Living Architecture Spring 2007 Columbia

passing wing2

2007-05-08T07:33:00.000-07:00

passing wing1

2007-05-08T07:19:00.000-07:00

input

motion sensor input

video

processing

setup delay for the input

HIGH 10
PAUSE 1000
LOW 10
PAUSE 500

video

output

Video
flexinaol

Party Wall

2007-05-08T03:16:00.000-07:00

VIDEO
Pitchtest: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CiVZmk38j6o
Prototypes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdoCtQh87UA
Final Prototype: Party Wall: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfwnYMmG0Q

Party Wall
Typ: a dividing partition between two adjoining units or sides that is shared
Rare: a social surface that activates during increasingly varied pitches of sound

Walls of buildings are usually silent spectators when it comes to socialization. Maybe walls don’t have much to say, or maybe they don’t have a voice with which to speak. Historical tales often begin with sayings such as “Many events have happened within these walls,” or “if these walls could talk,” each implying that walls keep tabs on what happens on either side of them. But we prefer to think of walls as participants in those events. We propose a different wall that reacts to different sounds when and as they occur. In this way, walls show their emotions as reactive to the conversations, discussions or arguments that people have within them.

Our premise began with examining the difference between male and female voices. After cataloging many different voices, we found that the perceived pitch of voices was different than the numeric register of high, medium and low voices. The exhibition of these three ranges of sound became the focus of our prototypes. Different parts of the wall activate with different pitches, creating varying patterns of movement across a surface. Within each conversation, someone’s voice can vary through many different octaves of sound, and the wall is a reactive, responsive system to such stimuli. To process this sound in real-time, we utilized live feeds fed through a microphone, processed by live sound analyzing software that then signal a microcontroller when sounds falling within preset ranges were detected. These signals trigger the movement of memory alloy wires that move to pluck a membrane covered in inflated condoms, amplifying the social potential of a wall’s thickness.

In developing this project, potential directions and applications for such a surface were discussed. We hope that as people discover the responsive nature of the wall, it might invoke them to deliberately manipulate the surface, for instance, by purposefully modulating their own voices or by engaging with others in order to witness an effect. There seems to be great performative implications for socializing with a wall, something that might seem dull at first. In our playing with this patch of wall, it often appeared to have a mind of its own, as there was often a time delay in the reaction within. At times we stopped paying attention to the wall and noticed later that the wall was still capturing subtle differences in tone and mood while we were caught up in conversation. The notion of the wall as pet began to emerge from this observation. The condoms were at first thought to be uncomfortable, humorous, gross and provocative, but as they were inflated and arranged into a soft field they immediately took on a cuter, more comfortable character. Even still, they seem to invoke some sort of hesitancy about physically engaging with sexual forms and accoutrements that are often taboo in public settings.

In the end, the party wall is not only a monitor of vocalized social interactions, but it suggests different ways of occupying space. The relationship becomes a feedback loop whereby the sound of a person’s voice in a room, passively activating a wall, then offers the option to directly perform with their surroundings.

Visible & Hidden

2007-05-07T20:55:00.000-07:00

Process Videos:

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, success!

Allie, Ray, Georgia, Natalie

Paranoid Translator

2007-05-07T15:47:00.000-07:00

We're quite pleased with how our output is working. The "spikes" move a lot more when the flexinol is supplied with a fresh battery. You can see them move a little in our video, but before we could replace the battery, our installation was torn down, and we were taken to the Department of Public Safety. Pretty dumb on our part to leave our mechanisms unattended in the elevator, but we think it backs up our concept pretty well...

DIY air valve

2007-05-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

Flexinol Air Valve

http://www.robotshop.ca/home/suppliers/dynalloy-en/dynalloy-flexinol-air-valve.html
http://www.dynalloy.com/Kits.html

the Dynalloy Flexinol Electrostem Air Valve

is going to take too long to ship. So we are going to pay for the UPS second day...
//I found this in AQUARIUM.

archive (trigger group)

2007-05-04T19:48:00.000-07:00

pressure sensor:

air:

air bubble

Blinking lights + moving wire!!

