Archigram: Architecture Inside Out By Crystal Ray Submitted to the Department of Architecture in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science as recommended by the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. June 2011. ©2011 Crystal Ray. All Rights Reserved. The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created. () ( Author Crystal Ray Department of Architecture May 20, 2011 Certified by / / F lo Lawrence Sass Associate Professor of Computation Department of Architecture Accepted by Meejin Yoon Professor of Architecture Director o the Undergr duate Architecture Program MAPWSSAC6HUS ETTS IN S T I TUT OF TECHN-OLOGY JUN 10 2011 L RA R IES ARCHIVES Committee THESIS ADVISOR: Lawrence Sass Professor in Computation Department of Architecture Archigram: Architecture Inside Out By Crystal Ray Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 20, 2011 in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Bachelor of Science as recommended by the Department of Architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Abstract Plug-in city has been explored by others through 3d renditions, however, their 3D rendition are subject to interpretation as its design and development progressed through modeling and a series of drawings by Peter Cook. With the foundational skills gained from Professor Nagakura's courses, I worked over the semester to model and animate one of Archigram's most notable works, Plug-in City, with a focus on the city's dynamic transportation system for people and goods. Thesis Supervisor: Lawrence Sass Title: Associate Professor in Computation Acknowledgements Thanks to my family for their continual support, humor and love. Special thank to my advisor Professor Larry Sass for his patience, support and encouragement throughout this process. Thanks to Professor Takehiko Nagakura and his work in computation as it provided the foundational skills necessary for this project. Thanks to the members of the High-Power Electrodynamics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory for their support, encouragement, parties and giving me projects that gave me confidence to return to MIT to complete my degree. Thanks to CRONMW-09203 for not logging me out for 5 consecutive days so I could render! Thanks to the members of Archigram for their work that continues to intrigue me. Contents Acknowledgem ents....................................................................................................................................7 Table of Figures ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................. 13 Background ........................................................................................................................ 13 Problem ............................................................................................................................. 14 Outline ............................................................................................................................... 14 Literature Review.....................................................................................................................................15 Leisure through Technology .......................................................................................... 15 Im agery ............................................................................................................................. 516 Plug-in City........................................................................................................................17 Design concept......................................................................................................... 17 Drawings ............................................................................................................................ 17 Structure Concept........................................................................................................ 19 M ethodology ............................................................................................................................................ 21 Rhinoscript ........................................................................................................................ 21 Structural Com ponents ................................................................................................. 22 Storyboard ......................................................................................................................... !23 Capsule ................................. ....................................................... 24 1st Tri alI......................................................................................... 24 2 nd Trial................................ ........................................................ 28 Capsule Tower...................................................................................................................(30 "Tubular Plum bing ........................................................................................................... 33 W alkways .......................................................................................................................... 935 Rendering.......................................................39 91 T im e................................................................................................................................... 39 Results and Discussion..............................................................................................................................(40 Previous W ork...................................................................................................................(40 Capsule Interio ................................................................................................................. 40 Capsule Exteriorio.................................................. ....................................................... 42 Stru ctu re ............................................................................................................................ 4 3 Issu es ................................................................................................................................. 4 4 Present Plug-in Architecture ............................................................................................. 44 Conclusion and Recommendations.................................................................................. 46 M o del ................................................................................................................................ 4 6 Rh in o script ........................................................................................................................ 7~4 M AX 5 ................................................................................................................................ 4 8 W o rks Cited .............................................................................................................................................. 4 9 Ap pe n dix A ............................................................................................................................................... 50 A p p en dix B ............................................................................................................................................... 51 10 I Table of Figures Figure 1 City Interchange by W arren Chalk and Ron Herron (AAP)........................................................................ 15 Figure 2 Plan drawing for City Center in Paris by Le Corbusier (Optimistic City Plans)........................................... 16 Figure 3 Cushicle M ichael Webb, 1966 (AAP)..............................................................................................................17 Figure 4 3D Axonom etric view of Plug-in City (AAP)................................................................................................. 18 Figure 5 Elevation of Plug-in City by Peter Cook (AAP) ............................................................................................ 18 Figure 6 Plug-in City Details by Peter Cook, 1964 (AAP).......................................................................................... 20 Figure 7 Elevation of Plug-in City with sections m ade distinctive by color pencils ................................................. 22 Figure 8 Sam ple Stor y Board ....................................................................................................................................... 23 Figure 9 Plan view of capsule as rendered in 3ds M ax ............................................................................................ 24 Figure 10 Capsule by Warren Chalk (AAP)...................................................................................................................24 Figure 11 Exterior view of Capsule......................................... ................ ................................................. 25 Figure 12 Exterior view of Capsule...............................................................................................................................26