more critic's notes ...

Here's a comment from Ed Keller, one of the professors teaching at SCI-Arc. Very talented and super smart guy. Just a brief intro to show his amazing accolades:

Edward Keller::architecture, design technology & media

___A|UM Studio & a.CHRONO | partner / principal

___SCI-Arc | MediaSCAPES Postgraduate Program Coordinator

___Columbia GSAPP /SCI-Arc| design & theory faculty

Comments from Ed >>

"I think you are really getting at an interesting problem- as i am sure you know. Funny, I was reading an essay Tony Blair wrote in the Economist a couple weeks ago, titled something like "Things I've Learned" - a kind of ridiculous false modesty or even hubris for a politician of his level, but at the same time an interesting read. One thing he comments on is the changing role of the state. He is discussing it on a domestic level; but he is also implying on a global/geopolitical level. Here it is. Again- it's not Fred Jameson, but it is interesting. I see a very vague, unsophisticated connection here to the kind of scenario thinking that neal Stephenson is using in Snow Crash and Diamond Age.

I guess what I am getting at is: where is the territory you will Claim as a designer in this kind of world?

You reference 'Three Days of the Condor" and you know Jameson writes a bit about that in Geopolitical Aesthetic. ... ... Keep to your agenda and concept! "

Critics' Notes

Wes Jones + Gary Paige were the 2 official critics at the review. The following are the main critiques:

--> How do we test the efficiency of the success of your suggested approach?

--> How will you evaluate the success of the approach - "success of scenarios'?

--> Are you designing a building? (my defense: I am designing an enclave, possibly a series of buildings)

--> Your critique of the utopias is valid

--> We have to wait and see your results

--> Instinct and romance of this automated (aka. author-less) design approach is something not comfortable and convincing. (my defense: I am NOT kicking out the architect; on the contrary, I want the architect's voice to be heard even more)

--> Suggestion of having a gathering of necessary experts for the suggested design approach. (my defense: Precisely, that's my goal. To make aware the value of views of others in other disciplines. In the thesis, the attempt is to make sense of these views and the sensibility of the architect to manifest them into architecture. Think of this in contrast to singular architecture where the architect's ego and economy are the dictating factors.)

--> When you quantify factors of design process, you will be trapped into the 60's 'formula of truth'.

--> The 'game' table that is devised is debatable.

--> The problem of Corbusier's plans for his utopias, is not the author, but that of a naive author.

--> Can Corbusier's plans be analyzed with this computational theory and approach to understand what went wrong?

--> Design something. Then tell us how it should be.

--> Start with the scenarios to know where it is going.

1st thesis review boards and presentaton

Pirated City - Augmenting reality through fiction

Defining Reality architecture possibilities through fiction - Parametric Scenario Simulation

Before I go into the thesis argument proper, I wish to clarify the issues I am interested in… and what I am NOT interested in.

Argument Tier 1>>

Interested IN>

1) Fiction & Simulation: How they can be generative tools in looking at the design cities and buildings.

2) Seeing Cities & Buildings as Enclaves: For decades, the City and Building are seen as separate things. It is often dictated by the coming together of developers. Seeing the phenomenon in the construction scene especially in China and Middle East, it is important to realize and see that cities act and get built like architecture projects. This is in contrast to architecture projects that are so massive that they overlap and take on a urban planning role.

3) Investigating and devising Strategies as a way of design in urban planning and architecture.

Given the complexity of the thesis, I am NOT Interested in and NOT dealing with,
X1) The development of perfect Utopias ; rather, I am developing imperfect utopias
X2) Certain styles of architecture.

Argument Tier 2>>

In this thesis, I am investigating:

1) Strategies that deals in homogeneous ways the processes, specifically between the city and architecture design.

2) How is the future like for cities and architecture? I am advocating the analysis from the Past, through simulations, to offer multiple options, laying them out the possibilities and consequences to the decision/policy-makers, maybe as well to the general multitude.(much like how the computer brain is used to pit against chess players)

3) Simulations. This involves a research into several methodologies like Game Theory, Mob intelligence and Augmented reality (fiction) analysis. (see movie 'Three days of a Condor').

4) The Feedback loop process to the current from both the past and present. Where the past is about the present; the present is about the future.