2007-05-04T15:25:00.000-07:00

we finally got our flexinol wire to move along with the lights blinking by using another battery and a relay.

check out the video

REFERENCE PROJECT: Voice Prints

2007-05-04T06:06:00.001-07:00

Project that translates voice patterns into a unique design for each user.

http://www.digitalstar.net/projects/voiceprints/index.html

Two sensors/two outputs

2007-04-18T14:05:00.000-07:00

Here is our circuit and our code for having two sensors - each controlling a different output.

'{$STAMP BS2}'

{$PBASIC 2.5}

PIR PIN 0
PIR2 PIN 15

counter VAR Byte

Main:

IF PIR = 1 THEN

counter = counter + 1

HIGH 2

DEBUG HOME, "TRIPPED...", DEC3 counter

DO : LOOP UNTIL PIR = 0

DEBUG HOME, "CLEARED...", DEC3 counter

LOW 2

ENDIF

IF PIR2 = 1 THEN

counter = counter +1

HIGH 9

DEBUG HOME, "TRIPPED2...", DEC3 counter

DO : LOOP UNTIL PIR2 = 0

DEBUG HOME, "CLEARED2...", DEC3 counter

LOW 9

ENDIF

LOOP

-natalie, georgia, allie, ray

updates: pando - roufa

2007-04-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

prototype: waiting room lamp insert
.
description: flexinol controlled blown glass lens subtly shifts position to produce slight modulation of light pattern on ceiling.
.
next steps: fine tune optics and controller, add sensor

img. 1________img. 2_______ img. 3
.
three different lens types - img.1: blown glass plate, img. 2: same plate covered with optic lenses, img. 3: blown glass object

presure bubble

2007-04-16T16:18:00.000-07:00

//Air cushion // like the air cushion use on a chair. The idea is use pressure sensor as input to control the average pressure between the cushion and body. So the output will be air compresser. and it'll become a feedback loop. (focus: input+output)

2007-04-02T21:02:00.000-07:00

+ Test Video

Speech Recognition Midterm

2007-03-27T08:01:00.000-07:00

see our output test videos using a balloon and foam.

2007-03-27T07:59:00.000-07:00

magnetic aggregate component-

video 1

largest aggregation -

video 1

video 2

smaller aggregation -

video1

Umbrella arm operation

2007-03-27T07:57:00.000-07:00

This is a prototype of the umbrella arm. Components used: modified toilet bolt cap, metal washers, shortened umbrella arm, twine.

Watch video here: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7935047489177323970

Minimum Movement - Maximum Output

2007-03-27T06:17:00.000-07:00

Mark Green / Richard Moore / Fernando Pando / Micha Roufa

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4894204353890878700

The longer the flexinol, the greater movement.

Switch functions properly. Some fine tuning needs to happen for the LEDs and lenses to align properly.

The wire is wrapped around the screw, so simply tightening the screw increases the tautness of the wire.

Wiring for the LEDs.

The new cross platform motherboard achieves greater much greater movement.

By increasing the pause amount, we achieve approximately 2" of movement.

organ organ midterm

2007-03-26T23:44:00.000-07:00

For our video, click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUzGWyDpsTo
Quicknotes:
We focused on processing sound by splitting it into high medium and low pitch ranges for multiple output options. Our prototyping efforts were many, but mostly subtle. Still having trouble talking between computer and Arduino board, but we just found out that we have a bum microcontroller.

Minimum Movement - Maximum Output

2007-03-22T20:59:00.000-07:00

Wing_00 (make-up post)

2007-03-20T08:43:00.000-07:00

Our very first experiment with the flexinol wire.

Wing_04

2007-03-20T08:31:00.001-07:00

Prototype 2.

Overall setup.

The holes on the backboard allows for possible future repositioning of the gear.

