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Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance: A Case Study in Performance Oriented Architecture Approached through Systems Oriented Design
Abstract
The present research considers wood as a study material for a wider question
on architecture’s environmental interaction. It aims to explore its potential for architectural
performance and atmospheres as well as to broaden the discussion on this problem area
by accessing the public space. My project researches such interactions through practical
experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific,
artistic and crafts disciplines and honestly discusses both the successes as well as the failures
and weak points to develop a strong background for architectural and urban design practice.
The methodology Research by Design while full scale prototyping is covered by the Systems
Oriented Design to interpret and develop complex environmental relations.
This is an article based thesis, where the texts of the articles have not been changed
and serve as an addendum covered with an exegesis. Most of the repeating images were
removed from the articles. If there is an exception this is reasoned through its important
relation to the present text.
All the substantial contributions are mentioned within the text and/or summarized in
the Thanks section. To mention the main institutions and practice/NGO’s respectively,
this research has been developed at the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical
University of Liberec, the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague,
Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague,
the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague,
the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the University of Chemistry and Technology in
Prague, Collaborative Collective, Defio, Oximoron, re.code.nature and reSITE.
The publication of the thesis was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants through the
project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, is printed on paper with 100%
of recycled fibre and is dedicated to my family, friends, colleagues, students and everyone
interested in the field.
... They are installed on walls of dense city environments as we need to adapt our cities for biodiversity [3] to offer edible and habitable landscapes. Whilst BioDiveIn intervention uses plywood to generate different modules for various species, user-specific NetWall plays with different sizes of 'responsive solid wood' [25] modules for the opportunistic use of biodiverse species. Design for opportunistic use was discussed by Sevaldson, the father of systems systems-oriented design, who explains that, if you create diversity through a complex design, you reach more opportunities for use, such as a difference between stone and chair-the object to sit on [26]. ...
... Therefore, there is a different density on the left and right sides of the panel. This means that, with interaction with relative humidity and temperature, the panels warp [25]. Thus, the single-design cell airs when the relative humidity is low, and there is a high temperature. ...
This study explores the integration of gamification into social and environmental systems to enhance urban biodiversity and foster the co-creation of ecosystems. It focuses on two key contributions: the development of tangible ecosystemic interventions, such as habitat extensions and edible landscapes, and the gamification of these interventions to engage communities. The interventions were codesigned using systems-oriented design methods, including gigamapping and prototyping, to produce scalable DIY solutions that empower communities to replicate these practices on their own. Additionally, urban games were created to incentivize participation by rewarding individuals for their contributions to biodiversity restoration.
... Il santuario POL-AI (Davidová, Fischer and Teye, 2022) è un hotel 'responsivo' in legno massello per insetti (Davidová and Prokop, 2018) con relativo giardino per impollinatori; i pannelli divisori consentono alle singole camere di avere climi diversi per soddisfare le differenti esigenze degli insetti, in altre parole sostengono la biodiversità. La facciata responsiva in legno massello Ray (Davidová, 2016) è prodotta tagliando il tronco dell'albero in pannelli secondo la sezione longitudinale; grazie alla diversa densità delle fibre sui due lati il pannello si deforma verso il lato sinistro in caso di clima caldo e secco mentre in caso di umidità elevata e basse temperature ritorna alla configurazione iniziale o addirittura si deforma nella direzione opposta: con tali variazioni termoigrometriche il sistema dei pannelli favorisce il ricambio d'aria delle camere. ...
... This supports insects' biodiversity, as different species have different climatic preferences. The insect hotel uses a concept of responsive solid wood façade Ray (Davidová, 2016). The solid tree trunk is cut for panels in the tangential section. ...
