decreases, the changes produced by global warming. As the already enormous population of the planet sea level rises and the land mass diminishes, will be forced to cohabitate in smaller areas. communities will need to develop sustainable To deal with these problems, architects and ways to produce energy and food, filter water designers need to start understanding the and manage waste. And all these will have to need for typological developments in floating be done in a local and economical way. The and amphibious architecture. developing world will be the most affected by an increase in the water level, but it is also The precedent for this type of architectural much more adaptive than the first world, development exist all over the world in change can happen quickly. water based communities in Peru, Cambodia, Vietnam, Myanmar and many other places. Where, existing typologies of architecture have been evolving for centuries to adapt to life over water. It is within these typologies, that we can find solutions that when hybrid- ized with; sustainable materials, smart energy systems and advanced food production techniques will develop a better quality of life for the different communities and their environments. Solving in this way, some of the problems faced by a large population in a planet with a decreasing land mass.

112 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open one a sainaii dation ene 113 Data Sensing in Living Wall Architecture

DANELLE BRISCOE IE University - Instituo de Empresa

This project documents research from a The majority of the data collection process and translated into real units (degrees fahr- collaboration between Danelle Briscoe involved developing the method through enheit, lux, decibels, and inches, respectively) (Associate Professor, University of Texas which sensors could be placed within the liv- using Grasshopper for Rhino and the Firefly at Austin School of Architecture), Michelle ing wall and used to track data that would plugin. These quantifiable values are written Bright (Environmental Designer, Lady Bird be recorded in real time. The soil moisture is into Excel sheets at specified intervals and are Johnson Wildflower Center), Marcus Hogue being monitored by the Irrigation and Water saved at specified intervals, allowing the data (Program Coordinator, Irrigation and Water Conservation team through 4 Toro monitoring to be tracked over time. Conservation UT), Ben Rice (UTSOA Robotics devices imbedded in the cells. For the other The diurnal swings of light and temperature Lab) and Kim Ballare (Jha Lab at UT Integrative values captured, the design team evaluated and the seasonal changing of these swings is Biology). The primary focus of the project post types of data to monitor (ultimately tempera- particularly interesting in order to monitor the installation was defining and collecting useful ture, light, sound, and proximity), the types endurance of the biological species within the data associate with water usage, plant growth, of sensors to use and the locations within the wall through varying weather conditions. It is and ecological interaction. Translating this wall to best monitor this data. The mapping necessary to collect the data from these sen- data into useful information will then assess of the sensors was broken into two phases: (i) sors at different intervals than the data from the environmental effects of the wall’s loca- positioning one of each sensor type on the wall the sound and proximity sensors in order to tion in relation to the selection and mainte- in locations closest to the hardware interface, track useful information. When collected at nance of the plants within. Still on-going, and (ii) distributing sensors throughout the frequent intervals, the sound and proximity the project has achieved several objectives, wall. Sensors were attached and installed onto sensors can give a sense of wildlife and user including facilitating a successful collabora- the wall using custom-designed 3D-printed interactions with the living wall, while data tion across the architecture, computer sci- attachments in the chosen locations. These from the light and temperature sensors col- ence, and ecology disciplines and beginning sensors were soldered to cable and wired into lected at longer intervals is more useful for to integrate robotic methods for fabrication. breadboards, where connections were made determining average values of weather condi- The analysis over the last six months period to multiple Arduino Uno boards. tions. Research Assistance by Phil Richardson, has also identified ways in which the project On an ongoing basis, the Arduino Uno boards David Sharratt, Yiqing Wang and Melissa could be developed and expanded to further receive all of the data collected from the sen- Sparks. the goal of water usage, heightening the bio- sors and send it to a computer constantly logical species living in the wall and transform- running to track the values. The temperature, ing it into an interactive experience. light, sound and proximity data is read out

114 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open aa ensing in iving a iee 115 The Sound of Shaped Space – Architectural Acoustics Defining Spatial Function and Experience

DANIEL BUTKO University of Oklahoma

Sound is ever present, yet not all designers The upper division undergraduate course of occupancy type, material selection, and devote much thought toward how a space entitled “The Sound of Shaped Space – defin- specified control systems. Every design and will sound once it is inhabited. What can edu- ing what we hear” is an introduction to basic construction decision contributes or detracts cators do to inform not only society but also acoustical principles, which allows opportuni- from acoustical isolation, absorption, reflec- future architects about the importance and ties to interact with acousticians and acousti- tion, diffusion, and overall perception of the intensity of the auditory environment? cal design professionals, offers field trips to finished space(s). Conceptual thoughts of performance halls and recording studios, and materiality and functional space develop into Do students listen to their surroundings? Do challenges students to produce comprehen- the tangible manifestation of inhabitable they consciously acknowledge aural condi- sive projects that primarily incorporate natu- space through the meticulous attention to tions? All too often, the architects of tomor- ral acoustics. materials and physical connections. row are wearing earbuds today. They appear to be constantly listening to music or talking The images assembled in this presentation Consequently, this poster presentation is not on the phone – which is preventing, restrict- depict separate projects as the final prod- merely documenting what has been accom- ing, and diminishing connection to the natu- ucts of various students’ work within the one plished in previous courses, but it exempli- ral aural environment. If these students are semester course. The images depict a vari- fies possibilities of acoustics courses being generally not experiencing and paying atten- ety of designed and built projects; ranging an integral part of architectural design for tion to the sounds that surround them, why in size, scope, and adjacencies of supporting future academic projects and professional would they consider acoustics necessary in spaces. Regardless of the actual assignment practice. Students become inclusively-minded experiential design? Students must be intro- or list of deliverables, students are taught to architects when they understand the future duced to the importance and integration of consider function and occupancy as the defin- potential of functional, sustainable, resilient, architectural acoustics. As educators encour- ing factor of room acoustics and the result of and productive space is interwoven with and age students to consider the acoustical nature material selection, layering of materials and codependent upon acoustics. of designed space, they begin understanding components, shape and volume of the pro- materials, shapes, room volume, and proposed space, and mechanical systems. The grammatic adjacencies in a fresh approach. results of the projects demonstrate how stu- When acoustics is taught and physically dents understand the ramifications and con- demonstrated as a vital part of architectural sequences of cumulative design decisions. design, students explore both the science and Students quickly recognize the acoustical artistry of acoustics. Subsequently, their curi- nature of programmatic spaces begins in the osity leads to further discovery. schematic design phase through evaluation

