ecomachinesv3.0 Dubai Marine Life Incubators AAInter10 UNIT BRIEF

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1 AAInter10 UNIT BRIEF ecomachinesv3.0 Dubai Marine Life Incubators Unit staff: Claudia Pasquero + Marco Poletto THE AGENDA: AAinter10 is an experimental unit and this year our urban laboratory will be city Dubai, where we will explore how architecture can exist and co-evolve within local marine habitat. The unit work refers to paradigm environmental design as a modern reappropriation traditional models sustainable development found in many preindustrial civilizations; at same time INTER10 recognises contemporary environmental architecture as contradictory, dominated by a reductionist approach which adopts fixed typological categories and related performance targets as main design frameworks. The ecomachines agenda seeks to re-describe this abstract typological categorization by subjecting discipline architecture to generative force life and living systems. Our main ambition is to breed new ecologic models architecture directly from recognition relevant mechanisms life as y unfold in urban contexts. The anthropologist G. Bateson referring to progress scientific work once stated: even with current progress in chaos and complexity ory, we remain less skilled at thinking about interactions that we are at thinking about entities, things. Inter10 will function as a laboratory embodied interaction; we won t shape and regulate architecture through application immanent geometrical rules but rar breed it s material organisation and form through actualization dynamic relationships (abstract machines), constantly responsive and reactive to specific local environmental and cultural processes. The world artificial lagoon Nakheel Dubai City - UAE 1

2 BRIEFing: THE CONTEXT: The site for this year s design project is an artificial lagoon 4 times Venice size, recently built by property developer Nakheel f cost Dubai City. Due to current financial crisis lagoon is left as an unfinished landscape project; however, while lacking a feasible architectural and urban brief, lagoon itself has become subject intense cultural and environmental speculation. Its material presence has produced a series ecologic side effects some which have called for direct intervention [like rapid deterioration water quality in enclosed pools or potential creation a new coral reef habitat to supply for loss caused by dredging process]. In or words lagoon has unexpectedly turned into a laboratory urban ecology. THE BRIEF: Inter10 will make use this laboratory as an experimental ground to breed new generation ecomachines. In first term we will transform lagoon and its microenvironments into coral gardens. Subsequently we will engage with property developers Nakheel and structure gardens into Research and leisure Centres on Marine Biodiversity. Landscape architect and philosopher Gilles Clement in his book Planetary garden has stated: [...] paying attention to behaviour natural species, I have been measuring immense discordance between natural attitude growth, reproduction, resting, and our desire beautification. It is impossible to reconcile two positions if we remain connected to aestic canons gardening art. How can we find a solution which would make compatible biology and scenography? [...] movement only movement considered in its physical and biological meaning allow us to solve this difficult problem [...]. Digital simulation model water flows within lagoon Dubai Water garden for Jeff Kipnis RUR architecture Coral reefs perform a fundamental role in marine ecology, providing food and shelter for a wide range aquatic species, preventing coastal erosion and supporting 2

3 commercial fishing and recreational activities; with new recent urban development occupying Dubai s waterfront coral reefs are in seriouss danger disappearance; coral gardens will promote survival coral reefs in artificial habitat, fostering biodiversity and allowing ir direct appreciation. Subsequently, in second term, see gardens will be engineered to become open air research laboratories, with leisure and touristic activities. This will allow a contextualisation projects in socio- economical terms within a larger urban and global context. THE SITE/THE CLIENT: The site is an artificial lagoon characterized by 300 sandy islands and protected by an artificial barrier rocks. In term1 students will chose a location within lagoon characterized by a specific water current, salinity, sand type and refore fering a unique habitat for corals to be implanted and to grow. In term2 garden s prototypes will become a tool to engage client, property developers Nakhell. With m we will structure socio-economic scenarios for research centres. THE METHOD: THE DRAWINGS: along line with some famous sketches from Leonardo da Vinci, students will first use 2D hand or digital drawings to map, understand and describe natural processess and formations as y manifest within marine habitat Dubai. This first set drawings will serve as base for construction an Building artificial lagoon with dredging method - Nakheel World Dubai City "Maldive Barnacle"- Biorock Reef Structure Prototype - April 1999 Coral reef gardening prototype Bali Indonesia experimental apparatus [prototype] and it s architectural definition within artificial lagoon World [coral gardens]. As year progresses drawings will evolvee into more specific 3D 3

