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Keywords

Utopian / Dystopia / Plug-in habitat / Reconfigurable and customizable working-living units / Design-to- Robotic-Production and -Operation

Framework

In Fall and Spring semester 2019-20 students engage in the investigation of utopian/dystopian visions on future habitats by reinterpreting Constant’s New Babylon and revisiting today’s societal challenges such as rapid urban densification, overpopulation, scarcity, migration, pollution, climate change, etc. By introducing static and dynamic functionalities such as mega infrastructures (consisting of structural frame, circulation, water and electricity, etc.) with reconfigurable furnishing designed and produced by means of D2RP&O the studio aims to challenge existing concepts for living and working environments. In particular, it takes the opportunity to reflect on the influence of new technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, and 3D printing on architecture. The proposed computationally designed and robotically produced structure relies on these technologies and embeds artificial intelligence in its sensor-actuators mechanisms in order to allow users to customize operation and use of such innovative cyber-physical spaces. Utopian/dystopian aspects are addressed by exploring the potential of cyber-physical systems in architecture (D2RPA&O), the challenges of climate change, overpopulation and urban densification on Earth as well as challenges of off-Earth planetary or stellar colonization.

In fall 2019, students participated in the Open Space Innovation Campaign Off-Earth Manufacturing and Construction, which is put forward by the European Space Agency (ESA). The proposed competition ideas support the following fields of application in a surface exploration infrastructure to support long term human exploration of a planetary body:

Construction of large-scale habitat infrastructure.
Construction of large-scale mobility infrastructure (e.g. roads, landing pads).
Construction of large-scale ancillary infrastructure (e.g. for communication, energy generation, and rage).
Hardware manufacturing (e.g. tools, interior equipment, machinery, and clothing).
Maintenance of the infrastructure and hardware, material recovery and recycling.

Selected ideas/winners receive funding for co-funded research (former NPI), early technology developments (former ITI) or system studies (former GSP). Relevant projects, research papers and facts:

Autonomous Additive Construction on Mars by Foster+Partners (https://www.researchgate.net/publication/303407153_Autonomous_Additive_Construction_on_Mars); NASA_mars_ice_drilling_assessment_v6_for_public_release (https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/mars_ice_drilling_assessment_v6_for_public_release.pdf); Edwin Vermeer's case studies (http://100ybp.roboticbuilding.eu/index.php/project01:Main)

For additional information: https://ideas.esa.int/servlet/hype/IMT?userAction=BrowseCurrentUser&templateName=MenuItem

In both cases, on- and off-Earth, the design will mainly focus on the following aspects:

A. Utopia/Dystopia

Utopias envision ideal communities or societies possessing perfect socio-politico-legal systems. The term is derived from More’s book titled Utopia (1516). For instance, Constant’s New Babylon envisioned a city of the future where land is owned collectively, work is fully automated and human work is, therefore, replaced with a nomadic life of creative play.

In contrast dystopias are communities or societies that are undesirable or even frightening as for instance described in Orwell’s 1984 (1949). These are characterized by dehumanization, totalitarianism, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society.

B. Customization and reconfiguration

The proposed Cyber-physical Space (CS) is controlled by computer-based algorithms, integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) and its users. Physical and software components are, in this context, deeply intertwined. The static and dynamic modalities of the space involve customization and reconfiguration, which will be achieved by means of Design-to-Robotic-Production and –Operation (D2RP&O).

Approach

Students will work on on/off-Earth locations and will develop designs for customizable and reconfigurable units based on user scenarios. In this context, Design-to-Robotic-Production and -Operation (D2RP&O) focuses on the integration of advanced computational design with robotic techniques in order to produce performance-driven architectural formations. This implies that design is directly linked to building production and operation. The studio encourages students to question conventional design processes in order to creatively challenge the interplay between contemporary culture, science, and technology, and their relation to architecture.

On-demand / Plug-in habitat / Reconfigurable and customisable working-living / playing units / Design-to-Robotic-Production / Design-to-Robotic-Operation

Framework

This semester students engage in the investigation of utopian/dystopian visions about future habitats by reinterpreting Constant’s New Babylon and introducing static and dynamic functionalities such as infrastructure (structural frame, circulation, water and electricity, etc.) and reconfigurable furniture respectively.

Utopian/dystopian aspects are addressed by exploring the potential of cyberphysical systems in architecture (D2RPA&O), the challenges of overpopulation and urban densification, etc.

1. Utopia/Dystopia

Utopias envision ideal communities or societies possessing perfect socio-politicolegal systems. The term is derived from More’s book titled Utopia (1516). For instance, Constant’s New Babylon envisioned a city of the future where land is owned collectively, work is fully automated and thus human work is replaced with a nomadic life of creative play.

In contrast dystopias are communities or societies that are undesirable or even frightening as for instance described in Orwell’s 1984 (1949). These are characterized by dehumanization, totalitarianism, environmental disaster, or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society.

2. Customization and reconfiguration

The proposed cyber-physical space is controlled or monitored by computer-based algorithms, integrated with the Internet of Things (IoT) and its users. Physical and software components are, in this context, deeply intertwined. The static and dynamic modalities of the space involve customization and reconfiguration, which will be achieved by means of Design-to-Robotic-Production and –Operation (D2RP&O).

Approach

Students will work with a generic bounding box representing a part of the megastructure that is overimposed on an existing city. Within this bounding box students will develop designs for customizable and reconfigurable units based on user scenarios.

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