116 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open e ond o aed ae 117 The Glow of Grime

ELISE DECHARD Cranbrook Academy of Art

We do not dislike everything that shines, but residual vestiges maintain a chronicle of the A collaboration with nature rather than a com-

“we do prefer a pensive luster to a shallow bril- everyday. The research posits that, instead of mentary or a dictation of it, the Glow of Grime liance, a murky light that, whether in a stone polishing back to an idealized state, we might allowed the sludge to draw its own patterns. or an artifact, bespeaks the sheen of antiquity. “ analyze and extract the subtleties of existing Likewise, through future architectural proj- ... Of course this 'sheen of antiquity' of which environments to maintain the allure of his- ects, we might devise tactics for working with we hear so much is in fact the glow of grime. torical continuity. The investigation does not these subnatures, as David Gissen termed aim to glorify dirt nor render it consumable, them in the book of the same name, to allow - Jun'ichiro Tanizaki, In Praise of Shadows but rather to understand the specific phe- space to record and reveal its own stories. The Glow of Grime explores our cultural nomenologies of decay and abandonment in fascination with traces of history and our Detroit's building stock and how these mate- assumptions of the richness and character rial fragments might be extrapolated to elu- they embody. What is this illusive character cidate a richer collective history of the life of comprised of? How much of a trace is required a city. to serve as a register of a place? The Glow of Grime began as an installation Drawing on the current popularity of “ruin of paper cones inhabiting the puddles of a porn” within Detroit culture and critique, the disused transmission shop in Detroit, among project asks us to consider what it means to gears and grease and forgotten tools, mirror- embark on a tourism in which the primary sou- ing the ethereal light filtering in through the venir is a photograph of someone else's dirt, skylights above. Coated with 90% isopropyl though disembodied and reframed to read alcohol, the cones were designed to absorb as a haze of beauty. What can a further the the sludge that was left behind, creating a decontextualization of these records of illumi- chromatographic record of each micro-envi- nate, and how can it inform our interventions ronment over the course of a week. The cones in the urban context? become a new technology for translation, a means by which to take a record not of image, In response to current rehabilitation and but of darkness. Backlit on a light table, the fil- blight removal efforts, the Glow of Grime ters reveal hidden hidden human and chemi- questions whitewashing and power washing cal stories, as flecks and stains cast shadow as the preferred methods of urban renewal and high water marks are edged by the thin and architectural renovation. While solid luminous line of the float of oil. architectural volumes tell one side of history,

118 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open e o o ie 119 Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface

ERIC OLSEN Woodbury University

The Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface and outside. As a result, the leitmotif of skin the modern central heating ventilation and air is an ongoing project that imagines the pos- as architectural production tends to privilege conditioning (HVAC) system, building design sibility of a materially integrated building geometry and shape. While it is difficult to tends to privilege the creation of interiors with air distribution system coupled with ther- describe architecture without referring to its uniformly conditioned spaces; Banham’s tent mographic sensing technology and closed delineated boundaries –its walls, its floors, persists as the dominant metaphor for how loop intelligent control systems to produce its envelopes, its skins –an important, and we imagine thermal comfort in buildings. a demand based response to human thermal perhaps neglected, aspect of one’s sensorial The Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface comfort requirements. The system operates experience of buildings is the result of invis- (TCS) project explores Banham’s campfire within the Modernist ideal of modularity and ible exchanges, such as the exchange of heat as a conceptual model for imagining mate- is compatible with conventional construction between the body and its environment. This rially integrated sensing technologies that practices allowing existing building systems system of heat transfer defines a thermody- produce differential environmental behav- to be adapted and retrofitted. The benefits namic boundary that operates at the relatively ior within buildings. It engages standardized of the system include greater user control small scale of the human body, yet most con- building material systems and implicates rela- over environmental conditions and reduced temporary practices in building design seek to tionships between locative media, machine overall energy consumption in buildings. The enlarge this thermodynamic system so that it cognition, and conventional HVAC systems. Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface prof- is commensurate with the architectural wrap- The Thermodynamic Conditioning Surface is fers a model for communicating air in buildings per; to condition the entire volume within deployed as a thermotropic field that spon- in which multiple differentiated atmospheres the building envelope to the ideals of human sors the creation of multiple co-isolated cli- are privileged above a centralized, uniform comfort. mates within a building. standard of thermal comfort. In differentiating between the tent and the Innovative building skin systems have campfire, Reynor Banham offers two distinct emerged as a recent obsession for architects. models of environmental behavior; that of the Perhaps because, in the context of the digital tent which provides an enveloping membrane project, a building’s skin provides near ideal and a materially explicit separation between conditions for exploring the parametric quali- inside and outside, and that of the campfire ties of form and performance; it modulates with an invisible radiant field that sponsors sunlight, engages structural systems, and a gradient of human activities. From early regulates the exchanges between interior examples, such as the Roman hypocaust, to

120 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open eodnai onditioning ae 121 Nebraska's Wood Products Tradition: Understanding Available Skills and Resources

JASON GRIFFITHS University of Nebraska-Lincoln

RACHEL PLAMANN University of Nebraska-Lincoln

The purpose of this research is to better under- of the examples found in this research show The next phase of this research would include stand the available timber and woodworking a fully sustainable cycle from live tree to pro- a more in-depth study of the processes of one resources that can be found in Nebraska. The cessor to final product which does not rely on or more local wood processors. This informa- availability of a particular species for harvest- resources outside of the state. tion would illustrate the highly personal and ing, its woodworking characteristics and the specific nature of Nebraska’s traditions in A map is included in this study to illustrate the availability of the tools or skilled professionals woodworking. Many of these processes, skills, distribution of wood processors and forests necessary to create a final product should all tools and in some cases lumber, have been throughout Nebraska. Although no overarch- be considered to achieve this understanding. passed down through generations of crafts- ing patterns have been found in regard to the men, making quantitative information about In order to gain more qualitative information type of wood products that are being manu- each processor insufficient to tell their story. on the subject, this study goes into specific factured here, the processes of these manu- precedents of applications of timber grown, facturers, or the path from the live tree to the harvested and/or processed in Nebraska. To final product, what can be found is a cross sec- give a more general understanding of what tion of wood crafting throughout Nebraska. types of timber are available and what their Secondary processors include pallet manufac- applications may be, there is also informa- turers and wooden sole shoe manufacturers, tion included stating the physical properties while primary processors prepare timber for of the wood species most commonly found uses such as custom furniture or log cabins. in Nebraska, as well as common uses for each This research begins to prove that although of these wood species. In this way the scale Nebraska has one of the smallest timber of understanding starts with general wood industries in the United States, it is capable species’ uses, narrows to the wood products of being efficient and self-sustaining. The industry of Nebraska, and finally looks at indi- small scale of the industry means that many vidual processes. of the wood products processed here are of Because a very small percentage of Nebraska’s a custom nature. For some specialty proces- land mass is forested, there is limited quali- sors each piece of lumber is considered for its tative documentation about the outcome individual characteristics before being crafted or potential outcome of Nebraska’s forest into a final product. industry beyond harvesting statistics. Several