The flexinol wire is attached to a spring component (subsituted with the rubberband seen here) that will pull the wire back in place after the flexinol wire relaxes.

The latch is added.

Wing_03

2007-03-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

Before we attempt to make our second prototype, we modeled it in Rhino.
(screen shots below).

Perspective.

Anticipated angles of movement.

Elevation.

by Mercy, Po, Phil, Joyce

Wing_02

2007-03-20T08:27:00.000-07:00

Detail shots of our prototype 01

One end of the flexinol is fixed to the base while the other end is attached to the latch.

When the flexinol wire contracts it will pull the latch and release the gear that controls the counterweight (the bottle of glue).

Close-up of the latch and the gear.

speech recognition tests 4+5

2007-03-20T07:51:00.000-07:00

Check out our videos to see these tests.

Test #4 - In an elevator -

we wanted to see if the sensor could recognize our vocabulary words inside of an elevator.

it worked pretty well when one person was saying the trigger words, but when other conversations were going on inside the elevator, the words weren't recognized as often.

Test #5 - With a phone-

we wanted to show how you don't have to actually be present to activate a voice recognition system.

- Annie, Hanuy, + Chris

Aggregation

2007-03-20T07:50:00.000-07:00

Video Links:

Aggregration Type 1

Aggregration Type 2

Failed Double Circuit

speech recognition

2007-03-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

speach recognition tests

2007-03-20T07:48:00.000-07:00

organ organ

2007-03-19T23:09:00.000-07:00

my voice is baby blue...

Adam Greenfield on Voice Recognition

2007-03-17T11:00:00.000-07:00

"But of all audio channel measures, it is voice-recognition that is
most obviously called upon in constructing a computing that is
supposed to be invisible but everywhere. Voices can, of course, be
associated with specific people, and this can be highly useful in
providing for differential permissioning--liquor cabinets that unlock
in response to spoken commands issued by adults in the household,
journals that refuse access to any but their owners. Speech, too,
carries clear cues as to the speaker's emotional state; a household
system might react to these alongside whatever content is actually
expressed--yes, the volume can be turned down in response to your
command, but should the timbre of your voice indicate that stress and
not loudness is the real issue, maybe the ambient lighting is softened
as well.

We shouldn't lose sight of just how profound a proposition
voice-recognition represents when it is coupled to effectors employed
in the wider environment. For the first time, the greater mass of
humanity can be provided with a practical mechanism by which their
'perlocutionary' utterances--speech acts intended to bring about a
given state--can change the shape and texture of reality."

--Adam Greenfield, Everyware: The Dawning Age of Ubiquitous Computing
(New Riders, 2006)

lenses

2007-03-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

we got it breathing. . .

2007-02-28T19:28:00.000-08:00

We've been experimenting with a few materials for lamination (electrical tape, book binding tape, laminating film, wax paper, and tracing paper). Different woven folds produced slightly different movements.
Eliminating the piano wire from our set-up, we used the material itself as a counterforce, returning the wire to its straight state.
Several of our trials (including laminating the full length of the flexinol) failed to produce movement. However, we did achieve several trials that produced amplified movement.
Here are links to a couple couple movies.

-Natalie, Allie, Ray, Georgia

Spin Doctor

2007-02-21T06:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.beyond-gravity.com/rotpneu.html

Wing_01

2007-02-20T08:45:00.000-08:00

Using part of an umbrella arm, we are hoping to create a system that will expand and collapse a sheet of fabric (tentatively for shading) when movement is perceived by the sensor, trigger the flexinol wire that would release a latch. In order to maximize the impact of the flexinol wire, we are looking into introducing a pulley system that will reduce the amount of energy required to trigger the reaction which will in turn open and collapse the fabric. For this week we manufactured a prototype consists of a plexi platform with slots for gears and levers.

This is our prototype in compression (the umbrella arm is in a resting state, no force has been applied to the flexinol wire).

