It's just not fair Matt,
We'll figure this out.

The following are quotations from our readings that helped us understand the transition from the Deluzian Project to the philosophies of Greg Lynn and further to the proposed ideas in Mr. Lynn’s presentation of the Embryologic House.

The concepts we chose best articulate this transmition of philosophies are the Deluzian concepts of smooth, fold, intricated, intensity, multiplicity, curvalinearity, pliable, and supple

Greg Lynn

Architectural Curvilinearity

The Folded, the Pliant and the Supple

“Smooth mixtures are made up of disparate elements which maintain their integrity while being blended within a continuous field of free elements.

“Smoothing does not eradicate differences but incorporates free intensities through fluid tactics of mixing and blending. Smooth mixtures are not homogeneous and therefore cannot be reduced. Deluze describes smoothness as ‘the continuous variation’ and the continuous development of form.’” (p.24)

“Both pliancy and smoothness provides an escape from the two camps which would either have architecture break under the stress of difference or stand firm. Pliancy allows architecture to become involved in complexity through flexibility” (p.24)

“Pliancy implies first an internal flexability and second a dependence on external forces for self-definition.” (p.24)

“Folding, creaming and blending mix smoothly multiple ingredients ‘through repeated gentle overturnings without stirring or beating’ in such a way that their individual characteristics are maintained. For instance, an egg and chocolate are folded together so that each is a distinct layer within a continuous mixture.

Folding employs neither agitation nor evisceration but a supple layering.” (p.25)

“…there is no preliminary organization which becomes folded but rather there are unrelated elements or pure intensities that are intricated through a joint manipulation.” (p.25)

“…pliant systems are capable of engendering unpredicted connections with contextual, cultural, programmatic, structural and economic contingencies by vicissitude” (p.25)

“If internally motivated and homogeneous systems were to extend in straight lines, curvilinear developments would result from the incorporation of external influences.” (p.25)

“This is not to imply that intensive curvature is more politically correct than an uninvolved formal logic, but rather, that a cunning pliability is often more effective through smooth incorporation than contradiction and conflict.”... A logic of curvalinearity argues for an active involvement with external events in the folding, bending and curving of form.” (p.26)

“Where complexity and contradiction arose previously from inherent contextual conflicts, present attempts are being made to fold smoothly specific locations, materials and programmes into architecture while maintaining their individual identity.” (p.26)

“Anexact geometries, as described by Edmund Husserl, are those geometries which are irreducible yet rigorous. These geometries can be determined with precision yet cannot be reduced to average points or dimensions. Anexact geometries often appear to be merely figural in this regard. Umlike exact geometries, it is meaningless to repeat identically an anexact geometric figure outside of the specific context within which it is situated. In this regard, anexact figures cannot be easily translated.” (p.27)

“If there is a single dominant effect of the French word pli, it is its resistance to being translated into any single term. It is precisely the formal manipulations of folding that are capable of incorporating manifold external forces and elements within the form, yet Le Pli undoubtably risks being translated into architecture as mere folded figures.” (p.29)

“In the recent film Predator and Predator II, a similar alien is capable of disappearing into both urban and jungle environments, not through cubist camouflage but by reflecting and reffracting its environment like an octopus or chameleon. The contours between an object and its context are obfuscated by forms which become translucent, reflective and diffracted. The alien gains mobility by cloaking its volume in a foolded surface of disapearence.” (p.30)

“…it is important to maintain a logic rather than a style of curvalinearity. The formal affinities of these projects result from their pliancy and ability to deform in response to particular contingencies. What is being asked in different ways by the group of architects and theorists in this publication is: How can architecture be configured as a complex system into which external particularities are already found to be plied? (p.30-31)

Introduction

Greg Lynn

“Intricacy is the fusion of disparate elements into continuity, the becoming whole of components that retain their status as pieces in a larger composition.” (p.9)

“Like mechanical reproduction and its modern vision of identical glossy modules, intricate reproduction is still dependent on a model of the machine. But instead of a mechanism of simple repetition, an intricate reproduction machine is a wet machine charged with free energy, variation, and subtlety…””…Intricacy evokes an eroticism for the machine and a desire to make it reproduce organically, both in variation of subtly variegated brothers and sisters as well as a differentiated complex of discrete organs that nonetheless coheres into a beautifully synthesized whole.” (p.12)

Embryologic House

Greg Lynn

Chakakahn who are you?