122 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open easas ood ods adition 123 Tectonic Painting 02: Domes

HEATHER FLOOD Woodbury University

Tectonic Painting 02 begins with an historical a dome. Hagia Sophia demonstrates the structurally. The resulting structure is formally analysis of domes. The intelligence gleaned use of pendentives to support a dome. The continuous from apex of dome to ground. from the analysis is then used to push the Basilica of San Vitale demonstrates the use of It does not require a secondary system. dome typology into new spatial realms. A squinches to support a dome. And the Dome Graphically, the new dome doubles the con- Tectonic Painting is an architectural object of the Rock demonstrates the use of columns centric organization of the Battistero produc- with a strong relationship between construc- to support a dome. ing multiple centers that are dislocated from tion logic and graphic effect. The domes the apex of the dome. The polycentric organi- The interior surface of domes are often analyzed in this study demonstrate weak rela- zation distributes incremental shifts in color painted with a depiction of god’s influence tionships between construction logics and and openings across the dome. The resulting over man. In some instances god is depicted in graphic effects. Tectonic Painting 02 generates dynamic range of graphic effects emerge from imagery and in other instances god is depicted a new dome through the lens of this analysis the structural logic of the form. as light. The four domes analyzed for this that aligns the tectonic with the graphic, and study all locate god at the apex of the hemi- in so doing, attempts to advance the typology. sphere and they all follow one of four underly- The dome, perhaps more than any other for- ing geometric patterns: 1. radial, 2. concentric, mal typology, relates tectonic posture and 3. spiral and 4. axial. The Church of the Chora graphic resolution to cultural meaning. The in Istanbul demonstrates a radial organiza- symbolic value of the hemisphere form pre- tion. The Battistero in Padua demonstrates a vents adulteration to shape for purposes of concentric organization. Parma Cathedral in support, use or anything else. Domes must be Parma demonstrates a spiral organization. The structurally self-contained, maintain a clear Cathedral of the Assumption in Moscow dem- span and hover well above ground. While each onstrates an axial organization. In all instances hemisphere in this study has a different struc- focus is centralized creating a static relation- tural resolution, they all require one, if not ship between the viewer and the image. more, of the following secondary structures This project leverages the analysis above to to transfer the load of the dome to ground: 1. produce a tectonic painting in the form of a drum wall, 2. pendentives, 3. squinches and dome. Tectonically, the new dome appro- 4. columns. In this study, the Pantheon dem- priates the concentric graphic organization onstrates the use of a drum wall to support of the Battistero in Padua and interprets it

124 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open eoni ainting oes 125 Dynamic Façade Unplugged Snapping Façade

JIN YOUNG SONG University At Buffalo, SUNY

Snapping Facade explores a sustainable build- Advances in material science and engineer- envelope for play, fun, and energy saving. ing envelope design strategy that utilizes elas- ing have also contributed to the mission of This elastic instability is already utilized in kids’ tic instability to create dynamic motion at the smarter building envelope. For instance, elec- products such as Rubber ball poppers and building envelope. trochromic glass uses voltage to change light Snap Bracelets. Foldable car window shades transmission property. Other Smart glass such The building envelope controls heat gain and also use the property of snapping. As for as Suspended Particle Devices can provide the loss, allows views for visual comfort, and building, the snapping bands will be explored similar function and form-changing polymer provides natural light. Advances in the high with patterned metals, plastics, and/or wood sheet can be installed in the glazing units. performance glass industry have made the veneers. The engineering of intentionally Compared to the mechanical dynamic shad- use of glass ubiquitous. The reflection and applied weakening building components will ing, these glass systems can efficiently provide refraction of glass represents the dynamic, be also tested. The membrane between the substantial energy saving with low cost, how- bustling activities of our cities while diverse bands need be tested through metal origami, ever the façade design becomes independent lifestyles and programmatic functions are fabric, and other hybrid methods to find opti- gears added to the irrelevant building design. expressed through the façade of our build- mal folding mechanism. ings. However, in the United States, buildings Snapping Facade suggests an alternative account for 41% of energy use and 38% of approach for the design of dynamic facade CO2 emissions. The increasing need for high systems that use a “snapping-induced performance buildings and advancements motion” to open and close apertures, provid- in manufacturing industries have facilitated ing shading for the building. The prototype the design of dynamic building envelopes to explores using weakening-induced bands tied replace traditional, uninspiring shading con- within the elastic threshold which, produce trols. Built dynamic façade systems such as “snap” deformation with minimal stimulus. Abu-Dhabi Investment Council Headquarters Traditionally, unstable movement within the by AHR Architects, dynamic roof shading at building construction is considered as an Aldar Central Market by Foster + Partners, undesirable occurrence but, the Snapping Hoberman Associates and Adaptive Building Facade aims to harness the characteristics of Initiative and Kiefer Technic Showroom by elastic instability by applying it as an opening Giselbrecht+Partner are based on mechani- and closing mechanism using the embedded cal actuators which need additional energy energy within the materials. Without com- consumption to operate and require complex plicated maintenance, users can participate maintenance. in the dynamic movement of the building

126 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open nai aade ngged naing aade 127 inter[face]: Athenaeum Redux