The paper focuses on several systemic research-by-design case studies relating ecological, technological and social systems with a more-than-human perspective. The complexity of the real requires methods that leverage digital tools and processes proposed to enable the design of more ecological, dynamic, interrelated posthuman environments. We argue that to achieve social justice, we must also reach environmental justice and become in synergy with the planet, with Gaia. This ethos is presented in multiple case studies demonstrating the relationships between designed and existing socio and environmental systems, evaluating whether our actions on the Earth and use of non-renewable resources are sustainably innovative and what this means for more inclusive practice, the academy and our pedagogical foci and design methods.
Article info
Received: 19/03/2023; Revised: 05/05/2023; Accepted: 15/05/2023
... This has been often reached by the option of retransformation or rebuilding in reference to actual usage and climatic needs, i.e. Norwegian wooden semi-interior, non-climatised spaces, so called svalgangs (Davidová, 2016m) or Cappadocian caves in Turkey (Davidová & Uygan, 2017), respectively. This project has been mainly inspired by such performance, generating interchangeable onion principle (Davidová, 2016g, 2016m), manipulated by shafts, inspired from Cappadocian underground cities (Davidová & Uygan, 2017). ...
... In addition, it has been argued by Koffka that the whole does not perform as sum of its parts in Gestalt Psychology (Kurt Koffka), followed by Systems Theory. This has been also elaborated by the first author with Sevaldson in relation to her experience with full scale prototyping (Davidová, 2016m;Davidová & Sevaldson, 2016a). However, it has been argued for by Sevaldson for open-ended design process through and after it's so called realisation in his upcoming publication on Systems Oriented Design (Sevaldson, 2017b). ...
The present research considers wood as a study material for a wider question on architecture’s environmental interaction. It aims to explore its potential for eco-systemic performances and atmospheres as well as to broaden the discussion on this problem area by accessing the public space and professional practice calls. My project researches such interactions through practical experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific, design, artistic and crafts disciplines. It honestly discusses the successes as well as the failures and weak points to develop a strong background for eco-systemic collaborative design-research practice.
The methodology Research by Design while full scale prototyping is covered by the Systems Oriented Design to interpret and develop complex environmental relations. While doing so, this work also claims develop the methodology itself and to generate theory through experimental practice. The fusion of these process based fields led to the ratification of new design field: Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance .
This is an article based thesis , where the texts of the articles have been shortened of the parts mentioned elsewhere in the work and underwent through language check. These serve as an addendum covered with an exegesis. Most of the repeating images were removed from the articles. If there is an exception this is reasoned through its important relation to the present text.
All substantial contributions are mentioned within the text and/or summarized in the Thanks chapter. To mention the main institutions and practice/NGO’s respectively, this research has been collaboratively developed at the Faculty of Architecture at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the Faculty of Art and Architecture at the Technical University of Liberec, Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague, the Academy of Art, Architecture and Design in Prague, the Architectural Institute Prague, the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, the Faculty of Civil Engineering the Czech Technical University in Prague, Collaborative Collective, Defio, Oximoron, re.code.nature, CooLAND, Experis SDKM and reSITE.
This work is a second, revised edition of the thesis, when the first, work in progress, publication called Wood as a Primary Medium to Architectural Performance: A Case Study in Performance Oriented Architecture Approached through Systems Oriented Design (Davidová, 2016m) served as a tool to receive broader feedback from its readers. The first publication was kindly supported by EEA and Norway Grants through the project Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, was printed on paper with 100% of recycled fibre. This edition was reviewed by a gender equal team and is to be defended in front of a gender equal selection of opponents. The work itself is dedicated to our Biosphere.
... Wood bilayers have also been studied extensively for adaptive shading devices such as horizontal louvers that use a change in curvature to adjust the angle between their surface and the sun (Holstov et al., 2017;Vailati et al., 2018). When cleverly implemented, even single monolayers of wood can be used as self-ventilating adaptive building systems similar to the wood shingle cladding used historically in the Nordic regions and in recent studies (Davidova, 2016). While wood is unique in its ability to change shape naturally within a suitable range of relative humidity on earth and requires little to no extra process to implement in responsive systems, the scale of its structuring presents limitations in the fine-tuning and design. ...