I'm just going to through out a few names.
Lindsey Cohen, Tye Law, Helen Furjan, someone smart, Jody, someone with too much time on there hands, Asiel...

We will find you, we will hunt you down, and we will thank you.

Predator, Greg Lynn AD Vol 72 No. 1 January 2002

PROject

In their collaborative project, Greg Lynn and Fabian Marcaccio explore architectural concepts of scale in space, program, material and ambient effects. The result is a plastic sculpture which due to its lack of an interior space and an exterior space accomplishes nothing. The placement of the object in the site of the Wexner Center in Ohio is argued to create interesting spaces around, not to mention the piece itself if and interesting installation.

I don’t like it. It looks awfull.

PROcess

Through the process of applying an interpretation of the spatial dimensionality of the two dimensional painting to an unfolded surface, (its design origin has yet to be determined) an attempt to explore manufacturing technologies and methods were considered relevant to this project.

Simply stated, “the alien organism as architecture was designed digitally with animation software which produced many variations prior to the ACTUALISATION of a specific form.”

I can only assume the chosen variation was selected due to its aesthetic properties and anticipated possibilities. The design process focuses on an abstract animation of both the act of painting and the painting composition itself.

It is noted that the organization of the painting provided the data for the generation of the object. “Fabian’s painting in black and white was used as a displacement map to generate ideas for different effects.”

MANufacture

There are tree stages to the manufacturing of this project. First, the form is created with vacuumed formed transparent plastic. Second, images of the original painting are printed onto the form. Third, an additional application of paint was layered onto the form. The resulting object produces interesting light patterns and gradients due to the passing of light through the three layers of properties applied to the translucent plastic. This sounds rather grotesque but it is not suppose to be a fixture, furniture or wall, but rather a study the layering affect they produced.

The manufacturing of the form was not limited but ordered by the manufacturing of components limited by the 3-axis milling machine. They were constructed in pieces and assembled together to make the whole.

CONclusion

At first glance the project itself appears as if it was constructed in a hap hazard manner and is very messy. A closer look will reveal the a well crafted and constructed form with great attention to textural detail. The painted surface does seem to be forced over the milled plastic form and jumps the gaps where manufactured slits were cut out. As a whole I cannot say this project has provided new incites in Material properties, special exploration and organization, I have not experience this installation at the Wexner center.

Yokahama International Port Terminal, FOA

Forign Office Architects

Peter Slatin, Open Architecture, Architecture, February 2003

Although this article explains very little about the process involved in the design of the Yokahama International Port Terminal, there are references to the employment of sophisticated software, the mobius strip and FOA’s intent to blur the relationship between interior and exterior space.

TOPics

“Technological invention and geopolitical relations”

“Architecture as cultural signifier”

Port history and site program was crucial to the projects development.

“Employed sophisticated computer software.”

What was the software and how was it employed?

“Moving from outside to inside…, ramps, and…, unfolded surfaces”

Could this be the underlying design intent?

What produced the specific configuration of the ungulating planes in this project?

Did the project simply manufacture a pedestrian structure based on the properties of waves and the sites program?

“Mobius strip of a building”

“origami architecture”

A design needs to be inspired by something, and a designer needs to develop a form generative process which creates usable space. I think using a real flow program, (or whatever they used) and Cad as tool for generating complex form created a real interesting result. Is there more to it than that? Where there decisions and thoughts that help define the project during the process? Did someone google the mobius strip? Maybe.