MO ZELL University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

MARC A. ROEHRLE University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Richard Sennett in The Private Realm offers, as important as its meaning. With our inver- “the difference between public and private sion, the artifact again becomes relevant for lies in the amount of knowledge one person it (not its replication) can be viewed by the or group has about others; as in a family, one public. Storage facilities are not private and knows others well and close up, whereas in a internalized, but rather are relocated to the public realm one does not; incomplete knowl- building’s facade thus shifting edge to center edge joins to anonymity in the public realm.” and engaging public space as part of the build- This idea of access to knowledge can also be ing. Antiquated, cloistered library spaces are applied to the content of private institutions. replaced by spatially accessible systems. The Athenaeum, a private, members-only, Similar to Nolli’s registration of Rome’s pub- library and museum collects and displays lic spaces, we interject public space into world-class artifacts to its members. To invert the Athenaeum. This interface is facilitated this private/public condition, we propose to through transparent, two-sided vitrines. move the interior spaces to the exterior thus Wrapping the first floor, through the second blurring the border (as Sennett would call and third, culminating in an outdoor public this condition) between inside and outside – space on the roof, the vitrines prominently dis- knowledge is made accessible to the public. play the Athenaeum collection to the public. While pushing the knowledge to the periphery Exposure to Athenaeum artifacts and private we also pull public conditions to the interior of spaces democratizes this private collection, the building. eliminating physical and cultural barriers to In an age of forgery, plagiarism, and the knowledge. The vitrine allows the Athenaeum accessible image (via mobile devices), pri- artifacts to become the interface between vate storage is replaced with public display public and private entities facilitating the – EVERYTHING is put out for public consump- active and passive interaction between the tion. The accessibility of images of artifacts institute and the city of Philadelphia. paradoxically reduces the artifacts significance. The artifact, not its image, is relevant because of its authenticity. Its physicality is

128 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open ineae enae ed 129 WaterLines: RiverBank, Chestertown, Maryland

RONIT EISENBACH ALEKSANDRA VREBALOV University of Maryland Composer

CASSIE MEADOR JENI WIGHTMAN Choreographer, Dance Exchange Visual Artist & Biologist

Ephemeral works employed as part of cre- In place of the valuables once secured in buildings, businesses, people and seasons that ative placemaking efforts can enhance and the bank’s abandoned vault, participants have come and gone, and love for the river catalyze a community at critical junctures to encountered small bowls of river water and and its marshes, shorebirds, shifting tides, and create a sense of possibility, spark imagination video interviews with residents describing halcyon days of sunlight on the water. Such and stimulate public discourse. WaterLines: their connections to their river and what feelings are warm and joyful, but also fraught RiverBank was an installation and perfor- they value now. In the banking hall, luminous with anxiety as the ecological challenges to mance that transformed a vacant bank into a images of the river and microbial life within our beloved home become more obvious.” “world of rippling light and sublimely medita- its sediments were brought to life through WaterLines was made possible through tive sound” evoking the connections, interde- video projections upon the banks’ walls and the tremendous generosity and vision of pendency and exchange between river and floor while a sonic composition made from Alex Castro and Sean Meade of SandBox, town. At a moment when the historic town local natural and man-made sounds infused Washington College. It success was only pos- of Chestertown, Maryland was grappling the space. A dance performance concluded sibly by the many talented people who joined with the potential impacts of sea level rise, with a public procession from the bank to the us: Leslie Raimond, Kent County Arts Council, ecological degradation, economic inequal- river’s edge led by community members who members of the design and production team: ity and social fissures, the project sought to provided stories about life along and upon Debra Gilmore, Lighting; Shane Meador, strengthen community by offering shared the river. Water collected earlier in the day Projection Designer; Austin Raimond, Design opportunities to surface and celebrate con- by local children was returned to the river, Assistant; Ian McClain, Video and Lighting nections between residents and local identity, reinforcing the town’s deep connection to the Systems Engineer, Margaret Campbell, Stage exploring changes that have reshaped each. water, encouraging a greater understanding Manager; Performers: Dante Brown and and sense of responsibility for this natural WaterLines: RiverBank was the culmination of Matthew Cumbie, Dance Exchange; Irene resource and the worlds it supports. a yearlong residency at SANDBOX, Washington Moore, Gospel Singer, and the participation College by an architect, composer, visual art- Upon experiencing the work one participant, of Chestertown residents and Washington ist and choreographer. Public engagement Andrew Case wrote of WaterLines’ impact College faculty, students and staff. events built relationships between individu- upon the community, as it “brought people als from parallel communities who shared together who, although they live and work their knowledge and shaped the final work. in very close proximity, rarely share cultural Connecting the vacant Chestertown Bank events... like many places with a history of building and the Chester River, WaterLines segregation, most of the town’s events are fused art, science, and social history to cre- divided, but this one was decidedly not.” Mary ate an immersive art experience that reflected McCoy, another resident noted the impact on the town’s river setting and cultural history. restoring the bond between town and river The work transformed a rigid, formal space while raising the visibility of environmental originally designed to reassure investors into concerns: “For those of us who have lived in a place that questioned our relation to natural this area for many years, WaterLines was satu- systems. rated with memory and love -- memory of the

130 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open WaterLines 131 Afterhouse

STEVEN Y. MANKOUCHE University of Michigan

Using the constant temperature of the earth passive geothermal greenhouse called Afterhouse is a new urban typology that trans- Afterhouse . Using just the heat of the sun forms the concrete foundation of a derelict and the constant temperature of the earth, house into passive solar subterranean green- Afterhouse requires no artificial heating in the houses allowing crops to be extended and winter or cooling in the summer and provides moderated in temperate climates. By using an environment where it is possible to raise readily available materials and techniques crops that grow in climates far warmer than while maintaining the scale of the neighbor- Detroit’s. hood, Afterhouse empowers a community to The footprint of the original house is main- transform a blighted home into productive tained, and vernacular materials used, so spaces for growing and celebrating food dur- that Afterhouse can blend into residential ing the winter. neighborhoods honoring stories of its home’s With 3,400 homes facing demolition in 2016 history. Distinct from large-scale urban agri- alone, Detroit is radically changing the way culture projects that require a lot of space, we understand postindustrial urbanity. The Afterhouse is discrete, almost hidden, making typical 1600 square-foot residence has nearly it appropriate for denser urban settings where 70 tons of concrete in its foundation that is conventional hoop houses and greenhouses land-filled in during demolition. In addition to are not. A derelict house transformed from a losing the embodied energy of the concrete, hazard to a thing of beauty and of use, draw- the foundation removal is energy and labor ing from what once was to become a part of intensive. Afterhouse is an alternative to this what Detroit is now, Afterhouse will serve as demolition. a prototype for other abandoned houses in post-industrial communities. Like too many Detroit houses irreparably damaged by disuse, vandalism and fire, the house at 3347 Burnside must come down. Rather than razing it and leaving fallow land, the house will be deconstructed and the foundation reused to build a semi subterranean,

132 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open eose 133 Affecting Change Through Insurgent Architectures

