Design Research Folio

PORTFOLIO

by, Neady Atieno Oduor, BArch Tech, MA Arch.

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IGITAL UNFORGETTING Towards Inclusive archiving; Workshop facilitated

OMMUNITY LIVING IN A PANDEMIC Research Article for Non-Architecture journal

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HE WOMAN´S CRAFT VILLAGE A systems approach to design justice, Masters Thesis.

Neady Oduor is a Kenyan-borne architect, designer, feminist, researcher, budding systems thinker with an MA in Architecture from DIA- Bauhaus. She is currently a curatorial and research intern at the Canadian Centre of Architecture. Her research lies at the intersection of architecture, science & technology, and social & cultural studies. She researches themes of co-design and computer-aided participatory design for building community resilience.

She is passionate about the work that the marginalized do; organizing, collaborating and creating for and within their communities, and is working on related ethnographic projects. Her work has been featured on various platforms including Future Architecture platform and Digital Futures.

COMMUNAL LIVING IN THE TIMES OF A PANDEMIC Submitted for Non-Architecture platform open call, ´Pandemic Society´. Published in the online journal, January 2021 1. Rituals and communal living.

“Social distancing is reducing physical interaction between people and it lowers the chances

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HIANG MAI WELLNESS BOTANICAL RESORT Studio Design Project Thailand

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ENYAN CULTURAL CENTER Studio Design Project Germany

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ECOND SKIN Bioplastics experimentation and Robotic fabrication.

DAPTIVE CITY CAR Design Research, robotic fabrication and assembly.

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DIGITAL U NF O R G E T T I N G

DIGITAL FUTURES: INCLUSIVE FUTURES WORKSHOPS (Virtual) Workshop Title: Digital Unforgetting, towards inclusive archives.

Facilitated by: Neady Oduor and Sadia Mounata.

Key Words: Indigenous knowledge, Digital Archiving, Inclusive Archiving, Memory Required Skills: Research methods, Interests in mental mapping.

Required Software: N/A Required Hardware: Access to the internet, Access to archives of any kind.

Maximum number of participating students: 10

-Archives ask questions.

-Archives tell stories.

-Archives are warnings.

-Archives are memories.

In this workshop, we will explore knowledge at the margins.

We will dive into well-known archives and relate the influence of this past knowledge to present day making; in so doing we aim to identify the hierarchies in knowledge collection, archiving and legitimization.

Participants are encouraged to have collective imagination of new ways of life around indigenous knowledge they may have inherited or interacted with. What knowledge do you have that is not in museums and archives, who does it belong to, and what ways can this knowledge be passed on, outside appropriation?

Jun 27 - Jun 30 • Day 1 / Jun 27 An examination of existing archives; Indigenous knowledge passing • Day 2 / Jun 28 Why do/should we archive? A call to unforget knowledge you may have inherited, interacted with or repurposed.

An analysis of techniques, material systems, social structure, culture, climatic conditions that influence the various forms of knowledge in architecture, craft and design will be discussed. We will utilize the wealth of diverse contributions from participants to formulate our customized archival space.

Revolutionizing the way, we design means revolutionizing the way we archive, what novel methods, digital or otherwise do you think we can use in unforgetting indigenous knowledge? Museums and archive institutions are after all acquiescent to the systems of domination that manage them, can digital tools subvert this to create space for all forms of knowledge?

We will explore how methods like Mixed Reality have changed architectural archiving and how these and other digital tools can be used to legitimize Traditional Ecological Knowledge.

At the end of the workshop participants will acknowledge the knowledge they wish to unforget and how best digital tools can create space for them for collective imagination and sharing.

• Day 3 / Jun 29 Collective imagination and discussion around participants´´ memory archiving • Day 4 / Jun 30 Digital showcase of memory archiving explorations.

DIGITAL UNFORGETTING (2021) For Digital Futures Platform, inclusive futures workshops A theoretic workshop facilitated by Neady Oduor and Sadia Mounata Digital Futures platform 2021

ABSTRACT: Rapid digitalization is revolutionizing the way we interact with knowledge, changing how we preserve, disseminate and acquire it. Where does our knowledge come from?

This paper delves into archives as nascent of knowledge. Archives work to preserve, curate and pass on knowledge across time and context; they also represent individual and collective memory during a period in time and place. There is a link between knowledge currently canonized and how, where and by whom it was archived. Archiving was formalized by the Greek, the Archeion being an administrative space. They were later used in the middle ages for private record keeping and early modern European states, post- French revolution, to entrench state dominance. Archives therefore became formal, state steered, administrative tools allowing little room for diverse systems of knowledge. Knowledge at the margins; which is passed down in oral tradition, informally across generations, is therefore culturally significant but not canon, even in contexts where it is relevant. Knowledge relegated is dispensable, creating individual and collective memory loss. This is why democratizing knowledge is important.

Archives evolve with technological advancement, from the printing press that venerated writing to technological tools giving rise to digital archives. Digital archives have expanded the concept of how, who and what can be preserved. The archive, archivist, curator and user find harmonic confluence within digital spaces. Personal video logs, photo logs, administrative, historical, genealogical databases, digital libraries, are equally archives as they are accessible to seekers of knowledge. Expanding the notion of archives expands knowledge and access to it.

