:: Workshop 6: Global Energy and Techniques of Green Media Architecture

Host: Vera Bühlmann, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Speakers:

Speakers – Abstract and Biography

::: Vera Bühlmann – Sustainability reconsidered: the symbolization of energy Electricity is undoubtedly one of the key driving factors for urbanizationsince the beginning of the 20th century. Through the synergetic amalgamation with information technology as its most important offspring, and especially through symbolical operations on electrical current as a substrate, energy can be made available in any form, anywhere, in principle. Now consider this: we have today, for the first time ever, the technological means to not only make the distribution and consumption of energy available beyond its immediately felt material constraints, but also to capture it directly on the symbolical level, by information technology capable to extract it from the light of the infinite stream of the sun, and to convert it into electricity. Assumed this technology will follow the economical path any other information technology has followed since the inception of that kind of technology, we can expect to have an abundance of clean energy available within more or less one single generation. What would this mean for architecture?
  • How might we organize and invent urban infrastructures on the basis of the assumption of an abundance of ubiquitously available, clean energy?
  • How might we conceive of the resulting mediality as a quasi-material substrate powering the diversification and differentiation of architectonic ecotopes, or rather: electrotopes, in the future?
  • What are the technological, economic, and political structures eager to fundamentalize scarcity thinking, and how can an architectural reconsideration of the sustainability paradigm counter them?
Vera Bühlmann – Biography Vera Bühlmann holds a PHD in media philosophy from Basle University, in which she approached a philosophical-historical contextualization of mediality as a phenomenon. Since 2008 she is head of the Laboratory of Applied Virtuality at CAAD ETH Zurich, and she is co-author of a forthcoming book on a technologically valid, optimistic and radical path from energy crisis to energy culture. Previously, she has studied English language and literature, philosophy and media studies in Zurich, Switzerland, and she has worked as a researcher and lecturer in the field of media culture at the Academy of Art and Design FHNW in Basel. Recent publications include: “Applied Virtuality. On the Problematics around Theory and Design.” In: Michael Hampe, Silke Lang (Eds.): The Design of Material, Organisms and Minds. Springer Verlag 2010; “Tau, und zwar von den Bermudas. Peter Sloterdijks analytisches Spiel mit der synthetischen Kraft phantastischer Philosophie.” In: Marc Jongen, Sjoerd van Tuinen and Koenrad Hemelsoed (Eds.). Die Vermessung des Ungeheuren. Versuche über Peter Sloterdijk. Fink Verlag, München 2009; co-editor with Martin Wiedmer of pre-specifics. Some comparatistic investigations on research in art and design. JRP|Ringier, Zürich 2008.
::: Katia Gasparini1 Katia Gasparini3 Katia Gasparini2 Katia Gasparini4 Katia Gasparini – Architectural Media – Envelope Technologies This is the result of a Phd research on media architecture where have been analyzed the birth, development and evolution of media surface on the contemporary architecture. The analysis was conducted to go through the study of 100 case history of contemporary architecture equipped by envelope features, like media or communication aspects of the architecture. The results are published in a book with the same title. This book would like to be a useful instrument for those interested on the topic of media-surfaces, meta_surfaces, to better know our contemporary time, focusing current new technologies needed for the realization of simple high-media surfaces or entire media buildings. It seems that the contemporary architect focuses his prevalent attention to the design interaction between architectonic skin and urban landscape, from which the building skin is part or may be perceived. This concept may shift the interest in the direction of the realization of architectural surfaces more and more communicative and dynamic, where the envelope, changing from static limit between environment and architecture to an interactive skin, responsible of the energy and information exchange. A building skin, in fact, is able to capture solar and thermal energy, luminous waves, etc. and at the same time able to transmit signals at an urban scale, thanks to the dimension of architectural façades. In this new context, may be the architectural surface considered a “simple” external enclosure, or is it becoming “other” because of this new communicative role? The media-envelope design involves many disciplines and scientific knowledge: from the architecture, to design, to the technologies coming from far away, from scientific and product sectors foreign to the building sector. A media-surface isn’t only a diaphragm between the building interior and the urban context where the architecture is located, but is visually characterized by colours, texture, ephemeral and temporary surface images that may be part of the wall or projected by mechanical, hydraulic, optical, electrical or electronic technologies. The research was divided into seven parts. Was conducted with the support and the study of the theory of eminent scientists in the architecture, urbanism, sociology, story and human sciences: M.Mc Luhan, R. Ventury, B. Tshumi, J.Baudrillard, P.Virilio, A. Branzi, T. Maldonado, Foucault, etc. The first chapter concerns the analysis of architecture evolution like as a support of video wall and new system for urban advertising; the role of the covering towards the transparency of the material and the ambiguity of the concept between form-function binomial in the contemporary time. The second part concerns an analysis of the development of media architecture in the XX century by means of some keyword like as: visibility, kinesis, mutations, transparency, dynamicity, interaction, and by means of the study of some important architecture per every keyword. The third one concerns the definition of Meta_surface and the innovations among light, colour and information. The fourth chapter concerns the tools for the design to the construction of Meta_surfaces. The software and hardware technologies role, the dynamicity of form and image. The fifth is a technical part where the terms are defined, describe the significant levels of media system composition, technologies and components. The topic is divided classifying the architectural media-system and defining the difference from static and dynamic media-system in architecture, the definition of typologies, the technologies, the role of interfaces, the categories of component of media envelope, materials and products. The sixth part analyses the durability perspectives of Meta_surfaces, the management and maintenance of media envelope. The seventh concerns the hypothesis of development’s settings. Katia Gasparini – Biography Architect, adjunct professor at Iuav University of Venice (Italy), PhD in Media Architecture technologies (Building Technology). MA in Architecture at Iuav. Her research focused on: media-building design, media-façade (interactive, digital and kinetic envelope), environmental quality, technological innovation for architectural envelope, colour and light in architecture. Researcher at the Iuav research group “Colour and Light in Architecture” of the research panel “The Paysage Project”. Works as freelance architect, mediabuilding and new technologies for media-envelope consultant. Recent publication concerns the architectural media-envelope’s technologies: K.Gasparini, Design in superficie. Tecnologie dell’involucro architettonico mediatico (Design on surface. Architectural media-envelope technologies) (Milan: FrancoAngeli. 2009). http://www.iuav.it/Ateneo1/docenti/architettu/docenti-a-/Gasparini-/index.htm ::: Ludger Hovestadt- Biography Ludger Hovestadt is architect and computer scientist. Since 2000 he holds the Chair for CAAD at the ETH Zurich. His interdisciplinary research focuses on transcending the limits of what can be calculated, he has coined the concepts of ,Narrative Infrastructures‘ and ,Serious Story Telling‘ for his applications of complex information technology into everyday usage in architectural practice. He is founder of several companies. Currently he is working on a forthcoming book on an optimistic and radical pathway from energy crisis to energy culture. ::: ecoLogicStudio (www.ecoLogicStudio.com) is an architectural and urban design studio co-founded in London by Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto. In the past few years the studio has built up an international reputation for its innovative work on ‘systemic’ design; ecoLogicStudio’s method is defined by the combination and integration of systemic thinking, bio-ecologic design, parametric design and rapid prototyping techniques. Completed projects include a public library, private villas, large facades and parametric roofs; ecoLogic has developed prototypes and installations for the most important Architectural Biennales, runs international Workshop and cultural activities. Claudia and Marco are currently writing a new book on Systemic Architecture and they are Unit Master at the Architectural Association in London and Visiting Master tutors at the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Cataluña (IAAC) in Barcellona.

Print This Page Print This Page