Portfolio Bika Rebek by Bika Xaxa

BIKA REBEK

SLOW. FAST. REAL TIME

NOTE ON THE STRUCTURE OF THIS PORTFOLIO

INDEX DESIGN YEARS- SLOW Panama Supercharge Neuhaus Event Center Keelung Port Terminal

MONTHS - FAST Chiller- Chaise Lounge Seltanica

DAYS - REAL TIME Umbo Labo

ACADEMIC WRITING Code as Interface Playing the grid Naoshima Island

TEACHING ADR I and II Curating Architecture Studio Couture

What exactly is the duration of an architectural project? Is it the time it takes to be designed, the time to be constructed or how long it exists? What about when a building gets rebuilt or changed? For most architects it counts how long it takes to be designed and constructed- the lifespan of a building after completion is subject to speculation, as many buildings live longer than their designers and others disappear within a much shorter timeframe. Furthermore, how is one to evaluate the duration of the many proposals and unbuilt projects that have formed architectural discourse? For the purposes of this portfolio, the projects are grouped into three very loose categories of speed. These groups do not delimit an exact timespan but rather emphasize how the production of architecture changes depending on how lasting the result is meant to be. Studio culture is very much focused on large architecture projects, which would take years to complete in the real world, completely out of reach for young designers as they first enter the profession. It leads to portfolios filled with spectacular speculative projects and not a single completed or realized effort, except for a pavilion structure at best. Counteracting this tendency many of the projects here are of a more short-term nature, which reflects in their scale and material expression. While some of these projects are less strictly within the domain of architecture, which is still tied to the idea of permanence, many of them have been realized. Writing and teaching is another form of architectural production creating immediate results. Even when researching historic topics my interest always revolves around contemporary technique, incorporating questions of interface, tooling and construction, tying theoretical thinking into design practice. Even more immediately interactive, yet also less tangible is teaching. Architectural design in affiliation with other disciplines can be discussed without the limitations of business time constraints. Architecture is the slowest of all design disciplines, but that does not mean it cannot be fast and immediate at times. Extending the idea of architecture as a discipline that creates temporary structures and affects the understanding of our bodies within space, it takes on a much more ephemeral stance than is usually ascribed to it.

Slow

SLOW ARCHITECTURE

SLOW

Buildings traditionally are symbols of solidity, associating architecture with values such as permanence and a lasting impact on the community. The following section deals with buildings that are meant to be permanent but each incorporates an aspect of change over time in its design thinking. The first one, my thesis project in the Greg Lynn Studio at the University of Applied Arts is a building that gets literally merged with a primeval forest. Set at the Panama Canal, the project forms a protected greenhouse where the jungle can be experienced safely for tourists en route through the canal. The project is anticipating change through a desired invasion of nature in a man-made structure. Through a delicate pattern, the natural and constructed natures merge. The second example, also located next to water, is a port terminal in Keelung, Taiwan, that I designed during my time at Asymptote. It is a building typology that only gets used in short spurts a few times a week whenever a large cruiseship docks. The proposal incorporates a number of programs, including a night market and a rooftop restaurant that guarantee an activation of the site throughout day and night. Finally, the Neuhaus project, in lower Austria, a current commission, is replacing a dilapidated townhouse. The site is located next to a local street with mostly car traffic and opens up to a generous garden on the other side. The design reflects the different speeds present on the site- the exterior creates a dynamic kaleidoscope of rotating overlapping panels, shielding the interior from the noise and dirt of the cars. The interior is fully glazed, opening onto the garden to observe the passing of the seasons.

Slow

PANAMA SUPERCHARGE

20m

SECTION THROUGH MAIN HALL AND GREENHOUSE

AERIAL VIEW

previous page: Detail of Section Cut A-A/ Left: plan, originally 1:200 at +16m/ Above clockwise: aerial rendering, model 1:50 detail, garden View underneath building, Detail cut-away model 1:50, interior rendering Greenhouse/ Next page: Interior view main hall

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Panama Superchargeâ&#x20AC;? is an architectural dialogue between mass and fragility, expressed as thin patterned developable surfaces out of metal sheets and heavy masses out of raw concrete. The building is located adjacent to a new pair of locks at the Panama Canal, creating an environment for cruise ship passengers to pass the time while they are waiting for their ship to be taken through the lock. In the fastest scenario visitors move through a condensed display of the astonishing biodiversity of Panama in only one hour, experiencing highly varied, densely packed atmospheres. Through shading techniques and different material properties of metal and concrete the different climate zoneas in the planthouses, aquariums and exhibitions are achieved by natural ventilation. The central space houses the main shows and bistros serving local specialties. One side allows for spectacular views onto the water lock, on the other side visitors take a walk into the jungle canopy. The building becomes a threshold between an industrial structure and nature.