In this paper, we explore memory, archives and systems of knowledge with “digital unforgetting” and digital archiving as methods towards knowledge preservation. The paper is a culmination of a workshop (Digital Unforgetting by Oduor, Mounata on Inclusive Futures 2021) which explores archives as repositories of memory and knowledge, personal and indigenous and how digital tools allow archives to transcend the formal and mainstream.

During the workshop, knowledge at the margins was explored. Workshop participants investigated well known archives and how they have influenced present-day making; in so doing they identified the hierarchies in knowledge collection, preservation, archiving and legitimation. They identified how in their own formal education, mainstream knowledge systems were emphasized, rendering indigenous knowledge from their respective contexts unusable. They scrutinized the evolution of archiving, subsequently speculating its future.

Participants were encouraged to have collective imagination of new ways of life around indigenous knowledge they may have inherited or interacted with.

While answering questions of what to archive and why they were previously unarchivable, they explored digital archiving tools. Museums and archive institutions are after all acquiescent to the systems of domination that manage them, can digital tools subvert this to create space for all forms of knowledge?

At the end of the workshop participants identified the memories they wished to unforget and how best digital tools can create space for new archives. The unforgetting exercise called for critical reflection as they took on the roles of archivists, curators and users of the archives they created. The diversity of backgrounds from India, Iran, China, Bangladesh, Kenya and Spain opened up honest discussions around indigenous knowledge each participant had interacted with. Participants explored how methods like Mixed Reality, mixed Media, Digital Interfaces, Machine Learning models, Block-chain and Artificial Intelligence can change archiving and how these and other digital tools can be used to legitimize Traditional Ecological Knowledge. This paper will explore the memories presented by participants, link them to knowledge systems around material, technology, social structure, culture, politics, ecology and climatic conditions. Considering the proposals for digital archiving, we outline the implications of the experimental archives to passing of knowledge.

In conclusion this paper tries to draw parallels between memory, archiving, knowledge creation and knowledge preservation. Digital tools are explored to subvert the hierarchies created by past knowledge creation. The potential for digital archives to accelerate knowledge democratization lies in its ability to host a diversity of voices, across disciplines, culture and context. Knowledge then ceases to exist in enclaves of privilege. Discussing the potential of digital archives also means exploring access to technology especially by groups whose knowledge systems have been left out or appropriated. How does the democratization of knowledge happen simultaneously with the democratization of technology? Can our collective and individual memory on certain knowledge systems benefit from digital archives?

KEY WORDS: Memory, Archiving, Knowledge systems, Digital Unforgetting.

COMMUNITY LIVING DURING A PANDEMIC

1. Rituals and communal living.

“Social distancing is reducing physical interaction between people, and it lowers the chances of spreading illness between people. Practice social distancing by putting space (at least 6 feet) between yourself and others.”

(CDC 2020) The Bukusu people of rural Kenya await circumcision season annually; the ritual, a rite of passage for adolescent boys ushering them into adulthood.

These ceremonies were cancelled in 2020 due to Covid-19 restrictions.

In the same way the Luo people of Western Kenya known for elaborate funeral and burial rites to transition their dead to the spirit world have had to stop in adherence with restrictions. Elsewhere Nigerian and Brazilian churches were forced to halt in-house services. 2020´s Ramadan celebrations by Muslim faithful contrasted the regular as fewer Muslims broke fast together and the pilgrimage to Mecca cancelled.

These are but some of the communities that have had to forfeit cultural rituals in the wake of the pandemic. The importance of rituals is understated. With a global pandemic previously having been decades behind us, humanity as a collective has not had to grapple with not having rituals to ground them socially.

COMMUNITY LIVING DURING A PANDEMIC (2021) For Pandemic Society, Non Architecture Journal An article by Neady Oduor Published January 2021 https://www.nonarchitecture.eu/2021/01/04/communal-living-in-the-times-of-a-pandemic/

COMMUNAL LIVING IN THE TIMES OF A PANDEMIC Submitted for Non-Architecture platform open call, ´Pandemic Society´. P online journal, January 2021

1. Rituals and communal living.

“Social distancing is reducing physical interaction between people and it l of spreading illness between people. Practice social distancing by putting feet) between yourself and others.” (CDC 2020)

Published in the

lowers the chances space (at least 6

In the spirit of adjustment, rituals have moved online, a privilege that may not be afforded to communities that are most attached to rituals. The resistance to ending the rituals is considered irrational but it must be noted that the resistance to regulation pushes more people to break distancing regulation. The Luo people for example took to ambushing burial processions and holding the body until proper rights were observed posing a risk to themselves and health officials. This is probably because communal governance is done differently from government policy. An in between that caters to communal needs while also adhering to regulations should be addressed.

It is worth noting the dichotomy between need for ritual and community living, how the ceremonies have woven a way of life for people over generations, intertwining with the survival and ordering of a community.

1.1 The Paradox of social distancing.

Social denotes need for community, distancing denotes separation. To be separate while in community is negation. The pragmatic term is probably physical distancing. There are communities for whom survival is dependent on “social non distance”.

The women in rural Kenya that run cooperative groups to distribute funds, food and supplies around villages, the weekly produce markets by small scale farmers, Slum dwellers who cannot practice household quarantining, refugees in camps where the 6ft rule is far from enforceable with Moria camp in Greece having 204 people per square meter.

Physical distance enforcement raised questions about spaces we inhabit, are homes enhancing physical and mental wellbeing? How crucial is public space in a time of physical distancing? Critical thought is minorly directed at the spaces of communal living, probably due to the self-build nature of these spaces. Communal space-making is often borne out of need to survive outside of exclusionary formal structures such as urban planning.