This is the umbrella arm in tension. The contraction of the flexinol wire (triggered by movement) releases a latch that previously holds the counterweight (bottle of glue). The weight of the glue creates enough force to pull and extend the umbrella arm.

NiTi Links

2007-02-18T21:42:00.000-08:00

good clips of niti demos...

http://mrsec.wisc.edu/Edetc/cineplex/NiTi/index.html

video examples of niti toys...

http://www.tms.org/pubs/journals/JOM/0212/Roncone-0212.html

nanomotion...

http://www.johnsonelectric.com/brands/brands_nanomotion.php

Voice recognition kit: Easy-VRStamp

2007-02-15T17:35:00.000-08:00

http://www.mikroe.com/en/tools/easyvrstamp/

Also see links and PDFs on this page.

open source max/msp/jitter

2007-02-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

puredata, the opensource replacement for max msp, written by the original author:

http://puredata.info/
http://projects.lowtech.org/e-gehirn/pdfaq.html
http://www.eyebeam.org/reblog/archives/2005/05/maxmsp_and_pd_political_manifest.html

the PUREDYNE site is a bit flakey, but i was able to download iso, burn it, and boot it by simply sticking it in a pc whose boot order was cdrom before ide:

https://goto10.org/puredyne/

heat mobile

2007-02-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

http://www.imagesco.com/catalog/nitinol/index.html

Thermobile The Thermobile (see figure 8), uses a loop of nitinol wire to generate power. The nitinol loop is place on two free rotating wheels, This device uses only hot water (hot side) and cool ambient air (cool side). The smaller brass wheel of the Thermobile is immersed in a hot liquid.
In the Thermobile the nitinol loop wire has been trained to remember a straight shape. When the loop travels into the hot water it is brought above its transition temperature and attempts to straighten out. Look at figure 9, at position 1 the nitinol wire is relatively straight and cool. As the wire moves from position 1 to 2, it is bent around the small brass wheel and enters the hot water. As the wire moves from position 2 to 3, the hot water brings the nitinol wire above its transition temperature and it tries to straighten out. When attempting to straighten out the nitinol wire takes a form depicted by the dotted lines. In doing so, the wire generates a tugging force, F, along the loop. As the wire segment moves from position 3 to 4 it straightens out. As the wire travels from position 4 to position 1, through the air and around the large wheel it has sufficient time to cool below its transition temperature and is ready for another cycle.
In short, the temperature differential causes one side of the loop to stiffen (hot water side) while on the air side of the loop the nitinol cools and relaxes. A mechanical force is produced that causes the wheel pulleys to rotate.
In some cases it is necessary to jump start the engine by rotating the larger wheel. Interestingly, the Thermobile hasn't a set rotational direction. Whichever way it is started it will continue to rotate. The Thermobile can also be solar powered. A magnifying lens focusing sunlight on the brass wheel also supplies sufficient heat to power the engine.
Larger Thermobile engines have been built and tested using nitinol loops. One engine built by Innovative Technologies International (ITI) in 1982, contained 30 nitinol wire loops. The nitinol wire used in the loops was 22 mils in diameter. The engine was tested using a hot water bath set at 55 C and an air temperature of 25 C. The engine reached a speed of 270 RPM and continued to operate for 1.5 years without failure. The nitinol wire had undergone 2.1x108 cycles without any breakage or observable degradation in performance.

Supplies

2007-02-13T08:17:00.000-08:00

Good places to buy electronic supplies:

http://www.jameco.com
http://www.digikey.com

2007-02-13T06:27:00.001-08:00

Mark Green_Richard Moore_Fernando Pando_Micah Roufa

RESEARCH AGENDA

We will study the transparency, filtration, and movement of walls as an architectural component.

+Light
We will investigate the amount, the direction, and the movement of light by mechanical means.

+Movement
We are interested in an output that demonstrates the maximum effect given a minimum amount of mechanical movement.