Slow

NEUHAUS This proposal for a hybrid between a company event space and local community center in Neuhaus, a 400-person village in lower Austria, has a twofold function; it is an extension to the exisiting Glassalon, servicing its events with facilities, as well an independent structure to be used separately. The structure forms an introverted loop looking into the garden bounded by a thick facade facing the main street. Serving spaces including circulation, storage and a bar are embedded in the thickened folds of the facade.

landscape concept: Matt Choot assistant: Scott McCagherthy

Left: plan, originally 1:100 at +1m/ Above clockwise: landscape concept, model 1:100, Garden View, Interior View in Winter, View from the street/ Next page: Interior view main hall on a summer day

Slow

KEELUNG PORT TERMINAL

Above: Interview view of Atrium, below: elevation water side/ Next page clockwise: Approach from the water, Night view, Night market, Access to main building at night/ Following page: Aerial view

The Keelung Port Terminal is designed as an Icon of change for the industrial port of Keelung, a small industrial port town just an hour from the metropolitan area of Taipei. Asymptoteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s proposal is based on integration of public life throughout the day. A large covered area in the center of the building provides protection from the common and heavy rains in this area- Keelung has extremely high precipitation. At night the area under the commercial part is activated and turns into a night market- a traditional and favourite taiwanese pastime. When the terminal is not active the promenade along the water opens up. The idea of involving the public continues on the interior where a large ramp is spiraling up and around an interior atrium. The atrium is visually connected to the tower element through a continuous glas element. The tower houses all administrative parts of the port authority and a new destination rooftop restaurant for the city of Keelung.

Asymptote Architecture, Lead Designer Competition, 2nd prize, 2012

Slow

Fast

FAST ARCHITECTURE

FAST

The projects assembled here in the fast category are very diverse- they range from industrial design objects to curatorial work. A project created in months is usually not a building- and therefore often not subsumed into the category of architecture. Even if some of the time-frames are shorter, these projects deal with the same issues and constraints as large buildings. The wardrobe and the couch are both custom- designed for private apartments, creating solutions for particular spatial configurations. At at time when furniture is an expendable consumer item, the process of creating custom furniture can seem very slow. It gives a taste of how much effort and design thinking goes into custom-designed architecture to be actually completed.The Seltanica lamp, designed for Cmmnlwth, had an extremely short design time, being a discrete object without much context to consider- it was designed within a week but took months in material experimentation to be produced at the desired quality. The best solution proved to be a white Gypsum cast that would preserve maximum detail from the high resolution 3d print while being made out of a more lasting and smooth material. Finally the last project presented here is of a curatorial nature- an installation at the Tchoban foundation in Berlin. Exhibitions by definition are short term and often the funds are extremely low. In this case we worked with color to create a strong impression in the gallery with the lowest cost. As opposed to the work in the first section where nothing is realized to date, every example here is realized and in use.

Fast

CHILLER The design of this chaise lounge responds to the geometry of the stair and transforms smoothly into a side table while providing comfortable resting in different positions. The area below the seat doubles as a compartment to store small objects and books and as a lighting feature.

Left: Photograph taken in the morning/ Current Page, clockwise: The couch at nigth with the light source on different seating positions, Following page: Daytime Photo

Fast

SELTANICA The Seltanice lamp was modelled for Cmmnwlth in Mudbox. It creates an interplay between a frothy, soft-looking interior surface and a smooth exterior. The lamp seems to be sliced open with a sharp cut to reveal the complex interior. The forms came about through an exploratory modelling process, in the search for an expressive and ornamental structure. The resulting surface creates a morphed aesthetic between the language of digital modelling technique, and an organic system.

Cmmnlwth, Lead Designer, 2011

Left: Photograph of interior Detail/ Current Page: Photo of realized Lamp adjacent to Wirefram mesh / Following page: Detail Photo

Fast

INTERIOR ON-LINE is an exhibition showcasing original drawings by the american architect and theorist Lebbeus Woods (1940-2012) at the Tchoban Foundation- Museum f端r Architekturzeichnung in Berlin. Hand drawings were the primary expression for an architect who never built, but became highly influential through his teaching and writing practice. The highly nuanced, detailed drawings illustrate imagined worlds and scenarios and form an aesthetic language that influences designers and architects to this day. The ageing of hand drawings physically affects their appearance, as the works change color, contrast and brightness with time. The drawings in this collection display nuanced changes in tone and shade. The wall color in the galleries is chosen according to the mellow shades of ageing paper, thereby seemingly extending the images into the gallery space. The thirty nine works are grouped into five categories, according to the way the linework is deployed- sinuous, staccato, merged, ruptured and invisible lines. Each of theses groups is associated with a wall color, subtly indicating the categories. This intervention echoes the facade of the museum, which is reminiscent of the color of parchment paper. curator: Christoph Kumpusch Exhibition design in collaboration with Matt Choot