There is an understated privilege to physical distancing.

Urban areas have somewhat managed to enforce distancing, one cannot ignore however the cultural differences between communal living areas and formal urban spaces. Communities in rural areas, slums and refugee camps are overpopulated and rely on their collective activities for survival. Cases in these areas remain lower than expected. In the case infection rates go up, minimal access to healthcare, testing and quarantining facilities presents inconceivable peril.

How then with consideration of economic, socio-cultural and political implications does communal space design facilitate the regulations needed to avoid and contain infection?

1.1.1 Communal living design peri- and post-pandemic.

Utilizing this sense and need for community to combat the spread of the virus is crucial. Design strategies should work with communities by treating each community as a unique functioning ecosystem as opposed to a microcosm of the larger context.

Communal spaces could prove beneficial to stretching out services that would however not reach the larger populations of communal living spaces.

Zoned centers could be beneficial to testing, with testing booths that work with scheduled visits from zoned areas of the community. Zoning and scheduled movements could also extend to economic and social services such as market days, food distribution and contact tracing.

Liaising with community leaders could help with setting of specific guidelines.

Rituals such as burials can still involve cultural traditions that are necessary without posing a threat of infection. A group of trained community members could be involved in burials with family members. Transition celebrations could involve fewer community members. Community leaders could also be crucial for dissemination of credible information within their communities.

Government, planners and policy makers must facilitate expansion of the sites for communal living. Quarantine centers, isolation wards, medical emergency centers are all forms of new infrastructure that are dire especially for slums and refugee camps. Spaces not used during lockdowns could be repurposed, new spaces made during the pandemic should be flexible with changing periods peri-pandemic. Portable housing should be considered for post-pandemic living. Flexible easy to put up and take down structures could act as temporary fix. Infrastructure improvement should however be considered for the long term, the pandemic has after all laid bare the inequalities that already exist within planning and policy.

We have been presented a unique opportunity to reconsider the strategies for urban and community planning and designing. A post pandemic world should shift from the world as we knew it, we might at this epoch be preparing for other pandemics or natural disasters, we must analyze and speculate how the communities around us will exist. We must envision viable ways of augmenting the self-build culture of the marginalized communities around the world.

TH W E O M A N S THE WOMANS CRAFT VILLAGE; Layeni, Loiyangalani Kenya. (2020) A Systems approach to Design Justice A Master Thesis project by Neady Oduor Dessau Graduate School of Architecture- Bauhaus Dessau, Germany Studio supervisor: Prof Sina Mostafavi Second supervisor: Prof Ivan Kucina

V CR I L A L F A T G E

THE WOMANS CRAFT VILLAGE SYNOPSIS This project is an interrogation of the 4th Industrial revolution, who it includes and who has access to it.

Seeing as the next industrial revolution is deemed as a probable tool for development and human advancement it was important to highlight for whom previous revolutions have brought minimal advancement.

Social systems theory allows for interrogation of power structures within the context of Northern Kenyan societies and how this affects levels of access. By virtue of the Matrix of Domination(Coined by Black Feminist theorist Patricia Hill Collins to highlight the intersection of race, gender, class etc within structures of society) it is evident that Women of colour in rural arid or semi arid areas are least likely to have access to the tools proposed for advancement.

Thus led to exploration of existing Woman only Villages, studied in research as Counter-systems which are responses to existing social systems but act as disruptive agents of change. Umoja Women’s village in Samburu county, Kenya was the muse for the design project. A well known Matriarchal village in Kenya that was created by women escaping abuse from men and the toxic traditions within their communities.

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The project employs various multidisciplinary levels of research to arrive at design strategies that align with the women’s needs and proposes tools for empowerment through Architecture and technology.

A proper analysis of micro social systems and their existence within mega systems allows to find ways a specific Northern community lives and how its women occupy space. The sociological research leads to a critical analysis of Kenyan women and space and how a different approach to defining space can lead to women having more autonomy over their dwellings.

Different activities of women within a typical Kenyan village are analysed, these are mapped out and represented in relation to needs of various demographics of women. Using the open planning concept of the El Molo people of Turkana, a fluid system of flow of activities is explored, dividing the activities in Private, Public and Protected areas.

The material system is an ode to women led Architectural craft in Kenya, Earth Architecture forming the geometries of activities made by women from Southern Kenya.

The light wooden structure forming the shading from light structures by the nomadic people of Northern Kenya.

The woven panels and windows from weaving systems of women around Kenya.

A systemic approach to fabrication and construction allows for WOMAN-ROBOT collaboration. The women are able to access the technical skills needed to further their systems of construction and craft. This gives potential for community based research on how best to further contextual vernacular architecture.

Computation and parametric methods also learn from the variant crafts of the women, creating a feedback system of learning and improving by the women and the technical tools.

A study of counter system culture introduces radical ways to effect change within societies through education and advocacy. The women leaving their communities and isolating not only offers protection to victims but also effects change in society by making their plight visible. Radical change is effected by radical action and it is expected that more communities would want to learn from mistakes so as to integrate and coexist.

In the end the woman’s village acts as a conveyor belt of sorts with the end goals being an integrated better educated society.

The woman’s village is therefore a centre of refuge for women, an advocacy centre, a social justice education centre and an woman-robot collaboration research centre.