“From organic topography, a basis for structure”

“As the deck of the plaza weaves under and around itself, interior and exterior merge-and the resulting folds and creases become structure”

How does this relate to Deluzez? What is it about the act of thinking about architecture, helps you design architecture?

Deluze or Sue G. says something about interior/ exterior space.

Complexity Players

Here is a list of players for complexity theory, who deserve a closer look.

1. Greg Lynn
http://www.glform.com/

2. Ben Van Berkel and Caroline Bos: Deep Planning
http://www.unstudio.com/

3. FOA
http://www.f-o-a.net/flash/index.html

4. Ocean North: Dynamic Processes and Digital Time Based Methods in Urban Design
http://www.aho.no/staff/bs/ambient_amplifier

5. Peter Eisenman: Diagrams

X. Rem Koolhass

X. Diller and Scofidio

Annotated Bibliography

Emergent Bibliography
Red = No longer operative
Pink = Added entry

Baudrillard, Jean. Simulacra and Simulation. University of Michigan Press, 1981.
Added by Anna
Baudrillard argues that contemporary, postmodern culture is a world full of signs, which are a simulation of a model of the real, but have no real connection to “reality”. Thus, the boundary between the simulation and the real and the simulation, in effect, becomes reality. The world of this blurred boundary is a hyper reality. The problem with this world according to Baudrillard is that without the distinctions between the real and the simulation, there is no stability to ground theory. This instability leads to a society in flux between images of the real and reality.
I found this idea interesting and valid for our project because in a sense we are arguing that architecture has manifested itself as a simulation of complexity. This image, or simulacrum of complexity has been confused for the reality of complexity and this confusion can lead to some of the problems that we have with architecture theories in general.


Bridges, D. S. Computability, New York: Springer-Verlag, 1994.

Brookshear, J. G. Theory of Computation: Formal Languages, Automata, and Complexity, Redwood City, CA: Benjamin/Cummings, 1989.

Babloyantz, A. Nato Advanced stydy Resecarh Workship on Self-Organization, Emerging Properties, and Learning. 1990.

Castle, Hellen, Pawley, Martin, Fashion and Architecture, John Willey and Sons, Limited, London, UK, 2000.
Annotation by Matt:
I recalled this book from whomever has it checked out of the Penn library. Hopefully it isn't someone else in our group. I don't think it is. Anyway, I will post my impressions in approximately 10 days. Hopefully that won't be too late.

Cooper, S. B.; Slaman, T. A.; and Wainer, S. S. (Eds.). Computability, Enumerability, Unsolvability: Directions in Recursion Theory. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Davis, M. Computability and Unsolvability. New York: Dover, 1982.

De Landa, Manuel. A Thousand Years of Nonlinear History. Zone Books, New York. 1997
Annotation (by Matt): In this book, DeLanda aggues for a new way of thinking about history and, as a consequence, the world that surrounds us. He believes that there is an interconnectedness that binds us all together - flows of matter and energy are the basis not only for biological life or physical manifestations of things (for instance, the forces that create land masses on the globe) but also social phenomena such as economics, politics, and language.
As far as I can tell, this book does not deal directly with the subject of architecture, so any references to it in architectural theory are interpretive.

Du, D.-Z. and Ko, K.-I. Theory of Computational Complexity. New York; Wiley, 2000.

Garey, M. R. and Johnson, D. S. Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness. New York: W. H. Freeman, 1983.

Griffor, E. R. (Ed.). Handbook of Computability Theory. Amsterdam, Netherlands: Elsevier, 1999.

Kelly, Kevin. Out of Control.
Kevin Kelly’s basic premise is that amazing creative and regulatory powers spring from simple objects in multitudes. In human history, the power of the “swarm” has previously been underutilized. Kelly surmises that we are fast approaching a time where mechanical and biological systems will converge to produce an accelerating pace of change and productivity. His ten laws governing this new power:Distribute being Control from the bottom up Cultivate increasing returns Grow by chunking Maximize the fringes Honor your errors Pursue no optima; have multiple goals Seek persistent disequilibrium Change changes itself.