Argument Tier 3>>

This part of the argument will go into the details like the methodology of simulation.

1) Method of simulation > explain the tabulation chart and process of generating the scenarios ; input-output characteristic.

2) Reiterate the using of a fictitious tool, like simulation, in design.

3) Explain the novelty of using dissimilar or seemingly unrelated facts (eg. Using of women skirts’ length’s as an economic prediction factor)

4) Architecture manifestation - ENCLAVES



Precedents >
There are 2 types of precedents that I am showing.

Left > examples that exemplify the thesis's goals, which includes: Spacefighter; Evolution City; Sliding Doors; Gundam; Sim City; 2^nd Life; Hani Rashid’s virtual museum & stock exchange; Keller Easterling’s ‘outlaw spatial products’

Right > examples that diminishes the thesis's goals, which includes: Built projects like: Emperor Qin, China; Rotterdam Blitz; Zaha Hadid’s Biopolis in Singapore; Corbu’s Chandigarh. Utopias which dictate individuals to behave and act like Radiant city by Corbu.




SITE >
1) Explained briefly historical and current context of Singapore, leading up to the urban planning situation of the whole Singapore and Marina Bay itself.

2) Briefly show the different proposals already presented for the Marina Bay development.

Design Methodology >
Explained the 3 scenarios generated from the Simulation Tabulation, the process and initial schematic design.


Goal of thesis >>

* Detailed analysis, scenario simulation and design to demonstrate the successful overlap of urban + architecture for the future.

* Implications of The City & Architecture

* Implications of Role of the Contemporary Architect (leaping up the hierarchy to be on par with decision-makers and multitudes alike, to impact changes more pro-actively)

Be Small and Wrong

A inspiration just dawned on me(during a daily essential 'event' better not mentioned here... if you are about to have a meal), specifically on how to best express my thesis:

Look BIG .... ... think small
>> With the massive scale of urban and architecture projects now, there is the tendency to look at the big picture, think in terms of big ideas and strokes. In my thesis, on the contrary, I am advocating to take into account of the small things, the minute intricacies in society and living structure; even dissimilar facts that seemingly has nothing whatsoever to do with planning of the city and architecture.


Get RIGHT ... ... do wrong
>> Normally, decisions and ideas are taken from successful examples in order to create a design or planning that would guarantee a certain degree of correctness. Here in my thesis, on the contrary, I am taking previously ostracized and avoided strategies and giving them a new value and outlook in a new time era. Bad things need not be bad all the time for everything.

1st Bloodbath over ...

Just got home after a tiring day in school. The 1st thesis review went pretty well. I will put up excerpts of the review, photos and also my boards. I think I managed to hold myself pretty well there with Wes Jones and Gary Paige bringing up issues of the dangers of creating automated design process that will result in the ousting of design authorship. They also brought up very helpful and valid points to help me focus my thesis more.

Thanks a lot to Juan Carlos who helped me take down notes and also took the time to do a mini- one-two-thesis debriefing after the review ended at 6pm LA time. Seems like I have to put on more layers of 'armour' as I realize more and more the controversy my thesis will bring to a considerable amount of architects and students in SCI-Arc.

Visionary ??

So, what does it mean to be visionary, especially in architecture? Contrary to the common notion that it just means something that is utopian, rather, I think it is best described in the movie "The Corporation".

To quote,

" ... ... Civilization is not flying because it is not built according to the laws of aerodynamics for civilizations that would fly. And of course, the ground is a long way away from the fall off the cliff.
But some people have seen that ground rushing up sooner than the rest of us have. The visionaries have seen it and have told us that it is coming ... ..."

Am I able to see that 'ground'? Or, am I just looking at the wrong direction?

1st Thesis Review coming up ...

The first thesis review is next Monday, 18th June. Although it's an internal critique session, I am already having a headache at what and how to present in the clearest and most effective way. The critic panel consists of Wes Jones, Gary Paige and Tulay Atak. Rob Ley, my adviser is supposed to be present as well but he has overseas commitments. He's been most supportive, even calling from Europe a few days ago to check my thesis progress.

Anticipated criticisms from the panel:

Ø Failed Strategies: who am I to judge what is considered Failed? Perceptively failed schemes have other successful repercussions. Similarly, perceptively successful schemes have failing repercussions.