THE WOMEN

Lekoloi: Young El Molo woman with a physical disability from birth.

She uses a wheelchair for mobility.

Survey on spatial needs for women of different demographics; By running a survey on various women and what they require of the spaces they inhabit

I want to access all areas without always needing help.

Loboitangu: 72 year old Samburu woman who formally performed FGM on young girls, now against it she teaches oral tradition to young adolescent women.

I want spaces close together to minimize moving around too much.

that is missing in current space

I would like access to technology and skill development to make a life for myself.

I require space to run a craft business and to do my craft in my free time.

A space to learn about and advocate for equal opportunities for the disabled.

I need warmer rooms especially in the night.

To see well there should be plenty of light in all areas.

Warm colours and tones on the walls and rooms.

Quiet spaces.

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Lekomon: Middle aged Samburu woman with a beading business.

Catherine: Advocacy consultant from the civic society.

An experienced social justice educator.

A space to meet all the women with specific breakout areas to meet with specific areas.

I need a convenient way to get to all my daily activities without having to leave the village.

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I need a communal space to meet with other women that is safe and private.

Public areas that are separate from victims of abuse to avoid further traumatizing them.

I require space to run a craft business and to do my craft in my free time.

Nyawira: Young Abagusii mother with a newborn. Moved from the postnatal centre.

Secure secluded space to protect from antagonising community members.

A convenient cooking, cleaning areas that dont require me fetching water.

A collective space with other postpartum mothers to form a support for each other.

Easy access to kitchen, cleaning and washing areas.

Access to post natal healthcare that is cheap and close for convenience.

A collective nursery to make it easier to watch children at once.

Areas for changing and baby-care in public

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Lingoine: Young Turkana woman who is looking to further her education after high school having been denied opportunity Private spaces to be with my peers. by her family.

I need access to learn skills I need, through the internet.

Relaxing spaces to study, with softer tones in color and texture.

Sleeping area should be more communal with my peers

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Sidai: Teenage Maasai girl who was rescued from an FGM ceremony.

Has just started high school education.

Abdi and Kingasunye: Pre-teen boys in primary school.

I need a convenient way to get to all my daily activities without having to leave the village.

I need a communal space to meet with other women that is safe and private.

I require space to run a craft business and to do my craft in my free time.

Mpaayon: Mother of three, has been a victim of domestic abuse.

Is trying to find ways to sustain herself and her children after being rescued from a violent A place for all the children to play and be home. taken care of collectively.

A convenient cooking, cleaning areas that dont require me fetching water.

I want to read and play a lot.

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I want to be with my friends my age most times.

Chebet and Kawira: Young girls in primary school.

I want a place to make toys and play with them.

Something that would make my choresI more want to read and play a lot. efficient and less strenuous.

I want to be with my friends my age most times.

A way to do other activities in between Iworkenjoy bright colours and like making and doing craft work. ing rooms colourful Introduction to technology.

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DEMOGRAPHIC SPECIFIC ACTIVITY MAPPING Mapping out of user movements on the activity chart by identifying their activities through the day.

This gives a sense of which activities are most likely to happen together at once and at what part of the village.

It also highlights high traffic areas which can be used as circulation of housing of activities that do not demand room.

With the study arranging of physical space functions is easier with the three main areas being identified as Public, Private and Protected.

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Oral tradition

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Wooden framework structure made from bent wooden members

Wood joining the frame to the clay structure

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THE VERNACULAR Learning from the women

The Samburu hut- woman built The huts are small and low, about 12x8, four feet high. Twigs and sticks are interwoven or tied into the basic shell; cow dung, clay and mud are mixed and applied inside and out to form hard walls and top.

The Borana Hut- woman built Made from wood and skins. Sticks are bent to form a framework.

A thatch called dase from the fibres of the sharp-tipped chakke plant is woven as covering.

The El Molo hut- both men and women built Doum palm fronds are tied together to form a strong member. These are then woven together in a circular form supported by timber members giving the hut an igloo shape.

The Turkana Hut- woman built Houses are constructed over a wooden framework of domed saplings on which fronds of the Doum Palm tree Hyphaene thebaica, hides or skins, are thatched and lashed on.

The Kisii Hut- woman built A round, windowless structure with a framework of thin branches, walls of dried mud, and a conical, thatched roof. A plaster of mud and cow dung is placed on the walls to prevent cracks and for decoration.

The Maasai Hut-woman built Circular or oval shaped built on a frame made from poles which are interlaced with a lattice of smaller branches which are then plastered with a mixture of water, mud, cow dung and even human urine.

Clay forming geometries of activities

THE FUNCTIONS

The village seeks to serve as a centre for empowerment of women through Rescue; Rehabilitation and Refuge.

Rescue, Rehabilitation,Refuge A critical analysis of Rural Kenyan women and how they occupy space results in a reconfiguration of standardized space to accommodate their specific activities and allow for more spatial agency. Women in rural Kenya utilize space dependent on the social system, with an unspoken hierarchy imposed based off of cultural and social codes. Spaces are presumed to be predominantly male, for example among the Maasai people of Kenya, • The main square that holds meetings also known as Barazas is occupied by men because they lead the meetings.

• Adolescent boys get their own huts after circumcision while teenagers while women share the same spaces as it is expected that they will be married and move to their husband’s house.

While domestic activity is mostly female led, mapping out ownership shows very little space belongs exclusively to women.