TIMOTHY GRAY Ball State University

As pointed out by Wes Janz and Olon Dotson to a farm-to-table fair. Community mem- business, school and community around the in their paper “Distress Road Tours”, like bers are empowered to participate, to ben- concept of reclaiming impacted urban space many rust belt cities, Indianapolis is a place efit, to learn from, and often to expand these and turning it into a working farm and urban of extremes. Tremendous investment has led efforts. In many “rust belt” cities, including greenspace. The projects provide facilities to to a resurgence of the downtown, and afflu- Indianapolis, urban agriculture has emerged support farming operations, but also provide ent suburbs thrive and grow. In stark contrast as a productive reuse of vacant land resultant classroom and lab space for working tours the historic neighborhoods that ring the city, from economic decline, population loss and and education and outreach initiatives. Each the fabric of the place, continue to struggle home foreclosures. of the projects use repurposed materials and with significant challenges. There is too much incorporate a range of sustainable building These types of farms are often small in scale, crime and too little neighborhood organiza- strategies intended to extend the discussion economically challenged, and are often tion. High drop-out rates lead to low incomes. of sustainable food and sustainable lifestyles located on marginal sites where conventional Poor access to health care exists alongside to that of the built environment. structures might not be allowed. The urban easy access to low nutrition foods. Like many interventions required to support the expan- cities in the region and throughout the world, sion of farming operations on borrowed or an eroding manufacturing base, marginal vacant land present certain challenges, requir- public schools, high crime rates, among other ing development to find creative and diverse pressures, have all contributed to significant avenues of approval. Neither guerrilla archi- attrition. tecture (operating completed outside the law) While many see only the challenges in the nor fully legal, our insurgent architectures blighted neighborhoods, others see oppor- navigate within the seams between the tem- tunity as a range of interesting energies are porary and the permanent and populate the emerging. Among these, a growing number voids left through attrition and abandonment. of urban farmers are beginning to create a This poster presents three student design new urban economy putting vacant property build projects completed over the last six to use and making temporary improvements. years on urban farms in inner city neigh- Income is derived through farmer’s markets, borhoods involving a range of community CSA (community supported agriculture) and professional partners which respond to shares, and sales to restaurants dedicated these conditions. The projects bring together

134 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Open eting ange og Insgen iees 135

“ARCHITECTURE IN “ AN EXPANDED FIELD A Feigned Translucence

AARON TOBEY Rhode Island School of Design

Situated at the intersection of two nations, the Sun Bowl’s unique spatial conditions and subversively occupiable. Using an image of the embedded in a mountainside and televised weekly television broadcasts, transforming stadium from a television broadcast and the across the US, Sun Bowl Stadium in El Paso, it into a tool for countering the transmis- new topography of visibility, a model of the Texas demonstrates the role of architecture sion of visual capital from Mexico to America stadium and landscape is constructed. From in the political economy of representation. with the free movement of Mexican citizens, a specific angle the model appears as the flat The hills that compose the stadium and its immigrants, and workers. For this new image two dimensional image, but from other angles televisual image are part building, landscape, economy to function, where the border is not reveals the space behind. Effectively merging and media apparatus. A Feigned Translucence visible from within the stadium or on televi- building and landscape, this creates a hollow builds on this hybridity to challenge the dis- sion it is functionally non-existent, but where scenographic architecture. Paradoxically, crepancy in social, political, and economic it is visible it cannot betray its subverted realizing this hollow architecture requires agency the US/Mexico border creates as well nature. Interpreting the pseudo-laws of the constructing large landforms. The build-up of as the imaginations of sovereignty and capital SEZ within this image economy, so long as the landforms over time is intended to be coor- circulation embedded in who/what is (in)vis- connections between the US and Mexico are dinated with erosion control programs in the ible from the stadium, to whom it is visible, unseen, those crossing effectively enter the Rio Grande valley and staged to limit expe- and to what end. In the existing economy of US legally. In order to conceal these new bor- riential and environmental impact. In these representation, the selective invisibility of der crossings, the existing stadium and hills landforms, the image economy of television, the border from the American side allows for are analyzed and excavated using camera international border politics, and environ- the materializing, normalizing, and conceal- viewsheds. This results in a new topography mental rehabilitation come together to create ing of exploitative power structures that deny of visibility; a tool with which to control the a performative architecture that acknowl- Mexican citizens both acknowledgement and architecture and behavior of paths between edges its embeddedness within global and agency while images of their countryside are the SEZ and Mexico; determining when they local power relations. Taking the stadium/ captured from across the border and trans- tunnel or skirt the landscape. Sight lines are landscape’s need to operate as an image liter- formed into capital. However, this selective projected from these pathways, ensuring ally A Feigned Translucence transforms them invisibility also provides the opportunity for their total concealment by further landscape into tools of political empowerment. those who might subvert this economy or manipulations. This process is enabled by com- representation to camouflage themselves. putational tools for revealing hidden spaces in Utilizing such an opportunity in the legal appa- images which also extend the play of visibility ratus of the special economic zone, (SEZ), A into a strategy capable of being deployed else- Feigned Translucence amplifies/augments where; a way to see the world as hollow and

138 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field eigned ansene 139 Urban Syncopation

MARCELLA DEL SIGNORE MONA EL KHAFIF Tulane University University of Virginia

STEVEN BEITES ILA BERMAN Ryerson University University of Waterloo

‘Urban Syncopation’ temporarily inhabits the captures and spatializes temporal and aural transcode this data into a rhythmic series of existing spaces of the city with a performative inputs. The pattern is an interdependent pulsing lights that undulate and move later- skin that functions as a responsive, dynamic repetitive system generated through opera- ally across and within each of the strata. This interface. As in the encryption of data that tions of folding, scaling, stacking, and weaving layering of passive and active systems produc- underlies the invisible orgware of the city’s so that multiple elements are integrated into a tively recircuits the movements of collective systems, the patterned and faceted surface new visual, spatial, and tectonic configuration. urban life while weaving them into a single of this installation acts as an infrastructural syncopated surface. Each individual pixel is constructed out of a device and living thickened topography that perforated aluminum composite surface. The collects, transcodes, and re-transmits—in a tracery of inscribed lines, that traverse this rhythmic syncopated fashion—the collective surface, are CNC-cut and scored to allow the ‘heartbeat’ of the city as this is interwoven stiff material to bend, enabling it to capture with the reflected movements of its immedi- space through its own enfolding. The result- ate environs. The work is a repository of urban ing interlaced pattern—an undulating triangu- information that renders visible the unseen lated surface of peaks and valleys—generates traces of the city’s occupation while simul- continuities across the skin while emphasizing taneously weaving them into a new architec- its interwoven logic. The rhythmic series of tural and spatial network. faceted pixels, which passively fragment, and The patterned surface of ‘Urban Syncopation’ reflect surrounding motion, are organized into is defined through a series of faceted, mir- six horizontal strata, each of which receives rored, and perforated “pixels” that are data from a different remote downtown site rhythmically arrayed according to rules that and that collectively refer back to the layered modulate their width, depth and triangulated streets that constitute the downtown fabric surface topography. These variations in the of Toronto. Sound sensors located along com- pattern, perceived as lateral compressions mercial east-west urban corridors from King and expansions of the folded undulating sur- to Bloor Street, along with those situated face, emphasize the tracking and direction- within the immediate environment of the ality of the way in which the information is piece, are employed to track urban activ- redeployed across the thickened skin as it ity levels throughout the day and night and