Left: Photograph of Exhibition/ Current Page: Arrangement and Color Scheme diagrams / Following page: Photograph of Exhibition

Fast

WARDROBE, LECT-UTOPIA

SMOLTEN MIRROW, BOFFO

Left: Wardrobe photos, Lect-utopia visualizations/ Current page: Smolten Mirror Photographs and Visualizations, Boffo Competition Entry

Real Time

REAL TIME ARCHITECTURE

REAL TIME

The last section represents the work created that only lasted for a few days or even hours and had an aspect of spontaneity to it. The events we create are often in the context of a social purpose- the idea is to integrate them seamlessly into an event. Even thought they are all carefully planned and thought-out there is an element of improvisation in each of them and they were usually not announced to visitors beforehand. The first event of this sort, Stip, was created throughout the course of the summer 2012 in New York City. The over five meters tall lightweight structure is assembled out of ropes and pipe insulation. Over the summer several events were held where Stip was slowly growing, becoming denser and more compressed over time. A simple framework of tensioned ropes between floor and second level was the point of departure. Participants were given no instructions, they could play and experiment with about two hundred pipes and cable binders available at the events. A pliable, soft and erratic structure emerged that created a nest-like envelope and protected space on the rooftop. The second project, on the same site, was a performance between architecture, dance and fashion. It turns a shaded canopy on a rooftop into a piece of clothing. In the brief transitional period the body of a dancer brought about this transformation. The performance emphasized how there can be different transitional states of something that is perceived a certain way because of what we expect it to be doing. Umbo was created as a piece for the reception after a conference on architecture criticism. The goal was to create a completely surprising performative event, to take the afterparty as serious as a task as the event. As a last example, Labo used Kinect sensing technology to record peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s movement in passsing the installation. Translated into digital space, the movements produced complex drawings that were projected back onto the wall in real time. In all these examples architecture and changes in space and mood are used to affect the way people experience and remember a space.

Real Time

UMBO umbo (lat.: elevation, projection, shield) A table, like a building, is seen as a static entity, a stable canvas to be populated by events. The plates, tableware and food are variable according to the setting and change throughout a meal. Umbo presents the inversion of this traditional relationship- the surface of the table becomes an animated interface, while the plates are static entities, forming the fixed points determining the geometry of movement around them. Similarly, a table is an object to be passively lit by a secondary light source - here the table becomes the emissive object, illuminating the room and people. Moving lights and shadows effectuate an aqueous atmosphere. Umbo was created for a reception event after the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Critical Shiftsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; symposium, an event organized by students of the architecture department of Columbia University.

with Matt Choot curated by Agustin Schang at the Emily Harvey Gallery, Soho support: Nicolo Lewanski

Left: Photograph of Table with Projections/ Current Page: Photographs of different stages of the projection, some with food on the plates / Next page: Photographs taken during life event/ Following page: Event Photograph Photos by: Nicolo Lewanski, Harrison Bush

Real Time

LABO Labo- (Latin-wobble, wabble, quake, flap, flutter, waff )

SCENARIO 02

UMBO

This full scale interactive installation was produced at Columbia University in the Fall 2013 to study body motion as an interactive, spatial drawing tool. Since the 1980s the predominant device to manipulate three dimensional environments has been the computer mouse- a ubiquitous prosthetic of the human body forming a fragile bridge between the physical and the virtual. The installation Labo- latin for wobble, flutter- allows for an innate connection between the body and the drawinggeometries and spatial configurations can be modified, edited or switched with body movements, requiring no physical contact with the interface. Kinect is a sensor developed for gaming with Xbox, producing data from moving bodies. For Labo, it is set up in a frequented hallway, capturing the movement of people walking by. The continuously updating information is fed into a real time virtual environment, that then gets projected back into the physical space. As people walk by, this virtual super-mirror becomes an immersive, reactive surface, where users cannot just recognize their movement but also engage with an abstracted drawing based on their gestures

Intelligent Systems, Critic: Andy Payne with Mondrian Hsieh

Left: Interactive Drawings created by movement / Current Page: view of the translated body in digital space / Next page: Views of the installation located at the 300 level at Columbia, GSAPP