Women are predominantly found in outdoor spaces like the compounds, markets, roadsides creating spaces of their own to commune. There they sell things, meet to discuss affairs, gossip, take care of their young children during the day.

Intrinsically these important activities don’t have traditionally defined space.

-Rescue involves taking women and girls out of violent or risky situations such as FGM ceremonies, domestic violence, early childhood marriage, unsafe at home births among others. This is supposed to happen in collaboration with health caregivers from the community, law enforcement, the judicial system and civic society to aid victims of violence and abuse.

-Rehabilitation involves post care therapy for victims, education and skill training, men education and outreach, advocacy to other villages.

-Refuge is the largest area and involves accommodation for victims, women of all ages, their children. This contains a bulk of the activities of interaction within the village.

These areas are interconnected but some areas are considered more sensitive and thus the level of access is graded as -Protected- Completely removed from public access -Private- Partial access -Public- Accessible to public

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8- Common area 9- Accommodation elderly women 10- Food prep 11- Cooking 12- Granary and storage 13- meeting area

1- Resource library 2- Study 3-Admin office 4- Advocacy office

1- Craft Consultancy office 2- Craft training centre 3- Craft Lab-weaving 4-Craft lab 2-beading 5- Archive centre 6- Storage for craft

1-Admin office and reception 2-Baraza meeting area.

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WOMAN-ROBOT COLLABORATION

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MICRO-MESO

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From the vernacular Architecture of the Samburu and El Molo people the stick framework method of building is used on smaller structures and extension features

Robotic fabrication of the woven frames made from tessellation of the parts that are joined using 3D printed joinery tools

Robotic fabrication can benefit from vernacular joinery methods used by the women to produce curved forms and structures. A new method from this research can be introduced.

Mud plastering and color decorating is done by the women dependent on the cultural coding. Manual shotcrete method is also done by the women on the clay structure.

Robotic shotcrete method, using code made for shotcrete efficiency to enhance the layers and thickness variations of the mud walls

Depending on the changing activities the women can customise the interior spaces, A shotcrete method that works to vary thickness of materials can be made possible using technology.

Manual weaving by women experts is done on the weaving panels. Using VR the women also follow computational weaving methods to fabrication.

Windows are woven manually by the women with an array of patterns using raffia material

Bending of wood using steam.

Robots may be used in bending, cutting and preparing the frame.

Fabrication of the woven panels and computational woven methods done using robots offsite and brought in as parts to be assembled.

The cultural coding by the women in terms of weaving and plastering can be made into technical data. This gives variety to parametric association with craft and enhances the womens skills.

WOMAN-ROBOT COLLABORATION

TH K E E N Y A N THE KENYAN CULTURAL INSTITUTE: BERLIN; GERMANY (2018) A culture of self preservation Studio project by Neady Oduor Dessau International Architecture Studio supervisor: Prof Johannes Kister

C U L T U R A L

I N S T I T U T E

A culture of self preservation The term self-preservation in its simplest definition describes both the set of behaviors by means of which individuals attempt to preserve their own existence and the physical processes that establish these behaviors.

Cultural centers are reservoirs of culture, preservers of sorts for the culture they try to showcase.

Granaries in Kenyan communities preserved food from harvest for coming seasons of drought.

The typology of granaries in tropical regions is a raised structure to protect from pests, flood water and on occasion intruders.

The Manyatta is both sound in structure (the form held in place by sticks woven together and finished in cow dung and thatch) and a symbol of cultural preservation among the Maasai people of Southern Kenya and Northern Tanzania.

Thus the Manyatta came to Berlin.

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To introduce the diversity of Kenyan culture within Berlin, the Manyatta is simply not transported but intergrated, raised from the street in an act of cultural self preservation and introducing a path through the plaza reminiscent of the covered European street. The resulting street foyer is an experience transporting visitors to a Kenyan marketplace.

KITCHEN

EVENTS OPEN LOUNGE

STORAGE

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ARTISTS' ADMIN

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MEDIA CENTRE

MEETING ROOM STORAGE

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THE CHIANG MAI WELLNESS BOTANICAL RESORT; CHIANG MAI THAILAND (2019) Studio project by Neady Oduor King Mongkut´s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, Thailand Studio supervisor: Dr.Ravij Kuanprasert

CONTEXTUAL STUDIES; CHIANG MAI; THAILAND

Doi Ang Khang is a mountain in Fang District, Chiang Mai province of Thailand. It is part of the Daen Lao Range that straddles both sides of the Burmese Thai border. From the studies of Thai Northern houses, it is notable the importance of agriculture to the people of Chiang Mai. From the homestead studies, there is a prominent rice barn for storing rice within the compound. The center of the compound is left free to allow for drying of the harvest during the harvest season.

This couples with the historic agricultural activities of the Northern region, the presence of a conservation and botanical garden near the site lead to the concept of a wellness resort that centered agriculture and botany conservation.

Material studies conducted in Chiang Mai shows a climatic response to design with vernacular systems of building. Houses are lifted from the ground because historically Thai people lived along rivers, trading and fishing. Currently the raised homes allow for cooler air passing below the house to cool in hotter seasons and creates a space for leisure and storage below. Wood and weaving of thatch is common for vernacular houses in Chiang Mai as they are readily available and directly respond to the hotter tropical climate of the region.

Contextual studies emphasize the need for responding to climatic conditions with proper material choices and design iterations that allow for active and passive cooling.

