Rumoer 74: Black Swan | Bout | TU Delft

periodical for the Building Technologist

74. Black Swan

LETS DESIGN THE FUTURE TOGETHER

Are you driven to design the environment of tomorrow?

Ben jij gemotiveerd om de omgeving van morgen te ontwerpen?

Let’s meet.

www.inbo.com

RUMOER 74 - BLACK SWAN 3rd Quarter 2020 26th year of publication Praktijkvereniging BouT Room 02.West.090 Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft Julianalaan 134 2628 BL Delft The Netherlands tel: +31 (0)15 278 1292 fax: +31 (0)15 278 4178 www.praktijkverenigingbout.nl rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl instagram: @bout_tud PRINTING www.druktanheck.nl ISSN number 1567-7699 EDITORIAL COMMITTEE Aditya Soman (Editor-in-Chief) Akash Changlani Javier Montemayor Leos Kiana Mousavi Prateek Wahi Sophie van Hattum COVER PAGE

Visions of the Future as illustrated by Arthur Radebaugh 1958-1962 Source: www.paleofuture.com

RUMOER is the official periodical of Praktijkvereniging BouT, student and practice association for Building Technology (AE+T), at the Faculty of Architecture, TU Delft (Delft University of Technology).

This magazine is spread among members and relations.

CIRCULATION: The RUMOER appears 3 times a year, with more than 150 printed copies and digital copies made available to members through online distribution.

MEMBERSHIP Amounts per academic year (subject to change): € 10,Students € 30,PhD Students and alumni € 30,Academic Staff SINGLE COPIES: Available at Bouw Shop (BK) for : € 5,Students €10,Academic Staff , PhD Students and alumni SPONSORS Praktijkvereniging BouT is looking for sponsors. Sponsors make activities possible such as study trips, symposia, case studies, advertisements on Rumoer, lectures and much more.

For more info contact BouT: info@praktijkverenigingbout.nl If you are interested in BouT’s sponsor packages, send an e-mail to: finances@praktijkverenigingBouT.nl DISCLAIMER The editors do not take any responsibility for the photos and texts that are displayed in the magazine. Images may not be used in other media without permission of the original owner. The editors reserve the right to shorten or refuse publication without prior notification.

INTERESTED TO JOIN? The Rumoer Committee is open to all students. Are you a creative student that wants to learn first about the latest achievements of TU Delft and Building Technology industry?

Come join us at our weekly meeting or email us @ rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

74 | Black Swan

CONTENT Articles 06

Wonderful Designs for the (un)known - Kristina Knauf & Halina Zarate, MVRDV.

46 Earthy

-Pirouz Nourian, Shervin Azadi, Hans Hoogenboom,

and Sevil Sariyildiz,

Projects

41

06

Hope on Water -Sevince Bayrak, SO? Architecture and Ideas, MEF University.

12

Opportunity in Chaos -Joanne Jimmink.

29 Cut-work Shelter -Bryce Willem, Cutwork Studio.

34 Discretised Procedural Timber -Karim Daw. 40 Aura -Britta Knobel, Studio Symbiosis.

BouT

49

4

54

Board XXVI : Introduction -Anagha Yoganand.

56

RuMoer Testimonials

Editorial

EDITORIAL Dear Reader, I am happy to introduce my first issue of RuMoer as the editor in chief. Firstly I would like to thank Prateek Wahi the previous editor who always pushed the team to continue increasing the quality of the publication and the whole team for trusting me with this new role in the committee.

RuMoer went completely digital from the issue 73:Futurity and we saw an exponential rise in the readership of our publication. In my tenure, I would like to continue this and involve our readers even more by including their feedback and suggestions when deciding the future themes.

The 74th edition of RuMoer was published in the middle of the pandemic and the theme for the issue fits well within the context of these times.

In this issue of Rumoer 74: Black Swan, we explore exemplary innovations in the built environment which can provide resilience in times of crises.

A “Black swan” phenomenon is a trigger for innovation. “Black swan” theory refers to disruptive and unprecedented events, such as wars, crises, and global pandemics, which significantly affect societies, economies, and people. Looking back into history, various crises have emerged at different times. While pandemics and desperate situations can have negative impacts on the economy, society, and people, they also provide unique opportunities for critical thinking and innovation.

Rumoer committee 2019-2020

Crises urge the designers to think and collaborate differently adapting to the situation, to come up with solutions that can potentially save society.

I would also like to thank the whole team who worked on this issue starting from Akash Changlani, Kiana Mousavi, Javier Montemayor Leos, Prateek Wahi, and Sophie van Hattum for their continuous support and hard work that they put in the publication.

Lastly, with this issue, I would like to welcome the new BouT board and their visions & plans for the upcoming year. For this, we are looking for new committee members and are excited to welcome new students to be a part of our team.

I hope you enjoy reading it !!

Aditya Soman Editor-in-chief | Rumoer 2020-2021

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74 | Black Swan 6

Figure 1. Hope on Water Foldable Structure

Projects

Hope on Water Sevince Bayrak, SO? Architecture and Ideas, MEF University.

Pandemic has unveiled the fact that it is essential to have an adequate amount of open-air areas for the whole population, that is homogeneously spread in the city. Pavements that people can walk without touching each other, parks and squares that let the elderly and kids spend time outdoors safely... For us, architects, it is not easy to turn this crisis into an opportunity but pandemic gave us the capability to reclaim public space.

For architects and urban planners, the 20th century had been a period of discovering how public space is crucial for city life. They were the vigorous advocates of squares, boulevards and plazas where people stroll through the city enjoying modern life. As the century goes on, architects’ passion for public space becomes even more clear and the concept of buildings becoming an extension of public space was more popular. The main idea was simple: Bring more people together. Let them meet in your buildings, if not in the extensions of your buildings that are already acting as a public plaza.

However, towards the end of the century, while cities were rapidly becoming global financial hot spots, it became harder to recognize architecture’s affection for public space. Though the millennium brought groundbreaking examples like Oslo Opera House or Wyly Theatre, where either rooftops or basements were cuddling up the public plazas, in reality, public space in big cities is being threatened by privatization. Persuading a client to leave the half of the constructible property for a square as in the case of Pompediu or to dig through a bank headquarters to create a public plaza like in HSBC headquarters in the 70s, is now even more arduous.

Then the pandemic happened. Once in a century. Life stopped, the show that has to go on, suddenly ended.

It is a global crisis that forces every aspect of life to be questioned, and architecture takes its share. It has to be re-examined. But how? Is it possible for a profession which has been rallied by magnetizing people to suddenly adapt to the “new normal? Reconsidering architecture from a perspective full of socially distanced people requires to rewrite the main contemporary urban theories from scratch. However, looking from a wider perspective pandemic lets us think more about the public space itself, that it is a right, not a privilege to be in reach of free, open-air public areas. In cities where they have enough accessible open-air areas, people can stay outside and still be safe while in denser areas, like in the case of Istanbul, elderly and kids were under lockdown for months.

Pandemic has unveiled the fact that it is essential to have an adequate amount of open-air areas for the whole population, that is homogeneously spread in the city.

Pavements that people can walk without touching each other, parks and squares that let the elderly and kids spend time outdoors safely... For us, architects, it is not easy to turn this crisis into an opportunity but pandemic gave us the capability to reclaim public space.

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74 | Black Swan

In the case of Istanbul, like many other big cities such as London, NYC, that are under the influence of rapid privatization, pandemic gave us a dreadful reason to reclaim public space, with a louder voice.

However, before the pandemic, there has already been a threat of another disaster in Istanbul, that requires a demand for public space as well. Since the city is on an active fault line, it is expected that an earthquake over 7 magnitudes will likely to happen in the next decade. The last earthquake that was generated by the active fault 20 years ago was in a small city very close to Istanbul. After this big earthquake in 1999, Istanbul took action and

announced around 500 public areas, where people can get together after the disaster, put tents etc. But thanks to the rapid transformation of the city, most of these areas have been privatized in the last decade, and there were only 77 of them left in 2017. Our project Hope on Water was initially triggered by this fact. We started with the idea of reclaiming the public gathering areas. The main objective of the almost absurd image of a post-disaster living unit, sailing on the water, was to take attention to one point. Why do we have to build post-disaster housing on water? What happened to the land that was already allocated for this purpose? They are privatized.

Figure 2. Folding and Unfolding Capabilities of the Shelter

8

Projects Figure 3. Details for the Shelter

So we designed Fold&Float, a foldable floating post-

Emre Otay, we investigated how it would be to live on

emergency unit, initiated by the idea of reclaiming

the water, surviving after an earthquake. Working with

public space. Meanwhile, in the university, we started

students from different disciplines, initially, it was tough

an inter-disciplinary design studio on this subject,

to convince each group of students, why we have to

with architecture students from MEF University, and

work in collaboration with other disciplines. In general,

civil engineering and sociology students from Bogazici

architects are keen on considering that they are capable

University. With our colleagues Ayfer Bartu Candan and

of overcoming any type or scale of problematics.