PHOTOS

Real Time

SPUMA

STIP

Left: Umbo: Emily Pope Blackman performing on the Little Green House Rooftop/ Current Page: Stip, Photos of events and different stages of installation during day and night

Writing

WRITING My theoretical work is primarily interested in questions relating to digital practice in architecture. The first paper here is on the topic of code and how it functions as an interface for designers as opposed to other interfaces likes CAD- software. Working on a current topic has the advantage of being able to interview people grappling with similar issues. For this reason I interviewed seven current practitioners who either use code or have a critical stance on it to help inform my paper. The second example here is concerned with the work of the Estonian national pavilion at the Biennale and an intervention we created there. As a format it is a mix between criticism and a self reflection on the intervening piece. In contrast, the research on Naoshima island is concerned with an analysis and graphical representation of power relations and territorial occupancies on this remote island in Southern Japan.

WRITING

While it is often lamented that theory in an academic context has extremely limited reach the protocols and habits of authors often do nothing to change that- it is assumed that the material will not be of interest to wider audiences or there is simply no extra effort taken beyond submitting the work back into academic circles and publications. In my writing practice I consider it essential to make my research available online- trough free publishing platforms. In booklet forms the writings have found a small, yet global readership.

Writing

CODE AS INTERFACE Code is omnipresent in society and involved in every level of the architectural design process today. For the purpose of this paper it serves as a driver to think about design methodologies – in particular through textual means- and questions of authorship and agency. Marshall McLuhan asked in his essay ‘The Medium is the Mes- sage’ in 1964 ‘What has been the effect of the typewriter in structuring the decision- making in our world?’1. Today, we can ask what the effect of code is in structuring decision-making in architecture. In traditional architecture practice, various discrete feedback systems provide different ways of assessing design- the physical model provides information about structure and spatial qualities, floor plans about floor areas and circulation, sections about heights, and so on. Traditionally each of these feedback systems had to be laboriously constructed to develop and test the design in a limited number of iterations. Architects needed to have a basic understanding of algebra, trigonometry and descriptive geometry to create these different forms of evaluation. With the advent of computing, interaction with machines was introduced into the design process, changing the speed and nature of the process.

Written in the context of a Seminar with Mark Wigley on the topic of ‘Interface’

Left: Timeline of algorithmic design/ Current Page: Pages from publication including profiles of interviewees

Writing

PLAYING THE GRID Architecture has always had a complex relationship in regards to authorship â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it is affected by a number of requirements, regulations and requests during the design process, while being subjugated to alterations, renovations and demolition once completed. Architecture has always existed in relation to the user, or someone to inhabit the space, yet the role of the architect usually ends the moment the building is finished. With interactive environments reaching the scale of architectural projects, new questions regarding authorship arise: how does the agency of architects change when their responsibility continues after the project is completed? Can inhabitation become part of the design process? Can occupants become interactors, creators or even authors in the process of using a building? This project was done in the context of the Venice Observatory, a month long residency in Venice during the Biennale 2014, funded by GSAPP, Columbia University

Left: Laura Moro performing at the Estonian exhibition/ Current Page: Pages from the publication in Estonian and English

Writing

RETHORICS OF POWER ON NAOSHIMA ISLAND Naoshima is an island of three square miles with roughly 3200 permanent residents, located in the Seto Inland See in southern Japan. Today, this little island is the site of three large museums of contemporary art as well as a number of galleries and outdoor art installations, all sponsored by the Japanese businessman Soichiro Fukutake. Analyzing the language of minimalism in its various facets on the island, the utopic ideas of Fukutake are dismantled to uncover a systemic demonstration of power. critic: Mark Wasiuta and Marina Otero

Left: map of Naoshima/ Current Page: Pages from publication with diagrams of various buildings on island

Teaching

TEACHING The work represented here is from three different courses from the past two years. My first teaching experiences were as a CNC- tutor- at the University of Applied Arts in 2007 helping students with lasercutting, 3d printing and milling. Helping students through a number of different and challenging technical problems it was at this time that I first discovered my passion for teaching. More recently, I helped with a seminar at Barnard college, titled Curating Architecture and headed by Professor Irina Verona while simultanesouly teaching Architectural Design and Representation to first year master students at Columbia University. I was working with the studio of ADR coordinator Josh Uhl in the first semester and with the studio of Amale Andraos in the second. Currently I am teaching advanced third year Master Studio with Lise Anne Couture.

