ARCHITECT Magazine has just released the results from their fourth annual R+D Awards, and we are happy to announce that PROJECTiONE has received a Citation for bitMAPS, our patterned wall tiling system developed within the last year. The awards honor innovative materials and systems at every scale—from entire buildings and complexes to HVAC and structural systems to curtain-wall and ceiling-panel assemblies to discrete building materials such as wood composites and textiles. The R+D Awards are purposefully open to building technologies of all types, in order to encourage the broadest possible dialogue among architects, engineers, manufacturers, researchers, students, and designers of all disciplines. The jury considered new materials, products, and systems as well as unconventional uses of existing materials, products, and systems. Entries were judged for their potential or documented innovation in fabrication, assembly, installation, and performance, as well as their potential to advance the aesthetic, environmental, social, and technological value of architecture.

PROJECTiONE has been invited to speak at the 2010 R+D Symposium coming up September 22 and 23 in Chicago at the Trump International Hotel & Tower. Register to attend ARCHITECT’s two-day conference about the forefront of building technology here: http://rdawards2010.com/

We hope to see you there!


We would like to thank Ball State University Department of Architecture and the Institute for Digital Fabrication for their continued support through use of facilities and equipment. Without their efforts this award could not have been possible.

PROJECTiONE has been invited to exhibit and present Radiance at:

INPUT_OUTPUT: ADAPTIVE MATERIALS AND MEDIATED ENVIRONMENTS SYMPOSIUM AND EXHIBITION 10.08.10

Temple University Tyler School of Art Architecture Department
Conference Co-chairs Rashida Ng and Sneha Patel

INPUT_OUTPUT: Adaptive Materials and Mediated Environments will address the convergence of several significant and fundamental advancements in the ways that materials and environments are designed, evaluated, and experienced within architecture and related disciplines. The emergence of new and ultra-performing materials, parametric design and modeling tools, integrated design technologies, and developing digital fabrication and prototyping techniques establish an interconnected network of technological inputs that has stimulated the development of materials, assemblies, and systems with adaptive environmental behaviors. This symposium will interrogate the relationships that exist between each of four discrete, yet interrelated technologies of adaptive materials: Material Compositions, Material Fabrications, Material Behaviors, and Material Computations. Through contemporary research, design projects, and theoretical positions, it will frame the evolving context for adaption and mediation within the built environment.

For complete details and registration information, click here.


We would like to thank Ball State University Department of Architecture and the Institute for Digital Fabrication for their continued support through use of facilities and equipment. Without their efforts this would not have been possible.

PROJECTiONE.com has finally decided to ignore our paper free habits and take the dot com to print! This analog version of our thesis work details selected projects both in thinking and making, and includes papers that support the foundation of PROJECTiONE. Please add us to your library/coffee table, we appreciate your support.

We are publishing with Lulu.com. The download version is available for free and the hard copy for $40.

BUY ME HERE !

We just returned from the annual ACADIA Conference (Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture) at the Art Institute of Chicago. There were some very informative lectures and we were fortunate to network with many of the designers and academics present. This year’s conference was entitled reForm(), exploring how architects, engineers, artists and designers are using HARDWARE, SOFTWARE and MIDDLEWARE technologies to transform the ways in which buildings and spaces perform, act and operate. Many interesting lectures were centered on computer-human interface and augmented realities.

Kai Strehlke: Head of Design Technology, one of the keynote speakers, spoke about Herzog and de Meuron’s design process, contrasting most of the other presentations. He emphasized that their use of technology does not control the design process; instead, they seek tools to realize designs, many of which come from cultural and social concepts rather than complex algorithms.

It was exciting to hear Robert Aish speak about his history within the field of computer programming and parametric design. Aish described his experience developing computer models for the ship building industries (which had developed parametric models before the advent of computers). He is currently developing a programming language (D#) for Autodesk in order to produce new forms of parametric scripting. He showcased some examples of the language and the developing software.

Achim Menges presented research on wood veneer and hygroscopic reaction. He is currently continuing that research, studying wood’s reactive/sensory characteristics relative to moisture and humidity. Experiments were set up to determine how much deflection veneer could produce in low / high moisture environments. These studies are translated into some larger scale design schemes. It was exciting to see the research existing outside of the computer, in the analog world.

We have been following the ongoing work at the ETH in Zurich (specifically that of Gramazio and Kohler). Their approach to an additive design process has taken them from bricks to wood construction. They are continuing to develop a relationship between their robotic arm and standard miter saws for full scale building skins. Their no-holds-bar approach to creative uses of digital and analog tools has similarities to our own, and it was interesting to hear their perspective.

The last keynote lecture was unexpected, dealing with the developing use of robots in the military. Peter W Singer is a writer and researcher for 21st Century Defense Initiative – Brookings. The presentation was an awakening exposing some of the ethical implications of this research and development. Robots in Iraq with loaded cannons are taking on a major role, sometimes malfunctioning and firing at our troops, other times saving lives. This raises concerns of liability: who is to blame if a robot kills a civilian: the programmer, manufacturer, commander in chief? It also raised moral questions about the replacement of the human in warfare.

The conference included a diverse collection of papers but did not maintain any consistent thread across them. Somebody made the comment that ACADIA is alive and kicking but doesn’t necessarily know in what direction. This isn’t to say that the diversity wasn’t appreciated but we need to ask, what are the implications of these projects and research on the field and on our future?

We enjoyed our MegaBus adventure to Chicago.

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We returned from New York City after interviewing some of the top designers and fabricators in the country. It was interesting to learn of the connections between the firms and the collaboration that exists across them. Each interview gave us an understanding of not only the individual and their firm, but also the network of practices throughout the city.

Our questions highlighted their perspective on the relationship between digital and analog tools and processes. Many of these firms are recognized for their contributions to digital design and architecture yet their responses indicated sensitivity towards the human involvement in these processes. We heard stories of a master plasterer finishing a CNC milled wall and a Native American weaver suturing two very scripted components together. This attitude is emerging as an area of great interest to us and is the main focus of our research and projects.

These firms represent a broad spectrum of size, experience, and expertise. Many of the younger firms we interviewed are small scale and are seeking to better define their role in design and fabrication. These firms are struggling to bridge the gap between design and fabrication. They would like to pursue their own design work but fall victims to their own success with digital fabrication tools.

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These interviews will take place over the week of 9.28.09 to 10.2.09 in New York City, in the offices of various architectural designers, fabricators, and consultants. A diverse range of practices were selected in order to gain information on the question of how practices integrate digital design and fabrication techniques with more traditional methods. Do firms actually practice in the purely digital realm? Focusing strongly on firms that design and fabricate customized components, how do these firms manage the design fabrication feedback loop? These interviews are intended to gain the perspective or attitude on these issues.

Aranda/Lasch
Associated Fabrication
BuroHappold
Case Design Inc.
DavidZachary
Freecell
Front Inc.
Lewis Tsurumaki Lewis
Nastasi Architects
SITU Studio
Tietz-Baccon