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74 | Black Swan

Figure 4. Prototype modelling for the Shelter

10

Projects

However, disasters and crisis require collaboration more than any other topic. Not only because they are complex subjects, but also they include social and physical problems at the same time. Though the process was challenging, at the end of the semester the interdisciplinary design studio was successful and students’ work was exhibited in the 4th Istanbul Design Biennale curated by Jan Boelen. Since the topic was about a disaster, it was much easier to collaborate on a vital issue, where each discipline needs others to survive.

Urgent situations such as earthquakes or pandemics will not all of a sudden change the way architects and designers work. But at least, it will let them think more about a city where each neighbourhood has easy access to open-air green areas, wider pavements for a safe time outdoors. By doing speculative projects on real issues like Hope on Water, we use urgency as a megaphone, to make our voice louder about our demands for a better city.

Figure 5. Shelter Interior View

Founded in 2007 by Sevince Bayrak and Oral Goktas, SO? is an Istanbul-based studio focusing on design, architecture, and urbanism. In 2013, they won the Young Architects Program by MoMA/PS1, creating Sky Spotting Stop for Istanbul Modern, which was exhibited in MoMA and MAXXI. In 2015, they won the invitational competition at the Royal Academy of Arts; their project Unexpected Hill was realized in London. Right after that, their installation Lost Barrier was mounted in Rome and acquired by MAXXI for the permanent architecture collection. Their work has been published internationally and nominated for prestigious Mies, Aga Khan Awards, they were among the finalists of the Architectural Review Emerging Architecture Award 2019 and they were shortlisted for the Future Architecture Platform 2019.

Sevince Bayrak

Oral Goktas

For more information visit : www.soistanbul.com

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74 | Black Swan

Opportunity in Chaos Graduation Thesis by Joanne Jimmink

On April 6, 2009, at 03:32 in the morning, a heavy earthquake struck the province of Abruzzo in Italy, resulting in 308 deaths, 1500 injured people and 65000 people rendered homeless. The epicentre was close to L’Aquila, the province’s capital, which was one of the most heavily affected sites. More than ten years after the event, the once beautiful and lively town centre is still a ghost town and people feel neglected and forgotten.

After the earthquake, a lot of resources went into the establishment of free temporary housing for survivors. The costs of these measures was enormous, but their benefit to the recovery process was highly debatable; the more substantial such temporary housing is, the less incentive there is to reconstruct permanent accommodation (Alexander, 2010). Alexander (2010) argues that one of the main missing elements in the Italian Government’s policy is local participation.

Architectural Design Natural disasters which have such huge impacts are devastating, especially if the post-disaster policy fails to deliver. However, such events provide an excellent incentive for reflection and questioning ourselves: how can we do better?

The L’Aquila earthquake formed the context for a graduation project in the field of architecture (Jimmink, 2018). During this project, a different post-disaster policy was formulated for the city. Instead of merely focusing on emergency housing solutions outside of the centre,

12

Figure 1. Exploded view

Graduate temporary off-the-grid structures would be erected at

2.Load-bearing structure; the shell structure consists out

the many piazze (town squares) of the affected town

of only two repetitive elements, namely timber rods and

centre itself. These structures could house some of the

joint components.

many functions that were lost during the earthquake, such as markets, shops, restaurants and churches. This

3.Triple-layered ETFE inner façade; the transparent inner

idea resulted in design of a temporary, multipurpose and

façade insulates the indoor space, while the middle layer

economically circular community (recovery) centre for the

can be used to block the sun (see Figure 2).

biggest piazza of L’Aquila: Piazza del Duomo.

4.Base structure; the heightened floor is filled with As shown in the exploded view in figure 1, the design

rubble and used as foundation and provides installation

consists of:

space, while a simple indoor structure with room-dividing

1.Single-layered ETFE (Ethylene tetrafluoroethylene; a

curtains provides spatial flexibility.

fluorine-based plastic) outer façade; the colourful façade creates a pleasant atmosphere and forms the basis

The conceptual pillars for this architecture project

for rainwater collection, integrated solar cells harvest

were threefold: local participation (social), harmony

electricity and ventilation outlets are present (Venturi).

(aesthetical) and off-the-grid design (technical).

Figure 2. Triple-layered ETFE

Figure 3. Impression

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74 | Black Swan

Figure 4. Off-the-grid design

Figure 5. Impression

As local participation was missing in Italy’s recovery

The aesthetical goal was to provide a harmonious

policy (Alexander, 2010), it formed the basis for this

environment amidst the chaos of the town, which is

architectural design. The flexible open-plan design gives

achieved through a number of design choices. The

people the possibility to claim the space and make it their

colours of the façade and the spaciousness of the design

own, using it for all kinds of activities, such as markets,

provide a peaceful church-like atmosphere. Nature

recovery discussions and church masses. Participation of

plays a big role as well through greenery and the timber

locals also formed a leading factor in the structural design.

materialisation, which has a positive effect on the human

Its overall simplicity and the lightweight parts provide

psyche (Rice, 2004) & (Song & Fei, 2016).

locals with the opportunity to take part in its construction.

Lastly, after a disaster like the L’Aquila earthquake, the

This can give them a sense of hope and pride.

design has to be completely self-sufficient and off the grid. This is achieved by the collection of solar power and

Figure 6. Workflow

14

The first step in the structural design process is database

Post-disaster design comes with many challenges. Aside

generation.

from the complexities of the physical surroundings,

modelling

the social aspects of such situations require a certain

Karamba), a database comprising 10 836 different

sensitivity and understanding. Giving people tools to

structural configurations – see example in figure 7 –

regain a sense of hope and pride is essential in any

including structural checks.

Using

computational

techniques

(Rhino,

and

parametric

Grasshopper

Graduate

rainwater, while compost toilets limit the need for water.

and

recovery process and this design has aimed to do just that.

The following materials are part of the structural variations in the database:

Structural Design

Local Italian timber (sweet chestnut), D24

The community centre for L’Aquila became the subject

Imported African timber (azobé), D70

of a second graduation thesis in the field of structural

Locally produced steel, S235

engineering (Jimmink, 2019). The focus shifted to the

Locally produced steel, S355

optimisation of the load-bearing shell structure. The shape of the structure was to remain intact and the

The timber cross sections are square or rectangular

underlying concepts were to be respected. However,

solids, while circular hollow sections are chosen for the

all other structural design aspects (e.g. materialisation)

steel structures. The sectional dimensions range from

were reconsidered. Many objectives were defined, such

100mm to 225mm, and joints have been designed for

as the maximum weight of individual parts (40 kg) and

each of these materials (see figure 8). Multiple shell

minimal environmental impact. The optimisation process

configurations were considered: different grid types, grid

consists of a combination of automated and manual steps

densities and structural systems (trusses).

– see figure 6.

Figure 7. Structural variations

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74 | Black Swan

Another important factor is the environmental impact.

The database of 10 836 structural variations was

Environmental analyses have been carried out using the

generated including the structural checks environmental

software CES EduPack 2018 – considering production,

impact of each individual design. All models which either

processing, transportation, maintenance, and post-life

structurally failed, or which had individual parts weighing

processing. The environmental impact is expressed in

over 40kg were directly excluded. Of the remaining 377

a CO2-equivalent (kg/year) and an energy equivalent

structures, the top 28 with the least environmental impact

(MJ/year). The goal was two-fold:

were picked.

Finding the equivalents per kg of each structural material

The next step is ranking the top-28 based on their

in the global structure (the less weight, the better);

alignment with the underlying architectural concepts. For

Finding the equivalents per joint, which are relatively

structural simplicity – to ensure local participation – a

labour-intensive to produce (the fewer joints, the better).

structure without trusses underneath would be preferred.

If trusses are required, a difference in materialisation

Subsequently, the environmental equivalents were

would be easier to understand. Lastly, structures with

linked parametrically to the computational models.

trusses in a uniform materialisation are considered.

Figure 8. Conceptual joint designs

16

and local scale. The Top-1 design passed all tests and

Steel shell & no trusses

was still in the running.

Timber shell & steel trusses

A last check to be carried out now that the joint was

Timber shell & timber trusses

properly designed is with regard to its safety during

Steel shell & steel trusses

seismic events. The type of analysis carried out is a

Graduate

Timber shell & no trusses

modal response spectrum analysis. This analysis is based Properties for the three highest-ranking models are

on the eigenmodes of the structure and accelerations

shown in table 1, consisting out of a timber main structure,

and participating masses that occur in relation to the

with three steel trusses underneath.

elastic response spectrum of L’Aquila. Loads (= mass × acceleration) are generated and deflection occur – see

The next step was to further develop this design and see

figure 10.

whether it is feasible by carrying out some extra checks.