+Social Agenda
We will expose something that people do not normally see or are not aware of.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

Light as a primary output, movement of light can be dramatically altered with relatively subtle or minimal mechanical difference.

A dramatic effect can be created with very subtle movement using a ratchet, lever, and mirrors. Transparency/opacity can be created using polarization.

Our social agenda to increasing awareness of subtly shifting environmental elements. One example is the sky, which is often not observed because of its placement above us. A wall of sky would show something that is familiar and simultaneously unfamiliar.

Gender sounds

2007-02-12T19:56:00.000-08:00

RESEARCH AGENDA
+ SOUND
We will begin with investigating sound as the main input for our system.
+ PROCESSING
We will explore ways that the sound can be analyzed and processed into various output conditions.
+ SOCIAL AGENDA
Using pitch difference between male and female voices in the hopes of creating a gender based material response, with the possibility of a gradient of reactions between both extremes.
+ MOVEMENT
We will create architecture that will have a range of movements responsive to the processed sound input. Our research will also investigate ways to register the output through responsive materials in a vertical membrane.
+ REALIZATION
You will hear it. You will see it. It will be built. By us.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
PROCESSING
We are focusing on processing as a way to analyze sound into potential output conditions. We believe that processing has the potential to increase the variables and therefore the complexity of the output.
The materials we need for this research are microphone (sound sensing device), an arduino board (processor), MAX/MSP or Processing (software), and flexinol (output). The responsive material may be some sort of fabric or cast polymer.

Specifically we will be using MAX/MSP to process the sound input. Several MSP externals (such as ones that measure pitch, loudness, brightness, etc.) will allow us to create an architecture that will respond to users according to the make-up of their voices. This could potentially have implications for user identification according to gender, age, mental state and social interaction, and could be read on an individual or group basis (?).

SOCIAL
We believe that our research into processing can contribute to the complexity of the relationship between input and output, in our case between sound and movement.

PROTOTYPE #1
INPUT:
USB Microphone
PROCESSING:
Sony Vaio Laptop Computer
MAX/MSP Software
Arduino Board
OUTPUT:
Output circuit to flexinol wire

RESOURCES
Arduino USB Board SKU#: Arduino-USB Price: $31.95 Buy Online: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=666
http://www.arduino.cc/
http://www.cycling74.com/
http://processing.org/
http://web.media.mit.edu/~tristan/maxmsp.html
http://www.wired.com
http://tigoe.net/intro.shtml
http://tigoe.net/pcomp/resources/
http://www.dynalloy.com/
http://www.lalena.com/audio/electronics/color/
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/categories.php
http://www.allelectronics.com/

Proposal - Better Than Gortex

2007-02-12T18:52:00.000-08:00

“Better than Gortex”
Ray Williams, Allison Weinstein,

Georgia Ewen-Campen, Natalie DeLuca

RESEARCH AGENDA

+ FABRIC/SKIN
Focusing on the output, we will experiment with woven/linked/jointed/louvered material that moves to create specific openings.

+ MOVEMENT
We aim to create varying permeability within the fabric skin.
Movement may be multi-directional, such as condensing and twisting.

+ SPATIAL IMPACT
We imagine an envelope that affects the quality of the enclosed space.
Our architecture will respond to heat or moisture (or other environmental force).

+ REALIZATION
We will build it through a series of systematic trials.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL
Our investigation into changing interior environments through a surface will focus on output. We will focus on creating ‘fabrics’ that change in permeability through movement. This system has the possibility of working at a small scale (e.g. breathable clothing that opens when excessive moisture is detected inside) or at a building scale (e.g. a skin that opens to allow ventilation when the interior gets too muggy).
We are interested in creating this change in specific locations and with specific types of vents (such as a louver that allows air in but keeps out the rain). By experimenting with the design of the fabric weave/linkage system we hope to take advantage of a chain reaction to amplify the movement.
Our first prototypes will explore the movements possible with different fabric structures and materials. We also plan to look to previous examples to guide our beginning steps. This architecture would work well responding to heat and/or moisture sensors. However, we plan to focus on the output at this stage.

research agenda + proposal - park, scheel, shelley

2007-02-12T15:47:00.000-08:00

Research Agenda

- Our focus will be input. We will use voice recognition software to generate output that demonstrates personal adaptability.