Ø Utopia idealism: to defend that architects’ design are not meant to be a guarantee; I am not designing a utopia and I am fully aware of the imperfection of the environment.

Ø Architecture & Urban issues: where is the overlap? How obvious is it? Where is the architecture?

Evoking a Response

The thesis goal is to evoke a response, a realization from the public, from people who care about their city, that there are several potentials which are untapped and are perhaps important to affect their city in a certain way.

Image taken from the movie, Children of Men.


Image taken from the Japanese anime series, Gundam.

Take for example, cartoons like Gundam, Full Metal Alchemist, or movies like Children of Men, and games like World of Warcraft; they took a point in history and generate a certain scenario based on a shift in a particular aspect of society. From viewing the 'virtual consequences', it makes the viewer realize that there are several things he/she could have done to prevent/assist such a 'consequence'. Then, the overlap happens when he/she takes into account the present and is made aware of the larger picture and perspective of his/her environment, given more options as to how the environment can develop from that present moment.

Again, I wish to emphasize that this is NOT an attempt to build a utopia, a perfect world. The thesis realizes the imperfection of our surroundings and takes that into account and tries to display possibilities from 're-discovered mechanisms/parameters' of society.

why not Reduce, Re-use, Recycle?

I got a comment from a friend reporter, Shiyong and he raises an issue that I have always been burdened with - the thesis idea being still not well-defined and clear. I am trying to churn out a 'Definition booklet' as there are quite a number of technical terms. Hopefully, that will make things much clearer.

His comment was on why I chose the word ‘Pirates’ instead of just ‘Reduce, Re-use, Recycle’

Here’s my defense:

>I am not Reducing, rather I am Expanding the scope of options for a city to grow.

>Reusing - yes, it is somewhat like a re-use of past/rejected issues, but it more than that. I am trying to gather seemingly 'unimportant'/'unrelated' elements and show that they too contribute and can affect. I would say 'Re-discover' would be a better word.

>Recycling - this is also somewhat related, but there is a slight difference. A recycled entity is meant for another usage. In the thesis, the generated parallel scenario is meant to affect and interact with the perception of the individual, to interact with present thinking, with the possibility that a selected change in another parameter of the scenario results in a slightly different Present and hence Future.

>Pirates - With the notion that 'pirates' means something that is copied, stolen, and re-produced in unofficial ways, it then relates very much to the simulated scenarios I am trying to do here, which is to sieve out the 'treasures' yet unknown, take control of it and generate its potential influence (in reality, it has already been avoided and rejected).

Scenario Planning & Speculative Strategies

The 3 projects shown above are what I have done before that involves mechanisms of Scenario Planning & Urban Strategic Speculations.

They are (in order):
- Urban Farms (SCI-Arc SCI-FI studio led by Jeffrey Inaba, group work with David, Gurmukh & Juan)
- VertiCity (design competition in collaboration with Jawn Lim)
- Rotterdam Airport - EVENT PORT (Scenario Planning seminar led by Michael Speaks, group work with Jerry, Guy, Mishou & Sylvia)

Definitions: Pirates

To make the argument clear, I will need to define clearly how I have expressed the word ‘pirates’ in the context of the thesis.

PIRATES’ definition

1)

Pirates as in the actual literal meaning of people or corporations or organizations that leech onto the original or legal entities and create a alternative avenue available and attractive to the common masses

2)

[Pirates] referring to a philosophical pirated system where it means a self-organized system of alternatives that reacts to other systems and aims at the 'cracks' or defected areas to provoke or take advantage of , in order to advance a certain cause

Legal bodies somehow need the piracy system to go on simultaneously so as to cause advancement

The latter definition is the one I am referring to.

PIRATED NATIONs proposed to project the future of the city. The idea is to implement [2nd cities] with Pirate Forces interacting within the "UNPirated City" via virtual worlds.

Pirated Singapore[S] which explore new possibilities, unexploited paths, and avoided strategies.

How would these virtual Singapores participate in the real Singapore? How do we collapse both --- the fiction & reality?

Limitation of 'Architecture' ?