Kwinter, Sanford. Architectures of Time. 2002
Warning: Highly unreadable
Jacket description: A critical guide to the modern history of time and to the interplay between the physical sciences and the arts. Tracing the transformation of twentieth-century epistemology to the rise of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, Kwinter explains how the demise of the concept of absolute time, and of the classical notion of space as a fixed background against which things occur, led to field theory and a physics of the "event." He suggests that the closed, controlled, and mechanical world of physics gave way to the approximate, active, and qualitative world of biology as a model of both scientific and metaphysical explanation.


Johnson, Steven. Emergence. Scribner Books, New York. 2001
(by todd) A populist account of the history of our understanding of self-organization and emergence. He goes a little overboard in the everything-in-the-universe-is-awesome-because-it's-emergent department, but otherwise the book is useful for the layman to understand the basics.


Lewis, H. R. and Papadimitriou, C. H. Elements of the Theory of Computation, 2nd ed. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1997.

Mishra, R.K. On self-organiaztion. An interdisciplinary search for a unifying principle. 1994.
annoteted by your beloved jonathan:
A great read from the engineering library! Proceedings from an interdisciplinary 1994 conference about self organization and emergence as underlying phenomena in natural and cultural sciences. Describes the coming about of out understanding of the subject through advancements in thermodynamics, and similarities in the process of the development of homo-sapiens-sapiens. Specifically fascinating is the discussion that human communication is digital (phonemes combined as words and sentences) as opposed to analog – the only thing that really sets us apart from other animals. The digitizing of communication makes it legible even with 50% mistakes and drop-outs, over long distances, noise, bad weather, and generations. This ability to communicate and accumulate information developed as an emergent condition… really quite cool.

Patton, Phil, Postrel, Virginia, Steele, Valery, Rossa, Joeseph Glamour: Fasion, Industrial Design, Architecture, Yale University Press, New Haven, Ct, 2004.
Annotation by Matt:
This book is interesting. It is a companion to an exhibition held at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art that examines the presence of glamour in architecture, industrial design, and fashion. Glamour, as defined for the purposes of this exhibition, is a gaudy form of elegance, often more grotesque and vulgar, but always a source of (occasionally guilty) pleasure. Pimp cups, Karl Lagerfeld’s fashion designs, Morris Lapidus’s hotels, and Bentley’s automotive designs comprise this realm. The most interesting facet of this book’s analysis of contemporary architecture is the fact that it does this purely in terms of aesthetics. The underlying justifications for these designs that would probably arise during an academic lecture about architecture never appear in the text of this book. It could be that the audience is assumed to be less educated on these subjects, or the authors could simply be uninterested in this facet of design for the purposes of the exhibition. Contemporary architects noted in the exhibition include Herzog & de Meuron, dECOi, E. D. Stone, OMA, servo with Smart Studio/Interactive Institute, Greg Lynn, Hernan Diaz Alonso, among others.

Quinn, Bradley, Fasion of Architecture, Berg Publishers, London, UK 2003
Annotation by Matt:
I hate to report this, but I'm not so sure this book is helpful for our purposes. In fact, I think it kind of argues the opposite of what we are interested in. This book seems to be largely interested in infusing the fashion industry with importance and relevance by finding parallels between contemporary fashion and architecture. I won't quite return it yet, though, since I do this that this thesis may prove helpful. As we are attempting to investigate whether parallels between fashion and contemporary architecture undermine the justifications architects employ for their designs, Quinn argues that these parallels increase fashion's importance through its connections to architecture. Hummph. Did that make any sense? It's late, and I'm not totally thinking straight. I don't think I can articulate complexity of this magnitude at this hour.