- We will take advantage of the multilingual environment of Columbia University to make our system respond in culturally relevant ways to different languages. One possibility is to “teach” our system the same word in different languages.

- Several possible outputs may reflect specific cultures through space, color, or customs, but the output will have a kinetic component.
- A variance of the size of perceived “personal space”
- Color symbolism (what color is mourning?)
- Furniture heights and styles respond to cultural rituals
- Bodily perceptions and acceptable levels of exposure

- The output that most interests us at this point is the deformation of a reflective surface that acts as a customizable mirror and responds to different languages according to the ideal body image of specific cultures.

- Our initial research will focus both on the possibility of “teaching” the sensor language recognition and specifics about cultural perceptions of space and beauty. Also, we need to research feasible methods of deforming a reflective surface with flexinol wires.

Research Proposal

We propose to take advantage of the personal adaptability of voice recognition software to create linguistically responsive systems. Different cultures have different perceptions of space and the meaning of space. We think this is significant because much of kinetic architecture is not responsive to individuals on a personal level. Most of the examples we have studied only show responsiveness to the physical presence of people and don’t address any inherent qualities of different people. In addition, voice recognition sensors are relatively inexpensive and easily integrated with our existing systems. Finally, our proposal allows us to study kinetic systems that not only respond to individual users, but also bring awareness to different cultural values, resulting in a project that transcends the novelty of kinetic systems by engaging intangible ideals of space and beauty.

sensor is working

2007-02-10T11:54:00.000-08:00

we have a pulse and it is senso-matic!

turns out when we flipped the pin connector on the back of the sensor around it worked as it should.

rich_mark_fernando_micah

We've got a pulse

2007-02-06T07:15:00.000-08:00

We did achieve slight movement. We were able to exaggerate this movement by attaching a piece of balsa wood to the end of the wire. By changing the pulse time, we were able to achieve slightly greater movement.

Unfortunately, we were not able to make the sensor work.

RESEARCH PROPOSAL ASSIGNMENT

2007-02-06T05:41:00.000-08:00

http://www.thelivingnewyork.com/LivingArchitecture/07SP-Columbia/070206-LivingArch-Columbia-Research.pdf

prototype_1 (aka fred, the intimidator)

2007-02-05T20:33:00.000-08:00

after the second trip to radio shack we were all set. check out our video for our working prototype and our boards.

Wiggle, wiggle.

2007-02-05T20:04:00.000-08:00

Our team created a diagram to help instruct us and maybe others to use this small network. Posted is a lower resolution version but we have made a hi-res pdf as well. Our system definitely worked, but only yielded a slight movement. One suggestion has been to get stronger piano wire and to make the system tighter at rest, so that it will move more.

Here is our code:

' ONOFF

'{$STAMP BS2}

'{$PBASIC 2.5}

HIGH 1

PAUSE 3000

LOW 1

PAUSE 3000

LOOP

-------------

' SENSOR

' {$STAMP BS2}

' {$PBASIC 2.5}

PIR PIN 0 ' this is the P# port that your PIR is wired to

counter VAR Byte ' Trip Counter

Main:

IF PIR = 1 THEN ' Motion Detected?

counter = counter + 1 ' Update Trip Counter

HIGH 1 ' send power to flexinol

DEBUG HOME, "TRIPPED...", DEC3 counter

DO : LOOP UNTIL PIR = 0 ' Wait For PIR To Clear

DEBUG HOME, "CLEARED...", DEC3 counter

LOW 1 ' Turn Off flexinol

ENDIF

LOOP

The video is posted here

Prototype 1

2007-02-05T18:12:00.000-08:00

we also got ours to work with just a bit of trouble shooting.
instead of moving our wire to P10 we changed the code from HIGH 10 to HIGH 2

our video can be found at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwvdZ96ZFxo

-natalie, allie, ray, georgia

living...