Today’s nanoscience has rapidly advanced into many areas of engineering, particularly in architectural design of building skins for the development of environmentally responsive structures. Not only does this improve occupant comfort, but also increases energy sustainabilityEnergy sustainability. Recently, advanced materialsAdvanced materials have been utilized for developing large-scale building skins with intelligent functionalities. Many current challenges focus on improving environmental safety, increasing energy efficiency, and reducing our carbon footprint. Advanced materialsAdvanced materials have played key roles in addressing these critical issues through fascinating properties that are ideal for building skin engineering. In this chapter, a series of bio-inspired green nano hybrids are introduced for solar harvesting, energy generation, and photothermally-activated building heating. These nano biohybridsNanobiohybrids can be physically retrofitted into existing residential buildings and structures, independently providing self-sustainable green energy. This chapter explores the most recent developments of nanostructure-based building skins that are smart, intelligent, adaptive, responsive and biologically inspired for energy and environmental sustainability. More specifically, we have developed smart building façades utilizing nanomaterial assemblies that have the ability to regulate and control energy consumption and generation, leading to energy neutral civic infrastructure. Novel nanostructures are designed, synthesized, and developed capable of the most efficient solar harvesting and energy generation. Fundamental studies have been carried out to identify operating mechanisms dictating the optical, thermal, and electrical properties of the thin films on building skins for required functions. Lab-scale modules can be designed to test the performance of multifunctional thin films in terms of solar harvesting, visible transmittance, photovoltaicPhotovoltaic (PV) and photothermalPhotothermal (PT) efficiencies. The novel concepts include Optical Thermal Insulation (OTI) without any intervention medium typically used in glazing technologies, and building skins with PV-PT dual modalities that can be seasonably altered for energy efficiency and generating solar-mediated thermal energy for building heating utilities. OTI is established by solar heating of a photothermal coating on a window surface. by reducing the temperature difference between the window surface and room interior, the heat loss through a single pane is lowered without the air gap of the double pane. A transparent building skin can be engineered as a PV and PT device in the same surface coating with a dual modality. While the solar energy harvested can be converted to electricity via PV in the summer, the same film is photonically-activated to generate heat in the winter for reduced heat loss. The PV-PT dual-modality device can be applied as a smart building skinSmart building skin upon a large surface area for enhanced solar harvesting and alternative energy generation such as electrical and thermal energy. The solar light can also be wave-guided through transparent photo-thermal panels for generating high heat for building utilities. This chapter will devote much of its portions to describing the fundamental mechanisms of these new concepts as well as the engineering implementations in building skin architecture.
... K tomu je přidána širší vrstva k šíření iterací této mise přes tagování veřejného prostoru QR kódy. Projekt má tedy generativní charakter pojatý odspoda (bottom up approach) a posouvá koncept "městských prototypických intervencí" z počátku milénia (Davidová, 2004;Doherty, 2005) i k širším měřítkům Dále navazuje na výzkum v oblasti responsivního dřeva první autorky (Davidová, 2016b(Davidová, , 2017b. Kombinace hygroskopické vlastnosti dřeva, která pomáhá životu medonosných rostlin, a eko-systemické performance těchto rostlin a semen se stane zásadní interakcí s místním potravním řetězcem v době nestálostí těchto podmínek vyvolané klimatickými změnami. ...
