architecture adaptive in extreme environments desert credits: - - PDF document

architecture

extreme environments

adaptive biomimetic digital

desert

in

course code: ASEN05

SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS II

Overview Spatial Experiments II is a studio that explores the intersection of architecture, digital techno- logies and science (particularly biology). We pursue a new digital vernacular, where archi- tecture once again gets its form and identity from the local, but from an expanded, exten- ded definition of local ranging from micro- context and -climate, to network cultures and ruptured identity topologies. We will explore how to create architecture which exploits digital design and fabrication to create performative envelopes, capable of harnessing ambient energy to reduce reliance

• n heating and air conditionin. We seek to use

complex but ordered form to create responsive and adaptive buildings, and to drive new archi- tectural, cultural and aesthetic conversations. The studio project addresses living in extreme conditions, in this case desert or near-desert conditions in Morocco, on the boundary of Sahara. Pedagogy Our pedagogy is based on the assumption that students are independent and motivated and that you will bring your own agenda, interests and experience, and explore how this inter- sects with the studio. You are ultimately empowered and respon- sible for defining your own project and to carry it through, and we will give you the support, input, and encouragement you need to get

• there. We believe in sharing and contributing,

and see the studio not as a collection of com- peting, individual students, but as a group that explore interesting phenomena together. We hope that each year’s students will build

• n what has come before them, and that your

work contributes to an ongoing conversation as well as allowing you to form the beginning

• f your own professional career.

Tools Though the primary emphasis is on archite- cure, not software or hardware, we work extensively with parametric design tools and try to fabricate and test as much as we can. Primary software is Rhino 3D and Grasshop- per 3D, and we encourage any students who wishes to take the opportunity to learn or use coding tools such as Processing. Deliverables and project form The primary presentation is the end of year review, where your project is presented in poster format. We will also expect a A3 / A4 format report with a greater focus on the research and theory aspects of the project. Specific project deliverables will be your responsibility to determine, with the input from

• tutors. We will however expect a thouroughly

presented, well designed architectural output, with a significant level of detailing and resolu- tion. You are expected/encouraged to work in pairs, as the course places high demands on both theoretical content and architectural resolution, and teamwork will help you achieve a much stronger project in the end. The form of the teamwork and the degree of overlap is up to you. Study trip In February/March we will travel to Morocco as part of the course. While this is not mandatory, students are strongly encouraged to join the trip! Literature, lectures and workshops A literature list will be provided, and you will be expected to conduct signinicant reserach into your individual topics. Lectures, by both internal and external lecturers, will be provided during the course to support the student projects. As part of the course will be two workshops, which are described in greater detail on a sepa- rate board. As these are dependent on facitlities and workshop leaders which are only available during a short period, it may be that you should plan to put in additional time during these work- shops to maximise the learning opportunity that they represent.

Lars-Henrik Ståhl Lars-Henrik is professor in theorteical and applied aesthetics and head

• f

department at the depart- ment of architecture and built environment at LTH. His research concerns architec- tural theory and philosophy, and the examination of issues concerning the role

• f aesthetics in contemporary society.

Susanne Gosztonyi Susanne is working as a researcher and project mana- ger in the field of Energy and Building Design. Her research focus is on Biomi- metics and building envelo- pes, light tech architecture. Some of her recent activities can be found in bionicfacades.net - a blog about "Biomimetics and Energy" for Architecture.

credits: 15 + 7.5 duration: Spring 2016 grading scale: pass / fail language of instruction: English parallel participation in other courses: AAHN10 required. (Students without prior knowledge in parametric software should consider taking AAHN15 [CreativeTools] in parallel to this course.) eligible to apply: At least three years approved full time education at university level (or a Bachelor degree) in architecture, or equivalent. course coordinator: David Andreen david.andreen@arkitektur.lth.se teaching team: David Andreen, Lars-Henrik Ståhl and Susanne Gosztonyi + external lecturers, assistants and workshop leaders

David Andréen David is currently completing his doctorate at the Bartlett UCL, where he explores architecture and its intersec- tion with biology and compu- ter science. David is a lectu- rer at Lund since 2014, and has previosuly taught at the Bartlett GAD programme, at Greenwich University, and has held workshops at Smart Geometry and CITA, Copenhagen.

BRIEF

desert living

course code: ASEN05

SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS II

Magnus Larsson KILO Architects Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre Photo: Nic Lehoux Architect: DIALOG Gramazio + Kohler The Guelmim Technology School in Morocco. Photograph by Fernando Guerra. The Guelmim Technology School in Morocco. Photograph by Fernando Guerra. Photo via Nomad Inception Photograph by Jason Hawkes.