A proposed joint design (see figure 9) for the highest-

The Top-1 design (see figure 11) passed all structural

ranking model was implemented and checked on global

analyses and no iterations were necessary.

Figure 9. Proposed connection design

Table 1. Top 3

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74 | Black Swan

In conclusion, regarding the design itself, further

not feel forgotten? How can we provide some pride and

optimisation could take place by reconsidering the global

hope after such dark times?

shape. However, the workflow combining automated and manual optimisation processes gives a great sense of

This project has aimed at just doing that; starting off with

control compared to automated optimisation alternatives

an ideological concept during the first thesis and trying to

and is proven to be quite effective in balancing objectives.

turn it into a realisable object during the second thesis. In hindsight – especially after having carried out the second

Reflection

thesis – there is room for improvement of the design to

The L’Aquila earthquake of 2009 resulted in many losses

be even more in line with the ideological concept. It could

and the fact the town centre still has not bounced back

be even simpler and more lightweight, while keeping the

a decade later is deeply sad. The event, however, also

same spaciousness and architectural value. However, I

provides an opportunity for innovation and challenges us

hope this project provides food for thought. I will continue

to think about how to do better. How can we give back to

to learn and develop ideas in order to hopefully – be it

people who lost so much? How can we make sure they do

even a tiny little bit – make the world a better place.

Figure 10. Deflection envelope (exaggerated scaling)

18

Graduate

References Reference 1 :Alexander, D. E. (2010). The L'Aquila Earthquake of 6 April 2009 and Italian Government Policy on Disaster Response. Journal of Natural Resources Policy Research, 2(4), 325-342.

Reference 2 :Jimmink, J. D. (2018). Opportunity in Chaos: Triggering revival of the damaged historic town centres of Italy. Master Thesis, Delft University of Technology, Architecture and the Built Environment. Retrieved from http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:22a265316775-47dd-9fdd-de28d3bdcbb0

Reference 3 :Jimmink, J. D. (2019). The modular post-earthquake shell: A multi-objective parametric structural design approach. Master Thesis, Delft University of Technology, Civil Engineering and Geosciences. Retrieved from http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:084962463005-4e22-8009-6b136c3df2cb

Reference 4 :Rice, J. (2004). An analysis of interior wood products and their psychological impact. Vancouver, Canada: University of British Columbia.

Reference 5 :Song, S., & Fei, B. (2016). The psychological effects of different types of housing environment under different weather conditions.

Figure 11. Top-1 design

Wood Research, 61(1), 105-119.

Joanne Jimmink Bachelor – Architecture & the Built Environment MSc – Architecture & Structural engineering Joanne Jimmink is an alumna from Delft University of Technology. In April 2018, she received her first master’s degree from the faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, in the field of architectural engineering. In April 2019, she received her second master’s degree from the faculty of Civil Engineering and Geosciences, specialising in steel, timber and composite structures in the structural engineering track. She has worked at Octatube as a structural engineering assistant during her studies and is now working fulltime at Arup as a structural engineer. She remains involved in community engagement projects through Arup.

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74 | Black Swan

Wonderful designs for the (un)known

By Kristina Knauf & Halina Zarate, MVRDV

Preparing our response to disruptive events is crucial to use their power as accelerators towards a sustainable future. MVRDV’s “White Swan Resilience” calls for an optimistic approach, turning vulnerabilities into opportunities and highlighting the importance of a desirable, positive vision of the future.

Prepare to respond Disruptive events such as pandemics, natural disasters and global crises are unfortunate occurrences, and somewhat unexpected shocks. There are two ways of dealing with such events: preparedness and response.

Cultivating awareness and preparedness is a natural focus for urban designers, planners and architects in their approach towards resilience. To MVRDV, periods of stability offer the opportunity for thorough exploration of systematic correlations, development of integral design solutions, as well as extensive participatory processes to reach consensus on resilient projects to build a positive future. However, in times of no evident urgency, we often face reservations to consider and invest in “the unknown”.

Disruptive events have the power to overrule these reservations and propel our visions for a prosperous, robust and sustainable future into a new and immediate reality. Therefore, MVRDV is continually preparing to respond. We are cultivating a design methodology and tools that allow us to embrace and react swiftly to disruptions from the perspective of the sustainable futures we envision and prepare for daily.

Black Swan Resilience: The future retrospective Resilience is often defined as the capacity of responding and adapting to shocks and stresses, allowing quick

20

return to the status quo. Next to sudden and unexpected shocks and crises caused by earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, pandemics, economic depression, or disruptive technologies, cities are facing stresses, systemic challenges that progressively and almost unnoticeably exacerbate, such as population growth, congestion, climate change and depletion of resources.

Slow or sudden, these challenges are interrelated and cause an increasing imbalance of global systems and our lives. Populations that are already vulnerable due to systematic stresses are rendered under further duress due to sudden shocks more and more frequently, being tapped in a vicious cycle of reaction in the hope to regain their status quo. These shocks seem to distract, to be obstacles on the way to achieving a sustainable future.

Black Swan Resilience, on the other hand, shifts the focus from response and reaction to anticipation of potential shocks and stresses: to being prepared. MVRDV appreciates and celebrates this approach to resilience.

We build resilience not only by creating buffers to neutralize misfortunes. For MVRDV, resilience is a catalyst and accelerator for the implementation of innovative technologies, strategies and design solutions towards a sustainable future.

material

Resilience buffer Shocks and stresses

Status quo

Figure 1. Resilience, a stepping stone towards a sustainable future.

Copyright MVRDV

In order to be able to steer this impulse, we need to understand the potential futures ahead. MVRDV’s design methodology encompasses thorough and reiterative investigation of existing systemic and spatial conditions, tendencies and behaviors. From this, we derive, elaborate and illustrate a broad spectrum of speculative futures, “what if”-scenarios. As resilience always includes “the unknown and unexpected”, especially the “impossible” futures should not be easily discarded. Even if these potential realities do not predict a true future, they sharply depict consequences of various scenarios, possible future events and needs. These inform the design actions, decisions and solutions of today. The “what if” scenarios allow for future retrospective: seeing the status quo trough a memory of the possible and impossible futures ahead. This mindset and methodology is key to Black Swan Resilience. It enables us to break the vicious circle of reaction to disruption, to change perspective in times of disruption and transform the circle into a canvas for change - towards one of the futures we are already acquainted with.

As MVRDV is applying this approach to build future-proof, innovative, remarkable, but also realistic buildings and environments in the context of the current construction and planning industry, some far-future scenarios are not yet finding their way into our concrete, daily design solutions. We therefore explore these thoughts in collaboration with The Why Factory (T?F), the global

Company

Sustainable

think-tank and research institute led by professor Winy Maas, founding partner of MVRDV. Vice versa, the work of The Why Factory and its students, exploring far-reaching future city topics, is incessantly inspiring and challenging MVRDV’s processes and projects and creates a fruitful cross-pollination between academia and practice.

This allows us to investigate and imagine even the “unimaginable” futures, possibly the most valuable ones to anticipate in order to build Black Swan Resilience.

The White Swan Resilience of MVRDV Strategizing for multiple scenarios and creating diverse alternative measures to address disruption are not exclusive to the architecture and urban design practice.

In fact, city administrations, ministries, engineers, landscape architects, sponsors and developers, crucial stakeholders involved in the process of creating resilient design, are also applying scenario thinking. Yet, their focus often lies on problem solving rather than integral design thinking for a collective, prosperous future, resulting in purely functional solutions for that dismiss attractiveness as an unnecessary expense.

When thinking of resilience, one often thinks of pragmatism, and restraint. However, not only the anticipation of events and solid, functional and integral solutions informed by long-term future strategies are important. Attraction is essential. “Beauty and wonder” might seem superficial and out of place in the field of resilience, but their potency lies in their provocative quality. We believe that “beauty and wonder” are crucial ingredients of every successful urban adaptation strategy.

They spark and prolong the will to change. MVRDV lives this ethos, driven by the ambition to enable communities and cities to transition towards a better future. The “wow factor” in our projects communicates this power, it challenges people look at the future through a different, positive, lens.

This crucial ingredient, optimism, is what turns Black Swan Resilience into MVRDV’s “White Swan Resilience” that seeks to not only prepare to respond to disruptive events

21

74 | Black Swan

but to respond with a desirable solution that triggers action for change and inspires long-term commitment.

“White Swan Resilience” calls for a positive lens.

Our optimistic future perspective inspires and helps communities, investors and developers harness technology, policy and design to create solutions that facilitate long-term commitment, preparedness and flexibility, attracting innumerable benefits.

The backbone of MVRDV’s resilience strategy is therefore to connect and transform vulnerabilities into drivers for optimistic, robust and daring designs that work in concert with nature and communities: we turn flooding into spectacle; evacuation into new mobility offers, seismic issues into structures that can bear a park, and barriers into a multitude of connections. We base our practice and designs on six principles:

1.

2.

3.