4 descriptions artificial material systems, supported by automatic modelling tools [Paracloud GEM, Grasshopper] to achieve higher degrees control and articulation prototypes in relationship to project site and brief. From se models a set fabrication drawings will be extracted to construct final experimental models marine life incubators. THE PROTOTYPES: Inter10 models are not representational maquettes but are fabricated and deployed as tools experimentation; we treat m as generative prototypes enabling us to understand and cultivate artificial marine ecologies and, in particular, coral reef formations. Their deployment will enable us to conceive our final architectural proposals as relational ecologic models, where generative forces life play an active role in shaping space and spatial effects. Two sets prototypes will be developed, one in first term and final one in third term. Two specific workshops will support development prototypes in term1: - artificial reefs workshop, with artist Maria Arceo, which will show us case studies different type coral reefs and activities related to m while creating with us small scale reef ecologies. - cyber-gardening workshop will instead focus on responsivenesss and actuation, exploring architecturee as an artificial living system. THE EXPERIMENTS: design coral gardens and related research and leisure centres implies manipulation and incorporation living processess and -Prototype phillotaxic machine. AA bar experiment. Inter10 -Drawing Starfucked prototype. Perrine Planche -Prototype Refashion Oxford street Machine. Neill Grant -Prototype adjustable tensional columns. Joel Deziho -STL model W.I.S.ivy Koutsourelis -Prototype detail. Yuwon 4

5 systems within artificial structures; after observing natural behaviour and proposing a garden prototype students will make assumptions about its potential survival and growth as well as its capacity to deliver spatial and microclimaticc effects. These assumptions will be tested and visualized with specifically designedd experiments. Students will run two main experiments in first and third term from which we expect to extractt following results: a feedback on validity our design assumptions, information on how to evolve our design prototypes or fine tune design parameters and recordings on spatial and climatic effects each architectural proposal. THE VIDEO: time lapsing video techniques will be used to capture spatial and behavioural effects our machines as y unfold in time. A final video will be produced at end term3 by filming final experiment. THE TECHNICAL REPORT: AAInter10 s prototypes are implementation material systemss and technologies in relationship to specific site conditions and ecologic processes. Each student will compile a technical report illustrating technological research and implementation in design prototype. This report will be submitted as Technical Studies sis. Third year student will need to formalize ir choices at end term1 as part coral garden project and subsequently develop technological research during term2. Tropic.playground - AA BAR experiment INTER10 08/09 THE OUTPUT: The final portfolio will be structured to support and emphasize experimental ethos unit and will require a specific format composed following parts (see AAInter10 schedule for more details): - working prototypes: experimental models and related apparatu us 5

6 [a first set in term1 + a final model in term3] -a book/manual illustrating prototypes structures and components [technical drawings fabrication and functioning models and testing apparatus] -a book/manual illustrating coral gardens and research laboratories on site [drawings and diagrams testing beds, experiments, programmatic scenarios] -a 2min. video final experiment illustrating architectural effects in real- an time THE UNIT AS ECOLOGY OF IDEAS: AAInter10 encourages studio work to support development Unit as ecology ideas. Individual projects will be cross referenced and linked and research material exchanged. A series open discussions and pin-ups will be organized both with experts in London and in Dubai which will provide information and feedback on work progress and ambitions. The unit BLOG will be used as an exchangingg platform within unit and with external world. The field trip in Dubai will be an essential and exciting moment for unit: we will approach site with a series experiments which will include construction a 1:1 coral garden prototype with collaboration local partners; we will scuba dive lagoon, collect material sample, measuree environmental forces, observe local culture and visit Dubai s most iconic architectures; or cultural activities will complement year such as a visit to W.I.S.ivy woven inflatable screen machine; a prototype for an interactive facade system for Centre Point. Soklis Koutsourelis Radical Nature exhibition at Barbican Centre, seminars/group discussions on key related topics and concepts like cybernetic in architecture, moving garden, diagram as abstract machine [see schedule and Database material]. Diving water Dubai Lagoon Field trip 6

7 The unit seeks students with a strong sense curiosity towards natural environment and an exploratory attitude towards a new definition ecologic architecture. We aim at training architects that can operate as inventors, artisans, artists, engineers and explorers; or perhaps that will be able to evolve scope architecture beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries and within a multidisciplinary network creative entrepreneurs. INTER10 DATABASE A source research links and cultural references to support work unit will be made available to new students. For more references: UNIT BLOG 08/09: UNIT BLOG 07/08: Claudia + Marco practice: Growing coral gardens experiment by Reefscapers - Bali 7