The brief for the studio Spatial Experiments II will deal with the challenges and opportunities of living in the desert, or similar variations of extreme

• climates. Your task will be to design a dwelling - a

place for a group of people to live in - in the deserts

• f Morocco. We explore issues of life in extreme or

hostile conditions, and seek to find identity and expression in the intersection of global culture and vernacular context. The buildings you design will find ways of exploiting the ambient resources and climate variability to create an indoor climate suitable for human habitation, in place of a cnven- tional reliance on electricity and other external energy sources. The dwelling may be for a single family or a group

• f people living in a small collective, and can

comprise a simple home or a more complex programme including for example agriculture or

• ther micro-industries or activities. The basis for

designs will be local materials, customs, traditions, and resources - but with the ambition to exploit modern technology, knowledge and culture in ways which can provide significant benefits for social and ecological sustainability. Site The project site will be in the mountain/desert regions of Morocco. The country has a population of 33 million at approximately the same area as Sweden, and large arid regions stretching between the Atlantic, the Mediterranean and the Sahara

• Desert. It has a rich architectural and cultural

history, influenced by Arabic, Berber, Europeean and South-Saharan cultures. Somewhat uniquely in the region, Morocco has a strong history of indepen- dence. The climate of the region exhibits a high diurnal temperature variation of 15ºC thoughout the year, and typically the daytime temperature reaches 40ºC in the summer. The precipitation is low, particularly in the Eastern regions of the country. Local Architecture The vernacular architecture of the region is largely based on adobe or earth brick techniques, and incorporates a variety of methods for creating agreeable indoor climates, such as mashrabiyas, courtyards, wind towers and evaporative coolers. Contemporary construction is typically much less well-adapted to the climate, using thin concrete structures and replacing vernacular traditions and wisdom with inadequate modern technology, leading to disagreeable indoor climates for most, with the more prosperous relying

• n

air-conditioning. Addressing this missed opportunity is not only a matter of technology, but of identity, desire and symbolism. In addition to the vernacular Berber heritage, the region has an abundance of Arabic architecture, exhibiting rich colours, intricate detailing and mathe- matical patterns which are well suited for the capa- bilites of digital techniques and provides a rich canvas for the architect. Technology The ambition of the studio is to explore the potential

• f advanced digital fabrication tools, particularly

additive fabricaiton, in combination with local mate- rials and resources, and apply these to refine and extend the capabilities of the vernacular. Parametric software, such as Grasshopper 3D or scripting can help us generate complex form, which can be both functional and artistic. Programme The studio embraces a fundamentally optimistic view of architecture, believing that technology, knowledge and intelligence can come together to

• vercome typical dicotomies, such as comfort vs

sustainablitiy, technological progress vs fairnes. Rather than a critical, external viewpoint, we embrace operative optimism, beliveing that a willingness to engage and to commit is crucial for beneficial change. The brief programme is about living. You determine the circumstances.

STUDY TRIP / SITE

morocco

course code: ASEN05

SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS II

image credit: mhobl (flickr.com) image credit: Victor (flickr.com) image credit: James West image credit: Andrea Moroni image credit: seier+seier (Flickr) image credit: Jamie McCaffrey image credit: Elvin (Flickr) image credit: Jamie McCaffrey image credit: SuperCar-RoadTrip.fr (Flickr) image credit: David Stanley image credit: seier+seier (Flickr) image credit: Laurenz Bobke 1st day: Marrakesh – Dades Morning departure from Marrakesh to cross the High Atlas Mountains. From these mountains, the views over the valleys and the Berber villages perched

• n the mountain sides are spectacular.

It is interesting to see that the houses are coloured according to the minerals close by. Having crossed the pass, we continue to descend until we reach Ouarzazate where we stop for lunch. Later the road continues to the Skoura Oasis, where numerous ancient kasbahs, some sadly in ruins, stand amongst the palm trees. From here, the route takes us through Kela’a M’gouna, the Valley of Roses and on to the Dades Valley for the night. 2nd day: Dades – Merzouga After breakfast, there is time to walk by the river before continuing to Toudgha to the very different gorges there. Lunch will either be here in the gorges or later at the bivouac at the Erg Chebbi dunes. We drive there via the Ziz Valley, and the towns of Erfoud and Rissani. On the way we stop to go down into the under- water channels that keep water from evaporating too quickly in the heat, called "khettarat". In the afternoon we take a two-hour camel ride in the

• Sahara. The sunset from the top of the

dunes is spectacular and afterwards there is dinner and the night in a traditio- nal nomad tent at the foot of the dunes. 3rd day: Merzouga – Zagora If you wake up early enough, you can watch the spectacle of the sunrise. The drive continues to the Dra’a Valley via the village Tazzarine and on to N’Qob for

• lunch. After this break, the route

continues to Zagora along the magic Dra’a Valley with all its kasbahs –

• ff-road driving allows a closer impres-

sion of life in the villages. The night is spent in a bivouac of nomad tents in the Zagora dunes. 4th day: Zagora – Agdez Mhamid is the last village and the end of the paved road. The old village is a fascinating example of desert architec- ture where we visit one of the old traditio- nal houses and walk zthrough the roofed streets to see how people survive the types of temperatures which can rise to 50°C in July and August. We return up the Dra'a Valley for a night in the old Kasbah of Tamnougalte, near Agdez built some 400 years ago and in many ways hardly changed. 5th day: Agdez to Marrakesh After breakfast there will be a visit to Kasbah Tamnougalte before returning to Ouarzazate, via the mountain pass of Tizi-n-Tinfifte (1660m). Driving north, we leave the main road and take a side road to Ait ben Haddou, which also belonged to the Lords of the Atlas, the Glaoui

• family. This is the most famous Kasbah

in Morocco and a UNESCO World Heritage site. The road continues along the Ounila valley with beautiful and prosperous villages, stunning mountains and views to Telouet, where we stop to visit the Kasbah and perhaps have

• lunch. We reach Marrakesh at the end of

the afternoon.