2007-02-03T18:54:00.000-08:00

We managed to set up our system after a few minor mistakes; mostly wrong character inputs and misplaced wires in the bread board.

A few things that we think would be helpful to other groups who may have experience the same problems we did tonight -

1. when you copy the code from the instructions to the code editor, retype all the apostrophes as the code editor will not recognize the pasted version.

2. make sure when programming the input censor, that the wire in the P2 slot is relocated to P10 (this is specified in the code "high = 10")

Attached is a link to our video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nUOw9q0SLXA

Inspiration from previous project

2007-01-30T07:53:00.000-08:00

Inspiration from previous project

Sensitive Tiles in Spring06 Columbia is the potential project that I think the level to response interactive of a wall should look like the RESPONSIVE SCREEN. The potential of the material is not only the pattern but the deformation of the sheet. Base on a project I participated before; cutting pattern can affect the thickness of a sheet of Mylar. (And hope can use on other materials) In that case the thickness may be considered as a partition of space which can change as the event holding inside.

Dune 4.0 + Responsible Screen

2007-01-30T07:38:00.000-08:00

I am inspired by Dune 4.0 work by Daan Roossegaarde. This interactive landscape physically reacts to human presence. It can be developed to sensor more detailed sound, and can be used in various parts of the room, such as wall, window and furniture.In that regard, it will be very interesting to combine Dune 4.0 with Responsible Screen.

Environment/Installation

2007-01-30T07:36:00.000-08:00

While I find many of the more object-based designs very fascinating, I still find the most inspiration from artists and architects who use various forms of technology altering light, sound, etc. to create installations that operate as small worlds/environments. I really appreciate Tim Hawkinson (whose giant low-tech, lo-fi organ self-generates music from a set of pretuned notes and non-repeating musical scroll), While the project is not interactive in the sense that it actively responds to users, I think there is a lot of potential in exploring ranges of sound present in our own voices to create or assemble new groups of sounds.

Institut du Monde Arabe

2007-01-30T07:16:00.000-08:00

When I was in LA earlier this month, I visited MOCA to see the Skin and Bones exhibit, an exhibit that juxtaposes architecture and fashion. There were several pieces that could pertain to this class in the exhibit, but among these I was also reminded of Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. It is a beautiful idea in how it evokes traditional ornamental screen patterns to achieve the same goal, only more precisely- to filter light. Unfortunately, it’s also a great example of how making something overcomplicated can ruin a good idea- the friction caused by so many moving parts caused it to fail the first day it opened.

Transparency in Architecture

2007-01-30T06:40:00.000-08:00

http://www.thiscenturyreview.com/250.html

"While Mies started with the new technology of glass and explored transparency of vision, of structure, and of construction, Jeremijenko starts with new technologies of communication and experiments with transparency of information and of cultural and political forces. While Behne advocated wrenching the public out of its coziness to change society, Jermijenko develops the same theme in an updated way."

http://www.mwomack.com/art8.html

We are generally questioning the lack of perceptible movement and strength of material in previous projects. As a result, we want to use a highly reflective surface such as mirrors to create dramatic results with slight movement.

Wearable/breathable/intelligent

2007-01-30T06:21:00.001-08:00

What first caught my interest in wearable/breathable/intelligent is the idea that clothing is architecture. The investigation into a facility of clothing as a protecting facade that responds to the changing needs of the user relative to activity and weather makes a strong argument for why it is so.

Where the project looses my interest is in the way the clothing starts to respond much like architecture and not like clothing. In an effort to vent or remove facade from a space on the users body, the slicker mechanically depends on a pivoting flap (like a window). The article would be more successful if the thread level of the material moved to reveal openings. Imagine if the weave would expand or contract dramatically to provide venting. Any way that inherent properties of cloth material could be responssive rather than incorporating a stratagy of foriegn system would move this project forward.