Kapitola pojednává o procesu navrhování a výroby objektů pro výstavu Herzan: Stavitelský rod z Třebíče, kterou pořádá Národní památkový ústavu, Muzeum Vysočiny Ttřebíč a Městské kulturní středisko Třebíč. Architektonické řešení výstavy se nazývá COLridor II a bylo vypracováno Collaborative Collective, z.s. jako pokračování konceptu „jedlé krajiny“. Hlavní organizátor výstavy, Národní památkový ústav, si kladl za cíl vytvořit táborákovou bránu, která bude ctít tesařské, stavitelské, architektonické a volnočasové úspěchy všech členů rodiny Herzánů. Volnočasové táborákové aktivity mají na Třebíčsku dlouhou a silnou tradici, tendence pracovat s mládeží se nejsilněji projevovala u Jiřího Herzána, jehož táborákové brány jsou v projektu COLridor II významnou inspirací. Součástí zadání bylo vytvořit instalace kolaborativním způsobem tak, že se na jejich výrobě budou podílet místní spolky a uskupení. Symbol brány je stylizován do venkovního objektu, který je zamýšlený jako poutač k výstavě. Cílem projektu COLridor II je navázání na dřevařskou tradici třebíčského rodu Herzánů, která je na zámku Třebíč prezentována veřejnosti prostřednictvím lineární retrospektivní výstavy, a zároveň poskytnutí eko-systemických služeb místu.
COLridor II navazuje na environmentální a sociální charakter této tvorby a dále rozvíjí principy našich předchozích environmentálních staveb SpiralTreeHouse (Davidová, 2013, 2014, 2016a, 2017a) a Co-oCo-oNest (Davidová & Neshevets, 2018). Vzhledem k současným trendům se nabízí možnost a potřeba reflektovat tyto tendence a vytvořit tak objekty z responsivního dřeva a tím podpořit městské společenské a eko-systemické služby. Proto geometrická konstrukce z kulatiny nabízí jak místo k odpočinku a socializaci napříč eko-systémem, tak i koncept „jedlé krajiny“ (Creasy, 2004; Davidová, Zatloukal, & Zímová, 2017). Lanové výplety nabízí posezení pro lidi, zatímco geometrická konstrukce se zeminou nabízí místní cibulovité medonosné rostliny a semínka pro ptáky v období zimy. Jak dřevo, tak rostliny budou příznivě moderovat okolní klima.
... While establishing the aims, each participant was asked to print reference pictures of the items they wanted to discuss for the next GIGA-Mapping workshop that was already public. The use of images during GIGA-Mapping also brings tacit, even sub-conscious, layers into play (Davidová, 2016b(Davidová, , 2016d(Davidová, , 2017dDavidová & Uygan, 2017) and therefore better stimulates Shön's 'reflection in action' (Schön, 1983) during the design process. This is because the Vol.11 ...
The mission of the present trans-disciplinary community environmental project COLridor (Davidová, 2017b) is to generate a situation of eco-systemic co-living across local species’ and abiotic agency in an urban environment through their co-design. Located in the city centre of Prague, the case study bio-tope is a part of larger bio-corridor that has evolved namely thanks to the adjacent railway and water stream. Though the prevailing opinion of European urbanists stays that cities should remain dense and separate from the rest of nature, landscape ecologists and biologists tend to disagree. There is no nature on Earth without human beings and these together evolved reflecting each other’s impact and interaction. A great variety of species have adapted and evolved for the urban environment that, at the moment for many, offers safer and more habitable living environment than agricultural land full of herbicides, pests, antibiotics and antibiotics resistant bacteria. Through systematically co-designed and co-created so called eco-systemic ‘prototypical urban interventions’ (Doherty, 2005), the project aims to motivate generation of edible landscape, social, cultural and habitable urban environment across the species. We claim that designers should be no longer designing for- but designing with- the overall eco-system. This case study helps to justify first author’s ratified design field Systemic Approach to Architectural Performance, covering fusion of variety of co-design across eco-system in process based fields.
This is an extended, edited and updated article based on a working paper ‘COLridor: Co-Design and Co-Living for Sustainable Futures’ (Davidová & Zímová, 2017) for Relating Systems Thinking and Design 6 conference within the theme ‘Environment, Economy, Democracy: Flourishing Together’ (Sevaldson, 2017).