4. ciples rinciples 6 principles 5.

6.

6inciples ciples principles

Wonderful Resilience To advance this multifaceted methodology in practice, MVRDV embraces real-life challenges together with key expert partners and stakeholders, to continually implement and evolve digital and analogue design tools. We bring multiple parties together to discern true needs, and ultimately manifest collective desires in built solutions, combining pragmatism with provocation. This leads to projects that explore new forms of governance, innovative building systems and technology, urban greening and living with water.

Enabling urban life in symbiosis with natural systems Concisely analyzing & interpreting complex systems Stimulating social & fun engagement processes Adding daring flexibility Making adaptation desirable Seeking win-win outcomes on all levels & scales.

! ! ! !! !

Figure 3. Resilient by Design, San Francisco. Copyright MVRDV

In 2018 we had the opportunity of participating in the Resilient by Design Challenge, for which we proposed a vision for the Bay Area of San Francisco, California. This 1. Enabling 1. Enabling 1.urban Enabling urban life in life urban symbioin symbiolife in symbio-2. Concisely 2. Concisely 2. interpreting Concisely interpreting interpreting complex complex complex 3. Being 3. Being optimistic, 3. optimistic, Being optimistic, fun fun & & fun & was followed by the publication of Too Little+Too Much, sis with sis with vulnerable sis vulnerable with vulnerable & natural & natural & natural systems. systems. systems. social. social. enabling social. enabling co-creation enabling co-creation co-creation areas. areas. areas. a book of tools and recommendations for large scale resilience following principles of the Dutch approach for integral design and strategic planning. As opposed to its predecessor “Rebuild by Design Challenge” in New York, held after hurricane Sandy hit the city in 2012, The San Francisco Bay Area had not yet been hit by a major 4 5 6 event. Here, the ambition was to adapt and 4. Adding 4. Adding daring 4. Adding daring flexibility flexibility daring flexibility 5. Making 5. Making adaptation 5. Making adaptation desirable. adaptation desirable. desirable.6. Seeking 6. Seeking win-win’s 6. Seeking win-win’s on all win-win’s on all on disruptive all levels. levels. levels. prepare to respond when needed.

1. Enabling 1. Enabling urban 1. Enabling life urban in symbiolife urban in symbiolife in symbio2. Concisely 2. Concisely interpreting 2. Concisely interpreting complex interpreting complex complex 3. Being 3. optimistic, Being 3.optimistic, Being funoptimistic, & fun & fun & 1& natural 2 3enabling sis withsis vulnerable withsis vulnerable with & natural vulnerable & naturalsystems. systems. systems. social. social. enabling social. co-creation enabling co-creation co-creation areas. areas. areas.

+ + +

+ + + + + +

+ + + + + +

++ +

+ + + ++ +

Figure 2. MVRDV Resilience principles. Copyright MVRDV

4. Adding 4.

Adding 4. daring Adding daring flexibility daring flexibility flexibility ary MVRDV roprietary material proprietary material material

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VRDV oprietary tary material proprietary materialmaterial

5. Making 5. Making 5. adaptation Making adaptation adaptation desirable. desirable. desirable.

6. Seeking 6. Seeking 6. win-win’s Seeking win-win’s on win-win’s all on all on all levels. levels. levels.

As the study area is vast and susceptible to a manifold of natural hazards (seismic activity, wildfires, drought, flooding), social inequities, climate change, sea level rise and many already pressing stresses on the urban system, an integral and multi-scale approach was crucial.

Company

The Resilient by Design process included an extensive research stage. In collaboration with local communities and stakeholders, MVRDV and its team analyzed the larger system of the Bay Area, identifying vulnerabilities, opportunities and locations necessary to address in order to prepare for future disruptive events.

Figure 4. Resilient by Design - Seeking win win outcomes at all levels. Copyright MVRDV

A main conclusion of this participatory Resilient by Design process was that the Bay Area’s loop system is too fragile to offer robust and efficient mobility. This, in combination with other stresses on the urban system, causes vulnerabilities regarding emergency response and hinders the transformation of communities in a sustainable and coherent manner. Our proposal “Connect and Collect” therefore focused on designing

robust alternative links for this loop system. It entails a prototypical design for a section of the city along a street or creek, connecting urban communities to the waterfront.

On each end of these connections, multifunctional and adaptive public spaces, “Collectors”, were allocated and designed to integrate water management solutions, community facilities, transport hubs and safe emergency response structures.

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Figure 5. Resilient by design: Connectors. Copyright MVRDV

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Company Figure 6. Collector condition in community mode. Copyright MVRDV

Figure 7. Collector condition in disaster management mode. Copyright MVRDV

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Resilience needs awareness and stamina in collective action. Shared joy, easy tools and empowering conversations can fuel long-term commitment. Therefore, MVRDV envisioned a mobile-app tool that could help articulate the different interests from local residents, city officials, and community-based organizations. The idea was to cater for a fun and social method to facilitate the process of community-driven design.

Another exemplary urban and architectural project that demonstrates outcomes of our White Swan Resilience is Bastide Niel, currently under construction in Bordeaux, France. The competition winning masterplan proposes to transform 35ha of former barracks and railyards in the city centre into a new district, responding to the pressing demand for housing by building on a river floodplain.

The development is challenging the symbiosis with nature, by not simply avoiding building in floodable areas or including classical flood barriers. Proceeding in such a way would possibly relocate or aggravate flooding issues and the water imbalance within the urban system.

Alternatively, through careful retention and renovation of existing buildings, and controlled development, the new district adopts parking above ground level and buildings incorporate and extensive system of water buffers, to enable the creation of a safe and livable neighborhood in the floodplain without blocking the natural flows of the river system.

A potential densification site in vulnerable floodplains.

An urban design that integrates spaces for waterbuffers, making a symbiosis of urban life and river system possible.

Figure 8. Bastide Niel, Bordeaux: water management technology enables building much needed housing on a floodplain. Copyright MVRDV

Alongside those projects, other examples worthy of mention are the Eindhoven Supervision, Tainan Springs, Silodam, Wego, Future Towers, Oosterwold, Overschild, Barapullah Drain and Airbus Urban Air Mobility studies.

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We can derive several lessons from these projects. They include the need for:

• • • • • • • • •

Inclusion of climate, disaster management and social adaptation strategies from the start; Intense collaboration between scales, socioeconomic backgrounds, and expertise; Independent resilience facilitators; System monitoring through historic and real time data to support decision making; Digital tools to enrich co-creation processes, while human interaction remains vital; Clear principles and intriguing proposals that ease consensus and mobilization on all scales; Advancements in flexibility of building structures; Incentives for and impact analysis of resilience efforts; Active evaluation of the 6 principle’s application to drive further enhancement.

Fundamental to all of this, is the belief that design encourages people to look at the world in a different way.

It challenges them to see value and potential where they did not before.

Daring Resilience We believe our approach to resilience is broadly applicable to urban development processes. It allows MVRDV to create scalable solutions for resilient environments that foster consensus through surprising and intriguing solutions. In a world faced with mounting challenges, continually preparing to respond is paramount to effectively convert disruptions into drivers for innovative measures to overcome difficulties. Nevertheless, we should not be satisfied by merely functioning urban systems. We should dare to want more and bring hope and motivation for adaptation into our daily processes and interactions.

Daring and wonderful designs, informed optimistic explorations of the (un)known, are key ingredients to use disruptive events to transcend from the status-quo towards a sustainable future.

Graduate

Samen bouwen aan een prettige en gezonde wereld met duurzame gevels.

Dรกt geeft ons energie!

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Figure 1: Cortex Shelter Urban Structures Figure 1. United Plastic Nation, Streetscape

Projects

Cortex Shelter

Just-Add-Water Refugee Shelter

Cutwork Architecture and Design studio-Paris

At Cutwork, our architecture and design studio based in Paris, we had long been troubled by the constant images we witnessed of the inhumane conditions that refugees fleeing terrifying situations in their home countries were forced to endure once they reached ‘safety.’

There are 25.9 million refugees in the world today (1). The World Bank projects that 143 million people will be forcibly displaced by 2050 (2).

To house this tremendous number of vulnerable people is a monumental challenge. In response to this we at Cutwork resolved to act and in response have developed what we believe is a pioneering self-built, lowcost, long-term, ‘just add water’ housing solution to help address this critical humanitarian crisis in refugee housing.

Concept Idea The innovative design of the Cortex Shelter by Cutwork resolves many of the critical problems currently unaddressed by more conventional solutions in place.

Taking only one day and two unskilled people to build it and designed to be assembled easily and effectively by hand, it requires no technical construction skills and no heavy equipment or machinery. Cost, energy and environmentally efficient, the Cortex Shelter by Cutwork affords those living in it stability, security, and a far greater quality of life. Factors so often absent from refugees’ lives and living conditions. The Cortex Shelter by Cutwork is a structure that provides stability and a foundation for life where hope is fragile.