140 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field an noation 141 Viaduct Architecture

DAN ADAMS Northeastern University

MARIE ADAMS Northeastern University

Highways are a web-like surface that convey ABSORBING AND FILTERING MAINTENANCE SPACE AS materials and people across territories. When I COLLECTIVE SPACE elevated as viaducts, these two-dimensional The expansive surface of viaducts collects Viaduct structures, tasked with safely trans- surfaces are transformed into three-dimen- large volumes of water that dissolve and emul- porting people and goods, require regular sional spaces. These spaces are dually char- sify roadway chemicals and particulates. The maintenance inspections from man-lifts for acterized by large physical artifacts- columns, polluted run-off drops through storm-grates signs of structural fatigue. This project ana- walls, decks- as well as dramatically altered and downspouts to pipes that discharge unfil- lyzed the maintenance regiment of highway atmospheric conditions, like expanses of tered into nearby waterways. This project inspectors and the specific reach and turning shadow. In cities, the complexity of this two- analyzed the pitch and flow of the roadway to radius parameters of their man-lift machines. part space, physical and atmospheric, is com- quantify existing roadway catchment zones. The design translated these machine param- pounded by a third dimension – the sectional The design incorporates a new ‘catch and eters into paved pathways and zones that interface between local flows of urban life and dissipate basin’ retrofit that is inserted mid- simultaneously provide machine access and the region scaled flows of the highway. stream in a downspout to re-route run-off into support public open spaces - basketball court, constructed wetlands for evaporation and fil- dog park, and event space - within the wetland This project undertakes the study of the spa- tration, prior to discharge into waterways. landscape. tial relationship between the viaduct and the city in two parts. First, the physical architec- VARIABLE DAYLIGHT AS FILTERING VIEWS THROUGH ture of the viaduct was analyzed to decipher LANDSCAPE FRAMEWORK THE VIADUCT the atmospheric conditions generated by it. Elevated viaducts cast highly differentiated The viaduct filters sunlight from above, as well Second, a collection of inter-related installa- patterns of shade and sunlight onto the as views from below. This project catalogued tions and retrofits were designed to re-shape ground. This project used daylight simula- the apertures that the viaducts’ deflections its landscape, atmosphere, and programming. tions to identify spatial volumes capable of and overlaps create towards the city. A new The intent of this design research is to under- sustaining different types of plantings under elevated boardwalk allows pedestrians access stand how the often neglected spaces created the viaduct. Plantings are distributed based through the storm-water landscape. The by large scale infrastructure can be designed on hours of daylight, and coordinated with boardwalk’s undulations orient walkers to the to simultaneously mitigate the infrastruc- the functions of the constructed wetlands apertures framed by the viaduct.¬¬ ture’s impact while also translating its operat- - resilience to flooding, salt tolerance (from ing logics and spatial particularities into new highway run-off), and storm-water filtration. urban use and performance. The shaded areas under viaduct ramps are left as maintenance access and recreation zones. Presented here are studies of four dimensions of the relationship between viaduct and city:

Water, Shadow, Maintenance, View

142 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field iad iee 143 Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin

ERIC OLSEN Woodbury University

Clean drinking water is fundamental to pub- The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin’s low- the saguaro cactus, is designed to conform to lic health, yet a significant portion of the tech operation means that it is easy to use and the body and varied volumes of water. The world's population does not have access to produces predictable results in the hands of digitally designed pattern for the Solar Water a safe source of water. The World Health almost any user. It employs a method of water Disinfecting Tarpaulin lends itself to mass vari- Organization estimates over 1.5 million deaths pasteurization that has been approved World ation and is designed to be easily appropriated per year are directly attributable to water- Health Organization and is based on passive for a variety of situations: from carrying water borne pathogens imbibed in unsafe drinking solar radiation. The Solar Water Disinfecting to creating a sun shade; from urban rooftops water. The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin Tarpaulin comprises two layers that form a to rural huts. project addresses the problem of unsafe container for water. The top layer is made drinking water by imagining the possibility of of transparent recycled LDPE and the bottom a flexible and intuitive vessel for containing, layer is a durable rubberized nylon. Heat and carrying, and purifying water. UVa radiation from the sun pass through the top layer into the water-filled cavity of the The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin impli- Tarpaulin and are reflected by the bottom cates the current paradigm of water infra- layer of nylon. By exposing water to the sun’s structure in developing urban and rural heat and UVa radiation for 5 hours, the water regions around the world. In many places, is sterilized through a combination of pasteuri- individuals (especially women) must travel zation and radiation which work in synergy to up to four hours to a safe source of drinking destroy any microorganisms present. This water. The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin method of disinfection presents an attractive is lightweight, expandable and comfortable to alternative to intensive practices like bringing wear, allowing a greater volume of water to be water to a boil over a fire. carried when compared to traditional vessels. Because it is also a container for disinfecting The Solar Water Disinfecting Tarpaulin is fabri- water, one need not travel as far to find a safe cated to be flexible and robust. Layers of rub- source of water. As a result, the Solar Water berized nylon and high performance LDPE are Disinfecting Tarpaulin effectively reduces radio-frequency welded to produce durable, the amount of time and energy people must water-tight cells. The cellular construction devote to securing clean drinking water. of the Tarpaulin, morphologically inspired by

144 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field oa ae isineting aain 145 A Walk In Africville: Visibility Strategies in Contested Heritage Landscapes

