[proGENE_lab]

ex_03: applied behavior - responsive retail

2007-11-12T21:55:00.000-08:00

conceptual:
the design for a SONY brand retail store was viewed as a place not to display products but a place to solely interact with them. the architecture must then respond to the product/ user interaction in a manner which optimizes performance. the architecture, which almost disappears when inactive, emerges as a response to the interaction. this concept was achieved through the use of a double skin.

ex_03: case study

2007-10-24T23:21:00.000-07:00

Aegis Hyposurface - dECOi

"It is...a harbinger of nanotechnology-the intersection of information and matter itself"
-Mark Goulthorpe of dECOi

images: PRAXIS: Journal of Writing + Building, Issue 06, 2004

DATA:
Client: The Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre
Design: Mark Goulthorpe of dECOi Architects
Location: Birmingham, UK
Duration: 1999-2001

CONCEPT:
The design of the Aegis project was initially conceptualized in response to an interactive art work competition hosted by the Birmingham Hippodrome Theatre in the UK. The competition proposed an art work that would translate the interior actions of the theatre to the exterior.

images: AD Hypersurface Architecture II, Vol. 69 9-10, 1999

APPLICATION:
The Aegis Hyposurface is "a giant sketch pad for the new age". It is a kinetic surface with the ability to respond to external stimuli, such as sound, touch, motion, light, temperature, and electronic information, through the use of active and passive sensors. The input data is used to describe a parametric variable, such as direction, amplitude, and speed, allowing for near limitless articulations of the surface. The surface can produce any possible mathematically generated pattern or form. As a result, the Hyposurface is not a designed surface but rather one "generated by random sampling, a deployment of electronic sensory-input". The role of the designer switches from author to editor. (quotations from Smart Materials and Technologies and A+U: Architecture and Urbanism, Issue 370)

video: www.hyposurface.org

image: Designing for a Digital World, 2002

REALIZATION:
The Hyposurface can create a truly responsive "terrain" in real-time. This is made possible through the use of a sophisticated electronic "brain" and highly performative components. The digital control is able to calculate a response to input data in real-time because of extremely high flow rates of information and its parallel-processing ability. Composed of small metal triangles powered by a matrix of 896 pneumatic actuators with the ability to pulse every 0.01 sec, the Hyposurface is able to displace its skin up to "500mm two to three times per second" and create wavefronts "propagating at speeds of up to about 60kmh". (quotations from Designing for a Digital World)

images: PRAXIS: Journal of Writing + Building, Issue 06, 2004

The Aegis Hyposurface is "the translation between the intangible information world and the very tangible, and omnipresent, tactile environment." (quotations from Smart Materials and Technologies)

REFERENCES:
Designing for a Digital World, Edited by Neil Leach, 2002
AD Hypersurface Architecture II, Vol. 69 9-10, 1999
PRAXIS: Journal of Writing + Building, Issue 06, 2004
A+U: Architecture and Urbanism, Issue 370, Jul 2001
Transmaterial, Edited by Blaine Brownell, 2006
Smart Materials and Technologies, Michelle Addington and Daniel Schodek, 2005
http://www.hyposurface.org
http://www.sial.rmit.edu.au/projects/aegis_hyposurface.php

ex_02: application of pattern + space

2007-10-23T12:10:00.000-07:00

This shows the application of the pattern as a kinetic system creating a responsive environment. The first animation shows how the pattern slides and pivots to form the specific deformations. The second animation shows the spatial deformation as a whole.

ex_02: rules of interaction- creating a responsive environment

2007-10-18T14:12:00.000-07:00

This was an exercise in creating a responsive environment. The pegboard and rubber bands are the medium to express the qualities of the space. The space is reconfigured based on a live+work scenario. The scenario was used to create rules of interaction based on the occupant's mood and action. These two factors then dictate the deformation of the space.

ex_02: 3D pattern development

2007-10-18T13:46:00.000-07:00

The 3D pattern from ex_01 was further developed to add complexity and variation from the 2D drawing. The development process was based on how the pattern may interact as a kinetic system within a responsive environment. The first iteration shows a continuous over-under linking of the pattern strands. The second iteration shows a slotted connection in which the pattern strands can slide and pivot within the given range of the track.

ex_01: pattern recognition

2007-10-18T13:28:00.000-07:00

The pattern development process began with the selection of 6 stock images: 2 film, 2nature, 2 machine. Through the photographic technique of overlaying a composite image was created. This is shown in the first image. The next two images describe the editing process in which elements were extracted then mirrored, rotated, and tiled to create a 2D pattern image. This is shown in the fourth image. The final image shows the 2D pattern translated in 3D.