One of the key dilemmas we wanted to address, in addition to the materials used and the cost, was to re-evaluate points of view: refugee camps are currently regarded as temporary installations. Yet, in certain refugee camps,

Figure 2: Cortex Shelter exterior visualization

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such as Dadaab in Nigeria, many people have stayed for over 20 years - an entire generation. Living in exposed makeshift tents replaced every six months renders the current situation deeply flawed in terms of cost, sustainability, and living standards. More and more camps are long term residencies and so should be considered the foundations for new cities - sites to reintegrate displaced people and to rebuild thriving communities.

Built to last for over thirty years, the Cortex Shelter by Cutwork is cheap to build and maintain as well as easy and fast to assemble.

Able to endure all seasons and climate conditions, we wanted the Shelter’s residents to feel protected from other external factors. Its secure and strong walls are fire, knife, and attack proof and there is a strong key operated door for further security. The concrete floors are far more sanitary and comfortable than the exposed bare floor of the tents.

Figure 3. Cortex Shelter interior visualization

Description and Details The interior walls are washable and provide hot and cold self-regulating interior insulation. The installation of a high window provides significant lighting and aeration of the space and side windows allow for a view of the outside street. Solar panels on the roof provide energy to charge mobile phones, a vital communications source, and internal lighting. The inclusion of a toilet, shower, and kitchen cooking stove within the Shelter means its inhabitants can avoid the frequently dangerous and unregulated communal cooking and washing areas, especially unsafe for women and children. All of these features were imperative to our design process and the Shelter can be adapted with additional elements in response to different circumstances and organisational support.

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Figure 4. Lateral Section

Competition Projects Figure 5: Cortex Shelter Community Scale

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Looking at every single factor that would affect the cost and the assembly of the Shelter was essential. Partnering with Cortex Composites, combining Cutwork’s bendable metallic tube construction system and Cortex Composite’s rollable concrete technology permitted us to address this fully. Cutwork’s design process optimises construction and production costs through flat-pack shipping; full assembly in just one day; built by hand without the need for previous technical or skilled labour; local and on-demand production with distributed manufacturing resulting in no need for warehousing or excess waste and therefore less shipping distance and associated cost and emissions. Similarly, Cortex Composite’s innovative material outperforms traditional concrete by taking less time to install and dry; using 90% less material than traditional concrete (being only 1.25cm thick); possessing more than triple the compressive strength (9000+ psi) of traditional concrete; and resulting in 90% carbon savings from traditional concrete.

Figure 6. Plan View

We at Cutwork are immensely proud of what we have created in the Cortex Shelter by Cutwork. We saw a humanitarian crisis and worked to offer a solution.

As our co-founder Kelsea Crawford (Cutwork CEO/ Co-founder) says; ‘Our mission is to create stability and security for people who have lost the most - essential safety, a place to call home, and the simple foundations to rebuild communities and hope.’

References: Reference 1 :UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, 19 June 2019. https://www.unhcr.org/figures-at-a-glance.html

Reference 2: Rigaud, Kanta Kumari; de Sherbinin, Alex; Jones, Bryan; Bergmann, Jonas; Clement, Viviane; Ober, Kayly; Schewe, Jacob; Adamo, Susana; McCusker, Brent; Heuser, Silke; Midgley, Amelia. 2018. Groundswell : Preparing for Internal Climate Migration. World Bank, Washington, DC. © World Bank.https://openknowledge.worldbank. org/handle/10986/29461 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.UN

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Figure 7. Longitudinal Section

Projects Figure 8. Assembly Process Bryce Willem A scientist trapped in an artist’s body, Bryce directs the communications strategy and narrative design for Cutwork, an architect design studio focused on new ways to live and work. Projects include Station F, the world’s largest coliving space, and Flatmates, the first large-scale coliving space in Paris. Obsessed with data, Bryce believes that shared space is essential to the future of urbanization and is dedicated to helping bring clarity and directive to this movement.

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technical interest in the vast possibilities of timber construction, it further investigates the possibilities of computational design as a systematised was of thinking in terms of configuration of spaces with attributes and properties one can take into account. I believe while the results of this thesis is subjective, the attempt to craft a computational work flow and process is the key interest in the work. The final product is not as relevant as the procedure that was designed and crafted. This positions my thesis towards the idea of generative ideation. Rather than forcing the design process, the tools of computation become a collaborator where the access to rapid prototyping. high performance algorithms, and interactive intelligent feedback creates a very new design process that feels less micro managed as it is right now.

Moreover, the results of this thesis can contribute to a broader scientific and professional framework to today relevance in AI, computation, IOT and subjects of tech. The architecture industry seems to be one of the least innovative industries in the world and therefore by pushing the agenda of the digital age towards the built environment as my thesis attempts to, I believe this contributes to the discussion as to the importance of these new methodologies.

Discretised Procedural Timber

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While there are indeed ethical issues that need to be addressed in relation to the broader subject of automation, robotics, and ai, the same arguments are always exhibited: whether it be the threat to the economy of jobs or even the well being of society. However speaking within the bubble of the building industry to not broaden the scope to irrelevancy, the fact of the matter is, the architectural design process should be a playful creation atmosphere where the power of automation can aid in the design and build process benefiting several parties in the pipeline, let alone creating more jobs and opportunities at an exponential level. Computational and systematic thinking is the key process for this thesis and is the orientation that my thinking tended towards during the entire project.

I believe my approach with the help of my mentors was informed and thorough. While the thesis requirements has segmented times for design and research, my process entwined both these aspects the entire time. The mentors helped guide me both in aspects of design and materialisation which forced my to consistently think in both large and small scale which I believe gave a certain richness and complexity to my design. Often times, the feedback that was given to my work was the fact that I was mixing to many ideas therefore a consistent remark was to simplify and design and to integrate all design aspects. I have learned to therefore create thorough procedural work that at a moments notice can be edited and changed by adjusting a few parameters in my digital model. This was key in being flexible to change and continued feedback o the design as a whole.

by Karim Daw Bridges

During a time of great change, critical thinking becomes vital in formulating a response to global Residential Floor C

events such as natural disasters, societal disputes and global housing shortages. Heavy investment in creative and out-of-the-box solutions need to be Bridges

encouraged and explored deeply. These solutions can represent interesting and impactful discoveries that might help our future.

Subjects

Residential Floor B

I explored the housing topic by investigating the multiple materialisation approaches of timber as a construction system. Considering there is a major housing crisis in Europe with the added concern of the current environmental issues, the design proposal aims to be an embodiment of applied research in timber construction, combining both techniques of mass customisation and standardisation. The ethos of the project stated that certain aspects of the project must utilise innovative construction technologies such as robotics, while other facets still rely on standardised components. This philosophy is rooted in the belief that an overnight transition from one industrial construction methodology (standardisation) to a new era of mass customisation is too abrupt for the Bridges

Residential Floor A

Public Space

Figure 1. Scheme Axon

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Parking

Scheme Axon

The two main avenues of research in this project are the following:

Discretised timber joinery system (mass standardisation) Large timber compression shells (mass customisation)

Graduate

built environment. Therefore, a hybrid adaptation of both systems within a project was chosen, defining the methodology for the current research. Such hybridisation could also serve for further exploration on how innovation in the construction industry can be intermixed rather than completely revamped. As mentioned before, the project is also addressing the topic of housing which intuitively is a perfect testing context.

Process The goal was to utilise both methodologies only where appropriate. For example, areas of the building that are under large amounts of compression forces- such as the timber shell anchors- are fabricated through a method of robotic subtraction based on a wooden bounding box.

Figure 2. Two avenues: joinery system and compression shells

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Figure 3. Exploration of 5 bedroom configuration

Other areas such as partition walls, flooring and facade, utilise a more standard approach combining material strategies such as CLT, particle board and simple timber structural beams/girders that aggregate in an additive fashion.

Adding to the initial premise, the project showcases the versatile use of timber as a construction material and how

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different treatments can encompass larger applications in the construction of a building than originally thought.

This would contribute in the reduction of the amount of different materials being used in a building. Through the various designs and implementations, timber is proposed as the construction material of the future, especially when integrated with robotic building operations.

Graduate

The joinery system developed took inspiration from reciprocal structures which by design, distribute the connection from a “nodal” connection to an “edge” connection. This way, there was no need for custom 3d connection elements and the loads would instead be carried by the elements themselves in a reciprocal way.

Therefore, the use of the robotic arm eventually became essential to subtract these complex joinery notches. Each cut and notch was unique depending on the wooden shell structure. Since the shell structure needed to be able to carry compression loads, the tessellation of the wooden elements became an important design condition to solve so the appropriate loads would be carried, validating the resulting notching and manufacturing process.