JAMES C. FORREN Dalhousie University

A Walk in Africville adopts strategies to coun- and their own civic infrastructure. Ignoring a restored domestic garden, working a pro- terbalance visibility asymmetry in contested these advancements, during the 1960s the ductive garden, receiving baptismal rites, or heritage landscapes. Contested heritage City of Halifax relocated Africville’s residents gathering for annual community reunions; troubles the North American landscape where under a campaign of ‘integration,’ developing situating lived experiences in a historical con- people have lost land rights on the basis of the land for a shipping port and highway. A text without relegating the site to history. By ethnicity, skin color, and economic or political 2003 report by United Nations cited the his- amplifying Africville’s visibility in the social status. A walk in Africville pilots new method- toric activities of Halifax as racist and recom- imagination of the city they disrupt con- ologies which blur the boundary between past mended reparations (Tattrie 2010). temporary efforts to minimize or erase the and present, creating activity in contemporary Africville story. In the decades since, the residents have gath- landscapes that is historically situated. ered at the site for yearly reunions and advo- CONCLUSION CONTEXT cated for recognition and reparation. In 2011 The proposals here, however, are place hold- Africville is a community hailing from black the city provided funds, land, and the estab- ers. Sketched from the imagination of an out- British Loyalists, colonial slaves, early lishment of a museum housed in a replica of sider with no story to tell of the place, they Jamaican immigrants, and other early immi- a church bulldozed on a Sunday morning in serve simply to set up a conversation about grants to Canada of largely African descent. 1968 (Nelson 2008). Within Africville today walking, remembering, and restoring. They The land - in what is today Halifax, Nova there is conflict about the battle for legacy anchor debate and advocacy and anticipate Scotia - was settled by British Loyalists over ranging from forgetting to complete commu- dialogue between stakeholders, allies, and 200 years ago. However, during Halifax’s nity restoration (Tattrie 2010). The proposals researchers in future symposia on the topic of industrialization and modernization this land here straddle these responses, facilitating developing the Africville Walk. They emblem- was degraded by the location of an abattoir, discourse without ascribing to any particular atize visceral strategies for heritage visibility prison, infectious disease hospital, shipping path. to broaden the social imagination and the port, hazardous waste disposal, rail line, and platform for our conversations within it. And METHODOLOGY city dump in its environs. Also during this point to the opportunity for the techniques The proposals were developed through his- period Africville was denied basic city services of planning, landscape, and architecture to torical research and conversations with the like sewer, water, electricity, plowing, gar- vocalize and visualize the stories of a com- Executive Director of the Africville Museum. bage, and building permitting. Despite these munity previously disenfranchised by these They recognize events, experiences, and prejudices the community developed kinship same tools. place with operative interventions. They host and economic ties, skilled trades, education, activities like witnessing a forgotten view or

146 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field a In ivie 147 MaterialNature: An Opportunistic Paradigm of Architecture & Landscape Ecology Based upon Influences of Shipping Industry Waste, Small Scale Coastal Erosion and Natural Growth

MARCUS FARR American University of Sharjah

An opportunistic paradigm of architecture & The life span of this architecture is multi-vari- ARCHITECTURE/LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY: landscape ecology based upon influences of ate. It begins as a series of pavilions and recre- The architecture of MaterialNature is time- shipping industry waste & coastal erosion ational beach shelters, and as time progresses sensitive and privileged by natural selec- and the natural processes of beach ecol- tion, wind, and sun. The initial formation of In “Material Nature: An opportunistic para- ogy take their course, the pavilions develop pavilions are originally created from round digm of architecture & landscape ecology”, into a landscape, completely natural to the re-claimed cast stone “host” structures com- the influences of shipping industry waste, environment. The architecture is a singular mon to the area. Some of these are filled with small scale coastal erosion and natural growth transgression between the meta-morphosiz- a core of re-used sand and soil. The exterior become the vehicle for architectural specula- ing effects of wind currents (smooth, circular is multi-layered in landscape seeds which are tion. It leverages the material waste gathered forms), landscape (germination, pollination, local to the area and support local econo- from industry and creates a new material tra- growth), and waste (bringing back discarded mies, and coated in re-used wax from local jectory based upon need and the aesthetic sand from the shipping and packing industry factories. of ecology. Material Nature is a series of that is removed from beaches and left on fac- architectural pavilions made from a mixture Over time, the architecture becomes land- tory floors, along with wax that is discarded) of residual, off-cast materials designed specifi- scape. The landscape becomes garden. The cally to be weatherized. Its design is intended PROBLEM: garden becomes beach. to provide a useful architectural community 1. Coastal erosion & non-vernacular beach MaterialNature is presented as an architec- amenity in an area of high recreational activ- shelters tural scenario, but it is a result of an attitude ity, while simultaneously realizing a potential 2. Coastal areas are plagued with a surplus of creative problem solving based on multi- for architecture to be born from waste, and of waste due to manufacturing adjacen- variate need and embodies a forward thinking to return to nature without providing further cies spurned by the proximity of ocean- agenda respondent to the overlooked forces waste. based shipping facilities. of neglect and waste forged upon coastal In coastal Atlantic communities, soft rock communities as a result of years of manu- 3. Additional waste surplus is created in formations along the shore are transformed facturing and the transient industry of ocean the form of by-product wax use as a sealer by wind, water, and subsequently taken over going shipping. in the shipping industry. by plants. The rock here is a porous mixture made of shells and sand & accepting of spon- WHERE: taneous, opportunistic landscapes. Plants Placement of MaterialNature pavilions are themselves are able to germinate in the rock based on areas of coastal erosion along shore- surfaces and grow year round, creating a sur- lines caused by beach dredging, manufactur- face of landscape on the outlining layer. This is ing & recreation. These areas indicate a need a mutual relationship that is fostered between for the introduction of architecture as a civic the landscape and the local stone which is lev- amenity, but also present an opportunity for eraged by MaterialNature to create a local- public knowledge and enlightenment ized architectural prototype.