Preliminary dates: 26th February - 6th March Preliminary cost: Travel Copenhagen - Marrakech + 5 day / 4 night desert tour: €315 (incl. food and lodging) + 3 nights in Marrakech Preliminary Programme: 2 days in Marrakech - urban life, contemporary and historic architecture visits, discussions and planning. This is followed by a 5 day tour to the desert with guides. We travel in SUVs, sleep in Riads and desert camps, and see local climates and vernacular

• architecture. Upon returning to Marrakech we spend another

night there (which you may extend if you so desire) before returning to Lund.

WORKSHOP

digital bricks

WORKSHOP

adaptive facades

course code: ASEN05

SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS II

Left: Ceramic 3d-printed bricks by Brian Peters of Kent State University. Below: Tectonic Horizons by Radical Craft / Joshua G. Stein Modular componentry developed through the union of advanced CNC Machining and traditional slip casting. Right: Digital Islam by David Celento /

• DigiFabLab. Ceramic Penrose tiles.

Below: Cool Brick by Emerging Objects Evaporative cooling system comprised

• f 3D printed porous ceramic bricks set

in mortar. Inspired by the Muscatese Evaporative cooling window.

In this workshop we will expolore the poten- tial of additive fabrication, with the intent of developing ideas for performative bricks – building blocks or components which, through their material and form, perfom a modulation of the building’s function or mediates a spatial boundary. Designs are developed with parametric software which can handle the complex forms, and ideally which incorporate an awareness or adaptaion to micro-context of some kind. Inspiration can be taken from biology, vernacular building techniques, science and engineering or a more cultural context. We will work with the school’s 3d printers in order to make prototypes, and if possible will use larger scale ceramic or concrete printers to make full scale, final prototypes.

Around: thinkingSkins workshop at TU Delft 2015, by Susanne Gosztony and Jens Böke. This image: Al Bahr Towers, Aedas Architects Right, above: Adaptive Fritting, Harvard GSD Right, below: Adaptive solar facade, Arno Schlüter, ETH.

This workshop will explore how the performance of form and material can be enhanced by sensors, actuators, and other intelligent or responsive compo-

• nents. As conditions change around a building or

within it, at yearly, daily or shorter cycles, a respon- sive or adaptive facade can be conditioned to perform otimally over time. The workshop will be led by Susanne and Marcel Bilow from BuckyLab at TU Delft.

course code: AAHN10

(for students in ASEN05)

THEORY THEORY

interdisciplinarity

SPATIAL EXPERIMENTS II

image: doi:10.3390/jfb2040308 Particle spring system. Vlad Tenu (www.vladtenu.com) image: David Andreen image: NASA Namib desert beetle. image: www.wired.co.uk

The supporting theory course for the project Spatial Experiments II is conducted in an integrated manner, providing a research background and rigorous approach to the design projects. The

• verall topic is performative strategies for desert

living, and particularly interdisciplinary ones. Looking beyond conventional building science, what can we learn from the physical or natural sciences that can further the performance of a building? We seek understand how cutting edge knowledge and expertise from other fields can inform and improve architecture in a profound manner, based

• n actual understanding of the physical pheno-

mena involved. You will be developing a strategy based on a specific topic of your chosing, and seek knowledge by speaking to experts in the field, researching peer-reviewed papers, and performing experiments or simulations. A common theme is the use of form to further the effect or performance of material. This is a dominant strategy of biological organisms, where elaborate forms, often fractal in nature, allow for complex physiological functions to take place. By embracing digital design and fabrication tools, we have an opportunity to exploit similar mechanisms, dependent on complex form, in the service of human wellbeing and other architecural qualities. Technology Technological innovation is increasingly allowing for architectural feats that were previously inconceivable. Advancements in electronics and other technologies can add a dynamic element to a building or significantly increase its performance. Application of advanced technology in buildings require a careful cost-benefit approach however, to account for potential issues such as mainte- nance and energy requirements. Biology Biomimetics or biomimicry is the imitation

• f the models, systems, and elements of

nature for the purpose of solving complex human problems. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biomimetics) Physical Sciences The physical sciences underlie almost all performative aspects of a building, from structural considerations to the flows that permeate a building and its surroundings: flows of heat, air, water, light. Material Science Most architectural engineering considers material variability a significant drawback,

• ne of the great advantages of concrete is its
• inertness. However, materials such as clay,

wood, or ceramics have a potential to do much more because of their responsiveness to changing conditions - they can be active, adaptible, responsive. Computer Science Algorithms are becoming an increasingly dominant aspect of contemporary life. Com- puter science determines much of our online existence, but is also critical in all scientific

• fields. In architecture, computer schience is
• pening up vast new arenas, allowing us to

manage complexity, both through simulation and more generative processes