Noa Younse
GSAPP AAD 2010-2011
Guide Introduction 03
Robotic Environments: 04 The Future of Intelligent Cities Summer 2010 + Thomas Leeser
Safety-Net Plus 14 Community Seeds for Haiti’s Future Fall 2010 + Keith Kaseman Brain Hacking 24 Brain + Architecture Spring 2011 + Toru Hasegawa & Mark Collins
Visual Studies 32
A collection of work from a single year at GSAPP 3
2010 robotCity Summer Thomas Leeser
The increase in the power of technology has already changed the way in which we inhabit our surroundings. It will continue to impact our lives as it increases in complexity at an exponential level. robotCity seeks to discover possibilities of this transformation and its potential to impact the lives of those who occupy it. Set in the near future, and located in the Hudson River, the project’s goal was to imagine how to utilize the site and create a connection between the expanding zones of Manhattan and New Jersey. Based off the article, “Filling in the Hudson,” by Alfred Albelli [1935], the proposal sought to divert the water from the Hudson in order to gain access to the land underneath. 4
Technology was projected to be something converging on biological patterns and behaviors. An analysis of the growth of plants, such as weeds and grasses, was the metaphor employed in the distribution of these highly interactive robotic buildings. The cellular composition of a plant’s individual elements were transformed into a series of living pods that would remain independent, yet work together to support the larger structure. The pods themselves would each serve as individual entities, with the ability to expand or contract its structure to a small degree in reaction to a global stimulus. The collective impact of many units acting/reacting would then transform the entire building and create a moving field of living architecture. 7
Physical studies were performed to test the concept of a greater reaction from a series of smaller movements. An aperture [left] was created from a series of flat panels and pin connections. The individual panels would simultaneously rotate with the movement of the top ring. Small expandable arms [above] were manufactured and then paired with an Arduino-like device to sense motion and react accordingly. Each unit could detect movement and either expand or contract its leg connections. The collective behavior of many of these units generated a surface that could dramatically change from one condition to the next. 9
Diagrammatic exercises were conducted to start to study the possibilities of bringing the human into the machine. An general attitude about this interaction was generated from these graphic sketches. 10
Using Rhino and Grasshopper, simple particle simulations [right] were conducted to digitally test the possibilities of collective reactions. The tests illustrated the potential to create a grasslike city from these individual component behaviors.
Structural pods woven together were the last iteration of this design exploration. The collections of units would populate the newly dried riverbed of the Hudson, generating an ever changing, ever moving landscape of inhabited machines. By creating a network of communicating robots, the conditions of the living city would change to optimize the quality of life for its living participants. The generation of the overall system could provide the opportunity to change out individual units without drastically compromising the overall composition of the building. Buildings would shift and rotate to share the natural qualities such as daylight or airflow among all the residents. The units themselves would also form a direct connection with its occupant, adjusting as necessary and providing input to the greater structure. The robot city would be an example of using an adaptive form of technology to enhance our living experiences. 13
2010 reGrowth Fall Keith Kaseman
On February 12th, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck the country of Haiti, causing massive amounts destruction and upsetting the lives of millions of Haitians. The impact of the catastrophe was magnified due to the existing levels of poverty and environmental degradation. reGrowth set out to address these issues by generating a form that could assist in the rebuilding of communities and the landscape. 14
The population of Haiti is concentrated around a few particular areas [above]. Port au Prince, the capital and largest city of Haiti, was severely affected by the earthquake. The event forced many residents to abandon their crumbling structures, with very few of those evacuated residents finding proper shelter [above right]. The displacement was an invitation for us to look into different possibilities of changing the social fabric of Haiti. In addition to the social disaster, a preexisting condition created by the extreme poverty was the destruction of the environment. The challenge of living on an impoverished island had forced the residents to take any possible resource that could be sold. One such resource was the forest. The Haitian half of Hispaniola has been nearly obliterated [right]. Flooding, landslides, and further environmental depreciation have resulted from this action. 16
The proposal, in this case, is to primarily focus on the landscape as a means of rebuilding the community. A new type of landscape could be developed – one that fuels community growth while concurrently reaching out to fortify the hillsides around it. The aim of the project is to give the people a multi-use shelter shaded by planter boxes and located on one of the hillsides impacted by deforestation. By focusing on areas potentially subject to landslides, usually in the less urban zones, the potential for more meaningful community outreach is possible. An example site lies just west of Port-au-Prince is a hillscape in a city named Grand Saline. By analyzing the slope of the landscape and then applying a network of points [previous page], a series of interventions can be formulated to cascade the potential impact. 18
dirt
mesh grate
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The planter boxes would start on the hillside itself, and then ramp up above it to provide shelter below. The embedded boxes would give the building a more permanent footprint and begin to stabilize the hillside. The actual trees planted within them would further increase that stability. 21
The smaller planter boxes hung above the shelter space would have a removable inset [previous page]. This would then give the curators the ability to transport the sapling to surrounding areas. Over time, the collective process of assisted growth and then transplantation would supply the landscape with stabilizing vegetation. The smallest boxes, nearest the edge of the structure, would be for lighter growth, possibly crops for the community. Within the structure, partially nestled in the hillside, would be larger collection spaces to be used for storage or shelter during natural disasters, and the shaded areas could be used as an open air community center or marketplace. The long term impact of these structures across the country of Haiti would most likely be beneficial to both the community and the environment. 23
2011 brainHacking Spring Toru Hasegawa / Mark Collins
As with robotCity [Summer 2010], the focus of this studio was to analyze the possibilities of emergent technologies on architecture and the human experience. Explorations and theorizations about where technology will be within our lifetimes, and beyond, were at the heart of this session. In particular, the human brain was the setting for this journey. One field that is starting to popularize itself is the BCI – Brain Computer Interface. Appearing on mainstream media and infiltrating the gaming market, the relevance of the technology is gaining strength. We, as students of Architecture, sought to utilize this developing toolset in ways that we could understand. 24
To test for a correlation between the built environment and the brain’s perception of it, I conducted an experiment using the Emotiv [a consumer level BCI device], and the Microsoft Kinect [a gaming device that can measure 3-D points and track people in real time]. A subject was asked to perform different physical tasks[right] 26
- standing, walking, climbing over an object, and waving their arms. The brain readings were then taken from each session and compared to the control [standing]. The conclusion to be drawn was that different movements do impact the kinds of brain activity in a person.