148 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field Maeiaae 149 Nature Play: An Outdoor Learning Environment for Head Start

PAMELA HARWOOD Ball State University

At Nature Play a 1.5-acre field has been trans- Regular physical activity in natural environ- formed into a nature-based outdoor learning ments can lead to reduce childhood obesity, environment for the 300 preschool children at fewer health concerns, increased energy, and Head Start. Beyond simply getting children to gains in children’s cognitive development. play outside, we are taking play, which is cul- Co-Creative design processes using simula- turally thought of as a recess time for teach- tions and prototyping of activities and com- ers, into a learning environment. The central ponents was instrumental in testing ideas of area of Nature Play is a large certified outdoor children’s scale, safety, and use and respond- classroom called the Habitat Hub. It has room ing to changes needed as actual construction for two classes and acts as the starting point evolved. While the children interacted with for the children’s outdoor adventures. This the full-scale mock-ups, the students had to timber frame structure is made of diseased observe, take notes, and document the play ash trees re-harvested, milled down, with while identifying the successes, problems, hand cut mortise and tenon joints to form an and insights from these activities, and make undulating tree like canopy under which the appropriate design changes. children learn. The Habitat Hub is a timber frame struc- Habitat Hub leads to other less-structured ture that uses ash trees as well as oak and play areas with names like Fort Fun, Timber hickory as framing members. Additionally, Time and Hideaway Hill that are constructed these diseased trees reveal the effect of the within four Indiana habitats: prairie, meadow, ash borer to children by debarking and then wetlands, and woodlands. The children learn using the trees as uprights in the construc- through play with natural elements, native tion of Melody Meadows and Crazy Climbers. plantings, and traditional building materials Whether using local stone from a cemetery in an unstructured, creative, and innovative for a crawl-through tunnel, salvaged timbers way as their gross physical motor skills, fine for a series of small bridges in the wetlands, or motor skills, and cognitive and social learning re-harvested wood for the bird and butterfly skills are developed. The benefits of providing blind, sustainable construction and environ- a high-quality, natural outdoor play and learn- mental education is the goal of this nature- ing environment for Head Start preschoolers based preschool environment. are particularly important because research links socioeconomic disadvantage with compromised physical health and wellness.

150 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field ae a 151 Waterfront Ecologies: Redefining the Urban Edge of the San Francisco Bay

GABRIEL KAPRIELIAN Temple University

CARLOS SANDOVAL Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Waterfront Ecologies re-envisions the edge be built on “finger” levees that are horizontal condition around the San Francisco Bay, creat- to tidal action, allowing for wetlands to coexist ing a new set of relationships between urban between the buildings, acting as a native hab- life and ecology. In 24 sites along the contested itat and a buffer against storm surges. Mid- shoreline of the Bay Area, our redevelopment rise and hi-rise buildings would replace the strategy illustrates a new methodology to current low-density suburban development, design holistically as we face challenges posed creating a significantly smaller footprint, while by climate change and a growing population. providing twice as much housing for a growing Bay Area population. The waterfront of the San Francisco Bay Area is facing a growing threat from sea-level rise. Our design strategy involves the creation of By the end of the century, a projected sea- an “agent-based” model to simulate sea-level level rise of 140cm would affect an estimated rise and wetland growth patterns around the 270,000 people in the Bay Area and over 331 San Francisco Bay. GIS mapping data on sea- sq. kilometers of current urban development. level rise, wetlands, demographics, and urban Two opposing solutions are being proposed; infrastructure was integrated with parametric one plan that envisions an extensive network modeling software to allow the site conditions of fortified levees protecting public and pri- to directly inform the design outcome. Our vate urban development and the other plan research demonstrates that through the use suggests a relocation of development to allow of new technologies in mapping and model- for the wetland migration to higher elevations ing, we can better utilize interdisciplinary with the rising sea level. knowledge to inform a design approach, mitigating the relationship between ecology and We propose that both may be accomplished urban development. by a staged retreat of existing development, enabling a wetland migration with the rising sea-level, while introducing a resilient new development and infrastructure that is uniquely defined by the region’s ecological characteristics. The new development would

152 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field aeon oogies 153 Catalyzing the Commons - Inverting the Participatory Process in the Production of Public Space

ANTJE K. STEINMULLER California College of the Arts

CHRISTOPHER FALLIERS California College of the Arts

The role, form, and locus of public space in This project serves as a case study to examine and will strengthen the visibility and connec- urban environments has changed. Indoor the specific role of architects as participants in tion this commons has to the surrounding entertainment spaces often replace the urban urban commons projects. It outlines a cross- community. exterior as places of collectivity and chance disciplinary and interconnected set of tasks Beyond the specific circumstances of the case encounter; austerity measures and rapid that enable short-term interventions to act as study, this project highlights the need for densification alike are factors in the prolifera- catalysts that set in motion longer-term pro- considering the four interrelated platforms tion of Privately Owned Public Open Spaces cesses for improvement of urban commons of ‘hardware’, ‘software’, ‘orgware’, and (POPOS); and in cities across the globe, the needs. Specifically, the project documents ‘brandware’ as critical components of cata- public itself has changed as a consequence of a 3-week summer intensive studio with a lytic interventions: formal design projects in multifaceted migration patterns. At the same design-build component. Led by two archi- close connection with opportunities for future time, there has been a widespread resur- tecture professors, it brought together an use, an integrated plan that organizes stake- gence of interest in the ‘urban commons’, interdisciplinary group of students, an archi- holder interaction and resources in a process understood as collectively appropriating and tecture collective, and an educational non- towards a shared goal, and a visual identity regulating urban resources. This trend has profit in Berlin, to shape critical next steps for that informs and strengthens the commons’ altered the relationship of citizens to archi- an urban garden - cum - refugee school whose visibility and perception. tects in the production of urban collective grant-based funding was running out. The col- space. The diversity of stakeholders in tradi- laborating team rejected final, form-oriented tional public space design has led to complex outcomes in favor of the design of a pro- design and planning processes for architects cess and a set of ‘devices’ that enable future that offer only intermittent citizen participa- development of the commons. It focused on tion in the process of constructing a final -out interconnected proposals for the physical come. Urban commons projects, in contrast, site (‘hardware’), their use and programming are based on local citizen initiation, direct (‘software’), a business plan that leveraged negotiation between stakeholders, long-term these physical interventions towards the eco- involvement of citizens, and the evolution of nomic sustenance of the garden/school going public space over time. In commons projects, forward (‘orgware’), and a set of garden prod- the involvement of architects takes on the ucts (‘brandware’) whose sale supported the form of intermittent participation, using acu- maintenance of the commons. The outcomes punctural interventions to catalyze the next of this short-term intervention constitute steps in the commons’ evolution, thus invert- an integrated set of forces whose social and ing the role of citizens and architects in the economic impact will support the continued production of public space. survival of the garden and refugee school,

154 Brooklyn Says, “Move to Detroit.” Architecture in an Expanded Field aaing e oons 155