... While setting our aims, every participant was asked to print out reference pictures of the items they wanted to discuss for the next GIGA-Mapping workshop that was already public. Use of images in GIGA-Mapping brings also tacit, even sub-conscious layers into play (Davidová, 2016b(Davidová, , 2016cDavidová & Uygan, 2017). Therefore, the GIGA-Map has more dimensions and also relations in these dimensions. ...
The mission of the present trans-disciplinary community project COLridor is to generate a situation of eco-systemic co-living across local species and abiotic agents in an urban environment through their co-design. Located in the city centre of Prague, the case study biotope is a part of larger bio-corridorthat has evolved namely thanks to the adjacent railway and water stream. Though the prevailing opinion of European urbanists is that cities should remain dense and separate from the rest of nature (see illustration Figure 1), landscape ecologists and biologists tend to disagree. There is RSD6 Relating Systems Thinking and Design 2017 working paper. www.systemic-design.net 2 no nature on Earth without human beings and these together evolved reflecting each other's impact and interaction. A great variety of species have adapted and evolved for the urban environment that, at the moment for many, offers a safer living environment than agricultural land. Through systematically co-designed and co-created so called 'prototypical urban interventions' (Doherty, 2005), the project aims to motivate edible landscape, culture and dwellings for all.
... The properties of the responsive wood that can support the circulation of humid air in its environment were verified in the project called Loop [3]. By designing a suitable shape and the spatial organization of the wood paneling using a computer simulation, the authors were able to achieve a much higher performance of the air circulation ( Fig. 2). ...
Architecture is mostly perceived as a static, unchanging and rigid element without an ability to react to the changing environment around it and the specific conditions of its location. The digital approach to architectural design has already shown that it is possible to create architectural prototypes that react to the external inputs by changes in their material properties or even in the shape. The conventional, stationary architecture is not able to react to the environmental factors, nor to the changing needs of building occupants, which brings architects, designers, and engineers to the issue of movement in architecture. This paper describes selected adaptive materials and structures used in architecture. An adaptive shape is designed and analyzed using a combination of 3D modeling tool Rhinoceros and the visual algorithmic plug-in Grasshopper, together with the extension for Grasshopper, Kangaroo. The wind simulation is made in the Flow Design.
Building skins play a decisive role in maintaining occupant comfort. Adaptive Architecture skins have been proposed to adjust to the weather, with mechanically complex multi-component solutions that require operating energy. Nature and its materials exhibit a fundamentally different strategy for environmental responsiveness; motile plant systems show entirely passive, integrative, hygroscopic actuation due to their cellulose-based material structure. Through a design and fabrication process we refer to as material programming, a bio-inspired and bio-based functional integration of actuator, sensor, and controller can be achieved. We present an overview of related research on weather responsive building components. Wood-based composite elements that respond to relative humidity without operational energy have been demonstrated at architectural-scale. This research was recently expanded through the additive manufacturing of custom-made natural fiber composites, allowing 4D-printed self-shaping compliant mechanisms based on highly differentiated and multifunctional plant movements with varying mechanical stiffnesses and actuation speeds. The application of 4D-printing to weather responsive shading systems still necessitates the codesign of materials, mechanism, and façade system as well as matching stimuli-responsiveness to ambient weather conditions and mass production at the scale of buildings. Overcoming these challenges will enable a more reliable, sustainable, and zero-energy solution for regulating comfort in the built environment.
The paper discusses a concept for edible mushroom indoor cultivation through combining biology and technology. The research by design is based in a full scale prototyping which has been replicated in a number of situations Illustrated in three case studies, the paper will unfold concepts that might be critical to the future of our cities and regions:
• Food security - the system allows high production of the mushrooms from substrate production to harvesting on a small area and it is purely dependent on territorial resources.
• The Circular economy - the farming uses local material and energy as well as its production and waste are locally consumed and circulated. This has positive impact on local community sustainability, culture, and economy.