SUSTAINABLE DESIGN FOLLOWING VERNACULAR PRACTICES The curve influencing the master plan are inspired by Thai culture of hospitality. At the entrance of traditional Thai homesteads, there are pots of cool water to welcome visitors into the home. This concept informs the reception area and the entrance of the resort.

The raised houses of Thailand allow for active cooling of the entire resort. The lower level is left for leisure activities. A pool on the same level also allows for passive cooling.

The Botanical garden allows for conservation of Chiang Mais indigenous plants and flowers. The botanical garden aids wellness and also acts as a research center for agriculture and botanical studies.

The farm also allows for farm to table system between the in house kitchen and restaurant, guests can therefore be actively involved in planting and creates a cycle for sustainable food systems within the resort. The locals would also be involved in planting and providing seeds and seedlings. This ensures the community participation within the resort.

The thatched roofs of the Northern region usually made with wood structures and a woven thatch that makes the roofing light.

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT SUSTAINABLE ARCHITECTURE; WELLNESS AND AGRICULTURE Development of buildings – especially hotels – which make occupants both healthier and happier, is growing significantly. Sensory management is a key component of wellness design, with consideration given to the careful control of light (for example circadian lighting, to control mood and body clock), temperature, air quality and noise.

• Direct and indirect exposure to nature has proven to have significantly positive impacts on people’s mental and physical health, this has resulted in a sharp rise in biophilic design, the resulting emerging style which brings nature indoors, which WATG predicts will become a basic philosophy throughout the hotel sector. This design style is created not just by bringing greenery and gardens indoors, but via seamless transitions between indoors and outdoors (eg.

Soneva Jani offers villas with retractable roofs, allowing guests to watch the stars instead of TV.) • Wellness and sustainability are two sides of the same coin. Hotel resorts are increasingly making true commitments to sustainability without compromising on comfort and luxury, offering true eco-integrity and allowing guests to refocus on improving human health and giving back to their planet; for example, Lefay Resort & Spa in Lake Garda, became the first hotel in Southern Europe to receive the Green Globe certification.

TH SH E A

THE SHAPESHIFTER; A CLOWNING INSTALLATION (2019) Alternative ways of approaching wicked problems Elective studio project by Neady Oduor Dessau International Architecture Studio supervisor: Dr. Dulmini Perrera

P E S H I F T E R

ABSTRACT The architectural workforce has evolved in recent years from the male dominated industry of the60s and early 90s to a more inclusive workforce. The new millennium saw a rise in women being accepted into science and engineering courses and thereafter transitioning to the construction industry.A slow but steady rise in inclusion can be seen in Architectural practice over the years.

Architecture as a practice has a direct impact on a diverse group of users and yet majority of architects and design teams feature the same demographic.

This presents scrutiny over inclusion of othered identities.POCs, LQBTIA, People with mental and physical disabilities, different ethnicities, ages, social class etc The industry does not completely ignore its deficiency in inclusion, it, however, concludes that diverse identities automatically fit into existing systems. Inclusion is most often symbolic, with firms needing to tick boxes for healthy work environments.

Identities are however layered and complex. The doors might be open and more seats placed at the table but the environment and furniture have not changed. Othered identities are therefore expected to fit into the set mold in practice, which ignores their unique experiences that would be beneficial to work culture and design practice.

In Sexuality and Space, Beatrice Colomina presents an interesting notion on sexuality in Architecture and space or lack thereof. Stating that the politics of space has always been sexual even if spaces take part in actively erasing sexuality.

The erasure and denial of sexuality results in women having to fit into spaces once created for a male workforce. As one goes up the ladder in architectural practice, there are less women making it to top positions. This is due to the unaccommodating nature of the practice to women, as women. Women are expected to shed parts of their identities and align to the character of male counterparts to progress in their careers.

The typical architectural space is characterised by sexist,ableist culture rewarding those that can work more hours, stay late, travel more, go to sites, compete for promotions. These are the spaces that require disruption, for the inclusion of women as an integral part of practise.

This essay looks into the space women occupy in Architectural practice as othered identities.

Approaching the wicked problem of “inclusion” of women could possibly open doors for conversation into the inclusion of othered minority.

This clowning guide presents new ways for identities in Architectural practice to express and include themselves.It also presents a need to disrupt the existing spaces to fit the ´new entrants into the system. This inclusion by disruption rejects integration and instead creates new spaces,

THE SHAPESHIFTER CLOWNING GUIDE The aim of the shapeshifter space is to introduce stakeholders to new ways of approaching the problem of inclusion in practice. As opposed to a fit-into-place inclusion model, I propose a disruption of existing systems in Architecture practice that ensures all are accommodated.

The Space As a clowning space, the event venue comprises geometric shapes joined haphazardly together. This gives the illusion of a shape-shifting space that does not maintain single geometry. It is expected to be ever-changing. The walls of the space on the inside is lined with velcro to match the velcro on participants costumes.

The Facilitator, The Participant and The observer The facilitator is tasked with explaining the activity of the day to those who attend the Event. They take a passive role during the clowning session to guide the participants. This is because the actions of the participants are expected to be more instinctive and less guided.

The participant is whoever puts on a costume and assumes the character of the clown. They are to fully interact with the space and the installation as well as other participants as part of the clowning session.

The observer is whoever is not in costume. They are to be within the space, not interrupting but carefully noting the actions of either one or all of the participants.