TEACHING

STUDENT TESTIMONIALS Just wanted to say thanks for meeting with me today. You were really helpful and I’ve been able to make quick progress since. It’s easy to get stuck and good help is hard to find! See you tomorrow afternoon. Amanda Ortland, 11/20/13

I just wanted to thank you for such a great semester. I truly appreciate your extensive help with my studio project and computer programs. I really learned a lot from you and always looked forward to our desk critiques. I hope to see you around studio next semester. Enjoy your holidays. Thank you so much! Audrey Topp, 12/11/14 Without you I think I would have gotten almost nothing out of Architectural Drawing and Representation. Within the first few moments of meeting you, I could sense your excitement for the material. It was this attitude that drew me to you in the first place. Its surprising that even though you were not my ‘assigned’ TA you still taught me more than any other instructor in the course including the professor! The simple tricks, skills and short cuts that you showed I still use. These offhanded demonstrations and quick chats turned out to be extremely important; It’s a shame that these lessons were not more widely shared. I had to show some of the more advanced classmates a few of the things you taught me. Anyway, I just wanted to send a quick thank you and I hope you are teaching the next batch of students in the fall. Have a great summer! Scott McCagherty, 05/12/14

Teaching

ARCHITECTURAL DRAWING AND REPRESENTATION ADR for first year Master of architecture students is an overview course aiming to equip incoming students with all the essential skills needed educational and professional environments. The experience level of the students ranges from beginners to people with 5- year bachelor degrees in architecture. The first semester is based on the representation of a significant building from the history of architecture to be represented with different means- drawings, physical models and animations. The second semester is devoted to hand-drawing and parametric modeling techniques as well as basic scripting knowledge. As a teaching assistant I would support students through various assignments, as well as help with studio projects. Weekly tutorials and desk crits were augmented by frequent visits to help with specific questions.

Students (Uhl Studio): Eugene Chang, Laurel Allyson Fernandez, SohEun Han, Huynh Ngoc Ho, John Lee, Amanda Campbell Ortland, Yifan Tao, Sonia Ahmed Turk, Xiaoyu Wang, Rachel Blumberg Watson, Vincent Yan, Alexander Ehlers Rosenthal

Left: Axonometric section drawing by.., Perspective section drawing by.. / Current Page: Thumbnails from the end of year exhibition of the course, Models from top to bottom: Santa Caterina Market, OMA, cloud 9, Atelier Bow-Wow

Teaching

CURATING ARCHITECTURE- BOUNDARIES In this seminar we explored and theorized different ways of exhibiting architecture, examining overlaps with the art world, curatorial practices and architecture criticism. The first half of the semester was devoted to weekly discussion of readings concerning questions of authorship, curatorial practices and different museal activities. A number of visitors came to lecture on their work, including Nina Rappaport, Mark Wasiuta, Leah Meisterlin and Kyle May. The seminar also undertook a number of fieldtrips, including a visit to the estate of Philip Johnson, visiting the glass house and his personal galleries. In the second half of the semester the class focused on the production of a magazine, with the students creating all content and layout. As the TA of the class my function was that of an editor and production manager for the magazine- taking care of editing all texts and organizing printing and production. The final product was shown and distributed at the end of year show at Barnard College.

Boundaries is a publication for the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Curating Architectureâ&#x20AC;? seminar, held at Barnard College in the fall 2013 by professor Irina Verona

Left: Publications at the end of year show at Barnard/ Current Page clockwise: Class trip to the Glasshouse, Pages from the publication

Students: Camille Baumann-Jaeger, Dare Brawley, Emily Cass, Pascale Dugue, Marta Garcia Diaz-Pines, Celine Gordon, Natalie Jung, Maya Marder

Teaching

STUDIO COUTURE: POP-UP 2.0 Considering movement as an integral part of architecture requires a different thinking about timewhen something is transforming what schedule does it correspond to? Despite the perhaps utopic notion of a movable architecture, the aim was to develop realistic proposals and discover ways a moving system can actually work with existing or emerging technology. Additionally students were asked to develop apps, allowing users or public to direct the moving parts of the structure. The apps would include a calendar and scheduling device, allowing users to book certain timeslots. Through communal control the projects propose a sharing economy for changing adaptable spaces. As a teaching assistant I was involved in every aspect of the design studio- from writing assignments for students to desk crits. I was in studio for a full afternoon at least twice a week to support students conceptually and technically with their studio projects. Additionally I provided a number of workshops helping students with their modeling and animation skills.

Students: Seung Baik, Min Cui, Ho-gyum Kim, Yongwon Kwon, Dake Li, Yuyang Lin, Felipe Molina-Vasquez, Chenyu Pu, Audrey Topp

Left: Interface design by Yongwon Kwon, Ho-gyum Kim and Min Cui / Current Page: Project by Ho-gyum Kim

Teaching

Left: Yongwon Kwon/ Current page: Min Cui