• The Foundational economy- The foundational economy is built from the activities which provide the essential goods and services for everyday life, regardless of the social status of consumers. In essence, it is an economic model based on a community’s needs and assets (human and built) rather than the traditional model of wants fuelled by mass consumption. The system supports sufficient production of nutrients for all in the territory.
• Sustainable production of clean, healthy, and nutritional food - Following initial set up costs (in the region of £6000), the running costs are minimal. Recent research work by the first author has discovered ways of making the system more energy efficient. All aspects of the growing process ensure that the food is healthy and nutritious.
The work is a practice led research where the main investigator is the farmer himself, a ‘first person practitioner’ . Addressing the today most burning questions of food security, social-natural and economical sustainability, inequality and scarcity, the authors believe that the research has a strong potential both, globally, as well as locally with a local specific agro-architectural application for Post-Anthropocene cities.
Please, see the presentation here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDXwejVq6lo&t=47s
Designers and design is facing ever growing
challenges from an increasingly complex world.
Making design matter means to cope with these
challenges and to be able to enter new important
design fields where design can play a crucial role.
To achieve this we need to become better at coping
with super-complexity. Systems Oriented Design is
a new version of systems thinking and systems
practice that is developed from within design
thinking and design practice. It is systems thinking
and systems practice tailored by and for designers.
It draws from designerly ways of dealing with
super-complexity derived from supreme existing
design practices as well as refers to established
perspectives in modern systems thinking, especially
Soft Systems Methodology, Critical Systems
Thinking and Systems Architecting. Further on it is
based on design skills like visual thinking and
visualisation in processes and for communication
purposes. Most central are the emerging techniques
of GIGA-mapping. GIGA-mapping is super
extensive mapping across multiple layers and
scales, investigating relations between seemingly
separated categories and so implementing boundary
critique to the conception and framing of systems.
In this paper we will present the concept of GIGAmapping
and systematize and exemplify its
different variations.
First-hand experiences in several design projects that were based on media richness and collaboration are described in this article. Although complex design processes are merely considered as socio-technical systems, they are deeply involved with natural systems. My collaborative research in the field of performance-oriented design combines digital and physical conceptual sketches, simulations and prototyping. GIGA-mapping - is applied to organise the data. The design process uses the most suitable tools, for the subtasks at hand, and the use of media is mixed according to particular requirements. These tools include digital and physical GIGA-mapping, parametric computer aided design (CAD), digital simulation of analyses, as well as sampling and 1:1 prototyping. Also discussed in this article are the methodologies used in several design projects to strategize these tools and the developments and trends in the tools employed. The paper argues that the digital tools tend to produce similar results through given pre-sets that often do not correspond to real needs. Thus, there is a significant need for mixed methods including prototyping in the creative design process. Media mixing and cooperation across disciplines is unavoidable in the holistic approach to contemporary design. This includes the consideration of diverse biotic and abiotic agents. I argue that physical and digital GIGA-mapping is a crucial tool to use in coping with this complexity. Furthermore, I propose the integration of physical and digital outputs in one GIGA-map and the participation and co-design of biotic and abiotic agents into one rich design research space, which is resulting in an ever-evolving research-design process-result time-based design.
This paper discusses research by design efforts in architectural education, focused on developing concepts and methods for the design of performance-oriented and intensely local architectures. The pursued notion of performance foregrounds the interaction between a given architecture and its local setting, with consequences not only for the design product but also for the related processes by which it is generated. Integrated approaches to data-driven computational design serve to generate such designs. The outlined approach shifts the focus of design attention away from the delivery of finite architectural objects and towards an expanded range of architecture-environment interactions that are registered, instrumentalised and modulated over time. This paper examines ongoing efforts in integrating specific architectural goals and approaches, computational data-driven design methods and generative design processes, based on a range of context-specific and often real-time data sets. The work discussed is produced in the context of the Research Centre for Architecture and Tectonics (RCAT) and the Advanced Computational Design Laboratory (ACDL) at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design.