I’m not looking for the limits, but rather the limitlessness of different territories. There are people who would say that building is the limit of architecture, but that’s not true. More and more, architects are being commissioned to build other worlds including virtual reality environments. When I look at other disciplines such as the automobile industry and their standards and procedures for design, I’m amazed at how they have already embraced computerized technologies and fabrication techniques, and at how those aspects have impacted new designs and implementation methods. For some reason, in our discipline --- particularly in the arena of “building design” --- there are limits. I think there is a deep-set inability for people involved in those industries to understand that the so-called limits can be transcended when we embrace certain aspects of automation and new digitally infused methodologies.

Hani Rashid, Asymptote

Interview at Berlage Institute

Mind Map of thesis

This mind map was done during the thesis proposal period last semester, Spring 2007. I will have to update it and generate a more focused one very soon.

What's the thesis about?

Current approaches toward city developments involve certain scenario planning methodology. Politicians, economists, even businessmen of big corporations alike, hold the veto power to changing the value, the image of the city. While these approaches is valid in various applications and research, they have often neglected the contributions that architects made or could have made. Hence, this often relegates the role of architects to just ‘face-uplifters’ and icon-branders.

This thesis aims to be a polemic investigation of new methods of urban, city developments and strategies distinct from the normative perception of city operations.

The intention is to explore how previously ostracized influences and strategies can ‘re-infect’ the city through virtual parallel universes activated by parametric-like scenario planning mechanisms, inserted with deep understanding of the political, economical and social issues. A retroactive manifesto, it is hoped that this thesis will cause a rethinking in the current city’s cultural, architectural and populace development, thus empowering the citizens to take responsibility for the development of their cities.

In the site selected, the Marina Bay development of Singapore, the architecture investigation seeks to generate a whole host of temporary LOCAL BREAKS, GEOGRAPHICAL BREACHES, SPATIAL SHIFTS, AND TEMPORAL CONTRACTIONS. I will explain in later posts to justify the site selected.

Below is a conceptual diagram showing the retroactive process I am taking on to simulate the scenarios based on the past, the creating a parallel timeline to propel it forward to the present and beyond. More explanations will come in later posts.

Simulations Paused

Pirated City – Augmenting reality through Fiction
The architectural aspect of this thesis, considers the potential of augmented reality as a transformative force that interactively informs architecture, thus rendering the design process no longer exclusively a conscious and intentional act.

Architecture as time and space shift. An overlap of virtual and real zones.

Emergence of the NEO-CITIZEN

>> Rethinking of the urban experience

The widespread technology of the internet and user-generated content avenues has created a new phenomenon in how world boundaries are perceived and hence changed the perception of the ‘the citizen’.

With the emergence of the “NEO-CITIZEN”, how can we, as architects, harmonize architecture with issues of political boundaries, social systems, media exchanges, and the economy?

On a broad sense, I am interested to investigate new ways in which global cities grow amid geopolitical influences. What are the current global systems that define a city and how will potential future interventions augment these systems?

WORLD 2.0

How did the internet change the world?

"While hierarchies are not vanishing, profound changes in the nature of technology, demographics, and the global economy are giving rise to powerful new models of production based on community, collaboration, and self-organization rather than on hierarchy and control.
Millions of media buffs now use blogs, wikis, chatrooms, and personal broadcasting to add their voices to a vociferous stream of dialogue and debate called the “blogsphere.” Employees drive performance by collaborating with peers across organizational boundaries, creating what we call a “wiki workplace.” Customers become “prosumers” by cocreating goods and services rather than by simply consuming the end product."
quoted from WIKINOMICS, How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything



Traditionally, we perceive the boundaries of cities via the physical land mass and the use of the passport as a visual proof of passing boundaries. But now, with the globalization and integration of organizations and interests groups and the internet, the perception is changed and there is a blurring of this linear boundary. The boundaries are more of a 3-dimensional network web of connections.

In the Beginning ...

It is now 2.27 am, Los Angeles time, 13 June 07, at my thesis pit in SCI-Arc. Pretty excited about setting up my first personal blog for my thesis, titled Pirated City. Sure hope there will be interested parties viewing the upcoming entries and giving me feedback. Do also visit www.urbanthesis.net(up and running by this weekend) to see other interesting theses. This website is a combined effort to highlight the importance of such a genre of urban thesis. Watch for more posts!