Rudofsky, Bernard. Architecture without Architects. 1964
(by todd) A mostly photographic survey of vernacular ("non-pedigreed" as he calls it) architecture throughout human history. The text is limited to a short preface and captions with each photo. The captions do a bit more than provide descriptions of the photos by delivering short commentary and discussion. This book is useful for our project because it serves as a catalog of architectures which actually are emergent phenomena (not to mention performative).

Skiena, S. Implementing Discrete Mathematics: Combinatorics and Graph Theory with Mathematica. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1990.

Sudkamp, T. A.Language and Machines: An Introduction to the Theory of Computer Science, 2nd ed. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley, 1996.

Taylor, C. The Moment of Complexity
“CLIFF NOTES” FOR
THE MOMENT OF COMPLEXITY by jonathan
Taylor begins his book with the statement “we are living in a moment of unprecedented complexity”. Funny how so many people like saying that. Mies for example, referred more than once to “the desperate confusion of our time”. I guess every generation would like to think it is unique, and perhaps the best way to stand out is to survive the troubles of this world. So ok Taylor, sure, unprecedented complexity…

The unique standing of this moment is not the change of the world around us, and not even the speed of change, but the ongoing increase in the rate of change. To the point where acceleration is a mean in its own right - speed feeds itself to become faster (autocatalytic? – maybe add to glossary later).

Taylor relates the coming about of complexity theory as related to 20^th century history. Many scientific and technological developments are related to work done by governments during WWII and the Cold War (such as many media oriented technological advancements and the World Wide Web). These were soon appropriated by the private realm and utilized by people regardless of their geographic location or political standing, breaking down the fabricated distinction between the Soviet Block (the bad guys, the communists, etc) and the Western World (the good guys, the capitalists, and so on). This synthetic division of the world was necessary for many to better understand the complexity of the post war period by oversimplification so typical of the Newtonian logic, and often related to Modernist Architecture. When the Berlin Wall fell, it was a result of the free flow of information, not ballistic missiles, across what was supposedly a border; emphasizing the fact that physical harsh distinctions were an inaccurate way by which to look at the world.

Then Taylor dives into discussing art vs. non-art as a topic brought to the forefront by Warhol. I fail to make a logical connection between the former point and this one in my poor writing. Sorry.

A distinction is drawn between Complexity Theory, and Catastrophe and Chaos theories:
Thom, the catastrophic originator, describes Newtonian thought and Euclidian geometry as unsuitable for understanding nature. He looks at abrupt and irregular qualitative changes, and seems to fail due to his obsession with organizing the information in a hierarchal fashion (taxonomy). Chaos Theory deals with deterministic dynamic systems. These may have a beginning point and a set of rules defining their development. But as the original condition is so complex and difficult to define, it is impossible to truly calculate or simulate the systems behavior. Systems which react disproportionately to a cause seem to interest chaotic theoreticians most. Complexity Theory has the catastrophic interest in abrupt change, and the chaotic fascination with dynamic systems. (Thank you Todd for helping me out with this one).

The next chapter compares Mies, Venturi, and Gerry. Or modernism, post-modernism, and whatever title one may give to contemporary architecture (WLITTB - “what London is trying to become” perhaps?)

Mies, Modernism, Mega-government, Mucho-simplified etc. Do I really need to elaborate?
Now it gets interesting: Venturi realizes the world can’t stand on the clear and simple monumental grid, and begins to focus on the image of society and culture. To the point of focusing so much on the billboard affect of architecture, that the form and technology never had to further develop. As Matt Morong so eloquently explained: his images are complex, but spatially he is modernist. Garry, Taylor states, starts dealing with complex form and not only image, as well as being a part of a development in technology (computer software and construction methods). That is what begins to set him apart from others that came after modernism. I personally would like to add that boatbuilding technology has been around for many years now, and that arguably (and yes, I am doing this also to get comments to the opposite) building a metal boat that stands up is not that different than building a wooden boat that floats horizontally. If anything, it’s less “preformative” and “emergent”.