The research on performative wood is held with great results at RCAT, Oslo School of Architecture and Design and ICD, Universitey of Stuttgart. Our project focused on the material performance of solid wood cut in tangential section with the use of graphical algoritm editor Grasshopper for Rhino and digital fabrication techniques as the design tools. PareSITE: The Environmental Summer Pavilion serves as a prototype to further research on material-environmental interaction of industrialy produced performative screens.
The pavilion designed for reSITE festival, is a möbius shaped structure, built from torsed pine wood planks in triangular grid with half cm thin pine wood triangular sheets that provide shadow and evaporate moisture in dry weather. The sheets, cut in a tangential section, interact with humidity by warping themselves, allowing air circulation for the evaporation in arid conditions.
My research aims to explore how architecture responds to environmental input. It claims that this to a large degree is done today by " add-on " technology, e.g. sound environment is modified with specialized dampening materials, and climatic issues are addressed with increasingly complex and energy consuming ventilation systems. The conceptual and/or artistic architectural expressions are often not approaching those aspects in direct consideration (except i.e. project "Morpho-Ecologies", Responsive or Performative Architectures). As a critique of this division of environmental criteria from the architectural overall performance the research seeks to demonstrate and systematize an integral approach where the environmental responses are met with material systems that also form new architectural spaces and forms. The synergy of interdisciplinary architectural research and criticism is crucial to this project which hopes to motivate and perhaps inspire practice as well as the public. " It was also troubling that most of the daily press covered the Ground Zero story in bits and pieces, with someone writing about the politics and someone else about the money and someone else about the architecture, as if you could really separate any of these things. " (Goldberger 2003) When Vitruvius writes on " The Education of The Architect " he is suggesting rather complex interdisciplinary overview of knowledge (drawing, geometry, history, philosophy, music, medicine, etc.) and communication, informed by both practice and theory. The question on " What is architecture " remains unanswered though continuously challenged. Among all the other criteria, I think there should be paid particular attention to the problem of interaction of different forces (or " interactors ") involved, resulting over time in space. Space, and later on time, probably in connection with the established representational design tools such as physical and digital models, have become frequently discussed topics in architecture. These together with " interactors " such as sound, light, weather conditions or even human activity (incl. politics, economy, society, individuals, etc.), form the architectural environment. This is why I refer to them as environmental dimensions. Environmental dimensions are primary energy resources. I.e: Theo Jansen's walking sculptures don't require any electricity, they use wind energy directly. When discussing environment or sustainability it is interesting to note, that these notions seems to be understood by architects mostly as a technical problem which is most often solved through incorporating technically sustainable elements into architectural design. As opposed to that, my contribution is to be from the heart of my profession: I will discuss the environment and sustainability questions as architectural problems (means interdisciplinary informed). My project is to research such environmental dimensions through both practical experiments as well as theoretical reflections, including examinations of other scientific and artistic disciplines to develop a strong background for architectural practice. The research method is composed of literature review, experimentation and reflection. The research method is composed of literature review, case studies, analysis, experimentation and reflection. The experimental part, " first-person practitioner research " , is necessary to demonstrate and visualize the possible alternatives to the traditional approach. Such a method has been used and explained by Birger Sevaldson in his PhD thesis: " In creative emergent design practice which is now becoming necessary for designing with digital tools, practitioner researchers find themselves in situations in which clear models and methodologies do not yet exist – these are being developed through practice. " (Sevaldson 2005) The ambition is to analyze, define and develop possible strategies for interacting with site specific key environmental dimensions by creative design where those are the primary resources. The method is into large degree " research by design " where hands on experiments, interdisciplinary networking and consultancy are crucial. It includes site specific driven analysis
of environment, it's natural or existing (different types of pollution such as noise or heat, etc.) resources with using different types of registering and evaluation methods, i.e.: thermo-cam, recording (audio, video, radio, etc); MATLAB (Matrix Laboratory), Rhino 4.0 Lab tools; as well as analysis and comparative studies of contemporary and local traditional/vernacular architectures and urban settings. Particular attention is paid to ongoing environmental research in complexity, performative architecture, material systems and parametric design. Diagramming is used as a tool for understanding and presenting the problematic.
