Two events in Barcelona

1,2,3,4 of June - an installation by Architects-of-Air (images) at the CosmoCaixa museum. Not as mind-bending as this one, but still worth a visit;

from 26 to 30 of June - Arduino workshop (tutors website here).

On energy, hydraulics and deviations - part II

Pruned has lots of good posts somehow dealing with this theme: this one, this one (alluvial valley), this one , and this account of a damn' good project - wave garden by Y. Obuchi.

On energy, hydraulics and deviations - part I

The work of Hans Jenny: emergent patterns within liquids affected by sound vibrations.

(a pity that this gets wrapped up in somewhat mystic blabber, but nothing's perfect)

"We might just be insects pollinating machines that do not happen to have their own reproductive organs right now."

An oldie but goodie: interview with Manuel De Landa (circa 1992), worth reading every bit.

(warning: not for the faint of openness. For a more rigorous, dense interview check this one)

Kinetic Design Group

Besides the work they're doing, there's an interesting workshop with some nice case studies.

Math in Architecture (cont'd)

Inspiration study on mathematical formula.

chaoscope

Chaoscope is a 3D strange attractors rendering software. It's a computer tool used to help comprehending dynamic systems, a superset of the strange attractors. (most of them based on mathematical models) Also check out this sculptor's website and his experiment with math as well.

Plant Cellular Anatomy

For inspiration only: the architecture of plant tissues.

Math in Architecture

Architecture and the Rhino Math Plug-In - Twin dwelling

The studio focus its investigation by exploring recent advancements of surface theory in mathematics, architecture's return to material practices, industrial shifts from mass standardization to mass customization, and new socio-economical programmatic relationships.

IRMA Part 1

Square Base


Amorphous


Pipe

contour mapping of sdkie surface

Fabrication: The Fifth Ecology of Los Angeles

Michael Speaks interviews seven young LA-based practices involved with digital design and fabrication. Listen to the audio online.

On prototypes, part VII

This blog is a riveting account of the process of building a miniskyscraper whose structure moves and adapts with its own muscles. Great stuff.

Visual Complexity

This is one of the latest project by Jeff Gray at NYU. A shift in the Fabric links you to the project which is an exploration of overlapping networks and their integration together as one large network "eco-system".

Paper sculpture

The process of rapid prototyping was explored in the creation of solid sliceform models.

The Third Culture

Regarding the previous post: I came across the reference of W. Fontana while reading this great book, by Brian Goodwin, who has contributed to EDGE.

Edge offers a lot of important essays, debates and discussions. Some examples:
The Third Culture
"What Is The Most Important Invention In The Past Two Thousand Years?"
"What do you believe is true even though you cannot prove it?"

there's more, much more. and also this...

Alchemy

ALgorithmic CHEmistrY: one of several papers by Walter Fontana et al.

scripting resources, part II

Daniel Shiffman's site is excellent: explanations, examples, code, course wiki, etc, etc.

(via resarch)

Thom Mayne's 'socials' in Madrid

Plans , sections, elevations and 3d models of firm's Madrid social housing project. This could be one type of projects created by algorithm design.

"Optical matter" and re-mapping the planet

These two great posts by BLDBLG point us to some recent articles in (the excellent) NewScientist:
one, about, yes, building with light;
the other, about this great effort.

By the way, NewScientist has a couple of worth-reading blogs, like this one on inventions and patents and this one on technology in general. This is also funny. And this. And...

Two versions of Kwinter

A pair of Sanford Kwinter's texts, written for different audiences, and thus different in style and scope, both really worth reading and comparing:

"Architecture's Scientific Revolution" for Seed magazine, in part for people mostly unfamiliarized with what is going on in arch&design (which might include some architects...);

"Knowledge Activism" for 32BNY, shares a lot with his text for Log #5, but goes further.
Extracts:
"To think pattern, is to resolve much of the old program/form dichotomy (they are both subsumed by it as two manifestations of the same impetus); it is to see design as problem and product of organization."
"Invention, speculation, projection: what are these but forms of meditation, the highest forms of knowledge, homages to the now, inquiries into the dancing forces that are at work composing the present. Speculative activity is a scientific inventory of effects, tendencies, directions, the very truest form of cartography. This is how I see the problem of change."

Research on the Biocapitalist Landscape

Philippe Morel is that french guy I was telling you about the other day. He teaches at several schools and carries out research on many subjects. For me, his "Research on the Biocapitalist Landscape" is the most interesting and provocative.

(it's a pitty that his site bears a flash-bloated, user-despising interface...)

On prototypes, part VI

The AA is giving some of its students support for the construction of a "Serpentine pavillion-style" prototype. Its description and progress can be checked over here (needs registration). Besides the qualities of the project, it is interesting to notice how the school helped in the necessary networking between the students and the sponsors/contractors and engineers.

Museum of Chance

Herzog & de Meuron thinks like an artist—and produces a museum addition as pragmatic as it is unpredictable

Frei Otto

Selected works of Frei Otto.

Interactive Architecture

Interactive Architecture dot Org is a weblog about the emerging practice within architecture that aims to merge the digital virtual with tangible and physical spatial experience. Instead of defining a fixed architectural product it is an architecture in constant flux best suited to prototyping and semi-perminant installations.
It is maintained by Ruairi Glynn. Bartlett School of Architecture. UK

On Prototyping - infraestructure

I am starting with the list in Praxis 6 and I will keep adding references:

CNC Milling
Techno-Isel
Haas
Precix
Prieto Carnaghi

Laser Cutter
Universal Laser System
Kern Electronis and Lasers
Precix

Water Jet
Jet Edge
Flow

3D Printing
Z-corp
Stratasys
Arrk

Online collaborative software, part III

Wikis better than wikis, or, in other words, that are easy to set up and still work for small groups of people (like us!...)

At least that's how that article describes CentralDesktop and Rallypoint.

Online collaborative software, part II

Basecamp is perhaps the most useful product by 37signals. And they offer a free plan .

Online collaborative software, part I

We have been talking of considering other tools, other than the blog, to better organize and correlate our findings and all the stuff we would like to further explore.

So, this is the start of a new series on recently developed collaborative software that is now making its way into collective efforts. Let's begin by checking the applications described in this article (I got through it via slashdot).