To reflect further on the thesis statement and whether this project is feasible for a real-life application, the relationship between research and the design process was addressed. The subject matter involved an intensive investigation and prototyping regime regarding geometry, mathematics and computer science. Coupled with the formal studio requirement of a robotic fabrication procedure as a final materialisation result, a heavy technical aspect was given the most attention throughout the research and design process. Investigations on building techniques with timber were conducted with several prototyping workshops held both in Delft and in DIA (Dessau Institute of Architecture). Therefore, while the aspects of theoretical research were complex within different subject matters in the realm of computational design, all of the theory and abstract thinking needed to be materialised in a 1:1 scale, adding another interesting layer to the project.

Relevance

Figure 4. Prototyping as an extra layer of research

Regarding scientific relevance, while the topic seeks to investigate the technical interest in the vast possibilities of timber construction, it further explores the possibilities of computational design as a systematized way of thinking in terms of configuration of spaces with attributes and properties. Even if the results of the project are

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subjective, the attempt to craft a computational workflow and process is the key take-away from the work. The final product is not as relevant as the procedure that was designed. The idea of generative ideation is put forward.

Rather than forcing the design process, the tools of computation become a complement where the access to rapid prototyping, high performance algorithms, and interactive intelligent feedback create a new design process. Moreover, the results of the thesis can contribute to a broader scientific and professional framework for today’s context, relevant in AI, computation, IOT and subjects of tech. The architecture industry is known from being one of the least innovative industries in the world and therefore, by pushing the agenda of the digital age towards the built environment, I believe this contributes to the discussion as to the importance of creating new methodologies.

Conclusions While there are indeed ethical issues that need to be addressed in relation to the broader subject of automation, robotics, and AI, the same arguments are always exhibited: whether it is a threat to the economy of jobs or even the well-being of society. However, speaking within the bubble of the building industry, to not broaden the scope to irrelevancy seems illogical. The architectural design process should be a playful creation atmosphere where the power of automation aids in the design and the building process is benefitting several parties in the industry. It can also create more jobs and opportunities at an exponential level. Computational and systematic thinking was the key process for the project and it is the orientation I took to help develop the overall design.

Figure 5. The shells and conventional spaces merge

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Graduate Figure 6. Fragmentation of the system

Karim Daw Architect and computational designer, Karim graduated from the track of Architecture Engineering and Robotic Building in TU Delft. He was a guest tutor under the Chair of Robotic Building as well as a teaching assistant for the Chair of Design Informatics, both in TU Delft. He is currently working at Henn Architects, a Berlin-based firm.

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Figure 1: Aura Periphery Figure 1. United Plastic Nation, Streetscape

Projects

Aura

Breathing Lungs of the City

Studio Symbiosis Architects

Residents of Delhi are breathing about 25 times more toxic air than the permissible limit according to WHO (World Health Organization) guidelines, as on November 2019. Delhiites may live around 17 years less than their expected life based on the current average PM 2.5 level in the capital1. Clean air is becoming a challenge in majority of growing economies around the world.

Project Background Over the past years the National Capital of India has turned into a gas chamber with a blanket of thick smog all over the city and its neighbouring areas filled with high level of PM 2.5. PM 2.5 is a micro pollutant, just 3 percent the width of a human hair. It enters the bloodstream rapidly and creates clots, blocking the blood flow, and may lead to a brain or heart attack, along with other diseases(2).

The AQI level reached 1350 and the PM 2.5 level reached 999, in November 2019. PM 2.5 pollution contributed to nearly 30 lakh early deaths in 2017, more than half of it in China and India. In the Indian capital, air pollution has reached dangerous levels(3).

The non-profit study by Studio Symbiosis looks at a multitude of solutions to create a comprehensive strategy to tackle and rectify this imminent threat, which is denying clean breathable air to the residents of Delhi National Capital Region (NCR). Everyone who can afford is buying home air purifiers but why is clean air becoming a luxury and only accessible to limited people?

Pollution in Delhi is generated due to internal factors of transport, construction, open landfills, thermal power industry and diesel generators. Alongside external factors of stubble burning in the adjoining states of Haryana and Punjab push the PM10 and PM2.5 into the NCR.

Figure2. Images highlighting the air pollution problem in New Delhi

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Aũra Introduction: “Aũra” relates to distinctive atmosphere or quality that seems to surround and be generated by a person, thing, or place. In Greek and Latin, it means breath, and this is what we are looking for to have the residents of city of Delhi, being able to breathe clean and pure air.

Design of Aũra has been developed using principles of aerodynamics, to create a form that propagates maximum surface area and increased wind speed for a robust and efficient performance.

Simulation studies were conducted to attain minimum resistance and maximum surface area to achieve this optimum design. An elliptical geometry has been designed as the starting point, as this gave us the minimum resistance, and also for the same reason is the geometry used for the wings of an aircraft. The form was further developed by twisting the form, this twist in geometry channels the wind along the surface of the tower in the z direction, thereby exponentially increasing the surface area.

Figure 3. Form Development

Details: These cleaning towers designed as 60 m and 18 m high respectively. They can intake polluted air from 360 degrees. “Aũra” has two main chambers. One to increase the relative velocity of the air and the other cleans the massive intake of air before sending it out at great speed and throw. The clean colder air is coming out from the top enabling a greater throw in the atmosphere, travelling larger distances. The cleaning tower designed at 18 m height is able to clean 30 million cubic meter of air every day. Capacity to clean 1,115,000 m3 per hour. An average adult working inhales around 16 m3 of air over the course of an 8 hour working day.

Figure 4. Aura City

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Projects

The system works, by taking polluted air from the upper area of the tower, which travels vertically within and is thrown out from the bottom of the tower. The section of Aũra further creates a compression and acceleration of intake wind, thereby increasing wind velocity within.

The design of the tower consists of a triangulated component, to ensure ease of execution. Each component is tapered in to create a compression of wind and thereby further increasing the air being pushed in.

Green planters are provided on the surface of the cleaning tower to produce more oxygen. This is a system with integrated drip irrigation.

Aũra Hive: Aũra has been developed at four different systems, catering to different conditions of range and varying atmospheric wind speeds.

The first scale of “Aũra” deals with stopping the external pollution entering the city of Delhi, by fortifying the city through a series of 60-meter tall air towers placed in a ring along the city border. This ensures in negating the pollution penetrating the city through this ring of clean air.

Days that record the highest pollution are the days when the wind velocity drops. Most of the cleaning towers work with a natural draft of wind and with these tall towers with a 2.5 km cleaning range are grafted within the city, they will have a reduced output during the time of peak pollution, as there is no wind to push the pollution towards these towers.

Given this fact, a secondary system of “Aũra hotspots” have been designed to be grafted within the city. These towers are designed as 18 meters high and they create a grid that ensures clean air in the city. These hotspots are effective, even when the wind speed drops and the pollution level increases. By placing these Aũra hotspots, we can ensure clean air throughout the city.

Figure 5. Aura Sectional view

Figure 6. Facade Development

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These towers have a smaller range of 1 sq km and are highly effective in cleaning the city during days with low wind speeds and highest pollution levels. Hotspots for each neighbourhood where residents can enjoy clean air in the evenings or on the weekend in close proximity.

The third system looks at objects in motion, moving through the city of Delhi. Given that we don’t want to play with nature and generate artificial wind, a simple attachment on top of cars has been designed. This element looks at the aerodynamics of a car and the streamlines as achieved during computational fluid analysis, are being pushed through these “Aũra velocity”. This ensures that the part of the problem becomes a part of the solution. The more these cars move in the city, the more they clean the city.

It is a design of inclusion, rather exclusion. So a scheme like odd even would not need to be enforced as these cars will act as a hive of micro air purifiers. We are suggesting that cars are equipped with the “Aũra velocity”. As a consequence, everyone who has inadvertently become a part of the problem, will contribute as being a part of the solution.

Figure 7. Aura Velocity

The fourth system looks at a network of drones, flying through the city of Delhi. These “Aũra Falcon” drones are components nested within the cleaning towers that detach and move around the city guided by live updates of the pollution levels. They double up as cctv cameras with an added feature of security.

This defensive and preventive network of “Aũra Hive”, looks at creating a clean future for the city of Delhi and as well as various other cities around the globe. Clean air should be accessible to every resident of the city and not only limited to people who can afford it.

References: Reference 1,2,3

:

India today online 21.11.2019 https://www.indiatoday.

in/diu/story/deadly-air-pollution-may-cut-years-from-delhiitelife-1621042-2019-11-21

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Figure 8.Aura Hotspot and Falcon

Projects Figure 1: Aura Hotspot and Falcon in a city block

Architects: Studio Symbiosis Architects (www.studio-symbiosis.com) Design: Amit Gupta and Britta Knobel Gupta Team: Amit Agrawal, Kartik Misra, Sonal Dongre Jain, Dewesh Agrawal, Chinmay Chowdhary, Mandeep Chaudhary , Pallav Chaudhary, Keshav Sapra

Amit Gupta and Britta Knobel Gupta are the founding partners of Studio Symbiosis Architects.