Costume To participate the visitors are required to put on costumes made into geometric shapes. The costume is made out of flexible form material and covered in velcro material on either side.

They also have the clowns nose that when put on encourages them to take on new identities other than their usual

Understanding how they occupy space.

Once the participant has on their costume, they have five to ten minutes to get accustomed to their new form with the costume on. They are expected to move around the space and allow themselves to attach to the space itself and to other participants.

The participants’ costume can adhere to each other and gives them the chance to create a new form themselves, this in response to the main visual they are expected to fit into.

The shared visual At the center of the space is the installation that is the main tool in the structure of the conversation.

The installation should include a mix of 3 or more shapes. The participants are expected to fill the space completely with themselves in their costumes.

The feedback After the clowning exercise, the facilitator leads the participants and observers into an informal discussion on the outcomes of the clowning session. All the stakeholders then give detailed descriptions of their actions, reactions and feelings of the exercise.

The expected outcome From the exercise, it is expected that due to experience being in the space, and being able to attach to other shapes, they have better understanding of transforming spaces to fit needs or coming up with new space with new ways.

The exercise then translates into interdisciplinary work to actively analyse current office spaces and how best to disrupt normalcy with new practices and change of environment to accommodate women.

CONCLUSION Changing current systems in architectural practice will take time and a lot of effort.

The clowning activity illustrated above is meant to remove the formal obligation that is sometimes placed on firms to consider diversity and inclusion. Clowning as a method to spur conversation gives all stakeholders equal voices because as clowns they experience the event space outside of their titles.

THE FEMINIST UNBROKEN TELEPHONE (2021) Alternative ways of approaching wicked problems A proposal by Neady Oduor For Heinrich Boll Stiftung Global Feminist Pitch

TH F U E E M NB R I O K N E I N S T

T E LE P H O N E

The feminist Unbroken telephone Facilitating rural feminist community Organising and Activism

Facilitating rural feminist community Organising and Activism Women-led grassroot organising Long before I had fully come into my feminism, I watched women organise and mobilise around me. I knew about chamas long before I had a bank account or knew anything about saving. I went to school with kids whose mothers were low income earners who paid for school through table banking.

Women in rural areas of Kenya have always mobilised around the systemic challenges that they face. This kind of collective organising and mutual aid is what would later interest me in looking further into rural collectives in the global south.

Women-led groups around the global east south are agents of change within their communities. This is why we should reconsider the term “women empowerment’’ with regard to these women. The work has been happening in the grassroots. We should do more of amplifying and facilitating their work and their voices because in hindsight feminism must not catalyse shifts in power structures, for power inherently seeks to dominate, marginalise and create hierarchies, instead we should work to dismantle these power structures entirely.

Digital activism, the fourth wave of feminism Digital feminist spaces have been the nascent of many a movement in the recent past.

Campaigns like #MeToo have gained traction and had a more far reaching impact, causing ripple effects in countries where patriarchal systems suppress women uprising.

While intensifying feminist action online, it is paramount that we question levels of access across class, race, sexual orientation, religion and location. We may not hand every woman in rural Africa, Asia or South America a smartphone ( more so because rural areas have the least connection rates of electricity and internet) A global feminist movement is ideal if it is all inclusive, considering all levels of access. Power structures must be bridged and dismantled.

Women collective in rural Africa.

How then do we amplify and facilitate the work of feminists in rural areas in the east and south?

Representative 01

The feminist Unbroken telephone

Representative 02

Representative 03

Women collective in the East

A PROPOSAL FOR AN ONLINE PLATFORM FOR CROSS COMMUNITY EXCHANGE The platform follows the concept of broken telephone, hence the Feminist Unbroken Telephone. In the game broken telephone a message is passed round players and is intended to end up being the same to the initial messenger.

In the same way the Feminist Unbroken Telephone is about connecting various women-led groups with the intention of passing on knowledge on organising, resistance and mutual aid. Addressing the issue of access for rural women in the global east and south, representatives with access, pass on the messages, creating a global network of solidarity.

SECOND SKIN; BIOPLASTICS MATERIALISATION AND ROBOTIC FABRICATION (2018) Part of design and fabrication team Dessau International Architecture Studio supervisor: Prof Sina Mostafavi

S E C O N S D K I N

> SIMULATION | PRODUCTION

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2

We poured several bioplastic sheets to test how they behave when cut.

IDEA | DESIGN The concept of our bioplastic project centers around making us feel more human in the future. In a world where inorganic materials like plastic and digital data surround and control us, it could become obsolete to show what goes on inside of us. Our project “SECOND SKIN“ is supposed to remind us of our true selves.

We achieve this by creating a wearable piece made from bioplastic and focussing on the natural characteristics of it. By putting cuts of varying lengths in a sheet of bioplastic, we cause it to “open up its skin“ in the drying process and reveal what lies underneath it.

This process also creates a very interesting material texture and shows how the material behaves depending on 3 4 by what lies inside of us, the the length of the cut and the thickness of the material. The cutting pattern is inspired muscle fibres and the body heat map, and it is being sliced with a rotary cutter.

By combining the bioplastic with a thermochromic pigment, we created a material, that turns white when reaching a temperature above 31°C and hence reacts to the person wearing it.

The wearable aims to detect and record physiological signs of stress and excitement by measuring slight electrical and thermal changes in the skin. It is worn on a body and lets people keep track of stress and emotion during everyday activities and social situations.