Venturi, Robert, Complexity and Contradiction in Architecture,New York, NY Museum of Modern Art; 2nd edition (July 15, 2002)
Annotation (by Matt, of course):
This book covers a lot of ground, and it has been influential in both good and bad ways. In short, it argues that the style of Modernism, particularly that which came to dominate American "academic" architecture of the 50s and 60s, is flawed and empty. It looks to alter Modern architecture's direction slightly in order to bring it greater interest and relevance. It does this through an analysis of historical precedents, and argues that these precedents can find an application in the vocabulary of Modern architecture. Complexity, as I believe Venturi would define it, must be considered in relation to the architecture he was arguing against. In the opening pages, for instance, he cites two Philip Johnson houses as examples of structures that simplify their program for purposes of expression, and in doing so, do not reflect the realities of the ways people live. Venturi’s complexity would acknowledge the difficult tensions that pervade everyday life. It is an argument that is not only aesthetic but social. By acknowledging the ways that people build and live, architects can regain their relevance.
There’s a lot more to this book, and I’m open to other interpretations, but this seems to jump out at me as the point that is most important for our project right now. But I’m open for discussion.

Welsh, D. J. A. Complexity: Knots, Colourings and Counting, New York: Cambridge University Press, 1993.

Wolfram, Stephen, A New Kind of Science, Champaign, Il: Wolfram Media (May, 2002).
Wolfram’s seminal work intends to prove that complex behavior does not need complex components to manifest itself. In fact, Wolfram outlines types of behavior and components that shows how complex natural patterns, such as leaves and animal stripes may actually work.

Initial Outline

Thesis Statement:

Our intention with this project is to analyze contemporary architectural theory and its emphasis on complexity and technology. The goal is to demonstrate that, in its essence as a market-driven fashion industry, architecture’s current obsession with complexity and technology is no more valid than its past acceptance of any other historical style and the theories that cause such an aesthetic to be acceptable.

Deluzian Writings and Architectural Theory

What is it?Why is it?Where is it?

• The "fold"
• Interior and exterior conditions
• Topics in 10,000 Plateaus

Writers on Deluze

• Susan Grosz -

-Interior and exterior space

• Manuel De Landa

-Generative processes - power of problem solving is more productive
-Diagram is useful
-Realizing possibilities/Actualizing virtualities

• Sanford Kwinter
  

Other Topics

• Technology
• 
  
• History of Architecture Theory
• Theory relationship to Architecture

-Vitruvius
-Modernism
-Mies
The open floor plan is expression of utility.

-Network Theory and Systems
-Bowlism?
-Emergence
-Self-Organization

Case Studies

• Greg Lynn
• Ben Van Berkel and Caroline Bos
• Forign Office Architects
  
• Oceans North (useless)
  
• Peter Eisenman: Diagrams
  

Conclusion

Dymaxion Transport

http://www.thirteen.org/bucky/qt/cop.qt

Suggested Readings

Here are some of the suggested sources regarding Complexity.
We have taken to the task of tracking down these books with minimal success.

Nicholas and Prigogine's Exploring Complexity
-Checked out by John from the Engineering Library.

Kelly's Out of Control
-Ryan has found this in online document format.

Kwinter's Architecture's of Time,
-Todds on this, but it is currently taken out

de Landa's 1000 yrs of non-linear history + intensive science

Mark C Taylor's Moment of Complexity
– Jon is looking at this and it is on reserve at Furnesse

Periodicals
AD
AA Files, Perspecta
Praxis

Possible advance copy of future resource.
Crib Sheets: Notes on the Contemporary Architectural Conversation

Call for Images

Ryan wants some images to spruce up the Complexity Blog.
Any suggestions?

1. Algorithms derived architecture projects
2. Pictures of Elfin
3. Ryan's recent studio projects.
4. Jon's recipe for spicy bits

Anything that involves complexity