Both have graduated from the Architecture Association in London with a masters degree and Amit Gupta and Britta Knobel Gupta

have worked with Zaha Hadid Architects for over 4 years on their many award winning projects.

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Figure 1: Student work sample from Earthy 2019, project Modulabitat, a social housing complex, Image credits: Alessandro Passoni, Alessio Vigorito, Fredy Fortich Mora, Kiana Mousavi, and Stephanie Moumdjian.

Computational Generative Design for Earth and Masonry Architecture

Education

Earthy Pirouz Nourian, Shervin Azadi, Hans Hoogenboom, and Sevil Sariyildiz

EARTHY is a master’s level design studio given by the chair of Design Informatics in collaboration with the chair of Structural Design and Mechanics. As the name suggests, the course is about designing and engineering earthy buildings, in particular adobe buildings, intended for mid-term accommodation of displaced communities.

Our goal is to design buildings that can be ideally built by their prospective inhabitants. Earthy buildings are virtually 100% recyclable, and, compared to tents, they offer much more comfort. The use of earthen materials necessitates the knowledge of complex geometry, e.g., in designing and technical drawing of vaults, domes, and arches in optimal shapes. The focus of the course is on the relations of materials, forms, and structures, explored computationally. Automated construction design and generation of assembly instructions are extra challenges to be tackled via computation.

The didactic challenge of the course is to design for the betterment of the Al Zaatari Refugee Camp in Jordan. The course is prepared for a maximum of 40 students working in six to eight groups of three to five students. The whole class is to propose one strategic plan and a set of urban design guidelines for a displaced-community; and each single group is to plan, design, and engineer one of the proposed communal buildings or dwellings.

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Motivation Earth architecture is a sustainable choice, especially in arid climates, because of using mostly in situ available materials, thus removing the need for carbon-intensive transportation, low/zero-carbon energy content of building materials, the excellent climatic performance of earth buildings using passive design strategies, etc. In addition, building only with earth/masonry materials provides an ideal didactic context for learning computational design as it presents complexities in configuration, form-finding, structural design, and construction challenges that can adequately be dealt with by means of mathematical and computational methods, where the optimality of the shape is critically important for the stability of the structure. Earthy buildings need to be mostly compression-only structures, and that entails that they end up having complex geometric shapes. Earthy structures typically require vernacular building technical crafts, which are scarce in the designated site. Hence, novel engineering methods are needed to make such complex-shaped buildings easily constructible.

Mathematics & Computer Science Earthy focuses on how to derive configuration, shape, and structure mathematically or computationally. We initiated Earthy for creating a coherent structure for introducing engineering mathematics and computation to building technology students. By introducing the essentials of computer science and programming, Earthy aims to bypass the cliché of “dull maths” and demonstrate the myriad of its potential, and the usefulness of the mathematical formulation of design and construction problems. The course especially focuses on the close spatial (geometrical, topological, and graph-theoretical) relations of configurations and structures in earthy buildings. In a modern pursuit of design methods for earthen or masonry buildings, we will need discrete

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mathematics to ‘compute shapes’ or ‘optimize shapes’ based on given functional requirements.

Our vision for setting up earthy, from a skill development perspective, was to empower students by teaching the underlying fundamental mathematical and computational concepts of generative design and enable them to partake in its development. Specifically, Earthy covers rudiments of mathematics (discrete mathematics and [linear] algebra) for computational design, as well as the fundamentals of computer science (algorithms and data structures).

Humanitarian Architecture The idea behind the course was to support a displaced community for designing and making a virtually costless settlement with what they can find under their feet, a ‘technically impermanent’ settlement and yet much more stable and humane than tents or steel containers.

The idea of raising the quality of ‘shelters’ to architectural masterworks was based on the very humanitarian foundation of the field of architecture as an artistic/ scientific practice. We argue that architecture is not only to provide shelters, but also accommodate culture, promote aesthetics and thus a sense of elevation and hope of deliverance from displacement, and eventually foster a balanced level of social integration and privacy at a larger scale. We colloquially include the art of designing [urban/rural] human settlements in architecture.

For displaced communities who are forced to live indeterminately within tents or shipping containers in a harsh cold/hot desert climate, an earthly settlement that they can build by themselves could be much more real, achievable, confidence building, and sustainable than a high-tech utopia that can only be made with expensive imported technologies.

Education Figure 2: Student work sample from Earthy 2019, project Adobe CCC, a skill development center, Image credits Aditya Parulekar, Andrea Fumagalli, Divyae Mittal, Filip Zieliński, Prateek Wahi, and Tarang Gupta. The stages of the design process are configuring, shaping, structuring, and construction design.

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Participatory Design Architecture can play at least three significant roles for the improving life conditions of a displaced community namely in realizing decent shelters and accommodation for people; supporting the process of reconnecting parts of a fragmented society in a reflective and participatory manner; and providing a real context for learning technical and artistic skills in a meaningful connection to regional cultural heritage. Our ideal form of design for such settlements is a process in which the inhabitants can design their buildings for themselves, where we as architects are working as orchestrators and facilitators.

The idea of gamifying the process and flexibility with regards to the eventual inputs and requirements of the prospective inhabitants is in the spirit of the course.

Scientific Design Philosophically, the school of thought behind EARTHY is to unite the art of building, civil engineering and architecture as they used to be, roughly speaking, before the 19th century. By the unification of architecture and civil engineering, we mean the inclusion of social, aesthetic, spatial, and structural functionalities of buildings into the design decision-making processes.

In the words of Vitruvius, we regard all three concepts of ‘Firmitas, Utilitas, and Venustas� as functionality. In the same light, we regard scientific design as a process directed by methodical deduction and discovery based on a comprehensive understanding of functionality. In this sense, scientific design implicitly centralizes nature, and the study of nature (physics, in its exact mathematical form), as the primary source of inspiration for design.

Figure 3: Student work sample from Earthy 2019, project Modulabitat, a social housing complex, Image credits: Alessandro Passoni, Alessio Vigorito, Fredy Fortich Mora, Kiana Mousavi, and Stephanie Moumdjian. The buildings can be designed by means of a participatory game developed by the team.

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Education Figure 4: Student work sample from Earthy 2019, project Bustan, a farm-housing complex; Image credits: Akash Changlani, Elisa Vintimilla Salas, Kazi Fahriba Mustafa, Shasan Chokshi, Thai Wannasawang, Yarai Z. Montemayor. The team proposed a game for the participatory design of multi-scalar spatial configurations.

High-Tech Design & Low-Tech Construction At first sight, it seems that the complex relations of configuration and structure that articulate geometric forms for earthy buildings necessitate complex forms and high-tech construction processes. However, by adopting a modular process-oriented approach to the design processes, we can contain the complex computations within the design process and simplify the construction

process. In this way, the output of the design process is not merely the geometry of the building, but also a systematic low-tech construction process that is closer to LEGOÂŽ assembly than conventional construction.

Consequently, the design process needs to take into account the configuration of the space, the structure, the detailing of element connections, the materiality of elements, and construction steps.

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Approach: Generative Design for Earth and Masonry Architecture Low-tech construction guided by high-tech design necessitates a shift of focus from the object to the processes of configuration. A mathematical translation of this shift can be formulated as a shifting the focus from geometry to topology. In view of this topological approach to design, relations between the elements and configuration of them becomes the primary concern rather than those elements in isolation. This shift of focus, also provides for making design processes accessible to the degree that they can be transformed into participatory games, thus enabling the inclusion of inter-subjective/social requirements into the design process. Generative design is an umbrella term denoting

processes for deducing spatial configurations based on required spatial functionalities within a discrete space, which is a fundamentally systematic and digital way of ensuring optimality in fulfilling objective/physical design requirements.

Given that we aim to develop low-tech constructible buildings, we utilize modularization to decrease the complexity of the construction process while increasing the freedom of form by designing simple modules that can be laid out in multiple arrangements. In that sense, Earthy is a course about bricks and blocks. In other words, we strategically shift the complexity from the level of modules to the level of modular-configuration. To sharpen our strategy, we aim to minimize the number

Figure 5: Student work sample from Earthy 2019, project Hammam, a public bathhouse, Image credits: Hamid Reza Shahriari, Max Mandat, Hans Gamerschlag, Noah van den Berg, Nikoleta Sidiropoulou, Rick van Dijk. Generating and comparing various tessellation topologies with respect to their structural performance.

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Outlook & Epilogue Our outlook for the course is to become a virtual factory for collaboratively producing open-source computational methods, ideally all in Python. Our didactic and societal missions necessitate moving towards Open Source technologies instead of relying on proprietary platforms.

The simplicity of use and the closeness of Python’s syntax to human language have made it an indispensable tool for computational science and engineering. Eventually, the procedures developed for the course and those contributed by the students are to be made available through an online platform, accessible enough for the prospective inhabitants of the earth and masonry buildings to empower them for designing and engineering their homes, communal buildings, and neighborhoods.