Our production technique featured using the robotic arm combined with a rotary cutting tool.

Assembling the final piece by combining seperate pieces in an interesting way and sewing them together with transparent thread.

>MATERIAL | EXPERIMENTS

For a flexible bioplastic that bends in a way that supports our design the optimal ratio of water, gelatine and glycerol is 20:4:3.

Coffee ground as additive makes the material bend in a desired way.

However the material becomes hard and inflexibel over time. It is not appropriate for our design.

Dried orange peel as additive creates a quite flexible material with a strong orange colour. It suits well to our design approach.

Just a few drops of india ink as bioplastic additive create a really shiny and sleek material. The final bioplastic is quite rigid and is suitable for our product only to a limited extend.

For our final material we chose to add thermocromic colour. The result is a flexible bioplastic that adapts well to the body shape and changes colour depending on the body temperature.

Course Tutors: Manuel Kretzer and Sina Mostafavi Tutor Assistants: Mohammed Saad Moharram & Arise Wan Robotic workshop support: Carl Buchmann A collaborative course of Dessau Department of Design and Dessau Institute of Architecture Anhalt University of Applied Sciences | WiSe 2018

An alternate version of the final piece with thermochromic pigment featured the additive india ink which gave it a black colour high in coverage. Here you can see how the straight cuts dried to be textured.

de of us, the muscle fibres and the body heat map, and it is being sliced with a rotary cutter.

By combining the bioplastic with a thermochromic pigment, we created a material, that turns white when reaching a temperature above 31°C and hence reacts to the person wearing it.

The wearable aims to detect and record physiological signs of stress and excitement by measuring slight electrical and thermal changes in the skin. It is worn on a body and lets people keep track of stress and emotion during everyday activities and social situations. >PROCESS | DIAGRAMS

> SIMULATION | PRODUCTION

1

2

We poured several bioplastic sheets to test how they behave when cut.

3

Our production technique featured using the robotic arm combined with a rotary cutting tool.

4

Assembling the final piece by combining seperate pieces in an interesting way and sewing them together with transparent thread.

>MATERIAL | EXPERIMENTS

For a flexible bioplastic that bends in a way that supports our design the optimal ratio of water, gelatine and glycerol is 20:4:3.

Coffee ground as additive makes the material bend in a desired way.

However the material becomes hard and inflexibel over time. It is not appropriate for our design.

Dried orange peel as additive creates a quite flexible material with a strong orange colour. It suits well to our design approach.

Just a few drops of india ink as bioplastic additive create a really shiny and sleek material. The final bioplastic is quite rigid and is suitable for our product only to a limited extend.

Course Tutors: Manuel Kretzer and Sina Mostafavi Tutor Assistants: Mohammed Saad Moharram & Arise Wan Robotic workshop support: Carl Buchmann

For our final material we chose to add thermocromic colour. The result is a flexible bioplastic that adapts well to the body shape and changes colour depending on the body temperature.

An alternate version of the final piece with thermochromic pigment featured the additive india ink which gave it a black colour high in coverage. Here you can see how the straight cuts dried to be textured.

AD CI CA

A T R P Y T I V E

THE ADAPTIVE CITY CAR (2019)

Collaborative project between Dessau Interantional Architecture and Dessau department of Architecture sponsored by AUDI Part of design and fabrication team Dessau International Architecture Studio supervisor: Prof Sina Mostafavi

Studio Coordinator: Dr. Sina Mostafavi Dr. Manuel Kretzer ​ Tutors: Adib Khaeez Shazwan Mazlan Valmir Kastrati Manuel Lukas Students: Anian Till Stoib Aleksander Matalski Ashish Varshith Dominique Lohaus Fu Yi Ser Jan Boetker Katja RasbaschLam Ka SiuLaura Woodrow Marie Isabell Pietsch Marina Osmolovska Nate Herndon Neady Oduor Niloufar Rahimi Otto Glöckner Saeed Abdwin

The decisive factor for the development of a design language that seems naturally grown was to offer an alternative to the artificial and standardized appearance of an ordinary vehicle.

Instead, the design should rather meet the human need for individuality and provide a calming atmosphere as found in nature.

In addition, the choice of the diagonal position for the two drive seats had a decisive influence on the shape of the city car. Placing the seats diagonally made it possible to create large passenger areas that offer plenty of space for personal development. At the same time passengers have the opportunity to interact with their counterparts and enjoy privacy instead.

The available robotic setup was a six plus one axis system with a manual tool changer. The seventh axis was a rotary table in front of the six-axis robotic arm that allowed to reach the fixed EPS blocks from all sides. The production routine varied slightly from case to case, but most of the time it started with preparing the blocks by hot wire cutting. This was followed by milling the pieces into the right shape. Finally, the components were removed from the remaining EPS block on the bottom by hot wire cutting. During the milling process, details such as door seams and porosites or holes were added. The porosites are hexagonal shapes with varying sizes.

Since the side surfaces of these holes were designed as developable surfaces, it was possible to use the 50mm long milling spindle to cut

The windows were primarily placed on top of the vehicle to direct the visual focus of the passengers from unpleasant traffic situations to the sky or the environment and thus make the driving experience more relaxed for the passengers. When opened the cars winged doors reveal the entire passenger cabin. This makes it easy to sit down in spite of the diagonal seating position. In addition, the vehicle literally opens up to the environment.

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