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3 E To build off of the experiment, it can be assumed that the qualities of spaces can then affect the brain’s interpretation of the spaces. The brain activity would change according to a change in the physical activity. Bringing it back into the world of architecture, this becomes a seed for design. Fractal algorithms were utilized in this exploration. The fractal 28
has properties conducive to the generation of spaces of increasing complexity from a very simple rule set. A well known fractal, the Koch curve, was used to illustrate the possibility of creating a varying series of conditions with only a few iterations of the process. By applying the rules selectively at each generation, a varied path is formed[above left].
From there, the Hilbert curve, a space filling curve, was used to generate a path to navigate in three dimensions. The space filling curve has the property of approaching its original bounding box while never actually exceeding it [left, A-E]. Additionally, it creates one continuous path who’s length increases exponentially with each generation. An manipulation of this path, coupled with an operational surfacing algorithm, produced a continuous path of varying conditions intended to induce a range of physical challenges and related brain activity. 29
By allowing the structure to record this newly generated physical movement and brain activity as one traversed the designed path, a history of that person could be stored within the system’s database. The culmination of this information would expand upon the Japanese cultural tradition of the Butsudan. The Butsudan is a shrine used to worship one’s ancestors. It usually contains mostly symbolic artifacts and is used statically. This proposal aims to utilize the recorded history of physical presence and mental traces as an additional means of connecting with and understanding the ancestor. Using the structure’s flat surfaces as visual indicators of this history and a kind of mental connection or state, the visitor can begin to obtain information about those that came before him. And, recursively, as he is experiencing the past, the system is recording him to present in the future. 31
Visual Studies In addition to the studio work, the Visual Studies courses that I have taken at Columbia have not only assisted in giving me the technical skills to address a range of problems, but have also helped me to interpret assignments with a more critical eye. 32
2010 Search: Adv. Algorithms Fall Toru Hasegawa & Mark Colins
An introduction to scripting and data analysis and visualization. Processing, a Java based language developed by Ben Fry and Casey Reas, was used to illustrate how code could be used to explain data. The New York Times project [left] with Nathan Smith accessed the New York Times API to bring in articles based on given keyword. Connections were drawn among certain words from the article text and headline to form a unique line for that article. One ‘stop’ was then chosen as the seed for the next article search which built its own line. This process was repeated as many times as necessary, with the lines eventually forming an intricate network of shared and non-shared words. 35
2010 Architectural Photography Fall Erieta Attali
Taught by Erieta Attali, we critically analyzed the built environment through the means of photography. Personally, I chose to focus my lens on points of high contrast and areas of visual order. 36
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2010 Faking It Fall John Szot
Using film as a means of storytelling, this course allowed us to focus on the challenge of communication within a given time frame and with limited resources. The three assignments utilized different techniques of media. The first [opposite], a compilation of time lapse images taken from Coney Island, explored how a mood could be created around the city. The second [right] and third [following page], tested our ability to storyboard a sequence and then bring that story to life. 40
2010 Digital Craft Summer Josh Uhl & David Fano
An introduction to the digital side of Columbia. Using tools like Rhino, 3dsMax, and After Effects, we learned to successfully describe a structure in a variety of ways. From digital modeling and rendering, 3-D fabrication, and animation, we were exposed to the scope of possibilities for architectural delineation. 44
Energy information gathered
Energy habits changed
Statistics sent to wireless device User becomes aware of his global contribution
2011 Other Design Spring Michael Rock & Yoonjai Choi
Analyzing the process of generating communicative diagrams. Through several assignments we challenged the conventional Excel graph and focused our attention on the graphic nature of information presentation. From the icon project [above], we learned about how the colors, shapes, weights, and details of each element in a project can all play a part in successfully communicating a message. 48
Household summary broadcast to the world
2011 Appitecture Spring Toru Hasegawa & Mark Collins
Working with Carson Smuts, we learned to write real working applications using Apple’s XCode. As an expansion upon the principles taught in the Search course, Appitecture further reinforced the possibilities of the role of scripting in the profession. BARTBART [left], which is currently in the App store [search BARTBART], serves as a working example of just how much we, as people in the world of architecture, have the ability to become multidisciplinary professionals. 49
2011 Still Spotting Spring Laura Kurgan & Sarah Williams
With the possibility of geolocation on the internet, cellphones and other interactive media, a spatial understanding of social activity can be visualized. In this sketch, chatter about National Public Radio is visualized by way of digital activity via Twitter over the course of 24 hours. Each NPR affiliate [red dots] was searched in the Twitter database and then geographically plotted through time [blue dots] on top of a map of US cities [white dots]. The number of tweets from one location around the given time is extruded [vertical orange line] indicating the specific tweet density while the overall tweet average is calculated below [lower left, above the clock]. 50
BodyHack EEG Workshop Kinne Trip, Spring 2011 52