The assumed chasm between earth architecture and computational methods for design and engineering is perhaps what makes this course fascinating. The great examples from the student projects, as well as many instances of magnificent buildings listed as cultural heritage reveal the wealth of knowledge in earth and masonry architecture and help us realize that there is much methodological and technological content to explore and learn in this domain. In any case, looking rigorously enough at any problem that may look like a simple problem will compel a humble and scientific attitude.

Education

of modules and maximize the ways that modules can be assembled to ensure the ease of production without compromising the variety of the possible spaces that we can create from these modules. Interestingly, this approach not only works for an approximation of optimal structural shapes but also for the spatial layout of buildings and neighborhoods.

Acknowledgments Earthy is a sophisticated course brought into life by a team of diverse and complementary contributors.

The authors would like to thank their colleagues and external collaborators from LEVS Architecten and ARUP Amsterdam for their contributions in the course.

Responsible Professor Prof. Dr. Ir. Sevil Sariyildiz (TU Delft, Design Informatics)

Studio Director Dr. Ir. P. Nourian (TU Delft, Design Informatics)

Instructors Dr. Ir. Fred Veer (TU Delft, Structural Design & Mechanics) Ir. Hans Hoogenboom (TU Delft, Design Informatics) Ir. Dirk Rinze Visser (BURO HAPPOLD & TU Delft, Structural Design & Mechanics) Ir. Shervin Azadi (TU Delft, Design Informatics) Ir. Frank Schnater (TU Delft, Design of Construction)

Guest Lectures Ir. Juriaan van Stigt (LEVS Architecten) Dr. Michele Palmieri (ARUP Amsterdam) Ir. Nour Abuzaid (Forensic Architecture, Goldsmiths, U of London) Ir. Koen Mulder (TU Delft, Design of Construction) Ir. Shibo Ren (ARUP Amsterdam)

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BOUT Board XXVI

By Anagha Yoganand , Chairman of Bout Board XXVI

New board in action!

Over the years, BouT board is represented by a diverse group of highly motivated and enthusiastic Building Technology students from different parts of the world.

They strive together in their term to be the bridge between academia, companies and the BT student community.

BouT keeps the best interests of the students in mind.

It promises to enhance the study experience of all the students in the Building Technology track at the Technical University of Delft.

The BouT board transfer this year took place on the 19th of April through an online video meeting on Zoom when the COVID-19 curve was reaching its peak in Europe. A virtual board transfer is a very unusual format for Bout; however, this was the only best way it could have been done during a global pandemic crisis. Nevertheless, the excitement of being appointed as the New BouT board was unaltered, and it's almost historic to be the first distant but virtually connected functioning BouT Board. The fact that seven motivated students agreed upon taking on their roles during these hard times is a sign of their sheer will and passion towards contributing to the building technology community.

Let's introduce the BouT board 26, Anagha Yoganand is the appointed Chairperson, Twinkle Nathani is the secretary and handles public relations, Sophie van Hattum heads the Education committee, Aditya Soman is the editor-inchief for the Rumoer periodicals, Maimuna Bala Shehu the one point of contact for building company relations, Yamini Patidar heading the Events committee and finally Neha Gupta heading the Study Trips committee.

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All seven of us have been active committee members of Bout and contributed to the organisation since October '19. Being a part of this association, we have seen the immense devotion and dedication the former board members put towards organising the Emergensea Symposium, the study trip to Zurich and many fun parties along with publishing three very insightful Rumoer magazines. Having been part of these events and contributed to the work we felt it was a very good opportunity to build further on the strong foundation set in the last 25 years of BouT. Ever since our appointment, the seven of us have collectively worked and collaborated virtually for the smooth running of this student association. Our vision for this year is to enhance the overall student learning experience by providing a platform other than the university for broadening the horizon of knowledge by maximising BouT's reach to the students using its committee's like a strength.

To give you a sneak peek into the working of this vision, especially amidst a pandemic crisis, let's walk you through some initiatives and events by Bout. Starting with the 'Thank You' video conveying students' gratitude to the AE&T department and staff at BK for their efforts to transfer education online swiftly. For students to thrive in virtual interaction over beers and games, we initiated a 'Games night'. Bout's annual 'Graduation Party' was organised online for the Batch of 2020. A monthly event was introduced to our calendar, 'Coffee with Alumni' to strengthen the connections within our student community globally. Furthermore, we collaborated with Enginear to shed some light on the challenges of job/internship

BouT search during times of Corona via a podcast. And our sponsor, Octatube, gave us a walkthrough to their latest project Polaris LVNL Bridge from design to execution with a brief talk about possibilities of graduating with their company.

innovative new graduation ideas for the BT students.

What's more is our annual Debut event for students to interact with companies and pitch new innovative business ideas, which will be organised completely online later this year.

While these are a few ways of working towards our vision, we are always willing to provide more to our student community of over 100 members. In light of that in the new academic year, we will publish BT Bundle, a result of a collaboration between Education and the Rumoer committee. This publication will be a record of all the graduation thesis done this year for prospective students to get familiar with the master track and to stimulate some

We also look forward to welcoming the new batch of 2022 to the Building Technology track this September. While there is more to share about our plans of welcome, we would like to leave this as a subtle surprise.

Anagha Yoganand Chairman

Having given a comprehensive overview, this is the board 26 in action and looking forward to the new exciting year ahead. See you at the many events we will organise!

Yamini Patidar Events

Aditya Soman RuMoer

Twinkle Nathani Media

Neha Gupta Study Trips

Maimuna Sehu Company Relations

Sophie van Hattum Education

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RuMoer is Looking for new members!

About Us: ‘RuMoer’, is the primary publication of the student and practice association for Building Technology ‘Praktijkvereniging BouT’ at the TU Delft Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment. BouT is an organisation run by students and focused on bringing students in contact with the latest developments in the field of Building Technology and with related companies.

Who are we looking for: Motivated individuals who want to explore the latest developments in the field of Building Technology.

Can dedicate 2 hours a week for the Publication .

Good communication skills and familiarity with Adobe creative Suite .

What can you gain by joining the RuMoer team ?

Developments of Contacts with companies and researchers in the field of Building technology.

Writing and Presentation skills.

Exposure to latest developments in Building Technology.

Testimonials from our current team members.

Sophie: I joined RuMoer after having been part of the pantheon// thinking it would be a nice addition to my skill set. RuMoer is very different as the articles are not written by the committee but by professionals, companies and graduates. This makes it possible to use RuMoer as a reference for your own work which I think is very nice. RuMoer has taught me how to find suitable contributors for a theme and has given me more confidence to contact people. I was surprised how almost everyone you contact answers positively and want to contribute. Working in the committee makes you meet new people and together you create something tangible. The meetings are often very fun and rewarding. Other members have different views and have different input which makes you rethink your viewpoint. Receiving one of the first finished copies is very satisfying.

Javi: Being part of the team of Rumoer was a nice opportunity to learn about our own field. Even though we all came from an Architecture background, the technological and innovation side were unknowns for me. Having the chance to share with my peers and get in contact with companies, teachers and former students, was extremely valuable to get into the Building Technology culture. Having one-to-one interviews was one of the parts I enjoyed the most, especially not following the scripts because the conversations were so interesting they just flowed naturally. Then editing the articles and checking them with their authors, noticing the aspects they thought were the most relevant, was also an enriching experience. At the end, having shared the editing process with such a diverse and curious team, has helped to understand more about our own field and the implications we can have.

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BouT Prateek : My experience with Rumoer was exhilarating. Being the editor in chief, I was responsible for publishing three magazines in an academic session. With the issues elaborated under my lead, I tried to go beyond building technology to explore its application with the industry. I was also heading a team of highly motivated committee members, which improved my organization and managerial skills. The most important aspect is the networking within the fraternity.

By interviewing professionals, reviewing articles do add up to an excellent networking experience.

Kiana: Being part of the editorial team of Rumoer is a valuable experience that one can achieve. It is certainly different from the common tasks that we do as architects and engineers. You get the chance to communicate with different companies and alumni and learn about their perspective, gaining social skills as well. As this is not a paid position, motivation is definitely the key for the process, especially if you are interested in the publication sector.

Akash: The whole process in Rumoer is new learnings as an editor, it goes through new emerging topics, which also includes brainstorming to come up with a new topic, then hunting relevant work and projects, and getting in a conversation with different companies, students and Institutes. You can improve your communication skills by expanding your own network. There’s a part where we also have one on one interviews with a company, which is one of the best parts I would say. Overall, working in Rumoer is a good additional experience other than designing. Also, it’s a good addition to your Curriculum Vitae, which will show diverse skills of yours.

We are excited to welcome new members to our team for the new academic year !

If you want to know more about RuMoer or if you want to join our team feel free to send an email to rumoer@praktijkverenigingbout.nl

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