PROTOTYPE 1 ASSIGNMENT

2007-01-30T05:46:00.001-08:00

http://www.thelivingnewyork.com/LivingArchitecture/07SP-Columbia/070130-LivingArch-Prototype1.pdf

2007-01-30T04:28:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6R9624xV7JM

This "Intelligent Space" project showcased in the 2002 Swiss National Exposition appeals to me as it combines interactive technology with inhabitable (this is key, for me) architecture. Though the project is nearly 5 years old I feel that there is still a vast potential for development - the interactive floor tiles could become a new media for signage that directs the public in large scale events. Given the number of participants, the location and time of the points of interest, and/or the specific number of participants, the intelligent flooring system can efficiently directs the flow of people in order to maximize exhibit exposure and spectator participation.

Light Mappings

2007-01-29T22:04:00.000-08:00

I think that a couple of projects I came across are interesting examples of mappings but fail to use the information collected to create something other than an image of light.

James Clar's "energy mesh" on the Habitat Hotel by Cloud 9 Architecture in Spain displays at night the solar energy collected during the day.

The Memory Walk, part of the Digital Mile in Zaragoza, records the paths that people walk with increased illumination for each step.

In both of these cases I think that the information gathered could be used in order to change the environment in a way besides just leaving a trace of what was there before. The solar information might inform a facade that
could move to provide shading or at least be used as a tool to gain information for future projects in the area. The same is true with the Memory Walk. I think it serves well as a fun art piece that can be enjoyed by the public. However, maybe more could happen. Maybe areas where nobody walks could move to become benches or other objects that provide a new use for the space along the walk.

lonely bench

2007-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

I think the lonely bench by maoworks is rather witty. The responsive cushions turn a static piece of furniture into an interactive pet that isn't content to just sit still. The technology of the bench can be utilized in perhaps less fun but more practical ways by responding to human movement to meet a person's desired position- like a recliner that automatically adjust to the movement of its user, or maybe a chair that could move to meet an elderly person in the act of sitting down and assist them.

Bridge, Michael Cross

2007-01-29T19:52:00.000-08:00

Bridge, Dilston Grove, London (Cafe Gallery Projects)

I am fascinated by Michael Cross's Bridge because it uses relatively small and simple mechanical operations to alter the perception of a very large space by allowing the viewer to inhabit the seemingly uninhabitable. The project creates the sensation of walking on water and results in a sublime experience that would be difficult to duplicate without a responsive system. I wonder if the manipulated perception of space would be greater if the surface of the water also responded to the viewer's presence.

Inspired.

2007-01-29T19:15:00.000-08:00

In looking at some of the built work, the Wind Veil, Gateway Parking Garage in Charlotte [http://nedkahn.com/wind.html] astonished me. The ability to capture the patterning and turbulencing of wind created startling skins. The project makes me wonder if in the projects we investigate, our team might be able to ultimately focus on the movements of the many over the singular? The ability to capture adjustable patterning seems customizable to user-specifics. But in regards to the student projects, I really wonder about the flexiblity of the pink breathable vinyl [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKM5w4ZFSMU&eurl=], and if that idea in embedding the flexinol into fabrics could be investigated further?

CK.

Response to ScreamBody

2007-01-29T18:54:00.000-08:00

The "ScreamBody" project, mentioned in "Making the World 125 Percent Better," fascinates me because it is a physical response to human emotion. ScreamBody acts as an ideal kind of therapy, in which the user relieves stress and unwanted emotion in order to be able to review it later. The "surrogate lung" functions simultaneously as a silencer and embracer of the human impulse to create noise. In a social context, ScreamBody allows the user to conform to societal convention, while performing unconventional impulses.

In taking this project one step further, I would think about how to express/contain other emotional impulses that do not necessitate speech. Examples could include motion impulses such as throwing things or hitting in anger.