Neither true design of architecture, nor research of it's strategies can be developed purely from the office desk without ongoing confrontation with site specific settings. This particularly applies to “research by design” method. My research is to experiment with small scale thematic site specific installation projects, all the time informed by theoretical questions/inputs. This exploratory, generative approach to the research has its aim in both, to broaden public and practice oriented professionals discussion on the topic as well as to create strong, empirical ground to architecture.
The main author is using transdisciplinary studio courses as a research tool in the field of performative wood. Through sharing the knowledge between architectural, environmental design, and wood science researchers and students, we managed to develop complex 1:1 scale prototypes. The course process is a learning arena for students, teachers and researchers and the skills, competences and insights are being developed through experimental practice. The second prototype of the Environmental Summer Pavilion II course was created from reflection upon the first one while both serve as complex material-environment interaction studies for the development of responsive envelopes.
The Paresite-The Environmental Summer Pavilion designed for reSITE festival, is a möbius shaped structure, built from torsed pine wood planks in triangular grid with half cm thin pine wood triangular sheets that provide shadow and evaporate moisture in dry weather. The sheets, cut in a tangential section, interact with humidity by warping themselves, allowing air circulation for the evaporation in arid conditions.The design was accomplished in Grasshopper for Rhino in combination with Rhino and afterwards digitally fabricated.This interdisciplinary project involved students from the Architectural Institute in Prague (ARCHIP) and the students of the Faculty of Forestry and Wood Sciences at the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (FLD CZU). The goal was to design and build a pavilion from a solid pine wood in order to analyse its material properties and reactions to the environment and to accommodate functions for reSITE festival. The design was prepared within half term studio course and completed in June 2013 on Karlovo Square in Prague where it hosted 1600 visitors during festival weekend.
The wood-humidity interaction of solid wood has been tested through generations on Norwegian traditional panelling. This concept has been further explored by Michael Hensel and Steffen Reichert with Achim Menges on plywood and laminates in basic research. Plywood or laminates are better programmable but they are less sustainable due to the use of glue. This research focused on predicting the performance of solid wood in tangential section which is applied to humidity-temperature responsive screen for industrial production. With the method Systems Oriented Design, the research evaluated data from material science, forestry, meteorology, biology, chemistry and the production market. The method was introduced by Birger Sevaldson in 2007 with the argument that the changes in our globalized world and the need for sustainability demands an increase of the complexity of the design process. (Sevaldson 2013)Several samples has been tested for its environmental interaction. The data has been integrated in parametric models that tested the overall systems. Based on the simulations, the most suitable concept has been prototyped and measured for its performance. This lead to another sampling of the material whose data are the basis for another prototype. Ray 2 (figure 1) is an environmental responsive screen that is airing the structure in dry weather, while closing up when the humidity level is high, not allowing the moisture inside.
Performance-oriented architecture can benefit from a disciplinary affiliation with sustainability science in that human-environment systems are shared core interests. While variable material properties and behaviour present an important opportunity for performance-oriented architecture, a profound obstruction to their exploaitation exists in current practice. The specific structure and composition of materials yields their properties, and, in interaction with a given environment, material behaviour. The latter constitutes material performance capacity that can be put to task. This constitutes the smallest but greatly effective scale of performance-oriented architecture. The notion of the active boundary offers considerable potential for performance-oriented architecture in that it inherently involves interaction between material and environment. When an active boundary is elaborated as an architectural design it can acquire multifunctional capacities. Projects such as Media-TIC, provide useful examples of spatial organisation that can be further informed by other traits of performance-oriented architecture.